Something screwy is going on….

…. with the Miss Nude Australia website, that is. For a few days now, the main page has just been a mirror of that of the Crazy Horse website, with the pictures failing to load. And funnily enough, it actually has the correct date for the Miss Erotica SA pageant, while the main Crazy Horse site doesn’t.

In all the time I’ve been going to the Horse and visiting its websites, I’m 100% certain that this has never occurred. Usually, the main page – with results of the most recent pageant – is left intact, with details for the next State and National pageants added to it several weeks before they happen.

But not this time, and I know from previous experiences that when part of one website suddenly becomes duplicated on a sister site, one of the sites will disappear soon after that. Taking into account what I already know, and the rumours I’ve been hearing about the Horse’s future lately, this might imply that the Miss Nude Australia pageant and its State-based preliminary pageants may also cease to exist in their current format.

Of course, I’ll say no more about that until I hear something more concrete, but it’s food for thought anyhow.

Untold story MY ARSE.

I’ve just read this TV Tonight article regarding Eddie McGuire’s forthcoming 60 Minutes interview with Greg Norman, and I have a nasty feeling that it won’t be the deeply probing stuff that it’s being hyped up to be.

It wouldn’t surprise me if, when McGuire gets to the subject of Norman’s ex-wife Laura, Norman and/or his new wife Chris Evert tell him to “put his manners back in”, a la Tom Cruise to Peter Overton. Or worse still, if McGuire takes the low road and ignores the subject altogether, which would be pretty much in line with his arse-kissing nature anyhow. Hell, how else can someone get so far up the ladder so fast?

Whatever happens, though, I’m sure it’ll be all over the media the following day, especially on talkback radio (a guilty pleasure of mine, since I get a kick out of the presenters putting certain people in their place ).

On another note, here’s a little memo to David Knox: since it’s just “Nine News” now, I’d suggest getting onto IceTV about that. And if you wish to exchange links, let me know.

This afternoon sucked. :-(

Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy that my mother graduated from her Foundation Studies course and got in to do a BA in Australian Studies at UniSA. However, I didn’t particularly want to go to the graduation ceremony on account of the following:

1. Politically speaking, I’m a fairly middle of the road guy, and I know from experience that at least 90% of university lecturers have very strong Socialist views. Therefore, I thought that asking everyone present to “enjoy the privilege of living on the land of the Kaurna Aborigines” was a bit much. Not that I’m opposed to them thinking that, and not that I’m trying to be racist at all (because I’m not), but the last thing I want is to be made to feel like the scum of the Earth simply for being of white Anglo-Saxon heritage; and

2. My very judgmental older brother came with us, and when I muttered “Oh, fuck’s sake!” under my breath when the above request was made, I just knew he was going to have a not entirely jovial crack at me later. More specifically, suggesting that “maybe we ought to get a big boong to beat the shit out of you”, and sounding like he would’ve actually enjoyed that scenario. Not that I’d ever intentionally get into a situation such as that, since I’m a much better person than he gives me credit for, mind you.

And if I told my mother the truth (i.e. that I felt heavily obliged to go, and that I knew she’d never take “no” for an answer), I’d risk having it held against me by everyone in the family for a long time to come.

This comedy was way ahead of its time ;-)

When I was a kid, one of my very favourite shows was Fast Forward, an Australian sketch comedy show on the Seven Network that ran from 1989 to 1993 and was succeeded by (the somewhat less funny) Full Frontal.

For me, one of the standout segments on the show was Eyeball News, a parody of news bulletins that is turning out to be quite prescient in terms of the dumbing down and sexing up of news and public affairs shows in recent years. Especially in this segment:

As nutty and funny as it is, it leads me to ask: is this a taste of things to come? Will Australian commercial television networks eventually begin promoting their news product like this and expect the viewers to take it seriously? Because to be honest with you, and in light of the success of the more infotainment-based Sunrise on Seven – which caused Nine to shift Today from a more news-based show to that same lighter format – I wouldn’t put it past them.

Call me old school if you will, but I’d rather hear about Julia Gillard’s political decisions than about her hair and make-up secrets. And don’t start me on the puff pieces that Today Tonight and A Current Affair produce that serve no other purpose except to shill their networks’ upcoming shows either.

My favourite Family Feud moment….

This comes from the most recent Australian incarnation of the legendary show, hosted by Bert Newton in 2006 and 2007. Even when I watch it again now, I still get a buzz out of seeing it!

Despite the saucy answer given in the main game, I couldn’t think of a nicer or more deserving family to win such a huge prize, and it also goes to show that Eric Bischoff was right: controversy does create cash!

March the 4th it is! :-)

I refer to the actual date of the upcoming Miss Erotica SA pageant, having just found out from Karen at the Crazy Horse.

Those of you who’ve read the “A Tale Of Two Strip Clubs” series of entries – and I know a few of you out there have done so – may well be thinking: “Wait a minute…. didn’t you say you were done with these pageants?”. Yes, I said that, and yes, it made perfect sense at the time, but when my little blonde bombshell Ariel dropped a bombshell of her own by telling me about her plans to enter this one, I decided to give this pageant caper one more shot.

Also, there’s a second upside to going in on the Wednesday next week: I’ll get to touch base with Marie, the Horse’s second house mother, for the first time in months.

He did it!

The late Heath Ledger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and it was very well deserved.

And while none of the results have been surprises (and I pretty much expected Slumdog Millionaire to romp it in, with 8 awards from 10 nominations), I am surprised that the Academy Awards went to air LIVE in Australia, most likely on the strength of Heath Ledger’s Oscar chances.

In fact, that may well be one of the Nine Network’s best programming moves of the year, though that’s not saying a lot!

Last night was great. :-)

Although baby Ariel was requested to head out to do a private show at 10:30, she was still able to make time for me, and I’m very grateful for that.

Also, while the Horse’s website still says that the Miss Erotica SA pageant is happening on the 2nd of March, Ariel seemed fairly adamant that it’s happening on the 3rd. So I’ll take Ariel up on her suggestion and give the club a call this Tuesday afternoon to get to the bottom of this.

(And yes, I did tickle her for calling her regulars “irregular”! )

Meanwhile, things went just as well at The Palace, and while Ivy was absent, the presence of a certain Sienna was a welcome bonus. It was also great to have baby Rose again, and I’ll double up on Ivy if she’s present on my next visit in a little under 2 weeks from now.

And one final observation: the crowds at both clubs were quite large last night, with quite a few Buck’s Nights taking place. Most definitely a taste of what’s to come in 4 weeks from now, when the Clipsal 500 occurs.

Invaders Must Die = UNDERWHELMING :-(

My decision not to purchase The Prodigy’s new album, Invaders Must Die, has been vindicated. I just listened to all 11 tracks on YouTube, and even though the influences from their earlier work were there in spades, I feel the band is still going down a path I’m not willing to follow (the mix of electro-pop, rock ‘n’ roll and drum ‘n’ bass that began with Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned). Though at least there are less collaborations this time around, and let’s face it; another collaboration with Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis – a band that, if you ask me, is as commercial as bands can get – would’ve made me sick to my stomach.

As for how successful the album may be, I can only say this: what was considered to be cutting edge back in the early 1990s would almost be regarded as commercial (or even old hat) today, so it could go either way.

A spanner in the works….

That’s right, folks: my plans have been pushed back 24 hours due to circumstances beyond my control (and quite possibly beyond Ariel’s control, I might add). Otherwise, I’d be writing a very different entry now.

But now that I’ll be going to the strip clubs tomorrow (or should I say today?), it brings up another issue that I’ve been considering lately. For a while now, the ultra-progressive Adelaide City Council (sarcasm intended ) have been trialling the closure of Hindley Street between Morphett Street and Rosina Street on Saturday nights, in order to try and curb the traffic chaos that ensues at that time. As both The Crazy Horse Revue and The Palace are in that general vicinity, I’ll witness the full effects of that closure for the first time then.

If this trial is successful over its initial period, it may well become a permanent fixture, and could even lead to the entire eastern half of Hindley Street becoming a pedestrian mall. And as long as the more adult-orientated businesses are not adversely affected by that – and since they operate after dark, the effects should be minimal – then I wouldn’t have a problem with that idea. Hell, the Secure Parking car park I usually use can be entered from North Terrace as well, and its only exit is onto North Terrace, so merely losing the Hindley Street entrance wouldn’t be a problem for me either.

On the other hand, the folks at the 24-7 Wilson Parking car park up near the King William Street end wouldn’t be too pleased, since there’s only one way in and out (via Hindley Street) and leaving them no choice but to shut it down. Having said this, one possible solution would be to demolish the now disused Greater Union cinemas once Edge Church finds a new home, then make the existing Secure Parking facility a 24-7 one, expanding it over part of the cinema site and redeveloping the Hindley Street frontage. Then, if needs be, more parking could be built on the vacant land near the eastern corner of Morphett Street and North Terrace.

All ideas, of course, but I’d like to think they’d be worthwhile ones in a full closure scenario if it actually occured.