Hamilton Saint

Desperate Dan next?

The First of the Singer Songwriters (1924-1946) by Hoagy Carmichael. This is a four-disc set on the JSP label, which focuses on releasing high-quality, remastered collections of jazz, blues, and pop from the 1920s-1940s. This set consists of 101 tracks. It's not just Hoagy Carmichael versions of his own songs, but lots of interesting interpretations of his material recorded back in the pre-WWII years. Hoagy Carmichael was a great songwriter: some of his classics include: Stardust, Georgia on my Mind, Rockin' Chair, Up a Lazy River, In the Still of the Night, The Nearness of You, Heart and Soul, I Get Along Without You Very Well, and Hong Kong Blues. As well as being a composer, he was a pianist, actor and band leader. He appeared in 14 films, often singing one or more of his own songs. A couple of his notable films: To Have and Have Not and The Best Years of our Lives. In am amusing quote, Carmichael once decribed his screen persona thusly: "the hound-dog-faced old musical philosopher noodling on the honky-tonk piano, saying to a tart with a heart of gold: 'He'll be back, honey. He's all man'." One of the finest contributors to what has been dubbed "the great American songbook".

Too explosive!

I watched Walkabout the other night. It was released in 1971 - directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Jenny Agutter. It's set in the outback of Australia. Not much of a plot, but it's beautiful to look at, with wide vista shots of the topography and lots of images of the local flora and fauna. The film is slow-paced but gives you lots to think about.

I'd do Italy - concentrating on central Italy and the north: the regions of Tuscany, Lombardy, Piedmont, etc. I'd like to see the cities of Rome, Florence, Sienna and Venice. Go in the off-season, if you can - the chance to be more of a traveller than a tourist. Some things likely to be cheaper too.

It's a rhetorical question - big difference.

Been showing my 12 year-old son some "old" (classic) films lately. Gives him a break from the typical special effects-laden, ultra action films he's familiar with. Last night it was The Longest Day, an epic treatment of June 6, 1944 - the first day of the Normandy landing. It has an all-star cast (John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, Henry Fonda, etc., etc.). Most war movies of the period usually featured a pop-star actor; this epic has two of them - Paul Anka and Fabian! It's based on the book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan. It gives a full treatment of many aspects of the operation - and provides extensive detail on what the German forces were doing. Several characters in the film muse about the historical significance of the events they are going through. This film's epic and meticulous treatment creates a sense of that historical importance. The film concentrates on the key military activities, involving depictions of real military figures, using a quasi-documentary approach, but it also fictionalises the human-interest side of things by presenting stock characters. If you like war movies, this is a must. My son's verdict: interesting - especially the battle sequences. Tonight we watched Alfred Hitchc_ock's North by Northwest. It's an action-thriller starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. One of the director's best films. This remastered DVD has an excellent picture. The colour is great (technicolor) and the film is shot in widescreen ("vistavison"). It looks great. North by Northwest has two famous Hitchc_ock sequences: the first is where the Cary Grant character is attacked by a bi-plane - a crop duster; the other is the climax of the film, where our heroes are struggling against the "bad guys" on the faces of the Mt. Rushmore Monument. My son's verdict: fun, but lots of talky bits and a long, icky kissing-session between our heroes on board the night train.

- edit - Sorry, originally put my post in the wrong thread.

Germany wins 3-2. Good game - entertaining and played with a good spirit.

3-2 for Germany. Headed goal from Khedira at 82 mins. Is that it?

Good header from Jansen.

Excellent volley shot from Forlan (at an awkward angle) on 51 mins. gives Uruguay a 2-1 lead. Forlan now has five goals.

1-1. On the half-hour an excellent counter-attack by Uruguay leads to goal by Cavani.

1-0. Germany take the lead after about 20 mins. Mueller scores his fifth goal of the tournament with a rebound shot off a Scweinsteiger long-range shot that the 'keeper could only parry.

Good opening comment from the commentator -"these are two teams that have richly entertained us over the last few weeks."

Uruguay at full-strength. Suarez back from suspension. Germany is decimated by injury and flu: Lahm, Podolsky,and Klose are out. Mueller is back from suspension. Uruguay have the chance now to steal third place, but I still rekon Germany will get it. Thoughts?

Thanks. Yes, I'm very familiar with that track. I'm a big Roy Harper fan - got half-a-dozen of his LPs on vinyl. I didn't realise, though, that it was the Grimethorpe Colliery Band on that track. By the way, in North America the HQ album was re-titled When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease and the cover art and photographs have a cricket theme. I used to play that track a lot when I was a DJ for my university's radio station.

What a coinicidence! I watched the film Brassed Off last night, which includes the wonderful music of that band (called the Grimley Colliery Band in the film).

Also of interest then would be the director's cut of Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii. It's almost three hours long, released in 2003, featuring eight songs. The original version of the film (1972) was only about an hour long, with just six songs. The Director's Cut has extensive interview segments and footage of members of the band doing overdubs for Dark Side of the Moon in the Abbey Road studios (these sequences are actually staged for the film, since the LP had already been recorded.) If you're a Floyd fan, this is one you ought to see.

Cliff and rock 'n' roll? You meant this one, eh?!

Handel - Concerti Grossi, op. 3 (for string orchestra). Played on period instruments; conducted by Christopher Hogwood. Lovely stuff!

After watching Germany's first game (a master class of how to pass the ball and how to run off the ball), and then watching us play the USA and Algeria, I am very, very nervous.

He played in one game only - against Mexico.

Old Speckled Hen Fiddler's Elbow Santa's Butt Moose Drool (from Montana) Arrogant Bastard (from California)

Woops! Wrong sport's term, but same concept. But as a confirmed pedant, I'll accept your pedantry.