My dahlings, hoping that your weekend is going to be nothing less than glorious, I hope you’ll enjoy this live rendition of I’m Your Man, one of the greatest love songs ever written and performed by the heavenly talented Leonard Cohen!

It’s a great song, it’s a great way to spend one’s life. Being anything and everything for your significant other.

I write this with my heart filled with love and respect for the greatest man I’ve ever known. The greatest man, the greatest father, the greatest friend, the greatest teacher, the greatest anything and everything in my life. My Adored Husband. I love you! My world begins and ends with you!

Thank you for being with me in this amazing adventure and I hope you’re enjoying it just as much as we are. Now, about Leonard:

Leonard Norman Cohen was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1934 (September 21st) and his writing skills came through during his college years while his first poetry book was published in 1956 with works from his teenage years, in 5 years he dropped a second book and from then on, his writing road to success was paved with poetry and novels until 2011 when he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for literary merits.

Did you know that in the late 60s, Leonard Cohen was one of the prominent artistic figures fathered by Andy Warhol’s “Factory”? It was during the folk period (Cohen) experienced in the U.S., seeking musical recognition (and financial retribution). The road was long but he finally found the music stage success he was looking for. I’m Your Man is dated 1988. It’s actually an album which marked a turning point in Cohen’s musical career. His sound changed. Again. He toured intensively and continued writing and singing, even drawing.

His latest album was released in January 2012, called “Old Ideas” dealing with mortality, faith, redemption. But back to I’m Your Man – the album was reportedly one of Tom Waits favorite albums. It’s also the title of a tribute film and album released in 2006. Bottom line – if you want, Leonard Cohen is on tour this year, from August 2012. Starting with Europe and moving to the U.S. and native Canada from October 2012 (until December 2012). It’s one of those concerts you won’t want to miss.

Leonard Cohen I’m Your Man

We did. And we were very pleasantly surprised by it! As you know, we’re not big fans of teaser trailers. In fact, we love experiencing a movie firsthand, without being teased at all, without seeing any trailer or reading anything previous to actually watching the movie. First is first: I’ll start by sharing the wonderful soundtrack of Battleship: AC / DC Thunderstruck – and continue the talk after the jump!

I’m a big ACDC fan. With capital B. In fact, I love their music so much (and particularly Thunderstruck), that whenever I feel trailing, whenever I lack motivation or I simply want to get a quick adrenaline shot, I listen to it. Thunderstruck is sheer magic for me. It’s part of why I’ll always be a hard rocker at heart. (I chose a live rendition of Thunderstruck because it shows the energy flow going from the band into the crowd and backwards. Perfection!)

I know that last week I was all about flower – power, peace and all, and so I brought you King’s Hey. A glorious tune I love listening every now and then because it has the effect of a yoga class in the middle of the day. It simply disconnects me, makes me dream of Motown times (wink). But ACDC is different. It’s about jazzing up. So? Did it jazz you up? Because now I’ll get into some Battleship talk!

So – Battleship, huh? With Rihanna! To be honest, we were hesitant about watching it. But then we read that Liam Neeson was part of the Battleship cast. And we just loooove Liam. He’s such a great actor! Such complex theatrical register – he can be commercial without diluting any of his acting skills and he can be so epic, it’ll get stuck like a bone into any movie consumer’s neck. There are movies I can’t think of without thinking Liam Neeson (one of them is “The Grey” – have you seen it?)

And then there was this young man (Taylor Kitsch) we’ve seen perform in John Carter. Which was, in our humble opinion, a great movie sunk by Star Wars enthusiasts. Andrew Stanton gets a standing ovation from us for his great directing work in his first motion picture (Andrew Stanton is the brilliant creative mind behind Wall – E)! Well done! Don’t let haters get to you, the simple truth that George Lucas took so much from John Carter and put into Star Wars should’ve pushed people into cinemas, not keep them away. But we all know that bad advertising is like bad breath. You just want to stay away. And John Carter was really into some bad advertising (I won’t bother you with more details, but if you’re interested, you can read more about John Carter and its bad marketing here).

So what was I saying? Ah, yes, Battleship cast talk: Alexander Skarsgard was the next headliner. Which is all the same to us. He’s one of those actors who leaves me completely indifferent. I’m aware that this may seem unbelievable to many of you (especially girls, especially True Blood fans), but it’s the plain truth. Now. About Rihanna: I’ve rarely seen someone who is a stranger to acting do such a tremendously good work in a motion picture (at least as far as movies are concerned. I’m sure music videos demand some acting skills as well)! The girl is gifted, I’ll give her that! She was really into character, she was really in that movie, all the way! Much to my surprise, I was very pleased with Rihanna’s character game. Bravo!

Oh, and just to clear things up – you know I won’t talk spoilers, so if you were expecting some Battleship facts, there are none (which will reveal something about the movie plot in any way). I even refused myself the pleasure of including here ACDC’s Thunderstruck video with images from the actual Battleship movie. However, I will say this much: if you want entertainment and you’ve had it with watching the Transformers over and over again, Battleship is your next destination! It’s a movie sustained more by its visual effects than by the theatrical plot in itself. It’s an entertaining movie, one that’ll empty your head and will keep you watching the Armageddon – like action without any other artistic claims. Which is great, every now and then! (with images from here and here)

ACDC Thunderstruck From Battleship Soundtrack

I tried to find a decent video, unfortunately, there is none I can include here and keep the serene feeling flowing. So here’s an audio only of the brilliantly talented King girls! (they were the opening act for Prince, so if you’re into this kind of groove, keep them in your playlist! here their website, so you can connect and support if you like the King girls! I’m definitely under their spell.) Have a great Sunday, keep true to your heart!

King Hey

But this is not why I’m bringing them here today. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a really special day, and this is a really special music video for our dear friend, Adriana. (did I mention it’s her birthday today? Happy Birthday! once more!) And this is one of her favorite songs (from what I heard, her favorite Abba song, actually). So Have a Wonderful Earth Day!

I keep on being amazed of the creativity and the incredible talents coming from Sweden! (visiting Sweden is one of my dream voyages I hold close to my heart). Winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 was the starting point of ABBA’s huge success. Two married couples (who, at the peak of their fame, got divorced): Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson – the name of the band being formed of the band’s members initials.

Although they never really called it quits (officially, at least), the band is considered dissolved since 1983 and they didn’t appear in public as a foursome until the Swedish premiere of “Mamma Mia!”, the musical in 2005 and the movie, in July 2008 (oh, I loved that movie!) Can you believe they actually refused a $1 Billion offer? (which meant 100 concerts as the old Abba band) Amazing! (more about their story here)

ABBA Eagle

They say Mr Slowhand, Eric Clapton is the guitar we’re hearing in this special sign language video directed by Wally Pfister (Inception, The Dark Knight). Three versions are available: one with both Natalie Portman and Jack Sparrow… ahem Johnny Depp, one with just Natalie Portman and one with just Johnny. I can’t really pick a favorite, but I think I’ll stop here and watch them all again. (and again, less is so much more!)

Natalie Portman And Johnny Depp’s My Valentine

How fun was April Fool’s Day growing up? Let’s take a walk down memory lane with the most amazing “prank” I know: Michael Jackson’s Liberian Girl! Not only is it packed with famous people, but it fits the theme like a glove! Missing you, Michael! (there’ll be no after story, so let’s just enjoy this! Have a wonderful April, my lovelies!)

Michael Jackson Liberian Girl

I tried to find a good moment to share one of my favorite songs ever, performed by two very talented artists who always make me feel peaceful and fill my heart with shining light: Dido and A. R Rahman. I think that now it’s a good day to listen “If I Rise”. It’s one of the Original Songs nominated for an Oscar award last year (2011) for it’s from the original soundtrack of Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours”. So if you’re not familiar with the movie, be warned, the following video is definitely a spoiler. If you don’t want to know anything about “127 Hours” previous to actually watching the film, just close your eyes and let yourself carried away by the wonderful music!

Dido wrote the lyrics for If I Rise with her brother, Rollo, but the real magic comes from A. R. Rahman’s music. His harpejji (the instrument you see him touching in the video) is ethereal and calls for no other comment about this song. Just listen to it. It’s powerful yet soft, it’s glittery yet dark. I really hope you enjoyed it! (as for the movie – I kept away – even the video was strong enough to make my heart twist and turn; so I don’t plan on watching it any time soon either. Maybe, one day…)

Dido & A.R Rahman If I Rise

The kids were all down with this nasty flu virus, it kept coming and going, like it wouldn’t let go of them! Anyway, now they’re all fine, all four of them, and so are we. I think. Although I’m typing this with sore throat and a hot cup of tea in front of me. (we’re still recovering so I’ll keep this break – reloaded short.) It’s Nellie McKay’s The Very Thought Of You, a rendition of a dear song interpreted by Doris Day.

Part of Nellie’s 2009 album “Normal as Blueberry Pie – A Tribute to Doris Day”, “The Very Thought of You” was originally written and composed in 1934 by Ray Noble and Doris sung it in the movie “Young Man With a Horn”:

However, back to Nellie: not only is she a quirky, talented singer (with five albums already), but she’s also an actress (PS. I Love You). If you’re watching Boardwalk Empire, this upcoming tune may sound very familiar! Also, if you want to know more about Nellie McKay, her colorful website is full of precious info. How do you like her?

Nellie McKay The Very Thought Of You

I remember someone said once, explaining to a wee kid, that people aren’t dead, when they die – they just go on an island somewhere. Whitney Houston went on a journey, yesterday, to that very island! Somewhere around 4PM, February 11th 2012, Whitney we all knew and loved was pronounced dead.

Everyone knew and witnessed the mess that she was, her life was public and everyone could see and judge. Just like we could see and judge Amy Winehouse. And Michael Jackson. And so many other immensely talented people who brought so much joy to others and less to themselves.

It must be an artist thing – exchanging your personal life’s satisfaction with the stage life satisfaction. Giving everything, expecting the same and receiving the worse in return. Of course we want to know what happened! If she overmedicated, everyone will be relieved and say: see? That’s why she died! She brought that upon herself with her hectic, superficial, weak way. And they’ll say life goes on, and they’ll move on. Forgetting.

Whitney is dead. I can’t believe it. I don’t even care why they die on us, I don’t even care to know the cause of their passing. I only want to remember them as they were. Troubled and oh – so – talented! What they do outside the stage, outside the recordings studio is their businesses. It’s their life. They already gave us so much!

Whitney, you gave us so much! Thank you! And forgive me, us, for closing our eyes and ears to the troubles you were in just because we only wanted to see and hear your bright side! There’s a dark side to the Moon, let alone to every one of us!

Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You!

So we watched Contraband. It’s currently running, so you can catch it too if you want. And it’s really worth the trouble! Plus the amazing soundtrack, so it’s double the fun! J. Roddy Walston and The Business Don’t Break the Needle in a live session for your pleasure! Enjoy, and enjoy your fabulous weekend too!

Contraband first! You know me: I’m no spoiler, so if you made it this far, after the jump, you won’t read no spoil fun backstage movie facts from me! I will say this much, though: it’s a great movie! Action packed, suspense filled, great entertainment! Also, an American remake, people! How about that? 2012 barely wrapping its first month, we went to the movies just a couple of times and we can already count two Hollywood remakes among the movies we’ve seen!

So what’s behind Contraband? Reykjavik – Rotterdam (Iceland’s biggest budget movie up to date, also their official submission to 82nd edition of the Oscars, in 2010)! Wait, it gets better – Contraband is directed by Reykjavik – Rotterdam’s lead actor, Baltasar Kormakur! We haven’t seen the Iceland – made one (and I doubt we will after seeing the Hollywood remake) so if you did, please be so kind and share your feelings about the original?

Now about the Original soundtrack of the said remake? It’s really rock’n’roll! I loved it! Sadly, I couldn’t locate a video version for Boom Boom Boom Boom as interpreted by Big Head Todd & The Monsters (with a little help from the great John Lee Hooker – the closing title song – you can hear it here; my third favorite is Ryan Shaw’s Mama May I – listen to it here) so I included my second favorite song “Don’t Break the Needle” only in a live set. I love the gospel rock, all rough, all old school from J Roddy Walston and his Business! It makes me think there’s still hope for the unsettled spirits who love the good ol’ rock’n’roll! (there’s more about J Roddy Walston and The Business here and Contraband’s OST is available here)

Contraband Soundtrack: J Roddy Walston And The Business Don’t Break The Needle