It’s sooo cute. B has posted some pictures of his boyfriend’s visit to NYC. Anybody who has been following Trabaca will know how great those pictures are.
2004: Another Cute One
2004: Another Cute One
Do you ever start to write entries for your blog but do not ever get round to publishing them? Today, I have just uncovered an entry I was going to publish when I put the first page up for the Man of the Moment project but for some reason I never got round to it. I have activated it today but left it in the place it was originally intended.
Similarly, I was about to start writing the Man of the Moment FAQ section but had a feeling I had written it already. And it was true but I have never hit ‘publish’ so I have updated it to be a little more reflective of the current situation.
One evening I must get around to digging out other unpublished content.
What this does to the site, I do not know. Should I leave it where it was originally written or should I move it? If you go back to the entries for July 2002 they are now not wholly reflective of the content that was presented to the world then.
2006: links for 2006-01-12
2005: Garden State
2005: links for 2005-01-12
2004: Make Me Write
2003: Entitlement Cards
2006: links for 2006-01-12
2005: Garden State
2005: links for 2005-01-12
2004: Make Me Write
2003: Entitlement Cards
Inspiring me to write today is Matt Haughey’s A Whole Lotta Nothing. Thanks for the following:
2006: links for 2006-01-12
2005: Garden State
2005: links for 2005-01-12
2004: Hiddent Stuff
2003: Entitlement Cards
2006: links for 2006-01-12
2005: Garden State
2005: links for 2005-01-12
2004: Hiddent Stuff
2003: Entitlement Cards
While writing my review of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, I was looking through Sir Ian McKellen’s website and was interested to learn he lived for a time in the same town I was born in, Wigan.
2005: Links Of The Day – 11 Jan 2005
I have finally managed to see the final part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King. To be honest, I am not sure if I was a little disappointed or not in the last part. Nevertheless, there are many, many more good things than bad and, regardless, it is a superb film. The battle sequences are truly ‘epic’ and, in the case of the catapulted heads, a little horrific. The acting is superb, the bonds between the characters are, at times, tear-jerking. The settings are stunning (and Minas Tirith exactly as I imagined it), the story is edited in an edge-of-the-seat way and the effects that created Sauron’s massive Orc armies are incredible.
Although the effects are really brilliant it is the acting that makes this film (and in that respect it is sad that Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies do not have a bigger part to play and that Christopher Lee – Saruman – does not get anything at all). Elijah Wood is great as Frodo, tormented by The Ring to the very end, but in that partnership it must be Sean Astin who deserves some kind of award. I am not sure there were many dry eyes in the theatre. And how will Ian McKellen every play anything other than Gandalf?
On the downside, Arwen’s decision to become mortal is really not played out (which is a shame) and does leave the very end of the film a little limper than the book.
When I read the book, I was very conscious of Tolkien’s multiple ending points. You felt it went on beyond it’s natural end. You can also say the same about this film (although it doesn’t get dragged out quite so much) and yet I am disappointed that the return to The Shire was not faithful to the book as it really shows the changes that have taken place to The Hobbits. That is, however, a minor complaint. This is a stunning film and Peter Jackson deserves all the praise that has been heaped on him.
2003: You Spin Me Round
2003: You Spin Me Round
I don’t want to beat my own drum but, at last, I’ve found a serious article which picks up on my thoughts about Britney’s marriage. I was interested to read that, ” For the first thousand years of Christianity, the church didn’t want anything to do with marriage, which was about property, not spirituality”.
Britney’s little leap is a reminder that a marriage doesn’t have to be sacred to be legal. The law is no holier than a $40 trip at the Tunnel of Vows Drive Through in the Little White Wedding Chapel [Source]
Interestingly, maybe the article does actually get to say that Britney’s little weekend joke does harm marriage in a way no gay man has ever done!
2005: Polar Express
2005: Polar Express
I wanted to write something today that didn’t mention delayed trains, the weather in London (it’s very windy and rainy right now), student fees or American visa requirements: I want to say something about all of them but they’d mainly be moans and I don’t want to moan today! So, off for soup is a great idea then.
2005: Love In The Song Title
2005: Love In The Song Title
There is another silly reality TV show on Channel 4 at the moment – Shattered. I am not following it except to know that Dermot O’Leary is presenting it and that always means activity on the Dermot pages at Man of the Moment section picks up. So, a warm welcome to Listen to Musak to all the Dermot fans who are dropping by.
While on the subject of Man of the Moment, Mark Owen’s entry remains top of the tree for comments. That’s a weak link to point to an article over at Manchester Online about Mark and his Music. There’s an interesting comment suggesting Mark’s under-rated album, Green Man, is being critically re-appraised right now – which is excellent for it is a fantastic album.
2006: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Gotta Go Back In Time
2005: 2004 In 100 Pictures
2004: Oops, She Did It
2003: Jeremy Vine
2003: Poison Find
2003: A Blog?
2006: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Gotta Go Back In Time
2005: 2004 In 100 Pictures
2004: Oops, She Did It
2003: Jeremy Vine
2003: Poison Find
2003: A Blog?
So, Britney got married, her people denied she’s had a little too much to drink (sorry, she wasn’t ‘inebriated’) and the wedding was annulled sometime yesterday (various reports put a different number of hours on the wedding, but it seems it was a two-day thing). Apparently, it was a joke that went too far (although a comment on the Toronto Star wonders if it was a PR stunt).
As I watched this story unravel over the last few days (the mad grab for pictures, the interview with the ex-husband), I wondered what message this was sending out about the concept of marriage and have been surprised at the lack of comment (The Times did discuss it today).
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not about to beat the drum about religion and marriage too hard, but if marriage is just a joke that can be entered into (and got out of) so easily, is there really much point to the whole thing?
There are some of us in this world who would like the ability to marry (or, at the very least, have some official recognition of our relationships) but can’t. Britney doesn’t know how lucky she is to be able to treat the whole institution so lightly.
Could I argue that it’s an amusing aside to the whole business that a heterosexual woman brings marriage into disrepute? Maybe not.
And so we say welcome to a brand new year and I thought I would have a look around the news to see what might come our way in 2004 in light of the promised partnership bill. I see we’re still in for the same old arguments.
On a positive note, there has been some coverage over the last few days about the National Trust’s decision to allow same-sex couples to hold commitment ceremonies on their premises. As I suspect they don’t discriminate when it comes to taking money from people for entry or membership, it’s about time they caught up and let everybody use the many fine buildings around the country.
Of course, some can’t hide their distaste. Ann Widdecombe said it was a “terrible idea” and the Christian Institute seems also to think it’s a bad idea. As The Gay Vote points out, their ideas are – sometimes – a little contradictory. Still, not as odd as Peter Luff’s thoughts (he’s the Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire), who applauds the use of National Trust properties for civil unions but was “against the ceremonies becoming legal marriages”. Ah well, this year will be interesting when the partnership bill comes before parliament.
Of course the Pope continues his battle to keep marriage tied to religion and ignore the many people who opt for civil unions today. The church continues to believe that civil partnerships for same-sex couples will, somehow, undermine the family. This is one that I have spoken about before, and the logic of this argument is still not clear to me. Still, you don’t need a crystal ball to see that the next few months will be full of such nonsense from the church again.
2006: Who Are You?
2003: LBC Back On Air
2006: Who Are You?
2003: LBC Back On Air