3 posts tagged “amy winehouse”
I watched the Brit Awards last night... well, not all the way through, obviously. I’m not quite that masochistic! No, I muted the sound and read a book, then turned the sound back up when someone I liked came on. Thus, my review of the show will be somewhat short and sweet... much like Kylie Minogue, who scooped the (much deserved) award for Best International Female, while also turning in a slinky performance of new single ‘Wow’ (indeed!), and introducing Paul McCartney for his Outstanding Contribution to Music thingy. Fans will be pleased to note that she changed dresses between each appearance, for no apparent reason. Another of my fave raves, Rufus Wainwright was up for Best International Male, but the indifferent crowd response that followed his name being read out tipped me off to the fact that he probably wasn’t a front-runner... especially with platinum-plated competition like Kanye West to contend with!
I generally have to avoid watching this sort of live event, because the awkwardness and potential for conflict always puts me on edge... sadly I didn’t come out unscathed this time, as I tried to sit through Amy Winehouse’s performance of ‘Love Is a Losing Game’. Now, I love that woman to absolute pieces... I wish there was a setting on iTunes which allowed me to Winehouse-up more songs with her vocals and a swinging horn section. I love her spirit, and her humour, and her talent... but watching her last night just filled me with an array of sadness. The song seemed too staccato and stuttery for some reason... maybe that was deliberate, I don’t know... all I know is that I had to turn it off after the first verse or so. As ever, I wish her all the best, and cross my fingers for a long and happy life and/or career in the future... but right now, I just can’t watch her.
Meanwhile, I know at least one of my neighbours will be glad to learn that Arctic Monkeys picked up two awards... one for Best British Group and the other for Best British Album. They also get top marks from me for turning up dressed in tweeds, and carrying a wooden duck onto the stage with them. Bless.
- World peace, obviously, plus an end to hunger, poverty, abuse and prejudice. More intelligent, enlightened, incorruptible politicians, and a secular spiritual rebirth for all humanity. Anyone want to calculate the odds on that all happening... like, ever?
- The BBC finally releasing Series 2 of Supernova on DVD. The greatest astronomy-themed sitcom ever produced, set in the jaw-droppingly gorgeous Australian outback. Ratings weren’t great, and I can’t imagine the first series sold too well either. It’s a shame because the show had a top notch cast, throwing themselves selflessly into the old school slapstick one minute, then casually reeling off mind-boggling cosmic science-talk the next. On his commentary track, Rob Brydon asserted how much harder it was to stage and perform upbeat Farce than it was to craft the darker, naturalistic comedy which is so popular with modern viewers. Supernova, I think, fell between two stools... it was too cartoonish and farcical for the hipsters to embrace, but far too rude for a “family” audience, with central characters casually consuming hallucinogenics and obsessing about sex. Poop.
- The NY Fringe play I Dig Doug becoming a major motion picture. I haven’t seen this play, I admit, but it got some good reviews, and I have a very compelling reason for wanting it to succeed... it was co-written by, and co-starred, Karen DiConcetto (aka “Daphne” from Daphne & Celeste). For those who haven’t had the pleasure, D&C were the greatest, funnest, funniest manufactured pop act since The Monkees... and way cuter. Again, they fell between two stools... they were far too poppy to appeal to most (straight) grown-ups, but too ironic and acid-tongued to be fully appreciated by a younger audience. They broke the mould by listing people like John Waters as their hero in interviews, and having the cojones to play the rock-oriented Reading Festival... granted, they got bottled off stage before they could put in much of a performance, but now they are Legend. It’s a shame that they’d already split by the time that U.G.L.Y. was used in Bring It On!, because they could have at least gone on to record a second album. After they split they returned to their first love, which was acting... but, imho, made a tactical error by trying to “prove themselves” in serious, downbeat indie fare, when their true performance-genius lay in the field of hyper-cute upbeat irony. Thankfully, that’s (apparently) the ballpark in which I Dig Doug bats, and I’d love to see it become a huge success.... not because it confirms my typecasting prejudices about the sort of work DiConcetto should be doing, but because I want her and Celeste Cruz to be more than “Whatever Happened To...?” footnotes. Heck, the book of British Hit Singles can’t even spell the woman’s name right! Whatever happens, I wish them both all the best in their new careers... bless ‘em.
- Amy Winehouse to receive and accept the help she appears to need so badly. Obviously I’ve no idea what’s really going on in her life, having only tabloid snapshots to base my opinion on, but I think it’s fair to say she isn’t exactly in a great place right now, if she’s cancelling gigs and public appearances. Maybe she just needs a break? Maybe she needs a serious intervention. I don’t know. But I’d love to see her come back strong this year... fitter, healthier and happier, with a new album that blows the nay-sayers away, and shames all those who thought she was nothing more than the punchline to a mean joke.
- Me meeting an amenable collaborator. Either someone who is happy to draw the comix I write, accepting (as I do) that we’ll never make any money out of them... or someone who likes to perform comedy but isn’t so bothered about writing it, and will let me take control of the keyboard. Either way, it would have to be someone with enough ambition for both of us, and some idea how to make crazy dreams manifest in our material plane. Because I happen to think I’m a pretty good writer, and it’s fact that a script-editor from the BBC once used the term “sophisticated comedy” while rejecting one of my scripts, but I know that alone I’ll only ever be a wannabe with a stack of vaguely complimentary rejection letters. “This is good, but we don’t want it... send more!” From a philosophical perspective at least, not pushing for fame and fortune is probably the safest way to go, but writing jokes that no one ever hears/sees is still pretty pathetic. Gah!
Stealing an idea from StreetVein, here are my top five fantasy jobs:
1) Sarah Silverman’s Bong-Wrangler
Back in my university days, I was the best bong-wrangler in our student “halls of residence”. This was mostly because I didn’t actually smoke The Demon Weed myself, I just drank white cider and sucked up the second-hand buzz. Somehow, when the security guards came a-knockin’, I was the only one with quick enough reactions to grab the smoky-water-filled cola bottle and hide it in the closet. The only payment I’d ask of Big S for my services is permission to watch her tongue-kiss her reflection now and again.
2) Screenwriter on The Crazy Babysitter Twins flick.
If Rodriguez isn’t up for the gig, with his other commitments getting in the way, then I’d be happy to turn my fingers to the task. Obviously I’d have to liaise closely with the Avellan sisters, to ensure that they were happy with how things were proceeding... and if that means pulling a few long-weekend script-conference-sleepovers, then so be it!
3) Film Critic for anyone who’ll pay me
I love the cinema, but I can’t stand other cinema-goers... and back when I was a reviewer for the student magazine, I used to have the luxury of attending “press screenings” in total solitude and silence. For me that was damn near nirvana, although obviously you don’t always get to see the films you’d prefer, and often have to sit through total shite. A true fanboy fantasy gig though, any way you slice it.
4) Mangaka
Okay, that’s just a pretentious way for me to say “comic book creator”, but I’m working my way through Paul Gravett’s Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics at the moment, and it’s a truly enlightening read. Although in this country the powers-that-be only seem to import the sci-fi/action/horror manga, it’s fascinating to learn how varied the mainstream output actually is in Japan. Wrestling stories, medical stories, ballet stories... they’re all there on the shelves, making moolah! Granted, most of the stuff I write is cyber-punk schlock, because that’s what I grew up with, but it’s fascinating to see how a true Mangaka can experiment with all sorts of genres and styles.
5) Amy Winehouse’s Good Shepherd
I love Amy’s voice, and I love her look and her spirit and her humour... but I definitely don’t love her choice in men and her hell-bent drive towards oblivion. Aside from anything else, it’s tacky and cliché. For the good of Music, and the good of Art, and in Janis Joplin’s memory, someone needs to pull her out of this nosedive before she hits 27. Dammit.
