They said you was hung!

As anyone who knows me well will tell you, my favourite all-time film is Blazing Saddles. Now I tried showing my kids this classic pice of cinematic genius, but they were not impressed. I guess that the use of the 'N' word renders this film now as a museum piece, like the D W Griffith film 'Birth Of A Nation' (look it up, I'm not doing it all for you). I guess one of the good things about modern life is that people are more tolerant of minorities. Certainly, at the local comprehensive my two both had friends of all colours, ethnic backgrounds and different sexual persuasions. When I was a lad the only black kid I knew was Phil who lived one road up from me, and he was a foster kid to a white family. I didn't get to know any gay people until I started my part time job at the Bedford Hotel, and although they say 1 in 4 men are gay I certainly to this day don't know of any kids at our all boys school that are (or were) gay. But I'm prepared to listen to any gossip that says otherwise. As I've got a glass of wine on the go and I'm feeling particularly lazy tonight after a long day, here's a way to fill up space. Going back to my first sentence, here it is - another list - my 10 all-time favourite films!

1) Blazing Saddles
2) The Deerhunter
3) Casablanca
4) Pulp Fiction
5) The Conversation
6) Angels With Dirty Faces
7) Life of Brian
8) Monty Python And The Holy Grail
9) One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
10) Duck Soup

Any you're not familiar with please check out on www.imdb.com

Until next time pop pickers, when I will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the birth of Radio 1!!

Hughesy

Pass me my flat cap and driving gloves

As I get the bus and/or train to work I don't do a lot of driving, but this weekend I seemed to be on the road more than I am normally. One thing that I noticed were the number of drivers that steadfastly refuse to use indicators. That is something that really bugs me as it's a fundamental part of driving and can be very dangerous if you don't do it. Have all new drivers been told not to use them so much? Does it save wearing the bulbs out? I know learners are taught to go into neutral gear when slowing down at traffic lights etc but using indicators is a safety factor.
No list today, but some observations on being 50 as found by a regular poser Frank

SOME OF THE PERKS OF BEING 50
1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation, you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run -- anywhere.
4. People call at 9 p.m. and ask, "Did I wake you?"
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won't wear out.
8. You can eat dinner at 4 p.m.
9. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
10. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

It's really not fair is it? My teenage son goes out, drinks 10 pints of lager, comes home at 5 in the morning and then spends the most part of the day in bed sleeping it off. And he's only 13 (joke). I spend a long afternoon and evening with my friends having a few drinks, quite a bit but nowhere near 10 pints and I can't sleep it off because either a) I have to get up to do something the next day or b) I have to get in 3 times in the night to relieve my ageing 50 year old bladder. Life's not fair, youth is wasted on the young! Although, it seems to be much more difficult for youngsters to get drunk in pubs these days. When I was a 15 year old all you had to do to get served in a pub was grow a beard (obviously this was quite difficult for the girls). nowadays you can be a David Bellamy lookalike (compost corner!) but if they suspect you are not 18 then you are not getting a drink.
This afternoon myself and DC (one of my ever growing band of posters) are off to Teddington to watch a live tv show called 'Not Going Out' being recorded. I've never been to one of these so I'm looking forward to it, and it's another thing to tick off the list of 'things to do before I die' list. I guess it might be time to revise the list as it seems England have solved their left-sided midfield problem.
Anyway, just to stir up a bit of controversy as people will have their own choices, and just to show that all of my cultural references don't end in 1979, heres a short list of some of my favourite films since 2000.

1) Bubba Ho-Tep - Elvis and JFK battle the mummy. No really, check it out it's great.
2) King Kong - Big monkey climbs Empire State Building, fantastic.
3)Hi-Fidelity - for music lovers everywhere.
4) Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? - Homer's Odyssey set in the Deep South in the 1930's
5) Downfall - Adolf gets his comeuppance.
6) Kill Bill vols 1 and 2 - live and manga action.
7) Vera Drake - great recreation of the 1950s.
8) United 93 - but you know the ending.
9) Lord Of The Rings trilogy - I love hobbits
10) Little Miss Sunshine - a road movie with a difference

My first poster!

Thanks to DC Smart for being the first person to post a comment on my blog. I would like to thank the other person that posted a comment, but sadly that's me as I was answering DC's first comment. Come on you miserable bastards, its easier to register and it's better than emails flying back and forward.
Following my recent entry regarding the film Zulu, I had an email from Ozzy Meeres (Ozzy, you should have posted this as a comment!). Apparently the actor Nigel Green (who played Colour Sergeant Bourne in the film - you must remember, keep up!) may have owned the Meeres' house, although he's also been told it was two doors up from him so I don't know what to believe. Apparently Steve Harley's nan used to live in my road but I don't know if she is still around. Although having said that, the old lady down the shops the other day was humming Judy Teen.....