You had plenty money 1922

there are theatre updates I need to post. Kiss Me Kate & Rock of Ages.

but anyway ah the fun of when mates get their dates wrong and you have to grovel to the ticket office...

(I have my Tempest and my Dream tickets for the Globe. Macbeth and Henry VIs will be booked closer to the time. Tempest has Roger Allam and Colin Morgan for those interested.)

six nations - didn't watch last weekend as was busy seeing Lincoln (recommended, brilliant performances, giggled muchly at casting directors clearly phoning up David Strathairn and Tommy Lee Jones and going 'look, we're not going to bother auditioning these roles, just turn up, will you?', though as many reports said, they could've easily cut it ten minutes short - there's a natural cutting shot) and on my soon-to-be-sister-in-law's hen night the day before. which was fun, if a little odd since I didn't know anyone. And got told by a bunch of people 'you're obviously Matt's sister, you've got the same eyes'. (news to me and my parents) Wedding is this weekend. this will be... a bit odd, I suppose.

But anyway: Six nations, second weekend. Scotland vs Italy lots of fun. Wales vs France was seriously DULL. (agreed by my brother the rugby nut) Seriously, it only cheered up whenever Leigh Halfpenny turned up due to the eyecandy factor. Also the camerawork is crap in the Stade du France. why he was focussing on their feet during the scrums was beyond us. England vs Ireland - did not stop pissing it down (like most of UK this weekend) very entertaining, but all the points were from penalty kicks. (we're suspecting the lack of attempts at tries was due to the fact that the pitch was so waterlogged you couldn't run more than 10 yards at a time) There was an awful lot of grappling, though. Eyecandy and mud most pleasing.

:cough: someone on twitter accused the female viewers of just watching because it was trendy. Someone else: 'please check the #thighs tag. you underestimate how shallow we are.'

At the pubmeet yesterday, Gideon and Jen announced that they had a special gift for me from Picocon.

Cue them presenting me with a video of 'Ewoks : The Battle For Endor'. Whilst I gaped in horror, entire pubmeet fell about laughing, it was revealed it had been saved from the nitrogen bath of dodgy merchandise (you bid to be the one who gets to smash it with a hammer after it's been dipped in nitrogen) because they knew someone who would experience horror and torment by being given this. Rest of pubmeet has demanded I watch it and post a detailed review with live tweeting. THEY ARE SICK, SICK PEOPLE. Let no-one tell you otherwise.

There was gossip about Comic Relief, tormenting of Pete with MOAR AMYS and other such stuff.

Watched Rugby. cringed and grudgingly clapped Ireland when they won because they were playing decent rugby. Unlike England, who did not appear to know where the field was.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been cast as Albert Falcone in the new Batman. Heather will now squee somethign chronic. And wait for the eames_arthur lot to start writing creepy weak-seeming (actually psycho serial killer starting a gang war) mobster's son meeting tactical genius built like a brick shithouse criminal slash.

And later I'm off to watch various West End stalwarts sing Michael Bruce songs in the bar of Mamma Mia.

Ah, it's that time of year again. Eyecandy and violence, aka Six Nations.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm hummina MMMMMMmmmmmmm Jonny Wilkinson. How does that man stay so pretty in a sport where 99% of the team have cauliflower ears and broken noses? But rather amused in the line-up for singing that his teammate completely eclipsed him. I know his position doesn't have to be big, but christ. if Jonny Wilkinson is small, how big are the rest?

Ireland/Italy. Good god, yawn much? Even the tries were boring. When it comes to awarding Man of the Match and one of the commentators goes 'Well, we had to award it to someone' you know it's bad.

England/Wales much more fun. Wales so tiny compared to England. Wales completely forget they're playing England and try a running game and screw up the first half. Seriously. Everyone knows England play a grinder game, objective #1 being 'Stop the other side moving at all'. Slightly peeved that I missed the Alun Wyn Jones stupidity and they didn't replay it. Second half, I will admit that that was a nice little run and try from Hook after his muppetness when it came to scoring penalties in the first half.

Sunday, didn't bother with Scotland/France. But considering since about midweek parents and I had had a gradually cautious ramping up of curiosity about Invictus, we went and saw it at 6pm. And yay, it is of the good. Usual spare gritty storytelling and camerawork from Clint Eastwood (I'd spent part of Friday explaining this style to Mum), brilliant performance from Morgan Freeman (who has apparently spent bloody years having tea with and observing Mandela), the only problem being that he didn't giggle enough and that you were always aware that it was Freeman *playing* Mandela (unlike, say, Helen Mirren as the Queen or Forest Whittaker as Idi Amin). Matt Damon was good as François Pienaar, as was everyone else. Many giggles came from the game scenes. Because against the actors playing the Springboks, he looks about the right size, and he'd be the right general size for the '95 team. However, come the game scenes where he was inserted into the scrums against current day players and he looks so tiny! The complete non-sensationalism style worked very well for the story, and watching Mandela latching onto how big a symbol the rugby could be was very well done. A good portion of the story is told from the POV of the security team, which really, really works. Great acting, good script with much wry humour, and no, the symbolism isn't overplayed because hello, that's how it was. Also, if you see any reviews complaining about too much rugby - no, there wasn't. Fit perfectly. And Bend It Like Beckham now has a rival for 'by the sainted boots of Bobby Robson, sport that looks engaging onscreen!' Oh, and they had them watching bits of other matches. I'd forgotten how funny Jonah Lomu trampling English players was. Also, heh on the bit in the tunnel where they're showing the Springboks going 'ohshitohshit Lomu'.

Would like to see other opinions, especially from any South Africans. need to go check on the american opinions to see how they took it. Not sure where the whining about not explaining the rules comes from, as they *do* explain bits, as the black half of the security team have no idea either. Will be amused if this film changes the 'rugby isn't so tough' perception some Americans have, since they show how beaten up you get.


snowing outside. eyeing it with caution as I didn't bring my leggings today and am not wearing the shitkicker boots.