2012

[Barry]

August 27th 2012

Surely that sound I hear is Noye herding the animals into the ark.....it well could be with this film. Ah a flippant remark there has led me to thinking of all the features I have wanted to make, especially one of Britten's Noye's Fludde. Features or series - as an animator I'm sure one's involvement with a feature is , in reality, a mere few minutes of screen time, however magnificent those minutes are. With a series you produce so much more footage, but sadly don't get to finesse or rework or revisit. That can be very frustrating. If gags don't work as an aniamtor misread my istructions or I was not clear enough, we do have to live with it, or be ceative in the editing or sound. In features, I'm sure it would be reshot. But to produce several hours, no many hours, or quality television in the same period as a feature is something to be proud of. In terms of storytelling, the disadvantage of a series is that no-ne ever learns anything and can only have a limited character arc. With a feature youcan have huge, life changing arcs. You can also dwell and set up the atmosphere, and go off on slight tangents an subplots. With a series you are straight in.......not a frame wasted. I think I could write pages and pages about this. Any thoughts anyone?

The time for the play I am doing is fast approaching, and I am also meant to be writing two short films. One I managed to spend some productive time on today, and managed to crack the elusive three act structure. Very hard to structure something around just one character, as I am doing again.

I had some pleasant feedback about my films in festival overseas.....they are not winning awards though. I do think that perhaps Tchaikovsky is the best film I have made, but it is awardless at the moment. Quitehard to keep that belief that it is a good film.

Wallace and gromit at the Proms today.....something I had hoped for with Noye again. I didn't watch it but am still enoying the Prom from last week of Yeomen of the Guard. Even as a semi staged performance it still moved me enormously, and I still think it would make a great animated film.

Very sorry to see Neil Armstrong go - surely no one has his name so secure in history, and no-one can ever achieve what he did, or gazump his achievement. Ah,how I remember that late night in July all those years ago.In this week, the International space station flew over Manchester for several nights, and on one night the sky was thankfully clear, and there is what, beaming with light, and moving so silently. There were two cosmonauts walking in space as it went over. I waved to them but was disappointed that they didn't wave back.

[Barry]

August 27th 2012

Surely that sound I hear is Noye herding the animals into the ark.....it well could be with this film. Ah a flippant remark there has led me to thinking of all the features I have wanted to make, especially one of Britten's Noye's Fludde. Features or series - as an animator I'm sure one's involvement with a feature is , in reality, a mere few minutes of screen time, however magnificent those minutes are. With a series you produce so much more footage, but sadly don't get to finesse or rework or revisit. That can be very frustrating. If gags don't work as an aniamtor misread my istructions or I was not clear enough, we do have to live with it, or be ceative in the editing or sound. In features, I'm sure it would be reshot. But to produce several hours, no many hours, or quality television in the same period as a feature is something to be proud of. In terms of storytelling, the disadvantage of a series is that no-ne ever learns anything and can only have a limited character arc. With a feature youcan have huge, life changing arcs. You can also dwell and set up the atmosphere, and go off on slight tangents an subplots. With a series you are straight in.......not a frame wasted. I think I could write pages and pages about this. Any thoughts anyone?

The time for the play I am doing is fast approaching, and I am also meant to be writing two short films. One I managed to spend some productive time on today, and managed to crack the elusive three act structure. Very hard to structure something around just one character, as I am doing again.

I had some pleasant feedback about my films in festival overseas.....they are not winning awards though. I do think that perhaps Tchaikovsky is the best film I have made, but it is awardless at the moment. Quitehard to keep that belief that it is a good film.

Wallace and gromit at the Proms today.....something I had hoped for with Noye again. I didn't watch it but am still enoying the Prom from last week of Yeomen of the Guard. Even as a semi staged performance it still moved me enormously, and I still think it would make a great animated film.

Very sorry to see Neil Armstrong go - surely no one has his name so secure in history, and no-one can ever achieve what he did, or gazump his achievement. Ah,how I remember that late night in July all those years ago.In this week, the International space station flew over Manchester for several nights, and on one night the sky was thankfully clear, and there is what, beaming with light, and moving so silently. There were two cosmonauts walking in space as it went over. I waved to them but was disappointed that they didn't wave back.

[Barry]

Well this time next week, TOBY's TRAVELLING CIRCUS will have had its first transmission on Channel Five. This seems to have happened very quickly, but we still have a long way to go. I am literally doing the online for episode 13, the last to be transmitted in this bunch, at the moment. There's an interesting progression in the series. The animators are pushing the puppets further each episode, and we are doing more stunts. I've not seen any publicity yet, but hopefully audiences will enjoy them. They are complete little well crafted films, and we are still enjoying them, in spite of the pressure. And there is pressure, and I was definitely stretched too thin this week and got a little tetchy yesterday when I was expected to be doing four things at the same time.
I've not managed much time with any of the other projects, which is frustrating, but I did have a bit of a plot breakthrough with one short film I am writing. I had the structure, well the overall shape at least, but couldn't see the three act structure within it. Happily I have found that, and now need to get writing as soon as I can.Who knows what happens after Toby - there may be more Toby, but I will certainly like to get a couple of short films going. And a feature, dear lordie, let me do one feature before I finish.
Just getting ready (ready, who am I kidding?) for the Ottawa International Animation Festival. It's going to be quite a week. There are a lot of big guns there, so I'll have to, well, I hope some people come to my presentation when there are so many other bigger, more prestigious talks.

[Barry]

September 16th 2012

Ah well that is two episodes of Toby's Travelling circus aired, and thirteen all done and dusted - not a bad achievement, seeing how I only got nvolved in November, and the main crew arrived in February. i'm not sure how much footage we have shot, but it must be about two hours by now. Put like that, that's pretty amazing. Of course, we would like more time, more money, more everthing, but actually it was rather exciting to see it go out on tv yesterday, bookended by previous my series, Rupert Bear, and Roary the Racing car, a series I also worked on , on and off. I may not have opened in multiplexes this weekend, as Paranorman as, but somewhere in a little corner tucked away in eary morning my work is being seen. I do enjoy the pressure of series work, and being involved in every scene, but a huge part of me is aching to be involved with a feature film. I am in Ottawa this week, as part of the festival and am having a retrospective and workshop. I will be watching a lot of features and it will be hard not to feel seond rate and a bit player. I think the talk I am going to give about Tchaikovsky wll be one of real honesty. So many talks are about how we did this, and the mechanics. I want to do one about why we make films, especially animation. If anyone is around, please come and say hallo. It's going to be a tough week for me as I will be going straight from work and straight into work when I get back - straight into a crazy week actually. But I love it.

[Barry]

September 22nd 2012 - Ottawa
I should be trying to write this each day but my feet really aren't touching the ground at the moment. So yes, I'm here in Ottawa at the animation festival.....but only just. I arrived at Manchester airport and my flight had been cancelled, bt actually with reasonably little drama I was rerouted via Heathrow and then straight to Ottawa. Fien flights, and Shakespear in Love made me cry at 35000 feet, and Some Like it Hot made me laugh and I gave Pirates a go, but it was unfair to watch it under such conditions, and I made it neither through this nor Brave. I did chat to a beautiful lady returning from Rome. i woudl not normallychat to anyone beside me on a long flight, bu here I did.
And an impressive hote in lovely Ottawa, and more or less straight away things kicked off. I am on the feature film jury, and sofar I have watched three features in competition, the rather amazing Hotel transylvania, and three competitions of shorts, and then all my films last night, and then an extraordinary masterclass this mornig about the making of Tchaikovsky. I say extraordinary as I have never seen a reaction like this to a talk or to any of my films. A packed audience, well sold out actually as people were turned away, of students, public, my lady from the plane, and seasoned professionals, cried at the film, and laughed with me, and gave an utterly spontaneous ovation at the end. Usually I'm happy to call one person standing up, putting their coat on on the way out an ovation, but here, to a man, they stood and cheered for ages. I have to admit to being a little teary, especially after last nights screening of Hotel Transylvania,that sent me in to some depression. How can I call me myself part of the business when I'll never be involved with such films....everything I do in comparison makes me feel like an enthusiastic amateur.But today people, total strangers, have been overwhelmingly generous and kind. This makes being on the jury and having to be constructively critical about other peoples work, especially feature films, very difficult. I have not made a feature, and it's too glib for me to say that didn't work or that did work. But that's what I am here for. Darn, I love Canada. Everything just seems to work. Today was a bit crazy as I was shepherded from one cultural place to another, and I was wanting to stop and explore, but no chance. Two more days of this. So many lovely people here, and so many great films. Even the ones that don't work have something. and who am I to say. My films, last night, were mainly on scratchy film prints, but I do stil marvel that we were ever able to make Rigoletto. Whenver it starts, I keep thinking that this was such a wrong idea, but within minutes I'm sucked in and feel devesated by the end. It is a big film, and there were some tears from the audience last night.Oh to be able to something so grandiose again.

[Barry]

September 26th 2012
Well I'm back home and recovering from an extraordinary week in Ottawa. The journey home was not without incident - as with all things, everything to do with canada went so well, and free of stress, but anything to do with theAmerican side of things was pretty disastrous. American Airlines was a pretty tatty affair really. Ottawa airport has to be the calmest, most relaxed and efficient airport I have ever been too. Chicago was not. Anyway home now, and I was in work within the hour, for a full day trying to catch up after the week away.
But such a great week - some tremendous, inspiring films, some not so good, but all with some merit. Crieky, the variety of films within a week. I was overwhelmed by the response to my workshop/talk. I only had 90 minutes, and I'm sad as I could have gone on. I was certainly in my stride, hardly pausing for breath, and was being honest and hopeully entertaining. Ihope I gave out enough facts as well as suggestions of inspiration and motivation. A packed audience, with some turned away. Most gratifying. And the films were so well recieved, though I can't help feeling they look rather small and anaemic next to bigger budget and glossy slick CG films. Still, there are certainly no other films like mine, for better or for worse.
i didn't go off exploring Ottawa - there just was not time. I was continually chatting to someone or watching films, but I briefly glimpsed some great arts venues. I do like Canada. It just seems to work.
The staff were wonderfully friendly and helpful, and the closing ceremony slightly chaotic in a warm sort of way. i've certainly made some good contacts and there were suggestions of offers - that would be good.
Highlights, well I enjoyed Hotel transylvania, I enjoyed an opera singing fish, a neurotic stand up singer, a film about cowboy penises, and many more.
It's going to take a while to absorb all those I have met and the films I have seen, but I am certainly privileged to go on such hard working, inspiring jollies.......

[Barry]

A breathless two weeks that's for certain. There was a fantastic launch party for Toby on a rooftop in Manchester. Outdoor heaters kept us warm, and the sight of the hideous Hiton/Beetham tower caused much conversation. A really hideous building I admit. Everyone looked most smart indeed, and the two episodes that were shown got a huge response, though the particular assembled crowd rather read a few too many raucous innuendos into everything. The show, after eight episodes transmitted so far, is getting some tremendous responses, and many of the kids I know are picking up on various lines and character traits. I've only watched one go out live which was rather exciting actually. Shooting carries on apace and I keep getting a bit overwhelmed by it all but we're copign so far.

Many other things going on, which is good. Ottawa seems to have been rather productive - though finding the time to do some out of hours writing is hard, to say the least. I'm a little snowed under trying to keep up with students and festival screenings as well.

And I have a new production at the garrick in a couple of weeks - designing and directing. All the preparation had been going too smoothly, and there was quite a big hiccup today whcih I haven't quite sorted out yet. Drat.

You can't move for Frankenweenie, and the gents went down to the premiere last night - a good time definitely had by all, and the film seems a pretty fine masterpiece. That I would like to have been involved with the film goes without saying, so I won't say. It looks gorgeous though, surprisingly, there are still audiences who balk at the idea of black and white. It's funny how there are now three aniamted films about the living dead out. What's the next theme. I'm very much looking forward to the Anthony Hopkins/Helen Mirren 'Hitchcock', but crikey I wish I had managed to get my short about Hitchcock made. It would have been a perfect compliment. Ah the days when every film had a short in front of it.

Oh I had a day judging a category for a rather prestigious high profile award. It was odd sitting among long running tv series producers and commissioners, but oh animation was rather looked down upon in that company. The talk of creativity on some rather humdrum programmes is nothing to the creativity in aniamtion in Manchester at the moment, but that didn't register. Ah well. 'twas ever thus.

[Barry]

Sunday 21st October 2012

And a rather glorious day it is too, but I am a bit spaced out. Just so much going on. Work has just got busier, with me having to try and squeeze an extra day into my already quite busy normal five day week. All this and a play and trying to write...well it's going to be long 16 hours till Christmas. But Toby is doing well, and there has been interest from overseas. We even recorded an american version which worked surprisingly well. I certainly enjoy being busy, and the whole notion of 'activity suggests a life teeming with purpose' feels appropriate. What is not being allowed in my schedule is any timeto think about the stories. I'll have to be careful here.
Had a great trip up to scotland, to Purves Puppets, and puppets as a whole, were generally celebrated - both by us and the great audiences. This was most satisfying in a week that an article in The Guardian tore stop motion to pieces, calling it just for snobs, and low rent film making. An article that actually missed the whole point about stop motion.
It is everywhere at the moment with Frankenweenie and Paranorman - neither of which I have seen but will do when I am calm and receptive, and not feeling overshadowed and second rate.

[Barry]

November 3rd 2012
As I sit here, I have just lost the battle of the cereal. Monteverdi decided that that was just what he wanted. And so he won.

A truly frantic couple of weeks on Toby. I am having to squeee in an extra day in my work, to keep the filming going. I have to prepare a daily list of exactly what I am doing, and on which episode, as I really am spread across a lot of episodes, and believe me, it does get complicated. There's certainly little time to sit and chat. I try ad make surre pp into the studio every couple of hours, but that does not always happen. The first thriteen episodes of toby have gone out, technically the first series, and they are still getting good figures and feedback. I'm not sure if Five have said but we have included a little red heart somewhere in every episode. A few people have joined the game and are spotting it. I believe on Twitter, here's a bottle of champagne to be won. The atmosphere in the studio is changing, as for the last nine months e have been shooting alongside Strange Hill High,the live action puppet series. But thya re widing down now, and puppeteers are disappearing one by one. It will be odd not having them around. They were certainly a bit more flamboyant as a group than us. Can't wait to see their show. Also, the studios are very hair at the moment, with moustaches being grown left, right, and centre for Movember - the women, well most of them, have failed miserably. And being who we are, Movemer has grown into Stop Mo-vember, and certainly guys have grown beards and animated them off leaving the moustache.
The shadows of the Oscars are looming, and all the submitted films for the animation categories have been announced - this is not the shortlist, confusing some people who have been going around announcing they are Oscar nominated. The several dozen short films mentioned are simply eligible. Sadly neither Plume nor Tchaikovsky were entered, which is very disappointing, as that probably was my last bite at that rather golden cherry, but it is an expensive and complicated process submitting films for consideration. All the same, it would have been good to have tried, especially seeing some less than dazzlign films on the list. There are, however, some truly extraordinary ones there.
And if my days were not long enough (made even longer by a rush of students sending me long scripts to read, or mails that simply ask that I teach them how to animate - and I will try to get back to you all in time), I have also started rehearsing my production of Glorious - and I hope will be exactly that. I was not as prepared as I usually have been, but the cast are already bringing the play to life. We still have a few questions that we need to answer about the play and the staging, but it is making us laugh outrageously. And it is a comedy, and I hope I don't kill it by giving it too much depth or character motivation. It's also a hugely difficult line to tread between sending it up. It could become very camp, but the word I am trying to use is exuberance.
And so the weekend - hurrah. Time to recharge the batteries - oh no, I have four hours of storyboarding to do, several long scripts to read, mails to catch up, rehearsal preparation, and somehow Mr Bond. And appropriately I am feeling very stirred, but not shaken.

[Barry]

Thanks to Peter for updating this site.....as you can tell, I've been busy of late, but Peter keeps things running smoothly.

Just the wrong ime to do so, but I did sneak off o London for a truly memorable and rather bizarre 24 hours, and a 24 hours where I sort of have to pinch myself. I'd been invited to the European premiere of Ray Harryhausen - Special Effect Titan. This as in the lovely Gate Cinema in Notting Hall. Old fashioned and rather decadent, and very fitting. An glamour was ruined by the weather and there not really being a place to mingle, but crikey what an animtion rich audience. I have to say I felt a bit of an outsider at ths event. I'd not been involved in the documentary, and next to he illustrious company I was a bit of a small fish. But I'd met up with a couple of chums, and sat back and enjoyed the film, and chatting to various guests afterwards, and in the street. Of the assembled company I am afraid chatted to the glorious Honor Blackman the most, and looked after her. My, she looks wonderful and twinkle. I had assumed she was going to be invited up on stage afterwards but that didn't happen. There were a lot of names to drop ths evening, but I'm dropping this one the heaviest. I think I told her that there had never been a more beautiful figurehead - see Jason and the Argonauts. The delight of film was in watching arly footae of Ray and his various tests and home movies. For my liking there were too many talking heads, not all saying as interesting things as Randy did - I wanted to see mre clips and in depth analysis of the films. But it is a mighty and fitting tribute to someone we all owe so much - and how fortunate that he was there to enjoy al the acclaim and the warmth from the audience.
A brief night in a colourful hotel, then off to the V and A for the Hollywood Costume exhibiton. The queues were daunting but thanks to chum Vicky's god mother and a thoughtful Christmas present of a V and A membership, we sailed through for free. And wow! What an exhibiton. The event last night for Ray was hosted by John Landis and this exhibition was curated by his wife, a somewhat prestigious costume designer - Indie Jones for one. But this was a beautiful exhibition with all the costumes lit softly on suitably posed mannequins with small screens for their heads, showing the original actor, gently animating. Haunting and moving, and helped by the relentless soundtrack such as the Oscars provide for their In Memorian section. Costumes were everywhere, and if you did not look up you would have missed such costumes as Superman, Batman and Catwoman. But with each costume I got more and more emotional - each costume brought back the experience of seeing the film. Literally, my life was flashing before me, as it had done the night before when watching extracts from all of Ray's films. These two events weer snapshots of my whole life. Too many costumes to mention, or actually even to take i, but there was one that I was getting more and more agitated about seeing. And then I turned into another room and there is was. Vicky did not see me but I had a bit of a weep, as it embodied so much of my life past and present. Just an unspectacular pale green woollen suit. Behind it were five small screens wi large crows flapping about. Yes, there I was twelve inches from Tippi Hedren's iconic costume from The Birds - probably my all time favourite film. My brain melted as I looked at it, and all the connotations that are imbued with it. I was happy. None of the costumes were behind glass - just a small glass box awaited us at the end of this overwhelming and clever exhibition. A small glass box containing the ruby slippers - not silver of course as Baum had written, but then he had not allowed for the glories of Technicolour and the very yellow Yellow brick Road. Vicky and Isat in the members cafe afterwards, just smiling gormlessly, and repeatedly saying 'have we just seen....oh feck!'

The excitement did not end there. The plan was to take in a matinee, but quite frankly I had peaked, so I headed back to Manchester, a calmng swim and then to watch the Bond movie, which was perfection. Three major events in barely 36 hourss, and all rather linked by the beautiful Honor Blackman.

Sometimes I'm a lucky gent. I may not have hit the big time myself, but sometimes I flirt with all that.

[Barry]

I find myself with an evening with no committments which has not happened for a couple of months - mainly because of the play and festivals. So what am I doing - well I am working on various projects, and lighting cues for the play. It's going very well and the cast are laughing themselves silly. I'm just concerned at trying to pull a comnplicated play together in just an evenign next week.

Last weekend was BAF 2012 - usually I am there for a few days, but this time I could only just breeze in, do the awards evening, and breeze off the next morning, but not before I chatted myself silly, and saw some darn fine films. I have to say I am very impressed with Oh Willy, that moved me enormously. A gorgeous lookign film, with a look that really could not be achieved through CG. A very moving story and everything comminucated through so little facial expression. The last few minutes with the opening bars of Das Rheingold on the soundtrack, were absolutely gorgeous, enigmatic and very moving. BAF is always a great festival, with soem very loyal, young andold, fans. always happy to be there, and to do what I can for them.

Toby is racing along so fast, so very fast. My brain is a bit addled at the moment. Next week, the studio will seem very odd, as the live action puppet series will have gone. It will be surprisingly quiet.

OK so I am doing a tv series and a play, but I am frustrated that I can't squeeze any more in at the moment.

[Barry]

Sunday 2nd December 2012

A week or two of 15 hour days - and that certainly takes its toll, but all is good. Sadly not one of those hours has ben about acknowledging the onward surge of Christmas. One day I will have a Christmas tree in the house again, though I suspct it won't be a real one.

ButToby continues on apace, and what a pace. I think the christmas episode goes out shortly, well a christmas episode without mentioning christmas. In the studio we have now lost the Strange Hill High production, and the place is very much quieter without them. Less hustle and bustle. Our animation crew is a little more laid back and relaxed compared to the puppeteers.

Glorious - well I am just heading in to do the two dress rns, and then that's it fo me. I hope the audience enjoy it. Today I must just push the physicality even further. The set looks half decent and what a joy to have a grand piano on the stage. It sounds tremendous, even though it does of course block some of the view of the stage, thanks to the rather ridiculous layout of our auditorium - a warm, comfortable space, but not really designed with the productions in mind. We do have very bad sightlines, and whatever you do with the set, someone will have a lesser view. Ah well here we go. I must stop doing these for a while - oh darn, I'm designing a play in January.

[Barry]

December 16th 2012
Only a few days until the end of the world, and I still haven't done the christmas shopping.
But I am sathere making miniature paper cubes for th set model of the next play I am designing. Hang on, aven't I just cleared the model box of the last set. Yes it's relentless. This would have been my fourth production in the space of twelve months.....Sherlock Holmes, Aida, Glorious and now Black Comedy. And four hours of decent childrens television. Some year. But I am still enjoying the afterglow of Glorious. It worked, and spread a lot of warmth.

Toby charges along and all the episodes transmitted are now on the website. We dubbed two more this week, and they are very funny ones. One contained an extended scene between three groups of characters in a spced out triangle. Trying make sense of eye lines in a triangle must be one of the hardest pieces of film grammar. Try cutting back and forth between all three characters.

I've still not had time to kick start any other projects. I must. The end of Toby will come all too soon. And the phone is certainly not ringing with offers to tempt me away.

[Barry]

December 27th 2012
I'm sat in Cork airport, waiting and waiting, again, for a flight back to Manchester. I seem to have a history of waiting at this airport. Usually the last flight of the day, and any hiccups and it all stacks up. and it certainly is tonight. Still I have a great book on opera to read, or if if I want a scandalous diversion, Rueprt Everett's new book. But I'm returning from a lovely few days with the family in west Cork. I'm afraid I was so exhausted byt his long, and productive year, that the first thing I did when getting to Amanda's house was to have a bit of a snooze. Everything caught up with me. However, a leisurely walk along the beach at Barley Cove yesterday did much to restore, well restore everything actually. This has to be one of the most beautiful unspilt beaches anywhere. Great to see the family, and great to catch up and eat healthily, and see wide open vistas, and daylight. And a good few movies. And cake.

With work the run up to christmas was pretty frantic. Our Christmas episode of Toby came and went without much fanfare - a lovely episode, albeit with a few confusing festive messages. the tension of getting everything done before christmas was allieviated by a superhero day (me as Dr Manhattan - a rather revealing skin tight blue all in one with stick one paper penis) and a Secret santa's grotto on the last afternoon. Santa seemed rather familiar to one an all (yours truly), but everyone seemed to have good gifts. Mine was particular splendid and had obviously been thought about. A naked, gold puppet, spectacularly endowed, with an animal head, rampant wings, sporting a red rose, holding in one hand a skull, and in the other a rather familair book about stop motion....all the while standing on a plinth bearing the mantra 'let it read'. My life summed up in a few inches. Getting back to work after so long a break will be difficult. What the hell episodes were we filming.

[Barry]

December 31st 2012
And so that's it. The sun has gone down for the last time this year, and what a year. The world in general has had a tought time, but I'm cautious to admit that my year has been ok. I've worked every day on a decent tv series, I've donefour plays (one wonderful one), and have done a fair bit of travelling to festivals, and seen some mighty fine films. I confess to feelign some disappointment that my last two films, Plumke and Tchaikovsky, did not exactly set my mantelpiece groaning with awards, and that various projects got rejected for what little funding there was.Hopefully I have supported a few students as best I can. I've not perhaps been as social as I could, but I can't say I've wasted a second. Oh, and I've also given an abandoned cat a good home. For next year, well the series will see me through most of it, but I hope by the time it finsihes I have something exciting waiting - either something I've developed or a thrilling collaboration - that would be grand. It would be good if the phone rang a bit more, tormenting me with choices. Highlights this year have probably been the festivals in Teplice and Ottawa, and watching my production of Glorious, feeling that I got it right. And the most enjoyable animation film I have seen this year probably has to be Oh Willy. Feel free to challenge me on that.
OK guys, here's to a healthy, happy and creative new year. See you on the other side.