Articles by Rob Buckley

About Rob Buckley
I’m Rob Buckley, a journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of although you might have heard me on the podcast Lockdown Land or Radio 5 Live’s Saturday Edition or Afternoon Edition. I’ve edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for TV producers magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and was regularly sarcastic about television on the blink-and-you-missed-it “web site for urban hedonists” The Tribe. Since going freelance, I've contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly, Action Network, TV Scoop and The Custard TV.
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Sitting Tennant

Friday’s Sitting Tennant (from Rullsenberg): Comic Con

11 September 2009 Rob Buckley 8 Comments

Ms Rullsenberg's Sitting Tennant

Back again and resuming its usual schedule, it’s Sitting Tennant – deliberately giving you more pictures of David Tennant sitting down than any other site on the Internet (there may be some giving you more by accident).

This week’s picture is once again from Ms Rullsenberg, which extends her lead over Sister Chastity, despite the Sister’s many topical, stalker pics, which will come in very useful on Mondays. It’s from the Comic Con. What has DT been up to?

  1. Rullsenberg: 54.5
  2. Sister Chastity: 49.5
  3. Jaradel: 35.5
  4. Toby: 5
  5. Rosby: 2.5
  6. Lauren: 4
  7. Amy: 2
  8. Persephone, Sabine: 1

Over in captions, it’s Toby who managed to recycle an old classic to come out on top this week. Bow in awe, but watch out Marie.

  1. Marie: 152.5
  2. Toby: 151.5
  3. Rullsenberg: 102
  4. Jane Henry: 70.5
  5. Electric Dragon: 51
  6. Persephone: 45.5
  7. Jaradel: 38.5
  8. Rev/Views: 25
  9. Scott 2: 14
  10. Joe, Sister Chastity: 10
  11. Scott: 3
  12. Aaron: 2
  13. almostwitty.com: 1
  14. Stu_N: 1

Remember, you can submit as many captions as you like for today’s picture, with the wittiest getting 10 points next Friday.

Got a picture of David Tennant sitting, lying down or in some indeterminate state in between? Then leave a link to it below or email me and if it’s judged suitable, it will appear in the “Sitting Tennant” gallery.

Every photo displayed on Monday (one per person who sends one in) gets a point, with a bonus point if it’s from the latest DT production; the best pic in the stash each week will appear on Friday and get three points.

You can also enter the witty and amusing captions league table by commenting on Friday’s Sitting Tennant photo, the best caption getting 10 points.

What have you been watching this week? (w/e September 11)

11 September 2009 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

I’m slowly catching up with tele following my holiday, so haven’t really seen anything that I haven’t yet reviewed or talked about it. Dark Blue‘s had a couple of good episodes, in particular one with Michael Biehn from The Terminator as a dirty cop – and yes, our heroes actually got to do some downright bad things this time. But how about you?

As always, no spoilers unless you’re going to use the <spoiler> </spoiler> tags, please

US TV

Review: The Vampire Diaries 1×1

11 September 2009 Rob Buckley 17 Comments

The Vampire Diaries

In the US: Thursdays, 8/7c, The CW
In the UK: Acquired by ITV2

I am not a tweenie. I am not a teenager. I am definitely not a teenage girl.

So The Vampire Diaries is not aimed at me. It is not my show. So when I describe it as “very bad”, you might be tempted to think the problem is with me. That I don’t get it.

You might be right, but I do love my Gossip Girl and Privileged and a whole host of other programmes that aren’t aimed at me either. I can spot quality, I think, even in this area.

And I can spot a lack of it, too. Because, you see, The Vampire Diaries is very bad. Not supremely awful, but enough to make you almost want to take your own life rather than watch it.

Continue reading “Review: The Vampire Diaries 1×1”

Leverage homages Ocean’s 11

11 September 2009 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

TNT’s Leverage is of course basically an attempt to do a slightly less cool, funnier version of Ocean’s 11 for the small screen. So it was heartening to see last week’s episode, The Ice Man Job, homage Ocean’s 11 in an oblique sort of way – by taking the piss out of Don Cheadle’s accent.

At first, I thought it was just one of those typically bad British accents that US TV occasionally puts out – not as much as it used to, mind – confident in the knowledge that few people will care or even notice (cf Burn Notice). But as various characters started to take the piss, it became obvious that in fact, it was deliberately bad. Anyway, see/hear for yourselves: it’s a laugh.

Oh, and I’ve followed that with a clip of the character, Hardison, speaking in his normal Texan accent, just for comparison. And because it contains Rob’s GBE list member, Beth Riesgraf, at her best.

Friday’s “no more imports?” news

11 September 2009 Rob Buckley 5 Comments

Film

Theatre

  • Peter Davison and Jill Halfpenny join Legally Blonde: The Musical

British TV

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German TV

US TV