The Perfect Host

Every year the Imagine Fantasy Film Festival takes place in Amsterdam. I visited the festival for the first time ever last year to see Malice In Wonderland. I had no idea that I would be visiting the festival again a year later. I saw a trailer for the movie The Perfect Host on the internet and I was interested in the film. But the film was not to be released in the Netherlands. It would come out on DVD straight away. I thought that was to bad, as I always prefer to see movies in the cinema. But browsing through the Festival programme for 2011, I noticed that The Perfect Host was amongst the movies that were going to be shown at the festival. The Thursday and Tuesday showings were out of order for me, due to work. But I was able to see the movie on a Saturday. I went to Amsterdam early in the afternoon, and spent a sunny and relaxed day in Hollands capitol. In the evening it was time to visit the Kriterion cinema to see The Perfect Host.

The Kriterion is a cinema/pub, run by students. They host the Imagine Festival every year, and with lots of succes. I know some people there and I asked them how the audience liked the first screening of the movie. I was told that the audience really loved the film and the response was great. The film was also in the race for the Spits Scream Awards. Every time they show a movie at the festival, the audience gets a small note where they can tell how they like a movie. The Perfect Host was 4th at the time. Not bad, considering that Malice In Wonderland was somewhere in the 20s.



John Taylor robbed a bank and is on the run for the police. Warwick Wilson is prepariing a dinner for friends, and it is there, where John looks for shelter. Warwick hesitates, but John can convince him to let him stay. But things are not what they look like. Clayne Crawford does a great job as John. He is very convincing in his role. Nathaniel Parker was very surprising. I am a huge fan of this actor, but I hardly saw him in American films. His accent however was the best. I am sure that people who don't know about him, will be surprised that he is British. The star of the film is David Hyde Pierce. He plays Warwick, and starts as a very vulnerable man, but then he changes into maniac. There are some parts of the movie that made me close my eyes, but most parts made me, and the whole audience laugh. The movie was filmed in 17 days and I have nothing more than respect for the cast and crew of this film. Everybody did a great job on this movie. The Perfect Host is a must see for people who like mindgames and humor. It is a sort of cat/mouse game that is played between Warwick, John and even Detective Morton (Nathaniel Parker) and Detective Valdez (Joseph Will).

When the endcredits roled, I heard an enormous applaus and people were even cheering. The only times I saw that was when I was at the European Stardust premiere and first screening of the last Lord Of The Rings film. The audience was buzzing, and they loved the film. The Perfect Host is currently second in the Spits Scream Awards. The movie can't win the award no more, as the last screening was Tuesday afternoon, and another film (Super, another comedy) got better rates from the audience. But The Perfect Host is a number 1 for me for sure. It is the first feature film by Nick Tomnay, and I hope that Nick continue to make more movies like this. I like movies with humor and mind games, so this is the Perfect Movie for me. People in the US can view it on demand from 27 May or see it in the cinemas from 1 July. After that the movie comes out on DVD. I hope that the movie will get a European release. The Perfect Host deserves to be seen by the audience. It might not draw huge audiences, but it can do very well in the Art Movie cinemas, as they call it here in Holland.

Love Never Dies

I am a huge fan of The Phantom Of The Opera. For me it is the best musical ever. It made a big impression on me, an impression that no musical I saw after that ever made. A few months ago I found out that there was a follow-up to the musical. ofcourse I had to see it. Last week I finally had a chance to see it for the first time. The story is (ofcourse) about the Phantom, who disappeared from the Paris Opera. While everyone in Paris thought he was dead, he flee to America, with Madame Giry and her daughter Meg. In this musical he is the big man behind Phantasma on Coney Island. He still misses Christine Daae, and he tricks her and her husband Raoul into a trip to America. They arrive with their son Gustave, and after a detour, through New York, they end up in Phantasma. He wrote an aria for Christine and she has to sing it. ofcourse there are still others around who wants a part of it all. Madame Giry and Meg, and there is also Raoul. Not everything appears what it is to be.



The show started with the song "Till I Hear You Sing", which surprised me. I was a bit disappointed to hear it this early in the show. For me this song is the highlight of the musical, but Ramin Karimloo sang it beautifully. I was lucky to see the whole original cast, as it was another pressnight. Andrew Lloyd Webber made changes to the musical, and the press was invited to see the musical again. I never saw it before so for me it was new. And what a treat it was. Sierra Bogges was a wonderful Christine, and the "freaks" did a great job aswell. But most of all I was very impressed with Summer Strallen. She played Meg Giry and did the best job of all. She was really shining in her song "Bathing Beauty". The whole cast got a standing ovation, and they deserved it.




It wasn't finished after that. I met a friend of mine outside the Adelphi Theatre, and we went to the stage door. We weren't disappointed. First of all Summer Strallen came out and made some time to chat with us and to pose for a picture. What struck me was that she was so lovely and nice. For me she is not only a beautiful, talented woman, but also a very nice one. Sierra Bogges was the next one I met. She was also very lovely and posed for a picture. Niamh Perry appeared not much later. She played Miss Fleck in the musical and I loved her costumes. A bit gothic, but lovely. A bit my style. In the meantime it started to snow and we had to wait untill Ramin Karimloo came out. It took him some time, but we were in for a little treat. Ramin is such a lovely guy. He posed for a picture and signed my program. After meeting him it was time to go back to the hotel. I was almost singing all the way there. If you want to book tickets or know more about the musical you can visit the site: www.loveneverdies.com I know that I want to see the musical again when ever I am in London again. I know that I won't be able to see this cast again as some of the actors leave after March 5 next year. Leave for another adventure in their lives.

On the Jack Falls filmset

With many thanks to Facebook, I have met some wonderful people. One of them is Johnny Lynch. He has a casting agency in England and started one here in the Netherlands too. He was the one that asked me to come to Amsterdam last week to be an extra on the set of Jack Falls. I had to be there at 8AM, but I couldn't make it that early. Many thanks to the trains in the Netherlands I must say, but it didn't matter. When I arrived on the set, people were already busy and the other extra's were standing close by and waited for something to happen. I met Johnny and it was a very nice and warm welcome. He took me to the actual set and I met some other people. I had to get my picture taken with the other extra's for the wardrobe department. The make up lady powdered our faces and then the wait began. To my surprise I was picked out with some others to appear in a scene. They gave us instructions and off we went. After a few rehearsals we were ready for a take. It took a few takes before the director was happy with it. And we had to do more takes as they wanted to have some other camera angles aswell. I had a ball and being so close to the crew was great.



Ofcourse we also had to wait a long time between takes or scene's. But I didn't mind at all. The sun was out, and food and drinks were nearby. Some of the extra's gave up and left, some others had other things to do later in the day and left aswell, but I stayed and I was rewarded as I was asked with all the other extra's to appear in another scene. This was done in a few takes and then it was a wrap for the extra's. It was great to get an applause from the crew for what I did that day. I decided to stay a bit longer and have something to eat in a cafe nearby. hen it was time to say goodbye to the crew and go home. I felt a bit sad to leave, but it was great to be a part of a film crew for a day. I hope to do it more often.

It was a great experience and I learned a lot from just watching people act or do their job. I had a lot of fun on the set and one of the audience members gave me a big laugh and a surprised look from the crew. The man was in the shot and kindly asked to move. As the man didn't speak English, one of the Dutch crew members asked again to move. Then the man started to swear and curse and made a show of himself while moving. "Welcome to Amsterdam" were the words me and the 2 other extra's gave the crew. Every city in the Netherlands has its madman, and it seems that we have met the Amsterdam madman that day. The crew was very nice and welcome and I felt at home on the set. I always thought that it would be boring, but it turned out to be big fun. Maybe the sun helped out a bit, but it was great hanging around on set watching the crew and the people pass by. We drew a lot of attention from people passing by. Even pushing a pram into the water drew a big audience. First of all I want to thank Johnny for the invitation and the warm welcome on set. It was marvelous. And ofcourse I want to thank the crew and other extra's for a fun day. They were all very welcome and kind. The crew really looked after us and were very kind. It is an experience of a life time and I hope to be on a filmset some day again soon.

Malice In Wonderland

I am well known for my strange taste when it comes to films. While everybody runs to cinemas all over the world to see Avatar, I run away from it. I don't like many of the blockbusters, as, in my opinion, they are just made to make as much money as possible. Ofcourse every film maker wants to make money out of a film, but what is important for me is that the film makers put love and care in their films. That is what I miss when I watch the blockbuster films, but I see it when I watch the smaller films that hit smaller screens or none at all. Malice In Wonderland is one of those films. I had one chance to see it in a cinema in London, and for the rest of the weekend I didn't see it advertised in any London cinema. Too bad, because Malice In Wonderland really is a nice film.



It is based on the Alice In Wonderland story, but it is a story on its own. Alice is an American student that is in London at the moment the film starts. She is on the run for some people, and got hit by a taxi. She looses her memory and the people who witnessed the hit threat to call the police, so Whitey, the cabdriver, has to take her with him on his ride. He takes Alice to a land she have never seen before and nothing is what it seems. She meets the most amazing people there and she has to find out who she can trust. But the most important thing is to remember who she is. Will she get her memory back and will she make it back to London? These are questions that will be answered in this film. Malice In Wonderland might be based on the Alice stories, but I see a totally different story in it. You see the most amazing characters in the films and some of them are way over the top. But that is what I like. When I was in London, I did read a lot of bad critics on the film, and that is a thing this film doesn't deserve. One of the strangest critics I read was that the film was bad, because Danny Dyer is in it. If that is the case, then I dislike a lot of films because Hugh Grant, Steve Martin or Leslie Nielsen are in it. Malice deserves an honest chance and that is not what it got. The film came straight out on DVD and it is worth a watch.



Danny Dyer plays Whitey the cabdriver. I had never heard of him before, and he did a great job in this film. Maggie Grace is another new name for me in the leading role of Alice. She does a great job aswell. My favorite actor Nathaniel Parker played a way over the top character and he does a wonderful job playing Harry Hunt, the gay gangster, who celibrate that he is out of prison. Matt King is a 3rd new name for me, but a promise for the future. He played Gonzo. Anthony Higgins made a wonderful Rex. I saw him before in the Inspector Lynley Mysteries and some other crime dramas and he is a good actor. Other actors who are worth mentioning are: Bronagh Gallagher, Gary Beadle, Steve Haze, Paul Kaye, David Frost, but the absolute star for me was Dave Lynn as Jack (Jaqueline for posh). His storylines were very few, but he stole my heart as this character.



The nightclub scenes in the film really stood out for me. I have never before seen so many strange characters in a club before. The trucker cafe scene's were filled with strange characters aswell. The people who worked on the film did a great job and despite the bad critics the film deserved more than a straight to DVD release.



The film is dark and fast and full of nice twists and surprises. As I mentioned before, nothing is what it's like. There are some very funny lines and mix ups in the film. I am not going to give anything away, as I don't want to spoil the watch for others. But I can tell that the mix up between Whitey and Gonzo about a tie were very funny and even I fell for it. Sometimes I didn't understand what was said, but that is only because I am not that good with Cockney or other British slng/dialect. Malice is a wonderful film, not for huge audiences. But people who like an arty film that is made with love and care will have a good time watching this film. Malice will be in my top 10 for sure. The journalists that gave Malice a bad review didn't do their jobs properly. It seems to me that they didn't like the film from the start. I know that journalists are intitled to their opinion, but many of the bad reviews were very unfair. I would love to change places with them, so they can give their good critics to the "blockbusters", and I can give good critics to films like Malice In Wonderland. I hope to see many more of films like this. I am looking forward to new films by the producers of this film (and Flawless, another great film, with Demi Moore, Micheal Cane, Nathaniel Parker and many more wonderful actors). 6Sales is a company that really care for films in my opinion and I rate them as high as I rate the Ealing Studio's for their projects. I am very happy that companies like these excists, they give me the jewels that I want to see in the cinemas.

This is how a thriller should be written

I love to read crime novels, especially English ones. For some reason I like them much better than others. When I was in London last May I took home Deadly Intent by Lynda La Plante. I had never heard of this author before, I only knew that she wrote She's Out, that is also a TV series, with Anna Patrick in one of the roles. Last October I went to London again and I thought it was time to take Deadly Intent with me for a good read. And a good read it was. I didn't even notice we were passing the Channel Tunnel. The book is about DI Anna Travis who has to solve yet another case. I didn't know there were more books about this DI, but this really was a great start. There is a shooting in a notorious drugs dealers squat in norht London and Anna is determined to find answers. I read a little about her private life and all about the case. I love to read a little about the DI's private lifes, but the real thing I want to read is that the murder(s) is/are getting solved. Elizabeth George has the habbit to describe all the side characters aswell that makes her books a bit boring to read for me, as I don't want to know about anybody but Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers. Lynda La Plante did the perfect job with this book for me. I bought the other books in the series of Anna Travis aswell and I was lucky enough to find the new book Silent Scream in the stores. I am really looking forward to read the books and to learn more about DI Anna Travis.

The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

I have a keen interest in history and when I was in London last May I found some very interesting books. I did read a book about Henry III by Alison Weir, and now I have read the Lady Elizabeth by the same author. The book was a thriller/romace novel with some true things in it, but also some things that are not that true or can not be confirmed. The book follows Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of Henry III, untill she becomes Queen. There is a book about that period aswell, but I still have to read it. This book was great to read and hard to put away. It was well written and full of intrigues and suspence. But there is also time for romance and fun in the novel. It shows us how the people lived in that time. It was a very hard time if you ask me. Especially women had a hard time as I see it. All they were good for is to marry and to bring offspring to the world. A lot of women died in childbirth or had dead born babies. I am glad that women these days show it can be the other way around too. I am very happy not to have lived in that time, there was also a lot of sickness around and lots of people suffered from the plague. Alison Weir is a great writer. Usually books about history can be quite dull, in my experience that is, but this and the Henry VIII book were not boring at all. They were great to read and give people a great insight on England as it was at the time.

The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale

After hearing the Book at Bedtime version by Samantha Bond and Nathaniel Parker I got very curious about this book. To my surprise I was able to order it at a Dutch webshop. So 2 days after I ordered the book it arrived and I started to read straight away. The thing is that I couldn't stop reading. I love to read, but this book really is one of the best I read so far. I want to get more books by Patrick Gale for sure. I never heard of the author before and this was a very welcome introduction.

The story is about Laura who moved from Paris to a small English village to take care of her mother. In that little village she meets Ben, a former lover from school. They haven't seen eachother in 20 odd years, and she doesn't recognise him at first. They have dinner together and he tells her that he moved to this village to take care of his brother, who has down syndrome. They take on a passionate affair and Ben wants to ends his marriage. Do they end up together or not?

This book is very well written. You can picture the characters in the book and I love the style of the author. I think that this book is a great read. It is funny, sad and witty. I am really looking forward to read more by this Patrick Gale. The Book At Bedtime Story was very well abridged, but I was very happy to read the book and discover more about Laura, Ben and the other characters in the book.

Riding my Storm by Timmy Murphy

I was finally able to finish this wonderful book. Since a short time I am into horse racing and am interested in a few jockeys and horses. Timmy Murphy is one of the jockeys. I was able to get this book through Ebay and it was a great read. I started and it was hard to put it down. Timmy wrote this book together with someone else, but it is like you are Timmy. He is very open about himself and his past and present. It was great to read where Timmy came from and I have nothing but respect for him. He told me all about his alcoholproblem, which lead him to jail for a few months. He thought his carreer as jockey was over, but he came back stronger than ever. I really like the way this book is written. It is like Timmy himself is talking to you. Especially when he describes the Grand National of 2008, when he won on Comply or Die. It was a wonderful to see the race from Timmy´s point of view.



They were a wonderful team, but Timmy also talks about other horses like Beef or Salmon, which was one of his favorites. This book is a great read for people who love to know more about the person behind the jockey. This book tells about the comradery in the weight room, but also about the downsides of being a jockey. It was a great pleasure to read this book. I read a lot of books once and when they are "just nice" I sell them again, but this is a book for keep. I enjoyed reading it and I was a bit sad when it was finished. I am reading another book now, but I will be reading Timmy's book another time soon. I recommand this book to all who loves horses, as it shows that jockeys really care about their horses. It must be frustrating when you think you have been good on your horse and some others think you are not and get fined or banned. I am sure that race horses are well looked after, and this book is a proof of that. Well done Timmy and I hope to see you many more years to come as jockey.

Snobs, by Julian Fellowes

I was very intrigued when I read the description of the book, and I must say it was worth the read. Snobs is about an ordinary girl who marries herself into aristocracy. Julian Fellowes describes everything very well. He is a funny and witty writer and I really like the book. Julian is an actor who became a writer and he did very well if I look at this book. He makes fun of his own profession as actor and it is great to read it from an insider. He describes the characters in the story very well and you can make the picture in your head while you read. I think it is a great vacation read. It does well on beaches, in gardens and on balconies. I am looking forward to read more of Julian's book. I have Past Imperfect on my read list, but first I have some other books to read.

Nathaniel Parker, the garden man

Anna's husband Nathaniel was and is a famous actor. He is well known for his roles in the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Stardust, Flawless and even had a small part in The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. A side of Nathaniel that not many people know is that he loves to work in his garden. While Anna decorates the house, Nathaniel works in the garden. When they bought the house they are living in now, he landscaped the garden with the help from his mother Jill Parker. She has a lovely garden in Minster Lovell where she and her husband, the late, Sir Peter Parker have a weekend home. Their house was neglected and the garden looked like rubbish. She found out how to create a romantic garden and even wrote a book about it. It is out of print, but it is a wonderful book. She helped her youngest son with his garden.



In my opinion they did a wonderful job. They even buildt a tree house for the children, although Nathaniel admits that their grown up friends are up there more than the children are. He is also very fond of his roses and olive trees. I think that he and Lady Jill Parker created a great garden that goes very well with the wonderful decorated house. They added a veranda to the house, so they can live outdoors aswell. And if the weather allows it they do that a lot. The veranda is a tribute to Australia, where Anna's mother comes from. I hope to see more of their work in garden and home soon.

Anna Parker

As some of you might know I am a huge fan of former actress/interior designer Anna Parker. She had a feature in the Living Etc of May last year, where they showed pictures of her stylish white house. Ofcourse I have the magazine and the pictures. I love the white and the little bit of colour she added to it. Recently I found pictures of a "new" Parker house. It is still white, but with more colour. If I am honest I like this more than the white. Anna really is a talent when it comes to interior design. She gives me lot of inspiration for changes in my flat. I don't have her budget, but I can do it all my way and with my own budget. I like Anna's point of view. She combines stuff she bought when she was 20 with new stuff. I really think she is amazing and creates a stylish and compfy home for her husband Nathaniel and their two children Angel and Raffy.



The pictureon top is a view of the living room, while the second picture shows a nice and cosy kitchen where Anna can cook and entertain people at the same time. Anna loves to cook and to entertain. She was a wonderful actress, but she is a hell of an interior designer. I know who I am going to hire to decorate my house when I win the lottery.

Michael Jackson

He was always there in my life and now he is gone. It was a shock to hear that Michael Jackson died last week. I remember watching TV and see him sing and dance with his brothers in the Jackson 5. I was totally mad about the song Ben. I was 3 or maybe 4 years old, but I liked him. I grew up and so did he. He started a solo carreer and I saw his first real videoclips. I still see myself in bed watching Count Down (a very populair music show in the Netherlands at the time) because Thriller was going to be on. After 8 o'clock. I watched it on my little black and white TV and was scared to death when I saw all these creepy figures. I was happy not to see it in colour. It was the talk of the day, next day at school. He had more hits and I watched his video clips on TV. I saw him change. His face, colour, behaviour and the gossip machine started to roll. In the 90s Michael went down hill for me when it came to music. He still had good songs, but not as good as they used to be. There were even more scandals at the time. I catched a glimpse of him when I worked in Disneyland Paris in the summer of 1996. He spent a few days there in September, during my last few days there. I still remember seeing all these fans at the entrance of the parc, in front of the Disneyland Hotel screaming for Michael. I had to stop them (with many other colleagues) from hunting him down to the store in the hotel. He was surrounded by bodyguards and had a boy with him. I thought it wasn't clever to do this what happened with this boy Jordan something. I always thought that this boy was after Michaels money. So was the other boy who was eager to appear with Michael in the Bashir documentary. He "loved" Michael and crawled all over him in the documentary. A few weeks later he claimed to be abused by Michael. I never believed that. I always thought that that boy was after his money. And there were more people after that. The last part of his life were marked by other scandals. But people forget that Michael did a lot of good things too. He helped a lot of charities and did a lot of good things for sick children and those in need. I was shocked to hear about his death. Michael was there all my life and now he is gone. I was never a fan, but I did and do like his music. Not all songs, but a lot of his hits are really good. He was a good entertainer and dancer. In my opinion we lost a great personality in him. I hope Michael is happy and in peace where he is now. I know that I will never forget him. He left us with a lot of great music and some wonderful clips. If I look at Thriller now, it gives me a good laugh and it is a great trip down memory lane, but it still is one of my favorites. May peace be with him.

Malice in Wonderland

There are some films you really want to reach the cinema, and this is one of them. A few days ago I found the trailer of Malice in Wonderland on the internet. I was interested already as Nathahiel Parker, my favorite actor, as some of you might know, was in. But the trailer blew me away. I am not a fan of the Alice film that Walt Disney made. It is not bad, just not my cup of tea. I have never read the books either. But this trailer made me more curious. This is a film I really want to see. The director Simon Fellows turned the Alice story into a great film, from what I saw. There was some rumour about Misha Barton playing the lead, but in the end it was Maggie Grace who got the part of Alice. I never saw any film she did, but in this trailer she is great. I really like her. Ofcourse the trailer don't says it all, but it looks good. Maggie is a wonderful Alice and Nathaniel Parker finally gets to show that he can play villain characters. He plays the King and Queen in one. From what I saw in the trailer he did a marvelous job. The rest of the crew and cast too ofcourse. I really hope to see this film soon in the cinema. In the trailer it is mentioned that the film is in Post Production, but from what I understand the film is finished and can be released. I hope they do it soon, as for me it is one of the MUST SEE films of the year. There is not that many I look forward to, but this is one of the 3 films I am looking forward to this year. The others are the new Harry Potter and the Oliver Parker film, The Picture of Dorian Grey. But Malice is in top position. I hope it will reach the cinemas in the country I live, and otherwise I try to see it in a cinema in another country. This is a film that is made for the cinema, and I really keep my fingers crossed for a wonderful release. I hope it will be a much better release as Flawless got. Maggie Grace looks stunning in this publicity picture. The film is very colourfull from what I saw in the trailer and it will attract many people, young and old. Maybe a good film for Christmas time, but to be honest, I hope to see it sooner than that.

Flawless

If there is a film that got very little attention in the press it is Flawless, a diamond heist thriller by Michael Radford. I wonder why. I saw the film and I loved it. The art of this film is, to quote Nathaniel Parker in a few interviews on the films release, "It is a film with no sex, no violence and no action". It is not an American Blockbuster, this is a gripping story. A great film that deserves much more attention. It played in the American cinemas for a short while 2 years ago, if I am correct. Last year finally the Uk was able to see it. I was very happy, because I was going to visit friends in London around the time the film came to the cinemas there. Bad luck for me as the film was out of the cinemas in a week. The Prince Charles cinema, off Leicester Square cancelled the film for some reason too. It was my only chance to see it in the cinema, but alas. I had hopes that this film came to the Dutch cinemas, but no luck in that either. I am very happy with the DVD release in the UK. The film is out on DVD in Australia and America already, but last month the UK was able to buy this great film. It didn't get much publicity. I really wonder why. This is such a great film. Not an American blockbuster as I said earlier, but a great story that is told wonderfully by cast and crew.

What is it about I hear you say. Well, it is about an executive that is overlooked by her bosses for promotions at the London Diamond Corporation. She has the experience and the talent, but her boss thinks that women were not suit to lead a company like this in the 60s. She meets a night-time janitor and together they plan a diamond heist that will keep London talking for years to come. Demi Moore and Michael Caine play the leading parts. Also there are good parts for Josh Ackland and Lambert Wilson. The real reason I watched this film is that Nathaniel Parker had a part in it aswell. Not that big, but any film with Nathaniel in it is good for me. This film however, is a special one. This is how a story needs to be told. The good thing for me is that nothing happens and still you are at the edge of your seat. I wish there were more films like Flawless. It is a shame that this film is so overlooked by both crowd and press. This film deserves a better chance. If you click on the link under this blog, you can see an interview Nathaniel Parker recently did for the DVD release of Flawless in the UK.

http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=35069

Webradio 100% Mylene Farmer

I mentioned Mylene Farmer earlier in a blog. Today I discovered that I don't need to put her CD's in the computer to listen to it. As Mylene is currently on tour (and I don't have tickets) I look all the information about the new tour up on a site. It seems now that that site also has internet radio. I started to listen to it a bit earlier and I can't get it off. I even skipped the 7.30 news, which is on at the moment because I love to listen to this radiochannel. It is great to hear Mylene's music through this site. I am not a fan of the mixes that are made of her songs. I prefer the original versions, but this channel also has these mixes on the radio. But they are not irritating at all. They play one or two and then some "normal songs. Mylene is my favorite French singer. She hardly gives interviews or appears in TV shows. Her videoclips are like small films and they are very good. Not all my taste, but there are some very beautiful clips out there. Every few years Mylene surprises her fans with a new CD and a tour. She recently started a tour through France. I would love to go, but the ticket prices are a bit to high for me. At first it was announced that she would do a concert at the Stade de France. I hate big stadium concerts, as you hardly see anything. Later on it was mentioned that there would be more concerts in concert halls and stadiums. These concerts sold out in no time. Mylene is a real cult in France. She is a mystery, not much is known of her past and her private life. Some stars are very open about their private life, Mylene don't talk much about it. That is fine with me as I am not really interested in that. Mylene is a good singer and her shows are wonderful to watch, but that is it. She needs to do her grocery shopping too, like me and everybody else in the world. Mylene has many fans who bring out magazines and have lots of websites for and about her. This webradio is wonderful as I can hear all her songs, also the ones that I don't play much. We all have our favorites and songs we don't really like. This is a great way to listen to both. If you want to know more about the mystery Mylene Farmer, you can visit the link under the blog, and if you want to listen to her music, you just follow the other link.

http://www.mylene.net/

http://www.mylene.net/mylene/mylene-farmer_webradio

Tony McCoy's biography

I am very interested in horse races, as I mentioned in an earlier blog. So I wanted to know more about it, and found the biography of Anthony McCoy, a very succesful English National Hunt Jockey. I started to read the book and I couldn't put it down. It is a very nice read and it tells the story of Tony, as he was called later, or AP untill the early years of this century. The book starts with a young boy who hates school and does everything to be at a stable near his house and ends with one of the most succesful jockey's in history.

I loved the book, but there was one thing that struck me when I read it. There are a few chapters about Tony getting punished for using a whip on the horses. I felt very sorry for him. I understand that people don't want the horses to get hurt, but you can take that to far aswell. I understand very well that there are people out there who are for wellfare of the horses, but from what I read, they took it a bit to far. I see that the horses enjoy the races and I am sure that the jockey's don't mean any harm on the horses when they use the whip. If the horses don't like it, I am sure there are plenty of ways for them to show that they don't like it at all. Tony seems like a very nice and reasonalble man to me. All he wanted was to make his dream come true. He made it come true for sure and he is one of the best jockey's in British history. The book also has a lot of wonderful pictures of Tony, the horses he rode and the people that were and are important in his life. Ofcourse his parents, but also Billy Rock and Martin Pipe played a big role in his carreer. This is really a book that I recommand to read. But for people who love racing and want to know more about the person behind the jockey. I am really looking forward to read the biography of Timmy Murphy, another succesful jockey.

The Outcast by Sadie Jones

I had never heard of this author before, but the story sounded promising, so I gave it a try. I wanted to save this book for reading on my trip to London next month, but it was tempting to read it now. I read the Dutch translation and I must say that I was happy with the translation. The book is about Lewis a boy with a "normal" life in war time. When his dad returns from the war his life changes. His free life with his mother is over and he has to adjust to the village life. During a picknick Lewis sees his mother drown before his eyes. He becomes estranged with everybody and sets the local church on fire. When he comes out of jail 3 years later the people in the village find him interesting, but also sees him as threat. The daughters of his boss try to helphim, but their help has fatal consequences.

When I started to read the book I felt like I was an outsider, but that soon changed. I was drawn into the story quickly and was hardly able to put the book down. It is very well written and is at some points funny. Not much though, as in my opinion, the book is more tragic. The further in the book the more tragic it becomes. I felt very sorry for Lewis, but also for the daughters of his boss. It seems that everybody in the book has something tragic in him or herself. You can't help but feeling sorry for these people.

Sadie Jones is a new author as this is her debut novel. It was nominated for the Galaxy bookawards Populair fiction awards. She didn't win, but this book won my heart and I hope to read more books by Sadie in the future. I found out about this book through the Richard and Judy book club. I can't get Watch, the channel that airs Richard and Judy in the UK, as I don't live there. But I do see some clips sometimes and this book was recommanded by them last year. This book is very well written and I can see a film being made of it. Another recommandation is Imperfect by Julian Fellowes, but that is for another time, as that is the book I try to save for my trip to London next month.

The Graveyard Book

I started to read this book just a few days ago and I am finished already. What a wonderful book this is. It is about a boy called Nobody Owens who lives in a graveyard. I am not going to tell more as I don't want to spoil the surprise for other readers. But this really is one of the best books I've ever read. It is very well written, and the humor is just great. It really is a Neil Gaiman book as it should be. I did read a few of them, but this is the best I've read so far. I found out about Neil, through Stardust. I heard about the film, when they were filming it. I was curious about the book and I bought it. I couldn't stop reading and was curious about other Gaiman books. There are still a few that I have to read, but I can say that Neil is an inspiration and a great writer. I love his dark sence of humor and the way he writes. I want to read Coraline too and I want to see the film. The Graveyard Book is a wonderful story for a film if you ask me. The characters are alive (depends on who they are though), and you can feel the graveyard atmosphere all around you when you read this book. It really is a recomandation. It is in my top 10 of favorites for sure. I want more Neil Gaiman books, and I can't wait to read the newest one when it comes out.

Careless in Red by Elizabeth George

I just finished Careless in Red, the new Inspector Lynley book by Elizabeth George. I read it before, but I wanted to pick it up again to read it. I did and I loved the book. It is better than the last Lynley novels I have read. Careless in Red shows us where Thomas Lynley is after the murder on his wife Helen. He is walking the coast of Cornwall when he finds the body of a young man. When it looks like murder, Thomas is the first suspect. The book is big, but this time it is well written. I did read more big Lynley book, where I read chapters that really didn't intrest me. I want to read about a murder and then the 2 detectives who solve it. In this case Barbara Havers, Thomas's Scotland Yard partner and Bea Hannaford. Thomas Lynley is suspect, but he also reveals some secrets that should have never come out. This book is a good read for a holiday, although I don't recommand to read it on the beach. But a garden or balcony will do very well. At least it works for me.

The first time I heard about the Inspector Lynley Mysteries was through the TV series with Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small. The first episode I saw was A Suitable Vengeance, and it was also the first book I've read. It was a shock to see that the Thomas Lynley in the books was blond, with glasses. Not at all like the Thomas Lynley in the TV series. I was also surprised to find that the book was about the engagement of Thomas with Deborah and not (like in the TV series) with Helen. I really had to get used to it. Now I think of the books and TV series as different stories. The characters in the books are not at all like the ones on TV. A thing that bothers me about the books is the way Barbara Havers is portrayed. She is very ugly in the books, she dresses bad and she has a horrible haircut. It gets annoying to see that in every book. It seems that Barbara can't do anything good in Mrs Georges eyes. I am getting tired of reading that Barbara is ugly and she has no taste for clothes. In my opinion Barbara is a beauty of her own. She has her own style and her own way of living. Barbara is Barbara and no one can change that. To me she became a dear friend, and it doesn't matter if one of her tooth is broken, her haircut is bad and she wears baggy clothes. It is the person within that counts. I am looking forward to read the next Lynley book. Now the TV series has come to an end, it is good that the books are still there. Careless in Red played tricks on my mind to be honest. When I read it first there was nothing wrong, but when I read it again and I found the description of Bea Hannaford, the first one that came to my mind was Jo Brand. She should have been perfect to play that part in the series (if there was an episode). And also Dellen Kerne's description looks like another famous person to me. When I read about her, I see the mother of The Nanny (the American comedy). She looks very much like Dellen Kerne, as I have her in mind. Careless in Red is a good read and it is good to pick books like that up again sometimes. I always discover something new in these books. Next on the list is something completely different. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, another great author. But that is a blog for another time.

Bitten by the Horse Racing Bug

Two years ago a friend of mine talked about the Grand National, a famous horse race. I had never heard about it, but I was curious. As I was in London that day I didn't see any of it. Last year I corrected that. I saw Comply or Die win this race. I liked what I saw, and I was curious about it. This year I saw the Grand National again and this year Comply or Die came in second. Too bad as I had my hope set on him. Mon Mome was a great winner this year. One thing was sure, I was bitten by the horse racing bug. I wanted to know more about it, I really don't know anything about it. I just look at the looks of the horse or the name and that is it. Now I really want to dig deeper into it. i want to know more about it. I found the site of trainer David Pipe and congratulated him on the good result of Comply or Die. He sent me a very nice email back. I once saw a small documentary on race horses and they were all treated very well. As David Pipe mentioned in his email to me "The horses live in a 5 star hotel". People tell me that these races are there to abuse the horses. I don't agree with that. From what I see, the horses have fun doing it, otherwise they would never go with the rest, if their jockey falls off. And I always look at the ears too. I don't know if that goes for horses too, but the time you have to watch out for animals is when their ears are turned backwards or close to their heads. The only time I get to see a race or meeting as it is called too, is when the BBC is showing them. They don't show much and their internet site is not good when it comes to watching as their clips are just avaliable for UK residents. I am not a UK resident, so I have to watch elsewhere. I am glad that YouTube has good race clips and there are lots of sites where I can find information about races. I hope to visit a racetrack one day. It would be great to watch the Grand National or a race at the Cheltenham festival.

Ever since I was a child I have a passion for horses, but I never came any further than a ride at the fairgrounds. Riding a horse is pretty expencive and I never had the money to learn to ride. I might give it a try this year. I really hope that I can find a nice place here in town where I can learn to ride a horse. Buying my own horse is no option. I have no money for that for sure. But riding a horse sounds really wonderful to me. It is something I wanted to do for years and I hope I can make that dream come true one day.

Some great links to Race forums, clips and the Racing Post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FInUXkCF0ac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpRUSezk15U
http://www.racingpost.com/
http://www.theracingforum.co.uk/forum/index.php
http://www.grandnationalinsider.co.uk/default.aspx