I won't share you with another boy

Sharing a birthday as he does with another ill-matched collection of notables, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Donna Karan, Jan Morris, Groucho Marx, Annie Leibovitz, Trevor Brooking, Don McLean, Rex Reed, Phil Oakey, Graham Greene, Anna Ford and Mike Rutherford...

...Mr Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting, is 70 years old today! Gulp.

His voice may never have been the most melodic, he may have an ego the size of a planet, but when I was a hormonal teen and this spiky blond pixie-like figure arrived in the "New Wave" post-punk era, my heart (and groin) went all a-flutter!

I was particularly fond of this video...

The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me

He and his (then) chums in The Police amassed a long string of classic hits in the late 70s and into the 80s and many artists, including Grace Jones, UB40 and Mika among others, covered them. However, I need no further excuse, dear reader, to play my favourite version of their first hit...

El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge

Faboo.

Many happy returns, Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE (born 2nd October 1951)!

One Day I'll Fly Away...

A little coterie of "our gang" is heading off to the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park this evening for a big-screen cinematic showing of the brilliant Moulin Rouge - to mark the film's (gulp!) 20th anniversary.

Fingers crossed the rain holds off...

Nobody loves a Fairy

I'm not rushing to drink absinthe again in a hurry...





Hils, Crog, Russ Joe, John-John and I got dressed up in suitably fin de siècle fashion last night for a very special evening (at the swanky Roxy Bar and Screen near Borough Market) dedicated to the glorious Baz Luhrmann movie Moulin Rouge.





What a sparkling evening's entertainment it turned out to be, too. Featuring an extraordinary variety of turns, including the inevitable saucy burlesque dancers (with fabulous names including Miss Vesper Fontaine and Little Lady Luscious), singers, a poet, comic banter and even a lady accordionist, the fine fellows of "Cavalcade of Cabaret" certainly know how to throw a party - as their blurb says, "...let us entertain you like it’s 1899"!

Of course, the whole thing also involved a promotion for Pernod Absinthe, so free glasses of the "Green Fairy" were lavishly dished out on our arrival. It creeps up on you, that stuff.





Nonetheless, we had a rollicking time! Hils was a contender in the "best costume" award (for the hat, on which she had applied an actual green fairy), although most of us were rooting for the rather gorgeous dandy - and some of our number had never seen the movie before, so there were tears and gasps galore.

I adore Moulin Rouge, especially this scene:

El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get home until 3.30am, however, so naturally today is not quite so rollicking.

I am keeping my eye out for future dressing-up occasions at this fab venue!

http://www.roxybarandscreen.com/

Diwaali muubaarak

Happy Diwali everyone!

And what better way to celebrate but with some camp, Bollywood-style...

First, Dola Re Dola:

Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shreya Ghoshal and KK - Dola Re Dola (Devdas, 2002)

An "Indian Dance Extravaganza" [full listing of clips here]:

Indian Classical Dance Extravaganza!

And, of course, my favourite dance routine from Moulin Rouge:

Hindi Sad Diamonds

More about Diwali - the Hindu festival of light