Saturday, February 26, 2011

An Open Letter To Brian McFadden

Dear B,

Oh Briany, Brian, Brian. What happened to you? Does Delta know you sing songs about taking advantage of girls? Is this how you met her?

Didn't you also get escorted off a plane recently while flying Coast to Coast (Westlife pun #1) for unnecessary behaviour? after having a jolly time at the bar with your BFF Scandi?

Now you're releasing a song about taking a blotto girl home?

What amazing timing you have Briany-babe.

Reportedly you were smoking and being an abusive old sailor on a flight last week and the other peeps on board started to get the strops with you. Then you were promptly escorted off the flight, where it appeared you were Flying Without Wings (#2), and a bit of a Fool Again (#3, I swear i'll stop soon).

I don't know Brian, I just think When You're Looking Like That (#4) we don't really like you that much. Sure you're always going to be that chubby, blonde cutie from a 90's boy band in my eyes, but right now you just seem like another Nick Carter (not good FYI).

It's not like you're Unbreakable (#5) and you just can't go around thinking "Hey Whatever" (#6 oh, I'm on a roll), but if you're feeling like you have to be cool to hang around Kyle Scandilands, Just Say So (Brian McFadden solo career pun #1).

Ah well McFaddy, we all make Mistakes (#2), but just make sure next time you're having a Chemical Rush (#3) it isn't on a plane. It's a bit Twisted (#4, this is just getting silly) and just makes people nervous. Real nervous.

Good luck with that song though, i'm sure it will be a real corker.

Now let's take a walk down memory lane...

BRYAN-brian-mcfadden-11624499-604-418

GD2282592~Brian-Mcfadden-Westlife-Pop-Group-at-Daily-Record-Newspaper-Office-25th-September-2002-Posters

Westlife -- Obvious Musik Video 442



Smell ya later
x.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The revolution of Tropfest

Tropfest, the world's biggest short film festival (or something like that) is over for another year.

And, yet again, it didn't fail to impress. Oh the wit. Oh the humour. Oh the beatboxing animals. (We'll get to that later though.)

What did you all think? Are these movies not the most amazing three minutes of your life?! Okay, so perhaps I don't have the most riveting life, but c'mon, these tidbits of comic genius (and sometimes downright depressive noir) command the same level of respect as any feature film.

I love TF time. When they release the DVD in the Sydney Morning Herald. And i'm too late and they've already sold out. So I borrow it off a friend. And lose it. Then she starts hating me.

Ahhh TF time.

Here's the 2011 winner.



And last years winner.



And even 2009's winner.



Yep, I still get the sniffles after that one.

But, see how different these all are! There is never a set genre, the filming techniques nor the actors do not matter, yet every year there is a winner that has made a film vastly different from the previous.

Can you imagine how dull life would be if Tropfest wasn't there to breathe some originality into it?

Pretty dull.

Smell ya later
x.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Twournalism

Everyone in the room who has a Twitter account put your hand up.


*puts up hand*


Hmm, it seems i'm the only one in the room, but I bet that the majority of you have a Twitter account and consider yourself a Tweetheart. (while you're at it, why don't you follow me on @ melevans). I know that in the past couple of months Twitter has metaphorically exploded and now more and more people are signing up to the social revolution. 


140 characters+Incredible succinctness = Emerging love affair.


However what I didn't realise (well I did, but was too scared to admit) is that it seems journalists are taking to Twitter to release breaking news right as it's happening. Social commentary at its finest!


This morning I had my Advanced Broadcast Journalism lecture, where I learnt about this booming, popular and take-over-the-world powerful medium emerging through Twitter journalism. My lecturer, Julie Posetti (@julieposetti, tell her Mel sent you) at the moment is actually educating journalists from the Sydney Morning Herald about the importance of social media and journalism, enabling traditional print journalists to engage with the public on a real-time basis. 


These are just some of the most exciting times for journalism at the mo. Since voice was invented (pretty sure it was by Alexander Bell in the 20's- before that mime was the only means of person-to-person communication) and ever since annoying voice (invented by Spencer Pratt in the noughties) people have spoken. About anything and everything. Twitter enables us to speak in reeeeeally short sentences, and people are listening! Probably something to do with the fact tweets are so interesting. 140 characters keeps you engaged (if you're tweets are boring, you are doing something crazily wrong).


Just by logging onto Twitter today, I got my news:


ENTERTAINMENT:  Cleo Magazine
Want all the inside goss from the editors from @? Tune in to the @ on Channel Nine tomorrow at 9.30am...


NATIONAL:  Crikey.com.au 
Wivenhoe release could’ve prevented the floods? No way, say experts  

POLITICS:  Crikey.com.au
Morrison's recent comments about Christmas Island victims are part of a pattern of attacks on Muslims from the Liberals 
WORLD:  Sarah Harris 
 by miafreedman
Woman journo raped during Egyptian protests. Even more horrific is what some women say about it (via @)"

BEAUTY:  Cherie Herrmann 
 by PRIMPED
A/W ’11 New York: Beautiful bright, punchy sunset hues at Marc Jacobs, Jill Stuart and Thakoon  

SOME MORE POLITICS:  Latika Bourke 
Menzies House says there was 'unease' about it being posted anonymously and this was leading to several people being blamed for it 'unduly.'

It's just amazing how Twitter is revolutionizing (is it a z? I always thought it was an s...) the way information is disseminated. I'm pretty excited to see where it's all heading in a year or two.

How do you all think we will be getting our information in the future? Do you think the humble newspaper will still be around in a decade? Talk to me people!

Smell ya later
x.
p.s. I promise to blog about the random stuff I normally do again soon, just felt like getting on my soapbox this arvo

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I am sorry, very, very sorry...

to my few, but cherished, readers. I have neglected you. It is as if I left you in the car while I went into Woolies, and didn't come out for a very long time.

You called the police.

We had a fight.

I started crying.

You started crying.

We hugged and now everything is okay.

How has life been?

I've learnt some very valuable lessons in my blog-absence, want to hear about them? Glorious, I knew you would.

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

If you were to ask me 12 months ago, "Say, Mel, would you like to live on International House next year?" I would have said "Hellz No, you goddamn fool. What do you think this is? Bush week?"
However, here I am. Living with my closest friends, and I LOVE it! Apart from my friends, I live with a lovely girl from China called Rose, a crazy Canadian called Kent, Hassan from India and a girl Megan, from Sydney (I hear Sydney is a lovely, yet rarely visited place on the World's Stage, I should check it out one day).

CANBERRA IS DANGEROUS

Ha ha ha, I hear you laugh. You think Canberra is just a place for politicians and porn stars, well think again! Rose (see her mentioned above, I can't believe you've forgotten her already) was strolling home from the mall, which is about a ten minute walk, when a bunch of jiving, jibber-jabbing fools decided it would be a hilarious and wildly exotic thing to punch and kick Rose (while filming it) as she walked, her hands full of groceries.

Upon hearing this, we went into crisis talks. Firstly, we wanted to ambush these punks and film them getting beaten up, but then we decided to bake (buy) Rose a delicious cake and let her know that Canberra isn't so bad.

The infamous 'Rose' cake ( translation thanks to an immense Chinese population on IH)
LIFE IS STARTING TO GET A LITTLE SCARY  NOW

I just entered my last year (EVAH) of my degree. This time next year hopefully i'll be blogging to you from my lounge room in Sydney (not my campus room in Canberra), revealing how fabulous my life is as a lifestyle journalist (in reality, probably an editorial coordinator). But in the meantime, I get to sit through lectures when I learn about how tough it's going to be to get said lifestyle journalism job. The search begins! *Cue Australian Idol theme music*



We Heart It.com Cute huh!


GREEK FETTA IS WAY BETTER THAN DANISH FETTA

Needs no explanation, really. I made the switch and oh.my.austar I love Greek fetta. If it were a person I would have probably sent it a Valentines Day gift yesterday.

Also, while you're here, tell me something about what you have learnt so far this year? Did you get a Valentines gift this year? I didn't *holds grudge* However, I didn't give my boyf one either *Banishes grudge* Life is good.

Smell ya later
x.



Tuesday, February 1, 2011

A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet


Not kittens in general, this exact one






A song to match your mood.





Right now, i'm feeling a little silly and obnoxious


A photograph of the town you live in



I am from a town in Central West NSW called Cowra. Right now I go to uni in Canberra and my parents are about to move to Noosa, but I still call this place home.






A photo of somewhere you've been to.



I was holidaying at Hamilton Island last week. This is my sipping a Snickers cocktail poolside

Hate me? I would.

Smell ya later
x

p.s. apologies for the crap blog. It was the first night of o week last night, i'm finding it hard to even breathe