It's a Cat…astrophy!

I imagine there is a contest to judge which cat is the ugliest in the world. (After all, there's such contest for dogs…) In my opinion, the cat on the picture on the left would be given the first prize! THAT is an ugly cat. My grandmother's cat, Bouboule, is a wicked piece of meat, but this cat being washed is like the Holy Grail of ugly cats…

PS. I haven't got a cat. (Encore heureux !)

The Lost Room

I started watching this series called The Lost Room starring Peter Krause from the great Six Feet Under, being broadcast now on BeTV. And, as a sci-fi freak, I can say that it's really awesome. Here's the teaser, but I think you won't understand anything. I suggest you read the Wikipedia page or that you surf on the official website. Enjoy.

Yoda Sings

I had a good laugh watching this, and I hope you will, too.

Shame on Him! Quater: Vincent Reuter

Vincent Reuter is the deputy administrator (if my translation of "administrateur délégué" is correct) of the Union wallonne des entreprises. We could assume that he ought to be an intelligent man. We were wrong: he's got a combover, as shown on this picture…

Pride and Prejudice

I think you're gonna like this sketch from the first series of Little Britain, by and with Matt Lucas and David Williams.



PS. I've got plenty of other Andy and Lou sketches on my page on YouTube.

Shame on Him! Ter: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is a former French president. We can thus assume that he's a wise and intelligent man. But he wasn't looking like an intelligent man when he was wearing this ugly combover in the 1960s and 1970s. I've always known him bald, but I found pictures on which he appears just like you can see him on the left. Now, he's almost completely bald (of course he is: he's 81!).

Goblin Bowling Team: One of My Favourite Illustrations Ever

The other day, I was telling you about my afternoon at a bowling alley. I found a perfect illustration that depicts the moment perfectly. Check out this card:


It's a brilliant piece of artwork painted by the talented Pete Venters, one of my favourite illustrators of Magic—The Gathering. This card is part of an expansion (Unglued) that makes fun of the game. Hence the silliness of goblins playing bowling…

Shame on Him! Bis repetita: Laurent Fabius

Laurent Fabius is a famous socialist politician. He's quite intelligent, as we can assume from a former Prime Minister, but also according to his whole career. But he's got a combover, that's why he looks like a pillock after all.

New Packaging

I hear that the famous "Cat's Tongues" in chocolate produced by Galler, with Philippe Geluck's Le Chat changed their packagings, as you can see on the pictures. I haven't seen any of them in the shops. But that's maybe because I didn't pay attention to it.

Indy Is Back!

Back ten years ago, I could read in Lucasfilm Magazine issue n°11 that the film Indiana Jones IV would soon be shot and released in 1999, before Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace is released.

I waited. We waited. I mean all fans in the wide world. We have been waiting for years… It wasn't released in 1999, nor in 2000, nor… up to now. There were problems of production, but also a problem of script: both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had to agree on the screenplay. We waited. They eventually agreed on a script. And now it's official: Indiana Jones IV (we don't know the official title yet) is currently being shot in Connecticut and Hawaii, and will be released on Memorial Day 2008!!!

Meanwhile, you can watch some offical videos on the Indiana Jones website. I hope you enjoy.

PS. Comment if you are a fan too!

The Simpsons On Google…

Darth Vader Attacks…?

No, it's just a balloon. It was made by fans from Belgium. They're the only ones to have built such a balloon, because they were the first to ask Lucasfilm Ltd.'s permission.

Shame on Him! Michel Scheuer, Rector of Namur University

The Rector of our University, father Michel Scheuer, s.j., is an intelligent man. Well, he surely is, because he's a professor, which means he has a PhD. If he is as intelligent as his academic qualifications tell us, why does he have a ridiculous combover?

I know the picture doesn't show it particularily well, but maybe the photographer didn't want him to look like a pillock. I saw the Rector several times this year, and each time, I couldn't help but looking at his combover — you know it's my obsession. The fact is that I wonder why he combs his hair like that: other men do it to hide their baldness, probably to look more attractive (!). And by "attractive", I mean "attractive for women". BUT Michel Scheuer is a jesuit father, which means he musn't seduce women… Conclusion: why does he have such a hairstyle? Please comment on that observation: "I feel so helpless" (said C3PO in Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith).

No Man's Land

We had decided to go on a trip to Baarle-Hertog, a very peculiar Belgian village in the Netherlands… We were going there because we had planned to go to an American cars gathering in Antwerp.



Here, my parents are one foot on the Belgian ground, and the other on the Dutch territory. If you wonder why they're laughing, that's because my brother — who was also on both lands simultaneously but behind me — just said: "J'ai une couille aux Pays-Bas et une en Belgique". What a silly ass!

We walked in the village, crossing the borderline several times. We even didn't know in which land we were walking… We could only guess by keeping an eye on road signs: Belgian ones are quite different from Dutch ones. After this relatively short walk in this peculiar village, we headed for the car, and drove to Antwerp.

Half an hour later, we arrived in the east suburds of the city. We wanted to go to the Cokerillkaai (Cockerill Quay), more to the west. We had to drive through the city. What a bad idea: today is Saturday, the day Flemish people go shopping around. There was a long traffic jam, mostly due to overnumerous traffic lights. But in the end, we arrived in the neighbourhood of our destination: a gathering of American cars.

Only my brother and I bought a ticket: it cost 16 € for both of us; my parents didn't feel like going there, they'd better walk instead. We walked on the quays where 300 to 400 American cars were parked, mostly coming from Belgium and the Netherlands, but also from Germany, France and Luxemburg.

The most popular car among owners seemed to be the Chevrolet Corvette, from the first model from the 1950s (the "Sting Ray") to the most recent one. There were cabrios, vans, coupés, trucks, ambulances, police cars, taxis, limos and other American stuff you coudn't even imagine (even a couple of funeral cars with a coffin inside them…). Everything. Everything but what we were coming for: not a single DeLorean!! Oh no! Last year, ten DeLoreans had gathered on the occasion of this American cars festival. But after all, maybe they'd come tomorrow… Oh no!

We were a bit disappointed, but it let us more time to look at vehicules that we don't usually see on the roads. We took a look on various cars, among which a brand-new Ford GT, attracting lots of people, but also that car which looked so amazingly like that of the character of Roy Neary (played by Richard Dreyfuss) in Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Spielberg. It even had a licence plate from Wyoming on the front bumper, even though it had a Belgian oldtimer plate at the back.

To conclude, I won't say much about the public: people trying to live in the American way. I mean the redneck way of life…

"License to Kill" … No, wait, it's a "Driving Licence"!

Today was a big day: I had to take my driving licence.

Two years ago, on 10 August 2005, I took and passed my theoretical exam. Last year, I took driving lessons at a driving school: about 20 hours spent driving on roads in my region, from Aubel to Herve to Eupen to Welkenraedt to Verviers, etc. In the state of things back then, I knew I'd havve to take my practical exam in Eupen, a city which is "known" (I mean for those who live in the area) for the high rate of the so-called "zones 30", i.e. roads on which speed limit is 30 km/h, due to the presence of a school. The fact is that there are a lot of schools in Eupen, and don't ask me why. Besides, roads are rather smallish and other stuff I shall not describe now.

I thought my exam was going to be taken in Eupen, but the fact is that when my mother called the examination centre they told her that there wasn't any spot left for me before October. As I (or rather "she") didn't want to wait until this month, she opted for something else: I had the possibility to take my exam in Namur, because their examinators have a less busy schedule, which meant I could take my driving exam in August. On 17 August. Today.

So I had to get up at 5.45. I had only slept three hours that night: I went to bed at midnight (sooner than usual during holidays) but I couldn't sleep, for it was too hot in my room and I was getting nervous. I had breakfast, then I left home with my dad next to me in our Ford Fiesta. We took the freeway to Namur: it took us a little bit more than an hour to reach the exit Namur Ouest (110 km from home), and then we headed for Belgrade, where the examination centre lay.

My exam was to take place at 7.45 am. After I gave my ID and temporary driving licence to my examinator, and paid 36 €, the exam started. (I had decided to take it with our car, not a driving school one, for I know the car better.) First, I had to show the guy how the lights work, how to adjust my seat and the different mirrors, and a few other things. About ten minutes later, we left the examination center to make a ride in the city.

My father was sitting next to me, and the examinator at the back, on the right side. We went from Belgrade to Namur and back to Belgrade, using broad and narrow roads alike. In one of them, I had to park behind a car. It wasn't difficult at all: traffic wasn't heavy in this street, and I parked just like I was meant to do. In another street, I had to stop and make as less movements in order to go back to the other direction. With no cars coming from both directions, I did it without any trouble. A dozen of minutes later, we were back at the examination centre.

The examinator said I passed. What a relief! He gave me a couple of official papers, thanks to which I'll get my official driving licence next Monday…

I'm glad I succeeded, but my mother was even more cheerful than I was. Don't ask me why.

Bowling

Unlike me, my brother Robin sees his friends from time to time and they meet at the "Taverne de Herve" to have a drink. This time, they decided to go to the bowling alley in order to play, well, tenpin bowling. (Yeah, I checked out my dictionary.) The bowling alley being located in Fléron, 20 km away from home, someone had to drive him there. My parents being quite busy, I had to do that — but I was willing to: my brother said I could come if I wanted to. And I was longing for it: the last time I played bowling was two years ago.

We left home at 1.30 and went to Fléron. Normally, I wasn't allowed to drive the car with my brother in it: the Belgian driving licence system is extremely silly. The first version I had was one allowing me to drive with an adult and another passenger. The second version allowed me to drive with only one adult who was at least 26… But with that same version, I could transport 500 kilos of potatoes, or a horse in a trailer, or drive a small camper van!!! I told you the system was crazy!

At the bowling alley, we played two games… and I lost both. My average was 60 points, which was quite a disaster. Maybe because I'm forced to play with my right hand, even though I'm left handed. But that's no excuse. I paid the drinks, though: I was their guest. My brother's friends are nice guys, one of them is particularily aware of politics and of movie references — when I was his age, I hardly knew someone who was fan of The Godfather, for instance.

We also played pool (i.e. with 16 balls, unlike snooker: this one is played with 15 red balls and 6 of other colours) on an automatic table (we had to insert a one-euro coin to get the balls).

This day was great fun. I wish I did that more often.

"The Simpsons Movie" Should Be Rated "PG-16" (at least!)

I went to the cinema for the third time this year/summer. I watched "The Simpsons Movie", as I was planning since a year, when the first teaser came out. It was just a gag with the S of Superman's chest, but worn on Homer's T-shirt.



Then, other teasers and theatrical trailers were released in the cinemas and on the Internet, showing images of a film that looked great.







And great it was! Actually, it's like a regular episode, but longer (approx. 90 minutes). It allows for a broader storyline (obviously) and more visual easter eggs.

Talking about that, I got a little angry when I saw roughly 150 children entering the room, accompanied by their parents. But why? I mean, OK, that's a cartoon, and there are visual gags that would make them laugh, but The Simpsons isn't just about visual gags! There are dozens of cultural references in each episode, and that means that there were a lot more (hidden) references (or, as we call them, "Easter eggs") in a film.

That is the reason why I decided to enumerate the occurences of gags and references that little kids (say, under 12 years old) couldn't possibly understand, be they cultural, political, sociological, religious, sexual, or visual. (It means it doesn't count if I hear any childish laughter.)

For instance, do the children understand why it is funny to make of Arnold Scharzenegger the President of the United States? And first, do they know who he is???

Message to ignorants:
The answer is that there's a widespread joke that Arnie, like the late Ronald Reagan did, would become President after a successful career as an actor. Of course, it's impossible for him to be elected president: the Constitution says that you have to be born on American ground—and Arnie was born in Austria. Nevertheless, in Demolition Man (a film with Sylvester Stalone), Arnold Schwarzenegger is just mentioned as the 44th President of the USA, because the Senate had changed an Amendment so that he could be elected…

I also spotted many references to Star Wars (by the way, the films are known to contain loads of Easter eggs, too): it is probably the most popular story in the USA, after the Bible though. It's normal that such references occur in the movie. However, I can't see how these kids could see the allusion… (But adults and fans like me would.) I mean: Star Wars is far less popular in Europe than in America, for few children know the films. When I was in 3rd grade at secondary school, I asked all my classmates who had seen the films. Only one had. Hopeless.

Well, at the end of the movie, I had counted 98 instances of such "non-understandable-things-for-under-12s". 98. And counting: I talked about it with my mother and brother (with whom I went and see the film) and they had spotted things that I hadn't. I guess I'll have to see it once more. But maybe not at the cinema. I'll wait till I get the DVD. So that I can watch it without any pop-corn or crisps-eating kid in my sight… (That's one of this millenium's scourges, in my opinion.)

That's why I'm saying that the film should get a PG-16 rating (or its various national equivalents): let's ban children from serious movies they won't understand. My mother saw and heard children getting bored: they obviously couldn't understand this movie.

Oh, and the hell with them! They piss me off!

(Sorry for looking so unkind and "callous", but I can't help it. Perhaps the reason is that I was a reasonable kid and I never shouted silly comments at the cinema, nor did I eat crisps all the time…)

What If The Simpsons Had Magic Skills?

Tomorrow I'm gonna go and see "The Simpsons Movie" at the cinema. So I decided to show you this sketch, which was part of a "Horror Show" (the episode that's broadcast on Halloween).



Silly, wasn't it? I like it because of the monster. And other puns like: "Head Zepplin!"

Void

I'm taking a day off. You won't get more of me today.

I'll Never Go To Alabama

Jeremy Clarkson gave me a good reason not to go to this redneck state… Check it out:



Scary, isn't it?