...And now for something(s) completely different

I have been sorta neglecting this thing. I would like to say that there have been a whole lot of exciting things going on but that would just not be true. Since nothing is going on here at the moment I thought I would just throw out a few random things.

-I am really digging CBC1's The National Playlist. For those of you who don't know about this, they have a list of 10 songs. Listeners vote throughout the week for their favourite of playlist, the bottom four get dropped. Each week there is a three person panel who, along with the host Jian Ghomeshi, each pitch two songs - one that has been released within the past year and a "desert island pick" which can be any song they think is great and relevant and stuff (with the one caveat that the song must have national distribution in Canada). On friday the panelists vote for which of the four new songs get added to the list. The songs have been a mix of contemporary and classic, popular and critically acclaimed. The pitches have been strongly and passionately made and have made me take a second look at some songs that I would not have thought about or haven't thought about in a while. I'm not a huge fan of all the songs that have been pitched or placed on the list but it has made for interesting listening nonetheless. So check it out 11:30am weekdays and the countdown on Saturday at 9pm and vote for your favs.

-It is getting to the end of the year and that means it is time for year-end best-of lists. The bloggers of the world have had their say and the best bands of 2005 both North and South of the border have been presented: Information Leafblower gives the world the Top 40 bands in the US and I (Heart) Music has the 33 Hottest Bands in Canada. Some surprises, some stuff I'd never heard of, plenty of great stuff. Many of the entries on the lists have links where you can download or stream songs.
Update: Here is the list of The UK's Hottest 47 Acts from Take Your Medicine.

-I am ashamed to say that I have never been able to make a paper airplane. Just never got the hang of it. Now, however, I may stand a chance as three engineering students from Leed's University have come up with the world's most perfect paper airplane. Go get some of that aerodynamic goodness.

-Gary Glitter, the former rockstar and constant perv (this is not libel - he was found guilty of possessing child pornography in Britain), has been arrested in Viet Nam and may face the firing squad for "obscene acts with a child". Now this would not normally be something I would post about except for this. On the excellent blog, Stereogum, there was a post on GG, which has a comment from a fellow in Scotland called (tiny)Judas. And this guy wrote the following:

"If you go to a little place called Kingston, Ontario and spend enough time hauling your ass to and from the train station which, because its canada (the home of pointless distances) is barely even in the city you can eventually get yourself a ca[b] being driven by Gary Glitter's cousin, who will tell all about his cousin and the 'difficulties' he's having in the far east. As far as i remember he didn't mention paying the price of sandwich to roger some vietnamese pre-teen... i guess i didn't tip well enough."

Weeee-eird. I don't take too many cabs so I don't think I have had the pleasure of being driven around by this guy but I guess it goes to show you that you never know who you are going to run around here.

-Ok, and lastly, Optimuscrime gets a cookie for the best illustration I have seen in a long time.

That's it. That's all I got. Hope you enjoyed this randomy-randomness.
rgsc