from BBC Proms..

BBC PROMS: World Music Celebration

It was a really great concert with musicians from all over the world! Here are pictures and brief videos to let you get a feel.. there were people dancing on some songs and clapping their hands.. It was definitely more contemporary than most BBC Proms concerts.

Mayra Andrade

won new artist award

SA DING DING

she will be performing at the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic games

concert..

BBC Proms was amazing..

Prom 17: World Music Celebration

you can listen to it on BBC Radio 3 website for the next 7 days..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/whatson/3007.shtml

BBC Tour

We got a special tour of the BBC because my professor used to be an executive editor there! It was actually pretty incredible.. we were there during the live 4 o clock broadcast!
Here are pictures..

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People ..

So today in Reporting the Arts, we had a guest speaker named Toby Young, who is a journalist/writer.. He wrote the book-- his memoir-- How to Lose Friends and Alienate People .. which discusses how he went to the top and failed.. Well he was a very interesting speaker, but what I also learned was Paramount Pictures has made a film out of his book. (kirsten dunst is in it) It comes out October 3 in the US and UK.. So it was pretty cool to meet this guy that has a movie coming out about his book. He's from Britain, but spent 5 years in New York working at Vanity Fair.
http://www.paramountpictures.co.uk/howtolosefriends/

the merry wives of windsor

This past friday (july 25) we took a trip to windsor and eton, england.. about 30 minutes out of London.. located on the Thames. Both were quite beautiful. In Windsor, we ate lunch, saw Windsor Castle, and also grabbed dinner and dessert there. In between meals, we spent time in Eton. We saw Eton College, which is a boys boarding school-- for boys 13-18. It was quite beautiful as well.. Overall the trip was quite fun. I went with my two flatmates Liz and Megan as well as our friend Evan. It was exhausting, but well worth it! Here are some pictures..

castle grounds
eton college
city by the thames
garden/windsor castle
windsor castle gate
London Mail box.
megan, me, liz
nice view of windsor.
evan and me -- eton college

the town
map of the castle.
the castle again.
with the guard.

windsor..

FINALLY the baby pic.

SOLOMAN :)

Class..

It's amazing how fast time flew.. I am beginning week 5 of 6.. There is a lot of homework to be completed within these last two weeks. Tomorrow I am interviewing a curator at an art gallary. For my other class I have to interview about the begging problem in London. These interviews are for 1500 word features. Plus I have two reviews left-- one about a play that was not worth money or time.

While I am working hard on my homework, there is also a lot to be seen.

Things left to see:

1. Buckingham Palace
2. Westminster Abbey
3. Abbey Road
4. Big Ben
5. the London Eye
6. British Museum
7. Greenwich/Prime Meridian
8. St. Pauls Cathedral

2 weeks..

I can't believe how fast time has flown! 2 weeks from today I will be flying back to OHIO! It's bittersweet.. I don't really want to leave so soon, but I also can't wait to see my new nephew! I really do love Europe -- and wish I had seen more than I got to. Luckily I have seen so much of London as well as some other cities in England-- and of course France. Anyway there's 2 weeks left to explore..

Changing of the Guard at the Tower of London Video:

Trip to The Tower of London

The Tower of London was built to protect and control the city in 1078.. Since then it has been used as a fortress, a palace, and a prison. It is also where the crown jewels are kept and have been kept since 1303. The Bloody Tower kept many famous prisoners. It's also referred to as "Her majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress."

I traveled there-- located on the north bank of the Thames River right in the central part of the city.. with flatmate Dana, where we explored and learned the history of the Tower..

Warm weather

After suffering through 3 or 4 weeks of high of 67 degree weather, the temperatures at hitting 80 F this week. Even though it's not quite as warm as a Cincinnati summer, I am excited to feel a little bit closer. Silly to say, but that's one thing I regret about skipping off to London for the summer-- is missing the summer weather I adore. Over in London, it's always springtime/fall. And usually raining. How unfortunate.

So.. glad I just updated to share my thoughts on the local weather.

Mamma Mia-- oh we CAN resist you......

The following is a short bit of my reviewing techniques I have learned in my Reporting the Arts class. It's not a complete review at all. We had to go see the movie for class discusion.

Mamma mia... Oh I can let you go..

The lyrics, the musical, the dancing, but then.. there was the movie.

Mamma Mia follows Sophie, the girl who has been raised 20 years without a father. Then she finds out she may have 3 possible fathers. It's a comedy, it's supposed to be in Greece, and it has a lot of substantial actors.

But they weren't in this film.

With an all star cast like Meryl Streep, Pierce Bronsnan, and Colin Firth you would expect great things from this musical made film. The trouble was these actors had to act as if they were in musical theatre. They were expected to sing, which was their biggest flaw. Bronsnan needs to stick to playing James Bond. His voice made me cringe instantly. Then made me as well as the rest of the audience hysterically laugh. It was one of those moments where we were laughing at them, not with them.

Meryl Streep may be the only plus to the show-- errr film. She can play any part. She can be the villain like in Devil Wears Prada or the fun, spontaneous mother as she is in Mamma Mia. She was made to play any role thrown at her. Her vocal talents are much better than any other actor within the film.

The problem with the film was that it was over the top-- it was over dramatized. It had to be, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If you want to laugh the entire 1 hour and 49 minutes, go see Mamma Mia. But if you're a true Mamma Mia fan and don't want to be offended, I would skip it and stick with the musical.

there's no place like London..

London isn't always alive. Maybe in Picadilly Circus or Leicester Square- where the shows are and the dance clubs always have people coming in til the early hours. It's impossible to get a cab at 2 in the morning. It's not New York City life. You don't feel quite as safe walking home in the middle of the night.

It's comparable to New York on some levels. The West End here is the booming theatre district like New York's broadway. You watch a different show any night of the week. London's streets are not gridlike, which makes New York easy. But the streets make London interesting. They're historical. Each street tells a different story. In some ways, it's like New York. The beggars, street vendors, parks, the river, the bridges, and the markets.. It's a city thing. It's the feeling of being crowded at Oxford Circus in London, much like Herald's Square. It's so crowded, you can't push through the lost tourists. You can't even think about going in a popular story without being bombarded by people that push and shove you and rarely say excuse me. That's when it feels like New York. There's an abundance of people crammed together on an island.

Oh but still there's no place like New York City.

But that's because London has its own attributes.

notting hill area

Bonjour Paris!

July 11-13 weekend

So we took the bus for 8 hours to Paris.. had to cross the English Channel on a Ferry as well. It was quite the experience... We met some interesting characters as well.

Let me tell you now. From the moment we arrived in Paris, it was love at first sight. I am in love with the atmosphere and the scenery and everything.. And we saw everything there was to see in those 3 days. We stayed near the Bastille, so that was the first sight, but also Champs Elysess, Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed, Galleries Lafayette, Luxenberg Gardens, Monte Marte, Moulin Rouge, Louvre- including the Mona Lisa, Museo deorsay, the Seine River, Notre Dome Cathedral, the Latin Quarter, and Paul-- the famous French bakery.

The French culture is so different. Here are some things I noticed: There isn't breakfast. It's espresso and a crossiant only. The French don't love Americans. Well at least the women don't. Cabbies will rip you off. Shopping is amazing. Taxes are high. Walking is amazing. The subways are the best here. Monte Marte is the best-- the best view of the city as well as the fact that it's coined as Old Paris. The people are friendly and lively. The exchange rate is much better here than in London.

It really has been the best time since I have been here. Everything was enjoyable. If I knew French, I would love to live there. It's just perfect.

Picture time:

Moulin Rouge!!
ballerinas by Degas
i love this river.
Liz modeling the Louvre map.
the streets by the cafe in the latin quarter
all of us at the Eiffel tower!
Woo!
Luxenberg Gardens
We tried ESCARGO!

view from Monte Marte
Us in front of the Louvre
the Mona Lisa.
In front of the Arch. -- similar to NYUs
Champs Elysess

boats on the Seine
Hanging out
Flatmates in front of the the Notre Dome
Megan & I- Louvre
Perfect views.