Football *headdesk*

NO I'M NOT WATCHING THE FOOTBALL!!! *takes deep breath* NO I'M NOT WATCHING BIG BROTHER!!! *breath*... it's okay... I'm fine... Seriously though, the entire world seems to have stopped moving. The football is all anyone can talk about, and if you do manage to escape, it's all about Big Brother. I'm a student, who’s finished for the summer; my days follow a rather lazy pattern which often involves watching Scrubs at 1pm... or 2pm on E4+1 if I've slept in, so I was pretty put out to find out my favourite hospital comedy had been replaced with... footage of people not doing much at all really... and occasional shots of the sky. What is the point!!! I wasn't overly upset though. I'm used to this crap from channel 4, I consoled myself that it wasn't as bad as the time they axed my morning FRIENDS fix to show people sleeping. I flipped over to ITV in hope of finding the Loose Women having a good bitching session, to find that had been replaced by the football! I gave up and went back to bed. I later found out I'd been a little harsh with ITV. They were showing Loose Women at the same time (12.30pm), just on ITV2.

I'm not overly upset over loosing either of these shows though. They are daytime TV, and let’s face it; I should be doing something a little bit more productive anyway. What really gets to me is that BBC didn't show Waterloo Road on Wednesday! There are only two episodes left and this series has really been dragged on for long enough! It seems to be the first thing to go when the BBC need to rearrange a few things, usually with no notice. I know it's not one of the BBC's shining stars, but it is on its 5th series! It can't get there without a loyal audience, and we deserve a little more respect. So in summary, I expect this blog is going to get a little quiet, due to a complete lack of decent TV!

On the bright side, Saturday night TV went ahead as usual. Since Britain's Got Talent has finished I've got a little bit of a gap in what was a rather comfortable schedule, but I filled it in with Doctor Who Confidential, a show I usually watch on the Sunday morning while trying to build motivation to get out of bed. Doctor Who was awesome, but I'm aware I just sound like a bit of a screaming fan girl when I go on about it, so I'm just going to say, can't wait for next week, and I hope nobody dies... or stays dead... wow my Saturday night is going to be really empty in a fortnight... I might have to get a social life or something.

Glee Finale

I've just finished watching the season finale of Glee! ... I just got that sudden empty feeling when I thought of what I'm going to do next Monday... eeep. Anyways! On with the review!
I'm assuming you've seen Glee, but here's the gist, plucky singing group will be disbanded if they don't win the regional competition.
I've got to admit, I was worried. After watching the performances, it was clear that New Directions were no-where near as good as Vocal Adrenaline. I was afraid they were going to have Vocal Adrenaline win and put it down to them having "more heart". Screw heart, Vocal Adrenaline threw people in the air!!! Fortunately it all came together and, in my view, the right team won. Even though that really didn't seem the way it was going to go when the judges were talking about it. We found out after that Sue definately put New Directions first, it seemed that was the way Josh was going too. Olivia Newton John seemed to be going for Oral Intensity (there's a sentance I never thought I'd say) and that other judge was leaning towards Vocal Adrenaline. So how New Directions came last... well it's a mystery to me, but so are many things on Glee. Like how Quinn gave birth to a rather large and healthy baby a month early, without breaking a sweat!

It was lame and cheesy but when Will flicked onto Don't Stop Believin on the radio it totally melted my heart. I thought the song might be in there somewhere, you know, with it being the final and everything, but it was still a lovely moment. Just when you think all is lost, the song plays and he regains his hope. Though I felt having an all Journey set list was a little excessive for their big show. Furthermore, when our school choir was in competitions we practiced our songs excessively, we didn't just dick around singing what we felt like, then decide to do something completely different in the last week before the final. And they dance as well! Surely they need more practise! But again, it's Glee, it doesn't make sense, so I'll let it go.

What did annoy me about this episode was how the romantic conclusions felt really shoehorned in. I've been moaning about Finn and Rachel for a while. She was mad about him, then they were briefly together, then he was mad about her but she was with Jesse, then it seemed all was fine with them being apart, then suddenly this episode, Rachel just kisses Finn. Then at the competition, he says he loves her! There's no lead up or anything! They just get suddenly thrown back together and we are meant to accept it. It's the same with Rachel and Jesse. Jesse tells the Vocal Adrenaline coach that he is really falling for Rachel but the next episode, he's gone back to Vocal Adrenaline and is throwing eggs at Rachel. Some continuity in relationships would be nice. PLEASE! This is not one of those "it's Glee, so I'll let it slide" things. It's the same with Will and Emma and Quinn and Puck. It's like they just realised there were loose ends to be tied up and threw something in the script at the last minute. I'd rather they'd left it open and dealt with it next series... because we ALL know there will be another series.

The "Over The Rainbow" ending bought a tear to my eye, even though it was corny (last time, what do you expect from Glee?). They might have been better off with another song, because this song gets dragged out a lot for endings, the one springing to mind being on that episode of Scrubs, but I'm sure there's been many, many more. Maybe I was just disappointed because a part of me really wanted him to play Exterminate, Regenerate when he pulled out that uke... even though that really wouldn't have fitted, and I can't imagine there's a lot of crossover between obsessive Dr Who fans and Glee watchers... though I do know at least 2... interesting theory there.

So in summary, more cheesy goodness and nonsensical story lines from Glee. My eyes watered several times, but I never actually cried, so it's not the best season finale I've ever watched, but it rates quite highly. I've really enjoyed this season of Glee. It's been fun and sad in all the right places and bought my house together a little bit. Can't wait for the next series :D

BBC Pilots

Total Pilot overload! Thursday night saw not one, but two brand new BBC3 pilots. These follow the pilot of Pulse I reported on last week in BBC's whole procession of new drama. I was busy Thursday night, so I've been catching up on the trusty old I-Player.
Dappers is a brave attempt by the BBC, directed by Catherine Johnson (writer of Mamma Mia!), to get a bit of sympathy for a social group that is mostly looked down upon. Ashley and Faye are young, un-married mothers, struggling to raise their kids in a council flat in Bristol. They are sold as the new Delboy and Rodney. Looks like it's going to be a new get rich quick scheme each week. Following in the footsteps of Pulse, Dappers is also trying to set itself out to be "edgy". This time it's drug use and casual swearing. I've got to admit, I didn't really warm to the girls, and their respective love interests repulse me. The girls are irresponsible and childish, to say they are meant to be in charge of toddlers. The show is trying to avoid the doom and and gloom of this sort of life, and show the girls trying to make the best of a bad situation. It's funny in a cartoonish sort of way, as disaster after disaster unfolds on screen. I'd say give it a shot if you enjoyed Only Fools and Horses, but only if you can stomache the strong Bristol accent. For those playing along, you might recognise Lenora Chrichlow who plays Ashley. Seems the BBC just can't get enough of this girl at the moment, this is her third recent drama after Being Human and Material Girl. Those with better memories will also recall her appearances in Sugar Rush, several episodes of Casualty (but everyone's been on Casualty :P), and even an episode of Doctor Who. Keep your eyes open, I've got a feeling we'll see a lot more of her yet. At the very least, filming has started on Season 3 of Being Human!
Finishing thought, what is a dapper? Answers on a postcard... or you know... in the comments section.
Next up is Stanley Park. It's another drama about those lovely college kids. These annoy me no end. I went to college with 2000 other teenagers. While I've no doubt that some lived the sex, drugs and rave lifestyle, we didn't all. These dramas make out that even the tamest and nerdiest students are stoned every other night and in and out of each others beds like it's a game of musical chairs. Debbie fancies herself as the Carrie Bradshaw of Croydon and is deeply in to fashion design. For some reason no-one tells her she looks like a cheap hooker... maybe that's the edge of style in Croydon?
It's pretty painful watching in parts... like I said, I'm pretty sure we weren't that messed up at that age. You've got the two who should be together, but aren't, because they never say the right thing. Then he does the dirty with Debbie and everything gets really messed up. The situation isn't helped by Ben. I couldn't help but wonder what decade the show is meant to set in. Ben is clearly at least very camp, and all his friends say they know he's gay, but he insists he's not, like he's ashamed or something... At the end of the day though, the characters are annoying, whiny and unrealistic. I won't be watching again.
You get double points for getting the familiar face in this episode. Nick Blood is briefly featured as Harry Stevens. You might recognise him as a supporting character from Material Girl, acting oposite our girl Lenora.

New Torchwood :O

Torchwood will return! "Glorious news", I thought, upon reading the text message from my friend. I love Torchwood. It's everything I want from my sci-fi. Intrigue, danger and romance. The happiness soon wore off after reading a little more about what we may have sacrificed to keep this show.

Firstly, the BBC appears to have been reluctant to make a new series. In retrospect this decision was probably made a while ago. They killed off the majority of characters at the end of Children Of Earth. Coming back would now involve the creation and integration of several new characters, which might be quite difficult for fans to warm to. It seems the BBC has caved because they are receiving funding from an American TV network "Starz Entertainment". They use a "z" instead of an "s". I hate them already. The show was formerly produced solely by BBC Wales, but the new series will have input from "Starz" and BBC Worldwide. BBC Worldwide is the commercial division of the BBC, which sells BBC shows to networks in other countries. Little BBC Wales appears to be playing with the big boys on this one.

I've got some concerns about what this new arrangement will mean for the show. We full well end up with the "Torchwood America" many people want to avoid. One of the charming things about the first two series of Torchwood has been the location. I've got a bit of a thing about Wales, and I found a new threat to Cardiff every week to be very amusing. All of course rotating around the mysterious rift. The new series will be shot partly in America and feature filming from around the world. Sounds like fewer Welsh accents for starters. They've also promised that the new series will have "global stakes". It's a worry that they might be forgetting that Torchwood is meant to be a Doctor Who spin off. The point is Torchwood takes care of Cardiff, and leaves the big stuff for The Doctor. Going too far away from this system will destroy the beautiful relationship between the two series. And I'll miss the crossovers. I love crossover.

Really, my main concerns here are the same as my concerns for Being Human America. I'm worried that they feel they need to change things to make it more suitable for an American or global audience. Bigger explosions, stereotypical characters and meeting in Starbucks to discuss emotions.

I don't want to sound like I'm trashing American TV. Some of my favourite shows are American, like Friends, Glee, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, but I want to keep my British shows British and the thought of Torchwood leaving Cardiff is a very sad one.

Complaints about Britains Got Talent

Some people are NEVER happy. As long as there is television there will be people who don't like what is shown. Such is life. One of the reasons people watch TV is to discuss it and there a few more pleasant ways to while away a Sunday afternoon than arguing about last nights episode of Dr Who. Sometimes though, there comes a time when whining to your friends is just not enough. There comes a time to take action.
There is a specific office to deal with complaints about the media. It is commonly referred to as Ofcom or "the media watchdog". It handles many complaints every year on such things like impartiality, commercial references and offence, and decides whether appropriate action needs to be taken. It does often not matter how many complains a show or advert receives, but rather the rationale behind the complaints. There have been advertisements taken off the air on the basis of only seven complaints. If you find yourself extremely bored I recommend you check out their website. It's pretty interesting stuff.
I mention this due to a news article on the BBC website which caught my eye the other day.
You might recall my earlier blog about Britain's Got Talent. Monday night's show featured Stevie Starr, otherwise known as "The Regurgitator". The dude is pretty odd to be honest. As part of his act he swallows and regurgitates several objects. It's pretty gross, but also very entertaining. I don't reckon he actually does it. There's got to be some sort of trick, but that's not really the issue here. The story was about a number people who had called Ofcom to complain about his act, because they felt that children might try to copy his act, which included swallowing a whole light bulb. Firstly, if your kid can swallow a whole light bulb, they're a bit of a freak aren't they! Send them off to the circus or something! Joking aside, there were, to my knowledge three warnings to "not try this at home". Ant and Dec said it before he went on, Stevie said it before he started his act, and Ant and Dec said it again after he'd finished the act! What more do these people want? I mean, you wouldn't want your four year old operating a kettle, but people do that on the television. Maybe they need to keep a better eye on their children rather than leaving them to play with light bulbs.

Being Human... in America?

A ghost, a vampire and werewolf live in a house in... BOSTON?!? The rumours have been confirmed! The American channel SyFi is doing a remake of Being Human. Actors and such are yet to be confirmed, but they are just starting to release drips and drops about the show. The first thing that occured to me is, why? I mean, the English version of BH is great! How would re-hashing the story with American actors in an American city be anything other than a massive waste of money. It's not like Americans don't speak English!
The shows creators went on to justify their remake my saying they are going to change the whole dynamic of the show, in order to make it more appropriate for an American audience. So far, I've gathered that they seem to be turning our beloved characters into stereotypes. George will become "The Geeky One", oh, and they are changing his name to Josh. Is George difficult for American's to say? Or is it just a very british name? Mitchell is going to become "very obviously Jewish"... uh... because all american shows need to contain a certain number of minorities? Goodness knows. There's been no word of what they are going to do to Annie yet, but my money's on dumb blonde.
The thing that really gets me about this is that I've not heard a single American go "ooh yay!". Popular opinion seems to be that they would prefer to get the English version on a more widely available channel. Because there's nothing wrong with it!!!

Britains Got Talent

Well way to make me eat my words Britain's Got Talent. On Sunday I criticised BGT for a lack of variety in their auditions, and yet the live shows have thus far proved me completely wrong! The first show has shown a wide range of "talent" (a term I use rather loosely). The first night alone showed amazing variety, kicking off with Bollywood dancers Threebee (I must confess they upset me, my friends and I were going to call our band The Threebies, in honour of Pheobe Buffay and the fact that there's three of us... it's probably for the best... we can't sing, write or play instruments :P), moving through singing Olivia Archbold and Josh Mead (nothing to write home about), camp cruise star Kevin Cruise (amusing... but talented? I thought he was going to die on stage, a man who needs to get fit), more dancing from Tobias Mead (similar to George Sampson to be honest. I prefered his audition because it was a little bit different). Surprise of the night was Sean Sheehan. I'm sure wood chopping is very difficult, I certainly couldn't do it, but it's not a very entertaining act. He tried to liven it up with a bit of singing but this distracted him from the chopping and... he didn't do very well. He should be glad he's got all his fingers left. At the same time, good on ITV for going for something a little bit different as opposed to all the singers and dancers. Stevie Starr otherwise known as The Regurgitator. A true variety act. It's not like anything I've ever seen before and very entertaining... in an icky sort of way. I'm convinced it's not real, especially the whole key, lock, ring shebang, but it doesn't make it any less fun. Half the joy is trying to figure out how he's doing it. Deserving winners tonight were of course Spelbound (I am reassured that it is Spelbound not Spellbound, but it makes me die inside). This magnificant act merge cheerleading and serious gymnastics to astounding effect. Several times they made me gasp outloud in fear for their lives, particularly when one stood on another two with a third balanced on his head! It's gotta be seen to be believed.