Blasphemous Rumours

Eurovison 2019

Sun, 30 Jun 2019 20:25:03 GMT

Can you believe it, it's been 2 years since the last Eurovision Show. Last year I had to default due to real life being more bitchy than normal and this year I only just about got it done in time, with a lot of friendly reminders, prompts and pokes from cosmic_llin and charloween .

( Playlist this way )

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Sans mots....

Sun, 30 Jul 2017 10:32:31 GMT

RIP Chris Cornell 20. July 1964 - 18. May 2017

RIP Chester Bennington 20. March 1976 - 20.July 2017

( Some (sad) words behind the cut... )

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There is a thing on TV ...

Sat, 29 Jul 2017 13:44:11 GMT

Okay, so there is this thing on TV at the moment. It caters to a very specific taste. Imagine putting a costume drama, a rock musical and oriental bazaar in a blender. What you might get would probably look & sound a lot like Will - a William Shakespeare origins story of sorts. It's got the Elizabethan language, a rock soundtrack and punk/rock/flower-power visuals. A refreshing gender and sexual fluidity that does not require definition or explanation or is angsty. You even get a rap battle/poetry slam and a (proper) orgy - and we're only on episode 4 yet.

Will is clearly not made for the Shakespearean purists. It takes Will Shakespeare as a jumping off point, using the fact that so little of his personal biography is known to make him a blank canvas to draw on. To make it modern, surprising and unexpected. It most definitely requires suspension of disbelief on the viewers part, but if you can do that it is a very fun and engaging show at the very least. Think Romeo + Juliet or Farscape. If you could get on board with puppets in space and alien/human BDSM and find it enjoyable, this might be for you.

The trailer maybe doesn't quite capture the full vibrancy of the show, but it's the best I could find (short of vidding it myself, which is a distinctive possibility at this point.)

I think this would be very much up Shakespeare's ally if he was alive now. He had no qualms to borrow from other people's work and make it his own. He asked his audience to beliefe in Fairie Queens and cross-dressing woman going unnoticed. He took his lisence with historic fact to serve the plot. And he was an entertainer first and foremost.

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I made a thing...

Sat, 15 Jul 2017 13:23:42 GMT

This year's Vidukon Premiere was the Norwegian Show Øyevitne - it's a 'coming-of-age/coming-out' story rolled into a crime drama, steeped in Nordic Noir story-telling. It's not actually a whodunit since we know who did it from the start, it focuses more on the 'why' and the ripple-effect of the crime as it impacts on a whole community. Some similarities to Broadchurch in that respect, I guess. The show was remade for US TV last year with some success, so I thought it would be nice to commemorate the original as well.

Streaming via youtube and download at my website.

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It was time...

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 09:02:12 GMT

Big thank you to all the Dutch voters that went out in droves to say NO to populism, scaremongering and nationalism. Now this is looking at you, France. After the train crash that was 2016 politics, let's make 2017 Year of Reason.

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Looking for vids & vidders, the 5th

Sat, 11 Mar 2017 15:23:41 GMT

I am running again a Eurovision vid show at this years vidUKon. (See here for previous ones if you've not been around my journal that long). The idea is to show-case European source material, vidders and music, or meta vids relating to the experience of European vidders and fandom participation. Vids from non-European vidders welcome as long as the theme or source fits the bill. And, like all VJ's, I'm always hoping for some Premieres as well. In case you've never been to the con before but would like to, check out the scholarship, which is now open, too.

Here is the place where you can brainstorm ideas for Premieres, sign up to making a Premiere or nominate already existing vids that fit the theme or source material that you would like to see a vid for. What you can do to help:

Signal boost this post on LJ & DW as well as on twitter, tumblr and youtube. I am trying to represent the full diversity of European vidding and to reach out to all platforms.

Let me know if you want to make a Premiere for the show. This could be vidding a European source, a European song, or both. You do not necessarily have to be a European vidder as long as you chose an appropriate source and/or song.

You are a European vidder and don't want to participate, but would be happy for me to look through your back catalogue so see something I might like.

You are aware of any brilliant vids of European source that have come out over the last 12 months in particular, that you think should be included in the vid show.

You have ideas for European source that totally should be vidded but you don't want to do it. as inspiration for other vidders.

( Last years suggestions included.... )

If you can help with any of the above, please pm or comment. And as always with my post, link gremlins are common, so if anything is not working as it should, let me know

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Eurovision Show 2016

Sat, 04 Mar 2017 18:18:09 GMT

Late is better than never, right? Right??? With this in mind find here last year's Eurovison show listing - a vid show aiming to showcase European vidding talent, source and music and to celebrate the diversity of the European vidding community.

None of this would be possible without the vidders from all over the world who are contributing to this show, letting us show vids from their back catalogue, making premiere vids and providing 'vidder postcards' to introduce themselves and their vids. The latter have become an integral part of the show, setting it apart from other vid shows. The big perk of curating this show is getting to know all these lovely people and talented vidders across so many different platforms, nations and languages.

This year (well, last year) we had 13 vids (including 3 shiny premieres!!!!) in the show, two of the vidders were able to attend the convention, including Mathilde who was a first-time attendee and managed to join us despite a house fire, lack of funds and other adversities. and 6 send a vid postcard, giving the show again a very inclusive and personal feel.

Please check out the vidders vids and leave feedback at their journal, channel or tumblr to let them know that you enjoyed their work. For vids for lesser known European movies or TV shows I have included imdb links, in case you want to check out the source dircetly.

Despite repeated testing there are normally some bad/wrong links that sneak into my posts (it's a gremelin or some such thing, I'm sure), so please don't be offended if the link for your vid leads to Timelapse of paint drying or your name links to Sarah Pailin's website, just let me know and I'll fix it.

Retro Step-up by Norlack (Ukraine)
Source: Multi-fandom
Music: Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley (US)
"Put music to our troubles and we'll dance them away!" Aaron Weiss. This is a very dynamic, fun vid which is edited very tightly and looks utterly modern despite the source and music being half a century old by now.

Carousel by loki (Russia) * PREMIERE
Source: Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adele Blan-Sec (France)
Music: Peter Peter (Canada)
Dealing with suitors, monsters & sand in her shoes - just another day at the office for Adele. This vid is just as quirky as the movie. Great use of lyrics and narrative structuring make this accessible to anybody who has not seen the movie.This vid was commissioned specially for the show.

Wir Beiden by isagel (Sweden)
Source: Kommissar Rex (Austria)
Music: Juli (Germany)
The story of a detective and his dog. Or a dog and his detective? This is better than bromance, balm for the soul, fun, touching and sweet.

Honey And The Moon by anoel (US)
Source: Football RPF (Germany)
Music: Joseph McArthur (US)
This vid has a special place in my heart, the bromance, the optimism and enthusiasm of the team, and the 'aligning of the stars that made it all converge in (spoiler). And Anoel found just the right footage on and off pitch and wrapped it up as a lovely bromance story.

Ich Laufe by amnisias (Germany)* PREMIERE
Source: Freier Fall (Germany)
Music: Tim Bendzko (Germany)
"I'm running away, as fast and far as I can, and only when the feeling stops I'm finally home" or the German Brokeback Mountain.

Can't Pretend by feuwise (France)Source: The Following (US)
Music: Tom Odell (UK)
Violent and bloody, beautiful and mesmerizing - the relationship between hunter and hunted, between detective and serial killer. An obsession, an attraction, an infatuation. This vid captures it all. An no, this is not Hanibal.

Monument by condnsdmlk (South Africa) *PREMIERE*
Source: Calvary (Ireland)
Music: Royksopp & Robyn (Norway/Sweden)
As all of condnsdmlk's vids this has stunning editing and beautiful visuals and unfolds at slow pace, but the pay-off is so worth it.

iieee by cherryice(Canada)
Source: Let The Right One In (Sweden)
Music: Tori Amos (US)
Why can't it be beautiful? A vid about friendship and otherness.

Truth is a Matter of Circumstance by Fortnoir (Italy)Source: Multi-fandom
Music: Dark Shadows Prologue Danny Elfman (US)
The Black Widow across time, place and media. I just love how this vid uses multi-media & multi-source material to flash out the story of Natasha Romanova. Very cleverly done.

Making Waves by niyalune (Swiss)
Source: Mad Max Fury Road (US)
Music: Fight Song by Rachel Platten (US)
Can you hear my voice this time? Great editing and movement troughout.

Firestarter by violace(Germany)
Source: Supergirl (US)
Music: Demi Lovato (US)
A celebration of Kara as the hero, and as the person under the costume, and the people who love her..

Jane Austin by Mathilde (France)
Source: Multi (US/UK)
Music: August's Rhapsody by Mark Mancina (US)
A celebration of Jane Austen, and all the fanfic writers and fangirls that came after her....such a fitting end for the vid show.

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seasonal spirit......

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 12:13:06 GMT

Fashionably late as every year I start my christmas cards events....

If you got a card last year and haven't moved, all you need to do is to make yourseslf a gingerbread hot chocolate, sit back and wait for the postman.
If you've moved, or never got a card before but would like on, leave a comment or PM with your address. Comments screened.
If you got one last year but rather didn't, let me know.

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I guess it should not have come as a total surprise.....

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 15:13:36 GMT

.......that the best response to last weeks events has come out of Scotland.
After all the emotionla turmoil, polarization and negativity going around this is a breath of fresh air. Just keep walking, America, you've overcome obsticals and hardship before, and you will do so again. Here's to the road ahead.

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Oh my f....ing G-d YES

Wed, 21 Sep 2016 21:40:08 GMT

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Vidukon Premiere 2016

Sun, 14 Aug 2016 11:52:53 GMT

This vid was done very quickly, it's not beta-ed and it's still kind of unfinished becaused my tech played decided to be stubborn and would just crash any time I opened the vid, so most of my time 'working on the vid' was trying to get the darn thing to render. Note to slef, SV does not like HD mp4 source.

I kind of fell head over heel for Lucifer last season, despite plenty of arguemtns against it. But what can you do? Clearly I've got a thing for snarky, politically incorrect Brits.

Vid: Call Me Devil
Song: Call Me Devil
Artist: Friends in Tokio

Download here

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Vidukon Premiere 2016

Sat, 13 Aug 2016 14:24:08 GMT

This movie has been called the German Brokeback Mountain, though it does not have that much in common with that movie. No stunning cinematography or beautiful landscapes here, it's all very prosaic and down-to-earth, ii is part love story, part tragedy and part an exploration of what it is like to be gay in a modern day police force.

Source: Freier Fall/Free Fall
Song: Ich Laufe/I Run
Artist; Tim Bedzko

Download (with and without subs) here.

There is also a link to a version with subs on youtube, if you prefer.
If you are in Germany you won't be able to watch on youtube but you can head over to my LJ enty for streaming or d/l from my website.

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Can you have too much of a good thing?

Sun, 06 Mar 2016 13:13:01 GMT

Holy shit, Criminal Minds, what was that I just watched? (o)(o)

Clearly some h/c fangirls have invaded the writers room. And the fact that Thomas Gibson was directing and Shemar half naked for most of the episode gave the whole thing an extra layer of pain voyorism and slash on top of all the emotional and physical hurt. I'm still shellshocked.

( (oviously highly spoilery) pickspam after the cut )

This one is on par with Reid's heroin fuelled abduction back when. This should make for some great Reid/Morgan fic.

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Looking for vids & vidders #4

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 10:06:18 GMT

I am thinking about putting together another Eurovision vid show for vidukon 2016. (See here, here & here for previous ones if you've not been around my journal that long).

The idea is to showcase European vidders, European source and European music. I'd also love to have a meta vid with a 'European twist'. However, as the beatles said, I can only do it with a little help from my friends........*pleading eyes*

Here is the place where you can brainstorm ideas for Premieres, sign up to making a Premiere or nominate already existing vids that fit the theme.

I am looking for:

Vidders who would want to make a Premiere for the vid show. This could be vidding a European source, a European song, or both. You do not have to be a European vidder as long as you chose an appropriate source and/or song.
Vid recs, please, self-recs welcome.
Ideas for European source that totally should be vidded but you don't want to do it.

( Last years suggestions included.... )

If you can help with any of the above, please pm or comment.

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It's that time of the year again....

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 08:48:01 GMT

Hi, lovelies!

I am hoping to send out Christmas Cards again this year, though no garantee that they'll make it in time depending on where you're living (but who doesn't love a seasonal card out of season?). If you got a card year last year and haven't moved you should automatically get a card, everybody else, please leave your contact details in a comment.

Comments are screened, obviously.

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Because you can never have too much of a good thing...

Sun, 08 Nov 2015 13:14:36 GMT

...there is a Vidding Love Meme going on over here, so if you like reading and writing about vids, it's the place to spend a rainy sunday afternoon. Let's keep it going for a while, and spread the word.

I am kind of doing it wrong, because I post comments about individual vids on the vid posts rather than the meme, but post more general comments in the meme. I don't think it matters, since it's in the spirit of the meme. I just know that I love shiney, nice comments in my journal, where I know they can't disappear and I can always go back and read them again. So I guess some other folks might feel the same way?

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Happy All Hollows' Eve everybody

Sat, 31 Oct 2015 12:11:32 GMT

Hope you've all remembered the faithfully departed during the day and are preparing yourself to fend of the evil spirits, witches and fairies tonight. And have a litte Halloween-themed clip while you wait.

( Confession... )

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Sat, 03 Oct 2015 11:50:19 GMT

Back from holidays. You guys, the Greek Islands are dreamy, and none more than the isladn of Kefalonia (you might know it if your read Captain Corelli's Mandoline), where I holed up with my Mum, in a lovely old greek farmhouse with a pool, lots of olive trees in the garden, and a little cove for swimming only five minutes away. The north of Kefalonia is very, very green, with lots of little coves (pebble, though, not sand) along the coast and small villages with taverns that serve very yummy greek food to very reasonable prices and small village shops with huge stacks of fruit and veg outside. It was still very warm, around 25 C, so lots of sunbathing and swimming was to be had, though we cought one day with (terrential) rain, but that was kind a fun, too. Electricity and water cut out for a few hours, and we thought it might swep out house into the sea, but then the next day it was back to blue skies and seas with no cloud in sight. Like magic.

( Picspam this way )

Unfortunately we did miss the Super Blood Moon Eclipse because I noted down a wrong time. That would have been the cherry on top.

On return I also noted (well, my inbox reminded me) that I've missed charloween 's, legoline's and bananainpyjamas's B-days. Hope you all had a great day, doing what you love to do, whatever that is. Wishing Char the most amazing adventures downunder with even better beaches and sea views than Greece and enough UK born relatives to secure a visa for however long she wants it for, legoline enough time to do all the things she loves to do and success with her writing, and bananainpyjama a good hair year and a magic potient to nuke accademic stress. Virtual hugs and cakes for all of you ladies!

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Bounty Hunters in Space...

Mon, 10 Aug 2015 09:47:06 GMT

I think with the epilogue to episode 8 Killjoys just stole my heart.

Since dreamwidth won't upload pics dirctly from a computer you have to head over to LJ if you want the picspamy evidence...

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Sat, 27 Jun 2015 10:20:00 GMT

Vid: Wasteland
Song by Needtobreathe
Source Grantchester

Download (divx & mp4 )here

Sorry about the delay, but for some reason I just couldn't get the streaming to work on DW. Hopefully now everything work....

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We had a con!

Sun, 21 Jun 2015 14:46:55 GMT

So, VidUKon happened last weekend, and it was such great fun, as always.

It was lovely to meet up with old friends and get to know some new folks, too - *waves* at kabal42 , who made his way over from Denmark. Sadly, goodbyebird was held captive on a ship and refused all our suggestions of sending out pirates, the Royal Navy or Furiosa to rescue her, otherwise representation from Scandinavia would have been pretty much complete - anybody knows of any Finnish vidders?

The highlight of the con was as always the Premiere shows, which was quite a bit longer than usual, and of high quality. I'll have to do a separate vid rec post at some point, when all the vids are posted. We also had the obligatory room party on Friday, hosted with impeccable style by lithiumdoll and doccy . There was cake, and more cake, and birthday cake for such_heights . There might have been booze. There was rumor that at one point the whole con was present. Yay for large rooms and tolerant neighbours.

As always, there was a lot of enabling going on. Last year it was Lithy who ~~forced~~ offered Banshee on everybody, and she only had an evil laugh when I told her that it was giving me very serious show PTSD (no, seriously, I know few people with such an evil laughter.) charloween took it upon herself to turn nemonclature and myself into cool fans by dragging us to the cinema in the middle of the night to see ~~Mad Max~~ Fierce Furiosa. In a less ethical move she pimped Almost Human on a poor, unsuspecting soul in Canada by reccing the fab Gone Tech by blithesea. I mean, who does that - making people fall for a canceled show????

As always, apart from all the hanging out with all the lovely people I enjoyed the panels the most. It was a great mix between instructional, thinky and freeform, covering such diverse topics as Problematic Fandoms (odessie ),Use of Colour (mariks & brokenmnemonic )and The Year in Vidding (such_heights ).

But the bestes about VidUkon will always be the conversations, going all the way from fannish squee & meta to RL and back. I was so glad that charloween was there again, since she has the uncanny ability to know what I'm talking about when words actually fail me. Seriously, she can work with me just making some vague gestures and a desperate facial expression.

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I'm on a roll...

Fri, 05 Jun 2015 07:37:37 GMT

Anybody remembering my Big Moping Weekend in 2010?

The universe clearly loves me, because on Friday evening I had an e-mail in my inbox from my trusted ticket provider, saying that A-ha have reunited and are going on tour again next year. I guess I should feel cynical about artists doing Farwell Tours and then popping back up 5 years later, but I just don't have it in me. It's not that A-ha are my most favorit band - that would be Depeche Mode, if you must know - but they've written consistently good pop for ... let me see.......OH FUCK .....30 YEARS!!!! Okay, And' now I'm feeling very old and depressed.

For those of you who appreciate that sort of thing - first time a-ha (well, any Norwegian band, actually) made it to #1 on the UK charts. Proper 80's nostalgia - look at that hair, and the fashion assesoirs (leather band wrist bands) and those 1000 m of cable. (And Morten's face - I think my teenage self can be forgiven for going a bit weak in the knees.....). Unfortunately they 'dressed up' for the occasion, though you can marvel at the waist hight jeans, the socks-over-trousers-thing and the men-scarfs and headbands. Just use your imagination.

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So very excited right now...

Tue, 02 Jun 2015 18:52:23 GMT

I found out yesterday that Sergei Polunin will be dancing Giselle at Naples San Carlo Theatre in August (yay for facebook on this count). And managed to get A) tickets (for peanuts, compared to Royal Ballet prices), B) a flight and C) a travel companion. I'm so stoked, you wouldn't believe it.

Polunin was the Principal Dancer at the Royal Ballet in London (youngest ever, at 19), and I'd heard (and seen) so many great things about him, but I kept posponing to go and see him because I was holding out for the perfect role, maybe Spartacus, or Romeo in the Nureyev choreography. And then he Polunin left the Royal Ballet 'over night' in 2012, to dance in Russia. And then he left there and announce that he might quit ballet altogether. So now I'm wiser, and I take what I can get, while I can get it, Well, given his track record, he might drop out last minute, but if not at least I've seen him live once. And on top of that I get a long summer weekend in Italy, and hopefully can swing by Pompei as well. Total win!

For all of those who won't be making the tip to Naples (yup, I'm gloating just a tiny little bit) I'm leaving you with this:

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50 shades of a cultural phenomenon

Fri, 27 Feb 2015 19:16:14 GMT

Okay, I've now succumbed and seen the 50 Shades movie with some girl friends (we all blamed each other for going - ah, is't peer pressure a wonderful thing).

main points:

The ads before the show were the best! We had condoms, cherry flavoured lube, lingerie & perfumes. Funniest though was an informercial about Premature Ejaculation from the aptly named Fire Too Quickly campaign.

Movie previews were really depressing. Man, are there many horribly bad movies around. We had Melissa McCarthy in a housewife as Bond comedy, something truly awful involving an American girl band battling it out with a German band at some competition, and something with lots of explosions and nothing much else. Will Smith is still looking good at 46, though. The UK was represented with the usual mild-mannered and whimsical fair (something involving gardening & Alan Rickman, and a sequel to the Marigold Hotel feat. Richard Gere.) At least the trailers didn't make me cringe....

( As to the actual film.... )

In a nutshell, it's a perfectly okay film given what it aims to be, and even enjoyable, if you watch it with that in mind (and in the right company)

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Looking for vids & vidders, 3rd edition

Fri, 27 Feb 2015 17:19:28 GMT

I am considering to run another Eurovision vid show at this years vidUKon. (See here & here for previous ones if you've not been around my journal that long).

Here is the place where you can brainstorm ideas for Premieres, sign up to making a Premiere or nominate already existing vids that fit the theme.

The idea is to showcase European vidders, European source and European music. I'd also love to have have a meta vid with a 'European twist'. I am therfore looking for:

Vidders who would want to make a Premiere for the show. This could be vidding a European source, a European song, or both. You do not necessarily have to be a European vidder as long as you chose an appropriate source and/or song.

You are a European vidder and don't want to participate, but would be happy for me to look through your back catalogue so see something I might like.

You are aware of any brilliant vids of European source that have come out over the last 12 months in particular, that you think should be included in the vid show.

You have ideas for European source that totally should be vidded but you don't want to do it. as inspiration for other vidders.

( Last years suggestions included.... )

If you can help with any of the above, please pm or comment.

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