Michael Jackson

Getting ready for barbecue season

2009-11-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

It might sound a little odd to be thinking about the barbecue season in late November, but then we're in a climate where this makes good sense really. By the end of January we'll be back out cooking in the garden again. So of course my thoughts are turning to what new equipment we might need to get that whole process up to scratch. And I've alighted upon one of these Viking grills as being what I want to add to the cooking equipment.

The point isn't just to have the biggest and best cooking equipment on the block: although that is of course part and parcel of the desire. The Viking gas grill range is based upon the idea that whatever the professionals use for their equipment is what you and I should be using for ours. Decent sized 29,000 BTU burners, everything made of stainless steel (so that you can indeed leave it out in the garden) and in general, why not take what we know makes a good grill from the commercial world and apply it in the non-commercial?

And that range is extensive: pictured is roughly the middle of it. The Viking grill range goes from a single, 30 inch grill, through that pictured 41 inch grill with two sideburners all the way up to a 53 inch grill with sideburners, oven and as a freestanding unit with warming drawers and the rest. Essentially there's an option for feeding the family of an evening to one that will feed the Thanksgiving parade as it comes down the street. All you or I really need to decide then is who is it that we want to feed? Just our own family or all on the block?

Decisions, decisions.....it's a hard life, isn't it?

Piggle

2009-11-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

This is amusing: there's a load of searches going on for "piggle" at the moment and I have a feeling that people aren't going to be finding quite what it is that they want.

There's been a lot of recent interest in "teacup pigs", pigs deliberately bred very small: and of course as piglets they're about the size of a teacup. Pigs are actually pretty good animals to have as pets: they're usually brighter than dogs, quite possibly cleaner and can be house trained very easily (they also love to play).

So, I think people are searching for "piggle" looking for these minature pigs. And the second search term is indeed "minature pig". However, that isn't what piggle means.

Piggle means "Guinea pig" which is a very different thing altogether. More like a rat than a pig.

What Galileo and Newton were listening to

2009-11-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is of course what Galileo and Newton (and also Tycho Brae and all the rest of the astronomers) listened to when they worked out how it was that the Solar system worked. No, really, they were, even if they hadn't been invented yet: they were listening to the music of the spheres rather than these specific music of the spheres wind chimes of course. For that's what the whole phrase refers to: the spheres being the planets circling in their orbits and the music being the cosmic soundtrack, the notes that are played out as God's creation goes through its turns.

That's the theory anyway, and then we take a further step, which is that the music of the spheres chimes bring you somehow closer to realising the vision of that creation by listening to them. That's a part of it that has never really quite seemed to hold up to logical analysis I have to admit but that is the story and we'll stick to it. So the thought is that by listening to the soundtrack of the universe we'll be able to better understand that universe and even possibly our part in it.

True, the music of the spheres wind chimes don't have quite the beat or insistency of something like Limp Bizkit and certainly don't approach the sublime expression of God's will for mankind that the very best Motown (or Gospel, from which of course Motown took much) can encapsulate. But the sound is indeed pleasant and pleasing and adds nicely to the background track of one's life. I have only one real concern over them: we have at present an entirely mischievous puppy, of breed unknown but we're pretty sure there's a lot of terrier in there, who would near immediately work out how to jump up and make them chime. So the soundtrack would not be that blissful evocation of the heavens, rather more a Yip, Yip, Clang and repeat. Which might not be quite so relaxing to listen to.

All praise to Teanne Harris

2009-11-04T10:00:00.001-08:00

No, really this is rather a special thing that was done by Teanne Harris. She got jilted by her fiance just 6 days before her wedding day.

When she tried to get back the deposit on her Halloween themed wedding party she was told that it was too late. So, she marched over the road to hte old people's home and asked if they would all like to come to a Halloween party.

Then answer was, unsurprisingly, yes and apparently a great time was had by all: except for the jilting fiance of course who didn't dare show his face.

You know that phrase, when life hands you lemons, you've just gotta make that lemonade?

Getting ready for the holidays

2009-11-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that time of year again, time to get ready for the holidays. Of course, we've got Thanksgiving to get through first (gosh, doesn't everyone just love it when the idiot cousin comes over? And everyone does have an idiot cousin but bear up they're family) but after that comes that great celebration of our common humanity.

Sure, it has different names in different societies and the icons and stories behind them are all different, but every society has a great celebration at the turn of the year. And in my culture (and quite possibly your) it's Christmas and that means a nativity scene.

Given that we've moved recently and various things (as they always do) have got lost upon the way that means that we need to get ourselves a new nativity scene. So which of these nativity sets do you think we should get? I quite like the one pictured but that's only at a first pass.

OK, it might seem a little silly pondering over something as simple as nativity sets for they are of course only out for one month of the year (actually, in our household, only for the 12 days of Xmas, but that's another matter) but then of course that does tend to be the one month of the year when you've got more people coming through the house than in the rest of the year put together. So a large number of people are going to note your taste in such things.

So, I'm still not sure about which to get (and do click through the links to see what choices I face) so I think I shall have to turn to her who will be obeyed: the wife that is. The repository of taste and good sense in our family although of course that does rather leave open the question of how she chose me....

No, not Michael Jackson music

2009-09-02T04:11:00.001-07:00

Rather than music from the now dead Michael Jackson, how about the music from High School Musical?

Yes, it's hugely popular, but it's not exactly the TV shows or the movies that really are. What's got everyone excited is the music, which is why so many of the songs have hit the Billbaord charts, just as the soundtracks have. Yes, it's the High School Musical songs which really make the show, not the plots or the acting.

So if you're looking for a guide to them all, each and every song that made the soundtracks, why not try that link? They're all there, along with who sang them and why, to move the plot along.

Hey, it's the music that makes High School Musical so why not concentrate on that?

Looking for Katie Holmes Information?

2007-06-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, are you looking for news on everyone's favourite celebrity, Katie Holmes? If not why not?

You should be looking at this site, dedicated to bringing you the news about Katie Holmes and her marriage to Tom Cruise.

Of course, htere's also other stuff there. News reports, photos and even video feeds containing all the latest Katie Holmes news.

Why not simply click through one of the links and get your fill of celebrity news?

Lop it off or What?

2007-06-17T07:34:00.001-07:00

So, here's a question. Should the end of an infant's penis be cut off or not? In more formal terms, what are we supposed to do about circumcision?

Leaving aside religion, and those few times when it is immediately medically necessary, it is true that in hte long term it leads to fewer STDs and cancers.

On the other hand circumcision is also known to reduce the sensitivity of the glans and thus, as some would say, reduce sexual pleasure.

Hmmm. You might want to click through to see that argument being demolished, it's likely that it actually increases the sum of sexual pleasure.

Book Reading

2007-06-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

A very funny little instruction set on how to read a book. While we laugh at it now, and with the experience of 500 years of cultural history to help us, I do wonder whether in another 500 years people will need such a guide to how to read a book?

Will print and paper remain as the information storage system of choice? Or will it all be digital bits and bytes and thus people really will have to be taught the skill?

Testing while Pissed

2007-05-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

You know, there's a certain sort of logic to this:

A German man failed his driving test after attempting the examination while three times over the legal alcohol limit, police said Tuesday.

When the man arrived for the test Tuesday morning, both his driving instructor and the examiner detected the smell of alcohol on him, though the 27-year-old assured them he had not been drinking, police in the western town of Bendorf said.

"But his driving was rather bad, so the examiner directed him to toward the police station without him noticing," the spokesman said. "Once there, he had to get out and take an alcohol test, which revealed he was well over the limit."

The man will now have to wait "a long time" before he can take another driving test, the spokesman said.

Imagine he'd actually passed? He'd lcaim for evermore that he was safe driving back from hte pub....

The Best Ringtone Service

2007-04-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

"Ringtones are surely among the Top features that somebody can download from the net. I found a very cool site while searching for free Ringtones. GoldRingtone.com is the best site to download free ringtones without restrictions. The information mail I received from the site says that the database is updated with new Ringtones every week. I decided to test it and download some ringtones (Rihanna’s Unfaithull is cool) and it works just fine.

This site give us the opportunity to download free mp3 ringtones, free real tones, midi ringtones, wav tones etc. Besides you can choose which carrier you like. There are free cingular ringtones, free sprint ringtones etc. So, you can have tones from every carrier. The ideal site for your favourite mobile music is here.

enJoy!!

Phil Spector Murder Trial

2007-03-18T10:44:00.001-07:00

Phil Spector's muder trial is due to start on Mondayin LA:

The murder trial of pioneering rock producer Phil Spector finally begins on Monday, more than four years after a B-movie actress was found shot to death at his castle-like mansion outside Los Angeles.

The trial, delayed repeatedly since Spector was indicted in 2003, will be shown on live television amid fascination with the 1960s musical genius turned recluse who once described himself as having "devils that fight inside me."

Fifty news organizations applied for a seat in the Los Angeles courtroom for the biggest celebrity trial since pop star Michael Jackson's 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.

I really don't think he's going to get off you know, life without parole is what I expect as the sentence. Rich white guys just don't get the death sentence.

On the other hand, as we know from Michael Jackson's trial, convicting a celebrity of anything is pretty damn tough.

Talk to Michael Jackson for $3,400

2007-03-10T10:01:00.001-08:00

Fans in Japan have been signing up to pay $3,400 to talk to Michyael Jackson:

Excited fans got the chance to meet Michael Jackson in Tokyo on Thursday -- but only those who could afford to pay 400,000 yen ($3,400) for the privilege.

Fans of the "King of Pop" screamed as he arrived by van at the venue in the Japanese capital for the event, at which he had promised to chat and take pictures with up to 300 guests, but not to sing or dance.

They were not put off by the price.

"I would pay 10 times that amount any time anywhere," said Carlo Riley, a Jackson fan and impersonator with long black hair and a black surgical mask, who danced as he waited in line.

Riley said he flew from the United States especially to meet Jackson face-to-face. "If they do it again, I'll pay it again -- easily," he added.

Since being acquitted of child molestation charges at a trial that ended in June 2005, Jackson has mostly kept a low profile, spending time in Bahrain and Ireland.

He last visited Japan, where he has a huge fan base, in May to accept a music award. Since arriving at the weekend, he has been mobbed by fans during a shopping trip and a visit to Disneyland.

In November, Jackson sang at an awards ceremony in London, his first public performance since the trial, but his efforts were panned by critics.

Jeez, I'd happily pay $3,400 never to hear a single one of his songs again. Although some of the Jackson 5 stuff was pretty good.

Liz Hurley Wedding: The Menu

2007-03-10T09:58:00.001-08:00

As if we needed to know what was being fed to hte guests at Liz Hurley's wedding:

Actress Elizabeth Hurley is feeding her wedding guests obscure regional Indian cuisine adapted to the scarcity of the desert and rarely found in curry houses in the West.

Hurley is celebrating her wedding to Indian businessman Arun Nayar in Jodhpur, the main city of the arid Marwar region bordering India's Great Thar Desert, where people have mastered ekeing hearty meals out of a parched land.

"You have to develop a taste for it," said Kiran Arora, executive chef at Jodhpur's Taj Hari Mahal hotel, where some of Hurley's guests are staying. "They are all very simple dishes."

Most items on the menu will be unfamiliar to people used to eating tandoori fare at Western curry houses. Marwari food is traditionally vegetarian, though it has been broadened in recent times to include meat dishes.

The cuisine developed in one of the hottest corners of India, the Rajasthan province, in an age when cows were plentiful but refrigerators not yet invented, so milk and its products had to be used up quickly.

Lashings of sweet buttermilk are used instead of water, which is scarce, to make gravies and sauces in many of the dishes that will be served to Hurley's guests on Friday at the Meherangarh Fort, said Arora, whose colleagues have been planning the meals.

Dal bhati churma is perhaps the quintessential Marwari dish, in which tough, wheat dumplings are bashed into crumbs and mixed into a soup of savory lentils.

Whear dumplings and lentil soup. Oooooh, yum yum I don't think.

Top Three Grammys

2007-02-13T10:33:00.001-08:00

Here's the top three Grammys. All the rest are just runners up really:

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Not Ready To Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Taking The Long Way - Dixie Chicks

SONG OF THE YEAR (A SONGWRITER'S AWARD)

Not Ready To Make Nice - Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Dixie Chicks)

It's rare that all top three go to the same people. So congratulations, I guess.

Technorati tags: dixie chicks, grammys

Beyonce Knowles

2007-02-02T10:07:00.001-08:00

Beyonce Knowles has been named the most attractive fantasy girlfriend:

The entertainer, sometimes credited by her full name, Beyonce Knowles, jumped from No. 50 last year to the top of AskMen's list of "fantasy girlfriends" in 2007, as ranked by its readers – a majority of whom are men aged 18 to 34.

Beyonce, who burst on the recording scene as a member of the chart-topping R&B group Destiny's Child, earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as the Diana Ross-like character in Dreamgirls, a big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit musical. The movie is nominated for eight Oscars.

Screen star Scarlett Johansson is this year's AskMen runner-up, followed by the top pick from 2006, Jessica Alba, who slips two places to No. 3.

Me, sorry, I don't agree: I'm looking forward to hte time machine arriving and I'll go back and get Charlotte Rampling before Jean Michel Jarre did. We are talking fantasy here, aren't we?

Technorati tags: beyonce knowles, charlotte rampling, jessica alba

Harry Pooter

2007-02-01T11:58:00.001-08:00

In wonderfuil news for Mihael Jackson and all of his fans everwhere it looks like the new Harry Potter book will be out in the summer:

The fate of fictional boy wizard Harry Potter will finally be revealed on July 21, the publication day for the seventh and last installment of J.K. Rowling's hugely successful book series.

In what promises to be one of the biggest publishing events in recent years, book stores and online retailers are bracing for another outbreak of Pottermania as fans across the world snap up copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Adding to Harry hype this summer will be the release just over a week earlier of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth Hollywood blockbuster based on the books.

Given the way the books appeal to pre-pubescents, well, that's the seduction techniques for the summer sorted out then.

Technorati tags: Michael Jackson, Harry Potter

Sean "Diddy" Coombs

2007-02-01T11:56:00.001-08:00

Here's the problem with making up a name for yourself:

A London-based record producer launched his bid on Thursday to force U.S. rapper and hip-hop music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs to change his alias or stop using the hugely popular MySpace and YouTube Internet sites.

Richard "Diddy" Dearlove says that Combs has breached an earlier undertaking not to use the name "Diddy" in Britain, because people there can see Combs' pages on the international MySpace and YouTube sites were he appears as "Diddy."

"We want him either to use a neutral name like P. Diddy or to shut them down," said Iain Purvis, Dearlove's lawyer at the High Court in London where the case is being heard.

Both Internet sites have become key marketing platforms for international artists, and Combs' site on www.myspace.com showed that his profile had been visited nearly 10 million times.

The problem is, someone else might already have taken that made up name for themselves. After all, what was wrong with Puff Daddy anyway?

Technorati tags: sean diidy coombs, puff daddy

Titles, Titles

2006-12-10T10:03:00.001-08:00

This is getting seriously offputting. Why in hell won't this damn Windoze tool punbliosh headlines? Do I need to change the actual blog template?

Michael Jackson

2005-06-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

As probably the entire world knows by now Michael Jackson is on trial at the Santa Maria Courthouse on child molestation charges. At present no one knows quite how it will turn out although it would certainly appearthat he’s going to get hit with something, even if only providing alcohol to a minor.

His own career as a pop star started at an unfeasibly early age with the Jackson Five. He then went solo, produced the worlds largest selling solo album and then, in more recent years, rather lost ground.

He also seems to have a fascination with cosmetic surgery.

One of the things he did with the fortune he earned in the glory years was buy up song publishers...every time someone plays Yesterday or Imagine, he earns more money out of the royalties than either Paul McCartney or the estate of John Lennon.

Michael Jackson has his official website here.

A fan site is here and this is another one.

If you want to keep up with the news of the trial, or look back at what has happened, then this site gives a good roundup plus all of the evidence.