@badger5000.bsky.social Welcome to Totinge

A Few Good Men. Best in Show. A Mighty Wind. Miss Congeniality. Barcelona. All three movies in Linklater's "Before" trilogy. Music & Lyrics. Michael Clayton. All films that were able to be made because of the production company Reiner co-founded in order to give talented filmmakers creative freedom.

Very sad news about Rob Reiner coming through.

This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites. The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.

Sad that the main news had no room for Stanley Baxter, the face of Hogmanay for about two decades

To the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth. Founded by the well-travelled married couple Merton and Annie and opened to the public in 1922.

Our government's policy on Europe is heavily influenced by a desire not to alienate dead people.

‘There is No Antimimetics Division’ by @qntm.org. An extraordinary novel. It’s like having SF concepts injected straight into your eyeballs. Very highly recommended.

At the Bear Club in Luton waiting for the excellent Jazz Dynamos.

In the years to come, the Gabba Test came to be known as the ‘Brook Test’ following Harry Brook’s match winning double century in the second innings which heralded a decade of batting hegemony… #Ashes

I’ve been lucky enough to visit two Frank Gehry galleries this year - the Bilbao Guggenheim and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. They are both astonishing buildings.

#5debutalbums7074 Over 50 years on the early Virgin records era is my favourite musical period and these debuts by Henry Cow and Hatfield & the North are nailed on. Beautiful, sometimes whimsical, endlessly listenable.

Yeah, this is a good one (now on Netflix).

In receipt of Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator by @joebankswriter.bsky.social and very much looking forward to reading it!

So, happy 50th anniversary to Melody Maker’s review of Bohemian Rhapsody: “Queen, with a suitably baroque vocal orchestration, contrive to approximate the demented fury of the Balham Amateur Operatic Society performing The Pirates of Penzance”

As a survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Viola Ford Fletcher bravely shared her story so that we’d never forget this painful part of our history. Michelle and I are grateful for her lifelong work to advance civil rights, and send our love to her family.

Terrific small exhibition of Ursula K Le Guin’s maps at the Architectural Association in Bedford Sq, London until 6 December. Beautifully designed by Standard Deviation, creating a ‘blue forest’.

In an interview in the latest Prog magazine, Peter Hammill does not rule out Van der Graaf Generator playing live again or recording a new album (but “I haven’t come up with that material yet”). He has a new solo album ready to roll and another album’s worth underway.

Just remembered that I should still be watching the Test Match this morning

Pleased to have lucked across Thomas Jones’ ‘A Wall in Naples’ (c1782) in the National Gallery. A tiny, beguiling painting. As featured in the BBC series The Story of Welsh Art a few years back.

shout out to the dad at the cinema who couldn't get seats with his family, so brought them their snacks and drinks, got them settled, then came and sat next to me and immediately fell asleep for the entirety of Wicked: For Good

A lifetime of waking up to this sort of news…

Having been intrigued by Bruce listening to Suicide’s ‘Frankie Teardrop’ in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, I note that he lets out some very Alan Vega like shrieks on Nebraska’s ‘State Trooper’ (2’ 30” and near the end).

Reminding all England fans of the close of play score at the end of the first Test in Brisbane 2010 - England 510-1. (Photo by me).

Well, this wasn’t forecast!

Labour seem to now come up with a new kamikaze nosedive operation to alienate social liberals while failing to attract Reform curious voters every month. Then back off again in face of anger from progressives and failure among social conservatives. A doom loop which may yet kill them off altogether.

@lordbonkers.bsky.social Malcolm Saville books seen in Durham Oxfam this weekend. All first edition hardbacks at £6.99. Lone Pine London. Christmas at Nettleford Sea Witch Comes Home The Secret of the Gorge Treasure at Amorys

@andrewdonkin.bsky.social Ooh, looking forward to this!

Coming soon! Premiere: Saturday 29th November, 9pm. Directed by #JeanLucGodard BREATHLESS (1960) starring #JeanPaulBelmondo #JeanSeberg New-wave crime drama in French with English #TPTVsubtitles

Ooh, that is major!

At Durham for the Lumiere.

So this morning I get an urgent email for a same day cardiology appointment at my local treatment centre. I was surprised (and alarmed) but fine. I moved things around and went there a few minutes ago. Only there was no real appointment. The receptionist said I wasn't supposed to receive any 1/

Tatsuya Nakadai (1932–2025)

Stepping stones in the village of Bruton in Somerset. I’m not risking it.

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery - which is very much worth a visit - has a small exhibition on of Turner paintings of the area. Hers a watercolour he did of St Mary Redcliffe when he was 16.

The only Jack deJohnette performance I know well is on The Hapless Child and he is sensational. RIP.

It's finally happened. Christmas cancelled in Kent because Operation Raise the Colours tatty lamp post flags prevent the Christmas lights going up. www.harrietshamparishcouncil.gov.uk/community/ha...

The Hamnet memorial in the grounds of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare is buried.

What a filmmaker.

Published just in time for my birthday, Justin John Doherty’s mammoth exploration of DON’T LOOK NOW. 420 pages with many unpublished photos and documents. Looking forward to delving in.

Coming to the end of an extended break in Stratford-upon-Avon. Have been to all the superbly managed Shakespeare sites, seen an excellent Measure to Measure at the RSC, taken a boat trip and been genuinely amazed at the Butterfly Farm (which includes 3m leaf cutter ants).

Here Lam explicitly sets out her proposal - which is official Conservative Party policy - to deport long-standing legal permanent residents who have *ever* claimed any benefit, including the state pension or child benefit (even if the child is British), or who earn less than £39K.

Tory policy is to revoke permanent residence (ILR) for everybody who does not earn £38k - deporting most nurses who have ILR This is put in the video as "who is unlikely to contribute more than they cost" NB: video does not say EU settled status is exempt No govt since Idi Amin has done this

Amazing story in The Times. Reform UK failed to pay VAT to HMRC on its sales (tickets, merchandise). About £400k in all. Not tax avoidance. Not tax evasion. They just didn't realise when you sell stuff you have to charge VAT.

“Our parents aren’t having children…”

The first band I ever saw live in June 1971 was Wishbone Ash and, as it stands, they are currently also the most recent band I’ve seen. My first time in over 50 years.

Love this about Diane Keaton from the Guardian: In 1996, Keaton adopted a daughter, Dexter (named after Cary Grant’s character in The Philadelphia Story) Farewell.

Alela Diane leading off a line-up at Hackney Church that is shortly to include The Earlies!

@alectasker.bsky.social On the other hand…