Eric Underwood

Eric Underwood in Electric Counterpoint
Photo John Ross

I have talked before about Aesha Ash, a great dancer I have discovered in the Morphoses Company last year, and mentioned that she was one of the few black dancers around.

Head to the Royal Ballet this week to see another great black dancer, Eric Underwood, perform in a new piece called Electric Counterpoint. Eric Underwood started his career in New York's Dance Theatre of Harlem, before moving to the American Ballet Theatre. He is now a First Artist at the Royal Ballet, and a joy to watch. He also appeared in McGregor's Chroma. Can't wait to see more of him.

Eric Underwood in Chroma
photo: Johan Persson

Juan Munoz et al.

Nicolas and me, looking at a Juan Munoz piece (obviously I can't remember the name of it. It's a self 'portrait' though, this much I remember)

Went to the Juan Munoz exhibition at the Tate Modern and found it brilliant. I liked his balconies, the way viewers have to get quite involved to see everything there is to see in his sculptures, which were quite poetic, despite the highly disturbing factor sometimes! The other good thing is that there weren't too many kids around. There were hips in the members' bar though, which is pretty annoying, though I guess people with young children should have the right to a bit of culture too.

However, there was a little girl yesterday in the audience at the Royal Opera House, watching 3 short works, 1 a modern piece by McGregor, the other the Rite of Spring (sacrifice the maiden!) and another about a soldier who murders his girlfriend. Not exactly the Nutcracker is it?

Mayra Andrade on Later with Jools Holland

The Cape Verdean singer Mayra Andrade was on the music show Later with Jools Holland last week, here in the UK. Here is a special performance recorded for the Later website. The song is called Tunuka.




Mayra will be in concert at the Barbican in London in March!

Funny parody of Celine Dion

World Press Photo 07

World Press Photo prize winner, 2007
by Tim Hethrington
First published in Vanity Fair

More photographs and winners here.

What European toys say about European views

A very interesting article in The Economist on Europe's biggest toy brands, Lego (Denmark) and Playmobil (Germany). I tried to explain to an English friend what Playmobils were and failed.

A few extracts:

"Study these little people, and you learn much about European views of globalisation, violence, creativity, America, race, gender equality and what makes a good job. For example, says Playmobil's chief executive, Andrea Schauer, “the dream of every German mother” used to be to have an engineer for a son. Parents liked to see boys assembling elaborate structures in their bedrooms; Lego is the top toy brand in Germany. In contrast, the French shun construction toys, preferring the world of the imagination. Playmobil is their leading toy brand.

Europeans are squeamish about warfare and armies. American shelves groan under tanks and muscle-bound action heroes; European parents are less keen. Playmobil tanks and warplanes “could certainly make big money,” says Mrs Schauer, since children write in demanding such things. But Playmobil will not make them. Europe's history, especially Germany's, rules it out.

Yet go farther back in history and violence triggers little concern. There are Playmobil knights and barbarians, pirates and Roman legionaries, all wielding lethal weapons. Europeans can even live with American military toys, if they are old enough: there are Playmobil cowboys from the Wild West, and soldiers from both sides in the American civil war.

The difference is philosophical, says Mrs Schauer. There are no more knights and pirates, so their combat is a “resolved story”. Modern war is “really horror”. "

Let's hear it... Muffin top!

I got quite a lot of random traffic from my Muffin Top post: people are looking for the lyrics, and for the song! As you know youtube deleted the origianl video clip grrrrr so I uploaded my own. It only has the audio of the original, which I am hoping will be enough not to get the video scrapped!
We'll see. Meanwhile, enjoy the tune. I am posting the lyrics again.

Everyone knows the most delicious part of the muffin is the top...
My muffin top is all that
Whole grain, low fat
I know you want a piece of that
But I just wanna dance
You're checkin' out my sweet hips
My sugar coated berry lips
I know you wanna get with this
But I'm just here to dance
So back up off of me
You're we-eee-eee-eirding me out
I'm an independent lady
So do not try to play me
I run a tidy bakery
The boys all want my cake for free.



I am also adding this great bit, where the character of Jenna has put on weight and lands a contract with Enorme, the fragance for plus size women! hahaha The bit just before between Tina Fey and Tracy's wife is hilarious too "You lookin' for a sassy black friend??" hahaha

From...

After almost not happening, the From Russia: French and Russian master painting 1870-1925 from Moscow and St Peterburg exhibition got secured and is opening tomorrow. It's gonna be pretty busy I think, as tickets to see the show on Saturday or Sunday are booked up until the 22nd of March. Will have to take a day off and go then!

The Economist is being positive this week and argues that the world is more prosperous and peaceful than ever before, and than we want to believe. Examples of nice things:

• "In 2007 Unicef, the United Nations child-welfare body, said that for the first time in modern history fewer than 10m children were dying each year before the age of five. That is still an awful lot but it represents a fall of a quarter since 1990"
• "The long march to literacy is nearing an end: three-quarters of people aged 15-25 were literate in 1975; now the rate is nearly nine-tenths."
  
• "Last year the global economy entered its fifth year of over 4% annual growth—the longest period of such strong expansion since the early 1970s. Moreover, growth was spread around fairly evenly."
• "In 1990 those on $1 a day accounted for more than a quarter of the population of developing countries. By 2015, on current rates, the proportion of very poor people should have shrunk to 10%. Moreover, these monetary measures probably understate the real gains from things such as lower child mortality, safer water, literacy and other social achievements."

Being the Economist, they attribute all those benefits to globalisation, the increase in trade and better governments. "Bad government and lack of growth often, though far from always, go together. Whatever the problems of globalisation, they are dwarfed by the penalties of being untouched by it."

I tend to agree.

The Strange Trip

A real classic directed by Fernando Fernan Gomez, El extrano viaje centres on the going-ons of a family of 3 grown siblings in a small village. Ignacia, the eldest of three, dominates the lives of her slightly dumb sister and brother Paquita and Venancio.

This is a very funny movie, especially if you like your humour very black, and, visually, it sometimes parodies Psycho, to great effect. The gags are matched by some quite scary moments, and a mystery that unfolds with more humour than you would imagine. The movie is also good at portraying the tension and oppresion of life in a small Castillan village, where people gossip a lot and life seems to have stopped for some (the sight of the village's women looking a younger girls dancing the twist is hilarious) In that respect, it reminded me of Clouzot's Le Corbeau.

Highly recommended!


El extrano viaje was shown as part of the British Film Institute's Spain (un)censored season. Tonight was the last showing, but they will be showing many more movies over the next 3 weeks! Go! Go! Go!

Stevie Wonder - Free

So we have to pay 30% more rent from next month, or leave, so I guess we will look for a new flat. How depressing! This one is so nice.

And now Andreas Scholl is ill, so no concert on Monday. I was looking forward it! Shitty week end so far, we can def. say.

Any form of uplifting music is therefore much welcome this week end. Like that song, for example.

El Roto

We need fervent catholics, or, if there aren't any, anticlerical fanatics

El Roto publishes a cartoon daily in El Pais

See this article for background

Almodovar news

Out in spain, an updated edition of the disc "Las canciones de Almodovar" (now called B.S.O Almodovar): 2 CDs of songs that appeared in his movies. The original version came out in 1997, so songs from Carne Tremula (Tonanda de luna llena), Todo sobre mi madre (Tajabone...), Talk to her (Caetano Veloso's Cucurrucu Paloma...), La Mala Educacion (Sara Montiel's Quizas Quizas Quizas...) and Volver now appear. I want it!

Pedro's new movie will be called "Los abrazos rotos" (Broken Embraces) and will star La Pe (aka Penelope Cruz) and Bianca Portillo. La película, en palabras de Pedro, "transcurrirá en los años noventa y en la actualidad, con el mundo de los negocios y del cine como telón de fondo y contará una historia de amor fou con tintes de cine negro del Hollywood de los Cincuenta". Ca promet! Shooting starts this month apparently.

30 Rock - Muffin Top!

As I have already said, I loooooove 30 Rock, and here is one example of something that made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

Actress Jane Krakowski plays the character of Jenna Maroney, an actress who works on TV and is gagging for fame and attention. Here, she sings Muffin Top, a 'euro-dance' track she recorded with a producer she dated and that is 'No1 in Israel and No4 in Beligum'! hahaha

The dance moves are awesome (check out the robot at the beginning!), copying the sexy R'n'B moves we see everywhere these days. And the lyrics... lord!! For reference, a 'muffin top' is the extra flesh that spills over the top of the waistband of low rise jeans. see picture below.

Everyone knows the most delicious part of the muffin is the top...
My muffin top is all that
Whole grain, low fat
I know you want a piece of that
But I just wanna dance
You're checkin' out my sweet hips
My sugar coated berry lips
I know you wanna get with this
But I'm just here to dance
So back up off of me
You're we-eee-eee-eirding me out
I'm an independent lady
So do not try to play me
I run a tidy bakery
The boys all want my cake for free.

Enjoy! and long live 30 Rock!




Oh no! they've removed the video! :-(
Come on! that was a great promo for the show!

Barbara - Le mal de vivre

Defection

Three principals from the Ballet Nacional de Cuba have defected and crossed the border to the US while on tour in Canada. Hanya Gutiérrez, Taras Dimitro Suárez and Miguel Ángel Blanco are all quite young and promising, and they have decided to leave their country to "dance in freedom and reach new styles, new things" said Miguel Ángel Blanco, who added "We are young, this is our opportunity. In Cuba, time has stopped"

We will of course remember the defection of Nureyev and Barishnikov from the Soviet Union in the second half of last century.

Back in the limelight

The wonderful Luz Casal has managed to wack out the tumour that was diagnosed in her breast earlier this year, and has a new album out in Spain. It's already Disco de Oro (40 000 units sold)
Rock on girl! Short hair suits her well by the way!

Find out more about her new album Vida Toxica and her forthcoming tour on her website!

Carbon Myths

Awesome article in the Guardian about several carbon-saving myths, telling us why some of the best-known carbon-saving actions are not that efficient, and what we should do instead.

1. It's ok to buy some low-energy light bulbs, but those big fashionable plasma TVs or game consoles consume A LOT of electricity and would outweigh any energy savings. So keep your old tv and buy a more efficient fridge instead of a new TV.

2. Plastic bag and food packaging are almost irrelevant to climate change. What we need to do is waste less food, as food rotting in landfill produces methane, a far more serious cause of global warming.

3. Food miles are only a small part of a meal's carbon impact. Reducing the amount of meat you eat has far more effect than deciding to buy locally. Remember: it takes 3 kilograms of cereals to produce a kilo of pork, 8 for a kilo of beef!

4. Generating your own electricity is a good idea, but what's the point if your house is badly insulated. The most cost-effective way to reduce your house's carbon footprint is by insulating it. British houses are the worst insulated in northern Europe.

I have to say I like this article cause it makes me feel less bad about having a lot of plastic bags in my kitchen drawers, having an old TV and complaining about my flat being draughty (it shouldn't be!)

Spain (un)censored @ the BFI

La Caza (the hunt), Carlos Saura, 1965

Very exciting season this January at the British Film Institute on the South Bank: a selection of films made by brave film makers under Franco's dictatorship. From Carlos Saura to Juan Antonio Bardem and Victor Erice and Luis Bunuel, the names are huge. Expect to see some amazing movies! I am going to 6 screenings in a week, and particularly recommend The Spirit of the beehive (probably the best Spanish movie ever), The Hunt, Viridiana and Welcome Mr Marshall (a funny one!).

All those movies cleverly manage to criticize and denounce the regime they were made under and convey the state of Spanish society at the time. Some are inspired by the Nouvelle Vague techniques, others are more classical, but they are all strong pieces of film making that have influenced Spanish cinema up to now. We looked at quite a few of these when I studied Spanish cinema in Granada, I can't wait to see them again, considering few of them are available on DVD in the UK. Book now!

The Spirit of the Beehive, Victor Erice, 1973

Bye Bye

The French choreographer Maurice Bejart is dead, at the good age of 80. His choreography to the tune of Maurice Ravel's Bolero is of course his most famous.

Marianne debunks the view of Sarkozy as an inflexible president who will not give in to strikers etc. Examples? It only took medicine interns a few days of strike to make the government change its mind on a reform that would put an end to a grant they get if they go practice in rural areas. The fishermen managed to gain 6 months free of employment tax and charges after only 12 hours. we're gonna be so disappointed.

Oh la la and another dead, that of the terrific Spanish actor and director Fernando Fernan Gomez. I can hear his low voice in my head right now, in the movie El espiritu de la colmena. He was 86. Reading the El Pais article, I found out he also wrote plays, including Las bicicletas son para el verano, a classic that a lot of French students in Spanish have to read! What a man.

Ole

The Toro de Osborne started its life 50 years ago as advertising for the 'Veterano' brandy of the food company Grupo Osborne. Today it has totally transcended its status and role, and is one of the most recognised Spanish symbols today. When you see it, you know you are in Spain.
An exhibition is being held in Madrid to celebrate.

Feliz cumpleanos!