Remembering Mary Millington...

OK, I'm currently in the middle of a sabbatical, so I only have time for this brief retrospective...

Mary Ruth Maxted nee Quilter was born on this day in 1945, and would have been 63 years old today - had she not tragically committed suicide in 1979.

We know Mary Maxted better by her stage name as Mary Millington, 1970s British adult actress and nude model, who became famous for starring in the sex-comedy movie "Come Play with Me", which ran continuously from 1977 to 1981 at at the Moulin Cinema in London's West End.

"Come Play with Me" still stands as one of the longest-running films in British movie history, but let's be brutally honest - it isn't a great movie (in fact when I watched it back in my youth, I thought it was rather poor. Still - at least the movie is superior to Dangerous Seductress).
I agree with the opinion that much of the film's success should be attributed to Mary Millington's participation, even though she is only in the film for a few scenes. Mary had the girl-next-door looks which helped her become the UK adult superstar of the Seventies, and it's a shame she wasn't treated more sympathetically by the authorities of the time. Mary complained of police threats and harassment. She also had issues with the taxman and was suffering from depression. All of these factors contributed to her sad demise.

Mary Millington (born Mary Ruth Quilter, November 30, 1945 – August 19, 1979)
RIP.

And the next global superpower is...

US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades, according to American intelligence agencies.
According to the National Intelligence Council (NIC) China, India and Russia will grow more powerful in the coming decades as the US weakens. They also predict that the US dollar will no longer be the world's major currency and food and water scarcities will fuel conflict.
However, the report concedes that these outcomes are not inevitable and will depend on the actions of world leaders.
US global dominance 'set to wane'

Guess I better polish up on my Cantonese....

Silly Gallas....

William Gallas heads for Emirates exit

Memo to William Gallas...

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"

A great shame in my opinion. Gallas has been a constant whinger when he could've been a great player for the Gooners instead. Whether what he said was right or wrong, his criticism is just not the Arsenal way and I'm really disappointed with his attitude.

Star Trek

Re: the new "Star Trek" movie.
Apparently Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew are to be dramatically "sexed up". Also in an interview, the movie's director, J.J. Abrams (he of "Lost" fame) talked about the relationship between Kirk & Spock.

Er...excuse me? Star Trek V: The Final Frontier may have sucked as a flick, but it did stress the importance of the relationships between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. I know it sounds like I'm being picky, but the close friendship between the three men runs through the original series and the movies and it doesn't seem that Mr Abrams has done his homework.

Also reading about "sexed up" characters and an "edgy, hostile Spock" doesn't make me want to spend my cash on a cinema ticket (come to think of it, I'm getting tired of seeing well-loved characters from yesteryear being revamped with an "edgier"look for today's generation).
Sorry, but I'll wait for it to appear on Sky....
Internet Movie Database - Star Trek (2009)

Strictly Come John Sergeant...

Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips has said she would be "desolate" if John Sergeant were to win the show. Sergeant has sailed through to next week's Strictly Come Dancing show on a wave of public support despite coming bottom of the judges' score table with dance partner Kristina Rihanoff.
Another judge Craig Revel Horwood was so miffed by the outcome he said: "This is a dance competition. It's not Strictly Come John Sergeant."

Actress Cherie Lunghi became the ninth celebrity to leave the show, even as the judges praised her "breakthrough" performance. Her dance partner James Jordan begged viewers to change the way they were voting after Sergeant was saved.
Jordan said: "This is supposed to be a dance contest. Please, please, people at home vote for the dancing. I think Cherie had a lot more to show."
John Sergeant dances through divide

Sorry - in a lapse of judgement, this blogger watched the show on Saturday (it won't happen again)....

In all honesty though, I can't see why there's all this fuss about John Sergeant. If "Strictly" was supposedly a "serious" dance contest, it would be shown midweek, late at night on BBC3, and without Bruce Forsyth, the moaning judges and the "celebrity" dancers.
Come to think of it there WAS a serious dance contest on the BBC once - it was called "Come Dancing"...

Commercial break (continued)....

Definitely a fan of the Argos Xmas advert.
Excellent use of "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer and the ad does remind me of the scene with Rowan Atkinson in the movie "Love Actually"...
CHI produces Christmas ad for Argos

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

More than 2,500 people waited outside a store in central London this week for a special midnight launch of the popular fantasy role-playing online game the World of Warcraft.
According to the BBC, World of Warcraft makes more money than the biggest Hollywood blockbusters every single month, has 11 million players and controls two thirds of the online gaming market. However critics say the game is addictive and that teenagers who play are spending too much time living in a virtual world.
Hordes greet Warcraft expansion

Lord knows what those critics would make of Newquay couple Amy Taylor and David Pollard, who met in an online chatroom in 2003, got married and shared their interest in Second Life, a virtual world in which users create avatars to interact with each other. Unfortunately a virtual affair has ended their real-life marriage. Ms Taylor filed for divorce (due to be finalised next week) when she discovered her husband's alter-ego "Dave Barmy", was two-timing her in cyberspace with "Modesty McDonnell" - the alias of American Linda Brinkley.
Ms Taylor now has a new man in her life, whom she met while playing World Of Warcraft. Meanwhile Pollard has married "Modesty" in Second Life, and is engaged to Ms Brinkley in real life - even though they have never met....
How do avatars have sex?

David Pollard is a chubby, balding, unemployed 40-year-old. But in Second Life he is "Dave Barmy", a superfit young hunk who lives in a luxury villa, and sports a sharp grey suit and sunglasses. One can see the attraction of virtual reality (no need to exercise)....

2012 - some regrets?

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell denies having regrets over London's winning the bid to host the 2012 Games.

It has emerged that earlier this week she told leisure chiefs "had we known what we know now" about the economy "we would almost certainly not" have bid.

The original 2012 Olympics budget of £2.4bn rose to £9.35bn last year.
Jowell denies Olympic win regrets

With all due respect Ms Jowell, get over it! Heck I was hoping we wouldn't win the 2012 bid, but (unfortunately) we did. So it's too late to have regrets.

PS: the 2012 logo is STILL a load of crap....why not replace it with this, in view of your recent comments?

"All the news we hope to print"...

An elaborate spoof hit the streets of New York on Tuesday: a convincing fake of The New York Times newspaper announcing the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, the indictment of President George W. Bush on treason charges, an apology from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for lying about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and all Americans receiving national health care.
Apparently the folks behind this stunt are The Yes men, a liberal group famous for practical jokes. The bogus paper - dated 4 July 2009 - was accompanied by a web site that mimicked the look of The New York Times's real website.

More than 1m free copies of the 14-page "special edition" newspaper were distributed mainly in the cities of New York and Los Angeles.
Pranksters print spoof NY Times

If only that headline was true....oh well.

REMEMBER...

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the Armistice, and the end of World War I in Western Europe. At 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918 — the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month — a cessation of hostilities came into effect.
Still, on all sides of the western front, 2,738 men died on that final day.

We must NEVER forget the sacrfices made by so many....

You decide...

In 2007 Boots used the classic song "Here Come The Girls" by the late Ernie K-Doe, for their Christmas advert (which I commented on in this blog last year).
This year Boots are using the Sugababes' single "Girls" which samples "Here Come The Girls".
As far as I'm concerned, the Sugababes is a pale imitation. But listen to both tracks and decide for yourself...
Boots to launch Secret Santa Christmas TV ad

The more things change...

Veteran Austrian television personality Klaus Emmerich has triggered a barrage of criticism for his racist comments about the US president-elect, Barack Obama. During coverage of the election he said: "I do not want the western world being directed by a black man. And if you say this is a racist remark, I say you are damn right it is."
Emmerich also said Obama's election was "a highly disturbing development" because "blacks are not as far advanced in the civilization process nor in their political progress."
Emmerich, until he retired, was editor in chief of the Austrian broadcaster ORF's news and current affairs service. While ORF bosses have disassociated themselves from Emmerich's remarks they have (so far) refused to ban him from future work. They say they are still reviewing the situation.
Barack Obama 'not civilised' enough to rule, says Austrian pundit

Sadly while most Americans were ready for an African-American to lead them, it appears others around the globe were not. I sincerely hope Barack Obama will make this ignoramus eat his words...

The more things change, the more they stay the same....
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

2-1 to the Arsenal....

Samir Nasri scores twice as Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-1 in a thrilling encounter between the two giants of English football.
Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd

Nasri, I salute you (but as for Nicklas Bendtner - someone get him some shooting boots)....

I have to say "well done" to Arsenal - before the game, I honestly would have settled for a draw, and I didn't give them a snowball's hope in hell against Fergie & company, but to come out with all three points is nothing short of magnificent.

Remember this team was ravaged by injuries, low on confidence, and yet Arsenal beat the reigning champions of England and Europe, with their full strength team out. So our season isn't over yet.

However....beating Man United makes the recent results against Tottenham and Stoke harder to bear. Also, watching the match during injury time was heart stopping. I thought the lads would have learned their lesson after playing Tottenham (a result which still rankles with me). But there was no attempt to keep ball and no attempt to run the clock down. OK, we got away with it this time - but we really cannot continue to be this sloppy in the last 10 minutes when we are in the lead.

Yes he can...

"I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."
Barack Obama

In case you've been in hibernation over the last day or so, Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States of America.

Congratulations are definitely in order for Obama making history. In 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated for a dream that his descendants could live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Forty years later America has elected their first black President, and there feels a sense of hope and optimism probably not felt since JFK.

I hope President-Elect Obama understands that the hopes of a nation wanting change now rests on his shoulders. Now is the time to make those hopes reality.