Last week, the good guys from Simply Zesty had invited me to attend the launch of the next stage of Vodafone’s World of Difference initiative, but I could however not make it. I do however like to provide some information about this programme (which I really think is an initiative that’s worth supporting, never minding the brand that’s behind it). What you do is basically donate yourself instead of money. Here’s a statement from the official press release:

Vodafone Ireland Foundation’s World of Difference programme is offering 30 people the opportunity to take a 3-month paid placement with an Irish charity of their choice. This is the chance to donate more than money; it’s the chance to donate yourself.

The programme opens for entries today and the winners will take up their position with their chosen charity next February. Interested applicants are encouraged to find a charity that they want to work with, agree on a position they can fulfil and then apply online at www.vodafone.ie/foundation or the ‘World of Difference’ Facebook site. Likewise, charities are advised to find their own applicants for the programme if they have a specific project in mind but just need the right person. Charities can even seek like-minded souls and advertise for suitable applicants on the Facebook site to find their perfect match.

So if you really want to support and help a charity (and got 3 months to spare), why not think about applying? You’ll find all details over on their website, and you can apply until November 21st.

Here’s also a short video, showing what I missed on the night of the launch and featuring some tips from a successful applicant for the programme:

Yay, the long-awaited long May weekend is almost upon us. And if you’re still looking for something to do over the weekend, we are here to help. You could try these things:

First of all there’s the SoGo Arts Festival in and around South Great George’s Street all weekend. This 3 day bonanza kicked of today, but there are loads of activities and things to see over the next 2 days as well, like “The Best of Busking” featuring the Mighty Steph, a screening of “Once” in Walton’s music store and a flea market on Sunday.

Next on the list is the recently opened Glasnevin Museum – a museum on Dublin’s most famous graveyard, dedicated to Irish heritage & genealogy, and the history of the graveyard itself.

If a proper Indie rock festival is more of your liking, you could also head to Balbriggan on Saturday, where the Sibin Festival officially opens the Irish open air-festival season. For those of you who prefer electronic tunes, you can either keep on partying or start your own festival season on Sunday with the Yes Festival down in Clontarf.

And if this is too much activity for you, you can always relax in one of Dublin’s beer gardens – the weather permitting…

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Even though we did not make it into the final round of the IBA’s this year, we are still looking forward to the festivities in Galway next weekend. Red Mum (nominated for Best Photo Blog! ) and my humble self will be there to represent the Dublinblog, and will update you via our own Twitter-accounts and the Dublinblog-Twitter.

In the meantime, I’ll try to lay my hands on a nameplate that says “Hi, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father.” and will also try to get a shitty haircut. See you next Saturday.

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Or: hard times bring out the best in people. And volunteers.

Volunteers are at their best when they become real grunts. Imagine: a cinema full of people who are enthusiastic about the movie they’ve just watched and don’t want to leave, a Q&A-session with the same people and the director from Spain, the need to get all these people (plus the director) out in under 2 minutes, and the need to clean the whole cinema in under 1 minute. And then imagine 200 unhappy people (including a Latvian director and his whole family) queing outside said cinema because the movie they want to enjoy was supposed to start 10 minutes ago. But JDIFF-volunteers are tough cookies. We’ll get the people out, clean the cinema and shoo the people in, all while ripping of tickets, handing out audience award ballots, helping elderly ladies and babies and smiling and saying “enjoy the film!” – while we are thinking “GUNG-HO! GUNG-HO!”.

But after all the madness has ebbed away and the gun smoke is gone, I always appreciate the fact that our great venue captains (brilliant people all of them, whatever the venue) allow volunteers to sneak in and watch a movie in between shifts. Like this I was able to watch the surprisingly good German movie “Same Same but Different” – based on a real-life story of a German backpacker falling in love with a prostitute from Cambodia. Well worth a look, therefore I hope it will be shown in Irish cinemas after the initial festival run.

Here’s one of the songs from the Soundtrack, “Heaven can wait” by Charlotte Gainsbourge & Beck with scenes from the movie:

Yes, it is that time of the year again. Like last year, I’m planning to entertain you with my adventures as a volunteer for the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. The Festival officially opens on February 18th; so from then on you’ll get regular updates on what it’s like to rip of tickets, collect sticky rubbish from under cinema chairs and meeting the occasional celebrity, all while serving in one of the many venues of the festival. Plus also try to provide some insight on this rare occasion that World Cinema and Hollywood make a stopover in Dublin.

Whereas last year’s motto was “finding favourite films”, this year the festival seems even more diverse with spotlights on Korean, Russian and of course Irish cinema. And it is officially dedicated to one of it’s founders, Michael Dwyer, who passed away recently.

Among my personal picks this year are:

City of Live and Death - a Chinese movie about the so called “Rape of Nanking” in the Sino-Japanese war in 1937, directed by Lu Chuan. Warning: graphic images in the trailer!

Capitalism – a love story – Michael Moore’s inimitable look on capitalism and world economy.

Same Same but different – German director Detlev Buck tells the story of a German backpacker who falls in love with a Cambodian prostitute.

And last but by no means least: Valhalla Rising – Nicholas Winding Refn’s (Bronson) grimy Viking movie:

Please stay tuned for more movie madness on this channel errr blog.

Last week, Universal Pictures Ireland invited some of your favourite bloggers to attend a screening of the 1941-movie-classic The Wolfman at the private Denzille cinema ; a promotion event for their upcoming remake of the same movie featuring Benicio Del Toro.

Even though I’m not a big film buff, I did enjoy watching such an “old” movie on the big screen. Especially when comparing the cinematic techniques then and now: where most movies today are not so much about camera angles and facial expressions but more about blowing things up and animate blue-skinned aliens with computers, the classic movies of the 30ies and 40ies had to transport their story with much more detail. No wonder people like Lon Chaney became big stars wearing outfits that by today’s standards can only be called ridiculous – their audience had nothing to compare it with except their imagination.

So I’m really looking forward to see the remake, officially released to Dublin cinemas on February 12th. But as Benicio Del Toro is not only starring but also acting as producer, and the film also stars Sir Anthony Hopkins I have high hopes that it will do justice to the original. Here’s a glimpse:

A big thank you to the folks at Universal Pictures and Simply Zesty for a great evening.

Being snowed in can have it’s advantages. After doing the laundry and cleaning the living room, I will no try to summarise the year 2009 on the Dublin Community Blog.

Gloomy January showed us that the recession is in full swing, as Dublin indie institution Road Records was forced to close its doors (which thankfully re-opened later due to massive support from many a successfull Irish musician) and Dublin Bus announced massive cutbacks, laying off 200 staff. Add some snow causing massive disruptions to traffic and you had a very bleak start into the new year.

February then brings more positive things: we are awarded the Best Group Blog at the Irish Blog Awards,

and my experiences as a volunteer help me to gain insight on the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.

Positiveness prevails in March, as Ireland wins the 6-Nations-Rugby-Championship. A well deserved boost. And as if to make up for the bad weather in January, St. Patrick’s Day 2009 is sunny and warm.

April then brought us all the full impact of the recession again as the 2009 budget was announced, and Dublin Bus drivers went on strike.

Sunny (almost tropical) May has temperatures of +25 Degrees Celcius, another Docklands Festival, a new bridge over the Liffey, some controversy on the media and last but not least an American expat rejoining the Dublinblog-team.

June sees the World’s best street artists returning to Dublin to battle it out at the annual Street Performance World Championship on Merrion Square.

We also start our regular musical feature for up- and coming Dublin bands and artists, Discovered in Dublin. And our biking-expert Roseanne starts blogging about bikes (amongst other things) on the Dublinblog.

Dubliners are as shocked as people all over the world about Michael Jackson’s untimely demise, so our first post in July is a sad one. Thankfully July also sees us publish Karen’s brilliant A Visitor’s Guide to Dublin to cheer us up and help tourists find their way around town without getting squashed in traffic.

Disaster almost struck in August as the Malahide Rail Bridge collapsed and all commuters to and from the north had to rely on buses for longer than expected. A more positive thing in August was the incredible illumination of Liberty Hall as part of the Playhouse project during the 2009 Dublin Theatre Festival. Very impressive.

After the summer holiday season Dublin town kicked up a gear in September as the Dublin Bike Scheme was introduced, and in our very own Dublinblog-recession-buster we showed that it is possible to get by in Dublin on 15 € a day and still have fun. Given that Twitter is working Also kicking up a gear was the driver of Dublinbus who tried to cross the street before the Luas and failed miserably:

October then was the month of festivals: Darklight X, the Oktoberfest, HWCH, DEAF and the Temple Bar Chocolate Festival showed us that the month definitively needs more days. And Daragh struck up some controversy with his suggestion that Dublin should grow up. Instead of out.

As everywhere around the world, Dublin also had its worries over the Swine Flu epidemic in November. And while RTE reported that more Irish people than ever are planning to emigrate to Australia and Canada, I felt it my duty as citizen to express my love for this dirty old town.

While everyone was preparing for the Christmas holidays in December, we welcomed two new Dublinbloggers and celebrated the fact that it is now possible to reach The Point errr the O2 by Luas. And also gave some valuable book-shopping tips for last-minute presents. And ended the year with way more snow than expected.

And there we are with even more snow now in January. And if the country does not come to a complete deadlock next week I think we all will survive this emergency as we survived others in the past. So, from all of us here on the Dublinblog a Happy New Year, with hoping for loads of great things for Dublin town. I’d like to end this post with a quote by one of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman:

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

As Christmas is virtually around the corner, and as books always make the best presents (at least in my personal opinion), Dublinblog would like to give you an overview of the top bookstores in Dublin. And no, Eason’s will not be featured in this list. And also I think that Amazon and Co. are not comparable when it comes to browsing through dusty encyclopedias, holding a book in your hand and chatting to knowledgeable staff and with regulars while standing amongst hundreds of old and new books. Go away, Kindle. So, to help support active reading and distribution of real books, why not buy a book (or 5 – one in each store) in one of these shops instead of purchasing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 at Gamestop this Christmas.

Chapters

After the closure of the Borders-branch in the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, this is undisputedly the mother ship of all Dublin bookstores when it comes to size. On their new premises, Chapters on Parnell St. sells an extensive range of books, music and DVDs, both new and second hand, as well as thousands of bargain priced titles. Hell, they even have the whole second floor reserved for 2nd hand book. Besides the usual in-store events like readings and book signings Chapters also plays host to small shows, as seen during this year’s HWCH-festival. And they are on Twitter and have their own blog.

The Gutter Bookshop

The newest of the independent bookstores in Dublin has only recently opened its doors to customers. Conveniently situated within Temple Bar, on the corner of Cow’s Lane, this neat and tidy shop stores a wide array of books, including some great children’s books, as well as gifts and stationery. Why not drop in after you visited the Designer Mart on a Saturday? Bob Johnston and his charming staff will help you to find whatever book you are looking for, and will happily order any that is not in stock. Oh, and guess what: they are on Twitter and Facebook as well. They also have an ongoing and growing list of events, please check their website for more details.

The Secret Book & Record-Store

One of my all-time favourites. Hidden on Wicklow Street, here’s everything an old analog person like me needs. 2nd hand books and CD’s, this is a rummagers heaven. Don’t go here if you are looking for a specific title. But go if you want to browse and spend some time. The place also attracts a wide clientele. Once I chatted for an hour with an 80year old, self-claimed historian named Collin about German tank design in World War 2. Priceless.

The Winding Stairs

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The perfect combination of food and books. After you purchased your books in this Dublin literary institution, why not spend your lunch at the restaurant upstairs. Or, instead of buying dessert you may wander around the 2nd hand section of the bookshop. The only downside of this landmark is that it now belongs (together with the restaurant) to the Thomas Reads-group, which strictly speaking disqualifies it for a list of independent stores.

Temple Bar Book Market

Strictly speaking not really a bookstore, but the combination of 4 different stalls with a wide range of used and antiquarian books makes it another nice stopover while shopping on a Saturday. The perfect combination is with a visit to the Food Market in Temple Bar. And they are there on a Sunday as well.

If you share the same Ebenezer Scrooge-approach to Christmas that I have, I’ve got a little something for you. For us Christmas-dislikers, the Bewleys Cafe Theatre is doing something nice: they are running the Santaland Diaries.

It’s a classic story – one man suffers for our sins, and we are all saved. This year, that man is an elf. Based on David Sedaris’ own experience, THE SANTALAND DIARIES divulges the wickedly funny journey of Crumpet, a 33-year-old starving artist turned Macy’s Santaland elf. At first the job is simply humiliating, but as he contends with cranky parents, badly behaved children and colorful career elves, Crumpet becomes battle-weary and bitter.

As I’m reading Sedaris’ “Holidays on Ice” most festive seasons to not get in the right mood, I can thoroughly recommend this play. It is running until December 22nd, and bookings can be made via the website. In addition, admission will also get you a light lunch. But please note: as the theatre rightly states, this is a Christmas show for adults and contains lots of bad words. Lots!

Today marks the return of the annual German Film Festival, presented by the IFI in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Irland and German Films Services + Marketing.

Continuing a trend that has been much commented on, modern German cinema seems fascinated with exploring the country’s troubled past. Kaspar Heidelbach’s Berlin ’36 tells the extraordinary true story of Gretel Bergmann, who was destined for an Olympic gold medal before she was forced out of the German team for being a Jew. Max Färberböck’s A Woman in Berlin is based on the diary of the only woman to write about the taboo topic of the rape of German women by Red Army soldiers at the end of World War II.

So, if you are up for better German cinema experience than…let’s say last year’s “Baader-Meinhof Komplex”, I strongly recommend to pay a visit to the IFI over the next 10 days. My personal pick is Oskar Roehler’s (Atomised) David Lynch/Baz Luhrmann-hommage “Lulu & Jimi”. Apologies for this German trailer, I could not find a sub-titled one – but I hope the images are sufficient .