The CarusometerA Carusometer rating of 2

Third-episode verdict: Portlandia

In the US: Fridays, 10.30/9.30c, IFC

We’re three episodes into Portlandia and it’s still proving a rewarding, if not totally uniform experience. Essentially a skewed look at the kinds of weird and typically ultra-liberal people allegedly supposed to inhabit Portland, Oregon, it’s a lighter version of the League of Gentlemen, mostly fun characters played by the same actors, but with the occasional bit of horror thrown in for good measure. Happily, viewers of That Mitchell and Webb Look, worried that characters would here be repeated ad nauseum and milked dry, needn’t worry, since most characters have lasted two episodes at most. It’s pretty much all-new, every episode.

Episode one has proven to be the highlight of the series, with some excellent tunes and great sketches, although it wasn’t completely perfect. Since then, it’s become more of a wry, rather than laugh-out-loud show. This vid is pretty much typical of the show. Here, rock singer and guitarist Aimee Mann has fallen on hard times and is now cleaning houses for a living:

It’s that kind of wry, odd, left-leaning humour that typifies the show. However, there are just plain fun characters (a couple whose business is putting pictures of birds on things and a bicycle messenger) and some plain disturbing ones, too (a with a slightly abusive relationship where Fred plays a female character and Carrie Brownstein plays the male character).

You really have to be of a certain niche to enjoy this “to the max” but it can be very funny stuff and it is one of the funniest and best observed shows on the box at the moment.

Carusometer rating: 2
Rob’s prediction: Might get a second season but don’t bank on it.

Random Acts

Random Acts of Ali Larter: being in demand, going to the post office and sub-contracting out to Crispin Glover

Crispin Glover in Willard

Ali is, of course, very busy right now, what with being one of the most in-demand actresses this pilot season and having to go to the post office. So, this week, Random Acts is being sub-contracted out to the world’s most random man, Crispin Glover. Right now, Glover is touring the UK with the second part of his Big Slide Show – “a one hour dramatic narration of eight different profusely illustrated books he has made over the years”, including one about rat catching. Catch him if you can.

Just to keep all you Ali lovers happy though, here she is staring at some strange plants with Idris Elba:

Ali Larter in Obsessed with Idris Elba

Have you seen Ali Larter or one of her sub-contractors acting randomly? If so, let us know and we’ll tell everyone about it in “Random Acts of Ali Larter

Events

Inappropriate red carpet attire – number 1: the Black Swan look

So in an effort to get us all interested in the fact Rachel Stevens is hosting the Orange Wednesdays red carpet show for this year’s BAFTAs, they’ve got her all dolled up. Since she’s more famous these days for being really good on Strictly Come Dancing a year or two ago than for S Club 7 and her solo singing career (“Some Girls” wasn’t bad. Any others? Anyone?), the BAFTA organisers have got her dressed up as a dancer.

However, I’m not sure getting her to mimic Natalie Portman’s Black Swan look was the way forward…

Rachel Stevens as Black Swan

Rachel Stevens as the Black Swan

Yellow Pages updates JR Hartley

Back in 1983 (eek!), Yellow Pages had a famous advert in the UK featuring the attempts of one (fictional) JR Hartley to locate a copy of his own out-of-print book, Fly Fishing.

So popular was it that someone actually ended up writing Fly Fishing by JR Hartley.

Well, Yellow Pages, nearly 30 years on, has released an updated version for the iPhone generation. I’m not sure it works unless you know about the original, but it’s lovely once you do.