Random Play by Graham Reid

whoops....

meant to say that i agreed with your comments regarding the music awards.

I only watched long enough to see the surfer and snowboarder present a few awards. It was like watching paint dry. Stilited, boring - absolutely no chemistry between the 2

As a member of the church of scientology, I believe that Tom Cruise will think and say what he's damn well told.

Certainly the Republicans will come out guns blazing at it, doubtless hauling out the old "liberal left-leaning Hollywood" argument again. Others will write it off as a typical conspiracy-theory flick where the media and academics set themselves up to be the good guys in possession of greater truths than elected officials and so on.

Fox will have a field-day and that should be fun. Lotsa name-calling is my guess.

You can be sure that many of those 'writing it off as a typical conspiracy-theory flick' will be shills for the Republican talking points. And while Fox et al may be talking down this Cruise movie, you can bet they'll be talking up this one:
Flick Glams Up the Story Of Jailed Journalist Judith Miller

Miller was the journalist (possibly the inspiration for the Streep character in the Cruise movie) who worked hand-in-glove with the Whitehouse in promoting it's war on terror. She went to jail briefly for refusing to name her source when she outed Valerie Plame as a CIA operative. In this film (linked above) she is played as a young sexy crusading principled journo by Kate Beckinsale!! The Republicans have finally got their own version of All The Presidents Men.

Where was the hiphop at the music awards ? Oh Brendan Smyth, why hast thou forsaken us ?

As a member of the church of scientology, I believe that Tom Cruise will think and say what he's damn well told.

That is a curiously ambiguous sentence.

Cruise showed promise ion his early films, eg, Risky Business. I really thought he might make something of his career.

:)

And hey, links ot pictures of leggy petras if you're going to mention it. Can't someone give her a record contract?

As a member of the church of scientology, I believe that Tom Cruise will think and say what he's damn well told.

That is a curiously ambiguous sentence.

He, he, I thought that too.

Cruise is a member of Scientology - which by the way is not a Church but a weird commercial organisation. This information needs to be kept in mind when wondering about Cruise´ political opinion.
It was just recently that his film team in Berlin was denied to shoot at original places because of his membership in a totalitarian organisation. Of course, finally they were given the go-ahead. But it seems his political background does matter and has implications for his work in some countries.

Cruise is a member of Scientology - which by the way is not a Church but a weird commercial organisation.

The two are not exclusive - the Catholic Church is also quite wealthy via its many commercial holdings. And the 7th Day Adventists own Sanitarium (think about that next time Weetbix ask your kids "how many can you do?"). But I take your point.

It's long been my opinion that CoS was just a tax dodge constructed by L Ron Hubbard, who cruelly died without letting his flock in on it before exiting. [Crikey - imagine if he did make a deathbed confession but his #2 (soon to be #1) STFU??] But I'd also say the same about the myth of Jesus Christ (he's the Son of God, dontcha know?) - so lord knows what CoS will be like 2,000 years from now.

But the horse has bolted and now it's too late to shut the stable door. CoS is now an established religion with tens of thousands of followers. Ditto 'the Moonies' - despite efforts in the 70s to marginalise them as a cult.

As is self evident, I have no 'faith' for religion. I may or may not be in for a dreadful shock when I die.

Good stuff out of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, Graham. I enjoyed the pix and blogging. Nice to see you had a longhouse experience in Sarawak. They are fascinating structures.

Brunei is an unusual country - a soporific place but with an interesting melange of influences, not least the huge quantities of oil revenue washing around. There also used to be a contingent of British Army Gurkhas there on a permanent basis. One can also get that oil country experience by gazing out to sea after dark at the city of brightly lit oil rigs.

Is the Borneo Bulletin still the newspaper of choice?

lol @ "curiously ambiguous" ...

speaking of sanitarium ... my hubby used to work right next door to their manufacturing site in pah road, in auckland. the paint on the bonnet and roof of his car became damaged by the fine fallout of (weetbix?) dust from the factory, despite his trying to clean it off every day. he complained and the company paid up a couple of grand for his car to be repainted. without a peep. what do they know about weetbix and its effects on car paint that we don't?

think about THAT next time you line up some weetbix for brekkie.

think about THAT next time you line up some weetbix for brekkie.

That's why the All Blacks fell over at the world cup. After all, they apparently eat heaps.