No indeed - the blog tends to be long, rambling and meandering.
For example - do you know where the word "meandering" comes from?
Conrad suspected not.
From a river in Asia Minor during antiquity, actually, one that was famous and remarkable for having a very sinuous course, although IIRC it was actually spelt "Maeander", all of which typed from memory not Wikipedia <bows to imagined applause>
FILMS SUB-SECTION BEGINS
Yes indeed. Since Conrad has flipped through the latest edition of "Empire" one or two pithy reviews have come to mind.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Or, as Marvel apparently want you to imagine it: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, i.e. the Biggest film of 2014 if not the universe.
I say, steady on there!
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| 66% more Guardian that the Empire cover |
The galaxy's a pretty big place - 16,000 light years across - and the Empire cover has a whole 3 heroes present. Perhaps a couple were off having a smoke-flute break, but, as the picture above shows, these Guardians are rather few in number.
Conrad imagines they're going to be prettttty busy people.
As I Lay Dying
Now, this would be interesting if it were only for the fact that it has James Franco directing it. Yes, that James Franco, comedic actor, and apparently he makes a pretty good go of it. Also present is Danny McBride, in a dramatic role? Another comic actor, eh? "Inside every clown is a Hamlet*" indeed.
Not that Conrad intends to ever watch the damn thing, the title alone is enough to put one off.
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| "As I Lay Frying". Close enough |
Mulberry Street
Conrad read about this in connection with "Cold In July", a film strongly recommended by Empire as a well-crafted thriller, which features Nick Damici - see him in the excellent "Stakeland**". "Mulberry Street" was mentioned in passing, so Conrad fired up IMDB and realised he'd seen a trailer for it; said trailer didn't exactly give much away but the IMDB synopsis means I may have to watch it.
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| The United Stakes of America. Get it? "STAKEland" and the - Oh you do get it. |
Nope. I ain't going to tell you what it's about; But I may come back and explain tomorrow, or even tonight if enough other bloggable brainwaves come.
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| Not giving much away, it it? |
FILM SUB-SECTION ENDS
Who Was It?
During the week, Conrad briefly considered a post on a cartoon from the Daily Express back in the early Eighties, a strip which he loved - as much as an evil alien spy can ever emote - absulutely to bits.
But, now, dammit, I cannot remember what it was called! "Cyril the Rat" or maybe "Cecil the Rat" or maybe just "Cyril" or merely "Cecil".
Google has proved ineffective. After looking unsuccessfully for ages, Conrad gave up and moved onto the Galandranome. That rat is proving harder to track than Lord Lucan.
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| This is Roland Rat, during the Gutter Years 1995 - to date |
Who Was Wendy Wu?
A question that occurred to me on my way back from the Blue Kitchen at work. There was an association with a song titled "Barbarellas", and that was all your aged, humble scribe remembered.
"Wendy Wu band" instantly brought up The Photos, a New Wave band from the early 80's, who had one LP*** featuring Wendy on vocals. She left, they split up, they never achieved anything after that. Definitely a band of the moment, and one of their songs was indeed called "Barbarellas". Wendy nee Cruise apparently left the music scene mid-80's and is probably a housewife in Penge with two children and memories.
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| A Wendy Wu. Close enough |
"Spouse"
No, Conrad isn't going to make an abstract guess at what this word means; it's not very obscure or infrequent, after all. He did stop to think, as he ticked a box on the database screen, about where it comes from. After all, one can use "husband", "wife" or "multi-tentacled space-haggis" as alternate terms, n'est pas?
Ah, but spouse can mean any of those terms. Where does it originate? These things are usually derived from Latin or Old German/Old French. In this case it's from the Latin "Spondere", via Old French "espous". So now you know.
Incidentally, the condition of lice-infested Liverpudlian ladies might alternatively be described as "Scouse spouse blouse louse"
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| Mutant Space Haggis! And yes they're SPOUSES! |
* Not the cigar.
** No twinkly emo pretty-boys here, just Gore and Horror!
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