Visiting Ali earlier I laughed at this comment by Catheroo so of course went looking for the source. And once again found a kindred spirit on the interwebs.

Here’s a post from back in May last year:

As a self-proclaimed pop culture junkie, I love BRAVO’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” At the end of each show, the host James Lipton (perfectly portrayed by Will Ferrell on SNL) asks the celebrity guest 10 questions. Because I’ll never be on that show, I’m answering them here. Enjoy, and feel free to post your answers too. It’ll be like a slam/slang book in high school.

I’ve had a draft post on this very subject for ages but never got round to actually watching an episode in order to transcribe the questions. Now it occurs to me that I could simply have googled for the questions but that would have just been too easy, no? Anyway, here are the questions, feel free to pick up on it, especially if you’re procrastinating on the Book Title Meme…

(more…)

I don’t know why that word makes me smile but it does. A Channel 4 promo for E4 started using the word last year in trailers for “second chance Sunday”, an opportunity to catch up on new episodes of ER on a Sunday night. Useful for those who haven’t manipulated organised it so that the man of the house has his boys’ night out on a Thursday, leaving herself to wallow in ER and to catch up on anything taped during the rest of the week.

But I got to wondering earlier, we get so many US imports here in the UK (and very good some of them are too) but why don’t we get to see more imports from other English speaking countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand? I’d not expect the good old British public to accept many, God forbid, subtitled imports (and besides, the tv companies would probably dub the damn things) but surely there are some quality programmes being made out there that we’re not seeing?

But let’s pretend we can choose what we want to watch. Wherever you live in the world, what local shows would you recommend? Come to think of it, if you’re in the UK/US, which little gems should we be exporting?

And finally… if you’ve had your fill of medical dramas, reality shows and soap operas you’ll appreciate the Wikipedia list of television clichés. When I’ve a minute I might add a section for radio dramas, noting that in certain long-established radio soap operas the norm seems to be that a posh accent equals a decent, intelligent person while a regional accent indicates a ne’er-do-well with the intelligence of a jam jar.

[tags]radio, television, shows, imports[/tags]

I accidentally caught a few minutes of that loathsome woman on The Weakest Link again last week, just in time to see the following exchange:

Robinson: The name of a seaside town on the southern coast of the Bristol channel?
Contestant: Weston-Super-Mare

Now I may have been projecting my own thoughts on that poor contestant but I swear that he looked her straight in the eye and emphasised the word mare.

That same night I had an odd dream. I was in the Weakest Link studio (not participating, just standing there with a pair of red, fluffy headphones – it was a dream, okay?) and cheering loudly as each contestant managed to insult Ms Robinson with their answers.

The trouble is, I can only remember one question:

Robinson: Ram is to ewe as dog is to what?
Contestant: Bitch!

Martyn has just come up with a few off the top of his head (rolling his eyes, muttering “I can’t believe you’re going to blog this”):

Robinson: What is the capital of Russia?
Contestant: Moscow.

Robinson: What is the mechanical device that prevents a spindle turning backwards?
Contestant: Ratshit! [a little artistic licence is needed here]

Robinson: What is the more common name for the Parus major?
Contestant: Great tit!

Robinson: What is the scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals more commonly known as?
Contestant: Slag!

Knowing you lot, there are plenty more to be written so that’s your homework for this week: your best undercover insults please!

If you have access to BBC1, get thee to a television set by 20:30 for a modern version of The Taming of the Shrew. If the last two (Much Ado, Macbeth) are anything to go by, this should be another cracker.

Later that night…

And indeed, it was a corker. I found Shirley Henderson‘ s performance as Kate a little disconcerting, too over the top at first (had she watched The Exorcist too many times) but perhaps it made the later scenes more effective. And did anyone else get the feeling that Eddie Izzard was meant to play the role of Petruchio but Rufus Sewell came in at the last minute? Wonderful script, great acting, a real treat.

Best line: Kate’s mother, during a discussion on why Kate has never married: “You don’t… shop around the corner, do you?” Now that’s a new one on me.

Did anyone see David (Cold Feet) Nicholls’ adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing last night? Hugely enjoyable and much recommended if you can catch a repeat. I almost didn’t watch it, I was busy on other things and planned to watch the wonderful Brannagh version at the weekend (again). But the updated setting and punchy one liners (just as they’re about to go on air Beatrice mutters that Benedick “puts the w into anchorman”) really worked and I was hooked. Shame then, that I hadn’t factored in a bathroom break and by the time the 90 minutes was up I had to hobble cross-legged up the stairs.

Still to come in this series of four 90 minute dramas are The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

From the inbox:

1. Start at London Heathrow Airport
2. Catch flight from London Heathrow to Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
3. Hire car at Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
4. Start going toward the “Airport Exit” on “International Parkway South” – follow for 0.2 miles.
5. Bear left onto the highway toward “Terminal East Parking” – follow for 0.3 miles
6. Bear left onto “International Parkway North” toward “North Airport Exit” – follow for 2.9 miles
7. Take the “Highway 114 west” exit toward “Fort Worth” – follow for 29.2 miles
8. Then continue on “US 287 north” – follow for 91.1 miles
9. “US 287 north” becomes “Interstate-44 east” – follow for 0.7 miles
10. Take left fork onto “US-287 north” toward “Vernon” – follow for 104.0 miles
11. “US 287 north” becomes “Avenue F (US1 -287)” – follow for 2.8 miles
12. Continue to follow “US 287 north” – follow for 104.9 miles
13. Take left ramp onto “Interstate 40 west” toward “Dumas” – follow for 7.8 miles
14. Take “Exit 70″ onto “US 60 east” toward “Dumas” – follow for 0.5 miles
15. Take the “Buchanan Street” exit toward “Dumas/Pampa” – follow for 1.7 miles
16. Turn right onto “Old Route 66 (Interstate 40)” – follow for 0.1 miles
17. Arrive at the centre of town.

Now that’s the way to bleedin’ Amarillo!

If you’re here via a search engine:

You’ll find a list of the celebrities in the text and comments here, here and here.

Peter Kay/Tony Christie’s video is here…

And you can still donate to Comic Relief by clicking here. Go on, you know you want to!

If not but you’d like to start learning and have access to BBC2 you might like to set the video tonight because the BBC are broadcasting 20 episodes of the Sueños World Spanish series (Tuesday 3 May from 01:00 to 06:00).

I really wish I’d kept up with Spanish. I took daily lunchtime classes while working at Big Multinational Company in Belgium with an excellent tutor with an almost hypnotic voice that forced even the English (yes, I mean the English not the British ) to speak with a perfect accent. Trouble is, I’d leave every lesson speaking with a lithp lisp.

¡Hasta luego, mis amigos!

The challenge is STILL on to complete the list of guests on Peter Kay’s Amarillo video for Red Nose Day.

Star spotter extraordinaire David and emailer Chris have so far identified nearly everyone, the few left to name are bolded.

[Introduced by Jonathan Ross]
Peter Kay
William Roach and Anne Kirkbride
Keith Harris [with Orville] and Bernie Clifton [with Ostrich]
Max and Paddy [Peter Kay and Patrick McGuinness]
Jimmy Saville and Sally Lindsey ["Shelly" from Coronation Street]
Some little people:
   Big Mick [thanks to emailer sunskirty]
   Can you name the rest?
Jim Bowen and Mr Blobby
Danny Baker and Heather Mills McCartney
Geoffrey and Bungle from Rainbow
Parkie [Michael Parkinson] and Ronnie Corbett
Tony Christie and Justin Moorhouse [thanks to emailer Chris]
Shaun Ryder, Bez and Brian Potter
Brian May and Roger Taylor [from Queen]
Sooty and Sweep
Ghandi and a tennis player which might be Mike Read or Cliff Richard (but we don’t think it’s Sir Cliff]
Shaking Stevens
The makeup artist is “Leo Sayer” according to David]

A donation to Red Nose Day is in the offing has been made but it would be great to complete the list – if you can name the missing celebrities, let me know!

Update: Richard from Lost Pilgrim has cannily bought the CD single containing the official list of those appearing in the video:

Peter Kay, Bernie Clifton and That Ostrich, Keith Harris and Orville, William Roach, Anne Kirkbridge, Sir Jimmy Saville, Sally Lindsay, Bez, Shaun Ryder, Albert Wilkinson, Trevor Jones, Craig Salisbury, Big Mick, Nick Read, Patrick McGuinness, Bungle, Jeffrey Hayes, Roger Taylor, Brian May, Michael Parkinson, Ronnie Corbett, Ramakant Shah, Trevor Payne, Heather Mills McCartney, Danny Baker, Sooty and Sweep, Tony Christie, Jim Bowen, Mr Blobby, Shakin’ Stevens, Lee Lard, Lucy Walker, Chloe Bell and The Drovers Line Dancers.

Thank you Richard!

The challenge is to name all of the guests on Peter Kay’s wonderful miming to Tony Christie’s (Show Me the Way to) Amarillo. Only David has so far bitten the bullet.

Here’s his list – the ones we still need to identify are bolded.

Peter Kay
William Roach and Anne Kirkbride
Keith Harris [with Orville, or is that Cuddles?] and Bernie Clifton [with Ostrich*] **
Max and Paddy***
Jimmy Saville and an actress from Coronation Street?
Some little people [one of whom could be Rusty Goffe?]
Jim Bowen and Mr Blobby
Danny Baker and Can’t Recall Her Name
Geoffrey and Bungle from Rainbow
Parkie [Michael Parkinson] and Ronnie Corbett
Tony Christie and unknown
Shaun Ryder, Bez and Brian Potter
Brian May and Roger Taylor [from Queen]
Sooty and Sweep
Ghandi and a tennis player, apparently
Shaking Stevens

There’s an extra £10 donation to Red Nose Day in the offing if we can get a complete list of those appearing in the video – if you can name the missing celebrities, let me know! Put us out of our misery! If you can go a step further and name the makeup artist then I’ll double it.

p.s. Apologies to non Brits who must find this all very tedious. Then again, I’ve watched that video about 15 times now and I still giggle. Maybe it’s a Friday thang. And anyway it’s for charity. *Flicks hair Miss Piggy style*

* did that ostrich ever have a name?
** I’d have added Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog…
*** David, who are Max and Paddy?

You remember I said I’d signed up for My Blog Log? Well that means I can which follow which links you guys are clicking on as you leave.

And it’s hotting up this Friday afternoon as we go head to head : the post about Peter Kay’s Amarillo video for Red Nose Day vs the Let’s get Manly blogging again poll.

We currently have

Peter Kay’s Amarillo video in first place with 46 clicks
and
the Let’s get Manly blogging again poll in second place with 24 clicks

Could a single blogger beat a great British comedian? Go vote now!

p.s. If you’ve enjoyed the video – donate!

p.p.s. Manly, I don’t suppose there’s any chance of you putting a few of your archives back up so that those who have not had the pleasure of knowing Manly and his love spuds can become acquainted?

p.p.p.s I’m betting there are dozens of people with webspace just itching to let you have a manly segment all to yourself rather than relying on Blogger (me included). Now there’s a thought to ponder over a pipeful of fine shag this fine rugbyfestful weekend.