6th June 2006 (continued)

Well the dreaded day is only...er...days away. And Hollywood doesn't miss a trick:

The remake of the classic 1976 horror movie "The Omen" is set to be released on June 6, 2006 (6/6/06). The plot is similar to the original - an American official gradually realizes that his young son may literally be the devil incarnate.

Then there's "Danielle" (aka "The Beast" which to me is a far superior title). This movie's plot states that Jesus Christ never existed and was merely the fabrication of early Christians. "Danielle" is scheduled to open in cinemas on none other than (surprise, surprise) June 6, 2006.

Watford FC

Belated congratulations to Watford, who beat Leeds United 3-0 in yesterday's Championship play-off final and thus gained promotion to the Premiership, the top tier in British football. Watford deserved the victory - they finished third in the Championship and they've being thoroughly consistent this season. They've earned the right to take on the elite.
So well done you Hornets! Looking forward to the Arsenal v Watford fixture next season....
Leeds 0-3 Watford

Musical interlude

Well, I think a musical diversion is in order. Not one of my favorite songs from the Black Eyed Peas, but I can't deny their success......
Black Eyed Peas - My Humps (video)

Never forget...

Supporters of the ultra-right British National Party (BNP) claim it is "on its way" after doubling its number of councillors in England, following local elections on 4th May 2006. Prior to the elections the BNP held 20 council seats out of 22,000. They now hold 48 seats.
I'm not really that surprised about the success of the BNP considering the demonisation of religious extremism, immigrants and asylum seekers in the press. Also there was a feeling that the mainstream parties were "out of touch" with the electorate (in particular, native Britons).
But while I understand the reasons, let us not forget what lies at the heart of extreme right-wing parties like the BNP.....

A few years ago, I visted Boston - and was humbled by the New England Holocaust Memorial.
Six large glass towers, each tower representing six Nazi death camps (Belzec, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sobibor, Majdanek, Treblinka, and Chelmno). Each plate of glass are etched with white numbers, which represent the registration numbers of victims.
There are so many, it is heart-breaking.
At the end of the memorial there is the following message on a black granite monolith:

"They came first for the Communists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,and by that time no one was left to speak up."
---Martin Niemoeller
NEW ENGLAND HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
BNP doubles number of councillors

He's staying!!!

Rejoice, REJOICE!!!
Proof that love of a football club still exists in some footballers - Thierry Henry has agreed to stay at Arsenal for another 4 years. This is great news for the Gunners; Henry will be around to lead Arsenal for another assault on the Champions League.
Yesssss!!!! A depressing week goes out on a high and this news will finally put all those anti-Arsenal fans in their place!!!!!!!!

Henry to stay a Gunner until 2010

Big Brother....

Here we go again...

Another 13 weeks of "reality TV" in the shape of the seventh series of "Big Brother." The show's makers have promised that this series will be the "longest and most twisted" programme yet, with a prize of £100,000 for the winner. Uh-huh.....
Anyway, the wannabe z-list celebs (sorry - contestants) include four models, two homosexuals, a couple of socialites, a stockbroker and a singer with Tourette syndrome...
Apparently last year, 7.8 million people tuned in to see dancer Anthony Hutton win the show's £50,000 prize.
All I can say is -- praise the Lord this year for the World Cup!!!
'Twisted' Brother opens its doors

Big bird arrives at Heathrow...

The world's biggest passenger airliner, the European Airbus A380, touched down in Britain for the first time today. The double-decker aircraft, designed to carry 555 passengers but with room for more than 800, flew from Berlin to Heathrow Airport for its first visit to Britain.
The Airbus A380 is as long as eight London buses and has enough room on its wings to park 70 cars.
Damn - that plane's a monster!!
I only hope the airlines who purchase these aircraft will use the extra space for increased comfort. Somehow though, I doubt it.

Gutted....

Arsenal lost to Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League final. I'm gutted - right now, losing hurts like bloody hell!!
But there should be no shame in defeat, lads. The team were reduced to 10 men after Jens Lehmann - our super goalie from the semi final - was sent off. I won't castigate Lehmann, since if it wasn't for his heroics in the last round we could have been watching an all-Spanish final.
I'm very proud of the players for showing so much spirit, despite being a player short. They did their best against a good Barca team, but didn't let themselves down.
Heck - the Gooners took the lead (thanks to Sol Campbell), and although under siege from the Spanish champions, Arsenal hung on until the 76th minute, when Barcelona's pressure finally paid off, via goals from Samuel Eto'o and sub Juliano Belletti.
Yes, the referee had a poor game, but let's be honest - he made dubious decisions which effected both sides. Also (and it hurts to say this about him) it's too bad Thierry Henry didn't make the most of his chances. But like Lehmann, I won't criticize Henry too much - the man has taken Arsenal to glory on more than one occasion.
Anyway, congratulations to Barcelona.
Now we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down - and start all over again.
After all there's always next season, folks.....

WE LOVE YOU ARSENAL, WE DO!
WE LOVE YOU ARSENAL, WE DO!
WE LOVE YOU ARSENAL, WE DO!
OOOOOHHHHH ARSENAL WE LOVE YOU!!!
Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal

Trying to make sense of Angela Devi's fate...

Where to begin? Let's see.......

Angela Devi was a model of Indian descent known for her enhanced breasts (her measurements were 36DD-23-33). She was born in 1980 in New York City, but supposedly was last known to reside in Phoenix, Arizona (I say "supposedly," since there has since been claims that she actually lived in Baltimore, Maryland).
Her real name is unknown to us - The Internet Movie Database has her listed as Angela Tracy; a couple of anonymous sources claim to know her real name, but that is unconfirmed. Whatever -- she was known to her fans as "Angela Devi".

So far, so good - now here's where it gets weird:
On April 1st 2006, her website (AngelaDevi.com) announced that Angela Devi had died on the previous day. 24 hours later the announcement of Angela's death was withdrawn, but the website remained closed to new members, and was eventually closed down on April 30th.
It's been alleged that Angela had committed suicide and news of her death was restricted out of respect for her family.
While there has been rumors and allegations on various message boards and a great deal of confusion as to Angela's fate, if Angela Devi has passed away, then it is a tragedy and my sincere condolences go out to her family and close friends.
Angela Devi's Wikipedia entry

(note: since writing this entry, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has classified Angela Tracy as deceased)
Angela "Tracy" Devi

More Footy talk

My commiseration to West Ham, who lost against Liverpool 3-1 on penalties in yesterday's FA Cup final (the match finished 3-3 after extra time). However the Hammers should feel proud that themselves and Liverpool took part in one of the greatest FA Cup Finals...Ever.
But Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain was truly incredible!
Lets hope Gerrard can repeat yesterday's heroics at international level and show the world what a great player he is. Heck, move over Becks - here's a real "Capatin Fantastic"!!!
Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (aet) - Liverpool win 3-1 on penalties

PS: while I'm at it, some sympathy for Middlesbrough too, who lost 4-0 to Sevilla in last Wednesday's UEFA cup final.

'Mission: Impossible III'

Despite Tom Cruise zipping across the globe and the obligatory publicity machine into overdrive, Mission Impossible III saw ticket sales come in at $10 million less than the last installment of the much touted series.

The action star and new daddy was unable to put enough bums in the cinema seats for the latest adventures of superspy Ethan Hunt.

Expected to rake in as much as $75 million by industry analysts, MI-3 earned a disappointing $48 million in weekend US ticket sales (as at 8 May 2006), making it the top-grossing film in North American cinemas but coming in well below projections.

In the past year or so, TC has been more open about his belief in Scientology, his stance against psychiatry & antidepressants and let us not forget his scrapes with those loveable cartoon scamps from a certain Colorado town (see earlier posts). TC's relationship with actress Katie Holmes, who recently gave birth, also attracted some less than favourable publicity - remember those headlines about a Scientology-approved "silent birth" and TC's joke about eating his baby's placenta?

Oh well - as far as I was concerned Mission Impossible was about these folks anyway......

Incredible ILONA

Currently moored in London's Canary Wharf is the motor yacht "Ilona", which was designated “Most Innovative Motor Yacht” of 2004 by ShowBoats International magazine.
The 242 feet (73.69 metres) "Ilona" is owned by Australian Frank Lowy. Here is a brief description:

Guest and crew sleeping area is located on the lower deck where the former have 6 cabins at their disposal with a total of 18 beds and the latter 13 cabins with a total of 28 bunks. The bow area of this deck also provides plenty of storage space for the two 31-foot custom tenders (which deploy via hull doors and overhead cranes) and a helicopter. The hangar is equipped with an elevator to raise the helicopter to main deck level and hatches for manoeuvring the tenders. They can be also comfortably used as sundecks for swimming. There is a large saloon inside the deckhouse on the main deck, equipped with comfortable seating and a 14-seat cinema with surround-sound audio, as well as a full beam dining area. The galley is also on this deck, in a separate area and equipped for preparation of cold and hot food, as is the main pantry linked by a food service lift to the two upper decks and a large canteen for the crew. The upper deck is dedicated wholly to the owners' independent enjoyment, with bedroom suite, dining area, massage room, gymnasium, observation lounge, and offices equipped for global communications and video conferencing.

"Ilona" is style personified - I salute the owner and builders (Amels, Holland) of this fine craft.....

BYE BYE Highbury you beautiful old thing (continued)....!

The events of Sunday 7th May 2006 - the last day of Highbury stadium.....

Arsenal's final football match at Highbury against Wigan, 4-2. Scenes from the match...
Arsenal 4-2 Wigan (vid-clip)

The score board at Highbury showing the Tottenham v West Ham score at full time and the Arsenal supporters' (natural) reaction...
Tottenham v West Ham score at Highbury (vid-clip)

The Arsenal fans count the clock down to say farewell to the majestic Highbury stadium....
The Final Countdown of Highbury (vid-clip)

BYE BYE Highbury you beautiful old thing....!

Well, Arsenal hosted their last football game at the 93-year-old Highbury stadium today. Wigan weren't pushovers, but Arsenal won 4-2, thanks (fittingly) to a hat-trick from the irrepressible Thierry Henry.
The Gunners needed to better Spurs' result to finish above their rivals and West Ham's 2-1 victory was a massive bonus. By finishing in fourth place, Arsenal secured the last Champions League berth for next season ahead of Spurs.
After the game there was a parade of Arsenal legends around Highbury and a celebration of the ground as a clock ticked down to signal the end of an era. The old stadium will converted into penthouses and apartments this summer, while Arsenal will move half a mile away to the brand new stadium in Ashburton Grove....

So its goodbye Highbury and thanks for the memories.....but what a way to sign off!!!
Arsenal 4-2 Wigan

Belated congrats...

To British adult actress Alicia Rhodes, who recently gave birth to a baby girl.
Hmm....does this make her an official MILF?*

*MILF: an acronym for Mother I'd Like (to) Fuck - popularised by the movie "American Pie."

The next England manager is........

Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren.
It took 99 days for the FA to appoint Sven-Goran Eriksson's current assistant as his successor - and they had the gall to suggest today that McClaren was their first choice all along (when allegations are rife that the FA offered the post to Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari last month)!
At least this farce is over. McClaren isn't exactly popular, but let's see how England play under him, before judging him.
McClaren named as England manager

For the record...01:02:03 04/05/06

It was 2 minutes past 1am on the 4th of May 2006 when I began this entry.

Or (to be more precise), at two minutes and three seconds past 1am, the time will be 01:02:03, on 04-05-06.
In the US though, the same phenomenon was observed on 5 April (since their calendar works on a month/date/year basis).
The perfect time

The name's Blond....James Blond....

The trailer for Casino Royale looks good - but then again, all Bond trailers look good. Still not sure about James Bond with blond hair but hey, I'm prepared to give Daniel Craig (the new 007) a chance...
You can see the trailer (and decide for yourself about the blond hair) on the following link:
Casino Royale

Musical interlude

Ok...enough football chit-chat....here is Gnarls Barkley with "Crazy."

For those of you not in the know, the duo behind Gnarls Barkley consists of US producer Danger Mouse (real name Brian Burton) and hip-hop artist Cee-Lo. This song has conquered the UK charts and has the proud honour of being the UK's first number one song based on download sales alone.

(PS: Cee-Lo should NOT be confused with Skee-Lo, who had a hit with "I Wish" in 1995 ("I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish I had a girl who looked good I would call her").
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy (video)

Well done Arsenal (ladies)!!!

Well done to the Arsenal Ladies, who won the FA Cup for the seventh time yesterday, beating Leeds Ladies 5 - 0.
A crowd of just over 13,000 (the second biggest attendance for a Ladies FA Cup Final) at the New Den in south London saw ladies captain Faye White (pictured) lift the cup.
Considering that the Arsenal Ladies team have already been crowned Nationwide Women's Premier League champions for the fifth time in six seasons, winning the FA Cup means that they have secured their third League and Cup double in six years and their 24th major trophy in 15 seasons.
Not bad at all, girls......
Arsenal Ladies 5-0 Leeds Ladies