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How I miss the North of England
If the word something really must be reduced to a mere noise when spoken, it is much kinder on the ears to hear it pronounced as summat rather than saaaa'ink. The best thing about South London is that most of the people I encounter here every day are not originally from South London.
Posted on January 29, 2007 | Comments (2)
Big Brother is everywhere
Although I always find myself sucked in to the reality TV circus that is Big Brother - every summer since 2000 in fact - I have so far managed to steer clear of the 'celebrity' version. This year, I watched the opening show to see who went into the house (and have since only succumbed to a couple of editions of Big Brother's Big Mouth*), but now the sheer stupidity of some of the housmates has meant that it is impossible to avoid the show without even watching it! I have yet to decide whether Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd et al are being racist towards Shilpa Shetty as it just seems, when you haven't been watching the show, that they are simply ignorant of Shilpa's background and not in the least bit interested in finding out more about her, or making friends with the actress. I suspect they would behave the same way towards a white upper-class Brit and just enjoy having someone to pick on... especially a woman who is more attractive and successful than they are.
Germaine Greer wrote an interesting piece for yesterday's Guardian about the whole silly fiasco, including the fabulous line, "When Shilpa is finished with Danielle even Teddy Sheringham will know what a small, dark heart beats within her fetching chest". However, as far as quotes go, my favourite utterance has to be from Danielle herself who reportedly said, about Shilpa, that "she can't even speak English properly". From what I've heard, her English is perfect. What Danielle is probably noticing is Shilpa's accent which is, let's be honest here, a lot less annoying than the extremely broad Scouse screech that eminates from her own gob. See, ignorance. I sincerely hope that this bunch of bullies are rewarded with a marked downturn in their fortunes upon leaving the house.
*Only because it's presented by Russell Brand, who I find most entertaining.
Posted on January 18, 2007 | Comments (2)
This Life +10
After years of hoping for another series of the excellent This Life, our wish was finally granted last night. Well, almost. Instead of the third series needed to fully explore the characters and how their lives had changed, we just got a rather rushed 'one off'. Still, I was looking forward to it and was almost as excited as when the BBC finally released the original episodes on DVD.
In a repeat of the massive let-down I received from the Wachowski brothers when I watched The Matrix Reloaded for the first time, I was left feeling that someone had spoiled the party for all of us. I won't attempt a review as The Guardian covers all aspects and mirrors my opioion of the show perfectly in its Organ Grinder blog today. I will also avoid penning a review as I read through a few of the comments on that page and found someone had posted a link to their own review, which was swiftly followed by another reader saying "Never was it more apparent why we need real journalists, even for something as banal as a TV review". Genius. Whoever Lovelight is, they should have been asked to write some of the dialogue for This Life +10.
Posted on January 03, 2007
Birthday wishlist
This time of year always used to be about writing thank you letters for my Christmas presents and then deciding what I wanted for my birthday. So, in honor of being (almost) 32, I have come up with a fantasy wishlist:
1) A Canon EOS 5D with EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM and EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lenses.
2) Flights to New Zealand, hotel accommodation, Muse tickets and backstage passes.
3) David Tennant, in a kilt.
Well, I can dream. As for you, dear reader, what three things would you like for your birthday this year? Come on, be creative... you can ask for anything.
Posted on January 02, 2007 | Comments (3)