Mamma Mia!

A weak storyline (girl is going to marry, doesn't know her father and invites her - based on her mother's diary - three possible dads to the wedding, leads to happy endings all over the place) and very little professional singing (except for the lovely Amanda Seyfried) didn't keep me from having a great time watching "Mamma Mia!", the cinematic version of the celebrated ABBA musical.
The film is feel good cinema pur sang, Colin Firth is great in his part, and how could I not enjoy a movie full of ABBA songs? You might consider it a guilty pleasure, but I feel no shame. I've been loving their music since I was a little girl and it was hard for me not to start singing along to their many hits during 'Mamma Mia!'.
However, be warned: Pierce Brosnan is possibly the worst singer alive. His version of 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' is already legendary, but not exactly for the right reasons.

Some bits from the film,

An Iranian in UK

A couple of days ago I watched The Omid Djalili Show on television. It's a comedy show build up around Omid Djalili, a British actor and stand-up comedian with Iranian roots. Wikipedia taught me he's pretty famous in (and even out of) the UK, but I hadn't heard about him before his show came on Belgian television. I can understand why he's so popular, though. It's been a while since I had to laugh that hard. To share the fun, here are some vids:

Tina Barney

Seldomly seen more interesting ways of portraiting.

Evil woman

Please explain me, because I don't seem to get it. Why on earth do so many Americans support this woman??

No°13!

He did it! (and seems like he's back in great shape, very promising for the next season)

Congrats to Andy as well, though.

Come on, Roger!

Usually I support Andy Murray. In fact, there's only one person against whom I wouldn't support him. Of course, I'm talking about my favourite tennis hero Roger Federer! Tonight these guys are competing each other for the US Open 2008 title, and there's a lot at stake.

Murray can win his first Grand Slam and finally bring some tennis glory to the Brits.

Federer can make up for an average season (let's say, a good or even great season for any other player, but not as much as we are used from Roger) ànd win his 13th slam (which would mean he's coming really close to Pete Sampras' 14 slams record).

Now, don't you think Roger deserves this? Especially considering Andy is still very young and has probably still quite a future ahead of him.

Well, I do. Go Roger!

Would she miss a job that sex- that sexual?

Last week I went to see The Faint in the Botanique in Brussels. They were awesome! I've seldomly seen bands that are as energetic as those five guys from Nebraska, they're really great to watch (especially the singer who is looking like a crossbread between a pilot and a pharmacist the way he is dressed). The setlist was excellent, including all of their best songs from the old albums, but also from the new one called 'Fasciinatiion'.

The Botanique

Cafeneon, the support act (a band from Brussels bringing the shoegaze era back to life, pretty good)

The Faint

a little film of The Faint I made (crappy quality, but ah well)

Bruxelles en bleu

I took some pictures in the city of Brussels on my way to the Botanique (botanic gardens and gig venue in the centre of Brussels, I was going to see The Faint) earlier this week.

You say it's your birthday

My sister's 15th birthday is only next week, but we already threw her a little party last weekend.

delicious chocolate birthday cake with an ehm, French text on it, that's what happens when you buy pie in Brussels... my sister Iris and my cousin Jana

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder was on television yesterday night and was pretty much amazing. That galling atmosphere is still haunting me.

And how great and cute is Tim Robbins in this film?

22 grand job - in the city it's alright

Today was the first day of my student job, which I'll be doing for the next three weeks. It's the same job I did last year, adminstrative work in the call centre of a company that sells liquid oxygen (for lung patients etc). The tasks I have to do are "pretty boring stuff" (to quote Das Pop), but I honestly did have a good time. I was especially glad to 'reunite' with 'my' collegues, who are such great people.

Sometimes I think I can smell light

On Friday, I finally made it to the art exhibition "It's not only rock 'n roll baby!" at the Bozar in Brussels. It's an exhibition showing a variation of arts (paintings, drawings, installations, photography etc) by a quite extensive amount of musicians, for example the likes of The Kills, Chicks on Speed, Pete Doherty (the famous blood paintings) and many more.

I had been wanting to go there for already quite a long time and was pleased to hear Phara was glad to join me. The exhibition turned out to be really ample, so we've spent there quite some time. Some artists' work was a bit too pretentious for me to really like it, but I've also discovered a lot of beautiful and inventive work. A couple of exhibits I really liked were those by Riceboy Sleeps (project of Jonsi from Sigur Rós and his partner Alex Somers from Parachutes), Pete Doherty (I appreciate the fact that he put the focus on his drawings, not on the blood - that would've been too "let's make some shocking morbid paintings and show everybody what a freak I am". It did struck me that he has loads of blood, though), Bent Van Looy (Das Pop), Nick Zimmer (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Fischerspooner (at least they put up a party).

Of course we finished our Bozar trip by (searching and) visiting the shop. I bought a book about the exhibition and a The Kills button.

In a week or two there's the finissage to this exhibition - be there!

(you couldn't take pictures there, so I just made photographs from my book - excuse the quality)

Bianca from CocoRosie

Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty (I've bought a t-shirt with this print when I was at the Babyshambles gig in Brussels earlier this year)

Brian Eno's light trip ("just like MSD") - took a while before we got it

The Kills' polaroids

Miss Kittin - made me laugh a bit ("where is royksopp?")

Kembra Pfahler
Kembra Pfahler

Riceboy Sleeps
Riceboy Sleeps

Patti Smith

Bent Van Looy

Alan Vega

Nick Zimmer

the entire list of musicians who were part of the project

my Kills button

Paris day 4