Love the stereotypes!

Another funny moment with my French housemate.

She was complaining to me about some shit at work and she said that, because she was unhappy, she had a go at her manager about it. "But all the Engleesh are like 'how could you do that?' But I am French you know? We don't put up with that sheet!" And I said that her people had fought a revolution not to have to deal with hierarchy and she said "Exactly!" Hilarious.

Still no luck with getting an agent yet, but possibilities are still open. My new plan is to enter any and every competition/opportunity that comes along. Yesterday I wrote a script for a pitch to direct a music video, and SD and I will make our short film for the Guardian soon as well. There are lots of good websites, on the BBC and Channel 4 for example, which list new opportunities for writers and directors (and DOPs, designers, etc). I still think it was a good idea to move over here.

Off to brunch with my housemate soon, possibly on Brick Lane, and then we have to sign another contract with the real estate agent (don't ask. Yes they are the same everywhere!)

Bisous xxx

Winter wonderland?

There's snow forecast for first thing tomorrow. I hope I get to see it, I missed the snow last time (it snowed everywhere except where I was staying that night!)

Une nouvelle expérience...

Living with my new multi-lingual housemates has been really fun so far. My French housemate, AB, made the most typically French dish the other night (no, not snails). It was something her grandma had taught her and seemed to involve balls of batter (boiled) with grilled halloumi and chunks of ham. So pastry, cheese and meat, not a vegetable in sight! The German, SJ, seems to eat more generic food (not just sausages, par example) but she gets unnaturally excited when I offer her a beer! I think she used to share a beer with housemates back home but AB doesn't seem to drink beer, so perhaps she misses the experience. I've never had such a positive reaction to such a simple offer before!

Very busy week at work, which was good, and I have training for my new job at the Barbican on Mon/Tues so this week could be busy too. Luckily I don't have something on every night, like I did last week.

And Ben arrives in 2 weeks!

The next dilemma, now that the house and the job are sorted, is what to get Ben and Fliss for Xmas...! Christmas carols have been haunting me in supermarkets and cafes since the start of the week. And it will only get worse from here. Ugh.

Wot's up guvna?

Went to my first game of English football and surprisingly loved it! I guess a 60,000-seat stadium just can't help but create a great atmosphere, even when your team (Arsenal) loses... against a team that haven't beaten them since 1993! It were a dark day. My sister blames me. I blame the fact that Arsenal never went anywhere near their goal. Hard to score from the middle of the pitch. And I don't even know nuffing!

I'm in my new flat today, in Bethnal Green, which is East London (that's why I'm talking with a Cockney accent, I'm an East Ender now). So glad to unpack my suitcase, what a relief, despite the fact that PM and TL were the best hosts anyone could hope for, so generous and accommodating. I hope I didn't get in their way too much, but even if I was the best guest in the world I bet they'll enjoy having the house to themselves again after 3 weeks!

I was able to properly meet one of my housemates for the first time today, SJ. I met her briefly a few weeks ago but she was clearly stressed, coming in late after a hard day at work and her computer had broken. So she was kind of quiet and distracted. But today we have been chatting away and she is so sweet, she gave me a moving in present of some German chocolates! She's German. My other housemate, AB, is French and is also lovely, but I already knew that.

So 10 weeks after first seeing the room I was able to move in! Man. What a crazy time. I'll take some photos of my new flat soon and post them.

Missing you all in Aus.

xxxx

Rendition Monologues

If you're in Sydney or Melbourne, do go and see this show. Only one chance to do so!

Actors for Human Rights, the outreach network of London-based iceandfire theatre, is giving a voice to people who have suffered under the CIA’s ‘extraordinary rendition’ counter-terror method, the kidnapping and illegal transport of terrorism suspects for interrogation in countries with a reputation for torture. Rendition Monologues brings first-hand testimonies of victims of this practice to Australian audiences.

Former Guantánamo prisoner Bisher al-Rawi saw one of the first performances of Rendition Monologues. He said: “I am almost lost for words. The show was really very moving, scarily so. I was almost living through their experiences and mine as well."

Sydney

Starring: Marcus Graham, Wayne Blair, Kate Atkinson and Damian Walshe-Howling

1 December, 8pm

Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre, 25 Belvoir St Surry Hills

Bookings: www.belvoir.com.au, 02 9699 3444

Tickets $20

Melbourne

Starring: Tom Long, Alice Garner, Neil Pigot, Syd Brisbane and Kate Atkinson

10 December, 8pm

Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com, 03 9662 9966

Tickets $20

More information about Actors for Human Rights www.iceandfire.co.uk/afhr

W - new film by Oliver Stone

In a word: shithouse (or I should say shite, now that I'm a Brit).

It's a biopic about George W. Bush, which Stone rushed to get out before the American election. And it shows. The script seems poorly thought out and interesting themes that could have been explored (such as being the no-hoper son of a president) get skimmed over and instead the audience sits through long scenes in the situation room of the Bush administration plotting the Iraq war. But we all know about that stuff! There was no humanity in it, just some actors impersonating famous politicians.

Josh Brolin who plays Bush is good though. His performance is more than an impersonation. But we learn nothing about Bush. There are probably 3 good scenes in the whole film... and it's a long film!

I understand it hasn't come out in Aus yet. I hope it doesn't, for your sakes.

In other news: still hunting for an agent, am entering a short film competition for The Guardian with SD (you can see the comp here), work with AFHR is going well, got my interview at the Barbican next week, move into new flat on Sunday.

Over and out.

Standing up for tradition

Guy Fawkes day was on Wednesday and it's been like living in a warzone the past 2 weeks. Constant fireworks.

Last night (Sat) there was a big bonfire/fireworks event near where my sister lives, in Alexandra Palace Gardens. The bus to her house was packed and I eventually sat next to this really cockney geezer who was asking about where I'm from and started telling me about Guy Fawkes.

He told me Guy Fawkes was French (which I didn't know) and when I said that it wasn't a very French name he countered with "Does it sound like a very English name?" Touché.

Then he started to tell me about how he hates the French because the English have been fighting them for 500 years and the Frogs betrayed the Brits in WW2 by making a deal with the Nazis to preserve Paris. He assured me that no true Englishman could like the French.

It's good to see some racist traditions continuing. And I doubt the French are all that worried about the English hating them. It was a pretty funny conversation. I did make him admit that he liked their cheese.

O BA MA! O BA MA! O BA MA!

It happened. Thank God. Like the good, cynical liberal that I am I didn't want to believe he could pull it off for fear of being disappointed. But a well-deserved victory was his. President Elect Barack Hussein Obama.

It has been genuinely moving to see the responses of Americans, especially African Americans. I can't think of an election in my lifetime that has elicited so much passion and emotion from voters. Certainly not an election in any Western country anyway. As happy as I was that the ALP kicked Howard's Liberal arse last year, my joy came mostly from relief that Howard's reign was over, not out of excitement about a Rudd Labor Government. The Americans who voted Democrat, however, seemed to experience both kinds of joy. And it was overwhelming for some.

In news that hasn't made international headlines, a "top 5" agent wants to see my showreel (whoopee!) and my friend SD has had her online TV series idea optioned by a production company who want to pitch it to TV networks in the next couple of weeks! The lack of naval gazing over here in the film/TV industry is gratifying. Australia is so frustratingly slow. I was talking to a composer a few weeks ago and said that it is expected in Australia that a script should take 5 years to write and then financing takes another 5 years. Projects spend a lot of time hanging around in bottom drawers. He said what do people do with these films, ferment them??

First couple of days at work have been great. Think I'm going to really enjoy the job and CB and I will work well together. It's sometimes hard to know how you'll work with friends, and I had put a lot of pressure on myself in regards to not letting CB down, but now I know I'll be capable.

À bientôt...

Wow Wow

The music clip I directed at the start of the year (in February... yes, quite a long time ago!) has been finished and uploaded to YouTube.

You can see it here: 

Fingers crossed for the election on Tuesday! I'll be staying up with SD to watch the coverage. Might be a bit bleary eyes at work the next day.

xx