Was it worth it?

Point Pleasant

Quick whinge.

E4 have cancelled Point Pleasant . I was damn well enjoying that show.

Nip and sign a petition to get it back here .

Stop It!!!!

Every damn TV programme these days has a "In next week's episode" bit tagged on at the end.

WHY???

I've just sat and watched this weeks episode, so chances are I'll watch the next one. I really don't need the best scenes wrapping up into a 2 minute fly-by to take all the fun out of it.

I don't even like trailers for films. The Americans are the worst for this. 5 minute trailers telling you the entire plot in a deep voice.  Just give me a 3 line written description and I'm happy.

There is actually one thing worse than a US film trailer...  Battlestar Galactica ... As much as I love the show, is there really a need to show 5 seconds of what is coming up in this week's episode after the credits just before the show starts??? Is my brain so dead that even though I've just sat through the credits I need some additional stimulation to make me watch the rest of it???

The broadcasters really do think we are as thick as pig shit. Between all the above, on-screen logos, pan and scan, beeping of naughty words, nipples sticking out through clothing being pixelized on MTV and the cancelling of Tru Calling (OK, so it got a bit samey, but I liked it).

I'm just waiting for the day that re-runs of Frasier have subtitles to explain all those big words he uses.

Shocking

The Guardian  has an article on Britain leading the world in TV show downloading.
What a surprise.

For years the British have had to suffer from later releases of shows or not having them shown at all. Or even the fate worse than death, badly shown (Carnivale on FX butchered into Pan and Scan).

I don't want to watch one episode a week, have commercials 5 minutes into show or have a buy an over-priced DVD box set I'll never watch again.

So a big thank you for BitTorrent and EMule. I'd quite happily PAY to get shows this way.

The broadcast model is dying. We don't want to wait to see things when a TV channel says we can. Call it Video on Demand or whatever the latest buzzword is, I really don't care. Just give me my TV!!!

For more discussion(?) on this, have a look at what the folks at Slashdot have to say about it here.  Though I think the comments about the TV Licence being a TV Tax are just plain wrong. For the cost, the BBC is excellent value for money. I don't think I could survive the drive to work without The Today Programme .

Blasphemy!

Eventually got around to watching Jerry Springer: The Opera that was shown on BBC 2 the other week. First half was pretty funny and luckily much of the singing is not SO operatic that you have no idea what any of the lyrics are.

The second half is where the fun really starts and all everything that's caused such a furore kicks in. A voiceover by (I think) the lovely Kirsty Wark warns us that we may be offended by depictions of God and Jesus. Sorry, but Kirsty's voice just makes watching it all the more appealing...

Jesus in a nappy, Adam and Eve as trailer trash and much more, but I don't want to spoil it for you.  And the thought of barbed-wire sodomy just brings tears to the eyes. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar at Nottingham Theatre Royal the other month, but as far as blasphemy goes, it can't hold a candle to this (well, not unless Jesus suddenly decides to start dripping hot wax on Mary Magdalene).

So, is it just a big attempt at causing outrage? Not for me. Excellent music, funny lyrics and an often damning take on a culture that thrives on other peoples misery.

I'm not a big fan of musicals (JCS was at the behest of my good lady) and maybe I'm just being a sucker for the shock factor, but I'm really tempted to go and see JSTO live.