Saturday, October 24, 2009

ÉLISAPIE ISAAC : THERE WILL BE STARS

J'ai eu ce coup de foudre il y a quelques semaines, et depuis, je me suis procurée le CD. Il s'agit, tout comme le titre de ce billet l'indique, de "There Will Be Stars" de "Élisapie Isaac". Cela fait deux semaines que je me le repasse à tout moment soit en écoute active, en background pendant que je vaque à quelque occupation, ou dans mon lecteur mp3, et je dois dire que je l'aime de plus en plus après chaque écoute. Il s'agit d'une musique riche et simple à la fois, aux diverses influences. Et que dire de la voix d'Élisapie! D'une douceur infinie. Cette voix faisait autrefois partie du groupe Taïma, et voilà qu'Élisapie décide maintenant de voler de ses propres ailes et de nous faire planer avec elle sur ses belles mélodies.

Le CD s'ouvre tout en douceur sur une chanson en inuktitut (c'est qu'elle s'exprime en trois langues, la belle!) sur une musique des plus agréables. C'est planant et rythmé à la fois. Le ton est donné pour l'ensemble des pièces qui flirtent parfois avec le reggae, parfois avec le rock, tantôt avec un son plus jazzy et même une que l'on pourrait presque qualifier de disco (Turning My Back) avec tout l'aspect quétaine en moins, mais aucune des pièces ne peut vraiment se faire identifier à un de ces styles. C'est un style pop personnel définitivement moderne, tourné vers l'avenir et porteur à la fois de la tradition et des origines du peuple inouit, habité par la douce voix d'Élisapie. C'est enchanteur, envoutant et tellement unique.

Difficile de dire quelle pièce est ma préférée. D'ailleurs, il n'y en a même pas que j'aime moins! J'aime bien la basse jazzy, la guitare, oh, ce son de guitare, et les sons de gorge propre à la manière de chanter de son peuple sur "Inuk". Et que dire de "Why Would I Cry" langoureux et planant. Si on a pas l'impression de se vautrer sur une peau d'ours polaire après ça, j'sais pas ce que ça prendrait! Avec "Wish Song" on a envie de se laisser dériver doucement entre les banquises. Pour plus de rythme, "Out Of Desperation" nous donne envie d'être une jeune fille et de danser dans un grand champs de fleurs sous un soleil radieux.
M'enfin... toutes bonnes, j'vous dis! Allez, je vous laisse faire connaissance.


À noter la seule chanson en français (Moi, Elsie), écrite par nul autre que Richard Desjardins, qui est loin d'être le dernier des paroliers! Un texte magnifique et touchant taillé sur mesure pour Élisapie qui l'interprète accompagnée seulement d'un piano. Puis nous revenons sur terre avec la pièce finale "Do You Hear Me" qui nous reste plantée dans le cerveau en même temps que la flèche qu'elle nous a décochée en plein coeur.

Oh que oui, je t'entends, et tu as réussi à me les faire voir, tes étoiles!

Voici maintenant une vidéo de la pièce Butterfly enregistrée lors de l'émission Studio 12 il y a quelques semaines. (Je suis très reconnaissante à la personne qui a enregistré et mis cette vidéo sur YouTube, mais j'aurais tellement apprécié qu'elle ait su ajuster les paramètres de sa télé HD!! On croirait voir un band de hobbits!)



LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, by TICKLEBEAR

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LAW ABIDING CITIZEN,
with jamie foxx and gerard butler.


alright,
the chance to see gerard's butt,
even if only for 2 seconds,
unless it was a body-double...
was sort of an incentive for me.
what can i say.
the flesh is weak!!
but beyond that,
i do need more than a show of flesh to convince me
whether a movie is good or not...
this one barely makes it,
as one shoudn't watch this too rationally,
but rather in a visceral way,
and here's why:


you are assaulted & stabbed,
tied up & gagged,
made to watch your family being tortured
and murdered right in front of you,
and then,
left for dead.
except you don't die,
you live to tell your tale,
the cops mean well,
the lawyers & the judge do what they think is best,
but you feel you're not getting justice for the death of your loved ones,
as the one you know is the true murderer
is getting away with murder
because of a deal he strikes with the ambitious self-centered prosecutor.
what do you do?!?
WHAT DO YOU DO?!?
you make your own justice,
that's what!!



i don't expect this movie to win any award
or to be remembered for far too long...
but it kept me interested if not excited,
and the ending surprised me.
it goes against any constitutional right,
and i like it!!!
trust me,
i haven't said too much.
you can still see this & enjoy it.
it's an OK movie.
it worked for me.
was it gerard's butt i saw?!?
:D~
HUGZ


PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, by TICKLEBEAR

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PARANORMAL ACTIVITY,
by Oren Peli.
it should be called instead
PARANORMAL INACTIVITY,
as there is significant activity after 86 minutes,
for about half-a-minute,
like 12 minutes before the end of the movie.
what is the big hype about?!?
this movie has neither any educational value about paranormal phenomenoms,
nor any entertainment value
as i remained bored the WHOLE f^%#@&g TIME..
WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!!!
i still can't believe i sat the whole way through.
the plot?
an hysterical woman with delusional paranoia
with a moronic guy "encounter" a phenomenom...
a winning combination.
stay away from that one!!
:(~
HUGZ



video

Saturday, September 26, 2009

THE MAGIC of LANTERNS 2009 (MONTREAL's BOTANICAL GARDEN), by TICKLEBEAR

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at montreal's botanical garden
is an anuual rendez-vous not to be missed.
this said,
my visit this year was probably the most dreadful
as the event is victim of its own success...
it may have taken me hardly ten minutes to hop in a cab
to hit the express way & reach my destination,
but the waiting in line to get tickets for the site
took forever...
& much to my delight... [NOT!!!]
i was surrounded by throngs of children in strollers or running around,
crying & screaming,
& people in wheelchairs...
i strongly recommend you go during the week.
weekends are simply sheer madness.
people pushing you while you try to take pictures,
the paths are narrow & uneven,
which in my opinion is neither
strollers or wheelchairs friendly.
(just my opinion...)
since i'm none too keen on kids or big crowds,
it took something away from the experience
as there's really not much room to move around.
still,
i'm glad i saw it,
even if it weren't in the best circumstances.
the organizers obviously made good use of the pieces of years past,
& the new setting on the pond is just gorgeous.
it is truly an enchanting view to be enjoyed,
when you're not threatened to be pushed over into the pond by this mob...
(do you get the sense i may be just a tad pissed off here?!?)
as you follow the paths & cross those little bridges,
the view keeps revealing itself anew,
with more details to admire amidst the plants
& over the water.
you also can visit a few chinese pavillions,
(which i skipped, i wonder why?!?).
definitely a destination not to be missed
D-U-R-I-N-G T-H-E W-E-E-K !!!
don't worry,
i'll be back next year,
& i'll try to remember my own advice...
:D~
HUGZ


Saturday, August 22, 2009

LES FEUX LOTO-QUEBEC: JUPITER AWARDS & HOMAGE TO MICHAEL JACKSON

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well,
the 25th edition of the international loto-quebec fireworks of montreal
has just concluded with the award ceremonies,
& i must say this year's competitors from around the world
have all honored this prestigious event
with their performance.
without further delay,
the winners are:

ROYAL PYROTECHNIE,
representing quebec, canada,
has earned the golden jupiter.
(i had personally given them 4.5)
OOPS!!
:D~
PYROMAGIC PRODUCTIONS LTD,
representing hong kong, china,
received the silver jupiter.
i missed that show
& i knew it'd be that good.
it just had to be...
sniff!!

MELROSE PYROTECHNICS,
from the united states earned the bronze jupiter.
good for them!!
(i had given them a 5...)
all in all,
a great year!!
:)~
part of the evening's event was an homage to michael jackson,
entertainer extraordinaire!!
from my vantage point,
it was difficult to see it all as there was no wind to move the fumes away;
& there was no radio broadcast of the event,
as this was not a scheduled event.
who knew michael would die, right?!?
nevertheless,
it was fun & sparkly enough.
the eternal boy that he was
might have like that.
it certainly ended with a bigger bang than he did...
may his soul rest in piece.
i'll admit
i've followed the fireworks this year
more enthusiastically
than in some previous years,
& it is thanks to the competing teams this year
that have made me want to see more & more.
in my heart,
you're all winners
& you have an open invitation
to come back anytime.
see ya all in 2010!!
:)~
HUGZ

DISTRICT 9 : YOUR MUST-SEE OF THE SEASON !!!

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by peter jackson.
my apologies as i should have written this days ago...
let's start by saying this is your must-see of the season.
there, i've said it!!
where other movies have more or less disappointed me,
such as transformers 2 which i liked but was annoyed with too many things;
harry potter & the halfblood prince was fine, in its genre;
g.i. joe-rise of the cobra was a total let-down...
it is nice to see that this far into the blockbuster season,
something like this can come up & still enchant me.
set as a mockumentary,
with the handheld camera that comes with that,
of which i'm never a big fan of,
but for which i'll make an exception here
as it is pertinent,
it is the drama that ensues
when habitants of johanesburg (south africa) wake up to find
a spaceship over their city,
filled with bereft aliens trapped in this useless ship,
& in need of asylum.
the CGI is ever present but subtle
as it never distract you from the story,
because yes,
THERE IS a story.
it is an intelligent film,
not an orgy of CGI with no plotline in sight...
a story that reveals is not the monster whom you might think.
though it is a scifi movie,
i personally felt it was way more a social critique
of the way humans treat "others"...
those others coming from another planet as in the movie,
or from across the border, as in real life.
it is way-too-close to reality to ignore that fact.
we have enough refugee camps on this planet
to bring this to evidence.
but in the last minute of the movie,
& i won't spoil it for you, promise!!,
there is a glimmer of hope for the human spirit,
as the better side of our nature may prevail [in some cases...].
see it & you'll understand.
it's the story of a man who is part of the system that oppresses those aliens,
& after becoming contaminated by some alien technology,
(i'm keeping it vague here...),
fights to retain his humanity & a grasp on his life,
while gaining a better understanding of the aliens
as he gets treated as one of them [or worse even...];
only to find out that,
no matter what happens to him,
he'll always remain "human".
(that's the part i find so moving...).
DISTRICT 9 is one of those movies
i cannot wait to add to my DVD collection.
that & STAR TREK,
the other great movie this season
both at opposing sides of the genre,
& both doing a great job at it.
this movie has graphic violence,
not too gory, just violent,
so not for too-young-a kids please,
as this is not WALL-E or E.T.,
nor should you expect a mindless over-the-top action movie.
there are plenty of sleek special effects & enough action,
but it will appeal to the two neurons you've got left
in your numbed mind.
it'll be a nice change!!
go see it!!
period!!
3 f*ck*ng thumbs up...
or 5 stars +1 in bonus!!
:)~
HUGZ

video

Sunday, August 16, 2009

MONTREAL's GAY PRIDE PARADE 2009, by TICKLEBEAR

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the theme this year was FIESTA!!
& people have delivered
as there was a lot of colors,
most seemed in good spirit
& it made for a great event.
i went with linoue to see the parade
& we were both enchanted with the experience.
there were clubs & community associations,
lots of music & some dancing [in this heat!!!].
polite statements were made
& it shouldn't create any scandals as in some previous years...
gays are just SO polite!!!...
enjoy the pictures (some are captioned) & the videos!!
thanks to the organisers, sponsors & all of the many participants.
a two hours well spent,
despite the heat...
you can say
mother nature was shining on us!!!
& even though there were many politicians present at the parade,
i don't recall seeing a tory from ottawa.
i guess they do have a sense of survival,
after the affront they did to montreal,
denying divers/cite their grant
for our first gay pride.
yes,
we have two gay pride festivals here in montreal.
jealous?!?
that's just how proud we are!!
(if only...)
:)~
HUGZ








Saturday, August 15, 2009

L'INTERNATIONAL DES FEUX LOTO-QUEBEC 2009: CONCEPT FIATLUX

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was supposed to give us something never seen before...
a 45 minutes program instead of 30 minutes.
the beginnning with the narrative was just a big yawn!!!
& the rest was even worse...
one word to CONCEPT FIATLUX:
GO HOME & DO YOUR FUCKING HOMEWORK
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this was supposed to be an hommage to the CIRQUE DU SOLEIL!!!...
"SUPPOSED"
???????????
i fucking missed michel dorion's show for THIS??????
for 45 minutes,
i waited to be impressed,
always hopeful...
the cirque du soleil NEVER failed to impress me,
even when i saw those shows numerous times.
just don't hire this company,
since they won't deliver......
any suburb city could have provided better entertainment.
this was beyond boring!!!!!!!
F-U-C-K !!!!!!!!!
FUCK YOU VERY MUCH FIATLUX!!!
can laliberte sue for misrepresentation???

no fucking slideshow for them!!!!!
too boring!!!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

I AM SO-O-O-O-O HEAD-OVER-HEELS FOR MELANIE FIONA, by TICKLEBEAR

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funny how life can be good to someone....sometimes!!
here's how i came to get "the bridge",
& i was so delighted with his performance
that i rushed to the store,
the following day,
in the late afternoon;
most likely at the same time
as lucrecia but we didn't pay at the same cashier,
missing each other by a mere few meters or minutes.
when she came to my place,
she offered me julien's CD,
only to realize i had got it myself...
she meant to thank me for going with her to julien's concert...
so,
she told me she had discovered another artist
whom she had liked very much,
listening to her CD at the store.
she showed me melanie's CD
which i popped in the player,
&
I-SIMPLY-FELL-IN-LOVE
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so,
lucrecia said i could keep the CD,
& she just died laughing,
seeing me rocking on my chair all night to the music.
& that's how i discovered melanie.
thanx lucrecia!!
great find!!
melanie is a canadian singer,
a toronto native.
i suddenly feel envious of toronto...
(not really, but...you know!!)
:D~
i may be gay,
but i wish this girl could serenade my heart for the rest of my life.
she 's sexy,
& her voice is like warm honey dripping on your skin,
caressing you & wrapping you up with the nicest fuzzy feeling...
G-rrrr!!!
the lyrics & the music are contemporary,
but there is in some songs a retro undertone
which is most enchanting
like in a '70s lounge,
with mirrored walls & mirror balls
dazzling you.
her ballads send shivers up my spine.
i'm just in love with melanie!!!!
the only unfortunate part of this story
is that we found out melanie had been in montreal
only a few weeks ago,
at the jazz festival.
darn!!!!
yes,
lucrecia & i were both swearing
for having missed this.
surely she'll come back to montreal,
but until then,
i'll have to be content with her CD.
& I AM!!!!
:)~
nice to see there is so much talent to discover out there.
i'll be keeping a watch on that girl now.
i've missed her once,
but not twice,
no sirree!!!!
mel,
please don't go!!
it kills me
how
you stop my heart
as you
walk on by.
give it to me right
as
your sad songs
are
priceless!!
AY YO !!!
please, pretty please,
with sugar & cherries on top?!?
HEY!!
i've never really beg a guy like that...
better get your [beautiful] butt back to montreal soon!!!
come on girl!!!
P-leeeeeeeazzze!?!
:D~
HUGZ

video

video

L'INTERNATIONAL DES FEUX LOTO-QUEBEC 2009: FIREWORKS for AFRICA (SOUTH AFRICA)

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were this year last competitors.
a clear sky & the moon looked favorably upon them.
an unimpressive musical mishmash didn't diminish the least
the appeal of the simple & effective display in the sky,
as the africans poured generously colors & shapes
over a wide expanse at a steady rythm.
it left us with a general feel good impression.
lucrecia was quite enthusiastic about what she saw.
i also think it was an excellent way to wrap up the competition.
let's see now
who will be proclaimed the winners
of the gold, silver & bronze jupiters.
in my opinion,
2009 will be remembered as a good year.
may the best ones win!!
:)~
HUGZ


Saturday, August 8, 2009

JULIEN DORÉ AUX FRANCOFOLIES DE MONTRÉAL


Wouh!! Je suis encore toute remuée. Attendez, je vais me reprendre... mmmmf, aaaaahhh... Bon. Hier soir a eu lieu à l'Astral, dans le câdre des Francofolies de Montréal, le spectacle de Julien Doré. Depuis deux ans déjà je surveille la carrière de ce jeune homme. Un gagnant de la Nouvelle Star, émission de télé-réalité française. Déjà, dans le câdre de cette émission, les prestations de Julien Doré étaient toujours les plus intéressantes. Son énergie, sa présence scénique et sa façon tellement originale et personnelle d'interpréter les vieux tubes que ces concurrents sont obligés de faire, pour rendre le spectacle abordable pour un plus large public, l'ont tout de suite fait se démarquer du troupeau d'aspirants chanteurs. Du moins à mes yeux. J'avais toujours hâte de voir ce qu'il était pour faire, de semaine en semaine. Et, de toute évidence, je n'étais pas la seule à avoir remarqué ce jeune fougueux!

Je dois dire que la petite salle de l'Astral, hier, comptait un large public français. Ici et là, l'accent pointu des cousins se faisait entendre. Des touristes? Des néo-québécois? Sa famille? Il y avait aussi tout autant de québécois, et j'en étais très heureuse.

C'est la jeune Amylie qui a entammé la soirée en première partie de Julien. Amylie nous a chanté quelques unes des chansons de son album tout en s'accompagnant à la guitare. Elle était encâdrée d'un bassiste et d'une violoncelliste qui faisait aussi la voix d'arrière plan. Belle musique et bonne prestation, malgré le fait que nous ayons malheureusement perdu une partie de ses beaux textes, car le son des instruments noyait celui de sa voix. Dommage, mais on a quand même pu goûter sa voix.


Puis, une fois les instruments en place et les microphones bien calibrés, après l'intro de l'Italiano(?!?) à tue-tête, les musiciens commencent sans plus tarder à jouer et les lumières de la scène s'allument sur un Julien qui nous fait dos, des cymbales aux mains. Et c'est parti pour une soirée de musique endiablée, rock à souhaît, et un Julien débordant d'énergie! La voix bien placée, c'est avec fougue qu'il nous a chanté les pièces de son album Ersatz.


Je dois avouer avoir été hautement impressionnée par sa prestation. Au-delà de mes espérances. Il est généreux, rieur, et l'on devine un sens de l'humour particulier. À un moment donné il commence à nous interpréter la pièce Moi Lolita qui fut un tube lors de sa participation à la Nouvelle Star, et après quelques mesures le batteur se met à "déraper" en un solo de batterie des plus délirant, pour finalement passer à Les Limites, le premier extrait (et tube aussi) de son album Ersatz. Wouh! Comme on dit par chez nous, ça déménage! Et ce fut une façon pour lui de nous signifier qu'il tournait la page de sa période Nouvelle Star. C'est compris, Julien!
Il est définitivement un artiste de scène. Il bouge sans cesse, et je dois aussi admettre, il bouge très bien. Pas une seule seconde d'ennui. Il joue de la guitare, des cymbales, du xylophone, de la cloche à vache, du ukulélé et... du cheveu!

Il bouge tellement, que le photographier devient un sport! Je ne peux passer sous silence la formidable interprétation de First Lady sur laquelle il a amplement eu l'occasion de sautiller partout, et d'aller jouer devant les personnes à l'avant. Décoiffés, nous étions aussi!
Mais il y a tout de même eu des moments un peu plus calmes, comme par exemple lors de l'interprétation des Bords de Mer. Une des préférées de Ticklebear. Si si, j'ai bien dis Ticklebear...

Notons aussi la présence de Coeur de Pirate, qui est venue ajouter sa voix à une chanson composée tout spécialement pour les canadiens : I Want To Go To Winnipeg With You.
Personnellement, je t'aime bien Julien, mais Winnipeg ne fait tellement pas partie de mes fantasmes... I'll let you go with someone else. Snif.


Les musiciens qui l'accompagnent sont excellents. Je ne sais si ce sont ceux d'un de ses bands, mais j'ai beaucoup apprécié le travail du guitariste et du batteur. Des pros. On nous a servi une musique au son très rock, et à notre grande surprise et bonheur, certaines pièces qui s'étiraient dans des sons de rock progressif. C'est comme ça qu'il a achevé de nous charmer. Nous sommes maintenant vendus, mordus, et fans! (Comme si je ne l'étais pas déjà!) Et voici, la preuve est là, l'aveu de Ticklebear.


Au rappel, Coeur de Pirate s'est installée au piano, et ils ont fait ensemble le duo qui figure sur l'album de cette dernière : Pour un Infidèle. Charmant moment.

Et, comme si nous n'étions pas déjà comblés, pour la toute dernière pièce du rappel Julien et ses musiciens sont descendus de scène avec leurs instruments, et ont joué au milieu de la salle, parmi nous, une pièce acoustique des plus sympathiques, en nous faisant chanter avec eux. À ce moment, je n'en peux presque plus de bonheur!

AJOUT : 10 août 2009

Suite au commentaire de Romy je suis allée consulter le forum des Crazy-Julien. Woah!! Des heures de plaisir!
Si certains pensaient que j'étais maniaque de Julien, ils n'ont encore rien vu!

J'ai trouvé cette vidéo de la dernière pièce de son rappel. Et nous y étions!! Là, juste là, quelque part derrière lui...
Merci les Crazy-Julien!



Ah, au fait, je vous ai déjà dis, que je l'aimais bien, mon p'tit Julien?


Dix sur cinq. Rien de moins.
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