Lol, if you thought Mr Bean lives in a thatched house. Think again.

Rowan Atkinson - Invisible Drum Kit

Its a great laugh XD

But, we're going to watch this:

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And this:

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And also this:

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Have a happy Thursday, everybody. (I can't figure out why the code won't just embed, so links are the best I could manage.)

Plot:Mr. Bean, a hopeless caretaker at the "Royal National Gallery", London, is sent by his employers, who wish to get rid of him, to America under the pseudonym of "Dr. Bean" to oversee the transfer of Whistler's Mother to a Los Angeles art gallery. Once at the airport, he is surprised to see policemen with guns and pretends he himself has one. He ends up being arrested by Lieutenant Brutus.

Once released, he meets David Langley, an employee of the Grierson art gallery, and David's family, with whom Bean is to stay for his visit. Despite winning the affection of David's son (played by Andrew Lawrence), David's wife is hostile about having to look after him, while David's rebellious teenage daughter finds Bean "ugly as Meat Loaf's butt". His wife later leaves after Bean breaks a family heirloom while fiddling with a CD player.

In his wife's absence, David decides to take Bean on a tour of the Los Angeles art galleries. However, Bean decides that he would rather go to Pacific Park. Here, Bean and David go on a motion simulator ride. Having modified the ride to make it more exciting, Bean is swiftly arrested again by Brutus. Back at home, Bean's attempt to cook a turkey for David's boss fails when the microwave explodes, spraying turkey flesh all over the kitchen. Afterwards, David asks Bean simple questions about art and finds that he is not a doctor after all.

Once the painting arrives at the gallery, Bean is given a few minutes alone to study it for his grand "speech" at the official revealing ceremony. However, whilst dusting the frame, Bean sneezes on the painting and wipes it with a handkerchief, not knowing that it is covered in blue ink. Terrified, Bean takes it to the caretaker's cupboard to get some agent by which to remove the ink. Unfortunately, he uses lacquer thinner, which also removes the painted face from the painting. Bean attempts to patch it up with an extremely unconvincing cartoon face. On seeing it, David Langley is horrified and hides the painting in a metallic safe. Fearing he will lose his job and possibly face criminal proceedings for the vandalisation of Whistler's Mother, David and Bean drown their sorrows with alcohol.

During the night, Mr. Bean hatches a plan to restore the painting. He gathers a few items from the house and makes his way to the gallery. He distracts the only security guard on duty and exchanges the painting for a poster version of itself. At the unveiling the next day, David is shocked to find the painting restored and Bean is left to make an unconventional, impromptu, but well-received speech about the painting's significance.

After the unveiling, Lieutenant Brutus finds David (who initially imagines that he has discovered the truth) and informs him that his daughter, Jennifer, has been involved in a motorcycle accident and is in intensive care. David is given a police escort to the hospital, although Brutus stops on the way after seeing a man with a gun.

Due to a mix-up at the hospital, Bean is mistaken for a doctor (he is still wearing his "Doctor Bean" name tag from the gallery) and pushed into an operating theatre containing Brutus, who has been shot. While the other doctors and nurses are distracted, Bean unconventionally retrieves the bullet and saves him. Bean is again mistaken for a doctor, this time by David who pulls him in to see Jennifer, who is unconscious. Bean is unsure what to do and starts playing about with a defibrillator, managing to electrocute himself but bringing Jennifer back to consciousness. Still not recognizing him as Bean, they stop him and tell him that they will offer him anything. Bean the pulls down his face mask and asks if he can stay for another week.

After another week in Los Angeles with the Langleys, Bean goes home. At the end of the movie, Bean is back in his London flat, and is shown to have taken the original Whistler's Mother home with him, still having the cartoon face he drew on it.

Review: I love physical comedy. This one certainly delivers. The plot lacks a bit, but if you go into this expecting to see a cinematic masterpiece then you seriously are going to be dissapointed. This film captures all of Bean's greatest moments.

Of course, this movie isn't perfection. I for one didn't care for the focus more on Peter McNichol rather than Bean. I mean, seriously, when did they name this movie David (McNicol's character)? Other than that, I had no real problems other than, as with just about every other movie, it lulls in spots. Still, its good fun for all.

4 1/2 stars out of 5

NR: 3. ROWAN ATKINSON

Rowan started his career back in 1979 on the TV show Canned laughter. But it wasn´t until he joined the sketch comedy show Not the nine O´Clock news later the same year, that he started to get some attention. Then in 1982 he started his role as Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh in The Black Adder. Blackadder II followed in 1986, and the last season Blackadder the Third came in 1987. In the mean time Rowan also played a role in the unofficial James Bond movie Never say never again. 

It wasn´t until he he played Mr. Bean in the Mr. Bean (1990) TV series he became a well known name. Two films have followed the series, Bean: The Ultimate Disater Movie (1997), and Mr. Bean` Holiday (2007). 

He has also played in Hot Shots part deux (1993), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), The Lion King (1994), Rat Race (2001), Johnny English (2003) and Love Actually (2003). 

Here is the opening from his show Rowan Atkinson Live (1992).

Here he welcomes people to hell:

Here is a clip from Rowan as Mr Bean in a christmas episode:

NR: 2.  JOHN CLEESE

John Cleese also started his career on sketch show, At Last the 1948 Show (1967). The series that helped give hive his legendary career and status is Monty Python´s Flying Circus (1969). A series that has a cult status, and is still loved and hated to this day. The series gave way for the Monty Python´s films, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). 

When John was on a promotion trip he stayed in a terrible hotel, and it was here he got the idea for his best known role. As the hotel owner Basil Fawlty in the TV series Fawlty Towers (1975). Here he plays a incompetent hotel owner with a short fuse, and tries to keep the hotel running. 

Like Rowan John, has also played a role in the James Bond films. But unlike Rowan he has played in two official James Bond films, The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). Here he plays R, Bond´s new gadget producer. 

John has also played in these films: Clockwise (1986), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991), The Jungle Book (1994), Rat Race (2001), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer´s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Charlie´s Angles: Full Throttle (2003), Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007).

Here is a clip from the Monty Python series:

Here is a clip from Fawlty Towers:

This is one of the best known episodes.

When I found a video with both John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson,     I just had to post it:

NR: 1. EDDIE IZZARD

Eddie Izzard started his career on the TV show Open Fire (1994). He has played in dramas and comedies. But he is best known for his stand-up shows: Live at the Ambassadors (1993), Unrepeatable (1994), Definite Article (1996), Glorious (1997), Dress to Kill (1999), Circle (2002) and Sexie (2003). He won two Emmys for Dress to Kill.

The reason his stand-up shows are so popular is because he is very intelligent. He knows a lot about history and other subjects like religion. Eddie is able to use his knowledge to get laughs out of history, and for example religion. 

He is not just a comedian, he is an actor. Eddie plays as many serious roles, as comic roles. He is the new comer out of the top 3, but is my favorite. Because of his stand-up shows. 

Eddie has also played in: Mystery Men (1999), All the Queen´s Men (2001),   Ocean´s Twelve (2004), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Ocean´s Thirteen (2007), The Riches (2007) and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).

Here is clip from his stand-up show Dress to Kill, about world war 2:

Here is a clip from his stand-up show Glorious, about computers:

Here is another clip i just had to post. It´s Eddie with the Python´s:

Here is another clip from Dress to Kill, about national anthems:

All videos are from youtube, and I don´t own them or have any copyright. I just provide a link. (I put this in incase of any lawsuits, hehe).

So thats my top 3 comedians. I would just like to say it is a coincidence that they all are english. There is one peace of work from them all that everyone should see. So here they are; from Rowan: Rowan Atkison Live, from John: Fawlty Towers and from Eddie: Dress to Kill. Enjoy!

Who is your top 3 comedians?

Rowan Atkinson, invisibly

And how to steer your child when they're begging for drum lessons.

Foda.

WHAT I'M WATCHING ON DVD:

Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean in "Mr. Bean's Holiday."  If you're in need of a chuckle (and who isn't these days) - watch this movie.

Read my review HERE.

coolspotters.com had this shot of Atkinson in his red McLaren

click here to see what other stars drive!

" *ohne Worte* "

Mr. Bean gewinnt eine Reise nach Cannes. Voller Vorfreude und mit einer Videokamera bewaffnet macht er sich auf, die Filmfestspiele unsicher zu machen. Dabei ist das Wort "unsicher" in diesem Fall genau das richtige...

Um mal gleich mit einer Warnung zu beginnen: Wer die TV-Serie "Mr. Bean" nicht mochte, wird den Film auch nicht mögen. Man muss zumindest mit seiner Art von Humor etwas anfangen können, um auch mit dem Film etwas anzufangen. Und wer Mr. Bean vorher gar nicht kannte, wird es schwer haben, den Witz an manchen Stellen zu verstehen oder was dieses Rumgehampel da vorne eigentlich soll. Das grenzt zwar die Zielgruppe etwas ein, sollte aber vielleicht nicht unerwähnt bleiben.

"Mr. Bean macht Ferien" gehört zu dieser Sorte Film, bei der man nach dem Sehen eigentlich nur hört "Das Beste war ja, als er...", "oder wie er versucht..." "und als ihm dasunddas passiert ist!" usw. usw.. Der Film besteht im Grunde aus mehreren einzelnen Episoden, die zu einem Film verwoben wurden. Dabei sind manche Szenen zum Brüllen komisch, andere nur zum Schmunzeln, aber unterhaltsam ist es alle mal. Manchmal tut es aber einfach nur weh, dem armen Mann dabei zu beobachten, wie er sich (und andere!) ins Unglück stürzt. Man weiß irgendwie schon vorher, was passiert, man mag gar nicht hinsehen - aber wie bei Unfällen oder ähnlichem - mal will es nicht, macht es aber trotzdem.

Ich habe jedenfalls an manchen Stellen sehr gelacht und fand es gut, nach so langer Zeit Mr Bean wieder zuzusehen, und aus lauter Nostalgie habe ich mir dann "Die nackte Kanone" gekauft. Aber das ist eine andere Geschichte.

Check him out! (Search, find, watch, buy)
Blackadder (1983-1989)
Not the nine o'clock news (1979-1982)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Keeping Mum (2005)
The Thin Blue Line (1995-1996)
The Appointments of Dennis Jennings (1988)

Find out stuff about Rowan Atkinson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_Atkinson
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000100/

And very well too I might add.

Atkinson is an annoying host interviewing Cleese.

Classic riot.

As explained previously, I am crap at technical stuff and can’t do links.  But I highly recommend looking at Anna Pickard’s Little Red Boat blog today.  She's in my blog roll and also can be found by going onto Google and typing the words Little Red Boat.  It's amazing, this technology stuff.  Anyway, Anna has asked her readers to write in with lists of the words that make them laugh.  It’s topping seventy replies so far and it’s great.  It just goes to prove to me yet again that words are a wonderful thing.  My own contributions were:

• Mingus
• Groat
• Wibble
• Bob (this must be said in a Rowan Atkinson type manner)
• Craptacular
• Gibbon
• Skink

There are also some excellent words donated by other people which were also incredibly amusing, and which I had forgotten how much made me laugh, including:

• Flange
• Wobble
• Mollusc
• Uvula
• Fuckwittage
• Gusset
• Mullet

There’s lots more on Anna’s site, so hop over and check it out.

I love those made up words where you cannibalise an existing words to describe something.  It’s why I like ‘craptacular’ and ‘fuckwittage’ so much.  I just look at them and wonder how we could have managed to communicate for thousands of years with each other before these lovely, lovely words were invented.  How can you live your life without ever having uttered the word ‘fuckalicious’? It would be a crime against humanity.  It’s interesting how lots of these words describe horrible or rude things.  It’s like there are so many horrible things in the world that there just aren’t enough common or garden words to describe them and so new ones must be minted all the time.  Words like these include:

• Pantacular (for something that’s very pants)
• Bobbins (for something that’s just so rubbish that not even a rude word will do because it’s a waste of a good rude word)
• Fucknuckle (As a random expletive whilst burning flesh onto the cooker for example, or to describe an idiot who would burn their flesh onto the cooker in the first place).
• Fucktard (a horrible and stupid person)
• Mentalist (someone who is that extra, special bit mental, usually not in a good way)
• Spasmodified (something that’s been fixed, wrongly, by a mentalist)
• Destructinated (something that’s been hit by a hammer by the person who asked the mentalist to fix the thing that they then spasmodified)
• Explodinated (see destructinated)

I also like all the horrible words and phrases you use to describe people who are stupid, particularly the ones you coin at school:

• Spanner
• Plank
• Specialler
• Do you have a hat with a propeller on it?
• Gibbon
• Do you go to school in a yellow bus?
• Joey (as in that poor bloke Joey Deacon who they used to wheel onto Blue Peter every five minutes to show us how to be compassionate, only to turn us into a playground full of gurning muppets shouting: ‘You’re just a Joey Deacon you are! Bless them.  They did try).

I also like doing that gurning 'special' face when someone has done something stupid or just annoying.  My brother and I used to do this to each other in the car, usually after we had been banned from fighting with each other out loud.  We would sit as far apart from each other as we could get on the back seat and then 'turn and gurn'.  First we used to do it because we hated each other, then we would warm up to the game element and do it because it was funny.  Eventually one of us would snort with laughter and my mum would bollock us.  Then we would be united against the evil parents and the game would start again.

I realise that it is a sad indictment of my life and general level of maturity that I still find these things funny and can be reduced to a hysterical wee monster with tears of laughter streaming down my eyes by these words and gestures.  Yes! Yes! I am also the kind of person that finds farting in public funny as well, not my own farting you understand, just the random fartage of other people in inappropriate settings.  I can never, ever, as much as I try, rise above such things.  I just laugh, and the more disapproving other people get, the more I laugh. 

It's just like the time I went to a poetry reading by a Welsh poetess called Gillian Clarke with my friend Rachel.  It was an exclusive poetry soiree at uni to which we and about six other people had been invited by the Head of Department who was also there.  Gillian was very serious, very poetic and rather keen on being female.  We were all shut in a very small room together and it ws like being on the front row of the theatre where you can't nod off and eat jelly babies because everyone will notice.  I think we were there to make up numbers and because we were running the Literature society at the time. 

Poor Gillian did her best, but her poetry wasn't really for us.  She was very keen on writing poetry about dolphins as I recall.  She lived near the sea and had bonded with a dolphin or something and they had become pen pals.  The poem that got us into terrible trouble was the one where she described going swimming with the dolphin and how she had had a blinding moment of revelation in realising that she and the dolphin were one, and that they were linked by the fact that they both had a uterus (I was going to say shared a uterus, but that image is far too disturbing, worse than thinking about fucknuckles).  She was gesturing wildly while she read.  Her hair was flowing, her beads were beady and as she said the word 'uterus', she stretched it out really long and loud, almost like a cow lowing, and she opened her eyes really wide like a tiny midget had just crept up behind her and goosed her when she wasn't expecting it.

I bit my cheeks and stared at the ceiling tiles.  I felt that if I could keep doing this I would be fine.  Unfortunately I let my eye wander down too far and caught sight of Rachel who was bright red with her fist in her mouth, wriggling like she needed a wee.  She looked at me.  I looked at her.  We both dissolved into tears of laughter, complete with shaking shoulders.  We got our coats.  I can never use the word uterus now without thinking of Gillian and her dolphin. Bless! Luckily, I don't have to use the word uterus much in every day conversation, which is probably a blessing for us all.

When I was at university we used to have a head of department whose name was Gavin. Luckily for him and my lawyers, I can’t actually remember his other name.  Anyway, he was a mournful fellow who really hated being head of department, living in Wales, teaching students etc.  Eventually he gave up and moved to Australia.  In the meantime we coined the word ‘Gavtastic!’ to describe something that was so unutterably wonderful you couldn’t quite believe it.  It was kind of an ironic homage to a man who clearly couldn’t remember the last time something ‘Gavtastic’ had happened to him, and even if it did it would at this stage in his life have just made him cry.  Bless him!

Over recent weeks, the number of new shows either being rumoured, or announced, seems to have accelerated. I thought it was worth providing a round-up of rumours, to give you a sense of what you can expect to see arriving in London over the next 6-12 months.

So, in alphabetical, here are the upcoming shows that are rumoured to be on their way...

• A Little Night Music is strongly tipped to be this year's Christmas musical at the Menier Chcolate Factory, with Sir Trevor Nunn at the helm. If the rumours are true (there hasn't been any formal confirmation from the theatre yet), it's great news to have a Sondheim classic on the way.
• All The Fun of the Fair has already announced its tour dates, and starts in Bromley on 8th September. It's a new show written by, about, and staring the legendary David Essex. Producers are rumoured to be looking at a London run at the end of its run, but in the meantime, you can book your tickets to see it on tour at the show's official website
• Carousel is another show that begins its run at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley in September, and stars Lesley Garrett, an opera star who was seen last year in The Sound of Music. What's On Stage reports that producers will then transfer the show to a West End theatre in November. The show is directed by Lindsay Posner (who recently directed Fiddler on the Roof) and you can find out more here
• Can't Smile Without You is yet another 'jukebox musical', this time based on the music of Barry Manilow. Some people might be slightly happier to know that at least Manilow has written a musical before, the delightfully cheesy Copacabana. The show is starting (you guessed it!) in Bromley, before making its way to the West End. It's produced by Bill Kenwright, and you can out more here or find the official website here
• Eurobeat is another show that... wait a minute, this is all getting quite repetitive. For some reason, all the shows that begin with letters early in the alphabet seem to be starting with a tour before making its way to the West End! Fortunately, unlike other shows, Eurobeat already knows where it's going. It has a 10-week slot confirmed at the Novello Theatre, starting on September 4th, and you can book tickets via the official website 
• Funny Girl has just closed after its run at the Chichester Festival Theatre. It's rumoured to be looking at a London transfer, but at this stage, I haven't seen any formal announcement
• Gypsy has recently been revived on Broadway, and has seen the production, starring Patti LuPone, win 4 Tony Awards this weekend. Apparently producers are very keen to bring the show to London, with LuPone reprising the title role, so keep your fingers crossed. No confirmation thus far.
• La Cage Aux Folles had a sell-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory over Christmas, and may still make it to the West End. No word has been forthcoming from the Menier recently, but I thought it was a fantastic show, and would love to see the leads - Douglas Hodge and Philip Quast - reprise their roles for an extended run.
• Legally Blonde is another Broadway success that's making its way over the pond. The show already has an official website which announces that it'll be starting in 2009. Rumours are linking it with the Piccadilly Theatre where it would replace the current resident, Grease.
• The Music Man opens next week at Chichester Festival Theatre, and judging by availability when I tried to book my tickets, the pre-sales have been remarkable. The show is apparently already looking for a London theatre, but in the meantime, you can book to see Brian Conley, Scarlet Strallen and the rest of the case in Chichester here
• Oliver is one show you'll already know about... Jodie Prenger, chosen as Nancy during the recent TV series 'I'd Do Anything', is joined by a huge cast including Rowan Atkinson, and will reach the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in December. The show's official website can be found here
• Priscilla: Queen of the Desert is also coming to London, as you can see from the show's official website, which announces plans to arrive in 2009. I first mentioned this is my weekly round-up last week
• Sister Act is also rumoured to be on the way but as with a number of the shows, there's been no official confirmation.
• Spring Awakening is opening at the Lyric Hammersmith, opening on 23rd January 2009, which was announced a few weeks' back. It seems to be accepted that the show will move to the West End if successful, but in the meantime, you can find out more about the production at the official website
• Street Scene is the last show to make this list, and opens at the Young Vic Theatre on July 17th. Take a look at the website for more info on this Kurt Weill musical.

CONGRATULATIONS if you have made it this far. As you can see, there are a huge number of shows that are, or may be, coming to the West End in the coming months.

Thank you to some fantastic theatre websites that provide much of the gossip/ information that informs this article - most notably (although not only) The Stage and What's On Stage.

If there are other shows that you think I have missed, do let me know!

****************************************************************************

To recap, here is a recap on the (apparently) upcoming shows:

First of all, this is what started the fight. PLEASE tell me you find this funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s2O9zTdjTg

My daughters and I sure do. This is Peter, falling into the snow.

If you knew how graceful Peter actually is – and how this pratfall is actually intentional, you’d laugh even harder.

NOW:

My daughter has a YouTube account. She is twelve years old. She has a digital camera that shoots 10-minute YouTube vids. What’s the harm? After all, she found the Charlie the Unicorn videos for me on YouTube, and that alone was worth letting her have the account.

So this jerk comments on the video:

"it was kinda gay but yet i couldn't turn away from the screen...i watched it like 5 times...i don't know why!?!?"

HER: he fell on his face, that's funny and how is that gay?

HIM: you don't understand because your american!!!!

HER: and u r...?

HIM: english!
i wud lyk it if u didnt reply cus evry time i clik on dis page i hear ur laf!
it goes thru me!
ewe!

ME (enraged mother – unbeknownst to HIM - and, incidentally, someone who has BEEN to England, and who has ABSOLUTELY nothing against England OR against FOOTBALL):
I thought the UK was into that slapstick kind of humor. After all, aren't you lot the ones who keep Rowan Atkinson making movies? (shudder.)

I could go on with more UK "humor" - which sometimes IS quite funny - but I'd've thought this one would go over quite big, really.

I mean, how many "Arse:nal" jokes are out there, polluting the world, anyway?"

(But sorry, you'll never hear me shout "Manchester United." I'm Arsenal, all the way.)

HIM: Uk humor as you call it is better than being american and laughing at the word pudding thank you very much!

So go get a life!

I messaged him back, explaining I was the girl’s mother, that Liverpool wasn’t far, didn’t he get tired of sounding like the Beatles, (I think I also said something about Lennon being a poser – yes, I definitely think I said that – because, well, it’s totally true), and that the Beatles statues festooning the city weren’t too heavy for me to pick up and throw at anyone hassling my kid.

He wrote back something unimaginative and misspelled – kind of getting hysterical about me insulting Liverpool – he’s a Liverpool Football fanatic – I can picture him, lonely, twitchy and high-strung, downing Guinness after Guinness, wishing desperately that some girl (or boy) would please, please, come talk to him, or that he could manage to say something appropriate just this once, instead of the stupid angry shit that always seems to come out of his mouth, poor sod.

So I gently tried to explain that I didn’t insult his beloved hometown – what I DID insult were (1) The Beatles, which of course are long overdue for some bitch-slapping, and (2) his own insults, and I even gave him some friendly suggestions (wasn’t that nice of me?)

“F'r'instance, here are just two examples of what you might have said:

"Is that your laugh, or were you suddenly attacked from behind?"

"Good Lord, I thought Beatles music was the worst sound on earth until I heard that laugh in your vid." (Yeh, yeh, I know you lot have statues and all that worshippy bit in Liverpool. I still think Lennon was a poser, and McCartney was a pop-machine.)”

He wasn’t very grateful, though, for my Cyrano-style response.

So I finally lost patience and blocked him as a user.

After all, trading insults can be a lot of fun – if someone has even the smallest amount of intelligence, or wit. But just receiving “nyah, nyah, stupid! American!” gets old fast.

I went to his page. All the comments – all 378 of them - were from like, one or two people. I started to feel really sorry for the poor, sensitive wretch. Nobody really likes him, it seems, not even his other loser friends.

So it was just a sad little contact. Even my own kid outwitted him, really. Which is probably what peeved him in the first place.

Loser from Liverpool. I’m sure it’s a nice little place, although the Beatles were sure delighted to shake the dust of that place from their sandals as quickly as they could. You didn’t see any of them racing home to build their mansions there, did you?

“Ah, home again, Ringo.”

Didn’t think so.

Maybe all the statues made them feel weird.

I know at least one weirdo there. Well, I feel as if I know him. Ick. Or, as he would write: “ewe.”