News

Gavin and Stacey news titbits

9 June 2008 Rob Buckley 11 Comments

Gavin and Stacey cast

Just a few idle Gavin & Stacey news fragments I’ve picked up that don’t have links and don’t fit in the Daily News format.

First up, James Corden called in to the Chris Moyles breakfast show last week. They’ve become pals of late, you see. Moyles asked for a part in series three and rather than saying, “We’re not doing series three”, “We’ll only do series three if we have the right story” or the other usual responses, he said he’d talk to Ruth Jones about it and then had a big discussion about why Moyles would merit a cameo, given he’s only seen half an episode. The response was “Seven million listeners”. Not conclusive, but encouraging, no? Thanks to my lovely wife for that little nugget.

Secondly, Jo Page was on The Paul O’Grady Show last week and mentioned that she and Corden have a scene to themselves for the first time in the Christmas Special, although it’s still being written so she doesn’t know what happens in it. Interesting, if not exactly inordinately big news, I know.

Speaking of JP, she’s running a 5k to raise money for Cancer Research UK as part of the Race For Life on June 22nd. Why not go off and sponsor her? She, and various other celebs, explain all about it over on the ITV web site – she doesn’t manage to persuade Fern Britten to join in though.

Monday’s big chicken bill news

9 June 2008 Rob Buckley 12 Comments

Doctor Who

Art

Film

British TV

US TV

UK TV

Review: Doctor Who – 4×9 – Forest of the Dead

7 June 2008 Rob Buckley 21 Comments

Forest of the Dead

Two-parters are tricky, aren’t they? You set up mysteries and problems in the first part that need to be answered in the second. Most importantly, you have to make sure there’s sufficient pay-off for the viewer, who’s been hanging around waiting for the answers.

Last week in Silence in the Library, Steven Moffat set up all sorts of questions that needed to be answered this week. Did he answer them this week? And did he answer them well?

Continue reading “Review: Doctor Who – 4×9 – Forest of the Dead”

US TV

Review: In Plain Sight 1×1

6 June 2008 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

In Plain Sight

In the US: Sundays, 10/9c, USA Network

In the UK: They’re all in hiding

Awful. Just awful.

What? You want more from that in a review?

Sigh. Okay. Here we go then.

Although at first sight the USA Network has a clear theme – it’s the “network of characters” – that’s not quite what it is. It’s the network of 80s shows. These weren’t shows made in the 80s, mind. These are shows that fit the show templates of the 80s.

For the most part, we’re talking private detective shows – quite good ones at that. So, for example, we have Monk, the private detective who works for the police department and has OCD. We have Burn Notice, featuring the private detective who’s an ex-spy. And we have Psych, the private detectives who also work for the police department and pretend to be psychics.

Typical story in any of these: helpless person comes to private detective, private detective investigates, finds clues, solves crime use his special “character” skills. The end.

Psych is in fact the purest of these retro 80s shows, since not only does it use the old script templates of the 80s, it references all the shows explicitly (I’m still guffawing at Gus’s Airwolf jacket) and even has the same actors (Corbin Bernsen, for example).

As we can see the USA Network knows its audience: old enough to remember the 80s and its tele fondly; wishing they made tele like in the good old days.

Thing is, most 80s US TV was a bit pants. If we polish off our old Betamaxes of Riptide, Simon and Simon, Tucker’s Witch, Jake and The Fatman, et al, we’d see how poorly they stand up compared to the far more sophisticated and intelligent fare (with exceptions) that modern US TV has to offer.

Except we don’t have to, because here’s In Plain Sight, starring Mary McCormack. It’s an 80s police/action show lovingly recreated in every detail using modern television techniques. And it’s rubbish.

Continue reading “Review: In Plain Sight 1×1”

Promo for FX’s Sons of Anarchy

6 June 2008 Rob Buckley Post a comment

FX – aka ‘the obscure, manly channel that likes to show dark dramas’ – has been a bit quiet about its Fall line-up. All we really knew was that a show about bikers called Sons of Anarchy was due any time soon – September, in fact. Originally starring Scott Glenn but now starring Ron Perlman (Beauty and the Beast, Hellboy), Katy Sagal (Married with Children) and Sprague Grayden (Jericho), it, well, … erm, that’s about it, apart from what you can glean from the IMDB page for it and the writer’s blog.

There’s a bit of plot too:

A man in his early 30s struggles to find a balance in his life between being a new dad and his involvement in a motorcycle gang.

As, as they say, you do. There’s a trailer for it, but I’m in a non-safe work environment, so can’t watch it. I understand it’s ‘bad ass’ though. Let me know what you think. [via]