Lexx: Wake the Dead is Season 2 episode 10 of a Canadian TV mini-series. As near as I can tell, it is aimed at a youth market, as many of the characters look punk, the music is rather modern, and sexual overtones are everywhere. Look at the insect/spaceship Lexx in the upper left corner of every image for an obvious phallic shape. In this episode, a group of friends borrow daddy's space transport, set it to wake them up when they reach their destination, and go into cryo-sleep. They are discovered 300 years later adrift by the crew of the Lexx. One of the group unleashes a space assassin, who he charges to "kill everyone."

The exposure is provided by Patricia Zentilli in a shower scene. Note that the entrance to the shower (image 2) looks like a vagina from the inside, and the shower nozzle looks rather like a penis. She shows buns, and rather nice ones, and a quick partial breast shot. This series seems to have a huge following. I can't say that I found it compelling, but then I am not the target audience. C.

Alex Kingston festival. Lots of pics. Lots of words.

• Croupier (all new images) (1, 2, 3)

• Moll Flanders (all new images) (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

• Essex Boys (reworking of previous images) (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Encyclopedia update:

• there is now a new page for Elizabeth Kaitan. Link there through the main members links (Encyclopedia of Naked Celebrities, K section). 
• there is now a new page for Sonja Kirchberger. Link there through the main members links (Encyclopedia of Naked Celebrities, K section). 
• later today, there will be a new page for Alex Kingston. Link there through the main members links (Encyclopedia of Naked Celebrities, K section). 

WORDS

in the following, Scoop's comments in white, other people's words in yellow

Hi Scoop.

The mispronunciations that ruin the moment for me are the swapping of Calvary and cavalry. Brings up visions of Custer being crucified in Jerusalem, or else kicking Roman ass to save Christ.  The dictionary listing is derived from common usage.  If people say it enough, it becomes correct.  In a decade or so, "motherfucker" will be OK to use in term papers.  Another example: a tidal wave originally meant a wave caused when tides ran through a narrow gap.  Now, however, tidal waves are caused by earthquakes, unless you are a very tight-assed scientific type

Scoop's note: Yup, Webster's Collegiate is a descriptive dictionary, which means, for example, that the first pronunciation listed should be the one most often used in America. Well, in theory, anyway. So if everybody pronounces dough to rhyme with "loge", that would get the top listing in a few years. Let's go for it.

That whole Custer/Jesus analogy does help me get a better grip on the movies of Marco Ferreri and Robert Downey Sr.

I'm referring to two of the strangest movies ever made:

• Don't Touch The White Woman, the silly movie that has Mastroianni as General Custer battling the Indians in Paris during the Nixon administration.

• Greaser's Palace, the film that features Jesus in the Old West, as zoot-suited singer and dancer of 1940's boogie, ala Cab Calloway

Hi Scoop.

What about "Wednesday"? Or doesn't that count?

I'm kinda lost on this one. I looked it up in Webster's collegiate and the OED, and they both list two pronunciations- WENS-dee and WENS-day (and my OED edition was last updated in 1884). Doesn't everyone use one or the other? What am I missing? I seem to be out of the loop.

For those of you who have forgotten, this silly word is named for the pagan god Odin or Wotan. 

• In Old English it was most often "Wodnes dæg" (Old English had four distinct dialects, and not much survives. Furthermore, standardized spelling is a comparatively modern development. Cayton started the job in 1476, King Jimmy published his bible in the early 1600's, and Dr Johnson's famous dictionary was published just before the American Revolution.). Amazingly enough, the OE spelling of Wednesday has survived recognizably, although I guess it is reasonable to say they used to pronounce it with three syllables.

• In Old Norsk it was othinsdagr or odensdagr.  Modern Norwegian has kept the essence, but shortened it to onsdag. 

"Mo-men-to", as opposed to the correct "mim-en-to" (memento)... I bet this one isn't used correctly by more than one person in five. I've heard it on multi-million dollar nationwide ads.

Good point. This one is absolutely butchered in modern American speech. 

Two more words for you.  "Library" is often pronounced with the "r" silent at "liberry", and "Valentine" becomes "Valentime".  I never really understood those folks talking about "Valentime's Day"

I never though of it, but many people do say Valentime, yet nobody gets confused and calls anyone Valentimo. I guess the familiar word "time" just wants to take over.

Library is certainly butchered. I pronounce the word wrong myself, although not as described above. I'm not sure where I picked it up on my travels (most Americans tell me I have an accent, even though I was born and educated here ), but I say LIE-bree, with two syllables, and can't seem to force out that third syllable unless I am being especially cautious about my enunciation.

Scoop's additional thought: Speaking of caution, it is fun to hear people speak when they know they will be on TV and they don't use their natural speech. People always try to sound more intelligent and, as a result, achieve the opposite. One of my favorites is when official spokesmen say that they have no information "at this point in time". I take it that they mean "now", a perfectly serviceable and communicative English word which they would normally use, until that mike gets up to their mouth and they want to sound official. If you have an urge to say the even more stilted "at this particular point in time", hoping to stress immediacy, you can try out "right now"

It reminds me of Patton's famous command, "do it at this particular point it time".

First up...scenes from episodes of "Beverly Hills Bordello".