the lights are on

Backfilled entry

One thing I did notice about RTE is that the lights are left on.

I'm from a theatre background. When the show isn't on, the lights are off in the "hall". There are usually a set of cheap efficent neon lights available to just as lights to see what you're doing as opposed to lighting the place for the audience.

In RTE, we were more of less free to roam around the empty studios.
The lights, monitors etc were on and blazing.

Now I know that there is a warm up time for the studio lights, but isn't it cheaper (less power, longer life) to turn off the lights, monitors etc when they aren't being used?

Will

14mins 57seconds left

Well that's over. The Late Late is a long proces.

The rehersal started at 2.30 (it was meant to be 2pm but..) and a lot of practice runs and a recording happened.

Yes folks who saw us. Part of what was broadcast was an audio recording... therewas no piano on the set on the night.

First reactions... the Late Late set is tiny. It's in studio 4 (downgraded from studio 1?). The main TV building is a lot more interesting than the radio building. And the coffee is just as good(!) as what I'm used to... despite all the moaning you hear.

We erte released to the canteenat 5pm... some of us hung around there for a while.
Time didn't move that slowly... after all we had a kids sets, a church, the "cafe" set and half of the afternoon show set to play with.

Also a few members of the Munster team were there. Yes some of the chorus turned in to groupies, (No one took their offers) and Leane Rimes (I think that's how its spelt) is quite nice.

I didn't get to play with Sharon Ni uspellable in the news room... but I wasn't as boredas I usally am watching the show. (Yes we slagged Mrs O'Donnell, but she made us sound good!)

The after show party heavly featured pizza (I feel sorry for that kid on the delevery scooter) and ended at 3am. I suspect that it's a "last show of the season" type thing.

I got a test saying I had a 3 second closeup.... so much for 15 mins of fame.

Rehersal with the orcherstra tomorrow (Saturday)...
take care,
Will

A little Late Late

2pm for 11.30pm

That's what I'm looking at for tomorrow. 2pm is the time that I'm being called in to Donnybrook for a test run of our bit on The Late Late Show.

The group don't know when we'll be on, but given the song we're doing and the fact that it's the last show of the season, we figure that we are the last item.

Which means that we are stuck in RTE for 9 hours.

So hopefully we'll have learned the music by then.

Oh yeah, the music.
I'm one of the sundry chorus members in the RTE Radio One Mystery Musical. We're doing "Carousel" on Sunday 28th May in The Helix, Dublin. Show up and let me know what you think...

To be honest friends of mine have wanted to know that it's like there.

It's an office. People work there. True, we are in the concert hall, and there's lots of decks and microphones... but then again, I have servers and keyboards at work. Different tools for different folk.

Everyone involved in this has done shows somewhere else... nothing special.

Actually, walking through the very realistic fake set of Carrigstown is a little fun... but it's an empty set.

Everything else is worringly normal... except for a giant arial in the car park.

Of course I'm hoping to find someone to play with in the green room... I don't think we're going to be let play with the guests. Some offices are no fun.

Take care,
Will

not so big

Update on the redunancies. The odd of layoffs has gone down.
A lot.

And Samuel L. Jackson as Principal Firebush

Someone calling themselves "Smacky Productions" (no idea if it's related to the character in Get Fuzzy or not) has done a mixed up trailer...

Take the Charlton Heston version of The Ten Commandments, turn it into a teen high school comedy, and you get 10 Things I Hate About Commandments.

Well done,
Will

Clowns baby

McDonalds used this advert for a new opening... it should be used for Hallowe'en.

Oh Lordi Lord

I'm sorry Brian but I think Norway is going to win Eurovision this year.

See the video here. Any Eurovision entry which requires a zombie attack gets the public vote if you ask me.

will

Lee Delta Blues Festival details

Thurs Jun 1st
Hat Fitz from Austrailia Corner House, Coburg St. (9pm, Adm free)


Fri June 2nd
Ain’t Nuthin’ but the Blues Band Sin E, Coburg St (9 pm, Adm free)
Honeyboy Hickling & the DT’s Charlie’s Bar, Union Quay (9pm, Adm free)
Big Daddy Blues Band The Far Side Bar, Victoria Rd. (9pm, Adm free)


Sat June 3rd
Blues Workshop featuring Carvin Jones, Big Daddy, Gerry Miller Corner House, Coburg St. (3pm, Adm free)
Honeyboy Hickling & the DT’s Corner House, Coburg St. (5pm, Adm free)
Big Daddy (solo), Sin E, Coburg St (9pm, Adm free)
Ain’t Nuthin’ but the Blues Band The Far Side Bar, Victoria Rd. (9pm, Adm free)
Carvin Jones Band supported by Honeyboy Hickling & the DT’s Cruiscin Lan, Douglas St. (9pm, Adm €10)


Sun June 4th
Walking Tour of Rory Gallaghers Cork with Marcus Connaughton (RTE) from Crowley’s Music Center, Mc Curtain St. (3pm)
Carvin Jones Band Cruiscin Lan, Douglas St. (5pm, Adm free)
Bleedin’ Blues Band The Far Side Bar, Victoria Rd. (9pm, Adm free)
Connie Lush & Blues Shouter supported by Big Daddy Cruiscin Lan, Douglas St. (9pm, Adm €15)

Mon 5th
Ricky Lynch Far Side Bar, Victoria Rd. (9pm, Adm free)


and while I'm at it...
Friday May 12th
The Grunts supported by Diane Ward Sinners Bar South Main St (10pm)

take care,
Will

The alternative to Happy Slapping

"Happy Slapping" is the term used to describe a fad where an unsuspecting victim (usually a woman or lone man) is attacked by a person or group, while an accomplice films the assault (commonly using a camera phone or smart phone). (taken from Wikipedia but it seems to have been removed).

The music video for "Underwear Goes Inside The Pants" by Lazy B is a mix of Michael Moore type shots with homeless people on the streets of L.A. mining to the track. And it works.

The "song" is spoken word dialogue from American comedian Greg Giraldo and the vocals from Jannie Friis. Think Baz Luhrmann's (Everybody’s Free To Wear) Sunscreen for a bite rather than a pat. The scary thing is who did it. Johnny Douglas and Søren Rasted; formerly of Aqua.

Barbie Girl is truly dead.

Will

motovational screaming

Listening to, of all thing, Steve Ballmer of Microsoft giving a speech at the Institute of Directors Annual Convention in London. What shocked me about mister scream is that he can say the right thing.

"We've got sales people and we've got engineers. Whenever we bring them in the room and give them the same speech, you get different perspectives on exactly the same message from the two communities."..."you do the same [speech for the salespeople] in front of a group of engineers, you might get a little bit more, shall we say, cynical reaction. You've got to sort of build from the reality up as opposed to from the hype down."

Its the first time anyone has admitted this.

What's the tower

This is a Dublin question.

Stephen Baker at Business Week posed the question why can't a cell-phone tower be disguised as a sculpture instead of a bad tree.

Well such a thing took place off one of the motorways in Dublin.
Is there a picture of this thing somewhere on the web? And what is it called?

take care,
Will