Honor Blackman

August 22nd- birthday greetings to a real icon and all-time heroine here at Kartoshka Towers,
Miss Honor Blackman.

Владимир Высоцкий - Почему аборигены съели Кука

An incredible song by Vladimir Vysotsky (1938-1980). Find the lyrics here:
http://www.wysotsky.com/1033.htm?377

Joao Kartoshka has a busy life at the moment, so it is time to put the blog to sleep. Thank you for your support.

Evening in Kartoshka Towers...21:00 hrs

Kartoshka- The Movie

Herr Wim Wenders- director of Kartoshka, the Movie.

Well, fans, I've sent the almost finished script to Mr Wim Wenders. I don't know who's going to be playing me- most of the obvious choices are sadly no longer with us (Stirling Hayden, Eddie Constantine, Ralph Meeker), but I understand that Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson and Daniel Craig are possibilities.
The obvious choice for Mrs K is Renata Litvinova, but she may need to shed a few kilograms.
Mattinho is hoping that Owen Wilson will play him.
Basically a semi- documentary set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the story tells how an ordinary boy from a deprived background develops an obsession with football and Bossa Nova music that takes him on an odyssey... well, I don't want to give too much away, but he ends up living in a tiny cluttered apartment writing a blog and pitching his ideas for a chat show, guided by the ghost of Nilton Santos*.
Just for fun we've developed a potential soundtrack. There's not too much Bossa Nova. It's a bit light on bitrate.
Asteroid- Pete Moore, Penthouse Suite- Syd Dale, The Town I Live In- Jackie Lee, Music To Watch Girls By- Andy Williams, Maria Ninguem- Joao Gilberto, Baby Love Child- Pizzicato Five, Temptation- Tom Waits, Mas Que Nada- Sergio Mendes, They Talk About Us- Cindy Williams, Right Now- Mel Torme, Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart- Gene Pitney, Lady Marmalade- Labelle, Caravan- Duke Ellington, Interlude- Timi Yuro, Soul Bossa Nova- Quincy Jones, Tonight- Keith and Tex, Chatterton- Serge Gainsbourg, Something Big-Burt Bacharach,Penthouse Suite- Syd Dale, Asteroid- Pete Moore.

Here's the music:http://rapidshare.com/files/412425311/Kartoshka_Sounds.rar.html

* This part of the script requires some revision as thankfully Nilton is still alive.

Phan Văn Santos

It is not my intention to be patronising here, but Vietnam is hardly a country that makes one think of footballing glory.
They are currently ranked 127 in the world by FIFA (the highest they have been in these rankings is 84th in September 1998). Whilst football is by far the most popular sport in the country, the V-League only turned professional in 2000. On a positive note they are the current ASEAN Champions (not to be confused with Asian Games champions- that's Qatar).
Over 50 Brazilian born players have featured in the V league during its first decade, Denilson being the only member of the seleção to do so.

The most remarkable Brazilian born player to feature in the V- league must be goalkeeper Phan Văn Santos (born Fabio dos Santos, Rio De Janeiro, 1977). He started his career with Vasco and moved to Đồng Tâm Long An in 2001. He recently moved to Navibank Sài Gòn (who have 3 other Brazilian born players in their squad).

A formidable 92 kg and 198 cm tall, in addition to his qualities as a stopper Fabio is also a free kick specialist, and the only goalie to have scored in the Asian Champions League . In 2008 Fabio became the first overseas sportsman to be granted Vietnamese Citizenship, meeting the residency, work and language criteria. He took the name Phan Van in honour of two of his teammates, and led Vietnam against the Brazil Olympic team in July 2008.

A further 4 Brazilians have followed Phan Văn Santos' example by becoming naturalized Vietnamese: Huynh Kesley (Kesley Alves), Nguyen Rogerio (Rogerio Pereira),Nguyen Hoang Helio (Helio da Silva), and Le Trung Son (Jefferson Valentim).

Phan Văn Santos leads Vietnam out against Brazil.

In conversation with Ronaldinho.

More info on Vietnam Football can be found here: http://www.vietfootball.blogspot.com

Style...

Theme from Kartoshka...

When (?) the bigshots in TV land finally decide that Joao Kartoshka is the ideal host for a nostalgia based talkshow (executives take note: the show could be made on a very low budget here in my apartment) I'm going to insist on having Penthouse Suite by Syd Dale as the theme music. I could sit here at my desk and the guests could occupy the sofa. Mattinho would be banished to the kitchen. And chain smoking would be acceptable. I got an MP3 of this, along with many other 1960's theme tunes from this excellent blog: http://cosmobells.blogspot.com/2010/01/kpm-194-sixties.html?zx=4aa6e991a74e2c1e

Revolucion Cubana

As you might have deduced from some of the football posts I have a long standing interest in trading cards and sticker albums.

Despite our socialist leanings Ma Kartoshka never got me this one, though!

From what I can gather it was given away in Cuba in the early 1960's, the stickers coming free with canned fruit?

Here's a link to a website where you can view all of the images:

http://www.dropby.com/AlbumDeLaRevolucionCubana/indexEN.html

Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg (1928 –1991)- Histoire de Melody Nelson(1971) . When driving his Rolls Royce , a middle aged man knocks a 15 year old girl off her bicycle. Naturally, in the world of Gainsbourg, this leads to seduction and romance.

Gainsbourg's 25 year old wife Jane Birkin provided the vocals for Melody, and is also the cover star.

Musical director was Jean - Claude Vannier.

Now acknowledged as Gainsbourg's most influential work, the LP was not a commercial success.

Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/411546819/SG.rar

Evening in Kartoshka Towers...20:00 hrs

Sherri- the next time you hear a lot of noise it's probably just another ordinary evening down here...
Clip from Diamond Hand (Бриллиантовая Pука - 1968)- with Yuri Nikulin (Юрий Никулин) and Svetlana Svetlichnaya (Светлана Светличная).

Mattinho has suggested that we use this design for wallpaper in our lounge. I'm not sure that it's such a good idea...

Аркадий Северный

Аркадий Северный - это псевдоним Аркадия Дмитриевича Звездина
(1939-1980гг.) - исполнителя песен в жанре городского фольклора.
Аркадий Северный пел под собственный аккомпанемент на разболтанной
семиструнной гитаре, закрепив ее гриф при помощи обыкновенной
расчески. Репертуар певца включал большое разнообразие блатных и
хулиганских песен.
В 1967 году Северный выпустил запись поддельной радиопередачи, в
которой он исполнял такие песни. Репертуар певца способствовал тому,
что многие из его слушателей были уверены, что сам Северный отсидел в
тюрьме и был настоящим бандитом. На самом деле, в годы, когда
записывались его первые концерты, он закончил институт и работал в
организации Союзэкспортлес. Слава и популярность настигли певца,
когда в звании лейтенанта он служил в рядах Советской Армии.
Творчество Аркадия Северного не было признано официально и, также как
многие его современники, он стал культовой фигурой благодаря
нелегальному тиражированию записей с его концертами.
Благодарю Mrs.K за перевод.


Arkady Severny was the pseudonym of Arkady Dmitrivich Zvezdin - (1939-1980). He worked in the tradition of Bard music, accompanying himself on a battered seven string with a comb wedged under the neck. . Severny had a wide repertoire of criminal songs. In 1967 he released a recording of a fake radio programme on which he performed these songs. Severny’s use of criminal songs led people to assume that he must have been a convict or at least a hooligan. In fact he had been a degree student and was working for the Soviet Timber Export Service at the time the recordings were made, and was serving as a Lieutenant in the Army when he achieved fame. Severny was never officially recognised as a recording artist, and like many of his contemporaries he attained cult status through the underground distribution of his recordings. Thanks to Mrs K for translation.

http://arkasha-severnij.narod.ru/

Link:http://rapidshare.com/files/410783645/AC.rar.html

Evening in Kartoshka Towers...19:00 hrs

日系ブラジル人

One of the players who impressed me (and there weren't that many) during the recent FIFA World Cup was Japan's centre back Tulio. Marcus Tulio Tanaka was born in Palmeira d'Oeste,Brazil in 1981.His father was a second generation Japanese-Brazilian and his mother Italian-Brazilian. Tulio moved to Japan at age 15 to complete his high school studies. After graduation in 2001, he joined the J.League club Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Tulio made his international début in 2006, and has played 43 times for Japan, scoring twice.
Tulio is the latest in a succession of Brazilian born players to represent Japan at the highest level. Some of these players have shared Tulio's mixed heritage, whilst others have been Brazilians who became 'naturalized' in Japan.


In 1967 Nelson Yoshimura became the first Brazil born player to appear in the Japanese league. Nelson was born in São Paulo. In 1970 he became a Japanese citizen and took the name Dashiro Yoshimura. Dashiro went on to play international football.

George Yonashiro was born in São Paulo(1950). He obtained his Japanese citizenship in 1985 and played twice for Japan that year (no goals).
Ruy Ramos (born Ruy Gonçalves Ramos Sobrinho in Rio de Janeiro,1957) became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 1989. He joined Yomiuri FC (now Tokyo Verdy) in 1977. He played 32 games for Japan between 1990 and 1995, scoring once.

Wagner Lopes (born Wágner Augusto Lopes,São Paulo, 1969) is a naturalised Japanese citizen.He was an important member of Japan's 1998 FIFA World Cup squad, playing 20 internationals between 1997 and 1999, scoring five goals.Alex (born Alessandro dos Santos, Paraná,1977) played 82 times for Japan between 2002 and 2006, scoring seven goals.Alex moved to Japan at the age of sixteen. He became a Japanese citizen in 2001, and represented his new country at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Alex also played at the 2006 World Cup, including a match against Brazil.