One of the treats I’ve been waiting for for most of the year happens tonight. Finally, Einstein and Eddington comes to the screen. Can’t wait!
Einstein and Eddington Tonight.
Children In Need 2008.
Well now Christmas is TRULY on its way now another Children In Need is done and dusted for another year.
The theme for this year was “do something different”, did that extend to the BBC One program itself? Hell no! Still hosted by one of the world’s worst presenters in God’s universe, Sir Terry Wigon (Wogan) (Eurovision is a totally different matter – he’s sort of in his element there) along with Tess Daly – who actually held it together and helped to make it a little less shambolic. Everyone elses favourite female presenter, Fearne Cotton, was helping out too (she seems to be universally hated, but I like her). The night started off with *yawn* McFly doing a song. And it just kept descending from there. The cast of The Bill doing a Blues Brothers style musical medley.Performances from Duffy, Girls Aloud, Take That, Sugababes, Boyzone (yawn, yawn, yawn)
Thank GOD I wasn’t up late enough to see Jason Donovan’s performance!
The cast of Eastenders doing a “songs from the movies” themed musical medley – Lord help us all!
Terry Wigon and Tess Daly having a Strictly Come Dancing dance-off.
The BBC newsreaders doing a ABBA-esque-cum-Mamma Mia style musical medley (help!) I think by the time the newsreaders came on I thought, “I’m off to bed”. I don’t know why I do it to myself every year. You’d think I’d have learned from last year that it’s just awful and cheesy and full of crappy music acts that I don’t want to see, etc, etc. I NEVER LEARN! Apart from a passable special episode of Q.I., the best part of the show, and the only REAL reason I kept enduring it, was this. Now isn’t THAT interesting?! SO cannot wait for Christmas now!!!
Yes, We Have No Nuts, We Have No Nuts Today!
We had, for the first time that I am aware of, a squirrel in the garden earlier this week. It was aVERY rainy day, and he was getting very wet. There were no nuts out there, so I think he was just snacking on the seeds out there for the birds. I’m hoping he’ll visit again.
Here’s some grainy pics as proof of his visit.
What has REALLY happened to Saturday night TV?
This piece (edited) I wrote for a thread on a TV forum site. I thought it SO good, I decided to extend it a little and add it as a post in its own right on my blog.
___________________________________________________________ I’ve been turned off by the “same old format” tripe of X Factor (singing reality contest in the vain of Pop Idol). The sob stories, the “average” singers that get through, the groups always being booted out never to win. I watched some of the opening shows, but as soon as it got to “boot camp”, I well and truly tuned out. I was excited by the return of Strictly Come Dancing (the original UK format of the new worldwide “Dancing With The Stars” franchise), but only watched the 1st week of mens and the 1st week of ladies. Now I’m equally sick of that and haven’t watched it since! Why DOES reality TV dominate Saturday nights so much now? And WHY oh WHY are we going down this American route of if you have a successful show, you should churn it out season after season with no changes in format to keep it interesting? Thank goodness there’s going to be a break from the “Maria/Joseph/Nancy – search for the next musical theatre star” Andrew Lloyd Webber lead shows next year. As soon as Strictly Come Dancing and X-Factor are finished we’ll get Dancing On Ice in January. I wish I could shout from the roof tops “Reality TV is dead, long live Variety!” But no one can even do a good variety show anymore. There are still aspects of Saturday nights at certain times of year to look forward to, thank goodness, like when Doctor Who is on air. But Saturday nights USED to be a TV entertainment shining beacon! Now the light is flickering and almost extinguished. R.I.P. Saturday night TV. It was good while it lasted.I Just Got Me A Pick-me-up!
I love the way it makes it look like Chris is trying to nick my choccies. She hates all human food, and I’d never give her chocolate anyway. My previous cat in Oz, Tiger, she LOVED chocolate and I’d give her bits, not knowing at that time it was poisonous!
Baby Greenfinch!
Oh the cutest thing ever is outside! An adult greenfinch with its baby. The baby keeps flapping its wings, begging for food. If gives up after a while and starts feeding himself. Then stops again to do more begging! Oh s/he’s just TOO cute!
Do They Have a “The” In Their Name?
If they do, then I probably like them!
It’s now Reading festival weekend, and the BBC are doing their regular coverage. Last night it was time for The Killers to headline. I still absolutely love them to bits, and it helps that Brandon Flowers is a bit morish! They did some new material. I think we were showed one song, but they wanted to be a bit protective of the rest. Not that it stops people with mobile phones and the like capturing footage. I am SSOO loving The Ting Tings too at the moment. They were very good last night. Great sound for a two-piece group and far more melodic than The White Stripes (which they have been compared to). Loving Editors too. I love the singers voice, nice and deep. A bit reminiscent of Ian Curtis (Joy Division) or the guy from Interpol. It’s heavy metal themed today, so we have Metallica headlining. Not sure about that, but Tenacious D could be fun.New Music From The Faves.
There is a number of groups I’m into releasing new material over the next few months, which I’m looking forward to.
The first is the highly anticipated new Verve album for 10 years. It’s released in two weeks time. I’m sure we’ll hear more about it then. I hope it can capture what they had when they split. I think there is still quite a bit of discord in the camp, but let’s hope it doesn’t detract from them making great music. The next two to release new stuff are Kaiser Chiefs and Keane. The Kaiser’s seem quite prolific with their stuff. This is their 3rd album in as many years. I hope it stands up, as sometimes I think bands can rush material. I think there needs to be a balance between the length of absence with someone like The Verve (okay, they had officially split, granted), to an act like the Kaiser’s that can produce albums within 12-18 months. Keane have had a longer absence due to Tom Chaplin’s rehab stint, etc. They sound like they’ve worked very hard on this album. I was a little disappointed in Under The Iron Sea. I could appreciate what they were trying to do, but some if it got a little lost. Let’s see if they “move on” or take a retrograde step and try and recreate Hopes and Fears. Both Kaiser’s Off With Their Heads and Keane’s Perfect Symmetry albums are released October 13th in the UK. The next on the card, towards the end of the year (no official release date yet) is the hotly anticipated new U2 album. Said to sound very retrograde by all accounts. Going back as far as supposedly recapturing the sounds of Achtung Baby. Bono has said to have described it as sounding very Moroccan influenced. Bono goes on to say “it’s not like anything we’ve done before” but it’s all sounding a little Achtung Baby meets Pop to me. But we’ll see I suppose. I don’t mind if it recaptures those sounds. I tuned out during ATYCLB and HTDAAB (the last two albums) sadly. There are a few tracks I like on both, but on the whole I was disappointed with them. I’m holding out a lot of hope with this new one. The last two, expected to be due early in the New Year are Franz Ferdinand and Antony and The Johnsons. Franz say their new album is more disco influenced. I’m not sure if that’s a bit of a retrograde step. Not that the first self-titled album was disco-based, but You Could Have It So Much Better was such a mature continuation of their sound, I’m worried the new one will sound a little backward. It’s not that I’m not wanting a disco sound from them, I just don’t want it at the expense of them compromising the maturity they gained in their sound with YCHISMB. I’m not sure what we’ll get with Antony. He’s quoted on Wiki as saying the new album is about “landscape and the future” and said the previous album’s theme was “sort of sad and redemptive”. Sounds like he’s going for a more “upbeat” sound, although he says the new album will be more one of “contrasts”, with a blend of uplifting and redemptive songs. If the musicality of it is anything like I Am A Bird Now, I’ll love it.Hitchin and The Latest DVD’s.
We’re going off to Hitchin today. It’s one of very few towns left in this country that has managed to retain some of its identity.
Keeping an eye on Chrissy today. She used her litter tray this morning. When I went to clean out her faeces from the tray, I noticed her stool was bloody. She’s NEVER passed a bloody stool, ever, so I’m slightly worried – especially so that now (for about the past 12 months) she has no pet insurance covering her. I’ll just have to keep an eye on her and hope there are no further signs of illness. The DVD’s arriving in the post today are: Series 2 of Blackadder. I LOVE Blackadder – but not the first series. It’s too Mr Bean, whereas the second series, the character develops into the Edmund Blackadder we love to hate to love. And I just LOVE Miranda Richardson’s Queenie! And of course, Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett. Jekyll Series 1, starring James Nesbitt, written by new executive producer of Doctor Who, Steven Moffat. It was on when I was in Oz and Em told me it was very good. Last is Brigadoon. I’d always heard the word bandied about, but never really knew of the story. It fascinated me once I’d read about it and so thought I’d get the film. I love Gene Kelly as well, so any excuse will do! Anyway, Hitchin calls.
Man Flu, Black Books and Casanova.
I’m already starting to get over my “man flu”, thank goodness! I know it’s hard to believe, but the weather has actually been hot of late and having man flu in the middle of a heat-wave is NOT fun! If you don’t believe me, I snapped this from the TV last night. This is today’s forecast!
Lovely and interactive, must’ve been great fun for the kids there, believing The Doctor was talking to them all, too cute!! All of series four is being repeated on BBC3 at the moment. Silence In The Library was on last night…that’s SSOO scary the way that ends with “Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved” repeated ad nauseam while a clan of Vashta Nerada (the dust in sunbeams – hidden in shadows) that have invaded a human body manoeuvre it chasing The Doctor and a group of archaeologists down the narrow halls of the library. [youtube=http://youtu.be/9eg6PdFdAFg]
These episodes to come are my faves, the second part of this (Forest Of The Dead), Midnight and Turn Left, all brilliant.