Not sure what to write for today's blog. I don't really want to focus on Big Brother, or as it should now be called Big Sister. I am going to do my best to avoid this programme as much as possible. This will be difficult, though - after all, E4, the channel my house is addicted to, is basically the home of this most hated house. So no more Scrubs, Friends is earlier - I guess I'll just have to get back into Hollyoaks.
I did watch the first part of the British Soap Awards last night, then wished I hadn't. What a camp fest! All it needed was Graham Norton presenting and you would have mistaken ITV1 for The Luvvies Channel! Switched over to Ugly Betty - ah, that's better. Or is it? After that, Desperate Housewives, last in present series. Oh dear, it seems a lot of my choices for television watching are rather camp. I don't care, though: each programme is crammed with good writing, plus Marcia Cross (Bree) was back last night in Housewives - oh yeah!
But what really gets me is that all these shows - Housewives, Betty, ER - have just finished or will finish in the coming fortnight. I am not happy about this. I don't get LIVING back home, so I can't indulge in my guilty pleasure, Grey's Anatomy. There are apparently a new crop of programmes coming over, but they'll have to be REALLY good (and, it seems, a little camp - damn) to pass the critical test of Jack Hardgraves.
Laters.
Thursday 31 May 2007
Tuesday 29 May 2007
Princess Keira
I am not the world's biggest fan of Keira Knightly, though that may be because I haven't seen enough of her "work" to be overtly critical about her. The problem with the films I have seen in which she has acted in is that she is often overshadowed by other actors - in The Hole it was Thora Birch, in Pirates Of The Caribbean it's Johnny Depp, and in Love Actually, it's the rest of the cast.
Ahem.
But this morning as I was glancing at the news headlines on the IMDb, I noticed something that troubled me greatly - Keira Knightly's next role might be Princess Diana. It seems a book about Diana's fight with the media, which, in case you've been in a cave on Mars for the last ten years and don't have a faintest idea what I'm going on about, resulted in her death in 1997, is to be turned into a movie, probably after the success of Helen Mirren's performance in The Queen.
I don't know what upsets me more: the idea of making a Diana film (though I guess it was inevitable) or Keira Knightly playing her. Mind you, I suppose it could be worse: they could have gone overseas and grabbed someone like Lindsey Lohan or Kirsten Dunst or even Paris Hilton - shudder!
As I said, I don't have enough viewing experience of Keira to be able to guess whether or not she would be good for the part of Diana, Princess Of Wales. But judging on her performances in the aforementioned movies...well, the odds aren't looking good!
Laters.
Ahem.
But this morning as I was glancing at the news headlines on the IMDb, I noticed something that troubled me greatly - Keira Knightly's next role might be Princess Diana. It seems a book about Diana's fight with the media, which, in case you've been in a cave on Mars for the last ten years and don't have a faintest idea what I'm going on about, resulted in her death in 1997, is to be turned into a movie, probably after the success of Helen Mirren's performance in The Queen.
I don't know what upsets me more: the idea of making a Diana film (though I guess it was inevitable) or Keira Knightly playing her. Mind you, I suppose it could be worse: they could have gone overseas and grabbed someone like Lindsey Lohan or Kirsten Dunst or even Paris Hilton - shudder!
As I said, I don't have enough viewing experience of Keira to be able to guess whether or not she would be good for the part of Diana, Princess Of Wales. But judging on her performances in the aforementioned movies...well, the odds aren't looking good!
Laters.
Monday 28 May 2007
Eyes Of A Critic
This morning I caught up with the reviews of my favourite film critic, Mark Kermode. He was speaking his mind quite vividly on the third Pirates Of The Caribbean movie - basically, he hated it more than Homer Simpson hates a meal that doesn't contain any trace of meat. Now I as an amateur film critic, occasionally here but mostly on the glory of glories that is the IMDb website, know as well as the next man that a critic's view is his/hers and his/hers alone. Just because Kermode hates (and when I say hates, I mean he really, really hates) this trilogy of films, doesn't mean everyone else will. So for fun, and just because I can't really think of anything else to moan about today other than the weather down here in Winchester- erm, it's rubbish - here are a selection of reviews from the IMDb reviews page of the third POTC film, At World's End:
"I must say I was not convinced by this one" - Paul Gunnerman, Netherlands
"What an absolute relief it is to say that At World's End is not only a great successor to the past two Pirates movie, but also a movie that I might eventually be able to consider the best in the series!" - Simon Parker, UK
"I really like it very much - although someone may think it's too long, I say - you won't need to check the time because what's going on on the screen will keep you interested until the end." - sanuka, Russian Federation
"If not for Depp, and his always entertaining and fascinating character, and the lovely Keira Knightley this movie would be wholely miss-able. " - sportsguru19, USA
There you have it, ladies and gents. That old adage once again comes right to the forefront - everyone's a critic. Ignore everything people say to you and go and see it yourselves , make up your own minds whether its any good or not. Myself? I cannot wait to see it - I love the Pirates movies. Sorry, Dr Kermode.
Laters.
Friday 25 May 2007
A Revelation
Bored out of my tiny little mind yesterday I did what all people seem to do these days and went on a long browse of YouTube. The things I discovered! I have finally realised why God created YouTube: to show old episodes of 80's kids tv shows. Superted, Postman Pat, Thomas The Tank Engine, even the legend that is Charlie Chalk! All of these - and many more - can be found on the miracle that is YouTube.
Of course there's more to it than that, but I think it's a pretty decent start!
Laters.
Of course there's more to it than that, but I think it's a pretty decent start!
Laters.
Thursday 24 May 2007
Tired...zzz...
Yesterday was such a manic day - Prayer meeting at 8:15am followed by group presentaion work until at least 6pm! I was exhausted at the end of it, which is one of the reasons why I didn't write anything on my blog.
But it was all worth it, because this morning we did our 19th Century Dramatic Texts presentation to a grand total of 5 people - 2 of them examiners. Still, we all felt it went really well, and I'm glad its over. I've not got anything else to worry about today until the Alpha Course tonight, so I can relax and just sleep...zzz...
...laterzzzz...
But it was all worth it, because this morning we did our 19th Century Dramatic Texts presentation to a grand total of 5 people - 2 of them examiners. Still, we all felt it went really well, and I'm glad its over. I've not got anything else to worry about today until the Alpha Course tonight, so I can relax and just sleep...zzz...
...laterzzzz...
Tuesday 22 May 2007
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Film Year
Yes, it's Cannes season - once a prestigious film festival now reduced to being a high-profile opener for Ocean's 13. I shouldn't be too harsh, though, for this year sees fewer summer blockbusters opening there, and it seems that Cannes is beginning to return to its tradition of showing serious films.
There are two of these which I am most looking forward to watching (eventually). The first of these is Michael Moore's new documentary on the American Health Service, Sicko. I am a big fan of Moore's Bowling For Columbine, as this review will show. I wasn't' too keen on Fahrenheit 9/11 however; for me it was too American, not really relevant for an international audience. I know Columbine is not really either, but it seemed more appropriate for an international audience. On first looks, Sicko looks like it's gone the way of Fahrenheit 9/11. There is also the undeniable problem of Moore himself as a loud, obnoxious character - I can't quite shake the image of his puppet, hot dog in hand, blowing up in Team America: World Police. But on the whole I'm looking forward to this film.
As I am Control, the biopic of the tragic lead singer of Joy Division, Ian Curtis. Now, I'm not a particular fan of Joy Division's music; I only really know one song of theirs, "Love Will Tear Us Apart". But this film intrigues me in a morbid, postmodern voyeuristic kind of way. Based on the book by Deborah Curtis, Ian's widow, the film doesn't rely on big stars like so many American music biopics (Walk The Line had Joaquin Phoenix, Ray had Jamie Foxx, etc). In fact, the only name international audiences would know would be Samantha Morton, who plays Deborah. This is a film that knows it can survive without a big star in the title role. The story of Ian Curtis, and the story and music of Joy Division, is the key to its success. I think this will be a surprise winner of a few of the gongs on offer this year, and I'm interested on hearing how critics rate it.
One film I am not going to want to see that's premiering at Cannes is Quentin Tarantino's new film, Death Proof, because in my opinion it should be shown together with Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez's film, as it was originally intended in a double-bill homage to B-Movies called Grindhouse. This was to feature spoof trailers in the middle of it by directors such as Rob Zombie and Shaun Of The Dead's Edgar Wright. But the American studio behind the film has decided that audiences won't understand the Grindhouse method and have opted for splitting the two films, adding scenes and dialogue. I don't think this is the way to go, and I really hope a DVD version comes out the way it was truly intended. Because, unless the two films can survive on their own, I know I'm going to have nothing good to say about them.
Laters.
There are two of these which I am most looking forward to watching (eventually). The first of these is Michael Moore's new documentary on the American Health Service, Sicko. I am a big fan of Moore's Bowling For Columbine, as this review will show. I wasn't' too keen on Fahrenheit 9/11 however; for me it was too American, not really relevant for an international audience. I know Columbine is not really either, but it seemed more appropriate for an international audience. On first looks, Sicko looks like it's gone the way of Fahrenheit 9/11. There is also the undeniable problem of Moore himself as a loud, obnoxious character - I can't quite shake the image of his puppet, hot dog in hand, blowing up in Team America: World Police. But on the whole I'm looking forward to this film.
As I am Control, the biopic of the tragic lead singer of Joy Division, Ian Curtis. Now, I'm not a particular fan of Joy Division's music; I only really know one song of theirs, "Love Will Tear Us Apart". But this film intrigues me in a morbid, postmodern voyeuristic kind of way. Based on the book by Deborah Curtis, Ian's widow, the film doesn't rely on big stars like so many American music biopics (Walk The Line had Joaquin Phoenix, Ray had Jamie Foxx, etc). In fact, the only name international audiences would know would be Samantha Morton, who plays Deborah. This is a film that knows it can survive without a big star in the title role. The story of Ian Curtis, and the story and music of Joy Division, is the key to its success. I think this will be a surprise winner of a few of the gongs on offer this year, and I'm interested on hearing how critics rate it.
One film I am not going to want to see that's premiering at Cannes is Quentin Tarantino's new film, Death Proof, because in my opinion it should be shown together with Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez's film, as it was originally intended in a double-bill homage to B-Movies called Grindhouse. This was to feature spoof trailers in the middle of it by directors such as Rob Zombie and Shaun Of The Dead's Edgar Wright. But the American studio behind the film has decided that audiences won't understand the Grindhouse method and have opted for splitting the two films, adding scenes and dialogue. I don't think this is the way to go, and I really hope a DVD version comes out the way it was truly intended. Because, unless the two films can survive on their own, I know I'm going to have nothing good to say about them.
Laters.
Monday 21 May 2007
Mobily
So I go into my local O2 shop to buy a new mobile phone.
"Hello," I say to the man in there, "I'd like to buy a new mobile phone please."
He looks at me as if I'm talking a foreign language. "Ok," he says hesitantly, "what sort are you looking for?"
"A cheap one, " I say, "pay as you go."
"Uh huh," he replies slowly, "and a Sim card?"
"No, no," I say. "Just a new handset." I don't want a new Sim card: I've only just managed to memorise my mobile phone number!
He breathes in through his teeth. "Well, have you got your old phone?"
"No," I tell him. My old phone is lying on top of my printer at home.
"You see, I need to check the Sim card before I can let you have a new phone."
I'm slightly confused by this. "It's O2," I say, thinking he's got the wrong end of the stick.
He nods slowly. "Sure," he says. "But is it compatible?"
What?
"Erm, should be," I say.
"See, I can't let you buy a new phone until I'm sure your old Sim card is compatible. I can let you have a new phone and a new card; then you could have 300 free texts!" He grins at me; I half-expect his teeth to go ding and flash.
"I just want to buy a new phone," I say, feeling very muddled now.
"With a new card?" he asks, still grinning.
"No, just a new handset," I say.
His smile drops. "Can't do that until I've checked the old Sim card."
I take a deep breath and count to three. "Okay," I say, "I'll come back later with my old phone."
"Good, I'll be here all day," he tells me.
"Wonderful," I say, a huge fake smile on my chops. "Thank you for your help, good bye."
I'm out of there quicker than a rabbit on steroids.
Why is it so difficult to buy a new phone these days? I appreciate that technology may have moved on, bu my Sim card is only (just about) three years old! I shall try again later on in the week.
Laters.
"Hello," I say to the man in there, "I'd like to buy a new mobile phone please."
He looks at me as if I'm talking a foreign language. "Ok," he says hesitantly, "what sort are you looking for?"
"A cheap one, " I say, "pay as you go."
"Uh huh," he replies slowly, "and a Sim card?"
"No, no," I say. "Just a new handset." I don't want a new Sim card: I've only just managed to memorise my mobile phone number!
He breathes in through his teeth. "Well, have you got your old phone?"
"No," I tell him. My old phone is lying on top of my printer at home.
"You see, I need to check the Sim card before I can let you have a new phone."
I'm slightly confused by this. "It's O2," I say, thinking he's got the wrong end of the stick.
He nods slowly. "Sure," he says. "But is it compatible?"
What?
"Erm, should be," I say.
"See, I can't let you buy a new phone until I'm sure your old Sim card is compatible. I can let you have a new phone and a new card; then you could have 300 free texts!" He grins at me; I half-expect his teeth to go ding and flash.
"I just want to buy a new phone," I say, feeling very muddled now.
"With a new card?" he asks, still grinning.
"No, just a new handset," I say.
His smile drops. "Can't do that until I've checked the old Sim card."
I take a deep breath and count to three. "Okay," I say, "I'll come back later with my old phone."
"Good, I'll be here all day," he tells me.
"Wonderful," I say, a huge fake smile on my chops. "Thank you for your help, good bye."
I'm out of there quicker than a rabbit on steroids.
Why is it so difficult to buy a new phone these days? I appreciate that technology may have moved on, bu my Sim card is only (just about) three years old! I shall try again later on in the week.
Laters.
Friday 18 May 2007
Group Woes
I'm writing this siting on my own in a library study room. The reason? We were supposed to be having a group presentation meeting for the Postmodern Age presentation we need to do. I'm the only one who turned up - early, I might add.
Sod's law - a law that seems to follow me around a lot these days - means that the other members of my group have probably all tried to call me on my phone and left messages. Of course, I can't exactly get to my messages at the moment, after my phone blew up on Monday.
This is just the typical end to this week. This week has been fraught with group work anxieties - this person doesn't turn upon time, that person doesn't do any work, etc, etc. I'm just waiting for the weekend to arrive - or even an earlier time in fact. Because at 5pm this afternoon I need to be at Winchester Station to get a train to Guildford where the CU are having its annual Time Out weekend. It can not come sooner, I tell you...
Laters.
Sod's law - a law that seems to follow me around a lot these days - means that the other members of my group have probably all tried to call me on my phone and left messages. Of course, I can't exactly get to my messages at the moment, after my phone blew up on Monday.
This is just the typical end to this week. This week has been fraught with group work anxieties - this person doesn't turn upon time, that person doesn't do any work, etc, etc. I'm just waiting for the weekend to arrive - or even an earlier time in fact. Because at 5pm this afternoon I need to be at Winchester Station to get a train to Guildford where the CU are having its annual Time Out weekend. It can not come sooner, I tell you...
Laters.
Wednesday 16 May 2007
Kaiser Charles
A couple of months ago I promised I would let you know how I felt the new Kaiser Chiefs album went. Well, having listened to it a couple of times my initial reaction has been of "interesting" mode. It's a very good album, but apart from two songs (ironically the ones which have already been released as singles: "Ruby" and "Everything Is Average Nowadays"), I can't really see any other songs as being made into potential singles. Don't get me wrong, all the songs on this album are great. But it's hard to imagine them being played on Radio 1. I guess time will tell as to which are released.
In other music news I watched Ray last night for the first time, and found it to be a really entertaining film with a fantastic performance from Jamie Foxx which totally deserved the Oscar he won for it. When I watched Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic, I immediately went out and bought em a greatest hits of Cash. Now I've got the Charles music in my blood: first chance I get I'm buying me his greatest hits!
Have finally finished re-editing Where Wild Things Grow. Have a long list of agents and contact details, plus knowledge on one right here in Winchester! Fingers crossed!
Laters.
In other music news I watched Ray last night for the first time, and found it to be a really entertaining film with a fantastic performance from Jamie Foxx which totally deserved the Oscar he won for it. When I watched Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic, I immediately went out and bought em a greatest hits of Cash. Now I've got the Charles music in my blood: first chance I get I'm buying me his greatest hits!
Have finally finished re-editing Where Wild Things Grow. Have a long list of agents and contact details, plus knowledge on one right here in Winchester! Fingers crossed!
Laters.
Tuesday 15 May 2007
Kiss Kiss Ha Ha
On Thursday last in The Times there was an article berating the sad fact that these days whenever you think of romantic comedies you immediately think "crap". I'm afraid that I have to agree with their view, especially after watching The Philadelphia Story on Saturday. This is a classic rom-com, back in the day when they were fairly new on the scene. But before anyone has a go at it being a boring black and white film with little action let me list for you the golden rules of romantic comedies which The Philadelphia Story follows superbly.
1) A good script: Now this is pretty obvious for any film, but for a rom-com it is essential that we understand and care about these characters and their lives. Most rom-coms today throw this out of the window.
2) Good acting: Ditto for this. Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart et al are superb. Grant shows true heartbreak, whilst Hepburn is a mixture of unlikeable and likable, and changes from one to the other so many times you get lost in it all, which is a good thing. Unfortunately there are very few good actors around these days.
3) Be romantic: There's plenty of love in this film - James Stewart has a lovely scene when he falls for Hepburn's character and has some wonderful lines as he tries to seduce her. Most modern rom-coms stick to the romance but make it unbelievable and slushy. You want some believability in it. Take When Harry Met Sally, for example - another great film. It takes the two leads years to get together, something which happens in real life!
4) Be funny - it's a rom-com after all: Most of these today have very few laughs or just add joke after joke of gross-out humor. The Philadelphia Story is fast-paced and witty. You have to really pay attention to catch every line sparred between Grant and Hepburn before been rewarded by a wonderfully funny scene between Stewart and Grant when Stewart is drunk.
Unfortunately many modern day rom-coms are lazy and boring. They don't follow these simple rules which seem pretty obvious when you're making a romantic comedy. Thankfully there is hope, in the shape of Conversations With Other Women, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhardt, which is about two married people meeting at a party. Apparently, it's funny, sophisticated and, at times, very dark. (http://www.worstpreviews.com/review.php?id=424) That's the direction rom-coms need to go today - we need to get some black comedy in there. Light and fluffy worked in the 90s but it rarely works today.
By the way, those in the know will remember that The Philadelphia Story was later turned into a musical, High Society, with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. I urge you to either see this film or The Philadelphia Story. Just don't confuse the latter for the Tom Hanks Oscar winner - not so many laughs in that one.
Laters.
1) A good script: Now this is pretty obvious for any film, but for a rom-com it is essential that we understand and care about these characters and their lives. Most rom-coms today throw this out of the window.
2) Good acting: Ditto for this. Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart et al are superb. Grant shows true heartbreak, whilst Hepburn is a mixture of unlikeable and likable, and changes from one to the other so many times you get lost in it all, which is a good thing. Unfortunately there are very few good actors around these days.
3) Be romantic: There's plenty of love in this film - James Stewart has a lovely scene when he falls for Hepburn's character and has some wonderful lines as he tries to seduce her. Most modern rom-coms stick to the romance but make it unbelievable and slushy. You want some believability in it. Take When Harry Met Sally, for example - another great film. It takes the two leads years to get together, something which happens in real life!
4) Be funny - it's a rom-com after all: Most of these today have very few laughs or just add joke after joke of gross-out humor. The Philadelphia Story is fast-paced and witty. You have to really pay attention to catch every line sparred between Grant and Hepburn before been rewarded by a wonderfully funny scene between Stewart and Grant when Stewart is drunk.
Unfortunately many modern day rom-coms are lazy and boring. They don't follow these simple rules which seem pretty obvious when you're making a romantic comedy. Thankfully there is hope, in the shape of Conversations With Other Women, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhardt, which is about two married people meeting at a party. Apparently, it's funny, sophisticated and, at times, very dark. (http://www.worstpreviews.com/review.php?id=424) That's the direction rom-coms need to go today - we need to get some black comedy in there. Light and fluffy worked in the 90s but it rarely works today.
By the way, those in the know will remember that The Philadelphia Story was later turned into a musical, High Society, with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. I urge you to either see this film or The Philadelphia Story. Just don't confuse the latter for the Tom Hanks Oscar winner - not so many laughs in that one.
Laters.
Monday 14 May 2007
Sod's Law
It's bloody typical, isn't it? The week after my birthday my phone decides to commit suicide and virtually die on me. After a rehearsal performance earlier in the day yesterday I found before going to bed that my phone had altogether stopped working. It refused to acknowledge my fingers furiously tapping away at the keys in a vain attempt to unlock my keypad. Thinking it was the battery I took the thing apart and then put it all back together again. Nothing. So I'm basically cut off from the world except for the one saving grace that is the world wide web. This should be interesting for a while but will get very annoying very quickly.
Yesterday morning was not that great either. The rain bucketed down outside, but I was determined to get to church on time. I braved the weather in my coat and was soaked to the bone. I spent the rest of the day in my pyjamas and dressing gown.
I suppose the one decent thing that happened yesterday was my shopping spree in HMV (ooh, that rhymes - maybe I can send it to them and they can use it as their new jingle!) Having been given a gift card for my birthday I was pleased to discover there was £15 on the credit card-like present. I was even more pleased when, after a lot of thinking, I decided to take advantage of the 3 DVDs for £20 offer. The result? Mission: Impossible 3, Little Miss Sunshine and The Prestige - and all I spent was a fiver. I think the words "get" and "in" are applicable here.
Where Wild Things Grow is nearing its completion of being re-edited for the fourth time (or is it the fifth? I've lost count!) I hope to finish it off today, though group work and a much-needed lecture on 18th century poetry and drama comes first!
Laters.
Yesterday morning was not that great either. The rain bucketed down outside, but I was determined to get to church on time. I braved the weather in my coat and was soaked to the bone. I spent the rest of the day in my pyjamas and dressing gown.
I suppose the one decent thing that happened yesterday was my shopping spree in HMV (ooh, that rhymes - maybe I can send it to them and they can use it as their new jingle!) Having been given a gift card for my birthday I was pleased to discover there was £15 on the credit card-like present. I was even more pleased when, after a lot of thinking, I decided to take advantage of the 3 DVDs for £20 offer. The result? Mission: Impossible 3, Little Miss Sunshine and The Prestige - and all I spent was a fiver. I think the words "get" and "in" are applicable here.
Where Wild Things Grow is nearing its completion of being re-edited for the fourth time (or is it the fifth? I've lost count!) I hope to finish it off today, though group work and a much-needed lecture on 18th century poetry and drama comes first!
Laters.
Sunday 13 May 2007
The Morning After The Night Before
Ok, so I didn't watch The Eurovision Song Contest all the way through. I will freely admit this. The reason, sad to say, is that I did find something better to watch last night - namely, a fascinating drama on BBC2 about the life of Daphne Du Maurier, the author of Rebbecca and The Birds. I flicked back every now and then to watch Eurovision, especially during the results. I was actually quite happy that the UK entry, Scooch's "Flying The Flag", stayed on Nil points until nearly the very end. One of the very few countries who suppotred us were Ireland. Shame we didn't return them the favour, as they ended up last, though I didn't think much of their song either. We ended second to last, a fitting place me thinks for a song as basically pants as "Flying The Flag". Sir Wogan insisted that politics have seriously entered this year more than ever; all the Eastern European countries were voting for themselves. There is some truth to that. Perhaps it's more easy to see this year than ever before. But that still doesn't excuse the fact that we had a crap song! Let's make an effort next year instead of some camp forgettable nonsense. Bring back Katrina And The Waves, I say.
Anyhoo, back to Daphne. This was a surprisingly good drama, I thought. It was well shot with some beautiful scenes of Cornwall, and very well acted. My only problem was with the actual story. It focused more on the author's fascination with women then on any other aspect of her life; particularly Ellen Doubleday, the wife of her American publisher, and the actress Gertrude Lawrence. It was all very tastefully done, which makes a change (this was the BBC though I suppose.) But the reason for Daphne meeting Ellen - having to travel to America to face charges of plagiarism in Rebbecca - was sort of brushed under the carpet. All we saw was Daphne and the prosecution lawyer. I feel that there would have been more entertainment out of this then was made. They even re-used some scenes of a band playing, several times! Still, on the whole it was good fun, which leads me to actually consider reading some of Du Maurier's books. Only consider, mind - I have very little time for reading for fun these days, and when I do its usually a magazine or an interesting pamphlet!
Laters.
Anyhoo, back to Daphne. This was a surprisingly good drama, I thought. It was well shot with some beautiful scenes of Cornwall, and very well acted. My only problem was with the actual story. It focused more on the author's fascination with women then on any other aspect of her life; particularly Ellen Doubleday, the wife of her American publisher, and the actress Gertrude Lawrence. It was all very tastefully done, which makes a change (this was the BBC though I suppose.) But the reason for Daphne meeting Ellen - having to travel to America to face charges of plagiarism in Rebbecca - was sort of brushed under the carpet. All we saw was Daphne and the prosecution lawyer. I feel that there would have been more entertainment out of this then was made. They even re-used some scenes of a band playing, several times! Still, on the whole it was good fun, which leads me to actually consider reading some of Du Maurier's books. Only consider, mind - I have very little time for reading for fun these days, and when I do its usually a magazine or an interesting pamphlet!
Laters.
Saturday 12 May 2007
It's Eurovision Time Again! Bring On The Wogan!
Yes, it's that time of year where we listen to Terry Wogan drunkenly insult practically every country, every song, every costume...and don't we just love it? For me it's usually the only reason I watch The Eurovision Song Contest. If it wasn't for Wogan I just wouldn't be able to watch it. I know I'm able to watch rubbish generally on television, but Eurovision is such rubbish that it needs the drunken, less-than-subtle tones of Sir Terry to bring it out of the dog mess and wipe it down and make it a proper programme.
Looking at the television listings it seems to me that all the other terrestrial channels just can't compete with Wogan. So they just put something on that the audience who won't watch Eurovision will at least have something to watch. Either that or they don't watch anything at all. Listen to some music, read a book, go to the cinema or theatre - get some culture!
Although, Eurovision itself is a culture on its own. Its developed into its own personal genre that seems to satisfy almost everyone. there are some people who even watch Eurovision for the songs - hard to believe I know, although I must say my absolute favourite Eurovision song is last year's winner, Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah!" The only other reason I shall be watching Eurovison tonight - probably - is to see a repeat performance of this song. Not only that, but, as it's being held in Helsinki this year, just imagine the home crowd reception. Fantastic! Bring on the plastic bottle of Baileys for Sir Terry, and pour one for yourself. You're gonna need at least a glass or two of the stuff.
Laters.
Looking at the television listings it seems to me that all the other terrestrial channels just can't compete with Wogan. So they just put something on that the audience who won't watch Eurovision will at least have something to watch. Either that or they don't watch anything at all. Listen to some music, read a book, go to the cinema or theatre - get some culture!
Although, Eurovision itself is a culture on its own. Its developed into its own personal genre that seems to satisfy almost everyone. there are some people who even watch Eurovision for the songs - hard to believe I know, although I must say my absolute favourite Eurovision song is last year's winner, Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah!" The only other reason I shall be watching Eurovison tonight - probably - is to see a repeat performance of this song. Not only that, but, as it's being held in Helsinki this year, just imagine the home crowd reception. Fantastic! Bring on the plastic bottle of Baileys for Sir Terry, and pour one for yourself. You're gonna need at least a glass or two of the stuff.
Laters.
Friday 11 May 2007
"Warning: The Following Programme Features An Hour Long Report On Tony Balir's Choice Of Ties..."
So the grand event that we've all been waiting for nearly a year to happen has finally happened: Tony Blair has announced that on June 27th he will leave 10 Downing Street, retiring as Prime Minister. For the rest of the day news programmes were extended to unbelievable lengths, reports were made on the speech made and the legacy - and he's not even gone yet!
What amuses me about all this is that the media are treating all this as if he's actually retired already. Who knows what could happen between now and June 27th? We've all seen how quickly the world can change in a single day.
What upsets me about all this is that the rest of the day's news last night was treated to ten minutes of quick coverage from Fiona Bruce. Yes, this is a "momentous" occasion - note quotes - we've never seen this kind of thing happen before, well, not since the Thatcher era. But there are other important things happening. Interest rates went up yesterday: now, I'll be the first to admit I know diddly-squat about interest rates, as do many people I'm sure, so half a minutes talking about them does nothing to explain the situation for me. And then there's the hunt for little Madeline in Portugal, though don't get me started on that. Still, it's an important story, important enough to interrupt the weather report on BBC News 24 with a Portugees Police Press Conference, but not so important for the Ten o'clock news on BBC 1.
Then, straight after the news, we had a choice. Either go to BBC 2 for a specially extended edition of Newsnight about Tony Blair, or stay tuned to BBC 1 and watch a special edition of Question Time about Tony Blair. Oh goody; bed calling, me thinks.
Mind you, I suppose at least this time the news is relevant. The last time I saw something like this happen to the news it was for the verdict of Michael Jackson's court case. That was slightly more of a fiasco then last night, though that may be hard to believe!
Laters.
What amuses me about all this is that the media are treating all this as if he's actually retired already. Who knows what could happen between now and June 27th? We've all seen how quickly the world can change in a single day.
What upsets me about all this is that the rest of the day's news last night was treated to ten minutes of quick coverage from Fiona Bruce. Yes, this is a "momentous" occasion - note quotes - we've never seen this kind of thing happen before, well, not since the Thatcher era. But there are other important things happening. Interest rates went up yesterday: now, I'll be the first to admit I know diddly-squat about interest rates, as do many people I'm sure, so half a minutes talking about them does nothing to explain the situation for me. And then there's the hunt for little Madeline in Portugal, though don't get me started on that. Still, it's an important story, important enough to interrupt the weather report on BBC News 24 with a Portugees Police Press Conference, but not so important for the Ten o'clock news on BBC 1.
Then, straight after the news, we had a choice. Either go to BBC 2 for a specially extended edition of Newsnight about Tony Blair, or stay tuned to BBC 1 and watch a special edition of Question Time about Tony Blair. Oh goody; bed calling, me thinks.
Mind you, I suppose at least this time the news is relevant. The last time I saw something like this happen to the news it was for the verdict of Michael Jackson's court case. That was slightly more of a fiasco then last night, though that may be hard to believe!
Laters.
Thursday 10 May 2007
Busy, Busy, Busy...
...which is why I haven't written here for a while. But I refuse to get out of sync again with my Blog so I'm determined to keep on adding on a more daily basis.
Had an excellent birthday - Bromley won their play-off final and are therefore promoted to the glories of Nationwide Conference South! It may not seem like much but, believe me, they're playing with the big dogs now.
Met my half-uncle and aunt on Sunday for the very first time in Dover; that was pretty cool.
Did nothing on Monday apart from watch Arsenal Ladies win the FA Ladies Cup Final - the quadruple is ours! Interesting how the Ladies team always does much better than the men's!
So had a long train journey on Tuesday morning followed almost immediately by lectures and a seminar which I blagged my way through. Don't like doing it, but I just couldn't get into the text. It starts out so academic like and pretentious sounding, it really puts me off when a book is written like that!
Presentations are coming up and group work is getting serious. FYP project outline filled in and given in today. Books to read by Friday. You can see why I haven't had time for my Blog lately.
Mind you, now I am being told that the next step is the awesomeness that is My Space. I don't know; I've never really been into that kind of thing - I mean, keeping up with this blog is hard enough! Still, I feel that this will be my new project - when I have the time. So, say about...2008?
Laters.
Had an excellent birthday - Bromley won their play-off final and are therefore promoted to the glories of Nationwide Conference South! It may not seem like much but, believe me, they're playing with the big dogs now.
Met my half-uncle and aunt on Sunday for the very first time in Dover; that was pretty cool.
Did nothing on Monday apart from watch Arsenal Ladies win the FA Ladies Cup Final - the quadruple is ours! Interesting how the Ladies team always does much better than the men's!
So had a long train journey on Tuesday morning followed almost immediately by lectures and a seminar which I blagged my way through. Don't like doing it, but I just couldn't get into the text. It starts out so academic like and pretentious sounding, it really puts me off when a book is written like that!
Presentations are coming up and group work is getting serious. FYP project outline filled in and given in today. Books to read by Friday. You can see why I haven't had time for my Blog lately.
Mind you, now I am being told that the next step is the awesomeness that is My Space. I don't know; I've never really been into that kind of thing - I mean, keeping up with this blog is hard enough! Still, I feel that this will be my new project - when I have the time. So, say about...2008?
Laters.
Friday 4 May 2007
Tomorrow's The Day - yay.
Oh dear - just 24 hours to go until I say goodbye to the teenage years forever and turn 20. I'm ecstatic about it, as you can probably tell. I don't plan anything huge; it's not like the most important birthday, is it, 20? No major milestone, except maybe never having to say "-teen" at the end of my age any more, more like a "-ty-something". That's really something to celebrate!
Still, at least my week has been better than some people's. Tony Blair, for example. He's had a pretty naff week all things considered. No wonder he's decided to finally tell us good folk when he's bailing out on us next week; with the election results last night I won't be surprised if he decided to go before the end of this month. Thus by June I shall be moaning about a completely different Prime Minister.
This is actually something more of a milestone than my 20th in my opinion. I've spent ten years of my life - 7 semi-seriously, 3 deadly seriously - having a go about one man. Now I have to completely change my views. In place of a mad man we are getting a thug; a grizzly bear of a man who won't last very long unless he makes some major changes. It's a bit sad really: Gordon Brown's been waiting so long to move into Number 10 and he won't even have enough time to unpack all the china!
I'm not going to let it affect me, though; thankfully my political sheep are pretty universal. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and find out when Where Wild Things Grow is eventually published. You may be waiting some time...
Laters.
Still, at least my week has been better than some people's. Tony Blair, for example. He's had a pretty naff week all things considered. No wonder he's decided to finally tell us good folk when he's bailing out on us next week; with the election results last night I won't be surprised if he decided to go before the end of this month. Thus by June I shall be moaning about a completely different Prime Minister.
This is actually something more of a milestone than my 20th in my opinion. I've spent ten years of my life - 7 semi-seriously, 3 deadly seriously - having a go about one man. Now I have to completely change my views. In place of a mad man we are getting a thug; a grizzly bear of a man who won't last very long unless he makes some major changes. It's a bit sad really: Gordon Brown's been waiting so long to move into Number 10 and he won't even have enough time to unpack all the china!
I'm not going to let it affect me, though; thankfully my political sheep are pretty universal. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and find out when Where Wild Things Grow is eventually published. You may be waiting some time...
Laters.
Thursday 3 May 2007
Beware Of The Threequel!
Dear all: This would have appeared on Tuesday, had I remembered that my Film day is Tuesday. Oops, better luck next week, I suppose. Anyhoo...
The new animal in the movie world is the Threequel. This summer we are going to be bombarded with Part Threes of some of our favourite movies: Spider-Man, Shrek, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Rush Hour...ok, so maybe not some of our favourite movies, but you get the idea.
The threequel is nothing new, of course, but it has a dangerous history of being...well, naff. For the majority of film franchises, the third part usually spells doom and disaster, or just suffers from just not being as good as the last two. There are exceptions: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade is miles better than Temple Of Doom while Goldfinger is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bond films ever. But sadly these are often overshadowed by the rest of the naff third parts.
Time will tell whether the threequels of this year can change this. The signs aren't good for Spider-Man, the first of them, where critics have been slightly negative about the number of villains and the emphasis on more special effects. Rumours abound that Shrek is fast beginning to lose its charm and as for Pirates...well, name me one credible critic who actually likes any of the Pirates movies.
When it comes to money, a cynical person might argue that the threequel is naff simply because it is created to jump on the bandwagon of the first two films and to make more money for the studios. But I don't think that this will be the case this year, for this year there is immense competition from a certain very-long-awaited film about a nuclear family. Me thinks the big bucks are on this film this year, but we shall have to wait and see...
Laters.
The new animal in the movie world is the Threequel. This summer we are going to be bombarded with Part Threes of some of our favourite movies: Spider-Man, Shrek, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Rush Hour...ok, so maybe not some of our favourite movies, but you get the idea.
The threequel is nothing new, of course, but it has a dangerous history of being...well, naff. For the majority of film franchises, the third part usually spells doom and disaster, or just suffers from just not being as good as the last two. There are exceptions: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade is miles better than Temple Of Doom while Goldfinger is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bond films ever. But sadly these are often overshadowed by the rest of the naff third parts.
Time will tell whether the threequels of this year can change this. The signs aren't good for Spider-Man, the first of them, where critics have been slightly negative about the number of villains and the emphasis on more special effects. Rumours abound that Shrek is fast beginning to lose its charm and as for Pirates...well, name me one credible critic who actually likes any of the Pirates movies.
When it comes to money, a cynical person might argue that the threequel is naff simply because it is created to jump on the bandwagon of the first two films and to make more money for the studios. But I don't think that this will be the case this year, for this year there is immense competition from a certain very-long-awaited film about a nuclear family. Me thinks the big bucks are on this film this year, but we shall have to wait and see...
Laters.
Wednesday 2 May 2007
Free Cakes, anyone?
Ok, so I'm standing in the middle of campus, a table of free cakes before me. You would have thought that students would jump at the chance to have some free food.
You'd be wrong.
It wasn't as if they didn't look appetising, they looked very appetising. People just didn't seem to want a free cake, even though it was cake and it was free. You can't win, I suppose.
Meanwhile, kudos for Bromley FC for reaching the play-off finals. And Gravesend & Northfleet FC are no longer known by that name. They are now: Ebbsfleet United. To that I say, huh?
Did a lot of editing yesterday on a couple of chapters which really needed work on. Slowly but surely this manuscript is becoming a book! Weyhey!
Laters
You'd be wrong.
It wasn't as if they didn't look appetising, they looked very appetising. People just didn't seem to want a free cake, even though it was cake and it was free. You can't win, I suppose.
Meanwhile, kudos for Bromley FC for reaching the play-off finals. And Gravesend & Northfleet FC are no longer known by that name. They are now: Ebbsfleet United. To that I say, huh?
Did a lot of editing yesterday on a couple of chapters which really needed work on. Slowly but surely this manuscript is becoming a book! Weyhey!
Laters
Tuesday 1 May 2007
Nothing To Report...
...really, except for giving away little cakes today to advertise the next Alpha Course. Surprisingly, not many students wanted a free cake. They were free for goodness sake, free!
Third Year finished her dissertation yesterday and celebrated merrily, though it wasn't very noticeable when she got back last night. She told me of a good pub which we must try and go to for Steph's birthday celebrations!
Laters
Third Year finished her dissertation yesterday and celebrated merrily, though it wasn't very noticeable when she got back last night. She told me of a good pub which we must try and go to for Steph's birthday celebrations!
Laters
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