BLOGS
Gordon Ramsay's F Word
- Posted at 4:05pm
- 20 November 2009
- by DavidButcher-RT
Whatever Gordon Ramsay is on, I want some. The man is unstoppable. Throw anything at him (tabloid scandal, near bankruptcy, flambéed TV ratings) and he keeps on going regardless, a bristling comet of nervous energy.
In Channel 4's The F Word's current incarnation - now called Gordon Ramsay's F Word in case it slips our minds who the presenter is - he directs his febrile passion at small-town chefs competing to please the diners. "I want these dishes looking - yes? - perfect, yeah?" he urged cooks from two local French restaurants, slapping one hand with the back of the other. "This needs to be the...
Camilla quits I'm a Celebrity…
- Posted at 12:54pm
- 18 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
- 9 comments
Dancer Camilla Dallerup has quit ITV1's I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! following problems coping with the show's jungle conditions. She will be replaced by former boxer Joe Bugner, who fought Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title during the 1970s.
Of her decision to leave, Camilla said: "It's not eating. Heat, I can deal with. I've got the highest metabolism of anyone I know, I feel useless being here so tired."
Shortly after Camilla's meltdown, fellow contestant Justin Ryan explained: "Camilla's really unwell, she's been very, very tired, she's got a really fast metabolic rate and, you...
The X Factor: week thirteen
- Posted at 1:30pm
- 16 November 2009
- by JackSeale-RT
- 11 comments
I've seen We Will Rock You, the musical. It's an insult not just to sentient theatre-goers but to Queen fans: a scary female is introduced purely to get Killer Queen in, and the lead actor sings Under Pressure when he's under very mild strain. It has dialogue along the lines of: "So, the seas of Rhye. How many of them are there?" The busloads down from Essex disagreed but, trust me, it's a karaoke travesty.
The band having brutally trashed their own legacy, The X Factor Queen week was always going to feel less crass. Several contestants made taking a wry, sideways look at the...
Strictly Come Dancing: week nine
- Posted at 12:32pm
- 16 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
- 13 comments
Strictly wasn't the same without Bruce Forsyth and you felt for the producers, faced with injury upon injury at the last moment. But of all the traumas on Saturday night, only one was self-inflicted: Ronnie Corbett should not have joined the show.
Nothing against him. And he didn't have a lot to do in the end. But bringing in anyone, any man especially, sang out that the producers didn't believe Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman could run the show.
Hopefully they've learnt their lesson: Tess handled everything deftly and Claudia was a triumph. If you've ever seen
Bruce to miss Strictly because of illness
- Posted at 11:40am
- 13 November 2009
- by LauraPledger-RT
- 10 comments
Bruce Forsyth is suffering from a bout of flu and will be absent from this Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing.
Tess Daly is gamely stepping into his shoes as the main presenter, but there's no word yet on who will be taking her place backstage and chatting to the dancers about their routines.
This week the couples return to London after their trip to Blackpool and will be performing a ballroom or latin dance. Normally the focus would be on which celebrity fails to impress the judges - and the audience - and has to leave the competition, but this time...
New I'm a Celebrity… contestants revealed
- Posted at 12:25pm
- 12 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
- 6 comments
The line-up for the new series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (starts Sunday 15 November, 9:00pm, ITV1) has been announced. Braving the jungle and the Bushtucker Trials this year are:
Lucy Benjamin - EastEnders and Press Gang actress
Gino D'Acampo - chef
Camilla Dallerup - dancer
Sam Fox - singer, model
George Hamilton - actor
Stuart Manning - Hollyoaks actor
Colin McAllister - interior designer and presenter
Justin Ryan - interior designer and presenter
Sabrina Washington - singer with Mis-Teeq
Jimmy White - professional snooker...
Doctor Who: Dreamland broadcast dates announced
- Posted at 3:50pm
- 11 November 2009
- by LauraPledger-RT
The Tenth Doctor is embarking on an animated adventure in Dreamland! The six-part series, voiced by David Tennant, premieres at 5:15pm on Saturday 21 November on BBC1 via the Red Button service, and can also be viewed on the Doctor Who website.
A new episode will be available each day at 5:15pm between 21 and 27 November, but don't worry - if you happen to miss one, you can do some temporal jiggery-pokery of your own and catch up via the Red Button for the duration of the series.
The 45-minute-long animation will also be shown in its entirety on Saturday 5...
Strictly Come Dancing: week eight
- Posted at 11:45am
- 09 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
- 6 comments
"I can't believe that Zoe's gone and I had to endure that," said Alesha of Craig Kelly's dance, making every viewer wince at the overreaction.
I'd warmed to her, I'd thought she'd been saying some smart things, but it's as if I can believe her praise and yet can't believe her criticism. She just reminded me anew that she doesn't have the weight of experience behind her criticism that, say, Craig Revel Horwood does. Like or dislike, agree or disagree, judge Craig has reasons and points where so far Alesha does not.
This was the week and this was the...
The X Factor: week twelve
- Posted at 11:40am
- 09 November 2009
- by JackSeale-RT
- 33 comments
John and Edward are saving The X Factor. Simon Cowell put them through at Lucie's expense because they're the act we look forward to - if they win they may destroy Western culture altogether, but as everyone else this week was pure tedium, it's worth the risk.
The lack of costumes and dancers for the twins' Sunday eliminator song merely highlighted the comedy genius of their broken-puppet dancing, missed high-fives and the awesome moment where the one on the left leapt into the crowd, only for the song to end three seconds later. You can't teach this stuff.
Lucie, who stood there and sang...
The week in soapland
- Posted at 2:30pm
- 08 November 2009
- by GarethMcLean-RT
- 1 comment
EastEnders
If love is a drug, Walford is jam-packed with junkies all craving their next fix. While Peggy snuggles up to Archie, clearly having developed amnesia regarding her beau's past actions or else gone doolally from inhaling Roxy and Sam's hairspray at the Vic, Ronnie affixes her succubus-esque attentions on Owen. Guess he shouldn't have mentioned that he was a plumber.
Meanwhile, Lucy and Jay get closer after her mugging, which is truly twisted given that he mugged her, and an unhappy Ian turns to Tanya for counsel in Jane's absence. Let's hope that's all he's after.
And just when you thought it couldn't get any...
Coronation Street: your questions answered
- Posted at 12:50pm
- 08 November 2009
- by GarethMcLean-RT
Kieran Roberts, executive producer of Coronation Street, answers the questions you've been longing to ask about the popular soap.
Why do so many characters smoke?
Hilary Twinberrow, Shirley, West Midlands
"While we have a duty not to glamorise the habit, it wouldn't be realistic to see nobody smoking - but only a few regulars do.
Since the change in the law, characters tend to smoke outside, for example in the back yard of the Rovers.
Just as in real life, that makes the habit more visible, but it's not actually more prevalent."
How do you decide which big social issue...
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars preview
- Posted at 6:10pm
- 06 November 2009
- by Patrick Mulkern-RT
- 22 comments
He's visited the Moon at least four times and even been to Pluto, but amazingly the Time Lord has never set foot on Mars - until now.
Of course, the Red Planet looms large in Doctor Who mythology. Former inhabitants the Ice Warriors - those "cruel Martian invaders" who plagued Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee in days of yore - receive a namecheck here, which will gratify fans.
And there are echoes of other episodes. The Impossible Planet (2006) showed us a similar isolated base and crew. The settlers' biodomes and rocket recall Colony in Space (1971), while the "Gadget Gadget" arguably pays...
David Tennant to star in US comedy drama
- Posted at 11:40am
- 03 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
- 5 comments
Doctor Who's David Tennant is to play the lead in Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, a new comedy drama for America's NBC from the makers of Heroes and Life.
Rex Alexander (Tennant) is a lawyer in Chicago who has started suffering from panic attacks and, rather than continue to litigate himself, has instead taken to coaching clients to represent themselves in court.
The Hollywood Reporter says that the show has been in development for two years and that NBC "had been trying to find a lead actor for several months until Tennant came along and nailed the part."
No air date has been...
Strictly Come Dancing: week seven
- Posted at 3:30pm
- 02 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
- 18 comments
Appropriately for Halloween, it turned out to be costume night on Strictly. Jade squealed in fright when her heel got caught in her dress, Tess wore a parrot on her shoulder and then even the voting surely came down to the frocks. Did you vote for Flavia's classy diaphanous leopard-print wrap, or for Ola's body?
And while every kid in the land plumped for a treat, we got the trick. Zoe Lucker is a fine dancer and an immensely likeable woman: to lose a dancing contest through lack of public support must feel like a slap in the face.
I'd been...
The X Factor: week eleven
- Posted at 12:25pm
- 02 November 2009
- by JackSeale-RT
- 11 comments
Leather, eyeliner, innuendo and metallic accessories: it's rock week!
Come Together by the Beatles was Olly's song, surprisingly billed as one of Simon Cowell's favourites. Perhaps Simon secretly loves fractured, counterculture whimsy, or perhaps it's just one of his fave melodies from his "Best of the Beatles" cassette.
Olly made gestures underlining the single entendre in the title, and chased the randy-nan vote by tearing his shirt open, suavely pulling off this manoeuvre after only a few seconds of fumbling. The way he gritted his teeth was just on the right side of the line between arousal and constipation. Phwwwoar!
Jamie growled Rocks by Primal Scream. The...
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- Gordon Ramsay's F Word
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- The X Factor: week thirteen
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- Strictly Come Dancing: week nine
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- Bruce to miss Strictly because of illness
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