Long cut

Friday was basketball at the Entertainment Centre with CM, AM and K. The poor old Kings were pipped at the post and we pissed on at the Pumphouse. Saturday was tea with AZ. Greek salad, Jewish chicken soup with matzo balls, and a crumble of unknown origin. And wine. And lots and lots of songs. Sunday was UFC London. Sydney's James Te Huna survived a first-round onslaught that would've killed a lesser man, modified his strategy, dominated the next two and took the decision. And that was after he and his cornermen had come out suited up as Men In Black and done a choreographed dance routine that even UFC President Dana White, who normally hates theatrics, admitted he liked.


TV: DreamWorks' "Dragons: Riders Of Berk" (2012) is about 65% good as "How To Train Your Dragon", the 2010 flick from which it spun off.
CD: "Olias Of Sunhillow" (1976) by Jon Anderson
iPad: "10000000" - what have you done, SC?
Fat gut: Eta Skof Cheese & Onion Munchos. These are like the offsping of a C&O crisp and a pork scratching.


A pal posted this to a Facebook music club and, 20+ listens later, I love it to smithereens - www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvAnfi8WpVE

Profoundly and not at all

Saw us take on the Windies in an ODI at the SCG. They won the toss and batted. Our bowlers ripped in and it looked done at 6/55...until Kieron Pollard embarked on an innings of masterful control, reaching 109 not out and raising the team total to a scarcely believable 220. That Australia ultimately cruised to victory with five overs and five wickets to spare didn't matter - we'd gone from no contest to a semi-decent one, and we were thankful. The half-time entertainment was the Sneaky Sound System and frontspunk Connie Mitchell was in fine voice (not to mention a lycra bodysuit). The organisers had encouraged folks to rock up in fancy dress and many did. On the way to the ground, I passed Darth Vader holding a whiteboard marked "Luke - you're adopted", as well as Willy Wonka leading a troupe of singing Oompa-Loompas. Inside, there were numerous others, including Angry Birds, hula girls, Marios and Luigis, Muppets, superheroes, and banditos on horseback, i.e. in horse-shaped comedy trousers.

Pro wrestling immortal Mick Foley does stand-up gigs now. He's currently on tour with a Perth-born, UK-based comic named Brendon Burns and they were at the Enmore on Saturday. BB did an hour of sweary rasslin'-related gags. The best involved his fondness for heckling and holding up smart-arse signs at WWE shows (claims backed up with video evidence). I laughed plenty. MF was on for the next 45 minutes, sharing humorous tales of his days on the road and - still, after all these years - making cracks about Al Snow. He fielded a few questions from the audience and then ignored 'em and went off on tangents. Mick and Brendon did a bit of a double act before things ended on a surreal note as Mick repeatedly failed to get us to hum a Warren Zevon melody. The crazy, battle-damaged, loveable bastard.


TV: NRL All Stars Game, "The Crew"
iPad: "Pitfall!", "Spellwood"
Fat gut: Jaffa Supa Shakes

Bleats by Dr Sheep

BLUE OYSTER CULT ARE TOURING!!!


TV: The inaugural Robert Hughes Memorial Lecture delivered by Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, on the subject "The Shock Of The Thing" - as replayed on A-PAC. History brought to life through key artifacts and revealed as more interconnected, geographically and culturally, and more terrible than we perhaps imagined.
CD: "Room To Run" (2012) by States is indescribably sweet.