I'll just leave this here...
Sep. 10th, 2010 09:43 pm( I've been watching Nico 'I dance' videos all evening. That is still no excuse for this. )
And it doesn't quite explain why it makes me want to write about Amy fighting off some alien armed only with a similarly alien glow worm.
And it doesn't quite explain why it makes me want to write about Amy fighting off some alien armed only with a similarly alien glow worm.
I've more or less just come back from watching a performance of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.
Oh god the lulz. We're talking crossdressing because Mozart wanted a mezzo and then CROSS CROSSDRESSING because Cherubino crossdresses in the plot. Said Cherubino is maybe something like fourteen and is hopelessly infatuated with every female he sees (but only pays attention to Susanna and Rosina/Lady Almaviva.)
Susanna is kind of awesome. Just, downright awesome. She outwits the Lord and confuses her husband (who is in turn trying to outwit the Lord Almaviva) and do I really need to say anything more.
Figaro himself was rather okay, but more because he was rather amusing and was a perfect match for Susanna than anything else. (Also, he recognises Susanna in the fourth act because of herslaps voice. This is AMAZING in opera terms but fun because it's obvious they have a Slap Slap Kiss relationship.) Figaro apparently also has a birthmark in the shape of a spatula, which I have only just learnt.
There was of course, the many humorous moments in the play (it is a comedy) but I particularly liked the moment when Marcellina and Bartolo realise they're Figaro's parents and there is a round of "She's his mother? *nod* His mother" x5 because Susanna steps in at exactly the wrong moment and there is a REASON why soap operas are called soap operas. (Knowing the meta makes it funnier.)
There was also the scene in which Rosina and Susanna attempt to dress Cherubino as a girl. Cherubino sings one of the more famous songs from the opera beforehand but as they're stripping him down... Susanna gets to sing something involving the line "Kneel down in front of me". So, funny because it's crossdressing and cross crossdressing and all the implications that stripping down a rather pretty fourteen year old to his underwear entails.
Also funny was in the last act where the Lord Almaviva was doing a very good BATMAN impression with his cloak. Though that might have been more to do with technical aspects...
The technical bits being the gorgeous stage which had lovely vertical 'rooms' that could move and rearrange, a corridor wall-like curtain which had doors in it, A CONVEYER BELT TO MOVE FURNITURE DURING ON STAGE SCENE CHANGES and Rosina's bedroom which had a window that looked like the moon and whose back doubled as the garden.
And the costumes. They had a corsetier on production staff. That should give you an idea of the visual style of the costumes. Even the men's pants and waistcoats had lacing up the back. *swoons* My father thought that keeping the late 18th century costumes was a very good idea – I agree as well, but mostly because they're so PRETTY. (Have a link to the dress rehearsal photos so you can see how awesome they are. The back-stage video is equally hilrious.)
Oh, and Cherubino wears baby blue Converse. And Lord Almaviva looks a bit like Lord Vetinari.
So, reasons to see if you are in Wellington (they had a few seats spare tonight and I think there is another day or two to go): the costumes and set are amazing. The performers are similarly amazing.
Reasons to see it in your lifetime: It's better than The Magic Flute. Seriously. Half the play is spent on switching clothes with other people and LYING, not on religious allegory. (Although you do kind of need awesome performers.) Nor is half the opera devoted to someone going mad.
The meta is fun too, especially all the tropes.
Now I wish there was an opera fandom which wasn't based on the performers.
Oh god the lulz. We're talking crossdressing because Mozart wanted a mezzo and then CROSS CROSSDRESSING because Cherubino crossdresses in the plot. Said Cherubino is maybe something like fourteen and is hopelessly infatuated with every female he sees (but only pays attention to Susanna and Rosina/Lady Almaviva.)
Susanna is kind of awesome. Just, downright awesome. She outwits the Lord and confuses her husband (who is in turn trying to outwit the Lord Almaviva) and do I really need to say anything more.
Figaro himself was rather okay, but more because he was rather amusing and was a perfect match for Susanna than anything else. (Also, he recognises Susanna in the fourth act because of her
There was of course, the many humorous moments in the play (it is a comedy) but I particularly liked the moment when Marcellina and Bartolo realise they're Figaro's parents and there is a round of "She's his mother? *nod* His mother" x5 because Susanna steps in at exactly the wrong moment and there is a REASON why soap operas are called soap operas. (Knowing the meta makes it funnier.)
There was also the scene in which Rosina and Susanna attempt to dress Cherubino as a girl. Cherubino sings one of the more famous songs from the opera beforehand but as they're stripping him down... Susanna gets to sing something involving the line "Kneel down in front of me". So, funny because it's crossdressing and cross crossdressing and all the implications that stripping down a rather pretty fourteen year old to his underwear entails.
Also funny was in the last act where the Lord Almaviva was doing a very good BATMAN impression with his cloak. Though that might have been more to do with technical aspects...
The technical bits being the gorgeous stage which had lovely vertical 'rooms' that could move and rearrange, a corridor wall-like curtain which had doors in it, A CONVEYER BELT TO MOVE FURNITURE DURING ON STAGE SCENE CHANGES and Rosina's bedroom which had a window that looked like the moon and whose back doubled as the garden.
And the costumes. They had a corsetier on production staff. That should give you an idea of the visual style of the costumes. Even the men's pants and waistcoats had lacing up the back. *swoons* My father thought that keeping the late 18th century costumes was a very good idea – I agree as well, but mostly because they're so PRETTY. (Have a link to the dress rehearsal photos so you can see how awesome they are. The back-stage video is equally hilrious.)
Oh, and Cherubino wears baby blue Converse. And Lord Almaviva looks a bit like Lord Vetinari.
So, reasons to see if you are in Wellington (they had a few seats spare tonight and I think there is another day or two to go): the costumes and set are amazing. The performers are similarly amazing.
Reasons to see it in your lifetime: It's better than The Magic Flute. Seriously. Half the play is spent on switching clothes with other people and LYING, not on religious allegory. (Although you do kind of need awesome performers.) Nor is half the opera devoted to someone going mad.
The meta is fun too, especially all the tropes.
Now I wish there was an opera fandom which wasn't based on the performers.
Oh ninties
Apr. 30th, 2010 09:27 pmTom the piper's son has a lot to answer for. Aside from stealing a pig and causing general mayhem, his rhyme also features in Beatrix Potter's 'Pigling Bland' and in what I'm obbiously currently catching up on, Kuroshitsuji.
That and I discovered, because I was being weird and this has been bothering me for a while, to look up Billie Piper's singing history. This is mostly because I once had to listen to one of her singles, on repeat, for three hours when I was 9/10. (I can also amusingly remember a music video, which may or may not have been hers it turns out, where there is DANCING IN ALLEYWAYS WITH POOFY DRESSES.)
And I learnt that she was rather popular in New Zealand (as in... all of her CDs were in the top 20 except for two) and that there was a track on the first Pokemon movie CD (the one that had no actual tracks from the movie, remember?) that was by her. It's... so very '90s.
Anyway, currently listening to all the English theme songs now. Oh god, nostalgia.
And oh god, the.... cheesiness.
That and I discovered, because I was being weird and this has been bothering me for a while, to look up Billie Piper's singing history. This is mostly because I once had to listen to one of her singles, on repeat, for three hours when I was 9/10. (I can also amusingly remember a music video, which may or may not have been hers it turns out, where there is DANCING IN ALLEYWAYS WITH POOFY DRESSES.)
And I learnt that she was rather popular in New Zealand (as in... all of her CDs were in the top 20 except for two) and that there was a track on the first Pokemon movie CD (the one that had no actual tracks from the movie, remember?) that was by her. It's... so very '90s.
Anyway, currently listening to all the English theme songs now. Oh god, nostalgia.
And oh god, the.... cheesiness.
Good news and randomness
Jan. 15th, 2010 11:46 pm30 out of 35. :D
Although I'm not sure if the final score was 35 as there were some things that were on the marking schedule that weren't actually marked. So the out of may be slightly less.
Apparently need to work on my piping though, which yeah, I can understand, but this is pretty much the first week we've done any pastry piping...
So, happy for this week's assessment. Next week is fish, and the assessment seems easy. (Two items, although there is NOT two items on the marking schedule. It's more like four.)
Fun stuff shall have to be later.
In the meantime, I've settled on what pairing/person 'Bloody Game' is best suited for. Doctor/Master.
Yes, in that order and bonus points if it's genderswap for the Master.
I've also found that 'The Time it Takes' is the Doctor, and that even though the lyrics don't match up, 'Just be Friends' is GwenIanto.
COMPLETELY OFFTOPIC, but the sight of David Tennant in a red velvet jacket is hilarious. And makes me want that jacket.
Although I'm not sure if the final score was 35 as there were some things that were on the marking schedule that weren't actually marked. So the out of may be slightly less.
Apparently need to work on my piping though, which yeah, I can understand, but this is pretty much the first week we've done any pastry piping...
So, happy for this week's assessment. Next week is fish, and the assessment seems easy. (Two items, although there is NOT two items on the marking schedule. It's more like four.)
Fun stuff shall have to be later.
In the meantime, I've settled on what pairing/person 'Bloody Game' is best suited for. Doctor/Master.
Yes, in that order and bonus points if it's genderswap for the Master.
I've also found that 'The Time it Takes' is the Doctor, and that even though the lyrics don't match up, 'Just be Friends' is GwenIanto.
COMPLETELY OFFTOPIC, but the sight of David Tennant in a red velvet jacket is hilarious. And makes me want that jacket.
passity pass
Dec. 11th, 2009 01:22 am80% or 24/30 (give or take a mark)
And the assessed items were very tasty. Although I got pinged for seasoning, yet again.
Here, have some music to celebrate.
( The Brunettes - If you Were Alien )
( Blood Red Shoes - It's Getting Boring by the Sea )
( Minuit - 25 BUCKS )
( Giana Factory - Bloody Game )
( Lucid 3 - AM Radio )
And the assessed items were very tasty. Although I got pinged for seasoning, yet again.
Here, have some music to celebrate.
( The Brunettes - If you Were Alien )
( Blood Red Shoes - It's Getting Boring by the Sea )
( Minuit - 25 BUCKS )
( Giana Factory - Bloody Game )
( Lucid 3 - AM Radio )
a very geeky link dump
Nov. 16th, 2009 12:34 amFirstly, have an actual link.
Yet another reason why kissing is good for you.
If science is not wrong and you are female and plan to have kids some time.
Then have some videos.
( First is Lil' Cthulu, which is absolutely adorable. And the thing I was talking about at Jenny's birthday. )
( Second is a really weird, but hilarious video on how to make a McNuggetini )
( Thirdly is... a remix of John Barrowman dancing set to Beyonce's 'Single Ladies'. About two thirds of the way through, there is something resembling an Irish dance step. )
In RL news, today/Monday I am front-of-housing. For dinner. *dies*
Also, never have a barbeque with twelve chefs. Too many chefs, while not spoiling the broth, does make it rather awkward as everyone wants to do something and actually knows how to do it, but there isn't enough things to do.
Yet another reason why kissing is good for you.
If science is not wrong and you are female and plan to have kids some time.
Then have some videos.
( First is Lil' Cthulu, which is absolutely adorable. And the thing I was talking about at Jenny's birthday. )
( Second is a really weird, but hilarious video on how to make a McNuggetini )
( Thirdly is... a remix of John Barrowman dancing set to Beyonce's 'Single Ladies'. About two thirds of the way through, there is something resembling an Irish dance step. )
In RL news, today/Monday I am front-of-housing. For dinner. *dies*
Also, never have a barbeque with twelve chefs. Too many chefs, while not spoiling the broth, does make it rather awkward as everyone wants to do something and actually knows how to do it, but there isn't enough things to do.
on wikihopping
Nov. 7th, 2009 01:45 amUsually I find it amusing when I rather accidentally stumble across something. This time I'm just kind of staring at the screen.
Firstly, I started off browsing some webcomics. Khaos Komix (even though the art style is messy... damn the story is compelling) was my start point and I got waylaid by Honeydew Syndrome (gorgeous art) and ended up reading Incubus Tales. (Not Safe For Work At ALL.) Perhaps a few others as well, but none memorable enough to link.
Anyway, one comic that kept up popping up in the links section of these webcomics was Crowfeathers, which, after looking at a few pages, I decided was not for me and decided to look at the non-comic pages to see if there was anything interesting.
The about page was rather interesting and in the music section there were two songs I know, one I didn't and couldn't be bothered to look up and one that sounded familiar.
So I looked that one up, got a load of hits for Cyndi Lauper, went to the Wikipedia disambiguation page and found out it rang a bell because I had probably looked it up while browsing stuff about the Prom(menade)s and because it's a tune used in a work by one of my ancestors.
Not that I really paid much attention to what was written about The Beggar's Opera and how it seems to be a pivotal piece in musical theatre history and a work of satire.
John Gay seems very witty though, so perhaps I should take more of an interest in my ancestor and read some of his poetry.
Rambling aside, 'All through the Night' is a rather pretty tune, if predictable, and quite nice with lyrics as well if it isn't a chorus version.
( Music under here )
(I swear, some countries have INSTANTLY identifiable sounds in their music. Doesn't the above just SCREAM 'BRITISH ISLES!' at you? Or at the very least 'THE COMMONWEALTH!'? I mean, I thought it was just New Zealand mainstream pop that it happened with, but apparently not...)
Also, I've also surmised, by virtue of jumping around to Discworld to check on the new TV adaption and then jumping to Neverwhere, that series like Midsomer Murders and Silent Witness and all sorts of those running serials are the life blood of British actors.
And I shouldn't get all excited because of the very same reason that one actor has appeared in Neverwhere, The Vicar of Dibley, My Family, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, Waking the Dead, Doctor Who and Torchwood. Because most of those roles were for only one episode.
Firstly, I started off browsing some webcomics. Khaos Komix (even though the art style is messy... damn the story is compelling) was my start point and I got waylaid by Honeydew Syndrome (gorgeous art) and ended up reading Incubus Tales. (Not Safe For Work At ALL.) Perhaps a few others as well, but none memorable enough to link.
Anyway, one comic that kept up popping up in the links section of these webcomics was Crowfeathers, which, after looking at a few pages, I decided was not for me and decided to look at the non-comic pages to see if there was anything interesting.
The about page was rather interesting and in the music section there were two songs I know, one I didn't and couldn't be bothered to look up and one that sounded familiar.
So I looked that one up, got a load of hits for Cyndi Lauper, went to the Wikipedia disambiguation page and found out it rang a bell because I had probably looked it up while browsing stuff about the Prom(menade)s and because it's a tune used in a work by one of my ancestors.
Not that I really paid much attention to what was written about The Beggar's Opera and how it seems to be a pivotal piece in musical theatre history and a work of satire.
John Gay seems very witty though, so perhaps I should take more of an interest in my ancestor and read some of his poetry.
Rambling aside, 'All through the Night' is a rather pretty tune, if predictable, and quite nice with lyrics as well if it isn't a chorus version.
( Music under here )
(I swear, some countries have INSTANTLY identifiable sounds in their music. Doesn't the above just SCREAM 'BRITISH ISLES!' at you? Or at the very least 'THE COMMONWEALTH!'? I mean, I thought it was just New Zealand mainstream pop that it happened with, but apparently not...)
Also, I've also surmised, by virtue of jumping around to Discworld to check on the new TV adaption and then jumping to Neverwhere, that series like Midsomer Murders and Silent Witness and all sorts of those running serials are the life blood of British actors.
And I shouldn't get all excited because of the very same reason that one actor has appeared in Neverwhere, The Vicar of Dibley, My Family, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, Waking the Dead, Doctor Who and Torchwood. Because most of those roles were for only one episode.
perpetually growing list
Jun. 11th, 2008 08:36 pm Why must I like artists which are almost impossible to obtain their CDs locally?
Neil Gaiman posted a link to a band and they have really pretty music and all their songs have the lyrics written by good (fantasy/fiction) authors.
They aren't even self-publishing. *is sad puppy* And their website isn't up.
Anyway, link: [myspace is only good for things like these] and listen to 'Unresolved' because Gaiman wrote the lyrics for that song.
Edit: Also, how can view a site's terms and conditions before using it?
Neil Gaiman posted a link to a band and they have really pretty music and all their songs have the lyrics written by good (fantasy/fiction) authors.
They aren't even self-publishing. *is sad puppy* And their website isn't up.
Anyway, link: [myspace is only good for things like these] and listen to 'Unresolved' because Gaiman wrote the lyrics for that song.
Edit: Also, how can view a site's terms and conditions before using it?
*thinks this is awesome*
Apr. 28th, 2008 04:09 pmThank you google blog for sharing such wonderfully witty people like Tom Lehrer. Of course, there's also the element song and the letter 'e'.
Sigh, so fun.
His song about smut
Since Stae requested my playlist of RoyEd songs with apropriate lyrics, I'm at least going to post the titles and artist here.
And sadly, there are a few which came from ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dawnduskdancer. Yes, some of your much beloved music has RoyEd* lyrics.
So! Onto the list!! Just be glad I don't have any Vengaboys or Leonard Cohen on my laptop otherwise there would be a LOT more tracks. (Maybe I'll do that another time...)
