My, my, my….

*Sigh*…This young lady has just spent two completely blissful of nights pleasure in the company of one of the sexiest guys that ever walked this earth. That’s right, I was at Rob Thomas’ two live concerts. And for a review on Walk the Line as well, step this way for a rundown….

g
xoxoxoxo

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Rob Thomas – Somewhere to be – Concert

14/2/2006

Valentines Day. Amy and I headed off to Rod Laver. Scored ourselves a next-to-perfect disabled parking at Olympic park then walked past the cute guy who smote me at my second attempt at speed-dating in the foyer…damn him…. Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah… then headed to our seats in the lower section near the side of the stage.

Rob on the stage on Valentine’s Day

Be aware that this is a completely biased review… but it was a bloody brilliant concert. Rob started off a bit shaky, like he hadn’t completely warmed up… but seems that the ol’ frog in the throat / allergy thing, that caused him to abandon an encore on his last trip to Melbourne, was back – by the encore he was struggling to sing the choruses of Push, but the audience was more than happy to help. Still, for most of the concert he sang, played the Wurlitzer and played the guitar all with a lot of talent and heart. You could tell the band supporting him were all very talented musicians (the bass player rocked!) and you could tell that the music was their life.

He took about half the songs from his solo album, 3 or 4 faves from his MB20 playlist, added in a few new songs and a cover of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance… sang them at album quality but changed it up a bit just like a talented song writer can do. I think going solo, having complete creative control as to what goes in the concert really allowed for a lot of fun and musicality that was not as obvious previously. A slowed down version of 3am was a highlight for Amy, and my favourite song from the new album, Illusion, and a sexy version of Smooth were highlights for me. Btw… Happy Birthday Mr Thomas!

15/2/2006

Didn’t think it would be possible… but the second concert was even better!! Maybe it had something to do with the 2^nd row tickets that Linda got us (Thanks Linda & Tony for inviting me!)! 2^nd row ended up being 1^st row because the 1^st row did not extend past our seats.

What a Honey!

Thankfully, any signs of allergies or frogs had vanished and possibly, because of this Rob seemed a little more relaxed and playful. Similar play list to the first concert, except for a spontaneous cover of Ain’t no Sunshine in the middle. Then there was a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark in the encore, and Push was then replaced with a glorious acoustic version of Hang (just for you Geoff!).

The Stage

With all that spare space in front of me, I found myself dancing and grooving for the whole concert (of course!), and by the end of it I wanted more!

I love you Rt! *Teehee* ;)

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Cinema
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Walk the Line: 3.25/5

<>Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reece Witherspoon
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In a nutshell: Excellent acting, better than ok movie.
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Synopsis: The highs and lows of legendary singer Johnny Cash and his relationship with the love of his life June Carter
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The movie is a little too long, there seemed to be scenes that reiterated what we already knew and just did not seem necessary. Perhaps because it is a biography, there is nothing awe-inspiring or particularly original about the way the story is told. Howver, overall it was very watchable and kept the interest going. A special mention goes to the two leads (watch for Reece to win best supporting actress at the Academy Awards) who were both wonderful. In fact, they sang all their own songs, which is why, on the insistence of Amy (hehe!), the movie scored an extra 0.25. Almost enough to convince me that Country music is not so bad after all.. y’all hear?!

Hello Babes out there!

Always start filling these things out then never send them...but seeing as I have the time right now... This one I got ages ago from Na - Thanks Na! (anyone know if she still has an e-mail address btw? her old one keeps failing).
Feel free to send me back some of your own answers in an e-mail if you could be bothered. Would love to hear from you.

love g

1. First Name? Gayle

2. Were you named after anyone? No

3. Do you wish on stars? Every now and then

4. When did you last cry? A few tears watching Brokeback Mountain. Lots of tears watching The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.

5. Do you like your Handwriting? It varies a lot - sometimes.

6. What is your favourite lunch meat? Tuna

7. What is your birth date? 16/9/1976

8. What is your most favourite CD? Geez, harsh question. It tends to change over time. At the moment it is Chariot by Gavin DeGraw, especially the 'Stripped' version.

9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Bien Sur!

10. Do you have a journal? No, I've started about 5 over the course of my life, and never kept them for longer than a few days.

11. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes. Don't they say sarcasm is the lowest form of humour?

12. What are your nicknames? none :( my name is not very nickname friendly

13. Would you bun-gee jump? no, my brain and eyesight are in bad enough condition as is. Definitely sky dive again though.

14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No...unless I can't get them off.

15. Do you think that you are strong? Generally no.

16. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? Coffee and mango flavours at the Gelobar.

17. What is your least favourite thing about yourself? lack of willpower and courage.

18. Who do you miss most? my sis.

19. Do you want everyone you send this to, to send it back? NA

20. What colour pants & Shoes are you wearing? silky black pants...ooh la la.. & bare feet.

21. What are you listening to right now? computer humming... outside of this very moment, listening to Rob Thomas in preparation for his concert tomorrow and the following night, as well as 3 doors down which I bought recently after wanting to for ages.

22. Last thing you ate? 1 Ferrero Rocher

23. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Yellow

24. What is the weather like right now? cool, dark and fine.. although I swear I saw lightning before.

25. Who was the last person you talked with on the phone? Sally at Hudson

26. First thing you notice about the opposite sex? hair, then face, then height

27. Do you like the person who sent this to you? love 'em

28. Favourite Drink? water - oh so boring!

29. Favourite Sport? netball to play, hate watching it though. Nothing beats Aussie rules on the tv.

30. Hair Colour? Black, with black highlights.

31. Eye Colour? Medium brown.

32. Do you wear contacts? Yes, when going out or playing sport.

33. Favourite Food? Non creamy lasagne. Oh but love so much other food too.

34. Last Movie You Watched? Sky High, for the second time. If you don't count Millions which I only watched half of. Last thing at the cinema was Brokeback Mountain.

35. Scary Movies or Happy Endings? Don't like scary movies. Love happy endings.

36. Hugs or Kisses? Yes please.

37. Summer Or winter? Summer. Easier to decide what to wear.

38. What Is Your Favourite Dessert? Sticky Date Pudding at Cafe Sergovia or Chocolate Mousse from Women's Weekly Basics...ooooo and fruit tarts with the chocolate lining on the inside of the pastry.

39. Who Is Most Likely To Respond? N/A

40. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? N/A

41. Living Arrangements? comfortabley with the parents!

42. What Books Are You Reading? Almost French...but haven't picked it up in a long while.

43. What's On Your Mouse Pad? It's an Asgard pad...no idea where it came from. There's a picture of a man holiding a computer with a funnel sticking out the top of it.

44. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? Australia's braniest TV stars and a bit of the ice skating. Followed by half of Millions and 4.2 episodes of Star Trek Voyager.

45. Favourite Smells? Always thing of things at the time, but can't remember now. Maybe onions frying, fresh lavender and roses, fresh basil and coriander, strange lemony smell I sometimes smell when riding my bike along the yarra, waking up to baking bread.

46. Favourite Sounds? As per the smells... but ones I can remember are the sound of a wooden spoon mixing cookie dough in a plastic bowl, the sound of footsteps crunching on gravel.

47. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles for sure.

48. What is the furthest you have been from home? Either London or Rio.. not sure which is further away. Possibly London.,

49. Do you have a special talent? able to leap tall buildings in a single bound..... no, can't back that up.....how about the ability retain useless information about music and movies or dance longer than anyone else?

50. What is your ring tone? Built in latin sounding tone on my Samsung.

Happy Birthday Geoffrey!!

Howdy from your resident slacker!

Photos from Geoff's birthday celebrations at The London, Port Melbourne, as well as a leisurely ride along the Yarra. Plus a few DVD reviews... not really much to report... but time flies when you are wasting it!

Love you muchly, g

Birthday Boy Geoff & the lovely Cath

Geoff.. you're out of focus... and just who is that in the background?
Photo care of Soph & G

Paul, Me & Cycling Freak

With Tania

The girls: Cath, me & Sophie

What u looking at kids?
Geord & Soph

Maybe the view...
Downtown Port Melbourne

A few pics along the Yarra Trail

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DVD Reviews
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The Cutting Edge - Going for Gold: 2/5

Cast: Christy Carlson Romano, Ross Thomas (who are they?)

In a few words: Sequel to The Cutting Edge, pretty much the same plot.

Synopsis: National figure skating champion meets extreme inline skater champion, sparks fly. She needs a partner to skate with, he is the successful candidate but they can’t get along. Will they make it to the Olympics?

For those who know the original, this is exactly the same. So you will either be disgusted at its unoriginality or you will revel in the tried and true storyline. I hovered between the two, so I didn’t hate it, but I had to laugh at the sameness of it all, complete with the absolutely ridiculous physically impossible championship winning move at the end…remember the Pachenko? The only differences are that he is an inline skater instead of an ice hockey player, they meet before they become partners and he is the one with the fiancé. The cherry on the top is that her parents are the iceskating couple from the first movie (different actors). Hah.

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Serenity: 2.5/5

Cast: Written & Directed by Ross Whedon (Buffy)

In a few words: Amusing sci-fi flick

Synopsis: Set in the future, the crew of the Serenity are protecting Simon and his sister River who is a subconsciously brainwashed arse-kicking weapon who was rescued from the Alliance. Captain Reynolds must travel through space and hide from the Alliance operative who is chasing them as well as find out what the Alliance are hiding.

Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. There’s the odd witty one liner thrown in here and there to keep you amused, and there’s the suspense of trying to work out what is going on. You don’t need to have watched Firefly, the tv series it comes from, however, perhaps it would have made the movie feel more cohesive. Feels more like a long serial episode rather than a full on movie. But give me a Star Trek Voyager instead anytime.

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Cinderella Man: 4/5

Cast: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellwegger, Paul Giamatti, directed by Ron Howard

In a few words: Heart felt and edge of the seat boxing movie.

Synopsis: Based on the true story of Jimmy Braddock. During the depression a has-been boxer can barely keep his family fed. However, he never loses hope of boxing again and becomes a sporting hero.

I tend to forget what a good actor Russell Crowe is because of the crap that goes on with him outside of the cinema. Crowe gives an inspiring and realistic performance and teams again with Ron Howard to give a movie almost as good as A Beautiful Mind. I’m not a big fan of boxing movies, and yet this one kept me glued to the screen for the whole length of it. Zellwegger is not as annoying as she can be, and watch for Giamatti to take the Oscar for best supporting actor – he was excellent.

Da Jia Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year and Australia Day.

I was lucky enough to have a glorious Australia Day down at Sandy Point - it could not have been more perfect... oh, except for the lack of hunky lifeguard lying on the towel next to me! Chinese New Year up in Sydney was also a lot of fun, the usual culinary feast, followed by Taboo with the cousins afterward and movie the next day.

Here are a few photos (missing one from the beach, hope to have it for next post), and some more movie reviews. Oh, and a review of the concert I went to last night! Teehee!

Love g
xoxox

Paul, Rob, Tania, Matt, G & Geoff @The Fishy Pub, Fish Creek

Flight to Sydney

Pagoda where my grandparents ashes reside @ Woolongong Temple

The Gorgeous Amanda and Annabel enjoy the 'cups' of water at the Temple
(apologies for the fuzzy photo).

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CONCERT REVIEW
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Backstreet boys – Never Gone Tour: 4/5

It was with trepidation and some embarrassment that I attended the Backstreet boys concert at the Rod Laver stadium last night, but last night showed why the Backstreet Boys are the ultimate boy band.

At first watching 30-something-year-olds doing boy-band dance moves was a great source of amusement. I think at times, ‘The Boys’ seemed to think this too. But Michael, you will be pleased to know that this groupie is still going strong and before long I was screaming and singing with the best of them!

There was a surprisingly a varied crowd, I was standing next to three guys who knew all the words. As the first beats of music blared through the speakers, the whole audience was on its feet and stayed like that for the whole concert. I have never seen anything like it at The Tennis Centre. Normally those not on the floor remain seated for most of the performance.

Playing a good mix of their new album and pretty much all of their Greatest Hits album, ‘The Boys’ whipped the audience into a frenzy until the stadium erupted in an almost ear piercing screamfest before the guys came back out for the encore.

The quality of singing was amazingly awesome and the dancing was suitably cheesy. Unlike some of the other teen bands I have seen (ie. Destiny’s child), there were no diva moments. At one stage a couple of the guys were down the crowd greeting the little people.

Dare I say, last night this Take That fanatic may have been converted.
“Backstreet’s back, alright!” Hahah.

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CINEMA REVIEWS

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Brokeback Mountain: 4/5

Cast: Heath Ledger (First Knight, Monster’s Ball), Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Bubble Boy), Michelle Williams (Dawson’s Creek), Anne Hathaway (Princess Diaries 1 & 2)

In A Few words: Subtle and elegant, beautiful movie making – more for the ladies.

Synopsis: Two cowboys fall in love on Brokeback Mountain, but the society of the 60’s dictates that they will never be together.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so hyped to see a movie, so it’s not surprising I was initially a tiny bit disappointed. With predictions for Oscar’s greatness (BM is most likely to win best picture and director) I was expecting to be crying buckets by the half way mark. Which is not to say it is a bad movie, far from it. For those who are worried about the guy on guy action, there is actually not that much of it - I say bring it on! Both Heath and Jake provide heartfelt performances, and despite Heath getting the Oscar’s nod, I tended to enjoy Jake’s performance more. Michelle is also good, and watch for Anne’s hairdo.

As we have come to expect, there is something truly beautiful and peaceful about an Ang Lee movie (the Hulk an exception), this one is no different. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the interactions between the characters are poignant, raw and believable. For some this will be a boring as hell movie (eg. My 3 male cousins – it’s more a chick flick), but for me the 2 hours passed quickly. Don’t expect to come away with a quick fix of emotional turbulence, rather expect to be affected. This movie stays with you, and grows on you long after the curtains have fallen.

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Chicken Little: 3/5

Cast (voices): Zach Braff (Scrubs, Garden State), Joan Cusak, Steve Zahn (Sahara)

In A Few words: Fun & cute

Synopsis: Chicken Little cries wolf one too many times, and thus must save the world when no one believes that the sky is really falling down.

One of many in an inundation of computer generated animated cartoons hitting our screens this year. It’s a short movie, so the laughs come quick and fast and you can’t complain that it was too long. I enjoyed the many homages to other movies and songs, sure there were many I missed. The problem I had with Chicken Little was that it lacked the adult humour of a Shrek and also lacked the innocent fun of a traditional Disney movie – too middle of the road to be a classic.

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DVD REVIEWS

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Wedding Crashers: 3.25/5

Cast: Owen Wilson (Shanghai Noon), Vince Vaughn (Dodge Ball), Rachel McAdams (The Notebook), Isla Fisher (Home & Away), Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction, and a heap of other random stuff).

In A Few words: Ridiculous pretence, but very funny

Synopsis: Two friends crash weddings to meet girls, however when John starts to fall in love with Claire, the daughter of the Treasury Secretary, it all starts to go pear-shaped.

Enjoyed this a lot more than I had thought I would. Vince Vaughn is hilarious, and Owen plays the charming Casanova all too well. Kudos goes to Isla Fisher (Mrs Ali G) as Claire’s sister – ahh… one of ours (well… close enough). The montage of their wedding escapades is classic – boys, take note of the pick up lines!

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Must Love Dogs: 1.5/5

Cast: Diane Lane (Unfaithful, Under the Tuscan Sun), John Cusak (Hifidelity), Christopher Plummer (Sound of Music), Elizabeth Perkins (He said, she said), Dermott Mulroney (My best friend’s wedding).

In A Few words: Almost watchable fluff.

Synopsis: Recent divorcee re-enters the dating arena at the behest of her family. The joys of internet dating services.

The idea was potentially comical, however the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The two lead characters have next to no chemistry. Lane does ok for what she has to work with. Cusak’s character is pretty flaky and annoying. Give me two-timer Mulroney any time!

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A Lot Like Love: 2/5

Cast: Ashton Kutcher (That 70’s show, The Butterfly Effect), Amanda Peet (The Whole Ten Yards)

In A Few words: Average boy meets girl, boy can’t have girl movie. Great soundtrack.

Synopsis: Oliver and Emily join the mile high club on a one-off event. Over the next few years they keep bumping into each other, but circumstances would keep them apart.

Surprisingly, this wasn’t the total flop I thought it would be.

Similar to the Serendipity story line, this movie is nothing new, but the two main actors are sufficiently lost and angst ridden to keep you watching to find out: will they, won’t they, will they, won’t they? Gee, I wonder....

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Peaches: 3/5

Cast: Hugo Weaving (The Matrix), Jacqueline MacKenzie (The 4400, Angel Baby), Emma Lung (The Cooks)

In A Few words: Good acting,

Synopsis: Teenage girl Steph, brought up by her aunt Jude, starts work in the town’s Peach factory under the watchful eye of the foreman, Alan. On her birthday she receives her mother’s diary, and through the stories of her mother, Jude and Alan, starts to see another side of herself.

New comer Emma Lung is refreshing as Steph, although for those who watched ‘The Cooks’, it takes a while to get used to the fact that she is not Argentinean! MacKenzie and Weaving are strong and intriguing as always. The story is interesting, but perhaps not completely engaging. Perhaps it is that none of the characters are particularly likeable. A good character piece nevertheless.

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Never Been Kissed: 2.5/5

Cast: Drew Barrymore (ET, Charlie’s Angels), Michael Vartan (Alias, Monster-in-law), David Arquette (Scream)

In A Few words: Cutesy Romantic Comedy

Synopsis: Under cover reporter goes back to high school, forgetting how bad it was the first time around.

I know this is an old one – just felt like a Michael Vartan fix!

Vaguely amusing slapstick rom com. Drew Barrymore, playing ugly duckly “Josie Grosie” is her sweet self as always. For those who remember him, the popular guy of the school is played by Jeremy Jordan (singer – The Right Kind of Love)…mmm..yeah, he’s ok ; )… whatever happened to him? For the guys, check out Jessica Alba pre Dark Angel. For the rest of you, the next best thing might be David Arquette skulling a bucket of cafeteria coleslaw.