A trip down memory lane…
It’s always been hard for me to decide what stands out most- the music, the lyrics, or the singing (I like Noel Harrison’s version way better than anyone else’s). And then there’s that inspired scene as well (from the original The Thomas Crown Affair, obviously), without which it all seems incomplete and which, indeed, was the starting point for the song to be written.
According to this report:
Official Secrets tells the story of British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who leaked a document that showed an attempt by the US and the UK to rig a UN Security Council vote in favour of launching an attack on Iraq in 2003. As we know, that attack still happened. But her effort was probably unique in that it attempted to stop a war before it actually happened. And it stopped the US and UK from getting a justifiable reason for the war.
What makes the movie stand out is not just the importance of the story (which, by the way, didn’t get as widespread a coverage as it deserved) but the way it is structured, presenting multiple perspectives. Among other things, it gives the viewer a bone-chilling look at the legal challenge that she faced. It also lays bare the obstacles faced by The Observer in putting out the story. The performances are uniformly excellent. Keira Knightley shines in the lead role. The superb supporting cast includes Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, and Ralph Fiennes.
Here’s a link to the trailer.
From a report in The Guardian:
A British woman in a long-term relationship with a 92-year-old German chandelier has been told that her attraction to historic light fittings is not considered to be a protected sexual orientation.
The press regulator, Ipso, made the ruling after Amanda Liberty, a woman from Leeds in her mid thirties, complained about an article in the Sun mocking her public declaration of love for Lumiere, her name for an intricate lamp she bought on eBay.
She argued that the newspaper’s article breached the regulator’s code of conduct which requires publishers to avoid prejudicial or pejorative references to an individual’s sexuality.
Liberty identifies as an ‘objectum sexual’ – an individual who is attracted to objects. She objected to being included in an end-of-year article by Sun columnist Jane Moore, which nominated her for a “Dagenham Award (Two Stops Past Barking)” prize, simply because of her sexual attraction to Lumiere.
She also raised concerns about the accuracy of the newspaper’s reporting after the article referred to her being married to the chandelier. She pointed out she was in a relationship with the chandelier but not yet married to it.
The newspaper said that it did not doubt that her attraction to chandeliers was genuine, however it said that sexual orientation in the context of the press regulation code covered people who were attracted to people of the same sex, the opposite sex, or both. Since Liberty was not legally able to marry the chandelier, it would not be legally discriminatory to prevent such a marriage.
The Sun also pointed out that Liberty had extensively talked to the media about her attraction towards chandeliers and other objects in the past, having previously changed her surname during a previous self-declared public relationship with New York’s Statue of Liberty.
Amidst the current pandemic, Pornhub continues to make news. Its latest endeavour is Scrubhub- a dedicated website for handwashing videos, that it describes thus:
You've gotten dirty on Pornhub, now it's time to get CLEAN on Scrubhub…
And in keeping with what visitors to its own website have come to expect, the captions are suitably titillating.
The Babysitter Likes To Go From Filthy To Fresh While Everyone’s Asleep
Just over a week ago, the office of the Sheriff of Santa Clarita Valley, Los Angeles, put out this tweet:
Family disturbance calls can start out over small things, and then they escalate. Deputies responded to call where family members were arguing w/ each other because one felt the other one hid toilet paper. It turned into physical confrontation. One got arrested.
An amusing commercial from German supermarket chain PENNY that celebrates couch potatoes as role models in these times of self-isolation and lockdowns.
This is what can happen when a sports commentator is in lockdown and is bored. From the YouTube channel of sports broadcaster, Andrew Cotter:
In these times of social/ physical distancing, how do you measure the right distance to stand away from someone? Well, National Parks South Australia has its singular take on how you might do that.
And then there’s the American Red Cross which has its own way of explaining.
This ad is targeted at, well, a certain category of men. It’s from yet another firm that sees the Coronavirus pandemic as a business opportunity. The ad is in Arabic and the only version that I have found has no subtitles. For those who don’t get the message, here’s the description provided by the ad agency:
During the quarantine, life has been stopped, streets are empty and towers are standing in the air but with no use because people are in their homes, but among those towers, there is only one tower that should be standing well, this tower is yours. Erectalis is an ED solution that helps your tower to function for 36 hours.
Soon after Boris Johnson announced a lockdown (though I don’t think he used that word in his speech), in what I can only assume to be the brilliance of YouTube’s algorithm and/or a reflection of its sense of humour, this clip from the classic TV series, The Thick of It, reportedly popped up as one of YouTube’s recommended videos for some of its users. What’s more, the BBC started using the clip as part of a PSA between some of its programmes.
Warning: it features explicit language.
This 3 part “dating series” for GSK oral care brand Poligrip, was shot last December. Each episode features a denture-wearing divorcee who goes on 3 blind dates, in search for a partner.
From the casting call:
Seeking UK-based denture wearing divorcees aged 40+ for a branded content shoot. Each divorcee will take three people on an individual date before selecting their favourite person. Please note: Participant will not have to wear full dentures, they can be partials as well.
Production is also looking to cast nine men or women aged 40+ to take the divorcees on their dates. These nine people do not need to be divorced or denture wearing, but they must be single.
