I'm A Celeb...Day Ten

After Nancy's eviction, the viewers no longer vote for who will to a trail, so the camp decide themselves. Joe volunteered to do one that meant him climbing down a 100ft ladder from a helicopter, unfurling flags as it flew along the Gold Coast. He got all 8 flags which equated to eight meals so everyone was very pleased. It looked a good trial, though a bit scary, one that would be fun to do and look back on.

The Celeb chest was Sophie and Sheila. Knowing what happened last time Sophie did the chest (i.e. rowed with Natalie) it looked like it could kick off as Sheila has very little time for Sophie. They had a bit of a laugh and no great falling out however.

The voting had Vic and Huggy in the bottom two, and a delighted Vic was reunited with wife Nancy.

I'm A Celeb...Day Nine

Natalie decided she had had enough when she was nominated for the fifth trial and walked. This led to Sheila, who was second in the voting to take the place. She had to crawl around under a frame rescuing stars, the frame got steadily lower until she was sliding on her belly in the mud, and they let a (small, harmless) croc in with her. She got about five or six stars before being too drained to carry on. It looked quite easy at first, but I guess once it got lower it must have been hard work to move around in the mud.

The Celebrity chest was done by Vic and Huggy and they had to use various weapons to release boxes and bags hanging off a branch to assemble a giant key and get the chest.

Day to day in the camp, we saw a bit more of the attention-seeking Sophie, and Joe playing with the baby emus.

When it came to elimination time, the two with the lowest votes were Vic and Nancy, and it was Nancy who went.

I'm A Celeb...Day Eight

Natalie went off to do her trial Slither River, she struggled to get over the bridge as ever. Having heard she didn't like water I was suprised she didn't moan and just got on with it. However she had to dive under four times to release the first buoy, and she said she had had enough and had no energy left and was going to quit. Which she did, whilst claiming feeling dizzy. She had earned one star for the camp.

Meanwhile starvation led to Huggy, Sheila and Janet going off to catch some eels. They caught one and Shelia (who hit it over the head with a rock) and Huggy took it back to the camp to prep, leaving camp cook Janet to catch one on her own which she did. Sophie grumbled that she couldn't eat it as she had seen it be killed, and she had eaten all sorts of things yesterday, including biting a kangaroo's testicle. The rest of the camp murdered her there and then. I made that last bit up.

In order to get the day's celebrity chest, Nancy and Paul went off to get it. They had to be harnessed up and walking crab-like across a tightrope whilst holding onto a central rope. However as Nancy lent forward she was pushing the rope further from her and making herself lean over further, and started to panic. After she eventually fell off and was winched back, it was left to Paul to whimper himself across and pull the shest back. Once back in camp, the celeb's got the question wrong and got loads of crappy prizes. They decided to force the other side of the chest open, but then got scared that they would be punished and gave everything back.

When Ant & Dec went back into camp the next morning to announce who would be doing the next trial, it was revealed that Natalie had been voted to do a record fifth trial.

Subsequently it has been announced that she has quit, unable to 'give' anymore.

Top Ten iTunes

Here are the Top iTunes that I have listened to over the last five months:

1. Paul Weller - You Do Something to Me
2. The Lightning Seeds - Marvelous
3. Supergrass - Pumping on Your Stereo
4. Supergrass - Moving
5. The Lightning Seeds - What If...
6. Sugababes - Killer
7. Barenaked Ladies - One Week
8. Kelis - Trick me
9. Snow Patrol - Crazy in Love
10. Style Council - Promised Land.

Maybe for the six month anniversary of my iPod, I will do the Top 25 next month. Or maybe not.

I'm A Celeb...Day Seven

Sophie was nominated camp leader. Quite a few don't seem to like her, as she talks incessantly (by all accounts about herself) but we have not seen that on TV (it would be too boring probably). Most moaned that she wasn't very good, and didn't give them good objectives. Sophie, along with Natalie, went to do the bushtucker trial where they got to eat a bunch of lovely things. Natalie managed to eat (after a lot of coaxing) a cheesy smelling fruit nicknamed the vomit fruit because of its vile taste. She declined the fish eyes and green ants etc. Sophie ate a funny leaf insect, a wichity grub, mangrove worms and something else revolting. The final dish was Bush oysters which turned out to be kangaroo testicles. Unsuprisingly Natalie turned them down claiming she was going to be sick. Sophie tried one and dropped it, but picked up the other. They appeared to be quite hard to break with the teeth and we saw (and heard) it go 'pop' it in her mouth as the contents of the testicle filled her mouth, Sophie's face was a picture. You had to feel sorry for her as she fought to keep going, before spitting it out and drinking some water to get rid of the taste.

They went back to camp with five stars between them, Sophie got back first as she didn't have issues with the bridge. In no time, the camp were bored of hearing about the kangaroo testicles and live creatures that she ate.

Shelia and Joe went off to do the celebrity chest. The key was hidden in a bar of soap, and they had to get in and wash themselves until the key could be removed to unpadlock the chest. They got to take the bath back to camp with them. I was impressed by how dirty the water was when they tipped it out.

So, when Ant and Dec came into the camp to announce who was doing the next trial, 'Slither River', the top two were Sheila and Natalie. Natalie got to do it again. The British public are so sadistic.

Strictly Come Dancing: Week Six

This week each couple has two dances to perform. The celebrity boys are doing the Waltz and the Rumba, the girls are doing the Quickstep and the Cha Cha Cha. Ballroom dances were to be performed first, followed by the Latin.

Roger and Camilla kicked off with their waltz. I had always been a fan of them as I thought they showed promise, but recently they have not improved as much as the other couples and Roger was starting to get quite negative in training. I thought their Waltz was quite boring, but I am not a fan of that dance (or an expert) in any way. The judges agreed with me and they got quite a poor score. Jill and Darren came on the do a very polished and impressive Quickstep, and got ten points more from the judges than Roger and Camilla.

Julian and Erin did a beautiful waltz, and got a reasonable score. Denise and Ian's Quickstep was also good, and the judges scored them just a fraction ahead of Jill (as Jill's upper body/shoulders had been a bit stiff). Aled and Lilia waltzed next and also got a good score putting them into third, just ahead of Julian & Erin.

Now for the Latin, Roger and Camilla's Rumba was slated by the judges, and they had a point, it was over-dramatic and Camilla did all the work. Their score was even worse this time round, giving them a total of 41 out of 80. Jill and Darren's Cha Cha Cha was praised and they got 36 points for that dance alone. Jill had rather an odd tasselled dress that spun out as she moved but looked rather unflattering, especially in fuchsia pink

Julian and Erin's Rhumba was excellent and very passionate, no mean feat considering how camp Julian is, and his general phobia about anything too heterosexual. Denise and Ian did a good Cha Cha Cha, but were criticised for Denise not getting her feet quite right, thus scoring just under Jill and Darren for second place overall in the judges scores. Aled and Lilia's Rhumba, whilst not there best, kept them in third place by one point above Julian and Erin.

In spite of the judges scores, the audience vote counts for 50% of the overall score, so during the second show the bottom two changed to be Roger and Camilla and Denise and Ian. Unsurprisingly, and quite rightly, it was Roger and Camilla to go. This stage of the competition is always going to see promising dancers go and Roger and Camilla had not lived up to their promise on the night.

The X Factor: Week Six

We were misled. Next week is the semi-final, not this week....They are still really dragging this show out. But at least the judges don't have the final vote anymore, it is purely down to the public.

Tonight, each act was to sing two songs, Rowetta kicked off the show with River Deep, Mountain High, that was very good, though she had a dodgy hat on. G4 sang You'll Never Walk Alone after they had a scare when Jonathan strained his vocal chords shouting when the band got through last week. Steve sang The Sweetest Feeling, though missed his cue as he could not hear the music, and Tabby sang a ballad, More Than Words which was OK. No judges commented on the first round of singing, but phone lines opened, and they all sang again.

This time, Rowetta slowed it down to sing When You Tell Me That You Love Me, G4 did a fab version of Queen's Somebody to Love, Steve sang If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time with which he seemed quite uncomfortable, Simon owned up to pushing him into the song. Tabby livened up the audience with his version of Living on a Prayer, which was pretty good, if only for his efforts at audience participation rather than pure vocal performance.

Kate Thornton announced that there was less than 4% between the bottom acts. At the end of the painfully long second show, it was revealed that Rowetta was to go.

I'm A Celeb...Day Six

Brian had an issue with the flies, not sure what he was expecting of them, but his ranting at them was quite funny. In spite of him getting on very well with Janet, she told him off for farting whilst she was cooking food, so he stormed off and quit the show.

There was no trial in this episode, as it had been shown live the previous night. We did get to see Natalie having to be led back across the bridge, whimpering, because of her fear of heights.

However, the trial for Day Seven, would be called Snap. It was to be a two person eating trial, thought the campers don't know this yet, they do know that it was Natalie and Sophie that are doing it.

I'm A Celeb...Day Five

What an action packed series this is turning out to be! Paul went into the Temple of Doom and whimpered like a girl. He got six stars though, and it was pretty dark in there.

Half the camp (well Sheila, Natalie and possibly Huggy) have decided that they don't like Sophie and that she is too 'Me me Me'. Natalie had to get the treasure chest with her. It involved climbing, so Sophie volunteered as Natalie is afraid of heights. They got the chest without event but Natalie had a hissy fit on the way back, calling Sophie a Prima Donna, and it being 'about you', and that Natalie was 'Sorry she was sick, sorry afraid of heights, etc etc' generally very bitter. Sophie was calm, saying she was not a prima donna, that Natalie had her all wrong, and perhaps should look to herself. She apologised and gave Natalie a hug.

Back in camp, Natalie went to Sheila and had a cry, and Sheila said she was brave and should have it out with the camp, as everyone agreed. Natalie went back to Sophie and started having another go, demanding that the camp say she is as bad as Sophie. No on else in the camp said anything, they all seemed a bit uncomfortable. Sophie said she thought she had been all through this, Natalie accused her of being insensitive when she was sick, that when Sophie had hugged her it was empty and she had not 'felt' her. Sophie stormed off, but later came back and apologised again and hugged Natalie again (don't know if this was up to Natalie's standards however).

I don't think Natalie needed to attack Sophie in front of everyone. Sheila (who no doubt stirred) claimed that everyone felt the same way, but we had not heard this, or seen it, but it may just be editing. It seemed to me that Natalie was vary insecure.

It came as no surprise that for the live Bushtucker trial, the bottom two were Sophie and Natalie, and it was Natalie who did it. Well, a bit of it, before wimping out and threatening to be sick.

Latest news since last night's episode is that Brian has walked out, allegedly after a row with Janet.

The Official UK Download Chart

Courtesy of the BBC, is as follows (last week's positions in brackets):

#1 (1) 'Vertigo' - U2

2 (3) 'What You Waiting For' - Gwen Stefani

3 (4) 'Lose My Breath' - Destiny's Child

4 (2) 'Just Lose It' - Eminem

5 (new) 'Do They Know It's Christmas' - Band Aid 20

6 (5) 'My Prerogative' - Britney Spears

7 (6) 'The Weekend' - Michael Gray

8 (new) 'This Fire' - Franz Ferdinand

9 (8) 'Walkie Talkie Man' - Steriogram

10 (10) 'I Believe In You' - Kylie Minogue

From the site: The Official UK Download Chart is based on the most popular, legally downloaded tracks in the UK. It's compiled from the sale of permanently owned single track downloads and doesn't include streamed downloads, subscriptions or free downloads.

Stars on Thin Ice

Oh yes. No doubt due to the success of Strictly Come Dancing, ITV are planning an ice dance version with Torvill and Dean. Each celeb will be teamed with a professional, I am not sure if they will dance solo or with the professional, and one celeb will be voted off each week, until the final.

Robbie Williams: Four down, One to go.

Apparently Robbie Williams has bedded four of the five former Spice Girls, but he won't say which ones.

I'm a Celeb...Day Four

So Brian went to do the House of Pies trial. He was put on a glass cupboard with lots of unappetising pies containing stars which he had to remove with his mouth. To add insult to injury 1,500,000 flies (allegedly - I wasn't the one who counted them) were released into the glass cupboard with him and covered the food. Poor Brian (as even I was feeling for him) managed three, before voiding his task by crying "I'm a Celeb, get me out of here!". Poor bloke was choking on the flies.

Earlier in the week the team had had to build a tree-house which caused speculation as to whether someone else was coming in. Lo! At tea time, Nancy's husband, Vic Reeves, was lowered into camp. Nancy apparently knew the whole time. Most people were quite pleased, or seemed to be, but I am sure noses have been put out of joint. Janet was not happy and went into the Bush Telegraph complaining that her contract stated 10 people. She was also concerned that they would have sex in the tree house and that she would hear them. All Fun in the camp still then.

I'm a Celeb...Day Three

Brian is hungry and planning on living just on fags. Or is he? He doesn't like rice, he doesn't eat that kind of shit etc etc. Janet was quite good humoured and went off to do a trial with the aim of getting Brian some food (to shut him up). She bravely stuck her hand in a tank of snakes and got bitten but got nine of the ten stars (one snake was sleeping on No 8 and did not take kindly to her trying to move him).

Back at camp, Paul Burrell and Joe Pasquale appear to be best mates. This disturbs me. Brian is still moaning about food. But lo! The next trial is called 'Who ate all the pies' or something, and it is an eating trial *snigger*. The kind and considerate British public voted for Brian to do the trial, so he can get a nice juicy cockroach to eat, instead of that horrible rice. Poor lamb.

In a twist, it looks like Nancy's husband, Vic Reeves, is to join the group in the jungle.

I'm A Celeb...Day Two

With very little fuss, Natalie Appleton went on to her Bushtucker Trial, called Canopy Calamity. She had to push a shopping trolley across a highwire collecting stars as she went, she had a mini hissy fit but did it OK, I was surprised how confident she was, as she had claimed to be scared of heights. She collected seven out of ten stars. When she got off the bridge she claimed to feel faint and had to have oxygen.

Sheila was campleader for the day. Janet, who is a bit grumpy, moaned about her not doing anything. Janet moaned and the girls shrieking and making a fuss over spiders. The camp were given two 4 week old baby emus as pets. The camp all loved them and called them Ant & Dec. Janet moaned, as she didn't like pets.

Fran got Joe to check his bum for ticks and leeches.

Day Three's trial was to be a snake one, and Janet was voted (Paul was second again) to do it. No doubt she will moan.

I'm A Celeb...Day One

Nine of the Celebs went in on the first day, Brian Harvey after the death of his grandmother, joined them a day later. Four out of the nine went in via Tandem skydive, and the other five by horseback. Popstar Natalie Appleton got scared of the horse, the helicopter (she was sick), she touched a tree and squealed as well. In the camp she was starting to get on a few people's nerves with her panicking, she woke them all up on the first night because she though their was a spider in her bed (there was nothing there). Twice, at least, she has been in the Bush Telegraph crying to come home.

On the first full day, it was decided that Fran Cosgrove would do the first Bushtucker Trial where they will earn 'stars' to exchange for the appropriate number of meals. He had to choose two people to do it with him and he selected Antonio/Huggy and Joe (current bookies' second and first favourites) . Fran was tied down on the ground in a star shape and Antonio had to give instructions for a blindfolded Joe to pour containers of stars and squirmy creatures into a funnel, which caught the stars but let the creepy crawlies drop onto Fran. They had got about four of five stars, with two containers (of about four stars each) to go, when Fran cried "I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here!' as a crab (that looked like a small lobster to me) had crawled up the leg of his shorts and was allegedly nibbling his nuts. Thus they went away with no food.

This was all we saw of their day yesterday, and we fast forwarded to the present when Ant & Dec went into the camp and revealed the outcome of the viewers vote for who would do the next Bushtucker Trial. It was between Paul Burrell (not popular with the general public anyway) and Natalie Appleton (already revealed as a big wuss). Not surprisingly it was Natalie who was the 'winner', but she was prepared for it.

iTunes playing: Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels

The X-Factor: Week Five

I am getting a bit fed up of this show milking it for all its worth, so when I went out I only recorded the final episode so I didn't have to watch too much twice.

By all accounts Steve went first and sang Al Green's Let's Stay Together, I thought Sharon might start to make Michael Bolton comparisons again, but she seemed to like it (as did I), Louis's helpful comment seemed to be around the fact that Steve, who he criticised as being scruffy last week, was now wearing something similar to Simon Cowell. Cassie warbled All By Myself and seemed to like the Mariah Carey numbers. I thought I picked up some duff notes, but she sang well, just a bit bland. Simon pointed out it is an older woman's song to sing, and he is right. G4 did well with their version of My Way, Sharon loved them whilst Simon remained unconvinced. Tabby sang Sweet Child of Mine, I didn't think it was his best performance but he received a positive review from Louis and Simon, though Simon commented that he would like to see Tabby sing something that was not a rock song. Rowetta sang last, with her version of Somewhere, (or something), and also garnered a positive response.

It was revealed that the voting was close and that any one of the five acts could be in the dreaded bottom two. In the end it was Cassie and Tabby, both Sharon's acts. Sharon refused to vote for any of her acts, so in the result of a tie, the person who got the lowest number of viewer votes would go. However, both Simon and Louis voted for Cassie to go. Simon added that if he wanted to win the competition he should vote Tabby out as he is the best, but in the end voted the weakest act (by far) Cassie out.

It will be a tough call in the semi-final next week. Steve and Rowetta both seem to be very popular and consistent, so it could be between Tabby (the bookies' favourite at the beginning) and G4.

Strictly Come Dancing:Week Five

This show is hotting up, and by far my favourite of the two Saturday prime time reality shows. This week the contestants were dancing in the famous Tower Ballroom in Blackpool, and were competing in the Samba and the Viennese Waltz.

Sarah and Brendan opened the show. Apart from Sarah getting her heel caught in her dress (which she recovered quite well from) , the dance, I thought, was quite good but did not really evoke the atmosphere of the Rio carnival, which was the idea of that dance, but it was quite well executed technically. The judges slammed it for lacking sex and passion. Julian and Erin came on next. They also danced well and the crowd really enjoyed their dance. Again, the judges were harsh, and picking up on missed steps, but scored them higher than Brendan & Sarah.

Denise and Ian were up next, and in previous dances the judges commented that Denise suited Ballroom over Latin dances, but this was retracted as Denise sambad very well. It is quite a complicated dance and all the celebrities claimed to struggle with it as there are a lot of different steps. Next up was Roger and Camilla, and I though they danced very well, as Roger is another one not comfy with the Latin dances. They got a very mixed results from the judges, some thought they (Roger) were wooden and the hips were not relaxed enough, but others though it was a very good dance, and that Roger led Camilla in the steps, which is the idea (that the man leads the woman). Their marks meant that they were at the bottom with Sarah & Brendan. Jill and Darren danced next and were a good as ever. Jill has been in for some stick in the press as she had had dance training in her teens, and many said she was too good, or had an unfair advantage in the competition. They did dance well again, but I was too distracted by a very unflattering dress. Aled and Lilia closed the samba contest with a very good dance again, and good marks, finishing in the top half with Denise and Jill, whilst Julian, Roger and Sarah languished at the bottom of the table.

The Viennese Waltz was a non-scoring dance. All competitors had to be on the dancefloor at the same time, the competitiveness came to the fore and there were lots of jokey remarks in rehearsals and a bit of gamesmanship. Mainly by Brendan. Each couple danced quite well, and took turns to take a solo spin, turn or lift whilst the others waltzed around them. It was described as endurance ballroom as there are lots of forward and backward turns and you have to be sure not to turn into another couple.

After the break, that came back for the results. The bottom two, in terms of judges scores combined with public voting, were Sarah & Brendan and Julian & Erin. It was Sarah & Brendan who went, which seemed fair, as people were not being entertained by Brendan's competitiveness and mini tantrums in rehearsals when his amateur dance partner struggled to master a new step.

I'm a Celeb...Luxuries

Every celeb going into the jungle tomorrow gets to take in a luxury. Here is the list:

Natalie Appleton - Pillow
Nancy Sorrell - tinted moisturiser
Janet Street-Porter - notebook
Antonio Fargas - favourite pair of sunglasses
Sophie Anderton - photo
Joe Pasquale - fold up chair
Paul Burrell - rubber ring
Sheila Ferguson - hairbrush
Fran Cosgrove - exercise ball
Brian Harvey - cap

We are all so enlightened now aren't we...

Miami Vice Movie

I have heard before, that there were talks regarding this movie. I think Colin Farrell could do a good Don Johnson. Although I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek nature of Starskey & Hutch, an 80's style spoof Miami Vice could be a bit more of the same, so an original take would be good.

I'm a Celeb...the countdown begins

The media are in a frenzy not that the celebs entering the jungle have been confirmed. The show starts on Sunday, and the finalised contestants are:

Antonio Fargas (Huggy Bear in Starsky & Hutch original TV series)
Brian Harvey (Ex-E17)
Fran Cosgrove (nightclub owner and dater of celbrity women)
Janet Street-Porter (TV journo)
Natalie Appleton (ex-All Saints and Appleton)
Nancy Sorrell (model I have never heard of)
Paul Burrell (Former butler to Princess of Wales)
Sheila Ferguson (Three Degrees)
Sophie Anderton (model, reformed coke-head)
Joe Pasquale (comedian)

Those not listed include model Emma B, who is Brian's girlfriend, although rumours doth have it that she may enter the jungle part way through.

More information here, plus the bookies odds, which show Natalie Appleton as the favourite.

iTunes playing: Sheryl Crow - My Favourite Mistake.

For the iPod that has everything

Apple have announced that their new iPod socks will be available in the UK in time for Christmas. The 'socks' come in packs of six for £19.99 according to MacWorld UK. According to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, these 'revolutionary' socks were created by their design team, as so many other people were making money of iPod cases. He added

"They're really cool, actually, you can put your iPod in them, they keep it warm on cold days, they protect it and they give it a little more personality."

Right. Glad that is cleared up then.

Wow! By Claudia Pattison

I finished reading this chick lit book last night, I was a bit sceptical regarding this book, set around a 'glamourous' celebrity glossy magazine. I don't really like that type of mag, but was very impressed with the tongue-in-cheek look at it. Our heroine is a lot tougher, and a lot less perfect than the average chick-lit heroine. The novel is about her life, career and a celebrity stalker, which makes an unusual slant to the stories. Of course, there is a bit of romance in it, with a man too good to be true, but it is not the be all and end all of the story which is fast paced and witty. Whilst not an intellectually challenging read, it is well written and good fun.

Band Aid 20

Well, after all the hype, it has finally been recorded for the third time, and twenty years after the original. Forty eight people turned up on the day, plus pre-recorded parts were to be added by Robbie Williams and Dido who couldn't be there. Here is the BBC's blog of the day.

There was almost handbags at dawn over Bono's original line "Well, tonight thank God it's them instead of you", and Justin Hawkins of The Darkness apparently recorded it and claimed his was better. Some radio stations announced that his version was to be used, but other reports state that Bono flew into london last night to sing it again.

Back to Boris

Following on from yesterday's thread about Boris, I linked to the BBC opinion page. there are now lots of contributions, I have not read them all but I like this one:

I cannot understand the hype in this country about private affairs of
politicians! They, as all of us, should be held accountable for the outcome
of their work, not what they do in private life!
Jan, Reading.

Although the contentious issue in this case is that he lied to his boss, Michael Howard about it. But is it anymore Howard's business than ours?

Naughty Boris

It appears that Boris Johnson has been a naughty boy. There have been allegations that he had an affair with a journalist from The Spectator magazine, Petronella Wyatt. Boris is the editor of the magazine. Tory leader, Michael Howard, apparently asked Boris if there was any truth in these allegations, which Boris denied. Now there are fresh allegations, including the fact that Ms Wyatt had an abortion, paid for by Johnson, last month.

Last night, Michael Howard sacked Boris over the 'phone. The reasons citied are not the fact that he had an affair, but the fact that he lied about it when challenged. Personally, I think most people would. However, it appears that the affair has been going on for a while, I am sure it is no secret to those who move in the right circles, but one has to wonder why it has come out now, after Howard made Johnson a scapegoat over an article published in his magazine (which he didn't write), claiming that Liverpudlians were "hooked on grief" in the wake of Ken Bigeley's murder.

When Howard became leader of the Conservative party, Johnson was made vice-chairman and subsequently shadow minister for the Arts.

Boris is a very popular figure, and one of the better known Tory MPs. His appearances as quiz master on TV shows like Have I Got News For You... have made him known and respected. Johnson, is a married father of four who, in spite of his 'bumbling' image comes across as quite bright and witty, and more in touch with reality than some other high profile Tory politicians. He even has his own fansite.

The BBC have asked people for their views. It is too soon (at the time of writing) to see what people are thinking. My general feeling is that he is popular figure, and the Tory party cannot afford to be without him in the run up to next year's election.

Which File Extension Are You?

Found this quiz on another website.

I am a .SWF



Nice.

Strictly Come Dancing: Week Four

Well, it was Foxtrot and Paso Doble week. The Paso is always quite dramatic,the man is supposed to be a bullfighter, with the lady as his cape or the bull. The Foxtrot is quite tame, and apart from a few good twirls and a bit of bobbing up and down, I found it quite boring to watch.

Denise and Ian kicked of this week, with a Foxtrot, she was very elegant and graceful and they scored reasonable marks. Sarah and Brendan than danced a Dracula version of the Paso. The judges gave them only average marks (compared to their normal scores). Watching the BBC2 support show It Takes two, it appears that Brendan is not particularly liked by the public who phone in, since he slagged off Sarah last week.

It was then Aled's turn to Foxtrot, with his partner Lilia, and he got his lowest score as he failed to bob up and down. Julian and Erin then came on for his PasoDoble, for which he had admitted to be worried about as the aggression required for the male dancing role, did not come naturally to him. He did seem quite wooden, and not comfy and scored lower than last week.

Roger came up next, he did manage to bob up and down, and his partner, Camilla, looked fabulous. Most of the judges comments were positive, but Craig Revel Horwood, thought they were a bit boring. However, they still got their best score, and ended up in joint third place. Dairmund and Nicole came up next. He had also not had a good week, as he said felt humiliated by the judges' comments and that he didn't deserve to be in. He also injured himself whilst rehearsing the Paso. Their dance, whilst still getting the lowest scores, was considered quite good for them. The show closed with Jill and her partner, Darren, who have always scored highly with the judges and are current favourites, closed the show with their foxtrot which put them into first place and even earned them a couple of '9's'.

During the second show, the bottom two were revealed to be Sarah & Brendan (see my IT2 theory, above) and Dairmund and Nicole. It was only fair that Dairmund went, and he did.

I don't know who I want to go next, as all those left are quite good. Probably Sarah and Brendan as I cannot warm to them. However, a good dance from them next week would mean good judges' scores, thus minimising the impact of poor audience votes.

X-Factor: Week Four

The tabloids love talking about this show. Apparently a second series has been commissioned and by all accounts, Louis and Sharon, have asked for a hefty pay rise of £250,000. They either think they have a winning formula (which is already being milked) or they (well, Sharon) feels they need compensating for putting up with Simon.

Tonight, G4 kicked off with Circle of Life from The Lion King, which suits their classically trained voices, but is not mainstream pop, nor my cup of tea. Rowetta came on next to sing a cover of Donna Summer's MacArthur Park which I have always loved. The lyrics don't make much sense, as Sharon pointed out, but I gather it is all about an acid trip, so it isn't really supposed to! I thought she did well, but the judges weren't to sure with Sharon claiming that the audience would not know the song. Tabby came next singing I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing, I believe he is still bookies favourite, and for me, this was his weakest performance. Even my tone-deaf ears picked up some bum notes. Voices With Soul came on, in fab outfits to sing Lady Marmalade, though amusingly chose to sing "Voulez-vous enchante avec moi, ce soir" instead of the original "Voulez-vous couchez..." as they didn't feel comfy inviting people to sleep with them. I thought their performance was very good. Sharon called it the best performance, by anyone, of the series but I think that was going to far. Cassie came up next, after being built up tremendously by Sharon. She warbled Mariah Carey's Hero and I thought it pretty poor, off-key in places and generally quite weak. I don't like the song much myself, but the judges didn't mind it. The show finished with Steve. Simon had obviously taken on board comments that Sharon had made, and tried to avoid giving Steve songs that earned him comparisons with soul stars. This time he gave him Gladys Knight's Help me Make It Through The Night, which he sang beautifully. Sharon did wonder that Steve could be a one-trick pony who could just croon ballads, but he denied it. Louis though he could have made a bit of effort to look better.

The second show was as painful as ever as they show lots of clips of the bands and the comments they received, milk the nerves of the contestants, and encourage you to vote (I am sure they do this is the acts' best interests, rather then to line ITV's coffers). This week the bottom two were G4 and Voices With Soul. I have stopped being surprised when VWS gets into the bottom two now, and G4 were not at their best. I am surprised that people think Cassie is any good. Anyway, both acts sang again, this time for the judges' vote. Sharon went first and voted for VWS to go. Simon was next and voted for G4 to go. I am sure he only did this to make Louis decide which of his acts had to go. Louis chose VWS to go, which was probably the best as they don't seem to appeal to the audience as much as G4. Louis is apparently odds-on to be the first judge with no acts in the contest. This would be a shame as I have always rated G4 up til now.

I Like This

I found this whilst trawling the web this afternoon. It is a very good map, showing where the tube lines run in reality on a satellite map of London. Good links for London pictures, places and events can be found on Diamond Geezer's blog.

I'm a Celebrity...News

The Sun , according to Digital Spy, claims the celebs are pretty much in the bag for the show that starts next weekend.

Brian Harvey who used to be in East 17, is likely, as is his girlfriend, Emma B. I believe Brian also used to go out with actress and former coke-head, Daniella Westbrook who was in the second series. Most other names are as expected, in accordance with other reports, plus Anne Charleston, who played Madge Bishop in Neighbours opposite Kylie Minogue (who's ex-boyfriend James Gooding is also in the line-up, as previously reported). Also journo Janet Street-Porter (good mates with last year's competitor John Lydon) and Shelia Ferguson, formerly of Seventies soul-disco combo The Three Degrees.

Poo day

Having a poo day. Someone drove into the back of my car today, whilst I was waiting to turn into a junction. I am OK-ish. I was badly shaken and my neck is starting to ache quite badly now (four hours on), hopefully I have done nothing serious.

The car is not good, RAC man who came to rescue me, thought it could have been a write off. He did talk a lot of bollocks though. I don't think it is that bad, as it is just one side, at the back, where the visible damage is. Possibly could have damage that I can't see (think axel is affected, but don't fully understand what these means cost wise).

The other driver is unhurt, but her husband seems to have been hurt a bit, as I don't believe he was wearing a seatbelt, so I guess they don't want to make a fuss as the blame is all on their part, and it was a genuine accident. Their insurance company is sorting everything out so hopefully there will be limited hassle.

Barry Trotter and the Shameless Parody

I have just finished this spoof Harry Potter book by Michael Gerber, which I received for Christmas two years ago.

It is exactly what it says on the cover, a spoof Harry Potter book. You need to have read the originals to understand the 'in' jokes and subtleties, but I wouldn't really bother reading the spoof at all. Not least because it lost the plot just before the end (but Barry and Ermine ended up together, and Lon became headmaster of Hogwash - says it all really).

Amazon's Global Best Sellers

The Economist has published an article featuring the ten best sellers, globally, during October. i have never heard of most of them and am extremely unlikely to buy any of them.

Best Ever Celeb Big Brother

According to sources, Celeb BB3 will be the best ever, with more contestanst that usual However if the contestants aren't interesting enough, what is the point?

The Franklin Mint

This long established 'collectables' company have been struggling of late. The growing popularity of internet auction sites such as e-bay, have highlighted the true worth of these knick-knacks. As I type, a limited edition 'Holy Cats' collector's plate is about to go for £3.70, and there is a 'beautiful' porcelain cat with 18 hours to go, and one bid of 99p. According to Tuesday's Daily Telegraph, the company, which used to just do commemorative coins, expanded to include plates, teddies, dolls, figurines and models in the boom years of the nineties. They were previously very successful, but the advent of e-bay has shown these items to no longer be desirable. The Limited Editions apparently run to tens of thousands at a time. As people realise the true worth of their dust-catchers, they are no longer buying them and Franklin Mint now does most of its business in model cars and planes. The company has also cut its international marketing and is no longer seen advertising on the back of weekend supplement magazines.

Also according to the Telegraph, people are still collecting, but the money is in cigarette paraphernalia (due to rarity), costume jewelry and 20th Century Glass. Plus fan based collectables such as Star Trek or Elvis souvenirs.

However, the Franklin Mint was sued a few years ago by the Princess Diana memorial Fund, claiming they did not have the rights to her likeness. However this was not the case in California law, and the Fund lost with a £4m legal bill. Subsequently, the Resnicks, who own Franklin Mint have now sued the Fund for $25m for damaging their reputation. This has been settled out of court with neither side making any money, but one of Diana's charities benefiting.

Alos, from the Telegraph newspaper, an excellent quote 'Eric Hobsbawn once said that the less educated the population, the greater the taste for ornament' (Stephen Bayley, Design museum)

100th Entry

Congratulations to me!

Band Aid Update

It appears that it is not definite (though quite likely) that Bono will reprise his classic line, as several people have their eye on it. Other definites for Sunday's recording are The Darkness, Busted, Coldplay, Snow Patrol and Katie Melua

Strictly Update

According to The News of the World and Closer magazine, dancer Camilla Dallerup (ex-fiancee and dance partner of Brendan Cole) has found a new love in the shape of an Italian chef called Fabio.

The alleged fued between Camilla and Brendan's celebrity partner from the first series, Natasha Kaplinsky, is keeping pundits hooked. Camilla seems keen to play it down, though Natasha was slated in Saturday's Daily Mail for being ambitious and single minded as far as her career is concerned, as well as her lovers.

iPods and penguins

I love my iPod. I also love penguins. Here is a photo of both. Slightly sad I know, but I am secretly impressed.

The Last Three Things I Bought

I don't know why I am buying anything. I am skint post-holiday. Fear I may have a shopping addiction.

1. Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions CD
This was on sale in HMV for £7.99 and i had been meaning to get round to buying this (and several hundred other CDs)

2. A Coat
Bit of an impulse buy from John Rocha's Debenhams range. Lovely and warm though.

3. A Handbag
Chocolate Brown sheepskin look shoulder bag which Wallis have not seen fit to put on their website.

X-Factor: Week Three

So this is the third week of the live show. Tabby (the current bookies' favourite) started the show with his rendition of Addicted to Love, I thought it was a very good version, but possibly not his best performance on the live show. He was followed by Voices With Soul singing Bridge Over Troubled Water with just a piano for backing. I thought they were excellent, but the judges picked up on off-key notes. Cassie sang Say A Little Prayer, but she does not have the voice to carry off such a big song. 2 to Go were poor again, and were favourites to go, before they sang their hotel-lounge-act version of (I've Had) The Time of my Life. Steve gave his best performance to date, in my opinion, with Smile. Rowetta sang Somewhere over the Rainbow in a fabulous long kaftan style wrap top and trousers. G4 finished the show with a cover of Britney Spear's Hit Me Baby One More Time. A lot of people were a bit confused by it, including Sharon Osborne, who called it "Bizarre" and "Fabulous". I think I liked it.

The bottom two after the viewer votes were 2 To Go and Voices With Soul. Both were acts mentored by Louis Walsh. After they had performed again, Sharon voted to keep VWS in, and Louis had the second vote, giving Simon the casting vote. Louis eventually decided that 2 To Go should go, thus Simon didn't need to vote. It was not all bad for Emma, the female vocalist in the act, as she was proposed to by her boyfriend later that evening.

Sunday' News of the World claims to know who fancies who on the set.

Steve Brookstein has been trying his chances with Cassie Compton, while Voices With Soul's Hildia Campbell has her eye on G4's Mike Christie. Meanwhile, Rowetta Satchell, Emma Paine and Corene Campbell have all shown an interest in heart-throb Jonathan Ansell, who also sings in G4

They obviously couldn't think of anything else to write about.

Strictly Come Dancing: Week Three

This week the couples were dancing the Tango or the Jive. Off-camera gossip included trouble with Sarah and Brendan. He criticised her heavily after the last show, and she was upset by his attitude towards her and be hearing his comments on the TV. He eventually apologised and they got back to rehearsing. Meanwhile, Esther had expected to be out of the competition and arranged to do a talk on a Saga cruise ship. Staying in the contest meant she had to take partner Anton with her.

Roger and Camilla kicked off the show with their Jive. It was a lively number and although his height made him appear a bit gangly at times, the judges were mainly positive, however their scores were modest. Julian and Erin's Tango suffered a similar fate. Jill and Darren's Jive was raved about, as were Aled and Lillia's. The other Jive couple were Denise and Ian, but whilst I thought they were quite good, the judges thought they were poor and expected more of them. Esther and Anton's Tango, and more so Dairmund and Nicole's were slated and scored poorly with the judges. Sarah and Brendan's Tango was a hit.

Ultimately, inspite of coming joint 5th and 6th respectively, it was Denise and Esther as the two celebs in a chance for going home, and it was Esther who left, claiming to have had a wonderful experience. The judges were very anti-Dairmund and feel strongly that he should go as their were other more talented dancers in the show. I am in agreement as I do not want to see another Christopher Parker continuing on and on through the show whilst better dancers leave. Dairmund is the weakest one left by a mile.

Entertainment Gossip

Just a general post highlighting the main news and gossip in the entertainment world that has interested me this week.

Since it became apparent that pierce Brosnan was not going to continue as James Bond, there has been a lot of speculation as to his successor. According to reports Ewan MacGregor is now a hotly tipped favourite.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Band Aid single Do they know it's Christmas?, and a third version is to be recorded, this time to alleviate famine and poverty in the Darfur region of Sudan. Bono is to reprise his famous line: "And tonight thank God it's them, instead of you", plus contemporary artists like Dido and Robbie Williams. Paul McCartney has been asked to play bass as well. The main difference this year, is that instead of a load of artists turning up to a recording studio one Sunday casually dressed, artists, like Robbie, who are abroad are recording the whole song and sending the recording to the producer for him to take the line he wants. Doesn't sound as much fun as the recording of the first single looked, which ultimately turned out to be a bit of a phenomenon ands paved the way for charity records to become a semi-regular fixture in the charts during television appeals, for Christmas and any other cause.

X-Factor's Verity is looking for love.

Kylie is to play at next year's Glastonbury festival.

American Elections

Amongst all the Reality TV tat I still take note of the world around me. I have, of course, been following the American elections, originally with optimism, then with distress and horror. It is hard to imagine what appealed to the American voter about George W Bush. Justifiable criticisms leveled against John Kerry include the fact that is has changed direction and been inconsistent, that he is unlikely to stand up to terrorists and they are not sure where he stands on certain issues. According to reports, America took the moral vote and went with Bush because of his religious convictions, he was against gay marriage, and was the most likely candidate to get the Pro-Life cause heard. The BBC website has some interesting comments from American voters here. The content is being updated all the time so you may have to scroll down quite a way to find the gems. Here are my highlights:

I voted for Bush to usher in the complete and utter destruction of
the United States. Sometimes, you just have to tear it all down and
start over again. No one will destroy America faster than Bush. Go Bush!
Tim, Los Angeles, CA, USA

I voted for Mr Bush because he stands for the values as defined by the
word of God. Mike McF, Frisco, Texas, USA

I moved to Europe nearly a year ago...Tended to vote Republican most
of my life...However, my support for Bush was galvanized by seeing the
completely unfair treatment he gets in the media here and hearing the
constant criticism and contempt displayed for him by most Europeans.
John, Stockholm, Sweden

Bush is against abortion and that is all that matters to me. That is the
only issue I consider and there are a lot of Americans who feel the same
way. Some people say it is ignorant to disregard the other issues, and
maybe it is, but that is how I feel. Bertha, Upstate NY

I voted for Bush because I am Pro-Life and against gay marriage.
Bush stands more for these issues than does the Democratic Party.
David Schultz, Fenton, Iowa, USA

I believe America is in the middle of a culture war, perpetuated by
Hollywood, the media, and elitists who are tearing down the
traditional values that are so important to me...Carrie, Pittsburgh,
PA, USA

Will never sign the Kyoto insane Protocol
Miek Kondracki, American in Poland

I voted for Bush because I a run a larger corporation that needs
him in office. Without the Bush administration...my company would
not be able to make such large profits... [they] provided the necessary
loop holes in environmental and fair competition laws....allowed us to
exploit the intent of the law without fear of prosecution.
J Black, Atlanta, GA

Gay marriage and abortion are a threat to our culture and security.
I voted to preserve the morale values of this country.
Howard, Chicago, USA

This is just the tip of an iceberg. There are some very intelligent posts on that comments list, and there are some scary ones.

On a lighter note, I am liking this site at the moment.

Wife Swap

I have stopped watching this Channel 4 show. Initially I loved the fact that they took two women from such extreme backgrounds and put them into each others homes, there was some classic episodes and always a good bun fight at the end, as the women refused to admit problems in their own lives/homes/families and instead attacked the other wife.

One of the most memorable episode featured housewife Lizzie Barsdley and her husband, who had eight kids, and lived off of state benefits. She was loud and brash and caused a media circus. She had aspirations to be a TV star. It since has been revealed that she failed to inform the authorities about a change in her circumstances, thus being charged for benefit fraud.

When I was in America, I saw a US version. The wives took on board the criticisms and united together, against their husbands, where they felt they had been neglected or left with the burden of work. It is a shame the British women cannot show a bit more humilty and willingness to change.

Strictly Update

Since Carol Vorderman's elimination from the show she has been in the newspapers slagging it off as one of the worse experiences of her life and stating how evil the judges are and how competitive some of the contestants are. A precis of the story is here. Of course some contestants are going to be competitive, it is a competition, and the dancers compete with each other regularly and have their own rivalries.

A guide to the dances can be found here.

Strictly Come Dancing: Week Two

This week the boys did the Quickstep and the girls did the Rumba. EastEnders' Jill Halfpenny started off and received 32 out of a possible 40 by the judges. This was matched by Denise Lewis and her partner Ian Waite. Next was Aled Jones who was good again this week, a surprise success was Julian Clary who had been incredibly nervous last week. Disappointments were Natasha Kaplinsky's ex-partner Brendan Cole and Sarah Manners. Roger Black also struggled with his height and large feet, the Quickstep was quite dangerous for his partner. The bottom three were Carol Vorderman who I thought did quite well, Dairmund Gavin (an improvement on last week, but still slated by the judges) and Esther Rantzen. After the audience vote (50% of the total points), Esther and Carol were declared not safe and it was Carol who went, despite not being the worst.

Subsequently it has been revealed that she was injured anyway.

Snow Patrol

One of my favourite bands this year have offered up a free download in memory of DJ John Peel wo died last week. It is their cover version of Teenage Kicks, the original of which was Peel's favourite song.

I'm a Celeb - yet another update

A new person has been announced to join the jungle crew. This time is ex-All Saints and Appleton sister, Natalie Appleton, which is the one married to Liam from Prodigy, not the one married to Liam Gallagher (I think). With the exception of James Gooding (as posted yesterday) and irritating squeaky voiced comedian Joe Pasquale, the line up looks promising. Obviously a glamour girl of some sorts is compulsory in the jungle so they have Victoria whatsit.

No need to watch Xmas Eastenders

There is no need to trouble yourself to watch EastEnders this Christmas, as reports are out as to what is happening to who. Barrel of laughs as ever then.

The Block Finale

Yes, I know it was on in September, but it has taken me a month since being back from holiday to get round to watching the video tape...

Basically the final was a rehash of what had happened earlier in the series. Although there was the opportunity for Marietta and Helen to have a spat. The auction concept had been scrapped as it claimed the contestants would have a better chance on the open market with declining house prices (or perhaps because ratings were crap). So the first part of the prize money (£25,000) went to the house that was valued at the most by the estate agents, the second would be the house that sold for the highest price, but that would not be known for a few weeks (although I can find nothing about it on the web). In addition the couples kept all the profits their houses made. (With a bonus £25,000 for the winner).

So I don't know who sold their house for the highest amount, but Helen & Paul's house was valued at £301,000; Hele & Tim's at £314,000 (a competition winner chose their house as his prize, so they have a guaranteed £14,000 profit) and both Marietta & Steve and Lesley & Jack's houses were valued at £318,000 so they tied for the prize money and ultimately the final was a bit flat.

I'm a Celebrity... scrapes the barrel

Further to my previously held belief that I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here held more clout than other celebrity reality TV shows, there is a report today that has led me to doubt that. By all accounts, Kylie's ex-boyfriend James Gooding has been signed up. The guy is a backing dancer who saw an opportunity to date the star and did so. Fame for Fame's sake again.

X Factor Update

It didn't take long....People are already saying that Sharon Osborne voted off Simon Cowell's act, Verity, on Saturday to get him back for voting off her act last week. Not to mention the fact that apparently both she and fellow judge Louis Walsh are planning an allegiance. According to other reports there is no love lost between Cowell and Osborne, as she accuses him of being a closet homosexual and rigging the show.

Meanwhile, one of Sharon's protege's, Tabby, has already got ideas above his station, and is claiming he won't be a pop puppet as far as the songs he records when he wins the show.

The show is proving to be very popular, just beating BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in the ratings, and a second series has already been commissioned. There has all been an announcement that the acts will all tour at the end of the series.

Rebecca Loos

Obviously I am not the only person who is not impressed with Rebecca Loos. After all, she is just a kiss and tell girl who has managed to last a bit longer then most on the party circuit. She then did one of the poorest reality TV shows ever - C5's The Farm. Time to go now, hopefully?

The Favours and Fortunes of Katie Castle

Just finished this book by Rebecca Campbell. Our heroine is a bit of a schemer, quite ruthless in her drive and ambition to succeed in fashion. She has a comfortable relationship with the bosses son, which initially seems to be for convenience. Her real friend(s) she uses and abuses, her acquaintances she charms for what they can do for her. Katie is quite a nasty piece of work, but you always know that she will survive so you are not unduly worried when her world comes crashing down around her. How she gets back up again is quite clever, and you can't help quite liking her even though she is a bit of a cow. In the end she seems quite likeable. The book is fairly well written, the author prefers dialogue to description. Some of the observations of the fashion industry are spot on, some are way off the mark. It is not the best chick lit novel you will ever read, but there are plenty out there which are weaker than this.