Tennessee’s Best Kept Secret
May Live In Perthshire Scotland

Among the wonderful sounds of life in Perthshire, Scotland you may not expect to hear the sounds of the Grand Ole Opry. But it appears that God and nature has blessed them with just that.

Young Brendan MacFarlane is as country as Tennessee itself. And although you may have to listen carefully when he speaks in that Scottish brogue honoring his heritage, when he sings he is American Country all the way.

Inspired by the sounds of Johnny Cash, Brendan was hooked at an early age, which is something this writer can understand. My father used to hang with Cash, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and Minnie Pearl when he was very young. So this music was a mainstay in my home. It talks to your soul. Brendan felt that calling and answered it the way God would have you use a great gift that he has given to you. And he wasn’t gonna wait until he was older to do it. And what a gift he has.

Brendan MacFarlane sings Precious Lord

Establishing a presence on YouTube the early part of 2008, he stunned the network with his rendition of Ray Charles’s “I’ve Got A Woman” that now has over 350,000 unique views. The sounds and those blue eyes stole many hearts right off the bat.

 
 
Brendan MacFarlane sings I Got A Woman by Ray Charles

Brendan was gracious enough to answer some questions for theskykid.com in an interview. We’d like to share parts that discussion with you.

001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

You’re 12 years old now. You have a really great voice. You’ve been singing for a long time now right? How old were you when you started to sing?

I was two when I started to sing.  Hank Williams ‘I’m So Lonesome I could Cry’ was the song that started me off.

001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

Do you remember the first time you sang with a microphone? What was it like?

I was four years old the first time I sang with a microphone.  I really enjoyed it.  I love singing in front of a big audience.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

What does it feel like when you are on stage singing?

It’s hard to describe, but as I said before, I love it.

001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

What year are you in, in school right now?

I’m in first year of high school.  It’s the same as your eighth grade.

001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

Do you sing in school too?

Not at this school.  I sang in primary school talent competitions a couple of times.

001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

What do your friends think about the kind of music you’ve chosen to sing? I mean America country, is that popular in Perthshire?

They think it’s great and they have started to listen to it. Country music is big in Scotland.  Johnny Cash’s family are from Falkland, about 20 minutes drive from me.  Country music is steeped in Scottish influences.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

What is it about Country music that you like?

It’s honest music.  I like the stories behind the songs.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

I see that you also like to sing Gospel. God is a pretty big part of your life, then, is that right?

I love singing gospel because it makes me feel good.   I’m a Christian.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

Well personally I thank God for gifting the world with your wonderful voice. Do you like any other types of music?

I like all genres of music, as long as you can sing along to it.

100111100010010110100010011001110110110111100001100110110011001110110100100101111010011010100

Do you sing in the Gaelic language of your homeland?

There are a lot of beautiful Gaelic songs, but I don’t sing in Gaelic.  It’s a dying language, which is really sad.  I’ll maybe try it in the future.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

So you are coming to America. Are you excited about that?

I can’t wait to get back to America.  I was in New York and Nashville in August for meetings with people.  I love New York, there’s always something happening.  And I love Nashville because of the music – the home of country music.

100111100010010110100010011001110110110111100001100110110011001110110100100101111010011010100

100111100010010110100010011001110110110111100001100110110011001110110100100101111010011010100

What do you want to see the most when you got to America?

The inside of a recording studio. lol.  I look forward to seeing the friends I met in August.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

Now let’s talk about your new song, “Money Won’t”. Who wrote it?

‘Money Won’t’ was written by myself with the help of Bizzy and my dad.  We have great fun working together on songs.

Well I have had the great privilege to listen to it and it is really something. Tell us what that song means to you.

The song, to me, is that there are a lot more things in life that are more important than money.  Other people read other things into it, which is great.

Here is an excerpt of that new song for our readers.
Brendan MacFarlane 'Money Won't'

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

Your Dad is pretty musical and you are writing songs together I understand. Can you tell us about the album you are putting together? And when will it be out?

The album is going to be released early next year, if all goes well.  It is a roots/gospel/country crossover with a lot of our own influences added.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

And what part does Bizzy play? The information says that you are writing the songs for the new album with your dad and Bizzy and Donny. We see that your Dad plays guitar and banjo. Donny plays mandolin and guitar. Does Bizzy write lyrics, music or play an instrument or just jump up and down waving a rubber chicken to keep you smiling when you are singing or what?

Bizzy write lyrics, fantastic lyrics.  He also does backing vocals.  He does keep us smiling when the going gets tough.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

Now this one is important, so pay attention. When you get over to America and start meeting all these great country fans, they are going to hear that Scottish accent and see those beautiful blue eyes and I suspect the girls are going to be asking if there is a girlfriend at home. Do you want to tell ‘em or just keep ‘em guessing?

Just keep ‘em guessing.  Not got enough time for girls – just now.

Brendan’s beginnings had a rough start, but all the obstacles have since been removed and he is free to become all that he can be.

It was a delightful interview with a gifted and wonderful voice. Listen to his videos and leave a comment. End it with “SkyKid” so they know you read about him here.

Bring it on Brendan! America and the world are waiting for you.

More video of Brendan

Brendan MacFarlane -- profile at BCSD

Brendan`s first single Money Won’t is available to download from iTunes, eMusic, amazon, nokia music store, napster, 7digital, Deezer and we7. I would like to thank him and his manager, Gordon Scott, for agreeing to this interview. Thanks fly out to the producer, Stephen Ryder, for his support in the process and last, but not least, thanks to John Odom for authoring the article and the interview itself.

Most people would know Liam James from the short flashbacks at the beginning  of every Psych episode, where he plays the young Shawn. His acting career   however, contains many more titles. He was first seen in Good Luck Chuck, followed by Things We Lost in the Fire – where he appeared as an extra only for few seconds.

In Fred Claus, he played the character of the young Fred,  while in Horsemen he was the son of Dennis Quaid’s character – a detective who’s after a brutal serial  killer. Then he started appearing,  on a regular basis,  in the episodes of Psych, where he perfectly portrays the young Shawn in flashbacks showing  moments  from his childhood.  It was because of these episodes that people started to notice him. He also had a short, but noticeable, appearance in an episode of Fear Itself.

Undoubtedly, it can be said that his actual breakthrough came this year with the release  of Roland Emerich’s blockbuster 2012, the  film about a  global cataclysm which strikes the world on the winter solstice of 2012,  according to the Mayan calendar.   In this catastrophic flick, Liam James   is featured, along with John Cusack.  Portraying Cusack’s son,   Liam delivers a brilliant performance people will definitely remember. While  filming  2012, he  also did  some of his own stunts while submerged.

Hopefully,  2012 will finally launch Liam into the galaxy of stars and we will see a lot more from this talented young man.

This article is a guest contribution by William Spenser.

For up to date information about Liam James check his fan site:

No matter if you are into pop music or not -chances are you have heard of Justin Bieber. His name seems to be popping up everywhere these days -- My Space, Twitter, Facebook, radios, TV shows -- this Canadian singer, his fans and management have created a huge hype around his name and music.

Much like Troye Sivan, Justin Bieber began his career on YouTube, where he got noticed by his manager Scooter Braun. The rise of young stars out of social media sites these days is astonishing. If you have been following this blog for a while, you may recall when Bestpi (one of the authors here) called YouTube:  ”The Largest Casting Call in History“.

Back to Justin…

After releasing four widely successful singles, on November 17, 2009 he released his  debut album My World.

Quoting one of the many fan sites that appeared for Justin: “From social networking to iTunes to the billboard charts, Justin Bieber is already a dominating presence in the music industry…”

I got a copy of his album and will try to tell you my opinion on it after hearing the songs one by one -- most for a very first time.  What I have noted, though, was the label through which the album was released - ”Island Records ” -- I knew it from before as the same company that used to work with Hanson during the release of their third album “This Time Around”.   Yet, due to a conflict with the producers,  the brothers left ” Island Records ” and created their own independent label, 3CG Records.  So I was curious to see the same label working with another young performer -- and can only hope Justin has an experience with them that is smoother.

My world features 8 tracks -- namely : “One Time”, “Favorite Girl”, “Down to Earth”, “Bigger”, “One Less Lonely Girl”, “First Dance” (featuring Usher), “Love Me” and “Common Denominator”.  Most of the lyrics are typical for teen-aged performers and are about love, girls, growing up and having fun. His style can be described as lighthearted and the songs are quite rhythmic. My favorite song from the album is “Down to Earth” -- probably because I found it the most lyrical of all.  “Love Me” has a really nice beat -- in fact it reminded me of a famous disco song ( The Cardigan’s  “Lovefool” ). The rest of the songs are fine -- even if they do not really stick to me.

Typically for teen stars like Justin, the majority of his fans are girls -- and I expect that some of them won’t miss their chance to express an opinion about his album in the comments to this post. While I am not considering myself a fan -- I appreciate his talent and his hard work and determination. For some bizarre reason, Justin has a lot of haters too (I can recall a similar situation with Hanson a few years ago)….honestly, I can not understand such people. After all, no one forces them to listen to his songs.

I think that Justin Bieber deserved to have his post in my blog and will leave it to you to share your own opinion of his music and album.

“You want to stop, we stop now. You are only a kid…I understand that, but now its the time to grow up . Its too soon for you, but that is the way it is “

The quote above more or less summarizes the story of  Ginostra. I enjoyed the film, even though it was not original or interesting. Nor did it possess any notable coming of age value -- which one would expect after seeing the cover artwork and reading the film description on the DVD cover. Ginostra can be classified as a crime thriller, with elements of drama and suspense.  But fans of either one of these genres may be unpleasantly surprised by the way they are presented in the film. Most of the other reviewers trashed the film on all levels -- starting with editing, going through absurd elements of the story plot and unrealistically shot scenes.  I also did not like the slow pace of the film (fell asleep the first night I tried to watch it), yet I would say that I am glad that I gave this film a chance -- as it had its good moments and ideas.

First the story… it may remind you of the famous film “ The Client “. It is about an FBI agent Matt Benson (Harvey Keitel) who is sent to Italy to question and protect the 11-year-old Ettore -- a sole survivor from a car bombing, which resulted in the death of his family. The boy is not cooperative at first, but, after realizing that the FBI agent is his ” only chance for revenge”, he decides to help him out.  Of course the Mafia ( Cosa Nostra) is not happy with someone spilling his guts about them and is set to eliminate Ettore at all costs.

The performance of the young Mattia de Martino in the role of Ettore is one of the things that may possibly influence your final decision about the quality of the film. His interactions, both verbal and nonverbal, with the other personages in the film, help the viewer to create some kind of the idea of the personality of the main characters. Sadly, he did not get enough screen time -- which would have been a disaster if it was not for Harvey Keitel as the FBI agent, who also delivered an above average acting performance (something in his acting reminded me of the style of Robert de Niro).

The film’s tagline is : “The danger awaits outside. But fear has been installed inside …and in between lies an orphaned child …”.  The film would have been much better, in my opinion, if the director stuck to it. Speaking of him (the film’s director), I think that he could have done a better job in the overall direction of his film.  Some of the dialogue is quite dull.  But at the same time, a lot of information about what happened prior to the moments shown on screen is integrated into that dialogue.

To conclude, I would like to say that I was not completely disappointed by the film and, unlike other reviewers,  I would suggest that you see it and form your own opinion. ( By the way I loved the English accent of the actor -- probably because I speak English also with an accent) . Your comments on it are always welcome .

This review would have not been possible without the valuable support of CVMC. I would like to express my gratitude for providing the DVD.  Check  out the film’s page at CVMC. / click here for a Making of clip

” Best friends find you when you least expect them ”

my friend Joe is a classic coming of age film. Directed by Chris Bould, the film  is based on the book Janne, min vän written by Swedish author Peter Pohl.

my friend Joe tells the story of the unlikely friendship between two 12 year olds: Chris, who is Irish, and an American named Joe. Joe  mysteriously appears in Chris’s small Irish town, impressing him and his friends with amazing cycling skills.

But get ready for a surprise …because, despite the name, Joe isn’t a boy ….and you wouldn’t be the only one surprised to discover that. And no, I did not spoil the film for you, as Joe’s personality becomes clear  from the first minutes of the movie. Yet, I can assure you that this doesn’t make my friend Joe a predictable or boring film.  On the contrary, the story is told in a way that will keep you glued to the screen during the film’s entire 90 minutes.

I loved the atmosphere in this film -- it felt like watching  Stand By Me, with elements from Mickybo and Me and The Cure thrown in for good measure. Chris’s obsession with books and adventures reminded me of when I was his age, and his attitude towards girls isn’t much different than what mine has always been.  For one thing its rather easier to buddy up with people from your own gender.  It’s a classic issue really -- can there exist a real, pure friendship between a boy and a girl or is gender tension always bound to appear?

The film offers an interesting view of that question as the friendship between Chris and Joe  flourishes  when they are buddying up -- even if Chris is not aware that Joe  unwillingly has a gender-bender role. Chris grows fond of Joe because of the amazing bicycle stunts and boyish bravado and has no idea that Jan is really a girl who is a trapeze artist in a travelling circus. What he senses is that his friend is harboring a secret -- a secret he is bound to discover…

“sometimes you can’t tell everything -- even to a best friend”

[Show as slideshow]

my friend Joe is an engaging and exciting coming of age drama which I highly recommend. Schuyler Fisk delivers an outstanding performing in the challenging role of Joe -- projecting toughness, vulnerability and  and girlish sensitivity all in one. The rest of the cast also did a good job. 

This film won the Silver Bear at the 1996 Berlin Film Festival.

PS: I have not read the book Janne, min vän -- but,  judging from the IMBD commentaries, it seems that it is a real masterpiece.  So, if you get a chance to confirm the validity of this statement, let me know !

It is no secret to anyone that I am a fan of Antonio Jose.  I wrote my first article about him back in 2006 -- followed by an additional five which more or less were speculations on the possibility that he would release his second CD. Now his album  Todo Vuelve A Empezar is already released and, not surprisingly, everyone who waited patiently for its release can confirm that it was worth the wait. Knowing that many of the readers of theskykid.com like Antonio’s music, I decided to ask him for an interview.  He agreed and you can read the interview below:

Hello Antonio and thank you for agreeing to this exclusive interview for theskykid.com. I am quite excited to have you as a guest at my blog, as I have been following your career for years . We agreed to do this interview in Engish and Spanish, so that more people can read it.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001  
  

theskykid.com : Have you had any formal vocal training?

theskykid.com : ¿Has tenido algún entrenamiento vocal formal?

Antonio Jose : Yes. I have had and shortly I will again. In 1993, when I got the first prize of Veo Veo, from the Foundation of Teresa Rabal, they gave me a scholarship to study for 6 months in an academy to form the voice. On my own now, due to my next tour, I’m going to prepare with a vocal tutor.

Antonio Jose : Si, cuando gané en el 2003 el primer premio Veo Veo, de la Fundación Teresa Rabal, me dieron una beca de 6 meses para una academia de estudios para formar la voz. Ahora, con motivo de mi próxima gira también voy prepararme con un tutor vocal.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com : Who would you say has had the biggest musical influence on you?

theskykid.com :¿Quién dirías que te ha influenciado más musicalmente?

Antonio Jose : My mother was the one who realized that I could sing and the one who encouraged me to participate in the contests Veo Veo (2003 and 2005) as well as in television in Eurojunior (2005).

Antonio Jose : Mi madre fue la que se dio cuenta de que podía cantar y la que me animó a participar en los concursos Veo Veo (2003 y 2005) así como en televisión en Eurojunior (2005).

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com : How has your music evolved since the “Te traigo flores” days?

theskykid.com : ¿Cómo ha evolucionado tu música desde los días de “Te traigo flores”?

Antonio Jose : My music has evolved as I’ve gotten older and as the rest of the world has, hehehe. On one hand, the new disc has changed from the FLAMECO sound of the first album to return to more of a pop sound.  But, on the other hand, the songs on the new disc are more international. The new disc TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR (All Begins Again) shows, through its lyrics, the different things that happen to teenagers in a positive and amusing way. The differences between people are the reason for the different musical styles in this disc. But, on the other hand, everybody wants to be part of something. Just look at FACEBOOK or TUENTI.  This disc tries to bring everyone together.

Antonio Jose : A evolucionado como mi edad y como el mundo!!, jejeje. Aparte de cambiar los aires aflamencados del primer disco y volverme más pop, mis canciones ahora son más internacionales. El nuevo álbum “TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR” refleja en sus letras esas cosas que nos pasan a los chicos y chicas de nuestra edad de una manera positiva y divertida, y en su música lo diferentes que somos, de ahí que cada tema sea de un estilo musical. Pero en el fondo todos queremos pertenecer a algo, y si no mírate el Facebook o el Tuenti. Este disco pretende ser un punto de unión.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com :  Why was there such a large gap between the release of your first CD and this new one? Were you working on other projects during that time?

theskykid.com : ¿Por qué ha pasado tanto tiempo desde la salida de tu primer CD y la de éste? ¿Has estado trabajando en otros proyectos durante todo este tiempo?

Antonio Jose : We decided to spend more time in the preparation of the new disc, to be sure about which was the best road to follow. Besides that, a proposal to change the musical style by my producer caused a lot of the delay.  But once the project started, everything went ok and quickly and, for me, the most important thing is the result and my feeling is the disc is fantastic!  What do you think about it?

Antonio Jose : Hemos querido tomarnos con más calma la preparación del nuevo disco, escuchamos muchísimas canciones antes de decidir qué camino seguir. Además, la propuesta del cambio de estilo musical realizada por mi productor influyó mucho en el retraso. Pero una vez echó a andar el proyecto, todo fluyo bien y rápidamente. El resultado final es lo más importante para mí, y creo que ha valido la pena esperar. Y vosotros que opináis?

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com :  You seem to have weathered your voice change just fine. Your music seems to be as popular as ever. Do you have any indication from fan mail, etc. that you’ve retained fans from when you were younger and/or have gained new fans since your voice has matured?

theskykid.com : Parece que has llevado el cambio de tu voz bastante bien. Tu música parece ser tan popular como siempre. ¿Tienes noticias provenientes de correos de fans, etc. que indiquen que mantienes fans de cuando eras más joven y/o has ganado nuevos fans desde que tu voz ha madurado?

Antonio Jose :My voice has been maturing, as is usual for my age, but I have managed to maintain my identity.

Concerning your comments about fans… although a lot has happened between the first album to this new one, my relationship with my earlier fans has been growing up and by now we are friends. They supported me back then and I’m sure that they will continue to do so now and I thank them so much. In the same way, I would like to gain more fans due to this second album and know that, in the end, they will become my friends too.

Antonio Jose : Mi voz ha ido madurando, es cosa de la edad, pero he logrado mantener mi identidad.

Sobre lo que comentas de los fans, pese al tiempo que ha pasado, aquellos que en su día me dieron todo su apoyo se han convertido en mis amigos, a los cuales les estoy tremendamente agradecido. Y si con el nuevo trabajo consigo nuevos amigos, bienvenidos serán. Cuantos más seamos mejor.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com : In a video clip of the making of “Todo Vuelve A Empezar”, I noticed there was someone who appeared to be a conductor in the video with you. Who was that?

theskykid.com : En el videoclip del como se hizo “Todo vuelve a empezar”, noté que había alguien que parecía ser un presentador en el vídeo contigo. ¿Quién era?

Antonio Jose : Hehehe. He is not a conductor. He is my producer,Crister Garcia, and during the recording of the disc he was inside the cabin with me to give me all the relevant instructions for getting the best interpretation of each song. I would like to point out that all that you can see in the video is absolutely true and direct; it is the actual making of the record of the songs.

Antonio Jose : Jejeje. No es un presentador, es mi productor Crister García. Durante la grabación del disco entraba conmigo en la cabina para darme las indicaciones oportunas para extraer todo lo mejor de mí en la interpretación de cada canción. Todo lo que veis en los vídeos es riguroso directo.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com : Besides your own official website, there is at least one very popular fansite, plus a number of bloggers like myself who have written about you and your music for several years. Are you aware of the hype?

theskykid.com : Aparte de tu web oficial, hay al menos una web de fans bastante popular, aparte de una buena cantidad de blogueros como yo que han escrito sobre ti y tu música durante años. ¿Eres consciente de la expectación generada?

Antonio Jose : I am concious of the expectations of those waiting to listen to my second album.  You can be sure that I’ve been nervous about it as well.  That has motivated me to do my best so that everyone will not be disappointed.

Regarding your comments about the web… I want to clarify that we have done a new official website: www.antoniojose.com with all the material relating to this new second album “All Begins Again”. On the site there are also links to ANTONIOJOSE.AJ at Facebook, ANTONIOJOSEAT at Twitter, ANTONIO JOSE CLUB AJ at Tuenti and Youtube.com/CLUBAJ

The arrival of the album in the shops is due by the end of November. All the people who buy this second album directly will be members of CUL AJ and all of these friends will be able to participate in my next videoclips. We have a lot of  things pending and there will be more news about them soon.

Antonio Jose :Soy consciente de la expectación, los nervios se unen a la ilusión y eso me motiva a darlo todo para todos vosotros.

Aprovecho que lo has comentado, mi nueva web oficial www.antoniojosemusic.com se ha hecho para concentrar todo los contenidos e información sobre el nuevo disco “TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR”. Junto a ella, tenemos los canales ANTONIOJOSE.AJ de facebook, ANTONIOJOSEAJ en Twitter, ANTONIO JOSE CLUB AJ en Tuenti y Youtube.com/CLUBAJ.

Además, con la puesta a la venta de disco en formato CD para finales del próximo mes de Noviembre, todos los que lo compren en este formato o lo hayan comprado en digital en Internet pasarán automáticamente a formar parte del CLUB AJ. Los amigos y amigas que pertenezcan a este club podrán participar en mis próximos videoclips de internet así como en concursos. Muchas cosas están por venir! Y nos lo pasaremos genial!

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com :  So what’s next? Do have any plans for another CD? For tours? Spain? US?

theskykid.com : ¿Qué es lo siguiente? ¿Tienes planes para otro CD? ¿O una gira española o norteamericana?

Antonio Jose : Step by step. Now, we are preparing for the tour for this new album, which I hope will take us to many places in the world. Now, is your turn to ask for our concert in the theaters and other venues in your cities… After the tour, we don’t have specific plans, but I’m sure that really good things will occur.

Antonio Jose : Paso a paso. Ahora preparamos la gira de este nuevo álbum, la cual espero que pueda llegar a muchos lugares del mundo. Os tocará a vosotros pedir nuestro concierto a vuestros teatros y ayuntamientos.

1001111000100101101000100110011101101101111000011001101100110011101101001001011110100110101001

theskykid.com : Is there anything you want to add ?

theskykid.com : ¿Te gustaría añadir algo?

Antonio Jose : Thank you very much to your magazine for dedicating these lines to me. It is a real honor. I want to thank my fans and friends for their support.  They are the best! A very big kiss!   AJ

Antonio Jose : Muchas gracias a vuestra revista por dedicarme estas líneas, es todo un honor, y sobre todo a mis fans y amigos por estar ahí, por su apoyo que para mí es lo más grande. Un beso muy grande! AJ

Visit the official web site of Antonio Jose 
 

I don’t usually write negative reviews, as most of the time I am well prepared for what I am about to see when I pick a new film. ¨The White Ribbon¨  surprised me as it turned out quite different than what I imagined it would be.

First of all, the film is not coming of age -- or at least not if you consider the individual, as one may argue that the director portrays the coming of age of a whole society (the white ribbon of the title symbolizes an innocence that has now been lost).

To start with, I was mislead by the description of the film at Wikipedia.  According to it:

¨The screenplay focuses on a children’s choir in a village in northern Germany just before World War I¨.

After reading that, and looking at the film’s front cover, I expected that the film would be similar to ¨Les choristes¨ and be a bit focused on music. Instead, I watched a psychological portrayal of the society in a small rural village in  Germany. 

Most of the time while watching the film I was trying to grasp its meaning and the relation between the scenes and the ideas which the director wanted to express. This was not an easy task as Michael Haneke seemingly aimed to make his film as chaotic and challenging to interpret as possible. Despite the symbolism in the film and the intriguing narration, I was rather bored by the film -- partly because I found the action too slow.  Thankfully, the majority of the actors were talented enough to make the viewer interested in the events in which their characters participated.  Puritanism, discipline, violence and abuse are the interrelated themes which are integrated into the storyline.

Despite being a new production, the entire film is shot in black and white, which I think was a good cinematographic decision. The film won several awards, including the Palme d’Or at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival -- yet I hesitate recommending it.

[Show as slideshow]

Min far er bokser (My Dad Is a Champ) is a short film directed by Morten Giese.  What drew me initially to this Scandinavian short film was the fact that Frederik Christian Johansen stars in it. You may remember Frederik Christian Johansen from my review of En som Hodder. He made a huge impression on me in that film and his performance in “Min far er bokser” only confirmed my firm affirmation of his talent and acting skills.

In the film, Frederik Christian Johansen plays Stefan – a ten year old boy who practices boxing, following in the footsteps of his father who, as far as he knows, is a boxing champion who competes on the international stage and travels almost all the time.  The passion of Stephen reminded me of myself doing handball – playing at the same position my dad did when he was competing.  Stephen’s case however is a bit different – as he hasn’t seen his father in years. On his tenth birthday, Stefan doesn’t get the usual package in the mail from his father and he decides to go find him. Will he succeed in his quest?  What would his father say?

The cinematography of “Min far er bokser” has a different style than the one typical for many Scandinavian films. Instead of vivid colors, the director decided to use more subtle ones, with a lot of shadows. The story has been done before (I can think of at least several things sharing a similar plot) – yet however feels distinct to the film. While I was watching it, my eyes filled with tears in one of the final scenes – and that’s a clear signal that the movie evoked emotions in me – which on its own means that it must be good. If you have the chance to see this short film (25 minutes)  – do it – I highly recommend it .

[Show as slideshow]

As someone who enjoys photography I am often taking photo walks with my camera. I love doing street photography , candid shots ,  but  also a lot of architecture ,props and nature landscapes. Truth is that recently I am finding less and less time to enjoy that hobby or mine – yet a friend from Twitter suggested that I post some of my shots – to increase the variety of content at my blog. Below you can see 14 recent photos of mine …hope you will like them!

[Show as slideshow]

This series of articles has been introducing you to the eight boys (four each in London and in New York City) who currently play the title role in the hit West End and Broadway show Billy Elliot the Musical.  We have also profiled two boys who were just leaving the show (at the beginning of publication of this series) after year long, successful stints in the role. In this segment, meet Oliver Gardner, who is performing the role at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London and Alex Ko, who appears as Billy at the Imperial Theater in NYC. To read other profiles in the series, click on “more articles” in the “Billy Elliot the Musical” section located in the right side bar of this page.

 Oliver Gardner

The newest member of the Billy rotation in London’s West End is 12 year old Oliver Gardner – affectionately known to family, friends and fans as Ollie.

Like all the boys who have played the role, the Saltford (near Bath, England) lad started dance at an early age. From the age of five, Ollie began accompanying his sister to her dance classes at the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dancing, in Bath, because his mother was a piano accompanist there.

His first dance teacher, Annette Hind, who is the owner of the school, recalls: “Ollie would come and watch his sister’s dance classes because his mum was playing the piano and he would hide behind the piano because he was shy. I thought that because his sister was so good and because he came from such a musical family, that he must be good too. Eventually we persuaded him to join and it became clear very, very quickly that he was going to be a star.”  Ollie learned ballet, tap and modern dance at the school and in five years, at the age of nine, he became a Junior Associate at the Royal Ballet School and then, later, a Mid Associate there.

He auditioned for Billy Elliot in April of 2008, was offered the role, and completed the rigorous “Billy School” in record time. The average training time for the role is 18 months.

Ollie’s debut as Billy, on May 12, 2009, was anything but ordinary. On his opening night, the show celebrated its fourth birthday and 1,700th show at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. His family, friends and teachers were all in the sold out house to see him finally dance the part that he had been dreaming about for years.When interviewed after the performance he said: “When I came off the stage I felt relieved. I was glad that finally all the training had paid off and that I had finally done it. I’m just really happy. I have always wanted to be Billy. Before I went on I was a bit nervous, but more excited.”

In this video from the show’s “We Are Billy Elliot” series, Ollie talks about what it’s like to play Billy:

Ollie, Jake Pratt (who plays Michael, Billy’s best friend in the show) and Joe Caffrey (Billy’s dad in the musical) were interviewed by WhatsOnStage (WOS) TV in June of 2009:

In July, on a short break from the show, Ollie was able to pay a visit to his school – Kingswood School in Bath. One person who was particularly pleased to see him was his best friend Toby Douglas-Bate, who said: “It was amazing to see Ollie again. It was the strangest thing in the world because he is my best friend and he is still the same even though he is a star!”

This personable young man, this dynamo on stage, from all accounts has gotten over his shyness. As he is at a relatively young age in the role, his many fans hope that Ollie will be showcasing his considerable talents as Billy for many performances to come.

Says Ollie’s first dance teacher, Annette Hind, “He was destined to play that part. That was what he said he always wanted to do. When he was having his ballet lessons it was always his goal to dance professionally. I can’t tell you how proud I am. It almost brings tears to my eyes because I know he is going to have such a fantastic career.”

For more information about Ollie Gardner:

Visit the official Billy Elliot the Musical -- West End website,  Billy Elliot the Forum  and  Friends of  Billy Elliot

Alex Ko

Broadway’s newest Billy (and, in fact, the most recent boy to debut in the role anywhere in the world), 13 year old Nicholas Alexander Ko  (who goes by Alex because his Dad liked the sound of that name better), has been dancing since he was a five year old kindergartener.

Born on February 3, 1996, the Iowa City, Iowa boy began his local dance training at the National Academy of Dance and Nolte Academy and gymnastics at the Iowa Gym-nest. Ko later registered for the Dance Forum, the University of Iowa’s community outreach program.

He later enrolled in the University’s Advanced Ballet Class, which is a class normally full of college-aged students. He is the youngest ever to be accepted to that program. He was a soloist in the UI Youth Ballet’s “Swan Lake” and “Nutcracker” productions, and was featured in a youth ensemble of the UI Dance Gala.

In 2007, Alex began taking private ballet lessons from UI Assistant Professor of Ballet & Choreography, Eloy Barragan, whom Alex now considers a mentor.  Barragan soon realized that his new student possessed star potential. “Iowa City has a lot of talent, young talent”, he said. “But Alex has something very unique, he has maturity and dedication and is committed to what he wants…. Alex has something really special. There’s a soul to his dance and that is what people notice.”

The close relationship that developed between the two led Alex to ask Barragan to create a solo in memory of his father, Sam, who had recently died of cancer. The result can be seen in this brief video:

In 2008, instructor and protege traveled to New York City where Alex participated in a 10-day dance instruction program at the prestigious Steps on Broadway. As fate would have it, one of Alex’s teachers there, Peter O’Brien, brought Alex to the attention of the Steps on Broadway director.  The director offered Alex a full scholarship to study at the school’s six-week summer intensive in July and August. With that scholarship to Steps on Broadway came vocal lessons and training with one of the choreographers from Billy Elliot The Musical. He was subsequently invited to audition for the musical, which he did in October, while the show was still in previews before it’s official Broadway opening on November 13th.

Alex was accepted into the “Billy School” in NYC, where he began the intense training program that all Billys go through on their way to playing the role. The culmination of that training was his debut in the show on October 6, 2009, as the replacement for departed original Broadway Billy, Kiril Kulish. The creative team behind the musical is committed to diversity in the cast and Alex becomes the second boy with an Asian heritage to play the role of Billy (the other being Matthew Koon who was in the London production).

Just three weeks into playing Billy, Alex is already receiving rave reviews from many repeat theater-goers of Billy Elliot the Musical who have seen all the current Broadway crop of Billys. One such critic said “I think it’s very, VERY clear, we don’t just have a new Billy, we have a new star on our hands!!!”

Picture at right: Cast Board in Imperial Theater Lobby on Alex Ko’s Opening Night

For more information on Alex Ko:

Visit his website, Wikipedia,  Billy Elliot the Forum and  Friends of Billy Elliot

Series Epilogue

May 12, 2008 — Broadway Meets the West End: On the Occasion of the 3rd Birthday of Billy Elliot the Musical in London, Director Stephen Daldry Enjoys Cake With the Three Billys in the West End Production and the Three Boys Who Would Soon Be Originating the Role on Broadway (L-R Trent Kowalik, Layton Williams, Kiril Kulish, Corey Snide, Daldry, Josh Fedrick, and David Alvarez)