BBC 6 Music to air Primal Scream's Screamadelica gig LIVE on Friday, 9 p.m. G.M.T./4 p.m. U.S. (Eastern)

Hadn't listened to BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast so much the past week, owing to some family health problems that have required me to spend lots of hours at Aventura Hospital ever since Nov. 14th, but early this morning, with nothing good on TV, I finally got back in the groove.

I first heard an an interesting discussion on class consciousness in modern-day Britain -subject of a forthcoming blog post involving Kate Middleton.

Moments later, I heard a great-sounding promo for BBC Radio 6 Music to air Primal Scream's Screamadelica gig LIVE on Friday, 9 pm G.M.T./4 p.m. U.S. (Eastern)

BBC Press Release on Friday's event:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/11_november/19/screamadelica.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/

Primal Scream - BBC Artist Page
Primal Scream - Official Site

There are loads of videos at http://www.theprimalscream.com/news/index.html

On Sunday the 21st, on 6 Mix, Andrew Weatherall played music which inspired him and Primal Scream to create Screamadelica.

You can hear the podcast at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00w4gsf/6_Mix_Andrew_Weatherall_on_Screamadelica

You can listen to 6 Music live via http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_6music

6 Music homepage at http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/

I was over at Aventura Hospital on Sunday when this was first broadcast, so I'm glad it was up on the BBC website so quickly, something all the BBC channels do right, in stark contrast to how some things get done in perpetually sleepwalking South Florida media circles.

When the podcast first started playing, it instantly reminded me of being back at my favorite Indian restaurant in the whole Washington, D.C. area, Aditi, located in Georgetown actually.

On a cold snowy January night in 1994, Aditi, with its delicious food and great service, was the scene of one of the world's greatest-ever second dates, which, oddly enough, had started out earlier that afternoon in Northern Virginia, when my then-beloved was having laser surgery done on one of her eyes to minimize a really scary problem that had her and me worried.

At one point after he'd performed the surgery, with me holding "C's" hand the whole time, and she was was out of the room, the doctor asked me nonchalantly whether "C" and I were getting married that spring, or were we going to wait until the fall.

When I smailed and told him that we were actually just going to have our second date later that night, he laughed and thought I was joking.

I said no, actually, that was the case, even though she and I had more things in common than anyone I'd ever met before.

As I eventually discovered, with the exception of the better part of three years in the '80's when I was living in the Chicago, the early Dan Marino years, she and I had lived within an hour of one another for over twenty years.
That included time when we were both in Indiana, where she was from -Indy- and where she and I had both gone to college, me at IU and her at our arch-rival, Purdue, and then later in the D.C. area, but we'd never ever met, despite having so many common interests and similar personalities.
(I immediately thought, "So many years that could've been SO MUCH happier.")

The doctor then said something that I can still remember like it was yesterday, saying that "C" and I seemed more "in sync" than any two people he'd seen in quite some time. "I hardly know you, Dave, but based on what I've seen, you two NEED to get married. This year. Really."

The doctor was right of course.
Oh for what might have been!
C'est la guerre!

But then dear reader you're doubtless thinking, "Well, Dave, if that had happened, there'd never have been a Hallandale Beach Blog to inform and entertain, right? Oui!

Sorry for the tangent, I was just feeling wistful.

Profile and recent articles about British Education Secretary Michael Gove:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/michaelgove

Aditi
3299 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007
Phone: (202) 625-6825
http://www.dineaditi.com/

The Klaxons -Twin Flames (featuring Charlotte Church) from Richard Bacon's new afternoon program on BBC Radio 5 live

Charlotte's new album 'Back To Scratch' is out right now in both the U.S. and the U.K.

The Klaxons -Twin Flames (featuring Charlotte Church)

Richard Bacon Show,
BBC Radio 5 live,
October 26, 2010



--------
The first time that I knew that Charlotte Church's talent was more than self-evident but transcendent, was when I heard her interviewed and sing on, of all things, The G.Gordon Liddy Show on WJFK-FM in Washington, D.C.

That was back when it aired just after 11 a.m. following The Howard Stern Show, which I faithfully listened to every morning for years from the moment I woke-up.

Once I left my house in north Arlington by 7:30, I listened to Howard and Robin via my radio earbuds as I walked down busy and winding Glebe Road to the Ballston Metro train station -next to the National Science Foundation HQ- which had among the best selection of out-of-town newspaper vending machines in the Washington area, with machines that were never broken!

Every morning, I could count on seeing The Boston Globe, a few Philly papers, The New York Times, New York Daily News and New York Post, plus many, many others just sitting there, tempting me and the thousands of Metro riders who made their way up and down the stairs and escalators all day.

That was an existence and flexibility so different than my current life, where getting access to physical copies of the the non-New York papers requires great deal of effort, not a good thing for a news junkie like myself, who still prefers the tactile touch of a newspaper in my hand to an online experience.
That experience also infroms you why I am so currently frustrated with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Miami Herald.
Plain and simple, I'm used to better, given that I read the Washington Post everyday, too.

The D.C. version of the Los Angeles Times, which I read just about every day, was usually not there at the Metro station until after 11 a.m., so I'd sometimes swing by the huge office building downtown on Eye Street, N.W. where the Times and then-owner Times Mirror had their Washington bureau, and secure copies from friends and folks I knew there, or if I was short on time, from the nearby vending machines.

The D.C. version of the paper has most of the same articles as the edition in LA -minus the local section- but had zero ads, and was of better paper stock than other papers, and a ridiculous bargain for a dollar, esp. on the days it had an entire section full of stories from their foreign correspondents, back when they had among the best in the business, including Robin Wright reporting on the Middle East.

So very, very different than my current life and existence here in Hallandale Beach, where accessing physical copies of the the non-New York newspapers requires great deal of effort, and not just a trip up to the east side of Young Circle in Hollywood to see my favorite news stand guys; not a good thing for a news junkie like myself.

Once I got off the Metro downtown and had made my way up to street-level, I put my earbuds back in and rejoined Howard & Robin in mid-yuck or guffaw.
But once I was at work, I turned on my Sony cassette recorder, but obviously, lowered the volume at work due to others' sensitive ears!

As many of you already know by now, I was listening to Howard Stern on the morning of 9/11, which is how I came to hear of the first plane crash into the Twin Towers.
I was working in my my office across Pennsylvania Ave. from the Dept. of Justice and the FBI, just four blocks from The White House. See my post on that at my other blog, South Beach Hoosier: http://southbeachhoosier.blogspot.com/2007/09/flight-93-national-memorial-sixth.html)

As far as that moment of clarity with Charlotte goes, I was sitting by myself in a law firm's large conference room with a great view overlooking Connecticut Avenue, N.W., and was surrounded by about 50 Banker boxes full of documents I had been reviewing over the previous week on behalf of my firm.

And the combination of my second Coke Classic and my first Hazelnut coffee of the day were not having their usual effect.
It felt like 3:15 in the afternoon already and yet it was actually not even Noon yet.
I felt like spinning around in my office chair until I woke up.
Not that that ever works.

I'd heard of Charlotte, of course -who hadn't?- since she was seemingly everywhere at the time as the adorably cute and precociously talented Welsh singing dynamo.

But I'd never bought a CD of her's because, frankly, her music, amazing as it was, just wasn't all that appealing to me.
I wasn't her demographic.

After listening to the show for a while -I think her mother was with her in the studio- and hear a completely enchanted Gordon probably use the word "amazing" a dozen or so times, not unlike the way you often hear young parents gush about their own infants, he finally asked the then-15 or 16-year old Charlotte to actually sing something.
Finally!

But the cynic in me thought that after having already done lots of news show or chit-chat interviews that morning in Washington, I figured she'd beg off, saying that her voice was sore or something, but she said okay.
A few seconds later...
Wow!!
You just can't deny her talent.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/#two

http://www.klaxons.net/


Charlotte Church - Snow



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6IIgDrVT9w

http://www.charlottechurch.co/

http://www.youtube.com/user/charlottechurch

Aaron Sorkin re misogyny in 'The Social Network': "These aren't the cuddly nerds we made movies about in the 80's..."

Above, cover of New York Observer of October 11th, 2010, "Good Nerd, Bad Nerd" illustration by Viktor Koen.

Aaron Sorkin on misogyny concerns in David Fincher's new critically acclaimed film 'The Social Network' that Sorkin wrote.

"These aren't the cuddly nerds we made movies about in the 80's. They're very angry that the cheerleader still wants to go out with the quarterback..."

Yeah, I know, I know.
I'm about a week behind in posting about this excellent piece from Sharon Waxman's TheWrap.com.
And second of all, no, I haven't seen the film myself yet, but will likely get to it later this week.

As you read Jeff Sneider's article, be sure to read the informed and opinionated reader comments that area as good as the points that Sorkin makes and refutes.

One thing is clear, no matter how successful you are as a writer, and regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, there are few that have been as consistently successful over the past 20 years as Sorkin, there's always someone you've never heard of who wants to tell you what your real "problem" as a writer is.
LOL!
But first, a nice coincidental introduction to the theme under discussion in the article courtesy of BBC Radio's 5 live film critic Mark Kermode.

BBC Radio 5 live:Kermode reviews Social Network



TheWrap
Aaron Sorkin Addresses Claims of Misogyny in 'Social Network',
The screenwriter himself defends David Fincher's film in a post on Ken Levine's blog
By Jeff Sneider,
Published: October 11, 2010 @ 6:33 pm

Many people who have seen Sony's "The Social Network" have taken the filmmakers to task for the movie's "misogynistic" portrayal of women.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin responded to one such attack from a commenter named Tarazza on Ken Levine's blog, Sorkin's publicist has confirmed to TheWrap.

Read the rest of the fabulous piece here: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/aaron-sorkin-addresses-claims-misogyny-social-network-21628

Continuing with this theme on The Social Network, my new issue of The New York Observer arrived in the mail later than usual last week, but as I was so busy catching up on some things, including some overdue posts here at the blog, it would hardly have mattered if it'd been on time, which is usually Tuesday without fail. http://www.observer.com/
Yesterday, after the Dolphins surprising victory over the Packers, while waiting to meet a friend at a local haunt of mine, I finally cracked it open.
I was immediately reminded why I love it so much.

One of those reasons would have to be sheer prescient puckishness, as evidence by a delicious and fictitious 'as-written-by' Mark Zuckerberg piece on page 2 by Christian Lorentzen.


Then I read the three-page cover story, which under the illustration had the following:
"In the new Facebook movie, Mark Zuckerberg is a backstabbing, money-grubbing misfit. It works for Hollywood. But the geek stereotype may not apply in New York, where tech excecutives have perfected their own kind of cool." By Leon Neyfakh.
Deftly put!

Here's the problem: these two articles are not available online and may only be seen by subscribers, like myself, or by well-informed customers choosing to buyg a copy, so get yourselves to a large Barnes & Noble superstore ASAP, like the one on Biscayne Blvd. in the Loehmann's Fashion Island down in Aventura.
18711 N.E. Biscayne Blvd, Aventura, FL 33180
(305) 935-9770

Here's their online store locator:
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/storelocator/stores.aspx?x=y&
You won't regret it.

See the past New York Observer stories on Mark Zuckerberg here:
http://www.observer.com/site-search?keys=Mark+Zuckerberg&x=14&y=0

Past NYO articles by Leon Neyfakh, many of which are tech-related, are here:
http://www.observer.com/site-search?keys=%22Leon+Neyfakh%22&x=34&y=16

Past NYO articles by Christian Lorentzen are here:
http://www.observer.com/site-search?keys=%22Christian+Lorentzen%22&sa.x=6&sa.y=3&sa=Submit
11:45 p.m.
To see a glimpse of some scenes from the trailer of the film -with some Swedish V.O. tossed in- you can see it here on Teresa Tingbrand's report for Aftonbladet TV:


http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/noje/article7869353.ab

http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/

Taylor Swift's impression of "Minnesota Soccer Mom" on BBC 1's Switch with Annie and Nick; Dateline: On Tour With Taylor Swift; @taylorswift13

Taylor Swift's impression of "Minnesota Soccer Mom" on BBC1's "Switch with Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh32wcP7Cbg

Taylor's impression begins at 0:51

I've been meaning to post this clip for awhile now since it's so clear that Taylor is channeling Frances McDormand's Oscar-winning turn as Marge Gunderson in "Fargo" that so captured the nation's imagination.
I'm not entirely sure that everyone in the Radio One studio with Taylor caught that, though.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116282/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ux_5CcleM

Over the Memorial Day Weekend of 2009, May 31st to be exact, I watched the NBC News Dateline one-hour special on Taylor promoting her Fearless CD, titled simply, "On Tour With Taylor Swift"

It was amazing, and only served to confirm what I have thought about her from the very beginning -she's the very definition of "the real deal."
Anyone who doubts her talent, drive and resolve is simply ignoring what is right in front of them. That Taylor's only 20 makes it all seem a bit stranger, true, but as was proven over-and-over in this particular show, and which has been said about her for years by very talented people in Nashville in a position to know from past experince, her confident demeanor, work ethic and level-headedness -which makes her seem much more mature than many if not most entertainers who are twice her age- also makes her more able to grasp the great possibilities that are her's for the taking.

And is there any entertainer right now who connects more with their audience than Taylor does? These videos hardly begin to tell the tale of her fans devotion to her.

That she combines such a keen and growing talent with such a relentless drive to satisfy her fans, each and every night, knowing that they've been looking forward to those few hours together with her for months, makes her the kind of old-fashioned star that people held onto most loyally, year-after-year.
Plus, Taylor's audience will NEVER outgrow her.























http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31032270/ns/dateline_nbc-newsmakers/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30687911/

http://www.taylorswift.com/

http://twitter.com/taylorswift13 

@taylorswift13

http://www.bbc.co.uk/switch/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0081k8q

http://www.youtube.com/user/BBCSwitch

While savvy Channel 4 News (U.K.) gets even better, lazy U.S. TV network & cable newscasts AND shallow South Florida TV newscasts race to the bottom

Jon Snow guides us through what is new on the Channel 4 news website.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mkfeCqBuy4

While savvy Channel 4 News (U.K.) gets even better, lazy U.S. TV network & cable newscasts AND shallow South Florida TV newscasts race to the bottom.

It's okay, you're among friends.
You don't have to be shy about venting your frustration about how embarrassingly banal the American network TV newscasts have become of late, of the utterly predictable never-ending dog-chasing-its-tail quality of the U.S. cable newscasts, or the brain-dead nadir that local South Florida TV newscasts reached over this past summer, where you thought they couldn't go any lower and get any more insipid -but then they do.

And you are dumb-struck once again.
And you are reminded all over again what part of America you live in.
The part of America where they can't support a News Radio format.

For instance, recently, the 11 o'clock newscast of one Miami TV station really DID spend more time talking about who might be featured on a prospective Miami-based "Housewives" reality show than they did on what had happened that day at the Broward County Commission's FY 2011 Budget meeting in Fort Lauderdale, and what some of the programs slated to be cut might be and their impact on citizens.

And to compound this, they also DIDN'T mention which Broward commissioners voted for or against the 2011 budget, nor display the names or tally on-screen.

Yes, actual votes by elected officials, that boring civics stuff, especially when compared to talking about dopey Miami wannabe celebs, whom we just know in our hearts will be loathed across the country like they already are among their small circle of friends in the 305 or 954.

And if you're thinking globally not locally, the antidote for all that shallowness, banality and low-quality journalism is closer at hand than you might otherwise think.

And no, I'm not talking about the new and highly-popular Breaking News Twitter feeds, http://twitter.com/BREAKINGNEWS, though for some people, though not me personally, that may actually be a nice addition to their handy news toolbox.

I've written often here over the past year or so about how much I've integrated the Channel 4 News (U.K.) and BBC Radio 5 live diet of news and information into my busy schedule to make more sense of the world.

Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/#two
Listen LIVE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_five_live

Especially since I no longer get the hard copies of all the international relations and foreign policy journals I subscribed to when I was living up in the Washington, D.C. area, and actually could use what I already knew and had read at events at embassies, the IMF, the World Bank, SAIS and myriad think tanks, plus the great schedule of Russian-related events they had over at the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center, under Blair Ruble, back when it was inside of the Smithsonian's castle on The Mall.
http://wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm
http://wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1424&fuseaction=topics.profile&person_id=4997

The very informative post-Noon Channel 4 email news updates I receive like clockwork before 1 p.m., the so-called Snowmail, named after veteran news presenter Jon Snow, and authored by him and other Channel 4 correspondents, gives me a real insightful head's up for what to expect later in the day on that night's newscast at 1900 G.M.T., but which I watch much later.

The fabulous Catch Up service on their website allows me to look back at anything that I may have missed within the past 7 days, which tends to happen a lot in the middle of the week due to evening local government meetings I attend.

As I've stated here previously, I often find myself watching the missed news segments on Saturday mornings before I get around to watching the Premier League matches on Fox Soccer Channel, or something on The BigTenChannel.

Plus, the Channel 4 broadcasts are broken down into news segments that are embeddable, thus making them perfect for blogs and websites, as I've used plenty here over the past year to great effect.

Well, at the end of September I received this new video from London that's p at the top of this post, and I think it gives you a pretty good appreciation for what is now available to you if you want to know what's going on in the real world outside of the rather shallow intellectual confines of the Sunshine State.

Such a deeply distressing story on so many levels...

Aid worker may have been killed by US grenade in Afghanistan

Jonathan Rugman reports aid worker Linda Norgrove may have been killed by US grenade in Afghanistan.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid601325122001?bctid=631900533001


Channel 4 News homepage: http://www.channel4.com/news/

Channel 4 News Catch Up Service: http://www.channel4.com/news/catch-up/

Channel 4 Blogs homepage: http://blogs.channel4.com/news/