Month: September 2003

Leni Riefenstahl, RIP.

Interesting BBC article on disposable digital cameras. Actually, I think that these cameras do have a future. I seem to recall the same arguments being made about disposable film cameras when they were launched, competing against cheap but fun non-disposable cameras like the Konica Pop. The key is that they are disposable, not that they are less than fully featured. If you are in an environment where a camera might get damaged or go missing (club, pub, party, amusement park, etc), then it is the disposability that is the key. If it gets nicked or a pint is spilled all over it, who cares?
I think these things have a strong future ahead. Just you wait and see.

The Blogger server clock is running at least six minutes fast. Take it into consideration when looking at post publication times (like you all sit worrying about these details!).

Hmm. Judging by the records from the internal site search function of this site, either one of the people from my class at school came here looking for himself recently, or someone else was looking for him. I wonder what he thought?

The Telegraph yesterday had a tiny piece suggesting that if West Ham are unable to persuade Alan Pardew to join them, then Steve Coppell would be next on the list. This would be very bad for Brighton if it were to happen. The official Seagulls website has nothing to say on the matter.

Duck everyone – we’ve been spotted.

So, the Government plans to improve child welfare by giving each and every child a number. Well, for the civil libertarians amongst you, I reckon this is a back door route to universal ID cards – start ’em young, and they won’t worry when they still have the same number after 18.
I’m also not convinced that giving kids a number will help. That just strikes me as a spot of window-dressing. Getting agencies to work together is more likely to help, but with the huge differences in culture, the little ivory towers and private empires and the sheer behemothic nature of the state that has mushroomed in the last few years, I have little optimism that we will not see more stories in the news of poor children like Victoria Climbié.

Horticultural humour from b3ta:

From my email inbox, an important message from the eternally lovely Lizzie:

After apPhenomenally successful run at this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival I’m taking my show "Lizzie Roper Through My Keyhole" for one night only to The Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1
Join Me!
Come and see what all the fuss was about!
Friday 26th September at 8pm £8/£6
020 7478 0100 (24 hrs)
020 7478 0151
If you’ve already seen it, come and see it again!
or tell your friends… go on forward this email now
but what ever you do book now, tickets are limited and selling fast!

Lizzie Roper works wonders in her solo show. Here’s a comic who can turn in excellent character work – her old woman with a zimmer frame is possibly the best of a remarkably varied bunch. In stark contrast there’s Roper’s feistiness when she’s in stand up mode, a cheery sexual predator with a lustful, life affirming message for us all.
Malcolm Hay Time Out

LIZZIE ROPER is very funny. She’s also very talented. On top of that she’s a bag of energy… Throughout this often hysterical, sophisticated, too-short show, Roper introduces the audience to her take on the Bermuda triangle, Marty Feldman and – a big crowd-pleaser, this – Sindy doll clothes… Lizzie Roper, has the knack of bringing out the naughtiness in people…You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t see her here, because a lot of this show won’t make it to the telly, which is where she’ll be next if there’s any justice.
MARTIN LENON Edinburgh Evening News 5th August [four stars]

Lizzie Roper is a filthy, mouthy, extravagant flirt; and if she doesn’t land a saucy sexpot role in the new Carry On revival, it’ll be a travesty…Unabashedly frank, often dirty, and always entertaining, it’s a rollercoaster ride, powered by Roper’s inexhaustible energy… Who is she? An unexpected hidden highlight of the festival, that’s who.
Steve Bennett Chortle.co.uk 9th August [four stars]

A woman with a fetish for being loud and distracting will take you on a journey exploring all areas of female sexuality from puberty to post-menopause, with great character acting in between. 35 and still an over grown teenager, Lizzie Roper is desperate and, will throw herself at almost any man in the audience. Embarrassing but funny, in a cute kind of way. Her show was filthy, her humour crude, and her over-the-top portrayal of a sex mad minx was witty, octane fuelled and close to genius.
SK Three Weeks [four stars]

Lizzie Roper bursts on the stage like a crazy woman, screwing up her face and making a lunge for a 20-year-old man in the front row. Her mad girl persona – if it is indeed just a persona – is as frightening as it is compelling. You could imagine her doing almost anything, whether or not it was likely to get a laugh. She is tremendously emotive, contorting her facial features into the ugliest conceivable shapes. The members of audience – once they had got used to being bellowed at – loved it…Roper has found something really good here. She is a comedienne who is not afraid to reveal the negative side of her gender, portraying women in a manner few would find flattering.
The Stage.

Sussex beat Middlesex by seven wickets and edge towards winning the County Championship for the first time – not a great record for what is the oldest first-class club in the country.