An English malt whisky?

Fancy an English neat or on the rocks? Sounds a bit odd, non? Could be something you are saying in the not too distant future. http://www.thescotchblog.com/2008/03/whisky-galore-a.html.

Disappearing Budapest

I read about this blog in The Guardian and thought it was really interesting. Check it out (especially you guys who've spent some time in Budey and/or Pest):

http://disappearingbudapest.blogspot.com/

According to the blog, it is...

"A series of articles on the undiscovered, yet sadly fast-disappearing features of Budapest - a city of neon signs, presszó bars, secret cemeteries, hidden water reservoirs, changing far too swiftly into yet another homogenous mall-packed European metropolis. Twelve years' research by a Hungarian-speaking author into the hidden heart of the city. Catch it now before it's too late."

Earth Hour happens today

So make like Nelly Furtado and turn out the lights (sorry - first and last Nelly Furtado reference ever, I promise). Still, everyone should do their part and turn off their lights from 8-9pm tonight. The downtown core should look pretty cool as 7:59 rolls over into 8:00.

Also, with the Leafs game now meaningless, what else do you have to do early on a Saturday evening.

http://www.wwf.ca/earthhour/

Chinese Democracy? Dr. Pepper?? WTF???

Is this my favourite news story so far of 2008? Yes, I think it is.

Dr Pepper will give everyone in America a free soda if Axl Rose releases the long delayed Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, in 2008 (Slash and Buckethead excluded). The press release: http://pressreleasetosaveworld.blogspot.com/

The Dr. Pepper website urging Axl to finally unleash Chinese Democracy:
http://www.chinesedemocracywhen.blogspot.com/

And it gets even stranger. Axl responds: http://www.gunsnroses.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080326&content_id=a1&vkey=news&fext=.jsp

Jack is back - the Raconteurs return and bring the rock

Jack White has to be the hardest working man in the music business. Here's The Raconteurs new music video "Salute Your Solution" from their album "Consolers of the Lonely". My first impressions are that it feels closer to the White Stripes than anything off Broken Boy Soldiers. Also that it sounds good really loud. Turn it up.



If the video doesn't load, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lL1CW140FQ

Cool Toronto Picture

Has Toronto ever looked this cool? Great photo by redkulas, which is the March 26, 2008, Torontoist Photo of the Day.

http://torontoist.com/2008/03/the_daily_photo_306.php

News on The Hobbit - McKellen back as Gandalf?

It sounds like Sir Ian McKellen is going back to Middle Earth for another round (or two) as Gandalf in The Hobbit. http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2268132,00.html

Yellow Pages - Tough to Kill

Interesting article on Slate about the Yellow Pages (and Phone Books)... why they are still around, the environmental cost of them and how much money they continue to make. Oh, and be sure to check out the You Tube prank video listed at the bottom of the article. Pretty funny.

http://www.slate.com/id/2187035/

Paris Daily Photo

If you are like most people you probably have a thing for Paris... although, oddly, people seem to like visiting more than they like living there based on my extremely non-scientific and small survey. Regardless, Paris is a place that exists in our hearts and minds whether we've ever been there or not. This guy has created an interesting photo blog: http://www.parisdailyphoto.com/.

Things to do on Good Friday when you aren't worshipping the baby Jesus

1. Party like a Romantic poet with absinthe and laudanum. Take out your quill and quire and hide all sharp objects.
2. Around the world at your local pub
3. Compile a list of your favourite lines from Ben Stiller movies
4. Write a letter to your MPP
5. Bad sequel marathon. Suggestions: Grease 2; Caddyshack 2; Stayin' Alive.
6. Foreign movie marathon watching "3 Colours (Bleu, Blanc, Rouge)"
7. Snakes & Ladders, Payday, Sorry, Monopoly
8. Conduct Fantasy Football mock draft
9. Write a dissertation comparing and contrasting "The Hills" with "Laguna Beach" - present to your friends or family at dinner
10. Surf You Tube
11. Determine the number of licks required to get to the centre of a tootise pop. Conduct secondary test to corroborate initial findings
12. Drink a dozen Red Bulls and see what happens
13. Craft plan to restore Leafs to glory

Hot Docs 2008

Hot Docs just released their schedule for the 2008 festival. The festival runs from April 17-27th this year.

Perfect St. Patrick's Day Gift

Impractical? Yes

A waste of money? Probably

A cool must-have item for the Guinness lover? Absolutely!

GUINNESS® Kule Kube Refrigerator

Random crap that could be of interest if you were bored....

Here are some strange and random links that may amuse, confound, annoy or enlighten you. Or not.

Billed as "Knowledge's Last Chance", this site captures, "From the bold to the beautiful, from the wicked to the wise, every day the Wikipedia team relegates possibly "inappropriate" submissions to the garbage dump of time. Here, we make selected rejects immortal and preserve them for posterity." This is truly a treasure trove of useless stuff. A good time waster... http://wikidumper.blogspot.com/

Sometimes a misstep doesn't mean a rake hits you in the face. Here's a magazine that recognizes bold and innovative attempts that have ended up in failure: Failure Magazine.

Greatest music video of all time! "Flat Beat" by Mr. Oizo starring the awesome Flat Eric. Good, good times. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQXiew-DQH4.

For more Flat Eric, including his Levis Jeans ad (for real), go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1ULFr0_Xpo

And finally, if you don't already know about this satire site, here is The Phat Phree, which is like a saucier version of the Onion. Here be funny.

10 online ways to save the world

In addition to reading about the latest in pop culture, overseas soccer scores and watching strange Japanese game shows, it turns out the web can be used to help make the world a better place. Who knew? Anyway, you should check out this article about how you can do good with a few clicks of your mouse.

http://valleywag.com/tech/dogooder/10-online-ways-to-save-the-world-244836.php

Best Irish Pub Songs

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner it seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a look at the best / most fun Irish pub songs. Note: these songs aren’t all necessarily Irish, but they are all songs you can sway back and forth to while holding a pint of Guinness and encourage audience participation… either by singing out the words or shouting appropriate responses (right up yer kilt!; and she was!; hey wife!). Perhaps Celtic / East Coast would have been a more accurate description, but “Irish pub” provides a nicer all encompassing blanket. I've cited my preferred version when appropriate, but the best way to enjoy these songs is live down at the pub.

Top 10
10. Seven Drunken Nights - the Dubliners
9. Dirty Old Town - the Pogues
8. The Irish Rover - Dubliners & Pogues
7. Raggle Taggle Gypsy - the Mahones
6. Mari-mac - Great Big Sea
5. Whisky in the Jar - the Dubliners (go for the Metallica version if you really want to rock out)
4. Fisherman's Blues - the Waterboys
3. Barrett's Privateers - Stan Rogers
2. Fairytale of New York - the Pogues
1. Wild Rover - the Dubliners

Honourable Mention:
Black Velvet Band
Drunken Sailor
Farewell to Nova Scotia
The Mary Ellen Carter - Stan Rogers
Molly Malone
Twelve Pints of Guinness - Pagan Mary
If I Should Fall From Grace With God - the Pogues
Yeah, Yeah,Yeah, Yeah,Yeah - the Pogues
Devil's in the Kitchen - Ashley McIsaac
Sleepy Maggie - Ashley McIsaac
Rose & Crown - the Mahones
Cinammon Girl (live) - the Mahones

Put any and all of these into the music rotation and you have yourself a party.

Nostalgia

I somehow stumbled across this blog and was quite pleasantly surprised to get a little trip down memory lane. For those of a certain age who attended Queen's University you'll get a kick out of this blog from a guy trying to track down Gerry O'Kane recordings from the Wellington. Good times. http://theirishballad.blogspot.com/2005/12/gerry-okane.html

Fake tattoos are back (evidently)

Painted over pricks: Fake tattoos ease the pain - Lifestyle

Bourne Ultimatum Spoof

Check out this great Bourne Ultimatum spoof from Toronto comedy troupe The Imponderables.

If the video doesn't load click here: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/dc13aacc8e

Funny picture

Tron in 3D?

First off, whoa! They are remaking Tron??" Secondly, and it might be in 3D?? Thirdly, must try to remember if I even liked the movie the first time around? Yes, I believe I did, although I think I liked the arcade game even better... supercool joystick and all.

More info here: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/disney-eyeing-tron-3d-for-2011.php

Foreign Films

As winter lingers on and on and on in Toronto, and with the Leafs hopelessly out of the playoffs, sometimes a good foreign film can be just the ticket for a quiet night in. Foreign films fit better in the winter, in my opinion. Who wants to read subtitles in the summer... especially when you're inevitably a few beers in after hitting the pub patio on your way home from work. Anyway, I've been fortunate enough to have seen some really good foreign language films over the last few years and thought I'd periodically post a couple of recommendations. So, without further ado, I thought I'd start with a German theme:

1. Run Lola Run - This movie, from 1998, is a pure adrenaline joy ride set to a pumping techno soundtrack. It is the film equivalent of mainlining a Red Bull, if that, in fact, would do anything for you.

2. Goodbye Lenin! - This comedy from is a real charmer. And with all things East German being in vogue right now there's never been a better time to watch it... other than when it first came out, I guess.

3. The Lives of Others - This film from 2006 enjoyed a very long run at the Cumberland Cinema. Powerful and illuminating.