Hope that everyone had a good Easter. Here’s Stand by Me by The Muppets with the monster saying “I am a Bunny”.
Television
Tony Hart
I saw today that one of my childhood staples has left us. Tony Hart, the television artist from “Take Hart” and “Hartbeat” died on the 18th January at the age of 83.
Tony Hart was always enthusiastic about his work, and was known to use almost any medium to produce work. On one occasion he painted an elephant on a runway with whitewash, another time producing a work by suspending paint-filled Fairy Liquid bottles over a paper-covered floor. His style and fun-filled attitude have helped to encourage generations of budding artists, as well as entertaining those of us who are less able.
My enduring memory of Tony is of his clay Aardman-created side-kick, Morph [^]. Good-Bye Mr Hart.
Links: BBC News Obituary [^], Tony Hart Official Website [^].
Dr Who Figurines
I have just found out about these stylised Dr Who figurines [^], standing at 2” tall.
The pieces come in various sets and include The Doctor, various Daleks and Davros, a Sontaran, a Cyberman, and Other Dave (a Vashta Nerada astronaut).
Run Rabbit Run Run
Tourism Victoria revisited the Flannagan & Allen classic “Run Rabbit Run” to promote the Yarra Valley. It is beautifully shot in a country house setting amongst the vines, and the song is perfect for the setting.
I have always enjoyed the song. But once it was pointed out how creepy the Hotelier is that made it even better.
Is it just me, or is this guy out on a hunt? Think “You will never leave” rather than the “You will never want to leave” tag line!
I think it’s going to be a bit more than rabbit going in those pies. Good work Tourism Victoria, much creepier than the last M Night Shyamalan movie I saw.
Mahna Mahna and Phenomenon
That has got to be the strangest post title I have come up with so far.
Again, it’s all down to the Muppets creator Jim Henson, apparently being the first sketch of the first episode of the Muppets. The “Mahna Mahna” [^] song is a work of brilliant comic timing in all of it’s Muppet guises, and the final “Phenomenon” variation exploits the cult following. With so many people struggling to say phenomenon, how many takes were done before they got the final version?
Banana Boat sunscreen revisited the song for a series of ads that they ran in Australia a few years ago.
Special bonus link: Kermit goes to the Animal Psychiatrist [^]