RIP Larry Hagman

The sad day has come, Larry Hagman has left us. As I said when I talked about Dallas, it's amazing he was still alive. The man drank five bottles of champagne a day. Nonetheless, I am sad to read that he has died and have just spent a few moments revisiting some of JR Ewing's finest moments.

As soap baddies go, nobody was badder than JR Ewing. And Hagman played him with such relish. This page is wonderful, full of the best quotes. My favourite is this one "I'm JR Ewing, I don't get ulcers, I give 'em!"

TV shows now are so well-made and high in quality. The scripting is realistic (well, I am overlooking Homeland), the production values are high, the acting is world-class but I know, as long as I live, there will never, ever be a show as entertaining as Dallas again. It was pure entertainment and 95% of that was down to Larry Hagman. I did watch a little of the new Dallas and even in that Larry stole the show. RIP Larry, may you wear your stetson in heaven. You will be missed.

I leave you with nine minutes of joy.

Aerosmith

Aerosmith is the perfect rock band. Look at them! Steve Tyler is exactly how you want a lead singer to be: flamboyant, charismatic and blessed with the ability to belt out the songs. They've had their ups and downs and fallen out and, of course, immersed themselves in drugs and been in and out of rehab. Well, I don't know about you but that's what I look for in my rock and roll bands.

I present to you some of my favourite Aerosmith songs. First up Love in an Elevator. The video is icky but the introduction to this song is one of the best introductions in rock ever. When I saw Aerosmith live (which I recommend, they were awesome), they opened with this and the crowd went wild. A wind machine was involved too. Perfection.

Sweet Emotion. One of the best riffs in any song. Again, the video is hideous.

(Dude) Looks Like A Lady. From the school of literal videos. This is so catchy. Aerosmith music is made for road trips across America I think.

Walk This Way. I love everything about this song and always have. Also, Steve Tyler's trademark dancing has never been better.

I've discussed Dream On before but I wouldn't want you to think I'd forgotten about it. It's simply perfect in every way.

My all-time favourite Aerosmith song is Livin' On The Edge. Again, I can't explain the video which has Edward Furlong in it - how bizarre! The way this song builds up is fantastic. By the time we get to 3:26 I am bopping up and down. I can listen to this song (although not watch the video) over and over again and never tire of it.

 

Am not including I Don't Want To Miss A Thing because it annoys me that people don't realise that Aerosmith has done so much better than this. Also, the songs in which Tyler included his daughter pole dancing just creep me out.

I think Aerosmith should do the next Bond theme.

Bond themes: Skyfall

It would be remiss of me to not offer an opinion on this latest Bond theme. On the plus side, it's properly Bondy and nice and cinematic and I like the little riff of the Bond theme in the background. Having watched the film, it suits it very well.

However, her voice annoys me. You can hear her breathing after each line. Maybe this is intentional and she clearly has got a good voice but it's so distracting. Also, stupid lyrics, I expect my Bond lyrics to be a bit smarter. When you are in the company of Carly Simon and Paul McCartney, you have to raise your game. Nonetheless, it's a good theme and it's far better than Sheryl Crow.

 

While I am here, a quick review of Skyfall. I liked it very much but all this talk of it being the best Bond ever is nonsense. It has a great opener, I loved the locations, Javier is a proper actor which made him a good baddie. But I found the showdown at the end in Scotland to be utterly tedious. 20 minutes of squinting at the screen since it had to be grey as we were in Scotland. All for a basic siege. Yawnsome. Not enough Bond love action either, I don't pay to see Daniel Craig for one snog in a shower.

Judi rocks though and I adore Daniel. It's very entertaining but not a patch on Casino Royale.