Today in Entertainment, we speak to well-known American horror writer Stephen
King, who has just released his new novel, “Blaze”.
The author of over 50 best-selling horror novels, such as “Carrie”, “The Shining”
and “Dreamcatcher”, Stephen King has also written novels outside the horror
genre, such as “The Green Mile” and “The Shawshank Redemption”. Many of his
books have been made into films.
Stephen King has won 23 major book awards and has sold hundreds of millions of
books around the world, making him a household name. His name is known in
virtually every house around the world.
His latest book, “Blaze”, is about a man called Clayton Blaisedell Junior, who is a
mentally disabled man. He decides to kidnap a baby to get a $1 million ransom.
But 'Blaze' eventually grows to love the child as if it were his own. It's not a
horror novel like many of King's other books, so does Stephen believe most
writers can switch, like he can, between styles or genres?
Stephen King
I don't necessarily and I don't think that it's a given that you can write many different things. I
think that you're drawn in certain directions. You know in some ways I'm in a really good
position because I've seen an arc of critical approval for my work build over the years, which is
a lot better, believe me than starting out with a big bank of critical approval and then frittering it away.
Andrea: Stephen says that it's not a given that you can write lots of different things.
'A given' is something certain or definite. Not all writers can switch between styles. He
believes that all writers are drawn in certain directions – they are good at writing
certain stories over others. In his case, he was drawn towards writing horror stories.
He's happy though, that slowly over the years he's had more and more critical
approval. He's had good reviews over the years, and that's a lot better than getting
good reviews at the beginning of your career and then losing the ability to keep it up.
He talks about 'frittering away' your reputation. That means losing it, wasting it.
Instead, he has enjoyed his gradual acclaim.
So how did Stephen King become one of the world's best-selling horror writers?
Stephen King
That label has been put on me and I never put it on myself. More importantly in my head, I never
said 'It's time to write another horror novel'. I would just say, 'I have an idea it's time to write a
book'. I've been able to tell stories from tales of outright horror like “Pet Cemetery” to stories
like “The Shawshank Redemption” and a lot of time people don't believe that I had anything to
do with writing that, so, I wear different hats.
Andrea: Stephen says that he didn't choose to be known as a horror writer. He didn't choose
that label. If you're labelled, people choose to see you in a certain way. They label
you. But Stephen feels that he is much more than just a horror writer. People
sometimes don't believe that he wrote stories like “The Shawshank Redemption”.
But he likes to write different things. He talks about 'wearing different hats'. He
likes to be different people and write a variety of things.
Unfortunately in 1999, Stephen King almost gave up his writing career. He had a
terrible car accident.
Stephen King
I was walking and a guy came along in his van and I was where I belonged which was off on the
side of the road. The last piece of memory that I have is of the top of his van coming over the hill
and then I was in the ditch with my lap on sideways. I was pretty well shattered from the collar
bone, ribs broken, skull fractured, spine chipped in two or three places, hip, pelvis, thigh, knee,
shins, so it was all busted up all down one side, boom.
Andrea: Stephen describes how he was hit by a van while he was walking on the side of
the road. His last piece of memory, the last thing he remembers, was the van
coming over the hill. He was very badly injured from head to toe. He uses the
American expression 'busted up'. He was broken into lots of pieces and badly
hurt. But he's back now with his new novel and hopes it will do well.
2011年2月16日星期三
Shilpa Shetty
In Entertainment today we catch up with Bollywood actress, Shilpa Shetty,who is starring in the film, “Life in a…Metro”, which has just been released.
Shilpa Shetty started her career at the age of 16 when she worked as a model,and she made her film debut at the age of 17 in a film called “Baazigar”. If youmake your debut, it means it’s the first time you’ve done something. And inShilpa’s case, she was just a teenager when she started acting.
Shilpa’s been very successful as an actress – she’s been nominated four timesfor the Filmfare Awards in India. But she also made it into the internationalspotlight when earlier this year she took part in the British reality televisionshow, Celebrity Big Brother.
The programme was surrounded by controversy when Shilpa’s housemateswere accused of bullying her and making racist remarks.
But was it always Shilpa’s plan to get exposure from Celebrity Big Brother?
Did she want the fame and did she expect she’d become a heroine? As youlisten to Shilpa talking about her experiences in the Big Brother house see ifyou can hear some of these phrases: getting into – cater to – make it.
Shilpa ShettyYou know what, I did Celebrity Big Brother not knowing what I was getting into and I onlythought I was going to cater to the Asian audiences and I had no idea that it was going tomake me an international celebrity. I had no idea what it had in store for me. So you knowwhen people ask me whether it was a contrived decision to do it because I wanted to make ithere or internationally, no it wasn’t. I had no idea.
Andrea: Did you hear those phrases? Shilpa says she had no idea what she was gettinginto. She had no idea what was about to happen and how it would affect herlife. The other phrase she uses is ‘cater to’. Shilpa thought that being on BigBrother would only cater to Asian audiences. She thought it would only be theAsian viewers who would be interested in her. If you cater to someone, you aremaking something especially for them. Of course the word ‘cater’ can also beused when you are cooking something – as in ‘catering’. Finally, Shilpa talksabout making it. If you make it, you’ve become famous or well-known. Let’shave a listen to that clip again.
Shilpa ShettyYou know what, I did Celebrity Big Brother not knowing what I was getting into and I onlythought I was going to cater to the Asian audiences and I had no idea that it was going tomake me an international celebrity. I had no idea what it had in store for me. So you knowwhen people ask me whether it was a contrived decision to do it because I wanted to make ithere or internationally, no it wasn’t. I had no idea.
Andrea: Since being on television in Britain, Shilpa’s career has taken off. Most recentlyshe played the part of Shikha in the film, “Life in a….Metro”. The film looks atthe lives of seven people living in Mumbai, India and explores how the world isbecoming smaller with the use of mobile phones, with less time for everythingand far too many choices. It also takes a look at how Indian culture is slowlychanging. Shilpa’s character has an extra-marital affair because she is neglectedby her husband. So have the morals we associate with Indian society begun toshift?
Shilpa ShettyThat’s what I love about the movie. It’s unpretentious. And morals have nothing to do withculture. You are talking about a film set with characters who are fallible and who are human.
We are talking about issues that actually exist in urban India. You’re living in a metropolitancity like Mumbai whether it be London, New York, we all have to deal with these issues andwe all deal with them in our way and in India we deal with them slightly differently becauseof the background that we hail from. So you talk about extra-marital affairs, yes they exist inIndia. If you’re telling me it doesn’t exist then you’re being a hypocrite because they do exist– you know, I know that. People don't talk about them but in our film, it’s been portrayed sobeautifully. In fact, my character you actually feel so bad for her your heart goes out to her.
Shilpa Shetty started her career at the age of 16 when she worked as a model,and she made her film debut at the age of 17 in a film called “Baazigar”. If youmake your debut, it means it’s the first time you’ve done something. And inShilpa’s case, she was just a teenager when she started acting.
Shilpa’s been very successful as an actress – she’s been nominated four timesfor the Filmfare Awards in India. But she also made it into the internationalspotlight when earlier this year she took part in the British reality televisionshow, Celebrity Big Brother.
The programme was surrounded by controversy when Shilpa’s housemateswere accused of bullying her and making racist remarks.
But was it always Shilpa’s plan to get exposure from Celebrity Big Brother?
Did she want the fame and did she expect she’d become a heroine? As youlisten to Shilpa talking about her experiences in the Big Brother house see ifyou can hear some of these phrases: getting into – cater to – make it.
Shilpa ShettyYou know what, I did Celebrity Big Brother not knowing what I was getting into and I onlythought I was going to cater to the Asian audiences and I had no idea that it was going tomake me an international celebrity. I had no idea what it had in store for me. So you knowwhen people ask me whether it was a contrived decision to do it because I wanted to make ithere or internationally, no it wasn’t. I had no idea.
Andrea: Did you hear those phrases? Shilpa says she had no idea what she was gettinginto. She had no idea what was about to happen and how it would affect herlife. The other phrase she uses is ‘cater to’. Shilpa thought that being on BigBrother would only cater to Asian audiences. She thought it would only be theAsian viewers who would be interested in her. If you cater to someone, you aremaking something especially for them. Of course the word ‘cater’ can also beused when you are cooking something – as in ‘catering’. Finally, Shilpa talksabout making it. If you make it, you’ve become famous or well-known. Let’shave a listen to that clip again.
Shilpa ShettyYou know what, I did Celebrity Big Brother not knowing what I was getting into and I onlythought I was going to cater to the Asian audiences and I had no idea that it was going tomake me an international celebrity. I had no idea what it had in store for me. So you knowwhen people ask me whether it was a contrived decision to do it because I wanted to make ithere or internationally, no it wasn’t. I had no idea.
Andrea: Since being on television in Britain, Shilpa’s career has taken off. Most recentlyshe played the part of Shikha in the film, “Life in a….Metro”. The film looks atthe lives of seven people living in Mumbai, India and explores how the world isbecoming smaller with the use of mobile phones, with less time for everythingand far too many choices. It also takes a look at how Indian culture is slowlychanging. Shilpa’s character has an extra-marital affair because she is neglectedby her husband. So have the morals we associate with Indian society begun toshift?
Shilpa ShettyThat’s what I love about the movie. It’s unpretentious. And morals have nothing to do withculture. You are talking about a film set with characters who are fallible and who are human.
We are talking about issues that actually exist in urban India. You’re living in a metropolitancity like Mumbai whether it be London, New York, we all have to deal with these issues andwe all deal with them in our way and in India we deal with them slightly differently becauseof the background that we hail from. So you talk about extra-marital affairs, yes they exist inIndia. If you’re telling me it doesn’t exist then you’re being a hypocrite because they do exist– you know, I know that. People don't talk about them but in our film, it’s been portrayed sobeautifully. In fact, my character you actually feel so bad for her your heart goes out to her.
Star Wars: The Exhibition
Today in Entertainment, we’re going along to a new exhibition that’s takingthe world by storm. It’s really exciting people. Yes, it’s Star Wars: TheExhibition and it’s been making its way around Europe since the beginning ofthis year.
In 1977, Star Wars first played to audiences when it opened in 32 cinemas inthe United States. Thirty years on and 6 films later, this exhibitioncommemorates or celebrates the magic behind the movies.
The exhibition has been in Portugal and now it’s come to London. I met upwith Jonathan Sands, the man behind the exhibition, to take a tour and to findout more about what there is to see.
Jonathan Sands‘The exhibition is really an interactive event for all the family. It takes you through all the sixfilms in the Star Wars saga, including all the original archive set pieces – from the models, thecostumes, the full-size space ships and weapons and that type of thing – broken down into allthe planets in about 20 different exhibition rooms detailed with films that show the making ofand how certain items were made and used in the film against green screen or on set. So itreally shows the movie-making experience of Star Wars.’
Andrea: Jonathan says that the exhibition is very interactive – there are lots of thingsyou can play with or do there. You don’t simply look at things on display. Healso uses a lot of language to do with movie making. Did you catch some of thewords? He talks about set pieces – those are the pieces built for filming in thestudio. He also talks about models and costumes. He says that you can watchthings about the making of Star Wars. He also talks about the green screen –that’s when people are filmed against a green screen and then the creatures orbackdrop are filled in later. It’s all very exciting. Let’s listen to that clip again.
Jonathan Sands‘The exhibition is really an interactive event for all the family. It takes you through all the sixfilms in the Star Wars saga, including all the original archive set pieces – from the models, thecostumes, the full-size space ships and weapons and that type of thing – broken down into allthe planets in about 20 different exhibition rooms detailed with films that show the making ofand how certain items were made and used in the film against green screen or on set. So itreally shows the movie-making experience of Star Wars.’
SFXAndrea: As you can hear, you really get the whole Star Wars experience at this exhibition -theven if like me, you’re not a huge fan. This year is the 30 birthday of the firstStar Wars film, so what is it about Princess Leia and Darth Vader that stillcaptures people’s imaginations 30 years on?
Jonathan Sands‘I think as cultural phenomenons go, I certainly don’t know any other entertainment basedfilm, music, experience, education – there’s so many elements in Star Wars that make it whatit is for me, personally but at the end of the day it is a simple story and everybody gets it.
In 1977, Star Wars first played to audiences when it opened in 32 cinemas inthe United States. Thirty years on and 6 films later, this exhibitioncommemorates or celebrates the magic behind the movies.
The exhibition has been in Portugal and now it’s come to London. I met upwith Jonathan Sands, the man behind the exhibition, to take a tour and to findout more about what there is to see.
Jonathan Sands‘The exhibition is really an interactive event for all the family. It takes you through all the sixfilms in the Star Wars saga, including all the original archive set pieces – from the models, thecostumes, the full-size space ships and weapons and that type of thing – broken down into allthe planets in about 20 different exhibition rooms detailed with films that show the making ofand how certain items were made and used in the film against green screen or on set. So itreally shows the movie-making experience of Star Wars.’
Andrea: Jonathan says that the exhibition is very interactive – there are lots of thingsyou can play with or do there. You don’t simply look at things on display. Healso uses a lot of language to do with movie making. Did you catch some of thewords? He talks about set pieces – those are the pieces built for filming in thestudio. He also talks about models and costumes. He says that you can watchthings about the making of Star Wars. He also talks about the green screen –that’s when people are filmed against a green screen and then the creatures orbackdrop are filled in later. It’s all very exciting. Let’s listen to that clip again.
Jonathan Sands‘The exhibition is really an interactive event for all the family. It takes you through all the sixfilms in the Star Wars saga, including all the original archive set pieces – from the models, thecostumes, the full-size space ships and weapons and that type of thing – broken down into allthe planets in about 20 different exhibition rooms detailed with films that show the making ofand how certain items were made and used in the film against green screen or on set. So itreally shows the movie-making experience of Star Wars.’
SFXAndrea: As you can hear, you really get the whole Star Wars experience at this exhibition -theven if like me, you’re not a huge fan. This year is the 30 birthday of the firstStar Wars film, so what is it about Princess Leia and Darth Vader that stillcaptures people’s imaginations 30 years on?
Jonathan Sands‘I think as cultural phenomenons go, I certainly don’t know any other entertainment basedfilm, music, experience, education – there’s so many elements in Star Wars that make it whatit is for me, personally but at the end of the day it is a simple story and everybody gets it.
Flatmates celebration
What is this sport Bog Snorkelling? I hear you ask. Well first you have to knowwhat a bog is. A bog is an area of land in the countryside which is always softand wet. When you walk through it your feet might get stuck and it makes asquelching noise. The particular bog in question is what's known as a peat bog.
So that's a bog. And what about the snorkelling part? Well normallysnorkelling is what you do on holiday, in the warm blue sea. Swimming withyour head underwater breathing through a plastic tube called a snorkel.
Bog Snorkelling then is a combination of those two things. And to learn moreabout it I spoke to one of the organisers and founders of the World BogSnorkelling Championships, Gordon Green.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty water.
Callum: Gordon says that they dig a trench in the bog. A trench is a kind of an oblonghole. And when they dig this trench in the bog it fills up with dirty water whichthe competitors, the people taking part in the competition have to swim through.
Listen again, this time listen out for how long the trench is and how far thecompetitors have to swim. Gordon uses the traditional measurement of a yard.
A yard is about .9 of a metre, so nearly a metre.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty waterand the trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths of this bog sothey’re swimming 120 yards.
Callum: The trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths,that's 120 yards which is about 110 metres. Gordon goes on to explain moreabout the rules.
Gordon GreenBog snorkelling is a sport where you have to breathe, through a snorkel, you can use flippersand the majority do use flippers, but you have to breathe through a snorkel and you’re notallowed to do a crawl or a breast stroke, you have to keep your arms straight in front of you ordo a dog paddle.
Callum: The competitors aren't allowed to use any traditional swimming strokes, likefront crawl or breast stroke though they can use what we call a doggy paddle, away of swimming using your arms like a dog uses its legs when swimming.
They have to breathe through a snorkel and they can wear flippers, or fins, ontheir feet.
Swimming is now not the only bog snorkelling event. If you want to you canalso try Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling. I asked Gordon to describe that.
Gordon GreenWe’ve dug a deeper trench and we have to have a special bike. What we do is fill the framefull of lead, put water in the tyres instead of air. We’ve got lead weights on the bike and theperson that’s riding it has to wear a lead belt round his waist or her waist and also lead in arucksack so we’ve got the correct buoyancy so that when you cycle under the water you canactually do that and breathe through your snorkel. They have to then cycle underwater and it’slike cycling in treacle, it’s very hard work and that’s become a very popular event as well.
Callum: So the trench for the Mountain Bike event is deeper and the contestants ride aspecial bike with lots of weight. They have to cycle through the bog,underwater, again, breathing through the snorkel!
So that's a bog. And what about the snorkelling part? Well normallysnorkelling is what you do on holiday, in the warm blue sea. Swimming withyour head underwater breathing through a plastic tube called a snorkel.
Bog Snorkelling then is a combination of those two things. And to learn moreabout it I spoke to one of the organisers and founders of the World BogSnorkelling Championships, Gordon Green.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty water.
Callum: Gordon says that they dig a trench in the bog. A trench is a kind of an oblonghole. And when they dig this trench in the bog it fills up with dirty water whichthe competitors, the people taking part in the competition have to swim through.
Listen again, this time listen out for how long the trench is and how far thecompetitors have to swim. Gordon uses the traditional measurement of a yard.
A yard is about .9 of a metre, so nearly a metre.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty waterand the trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths of this bog sothey’re swimming 120 yards.
Callum: The trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths,that's 120 yards which is about 110 metres. Gordon goes on to explain moreabout the rules.
Gordon GreenBog snorkelling is a sport where you have to breathe, through a snorkel, you can use flippersand the majority do use flippers, but you have to breathe through a snorkel and you’re notallowed to do a crawl or a breast stroke, you have to keep your arms straight in front of you ordo a dog paddle.
Callum: The competitors aren't allowed to use any traditional swimming strokes, likefront crawl or breast stroke though they can use what we call a doggy paddle, away of swimming using your arms like a dog uses its legs when swimming.
They have to breathe through a snorkel and they can wear flippers, or fins, ontheir feet.
Swimming is now not the only bog snorkelling event. If you want to you canalso try Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling. I asked Gordon to describe that.
Gordon GreenWe’ve dug a deeper trench and we have to have a special bike. What we do is fill the framefull of lead, put water in the tyres instead of air. We’ve got lead weights on the bike and theperson that’s riding it has to wear a lead belt round his waist or her waist and also lead in arucksack so we’ve got the correct buoyancy so that when you cycle under the water you canactually do that and breathe through your snorkel. They have to then cycle underwater and it’slike cycling in treacle, it’s very hard work and that’s become a very popular event as well.
Callum: So the trench for the Mountain Bike event is deeper and the contestants ride aspecial bike with lots of weight. They have to cycle through the bog,underwater, again, breathing through the snorkel!
Portobello Film Festival
You may have heard of the Venice Film Festival andthe Cannes Film Festival, glamorous occasions with A-list celebrities from themovie world turning out to promote their latest projects. A festival you mightnot know is the Portobello Film Festival which is currently taking place inPortobello an area of West London. It’s had its own independent film festivalfor a number of years and to learn more about it I spoke to the festival’sdirector Jonathan Barnett. I first asked him when and how it started.
Jonathan BarnettWell it started in 1996 because even back in those days there were people making very lowbudget films often using video equipment and there wasn’t really anywhere for them to showtheir films so we thought it would be nice to provide a platform for these filmmakers. We hadthe mad idea at the time of showing every film that was submitted and we also decided not tocharge because I suppose at heart we weren’t rabid capitalists.
Callum: It started in 1996 as a way of giving independent filmmakers somewhere toshow their films. As Jonathan said, to give them a platform. These films hedescribed as low-budget films which means they were made without verymuch money. He also talked about their policy on which films to show in thefestival. He uses the word submitted, the past participle of the verb ‘to submit’.
In this case it means to send in. People send in or submit films to the festivalorganisers hoping they will be part of the festival. Which films does Jonathansay they show and how much do the filmmakers have to pay to submit theirfilms? Listen again.
Jonathan BarnettWe had the mad idea at the time of showing every film that was submitted and we alsodecided not to charge because I suppose at heart we weren’t rabid capitalists.
Callum: Jonathan says that they show every film that is submitted. They also decidednot to charge. So it’s free for filmmakers to submit their films and it’s also freefor people to go and see the films during the. This he describes as a ‘mad idea’
but he explains it by saying that they are not ‘rabid capitalists’ which meansthey are not doing it to make money. After hearing this I wondered just howmany films are being shown and where they do get the money from to run thefestival. Listen out for that information. How many films are being shown andhow do they manage to pay for it? He mentions some sources of funding fromdifferent organisations, but what else does he mention is a financial support?
Jonathan BarnettThis year we’re showing 700 films. The money comes in from funding, we get money frompeople like Film London and the Arts Council and also we get a lot of ‘in kind’ support fromsponsors. So we don’t have to pay for advertising, we don’t have to pay for launch parties, wedon’t have to pay for prizes.
Callum: 700 films are being shown this year and as well as receiving money fromdifferent arts and local organisations the festival gets ‘in kind’ support fromsponsors. This means that sponsors of the festival get publicity from theirinvolvement with it and therefore don’t charge for the goods and services theyprovide.
Over the first three weeks of August 700 films are being shown as part of thePortobello Film Festival. What kind of films can be seen? Are they just shortstudent films or does the festival attract big names as well? Here’s festivaldirector Jonathan Barnett.
Jonathan BarnettThe actual films we’re showing are a lot better than anything you’ll see mostly on the tele orin the multiplexes and it’s everything from student films and we also get stuff from topfilmmakers like, for instance, John Malkovich. So I think because we’re a festival that has areputation for a certain amount of integrity and also being a little bit out on a limb we attractthe big names as well as people who are just starting out. The first year of the festival we hadGuy Ritchie’s first film which was called the Hard Case, which was fantastic, it’s exactly thesame as Lock Stock and Snatch but he was kind of formulating his ideas and it was a shortfilm.
Callum: Jonathan believes there is a very high quality of films from new studentfilmmakers to established and well-known artists such a John Malkovich. Healso mentioned the British director Guy Ritchie who had international successwith the films Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. In thefestival’s first year Ritchie submitted a short film called Hard Case whichJonathan said was fantastic, and it showed Ritchie formulating or developingthe ideas that he would later use in those mainstream films. The PortobelloFilm Festival runs until the 21 of August and as well as films there are otherarts events as well. Jonathan wants the festival to be more than just for film.
Jonathan BarnettYes, what we want it to be is, we want it to be a bit like a kind of cross between Glastonburyand Edinburgh, but for free and set in Portobello Road.
Jonathan BarnettWell it started in 1996 because even back in those days there were people making very lowbudget films often using video equipment and there wasn’t really anywhere for them to showtheir films so we thought it would be nice to provide a platform for these filmmakers. We hadthe mad idea at the time of showing every film that was submitted and we also decided not tocharge because I suppose at heart we weren’t rabid capitalists.
Callum: It started in 1996 as a way of giving independent filmmakers somewhere toshow their films. As Jonathan said, to give them a platform. These films hedescribed as low-budget films which means they were made without verymuch money. He also talked about their policy on which films to show in thefestival. He uses the word submitted, the past participle of the verb ‘to submit’.
In this case it means to send in. People send in or submit films to the festivalorganisers hoping they will be part of the festival. Which films does Jonathansay they show and how much do the filmmakers have to pay to submit theirfilms? Listen again.
Jonathan BarnettWe had the mad idea at the time of showing every film that was submitted and we alsodecided not to charge because I suppose at heart we weren’t rabid capitalists.
Callum: Jonathan says that they show every film that is submitted. They also decidednot to charge. So it’s free for filmmakers to submit their films and it’s also freefor people to go and see the films during the. This he describes as a ‘mad idea’
but he explains it by saying that they are not ‘rabid capitalists’ which meansthey are not doing it to make money. After hearing this I wondered just howmany films are being shown and where they do get the money from to run thefestival. Listen out for that information. How many films are being shown andhow do they manage to pay for it? He mentions some sources of funding fromdifferent organisations, but what else does he mention is a financial support?
Jonathan BarnettThis year we’re showing 700 films. The money comes in from funding, we get money frompeople like Film London and the Arts Council and also we get a lot of ‘in kind’ support fromsponsors. So we don’t have to pay for advertising, we don’t have to pay for launch parties, wedon’t have to pay for prizes.
Callum: 700 films are being shown this year and as well as receiving money fromdifferent arts and local organisations the festival gets ‘in kind’ support fromsponsors. This means that sponsors of the festival get publicity from theirinvolvement with it and therefore don’t charge for the goods and services theyprovide.
Over the first three weeks of August 700 films are being shown as part of thePortobello Film Festival. What kind of films can be seen? Are they just shortstudent films or does the festival attract big names as well? Here’s festivaldirector Jonathan Barnett.
Jonathan BarnettThe actual films we’re showing are a lot better than anything you’ll see mostly on the tele orin the multiplexes and it’s everything from student films and we also get stuff from topfilmmakers like, for instance, John Malkovich. So I think because we’re a festival that has areputation for a certain amount of integrity and also being a little bit out on a limb we attractthe big names as well as people who are just starting out. The first year of the festival we hadGuy Ritchie’s first film which was called the Hard Case, which was fantastic, it’s exactly thesame as Lock Stock and Snatch but he was kind of formulating his ideas and it was a shortfilm.
Callum: Jonathan believes there is a very high quality of films from new studentfilmmakers to established and well-known artists such a John Malkovich. Healso mentioned the British director Guy Ritchie who had international successwith the films Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. In thefestival’s first year Ritchie submitted a short film called Hard Case whichJonathan said was fantastic, and it showed Ritchie formulating or developingthe ideas that he would later use in those mainstream films. The PortobelloFilm Festival runs until the 21 of August and as well as films there are otherarts events as well. Jonathan wants the festival to be more than just for film.
Jonathan BarnettYes, what we want it to be is, we want it to be a bit like a kind of cross between Glastonburyand Edinburgh, but for free and set in Portobello Road.
Joanna Lumley
Today in Entertainment, we meet well-known British actress, Joanna Lumley,who is best known as Patsy in the television comedy series, AbsolutelyFabulous. It’s also known as Ab Fab – shortened forms of the words‘Absolutely’ – Ab and ‘Fabulous’ – Fab.
Joanna Lumley also recently had a flower named after her - a fuchsia. So fromnow on, people will have Joanna Lumleys growing in their gardens!
Joanna started her career in the 1970’s. Her first acting role was as a Bond girl.
Yes, she played one of the women in a James Bond film.
Since then she’s been in lots of films and television series and in 1995, Joannawas awarded an OBE. An OBE is an Order of the British Empire. It’s given bythe Queen of England and is a very prestigious award that recognises people’scontribution to British society – be it as an actress or for charity work.
But, Joanna didn’t always live in Britain. Have a listen to what she says abouther childhood. Can you hear where she was born and grew up?
I was born in India in Kashmir in Srinagar. And um, I was born the year beforePartition so I don’t remember it, because I was born in ‘46 and by ‘47 all theBritish had to leave India. But, my father was with the Ghurkha regiment. Bothmy parents had been brought up in India. So Britain was always called ‘home’
but we didn’t have a home here. And so after India we went out to Malaya andMalaya is really my first sense of where home was. I felt I was, I thought I wasMalayan, I thought I belonged there.
Did you manage to hear where Joanna was born? Yes, that’s correct she wasborn in India. She talks about being born in ’46. What she means is 1946.
Sometimes in English people shorten the year – for instance, the 1960s areoften talked about as ‘the 60s,’ the 1970s – ‘the 70s’ and so on. Anyway,Joanna was born the year before Partition. That’s when India gainedindependence from Britain and Pakistan was created.
Joanna’s father was in the military. Both Joanna’s mother and father had beenbrought up in India. If you are brought up somewhere, you’ve grown up there.
Britain was always talked about as home but really, Joanna only felt at homewhen they moved from India to Malaya, now known as Malaysia. That was herfirst sense, her first feeling of home. Let’s take a listen to that clip again.
J.Lumley: I was born in India in Kashmir in Srinagar. And um, I was born the year beforePartition so I don’t remember it, because I was born in ‘46 and by ‘47 all theBritish had to leave India. But, my father was with the Ghurkha regiment. Bothmy parents had been brought up in India. So Britain was always called ‘home’
but we didn’t have a home here. And so after India we went out to Malaya andMalaya is really my first sense of where home was. I felt I was, I thought I wasMalayan, I thought I belonged there.
Andrea: So Joanna spent her childhood outside England. However, even as a young girlshe knew she wanted to be an actress. She even auditioned for RADA which isthe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art here in London. It’s one of the best dramaschools in the world. But unfortunately Joanna’s audition didn’t go too well.
J.Lumley: When I was at school I auditioned for RADA. I did a fearful audition. So I justran away from acting at that point. I just can bear people saying ‘no’ or ‘you’rebad’. And eventually when I get to read critics who have written aboutperformances I have done, if there are bad ones I rip them up so that they don’texist in my mind. Of course they do but in history I look back and it says ‘aglorious, lambent performance - gleaming, shining’ and you go, well just savethat one’.
Andrea: Joanna uses lots of very colourful language in that clip. There are lots ofadjectives. Her audition didn’t go very well – she says it was fearful, it wasdreadful. She also talks about ripping up bad reviews of her performances sothat she only remembers the good ones. Some of the words she’d like to heardescribe her acting are – ‘glorious’, ‘lambent’ which means glowing,‘gleaming’ and ‘shining’. They are all what we’d call superlatives - adjectivesthat describe something in the highest of terms. That’s the kind of actressJoanna Lumley hopes she’ll always be remembered as.
Joanna Lumley also recently had a flower named after her - a fuchsia. So fromnow on, people will have Joanna Lumleys growing in their gardens!
Joanna started her career in the 1970’s. Her first acting role was as a Bond girl.
Yes, she played one of the women in a James Bond film.
Since then she’s been in lots of films and television series and in 1995, Joannawas awarded an OBE. An OBE is an Order of the British Empire. It’s given bythe Queen of England and is a very prestigious award that recognises people’scontribution to British society – be it as an actress or for charity work.
But, Joanna didn’t always live in Britain. Have a listen to what she says abouther childhood. Can you hear where she was born and grew up?
I was born in India in Kashmir in Srinagar. And um, I was born the year beforePartition so I don’t remember it, because I was born in ‘46 and by ‘47 all theBritish had to leave India. But, my father was with the Ghurkha regiment. Bothmy parents had been brought up in India. So Britain was always called ‘home’
but we didn’t have a home here. And so after India we went out to Malaya andMalaya is really my first sense of where home was. I felt I was, I thought I wasMalayan, I thought I belonged there.
Did you manage to hear where Joanna was born? Yes, that’s correct she wasborn in India. She talks about being born in ’46. What she means is 1946.
Sometimes in English people shorten the year – for instance, the 1960s areoften talked about as ‘the 60s,’ the 1970s – ‘the 70s’ and so on. Anyway,Joanna was born the year before Partition. That’s when India gainedindependence from Britain and Pakistan was created.
Joanna’s father was in the military. Both Joanna’s mother and father had beenbrought up in India. If you are brought up somewhere, you’ve grown up there.
Britain was always talked about as home but really, Joanna only felt at homewhen they moved from India to Malaya, now known as Malaysia. That was herfirst sense, her first feeling of home. Let’s take a listen to that clip again.
J.Lumley: I was born in India in Kashmir in Srinagar. And um, I was born the year beforePartition so I don’t remember it, because I was born in ‘46 and by ‘47 all theBritish had to leave India. But, my father was with the Ghurkha regiment. Bothmy parents had been brought up in India. So Britain was always called ‘home’
but we didn’t have a home here. And so after India we went out to Malaya andMalaya is really my first sense of where home was. I felt I was, I thought I wasMalayan, I thought I belonged there.
Andrea: So Joanna spent her childhood outside England. However, even as a young girlshe knew she wanted to be an actress. She even auditioned for RADA which isthe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art here in London. It’s one of the best dramaschools in the world. But unfortunately Joanna’s audition didn’t go too well.
J.Lumley: When I was at school I auditioned for RADA. I did a fearful audition. So I justran away from acting at that point. I just can bear people saying ‘no’ or ‘you’rebad’. And eventually when I get to read critics who have written aboutperformances I have done, if there are bad ones I rip them up so that they don’texist in my mind. Of course they do but in history I look back and it says ‘aglorious, lambent performance - gleaming, shining’ and you go, well just savethat one’.
Andrea: Joanna uses lots of very colourful language in that clip. There are lots ofadjectives. Her audition didn’t go very well – she says it was fearful, it wasdreadful. She also talks about ripping up bad reviews of her performances sothat she only remembers the good ones. Some of the words she’d like to heardescribe her acting are – ‘glorious’, ‘lambent’ which means glowing,‘gleaming’ and ‘shining’. They are all what we’d call superlatives - adjectivesthat describe something in the highest of terms. That’s the kind of actressJoanna Lumley hopes she’ll always be remembered as.
Bog Snorkelling
What is this sport Bog Snorkelling? I hear you ask. Well first you have to knowwhat a bog is. A bog is an area of land in the countryside which is always softand wet. When you walk through it your feet might get stuck and it makes asquelching noise. The particular bog in question is what's known as a peat bog.
So that's a bog. And what about the snorkelling part? Well normallysnorkelling is what you do on holiday, in the warm blue sea. Swimming withyour head underwater breathing through a plastic tube called a snorkel.
Bog Snorkelling then is a combination of those two things. And to learn moreabout it I spoke to one of the organisers and founders of the World BogSnorkelling Championships, Gordon Green.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty water.
Callum: Gordon says that they dig a trench in the bog. A trench is a kind of an oblonghole. And when they dig this trench in the bog it fills up with dirty water whichthe competitors, the people taking part in the competition have to swim through.
Listen again, this time listen out for how long the trench is and how far thecompetitors have to swim. Gordon uses the traditional measurement of a yard.
A yard is about .9 of a metre, so nearly a metre.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty waterand the trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths of this bog sothey’re swimming 120 yards.
Callum: The trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths,that's 120 yards which is about 110 metres. Gordon goes on to explain moreabout the rules.
Gordon GreenBog snorkelling is a sport where you have to breathe, through a snorkel, you can use flippersand the majority do use flippers, but you have to breathe through a snorkel and you’re notallowed to do a crawl or a breast stroke, you have to keep your arms straight in front of you ordo a dog paddle.
Callum: The competitors aren't allowed to use any traditional swimming strokes, likefront crawl or breast stroke though they can use what we call a doggy paddle, away of swimming using your arms like a dog uses its legs when swimming.
They have to breathe through a snorkel and they can wear flippers, or fins, ontheir feet.
Swimming is now not the only bog snorkelling event. If you want to you canalso try Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling. I asked Gordon to describe that.
Gordon GreenWe’ve dug a deeper trench and we have to have a special bike. What we do is fill the framefull of lead, put water in the tyres instead of air. We’ve got lead weights on the bike and theperson that’s riding it has to wear a lead belt round his waist or her waist and also lead in arucksack so we’ve got the correct buoyancy so that when you cycle under the water you canactually do that and breathe through your snorkel. They have to then cycle underwater and it’slike cycling in treacle, it’s very hard work and that’s become a very popular event as well.
Callum: So the trench for the Mountain Bike event is deeper and the contestants ride aspecial bike with lots of weight. They have to cycle through the bog,underwater, again, breathing through the snorkel!
I then asked Gordon how it started, where did the idea come from to get peopleto swim through dirty water in a field and how long has it been going.
Gordon GreenWell it started like all these things do late a night in a pub when we’d all been drinking andwe were wanting to raise some money for a charity at the time and someone said that theydidn’t have anything in their garden but a bog and then someone else said well let’s swim in itand that’s how it came along.
So that's a bog. And what about the snorkelling part? Well normallysnorkelling is what you do on holiday, in the warm blue sea. Swimming withyour head underwater breathing through a plastic tube called a snorkel.
Bog Snorkelling then is a combination of those two things. And to learn moreabout it I spoke to one of the organisers and founders of the World BogSnorkelling Championships, Gordon Green.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty water.
Callum: Gordon says that they dig a trench in the bog. A trench is a kind of an oblonghole. And when they dig this trench in the bog it fills up with dirty water whichthe competitors, the people taking part in the competition have to swim through.
Listen again, this time listen out for how long the trench is and how far thecompetitors have to swim. Gordon uses the traditional measurement of a yard.
A yard is about .9 of a metre, so nearly a metre.
Gordon GreenWhat we’ve done is we’ve dug a trench in the peat bog so that it fills with a nice dirty waterand the trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths of this bog sothey’re swimming 120 yards.
Callum: The trench is 60 yards long and the competitors have to swim two lengths,that's 120 yards which is about 110 metres. Gordon goes on to explain moreabout the rules.
Gordon GreenBog snorkelling is a sport where you have to breathe, through a snorkel, you can use flippersand the majority do use flippers, but you have to breathe through a snorkel and you’re notallowed to do a crawl or a breast stroke, you have to keep your arms straight in front of you ordo a dog paddle.
Callum: The competitors aren't allowed to use any traditional swimming strokes, likefront crawl or breast stroke though they can use what we call a doggy paddle, away of swimming using your arms like a dog uses its legs when swimming.
They have to breathe through a snorkel and they can wear flippers, or fins, ontheir feet.
Swimming is now not the only bog snorkelling event. If you want to you canalso try Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling. I asked Gordon to describe that.
Gordon GreenWe’ve dug a deeper trench and we have to have a special bike. What we do is fill the framefull of lead, put water in the tyres instead of air. We’ve got lead weights on the bike and theperson that’s riding it has to wear a lead belt round his waist or her waist and also lead in arucksack so we’ve got the correct buoyancy so that when you cycle under the water you canactually do that and breathe through your snorkel. They have to then cycle underwater and it’slike cycling in treacle, it’s very hard work and that’s become a very popular event as well.
Callum: So the trench for the Mountain Bike event is deeper and the contestants ride aspecial bike with lots of weight. They have to cycle through the bog,underwater, again, breathing through the snorkel!
I then asked Gordon how it started, where did the idea come from to get peopleto swim through dirty water in a field and how long has it been going.
Gordon GreenWell it started like all these things do late a night in a pub when we’d all been drinking andwe were wanting to raise some money for a charity at the time and someone said that theydidn’t have anything in their garden but a bog and then someone else said well let’s swim in itand that’s how it came along.
Antony Gormley
He’s a prolific and popular modern sculptor. One of his most well knownpieces is the huge Angel of the North, an enormous statue which stands on ahill to the side of one of Britain’s busiest roads in the North of England.
A feature of Gormley’s work is to make us look at the everyday world in adifferent way and that is something that I experienced with a recent work of hiEvent Horizon.
Every day I cycle to work through the streets of London. My journey takes meover Waterloo Bridge from where there are great views along the RiverThames. Most days I don’t see these views as usually I have my head down,fighting the wind as I try and pedal up and over the bridge.
But some days I do stop and think how lucky I am. For many people it is anambition to come to London, to see these sights that I can see everyday. Sosometimes I do stop and take a look at the riverside skyline, to admire the view.
A few weeks ago I noticed something a little different. I couldn’t quite make itout but it looked like there was a person standing on top of one of the buildingsthat looks over Waterloo Bridge.
In the next few days I noticed more of these ‘people’ standing on top ofbuildings on both the north and the south banks of the river. Of course by thistime I had realised that they weren’t real people but they were statues, identicalstatues of a naked human figure which seemed to be popping up all over theriver bank.
In all there were 31 and it wasn’t long before I discovered that they were allsculptures by Antony Gormley forming a piece of public art called EventHorizon.
Antony Gormley talked to the BBC Radio Four arts programme Front Row.
How did he describe Event Horizon them and what effect does he want it tohave?
Antony GormleyI think it is a sort of infection of the centre of town in order to get people to look at probablybits of London that they don’t bother to look at. I mean we’re all so busy, aren’t we. We’re allgoing somewhere; we’ve all got an idea about a destination.
Callum: He describes it as a sort of infection, which is like a rash, a series of spots thatappear on your skin. The purpose of this ‘infection’ is to get people to look atbits of London they wouldn’t normally see. To make us stop and take a pausefrom our busy lives. Listen again.
Antony GormleyI think it is a sort of infection of the centre of town in order to get people to look at probablybits of London that they don’t bother to look at. I mean we’re all so busy, aren’t we. We’re allgoing somewhere; we’ve all got an idea about a destination.
Callum: Gormley’s Event Horizon makes us look up but Gormley himself got adifferent perspective as he oversaw the positioning of the figures. He talksabout the topography of London, the topography – which means the shape ofthe landscape. And he talks about this as he sees it from the ITV tower, one ofthe buildings which has one of his statues on.
Antony GormleyI’ve learned a lot about the topography of London putting these in. I mean it was fantasticfrom the top of the ITV tower looking down and just seeing the texture of London and whatan extraordinary, in a way, mixture, of new and old, of the very very domestic and intimateand tight with its little gardens and then these huge new buildings.
Callum: From the top of the building he was able to appreciate the mixture of styles andarchitecture in central London. The old and new, homes with small gardensnext to huge new buildings. He goes on explain more about Event Horizon,which he calls ‘the piece’ and what it means to London.
Antony GormleyIt’s an extraordinary city that seems to express in its architectural styles the same kind ofdiversity that it has in its ethnic mix. And I want, I guess it is, a big question that the piece isasking, who is included and who is excluded from, in a way, this built environment. I’mtreating London as if it were, in a way a natural landscapeCallum: London is a manmade environment that is diverse architecturally as well asethnically. He says his piece asks a question, or makes us think about who isand isn’t included in this manmade environment.
Antony GormleyIt’s an extraordinary city that seems to express in its architectural styles the same kind ofdiversity that it has in its ethnic mix. And I want, I guess it is, a big question that the piece isasking, who is included and who is excluded from, in a way, this built environment. I’mtreating London as if it were, in a way a natural landscape with these exposed bodies thatwould normally be, as it were, protected by these buildings.
A feature of Gormley’s work is to make us look at the everyday world in adifferent way and that is something that I experienced with a recent work of hiEvent Horizon.
Every day I cycle to work through the streets of London. My journey takes meover Waterloo Bridge from where there are great views along the RiverThames. Most days I don’t see these views as usually I have my head down,fighting the wind as I try and pedal up and over the bridge.
But some days I do stop and think how lucky I am. For many people it is anambition to come to London, to see these sights that I can see everyday. Sosometimes I do stop and take a look at the riverside skyline, to admire the view.
A few weeks ago I noticed something a little different. I couldn’t quite make itout but it looked like there was a person standing on top of one of the buildingsthat looks over Waterloo Bridge.
In the next few days I noticed more of these ‘people’ standing on top ofbuildings on both the north and the south banks of the river. Of course by thistime I had realised that they weren’t real people but they were statues, identicalstatues of a naked human figure which seemed to be popping up all over theriver bank.
In all there were 31 and it wasn’t long before I discovered that they were allsculptures by Antony Gormley forming a piece of public art called EventHorizon.
Antony Gormley talked to the BBC Radio Four arts programme Front Row.
How did he describe Event Horizon them and what effect does he want it tohave?
Antony GormleyI think it is a sort of infection of the centre of town in order to get people to look at probablybits of London that they don’t bother to look at. I mean we’re all so busy, aren’t we. We’re allgoing somewhere; we’ve all got an idea about a destination.
Callum: He describes it as a sort of infection, which is like a rash, a series of spots thatappear on your skin. The purpose of this ‘infection’ is to get people to look atbits of London they wouldn’t normally see. To make us stop and take a pausefrom our busy lives. Listen again.
Antony GormleyI think it is a sort of infection of the centre of town in order to get people to look at probablybits of London that they don’t bother to look at. I mean we’re all so busy, aren’t we. We’re allgoing somewhere; we’ve all got an idea about a destination.
Callum: Gormley’s Event Horizon makes us look up but Gormley himself got adifferent perspective as he oversaw the positioning of the figures. He talksabout the topography of London, the topography – which means the shape ofthe landscape. And he talks about this as he sees it from the ITV tower, one ofthe buildings which has one of his statues on.
Antony GormleyI’ve learned a lot about the topography of London putting these in. I mean it was fantasticfrom the top of the ITV tower looking down and just seeing the texture of London and whatan extraordinary, in a way, mixture, of new and old, of the very very domestic and intimateand tight with its little gardens and then these huge new buildings.
Callum: From the top of the building he was able to appreciate the mixture of styles andarchitecture in central London. The old and new, homes with small gardensnext to huge new buildings. He goes on explain more about Event Horizon,which he calls ‘the piece’ and what it means to London.
Antony GormleyIt’s an extraordinary city that seems to express in its architectural styles the same kind ofdiversity that it has in its ethnic mix. And I want, I guess it is, a big question that the piece isasking, who is included and who is excluded from, in a way, this built environment. I’mtreating London as if it were, in a way a natural landscapeCallum: London is a manmade environment that is diverse architecturally as well asethnically. He says his piece asks a question, or makes us think about who isand isn’t included in this manmade environment.
Antony GormleyIt’s an extraordinary city that seems to express in its architectural styles the same kind ofdiversity that it has in its ethnic mix. And I want, I guess it is, a big question that the piece isasking, who is included and who is excluded from, in a way, this built environment. I’mtreating London as if it were, in a way a natural landscape with these exposed bodies thatwould normally be, as it were, protected by these buildings.
The Simpsons Movie
In Entertainment today, we hear two reviews of The Simpsons Movie – yes,after 400 TV shows, America’s most famous dysfunctional cartoon family –Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie – step up from the television to the bigscreen for the first time. ‘Dysfunctional’ means not functioning, or working,properly. ‘A dysfunctional family.’
The Simpsons series has been running on TV since 1989. The Simpsons Movieis 87 minutes long – much longer than a TV episode, and everything about thefilm. He also explains that it’s a big production – it’s ‘on an epic scale’.
As you listen, try to catch any of the extremely positive adjectives Nick uses todescribe how the film looks.
Nick Newman‘I think it looked absolutely stunning visually. It’s on an epic scale of the kind that watching iton a 26-inch television you can’t believe – I mean, you go pan over Springfield and all of that,I didn’t have a problem with any of that. I thought it was all dazzling. It was very funny, butfor those who have seen hundreds of episodes – of which there are 400 odd! – a lot of thejokes seemed quite familiar!’
Amber: Nick says the film looked great – it was ‘absolutely stunning visually’. And hethought the film was ‘dazzling’ – it was spectacular. For example, the camerapans over Springfield – ‘to pan’ means to move a camera in such a way thatyou get a broad view of a scene. Exciting stuff.
Listen again and notice the informal expression Nick uses to say that he wasrather indifferent to, in other words - he didn’t mind, the way the film looked.
He says ‘I didn’t have a problem with …’ the epic look of the film.
Nick Newman‘I think it looked absolutely stunning visually. It’s on an epic scale of the kind that watching iton a 26-inch television you can’t believe – I mean, you go pan over Springfield and all of that,I didn’t have a problem with any of that. I thought it was all dazzling. It was very funny, butfor those who have seen hundreds of episodes – of which there are 400 odd! – a lot of thejokes seemed quite familiar!’
Amber: Next, the journalist Andrew Billen gives his opinion of The Simpsons Movie.
He’s impressed – he says it’s ‘very funny, very silly at points, but not actuallytrivial.’ If something is trivial it lacks seriousness or importance.
Well, the film has some ‘surreal’, or strange, moments – Homer falls in lovewith a pig! And that’s what leads to the environmental threat to Springfield.
This is obviously ‘a low point’, a difficult time, for Homer – when he ‘reachesrock bottom’! But in Andrew’s view, the film exactly fits – it’s ‘absolutelybang on’ – the archetypal, or typical, popular American story. Can you catchwhat that plot is?
Andrew Billen‘Well, yeah, Homer reaches rock bottom doesn’t he when he does fall in love with a pig!
There was an American critic who once talked about all popular narrative being one plotbasically which is the family is threatened and the family is reunited and effectively you haveto do this by restoring daddy to the head of the table, his rightful place. And I thought in thatsense this movie was absolutely bang on the archetype and that was why it was so satisfying.
It was very funny, very silly at points, but not actually trivial.’
Amber: So a family facing threats then coming together with the father back in control– ‘at the head of the table’ – makes for a ‘satisfying’ – a pleasing – film. Listenagain.
Andrew Billen‘Well, yeah, Homer reaches rock bottom doesn’t he when he does fall in love with a pig!
There was an American critic who once talked about all popular narrative being one plotbasically which is the family is threatened and the family is reunited and effectively you haveto do this by restoring daddy to the head of the table, his rightful place. And I thought in thatsense this movie was absolutely bang on the archetype and that was why it was so satisfying.
It was very funny, very silly at points, but not actually trivial.’
The Simpsons series has been running on TV since 1989. The Simpsons Movieis 87 minutes long – much longer than a TV episode, and everything about thefilm. He also explains that it’s a big production – it’s ‘on an epic scale’.
As you listen, try to catch any of the extremely positive adjectives Nick uses todescribe how the film looks.
Nick Newman‘I think it looked absolutely stunning visually. It’s on an epic scale of the kind that watching iton a 26-inch television you can’t believe – I mean, you go pan over Springfield and all of that,I didn’t have a problem with any of that. I thought it was all dazzling. It was very funny, butfor those who have seen hundreds of episodes – of which there are 400 odd! – a lot of thejokes seemed quite familiar!’
Amber: Nick says the film looked great – it was ‘absolutely stunning visually’. And hethought the film was ‘dazzling’ – it was spectacular. For example, the camerapans over Springfield – ‘to pan’ means to move a camera in such a way thatyou get a broad view of a scene. Exciting stuff.
Listen again and notice the informal expression Nick uses to say that he wasrather indifferent to, in other words - he didn’t mind, the way the film looked.
He says ‘I didn’t have a problem with …’ the epic look of the film.
Nick Newman‘I think it looked absolutely stunning visually. It’s on an epic scale of the kind that watching iton a 26-inch television you can’t believe – I mean, you go pan over Springfield and all of that,I didn’t have a problem with any of that. I thought it was all dazzling. It was very funny, butfor those who have seen hundreds of episodes – of which there are 400 odd! – a lot of thejokes seemed quite familiar!’
Amber: Next, the journalist Andrew Billen gives his opinion of The Simpsons Movie.
He’s impressed – he says it’s ‘very funny, very silly at points, but not actuallytrivial.’ If something is trivial it lacks seriousness or importance.
Well, the film has some ‘surreal’, or strange, moments – Homer falls in lovewith a pig! And that’s what leads to the environmental threat to Springfield.
This is obviously ‘a low point’, a difficult time, for Homer – when he ‘reachesrock bottom’! But in Andrew’s view, the film exactly fits – it’s ‘absolutelybang on’ – the archetypal, or typical, popular American story. Can you catchwhat that plot is?
Andrew Billen‘Well, yeah, Homer reaches rock bottom doesn’t he when he does fall in love with a pig!
There was an American critic who once talked about all popular narrative being one plotbasically which is the family is threatened and the family is reunited and effectively you haveto do this by restoring daddy to the head of the table, his rightful place. And I thought in thatsense this movie was absolutely bang on the archetype and that was why it was so satisfying.
It was very funny, very silly at points, but not actually trivial.’
Amber: So a family facing threats then coming together with the father back in control– ‘at the head of the table’ – makes for a ‘satisfying’ – a pleasing – film. Listenagain.
Andrew Billen‘Well, yeah, Homer reaches rock bottom doesn’t he when he does fall in love with a pig!
There was an American critic who once talked about all popular narrative being one plotbasically which is the family is threatened and the family is reunited and effectively you haveto do this by restoring daddy to the head of the table, his rightful place. And I thought in thatsense this movie was absolutely bang on the archetype and that was why it was so satisfying.
It was very funny, very silly at points, but not actually trivial.’
The Painted Veil
Hello, I'm Amber and you're listening to bbclearningenglish.com.
In Entertainment today, we step into the dynamic world of contemporary dance.
We hear parts of an interview with two of the world's leading dancers: Sylvie
Guillem and Akram Khan. We meet them backstage at the Sadler's Wells
theatre in London. They talk about dancing together in a new show called
Sacred Monsters. The piece is a 'duet' (a dance for 2 performers) accompanied
by a live band. And watch out - Sacred Monsters is about to go on a world-
wide tour!
As we'll hear, the show is an exciting challenge for both dancers who trained
in very different styles of classical dance.
Sylvie Guillem is a ballet dancer, a ballerina. She caused a sensation at the
Paris Opera when, at the age of just 19, she was promoted to the role of star
dancer by her teacher Rudolf Nureyev. She then caused a storm of outrage in
her native France when, just six years later, she left the Paris Opera and joined
the Royal Ballet in London.
Akram Khan was born in the UK and is of Bangladeshi origin. From a young
age he was trained in the Kathak style of dancing (the classical style of north
India) and he is now one of the most innovative modern dancers working in
Britain.
First here's Sylvie Guillem talking about why she was drawn towards
contemporary dance and away from the classical 'repertoire', the complete
range of ballet works. As you listen, try to catch the expression she uses to
refer to the fact that she began performing classical ballet roles when she was a
very young dancer.
Sylvie Guillem
'I already decided for a long time not to dance a lot of roles from the repertoire because I
started classical very young and I had time to do all of the repertoire and many, many, many,
many times! So I was born on stage and I was really asking myself: But what am I doing here?
Because there was a lack of weight in what I was doing and then it was only physical, and so I
was not interested by that any more. I spent sometime doing that, and now I want to spend
some time doing something else.'
Amber: Did you catch it? Sylvie Guillem says 'I was born on stage'!
Listen again and notice the expressions 'to spend time' doing something, and
'a lack of weight'. Sylvie says she was drawn towards contemporary dance
because she felt there was 'a lack of weight' in her classical ballet. In English,
if we say something is 'weighty', we mean it is serious or important.
Sylvie Guillem
'I already decided for a long time not to dance a lot of roles from the repertoire because I
started classical very young and I had time to do all of the repertoire and many, many, many,
many times! So I was born on stage and I was really asking myself: But what am I doing here?
Because there was a lack of weight in what I was doing and then it was only physical, and so I
was not interested by that any more. I spent sometime doing that, and now I want to spend
some time doing something else.'
Amber: Sylvie Guillem and Akram Khan have very different bodies. Sylvie is
famously tall with very long limbs, and Akram Khan is smaller and stronger.
Here's Akram talking about how his body remembers the very many
complicated moves in the show Sacred Monsters – he says it's his 'muscle
memory' at work as well as his mind! And the dancers have to be sensitive
to each other's movements so the piece does not become too 'mechanical' –
as if it were being performed by machines!
Akram Khan
'I think it's the muscle memory, but your mind is also working. If it's not working, then the
piece doesn't live – it becomes mechanical. And so we're constantly thinking - always
adjusting and negotiating with each other. If it's too perfect, or if it's mechanical, then it
doesn't live and so the piece has to live.'
Amber: So the dancers are constantly 'adjusting and negotiating' with each other – they
make small changes and they work around each other successfully.
Now here's a list of the language we focussed on in the programme today.
In Entertainment today, we step into the dynamic world of contemporary dance.
We hear parts of an interview with two of the world's leading dancers: Sylvie
Guillem and Akram Khan. We meet them backstage at the Sadler's Wells
theatre in London. They talk about dancing together in a new show called
Sacred Monsters. The piece is a 'duet' (a dance for 2 performers) accompanied
by a live band. And watch out - Sacred Monsters is about to go on a world-
wide tour!
As we'll hear, the show is an exciting challenge for both dancers who trained
in very different styles of classical dance.
Sylvie Guillem is a ballet dancer, a ballerina. She caused a sensation at the
Paris Opera when, at the age of just 19, she was promoted to the role of star
dancer by her teacher Rudolf Nureyev. She then caused a storm of outrage in
her native France when, just six years later, she left the Paris Opera and joined
the Royal Ballet in London.
Akram Khan was born in the UK and is of Bangladeshi origin. From a young
age he was trained in the Kathak style of dancing (the classical style of north
India) and he is now one of the most innovative modern dancers working in
Britain.
First here's Sylvie Guillem talking about why she was drawn towards
contemporary dance and away from the classical 'repertoire', the complete
range of ballet works. As you listen, try to catch the expression she uses to
refer to the fact that she began performing classical ballet roles when she was a
very young dancer.
Sylvie Guillem
'I already decided for a long time not to dance a lot of roles from the repertoire because I
started classical very young and I had time to do all of the repertoire and many, many, many,
many times! So I was born on stage and I was really asking myself: But what am I doing here?
Because there was a lack of weight in what I was doing and then it was only physical, and so I
was not interested by that any more. I spent sometime doing that, and now I want to spend
some time doing something else.'
Amber: Did you catch it? Sylvie Guillem says 'I was born on stage'!
Listen again and notice the expressions 'to spend time' doing something, and
'a lack of weight'. Sylvie says she was drawn towards contemporary dance
because she felt there was 'a lack of weight' in her classical ballet. In English,
if we say something is 'weighty', we mean it is serious or important.
Sylvie Guillem
'I already decided for a long time not to dance a lot of roles from the repertoire because I
started classical very young and I had time to do all of the repertoire and many, many, many,
many times! So I was born on stage and I was really asking myself: But what am I doing here?
Because there was a lack of weight in what I was doing and then it was only physical, and so I
was not interested by that any more. I spent sometime doing that, and now I want to spend
some time doing something else.'
Amber: Sylvie Guillem and Akram Khan have very different bodies. Sylvie is
famously tall with very long limbs, and Akram Khan is smaller and stronger.
Here's Akram talking about how his body remembers the very many
complicated moves in the show Sacred Monsters – he says it's his 'muscle
memory' at work as well as his mind! And the dancers have to be sensitive
to each other's movements so the piece does not become too 'mechanical' –
as if it were being performed by machines!
Akram Khan
'I think it's the muscle memory, but your mind is also working. If it's not working, then the
piece doesn't live – it becomes mechanical. And so we're constantly thinking - always
adjusting and negotiating with each other. If it's too perfect, or if it's mechanical, then it
doesn't live and so the piece has to live.'
Amber: So the dancers are constantly 'adjusting and negotiating' with each other – they
make small changes and they work around each other successfully.
Now here's a list of the language we focussed on in the programme today.
the new fashion designers
Hello, I'm Amber and you're listening to bbclearningenglish.com
In Entertainment today, we find out why pop stars are the new fashion
designers – in other words, why there's a trend for pop stars to start their own
clothing labels or brands. For example, the drummer with the chart-topping
band The Arctic Monkeys has just launched a line of leisure wear, and this
follows designs launched by Madonna a short while ago.
Here's the first part of an interview with Lisa Armstrong, the fashion editor of
the Times newspaper. She says this trend is an obvious, 'a blatant', move by
pop stars to make money! But it's also an attempt, 'a stab', at staying famous
for longer! 'To get a bit of longevity' – 'longevity' here means the length of
someone's career. And for the model Kate Moss, launching her own clothing
label is a sensible next move, it's 'a logical step'.
As you listen, try to catch the expression Lisa uses to describe how the stars of
today are smarter than pop musicians in the 90s - when it comes to making
money from fashion - because they are marketing their own designs, not those
of big, established designers.
Lisa Armstrong
'Yeah, I mean, it's clearly a blatant attempt to make money – why not?! But I think also, for
some of them, it's a stab to get a bit of longevity, you know, careers are very short, and for
someone like Kate Moss, in particular, it's a logical step. I think also in the '90s, musicians
traditionally got friendly with Versace or Armani – got free clothes, sat in the front row – now
they're just cutting out the middle-man!'
Amber: Did you catch it? Lisa says that pop stars today are 'cutting out the middle-
man' – they are marketing their clothes directly to their audiences. To cut out
the middle-man. Listen again.
Lisa Armstrong
'Yeah, I mean, it's clearly a blatant attempt to make money – why not?! But I think also, for
some of them, it's a stab to get a bit of longevity, you know, careers are very short, and for
someone like Kate Moss, in particular, it's a logical step. I think also in the '90s, musicians
traditionally got friendly with Versace or Armani – got free clothes, sat in the front row – now
they're just cutting out the middle-man!'
Amber: Next, Lisa talks about Madonna's range of clothes for the high-street store H &
M. She isn't impressed – she says the range was 'a bit of a flop', a bit of a
failure. She says what fans wanted was the outrageous, the 'camp', kind of
clothes that Madonna wore on stage – 'conical bras', for example, bras shaped
like ice-cream cones! But according to Lisa, the clothes were 'period', a polite
way of saying old-fashioned! They were 'mum-sy', they were like the kind of
safe, frumpy clothes a mother, who was not fashion-conscious, would wear.
Listen.
Lisa Armstrong
'I think when it doesn't work … I mean, Madonna's line for H & M was a bit of a flop
because we wanted conical bras, we wanted all that camp, fabulous Madonna, and what we
actually got was late, period, mum-sy Madonna, and that doesn't tie in with the H & M
customer.'
In Entertainment today, we find out why pop stars are the new fashion
designers – in other words, why there's a trend for pop stars to start their own
clothing labels or brands. For example, the drummer with the chart-topping
band The Arctic Monkeys has just launched a line of leisure wear, and this
follows designs launched by Madonna a short while ago.
Here's the first part of an interview with Lisa Armstrong, the fashion editor of
the Times newspaper. She says this trend is an obvious, 'a blatant', move by
pop stars to make money! But it's also an attempt, 'a stab', at staying famous
for longer! 'To get a bit of longevity' – 'longevity' here means the length of
someone's career. And for the model Kate Moss, launching her own clothing
label is a sensible next move, it's 'a logical step'.
As you listen, try to catch the expression Lisa uses to describe how the stars of
today are smarter than pop musicians in the 90s - when it comes to making
money from fashion - because they are marketing their own designs, not those
of big, established designers.
Lisa Armstrong
'Yeah, I mean, it's clearly a blatant attempt to make money – why not?! But I think also, for
some of them, it's a stab to get a bit of longevity, you know, careers are very short, and for
someone like Kate Moss, in particular, it's a logical step. I think also in the '90s, musicians
traditionally got friendly with Versace or Armani – got free clothes, sat in the front row – now
they're just cutting out the middle-man!'
Amber: Did you catch it? Lisa says that pop stars today are 'cutting out the middle-
man' – they are marketing their clothes directly to their audiences. To cut out
the middle-man. Listen again.
Lisa Armstrong
'Yeah, I mean, it's clearly a blatant attempt to make money – why not?! But I think also, for
some of them, it's a stab to get a bit of longevity, you know, careers are very short, and for
someone like Kate Moss, in particular, it's a logical step. I think also in the '90s, musicians
traditionally got friendly with Versace or Armani – got free clothes, sat in the front row – now
they're just cutting out the middle-man!'
Amber: Next, Lisa talks about Madonna's range of clothes for the high-street store H &
M. She isn't impressed – she says the range was 'a bit of a flop', a bit of a
failure. She says what fans wanted was the outrageous, the 'camp', kind of
clothes that Madonna wore on stage – 'conical bras', for example, bras shaped
like ice-cream cones! But according to Lisa, the clothes were 'period', a polite
way of saying old-fashioned! They were 'mum-sy', they were like the kind of
safe, frumpy clothes a mother, who was not fashion-conscious, would wear.
Listen.
Lisa Armstrong
'I think when it doesn't work … I mean, Madonna's line for H & M was a bit of a flop
because we wanted conical bras, we wanted all that camp, fabulous Madonna, and what we
actually got was late, period, mum-sy Madonna, and that doesn't tie in with the H & M
customer.'
A passion for cricket
In Entertainment today, we listen to extracts from an interview with JohnMajor, who was the British Prime Minister before Tony Blair. He's written athbook about the history of cricket from the 18 century to the First World War –it's called More Than a Game – the Story of Cricket's Early Years, and, aswe'll hear, there's plenty to say about the ways politics and cricket meet.
First, here's John Major talking about how cricket used to be very 'class-ridden'. In other words, it followed the class divisions of society. He agreesthat cricket was very bound-up with class, but that was becoming less true, itwas 'beginning fade', when he fell in love with the game, as a boy growing upin a working class family. He says there were meaningless, or 'absurd',practices, such as men of different status having to enter the pitch throughdifferent gates and use different dressing rooms!
As you listen, try to catch the expression John Major uses to describe howcricket was very slow to accept or 'to come to terms with', the fact that societywas changing, it was becoming less divided by class.
John Major'Yes, it was, I mean, it was beginning to fade then, but only just beginning. And of course forth thmost of the 19 century and before, it was a very class-ridden game. Until well into the 20century, you found professionals and amateurs entering the pitch from different gates - it wasan absurdity - and not sharing the same dressing room. It was very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.'
Amber: Did you catch it? John Major says cricket was 'very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.' 'The real world' – the set of situations mosthumans have to deal with in their lives, rather than what happens in stories,films, and so on.
John Major'Yes, it was, I mean, it was beginning to fade then, but only just beginning. And of course forth thmost of the 19 century and before, it was a very class-ridden game. Until well into the 20century, you found professionals and amateurs entering the pitch from different gates - it wasan absurdity - and not sharing the same dressing room. It was very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.'
Amber: In his book, John Major admits to feeling very sorry that, when he was PrimeMinister, many playing fields, especially school playing fields, were sold. Thisprevented many people from playing cricket in a land where the modernversion of the game was born!
He says 'in retrospect' – when he thinks about the past in the light of theknowledge he has now – he thinks he should have made it harder for playingfields to be sold. He should have put in place a 'blanket-ban'. A blanket-ban isan unlimited ban, affecting all cases. So, does he feel guilty?
John Major'I do. I mean, I did stop some of them and I did make it harder for them to be sold. I think inretrospect it would have been better to have had a blanket-ban on the sales.'
Amber: And will John Major be publishing other books? And why does he write?
Listen.
John Major'I've always enjoyed writing. I still have drafts of bits of several novels, but I wrote all thetime. I write a lot of poetry, not for publication, but privately. I find it very cathartic to pickup a pen and to write – it's particularly cathartic at moments of stress.'
Amber: Well, we don't know if he'll be publishing other books but he has written'drafts of bits of several novels' – a draft is a first or rough version - and hewrites a lot of poetry, but this is private.
And he writes because he finds it 'cathartic', calming and purifying, especially'at moments of stress', or difficulty.
John Major'I've always enjoyed writing. I still have drafts of bits of several novels, but I wrote all thetime. I write a lot of poetry, not for publication, but privately. I find it very cathartic to pickup a pen and to write – it's particularly cathartic at moments of stress.'
First, here's John Major talking about how cricket used to be very 'class-ridden'. In other words, it followed the class divisions of society. He agreesthat cricket was very bound-up with class, but that was becoming less true, itwas 'beginning fade', when he fell in love with the game, as a boy growing upin a working class family. He says there were meaningless, or 'absurd',practices, such as men of different status having to enter the pitch throughdifferent gates and use different dressing rooms!
As you listen, try to catch the expression John Major uses to describe howcricket was very slow to accept or 'to come to terms with', the fact that societywas changing, it was becoming less divided by class.
John Major'Yes, it was, I mean, it was beginning to fade then, but only just beginning. And of course forth thmost of the 19 century and before, it was a very class-ridden game. Until well into the 20century, you found professionals and amateurs entering the pitch from different gates - it wasan absurdity - and not sharing the same dressing room. It was very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.'
Amber: Did you catch it? John Major says cricket was 'very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.' 'The real world' – the set of situations mosthumans have to deal with in their lives, rather than what happens in stories,films, and so on.
John Major'Yes, it was, I mean, it was beginning to fade then, but only just beginning. And of course forth thmost of the 19 century and before, it was a very class-ridden game. Until well into the 20century, you found professionals and amateurs entering the pitch from different gates - it wasan absurdity - and not sharing the same dressing room. It was very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.'
Amber: In his book, John Major admits to feeling very sorry that, when he was PrimeMinister, many playing fields, especially school playing fields, were sold. Thisprevented many people from playing cricket in a land where the modernversion of the game was born!
He says 'in retrospect' – when he thinks about the past in the light of theknowledge he has now – he thinks he should have made it harder for playingfields to be sold. He should have put in place a 'blanket-ban'. A blanket-ban isan unlimited ban, affecting all cases. So, does he feel guilty?
John Major'I do. I mean, I did stop some of them and I did make it harder for them to be sold. I think inretrospect it would have been better to have had a blanket-ban on the sales.'
Amber: And will John Major be publishing other books? And why does he write?
Listen.
John Major'I've always enjoyed writing. I still have drafts of bits of several novels, but I wrote all thetime. I write a lot of poetry, not for publication, but privately. I find it very cathartic to pickup a pen and to write – it's particularly cathartic at moments of stress.'
Amber: Well, we don't know if he'll be publishing other books but he has written'drafts of bits of several novels' – a draft is a first or rough version - and hewrites a lot of poetry, but this is private.
And he writes because he finds it 'cathartic', calming and purifying, especially'at moments of stress', or difficulty.
John Major'I've always enjoyed writing. I still have drafts of bits of several novels, but I wrote all thetime. I write a lot of poetry, not for publication, but privately. I find it very cathartic to pickup a pen and to write – it's particularly cathartic at moments of stress.'
Gene Wilder
Hello, and welcome to Entertainment, I'm William Kremer. Today, I'm veryexcited, because we're going to be hearing from one of my very favouritecomedians – Gene Wilder. If you're a fan of the crazy comedies of Mel Brooks,you'll know Gene Wilder by his great mop of curly hair. Gene Wilder workedwith Mel Brooks on films including Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein andThe Producers.
Recently, Mel Brooks made The Producers into a stage musical, and it was ahuge success in New York and London. It was, we would say, a 'hit' a 'hitmusical'.
Now Mel Brooks is working on a stage version of Young Frankenstein. We'regoing to hear a clip from an interview with Gene Wilder, who wrote thescreenplay for this film and who starred in it. In this clip, he describes whathappened when Mel Brooks told him about his plans to turn YoungFrankenstein into a musical. See if you can work out what Gene Wilderthought about the idea…Gene Wilder: I thought, 'Over my dead body.' And I thought 'Don't do anything to desecratein any way the film of Young Frankenstein', which is my favourite … favouritefilm that I've done.
William: Well, the answer is that he really didn't want Mel Brooks to go ahead with theproduction. At the start of the clip, you might have heard quite a commonphrase which we use when we really don't want something to happen…Gene Wilder: I thought, 'Over my dead body.'
William: 'Over my dead body'. This means, if you want to do that, you will have to killme first. When people say it, they aren't really ready to die! But they usuallyare very angry about something.
Gene Wilder: I thought, 'Over my dead body.'
William: Gene Wilder was worried that if Mel Brooks made his musical, he would spoilthe original film of Young Frankenstein.
STINGWilliam: These two old friends, Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, started to argue aboutYoung Frankenstein. As you listen to the next clip, see if you can hear what themeaning of Borscht Belt is….
Gene Wilder: And he got on the phone, he started hollering, yelling, 'Well you can't…‘ andtelling me all the things why, and I told him why, 'You're a Borscht Belt comicand a genius, but this is not, I didn't write Borscht Belt - ' Borscht Belt means,in the Catskills, there… all the comics used to go there to try out their materialand, a lot of Jewish comics, and they all drank Borscht, so it's called 'TheBorscht Belt'. But I said, 'That's not my kind of humour…'
William: The Borscht Belt is a place in the United States, in the Catskill Mountains. Butwhere does the name come from?
Gene Wilder: Borscht Belt means, in the Catskills, there… all the comics used to go there totry out their material and, a lot of Jewish comics, and they all drank Borscht, soit's called 'The Borscht Belt'. But I said, 'That's not my kind of humour…'
William: Jewish comics used to go to the Catskills to 'try out their material'. In thiscontext, 'material' means their routines, their jokes. These comics would tryout their material in the Catskills, and they would all drink Borscht, a soupwhich is usually made from beetroot. So, the Catskills are sometimes called'The Borscht Belt'.
OK, I know this isn't very useful English, but it's interesting isn't it?
Borscht Belt comics have their own kind of very fast, clever, humour. GeneWilder told Mel Brooks that Mel was a great Borscht Belt comic, but, he said,that wasn't his kind of humour.
Before we hear the next clip, do you remember what the word for a verysuccessful production, or a very successful movie or song was? A 'hit'. Nowlet me tell you what the opposite of a hit is – a 'flop'. A production which is aflop doesn't make enough money. There's also a verb form – we can say, 'theproduction flopped'. OK - now see if you can work out what Gene Wilderdecided to do:
Gene Wilder: And I thought: 'What am I saying? I want him to be happy and he needs towork. If he really wants to do this, I have nothing to lose, because if it flops,they're not going to blame me, but if it's a big hit, Mel said “So you'll make afew bucks”'
William: Gene Wilder decided to let Mel Brooks turn Young Frankenstein into a musical.
He said he wanted Mel to be happy. He also said he realised he had nothing tolose – if the stage version of Young Frankenstein flopped, no one would blamehim, but if it was a hit, he'd make some money, or as Mel Brooks said, he'dmake 'a few bucks', a few dollars….
Recently, Mel Brooks made The Producers into a stage musical, and it was ahuge success in New York and London. It was, we would say, a 'hit' a 'hitmusical'.
Now Mel Brooks is working on a stage version of Young Frankenstein. We'regoing to hear a clip from an interview with Gene Wilder, who wrote thescreenplay for this film and who starred in it. In this clip, he describes whathappened when Mel Brooks told him about his plans to turn YoungFrankenstein into a musical. See if you can work out what Gene Wilderthought about the idea…Gene Wilder: I thought, 'Over my dead body.' And I thought 'Don't do anything to desecratein any way the film of Young Frankenstein', which is my favourite … favouritefilm that I've done.
William: Well, the answer is that he really didn't want Mel Brooks to go ahead with theproduction. At the start of the clip, you might have heard quite a commonphrase which we use when we really don't want something to happen…Gene Wilder: I thought, 'Over my dead body.'
William: 'Over my dead body'. This means, if you want to do that, you will have to killme first. When people say it, they aren't really ready to die! But they usuallyare very angry about something.
Gene Wilder: I thought, 'Over my dead body.'
William: Gene Wilder was worried that if Mel Brooks made his musical, he would spoilthe original film of Young Frankenstein.
STINGWilliam: These two old friends, Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, started to argue aboutYoung Frankenstein. As you listen to the next clip, see if you can hear what themeaning of Borscht Belt is….
Gene Wilder: And he got on the phone, he started hollering, yelling, 'Well you can't…‘ andtelling me all the things why, and I told him why, 'You're a Borscht Belt comicand a genius, but this is not, I didn't write Borscht Belt - ' Borscht Belt means,in the Catskills, there… all the comics used to go there to try out their materialand, a lot of Jewish comics, and they all drank Borscht, so it's called 'TheBorscht Belt'. But I said, 'That's not my kind of humour…'
William: The Borscht Belt is a place in the United States, in the Catskill Mountains. Butwhere does the name come from?
Gene Wilder: Borscht Belt means, in the Catskills, there… all the comics used to go there totry out their material and, a lot of Jewish comics, and they all drank Borscht, soit's called 'The Borscht Belt'. But I said, 'That's not my kind of humour…'
William: Jewish comics used to go to the Catskills to 'try out their material'. In thiscontext, 'material' means their routines, their jokes. These comics would tryout their material in the Catskills, and they would all drink Borscht, a soupwhich is usually made from beetroot. So, the Catskills are sometimes called'The Borscht Belt'.
OK, I know this isn't very useful English, but it's interesting isn't it?
Borscht Belt comics have their own kind of very fast, clever, humour. GeneWilder told Mel Brooks that Mel was a great Borscht Belt comic, but, he said,that wasn't his kind of humour.
Before we hear the next clip, do you remember what the word for a verysuccessful production, or a very successful movie or song was? A 'hit'. Nowlet me tell you what the opposite of a hit is – a 'flop'. A production which is aflop doesn't make enough money. There's also a verb form – we can say, 'theproduction flopped'. OK - now see if you can work out what Gene Wilderdecided to do:
Gene Wilder: And I thought: 'What am I saying? I want him to be happy and he needs towork. If he really wants to do this, I have nothing to lose, because if it flops,they're not going to blame me, but if it's a big hit, Mel said “So you'll make afew bucks”'
William: Gene Wilder decided to let Mel Brooks turn Young Frankenstein into a musical.
He said he wanted Mel to be happy. He also said he realised he had nothing tolose – if the stage version of Young Frankenstein flopped, no one would blamehim, but if it was a hit, he'd make some money, or as Mel Brooks said, he'dmake 'a few bucks', a few dollars….
The Royal Festival Hall
finest music, the greatest singers and players to be heard, and to give pleasureand refreshment of the soul to generations of Londoners yet unborn.
William: Hello, I'm William Kremer and that was Clement Attlee, who was the BritishPrime Minister after the Second World War. The clip you just heard wasthrecorded on 12 October, 1949. Mr Attlee was making a speech at the start ofwork on building a great concert hall – the Royal Festival Hall, which nowstands on the South bank of the River Thames. Today's programme is all aboutthe Royal Festival Hall.
Mr Attlee's speech was in quite formal English… he said that he hoped the hallwould long endure – that is, that it would exist for a long time – to give theopportunity for the finest music, singers and players to be heard. He also used alovely phrase – 'to give pleasure and refreshment of the soul'. Listen again.
Clement I hope that this concert hall will long endure to give the opportunity for theAttlee:
finest music, the greatest singers and players to be heard, and to give pleasureand refreshment of the soul to generations of Londoners yet unborn.
William: Did you notice, listening to that clip, how differently British people spoke justfifty years ago? It's a way of speaking that one associates with the BBC! – but,it sounds quite old-fashioned now.
STINGThe Royal Festival Hall took two years to build, finally opening in May 1951as part of the Festival of Britain. The building brought a striking Moderniststyle to the Thames. It was in service for over fifty years – and it became hometo four orchestras! Famous singers of many different styles sang there,including Maria Callas, Louis Armstrong and Lou Reed.
But, in 2005, the hall closed once again for two years. Why? It was beingrefurbished. 'To refurbish' – it means to improve a building or object and makeit like new. There's a noun form too – 'refurbishment'. The refurbishment ofthe Royal Festival Hall took two years and cost ninety-one million pounds. Itfinally opened its doors last week.
We're going to hear now from Peter Mandelson. Mr Mandelson is currently theEuropean Union Commissioner for Trade. But his grandfather, HerbertMorrison, had the original idea for the Festival of Britain and the Hall back inthe 1940's. What does Peter Mandelson make of the refurbishment? In this clip,Mr. Mandelson mentions a key development. Used as an adjective, 'key'
means 'most important'. This is quite a common word in modern, formalEnglish. What does Peter Mandelson see as the 'key development' in therefurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall?
Peter It's been refurbished, repolished, buffed up, made more comfortable, theMandle-carpeting brought back to life… but I think the key development is theson:
liberation of… liberation of space. There are parts of the original Festival Hallwhich the public never went to – I don't quite know what they were used for –offices or workshops or whatever – but the whole effect is to bring more, morelight and spaciousness into the hall, with wonderful views of Westminster andThameside.
William: He said the key development is the liberation, or freeing of… of what?
Peter It's been refurbished, repolished, buffed up, made more comfortable, theMandle-carpeting brought back to life… but I think the key development is theson:
liberation of… liberation of space. There are parts of the original Festival Hallwhich the public never went to – I don't quite know what they were used for –offices or workshops or whatever – but the whole effect is to bring more, morelight and spaciousness into the hall, with wonderful views of Westminster andThameside.
William: Hello, I'm William Kremer and that was Clement Attlee, who was the BritishPrime Minister after the Second World War. The clip you just heard wasthrecorded on 12 October, 1949. Mr Attlee was making a speech at the start ofwork on building a great concert hall – the Royal Festival Hall, which nowstands on the South bank of the River Thames. Today's programme is all aboutthe Royal Festival Hall.
Mr Attlee's speech was in quite formal English… he said that he hoped the hallwould long endure – that is, that it would exist for a long time – to give theopportunity for the finest music, singers and players to be heard. He also used alovely phrase – 'to give pleasure and refreshment of the soul'. Listen again.
Clement I hope that this concert hall will long endure to give the opportunity for theAttlee:
finest music, the greatest singers and players to be heard, and to give pleasureand refreshment of the soul to generations of Londoners yet unborn.
William: Did you notice, listening to that clip, how differently British people spoke justfifty years ago? It's a way of speaking that one associates with the BBC! – but,it sounds quite old-fashioned now.
STINGThe Royal Festival Hall took two years to build, finally opening in May 1951as part of the Festival of Britain. The building brought a striking Moderniststyle to the Thames. It was in service for over fifty years – and it became hometo four orchestras! Famous singers of many different styles sang there,including Maria Callas, Louis Armstrong and Lou Reed.
But, in 2005, the hall closed once again for two years. Why? It was beingrefurbished. 'To refurbish' – it means to improve a building or object and makeit like new. There's a noun form too – 'refurbishment'. The refurbishment ofthe Royal Festival Hall took two years and cost ninety-one million pounds. Itfinally opened its doors last week.
We're going to hear now from Peter Mandelson. Mr Mandelson is currently theEuropean Union Commissioner for Trade. But his grandfather, HerbertMorrison, had the original idea for the Festival of Britain and the Hall back inthe 1940's. What does Peter Mandelson make of the refurbishment? In this clip,Mr. Mandelson mentions a key development. Used as an adjective, 'key'
means 'most important'. This is quite a common word in modern, formalEnglish. What does Peter Mandelson see as the 'key development' in therefurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall?
Peter It's been refurbished, repolished, buffed up, made more comfortable, theMandle-carpeting brought back to life… but I think the key development is theson:
liberation of… liberation of space. There are parts of the original Festival Hallwhich the public never went to – I don't quite know what they were used for –offices or workshops or whatever – but the whole effect is to bring more, morelight and spaciousness into the hall, with wonderful views of Westminster andThameside.
William: He said the key development is the liberation, or freeing of… of what?
Peter It's been refurbished, repolished, buffed up, made more comfortable, theMandle-carpeting brought back to life… but I think the key development is theson:
liberation of… liberation of space. There are parts of the original Festival Hallwhich the public never went to – I don't quite know what they were used for –offices or workshops or whatever – but the whole effect is to bring more, morelight and spaciousness into the hall, with wonderful views of Westminster andThameside.
Amazing Grace
Here at BBC Learning English dot com, we're running a short season of
th
programmes marking the 200 anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.
This significant anniversary hasn't been ignored by Hollywood either. A new
film, Amazing Grace, tells the story of the campaign in the British parliament
for an end to the slave trade. It stars Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce, the
British politician who is traditionally seen as largely responsible for stopping
the slave trade.
I say 'traditionally' because Wilberforce's role in the campaign for abolition is
now quite controversial – some historians say that by always looking at British
politicians, we ignore the actions of the slaves themselves.
So, is it OK for Amazing Grace to focus on white politicians, or should it pay
more attention to the lives of the Black slaves?
Let's listen now to the film critic Mark Kermode. As you listen, try to answer
this question: How is the story in Amazing Grace told?
Mark: It's not a story told from the perspective of the slaves, it's told from the
perspectives of the white Englishmen, who are debating the nature of slavery.
William: Listen again.
Mark: It's not a story told from the perspective of the slaves, it's told from the
perspectives of the white Englishmen, who are debating the nature of slavery.
William: Mark says that Amazing Grace is told from the perspective of white
Englishmen and not slaves. Perspective – this generally means a way of
thinking or a general view on life. We use it for expressing our opinions about
things. For example, you might say, 'From my perspective, learning English is
a very important skill' – this means it is your opinion, your view of the issue.
Note the use of 'from'. 'From your perspective', 'from my perspective', 'from
a scientific perspective', 'from a historical perspective'.
Now, if you want to say what the issue is that you're talking about, you need to
say 'on'. For example, 'His perspective on international affairs is really
interesting.'
When we talk about perspective in films or books, we're talking about the view
on life of the characters in the film – their opinions, experiences and feelings.
Mark Kermode says that story of Amazing Grace is told from the perspective
of white Englishmen, not slaves. So it's their opinions and experiences which
are highlighted in the film.
Let's listen to Mark again – this time, see if you can hear a word which means
the same as 'perspective':
Mark: It's very easy to criticise a movie for what it isn't, and there's a big thing at the
moment about criticising movies about, you know, issues movies, that are seen
from the viewpoint of, you know, of white men – another example would be
Blood Diamond, for example.
William: 'Viewpoint' means the same as 'perspective' and we use it in much the same
way.
'Viewpoint' is a shortened form of a very common phrase, 'point of view'.
Like 'perspective' and 'viewpoint', we use 'point of view' to talk about the
experiences of characters in books and films, and also to express opinions. For
example, you can talk about 'a feminist point of view' or 'a scientific point of
view' as well as your own point of view!
th
programmes marking the 200 anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.
This significant anniversary hasn't been ignored by Hollywood either. A new
film, Amazing Grace, tells the story of the campaign in the British parliament
for an end to the slave trade. It stars Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce, the
British politician who is traditionally seen as largely responsible for stopping
the slave trade.
I say 'traditionally' because Wilberforce's role in the campaign for abolition is
now quite controversial – some historians say that by always looking at British
politicians, we ignore the actions of the slaves themselves.
So, is it OK for Amazing Grace to focus on white politicians, or should it pay
more attention to the lives of the Black slaves?
Let's listen now to the film critic Mark Kermode. As you listen, try to answer
this question: How is the story in Amazing Grace told?
Mark: It's not a story told from the perspective of the slaves, it's told from the
perspectives of the white Englishmen, who are debating the nature of slavery.
William: Listen again.
Mark: It's not a story told from the perspective of the slaves, it's told from the
perspectives of the white Englishmen, who are debating the nature of slavery.
William: Mark says that Amazing Grace is told from the perspective of white
Englishmen and not slaves. Perspective – this generally means a way of
thinking or a general view on life. We use it for expressing our opinions about
things. For example, you might say, 'From my perspective, learning English is
a very important skill' – this means it is your opinion, your view of the issue.
Note the use of 'from'. 'From your perspective', 'from my perspective', 'from
a scientific perspective', 'from a historical perspective'.
Now, if you want to say what the issue is that you're talking about, you need to
say 'on'. For example, 'His perspective on international affairs is really
interesting.'
When we talk about perspective in films or books, we're talking about the view
on life of the characters in the film – their opinions, experiences and feelings.
Mark Kermode says that story of Amazing Grace is told from the perspective
of white Englishmen, not slaves. So it's their opinions and experiences which
are highlighted in the film.
Let's listen to Mark again – this time, see if you can hear a word which means
the same as 'perspective':
Mark: It's very easy to criticise a movie for what it isn't, and there's a big thing at the
moment about criticising movies about, you know, issues movies, that are seen
from the viewpoint of, you know, of white men – another example would be
Blood Diamond, for example.
William: 'Viewpoint' means the same as 'perspective' and we use it in much the same
way.
'Viewpoint' is a shortened form of a very common phrase, 'point of view'.
Like 'perspective' and 'viewpoint', we use 'point of view' to talk about the
experiences of characters in books and films, and also to express opinions. For
example, you can talk about 'a feminist point of view' or 'a scientific point of
view' as well as your own point of view!
Education and theatre
But actress Pauline Moran, explains how a play can often deliver much more
as she tells us about her role in a South African play called “Bones”. That's all
in today's Entertainment from bbclearningenglish.com!
I'm Yvonne Archer – hello.
“Bones”, a play that was written and directed by Kay Adshead, is set in post-
apartheid South Africa – a time when it became illegal to treat people unfairly
simply because of their colour. In the play, Pieter is a harmless and very ill old
white man, but when he worked as a senior policeman, many of the local black
people he questioned simply disappeared.
Pieter's wife, Jennifer, loves him very much and believes that he'll be cured by
magic if she reveals the gruesome secret of what happened to all those people.
But will she? Before we find out, let's hear from Pauline Moran, who plays
Jennifer. She explains why the audience begins to feel sorry for her…
Pauline Moran
Yes, yes – well you do realise that Jennifer is also a victim – at the end you do, because her
misplaced love has kept her in a loveless marriage for thirty-seven years and she's been loyal
and she's kept it a secret. She should never have done such a thing, you know, having
witnessed such an atrocity.
Yvonne: During the play, the entire community watches as the bones of friends and
relatives are dug up from the couple's beautiful rose garden. But Jennifer
seems to be more upset about her roses and the noise than she is about all those
lost lives. Surprisingly, the audience does begin to feel sorry for her because as
Pauline says, she's 'a victim' – someone who's suffered and has been hurt - in
this case, by Pieter's cruel and shocking actions. But Jennifer's also suffered
because despite 37 years of marriage, Pieter hasn't returned her love. She's
suffered what Pauline calls 'a loveless marriage'. As we continue, try to catch
the noun Pauline uses to describe Pieter's cruel, shocking actions…
Pauline Moran
She's been loyal and she's kept it a secret. She should never have done such a thing, you
know, having witnessed such an atrocity. But in the end, she confesses and I think, in a sense,
is redeemed because she's laid bare all the true facts. But as to whether Pieter is forgiven,
that's another matter entirely and it's probably up to each audience member to take away and
form their own opinion.
Yvonne: Did you manage to catch the noun Pauline used to describe Pieter's cruel and
shocking actions? Yes, she calls them 'an atrocity' – a noun that's often heard
during reports about war - so do listen out for it again after today's programme.
Jennifer's love and loyalty to her husband made her feel that she couldn't tell
anyone about the atrocities she'd 'witnessed' – what she'd seen. But as Pauline
put it, she is 'redeemed' - forgiven and has put right a serious wrong by telling
the entire truth about what happened… Jennifer has 'laid bare all the true facts'.
Pauline Moran
In the end, she confesses and I think, in a sense, is redeemed because she's laid bare all the
true facts.
Yvonne: Of course, the same cannot be said for Pieter so the audience are left to decide
whether he will ever deserve the same consideration.
Yvonne: A play like “Bones” can be important in 'raising awareness' about the
apartheid years - bringing what happened to the attention of more people and
helping them to understand more about that period of time. But who, in
particular, does Pauline think needs to be more aware of apartheid?
Pauline Moran
It's definitely raising awareness because it's surprising how little young people todaydo
know about the apartheid years. They haven't any idea – it's surprised us – even talking to
people after the play. They may have a very superficial knowledge of the things – that atrocities that went on. But I don't think they teach it in schools as part of courses at all
there's a great deal of the pit of ignorance about it.
Yvonne: Pauline Moran has been very surprised at the tiny amount of knowledge – the
'superficial knowledge' - that young people have about the apartheid years. As
she put it, 'there's a great deal of the pit of ignorance' about it - but fortunately,
the play is helping to change that.
as she tells us about her role in a South African play called “Bones”. That's all
in today's Entertainment from bbclearningenglish.com!
I'm Yvonne Archer – hello.
“Bones”, a play that was written and directed by Kay Adshead, is set in post-
apartheid South Africa – a time when it became illegal to treat people unfairly
simply because of their colour. In the play, Pieter is a harmless and very ill old
white man, but when he worked as a senior policeman, many of the local black
people he questioned simply disappeared.
Pieter's wife, Jennifer, loves him very much and believes that he'll be cured by
magic if she reveals the gruesome secret of what happened to all those people.
But will she? Before we find out, let's hear from Pauline Moran, who plays
Jennifer. She explains why the audience begins to feel sorry for her…
Pauline Moran
Yes, yes – well you do realise that Jennifer is also a victim – at the end you do, because her
misplaced love has kept her in a loveless marriage for thirty-seven years and she's been loyal
and she's kept it a secret. She should never have done such a thing, you know, having
witnessed such an atrocity.
Yvonne: During the play, the entire community watches as the bones of friends and
relatives are dug up from the couple's beautiful rose garden. But Jennifer
seems to be more upset about her roses and the noise than she is about all those
lost lives. Surprisingly, the audience does begin to feel sorry for her because as
Pauline says, she's 'a victim' – someone who's suffered and has been hurt - in
this case, by Pieter's cruel and shocking actions. But Jennifer's also suffered
because despite 37 years of marriage, Pieter hasn't returned her love. She's
suffered what Pauline calls 'a loveless marriage'. As we continue, try to catch
the noun Pauline uses to describe Pieter's cruel, shocking actions…
Pauline Moran
She's been loyal and she's kept it a secret. She should never have done such a thing, you
know, having witnessed such an atrocity. But in the end, she confesses and I think, in a sense,
is redeemed because she's laid bare all the true facts. But as to whether Pieter is forgiven,
that's another matter entirely and it's probably up to each audience member to take away and
form their own opinion.
Yvonne: Did you manage to catch the noun Pauline used to describe Pieter's cruel and
shocking actions? Yes, she calls them 'an atrocity' – a noun that's often heard
during reports about war - so do listen out for it again after today's programme.
Jennifer's love and loyalty to her husband made her feel that she couldn't tell
anyone about the atrocities she'd 'witnessed' – what she'd seen. But as Pauline
put it, she is 'redeemed' - forgiven and has put right a serious wrong by telling
the entire truth about what happened… Jennifer has 'laid bare all the true facts'.
Pauline Moran
In the end, she confesses and I think, in a sense, is redeemed because she's laid bare all the
true facts.
Yvonne: Of course, the same cannot be said for Pieter so the audience are left to decide
whether he will ever deserve the same consideration.
Yvonne: A play like “Bones” can be important in 'raising awareness' about the
apartheid years - bringing what happened to the attention of more people and
helping them to understand more about that period of time. But who, in
particular, does Pauline think needs to be more aware of apartheid?
Pauline Moran
It's definitely raising awareness because it's surprising how little young people todaydo
know about the apartheid years. They haven't any idea – it's surprised us – even talking to
people after the play. They may have a very superficial knowledge of the things – that atrocities that went on. But I don't think they teach it in schools as part of courses at all
there's a great deal of the pit of ignorance about it.
Yvonne: Pauline Moran has been very surprised at the tiny amount of knowledge – the
'superficial knowledge' - that young people have about the apartheid years. As
she put it, 'there's a great deal of the pit of ignorance' about it - but fortunately,
the play is helping to change that.
Kurt Vonnegut
In Entertainment today, we learn about one of the outstanding writers of
modern American literature, Kurt Vonnegut, who died on the 11 of April,
aged 84.
We hear extracts from an interview with Dr Sarah Churchwell who teaches
American literature at the University of East Anglia. She talks about why
Vonnegut's work is so admired, and why you might like to read it.
Kurt Vonnegut was initially considered to be a Science Fiction writer but the
world of literature really began to sit up and take notice in 1969 when he
published Slaughterhouse Five. This novel combines time travel fantasy with
Vonnegut's own experiences in the German city of Dresden during the Second
World War – he was a captured American solider when Dresden was destroyed.
Like many of Vonnegut's novels, Slaughterhouse Five, contains a repeated
phrase: 'so it goes' – it's an expression of resignation, of accepting something
you don't like but cannot change, and it helps convey a quiet but very powerful
belief in the utter pointlessness of war.
Slaughterhouse Five is Vonnegut's best-known book, although he wrote 14
novels and many essays and short stories. Here's Dr Sarah Churchwell
describing Vonnegut's impact and 'legacy' (his lasting importance) in
American literature.
As you listen, try to catch the plural noun Sarah uses for something that you
say or write which shows your admiration for someone. She says these are
'springing up all over the place right now' for Vonnegut - they are appearing
quickly and in large numbers, like flowers in spring.
Dr Sarah Churchwell
'I think there's no question that he influenced a great many of the people who are writing
today – they've testified to that fact in, you know, numerous tributes that are springing up all
over the place right now, very rapidly. I saw, earlier today, that his Wikipedia entry had over
250 edits since he died so people are really jumping in to talk about him – there's no question
how much he influenced people.
I think that his legacy was probably that he brought a certain kind of American satire back
into fashion and that he reminded America that an important part of democracy was to
criticise your government.'
Amber: Did you catch it? Sarah says that many ('numerous') 'tributes' are being
written for Vonnegut. For example, people are writing about him in Wikipedia,
a free online encyclopaedia which is written by users.
Listen again and try to catch the expression Sarah uses twice to emphasise her
view that Vonnegut was an influential writer.
Dr Sarah Churchwell
'I think there's no question that he influenced a great many of the people who are writing
today – they've testified to that fact in, you know, numerous tributes that are springing up all
over the place right now, very rapidly. I saw, earlier today, that his Wikipedia entry had over
250 edits since he died so people are really jumping in to talk about him – there's no question
how much he influenced people.
I think that his legacy was probably that he brought a certain kind of American satire back
into fashion and that he reminded America that an important part of democracy was to
criticise your government.'
Amber: Sarah says 'there's no question …' that Vonnegut was an influential writer.
She also explains that his 'legacy' was that he made a certain kind of 'satire',
of criticising things in a humorous way, popular again – he brought it 'back
into fashion'. She says he also 'reminded America that an important part of
democracy was to criticise your government.'
modern American literature, Kurt Vonnegut, who died on the 11 of April,
aged 84.
We hear extracts from an interview with Dr Sarah Churchwell who teaches
American literature at the University of East Anglia. She talks about why
Vonnegut's work is so admired, and why you might like to read it.
Kurt Vonnegut was initially considered to be a Science Fiction writer but the
world of literature really began to sit up and take notice in 1969 when he
published Slaughterhouse Five. This novel combines time travel fantasy with
Vonnegut's own experiences in the German city of Dresden during the Second
World War – he was a captured American solider when Dresden was destroyed.
Like many of Vonnegut's novels, Slaughterhouse Five, contains a repeated
phrase: 'so it goes' – it's an expression of resignation, of accepting something
you don't like but cannot change, and it helps convey a quiet but very powerful
belief in the utter pointlessness of war.
Slaughterhouse Five is Vonnegut's best-known book, although he wrote 14
novels and many essays and short stories. Here's Dr Sarah Churchwell
describing Vonnegut's impact and 'legacy' (his lasting importance) in
American literature.
As you listen, try to catch the plural noun Sarah uses for something that you
say or write which shows your admiration for someone. She says these are
'springing up all over the place right now' for Vonnegut - they are appearing
quickly and in large numbers, like flowers in spring.
Dr Sarah Churchwell
'I think there's no question that he influenced a great many of the people who are writing
today – they've testified to that fact in, you know, numerous tributes that are springing up all
over the place right now, very rapidly. I saw, earlier today, that his Wikipedia entry had over
250 edits since he died so people are really jumping in to talk about him – there's no question
how much he influenced people.
I think that his legacy was probably that he brought a certain kind of American satire back
into fashion and that he reminded America that an important part of democracy was to
criticise your government.'
Amber: Did you catch it? Sarah says that many ('numerous') 'tributes' are being
written for Vonnegut. For example, people are writing about him in Wikipedia,
a free online encyclopaedia which is written by users.
Listen again and try to catch the expression Sarah uses twice to emphasise her
view that Vonnegut was an influential writer.
Dr Sarah Churchwell
'I think there's no question that he influenced a great many of the people who are writing
today – they've testified to that fact in, you know, numerous tributes that are springing up all
over the place right now, very rapidly. I saw, earlier today, that his Wikipedia entry had over
250 edits since he died so people are really jumping in to talk about him – there's no question
how much he influenced people.
I think that his legacy was probably that he brought a certain kind of American satire back
into fashion and that he reminded America that an important part of democracy was to
criticise your government.'
Amber: Sarah says 'there's no question …' that Vonnegut was an influential writer.
She also explains that his 'legacy' was that he made a certain kind of 'satire',
of criticising things in a humorous way, popular again – he brought it 'back
into fashion'. She says he also 'reminded America that an important part of
democracy was to criticise your government.'
Sharjah Art Biennial
Hello, I'm Amber and you're listening to bbclearningenglish.com.
In Entertainment today, we visit the largest art event in the Arab world - the
Sharjah Art Biennial in the United Arab Emirates. (A biennial is an event that
happens every 2 years.)
Artists from all over the world have come to the Emirates to create new work
especially for this event, and the theme this year is a big, important issue - the
environment. The Sharjah Art Biennial is focussing on how art can create a
better understanding of our relationship with nature and on the challenges the
world is facing due to excessive urban development and pollution. Now the
United Arab Emirates is one of the most rapidly developing man-made
environments on the planet – think of the gleaming rows of newly-built hotels
and skyscrapers in the city of Dubai, for example. So how does an art event
with an ecological theme fit in?
BBC reporter Tim Marlow went to investigate. He describes a piece of work
which certainly makes you think about the pollution from car exhausts! As you
listen, try to image what the art work looks like.
Tim Marlow
'It sounds, I'm sure, as if I'm standing in a car park! But, in fact, this is an art work. It's by
the German-born, London-based artist, Gustav Metzger, and it was a proposal called
'Stockholm, June 1972' and it was never realised until now. And it involves 120 cars, each
with their exhaust pipes hosed up into a central construction which is right in front of me -
which is covered in polythene - and all the pollution, all the exhaust fumes are mingling
inside. I can see a certain amount of condensation, I can see a certain amount of darkness, and
this, I suppose, is the emblematic piece for the 8 Sharjah Biennial, whose themes, you'll be
amazed to discover, are ecology and the politics of change.'
Amber: Can you picture the piece in your mind? There are 120 cars, each with their
exhaust pipes 'hosed up', joined together by hoses or pipes, into 'a central
construction', and all the pollution, all the exhaust fumes, are 'mingling' (or
mixing) as they collect inside.
Tim calls it 'the emblematic' piece for the exhibition – it's symbolic, it
suggests the themes of the whole exhibition.
Listen again and try to catch the two compound words Tim uses to describe the
artist who created the piece.
In Entertainment today, we visit the largest art event in the Arab world - the
Sharjah Art Biennial in the United Arab Emirates. (A biennial is an event that
happens every 2 years.)
Artists from all over the world have come to the Emirates to create new work
especially for this event, and the theme this year is a big, important issue - the
environment. The Sharjah Art Biennial is focussing on how art can create a
better understanding of our relationship with nature and on the challenges the
world is facing due to excessive urban development and pollution. Now the
United Arab Emirates is one of the most rapidly developing man-made
environments on the planet – think of the gleaming rows of newly-built hotels
and skyscrapers in the city of Dubai, for example. So how does an art event
with an ecological theme fit in?
BBC reporter Tim Marlow went to investigate. He describes a piece of work
which certainly makes you think about the pollution from car exhausts! As you
listen, try to image what the art work looks like.
Tim Marlow
'It sounds, I'm sure, as if I'm standing in a car park! But, in fact, this is an art work. It's by
the German-born, London-based artist, Gustav Metzger, and it was a proposal called
'Stockholm, June 1972' and it was never realised until now. And it involves 120 cars, each
with their exhaust pipes hosed up into a central construction which is right in front of me -
which is covered in polythene - and all the pollution, all the exhaust fumes are mingling
inside. I can see a certain amount of condensation, I can see a certain amount of darkness, and
this, I suppose, is the emblematic piece for the 8 Sharjah Biennial, whose themes, you'll be
amazed to discover, are ecology and the politics of change.'
Amber: Can you picture the piece in your mind? There are 120 cars, each with their
exhaust pipes 'hosed up', joined together by hoses or pipes, into 'a central
construction', and all the pollution, all the exhaust fumes, are 'mingling' (or
mixing) as they collect inside.
Tim calls it 'the emblematic' piece for the exhibition – it's symbolic, it
suggests the themes of the whole exhibition.
Listen again and try to catch the two compound words Tim uses to describe the
artist who created the piece.
Julie Christie
In Entertainment today, we listen to parts of an interview with a beautifulBritish screen icon! She talks about fame and good fortune – or as she calls it,'getting lucky'.
Julie Christie is famous for her roles in films like Dr Zhivago, way back in the1960s, and in the 1970s, came films like Don't Look Now with those famouslove scenes with Donald Sutherland. Then she turned her back on Hollywoodfor a couple of decades, but now she's back, playing the lead role in a new filmcalled Away From Her.
The film is about how Alzheimer's disease changes the lives of a couple whohave been married for over 40 years. Julie Christie plays the wife, who realisesthat Alzheimer's disease is destroying not only her memory but also heridentity, and she makes the painful decision to go and live in a home for peoplewith the disease.
Julie Christie believes the film makes you think about 'mortality', about theknowledge that people do not live forever. She says this is a 'concept', an ideathat 'the western thought pattern' – the way of thinking in the western world –doesn't include. Try to catch the first three words of her answer – 'life is …'?
Julie Christie'Life is short and I think mortality is not a concept that is built into the western thoughtpattern - it's not dealt with on any level, I don't think.'
Amber: Did you catch it? Julie Christie says 'Life is short'. Notice too, the expression'to deal with something', meaning to include something.
Julie Christie'Life is short and I think mortality is not a concept that is built into the western thoughtpattern - it's not dealt with on any level, I don't think.'
Amber: Next, Julie Christie talks about how her glittering fame in the film world –she won an Oscar by the time she was in her in her mid- 20s, for example –isn't part of her life now, nor is it important to her identity, her sense of self.
She says it was just good luck, good fortune, just 'me getting lucky'.
Julie Christie'I sort of look back – none of that is relevant to me – my past. It's absolutely irrelevant. It wasme getting lucky and having all these terribly interesting things happening to me and sort ofexperiencing fame and, you know, which not everybody does, and success, and in thatparticular world, which again, not everybody does, and that was interesting – I've sort of putit away in a drawer – it's got nothing to do with anything.'
Amber: Notice too, Julie Christie uses both the word 'relevant' and its opposite,'irrelevant'. She also describes how she ignores her famous past; by sayingshe's 'put it away in a drawer' – which is a lovely figure of speech, isn't it?
Julie Christie'I sort of look back – none of that is relevant to me – my past. It's absolutely irrelevant. It wasme getting lucky and having all these terribly interesting things happening to me and sort ofexperiencing fame and, you know, which not everybody does, and success, and in thatparticular world, which again, not everybody does, and that was interesting – I've sort of putit away in a drawer – it's got nothing to do with anything.'
Amber: Finally, we asked if she thinks life has changed very much for film stars sinceshe began landing leading roles. She says it was extremely stressful for herwhen she was young – she 'got exhausted and anxious and awfully worried andstressed'! But she wasn't aware of how hard it was on her at the time, and she'shorrified by the 'concentration', or attention, on celebrities today.
Julie Christie'I mean, I wasn't aware of how hard it was on me, personally. I just did it and got exhaustedand anxious and awfully worried and stressed, but now it has changed – God, yes, I'm so gladI'm not plunged into that because the concentration on celebrity is so hideous – absolutelyhideous to have to deal with that, it must be.'
Julie Christie is famous for her roles in films like Dr Zhivago, way back in the1960s, and in the 1970s, came films like Don't Look Now with those famouslove scenes with Donald Sutherland. Then she turned her back on Hollywoodfor a couple of decades, but now she's back, playing the lead role in a new filmcalled Away From Her.
The film is about how Alzheimer's disease changes the lives of a couple whohave been married for over 40 years. Julie Christie plays the wife, who realisesthat Alzheimer's disease is destroying not only her memory but also heridentity, and she makes the painful decision to go and live in a home for peoplewith the disease.
Julie Christie believes the film makes you think about 'mortality', about theknowledge that people do not live forever. She says this is a 'concept', an ideathat 'the western thought pattern' – the way of thinking in the western world –doesn't include. Try to catch the first three words of her answer – 'life is …'?
Julie Christie'Life is short and I think mortality is not a concept that is built into the western thoughtpattern - it's not dealt with on any level, I don't think.'
Amber: Did you catch it? Julie Christie says 'Life is short'. Notice too, the expression'to deal with something', meaning to include something.
Julie Christie'Life is short and I think mortality is not a concept that is built into the western thoughtpattern - it's not dealt with on any level, I don't think.'
Amber: Next, Julie Christie talks about how her glittering fame in the film world –she won an Oscar by the time she was in her in her mid- 20s, for example –isn't part of her life now, nor is it important to her identity, her sense of self.
She says it was just good luck, good fortune, just 'me getting lucky'.
Julie Christie'I sort of look back – none of that is relevant to me – my past. It's absolutely irrelevant. It wasme getting lucky and having all these terribly interesting things happening to me and sort ofexperiencing fame and, you know, which not everybody does, and success, and in thatparticular world, which again, not everybody does, and that was interesting – I've sort of putit away in a drawer – it's got nothing to do with anything.'
Amber: Notice too, Julie Christie uses both the word 'relevant' and its opposite,'irrelevant'. She also describes how she ignores her famous past; by sayingshe's 'put it away in a drawer' – which is a lovely figure of speech, isn't it?
Julie Christie'I sort of look back – none of that is relevant to me – my past. It's absolutely irrelevant. It wasme getting lucky and having all these terribly interesting things happening to me and sort ofexperiencing fame and, you know, which not everybody does, and success, and in thatparticular world, which again, not everybody does, and that was interesting – I've sort of putit away in a drawer – it's got nothing to do with anything.'
Amber: Finally, we asked if she thinks life has changed very much for film stars sinceshe began landing leading roles. She says it was extremely stressful for herwhen she was young – she 'got exhausted and anxious and awfully worried andstressed'! But she wasn't aware of how hard it was on her at the time, and she'shorrified by the 'concentration', or attention, on celebrities today.
Julie Christie'I mean, I wasn't aware of how hard it was on me, personally. I just did it and got exhaustedand anxious and awfully worried and stressed, but now it has changed – God, yes, I'm so gladI'm not plunged into that because the concentration on celebrity is so hideous – absolutelyhideous to have to deal with that, it must be.'
Oscar nominations
Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is entertainment. Well, it's that time of yearagain – movie awards time. In January there were the Golden Globes, on Februaryth11 it's the BAFTAs, the British film awards and on February 25 the most famousof all awards shows, the Oscars, the more common name of the Academy ofMotion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards.
thThe nominations for the 79 Oscars were announced last week. The nominations –the films that have been chosen to have a chance of winning. Every year manyfilms are released but not all of them have a chance of winning an Oscar. A fewfilms in different categories are nominated or chosen and on Oscar night thewinners are revealed.
Compared to the award ceremony the announcement of the nominations is a verylow-key event. Low-key. It doesn't have a lot of glamour. Listen to BBC presenterSimon Mayo and film critic Mark Kermode discussing the announcements. Listenout for this information; the announcement is being made in Los Angeles, but whattime is it there when they are made? What time are the Oscar nominationsannounced?
Simon and MarkThe nominations will be revealed at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Mark this always strikes me asa very strange event because it's very very early, in the morning in Los Angeles, it's a very veryimportant set of nominations and it's usually read out to a hall with about six people in itI know because what happens is obviously the nominations are broadcast around the world, andalso they only announce the key nominations, you have to get the full list handed to you. It is very very important but it is 5.30 in the morning and in the Sam Goldwyn Theatre you have a bunch ofjournalists sort of wiping the sleep out of their eyes, frantically trying to write down thenominations.
Callum: The nominations were announced very early in the morning, very very early in fact.
Just after 5.30 in the morning. What else is unusual about such an importantannouncement is that there are not many people there. Simon Mayo says it is readout to a hall with about six people in. There are certainly more people there thanthat, but it's not a big audience. Mark Kermode talks about a bunch of journalists,a bunch. A bunch is an informal word for a small group of people, a bunch.
Listen again to Simon and Mark talking about the announcement of the Oscarnominations. Simon and MarkThe nominations will be revealed at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Mark this always strikes me asa very strange event because it's very very early, in the morning in Los Angeles, it's a very veryimportant set of nominations and it's usually read out to a hall with about six people in itI know because what happens is obviously the nominations are broadcast around the world, andalso they only announce the key nominations, you have to get the full list handed to you. It is veryvery important but it is 5.30 in the morning and in the Sam Goldwyn Theatre you have a bunch ofjournalists sort of wiping the sleep out of their eyes, frantically trying to write down thenominations.
Callum: The nominations were announced very early in the morning, very very early in fact.
Just after 5.30 in the morning. What else is unusual about such an importantannouncement is that there are not many people there. Simon Mayo says it is readout to a hall with about six people in. There are certainly more people there thanthat, but it's not a big audience. Mark Kermode talks about a bunch of journalists,a bunch. A bunch is an informal word for a small group of people, a bunch.
Listen again to Simon and Mark talking about the announcement of the Oscarnominations.
Simon and MarkThe nominations will be revealed at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Mark this always strikes me asa very strange event because it's very very early, in the morning in Los Angeles, it's a very veryimportant set of nominations and it's usually read out to a hall with about six people
thThe nominations for the 79 Oscars were announced last week. The nominations –the films that have been chosen to have a chance of winning. Every year manyfilms are released but not all of them have a chance of winning an Oscar. A fewfilms in different categories are nominated or chosen and on Oscar night thewinners are revealed.
Compared to the award ceremony the announcement of the nominations is a verylow-key event. Low-key. It doesn't have a lot of glamour. Listen to BBC presenterSimon Mayo and film critic Mark Kermode discussing the announcements. Listenout for this information; the announcement is being made in Los Angeles, but whattime is it there when they are made? What time are the Oscar nominationsannounced?
Simon and MarkThe nominations will be revealed at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Mark this always strikes me asa very strange event because it's very very early, in the morning in Los Angeles, it's a very veryimportant set of nominations and it's usually read out to a hall with about six people in itI know because what happens is obviously the nominations are broadcast around the world, andalso they only announce the key nominations, you have to get the full list handed to you. It is very very important but it is 5.30 in the morning and in the Sam Goldwyn Theatre you have a bunch ofjournalists sort of wiping the sleep out of their eyes, frantically trying to write down thenominations.
Callum: The nominations were announced very early in the morning, very very early in fact.
Just after 5.30 in the morning. What else is unusual about such an importantannouncement is that there are not many people there. Simon Mayo says it is readout to a hall with about six people in. There are certainly more people there thanthat, but it's not a big audience. Mark Kermode talks about a bunch of journalists,a bunch. A bunch is an informal word for a small group of people, a bunch.
Listen again to Simon and Mark talking about the announcement of the Oscarnominations. Simon and MarkThe nominations will be revealed at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Mark this always strikes me asa very strange event because it's very very early, in the morning in Los Angeles, it's a very veryimportant set of nominations and it's usually read out to a hall with about six people in itI know because what happens is obviously the nominations are broadcast around the world, andalso they only announce the key nominations, you have to get the full list handed to you. It is veryvery important but it is 5.30 in the morning and in the Sam Goldwyn Theatre you have a bunch ofjournalists sort of wiping the sleep out of their eyes, frantically trying to write down thenominations.
Callum: The nominations were announced very early in the morning, very very early in fact.
Just after 5.30 in the morning. What else is unusual about such an importantannouncement is that there are not many people there. Simon Mayo says it is readout to a hall with about six people in. There are certainly more people there thanthat, but it's not a big audience. Mark Kermode talks about a bunch of journalists,a bunch. A bunch is an informal word for a small group of people, a bunch.
Listen again to Simon and Mark talking about the announcement of the Oscarnominations.
Simon and MarkThe nominations will be revealed at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Mark this always strikes me asa very strange event because it's very very early, in the morning in Los Angeles, it's a very veryimportant set of nominations and it's usually read out to a hall with about six people
Leonardo DiCaprio
Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is Entertainment. Dominating the moviescene at the moment is the upcoming Oscars. In the programme today wefeature one of the Oscar nominees, Leonardo DiCaprio who has beennominated for his role in the film Blood Diamond.
In the programme we'll hear part of an interview with Leonardo DiCaprio. Wehear him describing how he prepared for the role and also we take a close lookat the language he uses. But first a little bit about the background to the film'Blood Diamond.'
In a number of civil wars in Africa the sale of diamonds has been used to payfor the conflict. These diamonds are known as Conflict diamonds, wardiamonds or blood diamonds and this is where the film gets its name.
The film is about the attempts of the character played by DiCaprio, to find aparticular diamond during the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.
DiCaprio's character is not a hero or a good guy; he's involved in tradingconflict diamonds, he's a mercenary, or a soldier for hire, also known as asoldier of fortune. His character comes from a country which is now known asZimbabwe and he has a very distinct accent. It was not only the accent thatDiCaprio had to learn about, but also the attitude, how did he learn about thekind of person his character was and firstly, how did he feel about the accent?
Leonardo DiCaprioIt was definitely the most difficult that I've ever had to take on, extremely foreign to me, notonly the accent but you know, the slang, the attitude of some of these South Africanmercenaries in particular, soldiers of fortune. I got to meet some of these real guys and got togo to Africa and hear first hand accounts of what they've seen in battle and politically theirattitudes about Africa. That's why it was fundamentally important for me to go to Africa asearly as I possibly could, because I couldn't have done that research at home just by reading orby, you know, surfing the net, you know, you have to kind of immerse yourself in thatenvironment.
Callum: The accent he said was the most difficult that he's ever had to do and helearned about his character by going to Africa and meeting mercenaries.
Now let's listen again to Leonardo DiCaprio talking about his research for hisrole in Blood Diamond. This time I'll break it down and look in more details atsome of the language he uses.
Leonardo DiCaprioIt was definitely the most difficult that I've ever had to take on,Callum: The accent was difficult to take on, to take on, something that you take on is aresponsibility or job you accept.
Leonardo DiCaprioExtremely foreign to meCallum: If something is 'foreign' to you it means that it is not something that you arefamiliar with, it's very different from the things that you experience ineveryday life. Apart from the accent, what else did DiCaprio find foreign?
Leonardo DiCaprionot only the accent but you know, the slang, the attitude of some of these South Africanmercenaries in particular, soldiers of fortune.
In the programme we'll hear part of an interview with Leonardo DiCaprio. Wehear him describing how he prepared for the role and also we take a close lookat the language he uses. But first a little bit about the background to the film'Blood Diamond.'
In a number of civil wars in Africa the sale of diamonds has been used to payfor the conflict. These diamonds are known as Conflict diamonds, wardiamonds or blood diamonds and this is where the film gets its name.
The film is about the attempts of the character played by DiCaprio, to find aparticular diamond during the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.
DiCaprio's character is not a hero or a good guy; he's involved in tradingconflict diamonds, he's a mercenary, or a soldier for hire, also known as asoldier of fortune. His character comes from a country which is now known asZimbabwe and he has a very distinct accent. It was not only the accent thatDiCaprio had to learn about, but also the attitude, how did he learn about thekind of person his character was and firstly, how did he feel about the accent?
Leonardo DiCaprioIt was definitely the most difficult that I've ever had to take on, extremely foreign to me, notonly the accent but you know, the slang, the attitude of some of these South Africanmercenaries in particular, soldiers of fortune. I got to meet some of these real guys and got togo to Africa and hear first hand accounts of what they've seen in battle and politically theirattitudes about Africa. That's why it was fundamentally important for me to go to Africa asearly as I possibly could, because I couldn't have done that research at home just by reading orby, you know, surfing the net, you know, you have to kind of immerse yourself in thatenvironment.
Callum: The accent he said was the most difficult that he's ever had to do and helearned about his character by going to Africa and meeting mercenaries.
Now let's listen again to Leonardo DiCaprio talking about his research for hisrole in Blood Diamond. This time I'll break it down and look in more details atsome of the language he uses.
Leonardo DiCaprioIt was definitely the most difficult that I've ever had to take on,Callum: The accent was difficult to take on, to take on, something that you take on is aresponsibility or job you accept.
Leonardo DiCaprioExtremely foreign to meCallum: If something is 'foreign' to you it means that it is not something that you arefamiliar with, it's very different from the things that you experience ineveryday life. Apart from the accent, what else did DiCaprio find foreign?
Leonardo DiCaprionot only the accent but you know, the slang, the attitude of some of these South Africanmercenaries in particular, soldiers of fortune.
Drew Barrymore
In Entertainment today, we listen to an interview with the Hollywood actress,Drew Barrymore. She talks about her troubled times growing up after sheplayed Gertie (at the age of 7!) in the huge hit movie, ET, and how she copeswith fame, now she is a grown-up, successful actress and producer.
In her new film, 'Music and Lyrics', she plays opposite the English star HughGrant. So what was that like?!
Drew says that there was a 'weird' (that means strange) feeling about them as acouple. She says they made an 'odd couple' (an unusual couple), and that therewas an 'odd couple' sort of 'vibe', or feeling, about them …As you listen to her description, try to catch the Chinese expression she usesabout herself and Hugh Grant – it means opposites!
Drew Barrymore'There really was this weird, odd couple sort of vibe about us. I mean, Hugh and I in real lifeare completely different – we're total yin and yang. I'm absolutely optimist and sun-shiny andHugh is absolutely very tense and intense!'
Amber: So Drew Barrymore says that she and Hugh Grant are very different kinds ofpeople – she says they're 'total' (that's American for 'very') 'yin and yang'.
Yin means darkness and negativity, and yang means light and motivation.
She says she is an optimist and that she's a 'sun-shiny', or happy, person. Shesays Hugh seems to her to be 'tense and intense' – worried and serious.
Next, Drew Barrymore talks about her troubled times growing up. She not onlyhad to deal with the anti-climax that followed fame as a child star in ET, as ateenager, she struggled to overcome her addiction to drugs and alcohol. Sowhen she looks back at her life now, does it seem like a different person? Asyou listen, try to catch the image she uses at the end to describe experiencingfailure and working through it.
Drew Barrymore'No, I think it was just like every young person has to figure out who they are. I was a bityounger because I had to grow up so fast because of my job, and it was obviously more publicthan some people have experienced it, but it's just the same emotion that everybody goesthrough – which is, you know, growing pains, and falling on your face and picking yourselfback up again.'
Amber: So Drew Barrymore says she was like any young person trying to 'figure out',or decide, who she was. She says her 'growing pains' – her feelings as shegrew up – were normal.
Finally, she talks about being like a garden! It's a nice image for thinkingabout the need to look after herself! As you listen, try to catch one of the threeverbs she uses to describe looking after the garden!
Drew Barrymore'You know, sometimes you have to take a time out from people in life. You know, but I don'tthink you should beat yourself up too much for that. Sometimes some maturing and wateringand nurturing of the garden is sort of important to make it regrow when you've burnt itdown.'
Amber: So Drew Barrymore believes sometimes we have to spend time apart fromother people – we need 'time out' from them. And that, like a garden, we needto do some 'maturing', 'watering and nurturing' of ourselves – especially whenwe're tired, or 'burnt'! Good advice!
In her new film, 'Music and Lyrics', she plays opposite the English star HughGrant. So what was that like?!
Drew says that there was a 'weird' (that means strange) feeling about them as acouple. She says they made an 'odd couple' (an unusual couple), and that therewas an 'odd couple' sort of 'vibe', or feeling, about them …As you listen to her description, try to catch the Chinese expression she usesabout herself and Hugh Grant – it means opposites!
Drew Barrymore'There really was this weird, odd couple sort of vibe about us. I mean, Hugh and I in real lifeare completely different – we're total yin and yang. I'm absolutely optimist and sun-shiny andHugh is absolutely very tense and intense!'
Amber: So Drew Barrymore says that she and Hugh Grant are very different kinds ofpeople – she says they're 'total' (that's American for 'very') 'yin and yang'.
Yin means darkness and negativity, and yang means light and motivation.
She says she is an optimist and that she's a 'sun-shiny', or happy, person. Shesays Hugh seems to her to be 'tense and intense' – worried and serious.
Next, Drew Barrymore talks about her troubled times growing up. She not onlyhad to deal with the anti-climax that followed fame as a child star in ET, as ateenager, she struggled to overcome her addiction to drugs and alcohol. Sowhen she looks back at her life now, does it seem like a different person? Asyou listen, try to catch the image she uses at the end to describe experiencingfailure and working through it.
Drew Barrymore'No, I think it was just like every young person has to figure out who they are. I was a bityounger because I had to grow up so fast because of my job, and it was obviously more publicthan some people have experienced it, but it's just the same emotion that everybody goesthrough – which is, you know, growing pains, and falling on your face and picking yourselfback up again.'
Amber: So Drew Barrymore says she was like any young person trying to 'figure out',or decide, who she was. She says her 'growing pains' – her feelings as shegrew up – were normal.
Finally, she talks about being like a garden! It's a nice image for thinkingabout the need to look after herself! As you listen, try to catch one of the threeverbs she uses to describe looking after the garden!
Drew Barrymore'You know, sometimes you have to take a time out from people in life. You know, but I don'tthink you should beat yourself up too much for that. Sometimes some maturing and wateringand nurturing of the garden is sort of important to make it regrow when you've burnt itdown.'
Amber: So Drew Barrymore believes sometimes we have to spend time apart fromother people – we need 'time out' from them. And that, like a garden, we needto do some 'maturing', 'watering and nurturing' of ourselves – especially whenwe're tired, or 'burnt'! Good advice!
The New Super Food
Hello welcome to Entertainment! I'm Jackie Dalton. If you're someone
who is quite careful about what you eat and likes to be healthy, then you
might want to find out about what's being hailed as the latest super food.
A 'super food' is a term which we're hearing more and more these days to
describe food that's very good for you. So far, the 'super foods' category
has included blueberries, nuts, tomatoes and garlic. But new research has
found that yet another type of food deserves to be added to the list. And
that's watercress. Watercress is a small leafy green plant that grows in
water and tastes quite strong. It's often used in salads.
Ian Rowland
Watercress has been known for a long time to have beneficial properties.
Jackie: Ian Rowland is a Professor of Human Nutrition and has just done a study
that shows watercress is very good for us. As he just said, it has
'beneficial properties' - a term we often hear to describe things which are
good for our health - 'beneficial properties'. Watercress has been used for
medicinal purposes for many years… that's another expression: if
something is used 'for medicinal purposes' it's used to treat or to prevent
illness. So, since when is watercress known to have been used for
medicinal purposes? Listen to find out.
Ian Rowland
Watercress has been known for a long time to have beneficial properties. It's been
known since the times of the Greeks, the Ancient Greeks that it has been used for
medicinal purposes
Jackie: Did you get that answer? Watercress has been used for medicinal
purposes since the times of the Ancient Greeks – a very long time indeed!
Professor Rowland and his team carried out an experiment on volunteers
to see what effect eating watercress would have on them. Two questions
for you to answer this time: how many volunteers took part in the
experiment and how much watercress did they eat each day?
Ian Rowland
We recruited 60 volunteers, who ate a bag of watercress – one bag a day. And these
were a nice cross-section of people, they were 19 to 55 years old, they ate it for 8 weeks.
Jackie: Did you get those answers? They recruited sixty volunteers for the
experiment and they each had to eat a bag a day. Ian said they had a
cross-section of the population, which means it was a group of peopl
that was typical of the population as whole, with a range of ages,
lifestyles, races and so on.
BBC Learning English
Before we hear from Ian again, a few bits of language that might be
useful to you:
To analyse something – means to examine it very closely
A sample – a sample is a small part or amount of something that's
examined in order to find out something about the whole, doctors
sometimes look at blood samples to find out what is wrong with patients.
DNA – is a substance that carries information in the cells of the body and
controls how our bodies function and change.
Now try to answer this question: what did the researchers look for when
they analysed blood samples from volunteers?
Ian Rowland
We analysed the blood samples for the amount of DNA damage in the blood. And
DNA damage, we know, is an important process in the development of cancer.
Jackie: Did you get the answer? The researchers looked for damage to DNA.
Every day our DNA is damaged – that's part of our body's ageing process.
But it is possible to reduce DNA damage. In the experiment, the
researchers found two key things: what were the two things?
Ian Rowland
A decrease in the level of DNA damage in blood cells of those individuals and
furthermore, when we took those blood cells and treated them with a chemical which
caused DNA damage, they were more resistant.
Jackie: Did you get those answers? They found firstly that DNA damage
decreased - went down - in people eating watercress. They also found the
cells were more resistant to chemicals that are known to damage DNA –
they could defend themselves better against bad chemicals. Listen again.
Ian Rowland
A decrease in the level of DNA damage in blood cells of those individuals and
furthermore, when we took those blood cells and treated them with a chemical that
caused DNA damage, they were more resistant.
Jackie: So all this suggests that watercress is good at protecting our bodies and
may help us fight against things like cancer. But that's not the only
reason to eat watercress. Tom is a British chef. He is glad watercress has
become part of what he calls the 'super food clique' – a clique is a kind
of special club or group that is not always very easy to get in to. As Tom
points out, there are other things that, at least for people in Britain, make
watercress a good choice. What are they? Try to list at least three.
Tom
I'm delighted with this piece of research. It's really nice to see a food sort of enter the
super food clique that's grown in Britain, largely, and all year round it's available… so
it's not like air freighted blueberries, it does taste good, and it's very versatile.
Jackie: Did you catch any of those reasons? Tom says watercress is always
available - it's grown all year round, it tastes good and it's versatile,
which means it can be used in lots of different ways. He points out that
watercress in Britain isn't air freighted, which means it's not flown in
from other countries on a plane because it's grown in Britain.
who is quite careful about what you eat and likes to be healthy, then you
might want to find out about what's being hailed as the latest super food.
A 'super food' is a term which we're hearing more and more these days to
describe food that's very good for you. So far, the 'super foods' category
has included blueberries, nuts, tomatoes and garlic. But new research has
found that yet another type of food deserves to be added to the list. And
that's watercress. Watercress is a small leafy green plant that grows in
water and tastes quite strong. It's often used in salads.
Ian Rowland
Watercress has been known for a long time to have beneficial properties.
Jackie: Ian Rowland is a Professor of Human Nutrition and has just done a study
that shows watercress is very good for us. As he just said, it has
'beneficial properties' - a term we often hear to describe things which are
good for our health - 'beneficial properties'. Watercress has been used for
medicinal purposes for many years… that's another expression: if
something is used 'for medicinal purposes' it's used to treat or to prevent
illness. So, since when is watercress known to have been used for
medicinal purposes? Listen to find out.
Ian Rowland
Watercress has been known for a long time to have beneficial properties. It's been
known since the times of the Greeks, the Ancient Greeks that it has been used for
medicinal purposes
Jackie: Did you get that answer? Watercress has been used for medicinal
purposes since the times of the Ancient Greeks – a very long time indeed!
Professor Rowland and his team carried out an experiment on volunteers
to see what effect eating watercress would have on them. Two questions
for you to answer this time: how many volunteers took part in the
experiment and how much watercress did they eat each day?
Ian Rowland
We recruited 60 volunteers, who ate a bag of watercress – one bag a day. And these
were a nice cross-section of people, they were 19 to 55 years old, they ate it for 8 weeks.
Jackie: Did you get those answers? They recruited sixty volunteers for the
experiment and they each had to eat a bag a day. Ian said they had a
cross-section of the population, which means it was a group of peopl
that was typical of the population as whole, with a range of ages,
lifestyles, races and so on.
BBC Learning English
Before we hear from Ian again, a few bits of language that might be
useful to you:
To analyse something – means to examine it very closely
A sample – a sample is a small part or amount of something that's
examined in order to find out something about the whole, doctors
sometimes look at blood samples to find out what is wrong with patients.
DNA – is a substance that carries information in the cells of the body and
controls how our bodies function and change.
Now try to answer this question: what did the researchers look for when
they analysed blood samples from volunteers?
Ian Rowland
We analysed the blood samples for the amount of DNA damage in the blood. And
DNA damage, we know, is an important process in the development of cancer.
Jackie: Did you get the answer? The researchers looked for damage to DNA.
Every day our DNA is damaged – that's part of our body's ageing process.
But it is possible to reduce DNA damage. In the experiment, the
researchers found two key things: what were the two things?
Ian Rowland
A decrease in the level of DNA damage in blood cells of those individuals and
furthermore, when we took those blood cells and treated them with a chemical which
caused DNA damage, they were more resistant.
Jackie: Did you get those answers? They found firstly that DNA damage
decreased - went down - in people eating watercress. They also found the
cells were more resistant to chemicals that are known to damage DNA –
they could defend themselves better against bad chemicals. Listen again.
Ian Rowland
A decrease in the level of DNA damage in blood cells of those individuals and
furthermore, when we took those blood cells and treated them with a chemical that
caused DNA damage, they were more resistant.
Jackie: So all this suggests that watercress is good at protecting our bodies and
may help us fight against things like cancer. But that's not the only
reason to eat watercress. Tom is a British chef. He is glad watercress has
become part of what he calls the 'super food clique' – a clique is a kind
of special club or group that is not always very easy to get in to. As Tom
points out, there are other things that, at least for people in Britain, make
watercress a good choice. What are they? Try to list at least three.
Tom
I'm delighted with this piece of research. It's really nice to see a food sort of enter the
super food clique that's grown in Britain, largely, and all year round it's available… so
it's not like air freighted blueberries, it does taste good, and it's very versatile.
Jackie: Did you catch any of those reasons? Tom says watercress is always
available - it's grown all year round, it tastes good and it's versatile,
which means it can be used in lots of different ways. He points out that
watercress in Britain isn't air freighted, which means it's not flown in
from other countries on a plane because it's grown in Britain.
Britney Spears' haircut
Hello! Well, popstar Britney Spears has hit the headlines again – but not
necessarily for the right reason. As you've probably heard, she's been having
some troubled times; she's separated from her husband, she's raising their 2
small children on her own and even her music career is in question. But most
recently, Britney decided to go into - or 'check into' a 'rehabilitation clinic' –
usually shortened to 'rehab'. But just 24 hours after 'checking into rehab',
Britney checked back out. Well, the next public sighting of Britney was at
Esther Tognozzi's hairdressing salon. But what kind of hairstyle did Britney
want? Try to work that out from Esther's account…
Esther Tognozzi, hairdresser
I said, “Well, I'm not shaving your hair off. And I tried to talk her out of it. I said: ”Are you
sure you're not having a bad day and tomorrow, you'll feel differently about it? Why don't we
wait a little bit?“ She said: ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now“.
Yvonne: Britney Spears wanted all her hair shaved off but Esther didn't want to do it. As
we heard, she tried to talk Britney 'out of it' - she tried to persuade Britney not
to shave off her hair. But as we all know, trying to 'talk someone out of
something' – an action or an idea - isn't always easy. Now, as we hear the rest
of that story, try to catch what Esther said to Britney to try to talk her out of
having her head shaved – and, try to find out who shaved off Britney's hair in
the end?
I said, ”Well, I'm not shaving your hair off.“ And I tried to talk her out of it. I said, ”Are you
sure you're not having a bad day and tomorrow, you'll feel differently about it? Why don't we
wait a little bit?“ She said, ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now“. And as I was talking to
her bodyguard, next thing I know, she grabbed the buzzer and she went to the back of my
salon and she was shaving off her own hair. And she actually enjoyed shaving off her own
hair.
Yvonne: Esther asked Britney whether she was 'having a bad day' – because people can
make bad decisions when they're in a bad mood or are worrying about too
many things. Esther also asked Britney whether she might 'feel differently'
about having her hair shaved off the next day – whether she might change her
mind. But Britney's use of the word 'absolutely' told Esther that she'd already
made up her mind… she was going to stick to her decision.
Esther Tognozzi, hairdresser
She said: ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now“.
Yvonne: And because Esther wouldn't shave Britney's hair off, Britney grabbed the
'buzzer' – the shears or shaver – and did it herself! She'd 'absolutely' made up
her mind. Now we can even use 'absolutely' on its own to show that our
decision or our word is final. For example, if I ask: Do you enjoy programmes
from bbclearningenglish.com? You might reply: 'Absolutely'!
By the way, did you notice Esther's style of storytelling? It's one that you might
like to try out yourself after today's Entertainment because it's fairly simple to
use. Esther used a lot of the simple past – for example, 'I said', 'she said', 'and
then I said…'. Esther also used the present tense during her quotes even though
she was quoting from what had been said in the past. For example:
I said, ”Can you wait until tomorrow?“ and she said, ”No!“ Here's another
chance to check out Esther's storytelling technique:
Esther Tognozzi, hairdresser
I said, ”Well, I'm not shaving your hair off.“ And I tried to talk her out of it. I said: ”Are you
sure you're not having a bad day and tomorrow, you'll feel differently about it? Why don't we
wait a little bit?“ She said: ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now'. And as I was talking to
her bodyguard, next thing I know, she grabbed the buzzer and she went to the back of my
salon and she was shaving off her own hair. And she actually enjoyed shaving off her own
hair.
necessarily for the right reason. As you've probably heard, she's been having
some troubled times; she's separated from her husband, she's raising their 2
small children on her own and even her music career is in question. But most
recently, Britney decided to go into - or 'check into' a 'rehabilitation clinic' –
usually shortened to 'rehab'. But just 24 hours after 'checking into rehab',
Britney checked back out. Well, the next public sighting of Britney was at
Esther Tognozzi's hairdressing salon. But what kind of hairstyle did Britney
want? Try to work that out from Esther's account…
Esther Tognozzi, hairdresser
I said, “Well, I'm not shaving your hair off. And I tried to talk her out of it. I said: ”Are you
sure you're not having a bad day and tomorrow, you'll feel differently about it? Why don't we
wait a little bit?“ She said: ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now“.
Yvonne: Britney Spears wanted all her hair shaved off but Esther didn't want to do it. As
we heard, she tried to talk Britney 'out of it' - she tried to persuade Britney not
to shave off her hair. But as we all know, trying to 'talk someone out of
something' – an action or an idea - isn't always easy. Now, as we hear the rest
of that story, try to catch what Esther said to Britney to try to talk her out of
having her head shaved – and, try to find out who shaved off Britney's hair in
the end?
I said, ”Well, I'm not shaving your hair off.“ And I tried to talk her out of it. I said, ”Are you
sure you're not having a bad day and tomorrow, you'll feel differently about it? Why don't we
wait a little bit?“ She said, ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now“. And as I was talking to
her bodyguard, next thing I know, she grabbed the buzzer and she went to the back of my
salon and she was shaving off her own hair. And she actually enjoyed shaving off her own
hair.
Yvonne: Esther asked Britney whether she was 'having a bad day' – because people can
make bad decisions when they're in a bad mood or are worrying about too
many things. Esther also asked Britney whether she might 'feel differently'
about having her hair shaved off the next day – whether she might change her
mind. But Britney's use of the word 'absolutely' told Esther that she'd already
made up her mind… she was going to stick to her decision.
Esther Tognozzi, hairdresser
She said: ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now“.
Yvonne: And because Esther wouldn't shave Britney's hair off, Britney grabbed the
'buzzer' – the shears or shaver – and did it herself! She'd 'absolutely' made up
her mind. Now we can even use 'absolutely' on its own to show that our
decision or our word is final. For example, if I ask: Do you enjoy programmes
from bbclearningenglish.com? You might reply: 'Absolutely'!
By the way, did you notice Esther's style of storytelling? It's one that you might
like to try out yourself after today's Entertainment because it's fairly simple to
use. Esther used a lot of the simple past – for example, 'I said', 'she said', 'and
then I said…'. Esther also used the present tense during her quotes even though
she was quoting from what had been said in the past. For example:
I said, ”Can you wait until tomorrow?“ and she said, ”No!“ Here's another
chance to check out Esther's storytelling technique:
Esther Tognozzi, hairdresser
I said, ”Well, I'm not shaving your hair off.“ And I tried to talk her out of it. I said: ”Are you
sure you're not having a bad day and tomorrow, you'll feel differently about it? Why don't we
wait a little bit?“ She said: ”No, I absolutely want it shaved off now'. And as I was talking to
her bodyguard, next thing I know, she grabbed the buzzer and she went to the back of my
salon and she was shaving off her own hair. And she actually enjoyed shaving off her own
hair.
Letters From Iwo Jima
In Entertainment today, we listen to an interview with the legendary American
actor and director, Clint Eastwood.
He talks about his new film, 'Letters From Iwo Jima'. Clint Eastwood was
nominated for a Best Director Oscar for the film, which tells the story of the
battle for control of the Japanese island during World War II.
It's the second of two films Eastwood's directed about the battle of Iwo Jima.
The first, 'Flags of our Fathers', looked at events through the eyes of US
soldiers, while 'Letters From Iwo Jima' shows the reverse side. It shows events
from the perspective of Japanese soldiers, and is filmed in Japanese.
It shows how Japanese soldiers tried unsuccessfully to defend the island from
American troops. Sacks of letters, written by the Japanese soldiers, were found
decades later, buried in caves where they died. The letters were the inspiration,
the idea or stimulus, for Clint Eastwood's film.
Here is Clint Eastwood talking about why he's made two films on the same
subject. He says he's interested in the personal stories of the people who were
sent off to fight. The films 'personalise' the historical story – they focus on the
human details and feelings.
As you listen, try to catch the two words Clint Eastwood uses to describe the
way in which stories of war always end.
Clint Eastwood
'What I tried to do with these particular films is just personalise it and tell stories about the
people other than the war itself. The frustrations of war are obvious, you know, people being
taken away from their families and sent off to fight for causes they're either in sympathy with
or they have little knowledge of, but they're still sent to fight regardless, and it's fun to delve
into that because it eventually winds up with the same thing – it's going to be the tragedy and
the futility of it all. '
Amber: Did you catch them? Clint Eastwood says that he finds it 'fun' to delve into, to
explore, the situations of the soldiers sent to fight because the terrible truth is
that war 'winds up', or ends, with 'the same thing' – 'tragedy' and 'futility'.
Tragedy is a disastrous event. Futility is uselessness or pointlessness or
senselessness.
Listen again.
Clint Eastwood
'What I tried to do with these particular films is just personalise it and tell stories about the
people other than the war itself. The frustrations of war are obvious, you know, people being
taken away from their families and sent off to fight for causes they're either in sympathy with
or they have little knowledge of, but they're still sent to fight regardless, and it's fun to delve
into that because it eventually winds up with the same thing – it's going to be the tragedy and
the futility of it all. '
Amber: Next, Clint Eastwood talks about whether he found it difficult to understand
the point of view of the Japanese soldiers.
As you listen, try to catch what says the 'good guys' wear to mark them out in
a propaganda film – a propaganda film is made to spread a particular view of
events – and what the bad guys would wear in such a film.
Clint Eastwood
'It wasn't difficult - it's a question of just curiosity. If you're curious about how people feel in other societies, in other cultures, then you can be curious about it – and you'll be interested in
exploring it. But if you're not curious about it, if you just think of it in terms of World War II movies where it was a propaganda thing – where there's the good guys with the white hat, and
the black hat guys on the other side, then, if you keep it that simple, then you're not curious
about it, then you don't give a damn. But I – at this point in life – it seemed like it was
interesting to explore the feelings of other people.'
Amber: So Clint Eastwood jokes that in propaganda movies the good guys wear white
and the bad guys wear black – just to indicate who is who. He explains he is
driven by 'curiosity', by a desire to know. He says the opposite of being
curious, is not giving a damn – a very informal expression meaning you don't
care at all.
Listen again.
Clint Eastwood
'It wasn't difficult - it's a question of just curiosity. If you're curious about how people feel in
other societies, in other cultures, then you can be curious about it – and you'll be interested in
exploring it. But if you're not curious about it, if you just think of it in terms of World War II
movies where it was a propaganda thing – where there's the good guys with the white hat, and
the black hat guys on the other side, then, if you keep it that simple, then you're not curious
about it, then you don't give a damn. But I – at this point in life – it seemed like it was
interesting to explore the feelings of other people.'
actor and director, Clint Eastwood.
He talks about his new film, 'Letters From Iwo Jima'. Clint Eastwood was
nominated for a Best Director Oscar for the film, which tells the story of the
battle for control of the Japanese island during World War II.
It's the second of two films Eastwood's directed about the battle of Iwo Jima.
The first, 'Flags of our Fathers', looked at events through the eyes of US
soldiers, while 'Letters From Iwo Jima' shows the reverse side. It shows events
from the perspective of Japanese soldiers, and is filmed in Japanese.
It shows how Japanese soldiers tried unsuccessfully to defend the island from
American troops. Sacks of letters, written by the Japanese soldiers, were found
decades later, buried in caves where they died. The letters were the inspiration,
the idea or stimulus, for Clint Eastwood's film.
Here is Clint Eastwood talking about why he's made two films on the same
subject. He says he's interested in the personal stories of the people who were
sent off to fight. The films 'personalise' the historical story – they focus on the
human details and feelings.
As you listen, try to catch the two words Clint Eastwood uses to describe the
way in which stories of war always end.
Clint Eastwood
'What I tried to do with these particular films is just personalise it and tell stories about the
people other than the war itself. The frustrations of war are obvious, you know, people being
taken away from their families and sent off to fight for causes they're either in sympathy with
or they have little knowledge of, but they're still sent to fight regardless, and it's fun to delve
into that because it eventually winds up with the same thing – it's going to be the tragedy and
the futility of it all. '
Amber: Did you catch them? Clint Eastwood says that he finds it 'fun' to delve into, to
explore, the situations of the soldiers sent to fight because the terrible truth is
that war 'winds up', or ends, with 'the same thing' – 'tragedy' and 'futility'.
Tragedy is a disastrous event. Futility is uselessness or pointlessness or
senselessness.
Listen again.
Clint Eastwood
'What I tried to do with these particular films is just personalise it and tell stories about the
people other than the war itself. The frustrations of war are obvious, you know, people being
taken away from their families and sent off to fight for causes they're either in sympathy with
or they have little knowledge of, but they're still sent to fight regardless, and it's fun to delve
into that because it eventually winds up with the same thing – it's going to be the tragedy and
the futility of it all. '
Amber: Next, Clint Eastwood talks about whether he found it difficult to understand
the point of view of the Japanese soldiers.
As you listen, try to catch what says the 'good guys' wear to mark them out in
a propaganda film – a propaganda film is made to spread a particular view of
events – and what the bad guys would wear in such a film.
Clint Eastwood
'It wasn't difficult - it's a question of just curiosity. If you're curious about how people feel in other societies, in other cultures, then you can be curious about it – and you'll be interested in
exploring it. But if you're not curious about it, if you just think of it in terms of World War II movies where it was a propaganda thing – where there's the good guys with the white hat, and
the black hat guys on the other side, then, if you keep it that simple, then you're not curious
about it, then you don't give a damn. But I – at this point in life – it seemed like it was
interesting to explore the feelings of other people.'
Amber: So Clint Eastwood jokes that in propaganda movies the good guys wear white
and the bad guys wear black – just to indicate who is who. He explains he is
driven by 'curiosity', by a desire to know. He says the opposite of being
curious, is not giving a damn – a very informal expression meaning you don't
care at all.
Listen again.
Clint Eastwood
'It wasn't difficult - it's a question of just curiosity. If you're curious about how people feel in
other societies, in other cultures, then you can be curious about it – and you'll be interested in
exploring it. But if you're not curious about it, if you just think of it in terms of World War II
movies where it was a propaganda thing – where there's the good guys with the white hat, and
the black hat guys on the other side, then, if you keep it that simple, then you're not curious
about it, then you don't give a damn. But I – at this point in life – it seemed like it was
interesting to explore the feelings of other people.'
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