Author: CircleMe

Steve Coogan talks about his new film

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steve_coogan

Irish actor Steve Coogan has a new film and he says his Irish Catholic roots had a big role I his new film “Philomena”.

The film, which also stars Dame Judy Dench, tells the story of Philomena Leean Irish woman who was forced to give up her son for adoption in the 1950s and then later goes on a search for the boy.

Coogan, who is also a producer, along with his co-writer Jeff Pope, has won a best screenplay award for the film at the Venice Film Festival.

The boy depicted in the story, Anthony Lee, eventually became an advisor to then-presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan, but eventually died of AIDS before he was able to meet his birth mother.

Coogan, a devout Catholic himself, says he wanted to tell the stories of persons who were devout Catholics who became victims of the system of the times.

He said that the story of Philomena is a story of a lot of people who still practice the Catholic faith “with diligence”. Philomena Lee opened at the Irish Film Institute last week to good reviews.

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Classic Baked Ziti

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backed_ziti
The idea that any recipe which includes pasta is totally Italian is completely false. Some dishes, like the Baked Ziti has also an American twists and is a mainstay of the Italian-American diet. The mix of ziti pasta, in tomato and cheese sauce has stuck around for years.

This dish requires 1 lb lean ground beef, olive oil, 1 cup onion, chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, 1 jar meatless sauce, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 package ziti pasta, cooked and drained, shredded mozzarella cheese, salt, 1 cup grated Parmesan, red pepper flakes, rosemary, basil leaves, and Italian seasoning.

To prepare, preheat and oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet, sauté the ground beef, onions, and garlic with olive oil over a medium to high flame for about 8 minutes or until the beef is browned, stirring often. Add salt to taste. Once the meat is browned, cook for a minute adding the rest of the spices including the rosemary, basil, and Italian seasoning.

Next spread a thin layer of the sauce on a baking dish and add the mozzarella cheese. Add pasta and layer some more sauce, continuing like this until the pasta is finished. Top with a final layer of sauce and cheese. Bake until the dish is browned or four about 20 minutes.

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Tuscany, home of Italian renaissance and fashion

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tuscany_italy
Tuscany is one of the most famous regions in Italy, sitting in the centre of the Italian peninsula. The regional capital, Florence, has been a centre of high art and Italian fashion for decades.

The region is known for its history and landscapes and high culture and was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.

Places to visit in Tuscany include the Uffizi Museum and Pitti Palace in Florence while there are several other World Heritage Sites all across the region including the city of Siena, the Cathedral of Pisa with its Leaning Tower, the historical centre of San Gimignano, Pienza, and the Medici Villas and Gardens.

The region is well-known for its wines with the Chianti being one of the most popular outside of the region.

Many of the largest and most famous cities in Tuscany sit on the banks of the region’s river the Arno including the cities of Florence, Pisa, and Empoli.

Among the most highly rated places to dine out include the Da Delfina near Carmignano which serves home style cooking and the Il Canto Del Maggio in Penna Alto in the Arno Valley.

Definite must tries when in Tuscany are the truffles, the ribollita, and the pappa al pamadoro.

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Guardian’s Top 10 crime movies

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the_guardian
These days it seems that most movies are being recycled and oftentimes the remake isn’t half as good as the original. The UK Guardian has counted down its top 10 crime films in history. Some of them are American made but their appeal crosses borders and oceans.

The films include three from the 1980s and 1990s and one Japanese (“Rashomon”) which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and one French (“Hidden”) and three which were made before 1970 ( Vertigo, Touch of Evil, and Double Indemnity).

Interestingly, the list does not include any of The Godfather films and it includes only one film directed by Martin Scorsese. It does include a classic by the great British suspense/thriller director Alfred Hitchcock.

The top 10 in that order are 1. “Chinatown”, 2. “Touch of Evil”, 3. “Vertigo”, 4. “Badlands”, 5. “Rashomon”, 6. “Double Indemnity”, 7. “Get Carter”, 8. “Pulp Fiction”, 9. “Hidden”, and 10. “Goodfellas”.

There are a lot more great films in the genre that couldn’t make the list.

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What to do and not to do in the DJ booth

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dj_booth
The DJ booth is where the magic is made but sometimes a little bit of horror can be made there as well if you’re not quite sure what it the correct procedure when in that tiny space.

If you’re a budding DJ, there are a few dos and don’ts and we’ve got them run down right here in CircleMe for you.

Don’t ask the security to bring you drinks; Respect the last DJ’s collection and don’t throw his or her stuff on the ground. Don’t play longer than your allotted time. Don’t try to sabotage the next DJ’s set. Don’t diss your fellow DJ’s on social media whether Twitter or Facebook; Introduce yourself properly.

Don’t invite strangers into the booth; Don’t end your set with a strange sounding tune; Know who you are and your place and don’t disrespect the owners or manager’s space; don’t waste time while the other DJ is getting ready to do their set. Do offer words of encouragement to the DJ who will follow.

Music is great and if you follow these tips not only will you have a great set but it will also help you build a great rapport with the other DJs and that will go a long way long after the set ends.

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Zuppa Toscana, Tuscan soup

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zuppa_toscana

When one thinks of Italian food pasta, pizza, and antipasto most readily come to mind. But Italian cuisine also includes an interesting array of soups. One such soup is the Zuppa Toscana.

As the name suggests, Zuppa Toscana is soup indigenous to the Italian region of Tuscany. To make this soup you will need 1 package smoked sausage, 2 potatoes, cut into small slices, 3/4 cup chopped onion, 6 slices bacon, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 cups kale– shredded, 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder, 1 quart water, and 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream.

To prepare first preheat an oven to 300 degrees F, place the sausage on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Cut each in half, lengthwise.

Cook the onions and bacon in a large skillet over a medium flame until the onions are translucent. Crumble to bacon and add the garlic, to the onions and cook for another minute. Add the chicken base and water, potatoes, and simmer for around 15 minutes. Add the bacon, sausage, kale, and cream and cook for a further 4 minutes. Serve when hot.

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Atkins and Von Oswald keeping the beat alive in Berlin

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edm_culture
Electronic Dance Music or EDM is here to stay. House music developed in the black night clubs of Chicago and Detroit in the United States in the mid-1980’s and has evolved since taking a whole new generation and countries, especially in Europe by storm.

In Germany, the band Juan Atkins and Moritz Von Oswald have been helping to link the beats of Detroit with the capital Berlin.

According to Moritz Von Oswald, in an interview with Electronic Beats, the idea of playing electronic music in the German capital was a brain storm of Dimitri from Tresor who got the idea to link the music being played in the USA in Berlin.

“He really pushed things forward. He was really into getting Berlin and Detroit to connect. Tresor worked on getting [music] well spread, and over boundaries,” said Von Oswald.

Moritz doesn’t necessarily describe himself as a techno person but as a “rhythmically interested” person and he wants to put a lot of things into his music such chords and harmony into his rhythms.

Juan Atkins came onto the season in the 1980s and started the association with Von Oswald in the 1990s. One of their most important collaborations is the album Borderland.

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Penne Pasta with Chicken and Bacon, sweet, tangy delight

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penne_pollo_pancetta
The great thing about pasta and especially penne pasta is that it is a great accompaniment with many different types of seafood, meat and vegetables.

To make penne pasta with chicken and bacon gather I package penne pasta, 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, 6 slices bacon, chopped,2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, 1 pound deboned chicken breast, rinsed and cut into strips.

First, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and add the penne pasta and cook until the pasta is tender but firm to the bite for about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a separate container, heat olive oil over a medium flame and sauté chicken. Remove the chicken and fry the bacon until brown and crisp. Next add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until it’s done.

Drain water from the pasta and stir in the chicken and bacon, tomatoes, and garlic mixture with the remaining olive oil.

To add a little something extra this dish may be prepared by adding a few fresh vegetables.

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Oneohtrix Point Never talks about Uncanny Valley

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oneohtrixpoint

Oneohtrix Point Never has got a new album. The album came about with the use of a lyric sheet, scripts, and a text to speech programme and its being described as an “uncanny valley” of sound mixes.

The group sliced up the music and then put it together to make the album what it is.

“Whatever happened to be on whatever octave, or whatever note in the piano roll that correlated with MIDI from another track that was playing whatever melodic line would just happen,”OPN’s Steph Kretowicz told Electronic Beats in a new interview.

And he admitted that they work well with Nate Boyce because they have a similar style of using an art history undertone to their tracks.

“…Because we just see the world the same way. You can actually have both operating at the same time, in a way that is an honest appraisal”.

OPN says that the entire album was intended to have a creepy aura but a narcissistic feel in order to make it more authentic and more personal and a personal narrative.

For Kretowicz music is art and he sometimes finds that it becomes a bit confused as the form becomes blended and generic.

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Penne with Chicken and Pesto, pasta ready

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penne_pasta_chicken_pesto
Penne is one of the most popular varieties of pasta in the world and pesto one it’s most popular accompaniments.

Penne, because of its practical shape and size makes it easy for use in a variety of meals. Pesto, the grounded sauce of basil, garlic, and pine nuts, originated in the Italian port city of Genoa.

To prepare the Penne with Chicken and Pesto, you will need 1 package penne pasta, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into strips, 2 cloves garlic, minced, salt, pepper, 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup pesto, and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.

In a large pot of lightly salted water, boil the penne pasta. You may add a few drops of olive oil to the water to prevent past a sticking together. Cook until firm to the bite.

In a skillet heat the butter and olive oil over a medium flame and sauté the chicken and garlic until the chicken is almost cooked. Turn down the fire and add the salt, pepper, cream, and pesto as well as Parmesan cheese.

Continue to cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the pasta.

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