Secret Bargains, Hustle and Talented People

Best buy this week from a second hand shop was a book called 'Buddhism for Sheep'
http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=6103

A gem of a book. A bargain at 50p. My other great bargain this week was an Etagere (yeah I had to look that up) from eBay which cost the grand total of 99p. Even buying the paint (heirloom white - in a spray can! so clever) to give it a desperately needed face lift means that I now own a lovely item of furniture which fits snuggley into an alcove in my bedroom and not only offers more storage in the form of 3 useful drawers but it also has good sized shelves for books and nic nacs. All for under a tenner.

I am happy to report that I have, so far, stuck to my challenge of only buying clothes from charity shops this year. In fact I have taken it a step further and have found a shop that sells secondhand furniture, books and 'object d'art' and all proceeds go to a homeless charity. As I was browsing in there last week I was dismayed to learn that it has unfortunately been 'discovered' by that icon of style, Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen. Sadly this little treasure trove of a shop was raided by the great man himself the day before my last visit and lots of items had 'sold' stickers on them. LLB is apparently going to feature the shop in a new TV series so now the chances of stumbling upon a bargain is likely to be reduced as more and more people find out about this place. What is heartening is that even in todays climate of increased austerity, and sites like eBay, that some people donate things they no longer need or want instead of selling them on.

Although I have managed to find a couple of DVDs in charity shops it is still hard to beat Amazon for buying CDs and DVDs. I have got into the habit over the last few weekends of watching the 'Hustle' DVDs. I stumbled upon this entertaining programme in its 6th season and was so enthralled that I have been buying the previous series on DVD from Amazon. My daughter and I settle down with a bottle (or two) of Prosecco and watch the whole series (six episodes) in one sitting. It's stars, Adrian Lester and Marc Warren, are wonderful as Mickey Stone and Danny Blue and the stunningly beautiful Jaime Murray plays Stacie Monroe with real pazazz.  

There is some great talent out there. Take Adrian Lester for example. Lester could be described as a 'Shakespearian Actor'. He attended RADA and has won awards for his 'serious' roles. Yet, as Mickey Bricks, Lester plays a wide range of characters from old Etonian types to ghetto boy gangstas and plays them believably. Yet when, in character as Mickey, Lester manages to display a dignity, a calmness and intelligence that is hypnotic and contrasts well with Warrens 'cheeky chappie' Danny Blue. The writers of the Hustle are incredibly clever too. Not just in terms of the technicality of the con, and the twists in the storyline, but in managing to make all five members of the team of grifters appealing, likeable and somehow managing to maintain the moral highground. No mean feat! The other 'star' of the programme is London. It looks beautiful.

Lester can act. He can dance. He is even a black belt in taekwondo. The man's a marvel:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/adrian-lester-back-on-the-hustle-1227935.html

Another marvel, who I may have mentioned before is the wonderfully talented Bruno Mars. 'Grenade' still remains my favourite track from his album 'Doo Wops & Hooligans', but check out the lighthearted reggae 'Lazy Song'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FZtN7T5PXM&feature=related

Another great track is 'Runaway baby'. Mars and his writing team are heavily influenced by a huge range of musical artists and genres of music and consequently their work is rich and varied. Mars has it all. Great voice, great songs and is so bloody cute!

Very uncute but extremely talented is Emenim, whose work only gets better and better. He really should do more acting because when he is on the screen it is hard to take your eyes away from him. He has an brooding intense presence and a way with words that is razor sharp. Take the domestic violence track he did with Rhianna, 'Love the Way You Lie'. If you have had experience of DV, either as the beaten or the beater, these lyrics, and the tone in which Eminem spits them out, will resonate with you. As does the way Rhianna sings the hopeful and pathetic chorus.

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/e/eminem/love_the_way_you_lie.html

One critic of the song said 'Clearly he (Eminem) understands the psychology well, and can express the feelings with enormous clarity.' He understands lies alright. Desperation, disgust and despair too. And the very essence of bitttersweet.

Adele. Talent. Passion. Vulnerability. What more can I say?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qemWRToNYJY