DarrenByrne.com

Or Tips to Get Through the Downturn:

A Doris/Magee Short Film

I think myself one of these people who ‘count their blessings’, ‘smell the roses’ and pretty much enjoys the little things in life. Well, lately I’ve been so busy that I really haven’t had a second to sit and scratch myself. So…this is it right now.

What have I been up to? I’m involved in a couple of projects that are really exciting and a lot of fun. On Saturday and Sunday I found myself getting stressed out and flustered by them, until I copped that it’s all supposed to be fun. Taking my own advice (if you’re not happy, change something), I stepped back from it and took stock. It’s all coming together nicely.

I’ve barely read a single blog in recent weeks, even the ‘regulars’. Trying to catch up today and I find myself smiling a lot.

My camera has seen a lot of use lately, none of which I’m permitted to blog about just yet, so this space remains empty:

Socially speaking, I was out at the Twestival in the Sycamore Club on Thursday night, which was fun and other than that things have been quite quiet. I am really looking forward to this coming weekend. We’ll be hitting Cork early on Saturday morning for the Blog Awards. I’m thrilled to say I’ve been nominated in the Best Blog Post category for Adoption: One Year Later, which I’m extremely proud of, and I’m on the Long List for Best Personal Blog, which is an absolute honour when I look at the rest of the nominees. Congratulations to the following also:

Best Personal Blog

• Verba – McAWilliams
• Grandad
• Red Leeroy
• Cackaloo
• Annie Rhiannon
• CasaCaseyCourtney
• Conortje
• Trust Tommy
• Well Done Fillet
• Fat Mammy Cat
• Infantasia
• Coffee helps
• Grannymar
• English Mum
• Sinéad Cochrane

So, who’s going to be in Cork to buy me a pint?

Maybe I should just stay at home next week.

So joyed up was I about the snow, so engrossed was I in Oscar history, so busy was I with secret projects, that I neglected to moan about Irish Rail‘s latest example of ineptitude.

For two weeks now, DARTs have not been running between Greystones and Bray. My main mode of transport to and from work is defunct.

“Is this such a big deal, you moany twat?” I hear you ask.

Well, yes it is. My entire routine is messed up, my day is longer and my hours of sleep are shorter. For the first week, I got a lift in to work with Lottie. This means we have to get up no later than 6.30am (over an hour earlier than usual) and leave the apartment by 7.30 to ensure we get into the city centre (less than 35km) by 9am, the time Lottie starts work (I begin at 9.30). Leaving any later than this runs the risk of heavy traffic and a late arrival into work.

“Why not get the bus then, you ugly looking sap?” I hear you shout.

Well, firstly, Lottie can’t travel by bus becasue she gets travel sick, so the car is her only option. This week I took to the buses though. Being helpful (!), Dublin Bus supplied a shuttle bus between Greystones and Bray DART stations. Simply put, 8 DART carriages into 1 double decker bus does not compute. It’s an unpleasant and difficult journey. By DART, the journey time between the two stations is about 10 minutes. By bus, it is anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes and beyond. So, my usual journey time from Greystones to Dublin immediately jumps from 50 minutes up to over an hour and a half. Which means that, once again, I have to get up earlier and get an earlier bus.

“Fine, fine, but what’s caused all of this, you kangaroo turd?” I hear you mutter.

Well, due to the snow two weeks ago, there was “rock fall” on the tracks. I contacted Irish Rail for more information but none was forthcoming. I do know that they contracted in a machine to clear the obstruction. Apparently, this machine broke down and resulted in other stations having to close too. Beautiful irony. That which clears obstructions obstructs an otherwise clear path.

In come the printers. At further expence to the tax payer, large fancy signs were done up informing the would-be passenger that the line would remian closed “until further notice”. It was at that point I realised we were in this for the long haul.

“So, what happens next, scaldy balls?” I hear you question, and I’m beginning to become perturbed by your insults.

Well, according to the Irish Rail’s website, the obstruction should be cleared by Wednesday of this coming week. According to an overheard conversation between two bus passengers, the DART will be back on Monday morning. According to an overheard conversation between two Irish Rail employees at Pearse Station, it could be a few more weeks.

“A few more weeks? We’re starting to see why you’re annoyed, you lanky, big-nosed flute,” I hear you opine.

Well, in this day and age, how “rock fall”  because of snow can close down a train line for two weeks, never mind a few weeks more is an absolute joke. It’s shameful and pathetic. Irish Rail, one of the worst run organisations I have ever come across, let’s us down once again. Where is the accountability?

“Don’t ask us – we’re just a figment of your imagination, you crazed freak……”

It is empirically impossible to look like anything other than a twat when walking the streets of Dublin alone, holding 20 green helium balloons.

Launch of the St. Patrick’s Festival programme.

Okay, so I was never much of a fan of school. In the earlier days, I was a hardworking nerd who got a hard time. In my latter schooldays I was far less interested in my studies and far more interested in ‘chasing skirt’. But there was certainly one side of school that I loved – the shows. Whether it was the talent shows, the musicals or the Christmas cabarets, I loved it.

Again, in the early days I lacked any confidence so would never even consider trying out for parts in the school’s or MYTh (Musical Youth Theatre) Productions’ latest show. I was happy to go along to the matinées and see My Fair Lady, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar performed by my classmates and be in awe at their talent. It was a thrill to hear the tunes and watch these people I knew so well become different characters on stage. It was captivating.

When I moved schools in 5th year, my life changed completely. I quickly found friends and a confidence to put myself forward for some of the shows. One of my proudest moments was being chosen to host the Christmas Concerts and not only that – I was in three of the acts that were performing. I sang a song I wrote with a friend of mine, I was in a comedy sketch and I supported the wonderful Sarah Gostrangely in her rendition of Rise and Shine (I believe there is a video of this floating around though I have yet to see it). They were the greatest times of my school life.

So, to see that my newfound brother Sean is performing in a school musical was an absolute joy. Last weekend, Lottie and I made out way down to Clare to see Back to the 80’s, a new musical based on some of the best and worst songs from the 80’s – (incidentally, Darragh Doyle was recently in a production in Kilkenny and it’s worth having a look at his post here). As school productions go it was both spectacular and very long. The stamina, talent and confidence these kids have is breathtaking.

One of the stars of the show is recent blogging convert, Dermot. He played the role of the older Corey, a narrator of sorts – the role which Darragh took on also. Some great dancing, impressive singing and outrageous clothing made this show a treat to watch.

Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Film – all major categories at the Annual Academy Awards Ceremony, but I always look forward to hearing who wins the Best Original Song. Last year, seeing Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová win for Falling Slowly was probably one of my favourite Oscar moments of all time. I was so proud and I had no idea why.

But that’s the joy of the Oscars – we become invested. People watch the red carpet’s catwalk, gawp at the clothes they could never possibly afford, laugh at the fashion faux pas, ogle Scarlett Johannson, await the arrival of TomKat and Branjelina, and then cheer on their favourite film, actor, star. The glitz and OTT Hollywood glamour are pivotal to the show’s success. And it is a show – it’s a long time since it’s been seen as a simple awards night. The comic host, the special guests, the gushing speeches and, of course, the music acts all combine to make it one of the most spectacular nights of the year.

Origins

It was the 7th Academy Awards before they introduced the Best Original Song category. In 1934, three songs were nominated: The Continental from The Gay Divorcee (innocent times) beat off competition from Carioca (Flying Down to Rio) and Love in Bloom (She Loves Me Not). The original requirement was that the nominated song appears in a motion picture during the previous year, regardless of when the song was written or whether it was written specifically for the film. The rule was changed after the 1941 Academy Awards to ensure that the song nominated must have been written for the film and not been recorded elsewhere prior to appearing in the film. It was this rule that brought into question the eligibility of Falling Slowly in last year’s Awards. Satisfied that the song was a pivotal element in the movie Once and that previous recordings of the song were not significant enough to break the rule, the judges allowed it through.

— Falling Slowly —

1930’s

The 1930’s saw some now classic songs take the gong. Lullaby of Broadway (Gold Diggers of 1935), Over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz) and When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio) are still heard today and in 1938 Thanks for the Memories (The Big Broadcast) beat Jeepers Creepers (Going Places) for the Oscar.

— When You Wish Upon a Star —

1940’s

The 1940’s stand out simply because of the sheer number of songs nominated each year. The first half of the 40’s saw an average of 10 songs a year up for the Award. Some significant losers include Baby Mine (Dumbo), Chattanooga Choo Choo (Sun Valley Serenade), That Old Black Magic (Star Spangled Rhythm) and Bibbidy-Bobbidi-Boo (Cinderella) while White Christmas (Holiday Inn), Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (Song of the South), Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Neptune’s Daughter) and the fantastic and heavily covered Swinging On A Star (Going My Way) picked up the Oscars.

— Swinging on a Star —

1950’s

The 1950’s were keeping a firm hold on old Hollywood. Show tunes, classic themes and love ballads were still all the rage. The Ballad of High Noon (High Noon), Secret Love (Calamity Jane) and Three Coins in a Fountain (Three Coins in a Fountain) were the best in the early 50’s while the latter half of the decade honoured Gigi (Gigi), the brilliant Que Sera Sera from The Man Who Knew Too Much and High Hopes from A Hole in the Head, made famous by Sinatra. High Hopes would be a strong contender for my favourite of all Oscar winning songs. 1955 saw a nomination but not a win for Unchained Melody from the film Unchained. Needless to say, this went on to be one of the most covered songs of the 20th century (all hail Robson and Jerome). 🙂 Incidentally, it lost out to the very twee Love is a Many Splendored Thing from the film of the same name.

— High Hopes —

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Vultures, the story of three private detectives who run an investigation agency in small town Ireland, Vulture Private Investigations. They specialise in divorce cases, fraud, missing persons, animals and plants and occasionally, just occasionally, they’ll be served up something that approximates a mystery.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead with a lad with sandals and socks. No offense like.”

The fourth episode of the online sitcom, The Case of the Poisoned Dates, went live last week on VulturesPI.com, seeing the arrival of the Transition Year student, Janine Drew, into the V.P.I. office for work experience.

Nuns could be watching me frisk a schoolgirl.

An episode full of romantic entanglements that degenerate into a potential powder keg of social embarrassment and comic violence, my favourite episode so far sees Dan McGrain, Jim Vultour and Niall Tennyson, the hapless gentleman detectives joined by Inspector Leeson, Isabelle Vultour, Tom Moriarty and give-him-his-own-spin-off-show Jack Street (played by Ross Costigan who also has his directorial debut). As each episode progresses the performances get stronger and funnier and the show’s storyline starts to take shape. Threats from the rival agency, Pinkertons, hint at a big series finish and the hope of a second series.

Though the leads, played by David Thompson, John Morton and Sean Hackett, have settled into their roles perfectly now and give their best performances so far, it is Suzanne O’Brien as the brash, intelligent chav, Janine Drew, who steals the show. Funny, sharp and bitterly sarcastic, she has to become a regular part of the show.

The series has built a strong following locally in Kilkenny and, indeed, nationally, with interest continuing to grow. You can view all previous episodes along with production material for the series such as trailers, promo videos, character profiles and development work on VulturesPI.com or check out Ross Costigan’s blog for more, including behind the scenes Director’s Diary, photography and video podcasts.

Vultures is also available on iTunes. If you enjoy The Case Of The Poisoned Dates, please spread the word and support the Vultures and all the work they have put in to make this great series.

And if you want to see some more of Janine, check out her video profile:

In this dire downturn, some people hang their heads and moan about money, give out about the government and whine about the weather, but others are far more enterprising……

Why complain about the bad weather when you can sell snowballs for $1.00 a piece. Fair trade?

via

Yay – work just let us go early to play in the snow…woohooo!

So, I leave you with the funny kid after a visit to the dentist:

Is this real life?

Some total moron in the Cavan Post decided to let Maxi Cane loose on its unsuspecting readership. God help Cavan.

click for larger image

Maxi, congratulations on going into the print media. You deserve it, boy.

In other backslappery this week, Damien Obama has embraced the Blogosphere. Go say hello to the young man.

Speaking of young men, Dermot is new to the blogging thing too – give him some encouragement.

And, though not new, it is new to me – Batteries Feel Included – it’s one of the most bizarre blogs I’ve come across and I’m addicted. Click back through the categories or just start on the Sex Shed post. 🙂

Speaking of sex, I found this blog via Maxi’s comments. It’s also new and could be, eh, interesting…

The UK Eurovision entry. I’ve mentioned before that I have something of a weakness for the Eurovision. It’s not that I think it’s good, but often it’s so awful it’s funny. This song however, a showtune by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is not even laughable. Surely they can come up with something better than this? Anyway, here’s Jade Ewen with My Time:

via Ian

Just heard a gorgeous modern version of this song (sung by Ane Brun) on the radio and went YouTubing for the original. So bad, it’s good, Alphaville with Big in Japan.

And this is Ane Brun’s version:

Best. Lunchbreak. Ever.

I began in Stephen’s Green Dome, watching the snow fall.

I went down to take some artsy fartsy photographs of the snow-covered Green.

I turned a corner to be see the most evil thing ever – a gang of Dublin teens.

In truth, I’ve never seen so many complete strangers enjoy themselves so much…and so spontaneously.

Ultimately it was so much fun and it was very heartening. Some of the ‘fighters’ had even developed their own unique throwing technique.

Some were happy to just stand back and watch it all go by.

No one seemed to mind me taking photos of them and some even posed.

What were the chances of me escaping without being hit? Ahem, I hadn’t a snowball’s chance in hell. More snow tomorrow please.

(And I know I’m getting a little obsessed with the snow pictures, but who cares – I can’t remember the last time we had this much snow)

From Bock the Robber, this is one of the funniest of all the many Obama thingies going around at the mo. It’s funny ’cause it’s true.