If you conducted a street poll in the UK and asked the
participants what is the most famous catchphrase from the TV show Doctor Who,
the most likely answer would be “Exterminate!”, the phrase screeched out by
daleks whenever and wherever they threw their collective rattle out of their metaphorical
pram. Whether on Earth, Skaro, Spiridon
or Vulcan*, it wouldn’t be long before they resorted to extermination to get
what they wanted which was often, truth be told, the extermination of one thing
or another, so at least the daleks could be trusted to get down to business
fairly quickly. So their cataclysmic catchphrase
(often repeated in the homes and streets of the UK by young children with
cardboard boxes over their heads) is something almost every adult born in the
UK would recognise.
And every adult born in the UK has one actor they call “my Doctor”
which usually refers to the doctor they were first exposed to – usually at the
ripe old age of four or five when they could safely scuttle behind the back of
the sofa if anything got too scary for them.For me, Tom Baker was “my Doctor” – he took over the reigns of the role
in 1974 when I was nine.Although I can
remember Jon Pertwee’s doctor from first broadcast, Baker’s incarnation was the
one that properly and thoroughly hooked me on the show for many years to come.
I won’t be giving much away by telling you his best known catchphrase
(you can see it on the thumbnail of the video below!).“Would you like a jelly baby?” has to be one
of the more memorable of the Doctor’s catchphrases, surely.I did not particularly like it as a child – I
thought it was terribly childish, to be honest (even at that age, I must
have had some subconscious desire for Doctor Who to be treated as serious
science fiction). You have to remember
that Doctor Who, at this time, was one of the few TV shows for kids that didn’t
treat its audience like children. Yet on mature reflection, it’s a completely brilliant
catchphrase.After all, how best to undercut the tension of a situation than by offering your enemy
a sweet?Food is, after all, a universal
language…
The video below covers the catchphrases of all the Doctors
(although the claim that Hartnell’s is “mmm?” is rather weak, despite the fact
that @whoooob, who created this video, only had to use four episodes to get
enough clips of Mr Hartnell doing this).It was fun watching them
all in a single video and being able to compare and contrast.Like one of the commenters on the video, I
hadn’t realised how often 12 (Peter Capaldi) told people to shut up!However, if I run through the lot that might
present too many spoilers (sweetie), so press play and get nostalgic for
whichever Doctor your heart claimed as your own as well as enjoying the rest.
*Vulcan does not refer to Spock’s home world, although a
crossover between Doctor Who and Star Trek might be fun.It was the name of a colony planet in The
Power of the Daleks, the first story of the Doctor’s second incarnation.
You meet them sometimes: people who just seem to have been born out of their time, somehow not quite at home or comfortable in the time period in which they find themselves. As far as his art is concerned, this is certainly the case with Giuseppe Arcimboldo (left).
You might, unless you know his work already, think that the above was created at some point in the twentieth century.
Reversible Head with Basket of Fruit, c 1590 - Wikimedia
Yet Arcimboldo was born in 1527. His conventional works have fallen in to oblivion but what survive are his masterful and imaginative portraits which are made from objects, such as fruit, flowers, fish, books and vegetables. These everyday items are arranged so that they become recognizable as something quite different.
Before you watch Goldfish, written by and starring Jessica Kinsella, if you live outside the US you may not be familiar with the popularity of White Elephant gift exchanges in Jewish American social life. These light-hearted rituals are a common feature of synagogue events, holiday gatherings, and community socials. Borrowed from wider American culture, they value humour over usefulness: the pleasure lies less in the gift itself than in the laughter, storytelling, and social mixing it generates. In a community that often uses comedy to navigate tradition and expectation, the White Elephant exchange works as an easy icebreaker, reinforcing connection and shared identity through collective amusement rather than formality. Or does it (in this particular case)?
OK, explanation over - and yes, you probably could have worked that out anyway. Jessica, convinced that her “brilliant and hilarious” White Elephant gift will inevitably attract a potential future husband, settles on… a goldfish. Acquiring said goldfish proves more challenging than anticipated, and the reactions of the other guests at the party are, unsurprisingly, not quite what she had in mind. This may not be the moment when Jessica finds her match. Or is it?
This is a very tightly scripted piece with a satisfyingly circular ending, delivering a final punch just when you think it has already landed (wait and see - you’ll know when you know). It is also tightly directed by Alexis Krause.
This award-winning Christmas short film by Nando Dietz tells
the story of Horst, who plays Santa in a local department store. However, when the day is done and he is
finished giving out the gifts to children, he returns home alone. Yet his little acts of kindness towards others
have been noticed and some new friends will ensure that he doesn’t have to face
a lonely Christmas at home.
Heart-warming as this is and at an appropriate time of year
when so many people do feel their isolation from others even more – I think the
message is that we should do a little good every day, as if it is Christmas day
on all of the days of the year.You
might notice a banner in German at the end of the film – translated it means: “We
don’t believe in Santa Claus. But we believe in people.”That’s cool.
Parents age, get old and die.That’s the way of things but often it comes
way too soon, even when they have reached a good age.The adult children left behind are sometimes
far less willing to accept (or even welcome) the inevitability of death than
the parent.
Such is the case with Hélène, a 40 year old who arrives to
visit her mother and is shocked by what she discovers.It seems that her mother has let herself and
her home “go” and she has formed a strange bond with the large tree that
overlooks her property – not to mention the bugs that live in and around it. Yet
over the space of the next few hours, she will reconcile not only to her mother’s
imminent death but to her acceptance of this glorious circle of life.
The Shyness of Trees was created by Sofia
Chuikovska, Loick du Plessis D’Argentre, Lina Han, Simin He, Jiaxin Huang, Maud
Le Bras, and Bingqing Shu.It was done during
their time at Gobelins (a prestigious Paris-based school internationally
renowned for its excellence in animation, visual effects, and digital arts
education.).It has been nominated for the
2026 Academy Award for Best Animated Short and richly deserves this – although
I am sure that some of the neo-animators involved must now be wondering how
they go on to surpass this!
Event nights bring storylines, walkouts, and sudden swings. That buzz is fun—but it also tempts quick choices unless there is a plan. High-performance habits from the gym and the film room translate perfectly to social play when emotions run hot.
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Decide your format, your round length, and a simple finish line while the mind is calm. For a quick overview of how sweepstakes play is organized and the tools available, scan this homepage to maximize rewards with Yay Casino. End this prep by writing a one-line plan you can actually execute.
What This Means: Choose the lane first, then press go.
Find the Optimal Zone: Calm Intensity Over Max Hype
Performance tends to peak at moderate arousal. Too little energy and focus drifts; too much and attention tunnels. A steady breath, upright posture, and short pauses keep decisions in the sweet spot where reads stay clear.
Bottom Line: Keep excitement in the middle of the dial.
Kylie Minogue's single XMAS is now the official Christmas Number
1 in the UK. Yes, yes, yes – we don’t
really “do” Christmas at Kuriositas (I seem to be saying that a lot recently)
but this is quite the toe-tapper. Plus
there’s a blissfully silly dance routine that is fairly straightforward to
learn (think YMCA but… camper) to go with.
I have to say, of course, that having grown up with Kylie (not literally
but I did meet her briefly at a party once) that this isn’t what I would
consider her best work. Yet it has certainly hit a nerve in the UK. It's her first Number 1 since Slow in 2003. No one puts Kylie in a corner for long. Well, what's a decade or two between friends?
It comes from her Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) album, originally made
specifically for the Christmas market (didn’t that used to be a sign of a
career on the wane?) in 2015. XMAS has been
added as a new bonus track for the reissued album, which is faring far better in 2025
than it did in 2015. Then it reached
Number 12 in the UK chart, whereas in 2025 it has reached the top spot. Now she has the double whammy of a single and
an album at the top of the charts. The album received
average reviews on its initial release with most praise going to Kylie’s cover
of The Pretenders’ 1983 hit 2000 Miles. XMAS is now its natural successor.
The video for XMAS features Kylie in a variety of Christmas
outfits, but starts with her surrounded by numerous little helpers, who she
proceeds to teach the moves to go with the letters X, M, A and S. They’re pretty quick learners and soon her
whole yuletide entourage are splaying their arms about like there’s no
tomorrow. Soon, the song and dance routine
spreads around the world. Well it would,
wouldn’t it?
The video concludes with Kylie in full on sexy Santa mode (those candy
stripe trousers must have been sprayed on, frankly) with boundless energy
and fake snow. The outro is a simple X-M-A-S
repeated with little oh yeah we’re going
asides and so horribly catchy that for the next week or so the nighttime streets
of the UK are bound to be full of very drunk people reproducing the lyrics at
the top of their voices as tunelessly as possible before doing the same in the
local kebab shop. Before violently puking everything up on the way home. A country must have its traditions, after all.
So will it join the pantheon of great Christmas Number Ones?Lyrically, it’s fluffy.Musically it’s as close to simple as simple
can get.And the dance moves are silly
to say the very least. But it worms its way into your head like a great big giant wormy
thing. So yes – absolutely.
Watch XMAS below.
Here are the songs that make up this year's UK Christmas Top Five
Number 5 - Together for Palestine – Lullaby
Number 4 - Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
Number 3 - Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas Is You
Casinos in computer games have long ceased to be simply isolated game scenes or a way to foolishly kill time until the next plot development begins. Modern developers strive to use gambling establishments as a fully-fledged element of the game world, where actions subtly influence the atmosphere, character development, or plot twists. This is precisely what online casino real money can offer, but it’s worth studying reviews from Slotozilla experts beforehand.
These virtual temples of luck become symbols or backdrops for dramatic events, reflections of social issues, or the culmination of spectacular and unforgettable gaming moments. The most important and most shady casino in the life of the average player is not Bakasaray, but a virtual Las Vegas.
Image
Grand Theft Auto Series—Crime, Wealth, and High-Risk Culture
Rockstar Games has mastered the art of casino integration across the GTA franchise. Each installment uses gambling venues to satirize American capitalism and the "risk as lifestyle" mentality. The series treats casinos not as isolated locations but as functioning ecosystems where crime, luxury, and social mechanics intersect. The franchise elements that define GTA casino culture include:
slot machines with progressive jackpots;
high-stakes poker rooms;
heist planning headquarters;
money laundering fronts;
VIP membership systems;
luxury vehicle rewards.
Curiously, the gambling business is booming. The American Gaming Association estimates U.S. commercial casinos will generate a record $71.9 billion in 2024, the fourth straight year of all-time highs.
Meanwhile, the online casino industry was worth $19.11 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $38 billion by 2030 These trends in real life are mirrored in gaming where casinos are getting more advanced and functional.
A young woman lives on her own in the middle of a forest. She comes into contact with a wolf and her
cub, keeping a respectful distance but nevertheless entranced by them. However, the winter is cold and the wolf is forced
to hunt the sheep of a local shepherd, with a tragic confrontation
ensuing. The young woman is both
emotionally and physically involved in the conflict but can she create new bonds
from those already shattered? The ending is deliberately ambiguous but richly nuanced.
This is a simple story but beautifully told and
animated.As a student film , it is
particularly impressive.The characters
are skilfully and beautifully rendered, the art perfectly capturing the subtlety
of portraying both human and canid emotions and reactions.Hats off, too, to those involved in the
backgrounds – just gorgeous.The crew
for Silent Night comprised Kylian Albert, Marius Authier, Audrey Calmant,
Emilie Gardette, Sarah Josephine, Léonie Laporte, Tancrède Picquet, and Juliette
Re – all students at ArtFx School of Digital Arts.
The number 21 seems simple at first glance, but it carries a history far richer than most people realise. It is the target every player chases at the blackjack table, a milestone birthday, a symbol in ancient stories, and a subtle favourite in mathematics. This one number keeps showing up where meaning matters. Image source
In this piece, we examine why 21 has become such a cultural anchor through superstition, storytelling, games, patterns, and personal milestones. By the end, you may never look at this familiar number the same way again.
21 at the Gaming Table: Why the Number Became Iconic in Card Play
The number 21 did not become famous by accident. Blackjack is the reason it turned into a cultural icon. In the early days of the game, long before casinos and bright lights, players enjoyed the simple thrill of trying to hit a total of 21 without going over.
The rules were easy to learn, the pace was fast, and the tension kept players returning. Over time, blackjack evolved and gained new twists and house rules, but the target number remained the same.
Today, the game has grown even more popular through online blackjack tables, where anyone can join with a single click. This shift increased accessibility and made the number 21 a fixture in modern gaming culture. People play on their phones and laptops, and the chase for a perfect hand has become a familiar rush for millions.
The appeal of aiming for 21 may come from the balance of risk and reward or the feeling that the number sits at a sweet spot. It is high enough to feel like a victory yet close enough to danger to raise the heartbeat. It feels simple, straightforward, and complete. That balance is the authentic charm of 21.
Award-winning filmmaker and avid traveller Dennis Schmelz
journeyed to Bhutan in search of happiness, but what he discovered there was
something far deeper. Often described as a land of spirituality, balance and
Gross National Happiness, Bhutan reveals its true meaning only when experienced
first-hand - among prayer flags, drifting incense and towering mountains. This is what he found - in his aptly named short What Bhutan Taught Me About Happiness.
During his travels, Schmelz visited temples that seem
timeless, walked through ancient dzongs steeped in history, and spoke with
monks whose quiet wisdom carried more weight than many books. One unforgettable
moment came high above Tiger’s Nest, where he witnessed masked dancers whose
movements told stories beyond words.
His film reflects the realisation that true happiness is
never loud. It exists in small, quiet moments - in the unexpected, and in the
act of letting go. What began as a search became a recognition: happiness had
been present all along. This film is Schmelz’s tribute to Bhutan - a place that
changed him, and a country that gives far more than it ever asks in return.
A little star spirit comes down to earth on her birthday to
visit the place where she once lived, and to see those she loved for a final time. However, being just a little star, she is
easily blown off course and must navigate her way through the busy streets of
Istanbul before time runs out for her. A
simple premise – and of course, that is often what makes the most engaging
animation so effective – but one which will, I assure you, have you reaching out
for a tissue or five.
Hats off to director Mitra Shahidi, who I think has created
something quite remarkable here. Winner of the Tribeca Film Festival 2023 award
for Best Animated Short, this film also received the Audience Award for Best
Animated Short at the Austin Film Festival. It has since been recognised at
numerous other festivals, cementing its reputation as a critically acclaimed
and widely celebrated animated short.
One small thing – I did think that the animation was going
to be about a bird when I first came across this!However, that’s a tiny, miniscule little
gripe and I feel almost guilty bringing it up, even.Enjoy this animated short – it’s special.
China’s Great Wall – created over centuries to protect the Chinese Empire from intrusion and invasion – is one of the world’s best know sights. Yet again and again we see the same stretch of wall, the same throngs of tourists, soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army and a stream of visiting politicians. Takes these elements away and there is a sublime change - a shift in perception. Here is the Great Wall of China from various diverse perspectives, some stretches of the wall you may not be familiar with and hardly a tourist or soldier in sight. The Great Wall of China suddenly becomes a mystery again, inscrutable and elegant, unfathomable and incredible.
An uncle gives his nephew a cuddly wolf soft toy for
Christmas, but is told, once he sees the child’s horror, that the kid is afraid
of wolves. So, in order to persuade his nephew
to accept the gift, the young uncle tells the story of a wolf in a forest, unloved
by all the other creatures (well, he does have the rather bad habit of eating
them!). In order to become accepted by
the woodland community, the wolf must change his ways or forever be… unloved.
So, despite a few mishaps along the way (the temptation to
eat that squirrel was almost too strong), he manages to adapt his diet.
Unloved was created by the Romance Agency (motto: “We work
hard and we are nice to people.”) and is for Intermarché, a French supermarket
chain that operates hypermarkets, supermarkets, and smaller convenience stores
across France and parts of Europe. Intermarché has become internationally well
known for its emotionally driven advertising, often focusing on family,
relationships, and everyday human experiences.
So, yes, this is a Christmas ad for supermarket chain, but
our site’s demographic is quite different, so we are showing you an ad for a
company that you will probably never shop at.
Yes, I know we don’t go mad for Christmas at Kuriositas, but
this beautifully made and told animated short was such a good fit for the site,
we couldn’t resist!
This is fiction but based on the very real experiences of
millions of Jewish children. Shown from
the perspective of a teenage boy, Daniel, this animated short offers great
insight into the insidious, gradual way that the lives of people can be
overtaken and then destroyed. From his
comfortable pre-war existence to the horrors of Auschwitz, we are shown how Daniel's family is overwhelmed by
forces beyond their control. Created by the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum, I think that this was made for a young audience in mind (it was used in an exhibition at the museum),
although viewers of all ages may find some of the content distressing - unsurprising, of course, given the nature of the subject matter. However, if you are a teacher looking for a
way to make your students aware of the Shoah, then I think this is definitely a
short film you should consider showing in your classroom.
It is sometimes difficult to imagine that all of this
happened when my mother was a child – that this is still in living memory for so
many people…
Watch Daniel’s Story: A Boy’s Life During the Holocaust below...
As you know, we’ve featured Carl Sagan’s paean to our “pale blue dot” countless times on Kuriositas (here, for starters). It remains one of the most moving reflections on our place in the universe. However, this time it’s the dot itself that finally gets to have its own say!
Thanks to animator Duncan Rudd, our pale blue dot takes centre stage and sings its very own ballad - and we even get a cameo in the story. Despite our many flaws and missteps as a species (that's putting it rather blandly and politely), it seems the dot is still rather fond of us.
It’s a charming, clever twist on a much-loved idea, reminding us not only of the fragility of our home, but also of the affection and wonder it continues to inspire.
There are monsters, high in the Japanese mountains of the country’s northeastern region of Tohoku. A few miles outside of Yamagata city the mountains rise and as the seasons turn and autumn becomes a memory, the monsters appear. Winter isn’t coming here; it’s well and truly arrived.
Their shapes are not uniform. The imagination can truly take flight when considering what might lie beneath the snow. Is that a dragon? Is that a troll? Is that Sulley and Mike from Monsters Inc over there?
Even in the UK, there are many people who are blissfully
unaware that the small(ish) country to the left of England has its own
language, culture, identity and – of course – national anthem. If you have ever been to a rugby match to see
Wales compete, then you will have heard the song belted out by (what appears to
be) a thousand choirs all singing in unison.
Yet what does the National Anthem
- Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ((Old) Land of My Fathers) mean when
translated?
Step forward Ellis Lloyd Jones (above, in Pontypridd), TikTok star, drag queen and
now anthem-explainer.Lloyd Jones says a
little Welsh, translates it into English, says a little Welsh – you get the
idea.Although you might not be much the
wiser by the end of this short video, you will probably have enjoyed the
experience!What I found quite amusing
is the way that he doesn’t quite remember some of the translations of the words
into English.Even though most Welsh
speakers are fluent in English, there are many moments like this when the English
word just doesn’t quite arrive on time!
As a by the by, did you know that none of the national
anthems of the UK are official? Although God Save the King is treated as
the national anthem by convention, it has never been established in law, and
the same is true for the anthems used by the individual nations. Instead, each
has evolved through custom and long-standing public use, becoming “official”
only in the sense that people, institutions and events have collectively agreed
to use them. This uniquely British reliance on tradition over legislation means
the UK’s anthems occupy a curious space: universally recognised, yet never
formally declared.Funny old world,
innit!
If you are thinking out loud, your answer may have been “Too
late – they already know about us” and I would be in agreement. We’ve been broadcasting into space for
decades – and although I don’t want to get too Galaxy Quest on you, the
chances are that any aliens who have seen our transmissions are giving planet
Earth a wide berth. After all, given our
history, our predilection for violence and our propensity to relentlessly multiply
– not to mention Love Island - why would any alien in its right mind want to
let us know that there are other habitable planets out there?
This entertaining animated short, realised by the BBC in
conjunction with The Royal Society, attempts to answer this question in under
five minutes.A few things are omitted –
and I am assuming that this is because this caters for a young audience.The most prominent omission is “The Great
Filter” – the idea that intelligent life often develops technology faster than
wisdom, leading to self-annihilation through war, ecological collapse, runaway
AI, resource exhaustion, or other self-inflicted catastrophes.If other civilisations share even a hint of
our tendencies, that’s where I’d wager the odds lie.
Watch the animation below and ponder… the truth is out
there, but intelligent life might not be.
I honestly hesitated before featuring Offerlam, the animated
short written and directed by Tova Persson. Why?
Certainly not because of the striking animation. Certainly not because of the enigmatic and
powerful voiceover by Arril Johnson. And certainly not because of the stirring
music by Loren Ma. It’s probably because
I’m not sure I quite understood it – but, then again, I am not sure I was
supposed to. However, it has placed
itself firmly in my head for the entire day, so much so that I have rewatched
it a number of times.
If you want a starting point, Offerlamm tells the story of a
sheep, separated from its family, destined for a ritual.The sheep has decided to send a letter to his
sister to let her know what has happened to him since his separation.I will leave you to interpret the rest according
to your own imagination!
Offerlamm has been making waves on the international
festival circuit, earning selections at events across the UK, Sweden, Ukraine
and the USA. The film has also impressed the Royal Television Society, taking
home Best Animation in the South West of England Student category, alongside
craft awards for both writing and production design. Its success continued at
the RTS Student National Awards in London, where it collected a further craft
award for writing. Today, Offerlamm also sits in the BFI archive as part of
their collection on Contemporary British Animation.
Finally. A RoboCop
statue was first mooted for Detroit over a decade ago. Back in 2011 there was an exchange on Twitter
between a user and the then Mayor of Detroit, Dave Bing. When Bing admitted
that there were no plans for a statue of RoboCop in his home town, a Kickstarter
campaign raised the funds. And the rest,
you would think, was history.
Not so.Although the
statue was completed in 2017 a number of things stood in its way, including difficulties
in finding an appropriate site, not to mention legal issues with MGM, which
owns the rights to RoboCop’s likeness. RoboCop has, however, finally found a home,
standing outside 3434 Russell Street, just south of Mack Avenue in Detroit's
Eastern Market. The statue was installed there just a few days ago.I think he looks
magnificent - here he is in all his glory. Thanks to Neatorama for the heads up on this!
I’m not entirely sure if Scrubby is a marsupial or a young
creature who just enjoys the warmth of his mother’s fur – I like to think it is
a combination of the two. However,
things aren’t right in Scrubby’s world.
One morning he wakes up, warm still in his mother’s fur, but when he
ventures outside he realises that it is all that remains of her. As any child would, Scrubby goes on a hunt
for his mother. Yet, what he discovers
will lead to a test of his character.
Scrubby sprang to life under the direction of Paul Vollet,
brought to the screen with the technical wizardry of Paul Golter and Lukas
Kapp, and given its sonic heartbeat by sound designers Niklas Menschik and
Jonathan Rösch. Its vivid world was animated by a talented crew - Müge Bulazar,
Deborah Callenberg, Harald Dieterichs, Lilli-Luisa Heckmann, Christian
Kaufmann, Marius Magracia, Stella Raith, Felicitas Schmelz, Vanessa Schneider,
and Elias Weber - each adding their own spark of imagination. Created during
their time at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, this student project bursts
with the energy and creativity you’d expect from a team on the rise.
It is less than half the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and lacks its ornate and flamboyant beauty. Yet this leaning tower, located in the tiny North German hamlet of Suurhusen is in the Guinness Book of Records. It is officially the building with the biggest unintentional lean in the world. Image Credit Flickr User homo_sapiens
The church was originally built in the middle ages and the land then was very swampy. To ensure that the church tower stayed erect it was built on a foundation of oak tree logs which ensured it stayed upright for a number of centuries. Unfortunately the land around the church was drained in the eighteenth century and the tower began its inexorable lean towards the ground.
Inspired by and features the anti-war anthem Happy Xmas (War
Is Over) by John Lennon & Yoko Ono, the film below won the Oscar for Best
Animated Short Film in 2024. Set in a
World War I scenario (perhaps an alternative reality!) the film shows two
soldiers on opposing sides who somehow manage to train a pigeon to carry their
chess moves across the battlefield so that they can compete against each other.
Of course, the true reality of war inevitably sinks in.
This beautiful and profound animated short was written by Sean Ono Lennon and Dave
Mullins. If you saw the 2024 Oscars then
you will no doubt remember Sean Ono Lennon’s emotional shout out to his mother,
Yoko, when he accepted the award. Ono
Lennon is also using the animated short to help raise funds for the charity War
Child.
One of the YouTube commenters (@philipparks6811) said "This production is a remarkable blend of precision, collaboration, and emotional brilliance, capturing the essence of humanity with a message that is both simple and deeply moving. Congratulations on the well-deserved Oscar for creating what is arguably a timeless masterpiece that beautifully unites the enduring spirit of John and Yoko’s iconic tour de force with the true power of film. Bravo!" Indeed. Couldn't have put it better myself.
It’s the 1st of December – and if you haven’t
already had All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey inflicted on you,
then you are one of the lucky few. It’s
inevitable really, the annual invasion of our ears by Ms Carey’s tones (dulcet
or demonic - that is purely a matter of opinion). Here, mashup king Fabrice Mathieu brings
together a number of Hollywood films, (listed below the video), showing the world’s
TV screens suddenly taken over by that song and the resulting (and
varying) reactions it gets. This is
quite possibly the best visual metaphor for the annual agony we have to endure
as we try to go about our daily lives in the run-up to Christmas. Well done Fabrice!
One of the commentators has said of this video: “Having
worked in retail for many years, I absolutely dread hearing this song every
festive season. Over, and over, and over, and over again. You managed to
capture my living horror perfectly.”That says it all, really – apart from, perhaps
this from another commenter – “The most dastardly thing about this video is
that you got me to listen to the entire song.”
Watch the video below (at least if you can retain your
sanity while doing so).
Clips in this mashup are from: Back to the Future 2, The Big Lebowski, Brazil, The Burbs, The Cable Guy, Captain America Civil War, Clockwork Orange, The Conjuring 2, The Core, Dark Shadows, Fargo, Forrest Gump, The Game
Greenland, Grumpy Old Men, Iron Man, Joker, Kamikaze, The King of Comedy, Knowing Logan, Mars Attacks!, Matilda, Nightcrawler, The Nutty Professor, Ocean 13, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Poltergeist, Raising Arizona, Requiem for a Dream, The Ring, Scary Movie 3, The Shining, Signs, Spaceballs, Taxi Driver, V for Vendetta, Videodrome, The Wall.
Dogs like nothing better than when something a little out of the ordinary happens. So, when the world has turned white one morning and the water has gone hard and slippery, you can’t blame a dog for getting a little excited, can you? After all, when the going gets cold, the dog gets going. Our sibling site, the Ark in Space has a great collection of dogs on ice pictures for you today…
Recently, a young Japanese boy has been popping up in my
various feeds, singing his little heart out on what looks like a TV talent
show. His voice is crystal clear – almost perfect – and the judges are soon
brought to tears (with, perhaps, a little over-acting on their part) by the beauty of his voice. The song seems wistful, almost melancholic –
its sheer gentle clarity won me over immediately, despite the fact I did not having the
first clue what he was singing about. The
song itself seemed vaguely familiar – I wondered if I had heard it before,
maybe in my occasional foray into Studio Ghibli movies. So, who is he? And what,
lyrically, does the song convey?
From my own cultural perspective (Welsh), what hit me
immediately about the song (without having a translation) was the overwhelming sense of hiraeth it created in
me.A sloppy translation would call it
homesickness but it runs deeper than that.It’s more of a longing – one for a place, a time, a person (all three together,
even) that cannot be returned to – it is gone.I wanted to discover a little more about the singer and, of course,
whether or not the lyrics matched the feelings the music provoked.I did this with a little trepidation – some people
are so talented that, if they so wish, they could transform you into a weepy blob on the carpet simply by singing their
shopping list.
First, though, watch the boy perform and make your own mind
up.
So, question time: who is the Japanese boy singer?His name is 川合結人- Kawai Yuto -and he
comes from the Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.He will be 14 in December, so I guess we have
to enjoy the voice while the going is good. One can only hope his voice may well mature into something equally as extraordinary.
Very little is known about Kawai – his parents are very
protective of his privacy. He is
apparently enjoying middle-school and tries to balance a “normal” life with his
TV and singing commitments. He has an older brother – there is a 13 year gap
between the two of them. Kawai has yet to record his debut album (surely that
must be imminent?).
Young Kawai is not a new sensation – at least not in Japan
(and also Korea, where he has received a lot of recent exposure on the 日韓
Top Ten Show).In his home country of
Japan, his earliest public appearances were on local talent shows and smaller
singing contests in 2021.He then gained wider recognition on 現役歌王
(Current Singer-King JAPAN), which started broadcasting in 2023, where
he was introduced as the “少年歌唱王” (boy singing king).
The clip above is from July of this year (2025).The show in which Kawai sang this particular song
was a “Special project commemorating the 60th anniversary of Japan–South
Korea diplomatic relations” and as we will see, perhaps the song was well
chosen for an event such as this.This special
show as called Japan–Korea Singer King Battle. Ultimately, ParkSeo‑jin defeated Takenaka Yudai
(Japan’s “No.1”) in the
final showdown, giving the Korean side the overall win.Oh well - at least Kawai has many more years
to enter competitions and come out the winner.
As for the song, my first suspicion turned out to be
correct.It is indeed from a Studio Ghibli
film, Kiki’s Delivery Service which I had seen at the cinema around 1990.The song is called Meguru Kisetsu (めぐる季節) which
translates as “The Turning Seasons” or “Seasons That Go Around”.Although we can’t reproduce them here for
copyright reasons – the lyrics reflect growth, change, and the passage of time.It is sung by the protagonist Kiki, a young
witch in-training and echoes her journey from childhood into independence.Yes, of course, I have had to watch the movie
once again.It’s still lovely.
Here's the original version from the film. You can even read the lyrics and try and sing along with it (if that takes your fancy - I tried and failed fairly miserably).
As part of her witch training - a rite of passage for young
witches in the Studio Ghibli universe - Kiki is sent to live independently for
a year in a new town. There, she launches a delivery service, flying on her
broom to transport goods and make a living. The story follows her journey of
personal growth, self-confidence, and resilience as she faces the challenges of
living alone and discovers her own identity. This emotional arc is beautifully
underscored by songs like Meguru Kisetsu, whose gentle, wistful melody
mirrors Kiki’s nostalgia, quiet determination, and the bittersweet passage of
time.It ends on an optimistic note –
that she will “ cross over to the dreams that are coming into view".
As such, it was quite fitting that a TV show dedicated to 60 years of diplomacy between two countries which have history, included a song that expresses such hope for the future.
So, final question.Was
the song meant to engender a feeling close to hiraeth? Yesbut no. The wistful melody of Meguru
Kisetsu evokes a feeling remarkably close to that deep, bittersweet longing
for the past or for a home that may no longer exist that the Welsh know as hiraeth.
Certainly, in the context of Kiki’s
Delivery Service, the song mirrors Kiki’s own nostalgia and quiet yearning
as she leaves her familiar village to live alone in a new town. Yet while
hiraeth often carries a sense of irrecoverable loss, Meguru Kisetsu
balances this melancholy with gentle hope, reflecting Kiki’s growth and her
gradual acceptance of change. The result is a musical expression that resonates
with longing, memory, and the tender courage required to move forward. It beautifully captures the emotional complexity of both the character and the passing
seasons.
Just as Kiki set out on her journey of self-discovery and we
all got to watch it, that is equally true of Kawai Yuto.I can only hope that like Kiki in the movie,
young Kawai continues to grow in hope, independence and resilience until he
gets to his own happy ending. Who knows – it certainly looks like this
remarkable young man has already begun that journey.
Postcript
Kawai Yuto teamed up with Yada Keiki, a Japanese singer known for his powerful and emotive performances, again on Current Singer-King JAPAN to perform the emotional classic “Love is Over.” If you already have the hankies out, don't put them away just yet...
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