AUSTRALIAN IDOL 3

after three weeks of dodging bullets and criticism, laura gissarra was voted off last night. while it is always tough to see people go, it was especially difficult this time since she had gone through so much shit from just about everyone but still week after week performed her butt off. but now her idol dream is over, and hopefully so it the scrutiny.

the nine idols left however have a long road ahead of them.

stand out performers in my opinion are kate deagroua, dan england, emily williams, anne robertson, and lee harding.



emily kicks so much ass it's not funny; her vocals are amazing with a huge range. her enthusiam and determination shine whenever she's on stage. but what i love most about her is her humbleness. after she performs her heart off, she all of a sudden becomes quiet, waiting for the judges to impart their opinons. she doesn't know how good she is and is therefore always challenging herself to do better, which only makes her an even stronger contender for the title.

dan is probably the strongest male vocally and he knows it, belting out rocking tones as well as the high notes that always arouse an applause from the crowd. he has a voice you want to keep listening to. anne is another amazing vocalist who uses soulful tones to get her songs across. she always gets caught up in the emotion of the song which shows that she really believes what she's singing. her sincerity really shines through in all the songs she sings. and lee, a good ol' melbourne boy, has a really awesome rock voice and can entgertain teh crowd like there was no tomorrow. his vibrant personality and just general up-beat attitude really work in his favour, making me think that he'd be a great friend to have.

and kate - she's awesome. despite her being a 'dag', that's what i love about her. she's beautiful and doesn't really give a shit about what people think. to me she seems really down to earth, and can take the good with the bad. vocally, she has the extra grunt that some of the female contestants lack, allowing her to add that extra dimensions to all of her songs. kyle keeps going on about how she's been losing weight etc, but i reckon she's cool as she is. kick some ass kate, you know you want to.

i want these guys to be in the top five, but as most people know (after ricki-lee got voted off) the best singers aren't always the ones left standing. last year there were a couple of stand-out contenders, but this year it looks like everyone's got a shot.

but like i said, any of the five i mentioned above would make an awesome australian idol. but it's up to us voting to keep them in. i had never voted before this current series started, and only because there are really outstanding vocalists in the running.

support these guys, they've earned it.

-LOki
(for the original images, go to australianidol.bigpond.com.au)

WALLACE & GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT

3.9/5
stars helena bonham-carter, ralph fiennes, peter sallis

the last claymation thing i had seen was "chicken run", made by the same guys that did this film, and i can confidently say i had a blast. a unique style of animation plust that dry english humour made that film great. and the same applies now, to the just-released WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABIT.

wallace and gromit operate a 'friendly' pest control service, where they capture pest rabbits and instead of culling them, put them in cages and house them. awwww how sweet.

but things go a little crazy when wallace uses the rabbits in one of his experiments in mind control. uh-oh.

this movie is great; it's funny, smart, touching. as i mentioned earlier, the humour in it is so well woven into the main script/film that it happens without you even realising. you find yourself laughing at moments that seem so ordinary, just because in the back of your mind the film has triggered some kind of humorous response.

anyhoo, i'm heading to a bbq now but if you haven't got anything planned for the day, go see this movie!

-LOki

"A WELL-DONE PEPPER STEAK AND COKE THANKS," - me

after a pretty dismal experience i had tonight with dining out, i thought i should maybe write about it a little. the following is a run down on the places i've been in the recent past and my thoughts on it. there are specific categories where ratings are given, but the overall are bracketed next to the name and location of the place.

i'm no expert at food and i can eat just about anything, but as a person who goes into a restaurant looking for a decent feed and some money left over, i think i have at least some standing in giving opinions about restaurants, take-aways and the like. damn, i even used to work in one. well, i kinda still do.

anyways,

HOWL AT THE MOON - WARRIGAL RD, CHADSTONE (2.5/5)
value: 1/5
quality: 2.5/5
atmosphere: 3/5
service: 3/5
i went there tonight with the hopes of getting a nice steak or parma, but i saw the menu and the steak was $28 so i thought screw that, i'll get the fish and chips for $20. $20 for fish and chips?! portion-wise, you get the same (if not less) the amount of chips as a small fries from maccas, and three strips of fish and a bit of salad. while tasting OK, for that price i expected better. a lot better.

CHARCOAL CHICKEN - ATHERTON RD, OAKLEIGH (3.5/5)
value: 3.5/5
quality: 3/5
atmosphere: 3/5
service: 4/5
this place is consistenly good and the prices, while having increased in the last few months, are very reasonable. for a 'fast food' kind of place, the quality of the food is very good and there is a bit of variety as well. they have specials from monday - wednesday on quater chicken + chips for $4.50, and the workers there are cool. i never have reservations about going there, apart from maybe that i had it the previous say as well. recommended. btw, their chips are awesome.

FASTA PASTA - JAM FACTORY, SOUTH YARRA (3/5)
value: 3/5
quality: 3/5
atmosphere: 3/5
service: 3/5
even with pete and vito leaving that place, the food is still consistenly good as is the service. back in the day i'd get pretty awesome steaks and parmas, but now they're just "good". serving sizes are reasonable and tings are cooked pretty quickly (could that be because it's called FASTA Pasta? ba-zing.) the place looks kinda cool too, and overlooks the ground floor of the jam factory. overall, i don't mind going there.

LAZY MOE'S - WARRIGAL RD, OAKLEIGH (2.5/5)
value: 3/5
quality: 2.5/5
atmosphere: 2.5/5
service: 2.5/5
i went there with pete and glenn and we were the only people there. we asked for a jug of water and the waiter said "it's self serve, see that water foutain over there?" and points. she adds "we can't handle it if we had to get a jug of water for everyone"... yeah, the whole three people at the table. yes, the amount of food is quite generous - but at lazy moe's it is definitely quantity over quality. plus, the guy who created the franchise sounds like an arrogant prick. won't be going back any time soon.

SOFIA'S - BURKE RD, CAMPBERWELL (3.25/5)
value: 3/5
quality: 3.5/5
atmosphere: 3/5
service: 3/5
despite having a lawsuit slapped on their asses a couple of years ago, the food here is very good. while the waitresses at the wheelers hill one are better looking, the service is still good and pretty efficient (in that you get your food before you realise "shit, where's my food?"). meal sizes are pretty generous, and it doesn't hurt they they generally taste pretty damn good. they have the usual pizza and pasta, plus seafood. steaks and parmas are always a good choice.

NOODLE CAFE - PORTMAN ST, OAKLEIGH (3.5/5)
value: 3/5
quality: 3/5
atmosphere: 2.5/5
service: 3/5
this little gem is next door to chow's shop. some noodle shops rely too much on soy sauce and "asian salt" to give their menu flavour, but the stuff that comes out of this kitchen is like the stuff that comes out of your home kitchen. sometimes its takes a bit longer than i'd like for the food to be cooked, but that's soon forgotten about since it's so damn good. always friendly service, i never really have to think twice when i feel like noodles.

ITAMI - CHADSTONE SHOPPING CENTRE, CHADSTONE (3/5)
value: 3/5
quality: 3/5
atmosphere: 2/5
service: 2/5
maybe cos its so busy most of the time that thier "service" scores lower than i'd like to give, but this place is prob the best japanese take-away in chadstone. their handrolls are always fresh, and chilled (as they should be), and the bain marie (hot food stuff) is always looking pretty fresh. i can never walk past this place without buying something, it's insane.

CHOMPS - CHADSTONE RD, CHADSTONE (3.5/5)
value: 3/5
quality: 3.5/5
atmosphere: 2/5
service: 3/5
pete tells me that this place was bought out once by new owners who pretty much drove the business into the ground. a few years later the old owner bought back the shop and put a sign up "old owners back" and business has been booming since. burgers and steak sandwiches are awesome. they do the regular fish and chip gig as well, but its the burgers that really get you. i don't go here too often cos i'm sure its very bad for my health, but when i do i'm always satisfied.

-LOki

for the above pic and recipes (in another language): http://www.kommunalbogen.dk/mad/artikler.php?artnr=3077