And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road
Would pave the way for you?
Taken from the song Eternal Life by Jeff Buckley from his debut album Grace (1994). Buckley had one of the most gentle, ethereal voices ever recorded and is who I would most like to sound like when I sing.
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely.
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything.
The opening lines from the song Roar by photogenic Californian popstar Katy Perry, from her fourth studio album Prism (2013). Co-written by Perry, the empowering single topped the charts in 14 countries, including the UK and the USA.
We all fear death and question our place in the universe. The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair, but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.
Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) in the charming romantic comedy fantasy Midnight in Paris (2011). Written and directed by Woody Allen, it tells of a writer who at midnight is able to travel back in time to the 1920s.
Malcolm: Yeah, it’s the one place no one in my family will ever look.
Craig Lamar Traylor and Frankie Muniz in Malcolm in the Middle (2000 – 2006), which told of a boy genius’ hilarious struggles to interact with his classmates and madcap family. You can find another of the show’s humour here.
As long-time readers will know, I really am a big fan of family-themed sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. And some of my favourite scenes were when the otherwise pompous Marie was brought down to earth by the only person willing to stand up to her, her husband Frank. And if you can’t get enough from Frank, there’s also a previous post here.
Hate will make you cautious, love will make you glow.
Make me feel the warm, make me feel the cold.
It’s written in our stories, it’s written on the walls.
This is our call, we rise and we fall.
Taken from the song Reality by Belgian DJ Lost Frequencies featuring Janieck Devy. Happy birthday Nicola 🙂
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
How do I love thee (Sonnet 43) was written by Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning ( 1806 – 1861) and is considered her most famous work. Browning had been writing poetry since the age of five and was an inspiration to later literary figures such as Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson.
I’ll be seeing The Revenant this weekend, which as we all know prominently features Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy and a rather aggressive bear. What a perfect time then to celebrate the funny, friendly and fierce brown and grizzly bears that have featured in Hollywood films. Are you a fan of them? How many can you work out?
(1960s)
(1990s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
(2010+)
(2010+)
Answers below
Iron Man. That’s kind of catchy. It’s got a nice ring to it. I mean it’s not technically accurate. The suit’s a gold titanium alloy, but it’s kind of provocative, the imagery anyway.
Tony Stark / Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) in the critically and commercially successful superhero film Iron Man (2008), which has led to a resurgence in comic book adaptations.
Alex Raphael 