The Weekend Australian Magazine this, er, weekend had a feature on Baz Luhrmann and this still-unfinished film. I have to admit that reading the interview made me reconsider whether I will see the film or not (as in, I wasn't going to see it at all but now I am not sure). There was a lot of talk from Baz about his desire to really capture the land ( Read more... )

1. The phrase "different than". UGH. Supposedly it is acceptable in some Englishes, but it will never not sound awful and clunky to me. The correct usage is "different from" or "different to". I am seeing and hearing "different than" being used more these days, all over the place, and it makes me want to cover my eyes and scream and then write ( Read more... )

Recently a friend said this to me: “I think it’s funny how you’re so smart and literary, but then you also like Hanson.”

Well.

Leaving aside the fact that "highbrow vs. lowbrow culture" is a false dichotomy, I’m the first to admit to having some pretty trashy tastes: I love Kraft EasyMac, I watch Gossip Girl, “Push the Button” by the Sugababes is ( Read more... )

I needed something to do when not working or eating whole things of candybeans. Therefore: quiz time ( Read more... )

I'm late in discussing this, but recently politician Tony Abbott declared that Australian students should learn more British history. This is the kind of sweeping statement that is bound to irk me, for several reasons ( Read more... )

Now that the crackfest (not in a good way) of Lost in Austen is over, I think I can pinpoint its biggest problem: there was nothing at stake. There was nothing to drive the tension of the story. I think the Amanda/Darcy storyline was supposed to be the driving tension, but as I've already read Pride & Prejudice I was bored by this pale imitation of ( Read more... )

It's the week for complaints about The Guardian. This interview with Keira Knightley has the journalist behaving like a sexist man-child, and goading Keira into giving him sarcastic and profane answers. He comes across to me as incredibly childish, and pushing buttons not in the interests of getting a good interview but because he's seven and wants ( Read more... )

It's pretty rubbish that the winner of Australia's Next Top Model is ( SPOILER! AusNTM and then Good News Week )

It's late. I'm angry. Might be ill-advised, but for better or worse, here's a rant. You would think that by third-year I'd be over defending my choice of study, but apparently not ( Read more... )