Nice quote from RUSSELL BRAND's radio show this week with regards to an on~air phone call with NOEL FIELDING, but first some DOCTOR WHO~news.

RICHARD "Married To TOM BAKER's Lurvely Ex" DAWKINS is appearing on the show at some point, probably the finale I would imagine. Equally controversial, but just as exciting (coughs), is the return appearance of outgoing BLUE PETER presenter, GETHIN "Is That Even A Name?" JONES. Geeks may remember he starred as a CYBERMAN back in SERIES 2. Does this mean a Cyber~Invasion for Christmas? Only time will tell...


Still with WHO, sort of, was the series finale of TORCHWOOD. Disappointing end to a disappointing series. The 'shock' (or should that be 'schlock') death of two of the main characters, whilst done very well, didn't work for me. Why? People have died in TW before and then come back, when they kill off someone it doesn't feel like the end. Slightly annoying too was the fact that the two actors they got rid were the ones with actual talent. And whoever decided on the casting for GRAY should be given a kick in the nuts; BLAND would have been a better name for that character. Top marks though to JAMES "Hope He Comes Back" MARSTERS who stole it with a studied performance.


No marks for the plot that included an over~complicated scheme blowing up half of Cardiff, totally unnecessary. Oh yeah, why did Gray call his brother 'Jack'? Is that his actual name? Not nearly good as last year's denouement and where will they find someone to replace a medic and a computer whizz? (smirks knowingly) Also coming to end this week was HARRY HILL'S TV BURP and, although this series has been below par (for his standards), it's still funnier than anything else on telly. Arousingly, he stated at the end of the episode that he would be 'back in the Autumn'. Ace! Normally we only get one series a year.


LOUIS THEROUX was back and in the jungle, kind of; I am, of course, referring to LOUIS THEROUX'S HUNTING HOLIDAY. Fab, as always, to see Louis on TV but not so fab were some of the, and I use the term lightly, 'people' that he chatted to. I'm no huge animal lover but the reaction of these numbnuts after they killed, so 'brilliantly', an animal was pretty effin' disgusting. Louis obviously had a hard time reconciling his own feelings to that of the guys running the 'holidays'; they all seemed to care greatly for their animals and yet sold them to be murdered. They were, however, keeping species alive that wouldn't have been otherwise providing us with a difficult dichotomy. One game~keeper said, in a very passionate and heartfelt moment, that came out of Louis pestering him, "We don't have computers. This is Africa, it's f**ked." After that I actually said the word "Wow" out loud. That's right reader, so affected was this blogger, that I verbalised my astonishment. Not as good as his 'Prison' episode but still worthy of Louis. Nice work.

In TV~news, the BEEB have just announced that their iPLAYER will shortly be available on the Wii! Get the story HERE; cannot flippin' wait, it's like we're living in the future! Film~wise, I caught SON OF RAMBOW which was allright, if slightly cringe inducing and cliched. It's billed as the 'funniest UK film since HOT FUZZ'; what exactly is the competition? The story, if hackneyed, was well told but I did have some problems with the soundtrack. We had tracks from 85, 86 and 88 in a film that was set in 83! Yup reader, I am that much of nerdoid that I would notice. In film~news, DISNEY announced their line~up for the next few years - see it HERE - and, most interestingly of all, there's an adaptation of a PHILIP "K" DICK story in there!


Music~wise, there's been a few good releases (and some not so) over the past month. First up is Antidotes by FOALS and it was truly dreadful. I could barely make it to the end of the album. Real sh*te. Faring better was the second release from the GUILLEMOTS, Red. Again, like their first album, it's slightly disappointing but it's still well worth a listen with two or three top tracks. Also disappointing was Twenty One by MYSTERY JETS. It's a good piece of work but the first single, Young Love, hinted that the rest may also be sensational stuff; it wasn't. There are some gems on it to look out for though with excellent arrangements and production all round. I lurve the epic album~closer, Behind The Bunhouse; it's like MORRISSEY was still writing good material.


I mentioned SHE & HIM a month or so back and the album, Volume 1, is now released; it's a flippin' corker. ZOOEY DESCHANEL's voice is sublime and heartily honest, plus there's not a duff tune to be found. Highly recommended. Finally, and also highly recommended, is the debut from LYKKE LI, Youth Novels. Mightily inventive and packed with beautiful melodies - check out the single Little Bit - and production values, this really got to me in a real and meaningful way. Think of FEIST and mix in some KINGS OF CONVENIENCE with PETER BJORN & JOHN and you're kinda there. I would actually pay for this. As an added treat, I have got some tracks from the above artists available for your listening pleasure down below. Enjoy!



'Til the next time,
C.