dear santa

My card is in the post.

toodle pip

the addams family hopefuls

It's hard to imagine anyone else apart from Carolyn Jones playing Morticia Addams in TV series of 'The Addams Family', but of course, before filming commenced, actors had to be tried out, and here are some of the photographs from the casting sessions, with Carolyn at the bottom.
I used to love the show, as l was mainly bought up on American TV, and this is one of the classics of the era, even if they only did two seasons (but 64 episodes).
Taken from Life magazine

toodle pip

police on my back

What l don't want to see when l open the blinds first thing in the morning (OK, about 10.30am).
The filth / bizzies / plod / rozzers / dibble.  Or as The Clash would say - Police on my Back.
Luckily, this time, they weren't after me, which always makes a pleasant change.




toodle pip

the deserted seaside

 

A trip out the the pretty deserted seaside with work, looking for devil's toenails.
Redcar to be precise.
It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it.

toodle pip

sauces await arrival of chicken

Now this is what you call eating healthily (not!).
Various sauces awaiting the arrival of fried chicken last night.  Eaten with lots of wine.
Yum yum, and indeed, Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..

toodle pip

spiders take over a baltimore treatment plant

 

What a nightmare scenario.
This would be the worst job ever for me.  Having to clean out a Wastewater treatment plant in Baltimore, USA that has been over run with spiders. About 107 million of them, spread out over 4 acres. There is no amount of money available that would entice me to seek employment there. Grubby evil eight legged multi eyed bastards - l hate them.
The details and research paper about them can be found here.

toodle pip

einstein shows up mr parrot

Damn!!
I thought Mr Parrot was a clever boy, but Einstein the parrot is showing him up for the imbecile he probably is in the parrot community.
Me and him are going to have some serious words.

toodle pip

dating advice from futurama

Some sound advice from Futurama.
Don't date robots!!
Another wacky saying that would look good on a t shirt.

toodle pip

a pear destroyed by mr parrot

This is what happens if you go off to make a cup of tea, leaving a pear unguarded on the settee when Mr Parrot is lurking about.
Little sod.

toodle pip 

the day the earth stood still (1951)

I was watching 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' today.  A 'classic' movie from 1951, featuring the Christ like Klaatu and his companion, Gort. A film that clearly affected some musicians of a certain age, as there are a few references to it over the years. One of the most famous is Ringo Starr's 'Goodnight Vienna' lp, which features the spaceship, Ringo and Gort (not Klaatu, as most people think).

There was also a Canadian band that were called Klaatu, who released a 1976 album that sounded a bit like the Beatles, sparking rumours that it was an unreleased, or possible new product from the fab four themselves.  It's also the album that The Carpenters got 'Calling Occupants from Interplanetary Craft' from. God, my head is filled with so much crap it's unbelievable.

As for the film itself, the acting leaves a bit to be desired, the effects are pretty crap, and the ending is pretty sudden, but l still enjoyed it, despite many things annoying me about it as well, such as the lack of onlookers or interested parties when the spaceship is being guarded (by two soldiers!), but especially the clearly visible wires helping to hold up Helen when she is being carried by Gort.

Ah well, these are some of the sacrifices you make if you watch old films. The suspension of belief switch has to be turned right up to 10.

Remember kids - Klaatu Barada Nikto!

toodle pip

jack jones is don draper

Jack Jones is Don Draper from Mad Men.
I claim my prize.

toodle pip

slow club - tears of joy

Seeing as no-one else seems to have got round to uploading Slow Club performing 'Tears of Joy', l'll do it myself.
From their album 'Complete Surrender', and l love it.  One of my favourite songs of the year.

toodle pip

moss gives evidence in the it crowd

I'm sure l have posted this before, but it is one of the funniest things l have seen on TV, and luckily for me, was repeated again last week.  Maurice Moss from The IT Crowd giving evidence in court.
It makes me laugh every time l watch it, and Richard Ayoade's (who plays Moss) expressions, speech, reactions, and comic timing are just perfect.

toodle pip

mr parrot looking happy

Ah...what's not to love about the little boy?
Mr Parrot looking happy and contented.  You'd never guess that he is a vicious little bastard with other people.

toodle pip

faith through a lens

 

                            

Photographs to do with faith, submitted for the 'Faith through a Lens' competition.  The winner was the bottom one, 'Circle of Faith' by Merryn Fawsett, although l preferred the ring one myself (and the story that goes with it).
If I'd have known about the competition earlier, l'd have entered my own attempt taken at Holy Island. 'The fruitless search for God in a brutal and Godless universe' (below).

toodle pip

the sun is not looking happy

It's been a nice sunny day here in Catterick, the A1 has re-opened after the mysterious explosion, but the sun itself is not looking too happy about it.

toodle pip

ten hours of bird songs - just add an idiot

I was playing this recording of ten hours of bird songs to Mr Parrot the other night, trying to confuse him.
Serves me right that l then went to bed, leaving the computer on and forgetting about it, only to be woken by the bird noises as they got louder, with me thinking that l had a birds nest by the bedroom window that was the cause of all the noise.
I was leaning out of the window and scanning the outside of the house for a good half hour before l eventually realised that the noise was coming from the computer.
I'm a bloody buffoon, and l hadn't even been drinking!

toolde pip

american horror story - freak show

I'm loving the new series of 'American Horror Story - Freak Show' at the moment, it's been at turns, funny, scary, strange and clever, and l also think that it was a great idea to add contemporary songs into the mix,as well as having Elsa Mars dress as Bowie.
Two are featured above.  David Bowie's 'Life on Mars' and Fiona Apple's 'Criminal' (with the original videos as well).
As for the evil 'Twisty the Clown' earlier on (played by John Carrol Lynch) - he was one of the best characters l have ever seen on TV, and it was superb the way the viewers were made to feel sympathy towards him at the end, despite all the nasty and horrible things that he had done. That was an inspired piece of acting and writing.
The full list of all the music played in the series can be found here, and l am certainly going to miss the show once the series has ended.

toodle pip