Wednesday 30 June 2010

Tribal Wifes

Tribal Wifes

Today while eating at Subway my friend asked me if I would see her differently if she was a boy. I thought about it for a second and answered

'I don't see you as either as a boy or a girl'

she gave me a weird look while taking another bite in to her sandwich

I explained 'I see you as Sammy. I see you as the individual person, not a gender'

I think she understood what I meant. Normally I try to see my friends for who they are, rather than their gender. Or at least I try to. Growing up I was part of an Army family and so we would often move around a lot. Sometimes I would have more female friends and sometimes I would have more male friends. It was during college that my friendships with two girls grew stronger and to this day are my best friends while at the same time I had male college friends. Now at university it’s gone the other way, while still the best of friends with the two girls I now have more male friends who I would say I'm closer to compared to male friends I've had in the past. Basically I've never been the type of person who is less likely to like someone because of their gender, which I suppose can be said for most people (although I do know some people who get on better who boys, and some people who get on better with girls). And if my friends are reading this, which I'm going to guess you are as you’re really the only ones who sometimes read my blogs then HIYA! *waves*

Anyway, I felt that little story was a nice intro to a review of the show I've been watching called Tribal Wife’s on BBC 2.

'Six British women swap their everyday lives for life as tribal wives in some of the most remote communities on earth. Like many women today juggling career, home and family, they feel that something is missing. By spending time in societies where female roles are very different, they hope to find answers that could change their lives.' thank you bbc i-player

This is the second series of the show now, and I can't remember for sure but I think I watched bits of the first series. Now the final episode has aired and is now on the i-player I thought I would go through the eps and note what I thought about them.

Side Note: Sorry If me saying 'the woman' sounds a rude, it’s just easier and quicker than me having to find the names on the different websites pages.

ep 1) Turkey: I wasn't a huge fan of this episode. I thought the girl picked was perhaps too young. I always thought the show was about women who have been living their life in a certain way and the chance to get away and see a different culture may make them stop and think about what’s really important. However with the first woman on the show It was more about questioning the ways of the family. They also took her to a more modern part of Turkey for a party at which she attracted the eye of one of the sons who may have been romantically interested in her. The episode became less about learning and more about the uncomfortable drama between the two.

ep 2) Gabon: This was my favourite episode of the series. The family welcomed her in right away and they treated her like she was one of them. While all the families did the same with the other 'wife’s' this community really took her in. The woman in this episode had problems with her mother from her past and while in this new community she gained a mother figure who really got her thinking about the choices her own mother made, and got her thinking she was doing the best for her.

ep 3) Mexico: There was always a moment in all the episodes when I thought to myself 'my god stop crying and get on with it' now thinking back this may have seemed a little cruel, I mean these women are away from family, friends and their home. I'm pretty easy going, but come on! Wipe your tears aside and get stuck in. Overall this was a nice episode and while the woman annoyed me a bit at first she started to grow on me, she certainly got involved with the family (even if she didn't do the whole race) I think she really took something from the trip, which I suppose is the most important thing.

ep 4) Papua New Guinea: In this episode the woman had issues with her father in the past and so she found it a little weird creating a relationship with the father of the family, but she soon started to like it and began to call him 'Daddy' (having been asked to). A very beautiful woman I found it strange to hear she had had trouble with relationships and keeping them, having been in a few relationships for a long time and then them not working she said she had issues with trust. But again I think she really learned something for her experience.

ep 5) Thailand: This single mother of two found it comforting to see the community so close. She normally saw similar things within her church but never so much with the family. She worked hard and was very respectful. To be honest I'm drawing a blank with what happened in this episode. Go watch it and remind me lol

ep 6) Ethiopia: I've just watched the final episode of the series and I can't say it had the same direction as some of the episodes. Most of the women had clear things they wanted to improve on, where as the things she learnt she couldn't really take them back and add it to her life style. perhaps not the best episode of the series to close on but none the less all round very good.

A fantastic series granting real insight in to how families across the world work and interact with one and another. I really recommend watching it.

Tuesday 29 June 2010

Can Video Blogs be put in to the same category as Documentary?

Can Video Blogs be put in to the same category as Documentary?


This essay will question if video blogs can be viewed as documentary’s, who the creator of the video blog is, what the viewer is gaining from the video blog, how much of the bloggers real life are we actually being shown and how this might affect documentary as a serious media. It is John Corner who refers to the documentary as the ‘art of the record’ (Corner, cited in Ward, 2005:6) another way of defining documentary is by Winston who sums it up as ‘claiming the real’ (Winston, cited in Ward, 2005:6) what the two mean is that the documentary grants the viewer a insight and information about something real that has happened in the world, this could be a insight in to the human condition, social goings on, class, relationships, sex, where we come from, history, the past, business or a personal story. Documentary is not reality but deals with reality.

It is up to the creator of the documentary to represent the world of the film in an unbiased way and to fairy represent the chosen subject matter. However such formats of documentaries such as reality television are partly constructed. While the idea of the documentary is to portray truth, reality television shows such as “Big Brother” twist what reality is, they select a group of people that have never met and put them in a house to live with each other. At first the idea of the show was a clever social experiment however as more series of the show were made the agenda of the contestants and the makers of the show have changed. Contestants now know that when they leave the house that they will be able to make money from magazine deals and television appearances so they create an image for them self that they know will grab attention and one that can sell, however the show has also changed. While the contestants are using the show for their own desires they are also being exploited. Escoffery (2006:7) points out that ‘contestants are seen as falling victim to the manipulative powers of a ruthless fame making machine’ however the contestants know what they are going to be doing while in the show, they know they will have to play the games set by “Big Brother” and are willing to be embarrassed. Like reality television video blogs are constructed and the creator of the video blog decides what does and does not go in to the video blog, they control the reality of which they show much like “Big Brother”.

Jenkins (2006:151) explains the term ‘“blog” is short for “web log” a new form of personal and sub cultural expression involving summarizing and linking to other sites’ while the blog is no longer something new to the internet they have certainly changed since 2006. Over the past few years video blogs have become more popular since the raise of the website Youtube. Youtube presents itself as a web space where anyone can upload anything (except anything of an explicit nature). People have the opportunity to upload videos of themselves to express feelings and thoughts on whatever they want. While normally the voice of the everyday person couldn’t be heard Youtube offers a space where everyone’s can have a say and let it be known to the world. Youtube has a number of very popular video bloggers, one of the most popular is a man called Shay Carl, and he uploads daily vlogs (video blogs) with his family and friends and we the audience are carried along as he goes about his daily business. Youtube also allows the viewer to instantly post a message about the video, making it so simple and quick that it’s almost like you’re talking about to shay right away. He also takes the time to talk to the viewer to share thoughts and opinions as he goes on. The different with most popular video bloggers with the normal video blogger that is that some can become partners with Youtube. If a user becomes so popular they can request to become a partner with the site, Youtube will then pay that user depending on the amount of views that user gets. It will also give that option to display small adverts on their videos and at the side of their video. Every time a person clicks on that advert that user will then get paid. The video blogger could then be questioned as to what their intentions were for making the video blog, Shay Carl never adds any adverts in his video but does display his advert next to his video, however he is more likely to gain money from Youtube for the high amount of views he gets for his videos. Using Youtube ShayCarl and his family have become internet celebrities, by broadcasting their life, by being interesting and entertaining they show an insight in to an example of happy American family life.

Daniel Boorstin (cited in Turner, 2006:5) defines the celebrity as ‘the celebrity is a person who is well-known for their well-knownness’ The more views Shay Carl gets on his videos the more likely he is to be featured on the main page. Links to his videos are spread across the internet through social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter and so more people watch him and become more aware of him. As of the twenty second of March 2010 Shay Carl has 359,625 subscribers with a total of 96,651,024 views from his videos, this suggests that Shay Carl and his family are granting a real insight which interest people. Max Webber (Redmond and Holmes: 2007:17) suggest that natural leaders have ‘charisma’ he believes it is not something that everyone has but rather more of a physical or spiritual gift. Richard Dyer takes on this ideas and takes it further and describes it as ‘a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhero or at least superficially exceptional qualities’ (Redmond and Holmes:2007:82) It is debatable if one is born with charisma or if one can learn it, but none the less It is this ‘charisma’ that Shay Carl has that makes him likeable that in end makes people watch his videos. As mentioned before documentaries do not show reality, they deal with it. His audience follows Shay Carl and his family and they feel as they if are his actually friends, he interacts with his viewers and makes them feel as if they are included as part of his special club, he refers to it as an online family.
In the introduction to McLuhan's Understanding Media he writes: ‘Today, after more than a century of electric technology, we have extended our central nervous system in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned’ (1964: p.3) McLuhan writes about the global village, where online different cultures and ideas can be shared where as a time before the internet that connection couldn’t be made. We are now able to talk to people from across the world in a matter of seconds. Shay Carl shares his life with people across the world everyday and is a positive example of American family life. However Rokek (cited in Turner 2006:6) believes that ‘The diminution of direct social relations is addressed by what has been called para-social interactions (that is interactions which occur across a significant social distance – with people ‘we don’t know’, such as those we enjoy the celebrities we watch and admire’ Rokek makes the point that rather that interacting with people around us, including our family and friends we would now rather interact with the life’s of others. He believes that there has been ‘a loss of community as human relation attenuate and fragment under the pressure of contemporary political and social conditions.’ (cited in Turner 2006:6) put simply living one’s own real life can be hard and difficult, but to see someone else enjoy their life and be such a positive influence on others is easier and can be more enjoyable than living one’s own life. Shay Carl and his family appear to have everything they could ever want, a happy, funny growing family, their viewers look on at this and wish to be a part of it. As suggested we are losing our connections and sense of community with our own community and are seeking it elsewhere. By becoming a part of the online extended family the audience member feels like they belong.

Shay Carl never refers to his children by their real names, instead calls them Son-tard, Princess-tard and Baby-tard. Although we know his real name and his wife’s real name they refer to themselves as Daddy-tard and Mommy-tard with these fictional names it is like they are acting as a role rather than themselves, turning the ‘ShayTards’ in to a brand name. With this pretend name they are still able to vlog about their real life but are still capable to keep something about them secret and to their self. As mentioned before documentary’s do not show reality they deal with reality. Shay Carl is able to show as much as he wants with his camera and can keep secret what he wants. His video blogs are normally very happy and have not yet shown any serious issues or problems, while the family may just be a happy positive family where nothing has gone wrong with them. It would be interesting to see if something negative happened within the family if they would cover it.

Another case study on video bloggers is the user called Charles Trippy. With his fiancé Ali they have been covering their life for over a year. They record their everyday life’s, going out, shopping cooking. All very small everyday normal events. However the purpose the documentary is to make a record an event, be it big or small. They grant us information about a subject, the vlogs from Shay Carl and Charles Trippy grant us insight to everyday normal things, and should not be brushes aside as meaningless, the viewer does learn from their vlogs and should be categorised as documentaries. While not all their vlogs may be true examples of the human condition most of their videos show more realistic human emotion, for example Charles Trippy’s video Surprise Marriage Proposal In Spain! (10.04.09 - Day 157) where he proposes to his girlfriend, the video has 1,333,188 views as of the 23rd of March 2009 and received large positive feedback from youtube users. Presenting us with a representation of reality.

Ana Vicente (2008:271) explains that ‘Digital technology cuts the costs of production and post-production processes enormously, enabling low budget filmmaking’. With the use digital technology anyone can now create films, video blogs and documentaries. Not so long ago you would have to be backed by a large film studio to create a film which would grant you a budget. While the quality between a professional film studio camera and a small handy flip cam are vastly different flip cams are still able to shoot in HD and produce quality footage. This now means that anyone can record moments that may not seem important to others on a grand scale but do portray emotional and personal importance. With websites such as youtube it is now possible to upload these videos and share through the global village and connect with others across the world. While video blogs may not affect documentaries shown on television and film financially it will have competition from more film makers who before couldn’t afford to create their film. The internet is slowly becoming major completion for film and television and if it does not converge with it then eventually it could be taken over.

A Genre is always the same and yet not the same

A Note: Before I start this I'll let you know just what it is. I did an essay in my second year at university which looked at genre and how over time it really doesn't change, so I looked at the American sitcoms Friends, Scrubs, The Class and How I met your mother. Looking back I should have only really compared Friends and How I met your mother, guess I got carried away, but I do enjoy writing about my favorite shows. ^_^

‘A Genre is always the same and yet not the same, always old and new simultaneously’ (Bakhtin qtd. In Threadgold, ‘Taking about Genre: Ideologies and Incompatible Discourses’, p. 115). Discuss.


Bakhtin (1984: 106) goes on to say that ‘Genre is reborn and renewed’. This means that a genre will always be in use, be it in literature, film, performance or style. It may be broken down and parts of the genre may be used, this is called hybridity. This essay will look at the television sitcoms “Friends” (E4, 1994 -2004), “The Class” (e4,2006-2007) “Scrubs” (E4,2001-Present) and “How I Met Your Mother” (HIMYM) (E4,2005- Present). These four case studies will show how over time genre stays the same yet as time goes on it changes, for the better and worse.
The television show “Friends” (1994) was first aired in America in 1994 and went on to make ten series all of which were incredible popular and have been shown on television screens all across the world. The premise of the show is about a group of twenty something’s dealing with life, sex, love, work, family and above all friendship. It is Jillian Sandell (1998: 144) who wrote ‘I see Television offering a space where social anxieties are resolved in a kind of fantasy wish-fulfilment’ this is common in the sitcom, we have a group of characters who are first in one situation and are seeking a better one, this is very common in American sitcoms as it relates to the ‘American dream’ where one wants to own their own land, house, career. Jane Freuer (cited in Sandell 1998:146) suggests sitcoms are defined by “the half-hour format, the basis in humour, [and] the ‘problem of the week’ that causes the hilarious situation and that will be resolved so that a new episode may take its place the next week” It is in this half an hour format that the characters face a challenge that disrupts the equilibrium in a comical tone and resolve the disruption this episodic structure is essentially a sitcom.
It is possible “Friends” did so well was because the characters were all friends with each, they enjoyed each other’s company, they had their ‘in’ jokes which over the series the audience picked up on and knew about for example the recurring character Janice and her catch phrase ‘Oh My God!’ audiences pick up on these jokes and imitate as do the main characters, mocking her voice. While the show is very main stream it is the ‘in jokes’ that give it a cult like following.
It is Gunther (Cited in Martin,N. 2003:33) who suggests ‘The viewer countered and imagined by NBC closely resembles the average character on a given Thursday night comedy – that is to say, an employed white (ostensibly) straight twenty- to thirty year old with money to spend in the big city’ as Gunther points out the audience members that watch the show could themselves be a character in the show, it is this aspect of the show that could be another reason for “Friends” being so popular, relating to the characters that are shown on screen could draw a viewer, perhaps seeing Monica struggle to find a boy friend and a job is comfort for those viewers who are in the same situation. It is Lacey (2002:156) who brings up the points of the uses and gratifications theory ‘Personal Identity: we can get a sense of ourselves and our peer group from media representations.’ So while the characters in the show may be exaggerated but it is the kernel of truth keep within the character that the audience member picks up on and connects to. Groups of friends who have their own personal ‘in’ jokes can also relate to the show as they see the same group dynamic on the television as their own, seeing this on television could empower friendship groups, seeing aspects of their personality’s portrayed on the screen could make them feel as if they were as funny, witty, ironic and ‘cool’ as the characters on the show.
Another sitcom of the similar genre is “Scrubs”. The show does have its differences from the “friends” set up for example the show is lead by the main character JD; the characters are not friends they have chosen but instead co-workers who eventually grow strong bonds. The hospital is simply just a backdrop to the show, at the heart of it still deals with the same issues as “Friends” does, sex, love, work and friendship. Like “friends” the characters in “Scrubs” all have their roles. Lacey (2000:46) points out Props idea of the ‘spheres of action’ where he puts forward the different character roles that are in every story. As “Scrubs” is a sitcom where the equilibrium normally returns back to the same starting point the main characters all play the part of the hero while at times play the villain (a villain in the sense that they either get in the way of others stepping forward in the work place or getting in their own way through fear or lack of confidence) which is very much the same in “Friends”. Taking on Props idea of the character roles one could place the characters’ into stereotypical roles found in the family. JD plays the role of the son, Turk the older cooler brother, Elliot the girl next door, Dr Cox the father, Dr Kelso grandfather, Carla the mother and Jordon the role of the evil step mother. While the characters are not related and the sitcom is away from the family unit within the show we can still see the roles of the nuclear family, this shows how the show differs from the typical genre of the family sitcom but the dynamics are similar.
Lacey (2000:225-226) ‘when any text becomes popular you can be certain that ‘follow-ups’ will not be far behind.....producers’ attempts to get on the ‘band wagon’ with their own versions of these texts. These versions, inevitably take their cue from the genre.’ Lacey points out that when a show of a certain genre is doing well others will try to copy this style in order to make money from the same audience. “Scrubs” was similar to “Friends” however there were enough differences to it so that it couldn’t be compared to it and be categorized as a copy. In 2006 premised the show “The Class” which was created by David Crane Jeffrey Klarik the same people who created “Friends” so already the show was going to be compared to “Friends”. “The Class” is about a group of people who all used to be in the same school class, years have gone by without any of them seeing each other. The show starts with one of the main characters calling his old class mates trying to get them together to celebrate his anniversary with his fiancé. Eventually some people turn up, to see how people grew up, to show off their great lives and for one character because it was better than killing himself. The show was canceled after only one series. This could have been because the show was too much like friends and at the same time it wasn’t, while the group is bunch of good looking, young, white people all with apartments just like “friends”, the characters in “The Class” aren’t friends and barely remember each other from school. They are a group of people who been thrown together through bad situations, while the show has a few funny one liners however the jokes feel they are just being recycled from “Friends” and some are ones that have been done before. Another problem with the show is that there are far too many characters to deal with in a half an hour show. In “Friends” there were six main characters who were a close group who either spent their time mainly all together. Where as in “The Class” there are eight main characters with partners, not all of these characters mix or like each other and don’t get the time they need to develop their stories. It could be this lack of connection between the characters that the audience can’t pick up on and just can’t relate to the characters.

However an example of a show working from the same genre of “Friends” is “How I Met Your Mother” (HIMYM) a show set in New York about five friends who deal with the issues from the set genre deal with sex, love, work and friendship. While there are many similarities to “friends” the show is different enough to not just be another copy. It takes on board the narrative story telling of “Scrubs” by having one of the main character take on the lead in “HIMYM” the lead is Ted. Another difference between “friends” and “HIMYM” is that the show is no longer about who is going to end up with who and what is going to happen, for example in “Friends” the audience don’t know if Ross and Rachel are ever going to get together in the end until it happens where as in “HIMYM” the story is told from Ted years ahead talking to his children about how he met his mother, so from this we know that Ted does in the end meet the women he loves and has the children he wants like he talks about in the show. The show is no longer about what is going to happen but how it going to happen. So relating back to what Bakhtin (1984: 106) said the genre is ‘reborn’.

All of the sitcoms that have been discussed all have differences and similarities between them, at the core of them all they are all about the family we choose. Jillian Sandell (1998: 145) picks up on this when she says ‘the primary focus of the show is the relationship between these men and women who are not only each other’s best friends but also each other’s real “family” ‘she goes to on to mention that “friends” ‘captures and romanticizes the formation of the alternative kinship networks made up of friends and neighbours’ this is can be applied to all of the shows discussed. The genre is more than just a comedy about a group of young twenty something’s, but it also explores their own decisions, wants and desirers. Taking them away from the family unit they were brought up with and allowing them to explore the world for them self and choosing what they want to do without the judgement of what their family might think or believe. It is this escapism that makes the shows so popular while they may have their weak points at the core the audience wish they too could live the lifestyle these characters all have, dealing with situations in an ironic, funny style while surrounded by friends. When a show is able to take an audience member and make them want to live in the shows world then they have won that audience member over. So while audience members continue to watch these sorts of programs this style of sitcom will always be on our television screen. Television studies will always pick up on what audience members like and will exploit this to make more money but not only do the television studies get something out of it but the audience member also gets what they want as well, a show where their problems and dreams are played out, and until the audience members become bored with this set up the genre will continue to grow, adapt and change to fulfil the audiences wishes and desirers.

Saturday 26 June 2010

The Big Bang: The Doctor Who Final

The Big Bang: The Doctor Who Final

WOW.....I mean bloody wow. Was a sodding bloody fantastic wonderful final episode. I don't need to say this but this post will contain spoilers. Last week we were left on a huge cliff hanger where the Doctor was trapped in the Pandorica, Rory was a fake, Riversong was on the edge of death, the Tardis was exploding and the universe was coming to an end. I'm not going to post the whole story as it would be far too long to make any sense. It’s not that the story was complex, it’s just it would take a very long time to do so.

I'll keep this blog short, just go watch it, it was simple, sad and great. Although the start was a little rough, to just see the Doctor appear in a poof of smoke in front of 'dead' Amy killed the mood a little. However so much happened in the episode I suppose it had to happen fast. I am liking Rory more and more, although in the back of my head I kept thinking '...but its not actually Rory, its just a copy' but I guess a copy Rory is better than no Rory. Thankfully the real Rory came back in the end.

During this series I have grown to Like Riversong more and more. Like Captain Jack she the excuse for a little use of guns and acting cheeky. She really cares for the Doctor and unlike when Sarah Jane Smith met Rose there isn't any bad blood between River and Amy. If anything River is encouraging towards her. It’s just sad that we know that she killed someone, and that person was very, very important indeed. But who, and why?! It’s just a shame we know River dies in the library of silence.

What I did like in this episode was after the Doctor was shot by the dalek he looked allot older, the makeup job was great. Although he is the youngest actor to play the Doctor he can truly pull of a performance which gives the impression of an old time lord. Yes its official, I like Matt Smith. Although I like David Tennant as the Doctor I do like the differences within this series. Oh! What I thought was a continuity error in the second episode with the weeping angels was in fact on purpose. I thought it was a mistake that the Doctor was wearing his jacket after it had been pulled from him, but in fact it was just the Doctor in a different time line. Very clever Steven Moffat, very clever.

The ending was perfect. Amy remembers the Doctor and that memory brings him back into their world. Amy and Rory are married and the Doctor is back. All happy Rory and Amy say good bye to their home world and travel with the Doctor. The perfect team.

Bring on the christmas episode.

Music Blog 2

So I'm trying to kill some time before my induction day at work. Thats right I've got a job! I'll be working for a Cinema. The best bit about it is that as staff I'll be able to watch films before they are let for for the public, so great news for my blogging. Later on I'll be watching the last Doctor Who in the series in full HD and I can't wait. I've been texting and face booking friends as to how I think its all going to end and I think I'm on to something, its interesting hearing other peoples ideas.

Anyway, on the radio the other day I heard a pop dance song that I hadn't heard before, and I thought to myself it wasn't too bad. I wasn't sure who was singing it and I missed the DJ saying who it was. When I got back in I found out who it was and to my shock it was JLS.



Now I haven't got anything against JLS, well maybe I could do without the ramdom lifting of the shirt. But I've never been a boy band fan. While JLS are a new different brand of boy band, they are still and will always be a boy band. I remember when they were on the X-Factor and they all had a different colours, they were like power rangers, very cute bless them. Perfect marketing tool. Selling the four different colour hoodies fans can produly say they are fans of the group. I'm not exactly what it is that I like about the song, I think its around 1:10 in the video where it really kicks in for me. Its fun, its harmless, to be fair I don't think they once lift their shirts and I Imagine if I was out at a bar and had drunk the right amount I'd be on the dance floor dancing away. (lifitng my shirt....in an ironic....post modern type of way ...... o.o )

On my last blog I mentioned how I thought Diana Vickers might grow up to be the next Sophie Ellis-Bextor, well guess what!? Sophie Ellis-Bextor is back with a new song!



This woman is stunning. Her voice is charming and the video is cute, kind of reminds me of the new John Lewis where we see the growing up from a girl to a grandmother. The song itself is simple and Is a song I can see myself nodding my head to as I'm drinking (not yet at the stage where I'm dancing like a wanna-be JLS member)

And last is Ellie Goulding



with her song single Guns And Horses Ellie has impressed me. I always liked her song 'Starry Eyed' however I did the think the video was too simple and her outfit looked second hand from Little Boots. In this video, she looks like the perfect girl next door and the song is easy to sing along to which is always a plus. I'm now thinking about buying the album, anyone else got it? What do you think?

Wednesday 23 June 2010

BBC 3 Comedy and Mongrels

BBC 3 and new comedy Mongrels


BBC 3 certainly has its up and downs. It’s a channel which tests out new shows mainly for young adults (yes I've finally come to terms that I'm a young adult and doing my best to be empowered by it rather than falling apart at the thought of turing 21 in January) From it we've has the wonderful Gavin and Stacey, Being Human, Torchwood and Russell Howard's Good News. During the pilot season we are treated to a range of new shows that are being tester out, so far we've had one episode of the new paranormal sc-fi Pulse, Dappers and we've been given a new series called Mongrels as well as a few others. However BBC 3 also makes such trash as The World's Strictest Parents, Don't tell the bride and Snog, Marry Avoid. But none the less this blog entry is going to look at the positive rather than the negative.

I am a fan of puppets. Sooty, Ed the Duck, Avenue Q, The Muppets, fraggle rock, The labyrinth and pretty much anything made by the Jim Henson company. I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of shows but let’s move on. I've been looking forward to the new comedy show Mongrels ever since seeing the trailer and clips that were put on youtube. I don't know what it is about puppets that I love, maybe it’s because their puppets they can say anything and get away with it. I've been told I have a Muppet dance where I bob left to right dragging my head in the direction.

BBC THREE's first urban, multi-species, adult puppet comedy. Five urban animals hang out in the backyard of an innercity pub. Created by Adam Miller, written by Jon Brown and Daniel Peak (thank you BBC3 website)

I had a general feeling that I would like the show, and while I thought it would be funny I didn't think it would be laughing out loud funny. I was wrong. This show had me crying with laughter. From the trailer I thought Destiny (the female dog) would be an annoying chav type character. I couldn't have been more wrong, she had two lines in the show that made me laugh so much I was finding it hard to breathe. The part where she’s begging not to be part of a dance class where she says

'No! This is worse than being a puppy when you made me rub my nose in it, although I've really rubbing your nose in it'
> cut to her being with her owner at a grave yard and her mocking him like a child
'You've got a dead wife; you've got a dead wife'

to

'NO! I hope you get raped later, I really do'

EDIT: just watched the show again and I was wrong, she didn't say rape she said renal failure

Now I like black comedy, but I never expected to find that as funny as a I did. But perhaps because It was from a puppet dog that I allowed myself to see the humour in it. If it had been a live action show I think I might have thought it to have been a little sick.

I'm a fan of Katy Brand and her show on ITV2. I was delighted to hear she would be doing one of the voices. She is the voice of Kali (pigeon). Before I go on this is how the BBC 3 website describes her

Kali is a spiteful, petty, vindictive, s***ty little bird with a small beak and a big voice. In fact there's only one thing in life she enjoys more than revelling in other people's misfortune, and that's causing other people's misfortune and then revelling in it a bit afterwards (like maybe over some coffee and a bagel from the bins near Pret).

I love evil/loveable characters. Much like Jordan from scrubs I wish I could be as evil as them and get away with it. Granted I was told in a job interview that I had a dry sarcastic sense of humour and while this true I don't think I've ever said anything to actually insult anyone. (I hope, meh sod them I got a better job elsewhere)I won't go in to full detail as to what she does in the first episode as it will just take to long to write up and it would be allot quicker for you to just go watch it.

Heres a little clip from the first episode



Katy's voice just works so well with the character and sells it. Without going in to too much detail there is apart where Kali is trying to fly out of a house and keeps hitting a window. Just the use the puppet and the look it gives and it lifts up its wing and stops the others from helping her get out is priceless
'Leave me, I've got to learn'

I really don't think I can do this show justice by just writing about it. So I highly recommend you go watch it. I think I may give it another re-watch now.

Monday 21 June 2010

The Pandorica Opens

The Pandorica Opens

Its the penultimate episode of the current series of Doctor Who and WOW what an episode. This episode was all about building up questions but gave enough answers so it felt like just a simple building episode. Before I go on if you haven't seen the episode do not read this as it will contain spoilers. Ready? Ok.

So Theres Riversong, a box, Cybermen, daleks, sontarans, Auton Rory, a trapped Doctor and a dead Amy. Yeah that preety much covers it. End of Blog.

I jest, yeah alot happened in this episode. It all starts with Vincent Van Gough who paints a painting of the tardis exploding, this painting gets passed on untill Riversong finally is made aware of it, espacing from prison she tracks down the painting and meets the Doctor in the past with a bunch of Romans. I've got to say I wasn't too thrilled when I first heard that Riversong would be back in the seires after the Silence in the libary but after this series shes won me over. I like her and I'm glad shes part of the Doctor Who family. So Riversong, Amy and the Doctor find whats called the Pandorica which is supposed to have a very large evil within in it, however the Doctor doesn't know whats in it, which he find it hard to believe since hes all knowing and what have you.

One of my favorite moments in the episode was when Amy was fighting with a cybermans head. I know I've asked if we could see Amy taking more action, and while this might be a step in the right direction, it was just more funny than anything. The cyber head has its wires around Amy's arms as it tires to attack it, it opens up its head na dspits out a human skull. Amy screams. The head then starts chopping at her. Amy Screams some more. Bashing it against a brick wall she finally beats it of her. While I can see a cyberman head trying to eat Amy as being quiet scary for a child I couldn't help but find myself laugh at the little scene.

Throughout the episode I thought it was going to be either Davros or maybe the human doctor aka David Tennant. I thought it could have been David simply because I just wanted to see him and Matt together and I thought it could have been Davros because of the voice we heard. But no, it was infact all a set up for the Doctor, all his foes worked as one big team to trap him away forever. Kinda of nice when you think about it, putting their differences all aside for one common goal.

Now I always thought Rory was going to make an apperence in the last two episodes, just not quiet like this. Turns out the foes of Doctor who used Amy's memories from her house to create a setup which would interest the Doctor in to coming to, this memores included Rory. Sadly though the romans and Rory are just Auton copies. So sad. Whats sadder is that the Auton Rory kills Amy! I wanted the real Rory back, not some cheap plastic fake! None the less when the Doctor manages to sdave the day and fix the crack I'm sure the real Rory will be back.

But its all a matter of how is the Doctor going to save the day? We all know he is, because the good guys always win no matter how many times they do it. Whats interesting is how and what happens along the way? Will Riversong be ok? (remember we didn't actually see her die) How will the Doctor get out? Will Amy come back to life? My guess is that the copy of Rory has something to so with it. The copyies are so well made they actually think they are the people are copying, so the fake Rory might fight his default programming and thinking he's Rory might save the day. Otherwise I've no clue but look forward to fidning out.

ps. Well done to Richard who called what was in the box.

Sunday 13 June 2010

The final of junior apprentice, Dr Who and Derren Brown

The final of junior apprentice, Dr Who and Derren Brown

So this blog will cover the last episode of the junior apprentice, the dr who episode 'The Lodger' and my trip to see Derren Brown live at the Lowry in Manchester.

The Last Episode of the Junior Apprentice

So in the very last episode everyone was a project manager, the boys and girls were slipt so it was Arjun and Tim up against Zoe and Kirsty. While both teams worked well together it was Clear Zoe was still having trouble working with her co-project manager and tried to run the show, Kirty on the other hand should have picked up her game here and shown that she could really be something special while Zoe was trying to manage everything. Half way through the show I was worried that Arjun (my fav to win) wasn't doing enough in the team and started to let him self down, however he sprung back to life driecting an advert and doing a pitch with Tim.

In the end the boys won the task and rightly so, the girls product just didn't have the right feel towards their audicne and they just didn't know their audience (ironice as their audience were only a few years younger than themselfs) So it was then down to Tim up against Arjun in the board room. What I liked as that niether of the two attacked each other and simply stuck to what they had done and I found this very refreshing compared to the adult version where they normally try to slate of their compertion in the final. I did worry and think he was going to make Tim the winner due to his background in farming and being very practical against Arjun whos background is somewhat acedemic. However Arjun proved he was more than just a maths boy by putting forward all the things he had done throught the contest, he sold paintings, he dressed up, he directed the advert and so much more. So I am happy to say that Arjun did go on to win the contest! Well done Arjun. I enjoyed the junor aprentice more than I first thought I would and wouldn't mind it being on again, however I eagerly await the next adult version of the show!

Dr Who: The Lodger

I've heard a few complaints that this seires of Dr Who hasn't been sci:fi enough. Well I believe this episode brings it back. I mean what more than you ask for than a tardis wanna be placed on top of a house? In this episode something is stopping the Tardis working properly, leaving the doctor to investigate while Amy is stuck in the Tardis. Again like I have mentioned before Amy has been some what of a damsel in distress, we need to see her taking some action, rather than being stuck like some helpless child!

In this episode James Corden played the part of the house mate who is in love with his best friend but hasn't got the guts to tell her. Luckerly for him along comes the Doctor who plays cupid. What a great guy.

Overall a nice episode, not the best but certainly not bad. I look forward to the two part final!

Derren Brown: Enigma Tour

For those of you are not in the know Derren Victor Brown (born 27 February 1971) is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer, and sceptic (thank you wikipedia) He often puts on shows where he takes on magic tricks and sometime he tell us how he does them. He openly says that he does not have magic powers or any real psychic abilitiesl. Hes just a very celver man and knows how to get in to peoples heads. I went to the Enigma show last night with my friends Stacey and Emma where we found ourselfs in row D! Only two away from the stage, we were VERY lucky. Derren asked us not to talk to much about the show as it might ruin it for people coming to see it. So I won't say anything. Well I'll tell you this,...GO WATCH IT! Really, he is a great guy, and fantasitc entertnaing and will just get in yiour head.

At the end of the show we went to the stage door where he came out, it was explained to us that he had a sore throat and so couldn't be out to long, but none the less he signed peoples books and we even got a picture with him!



granted its not the best pic, but it was taken from my i-phone with no flash and I've done my best in photoshop. None the less, what a guy! What a night. Just go watch the show!

Thursday 10 June 2010

Junior Apprentice: Ep 5

Junior Apprentice: Ep 5

So its the last chance to get in to the final and this week on the show the groups were given the task of choosing a product which they would later have to try and sell to big companies such as the house of frasier. The groups were the same as last week with Arjun, Zoe and Emma up against Tom and Kirsty. This weeks episode wasn't overly entertaining, however the more I watch Kirsty the less I think shes going to win. Orginally she and Arjun were my favorites to win but as time as gone on I don't think Kirsty is really all that good, shes quiet and unless the topic is one that really interests her then she doesn't seem all that bothered.

I feel I may have also been some what harse on Zoe. She was the contestant I loved to hate, while she was good as doing what she did she would have very little tact, and is really out for herself and no one else. While I understand it is a conest there is a way of talking to people. In the board room this week Arjun pointed that from last week to this week 'its like shes gone from one extream to another' from trying to take over to trying to do as shes told without putting any input in. Sir Alan told her that she bruhed people up the wrong way. However I think if she can learn from her experience of the apprentice then she can come out a better leader and all round nicer person from it. One can hope.

This week Emma was fire, no shock really. While she says her life is bussiness, she didn't exaclty show it during the show. No real loss as I never exepected her to win really.

Overal a show blog simply because theres not alot to say about this one. I'm very much looking to the final.

Monday 7 June 2010

Music Blog

Music Blog

I have entered a contest for 4Music where basically you have to finish the sentence 'Music makes me feel....' in 150 words or less the winner then gets a laptop and a flip cam, using these tools the winner then gets to work with 4music for three months, updating their face book, twitter and I believe going to events to interview popular music stars for the 4music blog. So my friend Stacey convinced me to give it a shot.

I like generally all types of music, from the top 40 to small experimental bands. I think the only type of music I don't like is hard core rock, heavy rock, rap and hip hop. But otherwise I'm very open to different types of music. Here is a quick list of some of the bands and artists on my iphone.

Adele, Avril Lavigne, Bat for Lashes, björk, Blink 182, Blondie, Blur, Damien Rice, David Bowie, Feist, Florence and the machine, Franz Feriand, Goldfrapp, The Hooisers, Jack Conte, Kate Nash, Keane, The Killers, KT Turnstal, Lady GaGa, Ladyhawke, Lily Allen, Little Boots, Marina and the Diamonds, MGMT, Mika, Mumford and Sons, Muse, Natash Bedingfield, Nirvana, Paloma Faith, Paramore, Pink, Pomplamoose, Robbie Williams, Scissor Sisters, Space, Stickboy, V V Brown, The White Strips. Wicked, Buffy once more with feeling.

And thats not even all of them, just a small range of different artists and types of music. I like to think of myself as someone with a decent level of taste (but don't we all). So once a month or every few weeks I'll be posting songs that have caught my attention (inspired by the http://phillyjpopblog.blogspot.com/ blog) I'll try and post a different range of music and let you know what I think.

Before I said I like to think of myself as a person with a good level of taste, that said I do like pop. I don't care. I like girly pop, it’s easy, fun, and its popular, yes its mainstream but don't be a snob. So the first song is



Diana Vickers-The Boy Who Murdered Love

I find this song to be quiet similar to her first single 'Once'. Its light hearted and easy to song along to. While I'm not a huge fan of the X-Factor I did watch the series she was in and at the time I liked her, (as well as her cawl) I thought she was a breath of fresh air from the other acts and its nice to see her back. I get the feeling she might grow up in to a Sophie Ellis Bextor type of artist but a little bit more poppy. As for the video, its harmless, sweet and the animations are fun, I espically like the part where she shoots of her own arrow. So thats my little bit of girly pop, lets move on.



Katie Melua - The Flood

I saw this video on another blog and since I have been listening to this song, I've had to force myself to stop playing it over and over again in fear of getting bored of it. But the more I listen to it the more I love it. Since hearing the song I've bought her new album and this song and 'Happy Place' are definitely the best while the others feel very much like the same style of music from her last albums, not that this is a bad thing it would have just been nice to hear something a little bit more different overall. As for this video I love the part when she’s on the piano and is spinning like a spinning top, it looks like fun! Stunning as always Katie album is definitely worst a listen to.



Beat the Horse - Pomplamoose

While is song isn't actually very new I highly recommend you go listen to these two on youtube and just buy their albums! Their music is just so good, they create videos which are called VideoSongs. A VideoSong is a new Medium with two rules:

1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice).
2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds).

They do covers and their own originals. I can only hope to one day see them live!



MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS | OBSESSIONS

Now you have most likely heard of marina and the diamonds, and if you haven't then where on earth have you been?! She is just so fantastic! She’s just the right about of experimental without being attention seeking. I found Marina on youtube a while before her songs started playing on the radio and I was kind of of hoping that she wouldn't become mainstream just so she could be one of those bands that had a few fans and that made it quiet special. Also great at parties when people are talking about music and you can say 'oh, so you've not heard of Marina and the Diamonds?! Well she’s just the next best thing, can't believe you've not hard of her' while I'm not a snob I do like to feel smug lol

Sunday 6 June 2010

Pulse

Pulse



This is a piece I have called Pulse. This is the largest canvass piece I have ever done, I orginally got the canvass from my college when it had been half painted on and left by the student, I was told I could take it and do what I wanted with it. COvering it up with white it was a clean cnavass for me to use. At first I was going to do something very different with the piece, however after nearly a year of just starring at it I finally deicded what I wanted to do with it. I wanted to create the idea of an energy, perhaps sound shooting from the middle. I'm not yet sure if the piece is finished as I may add another white ring. Overall I like the piece, while not my normaly style I feel it is good to try out different things and approches. This piece is now up for sale, however due to its size can not be sold to anyone outside the UK and would have to be collected.

Saturday 5 June 2010

Vincent and the Doctor

Vincent and the Doctor

So in this week’s episode the Doctor has taken Amy went to a gallery to see the works of Vincent Van Gogh, after seeing what looked like a sort of beast in one of the paintings they rush back in time to discover what that beast is. As it turns out it’s a lost alien. It wasn't explained how it got there, but that really didn't matter. When I saw the small clip of the episode last week I wasn't expecting much and thought it was going to be another Unicorn and the Wasp type of episode. I was so wrong, this episode is emotional, touching, well written and overall a very strong episode, definitely one of the best in the current series.

Guest writer Richard Curtis took on this episode, I wasn’t really sure what he had done in the past but looking on IMDB it appears he's written a few shows I really like, Blackadder, French and Saunders, Bridget Jones Dairy, and Vicar of Dibey, pardon Mr Bean, Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral and I pretty much like his past work. This episode of Dr Who was very touching and I won't lie it bright a tear to my eye. I felt sorry for Vincent after the Doctor said they would be leaving and the Doctor then found him crying in Bed. I'm not a huge fan of Vincent Van Gogh's work but I respect him and his legacy, and I do actually really like 'starry night' I just find it so magical. The part where they are on the grass looking up to the stars is simply magical, they start to see how Vincent sees the world, all the different colours moving, the stars shinning, the blacks and the blues of the sky’s moving and changing. Just wonderful.

My favourite parts included Amy being surrounded by the sunflowers, it could have been a perfect painting, pity they had an alien on the loose. I'm sure Vincent could have sold that one for more than a few drinks. The shot was framed perfectly and was just wonderful. The way Amy and Vincent interacted was spot on, they seemed like old friends, as if they had a connection, and I think it was more than just the red hair.

The Doctor: The Ultimate Ginger

Another moving moment was when Vincent saw a sadness within Amy, (this was clearly from Rory’s death that Amy has forgotten about) when Amy said she wasn't sad he asked her then why was she crying, she was surprised to feel the tear down her cheek, clearly Rory's memory is still within in her somewhere (my bets are that Amy's memory bring him back to life in the final when the Doctor heals the crack). The end of the episode was truly moving, Amy thinks that they may have changed the future and Vincent might not have killed himself, rushing back into the gallery she expects to see many more paintings, but sadly nothing changed. Amy is sad that they weren't able to help him but the Doctor comforts her by telling her that they added to the good things in his life. Seeing something in the distance she sees the painting of the sun flowers, walking up to it, it is empty on a dark wall, your eyes fixed to the painting, here we see Vincent has left a message for her. While no such message is on the real painting it was a nice touch to end on.

Clearly I really enjoyed this episode, definitely one of the best if not the best episode in the current series.

Wednesday 2 June 2010

The Junior Apprentice: Selling In the Art World

The Junior Apprentice: Selling In the Art World

So it’s been another Wednesday and another episode of the Junior Apprentice. This week the two groups had the task of finding two artists and then selling their work on their behalf. This week the groups were Arjun, Emma and Zoe up against Kristy, Tim and Hannah. I was unsure as to who I was cheering for this week and my two favourites Arjun and Kirsty were on different teams.

This week Emma and Tim were project managers. While Emma did an ok job she was always being over taken by Zoe who yes id play to her strengths having an art background but was annoyingly rude when she interrupted her team mates while trying to make sales. However Emma could have done a better job of defining her role but Zoe does seem to have a way of doing what she wants. Either way I don't see either Emma or Zoe winning the contest, Emma isn't strong enough and Zoe is all out for herself and even when the leader seems to take on everything and makes it clear when she has done well rather than when the team has done well.

Tim’s team were ok, they did everything right except they clearly hadn't done their research on the location and weren't aware as to the type of market they would be selling to. They picked a photographer and an artist who paints expensive abstract pieces, while the photographer was a good pick the expensive abstracts were just a bad pick, as they were never going to sell unless it was a high market audience. This could have been avoided if one of my favourites Kristy had made more of a connection with the artist, while she honestly said she knows nothing of the art world it doesn't take much to try and make an interest in the product she was going to be selling. From this I don't think she’s one of my favourites anymore, it seems she’s only interested if it’s a product area she’s interested in. So I am now fully team Arjun! I'm not a fan on Tim either, I think he's just got lucky to be this far and it won't be long till he's gone. In the end Hannah was sent home, but she still has her invention to land back on so I'm not feeling to sorry for her because she'll be just fine.

Again I love this show because I always think I could do a better job, but it is different because I'm sat on my nice chair at home watching while they are trying to live it, so while I would like to believe I could do it I know I'd be just as bad and make the same mistakes.