Have I Got News For You
36x02 (24/10/08 edition; extended repeat)
Alexander Armstrong hosts! Always a cause for celebration.
Merlin
1x06 A Remedy to Cure All Ills
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
2x07 (25/10/08 edition)
Spooks
6x06 The Courier
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Films
Watchmen 'SCREAM 2008' Trailer
Like an extended teaser, really, but with a lot more footage than was in the first one. Still looking brilliant.
Like an extended teaser, really, but with a lot more footage than was in the first one. Still looking brilliant.
Non-Fiction
Story by Robert McKee
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 (pages 31-42)
Robert McKee is the screenwriting guru. Many famous writers have been on his course, even once they've achieved success, and praised him -- John Cleese being the most famous example quoted in this book's blurb. My screenwriting tutor being another. Not on this blurb, just he's been on it and found it good. Just take a look at his website to see the sort of success his disciples have had. And already I can see where they're all coming from -- his advice is practical and straightforward, but immensely useful. Easily the best 'how to' guide about writing I've yet read. (The book's subtitled , which is sometimes lumped into the title; but that's just unwieldy, and the simple Story is a much better summation and statement of the book's intent.)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 (pages 31-42)
Robert McKee is the screenwriting guru. Many famous writers have been on his course, even once they've achieved success, and praised him -- John Cleese being the most famous example quoted in this book's blurb. My screenwriting tutor being another. Not on this blurb, just he's been on it and found it good. Just take a look at his website to see the sort of success his disciples have had. And already I can see where they're all coming from -- his advice is practical and straightforward, but immensely useful. Easily the best 'how to' guide about writing I've yet read. (The book's subtitled , which is sometimes lumped into the title; but that's just unwieldy, and the simple Story is a much better summation and statement of the book's intent.)
Music
Bring Ya to the Brink by Cyndi Lauper
Not usually my kind of thing this, but after finding the single (Into the Nightlife) surprisingly enjoyable on Graham Norton's show the other week I thought I'd give it a listen. Or a half-listen, as it turned out. Still, much of it was passably entertaining, which is better than I'd hoped for.
Not usually my kind of thing this, but after finding the single (Into the Nightlife) surprisingly enjoyable on Graham Norton's show the other week I thought I'd give it a listen. Or a half-listen, as it turned out. Still, much of it was passably entertaining, which is better than I'd hoped for.
Articles
Amazing film of a hug from a lion by Paul Eccleston
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
Continuing today's animal theme, this is a pretty incredibly story about a pet lion from the '60s and '70s, with amazing footage of a reunion with its former owners. "The incredible story of a lion cub bought over the counter at Harrods in London, reared as a pet in a furniture store by two young Australians, who was then freed into the wild in Kenya, has become an internet sensation."
Daniel Craig: interview by Dave Calhoun
(from Time Out London)
The incumbent Bond answers questions from a variety of Bond alumni (such as Richard Kiel, John Cleese and Sir Roger Moore) and people related to the world of Bond (such as Charlie Higson, Shirley Bassey and the owner of the Spymaster shop). Undoubtedly the most original interview you're likely to read at the minute -- funny, informative, and very good natured. It may not be as focussed as other QoS interviews, but that just means it's not repetitive of all the others in the slightest. Go on, read it. You won't regret it.
French accuse English of war crimes and exaggeration over Agincourt by Peter Allen & Nabila Ramdani
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
Bloody frogs. (It would seem they're probably right, but that's entirely besides the point -- most of Germany's over their defeat 63 years ago; the French are still whinging about one 593 years on.)
Harry Potter fails to cast spell over Professor Richard Dawkins by Martin Beckford & Urmee Khan
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
A misleading headline, as that's not really what Dawkins is on about, but the article itself has more interest. "Prof Dawkins is targeting children as the audience of his next project because he believes they are being "abused" by being taught about religion at school and labelled Christian, Jewish or Muslim from a young age. Speaking recently at a conference of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, a group of Britons who have renounced Islam, Prof Dawkins said: "Do not ever call a child a Muslim child or a Christian child – that is a form of child abuse because a young child is too young to know what its views are about the cosmos or morality... I think labelling children is child abuse and I think there is a very heavy issue, for example, about teaching about hell and torturing their minds with hell... I wouldn't want to teach a young child, a terrifyingly young child, about hell when he dies, as it's as bad as many forms of physical abuse.""
Snyder’s Watchmen Secrets
(from WatchmenComicMovie.com)
"early unofficial reports claim the ending has been drastically changed from its comic counterpart, some recent interviews with [director] Zack Snyder explain the director’s method of adapting the revered comic book to the screen."
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
Continuing today's animal theme, this is a pretty incredibly story about a pet lion from the '60s and '70s, with amazing footage of a reunion with its former owners. "The incredible story of a lion cub bought over the counter at Harrods in London, reared as a pet in a furniture store by two young Australians, who was then freed into the wild in Kenya, has become an internet sensation."
Daniel Craig: interview by Dave Calhoun
(from Time Out London)
The incumbent Bond answers questions from a variety of Bond alumni (such as Richard Kiel, John Cleese and Sir Roger Moore) and people related to the world of Bond (such as Charlie Higson, Shirley Bassey and the owner of the Spymaster shop). Undoubtedly the most original interview you're likely to read at the minute -- funny, informative, and very good natured. It may not be as focussed as other QoS interviews, but that just means it's not repetitive of all the others in the slightest. Go on, read it. You won't regret it.
French accuse English of war crimes and exaggeration over Agincourt by Peter Allen & Nabila Ramdani
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
Bloody frogs. (It would seem they're probably right, but that's entirely besides the point -- most of Germany's over their defeat 63 years ago; the French are still whinging about one 593 years on.)
Harry Potter fails to cast spell over Professor Richard Dawkins by Martin Beckford & Urmee Khan
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
A misleading headline, as that's not really what Dawkins is on about, but the article itself has more interest. "Prof Dawkins is targeting children as the audience of his next project because he believes they are being "abused" by being taught about religion at school and labelled Christian, Jewish or Muslim from a young age. Speaking recently at a conference of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, a group of Britons who have renounced Islam, Prof Dawkins said: "Do not ever call a child a Muslim child or a Christian child – that is a form of child abuse because a young child is too young to know what its views are about the cosmos or morality... I think labelling children is child abuse and I think there is a very heavy issue, for example, about teaching about hell and torturing their minds with hell... I wouldn't want to teach a young child, a terrifyingly young child, about hell when he dies, as it's as bad as many forms of physical abuse.""
Snyder’s Watchmen Secrets
(from WatchmenComicMovie.com)
"early unofficial reports claim the ending has been drastically changed from its comic counterpart, some recent interviews with [director] Zack Snyder explain the director’s method of adapting the revered comic book to the screen."
Wildlife Photography
This is a tad random I know, but I found myself looking at some pretty amazing wildlife photos today, courtesy of the Telegraph's website... so here are a few of them. (Click on any to enlarge.)
Stunning photograph, important message: "1,600 papier mache pandas set up by members of WWF in Paris to highlight that there are only 1,600 pandas left on earth."
Horrible, but another amazing image. "A chained wolf retaliates against two dogs during a hunting festival in Kyrgyzstan."
"Tofu the incredible surfing rat"
Happy Birthday Hippo...
Aww. "Footprint, Fidget, Bruiser, Kate and Little Nicky: these five cute puppies are Britain's most endangered breed of dog. There are only 1,000 Glen of Imaal terriers in the world." (The picture's file is called "cute dogs" too.)
And finally, a series of pictures of a leopard attacking a crocodile. I kid you not. (Click the images for more.)
Now there's something you don't see every day. Or, y'know, ever.
Stunning photograph, important message: "1,600 papier mache pandas set up by members of WWF in Paris to highlight that there are only 1,600 pandas left on earth."
Horrible, but another amazing image. "A chained wolf retaliates against two dogs during a hunting festival in Kyrgyzstan."
"Tofu the incredible surfing rat"
Happy Birthday Hippo...
Aww. "Footprint, Fidget, Bruiser, Kate and Little Nicky: these five cute puppies are Britain's most endangered breed of dog. There are only 1,000 Glen of Imaal terriers in the world." (The picture's file is called "cute dogs" too.)
And finally, a series of pictures of a leopard attacking a crocodile. I kid you not. (Click the images for more.)
Now there's something you don't see every day. Or, y'know, ever.
Watchmen Teaser Poster
Click to enlarge.
Brilliant!
Also, note that, though its release is still five months off, it's already been rated in the US. "Strong Graphic Violence, Sexuality, Nudity and Language." Hurrah! What more could you want?
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