What would the animal series be without Mary’s favourites? So without further ado, the first blog entry by Mary Messhausen:

Growing up as a little girl in an alternative universe (Newfoundland), I used to gaze out of my frosty window to the cliff across the pond. One day I noticed little creatures fluttering about. I thought they were fairies, so I decided to have a closer look. When I reached the top of the cliff, I was surrounded by hundreds of little flying mini penguins… also known as the puffin.

The puffin stands at about 30 cm (1 foot) tall and I have a weak spot for them because they have bright clown coloured faces, their tiny flappy wings bring them all over the world and year after year they return home and breed in the same hole.

Fast forward to when I was 16. I went back to the motherland aka The Philippines. One night I was asleep in my family home when I awoke to the sound of a bird like twill. Curious to see where the sound was coming from, I strolled through the Chocolate Hills and ventured into the forest. With my trusty flashlight, I quickly found the source of this mysterious sound. High in the treetops I spotted the Mawmag, known locally as the Koboldmaki or Philippine Tarsier.

As it looked down upon me with its enormous eyes, I figured that it could fit in the palm of my hand. It was really the cutest animal I had seen since my brush with the puffin. I always wanted the people here to see this sleepy and shy monkey, so I’m going back in February to bring a bunch home to live with me in my cozy new shack.

That being said, I’m delighted to introduce you to the two animal spirits of Mary.

I feel very honored to have a post by my friend malo, who runs the (I would like to say: amazing) blog malorama.de:

As everybody knows, Produzentin is the leading Roisin Murphy promoter in Canada. Last Saturday night, The House of Produzentin Headquarters sent me to Roisin’s concert in Cologne, to write a little report about it.

There is no doubt that the adjective to use for any description in combination with Roisin (body shape, voice, clothes, songs, dancing style) must be “amazing”, pronounced in a very stretched and queer way. Her show was amazing! The concert started with “Cry Baby”. Roisin wore slim black trousers, of course high waist and not this old fashioned slim waist Fergie shit, and a white tight shirt that showed all of her upper body muscles including the pectoral ones (quite small if anyone should be interested).

During the concert she changed her look, adding little fashion ingredients she picked from a trashy coat tree on stage. For example, a pink top with big shoulder pads, a black biker jacket with long fringes, a black hat, mirrored sunglasses or a pink feather boa, just to name a few. Well, all the gay standards, just look in your own wardrobe.

The next songs were all from her new album. She sings so perfect and with an incredible easiness - I mean with an amazing easiness - that first I suspected her to lip sync to a playback tape because the songs sounded identical to the album. But she sang really live, that was so amazing! Roisin is also the best female dancer I’ve seen for a long time. Not in this ridiculous Beyonce style, more in a very British way, sometimes a bit masculine and sharp, really fantastic. It was so much fun to see her dancing.

She also sang some songs from her last album and I especially liked a very nice version of “Forever More” from her Moloko times. Surprisingly, I wasn’t very convinced of “Overpowered”, the last song before the encores, but maybe I just heard this song too much during the last weeks. The concert lasted nearly two hours, the audience went crazy almost all the time and I’m not getting tired to be amazingly impressed by this night.

Here’s the setlist she sang in Frankfurt on Friday, as far as I remember it’s the same as in Cologne: Cry Baby – You Know Me Better – Checkin’ On Me – Dear Miami – Primitive – Sow Into You – Footprints – Pandora – Movie Star – Scarlet Ribbons – Forever More – Let Me Know – Overpowered – Tell Everybody – Ramalama (Bang Bang).

Here are a couple of pictures from her show in Frankfurt.

Today produzentin.com is bringing you another guest blogger in the favourite animal series, please welcome Alex W. (meet Oppebu after the jump):

When Ms Produzentin asked me for my favorite animal, I wasn’t sure what to say. My favorite species I knew, without question, was the giraffe – what’s not to love, their long necks, spotted fur, and understated attitude. My favorite creature however is my cat, Oppebu, not at all a giraffe, but also with spotted fur. Which would I choose, especially as Oppebu has problems with peoples and species from North Africa or the Middle East, the home of my beloved giraffes?

I thought I’d do a test and put some of my giraffe memorabilia together with Oppebu, and see who came out on top?
First, here is a small sample of the giraffe paraphernalia that I decided to use as the test:

Item: Giraffe three-touch lamp (broken).
Item: Giraffe toys (four plastic, one wooden, of various shapes and sizes).
Item: Giraffe pillow.
Item: Giraffe hand-puppet.
Item: Giraffe over-sized t-shirt.
Although I had left out some of my favorite giraffe broaches, reading materials, and other such stuff, I still thought it would do fine.

Read all of "The Giraffebu"

We’re continuing with animal week at produzentin.com, here are Oliver’s most cherished creatures:

My favourite animals are cheddar bunnies. And my favourite bunny is Bernie, the Rabbit of Approval. Do I love cheddar bunnies because of Bernie, the Rabbit of Approval, or do I love Bernie because of the Cheddar Bunnies he approves? Yes and Yes! Plus I secretly identify with Bernie.

p.s.: My other favourite animal is the Giant Peccary, a new forest pig discovered in Brazil in 2004.

produzentin held hostage, again. Gates of Shimbulak takeover:

Gates of Shimbulak has just discovered its fandom for tvo´s fascinating two hour live coverage of Spelling Bee!
North Americans must be used to this ritual, but for us Shimbulakians the procedure was strange and fascinating.
Hundred teenagers on a dimly lit stage under a churchlike dome, one by one spelling words like “Zeppelin“, “suture” or “tulip“. The kids questions: “Which part of speech?”, “What is the definition?”, “Could you put it in a sentence?” and the answers by the pronouncer are repeated over and over again, until the right spelling is delivered. The verdict “incorrect” spoken by an extra harsh announcer, sorting out contestants after only one attempt. The unusual, concentrated seriousness only interrupted inbetween rounds by the desperate TV host, trying to turn it into a sport event by talking fast and breathless. In vain!

Among the many reasons why this S-P-E-C-T-A-C-L-E beats every other recent TV experience by far:

• being slow and repetetive, it has a lulling effect; it adds layers and layers of trancelike hypnosis A-C-C-U-M-U-L-A-T-I-N-G into pure, unfiltered suspense.
• the admirable calmness of the pronouncer, Tina Srebotnjak, who has to repeat the same definitions over and over again while remaining motherly reassuring.
• you have the feeling of learning brilliant new words (unluckily, our heads are like S-I-E-V-E-S, so we forgot them all right away).
• and of course the spelling bee contestants themselves and their emphaty inviting clever- and nerdiness. Gates of Shimbulak could identify with every single one of them!

Which spelling bee are you? Make your choice from just some of this years Ontario contestants: