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weaversweek.bsky.social
Weaver
@weaversweek.bsky.social
120 followers 110 following 580 posts
Weaver's Week at http://ukgameshows.com

As it's entirely clear the moderators here can't be arsed to moderate, I can't be arsed to post.

You'll find me as @daweaver@mas.to
Fun stuff lives on http://weaversweek.tumblr.com
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weaversweek.bsky.social
In performance, Nemo finds the camera every time. This looks like chaos, it is utterly controlled.

No white men performed this song, so [NK] is not invoked.

This ends the list of 50 songs from the heart. Starting tomorrow: 50 nominated by the head.
Nemo stands on a black podium, with a white sunburst behind them. The youngster is dressed in a pink-and-white coat, with pink furry boots beneath thick tights. It's a stark image, Nemo's human form contrasts with the sharp geometric shapes.
November 20, 2025 at 8:01 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
And I think this makes Rosa the most-nominated performer in this picture.
Rosa Linn (right) with Edward Sheeran, a ginger-haired bloke who is (apparently) a cousin of The Krypton Factor's Gordon Burns.
November 13, 2025 at 8:01 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
#All50rts day 43 - THE TOP
"Late at night" - Buffalo Tom
From "Big Red Letter Day" 1993
12 points

"If he doesn't want to be seen with me, then why did he ask me to meet him Friday night? To hear Buffalo Tom?"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVVX...

#BuffaloTom #MySoCalledLife
It's a song about ghosts, about nightmares, about things that creep into your subconscious to wake you from your dreams. Perhaps the guitar line is reminiscent of Bob Dylan's "I believe in you", perhaps the break in singer Chris's voice hits everyone right in the feels. It's a song used in the greatest synch of all time, the right song with the right footage to evoke the right emotion. And these two facts are intertwined, to the point that actors Claire Danes and Devon Odessa were thanked on Buffalo Tom's singles collection (where this album track was included, natch). "Late at night" was the romantic moment on "My So-Called Life", television's greatest one-series wonder. Angela Chase has been snogging Jordan Catalano in the boiler room, but he will not acknowledge her in public; the episode concludes with Jordan reaching the conclusion that Angela also has feelings. MSCL's cast and crew grew up: Claire Danes to "Homeland", Wilson Cruz is the poster boy for gay rights, Winnie Holzman wrote the book for "Wicked!", AJ Langer is now the Duchess of Devonshire. Jared Leto never left his lothario character behind, there's always the one. But we won't let that put us off. The show still holds up, with realistic dialogue, and unflinching attention to the issues of youth, and honest complex characters - both the titular teens and the adults. And the soundtrack is exactly where we were in the years after grunge. In my humble opinion, "Late at night" should have been a single; this once, I'm glad it wasn't. Three guys gaze at the camera, which has been placed behind the browning leaves of an under-watered plant. Bill, Tom, and Chris are white guys with short hair, and two of them have their heads at a strange angle.
August 18, 2025 at 9:43 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
#All50rts day 34 BONUS
"Seasons of love" - Original Broadway Cast
From "Rent" 1996
11 points

The opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation!

Would have been top 20 in UncoolTwo50, except I couldn't see it was a single.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vVn...

#Rent #JonathanLarson
"Rent", a rock musical based on Puccini's "La Boheme", translates the action to 1989 New York. It's set amongst the poverty, homelessness, spunky gay life, drag queens and punk Larson saw from his window; the tuberculosis of Puccini's original becomes the latter-day scourge AIDS. Larson had watched as three of his closest friends fell victim to HIV and ceaseless illnesses. The show is often seen as a bit too earnest for mass audiences: it's heavy going throughout; sometimes they're draining the fun from a situation like a headmaster walking into a classroom. "Poignant" is the lead emotion, fleeting moments of joy are contrasted with tremendous loss, there is addiction and disease and racism and homophobia. And the found family, the group of ne'er-do-wells thrust together through circumstance, recognise pieces of their shared humanity. To start the show's second act, the cast lines up to sing an affirmation to life. What is the value of a year? What is the value of a life? Money? Meals? What about love. Originally written as an elegy for Angel, who dies later in the play, "Seasons of love" was moved up in the show as a tribute to Larson, who had died the day before previews opened. It's remained there ever since. "Rent" has an important part in modern history, showing gay and queer relationships as a completely unremarkable part of life - this was completely transgressive in the late 1980s, and still a bit of a headrush in '96. These days, "Seasons of love" is part of the regular canon of tunes for performers, covered by everyone from Michael Ball to Donny Osmond. Background to the other image: four couples in flamboyant clothes, pictured against colourful backgrounds.
August 9, 2025 at 7:53 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
#All50rts day 26 BONUS!
"Going for gold" - Sandy McClelland & Hans Zimmer
No commercial release, 1987
11 points

"Going for Gold was a lot of fun. I just felt so lucky because this thing paid my rent for the longest time."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnlJ...

#HansZimmer #GoingForGold
"Going for gold" has a driving drumbeat. The tune begins with gathering, rising chord progressions, like the sun breaking through the clouds. Then the drums intensify, and a million people shout the title. The main verse is - I think - sung by Sandy McClelland, a session singer from Glasgow; we heard him on "Shout" by Tears For Fears. His vocals are just a little yearning, he sings in hope rather than expectation. And the words are strong: "people are coming, everyone's trying... reach for the sky 'cause the stakes are so high". These are simple words, a restricted language for people who know English as a second language. The show "Going For Gold" was shown across Europe on Superchannel, daytime BBC1 came almost as an afterthought; the show was hugely popular and ran for ten years. It's a perfect television theme, with bits that can be cut out and stand alone. The song has not yet been commercially released, but has been covered. Hans Zimmer went on to do some movie soundtracks; Sandy McClelland did backing vocals for Neneh Cherry. A montage of photos from the show's opening sequence: beads form up and land onto a gold disc, which is embossed with "Going for Gold" and turns over to reveal a map of Europe. In the middle is a tall gangly white man - Henry Kelly - holding a question card and spreading the fingers on an outstreched hand.
August 1, 2025 at 7:50 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
This one?

Metafilter thread about "utopian scholastic" design at www.metafilter.com/199450/Wayne...
Text: Waynely Farfield's GEOMAQUARIUM™ for MS-DOS A picture of a coral reef, overlaid with a chequerboard in shades of blue. There's a large purple sphere, green cone, and a small yellow cube for no obvious reason. Callout text: "Fiendishly clever... finally a PC game where Mom and Dad will be fighting the kids for a turn in the family computer room - Computer Lair magazine" Includes: Twelve 3½ʺ Disks 250 page book: "The Philosophy of Geomaquarium"
July 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
weaversweek.bsky.social
#All50rts day 17
"No matter what" - Meat Loaf
B-side to "Is nothing sacred" 1999
BONUS! 11 points

Mr. Loaf's version of the song from stage musical "Whistle Down the Wind", popularised by Boyzone.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j2Z...

#MeatLoaf #AndrewLloydWebber #Boyzone
#All50rts day 17 "No matter what" - Meat Loaf B-side to "Is nothing sacred" 1999 BONUS! 11 points "Just dull." The pairing of lyricist Jim Steinmann and noteplayer Andrew Lloyd Webber was expected to make great entertainment. But their musical together "Whistle Down the Wind" surprised critics by its mediocrity, being somehow less than the sum of its parts. "Whistle Down the Wind" tells the story of Swallow, a young girl struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother, who discovers a mysterious stranger whom she believes is Jesus (but is suspected of being an escaped murderer). The children fight to protect the stranger from an adult world determined to catch the fugitive hiding in their midst. In the play, The Man tells the village's children a story. What's the moral, they ask; when The Man doesn't know, the children promise to love him no matter what. The hit single was recorded by Boyzone, who were the pop world's equivalent of innocent stage-school children hitting the tune with gusto. Meat Loaf got to hear the song and thought, "I could do a better job". And he did. Gone is the wall-of-sound from the stage show: we get an experienced performer who knows when to be loud and when to be soft. As the song builds, Loaf's voice swells, and he adds loads of experience and emotional heft to the words. And because there's just one person singing, it's an intimate performance, Meat Loaf could be singing just to you. A great cover will unearth something missing from the original. Meat Loaf made a great cover of "No matter what". Meat Loaf, a large man in a big leather jacket. In the black-and-white photo, he stands in front of the BBC Radio 2 logo from about 2016.
July 17, 2025 at 8:10 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
#All50rts day 5
"Independence day" - Gretchen Peters
from "The Secret of Life" 1996
BONUS! 11 points

This acoustic version from 2014.

youtu.be/mx75be3OnRA

The blurb discusses domestic abuse.

#GretchenPeters
"Independence day" - Gretchen Peters from "The Secret of Life" 1996 Bonus! flash. "When your song is assigned an entire set of cultural values based on a false premise (it was never a song about America, it was always a song about a woman who was trying to save her own life and that of her child) it starts to feel tainted. It feels like words have been put in your mouth that you never said." The CMA Song of the Year for 1995, for the hit single by Martina McBride. It was adopted by right-wing blowhards who didn't listen to the lyric, a bit like Bruce's "Born in the u s a". Gretchen drew inspiration from the story of Francine Hughes; she'd set fire to her home in March 1977 after enduring 13 years of an abusive relationship, her ex-husband did not escape. A jury found Hughes not guilty of murder charges due to temporary insanity, recognising that being trapped can drive a person mad. A call to independence from patriarchy, from a culture that would tell a woman, or any other person for that matter, to stand by an abusive partner at all costs. A day to speak freely, and criticise those who would control others' bodies. Independence Day for the strong women who escaped the oppressive strictures of unhealthy marriages and choose better lives. The independence to wake up every day and be our authentic selves. Background is the next picture.... Gretchen Peters is a blonde woman with a long face and a white guitar slung at her waist, the guitar neck pointing somewhat above the horizontal. She's signing a CD for a fan, a middle-aged woman wearing a red dress. Both women are smiling. Behind Gretchen's shoulder is a hanging poster for her gig at the building we see in the background. A sunny day with shadows and a sliver of blue sky down the side of the building.
July 5, 2025 at 2:09 PM
weaversweek.bsky.social
#All50rts day 4
"Drive" - Melissa Ferrick
from "Freedom" 2000
10 points

Let me tell you a story about my best friend and a folk singer...

#MelissaFerrick #MichiganPickGirl #InternationalJaedaDay
"Drive" - Melissa Ferrick from "Freedom" 2000 April 2003, Ann Arbor in Michigan. A massive dump of snow has turned spring back into winter. Melissa Ferrick plays two concerts at The Ark. Two nights with my bestie Jaeda, and her babe, and some of the greatest folk music around. Melissa was - and still is - a caring sharing rock star, and she'd end each concert by throwing the guitar pick into the crowd. On the first night, Jaeda caught the pick, got it signed in silver sharpie... and lost it between the stage door and the car. So, she and E buy flowers for Melissa, take them back stage, and plead their case. Enamoured of their charm, Melissa took two guitar picks on stage that night: one to throw to the crowd, one to give to Jaeda at the meet-and-greet afterwards. The legend was born; every time Melissa saw Jaeda afterwards, it was "Hey, Michigan Pick Girl". Jaeda came into my life twenty-five years ago tonight. She left this life in february last year. Happy International Jaeda Day, sweetheart. Melissa Ferrick is a white woman, wearing a short-sleeved grey top and with a massive guitar aiming towards us. She sits on a red couch, in front of a blackboard showing crotchets and quavers.
July 4, 2025 at 11:08 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
A lot of words have been spoken about the televote at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Being slightly contrarian, I choose to remember a lot of other things.

Performers! Puffer jackets! Friends! Chandelier! Winner!!

www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Weaver%...

#Eurovision #ESC #GameShows #WeaversWeek
Baby Lasagna (left, in a blue puffer jacket) and Käärijä (right, in a green puffer jacket) stare at each other. Both look like they're holding back from bursting into laughter. EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett. Tommy Cash drinks from an espresso cup; he's shown almost entirely in silhouette, only his face and a post-it note stuck to his jacket are clearly visible. EBU/Alma Bengtsson. Kyle Alessandro, Klavdia, and JJ look out on the main stage from a balcony at the green room. They look rather like three friends watching the sun set from their hotel. EBU/Corinne Cumming Remember Monday perform in front of a chandelier, fallen and slightly tilted. EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett.
May 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
weaversweek.bsky.social
A bowl of bright pink petunias is falling through the air. Caption: "Oh no. Not again."
January 28, 2025 at 8:42 PM
weaversweek.bsky.social
"Move", said the Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight from Incredible Games: three children stand on the intersections of a board, and try to keep away from of a masked and robed figure.
January 23, 2025 at 9:14 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Last boost: I hear Scott's point, and I offer Caleb from Mission 2110.

#MissionOn
A young man, perhaps with the hint of a cyborg's communcation device, sits on a metal staircase in a dark industrial place. He holds some red plastic buttons, and looks concerned. In the corner of the picture, a young recruit also looks concerned. Caption: "Good luck. And to one of you, goodbye."
January 16, 2025 at 12:40 PM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Matters arising:
1) "Troika"'s natural pair would have been "Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!", but no version makes my 50.

2) I've got a theory.
Elmer Fudd, dressed in the brown outfit of a huntsman, and carrying a rifle almost as tall as he is. Elmer's in the outdoors, next to a forest filled with signs saying "Rabbit season".
January 5, 2025 at 1:07 PM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is FRIDAY 3 january.

Last day of the working week, Top of the Pops moves into 1997.

Shabbat Vayigash tonight, the closing part of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
A slightly out-of-focus picture of a row of cottage shops, their roof eaves decorated with greenery and baubles. Lights in the background reflect in the windows, there's a funfair ride and the outline of a Christmas tree. Sparkles on the pavement pick out a couple of people walking past. Caption: Friday 3 January.
January 3, 2025 at 7:58 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is THURSDAY 2 january.

Back to work for most of us, though not for readers in Scotland, where they treat newyear seriously.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
A large bowl of popcorn, some of which has spilled onto a blanket. And a mug of hot chocolate with a knitted mug-cosy. They're posing in front of a roaring log fire. Caption: Thursday 2 January.
January 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is WEDNESDAY 1 january.

...bleh, morning all.

Happy new year to everyone who marks it. Happy new Gladiators and Traitors to all.

Shops may or may not be open, and in this weather I'm not going out to check.

Final nights of Kwanzaa and Hannukah.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
Two dogs - one large, one small - sit on a fluffy blanket on an outdoors bench. They have small golden party hats on their heads. In front of the dogs is a small table holding two glasses of wine, an unopened bottle, and an ice bucket. Party streamers float over its edge Caption: Wednesday 1 January.
January 1, 2025 at 10:36 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is TUESDAY 31 december.

New Year's Eve everywhere, except in Edinburgh where 2024 will be extended until the winds drop.

Sixth day of Kwanzaa, seventh candle for Hanukkah.

Whatever you're doing tonight, have a safe and enjoyable and wonderful time.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
A foil-plated horseshoe, tilted at a jaunty angle, with a plastic figure sitting in the bottom. It's dressed in top hat and tails, and has a broad smile. Caption: Tuesday 31 December.
December 31, 2024 at 8:42 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is MONDAY 30 december.

A working day for some, a shopping day for some. Perhaps a good day to dig out The Two Ronnies box set and put a load of washing through. That counts as a hard day's work, right?

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
A wreath of greenery and pine cones, with baubles dotted around and fork handles at the corners. Ceramic decorations of a snowman and a cottage are blurred in the background. Caption: Monday 30 December.
December 30, 2024 at 9:23 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is SUNDAY 29 december.

Sunday trading hours, religious services of all flavours, including the sort played in football stadia.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
An old half-timbered building with decorative spires out the front. Small lights across the front give a subtle glow. In front of the house stands a Christmas tree, and we can make out a stone statue. Caption covers up the blue sky: Sunday 29 December.
December 29, 2024 at 9:30 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is SATURDAY 28 december.

Confuse the sports fan in your life, because it's Saturday and there's no senior football in England.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
Lights hang down, throwing some light into the corner of a room. There's a large window with paper snowflakes stuck to it, and we can vaguely see a string of baubles along the top of the window frame. Caption: Saturday 28 December.
December 28, 2024 at 8:02 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is FRIDAY 27 december.

Shops are open, gather supplies for the next Ball 35 Fan Club hoolie.

Good luck to everyone in work, especially those in shops.

Friday prayers, second night of Kwanzaa, third night of Hannukah and shabbat Miketz (Joseph has a dream).

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
An abstract close-up of some blue baubles, gently glowing from inside. Caption: Friday 27 December.
December 27, 2024 at 9:37 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is THURSDAY 26 december.

Boxing Day all day.
First day of Kwanzaa.
First day and second night of Hanukkah.

Big stores are open, though M&S and Waitrose are middle-class and closed.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
A late 19th century picture of two girls looking out of a window at a small balcony. There's a fir tree on the balcony, and a large blue bird and a few sparrows are perched on its branches. Other birds are pecking at seed on the floor on the balcony. Up in the top corner, a little wooden nesting box is inhabited by a matching pair. There's ivy around the edges of the window, and a little snow on the tree branches. Original caption: The Birds' Christmas Tree. Modern caption: Thursday 26 December.
December 26, 2024 at 7:55 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Today is WEDNESDAY 25 december.

Christmas Day all day.
First night of Hanukkah.

Whatever you're doing today, have a good one.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt
A felt Santa Claus decoration, with oversided hat and a massive white beatd dominating his face. Caption: Wednesday 25 December.
December 25, 2024 at 8:14 AM
weaversweek.bsky.social
Over the festive period, it can be difficult to remember what day of the week it is.

Today is TUESDAY 24 December.

Christmas Eve all day.

#XmasWhatDayIsIt is based on an original idea by Nick G who I've not seen here.
A row of foil-wrapped chocolate Santa Clauses, alternating in designs with gold and red hats. Each Santa is designed with an enigmatic smile, full beard, and is carrying a present. Caption: Tuesday 24 December.
December 24, 2024 at 9:26 AM