November 28th
Morning everyone! How's Saturday going?
I've just published a new entry on the music spot by courtesy of Lourdes and suddenly I remembered that I had to embed the Friends "Thanksgiving" episode that we watched in class on Thursday. That way those of you who came along can watch it again and remember the language you heard (mind you, I've only found the first half and no subtitles this time) and n the other hand, if you didn't attend the lesson at all, you can enjoy it at home. Well, at least I hope you do enjoy it. As I said, I understand that not every single human being on this planet doesn't have to be fond of the worldwide famous American sitcom. But from the standpoint of you guys as learners of English it's a great bonus. I mean, the dialogues sound lively and dynamic, the scripts are brilliantly designed and there's a great on-stage chemistry among the characters, don't you think?
At the end of Thursday's lesson I was talking to Javi and Paco about how Friends was filmed, with a live audience on the set that kind of collaborated with the team of scriptwriters and helped them decide which sketches worked and which ones didn't. So, despite being edited for the TV broadcast, the often bothersome laughter you can hear in between the punchlines comes naturally from the public.
OK, this is "The One with the Late Thanksgiving". By the way, next Tuesday Jackie is talking about the contrasting aspects of Spanish and American way of life. Maybe you could ask her a thing or two about Thanksgiving and if she celebrated the holiday here in our country and how.
I wish you all a glorious weekend. Keep clicking!
TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LONDON:
November 16th
Javi says:
Luther is an interesting biopic about one of the most important historical religious figures; in the sixteenth century, a monk called Martin Luther, who was unhappy about the materialism in the Church and about the life of the Popes in Rome, led the Protestant Reformation.
It is a gripping and entertaining movie directed in 2005 by Eric Till and it stars Joseph Fiennes.
Personally, I remember being taught at school that Spain, a Catholic country, fought against the Protestants, our enemies. However, I now understand the abuse of the Catholic Church throughout the centuries.
Next he wishes to talk about President Obama:
What a difficult role for a man who represents all the hopes and expectations, not only for the Americans but worldwide too: the first African-American President of the United States. Obviously, we all agree that it is a tricky task given the huge financial crisis.
Personally, I believe he is an excellent President governing in a bad moment. However, he is trying to overcome his lack of presidential experience with energy and power. He is putting a brave face on it. He actually wants to go down in history as a transformative politician, very tactful as regards international relationships.
In fact, the hopes of Obama are our hopes.
Finally, if you visit the music spot, you'll find Javi's review of the song With or Without you by U2. Well done, Javi!
It is a gripping and entertaining movie directed in 2005 by Eric Till and it stars Joseph Fiennes.
Personally, I remember being taught at school that Spain, a Catholic country, fought against the Protestants, our enemies. However, I now understand the abuse of the Catholic Church throughout the centuries.
Next he wishes to talk about President Obama:
What a difficult role for a man who represents all the hopes and expectations, not only for the Americans but worldwide too: the first African-American President of the United States. Obviously, we all agree that it is a tricky task given the huge financial crisis.
Personally, I believe he is an excellent President governing in a bad moment. However, he is trying to overcome his lack of presidential experience with energy and power. He is putting a brave face on it. He actually wants to go down in history as a transformative politician, very tactful as regards international relationships.
In fact, the hopes of Obama are our hopes.
Finally, if you visit the music spot, you'll find Javi's review of the song With or Without you by U2. Well done, Javi!
November 15th
Laura Rodriguez says:
Hi everyone!
I hope that you are spending a marvellous weekend and recharging your batteries for next week.
It is the first time that I write in this familiar blog and I have a good reason, I would like to encourage you to see Twilight, a film based on a passionate and unexpected romance between a mortal girl and a mysteriously handsome and irresistible vampire called Edward. If you are really interested in that film and you can’t wait to see it, you will have the chance to enjoy it next Tuesday 17th at 22:15 on Antena 3.
I hope that you are spending a marvellous weekend and recharging your batteries for next week.
It is the first time that I write in this familiar blog and I have a good reason, I would like to encourage you to see Twilight, a film based on a passionate and unexpected romance between a mortal girl and a mysteriously handsome and irresistible vampire called Edward. If you are really interested in that film and you can’t wait to see it, you will have the chance to enjoy it next Tuesday 17th at 22:15 on Antena 3.
I strongly recommend you to see it because the premiere of the sequel (New Moon) of this unforgettable saga will take place on Wednesday 18th. I am really excited about this next part of the lovely and unbelievable vampire story. In fact, I admit that I know what will happen next because I have already read the four books that constitute the Twilight’s saga, which was created by American author Stephanie Meyer.
This saga is a literary phenomenon worldwide so you shouldn’t leave it aside. We know that there are lots of films about vampires but the love story is the small detail that distinguishes it from the rest. There is a surprising piece of information about Twilight: the story emerges from a dream after which Stephanie wants to know more about when she wakes up.
As you have already noticed, I am bewitched by this fantastic story because there is something magic within it. At first, I saw the film and I was hooked on Twilight so I needed to know what would happen next. That was the reason why I bought the books and I devoured them in a short period of time because they are gorgeous and I couldn’t stop reading.
Finally, I would like to point out that Twilight as a film is fantastic, but the book is out of this world. I really encourage you to see both films, Twilight and New Moon, and read the books. I hope that you will enjoy them a lot. Nothing will be the same.
As you have already noticed, I am bewitched by this fantastic story because there is something magic within it. At first, I saw the film and I was hooked on Twilight so I needed to know what would happen next. That was the reason why I bought the books and I devoured them in a short period of time because they are gorgeous and I couldn’t stop reading.
Finally, I would like to point out that Twilight as a film is fantastic, but the book is out of this world. I really encourage you to see both films, Twilight and New Moon, and read the books. I hope that you will enjoy them a lot. Nothing will be the same.
Great review, Laura. Way to go!
November 9th
Morning everyone!
You know, Ana "Cleo" (what would this blog be without her!) has sent me a videoclip of an online teacher by the name of Mr Duncan. When you first see him your reaction is: "Who's this funny-looking bloke?" But once you listen to what he says you think: "Mm, interesting!"
In this clip I'm embedding he starts by answering the question "Why do we need to learn English?" Then he goes on to give some useful tips for you as actual learners of the language. I like his idea that "You must view English as a part of your body" or "daily practice is very important", I couldn't agree more! And there's some other considerations he puts forward that surely will make you think about your learning process. Good stuff, all in all, and it only lasts 5 minutes. Furthermore, even if Mr Duncan's slow, articulate English (sometimes he sounds a bit too slow to me) wasn't enough, there are captions to read.
Then, on a more "academic" note, I don't know why this Mr Duncan's lesson reminded me of a video I received by mail a couple of weeks ago. You see, there's this famous British professor, David Crystal, incidentally a colleague of Dr. Jennifer Jenkings, who, with the excuse of launching his latest textbook, Macmillan's Global, answers the one-million-dollar question: Why is English a global language? Well, it's all to do with POWER, he argues, in whichever sense you can think of. As you will see, there are many ideas we discussed in module 1 presented in his 2-minute speech. I do like the final slogan: Learning English, learning ABOUT English. If you really want to learn a language you have to absorb its vast cultural background. Think of it ...
Enough for now. See you later folks!
You know, Ana "Cleo" (what would this blog be without her!) has sent me a videoclip of an online teacher by the name of Mr Duncan. When you first see him your reaction is: "Who's this funny-looking bloke?" But once you listen to what he says you think: "Mm, interesting!"
In this clip I'm embedding he starts by answering the question "Why do we need to learn English?" Then he goes on to give some useful tips for you as actual learners of the language. I like his idea that "You must view English as a part of your body" or "daily practice is very important", I couldn't agree more! And there's some other considerations he puts forward that surely will make you think about your learning process. Good stuff, all in all, and it only lasts 5 minutes. Furthermore, even if Mr Duncan's slow, articulate English (sometimes he sounds a bit too slow to me) wasn't enough, there are captions to read.
Then, on a more "academic" note, I don't know why this Mr Duncan's lesson reminded me of a video I received by mail a couple of weeks ago. You see, there's this famous British professor, David Crystal, incidentally a colleague of Dr. Jennifer Jenkings, who, with the excuse of launching his latest textbook, Macmillan's Global, answers the one-million-dollar question: Why is English a global language? Well, it's all to do with POWER, he argues, in whichever sense you can think of. As you will see, there are many ideas we discussed in module 1 presented in his 2-minute speech. I do like the final slogan: Learning English, learning ABOUT English. If you really want to learn a language you have to absorb its vast cultural background. Think of it ...
Enough for now. See you later folks!
November 9th
Good evening, folks.
You know, Ana has emailed me a CNN article on Apple's CEO Steve Jobs. Steve who? Well, if I pronounce the names i-tunes, i-phone or i-mac, some of the best-known global brands in the world of modern technology today, you will surely know who I'm taking about. Personally, I have become an Apple convert since, barely 3 months ago, cheesed off with Windows PCs, I bought me an i-mac, such a lovely toy.
But I'm not trying to give you the "hard sell", because I guess Windows and PCs are sort of necessary evils in our society. No. I'm just introducing the interesting 3-minute video that accompanies the article (which you can read in its entirety by clicking on this link) and that I've embedded down below on our blog. It highlights the impact of Steve Jobs not on the world of computing, but obviously also on films, music and mobile phones. So much so that he has been named Fortune's magazine "businessman of the decade".
OK, enough for now guys. By the way, how are you rehearsing the limericks in your CE workbook? Perhaps some funny jokes you can tell us tomorrow? Don't forget, we're dealing with HUMOUR in module 2. Look forward to it!
You know, Ana has emailed me a CNN article on Apple's CEO Steve Jobs. Steve who? Well, if I pronounce the names i-tunes, i-phone or i-mac, some of the best-known global brands in the world of modern technology today, you will surely know who I'm taking about. Personally, I have become an Apple convert since, barely 3 months ago, cheesed off with Windows PCs, I bought me an i-mac, such a lovely toy.
But I'm not trying to give you the "hard sell", because I guess Windows and PCs are sort of necessary evils in our society. No. I'm just introducing the interesting 3-minute video that accompanies the article (which you can read in its entirety by clicking on this link) and that I've embedded down below on our blog. It highlights the impact of Steve Jobs not on the world of computing, but obviously also on films, music and mobile phones. So much so that he has been named Fortune's magazine "businessman of the decade".
OK, enough for now guys. By the way, how are you rehearsing the limericks in your CE workbook? Perhaps some funny jokes you can tell us tomorrow? Don't forget, we're dealing with HUMOUR in module 2. Look forward to it!
November 8th
Hello guys, I bring good news! Starting next Monday 16th, we have another promisng film week organized by Van Dyck, with some wonderful movies on offer, of course in original version and Spanish subtitles. Guess which title opens the event: yes, my favourite film of last year, the delightful Slumdog Millionaire. If you haven't seen it yet, or only dubbed in Spanish, I hope you won't miss the opportunity. I know I have the DVD, but it's totally different on the big screen and I guess the splendid music score must sound brilliant on the Dolby surround system.
For further details log on to Van Dyck's web.
OK. Now, we've begun module 2 and the first topic was humour. At he end of Thursday's lesson I played a clip (which you can see down below) of Fawlty Towers, the legendary BBC comedy show. You can't possibly imagine how popular FT was and, after all these years, still is, to the extent of being voted by the British public a few years ago as one of their favourite UK sitcoms of all time, and by members of the British Film Institute the greatest British TV programme.
For further details log on to Van Dyck's web.
OK. Now, we've begun module 2 and the first topic was humour. At he end of Thursday's lesson I played a clip (which you can see down below) of Fawlty Towers, the legendary BBC comedy show. You can't possibly imagine how popular FT was and, after all these years, still is, to the extent of being voted by the British public a few years ago as one of their favourite UK sitcoms of all time, and by members of the British Film Institute the greatest British TV programme.
Well, let's start with the "hearing aid" sketch you watched in class. Not my favourite, definitely, but funny enough:
You may wonder, what makes Fawlty Towers so unique? Well, the show focuses on the misadventures of a snobbish hotel owner, Basil Fawlty, his domineering wife, Sybil (actually they were married in real life at the time) and their picturesque employees: a crazy but always well-meaning Spanish waiter from Barcelona, Manuel, and a loyal, competent and down-to-earth maid, Polly. In the second season there's also Terry, the easy-going Cockney chef (such a funny accent he's got!), but his role is marginal.
To me, the highlight of the show are Basil and Manuel. The episodes center around Basil's unsuccessful efforts to raise the quality of his humble hotel and his constant frustration at the countless mistakes he makes, which prevents him from achieving a higher social class, his only dream in life. Consequently, both the guests and, above all, Manuel, who is physically and verbally abused, carry the can of Basil's anger. In this second sketch, Basil is trying to teach Manuel, who barely speaks the language, some basic English, but the always spirited Spaniard turns the situation around!
To me, the highlight of the show are Basil and Manuel. The episodes center around Basil's unsuccessful efforts to raise the quality of his humble hotel and his constant frustration at the countless mistakes he makes, which prevents him from achieving a higher social class, his only dream in life. Consequently, both the guests and, above all, Manuel, who is physically and verbally abused, carry the can of Basil's anger. In this second sketch, Basil is trying to teach Manuel, who barely speaks the language, some basic English, but the always spirited Spaniard turns the situation around!
As time goes by, Manuel's English kind of gets better, and he even dares answer the phone, but with unfortunate consequences:
The stories in Fawlty Towers are often intricate, always sheer farce, depicting extremely absurd situations. In this famous "kipper" (=arenque) sketch, you can see Basil's truly nutty character as a guest is found dead. While Sybil and Polly try to make him see reason, he remains hysterical:
Listen, I don't want to overwhelm you with too much stuff. Some of you will find FT funny, even hilarious, while others might not. If you do, there's plenty more clips available on YouTube.
Let me just finish by letting you into a curiosity regarding the series. Even though Manuel's ridiculously exaggerated Spanish accent and poor English are key elements to the show (however offensive we Spaniards may find this), when Fawlty Towers was, quite a long time ago, broadcast on Spanish TV (without much success, it seems, and only for a brief stint) Manuel's nationality was changed for the Spanish dub to Italian (¿?) - and his name to ... Paolo! - but, to make matters worse, in Cataluña, though still called Manuel, he was ... Mexican! LUDICROUS, don't you think, but it speaks volumes about our proverbial, overdeveloped sense of the ridiculous ...
November 2nd
Now, if you log on to the music spot, there's a little more by Miriam ...
Let me just finish by letting you into a curiosity regarding the series. Even though Manuel's ridiculously exaggerated Spanish accent and poor English are key elements to the show (however offensive we Spaniards may find this), when Fawlty Towers was, quite a long time ago, broadcast on Spanish TV (without much success, it seems, and only for a brief stint) Manuel's nationality was changed for the Spanish dub to Italian (¿?) - and his name to ... Paolo! - but, to make matters worse, in Cataluña, though still called Manuel, he was ... Mexican! LUDICROUS, don't you think, but it speaks volumes about our proverbial, overdeveloped sense of the ridiculous ...
November 2nd
Hello there, and welcome to a new monthly entry of our blog!
Well, we've left Hallowe'en behind, realizing that, in this global world of ours, it's becoming gradually a more common celebration than we thought it was only a few years ago. Throughout the weekend I've bumped into scores of children wearing scary costumes and carrying baskets full of sweets after so much trick-or-treating. Actually, I remember walking past one of these groups of kids when I jokingly asked one of the girls: "¿Truco o trato?" To what she replied: "Ninguno, contrato!" Good answer, it must be the Spanish way! Serves me right for trying to pull the little girl's leg ...
Fair enough. We're starting this November entry with good news, you know, a special contribution from Miriam:
Hey Guys!
How was your long weekend? Hope it was OK, mine was relaxing, at home with my family.
If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend it to you. It is about a family whose members don't have a close relationship at first. The father is obsessed with winning, the eldest son refuses to speak, the grandfather takes drugs and the mother has a brother who tried to kill himself and is now living with them. They all seem crazy.
Olive, the main character, is only seven years old but dreams of becoming a Miss Girl, though actually she is not very pretty. Thanks to her aunt, she enters a beauty contest in California, which is similar to a talent show for little girls, called Miss Sunshine.
No one in her family wants to go with her, one of the reasons is they have little money. But in the end the whole family decide to go along.
During the trip they come across some important troubles. The film mixes comedy and drama, and both ingredients determine the ending.
We can really see the value of a family. I liked the film very much and in my view it is highly recommended to students, because they can learn important values from it.
Thanks, Miriam, for the nice review. I guess most of you will wish to see the film, now that she's recommended it, which I do too. I mean, it was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2006, a low-budget film which gained international recognition and did well at the Oscars. On the other hand, some of you might have already seen it - in Spanish? Anyway, fancy watching the trailer? This is it, courtesy this time of dailymotion.com:
See you, guys!
I agree with Miriam about "Miss litlle sunshine". I won't tell you the argument because she did it, but I would like to share with you my mixed feelings after watching the movie. I have a bitter-sweet taste, I mean, it's true it's funny but also extremely sad. I don't know why but it reminds me another movie (Spanish in this case) "Air bag": it's nothing to do with it, but my impression is pretty similar.
ResponderEliminarAnyway, I recommend it, because I think it's a really interesting film.