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

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 !!!

DISTRICT 9,

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

MONTREAL's GAY PRIDE PARADE 2009, by TICKLEBEAR

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

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

CONCEPT FIATLUX

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!!!

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

funny how life can be good to someone....sometimes!!

here's how i came to get "the bridge",

the latest CD of melanie fiona.
i went to see julien dore last friday night with lucrecia

& 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

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

FIREWORKS for AFRICA (SOUTH AFRICA)

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

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.

L'INTERNATIONAL DES FEUX LOTO-QUEBEC 2009: MELROSE PYROTECHNICS (U.S.A.)

MELROSE PYROTECHNICS (U.S.A.),

who incidentally doesn't seem to have a proper working website...

just knocked montreal off its feet,

with a soundtrack that was a sure winner,

& fireworks that set the sky ablazed!!

"REEL LOVE",

or real love,

is an hommage to hollywood's love stories,

& god knows we love those.

"funny girl", "grease", "moulin rouge", "bodyguard"

& so many others

just set the mood right.

that's what i like:

cohesion in the musical selection.

even though the styles may have been different,

there was a common thread,

making the experience even more enjoyable.

as for the fireworks,

well...

they do say it's always bigger in america...

DAMN RIGHT!!

if it wasn't the biggest i've ever seen,

it was still something to behold.

a half-hour program that just flew by,

it was over before i could ever get bored.

i'm sold on this one!!

they just didn't make me smile,

they wooed me,

they moved me.

:)~

HUGZ