Planet Earth

It was great wasn't it? Or was it? There's been a mini-backlash inflicted on this series, and I've got to say I'm not surprised. There were, of course, some wonderful sequences - the 'chandelier ballroom', that snow leopard chase, lions looking very out of place as they traipsed across a desert - but in between it all felt a bit pedestrian, as if trekking across Mongolia, or pot-holing for a week was too much for them, the wimps, and they didn't have any energy left for the other half hour of the programme. Ok, that's a tad harsh, but you see what I mean. As Sam Wollaston pointed out today, it was the commentary which let it down most often (though I doubt this is all down to David Attenborough, as Sam insists), peppered as it was with natural history cliches. I actually had a bet with my dad before Sunday's show aired to see who could get closest to guessing how minutes into the programme it would be before David asserted something along the lines of "Now this desert may look inhospitable, but actually it's teeming with life!". It was the first thing he said. Oh dear. Later, when the rains came, dad suggested it was only a matter of time before the phrase 'burst into life' came along. He was so right.

To pick holes in this undeniably brilliant series is picky to say the least but, let's face it, dear fellow bloggers, this is what we do. :)

CSI and their curious selections of music

I should have realised my gut instinct was right... Earlier this year my "cloud-in-trousers" and myself were watching CSI when suddenly the hardly mainstream sounds of an Einsturzende Neubauten track cropped up in the musical background. So, last night, when watching a re-run of the episode "Slaves of Las Vegas" from Season 2, I should have been less astonished to hear Sigur Ros. The track was "Sven g englar". For those interested, the CSI website guide has a good list of music used in the show(s).

I am always intrigued by the selection of music tracks to be played in the background of TV and movies. I know Tarantino is often credited with upping the ante on the quality of movie soundtracks and their accompanying albums but I wonder how much thought is given to the use of music in TV? Its seems an underrated area.