In her first Vice=Presidential debate against Joe Biden (D) Palin winked at us. Was she trying to woo us? Was she trying to put one over on us? Or, as one blogger suggested, did she just cut one hellacious fart?

Nudge, nudge, Wink, wink, Know what I mean? Know what I mean?

A lot of fuss has been made by the media as to what her "wink" really meant? Did it mean something? If so, what? Are we in on the joke? Or is she just the GOP nitwit everyone says she is?

Recently, I watched with amusement the Saturday Night Live rendition of the first Vice-Presidential debate between Moose-mom Sarah Palin (R) and Joe Biden (D) as well as SNL's rendition of the first Presidential debate bewteen John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (D). For those of you who have yet to see this, I highly recommend a visit to hulu.com to check it out.

While the sketch characterizing Palin is hilarious it is also scary in the fact that SNL nailed it- Palin is really like this and it is scary. Her inability to field hardball questions by softball journalists Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson of all people, with candidate Palin (giving us the thumbs-up and the wink) gives me pause. Like Alice, Plain has slipped through the looking glass. Instead of the Queen-of-Heart's, Palin is the Queen of Denial and all with a "Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Kbow what I mean? Yuck! Yuck! in that sickening down-home, folksy act that she has perfected all so well. .Are we soon to get a scary version of Alice-in-Wonderland in the White House? Is McCain the Mad Hatter who would suspend his candidacy for a pie-eating contest with Obama?

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Know what I mean?

If I am not in on the Palin joke, just what is the joke? McCain and Palin both, of late, are treating this election as some kind of big joke. Wink, wink.

Is it a big joke that millions of Americans are losing their homes to foreclosure, (housing crisis), the collapse of Fannie- Mae/Freddie-Mac. Americans losing millions of jobs that are out-sourced to China, the Wall Street crash, our economy sliding into a recession if not major depression? The ever-growing "illegal" crisis on our Southern-border. Rape victims being charged for the cost of their rape kits in Alaska? Gas prices still hovering around $5 gallon, with no end in sight to the Irag/Afghan war? (Nudge, Nudge, wink, wink, say no more).

For those Joe Six-Packs with the Sarah Palin mentality and playing a drinking game at home while you blog- "Maverick! Palin says the word like it is some kind of joke. (Wink, wink)

I guess the real joke is if GOP nitwits like McCain and Palin somehow manage to steal this election away from Obama/Biden (Nov. 4, 2008) who truly have worked hard for it, not approached the entire election process as one big fraternity joke but took the issues seriously, and campaigned hard. Defeated Hillary, one of the toughest opponents not only in this entire race, but the last half-century. McCain would not have defeated Hillary. (Wink, wink Sarah)

Charles Krauthammer ruefully observes, that Obama has a "first-class intellect and a first-class temperament. That will likely be enough to make him president."

Then again, maybe a first-class intellect and temprement is not enough these days. (Wink, wink).

If Obama/Biden lose the 2008 election to have Gilligan and Mary Ann in charge of the island, that would be the biggest joke of all Americans.

Nudge, Nudge, wink, wink. Know what I mean? Say no more ...........

KH

EVERY SPERM IS SACRED

PADRE:
There are Jews in the world. There are Buddhists.
There are Hindus and Mormons, and then
There are those that follow Mohammed, but I've never been one of them.

I'm a Roman Catholic, and have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics is:
They'll take you as soon as you're warm.

You don't have to be a six-footer. You don't have to have a great brain.
You don't have to have any clothes on. You're a Catholic the moment Dad came,
Because

Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate.

NIÑOS:
Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate.

NIÑA:
Let the heathen spill theirs on the dusty ground.
God shall make them pay for each sperm that can't be found.

NIÑOS:
Every sperm is wanted. Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed in your neighbourhood.

MADRE:
Hindu, Taoist, Mormon, spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their semen with more care.

HOMBRES:
Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is great.
MUJERES:
If a sperm is wasted
NIÑOS:
God gets quite irate.

CURA:
Every sperm is sacred.
NOVIA Y NOVIO:
Every sperm is good.
NIÑERAS:
Every sperm is needed...
CARDENALES:
...In your neighbourhood!

NIÑOS:
Every sperm is useful. Every sperm is fine.
SEPULTUREROS:
God needs everybody's.
FAMILIAR #1:
Mine!
FAMILIAR #2:
And mine!
CADÁVER:
And mine!

MONJAS:
Let the Pagan spill theirs o'er mountain, hill, and plain.
IMÁGENES:
God shall strike them down for each sperm that's spilt in vain.

EBRIBARE:
Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed in your neighbourhood.

Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite iraaaaaate!

"Lo siento hijos... no puedo manteneros más. Tengo que venderos para experimentos científicos..." Ahí queda eso...

Anyway, here goes...

...

Attached or single? Well and truly attached (as you will soon discover)...

Best friend? An old high school buddy and rugby team mate who is at least six foot five inches tall...so don't mess with me! Actually, he is completely non-aggro; a real gentle giant.

Cake or Pie? Both, especially in winter! I'm a sucker for coffee and cake when it gets cold and a meat pie at the footy is almost an essential item!

Mmmm...delicious!

Day of Choice? Apart from any non-work day...Thursdays are probably my fave. It's the first day when you get a little excited that the weekend is fast approaching but there still a tiny spark of motivation to be productive (tend to completely shut down on Fridays). So planning for the weekend, playing over 30's basketball with the Skinny Dogs, the Green Guide...and lots of thinking about dumb jokes to make about the weekend's footy games to put on the blog!

Essential Item? (Apart from the meat pie) Headphones - I take them absolutely everywhere! Along with either the MP3 player, the Ipod Shuffle or the AM/FM radio...listening to stuff all the time.

Favourite Colour? Red...preferably on a sash against a black background. It was really fashionable at the turn of the century and now just waiting for it to come back into vogue again. That, however, could be a few years away yet...

Gummy Bears or Worms? I'd probably go the worms...but would actually prefer Gummy Juice! That was the nickname my six foot five best friend used for Cointreau when we were young and foolish. Crazy things usually happened when the Gummy Juice came out...

Gummy Juice!

Hometown? Even though I have spent the last twelve years in Victoria, I still think of Ulladulla as home...it's where I grew up, went to school, represented in rugby and, during the worst of every Melbourne winter, kinda wished I was back there again.

Favourite Indulgence? Going out for breakfast on the weekend!

January or July? January - easily! Hot weather, long days, operating in holiday mode, cycling everywhere, Aus Open tennis, Australia Day bbqs, Triple J Hottest 100, music festivals...only another four and a half months away!

Kids? None of my own but two young nephews (two year old Jay and two month old Cooper) and one cat - a moody tortoise shell called Max(ine) who just spent over a week at the cattery and now hates me.

Life Isn’t Complete Without? Family, friends and a good Collingwood joke!

Marriage Date? August 8th, 2008. Hang on...isn't that, like, only two weeks ago? Why, yes it is! Rather than taking an ill-advised trip to China for the Olympics, actually flew up to Palm Cove, north of Cairns and got hitched on the beach. And the 08.08.08 was deliberate...and, fingers crossed, impossible to forget come anniversary time!

Number of Siblings? One younger sister Emma; the more sensible child and mother of the aforementioned nephews (naturally!).

Oranges or Apples? Both have their place...probably eat more apples as they tend to be less messy.

Phobias? Quite a few food phobias...the worst being whole tomatoes. That's what happens when you are forced to eat them as a kid, only to throw them back up onto the dinner table!

Quote? I love anything GOB Bluth (Will Arnett) says on Arrested Development...but I'll settle for this nice little pick-up line: "If you didn't have adult onset diabetes, I wouldn't mind giving you a little sugar!"

"Illusion, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money...Or candy!"

Reason To Smile? The State Library of Victoria (in partnership with the National Library of Australia) have sought our permission to include this blog in the PANDORA web archive. For some reason, (well, I assume they don't like Stephen Milne either) they have identified Half Back Flanker as an electronic publication that has 'national significance' and 'lasting cultural value'! Gotta smile at that...

Season of Choice? You can't really go past summer, no matter where you live. But Autumn in Melbourne is pretty cool too - new footy season starts, Comedy Festival in April, Easter holidays...

Tag Five People: A few on the blogroll have already completed this meme (Nothing You Confess Could Make Me Love You Less, This Devil's Workday) but those footy related guys (Best Off Ground, Die Hard Footy, Kick 2 Kick, Mollyzine) are welcome to give it a shot...

Unknown Fact About Me: Played the role of King Arnulf in the world premiere theatre production of Erik The Viking...and Terry Jones, member of Monty Python and comedy genius who wrote and played the role of King Arnulf in the movie, has a copy of my sparkling performance on video at his home. If he ever bothered to watch it, which I highly doubt, I'm sure he would be mortified!

Vegetable? Provided it's not a pumpkin...absolutely!

Worst Habit? The verbal faux pas...I'm a dead-set certainty to either say the wrong thing or not explain myself correctly, resulting in many an awkward, stilted conversation. This is probably why a) I much prefer writing as a means to communicate; and b) I'm always listening to stuff.

X-Ray or Ultrasound? Last x-ray was six months ago after screwing my ankle playing basketball. No breaks this time, which was nice, but it did show damage from a similar injury I suffered 16 years earlier...which I might have liked to know about at the time!

Your Favourite Food? So many to choose from...every night could be pasta night for me. But right now I would say Barramundi - I had the best Barra on my wedding night!

Zodiac Sign? Taurus - the only one in a family full of fish (Pisces)...which probably explains why I'm a little different to them.

Indignado me quedo cuando me pongo a leer esta entrevista. Vamos por partes:

Autores:

• Terry Jones: No voy a contar la vida de este tío, basta saber que era uno de los Monty Phyton. Ninguna formación en Historia (según la Wikipedia, solo tiene estudios de inglés)
• Alan Ereira: Autor y documentalista en series y películas de la BBC. Ninguna formación en Historia, pero ha realizado el trabajo de documentación de varias series y documentales de la BBC "de contenido histórico" (ahí esta el quid de la cuestión).

Ambos deciden escribir libros de Historia, perfecto, eso creen hacer muchos, aunque olvidan (o mejor dicho, no saben) que historia significa originalmente investigación. Tanto el documentalista, como el cómico (jeje que risa me da) trincan cuatro volúmenes de hace 50 años de una biblioteca y dicen saber de Historia, ojalá fuera tan fácil coleguita. Sigo...

El cuerpo del delito:

Paso a copiar trozos de la entrevista, tanto de las preguntas del periodista como del cómico (las negritas son mías)

A Terry Jones siempre le ha gustado presentar el otro lado de las cosas, tanto en clave de humor -ha sido uno de los pilares de Monty Python- como desde la seriedad de libros de historia que cuestionan versiones asentadas por la tradición.

Supongo que se refiere a tradición histórica, ¿qué tradición? ¿la inglesa? ¿la francesa? ¿la alemana?. Supongamos que es la tradición inglesa ¿quién carajo es él para cuestionar algo de lo que no sabe? Si acaso, das tu opinión y punto, yo no cuestiono la Teoría de la Relatividad, porque no sé física, me podría leer ahora 20 libros sobre física y puedo lanzarme a dar mi opinión, nada más.

Lo que pasó con Roma lo vemos hoy con EE.UU. Durante la guerra de Vietnam, los estadounidenses trataron a los vietnamitas como bárbaros, como gente sin cultura y como seres dudosamente humanos.

Si vas a escribir sobre Historia, hay una regla del buen historiador: NO JUZGUES. Ni tal dictadura es peor que la otra, ni tal sistema político es mejor que el otro... nada. Se investigan tales fenómenos históricos como tal y se intenta olvidar el presentismo. El hecho de que Roma llamase "bárbaro" a los extranjeros no significa que los traten como la acepción actual de bárbaro.

-El libro cuestiona que nuestra civilización sea heredera directa de la tradición clásica. Si es heredera también de las civilizaciones bárbaras, ¿cómo han podido mantener lo contrario los historiadores?

-Desde el Renacimiento, el mundo clásico es adorado de un modo casi religioso y los propios historiadores se han dejado llevar por esa pasión general, traicionando algo lo que debiera ser una observación objetiva del pasado. Hasta la misma idea de que del latín salen diversas lenguas es cuesionable (errata del periodista, no mía):

Este párrafo es cojonudo. Otra vez con el tema de cuestionar. Eso de que nuestra civilización es heredera directa de la tradición clásica es algo que se lleva cuestionando muchísimo tiempo entre los historiadores más serios. ¿Realmente piensan que han descubierto la rueda?. La perla siguiente de este señor es tremenda; "desde el Renacimiento el mundo clásico es adorado religiosamente por los historiadores". ¿No sabe precisamente desde el Renacimiento, las tendencias historiográficas, se analizan y renuevan continuamente? ¿De verdad se piensa que ningún historiador ha intentado cuestionar la tesis del clasicismo como culmen? Desde el mismo Renacimiento y la historiografía humanista se basa en la crítica anterior, desde aquí hasta la historiografía del siglo XX ya ha llovido más que suficiente como para superar eso (que ciertamente es un prejuicio).

sólo porque el latín sea la fuente escrita más antigua en muchos países no significa que el latín no tomara palabras celtas o de otros pueblos.

A ver que yo me entere. ¿no consideraban los romanos que lo bárbaros eran poco menos que animales? ¿entonces porqué toman palabras de otros pueblos? Dejando a un lado el tono irónico, los romanos tomaban todo aquello de los pueblos que conocían o conquistaban que a ellos les pudiera servir, es verdad que muchísimas palabras del latín tienen su origen en lenguas europeas, como por ejemplo la mayoría de las palabras que tienen que ver con la minería, que son de origen íbero, ya que la minería íbera era bastante más avanzada que la de los romanos cuando estos pasaron por aquí. Por cierto el término celta se debe usar con muchísimo cuidado, ya que es una categoría lingüística.

-Si los pueblos bárbaros estaban tan avanzados en cuestiones tecnológicas o militares, ¿por qué ha vencido Roma en la historia como pueblo civilizado?

-Una de las razones es que Roma tuvo un ejército permanente, con soldados que recibían su paga, de forma que ese ejército podía estar en pie de guerra todo el año. Sin embargo, los ejércitos bárbaros normalmente eran fuerzas voluntarias, por decirlo de algún modo, y cuando llegaba la cosecha se iban a casa para ocuparse de los trabajos del campo.

¿Cuál fue el fin último de los romanos en su campaña propagandística contra la cultura bárbara?

-En Roma siempre estuvo presente la idea de que estaban extendiendo civilización, haciendo del mundo un sitio mejor, pero eso era una excusa para ganar en poder y hacerse con bienes de otros, como el oro celta, que el César necesitaba desesperadamente. Los romanos poderosos explotaron el mito de que su sociedad se dedicaba a extender cultura y civilización.

Bend it like....erm.... Teenage Rock Opera!

It was about now that I really started to get into Monty Python in a big way, dedicating my Thursday evenings to being glued to the TV set and what I think were the BBC repeats of the show.

I believe it's difficult for younger generations to fully comprehend the impact that Python made back in the seventies. As countless other people have commented over the years, they really were to comedy what The Beatles were to music. There is just so much comedy about nowadays that would not exist if it weren't for the early stylings of  Messrs Cleese, Jones, Palin, Chapman, Idle and Gilliam.

It's only my opinion of course, but - having (again) watched several BBC America repeats lately - I personally don't think the TV episodes have stood the test of time very well. I much prefer the movies such as "Life of Brian" and "Monty Python & The Holy Grail", mainly because they seem FAR less of a curate's egg.

For die-hard Python fans I know that will be considered a sacrilegious viewpoint, but it's something I can't lie about.

However, back in 1972 I'm not sure I could have said even the vaguest bad thing about Monty Python. "Obsessed" is, perhaps, an understatement for how I was?

Sure there were some sketches I didn't laugh at - some I'll admit I was too young to properly understand at the time - but then something like election candidate "Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel", Bicycle Repair Man, the Architect sketch, the Spanish Inquisition, Spam, Bruce, Nudge Nudge Wink Wink and countless other crazy moments would come along and provide me with my quotable material for the next week or more.

I've hung onto quotes from Python all my life, and every so often my brain will mysteriously unveil one previously forgotten and I'll recite an entire sketch - or at least some dialogue - verbatim.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that - along with the likes of Spike Milligan, The Goons, Tony Hancock and The Goodies - I owe my own anarchic sense of humour to the Python crew. So they're the ones to blame really.

The interim years have seen mixed fortunes for the Pythons.

Michael Palin was head and shoulders my favourite Python - maybe because he always had the best lines, or the ones which I found the most funny? - so I was as pleased as anyone with the success of his mid-life traveling series like "Around the World in 80 Days" etc. Just as in various interviews, these showed him coming across as a "genuine bloke"... if that makes sense?

John Cleese surpassed his Python days with the timeless and irrefutably hilarious "Fawlty Towers", in itself another deeply influential TV comedy series. (Although why co-writer Connie Booth has never been given the proper credit for her contribution is anyone's guess). In contrast to his writing skills however, Cleese always seems to come across as something of an angry bitter man, full of demons. I've also heard rumours that he also a bit of a git to work with, always miserable, etc and FAR too serious That seems a shame for a man who gave us so much humour - but isn't that often the case where a comic's best work is always on the outside?

Graham Chapman - always the most nervous-looking Python - sadly left us in 1989, following a losing battle against a rare form of spinal cancer. His funeral service (link NSFW or kids) was as fabulously irreverent as you - and he - would expect.

Terry ("Mr Creosote") Jones appears to have spent his post-Python years with a pen in his hands, co-writing other quality comedy series like "Ripping Yarns", as well as authoring books, magazine and newspaper articles. He's done some historical documentaries for TV, and got to do his own fair share of film directing (Erik the Viking etc). Many consider him to be very much be the "philosophical one" of the troupe, responsible for many of the more esoteric and 'educational' skits. It was probably his skits that I failed to fully grasp. Rumour (sadly) has it he too has been fighting cancer recently.

I hate to say it, but Eric Idle has always irritated me. He was my least-liked Python back in the 70's and he's certainly my least-liked now. (I try to conveniently ignore his genius of parody with the sublime "Rutles" project, always referring to it as being written by Neil Innes) I have always felt Idle to be a little too 'smug', a little too 'full of himself' and the one apparently most involved with somehow undermining the Python legacy, his latest attempt being the theatrical musical "Spamalot"... which - to me at least - just seems to stretch a joke a tad too far... if that's possible?

However, having said all that, he is TOTALLY redeemed thanks to one major musical contribution. That contribution being the song at the end of "Life of Brian", "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". It is such a beautiful mix of pathos and comedy that I've actually considered asking to have it aired at my own funeral, the only thing putting me off is that it has now become something of a "funeral cliché". Well, that, and the fact that my wife doesn't care for whistling very much.

Animator Terry Gilliam has gone on to be a film director of considerable acclaim with classics like "Brazil", "The Fisher King" and "Time Bandits" assuring him of a place in film, as well as comedy, history. (Let's not mention "The Brothers Grimm" shall we?). I wonder if he'll ever shake off the tag of being Python's "cartoon man" though?

Tenía que ir el trailer de “Dentro del Laberinto”, tras el de “Cristal Oscuro”, porque aunque entre la producción de las dos películas, haya cuatro años de diferencia (“Labyrinth” es de 1986), sé que todos los que pudisteis verlas en sus respectivos estrenos, las habréis mantenido unidas en el recuerdo.

Otra vez Jim Henson, se encargó de llenar de fantasía la gran sábana blanca de las salas de cine, ayudado por Terry Jones, que se encargó del guión, George Lucas, que fue el productor ejecutivo, y su inseparable amigo Frank Oc, que se hizo cargo de la animación de las marionetas.

Juntos hicieron posible que pequeños y grandes pudiéramos entrar en el laberinto acompañando a Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) en busca de su pequeño hermano, y disfrutar de la magia que en cada rincón nos esperaba, en un mundo poblado de criaturas sorprendentes.

Si en “Cristal oscuro”, las marionetas eran las protagonistas absolutas, en “Dentro del laberinto, aparte de la jovencísima Connelly, como presencia humana, nos encontramos también con David Bowie, en el papel de Jareth, el malvado y fascinante Rey de los Goblins.

La historia, y como está contada, pudo hacer las delicias de los niños, pero atrapó a los mayores por su contenido, ya que nos habla, entre otras cosas, de que superando dificultades labramos nuestro carácter, que no todos los que nos sonríen son nuestros amigos, y que la maldad también puede tener un punto de bondad.

Ese laberinto mágico escondía entre sus recovecos tantos elementos de nuestro mundo real, que todos pudimos meternos en la piel de Sarah, y luchamos con ella por recuperar al bebé.

Trevor Jones, nunca valorado como merece, compuso la banda sonora de la película, en la que también pudimos disfrutar de temas cantados por Bowie. ¿Quién no habrá vuelto a escuchar montones de veces "Chilly Down", o "Magic Dance"?.

Recomiendo su revisión, porque el mundo onírico que Henson creó para esta película, puede volver a hacernos soñar igual hoy, que en los 80.

Sarah a Jareth: “Por increíbles caminos e innumerables fatigas me he abierto camino hacia el castillo, más allá de la ciudad de los goblins, para recuperar al niño que me has robado. Porque mi voluntad es tan fuerte como la tuya y mi reino igual de grande. ¡No tienes poder sobre mí!”

Trailer (en inglés)

Swanson   

The Monk
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-
2974044589027623447&q=source:002788482592262280686&hl=da]

The Damsel
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4027853715710889854&q=source:002788482592262280686&hl=da]

The Minstrel
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3408439832135301089&q=source:002788482592262280686&hl=da]

The Knight
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4478154307019974358&q=source:002788482592262280686&hl=da]

The Philosopher
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3883771472433699996&q=source:002788482592262280686&hl=da]

The Outlaw
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2603106807029161301&q=source:002788482592262280686&hl=da]

The King
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6914631983702984326&ei=&hl=da]

The Savage Goth
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=801730674011842168&ei=&hl=da]

The Brainy Barbarians
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4018418634635649162&q=source:018231632407383392403&hl=da]

The End of the World
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3275782249506301356&q=source:002788482592262280686&hl=da]

Check him out! (Search, find, watch, buy)
Do Not Adjust your Set (1967-69)
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-74)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Ripping Yarns (1976-79)
Life of Brian (1979)
The Meaning of Life (1983)
Labyrinth (1986)
The Crusades (1995)
The Wind in the Willows (1996)
Medieval Lives (2004)
Barbarians (2006)
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/terry_jones/index.html

Find out stuff about Terry Jones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Jones
http://www.terry-jones.net/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001402/

I was at the BFI last night to see Michael Palin and Terry Jones introduce The Complete and Utter History of Britain, a 1969 series of which only two episodes were thought to exist.  Last night saw the unveiling of a third recently-discovered episode.  I was at a Q&A with Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement only the week before in the same venue, and I had been expecting the evening to take the same form: that night was split into two distinct sections, the first part being a showing of one episode each of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Porridge.  This was followed by a short break and then Clement and La Frenais were brought out to sit on the stage, answering questions from Dick Fiddy and latterly from the audience for about 90 minutes.  This felt to me to be excellent value, as you had plenty of time in their expansive and highly interesting company.  Palin and Jones's set-up was very different, in that they came out before the showing of the episodes, sat in with the audience throughout, went onstage for a few very brief questions at the end and the whole thing was done by half past eight.  The focus was not, as it had been with Clement and La Frenais, on the Q&A but on the shows.

The episodes were quite entertaining, taking the idea that cameras have been around since the dawn of time recording all the important developments.  It was arranged around a central long-suffering narrator, Colin Gordon, who provided links between the filmed sketches and the absent-minded history professor (a talking head avant la lettre) played by Roddy Maude-Roxby.  One bit that tickled me in particular was the breaking news coverage of the Battle of Hastings, with pictures just in "from our embroiderers".  As Palin himself said before the screening, the series was meant to be a comment on the television of its time as much as on history, and this helps explain some of its seeming slowness now, but it was a very genial and good-natured 70 or so minutes of some very little-seen comedy and interesting for any Python fan, as it contained the seeds of many recurring images in their later work, such as the idea of Robin Hood being a nuisance to the poor.  All the same, I had been expecting a bit more work from Palin and Jones on the night, but they seemed keen to get away from the packed house.

A few days ago I was listening to National Public Radio.  The program was St. Louis On the Air with host Don Marsh. It turns out that my hometown is the main subject in a new book titled Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City by Colin Gordon. Mr. Gordon was the invited guest along with Terry Jones, Ph.D., professor of political science at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. The book details the decline of St. Louis, the Gateway City, from a thriving metropolis strategically located at two of the most important rivers for commerce in the nation, the Missouri and the Mississippi, during the early years of America’s westward expansion, to a depopulated, dilapidated, prime example of American urban decay.

The book traces a number of causes and consequences for the city’s urban crisis from private real estate restrictions to local and federal government sponsored planning and zoning policies. It traces the failure of generation after generation of urban renewal where plans to eradicate urban blight end up encouraging not only white flight from the city, but black flight as well for those who could afford to leave the city behind and move out into the county or other parts of the country. The city is literally landlocked. It does not reside in St. Louis county. The two are distinct and separate government entities with somewhat separate interest. People move into the county at the detriment to the city.

St. Louis is my home town and by far the most racially segregated city I have ever known. According to the research outlined in the book, the history of the racial separation between blacks and whites ran primarily along Delmar boulevard that precisely cuts the city in two between the north and south. The north side of the city is largely black and the south side is primarily white. Today, if you drive down Delmar, depending on whether or not you looked out the passenger side window or the driver side window you will see two distinctly different cities. It is truly sad. The house on the cover of the book is a one of the many houses found crumbling and abandoned on the north side of the city.

The racial disparity of St. Louis is immense. According to Mr. Gordon, the black community in St. Louis makes up fifty one percent of the population and the white community makes up about forty three percent, but the black community controls only ten percent of the city’s wealth compared to the white population’s portion that runs well into the upper eighties percentile. This economic disparity is reflected in the city’s schooling expenditures as well as other civil programs. And crime in the city is epidemic. A great deal of the city’s problems runs along racial parameters.

Eventually, the program opened up the discussion to calls from the public. One caller in particular was rather disgusted with the direction the conversation was going. The voice on the line complained that the expectation was that the program was going to be about the decline of the urban cities like St. Louis and not just some rehashing of racial problems in the country. After his comment, he offered to take his response over the air and hung up the phone.

But it was pretty obvious that this guy just doesn’t get it. He isn’t alone. It doesn’t take much imagination that many more people just don’t get it. St. Louis is a model of the problems that affect this country as a whole. The managers of the city of St. Louis allowed certain portions of its neighborhoods to decay while others were allowed to flourish. While the south side of the city with its predominantly white population was benefiting from city services, many portions of the north side with its black population were starved of attention. As business on the north side closed down and moved to whiter pastures, unemployment began to take hold. As neighborhoods lost revenue schools started to decay. The black population that could leave left the decaying north side. The city loses even more revenue. Rent and housing values decline. Vacancies increase. The blight begins to spread. The city cuts back on services even further in a spiral that grows larger and ever larger. The city becomes even weaker. Consequently, a city will grow only as strong as its weakest link.

The city is a community with varying groups of people and individuals with varying degrees of strengths and varying degrees of weaknesses. When separate issues are allowed to purchase to foster, it actually weakens the entire community as a whole. When the managers of the city allow a segment of its population to lag behind others, the result will indeed affect the whole and everyone will eventually suffer.

Now, one of St. Louis’ most profitable exports is its beautiful brick homes. Damaged far beyond what’s reasonable to repair, many of the houses that have been neglected are raised and the century old bricks that went into its construction are collected, placed on a pallet, and shipped to more deserving parts of the country such as New Orleans, Louisiana. Heavy iron railings are exported to Savannah, Georgia. Where old original woodwork carved by craftsmen a century ago will end up only heaven knows. Vacant lots appear where stately homes once stood.

The fate of St. Louis is directly tied to a system of favoritism and corruption that was, and is, allowed to dictate city policy and foster a community of the people who have and the people who have not. It is no coincidence that the people who have and don’t have run along racial lines. Regardless of how often one may hears the rhetoric of exercise some personal responsibility, personal responsibility is useless without the social responsibility of an inclusive community.

The future of St. Louis is rather murky. After nearly three decades of population decline the last year or two saw a small increase in population numbers. People are actually moving back into the city. Whether or not city managers learned from past mistakes has yet to be seen though. Anyone who drives down Delmar boulevard can attest to that fact.

Esta é sem dúvida, a melhor comédia de sempre. Como este blog é dedicado às opiniões pessoais, não me preocupo em ser isento, mas se tivesse que ter esse cuidado, diria o mesmo. Aviso desde já, quem não é apreciador de humor britânico, que esqueça este post e o filme. Mas se não for este o caso, é um filme obrigatório por tudo o que um apreciador de comédia inglesa pode pedir, ou seja, humor inteligente e com excelentes interpretações.

Os conhecedores de Monty Python, seja dos outros filmes (Life Of Brian, Meaning Of Life, etc) ou da famosa e inigualável (os Gato Fedorento bem tentaram) série Flying Circus, irão encontrar todas aquelas situações ridículas e absolutamente "non sense" bem características destes humoristas, mas com o acréscimo de que as personagens ainda tem mais piada!

Analisando os filmes de comédia que são feitos hoje em dia, o Holy Grail irá reinar por muito tempo. Não querendo desprezar, claro, grandes comediantes como Eddie Izzard, Ricky Gervais; grandes séries que se tem feito : Little Britain, Blackadder (com o melhor de Rowan Atkinson), Seinfeld, The Office, etc.

A história do filme baseia-se na demanda pelo cálice utilizado por Cristo na Última Ceia, o Graal. O Rei Arthur (Graham Chapman) percorre a Inglaterra à procura de cavaleiros com coragem suficiente para o ajudar nessa perigosa tarefa. À medida que vão avançando, montados nos seus cavalos fictícios, imitando o som dos cascos batendo com dois cocos, as situações mais ridículas e hilariantes vão acontecendo. Desde mortíferos coelhos brancos e ninfomaníacas sozinhas num castelo, tudo de mais inesperado e burlesco acontece neste filme genial. Enfim, é um filme absolutamente obrigatório para quem se quiser rir, contado assim não tem piada, é preciso ver mesmo.

Fica aqui um pequeno excerto da luta infernal destes cavaleiros:

O orçamento para este filme foi em parte investimento de bandas como Led Zeppelin e Pink Floyd. Esta informação é só para aguçar o apetite dos admiradores...

Curiosidade : se virem o filme reparem quando Deus aparece nas nuvens, a imagem Dele é uma fotografia de um jogador inglês de cricket do século 19...Genial!! :P

Assinado : Knight Who Say NI!

]]> http://billcreswell.wordpress.com/?p=269 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:01:11 +0000 Bill http://billcreswell.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/by-request-monty-python-the-four-yorkshiremen-subtitled/ Monty Python's Flying Circus -"Four Yorkshiremen"
The Players:Michael Palin,Graham Chapman,Terry Jones,Eric Idle
The Scene:Four well-dressed men are sitting together at a vacation resort.'Farewell to Thee' is played in the background on Hawaiian guitar.
The "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch is a parody of nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods. Four Yorkshiremen reminisce about their upbringing, and as the conversation progresses, they try to outdo one another, their accounts of deprived childhoods becoming increasingly absurd.more

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Fuente.

Are you sure it's not the same as this guy, below?

Is it possible that England, who thinks it is being led by a fellow named Gordon Brown, of Tony Blair's Labor Party, is instead being led by Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame?

Are they not the same man? Are you sure?

Have you ever seen director Terry Jones and Prime Minister Gordon Brown photographed together?

Joanne Jacobs was so close to the truth! But she missed it.

It would be so unfair. Britain gets a Python. We get . . . something else.

Update, June 16, 2008: Even better comparison of photos here.  I'm having difficulty reading the caption -- monitor resolution problems?  Can you read the post and translate it here?

A rede fez uma montagem com imagens de pingüins voadores que habitam uma ilha gelada ao sul das Malvinas.

As cenas foram divulgadas como parte de uma suposta série de programas sobre história natural, apresentada pelo comediante Terry Jones, integrante do Monty Python.

As aves, da colônia Adelia, seriam um milagre da evolução e fazem o que nenhuma outra espécie de pingüim consegue fazer: voar.

Para fugir do frio, os pingüins levantam vôo das geleiras do Ártico e percorrem milhares de quilômetros em busca do sol que aquece a floresta amazônica, indo viver lado a lado com tucanos.