Our Brokeback Family

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=w7dN52EtrQI&feature=related (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=w7dN52EtrQI&feature=related)

dare you to watch this without getting emotional....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiBS6rWHJdY&eurl=http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/2479/Rove-Cops-A-Mouthful.htm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiBS6rWHJdY&eurl=http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/2479/Rove-Cops-A-Mouthful.htm)

Jocelyn knows these guys I bet.....them Aussies are nuts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkpsNw3oM0Q&eurl=http://failblog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkpsNw3oM0Q&eurl=http://failblog)

 :D :D

poor guys~!

eee! a GHOST!!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/08/08/legrand.haunted.school.wspa?iref=videosearch (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/08/08/legrand.haunted.school.wspa?iref=videosearch)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGBcY2IoFSg&eurl=http://failblog.org/ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGBcY2IoFSg&eurl=http://failblog.org/)

wonder if this is fake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3--mgg7QL8&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3--mgg7QL8&feature=related)

Anky's freestyle from the Olympics 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mRpDQzxc5c&eurl=http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,15820.360.html (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mRpDQzxc5c&eurl=http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,15820.360.html)

 >:( >:( >:(

so THIS is Don's problem!! He's signed up for the "F" plan!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3qFdbUEq5s&feature=rec-fresh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3qFdbUEq5s&feature=rec-fresh)

this is TOOOOO hilarious!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdyV7iYgGC8&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdyV7iYgGC8&feature=related)

poor truck driver..

Ooops.... I guess this belongs over here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e7F7tgkr0c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e7F7tgkr0c)

 :D :D :D :D :D


oh that is HILARIOUS!!! I saw the one of his girlfriend but I had never seen this one!!

http://www.maylin.net/Fireworks.html (http://www.maylin.net/Fireworks.html)

ok it isnt' a YOutube...it is a website where you can make your own firework display!!

it is kinda fun!

It's hard enough teaching a horse this but a camel??!!

well that is FUNNY!!!

 :D :D

(and cool!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFWeldHtJgI&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFWeldHtJgI&feature=related)

this lil squirrel opens up his last can of "Whoophiney" on a snake...whoever heard of such a thing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n93oLPBNUc8&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n93oLPBNUc8&feature=related)

hey!

I was looking up YouTube videos on Equitana the other day but didn't come across that one.  It's one of the better ones.  The only problem is it doesn't show the Breeders Village where I was in the driving rain! LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIUsdRwebPQ&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIUsdRwebPQ&feature=related)

the best description of Alice in wonderland syndrome....almost gave me a turn watching the opening!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=vrYOQ52U3LQ



ENJOY!!!!

Hmmm, it's just showing the link and not the video. >:(

HA!!

there ya go, Quarter horses rock!  ;D ;D

kidding aside, imo the quarter looks like it would be more fun to ride, he seems much more willing and relaxed...COOL video! thank you so much!!


(Don knew right off he was a Leno...says he needs to work on his pivots  ::) ::) )

 :D :D :D

I thought it was funny when they changed horses.  The Western rider managed to get a lot more out of the dressage horse than the dressage rider did out of the QH.   The dressage horse was a lot more hyped up.  Probably needed to go for a long trail ride.

Considering you and Don breed QH's, I would fully expect him to know the bloodline of the horse!  ;) :D

I liked the English guys attitude though he made me laugh with the hat thing there!  :D :D

the tail swishing would get on my nerves...I always think that is a prelude to a bucking session (and I dont' do bucking)

the other thing that made me laugh is how small that quarter looked next to the dressage horse! He looked like a pony!

 :D :D

I need to stay off horse videos on Youtube. I could get lost over there!

Those dressage horses can be enormous.  A couple of my Warmblood mares are well over 17hh - and thick as two bricks to go with it.  I've seen a warmblood stallion over 18hh.  There is no way you'd get me on anything that big!!

They're addictive aren't they! LOL  Although, at the moment, Youtube is more of a pain than anything else.  Until my two way satellite connection is installed, I'm on dial up and the videos are taking ages to download.

ouch! I remember...you have to set them to load then go feed while you wait!

(I got more stuff done in RL back then though!)  :D :D

From this year's Britain's Got Talent.  Like Susan Boyle, one should never judge a book by its cover. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O88k4i6pF1A

One of the best, natural countertenor voices I've ever heard.  They are very rare since the Pope put an end to operating on promising choirboys!LOL

yeah, kinda put a crimp in the supply chain there...

I have never heard it before...the countertenor..

Amazing gymnasts!  You will have to DOUBLE click on the black space where it says "embedding disabled by request" to get it to play.

wow!! those are some amazing moves!

Enjoy!

One of my Aunts married a White Russian who fled from the USSR after the war.  If you know even a little of the history of that time, you will understand why this artist won.

For all you Opera lovers!

The Sound of Music anyone??!!

LOL!! see what happens when you stand too close the front? you get dragged into the proceedings!

that was fun!

well ok..>THAT one was fun!

 :) :)

thank you Jocelyn!

http://oliverandchristianwiki.wetpaint.com/page/Oliver+%26+Christian%27s+Story+-+Part+1+to+10 (http://oliverandchristianwiki.wetpaint.com/page/Oliver+%26+Christian%27s+Story+-+Part+1+to+10)

This is not your typical Youtube post.  This is a whole storyline which I've lately gotten quite interested in from, all of things, a German TV series which has been subtitled on Youtube.  It sounds preposterous but this story, which has been running since the end of 2007 and is still developing, is very well written and I found myself really getting drawn into it.  And it is apparently turning into an Internet phenomenon, with a whole new audience in English-speaking countries because of the subtitles, which are done by a fan and are very good.  And because this is Youtube and most of the episodes are only about 5 minutes, you do move through the story pretty fast.  I think the actors who play Christian and Oliver are just outstanding.

The first forty parts are about how Christian, who has a girlfriend and who has managed to suppress his gay feelings, starts to fall in love with Oliver who is out, fighting his feelings like mad the whole way.  By part 14, the camping trip, they start to feel like buddies to each other after all the tensions caused by Christian's homophobia and the problems he is starting to have with the girlfriend.

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c112/youbetjack/ChristianOlivercampfire2-2.jpg)

This scene introduces a guitar theme is which is almost a steal from Brokeback Mountain.  And the actors were well aware of the film, the one who plays Christian (who has a tad of Ennis in him) said in an interview,

"I gained inspiration from the movie Brokeback Mountain. I know that might be a little exaggerated but I try to aim high. After watching that movie I was surprised in a positive way. The movie showed how realistically and beautifully you can portray the love between two men."

However, the story is set in a present-day German city and one of the best sequences is in parts 31 - 39 where Christian and Olli, who are still standoffish, start chatting to each other about their real feelings in a gay chatroom without either realizing who they are spilling their feelings to.

After Christian lets himself fall in love and they accept each other, there are several other interesting story arcs, like about being gay in a sometimes violent macho sports world (Christian is working on his dream to become a boxer, and goes far).  And then, much later, when he has to give this up because of an enlarged heart, he gets interested in working with horses at a local estate.

Overall, the best part is, after they have become a couple, seeing how accepting their friends and the society around them are of their loving each other in an open way.   They get to be a kind of anchor and beacon to their friends who are mired in their own love problems.   It's very funny in places, especially in the parts where they are trying to find that life-work balance that seems to elude us all.  It almost never feels like a soap to me, the writing is just way too good.

how nice...thank you Andrew...I'll watch it for sure!

There is a real chemistry there between those two, that is one reason I can't stop thinking about that story.  You really see Christian develop from a young man with a lot of anger about the painful parts of his family history, and who really needs that punching bag, into the most gentle sweet man.  And all because he has finally found someone who believes in him completely, who will do anything to support him, who isn't going to go away.
Even if you can't understand the words the tone of his voice is saying everything.  He just has such natural talent as an actor - he supposedly just took a short acting course after college and started right in on the show.

it sounds very good...I am looking forward to trying it!

Oh no Andrew!! :o

The last time you sent me a link to a series, I spent all the next day watching it.  (I think it was the Coronation Street one.)  I was still in my dressing gown and slippers at 3 in the afternoon. ::)

Tomorrow happens to be a public holiday here but I have work to do.

Yes, definitely have work to do.........

No I can't afford to spend all day watching Youtubes.........


No I can't...........



Hmmm, 5 minutes x 40 divided by 60 = 3 and a bit hours.............


Weelllll,  MAYBE if I get up early, I could watch just a FEW..........

Maybe this needs to be a wake up at night activity.  Yes, I know there is work on the farm (and your job) pre-sun up to sun down.   Though, the effect on me was to keep me up past bedtime.  I'm glad you had a chance to watch the Todd and Karl Coronation Street back when I was enjoying those Youtubes, although I think this goes far beyond that in terms of how it treats the whole arc of a relationship.  Todd and Karl don't even become a couple, the only long term result of that whole story is to make Todd realize he is gay.  He then went off the show, supposedly to study in London.

I have watched the first two and I can tell you, them subtitles take some getting used to! I keep getting distracted by the words that sound the same!

 :D

They do use a lot of borrowed English in German today, apparently, it is pretty stylish.  And then, German is the language most like English after Dutch.  Lots of basic words are even spelled the same, like Finger and Hand, although they are pronounced a little differently.  And there are other words that are spelled a little differently like Vater and Mutter which are easy to remember because they are so close.

Yes, you may have to look at some of them twice so you can pay more attention to the acting once you know everything that's being said.  But after a while you just learn how to do it.

another new experience you offer me... ;)

I will stick with it...even if Olli's cousin is crazy... :D

Jess, if you don't mind jumping ahead from the first episodes in 2007 when Christian would have been incapable of even entertaining the idea that he might be gay, to last night's segment two years into their relationship, it has a Christian's dressage exam for his sports school.

 
This episode also introduces the first suspicion that after a golden year and a half, their relationship might be in for a little challenge.

what? we don't get to see them rolling in the hay?!

 >:( >:(

is Rob homophobic or does he want Ollie for himself?

You can judge for yourself about the rolling by the beginning of the next episode, Jess.

Rob?  We don't know yet, he's only been in a few episodes, it's just obvious he is going to be a big troublemaker.   He could be purely into getting his own way and completely indifferent to what is standing in the way, or it could be a power trip for the sake of prying Olli away from Christian.

By the way, Olli is acting strange for him.  You really do have to see the story from the beginning.

Here are the next two:

ok I am gonna go back and watch from the beginning! I think I am getting used to the subtitles..

You will find them using an amazing amount of English anyway.  And it doesn't take long before you start picking up a little German too.  Like, one of the favorite answers to a question sounds like 'KI nuh AH noong' and means 'no idea'. 

And since the characters are really consistently drawn, not just pawns of the plot, you start to anticipate the kind of thing they are likely to say in that situation.

Here is a translation into English of an interview in a German riding magazine about shooting the episode in which the Christian (actor Thore Scholermann) has his dressage exam.  That originally aired in Germany last week and I posted it a little way up, but here it is again: 

 

I cleaned up the original Internet translation from German into a little more idiomatic English:

Thore's interview in "Junge Reiter Revue Magazine"
 Sonntag, 20. Dezember 2009 um 12:33



Horses on television – cool. A main-cast actor from „Forbidden Love“ who rides – even cooler! We were allowed to spend one day with Thore Schölermann at the “horse-set“. During this time we found out a lot about clapperboards, cables and extras – and about Thore's real forbidden love.

November-cold is biting, as we arrive at 8 o'clock in the morning in Kerpen at the location set of „Forbidden Love“ – a soap that airs from Monday to Friday 6 PM on the ARD network. For the last 15 years there have been stories about friendship, yearning, hate and intrigues in the world of aristocrats and rich people – and sometimes stories about horses too.

„Could you park by the bus and come in immediately?“ says one guy with a cap and radio equipment in his hands. We park our car and announce that we are there, but we are confused with someone else. „The extras can stay inside and warm up. It's taking a little bit of time until the shooting can begin.“  A mistake. We are not extras, but a team from „Ritter Revue“, which will be watching the shooting. But unfortunately this is how it is with people with another specialty: film people don't know anything about our magazine or us. Although we on the other hand also we know very little about what is actually going on.

Anyway, 20 people are running around, setting up big cameras and light equipment, furnishing the set, technical and catering tents and scrolling meters of cable. It's taking some time before it can begin, because our main cast actor, Thore Schölermann alias Christian Mann is still sitting in the traffic jam. As we find out later he already preparing for the shoot. “We couldn't got through by the highway anymore. So we left the road, I jumped with my riding clothes over the road barrier and set the pace for the others,“ he says later with a mischievous grin, when he shows up at the set. He gives a sympathetic and natural impression, when he stands by us and and chatters away. Somehow it fits the character he has been playing the last three years. As Christian Mann he is always open-minded and friendly, a loyal friend and big sports fanatic. “Of course many things melt together with the role. You are bringing your personality with you and taking something else home after work. But in reality I'm not so soft as in the series.  A little more grumpy,“ says Thore, grinning, which makes it hard to believe him again. But one thing is sure: he is not into guys. Only in front of the camera does he has a relationship with a man (Olli, actor Jo Weil).  This gives more than one female fan a sigh of relief.

Shooting has already been going on for a while in the hall while we were talking. A trainer and judge commission has to act again and again as if they are watching the riding of Christian Mann, a new horse caretaker in the castle Königsbrunn to decide whether he should get the job. The same scene will be filmed several times from different camera angles: the commission watches, makes notes, has a discussion. Then a glass of water gets knocked over. Clapper - “and please!“ It seems to take an eternity, especially when you are considering that from the day's work only 5 minutes will appear on screen.


Enthusiastic Rider

The trailer with Thore's horse drives up. The actor cranes his neck and looks happy. For two weeks he has been riding until his thighs were sore and he had aching muscles, together with the Trakehnen Rocker and his owner Ines Fay who provides the horses for the show.
“We were allowed to make some suggestions for the show. I said that I'm able to ride and that I would really like to do this“, Thore explains. “For a long time nothing happened. But suddenly the riding scenes were in the scripts with only a few weeks preparation time. “In 14 days time I wanted to get to the level I was on six years ago“, the actor tells us. Until his time at the “Bundeswehr“ he had been breeding his own horses and had even made it to “L-Dressur“ with them.
“If you are or were able to do something you put yourself under pressure. I didn't want to embarrass myself, especially not in front of people like my riding buddies and tournament judges who know me from former times and would see me riding in the show and say, I'm hanging on the horse like a wet sack!“
After a long break from riding it wasn't easy for the 25-year-old to get used to the sensitive Trakehnen Rocker and to get through to him with his riding aids. But he had the ambition to sit in the saddle himself and to make it look realistic.
“I worked on that scene. After all, I can't stand next to the horse at the square and tell the judges, I'll come a little later.“
The question of the right equipment also required the enthusiastic rider's advice. Because Thore knows what he is talking about. Whatever he does, he wants to do it well – and himself. Still, on the day of shooting Rocker is warmed up by his owner. Not only should Thore not be soaked with sweat, it's also for safety reasons. According to his contract, risky sports like riding and parachuting are forbidden. “Which made me all the happier that I had to go on horseback for the role“, Thore beams. He is visiting his family in the Sauerland and packs his whole riding equipment into the car. Trousers, boots, chaps, saddle and blankets, helmet... “The car smelled wonderfully like horse and leather, I was immediately hooked again“, enthuses the self-described “country bumpkin“.
Down-to-earth, decent and anything but stuck-up, that's how the star comes across. Partly, probably, due to the way he was brought up: On a small farmstead near Iserlohn with a small forestry, different animals, among others of course horses – and with two siblings. “I was really ambitious in tournament sports – only getting up early was exhausting“, he reports and admits that his mother got his horse ready for him in the morning. “But I always did the plaiting myself. Standing plaits, otherwise I'd have had trouble with my sister!“ But the TV star also enjoyed the time after the tournament very much: “Grazing break, nice country rides, just fooling around with the horse – wonderful!“ The decision to quit riding when national service and acting school came along wasn't easy for Thore: “There was only 'deal or no deal'; my self-bred horse was nine and full of life. I sold it with a heavy heart. But with right of first refusal.“ At home two brood mares he could still ride until his TV contract prohibited it, remain. He is still very attached to his home. Every time after he visited his family he brings “Iserlohner Pils“  and mustard with him. “And I love caring for our forest, making wood, driving the tractor or going hunting. That's great“, he enthuses with beaming eyes.


Dreams and dream roles

That explains why he has a particular dream role – and that's not James Bond. “I'd really like to play the forester Rombach from 'Forsthaus Falkenau'. I always thought this show was awesome! Also, a villain would be great.“ But today, it's all about his current dream role. Christian Mann. And he has to pass a dressage exam, before he can fall into the hay with his boyfriend. Turn on the forehand, medium trot and lead changes are shot over and over again. Thore is not satisfied. “No, again, that was so bad. We have to take the time, it's a horse, please, no bustle“, he growls stubbornly. Well, that surely was not in the script.

Time keeps running. An extra did not appear. My colleague Jennifer Appelbaum is allowed to fill in and to stand at the boards. Then the scene is in the can. Thore's thighs are ridden bloody again – and Rocker is knackered. They both cuddle in the stable and are bosom buddies. Before Thore has to go into the hay for the next scene, we take a few photos. He poses boldly, but then his look becomes dreamy and he reveals: “You always have to decide. At the moment, with work and days of shooting from 7am to 6.30pm I am not able to ride anymore. But someday, who knows? But then, with my own horse!“ Still, horseback riding is, appropriately for the show, his “forbidden love“. But when you see the glow in his eyes you know: Someday Thore will be riding again. Not just for the camera, but for himself!

(This episode will be broadcasted on the 20th of January).

he does sound like a sweetheart doesn't he? I didn't know that actor's contracts forbid them to ride!

I cant' believe they put horseback riding on the same level of danger as jumping out of a plane!

That list of forbidden activities better be pretty long if it includes riding horses, right?  Like, almost anything you could get an injury from that could put you out of a scheduled shooting.

When I read in the article that one of the magazine writers substituted for an extra who didn't show, I had to think it was the one on the right in the Youtube still.  She is looking right at the camera like it is fascinating!

That article actually sounded more like one for a TV magazine than one for a riding magazine, didn't it?  Not much at all about the horse or detailed things about the riding.  Of course, they wanted to be gracious and not say too much about the horsemanship of an actor who usually didn't even get the chance.

About Thore - yes, he sounds really sweet.  In video interviews I have seen, very natural and modest.  When you get time to see the videos - the buttoned-up, angry-when-challenged Christian character of the first 30+ episodes, with his awful family past and damaged recent history, gradually develops his softer, sweeter side in the safety of Olli's love.  He keeps enough of the anger and vulnerability to make for a rich, appealing and to me very life-like character.

I'd love to see a live performance of Cirque du Soleil.  These are from three different shows.  The acrobats brilliant!

those are very cool, I wish I was that limber!

 :D :D

I liked the third best I think!

If you think those acrobats are limber, you should see the contortionists!  They make me wince!! LOL

that is freaky....too weird looking..like her back is broken or something... :P