Just about a month ago I heard about the Movie Days/Dark Zone Event that is happening this weekend in the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany.
It was announced on their flyer, that my all-time favorite Wrestler - Rowdy Roddy Piper - would also be there.
So I thought: "I simply have to go there". (Now I haven't been to Dortmund since a School trip in 1999, so I had no clue what awaited me on my travel by the S2 and U45 trains to get from the train station in my city to the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund).
During the event autographs were given, stories were told and pictures were taken.
Roddy was so nice and friendly to everyone, from the smallest children to adults who could only communicate in sign language.
He was so sweet and so down to earth, taking time to talk to everyone and not wanting to leave the stage until the promoters of the event literally dragged him away!
He sure loves his fans, and his fans love him too!
To see some videos of the Hot Rod and other bits of the Movie Days/Dark Zone event, check out my YouTube channel in the coming days.
...or how GEMA manages to piss me off 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 52 weeks a year.
Honestly, what is this company even doing other than sitting around and putting restrictions on exactly THOSE videos that I want to see. And quite a few of those videos are posted on YouTube by the ORIGINAL OWNERS of the recorded material. (cinemaforpeacegala/cinemaforpeace-foundation.com
and CharlemagneMusical/Charlemagne Productions Ltd included). I do believe those places upload stuff on YouTube for it to be seen, and NOT to not be seen. How the living fuck is the presentation of the "Cinema for Peace Honorary Award 2012" something that triggers the following message?
"Unfortunately, this UMG
music-content is not available in Germany, because GEMA has not granted
the respective music publishing rights."
Seriously, no one is singing there. A Bosnian director is introducing a British actor who is giving the award to an American actress who had her debut in directing in this movie (and as far as I could view it through a cheap web proxy, no one at all was singing there).
So honestly, what the fuck. Why would you block a Cinema for Peace event, in which directors and actors want to show us (and tell us from their own experience) that War is just the same bunch of bollocks as GEMA restrictions are. (Granted, a few people will slap me now and point out that War is far worse, which I know it is, but I *do* feel at War with GEMA most of the time).
Now from a peace event to a holy roman emperor: Charlemagne.
Said British actor that appeared at the above Cinema for Peace event is also a very talented singer (and also a descendant of Charlemagne), and the YouTube channel of his Charlemagne Productions Ltd uploaded some audio clips for example "Song Rehearsal 1" from the "Charlemagne: By The Sword And The Cross" concept album. Which I also cannot view other than by means of proxy, because: "Unfortunately, this video
is not available in Germany, because it may contain music for which GEMA
has not granted the respective music rights"
So honestly, what gives GEMA the right to block those videos?
1) They are official.
2) They are supposed to be seen/heard.
3) They are in this form NOT for sale on CD or DVD (else I would buy them).
But not only videos of my favorite actor are affected, also videos of my favorite singer, my favorite wrestler and my favorite criminals.
I do think there is a conspiracy going on.
Someone up in their GEMA chair (or someone who has their GEMA chair up their arse) is sitting on YouTube censoring videos with the people I admire for the sole reason to annoy the living daylights out of me.
Or those evil GEMA people don't like my favorites, or like them so much that they want to keep 'em all for themselves.
Why don't get Rap or Justin Bieber videos restricted. THOSE atleast deserve to be restricted for bad language, bad singing and generally being bad. But noo, those you can watch without GEMA restrictions. *vomits*
I wish those people would man up and tell us WHY they restrict videos. Because just sitting there and restricting them for no good or even valid reasons is just a bunch of shit, crap, bollocks or whatever else you might want to call it.
It's like giving your child a pet rabbit for birthday, then slaughtering it mercilessly, and demanding that your child eats this pet rabbit, which it already got emotionally attached to.
Now, I will not say that Censorship hasn't always been an issue in this country (because it has been) but back in the days of the Nazis you could at least see the movies that were approved by them. Nowadays, you probably couldn't even do that, considering the GEMA would find something about any video, be it the brass band in it, that they'd have to restrict.
This little poem came to my mind, after being inspired by a bunch of great people from all over the world. <3 "GEMA said I, thing of evil! - GEMA still, you heartless devil! - By the clouds that share above us - by the site we all adore, tell this soul with sorrow laden, where can I watch videos now! On this site, by GEMA haunted - tell me truly, I implore - Is there - is there reason to restrict - tell me - tell me, I implore! Quoth the GEMA, "Nevermore"."
So late last month there were the first news articles about the currently ongoing "63th. Berlinale" (a large film festival in Berlin, Germany, 7th-17th February 2013) and a certain British actor whose roles he played over the years are too plentiful to list also showed up on the guest list.
As the Berlinale started, more and more news surfaced, such as the info that "Night Train To Lisbon" (in which said actor plays a small role) would premiere on 13th. February, which it did.
So all day long, this crazy, never-sleeping fan kept searching the web for news, infos, pictures and videos, but wasn't too successful at first.
The first clue that I found - which was shared by several news websites - was that above mentioned actor said that it would be nice to have a black pope. (Now, that coming from a man who has outlived 7 popes [Pius XI (1922-1939), Pius XII (1939-1958), John XXIII (1958-1963), Paul VI (1963-1978), John Paul I (1978), John Paul II (1978-2005), Benedict XVI (2005-2013)]
Now, this actor is certainly not the only one who would want (or could imagine) a black pope, some family members and friends have suggested that as well when Benedikt XVI decided to quit. (I just wonder why suddenly everyone wants a black pope, are those people - and most of all someone who played the Death and the Devil on several occasions - expecting a black pope to automatically hold black masses?) [My brother means a black pope would be cool, because he'd probably make a good Hip Hop and Rap personality, given the robes, jewels and golden chains they wear by default. Sounds legit, but my question here would be, how would the new pope's acceptance speech sound? Would he start out with the words "Yo BrothaZ & SistaZ" or would he just say "Yo Homies"?]
But popes aside, there was work to be done, the Internet to be searched.
Late in the evening, it was almost (Mr.) Midnight, the first photo appeared in the Berliner Zeitung. ("geschlossene Gesellschaft" means "private"). Why the picture was released when it was already dark outside can only be speculated about - not mentioning a certain movie role here, as the Bild Zeitung and other places have done all day long already, and at some point even I don't find it funny anymore. >.<)
Later the night, more stuff started to appear, as if it was magic. (Oooor maybe the people who had been to the Berlinale finally managed to get home and/or find a quiet space with their portable computers to upload new images and videos). Or maybe it WAS magic, since after all, we have the wizard 'Saruman The White' here.
A Fan-made video which I found on YouTube shows this wonderful actor's arrival at the red carpet of the Berlinale. (Bear in mind that he will be 91 years old in May, and that he had an accident on the set of the movie "The Resident" in which he injured a vertebra).
There are plenty of images now from various news websites, and surely more will surface once the other people who were at the Berlinale wake up.
For me the question is now "To Be or Not To Be" or rather , To Sleep or Not To Sleep, because as I am finishing this article about a day in the life of a fan, the digital clock on my computer shows 5:48 am.
(Note: He probably played the role the news media always attaches to him less often than he played Germans).
The one and only, Sir Christopher Lee @ the 63th. Berlinale @ 13.02.2013
This is one of the days where I wish I hadn't slept til after lunch. (But obviously, I did).
When I (slowly) woke up and rolled out of bed around 1.30 pm, the news reported that Pope Benedikt XVI decided to step down from his "job" by February 28th, 2013 (due to reasons of old age and declining health). A lot of people were surprised and shocked by this.
So until a new Pope is elected, "Vacamus Papam". (latin: vacare = not have)
First of all, Happy New Year 2013 to everyone who reads this. :)
We have, against all odds of the Mayan Calendar, managed to survive into 2013 (but I think mainly because *we* had our new calendars already printed, and ready to put on the wall at the turn of the year - would have been a waste otherwise).
I hope 2013 will be a good and prosperous year for everyone who reads this (and for the writer of this blog, naturally).
I'm looking forward to the many things that are going to be happening this year, for example the release of the movies "Dead In 5 Heartbeats" and "Clear Lake" in my country (hopefully, anyway, given I live in the weird wilderness of nowhere!)
I'm also looking forward to the 50th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery, which is due to be happening on August 8th, 2013. It's highly likely that only the UK will get a good media coverage of it, though, because well, that's where it happened! I know that only a handful of the people who took part in the Great Train Robbery are alive now, but to those I wish all the best.
May God not only save the Queen, but also everyone who was mentioned in the Sex Pistols' song "No One Is Innocent", and also the following: JLL, ROA, YA, BS, FJK, FG, SC, WK, RGT, JPA, JGJ, SPS, SPMC.
So we survived the end of the Mayan Calendar - which is not too surprising, given that the 21st fell on the worst possible day *ever* for the world to end for reasons I mentioned in my last post.
But we won't know for sure that it happens, until it happens.
On that note, after surviving yet another world end (and hey, wasn't there one already in the year of 1984, which actually is my year of birth?) I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2013.
I have noticed that - despite it being Christmas - everyone seems to be quite active online, be it on Twitter, Facebook or various online games. Modern day Christmas time!
Of course there are always some more old fashioned ways to send Christmas greetings, which I also used, in form of Christmas Cards and Telephone Calls to people who are dear to me.
That's it for now - happy and all fed from 3 Christmas-y food-devouring days - but I'll be back to annoy you again in a few days, when we turn over the calendar to 2013 (or throw the old 2012 calendar out, for that matter!)
