Mary McFadden and Marq Debary

Mary McFadden, Socialite fashion designer with Marq Debary

Tara Subkoff

Tara Subkoff Actress and fashion designer

Chloe Sevigny

Chloë Stevens Sevigny
Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actress

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

In Picks in todays WSJ, Ben Kingsley lists 5 of his favorite performances in film.

One of his selections was Spencer Tracy in the 1955 Bad Day at Black Rock. That was always one of my favorite pictures, and one which I think is singled out too rarely as one of the all-time great movies. It came out at the end of long period of cowboy movies, two years after Shane (which is often celebrated), and it's too often ignored. I'm glad he mentioned it.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore
Emmy Award-winning American actress. Nominated for four Academy Awards.

Gayle King

Gayle King
Oprah Winfrey best friend and editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine

Drew Nieporent, Myriad Restaurant Group

Drew Nieporent,New York’s most successful restaurateur.
Drew is Owner of Myriad Restaurant,
which operates Montrachet, Tribeca Grill, Rubicon, Nobu, Nobu London, Next Door Nobu, Nobu 57, Centrico, Pulse, and The Coach House, Proof on Main, and Crush Wine Spirits.

Richard Quest CNN

Richard Quest, CNN,
British news anchor based in London.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore
Bart is a director and 9 years younger than his wife.
they meet in 1997 during the shooting of a movie.

Video Premiere: Operator Please - Just A Song About Ping Pong

It’s a bit strange. The day before I left for the UK back in April, I posted this song as my favorite from new Australian band Operator Please. Now, a week before I leave to go back to America, the video’s been released with nearly 500,000 views on youtube. This is gonna be a hit, folks… no doubt about it. The great thing is, the song is amazingly fun and the video’s even better. Definitely one of the best videos I’ve seen in awhile.

Akbar Al Baker; Qatar Airlines

Mr Akbar Al Baker CEO Qatar Airways with lovely Wife Samira Al Baker
Arrive for a night of joyful entertainment performed by Diana Ross Hosted by Qatar Airlines.
This special evening marks a milestone for the 10 year old award winning airline
On Thursday, June 28, 2007 Qatar Airways made history touching down in the United States for the first time. Now Travelers can board flights 4 times a week from New York, and in July 19 2007, NON STOP Flights will be available from Washington DC.

Royal Family of Qatar

Qatar Airlines Lovely Flight Crew



Michele and Frank Rella
VIP Guests

Allison Sarofim,(wearing white); Jackie Astier, (Yellow and Black) enjoying some smokes

Qatar Gala The Scene

Qatar Gala "The Scene"

Jerry Inzerillo and Prudence Solomon Inzerillo


Lisa Heiden

Lisa Heiden

Stuart Brownstein and Lisa Heiden

Lisa Heiden and Sloan Lindemann Barnett


Somers White Farkas and Jonathan Farkas



US Ambassador to the State of Qatar, His Excellency Chase Untermeyer

My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x03: "The Long Way Home Part 3"

Written by Joss Whedon
Artwork by Georges Jeanty

Dawn: “We totally have to talk. Are you evil again?”
Willow (re Amy): “It’ll fade. She just really pissed me off.”

Opening things up after the previous issue’s cliff-hanger, the mystery older man who called Buffy “My Love” turns out to be Ethan Rayne. Unlike someone else later on in the mix, Ethan’s return in a welcome addition to this interesting four part arc.

Getting over the My Love spiel, which makes Buffy want to projectile vomit when she point blank informs him that he takes up none of her subconscious; their reunion has Ethan explaining the nature of a Dream Space to which Buffy suddenly has a very legitimate reason to get embarrassed over.

Not only do we get to see a graphic sexual fantasy in which a naked duo of Angel and Spike are caressing Buffy in a nurse uniform while the three of them are all chained together and we have Cupid’s hovering over them along with a train going into a tunnel as well as stakes and orchids in the background.

This is probably the only thing that Joss has conveyed on comic form so far that would’ve posed some difficulties if the show was still on the airwaves and it’s the most surreal image ever seen. In fact it might be the very thing you’ll remember about this entire issue on a superficial level as well.

It was only a matter of time before either Angel or Spike were going to factor into the mix so instead of actually bogging the story by reintroducing them in the flesh, Buffy’s little sexual fantasy not only reinforces the sexual hold both vampires have on her but it also further highlights her glowing lack of a sex life too.

Suffice to say, Ethan probably took a little pleasure in seeing Buffy having to squirm but for some reason he seems to have hitched a ride into her subconscious to help he rather than kill her. Maybe being locked up since “A New Man” has changed, then again more likely Ethan is up to something and he’s quick to warn Buffy that things are going outside.

If there’s something these first two issues lacked, it was a certain Wicca in the mix and the return of Willow in the last issue is put to excellent use here as not only has her reappearance wiped the smirk of Amy’s smug face but it doesn’t take long for the girls to renew their rivalry in glorious style.

By that I mean they take to the sky above the castle and begin a magical duel that’s probably straight out of Harry Potter to a degree. For those of you who like their Foe Yay, Willow and Amy seem determined to provide it in spades.

Although Willow is probably still the most powerful one of the two, Amy is quick to taunt her about trying to destroy the world and now only producing weak craft as she seemed to be successful in deflecting Willow’s blows. Then again, Amy was never the most attentive of people as Willow soon reveals that she’s only absorbing her Mojo to decode it. Not entirely sure why Willow is doing that unless she’s planning to use Amy’s own magic against her, which would be sweet.

Anyways minor distractions such as Xander praising Willow to some slayers as the rest of them defend the castle from the undead are fine but it’s the light show and army being apparent distractions that begin to see the Willow/Amy thing escalate into a bit of a pissing contest between.

So far the light show hasn’t killed either witch but there have been slayers getting the living daylights beaten out of them by the living dead, which proves that at least one distraction is effective. It’s looking that in her quest for power/revenge, Amy really doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process.

So it’s three cheers when her overconfidence is then punished by Xander commanding Dawn to literally step on Amy long for Willow to knock her out and freeze her. I’m surprised with her size; Dawn wasn’t able to crush Amy despite her good timing.

Dawn’s brief exchange with Willow is humorous, despite voicing concerns about Willow’s magic. Willow was furious with Amy and Dawn was savvy enough to pick up on it, however it doesn’t seem like we have to worry about Willow losing herself just yet.

Meanwhile in the land of nod, Buffy seems to be in classic denial when Ethan warns her of potential and for the loyal viewers you can spot the various moments of the previous seven seasons while Ethan draws Buffy closer to his desired location.

I was kind of hoping Ethan’s place would be Hellmouth related but it’s more to do with Amy’s cage which both Ethan and Buffy get to see from a rat size perspective. There’s a thing about Roman symbolism and it’s interesting to know that Ethan wasn’t aware of Amy’s magical havoc. Perhaps he really is out to help the Scoobies though I’m more interested to see how it would benefit him.

When Ethan isn’t providing Buffy with cryptic clues in her dream space, the Scoobies are trying to find a way to get Buffy to wake up but whatever else Amy may lie about, she wasn’t kidding when she said it required the kiss from someone who is in love with Miss Summer. Heck, even Willow has to point out to Xander and Dawn that her magic is useless against this spell.

So someone is in love with Buffy and they might not subconsciously know it? Well whoever the culprit, they realise it quick enough to actually do the deed and succeed in waking Buffy from her involuntary slumber.

With there only be Xander, Willow and a few slayers in the room, it’s largely implied that it’s Xander who successfully brought Buffy back to being awake. However just because Xander is the only male there, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s him who did it even if Buffy did dream about him in the previous issue.


While I seriously doubt that Willow has suddenly developed feelings for her, there is the question of the handful of slayers in that room there too including Leah, Rowena and Satsu. It’s likely it could be the latter given the sort of rapport her and Buffy seem to have developed.

Perhaps Satsu has a thing for Buffy. Is it likely that Buffy would reciprocate? If we’re gonna get girl-on-girl stuff, I’d prefer to be Willow and a resurrected Tara but it’s too early to tell about anything. Buffy hasn’t shown any interest in women before and little is known about Satsu to determine her sexual leanings yet.

Elsewhere when I’m not guessing sexuality or enjoying Foe Yay action (though Willow/Amy have nothing on The Doctor/The Master in Doctor Who), there’s the matter about that lizard demon’s death from Issue 1. Apparently some of those fights had been engineered and further information in regards to the Twilight symbol is scuppered. Still though it’s nice to see Giles but I wish to God he was given more to do as his appearance only amounts to a page here.

Also the eternally annoying Andrew is on the phone to Xander and more or less telling him nothing of any real help. In fact, there are two things about Andrew’s appearance that are noteworthy – there’s no geek referencing (from him at least) and Andrew seemed to be oblivious to the strip poker session with his batch of slayers in Italy. Now this is the kind of Andrew I can handle.

Speaking of handle, do I detect a little bit of flirtation between Xander and Renee? In the first two issues it looked a little one sided but here when he’s trying to cheer up a demoralised Renee (who blames herself from the not entirely successful fight with the undead), he gives off the impression of being a little more interested in the girl, especially with the butch. I like Renee and perhaps Xander could date her. It’d be a bit more plausible than Buffy.

As Willow her awesomeness is highlighted when she quickly discovers that Amy’s magic is mixed with technology and is also quick to tell Buffy that her and Kennedy broke up. Thousands of Willow/Tara shippers will cheer at that particular and it also might give the indication that Joss Whedon could either want to bring Tara back or just not feature Kennedy at all in this eighth season.

I don’t particularly hate Kennedy but from the word go, I just knew her and Willow wouldn’t last in the same way that we all knew that Buffy and Riley wouldn’t either. To Iyari Limon, it might feel like a slap in the face that even in comic book form, Kennedy is royally shafted. For that I pity her!

However the best thing about this entire comic is the scene between Buffy, Xander and Willow all reminiscing and discussing their lack of love lives. I have to admit nostalgically, it feels like the first half of Season One when all three of them were single and people/demons like Cordy, Oz, Angel, Riley, Spike, Tara, Kennedy and Anya didn’t play such major parts in the sexuality and teen/adult relationships. The only thing missing from that scene was of course Giles. It bugs me how he’s not in the same vicinity as Buffy, Willow and Xander.

Of course when things get a bit cute, there has to be something to spoil it and of course when Willow finally gets a reaction from Amy, it’s soon apparent that Amy’s magic does have technology on her side. This should be the gang’s first hint that Amy and General Voll are on the same team.

It also should’ve been a massive hint for Willow that her best enemy had managed to spring a trap as soon enough both Amy and Willow slip through a portal with a pissed off and confused Buffy and Xander to realise they’ve been played again. In a weird way, hats off to Amy who might as well savour her victory moments for the time being.

As for Willow – what’s worse than being tied to an operating table and having the woman who tried to make you off the deep end bait you about falling for a simple rope a dope stunt she pulled? I tell you – it’s learning that her disfigured boyfriend is none other than a skinless Warren, who’s more than anxious to repay the damage that was deservedly placed on him.

Its nice way of ending the issue but the phrase “what the hell” springs dangerously to mind. Put it this way, Warren’s reappearance is most definitely not welcome. Shouldn’t be dead? Why on earth would Amy want anything to do with him? These are only two questions that need answering.

Also in “The Long Way Home Part 3”

Cover art this issue was Willow looking dark and somewhat kinda sexy with tonnes of mist and smoke.

Ethan: “We haven’t oodles of time.”
Buffy: “You’re a chaos worshipping winnable sorcerer who takes up none; count it none of my subconscious. Which means you forced your way into my dream.”

With Ethan constantly saying “pet” and “my love”, is there any chance that he might have feelings for her? He was being pretty lecherous by saying those phrases a lot.

Amy (to Willow): “Oh man, this craft is weak; didn’t you almost destroy the world once? Now you can’t even put up a fight.”

Xander: “Ladies and gentlemen, the indescribable Rosenberg.”

In some of Buffy’s memory we got to see Faith, Tara, The Master, graduation, Joyce’s death, Angel, Spike, Riley and even Joss Whedon himself. How bizarre!

Ethan: “I’m more an antique Roman than a Dane.”
Buffy: “Did I mention I’m not crazy good at symbolism?”

Willow: “Serious magic is kinda like improv, Dawn. You can’t just stop it cold, you’ve gotta adapt.”
Dawn: “Is that why I’ve got an army of the undead playing Pride And Prejudice around my ankles?”

Aside from Kennedy dying for a month, coming back to life and ending her relationship with Willow, what else has the latter been up to for the past year? It’s not like she had the opportunity to tell Buffy much.

Xander (re the quietness of Italy): “Sounds good to me.”
Andrew: “No trust me, you’d be bored stiff.”

Renee: “You’re so butch.”
Xander: “Almost a kind of masculine vibe, don’t you think?”

One of Andrew’s slayers was reading Fray. There was an ad for the same franchise in this issue too.

Willow: “Seems like things are hopping here.”
Buffy: “Same old. Cept for Dawnie. She’s definitely not Mama’s little girl anymore.”
Willow: “Yeah, what’d she do, bone a Thricewise?”

Xander: “There’s funny bonhomie happening and I want in.”
Buffy: “No, ahh, ahh, girl thing.”
Xander: “Girl thing? With girl parts? Now I really need to know.”
Willow: “Slow year Xan?”

The letter pages seemed to indicate that this eighth season might go on for forty or fifty issues. There are pros and cons to that of course.

Amy (to Willow): “Great big all powerful earth-mother goddess and she still falls for the rope a dope.”

Warren (to Willow): “Killing Buffy Summers is gonna be a party. She pissed me off more than a little but you Rosenberg. You really got under my skin.”

Chronology: Minutes from “The Long Way Home Part 2”

Continuing on a very strong note after the excellent previous issue, “The Long Way Home Part 3” wastes no time in setting up mystery and confrontations but how the heck Warren’s return is going to impact on this series is mystifying. I hope Joss Whedon knows what he’s doing bringing this guy back. Still at least we got some quality moments with most of the Scoobies.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Nom de Guerre - Slack Vs. Lame



"Stay bitter, follow the quest for glitter"

I was promised music that has been compared to Blur, Queen, The Beatles, Madness and Abba when I downloaded this song, so naturally I was excited because that's quite a list of greats. I'm not sure if Nom de Guelle (french for "name of war") have quite reached any of their inspirations yet, but their music is definitely fun and catchy power pop. The trio just released their first album (the simply titled La La La), and promise a "dizzying musical journey." It remains to be seen just how dizzying it is, but based on the strength of this track, I'd say that they're off to a good start. This is definitely for fans of piano based, power rock.

Nom de Guelle - Slack Vs. Lame (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here!)

Young Guns: 2007

In addition to sharing with the world my favorite bands and artists, I like to think that I help in breaking new talent as well. Last year, I was among the first to feature bands like Alphabeat and Lucky Soul on a regular basis and watched proudly as they released their debut albums.
So, this year, in what I’m hoping will become a yearly feature, I’m proud to spotlight three of my favorite discoveries of 2007 so far. Not to say that there won’t be more added in the future, but for now these three are the bands/artists I’m looking to break. None have released a full length album yet (well, at least one that's distributed by a label), but all three have projects in the works. Most importantly, all are prime examples of unique, colorful pop that deserve a place on the radio.

Gender

I was overwhelmed when I discovered this duo’s new single, If I Was A Girl. It’s incredibly fresh and edgy… just what the pop charts need. I was happy to find, upon listening to other tracks from their catalogue, that it wasn’t a one-off. Gender focuses on catchy electronic based pop music with plenty of sexual ambiguity and glam attitude. Myspace

Pikko

I was lucky enough to be formally introduced to this singer through her live performance, which was in a word, stunning. Fusing soft 80’s inspired electro pop with her unique vocals and worldview, Pikko is unlike any other singer out there right now. I think she describes it best in explaining her work as a “blend of modern dance, art, electronic music and stage excess.” Myspace

Napoleon

A huge eleven person band (according to their website) from Sweden, Napoleon is on a quest to bring back old Motown Soul and mix it with 70’s and 80’s pop, with fantastic results. The combination of front man Johan Barrett’s husky lead and the gorgeous, shimmering background vocals of the band’s female singers is undeniably great. Kitchen sink pop doesn’t always work, but in this case it’s a revelation. Myspace

So what does it mean to be an Alienhits Young Gun?

These three acts will get regular coverage on Alienhits, including reports on new music videos, album/single reviews, and updates on news. Plus, look for all three to have a permanent home on the sidebar very soon.

Helena Josefsson - By Your Side



"If you could just show me that I count"

I am somehow convinced that this song is a cover of an older classic, yet I’ve found no proof of this. It just sounds so incredibly hit-worthy, yet it was released at the end of last year and somehow I missed it. Most of you will probably know Helena Josefsson as the female singer in Per Gessle’s duet (Hey Mr. DJ) Won’t You Play Another Love Song, which was a minor hit in Sweden last spring. On her debut album, she’s an incredibly pop-minded singer who dabbles in all sorts of genres. By Your Side is probably her more dancey side, and it’s the one that I prefer. The vocals on this, as well as the soaring chorus, are beautiful. It has that strange quality of being a straightforward pop/dance track, yet still retaining a certain singer/songwriter edge.

Helena Josefsson - By Your Side (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here!)

$2.00

The British Pound cost $2.00 today. It's been high for a long time, but this is a milestone (on the path to where?) . For an American going to London, where the price of most things (in Pounds) is numerically about the same as the price (in Dollars) in New York, this means everything is twice as expensive.

Conversely, in New York, where everything is now half price for Englishmen, expect more tourists coming to their former colony, taking pictures of us native colonials.

Moto Boy - Blue Motor Bike



"I like the sense of falling, and I like the sense of you"

This track is absolutely, drop dead gorgeous. It's just dripping with beautiful synths and amazing, almost operatic vocals. Best of all, it comes from Pikko's keyboardist, who is just now starting to release some solo stuff. The album's not due until September, but for now we can enjoy this, his debut single. It hearkens strongly back to the college synth bands of the 80's and if, like me, you were upset that more recent band Elkland only released one album, you'll love this song because it sounds a lot like their stuff did.... with one important difference: it's Swedish. This, of course, means that the melody is flawless.

Moto Boy - Blue Motor Bike (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album when it comes out!)

Marit Bergman - Tomorrow Is Today

"And I will take you all the way"

Taking a break from all the spanking new music on this blog lately, I'm posting a track from all the way back in the tender year of 2004. The reason for this is that I recently had teh pleasure of seeing Marit Bergman live in concert and was incredibly impressed. I only knew her from her two latest singles. How I managed to be oblivious about all of her past work is beyond me, but better late than never. This is the lead track off of Bergman's second album, Baby Dry Your Eye, and it's an overblown, rollicking piece of anthematic pop. Hearing this live was, I believe, the first time I entered the proud cult of Bergman, and I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon. For the uninitiated, I swear this will absolutely blow you away. For those already in the know, bear with me. I've got another brand new track by a brand new artist tomorrow.

Marit Bergman - Tomorrow Is Today (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)

FOOLS RUSH IN

Every scene of Fools Rush In is fun, well acted, interesting. Lot's of great moments. Matthew Perry is excellent, as is Salma Hayek. Jill Clayburgh has a great cameo.

Given all that, plus Matthew Perry's great following from Friends, and Hayak's charm and beauty, this should have been a great hit. Yet, according to Box Office Mojo, it made only about $29M.

What's the difference between this movie and a romantic blockbuster?

I have an idea...

First, although individual scenes are great, they are strung together with contrived plot devices. Had this story been allowed to evolve naturally, I think it would be one of the great romantic comedy/dramas.

Second, the title sucks. Although it makes sense for the story: the two lovers rush in to a relationship without thinking much about what they are doing, it's not remember-able. (It's also half a cliche.) I couldn't remember it from one moment to the next; I kept looking up the title of the movie I had rented. (What was the name of that movie? Oh. Oh, yeah.) And it doesn't sound appetizing. A book title like, "Passionate Love For Idiots" implies that idiots can have great fun. Fools Rush In implies that fools do foolish things. Who wants that? All us idiots in the audience want to know that our idiocy is really one of our great strengths. This title suggests it's a problem. Don't want that!

So... I'll recommend this film as long as you can remember the title (and then ignore it), and provided you don't pay attention to the broader strokes in the plot, as the film leaps from one scene to the next. Just enjoy each scene as it comes!

Video Premiere: Gender - If I Was A Girl

Here it is folks, hot off the press, the latest video from Gender for their brilliant single (in fact, one of the better singles you'll hear all year), If I Was A Girl. The clip's a fantastic example understated humor and creative storytelling. Like the band, it's very different from most promos out there. And, it proves that subtitles should be a staple of music videos everywhere.

Three random thoughts...

New single For Reasons Unknown has completely reminded me of what, despite what others might say, an amazing album The Killers' Sam's Town is. Simply epic, that track is.

Speaking of great albums, every warm-blooded creature needs to read this. I agree with every word and I only wish I could have written it so eloquently.

Why, after two months of being suitably underwhelmed, am I now suddenly in love with this album?

Lip Service - Flies

"I'm just sugar, sugar for the flies"

Lip Service are on Dead Frog Records, home also to one of my favorite bands, The Callahan. Both their single title and record label have rather unpleasant sounding names, but don't let that put you off. Otherwise, you'd miss a fantastic electropop number in the same vein as The Sounds, New Young Pony Club, and Surferosa. I won't call their sound terribly original, but it is a lot of fun. I don't know a lot about them, which leads me to believe that they're a fairly new band. The boy/girl vocals work very well on this track and the lyrics are quite interesting. When was the last time someone compared themselves to "shit for the flies" in a pop song?

Lip Service - Flies (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the single here)

Video Premiere: The Lovemakers - Wine & Dine

I'm so excited that The Lovemakers, who released one of my favorite albums of 2005 and were one of the first acts ever featured on Alienhits, are back with this new single off of their upcoming EP. It's a great track aimed firmly at the dancefloor, while the video looks like some money was thrown behind it. Well, more money than their previous ones, at least.

WE, THE PEOPLE

Michael Moore made an interesting point, in an extended version of the interview that Peter Bart & Peter Guber from Sunday Morning Shootout conducted at Cannes. (See our earlier post!) He said that people in this country are sometimes trying too hard to be individual and independent, and that sometimes We need to do things together.

It's how we started, he suggested, citing the first three words of the Preamble to the Constitution, "We, the People..."

DREAMGIRLS

Excellent singing, interesting story. Lots of great acting, including an Oscar winning performance from Jennifer Hudson.

I was bored.

Here are some personal notes on Dreamgirls:

The biggest problem I had was the Jamie Foxx character. From the hints in the plot, he's got to be a charismatic operator. But the part was underwritten, and the performance too low-key. All his showmanship, his salesmanship, and his flagrant criminal activities were offscreen. His love scenes were tepid.

Originally a Broadway show, the film is full of show-stoppers -- extraordinary songs, full of emotion, belted at high volume. Live, they could be spectacular. On screen, they simply stopped the show.

It's the atmospheric, highly musical story of a "fictional" singing group from Motown that makes it big... And the people they leave behind.

I think you've just got to be in the mood to enjoy this one.

Regis Philbin

Regis Francis Xavier Philbin
Emmy Award-winning TV personality Comedian, Singer, Actor, Author, and Producer Regis has done it all.
In this Photo Regis is signing an Autograph for a fan.

Regis with loving wife Joy Philbin hurry back home as Regis is still recovering from open heart surgery.
Regis told me he feels great.

The Hultsfred Report: The Day After

Although Hultsfred ended with a bang and a washout, I wasn’t done concert going yet. For, the day after the festival, in the small coastal town of Oxelösund, was the line-up of my dreams: a double billing of Melody Club and The Ark. Really, could it get any better than that? For me, it couldn’t.

The gig was held at the town’s Hamnfestival (harbor festival), and it was really quite bizarre circumstances, actually. For one, Oxelösund is even smaller than my home town (small enough that it didn’t even have a McDonalds!), and The Ark and Melody Club are two of Sweden’s biggest bands. I, quite frankly, would fall over and die if bands like that came to my town.
Second, the two groups played after an endless succession of local bands, who ranged from alright to awful. The venue was tiny and located right on the coast and there really weren’t all that many people there. Of course, that just meant that I could get close enough to touch the bands without being pushed around by the crowd.

The Gig:

First on were Melody Club, one of my favorite bands that I’ve (amazingly) never seen live before. They floored me with their energy. For some reason I thought they’d be more reserved, but lead singer Kristofer and bassist Niklas (formally lead singer of my other favorite band, The Mo) were absolutely crazy, flying around the stage like maniacs, dancing, strutting, and striking poses. Their set was brilliant as well, with all the hits (except, oddly, Boys In The Girls Room) and plenty of album tracks from their last two albums. Killing A Boy, one of my favorite MC songs, was a standout, while Electric proved to be a natural singalong piece. The show ended with Kristofer bounding off the stage and climbing onto one of the speakers, every inch of his bizarre haircut completely sopping with sweat. I have rarely seen a band give this much to their audience. It was amazing.

Next, of course, were the Ark. They played the same show that they had at Hultsfred, with a few minor changes. All I Want Is You replaced New Pollution, Melody Club’s Electric was sang in the middle of One Of Us Is Gonna Die Young instead of PSB’s Being Boring, and the Calleth You, Cometh I finale was shortened (though Melody Club joined them onstage to help sing instead of Pikko). All in all, it was a victory lap after the insanity of the night before, and it was great to see their show again in a slightly different (and much smaller) setting. Plus, it was a highlight for me to see Niklas Stenemo watching the band from the sidelines and to see the two bands interact. It’s a shame that I have to go all the way to Sweden to immerse myself in shows like this, rock shows that truly enter and take over my heart, but it was worth every penny (or kronor) that I spent.

The Dance Inc. - Don't Run To The Suburbs



"When you're still young, when you're seventeen"

This band's name pretty much tells you all you need to know about them, right? This song was submitted to me and, while I get a lot of submissions from artists and labels of varying quality, I'm always pleased when a submitter has obviously been reading my blog and knows what kind of music I post. The Dance Inc. creates moody, 80's inspired electro pop that has a real stately, accomplished feeling about it. Taking a break from all the amazing Swedes this week, this group hails from Germany, another hotbed of European talent (well, most of the time). Don't Run To The Suburbs (great title, btw) is from their new album Legs And Arms, which I am excited to hear in its entirety based upon the strength of this track.

The Dance Inc. - Don't Run To The Suburbs (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)

My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x02: "The Long Way Home Part 2"

Written by Joss Whedon
Artwork by Georges Jeanty

Dawn: “What do you know? You don’t have a sister.”
Xander: “Have you seen this place? I’ve got all my sisters ‘n’ me!”

After a disappointing no-show in the first issue, the returns of Giles and Willow are two of the many things that this second instalment in “The Long Way Home” four parter gets so right. Mind you don’t expect a lot from either character!

With Giles it’s a rather brief appearance at the beginning where he muses about how he used to be a watcher and how watchers in general tended to outnumber slayers but how thanks to “Chosen” that statistic has been more than reversed. This musing thing was done in the first issue but while Giles’ doesn’t add anything we don’t know already, it’s still pretty good to have him back no less.

Staring out of his balcony, Giles surveys the plethora of new slayers training and compliments them before telling them that while some of them are developing skills that could even surpass Buffy, it’s generally not enough. At this point, Giles’ lecture is in danger of falling into the same format of Buffy’s ones from Season Seven.

So it’s then a pretty good thing when we cut to Buffy, who quips about slayers fighting alone is formidable before getting her main girls Leah, Rowena and Satsu to try and trounce her. Naturally the girls fail but Buffy is quick to compliment them on their moves and even Satsu’s hair.

It’s nice to see Buffy building a little bit of a rapport with the girls instead of being a strict general. Pissing off slayers last time got her kicked out of her house. I’m pretty sure Buffy doesn’t want to be kicked out of that lovely castle she’s acquired in Scotland, especially given that she’s got an upcoming war on her hands.

If Giles’ lecture was risky and Buffy’s was fun, then the one Andrew gives to his bunch of slayers on a campfire trip in Italy is just pointless. Unlike Giles and Willow, Andrew’s return for me wasn’t particularly warranted so his little tirade in regards to what he felt about Return Of The Jedi is just tiresome.

One of the reasons why I can’t stand Andrew as a character is because he walks around like a Geek Encyclopaedia and uses his pop culture savvy in a way that is generally unhelpful. Then again, I’m probably one of a few people who feel Andrew was neither use nor ornament in Season Seven or in this issue at all.

Andrew’s rant about Lando Calrissian’s outfit is apparently a more relevant discussion topic than giving his batch of slayers some weapons knowledge. Then again, his anti-gun stance soon has him getting onto some dos and don’ts in regards to head butts, which makes me hope some of these slayers head butts him for the hell of it. Suffice to say my Andrew hatred won’t be dying down just yet.

However when there’s something I hate in this comic book, it’s usually followed up by something I love and Giant Dawn using an entire lake to bath herself while talking to Xander about Buffy not wanting her there is a good scene.

Okay whinging Dawn is hardly compelling but it’s better than listening to Andrew babble on about Star Wars and once again, she has a point. Buffy may be building a good rapport with her slayers but she is generally still ignoring her but in fairness the fact that the gang can’t be bothered to contact Willow and change Dawn back or find Kenny and see if he’s able to reverse the process is annoying me.

Xander is once again stuck in the role of mediator and tries to excuse Buffy’s lack of contact and while I’m sure Buffy does wish Dawn was getting an education rather than being a giant, it still wouldn’t kill her to spend some time with Dawn. One of the amusing things about Dawn’s situation is her splashing Xander after he makes an inappropriate quip. On screen this could’ve really worked too.

Onto the more serious elements in this issue at Drextal Corp Recycling Technologies or the even lamer version of The Initiative, which personally I prefer to address it as, we have the vile General Voll telling a suit that he generally wants Buffy out of the picture.

Besides being responsible for the destruction of Sunnydale and the fact he views Buffy and her slayers as terrorists, I can’t help but wonder what other reasons he might have for eliminating her. He’s hardly Mr Squeaky Clean himself as he pretty much admitted that he has no aversion to blowing things up himself either.

Then there’s the fact that he has half sun down logo which we see when he’s on his own. It was the same symbol the victims at that derelict church had in Issue 1 and there has to be something significant to it. In all fairness it’s too much of a coincide to not bear any significance.

So the questions regarding this particular reveal are – Is Voll a part of some doomsday cult? Is he even more destructive than he cites Buffy and her girls to be? The answers to this aren’t gonna come any quicker sadly. Which sucks given when comic books are a monthly basis.

Getting back to the thorny issue of Dawn being a giant, both Buffy and Xander go back to discussing and more or less what they say here is a rethread of what they’ve said before, well to an extent.

Essentially Xander throws the notion to Buffy that while Dawn didn’t deliberately make her super big, subconsciously Dawn wanted her attention so bad and by having something so extreme happen to her, perhaps she would finally get it.

Of course Buffy has so far treated this as an imposition, neither her nor anyone else has actually tried to come up with a solution or contact Willow about it and once again, Buffy also tries to downplay Dawn’s abandonment issues as well, even though Xander is quick to point out that Dawn has lost a lot of people she’s deeply cared about in recent years, including Buffy herself at two different occasions.

Another reason why Buffy then isn’t so keen to discuss Dawn is down to the fact that she really wants Xander to come to bed with her. The first actual shock of the entire book is the possibility of a Buffy/Xander hook up and seeing as the two of them kiss with Buffy knocking Xander’s head off and then being set alight by a demon gave things away about it being a dream sequence.

Buffy and Xander as a couple is a strange thing though. This issue hints the possibility but doesn’t actually say that something like that will happen. Buffy hasn’t gotten laid in a while and for over a year, Xander has been the main man in her life and his new proactive watcher style role is quite alluring.

If history didn’t dictate otherwise, I’d almost jump at the chance of Buffy and Xander together. Anything would be better than the horrifically toxic relationship she had with Spike in Season Six but on the series Buffy never displayed any sexual attraction towards Xander and his crush on Buffy also seemed to wane as well.

Also I don’t even get the vibe that Xander is really into Buffy now. Although he hasn’t exactly openly grieved for Anya or met anyone else, he still doesn’t seem to be anything in Buffy’s life right now other than good friend and trainer to the new slayers.

You’d also have to wonder how Renee would react if Xander did go for Buffy too. Her attraction to Xander is a lot more forthcoming in this issue as one of her slayer mates is quick to notice the sudden interests Renee has taken upon herself as well as the fact that Renee was quick to volunteer them for night watch.

As for Buffy being burned to a crisp by a demon, that was all a part of dream, one she seems to be also locked in a Sleeping Beauty. In reality Amy has put the whammy on her and has an unconscious Buffy tied to the bed while deciding to do Voll a favour and finish her off.

The thing with Amy is while she may have gotten craftier in her spells and was able to sneak into Buffy’s bedroom, it didn’t take long for Xander and a few girls to note their displeasure at seeing her as well as shooting the bitch in the arm with an arrow.

While it’s true to form for Xander to slag off Amy’s lame sacrificial knife which managed to become split in four, its Amy who still has the last laugh. After all she was still able to get into Buffy’s room and put her under that spell so while her attempts to kill her are a failure she succeeds in pointing out to Xander only a kiss will wake Buffy while the other slayers are busy battling the army of the undead Amy also brought along for amusement purpose.

Just like Sleeping Beauty, the kiss has to be from someone who is in love with Buffy and Amy’s baiting about Xander perhaps giving it a whirl might back up the theory that perhaps Joss Whedon just might pair Buffy and Xander up as well. I’m still not sure about this but Buffy is pretty useless to the season if she’s asleep so if Xander’s kiss is the very thing that wakes her up, then fine by me in the respect.

In the land of nod when Buffy isn’t dreaming about kissing Xander and being roasted alive and constantly reminded that she is the dark, there’s a mysterious older man who calls her “my love” and tells her that there’s a lot she needs to see. I think the chances of us finding out who this guy is are a bit higher than the grotesque thing Amy is screwing around with.

Speaking of Amy, while she might be feeling all smug about Buffy being in dream world and her zombies doing some slayer damage, that little smile on her face is wiped out when Willow hover over her window and basically challenges. It’s a play on Giles’ reintroduction in “Two To Go” but it ends this issue nicely and a fight between Willow and Amy via magic should be very fun to watch.

Also in “The Long Way Home Part 2”

Cover for Issue 2 has Eye Patch Xander all stealthy in his leather jacket alongside Buffy. I love how physically Jo Chen’s artwork resembles Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendon.

Giles: “There were hundreds of watchers and one slayer. Scales have tipped of late.”

Last Issue Buffy had a Serenity Logo, this week her T-shirt is Hong Kong Phooey. Satsu also had a “Rude Girl” badge. Those style of badges are popular among students.

Xander: “That’s overstating it, don’t you think?”
Dawn: “I’m a giant, everything I state is over.”

General Voll (to a suit): “There’s no problem so big or complicated that it can’t be blown up. That’s not a saying we share with the public but …”

Where exactly is Drextal Corp based? From last issue, I would guess somewhere near Sunnydale.

Buffy: “No, no I can’t go outside, I’m afraid of the dark.”
Xander: “Buffy, you are the dark.”
Buffy: “That’s what I meant.”

Buffy has got some interesting looking weapons in her room. One of them almost resembles Faith’s knife from Season Three.

Amy (to an unconscious Buffy): “I couldn’t bear it if this was painless.”
Xander: “Amy, long time, no desire whatsoever to see.”

Xander: “This isn’t open wand night in Sunnydale sweetcheeks. You’re dealing with pros.”
Amy: “Any of you pros notice she’s still asleep?”

If Buffy’s room is so mystically protected, then shouldn’t Amy little Sleeping Beauty plan never have come to fruition? Or does the protection spell not view involuntary slumber as harm?

Renee: “Please there’s no love.”
Slayer: “No right of course. The sudden interest in comic books, James Bond movies and drywalling has absolutely nothing to do with Mr Harris.”

Xander: “But not friend love.”
Amy: “Right. Someone who wants to kiss her, like they’re passionate about her.”
Xander: “And not a sister.”
Amy: “Well a twisted sister.”

Anyone notice the dress Willow is wearing is very much the same one Tara wore in “Once More With Feeling”?

Xander: “Who’s breaching?”
Slayer: “Living dead sir.”
Xander: “Man, Amy you’re doing all the classics tonight.”

Willow (to Amy): “As a friend of mine once said, I’d like to test that theory.”

Chronology: About a day or two after “The Long Way Home Part 1”.

Better executed than the opening issue, “The Long Way Home Part 2” merits from the returns of Giles and Willow, the Buffy/Xander/Dawn scenes, adding more mystery with the dislikeable General Voll and making sure Amy is her very nasty self. It also helps that the quips are kept a coming and the action wasn’t far behind either.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

The Hultsfred Report: Day Three

The third and final day of Hultsfred was really devoted to one act and one act only… The Ark (as if you really needed to guess). But, more on that later. Saturday was the day where the rain finally showed up and absolutely dumped on us all night. My hoodie, of course, was not waterproof. Luckily, my tent was.

Lisa Miskovsky



While I like a lot of Miskovsky’s songs, her middle of the road country pop wasn’t something that I was necessarily chomping at the bit to see performed live. And, as expected, the performance was good, but far from amazing. The singles and songs I knew were by far the best of the show, but everything else was pleasant enough. Miskovsky seemed to be having a good time, and that was enough for the crowd.
Best bit: Mary
Rating: ÅŽ


Fibes, Oh Fibes!




Despite really liking their singles, I just didn’t get this performance at all. The band performed in front of a large screen that showed a bizarre discovery channel type video of animals and nature shots. It didn’t go with the music at all, which, besides the singles, was really quite boring. I was happy to get out of the rain, as this event was located under a tent, but I ended up leaving early out of boredom.
Best bit: Can’t Be So
Rating: Ž

Client




Despite hearing a lot about this band all over the internet, I actually didn’t know any of their songs. I really enjoyed their brand of cold electro pop, though, and it fit the rainy weather perfectly. The three girls walked on stage dressed in black leather and worked through their set in a very workmanlike, cold manner. It wasn’t off-putting at all, actually, and the thumping beats were a nice change from the acts earlier in the day. Some of their stuff was way too repetitive for my tastes, but all in all I think they earned a new fan in me.
Best bit: Lights Go Out, a very Goldfrapp-ish number
Rating: ÅÅÅ



Manic Street Preachers




I hate to admit that I’m only a new MSP fan, even though they’ve been around forever. In all fairness, they’ve never been very big in America, so there is a reason for my ignorance. Anyway, I’ve been loving their new album Send Away The Tigers, for the past few weeks, so I was excited to see them play. And, they were amazing live. I mean, it was pure, perfect rock and roll, oozing from every chord and drum beat. James Dean Bradfield sounded amazing live and the rest of the band was just as good. Plus, as a surprise bonus, Nina Persson (from the Cardigans) arrived onstage to duet with them on their newest single, Your Love Is Not Enough
Best bit: Your Love Is Not Enough
Rating: ÅÅÅŽ

Bobby Baby



Like Steso Songs the day before, Bobby Baby is a girl singer that plays minimalist piano/keyboard-based music. I enjoyed her show a bit more than Steso’s, though, mainly I think because she had a band behind her (though they were hardly like any other band). The drummer/guitarist/whatever-needed-playing-ist wore a bear suit (I was kind of jealous because I bet he was warm) and the keyboardist occasionally would walk over and throw glitter on her fellow bandmates. What is it with these Swedes and glitter? Still, although none of Bobby Baby’s songs really floored me, I was endlessly entertained by the performers’ seeming innocence and glee.
Best bit: Ten Years From Now
Rating: ÅÅÅ


Pet Shop Boys



Pet Shop Boys were the last to play and by the time their set began (1:00AM) it was absolutely pouring. I mean, buckets of water were drenching us. Luckily, I was front and center, squeezed between people to keep warm. Although PSB are not the most amazing live act around (they’re more of a studio group), they didn’t disappoint. They played most of their old hits and a lot of stuff from their newest album as well. Flanked by two complimentary dressed dancers, Neil Tenant was pure camp. Their stage light show was also pretty impressive, twinkling in the rain like some insane carnival ride.
Best bit: Can You Forgive Her?
Rating: ÅÅÅÅ

The Ark

So here it is folks, the Ark’s coronation… and the gig of my life. Headlining Hultsfred has got to be the biggest concert the group has ever done. Performing in front of thousands, the band put on the most energetic, theatrical and brilliant show I’ve ever seen. Ola was on fire, proving that he is the performer of my generation. It was really like seeing Queen at their prime, and you can’t argue unless you’ve seen this band live. Rattling through all of their hits with little time left for stuff off their new album (only New Pollution was played other than the three singles), the band was unstoppable. Ola brought out a harmonica for Clamour For Glamour, broke down into a bit of Pet Shop Boys’ Being Boring in the middle of One Of Us is Gonna Die Young, and transformed early anthem It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane into a slow building, epic sing-along. There were three costume changes, the first being my favorite, and a wicked Jepson guitar solo where he wore out his fingers until he had to gnaw on the thing with his teeth. Best of all, though, was the finale of Calleth You, Cometh I, the most life-affirming and breathtaking live experience I’ve ever had. Having seen The Ark live before, I knew that they always close with this track and turn it into an extended, fists in the air singalong, but tonight was different. In front of such an enormous crowd (where, this being Sweden, everyone knew the words to all their songs), the chorus of voices was unbelievably powerful. And, perhaps as a nod of support and friendship, Ola invited Pikko (remember her from day one?) and her band onstage to help sing along. It was rock music at its most powerful, and I left wiping tears from my eyes. I’m beginning to fear, after Eurovision, that The Ark may never find the global success that they deserve, but at least they had this night… a night where it truly felt like they ruled the world.
Best bit: Calleth You, Cometh I

Rating: ÅÅÅÅÅ+

Other acts I managed to catch a few songs by:

Säkert - I like Hello Saferide better, but this was pleasant enough
Evanescence - I’ve really fallen out with them, but I was impressed with the songs I liked
Turbonegro - Quite freaky, fat, hairy, and (presumably) smelly
The Blood Brothers - Far and away the worst band I saw at the festival…. unlistenable

(all photos courtesy of rockfoto.nu, who covered the whole festival)

Tomorrow I'll have all the details of the day after!!