America’s sweetheart, Sandra Bullock, won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in "The Blind Side" at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

“The Blind Side" depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher’s presence in the Touhys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.    (IMDB, 2010)

The question is… did she deserve it?

The movie is exactly as it appears to be. A rags to riches tale about how an affluent family takes in a less fortunate individual and helps to raise said individual to new heights, both academically and professionally. Where this movie differs to the conventional mold, is in terms of the acting and uninhibited, yet accurate, portrayal of often taboo themes and simply because it is based on a true story.

One of the aspects I found most refreshing about the movie, was how real and relatable it was. Personally, I know what it is like to take someone into your home, a veritable stranger, and to give them all they need to progress and further themselves in life. My family and I have done this, on more than one occasion. Additionally, I also know what it is like to, for example, venture through an ‘unsafe’ area, associated with a high crime rate, and to fear for my life… all for the greater good!

Other than relating to the main scenarios, I could also relate to how, as an affluent Westerner, we take things for granted. When I noticed the Touhy family all sit around the television for supper, I actually laughed with a familiar irony. At that moment, I was actually sitting in my lounge and having supper. When issues of race were broached, they were done so with a level of candor and honesty not found in most other films. In truth, these are the kinds of thoughts and concerns that people still have, even in the ‘new’ South Africa. So to watch a movie in which a family put the individual first, over colour, was inspiring and touching. A lot can be learnt from a movie such as this.

Where the movie shines most though, is with Sandra Bullock’s character Leigh Anne Tuohy. I must be honest, Bullock did a sensational job as the brash, honest, philanthropic and loving Mrs. Tuohy. She is instantly likeable and exudes a tenacity that captures the viewer, so much so that you cannot help but be in awe of this woman’s love and good will. For example, when Bullock gives Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) his room and he remarks that he has never had a bed before, Bullock’s reaction is gut wrenchingly perfect. As the viewer, you actually feel her heart break for this unfortunate kid. This is no easy feat, creating a legitimate connection between the viewer and character, and is indicative of why Bullock was awarded the Oscar for Best Actress. The movie is inundated with emotionally touching scenes like the one I just described, all of which alone are worth the price of admission.

Verdict: 7/10.

Releasing nationwide: Friday 19th March 2010.

Not only did Sandra Bullock win an Oscar for Best Actress but she also won a Razzie for Worst actress for her role in ‘All About Steve’. Bullock is the first actor to have won both an Academy Award and a Razzie in the same year. To make matters even better, Bullock actually attended the Razzie ceremony and accepted her award with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humour, to much delight and applause.

For those who have yet to see it, here is Sandra Bullock’s Oscar acceptance speech. Hands down one of the best speeches by an Oscar winner! Congratulations Sandra, you deserve it!

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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Well, on Wednesday night I was privileged enough to obtain an invitation, courtesy of Sterkinekor and Vision Mission, to celebrate AFDA’s Vision Mission commercial award winners as well as be privy to a ‘secret’ screening of a highly anticipated blockbuster film.

It was at this mystery laden awards event that I came to understand what the Vision Mission was all about and why, from now on, I will choose to donate that minimum R2.50 extra whenever I buy a Sterkinekor movie ticket.

The Vision Mission is a Sterkinekor initiative which focuses on achieving various objectives related to eyesight and eye care. What this basically means is that Sterkinekor is dedicated to helping the 700 000 underprivileged South African youth who are annually diagnosed with and suffer from degenerating eyesight. Anyone who has glasses, or who knows of someone with glasses, can understand how expensive proper eye care can be.

In addition to this worthy cause, Sterkinekor entertainment is also a firm supporter and contributor towards the South African film industry. As a result, a collaboration was forged between Sterkinekor and AFDA, to not only increase awareness of the Vision Mission campaign but also to help shape the future of South African cinema.

AFDA, for those like myself who did not know, stands for African Film and Dramatic Arts. It is one of the leading outcomes based film schools in the world and is listed by the South African Council on Higher Education as one of the top six private universities in South Africa.

In association with Sterkinekor, fourth year and honours AFDA students were briefed, as part of their practical film studies, to produce commercials for the Vision Mission campaign. Out of all of the entries, only four of the AFDA student produced commercials were selected as finalists. Each of the four commercials were screened at the event, with the commercial entitled ‘Flying Glasses’ being chosen as the winner. In all honesty, it was by far the best commercial of the event and was the one I had chosen to win. Considering how each group of students were given the same limited resources, I was surprised at what the winning group had created, when compared to the competition. Congratulations to the winners!

Michael Bender, the Sterkinekor Group Marketing Executive, has this to say:

“We are very excited about this collaboration between Ster-Kinekor Theatres, our CSI project Vision Mission and AFDA; we basically offered AFDA students a practical internship of sorts – to create a real commercial for a real client. Apart from accepting the winning commercial as our new PSA for Vision Mission and giving it a screening platform via our cinemas nationwide, we are also considering screening the three runners-up at a later stage. The plan is to extend this partnership with AFDA even further, with Ster-Kinekor offering support in developing, unearthing & showcasing new filmmaking talent on our big screens”

So remember, for only R2.50 extra when you buy your next movie ticket, you could help prevent a child from going blind or you could give another child the gift of clear sight. A small price to pay to help ensure another persons long term happiness.

After the mini prize giving ceremony, it was time to watch the ‘secret’ screening.

By this time we had already guessed what film was going to be shown, courtesy of the decor and delicious snacks.

The film was none other than the highly anticipated Disney and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (3D)!

As eventful as the evening had been, this was by far the highlight that almost everyone was really looking forward to!

From the moment the first trailer hit the Internet, I have been looking forward to watching this film.  Primarily because Tim Burton was at the helm, a perfect fit for Lewis Caroll’s psychedelic and masterful set pieces. Sadly, even with all of the excitement, I was pleasantly disappointed.

It goes without saying that the art and visual style of the movie are incredible. It is like a mash between the colour palette of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the real world exaggerated styling’s of Sleepy Hollow. From the sets, to the make-up, to the the wardrobe, the movie is a visual delight.

With that said, I am not sure where they were going with the overall look and feel of the film. I say this because of the inconsistent use of computer generated imagery (CGI) and 3D. For example, the scenery is spectacularly rendered and has been given an amazingly dreamlike quality. Yet, all non-human acted characters and other story elements are all blatantly CGI driven, not unlike watching a movie such as Shrek or Ice Age.

As a result, the human acted characters such as Alice Kingsley (Mia Wasikowska), The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and The White Queen (Anne Hathaway), all stick out like sore thumbs against the beautifully rendered backdrops and strangely rendered characters. In my opinion, the movie would have been better if it had been completely done in CGI. I mean, even the horses which the characters ride on are CGI driven, and badly at that. Although I thoroughly enjoyed The Red Queen’s large head, a fantastic stylistic choice which was done extremely well, I am still perplexed by the look of Stayne, the Knave of Hearts (played by Crispin Glover – the freaky guy from Charlie’s Angels who would steal their hair). I can understand that Burton may have wanted a Nightmare Before Christmas look to Stayne, but given that Glover is already a thin and lanky man; it just looked odd, very out of place and was poorly finished off. Stayne just looked so unnatural, not in terms of the length of the characters limbs, but the fact that his head never really looked ‘attached’ to his CGI body.

In terms of the 3D element, Alice in Wonderland has one of the best implementations of 3D in a film. Which is marred only by the occurrence of cheap parlour tricks made famous by movies such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth, where 3D is implemented for the sake of having something fly out at the audience. Gimmicky and annoying, but bearable.

Although the dialogue is funny and suited to ‘Wonderland’, there are times when you just cannot make out what some of the characters are saying. A fact that is not made any better by the script writers’ decision to embrace Lewis Caroll’s affliction for creating weird, fanciful and strange gibberish like words. Never the less, the diction is forgivable. However, my biggest complaint with the movie has to do with the story. Look, the best way for me to describe the way I felt after watching the film, is that it was like watching a bad book to movie conversion. I would attribute the experience to that of watching a movie such as Eragon – scenes come and go with no real interconnection, relevance or explanation of what is going on. In Alice in Wonderland you constantly get the impression that there is more to the story than meets the eye, yet you are never given any additional details. Thus, you end up leaving the film with a most unsatisfied feeling. At least that was my experience.

As much as I admire Tim Burton and his work, I am disappointed with his rendition of Alice in Wonderland. Despite the fanciful visuals, the film only gives you a taste of all that is Wonderland, by simply giving the viewer a rushed glance of what could have been. No more and no less.

Verdict: 6/10.

On Sunday I am attending the pre-Oscar screening of NINE. So tune in again soon for my impressions of that film and the star studded event!

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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I was, and still am, gob smacked.

I am no novice when it comes to shopping online. I have been doing it for years. I am quite a tech savvy person and I have a vested interest in computers, social media and the Internet. So I know all about the dangers of shopping online. Consequently, I always take the necessary precautions to prevent data theft. Nevertheless, this did not stop some random American douche bag, from stealing my credit card information and attempting to buy… wait for it… R3 000 worth of groceries from Wal-Mart. Huh?!

Why on Earth someone would go through all of the effort to steal someone’s credit card information online, just to buy groceries with, I cannot understand. Either the recession in the states is really still quite bad or Americans, as the stereotype goes, are legitimately stupid. Nevertheless, I hope this person gets persecuted to the full extent of the law and is ripped a new one while in prison.

So how did this all happen? How the heck did this mystery person obtain my information? Well, it was obviously via the internet but not because of some insecure site.

Here is a quick rundown of events:

• Friday 19th February 2010, a cousin of mine places his USB memory stick into my PC. He ensures me that his computer does not have viruses. I believe him, until Microsoft Security Essentials picks up a Trojan: Vwealer.KZ.
• Microsoft Security Essentials detects the Trojan and neutralises it, the way a good antivirus is supposed to. I think nothing more of it since the problem appeared to have been solved.
• I buy tickets online at the NuMetro website for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (review coming soon). I have to input my credit card details to complete the purchase.
• Days go buy, nothing unusual happens and I continue to use my card as I normally would. I make two further purchases during the week. One online, one offline.
• Thursday 25th February 2010, I receive a call from Nedbank Credit Card Fraud division and speak to a lady known as Mbuli. She nonchalantly asks me if I am purchasing my months groceries at Wal-Mart in Miami. Yes, this is the “What the eff moment”. I politely decree that it is physically impossible for me to be doing that considering how I am in South Africa. We immediately move to blocking my card and reversing any unlawful transactions. I exclaim my thanks before putting the phone down.
• After the call, I wrack my brain to determine how this could have happened. One thing pops to mind, the Trojan from my cousins USB memory stick. I Google the Trojan. My heart sinks as I deduce that it is a financial data thief with a penchant for credit card information. I still wonder ‘how’ though.
• I have been using Google Chrome for a few months and figured that it may have aided in my information being stolen. I read various reports of Chrome safety, but all pre 4.0. Then I found something interesting. A user equated Chrome to being a glorified ‘data miner’. Storing everything you put into the browser. I immediately uninstalled Chrome and switched to Firefox.
• My next thought was ‘What the heck did Microsoft Security Essentials’ do? It detected the Trojan and deleted it… yet my information was still stolen. Without concrete evidence, I have assumed that Microsoft Security Essentials is good, but not great and ultimately flawed. So I re-installed Norton 360 4.0 Premiere. Scanned my system, clean result.
• Friday 26 February 2010, I receive an e-mail from Jaya, the person responsible for handling my ‘case’ via Nedbank. I do what I need to do and send back the required documentation. Bare in mind that our Telkom lines had been stolen and not repaired for over a week, so all of the communication was taking place via my mobile phone (thank heavens for mobile broadband, no matter how unreliable or costly). Now I await for my new card.

Right now, I am still using Chrome (I switched back), simply because of its speed, ease of use and because I could not find any articles directly pin pointing Chrome 4.0 as having any major security flaws (actually appears to be quite secure). I do not know what was the ultimate cause of my data being stolen, but I have taken various steps to prevent it from happening again. One of those steps has been to change the settings in Chrome to ensure that the browser will never store anything again, including forms and passwords. Additionally, I have signed up with LastPass, a password service which runs concurrently with your browser, so that I never have to physically type in passwords again. This apparently helps to combat ‘key logging’ spyware and makes it so that you do not need to use your browser to save passwords etc.

I would like to commend Nedbank on their stellar performance. The representatives I dealt with were courteous and extremely helpful, but the fact that they managed to stop a fraudulent activity and protect my funds is what I appreciate the most. Thank you!

I never thought something like this would ever happen to me, until it did. The entire ordeal has been one I will never forget. Make no mistake, the Internet is a dangerous place; even for seasoned users.

Final thought: be careful out there. Ensure that your browser is set properly and that you have a proper security suite on your personal computer. Prevention, as they say, is better than cure.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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Conventional wisdom, courtesy of intense commercialistation, would have you believe that this day is purely for celebrating with your significant other. You know, the person whose morning breathe, to you, smells like peaches and cream;  the individual who will literally bend over backwards to please you; ‘your own personal brand of heroine’… etcetera!

There is no doubt that Valentines is great; if you have a significant other to share it with. Although Valentines is about love and may be celebrated with a sibling or parent, we all know that the end results are just not as rewarding.

What Valentines day succeeds in doing, however, is making everyone who is not in an active relationship, aware of how ‘single’ they are.

Truth be told, it is actually the perfect day for single people to get together and mingle, without much consequence, as most of the ‘relationship’ folk would be ‘occupied’. Consequently, there is no need to spend the day alone. Instead, you can go out and meet new people, all while having fun! Hence, ‘Singles Awareness Day’ (SAD) was born":

On Singles Awareness Day, single people gather to celebrate or to commiserate in their single status. Some want to remind romantic couples that they don’t need to be in a relationship to celebrate life. On this day many people wear green, as it is considered to be the ‘opposite’ of red.                 (Wikipedia, 2009)

So the next time Valentines Day comes around and you happen to be single, embrace it. Be happy with who you are and make the most of it; and do not forget to get together with a group of single people and party the night away!

I hope you all have an amazing day, filled with love and new experiences.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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Over the last several months, Sterkinekor Entertainment in association with MiMoney, have been teasing Twihard’s (fans of the Twilight saga movies and books) with the possibility of attending “the most exclusive party in 100 years”. Entering was easy. Simply watch New Moon and text your ticket number to a specified number. Each entry increased your chances of obtaining an invitation to the event.

Furthermore, upon entering the competition, fans would receive a text message notification with a specific code. This code could then be redeemed at the viral marketing inspired ‘Bite My Apple’ website; in order to unlock exclusive content from the movie in the form of wallpapers and screensavers.

After being psyched about the event for months, I was obviously excited to be able to attend. The anticipation factor was intoxicatingly high!

The party was held at the Taboo night club in Sandton. Impressively, the entire venue had been hired out for this “Twilight Saga: New Moon Exclusive VIP party”. The venue was an excellent choice. Having never been to Taboo before, I was immediately taken aback by the highly stylised decor, which I would describe as having a ‘gothic-chic’ feel to it. Unique and edgy, just the way I like it!

Freebies included posters from the movie, a free candy apple and, if you were a VIP guest (like yours truly), you would have been treated to your very own ‘exclusive’ area, detailed to look like the Volturi castle; including copious amounts of delicious snacks and a free bar tab until 10pm. In my opinion, VIP guests were very well looked after.

In addition to the VIP area, Taboo’s entrance hall was turned into a mock studio. Here all guests were given the option of obtaining a Team Edward or Team Jacob tattoo as well as the possibility of having professional photographs taken with a host of characters from the Twilight universe, courtesy of… wait for it… several ‘look-a-likes’. Yes… ‘look-a-likes’.

As much as I enjoyed the party and the many novel and nifty parlour tricks, I could not help but feel short changed by the experience. Look, I do not mean to appear ungrateful, because I truly do feel privileged to have been there; but as a fan, I was partially disappointed.

Truth be told, I bought into the hype. I was so excited to have cracked an invitation. The promise  of attending “the most exclusive party in 100 years”, a “once-in-a-lifetime” event so fanglorious that even the Volturi themselves would be in attendance. I simply could not wait! So why the mild disappointment? Honestly, I naively expected the cast of the movie to be there. As it so happens, I was not the only one who was under the exact same delusion.

Believe it or not, people flew in from all over the country to attend the event, all under the assumption that they would be able to meet the infamous Twilight Saga trio: the socially inept Robert Pattinson, the gorgeous Kristen Stewart and the beef caked Taylor Lautner. Even though I knew better than to expect the stars from the film to actually be at the party, I could not shake the possibility, no matter how minute, that they would actually be there to make an appearance. For this, I scornfully applaud the Sterkinekor marketing and hype machine, for they are truly talented, no matter how much propaganda was spewed in the process. However, the solemn fact remains: not once were we promised the possibility of the actual stars attending the party. This was pure conjecture created by a too eager and largely deluded fan base. After all, “when you ‘assume’, you’ll make an ass out of you and me”! In short, Sterkinekor did the best they could, given the logistical and costly nightmare of bringing A-list celebrities to our backwater country. Thus, Sterkinekor settled for second best, through the use of gifted ‘look-a-likes’.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the party was being able to mingle and take photographs with the various ‘look-a-likes’ from the Twilight Saga. On show were Edward, Bella, Jacob, Alice, Victoria and Laurent. Each ‘look-a-like’ appeared to embrace the character they were chosen to portray with absolute aplomb. ‘Bella’ frequently bounced back and forth between the lovelorn vampire and the heated shape shifter, whilst their enemies made light meals of discerning guests. In addition to the various photo opportunities, a director and film crew were on hand, shooting pivotal scenes from the movies, all the while guests partied the night away as mock ‘extras’. Too awesome!

In addition to the filmed sequences, we were notified that guests, with enough votes, could win a limited edition poster of his/her self and a twilight ‘look-a-like’, made in the vain of the New Moon film posters. How cool is that?! Apparently any professional photograph taken with the ‘Twilight Crew’, was eligible.

As it so happens two photographs, starring myself, made it into the running, out of hundreds of photographs that were taken. The photos are now available on the ‘Bite My Apple’ Facebook fan page and voting is now open. Needless to say, being the Twilight fan that I am, I would love one of my photos to be made into a poster. Consequently, I am turning to my readers for some added support.

The voting process is simple and works like this: 1 vote = 1 like. So all you have to do is ‘like’ the two photographs on Facebook in which I appear. You may vote for any other photo that is available too; some of them are actually pretty funky. If you would like to vote and help me obtain an exclusive poster, please do the following:

1. Become a fan of ‘Bite My Apple’ here: [http://bit.ly/BMAza] (Unfortunately you need to be a fan in order to ‘like’ any of their photographs)
2. Once you are a ‘fan’, please click on these links [http://bit.ly/bR55NB] and [http://bit.ly/9xyZBK]; and simply ‘like’ each photograph.
3. That’s it! You are all done! Thank you!

Although diehard fans may have expected a bit more, there is no denying that the party itself was an extravagant affair and a night many of us will never forget. Thank you to Sterkinekor and MiMoney for an experience like no other. An experience I am whole heartedly looking forward to repeating for Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, should further Twilight Saga inspired events be pursued.

Please do have a look at some of the photographs that I took while at the event:

View Full Album

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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It is Music Monday and thus time for another Vivaciously Varietal Vibe!

• Flavour: Pop

• Artist: Adam Lambert

• Album: For Your Entertainment

• Song: Broken Open

Rationale: I have, on many an occasion, written about songs which I have labelled as ‘hauntingly beautiful’. As it so happens, ‘Broken Open’ by Adam Lambert, is another song which fits into this category.

At first listen, one could be forgiven for thinking that ‘Broken Open’ is simply a mock rendition of ‘Mad World’ by Gary Jules; another of my favourite songs. Both songs share an eerily similar melodic pattern, one which is a pleasure to listen to. On a purely basic auditory level, Lambert’s ‘Broken Open’ is quite different to ‘Mad World’, offering more of an upbeat pop synth loop with spacey techno buzzes and pings added for good measure. Even so, the song has a beautiful sound made even better with Lambert’s sultry voice. Surprisingly, Adam co-wrote ‘Broken Open’ as well.

I must say, Adam Lambert has created a stellar debut album. He has managed to cater for almost every genre, proving his versatility as an artist. Even more impressive, is the amount of talent that was wired behind the scenes into helping him create his first album, from the likes of MUSE, Pink, Lady Gaga, Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) and Sam Sparro, among others; all adding their own personal touches to each of Lambert’s songs. ‘For Your Entertainment’ is a brilliant pop album and is definitely worth listening to.

As always, whenever I post about Vivaciously Varietal Vibes on Music Monday’s, simply click on the name of the song to be taken to a web page that displays the songs lyrics.

Truth be told, this post was initially inspired by the song “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon, with a particular emphasis on the line ‘I Bet You Think This Song Is About You’. Why, you ask? Well, I have been told that someone, out of a group of people who are no longer a part of my life, continues to harbour some sort of unfounded resentment toward me and my family. To the extent that this person has resorted to ‘cyber stalking’ me and then, apparently, posting libelous thoughts about me on social networks, all because this person thinks that my ‘updates’ refer to them. Although this may, in certain circumstances, have been probable before; it is most definitely no longer the case. Hence the change of song for this post.

Look, I have moved on. The last time I paid any attention to any of these people was toward the end of last year (excluding this post, of course). It was painful enough having to let go, to be ‘Broken Open’. Consequently, before leaving for Australia last year, I decided that I was not going to torture myself by looking into their lives when they clearly indicated that they could not be interested in having us in their lives anymore. The only reason I bring it up now is because I am being told about what is being ‘said/written’ by others. I have actually told these ‘sources’ that I’m not interested and to keep the information to themselves; I do not want negativity in my life.

It is 2010. A new year and the beginning of my new life, in many ways. To be honest, I actually wish them all well. I truly and honestly mean that. They were an important part of my life and I have many memories and life moments that I will always treasure and think back upon; with loving nostalgia. Although I have personally forgiven them for what they have done, I will never forget how they made me feel nor what they have proven to be capable of. They are now a merely a part of my past, nothing more.

To the future, “Milieunairs”!

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To mark this special year, which also happens to be divisible by 5 and you all know how much I love numbers, I have committed myself to 10 resolutions for this new year.

I actually had a grand plan of revealing each resolution on each new day of the first 10 days of the new year via Twitter. Unfortunately, this did not work out as planned. Nevertheless, this is the long awaited and eventual blog post to sum everything up. Without further ado, I present to you, my new years resolutions for 2010:

#1: Obtain the infamous "6 pack" by my 25th birthday.

#2: Sleep more. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep a night.

#3: Blog more. I would like to try and output a minimum of three quality posts a week.

#4: Procrastinate less. Whenever possible, do today what could be left for tomorrow.

#5: Maintain a good posture. Breaking my arm threw everything out of whack. Time to get it all back!

#6: Learn to play the piano. A new means of emotional expression.

#7: Go on a long road trip. Life is about creating memorable moments and experiences.

#8: Adhere to the speed limit and attempt to avoid reckless road rage driven drivers.

#9: Letting go. Stay close to those who add value to your life, discard those who only cause pain.

#10: Make the move. It is no longer if, but when.

All I have to do now, is actually stick to this list of resolutions *eek*. Far easier said than done, but it is not impossible.

I certainly am looking forward to this new year. I do believe that it has a lot to offer and I plan to make the most of it!

God speed to you all and may you all succeed within whatever it is you put your minds to!

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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It is Music Monday and thus time for another Vivaciously Varietal Vibe!

• Flavour: Pop/Rock 

• Artist: Thom Yorke

• Album: Twilight Saga: New Moon OST

• Song: Hearing Damage

Rationale: For quite some time I have spoken about songs which I have labelled as ‘hauntingly beautiful’. A majority of songs by MUSE, such as ‘Sing for Absolution’, fall into this category. ‘Hearing Damage’ by Thom Yorke, in my opinion, is another song which can be described as such.

I am not sure if it is Yorke’s surreal voice or the constant electronic and hypnotic pop synth buzz, but this is one of those rare songs that I can listen to over and over again without fail. The song is simply addictive. As it stands, I think that Hearing Damage is by far one of the most listened to songs in my entire music collection. I am actually listening to the song, and have it on a loop, as I write this post.

‘Hearing damage’ was written and recorded by Radiohead front man Thom Yorke, who specifically wrote and recorded the song for the New Moon soundtrack. Fans of the Twilight Saga will recognise ‘Hearing Damage’ from the scene in New Moon when Victoria pursues Charlie before being chased by Jacob. As a matter of fact the New Moon soundtrack, in its entirety, is actually very good and, oddly enough, was even given the ‘thumbs up’ by my father – a good thing because it means that the old folks will enjoy listening to the music no matter how loud you play the album. Consequently, regardless of whether you like the Twilight Saga or not, listen to the album for New Moon because you may be pleasantly surprised by the experience.

– Thom Yorke Lyrics

As always, whenever I post about Vivaciously Varietal Vibes on Music Monday’s, simply click on the name of the song to be taken to a web page that displays the songs lyrics.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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This entry is focussed on stop-motion Lego filmography. A hobby which no doubt exists for people who really have nothing better to do with their time. Regardless, it really is very cool, especially when done properly.

Alex Kobbs is one of these stop-motion Lego fanatics. He has spent the last six years creating a Halo themed 25-minute short, based on Halo’s Zanzibar map, completely out of Lego. How awesomely insane is that?!

The short film is called The Battle of the Brick and features ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ battling it out *Halo fan high five*. The completed video is expected to hit the Web in early 2010, but for now you can have a look at the tantalising trailer:

If  Lego stop-motion filmography is your thing, you can follow the progress of Kobbs’ work at the Kooberz Studio Blog.

That’s not all folks. I have one more fantastic piece of Lego filmography to share with you.

Every gamer and geek who has watched The Matrix will agree that it is one of the best science fiction and action movies of all time. However, you have not seen anything until you see The Matrix lovingly created in Lego stop-motion!

In honour of the 10th anniversary of The Matrix, a group of fans recreated nearly 900 frames of the film. The entire sequence is animated without any additional effects. What this means, is that the short was filmed ‘in camera’ without the aid of wire removal, Photoshop or any additional special effects; other than what can be created with the Lego blocks themselves. Very impressive stuff! The entire project is said to have taken around 440 hours to complete. For more information and additional videos detailing the projects immensity, check out www.LegoMatrix.com.

How cool would a Lego Matrix game be?! *Waits patiently for Travellers Tales to scoop the rights to create the game*

Until the next ‘blocky’ post “Milieunairs”!

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For starters, Britney’s last show in Melbourne was on the 13th November and we were only set to arrive in Melbourne on the 16th. Furthermore, tickets to the event were not exactly cheap, ranging from stadium seating at $250 (R1700) per person to the insanely priced ‘Love Seats’ for $1500 (for two tickets –> R10 000 ). Consequently, chances of me attending Miss Spears’ performance were pretty thin.

Or so I thought.

Through a fortunate turn of events, Britney had actually extended her tour due to popular demand, adding three extra shows to her repertoire. One of those shows, as luck would have it, was in Melbourne.

I would be lying if I said that I was not excited at the possibility of watching the princess of pop perform in the flesh. After all, like the Queen (Madonna), it is not as if Britney would be making her way to South Africa. So it was pretty much a ‘This Is It’ kind of scenario.

Amazingly, my parents ascertained that this would be a fantastic experience and wholeheartedly agreed to buy tickets to the show. Not only that, but they even allowed me to opt for the ‘stool’ seating, which is directly behind the ‘Love Seats’ and, as it turned out, was literally a meter and a half away from the stage.

Without a doubt, ‘The Circus presenting Britney Spears’ was the best concert I have ever been to. I am unable to truly relay how awesome the experience was. The circus elements to the show, alone, were worth the price of admission; from acrobats, to martial artists, clowns, mimes, weapon artists, magicians… you name it and it was there (animals excluded). In addition to the circus element, I have never before been privy to a live performance with as much pyrotechnics and stage theatrics as this. The ‘wow’ factor was simply phenomenal. I do think that the experience was made just that much better courtesy of our seats which, as I have mentioned before, allowed us to be almost within two arm lengths of the pop princess.

Contrary to the controversy surrounding Britney’s performance in the land down under, I can honestly admit that I would watch it again. So what if she lip-synchs? Anyone who has heard of Britney Spears knows that she is infamous for lip-synching (along with many other famous artists). So this was really of no surprise. In my opinion, if you want to hear an artist sing, buy the album. If you want to watch them perform, go to a concert. Whether they sing ‘live’ or not is irrelevant. With that said, it is worth noting that Britney did sing at least one song live, the ballad ‘everytime’. To all the naysayers who think Britney Spears cannot sing, let me tell you, this chick has a good voice. As a matter of fact, she actually sounds better live than through her recordings. So it is a shame that she does not perform ‘live’ more often.

Considering how close I was able to get, I was quite surprised to realise how small Britney Spears actually is. She is tiny. Then again, I am 6’4”, so a lot of people are smaller than I am. After two kids, she does look very good. While I’m on the topic of her body, it is worth noting that she is rather fit. She has good muscle tone; most definitely what could be described as a dancers body. So she is not petit and does appear to have some extra junk in her trunk. I think the biggest surprise to me was how small her boobs were. For those who know we, I’m a boob man. Britney has a good handful, but not what one would expect after all of the boob job debates. Have a look for yourself, in the album below.

View Full Album

I am truly so thankful that I could have this opportunity and would like to send a huge ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’ to my loving parents who made it all possible.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

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