Hello!
A friend of mine recently said he planned to do some stand up, I mis-heard and thought he'd said: 'Sticks-ups', which was worrying for 2 reasons. Firstly, he's a very nice guy who'd make a lousy crook, and secondly I was carrying a lot of cash on that particular day.
Silly me, but still, doing stand up? How brave is that? I think it's one of those things, like writing a novel or being in a band, that we've all sort of thought about but never done.
Well my mate has inspired me, I'm going to give it a go too!
Keep reading for further developments.......
Monday, 17 August 2009
Friday, 7 August 2009
Theatre Etiquette
Went to the local theatre this week and something struck me, it was the guy on the door who said "Ticket first, you swine!", but I digress. Anyway, I was watching a perfectly good play but it was difficult to hear above the 'coughing chorus' going on.
Rule of the Badger when going to the theatre: Take some bleeding throat sweets!!!
I always carry mints and when it's the West End or Stratford, Locketts, as I believe there is an unofficial charter between actors and audience.
They as a company promise to give the best performance they can, while we as an audience promise to give them silence, unless it's a comedy, and applause when required.
I don't think it's too much to ask, for them and ourselves. Once I asked a man in front of me if he wouldn't mind refraining from tapping & waving his programme about as it was constantly in my eye line. It was a matinee and a sparsely populated one at that, but instead of just putting it down, he replied: "What, this is bothering you?" like I was asking him to stop breathing.
Instead of punching him (my first instinct, I'm very passionate about theatre AND manners) I glowered at him & said "YES!"
Later on I realised that what I should have said was "Exactly WHY do you need to do that anyway?"
It is a good thing guns are banned in this country, because several people would be shot in the theatres and cinemas would see more bloodbaths off-screen than on!
Got to go, I'm off to the cinema. Now then, where did I put my Walther PPK and silencer....?
Rule of the Badger when going to the theatre: Take some bleeding throat sweets!!!
I always carry mints and when it's the West End or Stratford, Locketts, as I believe there is an unofficial charter between actors and audience.
They as a company promise to give the best performance they can, while we as an audience promise to give them silence, unless it's a comedy, and applause when required.
I don't think it's too much to ask, for them and ourselves. Once I asked a man in front of me if he wouldn't mind refraining from tapping & waving his programme about as it was constantly in my eye line. It was a matinee and a sparsely populated one at that, but instead of just putting it down, he replied: "What, this is bothering you?" like I was asking him to stop breathing.
Instead of punching him (my first instinct, I'm very passionate about theatre AND manners) I glowered at him & said "YES!"
Later on I realised that what I should have said was "Exactly WHY do you need to do that anyway?"
It is a good thing guns are banned in this country, because several people would be shot in the theatres and cinemas would see more bloodbaths off-screen than on!
Got to go, I'm off to the cinema. Now then, where did I put my Walther PPK and silencer....?
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Isn't it Ironic?
Saw Field Of Dreams on ITV1 last week, it was a Saturday afternoon, and right in the middle of SPOILER ALERT!!! the row on book burning at the gym featuring Amy Madigans character her line:"At least he is not a book burner, you Nazi cow!" was cut.
This I could understand if someone thought the phrase "Nazi cow" might offend, well, Nazis or cows, but 2 minutes later her character says to Kevin Costner "Did you see me call her a 'Nazi cow'?"
So a double irony there. Not only did ITV censor a remark made in a debate about censorship, they left it in later.
On another point, I'd forgotten just how damn good a film it was. Burt Lancaster made one of the best cameos I've ever seen, and in his last film! James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Frank Whalley & our Kev. Marvellous. If I had one criticism, it would be where was Jackie Robinson? Although it must be conceded, he was of a later era.
This I could understand if someone thought the phrase "Nazi cow" might offend, well, Nazis or cows, but 2 minutes later her character says to Kevin Costner "Did you see me call her a 'Nazi cow'?"
So a double irony there. Not only did ITV censor a remark made in a debate about censorship, they left it in later.
On another point, I'd forgotten just how damn good a film it was. Burt Lancaster made one of the best cameos I've ever seen, and in his last film! James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Frank Whalley & our Kev. Marvellous. If I had one criticism, it would be where was Jackie Robinson? Although it must be conceded, he was of a later era.
Friday, 31 July 2009
Hypocrisy as a Virtue
A few weeks ago a 'Big Boss' came around the office to talk at us about new upheavals in the future. To protect the innocent I'll call him 'Del Boy' as he shrugged just like Del Boy. Anyhoo, Del Boy gave the usual flannel and then took questions which he preceded to dodge with, it must be said, an admirable skill, sort of like Muhammad Ali in his younger days.
One thing stuck in my mind, and it wasn't the pencil I'd been ramming into my skull to stay sane. Del Boy said that 'they' (the mis-managment) had not ruled out any department when it came to 'outsourcing' work.
First off, isn't 'outsourcing' a great word? Who first coined it and why? He was American, that much we know, but even there they now realise that 'outsourcing' causes more problems than it solves, the main one being that you have most of your workforce & structure in another country!
Secondly, why is it that 'no department is ruled out', except management? Why do we never 'outsource' the Bosses?
Given the credit crunch, I think it's time we considered it. Granted, historically outsourcing leaders has had mixed results, for every General Bernadotte or Barack Obama(!) , there's a Hitler or Stalin, but I think it's worth a try.
You heard it here first.......
One thing stuck in my mind, and it wasn't the pencil I'd been ramming into my skull to stay sane. Del Boy said that 'they' (the mis-managment) had not ruled out any department when it came to 'outsourcing' work.
First off, isn't 'outsourcing' a great word? Who first coined it and why? He was American, that much we know, but even there they now realise that 'outsourcing' causes more problems than it solves, the main one being that you have most of your workforce & structure in another country!
Secondly, why is it that 'no department is ruled out', except management? Why do we never 'outsource' the Bosses?
Given the credit crunch, I think it's time we considered it. Granted, historically outsourcing leaders has had mixed results, for every General Bernadotte or Barack Obama(!) , there's a Hitler or Stalin, but I think it's worth a try.
You heard it here first.......
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Latest News
The Revolution has been postponed. More news as it comes in, but please, for the moment, lock up all weapons. That includes YOU, Billy Bob!
(You know what happened last time)
I'm off to the pics tonight, going to see 'The Proposal', which is a rom com, but shouldn't it be a gangster film with a title like that?
Wasn't therer an Aussie film called that with Ray Winstone?
(You know what happened last time)
I'm off to the pics tonight, going to see 'The Proposal', which is a rom com, but shouldn't it be a gangster film with a title like that?
Wasn't therer an Aussie film called that with Ray Winstone?
Friday, 24 July 2009
The weeked starts here!
Hiya peeps!
I remember once meeting Stephen Fry, and I'll never forget his words. He said to me "What the hell are you doing in my house?". I laughed, grabbed his wallet and ran, instinctively knowing what he meant.
He meant "carpe diem Kev, seize the day, me old mate" and he's right, we don't know how long we've got. So this weekend lets get out there, fight like crazy people and shame the devil!
Who's with me people???
I remember once meeting Stephen Fry, and I'll never forget his words. He said to me "What the hell are you doing in my house?". I laughed, grabbed his wallet and ran, instinctively knowing what he meant.
He meant "carpe diem Kev, seize the day, me old mate" and he's right, we don't know how long we've got. So this weekend lets get out there, fight like crazy people and shame the devil!
Who's with me people???
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Torchwood-day
Today is Thursday, which is named after the Norse God Thor. Why that is I don't know, but I thought you should. In mainland China they just name the days of the week after numbers, are they more logical or are we more imaginative?
I put this forward as an example of a question without a yes/no, wrong/right answer, because recently I was reading James Morans blog, 'The pen is mightier than the spork'. He's a writer who's stuff you might have noticed, Dr Who, Spooks, Torchwood, Severance, etc. and it seems that some so-called 'fans' have been giving him a hard time because he wrote a large part of Torchwood:Children of Earth and they didn't like some of the decisions made, such as killing off Ianto.
Now as it happens I thought this series of Torchwood has fulfilled the promise that the first two offered but only delivered in parts. It was brilliant, in my humble opinion, even though I'm not sure I agreed with all the plot decisions. Its basic idea could only be done in a Sci-Fi show, an alien race offers you a choice of complete obliteration of your species or 10% of your children, what do you do?
Obviously you can do it in things like Sophie's Choice, but not on such a scale. I felt there were flaws in the story logic, such as 'if the aliens needed the children so badly, would they really wipe them all out with humanity?' and 'why didn't they just kidnap them?' but who cares, it worked for the story.
I'll tell you who cares, these idiotic fans care. They care so much that they unleashed a stream of vitriolic abuse on a writer who only did his job. Here's a question for them, if they care so much why don't they go write a perfect script for themselves?
Because they are morons.
You don't like someone's idea? Fine, don't watch/read/listen to it. I remember a comment from a Dr Who fan that Russell T Davies' version wasn't as good as 'old Dr Who', he'd somehow squandered an opportuity.
He completely missed the point that without RTD there wouldn't have been ANY new Dr Who! Nothing! Just a repeat of the old series ad nauseum.
It's these fans who are really ruining the programme, because of them no one will want to go anywhere near it & it will die a lonely, painful death.
In short, get a life!
James Moran, if you're reading this (unlikely) remember the last line from one of my favourite films, 'Jagged Edge', as spoken by Robert Loggia: "F*** 'em, they was trash!"
Word!
I put this forward as an example of a question without a yes/no, wrong/right answer, because recently I was reading James Morans blog, 'The pen is mightier than the spork'. He's a writer who's stuff you might have noticed, Dr Who, Spooks, Torchwood, Severance, etc. and it seems that some so-called 'fans' have been giving him a hard time because he wrote a large part of Torchwood:Children of Earth and they didn't like some of the decisions made, such as killing off Ianto.
Now as it happens I thought this series of Torchwood has fulfilled the promise that the first two offered but only delivered in parts. It was brilliant, in my humble opinion, even though I'm not sure I agreed with all the plot decisions. Its basic idea could only be done in a Sci-Fi show, an alien race offers you a choice of complete obliteration of your species or 10% of your children, what do you do?
Obviously you can do it in things like Sophie's Choice, but not on such a scale. I felt there were flaws in the story logic, such as 'if the aliens needed the children so badly, would they really wipe them all out with humanity?' and 'why didn't they just kidnap them?' but who cares, it worked for the story.
I'll tell you who cares, these idiotic fans care. They care so much that they unleashed a stream of vitriolic abuse on a writer who only did his job. Here's a question for them, if they care so much why don't they go write a perfect script for themselves?
Because they are morons.
You don't like someone's idea? Fine, don't watch/read/listen to it. I remember a comment from a Dr Who fan that Russell T Davies' version wasn't as good as 'old Dr Who', he'd somehow squandered an opportuity.
He completely missed the point that without RTD there wouldn't have been ANY new Dr Who! Nothing! Just a repeat of the old series ad nauseum.
It's these fans who are really ruining the programme, because of them no one will want to go anywhere near it & it will die a lonely, painful death.
In short, get a life!
James Moran, if you're reading this (unlikely) remember the last line from one of my favourite films, 'Jagged Edge', as spoken by Robert Loggia: "F*** 'em, they was trash!"
Word!
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