Let's start with the good news, because I like ending on a downer. American fans of the British comedy Spaced, starring Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson), and Nick Frost, are in for a treat because the Spaced Region 1 DVD finally has a release date! Expect the good stuff to come out July 23 of this year. I'm tempted to buy it just because it's something new, shiny, and Spaced-related, but I already splurged on the 3-Disc Collectors' Set and a region-free player that I got just so that I could watch the series. Why, yes, I am a sad little person.Posts with tag Channel4
Good news and bad news for Spaced
Let's start with the good news, because I like ending on a downer. American fans of the British comedy Spaced, starring Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson), and Nick Frost, are in for a treat because the Spaced Region 1 DVD finally has a release date! Expect the good stuff to come out July 23 of this year. I'm tempted to buy it just because it's something new, shiny, and Spaced-related, but I already splurged on the 3-Disc Collectors' Set and a region-free player that I got just so that I could watch the series. Why, yes, I am a sad little person.Continue reading Good news and bad news for Spaced
Channel 4 war drama postponed
The UK's Channel 4 had decided not to broadcast a drama featuring British soldiers abusing Iraqi detainees so as not to exacerbate the current situation surrounding fifteen Royal Navy personnel currently held captive in Iran. The debut for the movie was moved to May 17, which will most likely remain now that the soldiers have been released to the British Embassy (and assuming their return to British soil).
The drama, Mark of Cain, is somewhat based on the true-life story of three British soldiers who were convicted of abusing Iraqi civilians at Camp Bread Basket, Basra, in May 2003. The drama itself, however, is entirely fictional according to Gerard Kearns, who plays a soldier in the made-for-TV movie. Due to the tumultuous nature of the diplomatic standoff, the channel decided it was better to avoid anything that might endanger the lives of the fifteen soldiers, who were held captive in a secret location for twelve days.
British TV film to portray fake Bush assassination
Imagine what would happen if, in this highly tense and prickly time in the country's history, the president was assassinated. That's what the UK's Channel 4 will examine in a new movie called Death of a President. The movie, shot in documentary format, will be a fictionalized account of the investigation following the assassination of George W. Bush, who will be shown being killed by a sniper in Chicago. Digital mock-ups will allow the movie producers to show a realistic-looking picture of the incident.The purpose of the movie is to show what the implications such an event would have in a world where we can't take shampoo on an airplane. The investigation in the movie will focus on a Syrian-born man, who may or may not be the person who did the deed. The movie will be shown on Channel 4's digital channel and will also be shown at the Toronto Film Festival.
Of course, showing a real president, especially one as controversial as Bush, getting assassinated is a risky move. Not sure if any US outlet is going to have the fortitude to show this movie over here.
Big Brother 7 (U.K.) winner announced
The 13-week long marathon that was the seventh series of the popular reality TV show Big Brother in the U.K. ended last night, with Tourette Syndrome sufferer Pete Bennett ending the show as the last remaining contestant in the house and earning himself £100,000 prize money in the process.Having re-introduced former evictee Niki back to the BB house last week (and thereby confirming what a sham the whole Big Brother process is), viewers watched as the final six housemates were left to slug it out and then departed the house one at a time on the whim of the public, starting with Liverpudlian Jenny, then Niki, followed by Canadian Richard.
Davina McCall then chopped it down to the last two when Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace was evicted from the house, leaving just Pete and Welsh lad Glyn.
When the announcement finally arrived, Pete jumped around the house throwing pillows into the air, and found it difficult to speak to Davina in the traditional post-celebration interview. Glyn was presented with his exam results and a message from the Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan, who described him as an "inspiration for other young people in Wales".
Continue reading Big Brother 7 (U.K.) winner announced
Big Brother 7 (U.K.) update: yes, it's still running
I haven't updated on the U.K. Big Brother series for several weeks, mostly because it started to lose whatever appeal it ever had as a reality TV show when the producers introduced half a dozen new housemates half-way through the series, but also because it started to feel like I was watching some kind of bizarre, mind-numbing TV marathon that had absolutely no point to it whatsoever.In the intervening weeks since my last post on the show, we've lost Nikki (the most irritating person in the western hemisphere), the 'golden ticket' housemate Susie, loudmouth Jayne, Irish DJ Spiral, Michael and Mikey.
Things picked up a few weeks ago when Big Brother introduced a hidden prison in the house and split the housemates up like some kind of Stanley Milgram experiment, but it was temporary relief from the mundanity of this overly-extended offering from Endemol.
Continue reading Big Brother 7 (U.K.) update: yes, it's still running
Big Brother 7 update: evictions, twists and more evictions
Another week, another twist to the Big Brother U.K. house. If you're recording the shows and watching them later, like me, you might want to go elsewhere.
Warning: spoilers after the jump.
Continue reading Big Brother 7 update: evictions, twists and more evictions
Big Brother 7 update: nominations announced
As ever folks, look away now if you don't want to know who will be facing the chop in the Big Brother 7 public vote over here in the U.K. this week...Warning: spoilers after the jump.
Continue reading Big Brother 7 update: nominations announced
Big Brother 7 update
As they say just before the classified soccer results here in the U.K., if you don't want to know the results of this week's nominations in the U.K. Big Brother house, look away now.Warning: spoilers after the jump.
Continue reading Big Brother 7 update
Green Wing: Episode 8 (finale)
(S02E08) This season has been an absolute roller coaster ride. As if the first season's crazy relationships and antics didn't confuse us enough, this time around, everything stepped into the next realm of bizarre. There's love triangles (love quadrilaterals?), murder, babies, threesomes, pimps, affairs, proposals, and Guy being considerate. The first episode was relatively weak, but the rest of the season has had a lot of strong points. The plot thickened considerably without sacrificing any of the laughs.Continue reading Green Wing: Episode 8 (finale)
Big Brother 7 launches in the U.K.
The seventh series of Big Brother made its way on to television screens in the U.K. this evening, featuring a bunch of housemates who can really only be adequately described as 'desperate'.Among the wannabes were a gay Muslim from Glasgow called Shabaz, an aristocratic student called George and a woman called Leah, who has spent £35,000 on plastic surgery -- including obtaining unfeasibly large breast enlargements that appear to defy gravity.
Continue reading Big Brother 7 launches in the U.K.
Celebrity Big Brother roundup: Chantelle Houghton wins
The most expensive pantomime in British television
history came to an end on Friday night, and Cinderella finally got to go to the ball, when the previously unknown
'non-celeb' Chantelle Houghton won Celebrity Big Brother by a landslide public
vote.The final order ran like this: first out was Traci Bingham, then Pete Burns, followed by Samuel Preston, then Maggot, then Michael Barrymore -- and Chantelle was crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2006.
You can say what you like about the reality TV format, but Big Brother stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of construct; it can really only be described as car-crash television at its best - and utterly captivating viewing, even at its worst. Who cares if it's mostly scripted and produced by cynically-minded manipulative TV execs? It's still a great watch, and this year's gang of paranoid, self-obsessed B-list nutcases gave us 23 days of insanely brilliant television.
No-one will be able to forget MP George Galloway mimicking a cat, or Pete Burns with a face like he'd been in the Aardman fire, or Michael Barrymore's obsessive cigarette hoarding, or Dennis Rodman's hyper-libido, or Traci Bingham's preening and pouting, or Jodie Marsh on the end of incessant bullying.
But most of all, it'll be remembered for making a mockery of showbusiness by placing a novelty non-celebrity into a group of desperate wannabes and handing her an career overnight.
The IT Crowd: Yesterday's Jam
Today marked the online premiere of the new U.K. Channel 4
sitcom, The IT Crowd. I'm an IT guy myself, so the curiosity overcame me, and
I had to watch this first episode. In fact, if the premiere episode is any indication of what to expect, I may just
keep on watching it. I just hope they keep providing them online, or I may be out of luck.Continue reading The IT Crowd: Yesterday's Jam
Celebrity Big Brother: Penultimate Day Roundup
It's the second last day of life in the
Celebrity Big Brother house for the remaining six housemates who will all face the public vote to decide the
2006 winner on Friday night.Former Dead or Alive singer Pete Burns, disgraced entertainer Michael Barrymore, U.S. actress and model Traci Bingham, The Ordinary Boys frontman Samuel Preston, Goldie-Lookin' Chain's Maggot -- and, of course, the fake celebrity Chantelle Houghton from Essex -- will all line up and whittle down to one with a cash prize of £25,000 awaiting the winner.
The odds are stacked 1/5 on in favour of the young blond promotions girl who will celebrate her 23rd birthday next Thursday, whilst Michael Barrymore runs in at 28/1, Maggot at 25/1, Preston at 11/1 and Pete Burns a rank outsider at 50/1.
Personally speaking, I would rather see Preston win, but Chantelle has held her own for over three weeks with a bunch of bitter, so-called celebs and probably deserves her shot at fame -- not least of all for putting up with Dennis Rodman's excessive, leery behaviour for the duration.
Who do you want to win this year? Give us your vote in the comments section below and we'll do a full roundup of the whole series and the final outcome on Saturday.
Celebrity Big Brother Day 21 Update: George Galloway and Dennis Rodman evicted
The bookies got it right
tonight when Member of Parliament George Galloway became the fourth housemate to be evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house, followed by former basketball hero Dennis Rodman in the
surprise double-eviction. The non-celebrity of the house, Chantelle, now looks favorite to win the show, having
survived her only real test of the public vote against two potential heavyweights. In his post-eviction interview with Davina McCall, George was unrepentant about his behaviour towards his fellow-housemates and his cat-mimimickery performance with Rula Lenska, but appeared to be taken aback at the swathe of negative press he'd received whilst in the house - particularly from his fellow-politicians.
When Dennis was announced as the fifth housemate to be evicted, everyone in the house was shocked -- mostly because the eviction was unexpected, but partly because Chantelle had defeat him in the public vote. He waltzed out to his post-eviction interview with his usual swagger and couldn't-give-a-shit attitude, the dissed everyone in the house in an ungrudging fashion.
The final on Friday night is hotting up to be a blistering evening, with Pete Burns sidelined, Maggot a bit of a non-event, Michael Barrymore losing his grip on reality -- and only Samuel Preston and Chantelle holding their act together for the public.
Celebrity Big Brother Day 20 Update: Tempers Simmer, Tension Remains
The Celebrity Big
Brother housemates seem to have calmed down since their outrageous argument from Monday night, but grudges still
remain and suspicions continue to cause friction between the group.George Galloway in particular has managed to single himself out for villain status, with Chantelle, Preston and Michael Barrymore all on the receiving end of his eloquent barb, but Pete Burns didn't escape the criticism for going a bit too far in making life difficult for Chantelle and Preston during the complicated banking task.
The result of the tensions has been a split down the middle of the house, with Dennis Rodman, Pete and George segregating themselves from Chantelle, Maggot, Preston and Michael. All the while Traci Bingham floats around in a bit of a daze.
In other news, rumors are circulating to suggest that six housemates will make it through to the final night on Friday, with no evictions on Thursday night.
Only time will tell.
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Giveaway Monday: TV Funhouse
