Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
It's David O'Doherty Time
Woo, I'm seeing this guy in a couple of weeks. It's David O'Doherty (he's Irish, can you tell?) who won this year's if.comeddies award (formerly the Perrier) at Edinburgh. Veh gud.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Obamalfunction
So Barack Obama's US Secret Service codename is Renegade, it's been revealed. Sounds cool, don't it? But, ladies and gentleman of the White House Communications Agency, isn't it a bit of an odd choice? The Guardian, I seem to remember, were once forced to publish a correction after describing George Galloway as a renegade - i.e. an individual who has ditched their beliefs (ah, here it is).
Chambers Dictionary has this:
renegade noun
1 a someone who deserts the religious, political, etc group which they belong to, and joins an enemy or rival group; b a turncoat.
2 a Christian turned Muslim.
Oh well, maybe they had Jay-Z's definition in mind: "Renegade! Never been afraid to say what's on my mind at any given time of day, cos I'm a renegade - never been afraid to talk about anything. Anything? Anything. ANYTHING!"
Chambers Dictionary has this:
renegade noun
1 a someone who deserts the religious, political, etc group which they belong to, and joins an enemy or rival group; b a turncoat.
2 a Christian turned Muslim.
Oh well, maybe they had Jay-Z's definition in mind: "Renegade! Never been afraid to say what's on my mind at any given time of day, cos I'm a renegade - never been afraid to talk about anything. Anything? Anything. ANYTHING!"
Last night on BBC1: Charles at 60: The Passionate Prince
If I were heir to the throne, I’d probably behave a bit like a cross between Tom Hanks in Big and competitive eating champion Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut – an average day for me would involve buying a truckload of state-of-the-art toys, playing with them, then cramming hot dogs and fried chicken down my throat until I was sick all over the toys. Read more...
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Lesson learned from... Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
That Ralph Steadman was one crazy guy.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Mum, Heroin and Me, Thursday 9pm, Channel
It's Hannah's 21st birthday and her mum Kate, a 49-year-old interior designer from Brighton, is taking her to have her hair done for a birthday treat. Unfortunately, Kate tells the camera, there's a problem.
"She informed me that she needs some more gear between now and having her hair done," she says. "And the dealers don't start, um, work till 11.30am. So, it's just after 11 and we have to try and get some gear between, well, 11.30 and the appointment at 12. Otherwise she's got a fair amount of time in the hairdressers and she'll start to rattle."
As you probably guessed from the title, there's an intrusive third party in the pair's relationship: heroin, which Hannah has been using for three years. Jane Treays's heartbreaking documentary follows the two of them over the course of a year (Hannah's father Robert and younger sister Lucy chose not to take part), peeking in on Kate's struggle and Hannah's more muted world, which she inhabits like a ghost, mumbling half-heartedly in that groaning junkie voice.
Although Kate hasn't given up on her daughter by any means, what's remarkable is how understanding she is about the grip the drug has on its abusers. For example, although Hannah's devoted boyfriend Ricky – an addict for eight years – once burgled their house, Kate sympathises, saying she knows he did it as a last resort.
"If she had to be with another heroin addict, I'm very glad she's with Ricky," she says, adding that at least he's there to protect her daughter when she goes to buy drugs. But she knows there's very little chance of recovery if the couple stay together.
That's just one of any number of awful conundrums in what is an intimate, sympathetic portrait of a relationship in which the rules have been turned upside down.
by Will Parkhouse, Wednesday 22 October 2008
Originally published on Orange.co.uk
"She informed me that she needs some more gear between now and having her hair done," she says. "And the dealers don't start, um, work till 11.30am. So, it's just after 11 and we have to try and get some gear between, well, 11.30 and the appointment at 12. Otherwise she's got a fair amount of time in the hairdressers and she'll start to rattle."
As you probably guessed from the title, there's an intrusive third party in the pair's relationship: heroin, which Hannah has been using for three years. Jane Treays's heartbreaking documentary follows the two of them over the course of a year (Hannah's father Robert and younger sister Lucy chose not to take part), peeking in on Kate's struggle and Hannah's more muted world, which she inhabits like a ghost, mumbling half-heartedly in that groaning junkie voice.
Although Kate hasn't given up on her daughter by any means, what's remarkable is how understanding she is about the grip the drug has on its abusers. For example, although Hannah's devoted boyfriend Ricky – an addict for eight years – once burgled their house, Kate sympathises, saying she knows he did it as a last resort.
"If she had to be with another heroin addict, I'm very glad she's with Ricky," she says, adding that at least he's there to protect her daughter when she goes to buy drugs. But she knows there's very little chance of recovery if the couple stay together.
That's just one of any number of awful conundrums in what is an intimate, sympathetic portrait of a relationship in which the rules have been turned upside down.
by Will Parkhouse, Wednesday 22 October 2008
Originally published on Orange.co.uk
The Prisoner: Will Mellor, Thursday 10pm, Virgin
Celebrity Big Brother? That's for wimps. Each week, new series The Prisoner: X, sees a different celebrity being sent to one the world's toughest prisons, aiming in the process to make CBB cabin fever look like a walk in a very large park.
As a lifelong enemy of both Hollyoaks and Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, I was quite looking forward to seeing actor Will Mellor being sent to jail and bullied by bigger boys. But his trip to Dodds Prison in Barbados, where you get sent to solitary just for asking the guard a cheeky question, and an in-house gallows sits just round the corner (Barbados still has the death penalty), is actually a rather moving journey with some memorable moments.
Mellor tries to do things properly, getting handcuffed, undergoing a strip search, showering naked in front of the guards, receiving his toilet paper ration (one roll to last three weeks), being hauled off for the prison haircut and so on.
Of course, the hardship isn't real – there's an instance, for example, when it all gets too much and the actor's teary request to be let outside is promptly granted, a luxury your average convict would never be given. Whether he is actually living the prison life, or just dropping by for a cup of tea is all a bit unclear.
However, it's the interviews, including one with a man with despairing eyes sentenced to death for murder and down to his last appeal, which fascinate. And the sight of Mellor having his world view challenged right there is particularly compelling. By the end, you want to give him a slap on the back for having the balls to go through with it.
by Will Parkhouse, Wednesday 22 October 2008
Originally published on Orange.co.uk
As a lifelong enemy of both Hollyoaks and Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, I was quite looking forward to seeing actor Will Mellor being sent to jail and bullied by bigger boys. But his trip to Dodds Prison in Barbados, where you get sent to solitary just for asking the guard a cheeky question, and an in-house gallows sits just round the corner (Barbados still has the death penalty), is actually a rather moving journey with some memorable moments.
Mellor tries to do things properly, getting handcuffed, undergoing a strip search, showering naked in front of the guards, receiving his toilet paper ration (one roll to last three weeks), being hauled off for the prison haircut and so on.
Of course, the hardship isn't real – there's an instance, for example, when it all gets too much and the actor's teary request to be let outside is promptly granted, a luxury your average convict would never be given. Whether he is actually living the prison life, or just dropping by for a cup of tea is all a bit unclear.
However, it's the interviews, including one with a man with despairing eyes sentenced to death for murder and down to his last appeal, which fascinate. And the sight of Mellor having his world view challenged right there is particularly compelling. By the end, you want to give him a slap on the back for having the balls to go through with it.
by Will Parkhouse, Wednesday 22 October 2008
Originally published on Orange.co.uk
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Playlist #6: October 2008
Didn't get round to doing you a playlist last month, so here's an extra special one for you, which features some almost offensively tuneful efforts. Ooh, I've seen five of the bands on it play live in the past month. HIPSTER.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
