Intrade, the exchange that takes bets on things like who will win the US presidential election and what films will win an Academy Award, has always been a fun scene.

FORBES: CFTC's Intrade Shutdown: Don't They Have Better Things To Mither About?

It was this simplicity which made it fun, which was the essence of the scene in the stable 2000 years ago and which I try to capture on Christmas Day.

BBC: An eye on simplicity

"You cannot have much more fun than being on a set, filming a scene from Austin Powers with Mike Myers, " he says on stage.

NPR: Close To You: Burt Bacharach In Concert