Who ratings: last year and this

I'd check myself but its late. Anyone instantly know which page to check over at the Gallifrey people's site? Am pretty certain Rob is right...

Oooh, Rosby isn't wrong you know

It DOES make your day better...

Thank you Rosby, thank you YouTube.

It's the end of Just Jane as we knew it...

Awh, shucks...

WHHAAAAT!!!???

Dear god, lets hope she acts better / has better dialogue in this than she did in this.

Hmm. Though am considering if I really just need to find a way to replace her with me since she does at least get to act with some cracking talent...

Books and Music Storage

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Football

From last season:

Celtic (Inveresk Street Ingrate): won Scottish Premiership (and by default the European Champions League...)
St Mirren (ahem...): won promotion
Watford (Kerron Cross): won promotion
Northampton Town (Just Jane): won promotion
Cheltenham (Rosby): won promotion (as she eloquently put it on Struggling Author's blog:

Are you kidding me? Cardiff is 100% lovely?

And do you know why?

Because Cheltenham played there yesterday.

Cheltenham got promoted yesterday.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
EEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
SSSSSSSSSSSSS
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Millwall (Reidski): relegation
Nottingham Forest (Paulie/me): failed to make play-offs

Tell me: there seems some uneven-ness in the distribution of success and misery amongst bloggers linking to this site... am I imagining it? Am I wishing too much success for others and not enough for my own team? And how to explain poor Reidksi's boys getting demoted? Is that accounted for by Millwall not being his first team to support (since I am assumming that the Lions were adopted on arrival in London and not in Scotland...?)

Just listening to...

Mark Kermode's film podcast from a couple of weeks ago where Richard E. Grant is on the show as well. Turns out that whilst REG hated Hudson Hawk, both Kim Newman and Mark Kermode liked it.

You know what? I did too. It made me laugh.

I could do better than be in the company of KN & MK.

On Nottingham

Unlike Paulie, I thought that this week's swiftly released press notice by Nottingham City Council wasn't too bad in defending the city against the latest statistical bollocks condemning the place.

But...

It did get me thinking about where I stand on Nottingham's reputation.

Well, I grew up in Nottingham in one of its roughest estates (Hyson Green), and then moved to an estate that has since become a not great area to live in (Aspley). I've had friends who lived in areas such as Sneinton, St. Ann's, Radford and the Meadows (for not UK/Nottingham aware blog visitors that last one is nothing like what you may imagine: it's scarcely leafy, let alone meadowy). But a lot of its bad rep is established by ongoing media attention feeding those numbskulls who want to beef up their own criminal reputations. Maybe I've been lucky, and I certainly would not proclaim I've never seen, heard or experienced any crime. But is it significantly worse than anywhere else? No.

But the repuation is utterly damaged. Would anyone be surprised if university applications to The University of Nottingham drop this year (since it relies almost entirely on non-regional applicants)? Or if Nottingham Trent sees a shift away to other regional universities or even more voational courses run via non-university institutions (since they do draw most of their students from the locality)? And how will Nottingham dig itself out long term from that hole of a diminishing base of graduates?

On those grounds, I can well understand why Paulie and others have been infuriated by the perhaps too lily-livered response of the council (and other bodies in the area). Whilst the statement was fine as far as it went, it was hardly the voice of a very angry body.

Maybe we're just too accepting of the criticism and don't want to be seen causing a fuss in reponse believing it will continue to draw attention to the poor reports. As somehow by ignoring them/diminishing responses, we may make the negative media attention go away.

Yeah, that's really working.

Turning Japanese

This, from okayfilmmakerian, is just the best way to start learning Japanese...

The modern world is scary...

Or so Doctor Who would convince us... Last week, earpods (hmmm... no relation to real modern technology at all there) would lead to us being led into becoming metal monsters. This week, TV sucks out your soul.

Anyway, I thought that Maureen Lipman played The Wire wonderfully well last night. Archly camp and terrifying.

And though it was very scary when you saw all the heads/faces of the suckees in the separate TV screens...



there was also a bit of me that was visualising Holly from Red Dwarf.



Which was slightly less scary.

House improvements

Those of you who spotted my long list of things we want to do to our house (from earlier in the year) will be pleased to know that things are happening.

So far we have had a bulder in making a bathroom space for us in our large back bedroom. The corridor he has created looks as if it has always been there!



We've had to strip some wallpaper to do some of this work and it was really interesting to see how much of the original house remained untouched.

This is the original beam across the doorway (as was, now it leads to the new corridor to the bathroom and back bedroom) and beyond you can see the original built-in cupboard on the other side of the stairs.



We also found under the current wallpaper not just the mid-20th century grass sheaves pattern,



but what I suspect are remnants of the original paper from 1905. Very interesting (though I'm not a great fan of wallpaper and there wasn't enough to save so its being took off I'm afraid...)



We've also had roofers at our place repairing the bay window roof (amongst other minor jobs).



We've got a bathroom man coming to see us next week, and a joiner hopefully coming soon to sort out a new back gate. The builder will be putting in a new window (for the bathroom) in the new couple of weeks.

It's all VERY exciting... and I am quite possibly the saddest sack in town for being so excited.

Attempting amendments

Am trying to add some pictures to the blog, mostly to the Levellers Day post.

Guess what? Bloggers having an off moment.

If you see none or several pictures, apologies.

UPDATE: I think I have sussed it...

i-Tunes, tapes and the compilation

Over the past few days I have been reaquainting myself with i-Tunes again as Neil and I made some CDs. As we do this, it highlights more and more that we really REALLY need to have two computers since having the two of in the same room as the computer is almost guaranteed to be a recipe for arguments. Having pretty much got most of i-Tunes sussed, I'm always twitching to "help" Neil use it better; having got oodles of experience in using computers, Neil always gets twitchy with me not necessarily using other programmes the most effective way (though for him "effective" is spending as long as it takes to write a programme-based solution even if just doing the task the 'slow' way is much MUCH quicker). The trouble is that whilst I generally pick up what he shows me - I've sussed a neat way of using txt files and Excel to create usable text to copy into Nero to make CD covers thanks to Neil's interventions - generally, Neil doesn't seem to be half as savvy at picking up what I explain to him.

I suspect that this is more down to my poor ability at explaining technical issues than anything else...

ANYWAY.

i-Tunes.

Before the stereo died and required replacing last summer (thus causing me to miss DT at Galstonbury: grr), we had a rather nifty tape-to-tape deck. Yes, I know, tapes are the devil's medium for recorded music. They break, snag and stretch. Yes, they are rubbish. Unfortunately, because I still have an awful lot of music on tape, and because I have been the queen of compilations in the past (this may now need qualifying: see * below), before the new computer and spiffy little i-Tunes, I did use the tape deck a lot. And indeed some stuff I ONLY have on tape, and is now no longer available to normal people not prepared spend all their life on the net trying to obtain music from whoever may have it... ANWYAY. The point is that it is a very slow process to even get all our CDs to the computer AND there is still the small matter of what to do about the tapes. Currently, we can only play tapes in the (hopefully soon to be replaced) car. And at the moment I am constantly banging up against the problem of trying to reconstruct some of my previous tape compilations on CD format.

I know that in theory you can hook up a stereo system to a computer and record / edit taped materials so they can be loaded to a PC music storage system. But they're on different floors of the house and although Neil is technically an Electrical Engineer, that in fact means he's a programmer. He's not an engineer; and he certainly is not to be trusted around the electrics of equipment.

I'm sure I had a point.

Oh yeah. My point is that I'm making CD compilations. Some are from the songlists of resurrected tapes. Some will be new. Some have already been posted to those they were designed for.

* And some had to be remade because some idiot (me) was too busy listening to how the melody connected with the previous and subsequent song to pay attention to the lyrics or the title... a gross error of judgement belatedly spotted - though thankfully in time - by Neil. Not that the song was offensive, but the context could have been, would have been, at the very least potentially upsetting.

I have therefore now lost something of the confidence I thought I had for making compilations (I have little confidence in myself so possibly losing this little thing has knocked me somewhat).

The track in question?
Sufjan Stevens: "For the widows in paradise; for the fatherless in Ypsilanti"

Blog interlude

Those of you waiting for the next installments of the blog post trailer I posted will have to wait up for a mo. I'm getting to it. And when the next in line comes up (on i-Tunes) you'll hopefully understand why I'm a bit delayed with things.

ANYWAY.

I spotted this over at Matt_c's place and couldn't resist self tagging. But then I went back to Matt's and found that I had been tagged, albeit without notice, by GreatFilmakerIan (I think that's going to be his official Rullsenberg nickname: first there was EineKleineRob, HolyHosesRob, and MediumRob...and now there is GreatFilmakerIan). Thanks Ian. I'll add you to the rollcall at Rullsenberg.

*UPDATE: by request Ian has asked to be okflimmakerian. Happy to oblige.


I am nearly always stripey

I want to see the building work finished on my house (and done well)

I wish I had more self-confidence

I hate stupidity

I love making other people happy

I miss talking to my mum about old family photographs

I fear losing those I know and love

I hear songs in my head nearly all the time

I wonder if I'll ever meet David Tennant

I regret nothing - life's too short to regret

I am not much use on quiz machines, but give me more time and I'll get you a source with the answer

I dance believing I can be sexy (so very, VERY wrong!)

I sing with enthusiasm

I cry at lots of things

I am not as organised as people think

I make a mess of wherever I go

I write absolute nonsense most of the time

I confuse myself

I need to live a greener lifestyle

I should exercise more often (like, ever would be a start)

I start everything with passion and optimism

I finish almost nothing that I start

I tag Rosby, Marie and Cloudy Neil.

Hmmm... I'm not at all addicted to blogging...

Levellers Day

Working through these in order as best as I can.

Thanks to our lovely friends, we bought tickets to go with them to the Levellers Day event at Burford, held at Warwick Hall Garden [this is a fixed page so the content may alter at some point in the future]. The event - for those who don't know it - commemorates the murder of three soldiers who refused to go and fight in Ireland under the Cromwell regime. I have to say it was a really great day.

Yes it did have a couple of drizzly moments, but the sun came out at both the start and the end of the march to and from the church, and the rain stayed off the speakers till the last couple of question/comments. Of course, Tony Benn delivered the same speech he has done for the last 30 years - very good, very inspiring, but talk about preaching to the converted - and there was a horrid amount of facile anti-American sentiment that relied on grouping all Americans as a homogenous population with a shared set of attitudes and wealth. I also have to say that despite my own hope for humanity, there was a frustrating tendency for speakers and audience to sound a little like Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks ("Why can't we all just get along?") and no where near enough nuance. Still, whether it was the weather or a general consensus, there wasn't much contention in the discussion, with the audience seemingly accepting the ideas presented. So yes, education is a good thing, I think all agreed. Whether it is entirely adequate to changing the world, I suspect other things have to be in place as well.

UPDATE: Here's a picture of the three speakers, Tony Benn, Salma Yaquoob and Karen Chouhan



Of course I had to go and get food part way through the morning speeches (my appetite is near legendary!), much to the amusement and jealousy of my companions.

I have to say my favourite bit of the day was the march itself.



This was not least because it culminated in a singing of the Internationale - one of the few pieces guaranteed to have me in tears. There I am, stood there half thinking "god, I hope no one has a camera on me" cos I am singing with tears streaming down my face. It wasn't the only time I felt that way on Saturday. I also got pretty welled up when Leon Rosselson led us all in singing "World Turned Upside Down" (A track I often have blared out of my CD player in the Billy Bragg version).

For lunch we ate in a Burford pub, to the accompaniment of a morris dancer and his guitar (he looked awful familiar though don't know why) He was part of the Cry Havoc Morris group. Anyway, he played a song about the environment - how we're driving the green spaces away - and then went on to do Johnny B Goode (!!yes really!) and Side by Side [scroll - it's an old musical hall song about the woman who takes off her hair, her teeth out etc until the guy is decides to sleep "sleep on the chair, 'cos there was more of her there"]. All in all it was great fun!

As mentioned, in the afternoon Leon Rosselson and Robb Johnson did a double act of songs which was very entertaining and very moving. And it was jolly great to sing along to "Be reasonable: and demand the impossible now" (where have I heard that line before?!)

I guess one of my chief problems with the day was the extent to which an idealistic "if only" sentiment ran through discussions of 'what should be done'. Whether or not things should be different, should have BEEN different in order to make the current circumstances better, the point is that things were how they were and no amount of "we should have done/not done X" can change that. I too have a sympathy for believing things MAY, COULD have been different in Iraq if an alphabet's worth of possibilities had been in place [take your pick from no sanctions; Bush Senior having toppled Saddam; challenges to the historically driven attitudes towards the Middle East by the West regarding supporting/not supporting Iraq against Iran, the Taliban against the Russian occupation of Afganistan etc etc]. But the problem is that those WEREN'T the circumstances in place. I don't want to get dragged too far from the (frankly openly superficial) nature of this blog by getting into a debate about what I believe politically, though my support of this and this should give some indication of my broad standpoint. My point is though that there needs to be a certain degree of dealing with the circumstances as they are at any given point, and not JUST proclaiming idealism for how they should have been (I have no problem with idealism's voice being heard, just that you still need to deal with the here and now, the practical details).

Phew, that was a bit ranty.

I'll get back to some more frothy topics shortly...

Green Wing (and weekend TV watching)

I feel a little like a one-woman supporter of Green Wing this season since it has, to me at least, been no where near as bad as people criticised. Whilst there were probably a few too many moments of grossness, most of them worked well in terms of making me laugh (Joanna in the cupboard in Doctor Statham's office? Hysterically terrible). It seems unlikley there will be a third series - no Mac??? - and the characters generally did get rounded off nicely (even though it is just plain WRONG as a relationship, Caroline and Guy at the station seemed apt as a [un]happy ending). So overall, as good as I could have hoped, far better than some would have me believe, and defendably up there as cracking TV.

I have to say that I had gone to great lengths to tape Green Wing, and Doctor Who this weekend as we were away Friday night till Saturday night with friends. Despite 'leckies potentially working on our house and switched the power off, thus rendering a video setting irrelevent, and getting various friends across the country to tape them for me, in the end it didn't matter.

We got to our friends and Sue promptly muttered excitedly about it being the last of Green Wing and so a pact was made so we could scuttle off to watch that at 10pm. AND it turned out that since our friends were fully supporting a campaign to have "duderlede" as the new national anthem (try singing it with some accompanying wooshing sounds coming in later), they were well keen to set the video for Saturday evening themselves. When we actually arrived back about 3 mins before the scheduled start time for Doctor Who - for that was the theme were we singing! - we were asked if we wanted to stay a little longer to watch it... erm, YEAH!!!! And so it was, against expectations, that I got to watch both Green Wing AND Doctor Who, and both Neil and I got to see Doctor Who with Nick and Sue. Excellent! Communal watching ALWAYS makes things great!

Doctor Who and the Cybermen

It would probably not be a surprise if I said I really enjoyed this weekend's culminating 2-part episode of Doctor Who: "The Age of Steel".

Okay, so it wasn't perfect (there was a really clunky line about "saving London" that had us all wincing*), but as Fuzzboy said in response to Anna's remarks in exchange with Marie, boy we have been spoiled by some of our expectations for the series. Because I thought it was cracking. I cheered as the Doctor 'talked' his hints to MickeytheTinDog via the video link, and I must admit I was suitably chuffed at having kept myself spoiler-free on what happens with Mickey (not so much the Tin Dog, even if not quite a hero). And for the expression of delight on Tennant's face as he gets the TARDIS back to life... priceless. A real joy.

* "us all" will be explained in another post.

Sorry I've been absent...

Not for lack of thoughts of posts, but just circumstances against me.

So, all being well you can "look forward" to posts on:

1. Doctor Who and the Cybermen
2. Green Wing
3. Levellers' Day
4. i-Tunes
5. house improvements
6. books and music storage
7. independent bookshops

Wow, am sure there are at least a few more topics I could do a post one, but I'll be setting myself up for a fall if I list anything else....

Spotted in France

Ah Jane/Reidski. If I hadn't already had my picture took with the lovely tall man and had him sign stuff for me, I would be very jealous.

Great conundrums of our time

Should Rosby ditch her home DVD copy of "Secret Smile"?

I ducked the question by recommending Blackpool.

Scottish accent and sexy, but not (sadly) evil.

Tough call. Though we know where Marie stands. (BTW in case you haven't realised, Haloscan has gobbled all the wonderful comments and exchanges left at Marie's place. So it's plain posts only folks. Therefore note to all Haloscan users. If you ain't paying extra the chances are the comments are disappearing into the ether as each month is archived.)

The smartest thing you'll read (certainly this week) on The Da Vinci Code

In fact, probably one of the most succinct and insightful pieces I've read at all on Dan Brown.

Go over to see Matt and enjoy the writing.

Someone's at war with me?!

Stumbling through cyberspace I found this here.



The site is actually dedicated to the cover and artwork of one Richard Michael Gorman Powers (1921-1996), though this particular item comes under the list of those NOT by him (or of questionable attribution).

New book blog: reviews ahoy!

HolyHoses Rob has set up a new book reviews blog. It's worth checking out and am sure will quickly grow into a bouncing blog worthy of the Holy Hoses crew.

On Music

EineKleine Rob has a very nice little pean to liking different types of music here. As someone whose collection borders on the bonkers in terms of its range of styles, his taste is something I can identify with.

The real campaign against The Da Vinci Code

Never mind the Catholic Church mutterings against The Da Vinci Code, Cloud reckons that there should be a global campaign by film critics on the grounds that the film is crap and undermines the status of film...

Of course he hasn't read it and won't go and see it (despite the lovely Audrey). I, on the other hand, can't wait to go and see this comedy...

Oh come on; with that hair on Tom Hanks it HAS to be a comedy, right?

Sorry to be linkless as at 8.20am...

The Ballad of Vicki and Jake

Matt_c, regular commentor here at Rullsenberg, has just posted on the new website for the above film (on which he worked as a post-production assistant).

Though it's a shame that it won't have a UK distribution deal, those of you elsewhere in the world should certainly keep your eyes out for its availability.

I love a good site redesign

It's so hard to get the balance of typeface and images right when designing a site. A knowledge of html or similar can help, but it won't solve all problems. Blogger itself isn't without its flaws (!) and sometimes even big institutions get it horribly wrong. (Am sure we can all list examples of "should know better" rubbish web-design!)

All that is by way of saying that this much-visited site has had a front-page redesign.

Neat.

I told you ages ago that Flightplan was a pile of ca...

But I didn't come up with such a wonderful mocking alternative title as Norm.

British Art Show 6

Had brilliant fun at some of the city centre locations for the British Art Show yesterday, as this year it includes Nottingham in its touring locations. Spread across six sites, we only did a couple this weekend so there could be more to say on this, and although there were the inevitable clunkers - someone still thinks its okay to pull a Gavin Turk and submit a swiss cheese plant (1987-2005) as a work entitled "Untitled Structure" - overall the quality was very good and some of the films especially were excellent, with several works catching our attention.

Best bits:

Neil Cummings & Marysia Lewandowska in collaboration with Eileen Simpson and Ben White: Screen Tests (using found footage from the 1920s of Manchester School of Art and Design)

Breda Beban: Walk of the Three Chairs (a Serbian artist whose work has haunting folk music at its heart with delicate choreographed movements and film editing)

Doug Fishbone: Towards a Common Understanding (a work that could offend as many as it amuses, this piece was the only one to have a 'may not be suitable for children' warning. If you see it, you might see that as an understatement...)

Paul Rooney: The Song of the Nightclub Cloakroom Attendant and The Song of the Gallery Attendant (the first is rather eerie and humourous, accompanying scenes of a flourescent lit nightclub in daytime; the second draws on his experience as a former gallery attendant at Tate Liverpool)

Siobhan Hapaska: Playa de los Intranquilos (an installation with sand and a monsterous display that includes a video projection of coconuts being smashed. Set in a vivid orange painted space, and with each shot of the cocunuts focusing on their three face-like indentations, it makes for a brutal and unnerving set-up)

All very enjoyable. It's also worth noting that whilst I'm not usually keen on what Adrian Searle says as a reviewer, I was particularly struck by his final two paragraphs on this show (from when it was shown at a previous venue):

Sometimes a theme imposes itself, unbidden. Anna Barriball blew soap bubbles over a number of found old black-and-white snapshots. The soap was mixed with ink, and the blobs, spatters and traces don't so much deface the images as insinuate their way over them like the blooms of a slow-spreading disease. Old photos, like old films, almost always remind us of death. We see time there. Barriball has simply added another layer.

Almost the same thought struck me about the old, out-of-copyright film footage used in Neil Cummings and Marysia Lewandowska's Screen Tests, a beautifully edited compilation of diligent art students at their drawing class in (I guess) the early 1930s; young men and women making faces and larking about for the camera. It was another age with other values, and very different difficulties.

Still, for me one of the most memorable elements of the show whas how we experienced it at the annex to the main Angel Row gallery space over at the former Beatties toyshop. Adam Chodzko's work M-Path asks visitors to that venue to actually put themselves into another's shoes to walk through the experience space.



So should you make time to see this exhibition if you haven't already had chance at the BALTIC or at Manchester? Well, contemporary art isn't to everyone's taste - a fact I am fully prepared to accept even though I know most of the reasoning for not liking it can be based on the most flawed misconceptions. But give it whirl. As Jarvis once sang "Try it. You might like it. But you might... smudge your lipstick..."

The Collected Rosby and Marie material

For the sake of the historical archive, I hereby present the collected lyrical and scenario works of Marie and Rosby respectively (or at least as many as I could locate: I'm pretty sure that a comment by Rosby on Marie's site from Jan 1 2006 is lost in haloscan hell).

Yes, it makes for a long post. But this stuff is too funny to be lost to the mists of time.

Saturday November 19 2005

David Tennant, you're the one,
You make bathtime lots of fun,
David Tennant, I'm awfully fond of you;
(woh woh, bee doh!)

David Tennant, joy of joys,
When I squeeze you, you make noise!
David Tennant, you're my very best friend, it's true!
(doo doo doo doooo, doo doo)

Every day when I
Make my way to the tubby
I find a little fella who's
Cute and pink and not chubby
(rub-a-dub-a-dubby!)

David Tennant, you're so fine
And I'm lucky that you're mine
David Tennant, I'm awfully fond of you.

Every day when I
Make my way to the tubby
I find a little fella who's
Cute and pink and not chubby
(rub-a-dub-a-dubby!)

David Tennant, you're so fine
And I'm lucky that you're mine
David Tennant, I'm awfully fond of -
David Tennant, I'd like a whole pond of -
David Tennant I'm awfully fond of you!
(doo doo, be doo.)


Monday December 19 2005

Now!!!! Updated with guitar chords for you to play along!!!!

Intro: ( carillon arranged for guitar ) [I have no idea what this means]
G
e:-------------------------|-------------------------||
B:-------------------------|-------------------------||
G:-------------0-----------|----------0--------------||
D:-------0--4-----4--2--0--|----0--2-----0-----------||
A:----2--------------------|-3-----------------------||
E:-3-----------------------|-------------------------||

G
I don't want a lot for Christmas
G/B
There is just one thing I need
C
I don't care about Queen Lizzie
Cm
Doing her speech on TV
G Bm C/E D
I just want him for my own
G Bm C/E D
More than he could ever know
C
Make my wish come true
C D
All I want for Christmas
Em C D
Is Who

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about Chicago
Shrek or Superman part 3
I don't need to hang my stocking
I will wear it on my knee
Santa Claus and his Invasion's
Coming down the wrong chimney
I just want him for my own
More than he could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is Who
Who (Doctor)

I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting,
David Tennant, go go go,
I won't make a list and send it
To the boys at BBC
I won't even stay awake to
Watch soft porn on ITV
'Cause I just want him here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do
Baby all I want for Christmas is Who
Who

B G
All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
B G
And the sound of badly-done canned
Laughter fills the air
Bm G
And everyone is singing
Em
I hear that TARDIS spinning
C
Santa won't you bring me the one
D
I really need - won't you please
Bring my baby to me

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want young David Tennant
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want him for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas
Is Who

All I want for Christmas
Is Who (Doctor)
Is Who (Doctor)

Tuesday 3 January 2006

[The scene - a Pate's bus. Ros is jiggling in her seat as we draw up to Skittles' bus stop. As Sophie comes in and takes her place next to Ros, Ros starts to shout...]

Ros: Sophie! Sophie! Sophie! You know you recorded the Xmas Invasion? Can I borrow it???
Sophie: Um, actually...

Ros: [Eagerly] Yes?

Sophie: [Quietly] I kind of recorded over it.

[Ros stares at her for a few moments, then slowly nods and stares straight ahead. For a few minutes there is complete silence as she stays completely still.]

Sophie: Um...Ros, are you all right?

Ros: [Snapping into life] NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGAGHGAHGAHAG
WANNASEEDAVIDTENNANTIN
XMASINVASIONALLPLANSHAVEFAILEDGAGGHHHHH!

[She stands up, screaming, and hurtles herself towards the driver's seat. Pushing him out of the way she takes erratic control of the wheel, making the bus swerve left and right violently, whilst everyone on board screams.]

Ros: [Hysterically] If I'm going down without seeing that episode I'M TAKING YOU LOT WITH ME!!!

[She steps on it, and the bus surges forward. Suddenly she lets go of the wheel and lets it take its course. Suddenly, who had been sitting quietly, lunges towards the wheel.]

Man: STOP! STOP, IT'S ME!!!

[Ros looks briefly at the man, then looks again, more closely.]

Ros: Oh my...David...TENNANT???

David: [Yelling amidst the screams and shouts.] Yes, it's me! Listen Ros, you don't have to do this! I've got a copy here, look!

[He holds up a DVD. Ros puts out her hands and takes, eyes shining.]

Ros: This is...actually it??

David: Yes, it's it. Now please STOP!

Ros: [Not looking at the road, but at David.] Oh David, thank you so much! I always knew you were a wonderful, brilliant...

[She says no more, seeing as the bus collides with a lampost.]


Saturday February 18 2006

[The Scene - a dark, smelly room in a warehouse. The room is empty, save for Monty, Marie, Lisa, Kat, Tash, Janine, Sophie, Jack and Elizabeth. They are each tied to a chair with gags in their mouths; writhing furiously to try and get free, shouting through their gags, but to no avail. Suddenly a door bangs open somewhere, and Rosby enters, dragging a chair along with Amy bound to it.]

Rosby: Well, that's the last of them.

[She sets down the struggling Amy and faces everyone, a malicious smile playing on her face.]

My loyal slaves, all at my command. I warned you this would happen! "Comment on my blog!" I wrote, and yet you didn't. And so it has come to this.

Tash: [Struggling violently.] Mmmf pfff ffffff mmmm ffff!

Rosby: [Smiling evilly.] Hmm, had better remove the gag. [She does so.] What did you say?

Tash: [Furiously.] You can't keep us locked up here forever! We've got families! They're going to notice we're gone!

Rosby: Ahhh, I'm afraid you're mistaken there, Miss Evans. For in each of your houses, I have placed decoys where you would usually be, whether it be studying, playing Sims 2, writing a novel, anything. I always knew that my army of Year 7 clones would come in handy...

[She trails off, lost in a reverie. After a moment or two she snaps back to life and smirks.]

But enough monologuing, back to the plan! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what I have achieved...[She starts to walk away but pauses.] I think taking off the gags will increase the impact of this one...

[She takes off each gag. The warehouse suddenly rings with shouts, bellows and screams. Rosby simply smiles beautifically and walks offstage for a minute or two. She comes back wheeling a tall, blue wooden box. Lisa and Marie stop yelling and stare at it, dumbfounded.]

Lisa: Is...is that what I think it is?

Rosby: [Patting it affectionately.] The very one. It was a lot of work getting it here, I can tell you. I had to fight off a rampaging Russell T Davies, but I managed it. Here it is. The TARDIS. And... [she opens the door.] ...guess what's inside?

[She gropes inside and pulls out David Tennant, still wearing his Doctor costume, clutching the sonic screwdriver, looking very confused. Marie and Lisa look at him, struck dumb with complete and utter shock.]

Kat: Oh...

Tash: My...

Elizabeth: Bloody...

Lisa & Marie: GOD!!!

David: [Waving nervously.] Hello!

Rosby: The one and only David Tennant. He was even more difficult to get here; without this boy's help... [she briefly pulls Binnie out of the TARDIS, then shoves him back in] ...I wouldn't have been able to brew my anti-Tennant anditode. For twelve hours I am immune to his looks, his charm, his teeth...but you, my dear Marie and Lisa, are not.

Marie: [Scoffing.] What, you seriously think you're going to be able to harm us with...

[Before she can finish, David turns towards her and gives her The Smile. She stops talking abruptly, stares at him with an open mouth, gives a faint choking sound, then faints.]

Lisa: Marie!

[David turns towards her. She looks at him involuntarily, her eyes flick to the screwdriver, she mutters something inaudible and passes out too. Everyone else watches in horror.]

Rosby: And for the others... Barrowman! [She brings him out.] Angelina Jolie! [She pulls her out of the TARDIS.] Max! [She pulls him out too. The respective people faint away. Kat, Tash, Jack and Elizabeth are left.]

Hmm...it's more difficult to do it with you. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll find a -

Jack: [Interrupting.] Rosby...

Rosby: [Irritated.] What?

Jack: Exactly when did you steal David Tennant?

Rosby: Yesterday, at twelve o'clock in the afternoon.

Jack: Right...and when did you take the antidote?

Rosby: At the same time! Wait a second. [She looks at the clock; just after midnight. She gasps.] Oh no...oh no...

[On cue, David faces her and flashes the grin. She gives a gasp and staggers backwards. Kat looks at David and then at Tash in despair.]

Kat: Do we really have to endure this?

Tash: Who cares, it's weakening her!

[Rosby is finding it difficult to stay upright. With a final gasp, she collapses to the floor.]

Rosby: [Muttering.] I'm going to kill Binnie...[she passes out.]

[David stops grinning and starts sheperding the new arrivals back into the TARDIS.]

David: Hurry up, come on, come on, that's it...

Kat: Um...how are they all fitting in there? It's really small.

[David gives her a look of utter disdain.]

David: Don't you even WATCH Doctor Who?



Saturday May 6 2006

[THE SCENE - A magazine stand in the street. Marie flicks through a radio times. Suddenly she stops at a picture of Myles and Tennant, her eyes widening...]

Marie: GAGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[She throws herself at the magazine stand and tears the whole thing down, savagely ripping up copies of the RT.]

Marie: Damn you, Sophia, damn youuuu!!!

[She screams in fury and makes as if to attack again, but suddenly a voice rings out.]

David: Stop!!

[Marie turns, sees David Tennant.]

Marie: Oh...oh...*wow*.

[She faints. David sighs with annoyance.]

David: This is getting fucking ridiculous...


Thursday May 11 2006

Calling out around the world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancing with DT
Dancing in the Tardis
Down in the Eighteenth Century
Up in very bad thrillers

All we need is Daleks, sweet Daleks
There'll be Slitheen everywhere
There'll be werewolves and bat things and Cybermen playing
And dancing with DT

Oh, it doesn't matter what he wears
Just as long as I can ruffle his hair
So come on, every Time Lord grab a girl
Everywhere around the world(s)
There'll be dancing
I'm dancing with DT

This is an invitation
Leave your TV station
This is a chance for us to meet
There'll be casino bosses swinging and northerners singing
And dancing with DT

Cardiff, Wales (Cardiff, Wales)
London and Paisley now (London and Paisley now)
Yeah don't forget the bookshop (can't forget the bookshop)

All we need is Russell, sweet Russell
With his Casanovaries
There'll be cleavage and big wigs and RPJ doing a jig
And dancing with DT, yeah

Oh, it doesn't matter what he wears
Just as long as the specs are there
So come on, every Time Lord grab a girl
Everywhere around the world(s)
There'll be dancing
I'm dancing with DT

Cardiff, Wales (Cardiff, Wales)
London and Paisley now (London and Paisley now)
Yeah don't forget the bookshop (can't forget the bookshop)
All the way down in Blackpool (dancing with DT)
Not to mention court (Lady Chatterley)
Ice Skating (ice dancing with DT)
In a kilt (dancing with DT)
Unconvincingly on horseback (dancing with DT)
Rolling out your Potter tongue now (dancing with DT)
With his Dad, in a kitchen (dancing with DT)
Shaving off his beard (dancing with DT)
Looking back in anger (dancing with DT)
Taking over the asylum (dancing with DT)
Knowing he was right, every night, I'm dancing with DT...
(fade)


Thursday May 11 2006
[The Scene - a London flat. Marie is pacing up and down. Suddenly the doorbell rings. With a quick glance at her hair in the mirror, she opens the door. On the step stands David Tennant.]

David: Um...hi. You called me?

[Marie, conjuring up all her will and being, manages not to faint. Instead she smiles at David and stands aside.]

Marie: Ah yes. Please come in.

[He comes in and she shuts the door, mumbling incoherently, "Bowl of sugar..." She leads him to the kitchen and indicates a chair. He sits in it.]

David: [Nervously.] Look, what's going on? I don't know you. Why did you ask me to come round? You said it was a dire emergency...

Marie: [Sitting down facing him.] Hmm? Oh yes, I did, didn't I? Right. Well Doc - I mean David, I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've reached a conclusion, and it's only fair to let you know after all. [Beat.] I think we should get married.

David: *What*???

Marie: Now wait a moment before freaking out, just think about this; I think we're perfect for each other. I mean, I'm an up-and-coming writer, so when I get started I could write your Who scripts for you! We'd be a team! And I'm exactly the right age for you, and...and...you're gorgeous, and you could fight off the cybermen for me...or not. Well, you could put up the shelves, at least.

David: [Freaked out.] Look, um...Marie, I'm very flattered, but I'm afraid I've already got a girlfriend.

Marie: [Darkly.] Ah...Sophia.

David: Yeaahh...

Marie: Hmm.

[She leans across and opens another door, and with one hand pulls a confused Lisa out.

Lisa: Marie, what...? [She sees David.] BLOODY HELL!

Marie: This is Lisa. You could marry Lisa instead!

David: Umm...

Lisa: And what about that minor inconvenience of Cloud, Marie?

Marie: [Sotto voce.] Easily disposed of.

Lisa: Excuse me??

Marie: I said nothing...

[A door bangs somewhere. They both look up and see that David is gone. Marie sighs.]

Marie: Damn, so close...

[Suddenly with a thud and a gasp, Rosby tumbles out of the cupboard underneath the sink.]

Rosby: Gagh! Bloody hell; you need to clean under there, Marie! So, is it an all-go?

Lisa: I'm afraid not. We did try.

Rosby: [Disappointed.] Aww...

Marie: I suppose I should be grateful, really. I mean, we cannot always have what we want, even if we do try...a bit too hard. Sometimes it's better to have a goal rather than an instant solution. And plus, Sophia is a lucky, lucky girl. She deserves him. I'll just carry on watching Doctor Who and doing the standard drooling...

[Long pause. Then...]

Rosby: Have you tried Jake Gyllenhaal?



Any missing material you may have saved in a non-blog form (or if there is stuff I just haven't linked to), please let me know so I can make this the full Rosby/Marie archive of Tennant-related amusement.

Thanks!

UPDATED 15 October 2006
Rosby sent me this link and as it's in Marie's comments I'm keeping it here!

Friday 13 October 2006
Re: The David Tennant naked autograph thing...


[The Scene - a gym changing room; David is just drying his hair. The door opens and Marie strides in.]

Marie: Excuse me, I was wondering...[sees his state of undress] WHOA!

[David grabs for a towel to cover himself.]

David: What the hell are you doing??? This is the men's changing room!

[Marie opens her mouth several times, but nothing comes out of it.]

David: *Well*??

Marie: [Recovering slightly] Oh...oh God, sorry, sorry to barge in on you like this. I mean, you're all...pink and bedraggled...[observes this appreciateively]

David: [Peeved] What do you want?

Marie: [Meek] Just an autograph. Please? To Marie, lots of love David.

David: [Taking the offered piece of paper.] Fine...[he starts to write, then looks back up at her] Phillips? Marie Phillips?

Marie: Yes! How did you know?

David: Oh my God! It's *you*! Oh, I've wanted to meet you for a while, trust me. I've read all about your new book, and I've read about you in the papers, it's "Gods Behaving Badly", isn't it?

Marie: Well...yes, that's what it's called.

David: Listen, would you...would you like to go out for a drink sometime?

Marie: Yes! I...wait, hang on. Are you only asking me because you know who I am now?

David: Well, kinda...

Marie: Well in that case, no no no! All those times I've been dying to meet you in a situation like this, and all those times I've followed you home and stood outside your flat...

[David backs away slightly.]

Marie: OK, scratch that. But *now* I'm famous, and *now* I'm successful, you want to go out with me? Well I'm sorry, Mr Tennant, but the answer is no.

[She storms out, leaving David staring sadly, and wistfully back at the door. A mere thirty seconds later, the door bangs open.]

David: Changed your mind?

Marie: Oh, God yes!

[She pulls him to her and they kiss as if there's no tomorrow. Unbidden, the towel falls to the floor. Fade to black.]


I don't mean to say that he's THAT shallow; I just haven't written a scenario in a while...
Rosby | Homepage | 10.13.06 - 7:28 pm | #

UPDATED 17 October 2006:
Following Marie's dream, and the revelation of Dr Who shaped bubble bath containers I added the following comment

Quick, someone run to Boots and get that bubble bath quick!!!

Marie Phillips, soon to be published author, today had to be rescued from a street-filling bubble bath explosion. Fire services noted that they had never seen quite so many bubbles before in their life, but were a little confused why she was taking the bath at her friend's flat. The bubble explosion was caused by her absent-mindedly adding all 45 Doctor Who bubble bath bottles, kindly purchased for her by her blog friends, to her bath simultaneously. She was - coincidentally - rescued from the excess bubbles by nearby tenant David Tennant who emerged from the suds with a supporting arm around her. Soaking wet and with soapy clothes clinging to him, Mr Tennant professed he was a little baffled by the banners held across the street saying "just one more bottle should do it!", but Ms Phillips reassured him that she'd be fine next time if he wouldn't mind helping her manage her urges with the bubble bath.

"I'm sure I can help out" he winked...


In case you haven't guessed I've had a bad day at work and needed some venting distraction. Must be all that time I spend with you and Rosby...
Rullsenberg | Homepage | 10.16.06 - 1:03 pm | #

Fictional tales of (book)shops

Neat post over the new Crockatt & Powell blogsite (and yes, they have switched from the initial black background...) on the portrayal of shopkeepers - especially bookshops - in films. It follows hot on the heels of a couple of posts about the need for comfortable footwear when working in a bookshop, even though it does diminish ones's fashionable style quotient. As ever witty insights into the world of books.

Some notes and queries

Anna may have had hers answered (but without the obvious joke), but inevitably this caught my eye:

Why are people from Paisley called Buddies, my mate was born there, and he doesn't know the origin of it.

Now currently this has no answers, but we can only hope that someone good may answer it...

Making up for not going to many gigs this year

By booking for this.

belle and sebastian
elbow
jose gonzalez
gomez
calexico
delays
coldcut
richard hawley
the proclaimers
martha wainwright
x-press 2
michael franti and spearhead
dj format
morning runner
seth lakeman
nouvelle vague
vashti bunyan
buzzcocks
isobel campbell
guillemots
the boy least likely to
adem
the long blondes
brakes
forward, russia!
baxter dury
the young knives
absentee
the blockheads
larrikin love
tunng
voom blooms
david kitt
sophie solomon
gravenhurst
james morrison
m.craft
redcarsgofaster
misterlee
token of affection
camera obscura
mr hudson and the library
kissmet
little man tate
dons mobile barbers
joan as a police women
william hut
el mahico
gem
plaid
butterflypolite
andy griffiths band
storm thieves
david wyatt band
kingsize
fair trade/oxfam acoustic cafe
the city acoustic club
william elliott whitmore
derrin nauendorf
simon honeyboy hickling
kim richey
rise kagona and champion doug Veitch band
br549s
hayley hutchinson
mike west and truckstop honeymoon
waking the witch
paul lamb and the king snakes
bathysphere digital arts:
psapp
sofalofa
a hawk and a hacksaw
stendec
the buoys
now
formication

(sorry about the craply formatted list, but that line-up has a lot to interest us.

Am actually terribly excited about it!!!!

But why did it have to get shot?

The bear - a grolar bear / pizzle - seems really wonderful. But why did it have to be shot?

Bloggers4Labour Forum

Just a note to say that the new Bloggers4Labour forum has been announced as apparantly up and running for folk to register.

For graduate students everywhere

Hee. Found a bit of gem when I was clearing out my email at work (we're migrating from Groupwise to Outlook.... No this does not fill me with glee)

Anyway.

This site still makes me laugh, and the extract below is always amusing (no I won't say how many of these phrases cropped up in my own academic mitherings)

Linguistics for Academicians and Fellow Travelers
The following list of phrases and their definitions might help you understand the mysterious language of science and medicine. These special phrases are also applicable to anyone working on a Ph.D. dissertation or academic paper anywhere!

"It has long been known"... I didn't look up the original reference.

"A definite trend is evident"... These data are practically meaningless.

"While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to the questions"... An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hope to get it published.

"Three of the samples were chosen for detailed study"... The other results didn't make any sense.

"Typical results are shown"... This is the prettiest graph.

"These results will be in a subsequent report"... I might get around to this sometime, if pushed/funded.

"In my experience"... once.

"In case after case"... twice.

"In a series of cases"... thrice.

"It is believed that"... I think.

"It is generally believed that"... A couple of others think so, too.

"Correct within an order of magnitude"... Wrong.

"According to statistical analysis"... Rumor has it.

"A statistically oriented projection of the significance of these findings"... A wild guess.

"A careful analysis of obtainable data"... Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a glass of pop.

"It is clear that much additional work will be required before a complete understanding of this phenomenon occurs"... I don't understand it.

"After additional study by my colleagues"... They don't understand it either.

"Thanks are due to Joe Blotz for assistance with the experiment and to Cindy Adams for valuable discussions"... Mr. Blotz did the work and Ms. Adams explained to me what it meant.

"A highly significant area for exploratory study"... A totally useless topic selected by my committee.

"It is hoped that this study will stimulate further investigation in this field"... I quit.

SFX magazine... the pink and gold striped shirt

....




Sorry. I think I fainted.

(hat tip to the folk at David-Tennant.com for always being on the ball with magazine recommendations. Just follow the links to those scans people and count the time till you can buy your copies over the counter...)

Keep an eye out on the Holy Hoses gang as they approach 2000 posts

It's coming soon...

(Who knows, it could even be the new member that writes it?!)

Welcome HolySwerve!

So sad to see you go

I seem to be several moments in time behind events at present. How else to explain I missed the recent death of Grant McLennan... Am I just reading the wrong news sources?

Hat tip to Lily for passing this on.

Lily's gems: Jarvis, oh Jarvis... we SO love you

Absolutely one of my most favourite Pulp songs.

Lily: thanks for this. youtube is awesome.

I'll meet you at the Cemetry Gates...

I have always been fascinated by graveyards (no, I'm not a closet Goth - not with my taste for colour!). My mother always loved walking with me through them and us reading and reconstructing the lives and histories of the people there: the patterns of illness, marriage, children, common names... so much to be learnt from just reading some stones.

So on reading it, I immediately had to follow up on Skuds' link to this site.

As Skuds indicates it's both witty and smart, and informative. Fabulous stuff.

It also brings to mind that its been a while since my last random wander through a churchyard/graveyard (no, I don't think I'm Buffy, looking out for vampires: you all know I have a Willow fixation...). Still, whilst the weather is nice it makes me think about planning a visit to one of the local churches to have a rummage for the interesting and the obscure lives and histories hinted at by gravestones.

Yes, I was (and am) a weird child.

You just know I can't compete with these gals...

First Rosby (we really must do a collected Rosby sometime: all the scenarios in one location), and now I see Marie has been back into the song cupboard and pulled out another of her lyrical gems.

Truly girls, I cannot compete with these talents... really I can't...

The alternative world view

This project by WorldMapper is fascinating and ongoing. Check out some the work already done, especially on imports/exports.

Somehow though I can't helped being reminded of CJ's reaction to the Peters' Projection map...

(Hat tip to Paul at PulpMovies)

Teaching us all how to live

This from Just Jane who as ever brings us the real things from life and the amazing spirit of humanity.

Incredibly moving.

Crockatt & Powell Bookshop blog move!

After many frustrating months of trying to get the blog to take comments from all their readers, the C&P blog has now found a new (dark) home over with blogger.

You can still read the old blog as at 11 May 2006, but they now have a spiffy new home at

http://www.crockattandpowell.blogspot.com/

Go and find them! you know it makes sense!

Rob's obligations

He's learning, but he does keep trying to get past us.

After this and this drew these comments, he eventually did what he had to do (though not without a little more playfulness on his part at the start of the post).

Rob, sweet MediumRob, fount of all manner of entertaining media related commentary, it's only a small thing to ask that any and all possible opportunities to include gratuitious DT pictures are taken up: some of your readers count on it!

Thank you.

PS You do know we love the banter really?

Doctor Who Sticker Book

Tum-te-tum... not at all interested in having a Doctor Who sticker book like I was 10 years old or something....

Eastern Cape Book Appeal

Not exclusively a shout to those of you in Scotland, but one you may feel more practically able to get involved in.

ACTSA Scotland runs an appeal for books to be sent to South Africa and is now based at Hillhead Library in Byres Road, Glasgow, courtesy of Glasgow City Council.

Help is always welcome, whether in the form of donated books in good condition (fiction or non-fiction, for all ages), of help with collecting, sorting and packing, or of funds to cover shipping to South Africa. The cost of shipping a container is some £1250, which is excellent value for the quantity of books involved but is real money that has to be found from donations. Vans also need to be hired from time to time to fetch donations of books within Scotland, and new books by, for example, African writers could be bought if funds allowed.

To help in any of these ways, please contact the ACTSA Scotland office at 52, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow G1 4AA. Tel: 0141 221 1276 (usually an answering machine). E-mail: John.Nelson@actsascotland.org.uk. Please do not contact Hillhead Library directly, or try to deliver books to St. Enoch Square (a small office that is not staffed).

You can read more information about ACTSA Scotland here. It's a good cause, taken up here, here and here, and I am happy to add my little bit of promotion of it.

Latin Cats: "Feles mala!"

Especially for Hak Mao, a selection of Latin catty phrases:

Credidi me felem vidisse! - I tought I taw a puddy tat!

Estne tibi forte magna feles fulva et planissima? - Do you by chance happen to own a large, yellowish, very flat cat?

Feles mala! cur cista non uteris? stramentum novum in ea posui - Bad kitty! Why don't you use the cat box? I put new litter in it

Genius stuff. Not only does the site help translate actual proper Latin (ever wondered what that motto meant?) but it also provides entertainment with translations of popular culture catchphrases!

I scream for crows

Nice Captain Beefheart reference there Cloud; thanks for that as an introduction to this great site, and this wonderful example of the gems it provides.

Clamo, clamatis, omnes clamamus pro glace lactis

"What does that mean?", you cry:

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream

Of course it does...

Norm's US states

Norm has just posted stage one of his results of the recent Normblog US states poll, which asked contributers to select their favourite 5 state names. He also asked for a song to accompany the selections - we await this with anticipation!

Give yourself a Mighty Boosh!

This is just nuts... the Job Site allows you to get a bonkers psychological boost.

But since you can type in any name (for some reason Neil wanted to try David Tennant... "you can't type that" he says; "it's like I have an obsession about him!" "Ha," cries Lisa Rullsenberg...)

...well, let's say it's a laugh...

Make sure your speakers are turned on.

Heinrich Heine

Following from Norm's posting of a great remark by Heine, here's another gem:

"I cannot promise you, dear reader, anything very captivating in the next chapter. If you become bored by the stupid stuff in it, console yourself by thinking of what a dreary time I must have had writing it! I would recommend that once in a while you skip several pages - for in that way, you will arrive much sooner at the end. Oh! How I wish I could do the same thing!"

I got it from an article in PMLA donkeys ago, from which the aforementioned blog takes its remarks.

Anyway, its a cracking quote and a lovely companion to the great Biff cartoon line of "You think it's difficult to read? You should try writing it!" (sadly this particular cartoon doesn't appear to be online but it sits on my noticeboard at home!)

From the woman who bought you the noun "Timephwoard"...

... comes another gem of honest reviewing: step forward Caitlin Moran for this piece of identification

"...Sophia Myles, who is now Doctor Who’s real-life actual lucky bitch girlfriend."

Now who amongst us hasn't had to at least resist that line in their head?

The BATFA TV awards

How can you choose between Gillian Anderson - luminescent as she was in Bleak House - and the enchanting Anna Maxwell Martin (who I first saw on stage back in 2002 alongside lovely lovely Douglas Henshall in the Tom Stoppard trilogy The Coast of Utopia)? Although Anderson was incredible, the role of Esther Summerson clearly demands more range in terms of humour and pathos.

Well, whatever I thought, the BAFTA judges felt able to choose...

Still, it was really FAB that Doctor Who won (especially as it was up against Shameless*, which usually sweeps up awards of this kind).



*Can I just say, I really REALLY don't get Shameless. Maybe there has been just a little bit too much middle-class fawning over it for my liking, even though I fully respect how Paul Abbott has drawn on his own life experiences to write it. Weirder still given that I really love My Name is Earl, which Cloud says is just a gentler US version of the same type of narrative. Don't see it myself, but what do others think?

Yesterday afternoon I saw a lovely fireplace

No, NOT the one on Doctor Who...

Sigh...

No, this one was Art Nouveau style brushed chrome colour

INTERRUPTING UPDATE: We went back and took a photograph...


It had tulips on it, and was massive and beautiful and my god if it hadn't been raining and the bus wasn't coming and the place that was selling it hadn't looked like it may be here today and gone tomorrow... well, I would have splashed the money and bought it... possibly even paying cash.

We kept discussing said fireplace all night at home.

And then I dreamt about it.

Showing it off to Neil and his parents...

... though I have to say the last thing I remember when I woke up was someone putting a hand on my shoulder and saying "nice fireplace"...

I think it was the shock of the voice that woke me up!

FURTHER UPDATE: So far we have resisted purchase (not least 'cos it wouldn't fit in the car and we don't know anyone with a van...)

Rosby strikes again

You really do have to hand it to the imagination of this girl.

Rosby: is there not some award we can put her up for? I mean, she's single-handedly turning out these scenarios on a regular basis and she's not yet failed to make me giggle...

But Notts County survive...

They were there at the start...

Despite everything about local rivalries, I have to say I'm glad Notts County survived to stay in the League.

Forest draw insufficient to reach play-offs

Arse and feck. Now Paulie will tell me I should have stayed in New Zealand...

In defence of Green Wing...

I know I know, here come the bricks and bottles complaining Green Wing just isn't funny.

I have to say that I LURVED the first series. It was just perfect for my insanity.

With all the criticism, some from very well respected corners of my blog world here, here, and here I was probably expecting it to be not just a let down compared to the first series but a revelation convincing me I was utterly wrong to find that first series funny at all.

But you know what? We got friends to tape it when we were away in New Zealand. And we caught up with the episodes. And we've been watching since our return. And guess what? I STILL think its funny.

Maybe not as superbly mad as the first series, but gigglesome and wince-worthy in the right measures.

And I LOVE Tamsin Greig. The whole thwarted Caroline & Mac thing? Sigh....

What a pity...

It's always a shame when you find out that projects you were really interested in seeing happen change direction, especially when it means the dropping out of a key player you were really keen on watching in the role.

So it is with Douglas Henshall who is now no longer involved with the production Sabina (formerly "Where Love Reigns"), where he was to have played the role of Carl Jung. Shame. They don't know what they're missing.

Credit as ever for informing us on these matters to the unofficial (if gratefully acknowledged) site douglashenshall.com.

How to write a gig review

Paul Fuzz provides not only hilarious and incisive commentary on a popular culture issue (in this case the demise of good music journalism), but also provides a patented Paul Fuzz E-Z Do-It-Yourself Gig Review template.

Brilliant.

A nice present

Guess who got me this?



Of course, the doors don't know open and have the Doctor appear asking "am I ginger?" but it's nice gift all the same!

Thoughtful and thought-provoking

Not for the first time Matt C has written a really interesting piece on culture; this time his attentions are provoked by the recent premiere of the film United 93.

I want to think about this more because clearly such debates about the place of docudrama, the limits of what it can cover and the problems of spectacularising (sorry: making words up now...) horrific events are worth debating. Still, I wanted to make sure that I directed you to read his piece yourself and hence I'm giving a link to it here even though I'm still pondering my response.

A plea for Clare: fiction and non-fiction on religious cults and evangelism

Clare's interested in a recommended reading list on the topic of religious cults and evangelism.

I can think of some mentions in stuff like Pynchon's Vineland and Alison Lurie's "Imaginary Friends" seems relevant.

There is a bit of info from this site which has done a study on the topic (and yes it does seem there is as much fiction on this as anything advisory/non-fiction).

Anyone else got any ideas? Am sure Clare would appreciate some offers...

If you don't know Frank Sidebottom, you haven't lived

Priceless that Frank's World has been set up on the Internet; even better that John should be the one to alert me to it.

Taking children to work

I knew this was well-established in the USA, but I hadn't realised that it had transferred to the UK, as EineKleineRob's post from last Friday points out.

Mind you, it seems that it hasn't really took off over here. And I'm trying to think why that may be: is it a lack of interest from employers, or from employees? Is it that children don't want to go, or that the school timetable is such that they are not allowed to go? (Seems in contradiction to truancy rates...) Is it that Health and Safety makes it too difficult, or it that those who would like to take children in have none to take (the postponement of having children)?

So many questions...

What strikes me as particularly odd is that you would hardly think the USA would be ahead of the UK on this matter. Any answers...??

On Mortality: Part Two

I had to put in a link to Just Jane's wonderfully moving and poignant post about attending the funeral of her friend. It's an eloquent expression of how we develop ties across the years and geography that stay with us and how we can stir memories at several paces. And it doesn't forget that memories can often have humour and joy in them to help us through the shock of bereavement. As always Jane offers us something special to remind us why we love her blog so much.

Making a Legal Union

I have a fondness for people making a commitment to each other that is out of all proportion to my actual (non-)desire to do the same myself. So it has been fun in recent times to drop by the Troubled Diva and watch the preparations and delights of Mike's 'legal union'. Currently bemoaning the limitations of eggs benedict without hollandaise sauce in the Maldives, Mike has nevertheless found time and space to provide yet another great picture of the Happy Day to go with all the other lovely pictures available.

I'm still thinking about possible captions, but the great happiness of the event does fair warm my heart. Of course you all know by now that aftter nearly 16 years together the whole of issue of me and Neil making some kind of traditional declaration is a tad unlikely, but we have agreed that as long as it's done by someone dressed as a tacky Elvis and it's somewhere like Las Vegas (hello Joe!) we may JUST consider getting ourselves a legal union.

Of course we could just do it a lot cheaper by having proper wills, but doesn't seem half as fanciful. And since the chances of us being able to afford LV anytime soon are pretty small (especially with rellies in NZ to visit), it seems that our commitment will just have to remain one of our hearts rather than bank accounts.

Much more romantic anyway...

I don't get Flickr

Here I am uploading photographs through Blogger and I look around at all the people who use Flickr and think "why don't I do that?"

And then I occasionally come across posts like this, which - even though it is now resolved - just make me think "can I deal with the hassle?"

I'm also probably a bit tight money-wise and, since I am already wasting one lot of expenditure at the moment on something I haven't made much use of, I'm not best keen to be forking out for something I may just get out of the habit of using.

So someone please tell me: what are the advantages of Flickr compared to other photo storage sites? How much does it cost and what do you get for that? And how tech-smart do you have to be to use it?

Just thoughts...

On the Struggling Author front...

Marie continues to demonstrate that you can be THIS close to the circle of meeting David Tennant and still not quite manage it.

Sssheesh: she has friends in the same building and goes to parties attended by other actors who have worked with him. Yet somehow DT eludes her (am sure she would add "it's just a matter of time...").

Somehow I am strangely reminded of that song "I know someone who knows someone who knows Alan McGee quite well". Ah the joys of tangential relationships!

Neglectful blogger trying to have a blurge

I've been aware I haven't been dropping by everyone as much since my return from NZ. So I'm going to try and catch up with the word on the blog in a few posts now whilst I get chance (just watch: the mythical builder will consequently immediately appear and take up the next hour of my life arguing provisional costs and start dates...)

On mortality

How would you want to find out about the death of someone you knew?

Probably not several weeks after the event via a brief obituary in a music magazine.

Especially not accompanied by comments of "I thought you knew" from a partner who forgot you went to school with them.

So you can imagine how crappy I've been feeling since yesterday.

I'd spotted some passing reference to the tragically early death of former Stuffies drummer Martin Gilks on some blogs during the week before BAAS. And then gone on to talk about the tribute page with the lovely Paul W at said conference (he being another West Midlands boy). But for some reason the information fell out my brain. Hence, yesterday afternoon Neil was flicking through the new issue of Q magazine (best thing about it: Jarvis/Scott Walker piece plus a cracking CD). And he turned the page to the Obituaries. And there at the bottom was mention of Martin Gilks.

Neil went rather pale.

"Oh yeah," I said, "didn't you know? I thought I'd mentioned it?"

He shook his head. And it was then I remembered that this wasn't just some random I-lived-in-the-West-Midlands-and-saw-all-the-bands kinda knowledge of him: he'd been at the same school. Knew people from the same bands and social set.

What had been poignant enough already now became almost unbearable as rummaging through the tributes pages showed up several mutual acquaintances and former school friends. Shit. How could I be so dense? How many times had I heard him and his brother talking about Tank and Martin and Jez - the whole music-focused gang from school?

And let's face it, it's just awful hearing about people your own age dying anyway. Let alone when you know them.

Gutting.

Another great Who review

Rob Buckley is a journalist, so if he can't write a good review no one can.

Of course its great.

Go read it here or at Off The Telly.

I'm with Shuggy (I think...?)

I'd been looking at Phil Edwards' excellent post on identifying the political spectrum over the weekend; mulling it over, taking it in, thinking through what I thought.

I was just about to go back to post a draft post on it I'd done when I started off on one of my blog trawls and visited Shuggy. Who writes it so succinctly - and in many respects is close to my own answers and stance - that I almost felt this post redundant.

Sigh.

Still, for those interested I think I am: a Pelagian Digger Hippie Whig ...

... but where I feel myself coming undone is on the issue of how change relates to the present. The choices offered are:

A Right-Hegelian believes that, to the extent that it makes sense to talk of a good society, the good society is an extension of trends which have a visible and increasingly dominant influence on society as it is now

A Left-Hegelian believes that it emphatically does make sense to talk of a good society, and that such a society will in important senses require the reversal or overthrow of society as it is now

Now I want to believe that we have made progress and change and that there are some strands of that in modern society. But there are a lot of things are horribly problematic in the world today and I'm not sure that the trends that are increasingly dominant are the ones I would wish to see extended (I'm particularly thinking here of fundamentalism of all kinds, but especially religion). So this places me closer to thinking about dramatic change of society as it now is. Except that I fear what such a change would look like and whether we would lose too many of the good things that have come about e.g. improved access to education, rights for women....

Anyway, this means that if I place myself as a Right-Hegelian Whig, I'm a Reformer, and if I place myself as a Left-Hegelian Whig, I'm a Revolutionary.

Since I am torn between these two that probably just means I'm F.

For Fence-sitter.

Splinters up my political arse as usual then.