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FAITH ALIVE

1. Think Scientologists are nuts? Here are some things Mormons actually believe in.
2. A near full scale riot erupted at a Jewish deli in New York last week, when it was discovered that that non-kosher hot dogs had accidentally been served. The owner, who was hit in the face, brandished an electric carving knife to defend himself. (YouTube footage of the incident here).
3. Oh, and last week the Pope made a speech in Cameroon pretty much insinuating that condoms cause AIDS.

GOODBYE, SAYONARA, ARRIVEDERCI

Two very good friends of mine are departing these shores this week. Former Mongrel publisher Yousef Eldin (pictured back row, far left, presumably in the cross-hairs of a powerful nerd-shrinking ray) is taking up a position at Vice magazine in London. He’s a talented photographer and general nefarious schemer, but also a really good guy and one of my best mates. Examples of his work are here and here (but not here). Read the rest of this entry »

SUGAR BABY LOVE (1974)

Yes, all lovers make the same (fashion) mistakes.

COMPLIMENTS FROM THE CHEF

Just completed a long, stormy interview with Marco Pierre White – the “original bad boy chef”™ – for the Irish Times. The interview was conducted in his new restaurant on Dawson Street and, at one point, I really thought he was going to tell me to get the fuck out. (This man once stormed out of a Radio Times interview, for Christ’s sake.)

White is a combative character, but I thought I gave as good as I got. I asked him, for example, why chefs were allowed more latitude to be pricks than hairdressers or landscape gardiners? Anyway, when the interview was over, he stood up, shook my hand and (I have this on tape by the way!) said…. Read the rest of this entry »

MISCELLANEOUS AMUSING ITEMS I’VE COME ACROSS#4

Came across this when I visited here.

THROUGH THE KEYHOLE

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Google Street View London went live yesterday. To celebrate, I’m bringing you this exclusive bird’s eye view of the private residence of one of Ireland’s greatest ever exports. Not to overstate the case or anything, but I’d rate him the best man in the country, and the master of all men when it comes to fighting. Read the rest of this entry »

ST. PATRICK’S DAY FALLOUT: OUR NATIONAL SHAME CONTINUES

Holy moly, it’s like Paddy’s Day, April Fools and Christmas all rolled into one… “Drunk Birds Fall From Sky” is the lead headline in today’s Northside People (yeah, I keep it pretty real): “Northsiders were shocked this week when a flock of birds literally fell from the sky after becoming drunk on fermented berries in Finglas…” The birds, apparently, died of alcohol poisoning after eating some berries that were growing wild in a housing estate. The front page report also says that the birds, Waxwings, originated in northern Russia. Which is odd, since you’d think at least that they could handle their drink.

Obama’s pick for Irish ambassador meets with opposition from an unexpected quarter

Yesterday, Barack Obama announced the appointment of Dan Rooney as the next US ambassador to Ireland. In his speech, Obama cited Rooney’s longstanding support for Irish-American charitable causes. Now, normally, this would be a move-along-nothing-to-see-here story. Except that Dan Rooney’s nomination was today sensationally opposed by these two outspoken young gentlemen… Read the rest of this entry »

THE LIBRARY (1991)

There were nine seasons of Seinfeld. I’ve got almost all of them on DVD. (The only DVDs I own, in fact.) One of my favourite scenes from the entire run is this exquisitely scripted exchange between Jerry Seinfeld and the hard-nosed library investigations officer, Mr Bookman.

The scene was written by Larry Charles – who went on to direct Curb Your Enthusiasm and Borat, amongst other things. He got the idea from watching reruns of the 1960s cop show Dragnet, and imagining how life would be if more people conducted themselves in the manner of Sergent Joe Friday Read the rest of this entry »

THE IRISH ROVER (1987)

In honour of the day that’s in it.