Films

The Blues Brothers (1980)
[#99 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Russian Ark (2002)
[#98 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Stardust (2007)
[2nd watch]

Swing Time (1936)
[#100 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Hurrah! Made it!

Articles

Warner Bros. Won't Settle Watchmen Case (from Studio Briefing)
and
Fox Wants to Delay Watchmen Release by Robert Greenberger (from ComicMix)
Fox really aren't doing themselves any favours here.

Poem of the Day: Auld Lang Syne

by Robert Burns

Poem of the Day is not dead, just forgotten in a rather busy day yesterday!

But today it's back (obviously), and there's none more appropriate for this day. As this is Poem of the Day's first New Year I think it can be excused (again).

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gies a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

If you feel in need of a translation, look here.

Happy 2009!

A final push...

It's New Years Eve, but some of us are 'working'...

Today is the final day of 2008, and so the final day of 100 Films in a Year's second year. And have I made it to 100?

Not yet.

A quick look at the coming soon page reveals I’m up to #97 — only three films to go, with 24 hours left.

Read the full piece (not that it's very long) here.

Films

White Christmas (1954)
[#97 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
24 hours to go! Nearly there...

TV

Gilmore Girls
5x10 But Not as Cute as Pushkin
5x11 Women of Questionable Morals

Films

Chicago (2002)
[#96 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Die Hard 2 (1990)
[#95 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Snakes on a Plane (2006)
[#94 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Might make it to 100 yet...

Articles

Warner Bros. Loses Watchmen Suit
(from Studio Briefing)
Well, I didn't expect that outcome!
"Despite the fact that it has been more than ten years since Fox decided to abandon production based on the superheroes graphic novel, a federal judge on Wednesday ruled that it continued to own a copyright interest in the project."

Poem of the Day: The Day After the Day After Boxing Day

by Paul Cookson

Today is, in fact, the day after the day after the day after Boxing Day, but as yesterday was Sunday this was the best I could manage. Anyway...

On the day after the day after Boxing Day
Santa wakes up, eventually,
puts away his big red suit and wellies,
lets Rudolph and the gang out into the meadow
then shaves his head and beard.
He puts on his new new cool sunglasses,
baggy blue Bermuda shorts (he's sick of red),
yellow stripy T-shirt that doesn't quite cover his belly
and lets his toes breathe in flip-flops.

Packing a bucket and spade,
fifteen tubes of Factor Twenty suncream
and seventeen romantic novels
he fills his Walkman with the latest sounds,
is glad to use a proper suitcase instead of the old sack
and heads off into the Mediterranean sunrise
enjoying the comforts of a Boeing 747
(although he passes on the free drinks).

Six months later,
relaxed, red and a little more than stubbly,
he looks at his watch, adjusts his wide-brimmed sunhat,
mops the sweat from his brow and strokes his chin,
wondering why holidays always seem to go so quickly.

Google revealed this poem to me, and also turned up this analysis... which doesn't contain any analysis at all.

TV

The 39 Steps
Very good... until a bloody stupid ending.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
5x09 Emily Says Hello

The Graham Norton Show
4x14 (27/12/08 edition)
A 'best of' of the last series. Attentive readers will notice ep13 appears to have been skipped. From what I can tell, that's an hour-long ep that actually airs after this one, on the 30th. Don't blame me for the silly numbers, blame the BBC.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Frost/Nixon Trailer
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Plucky underdog Brit beats American President? Oh yes. Plus Michael Sheen's a fantastic actor. Can't wait for this.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
[#93 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Sleeping Beauty (1959)
[2nd or so watch]

Non-Fiction

For Crying Out Loud! (The World According to Clarkson Volume 3) by Jeremy Clarkson
The worst word in the language (pages 11-13)

TV

Outnumbered
2x07 Episode 7 [season finale]
Brilliant, as ever; certainly no significant loss of form this series. I sincerely hope we get a third.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Becoming Jane (2007)
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
[#92 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
I don't think I've seen all of this before, just some of the famous bits...

State of Play Trailer
No, no, no, no, no. Watch this instead.

Articles

Mamma Mia! beats UK cinema record
(from BBC News)
Now the highest-grossing UK film ever. No surprises there, other than that it tipped over into number one after the DVD came out!

Wallace and Gromit top TV ratings
(from )
The largest Christmas Day audience for five years, and the largest full-stop for three. Hurrah! Doctor Who came a very respectable second, not drawing quite as many as last year but with nonetheless a huge audience.

TV

Dancing On Ice
Christmas Special

Have I Got News For You
36x10 (24/11/08 edition; uncut repeat) [Christmas special; 2nd watch]
Still by far the best way to watch HIGNFY -- 10 minutes of new, usually good, material. Though it's annoying to have watched the normal one first, because those 10 minutes are peppered throughout the 30 you've already seen.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Be Kind Rewind (2008)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Madagascar (2005)
[#89 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Read the 100 Films review here.

Articles

TV Show Breakdown: Wallace And Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
(from Empire)
Last night's excellent new Wallace & Gromit adventure -- watched by a whopping audience, the largest at Christmas for five years -- was packed with film references, many of them subtle. Here, Empire explain a dozen (well, eleven, actually) of the best. Or most obvious. Except that Spider-Man 2 one.

Poem of the Day: Wenceslas: A Boxing Day Poem

by Martin Newell

Did you have a good Christmas? Enjoy Doctor Who? It's all over now...

Well, except for today, of course -- Boxing Day! Hurrah! Everyone -- and every family -- have their own rituals for what happens on Boxing Day, and here's just one -- sort of -- that is also, of course, beholden to Funny Friday (I know I said it would be back in January, but I didn't think I'd find a funny one for Boxing Day).

It's ludicrously long -- easily the longest poem yet featured on Poem of the Day -- so will certainly keep you busy if you need to escape the family for a while.

Wenceslas was woken early,
By the hounds, who wanted out.
Brandy glass and tipped-up ashtray
Where his clothes were strewn about.
Cursing by his old four-poster
Utilising his gazunder
Limbs were stiff and head was aching,
Fit to split his skull asunder.
Christmas Eve had snowed all morning
Forced him out to get the stock in
Trip to town and lunchtime session
Followed by a late-night lock-in.
Memory blurred -- a Tarantino
Hangover was what he'd got --
(That's the one where all the flashbacks
Come, before you get the plot).
Still, he'd hang on to his castle
If he made it pay its way
Now his page stood waiting for him
For this was St Stephen's day
Wenceslas and page were talking
Pipes had frozen overnight
Past the gatehouse they were walking
When a couple came in sight.
Poorly dressed for such bad weather
Gathering their winter fuel
City types, they looked, together
On a country break for Yule
"Page," he asked, "Who are those people?"
Page replied with bridled sneer:
"Sire, they are the London grockles,
Renting your old cottage here."
Page continued: "Most unhappy --
Been here for the past few days
It appears they're having trouble
Coping with our country ways.
Sundry powercuts, snow, what-have-you
Laptops, car and mobile phone
Out of service now, they're stranded
Hungry, cold and quite alone."
Wenceslas, an old patrician
Patriarchal sort of gent
Said: "We can't be having this one
Even though I'm overspent.
Fetch some logs, a festive hamper,
Crate of grog to slake their thirst
It can wait though, till it's lunchtime
While we do some shooting first."

Nikki and her partner Drew
Had flipped a coin for what to do
Thirty-something West Elevens
Found themselves at six and sevens
With the Saturnalia near
Tuscany might be too dear
Suffolk? Cheaper, if less fun
Prudence reigned and Suffolk won
Both employed as health advisors
To the various Czars and Kaisers
Who by cattle-prod or stealth
Police our ailing nation's health
Now though, for their own health's sake
They were on a winter break
Country cottage, bird-life, walking.
Perfect cure for weltschmerz stalking
Sat by fireside, bonding, thinking
Freed from stress-related drinking.
Firstly it had been plain sailing
Till the power-grid started failing
Due to weather most malignant
Now they bickered, cold, indignant.
Chiefly on nutrition issues
By a fire of twigs and tissues
All they had to keep them going
While the Suffolk wind was blowing
From the Russian steppes, unstopping
Troshing at the trees and stropping
At the chimneys, window-ledges
Freezing ponds and bending hedges
Nikki and her partner Drew
Found it took an hour or two
Heating soup with scented candles
Holding saucepans by their handles
Huddled up in duvet jackets
Snacking from organic packets.
Till the knock upon the door
And a stout stentorian roar.

Wenceslas stood beaming proudly.
Twinkle-eyed with outstretched hand
Boomed a Merry Christmas loudly
Gestured back towards his land:
"Brought some pine logs over for you
Took them down myself this year
What with all the various cutbacks
Just one man and me left here.
'Tisn't easy trying to manage
Told we must diversify
Still, despite the fiscal damage
What the hell -- a chap gets by.
Met my page already, have you?
Helps me manage this estate
Yes, I grant he may seem surly
As a stockman though, first rate."
Wenceslas regarded Nikki
Said: "The logs are in the 'Drover
Move it girl, it's freezing out here.
Help me haul the buggers over."
Half an hour or so -- no later
Fire was roaring, cheered the gloom
Warmed the landlord and the peasants
As it flickered round the room.
"Page should be here any minute
With a case of wine and grub.
Can't think where the bastard's got to
Prob'ly stopped off at the pub
Touch and go, the trade round here now
Since they built that by-pass mall.
All the shops will disappear now
At this rate, there'll be sod all.
How d'you say you make your living?
Health advice? That's clever stuff.
Lot of call for that in London?
Citizens seem pale enough.
Hardly feel the need to go there
'Less of course, they give us reason
Then we all troop down together
-- Like that march we held last season."
Wenceslas now paused a second
Rummaged in his waxy cloak
"Haven't had a fag all morning
-- Either of you people smoke?
Can't think where that page has got to
Must have been delayed somehow
Sharpener should clear the headache
Ah! Here comes the fellow now."

In the page came, even surlier
Than he'd been three hours earlier
"Bloody hunt-sabs in the lane.
-- Ran over the fox again.
Accident it would appear
Third time it's occurred this year."
Wenceslas just shrugged and sighed:
"Way it's going country-wide.
Since the Bill was fast-tracked through
They kill more than our side do."
Nikki, shocked at this exchange
Barked: "I find your logic strange.
I hate hunting, so does Drew."
As the awkward silence grew
Wenceslas clapped hands, said: "Fine!
Let's agree to differ. Wine?
It's St Agnes Fountain, red.
Very good indeed they said."
Drew enquired where it was made
Was the import-scheme Fair Trade?
Did the wine upon the table
Have the units marked on label?
Wenceslas just shrugged and sighed:
"Way it's going country-wide.
Since the Bill was fast-tracked through
They kill more than our side do."
Nikki, shocked at this exchange
Barked: "I find your logic strange.
I hate hunting, so does Drew."
As the awkward silence grew
Wenceslas clapped hands, said: "Fine!
Let's agree to differ. Wine?
It's St Agnes Fountain, red.
Very good indeed they said."
Drew enquired where it was made
Was the import-scheme Fair Trade?
Did the wine upon the table
Have the units marked on label?
Can't be fussed to take a test.
-- These bi-focals cost a lot --
Look, d'you want a drink, or not?"
Drew replied that it was fine
Though perhaps he'd best decline
Watch those units and all that
And besides -- it made one fat.
Wasn't worth the risk somehow
Healthier drinking water now.

Wenceslas and page stood muttering
Smoking in the freezing yard
Shaking hands round ciggies sputtering
While the blizzard came down hard
Ordered from the house by Nikki
Whose reaction was dramatic:
Shrieking anti-smoking maxims
In a tone sub-operatic.
Back inside again, the heroes
Dripping like retriever dogs
Found themselves interrogated
On the matter of those logs:
Were they seasoned quite correctly?
God-forbid the wood was green
Lest the smoke be carcinogenic
Which, said Drew, it might have been
Was it not a folly planting
Pine -- a non-deciduous tree
Leaving harsh acidic needles --
When a healthy mulch was key
To the lives of forest creatures,
Nesting birds and generally?
How much better, Nikki hectored
Ash and oak, or beech might be.
Finally, this Christmas hamper...
What was in it, Drew enquired
"Venison and boar," the page said,
Lit the paper and retired.
Which unleashed a further salvo
From the peasants at the pair
In a gale of Nikki's fury
Page and king stood withered there.
Wenceslas withdrew at this point
Pine logs, wine and flesh despatched
Had he not fulfilled his duty?
Even if it wasn't matched
By the gratitude incumbent
On recipients of such.
"Whaddyaknow?" The baffled king said.
Blandly said the page: "Not much."

Wind had dropped, the sky was clear
Moon to cheer the dying year
Sparkling blue on frosted snow
Beckoning the pair to go
Snow had covered up the 'Drover
Feast of Stephen nearly over
Home they went, the mission finished
Cold, but spirits undiminished
Wenceslas and trusty page
Silent for what seemed an age
Till the king produced some brandy
From the flask he'd kept in handy
"Need a tincture in this climate
Weld the balls back on the primate.
Things get worse as we go on.
Years ago, in times long gone
Peasants that you got in those days
Whiffed a bit -- we needed nosegays
When we did the logs-of-pine gig
Garnished with the flesh'n'wine rig
But we found them grateful for it
Fell on it as soon as saw it
These days when you leave the castle
May as well forget the parcel
Best avoided, Feast Of Steve.
Or maybe, I'm being naive."
Peasants - 2. Bohemians - nowt.
Good King Wenceslas, look out.

Said it was long.

Discovered here; originally from The Independent on Sunday in 2004.

TV

Crooked House
Part 3 The Knocker [final episode]
Short series of three horror tales set in the same house, by League of Gentlemen co-founder/member and Doctor Who & Lucifer Box writer Mark Gatiss, also showing as a portmanteau horror movie on December 27th.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who [new]
4x14 The Next Doctor [Christmas special]
Possibly a bit low-key for the Christmas Day episode, with a disappointing underuse of the Cybermen. Not sure about that finale either. Planet of the Dead is a good title for the next ep though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
5x08 The Party's Over

Strictly Come Dancing
2008 Christmas Special

Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death
[#88a in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Hurrah! Absolutely brilliant, though it was so packed with things you can't help wishing it were longer. Another Oscar nomination? It would be deserved.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Mamma Mia! (2008)
[2nd watch]

Articles

Disney: No, No Narnia
(from Studio Briefing)
"Disney announced that it will not exercise its option to co-produce and co-finance The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [the third in the series] with Walden Media. The film was reportedly already in preproduction with a May 2010 release planned... Walden said that it would seek another production partner."

Poem of the Day: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Merry Christmas!

Yes, it may be Christmas Day, but it's also a week day, so business continues as usual here on Poem of the Day... but with a festive spin.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

"Longfellow wrote Christmas Bells on Christmas Day 1864 in the midst of the American Civil War and the news of his son having suffered wounds as a soldier in battle. He had suffered the great loss of his wife two years prior to an accident with fire." Oh dear! (Source: Wikipedia)

Tomorrow, a Boxing Day poem.

Merry Christmas

to all readers of My Cultural Experience

Hope you have a good one.

(The site will be updated as usual today.)

TV

Big Cat Live
1x09 What Happened Next...? [Christmas special]
Big Cat Live suffered from a lack of content, wasting time on "ooh isn't our technology clever" witter and watching nothing happen on live feeds. Unfortunately, this special mostly collates footage from the series, with a few segments added that were previously only online. Only the last ten minutes actually catch up with what's happened since -- "not much" being the answer.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Crooked House
Part 2 Something Old
Short series of three horror tales set in the same house, by League of Gentlemen co-founder/member and Doctor Who & Lucifer Box writer Mark Gatiss, also showing as a portmanteau horror movie on December 27th.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gavin & Stacey
3x00 Christmas Special
As brilliant as ever. In fact, one might argue it's a return to form after the occasionally lacking second series. With much left unresolved, I hope a third follows.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
36x10 (24/11/08 edition) [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Peter Serafinowicz Christmas Show
2x00 Christmas Special
Peter Serafinowicz's first solo sketch series -- which first aired over a year ago now! -- was a real treat, so it's wonderful to have some new stuff at last. Look out for the iToilet sketch in particular. Hopefully a second series will follow.
One of the best things about Serafinowicz is that he's a rather talented impressionist, but his show isn't about the impressions in the way that your usual impressionist show (e.g. Dead Ringers, Alistair McGowan's) are.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Survivors [2008]
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
This started out as a good finale, bringing threads together and being decidedly more epic than any episode since the first. Unfortunately, it didn't bother to resolve any of its plot strands and ended on a great big cliffhanger. Rather shoddy, if you ask me -- by all means have a cliffhanger, but wrap some stuff up too! Unsatisfying.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

While You Were Sleeping (1995)
[2nd watch]
Very seasonal. Not that you'd guess it from the DVD cover, oddly, but it really is.

Poem of the Day: Twas the Night Before Christmas

or A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Anonymous

As it's still Poem of the Day's first Christmas I think I can be excused some obvious choices, so for the Christmas Eve poem I present this absolute classic.

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle,
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

"A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas)" -- which is how I've always known it, so how it's named here -- was "first published anonymously in 1823. It is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of his reindeer, and that he brings toys to children. Prior to the poem, American ideas about St. Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors varied considerably. The poem has influenced ideas about St. Nicholas and Santa Claus beyond the United States to the rest of the Anglosphere and the world." (Courtesy of Wikipedia.)

TV

Britain's Got an Extra Pop Factor ...And Then Some!
So, turns out, I missed the last five minutes. Which I have now watched. Nothing else to add.

Clone
1x06 The Librarian [season finale]
Possibly the best episode yet, though that's not saying much. It does pay off the producer's comments that there'd be developing storylines though, with a fairly interesting cliffhanger. I'm not sure if I want it resolved enough to see another series this weak though...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Crooked House
Part 1 The Wainscotting
Short series of three horror tales set in the same house, by League of Gentlemen co-founder/member and Doctor Who & Lucifer Box writer Mark Gatiss, also showing as a portmanteau horror movie on December 27th.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Heroes
3x12 Our Father
3x13 Dual
And so Volume Three comes to an end with this lacking mini-finale. As things turned out, not quite the grand Return To Form we were promised. Perhaps Volume Four can manage better when Heroes returns (in February, so I hear).

Lead Balloon
3x07 Nuts [season finale]
A surprisingly Christmassy Christmas special/final episode for Lead Balloon. And at the end it even all turns out nice. Almost.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
6x13 (23/12/08 edition) [Christmas special]
Despite having already aired a highlights/cut bits show at the end of the last series, here's another one for Christmas, though at least with some added festive material.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

No Heroics
1x04 Back Issues
Still sex-obsessed then. It's better than Clone, but would be better still if the writers could get their collective brains out of their collective groins.

QI
6x02 Fire & Freezing [Christmas special; 2nd watch]
The problem with families is they have a tendency to talk over Christmas TV. The great thing about modern technology is you can record things to watch again in peace. The good thing about QI is it's both funny and interesting, which rewards repeat views -- especially as I did indeed miss some jokes first time round.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Poem of the Day: The Oxen

by Thomas Hardy

A slightly more unusual Christmas-related poem today, penned by that master of misery, Thomas Hardy.

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.
"Now they are all on their knees,"
An elder said as we sat in a flock
By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where
They dwelt in their strawy pen,
Nor did it occur to one of us there
To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave
In these years! Yet, I feel,
If someone said on Christmas Eve,
"Come; see the oxen kneel,

"In the lonely barton by yonder coomb
Our childhood used to know,"
I should go with him in the gloom,
Hoping it might be so.

Originally published in The Times on 24th December 1915 (I have an even more appropriate piece lined up for tomorrow). For an essay on this poem so literary-looking that I haven't read it -- entitled Image, Allusion, Voice, Dialect, and Irony in Thomas Hardy's The Oxen and the Poem's Original Publication Context -- click here.

the teases!

Behind the Doctor Who advent calendar today (well, technically, it's yesterday now) -- an excerpt from this year's podcast commentary, in which Russell and Julie tease about what's coming in the 2009 specials... including a two-part finale!

Check it out here.

TV

BBC One Session: Duffy
Ah, accidental viewing! Her music is pleasant enough, but I'm not going to be rushing off to buy it. Originally shown in October, so features the first performance of her Bond theme-esque last single, Rain On Your Parade.

The Graham Norton Show
4x12 (18/12/08 edition, uncut repeat)
Hurrah for comedian guests helping make things funny! Less joy to be had from stupidly dressed Big Brother presenters however.

QI
6x02 Fire & Freezing [Christmas special]
Series "F" follows in January, also on BBC One.

Russell Brand's Ponderland
2x06 Christmas [Christmas special]

Articles

BBC Drama announces Sherlock, a new crime drama for BBC One
(from BBC Press Office)
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss co-writing/creating a modern day take on Sherlock Holmes, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson? Best. Thing. Ever.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW! Doctor Who The Next Doctor by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
Sounds good to me!

Poem of the Day: The Burning Babe

by Robert Southwell

Obviously it's Christmas week, so I'm sure you're expecting no less than five Christmas-themed poems from Poem of the Day. So here's the first of them:

As I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow,
Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow;
And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near,
A pretty babe all burning bright did in the air appear;
Who, though scorched with excessive heat, such floods of tears did shed,
As though his floods should quench his flames, which with his tears were fed.
"Alas," quoth he, "but newly born, in fiery heats I fry,
Yet none approach to warm their hearts, or feel my fire but I!
My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns,
Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns;
The fuel justice layeth on, and mercy blows the coals,
The metal in this furnace wrought are men's defiled souls,
For which, as now on fire I am to work them to their good,
So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood."
With this he vanished out of sight and swiftly shrunk away,
And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas Day.

I tried to find a decent modern Christmas poem online and failed (most were about how great Christianity is and/or how bad atheism is), so I chose this distinctly odd one instead. Incidentally, talking of Christians, the author was a 16th Century saint who was hung, drawn and quartered as a traitor. This piece was first published posthumously in 1595.

TV

Britain's Got an Extra Pop Factor ...And Then Some!
'Part Three' of Peter Kay's excellent talent show spoof. Very funny with plenty of new material, though the damn recording cut out before the end and it's not be found online (yet). Dammit.

Heroes
3x10 The Eclipse Part 1
3x11 The Eclipse Part 2
Answers? Not really. But Volume Three is nearly over now, so it must be going somewhere. I hope.

Lark Rise to Candleford
2x01 Episode 1 (Christmas Special)
As genteel as ever, though with a nice bit of Victorian Christmas production design (the sheer volume of snow is quite astounding) and a surprising ghostly plot, perfectly suited to the setting (if not the series).

Outnumbered
2x06 Episode 6

Radio

Radio 1's Official Chart Show with Fearne & Reggie
So, disappointingly -- though not surprisingly -- The X Factor winner was number one. But the unprecedented success of the Buckley version means no one will ever remember the X Factor one without him in tow -- especially as the broadcast spent a good few minutes building up tension as to who had actually won -- so there's definitely a victory in that.

Christmas singles

It's your last chance! Do your duty -- stop The X Factor from being Christmas number one! Buy one -- or all (I did) -- of these!

Do not buy from Amazon -- it doesn't count toward the chart.

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe | HMV
Backed by Facebook and Radio 1, this one stands the best chance.

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital
Camp and silly, this is -- believe it or not -- the best one.

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital
Almost as good. These two would fit seamlessly on all those Christmas compilations.

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital
It's got Sir Terry Wogan on it -- that automatically makes it a contender for Best Ever.

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital
Not as good as it could be, but hey, it might have a chance...

Joseph, Better You Than Me by the Killers featuring Elton John & Neil Tennant
iTunes

Fingers crossed...

TV

Have I Got News For You
36x09 (19/11/08 edition; extended repeat)
Hilarious, as usual.

Live at the Apollo
4x04 (19/12/08 edition)

The Sarah Jane Adventures
2x10 The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith Part Two
2x11 Enemy of the Bane Part One
It's good to know that kids still get some quality drama these days. In fact, I'd wager they don't know just how good they've got it.

Christmas singles

Stop The X Factor from being Christmas number one! Buy one -- or all (I did) -- of these!

Do not buy from Amazon -- it doesn't count toward the chart.

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe | HMV
Backed by Facebook and Radio 1, this one stands the best chance.

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital
Camp and silly, this is -- believe it or not -- the best one.

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital
Almost as good. These two would fit seamlessly on all those Christmas compilations.

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital
It's got Sir Terry Wogan on it -- that automatically makes it a contender for Best Ever.

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital
Not as good as it could be, but hey, it might have a chance...

Joseph, Better You Than Me by the Killers featuring Elton John & Neil Tennant
iTunes

And I'll be posting this again tomorrow... and that'll be your last chance!

TV

Britain's Got the Pop Factor ...and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice
Part 1 The Final
Part 2 The Result
Finally got round to watching this, just as the follow-up episode was aired (watch that tomorrow probably). It was an absolutely hilarious, brilliant, spot-on spoof. Even better than I expected.

Lead Balloon
3x06 Mistake

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
22x12 A Moving Tribute [special]
I swear they've done this before with this title, but it's not listed as a repeat and it featured clips from the series just gone, so... Also, of bizarre and limited interest, it's billed as being "Episode 13" on iPlayer and all the electronic programme guides, but is actually the twelfth. Probably something to do with that Brand episode being skipped (for now) I should imagine.

Films

Scenes of a Sexual Nature (2006)
[#88 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Christmas singles

Stop The X Factor from being Christmas number one! Buy one -- or all (I did) -- of these!

Do not buy from Amazon -- it doesn't count toward the chart.

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe | HMV
Backed by Facebook and Radio 1, this one stands the best chance.

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital
Camp and silly, this is -- believe it or not -- the best one.

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital
Almost as good. These two would fit seamlessly on all those Christmas compilations.

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital
It's got Sir Terry Wogan on it -- that automatically makes it a contender for Best Ever.

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital
Not as good as it could be, but hey, it might have a chance...

Joseph, Better You Than Me by the Killers featuring Elton John & Neil Tennant
iTunes

And I'll be posting this again tomorrow. And the day after... and that'll be your last chance!

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory X

X. Song for the Siren
by Andy Brown

Today, Poem of the Day finishes its presentation of Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory, which has been published here on week days for the last two weeks. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment of this work, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

The rain is light. Light falls.
A handstroke of sun tans
the sky's western edge.

You sit in the meadow
by a solitary oak, your feet
dipped in a stream of fish

and frogs, your head among
a cloud of flies, crying;
tears that gleam like acorns.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.

Films

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
[2nd watch]

DVD Extras

Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition
A beautiful tin containing four episodes of MST3K and some other goodies. It looks super-lovely. Unfortunately, it seems to be impossible to actually get the contents out of the tin... I'll let you know if I ever manage it.

Magazines

Empire #235
A really rubbish Review Of 2008 -- yes, everyone has a Top 10 Films list, but that's still the most exciting part and should not be relegated to an inconspicuous third of a page somewhere near the end. They used to do a nice Top 25, but this year it just looks like they couldn't be bothered.

SFX #178
Whoo, I read the new one! Very odd cover, incidentally, though it does have a Dollhouse preview.

Torchwood: The Official Magazine #12
A particularly weak issue, full of filler. It does have some info on season three however.

Christmas singles

Stop The X Factor from being Christmas number one! Buy one -- or all (I did) -- of these!

Do not buy from Amazon -- it doesn't count toward the chart.

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe | HMV
Backed by Facebook and Radio 1, this one stands the best chance.

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital
Camp and silly, this is -- believe it or not -- the best one.

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital
Almost as good. These two would fit seamlessly on all those Christmas compilations.

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital
It's got Sir Terry Wogan on it -- that automatically makes it a contender for Best Ever.

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital
Not as good as it could be, but hey, it might have a chance...

Joseph, Better You Than Me by the Killers featuring Elton John & Neil Tennant
iTunes

And I'll be posting this again tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after...

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory IX

IX. I stood before you...
by Andy Brown

This week, Poem of the Day is continuing to present Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. The first five parts were published daily last week. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment of this work, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

I stood before you, lost for word,
the bunch behind my star-lit back.

'Silence, that's what flowers are,' you said,
'or rather, a man's way of silencing.'

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.

TV

On the third day of catch-up my TV showed to me...!

Merlin
1x13 Le Morte d'Arthur [season finale]
Oh what a clever title! Too clever for a prime time Saturday night family drama? I mean, will most viewers even know what it means, never mind the cultural reference?

The Royal Variety Performance 2008
I almost always watch this, but often have mixed feelings by the end of it. This year, however, it was a damn fine show, with too many highlights to list here. Hurrah!

Survivors [2008]
1x05 Episode 5

Wallander
1x03 One Step Behind [season finale]
Oh he's so glum. Though quite understandably in this episode, it must be said.

Articles

Hallelujah set to be a Christmas No 1 and 2 by Sam Jones
(from guardian.co.uk)
Hallelujah!

Will X Factor winner Alexandra be beaten to the Christmas No.1 by Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah? by Lizzie Smith
(from Mail Online)
Fingers crossed!

Christmas singles

Stop The X Factor from being Christmas number one! Buy one -- or all (I did) -- of these!

New today: Hallelujah is available from HMV! A new place to buy! Yay!

Do not buy it from Amazon -- it doesn't count toward the chart.

The Facebook group has almost hit 80,000 members as of writing this, and I should think will cross that by the end of the day. There's still hope!

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe | HMV
Backed by Facebook and Radio 1, this one stands the best chance.

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital
Camp and silly, this is -- believe it or not -- the best one.

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital
Almost as good. These two would fit seamlessly on all those Christmas compilations.

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital
It's got Sir Terry Wogan on it -- that automatically makes it a contender for Best Ever.

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital
Not as good as it could be, but hey, it might have a chance...

Joseph, Better You Than Me by the Killers featuring Elton John & Neil Tennant
iTunes

And I'll be posting this again tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after...

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory VIII

VIII. A Breath from the Wood
by Andy Brown

This week, Poem of the Day is continuing to present Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. The first five parts were published daily last week. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment of this work, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

Why she appeared in the ruffled beards
of lichen on the trees outside my window,
asking was I now prepared to love,
or just go on pretending, I could not say.

Instead, I sat ashamed of my own breath
and stammered pointless words
about the only options left to us
the whole of the woodwind day.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.

TV

Still catching up...

Argumental
1x08 (15/12/08 edition)
And now Argumental's off on a festive break. I already look forward to its return.

Clone
1x05 Dude
There are times -- just moments, maybe -- when this is almost good. Almost. I'll keep watching dutifully til the final episode, but I doubt it'll get a second series. Even Hyperdrive managed that.

The Graham Norton Show
4x11 (11/12/08 edition, uncut repeat)
I swear Brendan Fraser was on a fairly high level of illicit substance(s) throughout this.

Live at the Apollo
4x03 (12/12/08 edition)
This show works best with three comedians, I think, and this episode only features two. It's especially bad when they're the team captains on 8 Out of 10 Cats, so over 13 episodes of that they've already used the majority of their material.

Natural World
Titus: The Gorilla King [2nd watch]
Regular readers with exceptional memories may remember that when I first watched this just over a month ago I mentioned its story could be easily adapted for a Tudors-like drama. Well, that's why I'm watching it again: note-taking on the plot. An intriguing idea or a waste of time? It's certainly an interesting exercise at least.

Articles

Movie Reviews: Frost/Nixon
(from Studio Briefing)
"It's a movie with the stolid title Frost/Nixon, and it's about a series of interviews that aired in 90-minute segments in 1977 between British celebrity interviewer David Frost and the disgraced former President Richard Nixon. Sounds like stuff that PBS might have taken a pass on for Masterpiece Theater, right? Wrong, say most critics, who have bestowed nearly undiluted acclaim on it."
Also "wrong", because -- and here's what's annoying, because Americans don't seem to know what their own programming is or where it comes from -- "Masterpiece Theater" is just a strand of bought-in British programmes (as best I can tell, anyway), usually made by the BBC and usually period drama. For example, as part of "Masterpiece Theater" they've shown both Cranford and Bleak House, but also The Forsyte Saga (the '00s ITV one) and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (a modern political comedy-drama). All very separate series in the UK, but bung them under a collective heading on one US network and the braindead yanks seem to assume they're all somehow connected and must be PBS-produced. Fools.
Anyway, the film sounds good, doesn't it?

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #403
"David Morrissey is The Next Doctor!" proudly proclaims the new DWM's cover. Indeed, but is he the next Doctor? We'll have to wait til Christmas Day to find out -- 9 days to go! Increasingly intriguingly, who is the CyberKing? And why has he/she/it meant The Next Doctor has more CGI shots than the (apparently) more epic Voyage of the Damned?

SFX #177
The next issue of SFX is out tomorrow and I've finally gotten round to looking at the last -- which, to be fair, is better than I've managed for about the past year.

Christmas singles UPDATE: the Killers now available

...but only from iTunes, as far as I can see.

Will it be as good as A Great Big Sled? I doubt it -- but it's still unquestionably better than The X Factor!

Joseph, Better You Than Me by the Killers featuring Elton John & Neil Tennant
iTunes

Buy buy buy!

Christmas singles

Stop The X Factor from being Christmas number one! Buy one -- or all (I did) -- of these!

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe
Backed by Facebook and Radio 1, this one stands the best chance.

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital
Camp and silly, this is -- believe it or not -- the best one.

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital
Almost as good. These two would fit seamlessly on all those Christmas compilations.

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital
It's got Sir Terry Wogan on it -- that automatically makes it a contender for Best Ever.

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital
Not as good as it could be, but hey, it might have a chance...

Run by Leona Lewis
iTunes | 7digital
If you have to. The others would be better than this, but this would be better than X Factor.

And I'll be posting this again tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after...

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory VII

VII. Daybreak
by Andy Brown

This week, Poem of the Day is continuing to present Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. The first five parts were published daily last week. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment of this work, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

Day breaks with the iridescence
of beetles. Last night remains

a beautiful, desolate thing:
me, lying

like an insect on a silver pin,
waiting for something to happen,

as if the world was about
to reach out

with the answer and you, leaving,
hiding your smile -- that thing

you do as much as with
your eyes as with your lips.

Alone, I come-to to this
clock of exquisite sadness.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.

TV

Thanks to the BBC's iPlayer being available on my TV, I now live my life by watching nothing when it's on and then having to catch up on it all. And today I have caught up on...

Lead Balloon
3x05 Spikey

Outnumbered
2x05 Episode 5

Survivors [2008]
1x04 Episode 4

Wallander
1x02 Firewall

Articles

2009 TV Preview: Law & Order UK by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
Or, as I believe it's actually called, Law & Order: London. Some interesting info for those interested in the production side of TV, as this is semi-adapted from old US L&O scripts.

Elton John hits out at X Factor by David Balls
(from Digital Spy)
Go go Elton!

Christmas singles

As well as the campaign to make Jeff Buckley Christmas number one, there are a variety of other Christmas singles out now. The chances of them beating The X Factor? Small. But you can do your bit to help by buying them, so here are some handy links...

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital

And, of course...

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe

The Killers & Elton John were supposed to have one out too, so I'd heard, but there's no sign of that.

Heck, if you really have to, I'd rather this was number one again still:

Run by Leona Lewis
iTunes | 7digital
It's a cover, you know. You probably do, but I feel I should point it out -- it's not original. Much like Amy Winehouse's over-praised rendition of Valerie.

buy Buckley!

Today's the day people -- it's time to stop The X Factor being Christmas number one! So buy Buckley -- or any of the other Christmas singles. I'm intending to post a list & links sometime soon, but for now here are places to buy Buckley that count toward the chart:

7digital - unencumbered high quality 320k mp3 89p...

tunetribe.com - cheaper but semi-crippled WMA (windows file) only 49p

iTunes - 79p but DRM AAC file from Apple

And I'll be posting a reminder every day, just so you don't forget.

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory VI

VI. December
by Andy Brown

This week, Poem of the Day is continuing to present Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. The first five parts were published daily last week. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment of this work, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

Convinced it is a good idea, we spend
the long, dark nights unloading ourselves.
We watch each other twist and bend.

Such a weight of 'this & that' my friend:
each night we pull confessions from the shelves
convinced it is a good idea and spend

the nights awake. Where will this honesty end?
Too late, the old advice not to dig and delve
too deep; we watch each other twist and bend.

Resigned to the damage we may never mend
we drive the clock past Ten. Eleven. Twelve,
convinced it is a good idea. We spend

hours addressing the nightmare of 'The End',
cling tight together, like digger's hand to helve
and watch each other twist and bend.

Once more we see there's nothing really to defend.
Perhaps the answer lies in making love?
Unconvinced it is a good idea, we spend
ourselves, watching each other twist and bend.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.