All entries for July 2006

Doctor?

So yes, I finished watching the latest series of Doctor Who last night, which due to it's UK–based nature, puts me in the interesting position of actually being behind the rest of the general public and my peers in the watching of a TV show. However, it also means that for once I can blog at length about a TV show I watch and have more than Lewis and Jimmy understand what I'm going on about (a study of the finer points of a show that never aired in the UK such as Entourage may be fun to write, but it's less fun if people don't read it).

So without further ado…

1) New Earth
So, David Tennant eh? The first episode in which he's concious for the majority of it and puts in a good performance. Gurning not as bad as Ecclescake but still there. A typical sci–fi story gives us the backdrop but it's no great shakes and has been done before. Not bad though.
2/5

2) Tooth and Claw
This is more like it! Victorian Scotland crossed with werewolves. See that's the show at it's best – crossing some historical setting with a fantastical element. And some left over extras from The Matrix too. How twee. Before I go on now would be a good time for a digression on the subject of Torchwood, since this is where the theme makes it's most obvious early occurrence. Like last years Bad Wolf, references to Torchwood are weaved into the series throughout. Unlike last years Bad Wolf they're not subtle or mysterious however. See, the whole Torchwood thing could be interesting, keep us guessing, trying to figure out what it is and how it all fits in. Except we already know what it is as the BBC have released a ton of press releases for the spin–off series focused on it. Now if they could have kept it under–wraps and announced the spin–off via trailer at the end of the last episode the whole Torchwood hint–dropping thing would have been great. But no, it doesn't work like that and as such just feels like they're reminding you to watch the spin–off when it launches.
But yes, back to Tooth and Claw:
4/5

3) School Reunion
Yay, Tony Head! And the return of two old characters the majority of the TV audience won't know about. But nevertheless they're used to raise a point to Rose about the ultimate fate of the Doctor's companions or something, but frankly it all goes a bit to soapish for me. And the computer hacking with school kids thing was right out of Demon Headmaster sequel The Prime–Minister's Brain. Even down to the glowy green screens. But that plot was never the point. The point of the episode was to hit us around the head with a big Sarah Jane Smith–shaped hammer that says "The Doctor will leave Rose eventually". But it just doesn't work, it's an attempt to put in foreshadowing and character development but it's just clumsy and it's clear Russel T Davis still hasn't got the hang of how to develop an on–going arc, either plot–wise (Torchwood) or character–wise. There's more evidence for this to come.
If the plot weren’t so clichéd and obvious it might get away with it but it doesn't.
2/5

4) The Girl in the Fireplace
Now this is high concept – a ship with windows onto different times in a person's life. And here we finally have a good character driven story, as the love story lasts only forty–five minutes for us, but is a lifetime in Reinette's reality. High concept sci–fi, Renaissance Paris, and an utterly charming love story.
5/5

5) Rise of the Cybermen and the 6) Age of Steel
Well if you didn't know who was appearing in these two episodes the title spoils it for you right off the bat so that's okay then. Makes you wonder why they spend so long building up to a dramatic Cybermen reveal really. So steampunk London and a real hard sci–fi story. Also the first time that Tennant saying "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" really starts to grate. The plot itself is ace, the return of Rose's dad a good idea but remember what I was saying about character arcs earlier? Many people have said this is the episode that redeems the Mickey character from being the bumbling idiot and turns him into a hero. Well I guess it does but again, it's so clumsy. Mickey was never the robot dog – he was far more one–dimensional than K9 ever was. But it's like the producers saw he was getting a negative reaction and decided to get rid of him, and in doing so wrote in some back–story about his parents and gran that shoved in to add some depth, and then have him save the day then opt to stay behind. Obviously you have to redeem the character somewhat to make us care about his sacrifice but it's just so obvious. The fact that they even bother to fill in the back–story to an otherwise neglected character sets off warning bells that he's not long for this earth – quite literally. And don't forget now he's in that other universe, he can never come back, as travel is not possible. That'll be important later.
Still, it was a good story so can't be too harsh.
3/5

7) The Idiot's Lantern
Not much to say on this one really. A good solid tale, that's pretty freaky (people losing their faces, and talking TV sets), a solid episode but utterly unremarkable.
3/5

8) The Impossible Planet and 9) The Satan Pit
The first of these episodes was scary. Really, really tense and a tad disturbing. 'Stuck on a moonbase with something unknown beneath' may be a tad cliché for horror films but it's not something you see in Doctor Who much. The conclusion is a tad less interesting but the TARDIS coming to the rescue was a nice touch. Think I'll split the score into two:
5/5 and 3/5

10) Love and Monsters
Ahh, this one was controversial but I loved it. It might be structured very differently but it's still Doctor Who. It'd probably get five stars if it wasn't for two things. Firstly Peter Kay. Just don't let him near your show, ever. He's awful. He might not be at his worst here but the man still annoys me. Secondly the ending. You craft this amazingly beautiful love story between Elton and Ursula, that really has you feeling for them. And all their friends get killed throughout the episode – was it really too much to ask that The Doctor bring her back fully at the end and they both live happily ever after? I'm not normally a fan of sugary sweet happy endings but since they sort of bought her back anyways, why not go the whole way? It would just have felt more right. But then I guess if they had done that, they wouldn't have been able to fit in the blow–job joke….
4/5

11) Fear Her
Many Doctor Who episodes take the fantastical elements to the extreme but this one really stretches credibility: the London Olympic Stadium actually being finished on time?! Clearly the Torchwood institute had something to do with that one…
Still, it's an interesting concept for an episode, albeit one that doesn't make much sense (where do the kids that are drawn go? and why does the thing controlling the girl want them there, when she exists inside the girl and is hence living in our reality, but is apparently lonely. But by drawing them they get removed from our reality surely making her even more lonely?).
Another average episode.
2/5

12) Army of Ghosts and 13) Doomsday
We all knew that Billie was leaving anyways, so rather than make it a surprise they opted to go with a framing story where Rose makes it perfectly clear that she dies. The twist of course, is that she doesn't.
And so we get cybermen invading, and then we get daleks invading, then we get cybermen and daleks trash–talking each other in the funniest scene I have ever seen on the show. Then we get the daleks totally wtfpwning the cybermen which is very cool, and the Doctor outsmarting them all (yeah, like we've really seen the last of the daleks). It's just brilliant. Oh and Mickey comes back and shoots guns 'cause he's all cool now and gone all Wesley season 4.
But really I should be talking about the ending. Rose gets left behind, permanently trapped away from The Doctor but with the Tyler family back together. It's sad, it's touching, but it doesn't answer the most important question of all: What happened to Rose the dog and how will they deal with differentiating between the two when they're calling them in for dinner?
On a more serious note it was probably the best way to write out Rose – killing her off would have perhaps been too harsh (though led to some more interesting character development for The Doctor next season) and eventually Rose controls her own fate – makes the choice to save the world knowing what it will cost her.
Only one thing nags, and that's that this dimensional rift was meant to be closed up last time and the daleks opened it again – despite protestations to the contrary it will certainly be possible for them to revisit Rose and the Tyler family in a future episode should they so wish…
5/5

(could have ended like this though)

So overall, the season was a little different to season 1 but I think on par. The single episodes were perhaps generally not as strong, and Tennant not being quite as good as Ecclescake – but the two–parters were generally stronger.

I remain sceptical about the upcoming Christmas special, as it has Catherine Tate in it.

Dean Love : 28 Jul 2006 17:06 |  Tags: Doctor TV |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Radio Appearance

Hey folks,
Quick heads up to let you know I'll be on radio from 12 noon on saturday debating the Alpha Course on Premier Christian Radio.

Within the next day or so I'm also going to be posting up a previously unpublished piece I wrote on the course here.

The original article that sparked all this is here

You can find Premier Christian Radio on MW 1305, 1332 & 1413 in and around London. Freeview 725, Sky 0123, NTL cable 886 or online www.premier.org.uk

Dean Love : 27 Jul 2006 14:28 |  Tags: Alpha Religious |  Comments (6) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Armando Iannucci's Time Trumpet

So the other night the BBC aired a ten minute preview of Iannucci's new show, Time Trumpet, starting next month.

Stylistically and in concept it is very simmilar to his earlier and much overlooked one–off special, "Clinton: His Struggle With Dirt" – a fake documentary looking back at the Clinton scandel from the perspective of thirty years in the future, employing the concept of actors playing older versions of given celebrities and talking about the issue.

Time Trumpet is simmilar with a much larger remit – television for the next 20 years, looking back from 2025.

I've often felt "Clinton…" was one of Iannucci's best works, so I'm very much looking forward to this.

Dean Love : 23 Jul 2006 01:51 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Nintendo shed kiddy image…by teaching them about rimming

So I was at Guildford music festival the weekend, and like last year Nintendo had a presense there. This year it consisted of a big tent with about 50 DSs and DS Lites with different games available to play. As Guilfest is a family festival, this attracted a whole bunch of kids who could sit and play games while Mommy and Daddy went to watch Gary Newman. At least, that would appear to have been the point.

But in a stroke of sheer marketing ineptitude there was also a stage in that tent. And that stage periodically played host to a variety of stand up comics. Now lets put aside for a moment the fact that most of the acts booked were atrocious, many coming across as open spots with a good five minutes who turned up and got asked to do half an hour. Also we'll put aside the horror the comics faced in playing to a room where everyone was playing on DSs.

Despite a small warning pinned up outside that some of the material might not be suitable for minors, and staff not letting young kids in without parents (so the parents had to walk in with the kids, then walk back out without them), the tables at the front were almost exclusively occupied by young children. And it seemed like the promotors had gone out of thier way to book the most offensive performers possible (though briefly implied they did have a clue by also booking Rhys Derby). So we're faced with this bizzare spectacle of a two–piece comedy music act singing songs about rape, rimming, menstruation, lesbians and bum–sex, while a bunch of kids try to ignore them and get on with playing Nintendogs.

I could only conclude Nintendo were so desperate to shed it's 'For Kids' image that by staging such an event, next time little Joey wants a new console the parents will thing "Oh no, not a nintendo, they do all those rude jokes".

There's also another Comedy Stage at Guilfest (where I spent most of the weekend, except for the half hour I wondered out of it's shade to watch Simon Friend and nearly got sun–stroke), which is another story entirely. It's there every year and also tends to attract a fair few younger kids sat at the front, as such most of the comics tend to at least submit to avoiding the word 'cunt'. But most don't worry about the kids too much, as it is the Comedy Stage, the only thing on there is comedy, the only reason for people to go there is comedy, and there are no DSs there to attract the kids. If there are kids there, it's not really the fault of the comics or the organisers.

The irony being, of course, that the performers on this Comedy Stage were far more family–friendly than those on the Nintendo one, not to mention ten time better.

After looking into it, it seems Nintendo are doing this Comedy/DS Tent thing at a lot of festivals (I was actually asked to fill in a questionairre while there about them, including "Were you previously aware of Nintendo's links with stand–up comedy?" "Well, no. But then I've only been involved in with stand–up for three years…") and the acts they book and the style they go for is aimed at the Download/Reading/Leeds/V audience of teenagers and young 20–somethings.

This was utterly mis–judged for Guilfest as it really is a family festival with a lot of kids about, who are going to be attracted by the shiney games. It would be almost forgiveable for them not to know this, but they had a prescense thier last year which was clearly designed for kids, with DSs and Cubes demo–ing the new Zelda in an area designed like a castle. They clearly knew the score.

Truely, truely, bizzare.

edit: aldo_14 just mentioned this on a forum I frequent

"Maybe they reckon that little Billy will run home to their parents talking about rimjobs and various shenanighans; parents will (following a sound beating) ask for the source of said filth, and be told 'I heard it playing games'.

At which point, it'll be 'right you little bastard, I'm taking that Playstation out your room'."

Dean Love : 18 Jul 2006 14:38 |  Tags: Comedy Festival |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

He's fine that his mates have tatoos, but he reckons they'll rue them.

So there's this guy called Tim Minchin and he won the Best Newcomer Perrier at Edinburgh last year. Didn't get to see him, but got hold of his album the other day and it's rather good.

But that's not what's really interesting about him.

First let me explain Minchin's style of comedy. It's musical. But it's not playing funny songs on guitar, nope, it's something far more: playing funny songs on piano.

Now I'm a big Ben Folds fan. And Ben Folds, when performing live, tends to do a few 'joke' songs in his set – like the cover of Bitches Ain't Shit and Rock This Bitch – even stuff that's been released like Song for the Dumped and Make Me Mommy could be regarded as comedy songs.

Minchin is like a Ben Folds that only plays funny stuff. Since the album is only available via mail order from Australia I'll share one track here to give you an idea of what he's like:

Tim Minchin - Rock and Roll Nerd

Dean Love : 18 Jul 2006 14:31 |  Tags: Comedy Music |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Song Lines Update

UPDATE – 10 left to go.
Sort of surprised no–one has got number 2, 4, 17 or 18.
6, 9, 15 and 22 are wilfully obscure comedy songs.
7 and 20 are by utterly obscure musicians that no–one was ever going to get anyways.

Here's the ones people got, will leave the rest up a couple more days before putting up the answers:

1) Sunbeam shone, mousy girl on the end pew, you’d stay home, oh if only they let you.
Belle and Sebastian - La Pastie de la Bourgeoisie (Roisin)

2) Sign me up a volunteer, the votes are in for lifeguard of the year.

3) Hey all you democrats, hey all you bleeding hearts, this sure ain't where it ends, this is just where it starts.
Mitch Benn - This Ain't Your Country Anymore (Steph)

4) I got my fingers dirty at the school of rock.

5) Under some dirty words on a dirty wall, eating take–out by myself.
Ben Folds - Late (Anna)

6) Rising above the city block and out the noon day sun, it dwarfs the mighty redwoods and it towers over everyone.

7) He had a Macchiato instead of a Latte, kick start the day before he did karate.

8) Shyness is nice and shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to.
The Smiths - Ask (Lisa)

9) My lady gives birth today, I run to her room right away.

10) Why do you come here, and why do you hang around?
Morrissey - Suedehead (Roisin)

11) You're as tight as a hunter's trap, hidden well, what are you concealing?
James – Say Something (Mort)

12) So I'm standing in the desert getting bloody fried, I hope these cameras get my good side.
Mitch Benn - Waving At The Poor (Steph)

13) My favourite shows on TV have 12 minutes of advertising
I Can't Get Behind That! – William Shatner (Pooka)

14) Do you remember that old TV show…
The Divine Comedy - Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World (Anna)

15) Now Jonathan King ran a peadophile ring, I don't want to scare you, he was the only one that thought that Boyzone was an actual London area.

16) So you wanted, to take a break.
Ben Folds Five – Song For The Dumped (Mort)

17) Into a dream, I took a turn, and promised to return.

18) I was born the year punk broke, days before the king was dead.

19) You and I, go together, like the molar and the drill
The Divine Comedy – Sticks and Stones (Mort)

20) Wake up, wake up baby, and go home.

21) I've had relations, with girls from many nations.
Billy Bragg - Sexuality (Lisa)

22) I've crossed distant lands and desert sands.

23) I've heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord (guess the version!)
Hallelujia - Yes, it was the Rufus Version. Not really a Rufus fan, never been able to get into his stuff, but I have about 10 versions of that song on my iPod as I think it's ace. (Pooka and Anna)

24) I've been digging this grave, but now that it's made I see black is one hell of a colour.
James – Black Hole (Mort)

25) I was searching for something I could not describe.
Clem Snide - Jews for Jesus Blues (Steph)

Dean Love : 18 Jul 2006 14:23 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Indicative of a wider cultural malaise

There are two internet forums that I read regulary. The first is my favourite forum on the internet which I reveal only to my closest associates. It's the only forum on the internet where people debate stuff in a sensible level–headed fashion. People are not so set in thier ways you can't change thier opinion, or have yours changed. Any debate that gets out of hand generally ends with an apology and an offer of a virtual glass of gin. It's wonderful. I'm not telling you where it is.

The second forum is the DVD Forums . Obstensibly about DVDs, it also contains sub forums for discussing music, TV, sports, photography, gaming, computers and bargains. It also has a forum for discussing books.

I hadn't been there in about a week, busy doing the whole 'moving back home' thing. Imagine my shock when I returned tonight to find my beloved book sub–forum gone and replaced, I kid you not, with a 'Mobile Phone Forum'. Turns out the book forum didn't have enough readers (I think they were waiting for the film) and people these days would rather discuss mobile phones.

I mourn for the demise of our collective aptitude for artistic appreciation.

Dean Love : 05 Jul 2006 00:43 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

I don't normally do memes but…

… Anna posted this and it was such fun I thought I thought I'd share the love. I'm ignoring the no repeated bands rule as my selection is quite narrow…

25 random songs off iTunes party shuffle. First lines. Name the song and artist. Each answer nets you one "And Now For a Word Challenge Point". Collect them all! Some are easy, some are off wilfully obscure comedy music albums.

1) Sunbeam shone, mousy girl on the end pew, you’d stay home, oh if only they let you.

2) Sign me up a volunteer, the votes are in for lifeguard of the year.

3) Hey all you democrats, hey all you bleeding hearts, this sure ain't where it ends, this is just where it starts.

4) I got my fingers dirty at the school of rock.

5) Under some dirty words on a dirty wall, eating take–out by myself.

6) Rising above the city block and out the noon day sun, it dwarfs the mighty redwoods and it towers over everyone.

7) He had a Macchiato instead of a Latte, kick start the day before he did karate.

8) Shyness is nice and shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to.

9) My lady gives birth today, I run to her room right away.

10) Why do you come here, and why do you hang around?

11) You're as tight as a hunter's trap, hidden well, what are you concealing?

12) So I'm standing in the desert getting bloody fried, I hope these cameras get my good side.

13) My favourite shows on TV have 12 minutes of advertising

14) Do you remember that old TV show…

15) Now Jonathan King ran a peadophile ring, I don't want to scare you, he was the only one that thought that Boyzone was an actual London area.

16) So you wanted, to take a break.

17) Into a dream, I took a turn, and promised to return.

18) I was born the year punk broke, days before the king was dead.

19) You and I, go together, like the molar and the drill

20) Wake up, wake up baby, and go home.

21) I've had relations, with girls from many nations.

22) I've crossed distant lands and desert sands.

23) I've heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord (guess the version!)

24) I've been digging this grave, but now that it's made I see black is one hell of a colour.

25) I was searching for something I could not describe.

Dean Love : 03 Jul 2006 15:52 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem