I Didn’t Ask For Adverts
BT Vision has updated itself, but now every so often I get this display on the screen, whilst listening to Radio 5 Live.
I Didn’t Ask For Adverts
I didn’t sign up for adverts.
I wonder how I get them removed.
Steve Coogan On Abu Qatada
I have had this thought, that it might be a good idea to put Abu Qatada on Question Time. After all, the BBC put the equally nice leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin on the program and it doesn’t seem to have done him much harm.
So I searched the Internet with “Abu Qatada Question Time” to see if anybody had suggested it and found this extract from the program featuring Steve Cooghan.
Newsnight In A Twist
The BBC’s flagship news program has really got itself in a twist lately.
They may or may not have libelled a politician and they really got it wrong with Jimmy Savile.
When she was a pupil, C did one pupillage in chambers specialising in libel. Every night, someone from chambers used to read the next day’s copy of a well-known tabloid to make sure they hadn’t defamed anybody.
Where was that check in Newsnight?
Skyfall
I went to see it this afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s only about the fourth or fifth Bond film, I’ve actually seen. I saw the three early ones; Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger, before I went to University.
Although C and I were together for forty years, I think we may only have seen one together and that could have been Thunderball or You Only Live Twice.
She wasn’t really keen on that sort of action film.
For many years too, whilst we were raising the kids, we rarely had time for the cinema and tended to go to the theatre or out for a meal.
I did see Quantum of Solace on the way back from Hong Kong, but does that really count as it wasn’t in a cinema.
In fact, I must be one of the few people, who’ve never seen a Bond film on the small screen. After all, Bond has always been on a channel with adverts and I don’t like intermissions.
I don’t think we even took the children to see any of the others.
So if my memory is correct, Skyfall was the sixth Bond film, I’d seen in the cinema.
I said that I enjoyed it and in some ways very much how I enjoyed the early ones. It was fresh and different with just the right amount of humour to go with the action.
I’ve read all of the novels, including some in French, and I think Sam Mendes has captured the exotic themes of the books. To someone like myself growing up in a London suburb, places like the Caribbean and Istanbul were very exotic to say the least. The choice of Hashima Island for the villain’s lair was the sort of idea of which Ian Fleming would have approved.
So in some ways the film went back to the 1960s for me.
As ever though, the computing in the film isn’t as good as it could be. But that would be my only major gripe. Although, the tube train is a deep-level one running between sub-surface stations. It’s actually because it was shot in the old Charing Cross platforms for the Jubilee Line, which turn up in quite a lot of films and videos.
We Nearly Bought A House On A Film Set
Yesterday, I went to see It Always Rains On Sunday and thought the church featured was very familiar. A bit of research said it was in Hartland Road just north of Camden Town. So I went and had a look this morning.
Looking at old pictures, the spire was larger than in the film. But now it seems to have been completely demolished. It apparently was damaged in the Second World War.
In about 1970, we trried to buy a house in Hartland Road. It was possibly number 7 or 9 and would have cost the grand sum of £8,000. Today it must be worth at least £800,000. It could possibly have been the one used in the film.
In the end we moved to the Barbican.
The church was originally an Anglican one called Holy Trinity. Now it is a Roman Catholic one called Holy Trinity with St. Barnabas
It Always Rains On Sunday
I went to see this film last night at the BFI. It was rather appropriate given last night’s weather.
It was definitely worth seeing and if you get a chance go. I recognised some of the locations and might try to find them this week. The end chase sequence takes place in Temple Mills. This used to be a large marshalling yard, which has gone now and is used to store and service Eurostar and other trains.
In fact, the end chase sequence, is one of the best I’ve seen in years and this is even more astounding considering it was shot on film with large cameras and no or few special effects. And it was all made over sixty-five years ago!
Channel 4 Sacks John McCririck
Channel 4 has sacked John McCririck, one of their horse racing team. He blames ageism in this report on the BBC.
I’m not bothered one way or another if he appears on Channel 4 Racing, as he can be almost as irritating as the adverts that appear on the channel.
I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and although his views can be outspoken, I’ve never found him anything but charming and courteous. In fact a friend was interviewed by him, for their screen test for television and found he put them totally at ease.
I have a feeling that McCririck will appear elsewhere on television and/or radio, as his knowledge of horse racing is undoubtedly at the highest level.
Madonna Annoys The Russians And Quite A Few Others
I have never seen Madonna live or indeed any of her films, but her latest tour does seem to be getting its share of complaints. Read about it in the Independent. The Russians are even suing her.
She is also being sued by anti-gay activists in Russia for allegedly encouraging gay sex between minors at a show in St Petersburg. Lawyers are seeking millions in ‘moral damages’ after she called on Russians to respect gay rights and passed out pink bracelets to the audience.
But as a wag from Liverpool has commented on the article has said, “Hollyoaks does that!”, referring to encouraging minors to have sex.
Most of the complainants and Madonna herself should all grow up and be more responsible.
Eton’s Gangnam Style
Students at Eton College have created a viral hit based on Psy’s Gangnam Style. The Guardian says it’s a bit cringe-worthy in this piece, but surely it shows that the power of the Internet is there for us all to harness.
There’s A Lot Of Skyfall About
Skyfall seems to be everywhere and especially on the buses.
Usually, lots of bus adverts indicate that a film isn’t as good as it might be.
I shall go, as I once bought a house from Daniel Craig‘s stepfather.
The Anonymous Widower 