I have been watching...

[susie_flo]

Good afternoon fiends.

Guess what?  My fav little bistro (Brula) has been voted runner up in the Observer's best restaurant guide.  (Rosa and Sara, it is now official that I take you to fabulous places!)   Of course the down side is that this will make it even harder to get a table... tsk.

Anyway I thought it was about time I popped in with some vacuous commentary on the latest treats from the glowing rectangle*.   Although I do occasionally have a life, the last few weeks I've been under the weather and in full-on hibernation mode - hence am having a bit of a love-in with my tv. 

This week I have watched...


1. Kirsty's Homemade Abominations (TM Siobhan). 
It would go against the laws of nature for me to not watch a programme about crafts.  Especially one where I get the double whammy of ogling crafts and heckling Kirsty Allsopp, the world's most fraudulent "crafter".  (On which topic, I think I can probably reiterate everything I said last time).  I did rather enjoy this episode though.  It gave me serious HOUSE LUST watching a couple fill up their enormous Victorian town house with antiques and bits of salvage.  The main crafty bits were curtain-making and the creation of a beautiful stained glass window (by professional crafters, obv) and a truly pathetic interlude of Kirsty "learning" crochet (which involved failing to complete a single row before getting Erika Knight to make one for her).  No change there then.  


2. The Apprentice (world class "bankers")
I know it is dirty and shameful, but every year I wallow in this house of horrors.  On one hand, everything this programme stands for disturbs and depresses me about today's aspirational yoof.  On the other, it provides a useful, and sometimes comical, cautionary tale of what you might turn into if you behave like a total w&*$%er for your entire life.  And it has occasional high points...  (last night's firing actually made me punch the air.) 


3. Mad cats and Englishwomen (documentary about cat rescue centres)
This was unrelentingly sad and made me blub into my tea.  It also left me with nothing but admiration and respect for madcatladies like Celia Hammond.  Seriously, the stuff they deal with, for little or no reward - it's worthy of a medal.


4. The Event (more skiffy from the US of A)
G and I watched the pilot episode and can't decide whether to bother with the rest.  We've become horribly jaded and are now overwhelmed with "meh" at the idea that it might turn out to be yet another of those big-budget American shows (like Heroes and FlashForward) that start out well and then get stretched out to a minimum of 26 episodes, with no actual plot or end-point in sight.  Please god, will there ever come a time when people want to tell us tight stories with proper plots and known endings, where the whole thing makes sense?  Stories that can be told in 3 - 6 punchy episodes with no filler?  (Anybody?)


5. True Blood (Buffy for grown ups)
Contrary to my mini-rant above, I am midway through season 2 and still really liking this.  It's got just the right amount of edge and still manages to surprise me most weeks without resorting to polyfilla.  So, yes, there is hope.


6. Downton Abbey (Gosford Park Lite.)
I wouldn't say this is rocking my world, but as Sunday-night comfort-viewing goes, it is as cosy as a cup of cocoa.  It clearly aspires to be on the BBC and is perfect for when I'm a bit brain dead and just want to have my eyeballs soothed by costumes and copper kitchenware.  (Plus I do have a bit of a soft spot for Julian Fellowes.)


As if all of that were not enough, I also caught a bit of Nigel Slater last night.  Despite the distracting verbal delivery (which involves a lot of mincey gurning) I do really like his style of cooking. The garlicky broad beans on toast looked rather deilsh. 


* Well at least it's a break from talking about kittens

Comments

[gylfinir.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be able to watch Madcats...; it would make me far, far, far too upset.

[ms-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Me neither.

But I did enjoy getting cross and riled by Kirsty - she makes my attempts at making things look positively professional. I had lust for the monk's seat and the hall stand though and hopefully we will be getting a rather lovely hall stand sent to us from Jersey soon.

I haven't seen any of the other programmes you mention, I'm too addicted to Jeremy Kyle and Law and Order and all of it's spin offs.

[sarah-mum.livejournal.com]

That hal stand was a bit rubbish though, since it was devoid of coathooks or a mirror(and did I miss-hear or did the *expert* buy it for £20 and then claim £40 from the *bargain hunters*?). I liked Mrs Homemaker's glee at living in such a lovely house, but I really wanted to know how they'd dyed his red chesterfield black. Why didn't we get to see that?
Kirsty is a bit of a craft flake, but somehow I still love her and her dizzy head-girlishness.

[ms-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I'm so going to use the term craft flake at this evening's WI meeting :-)

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Yes, I was a bit miffed at the way they skimmed over the colour of the chairs, like we weren't supposed to notice.

I know what you mean about Kirsty, I heckle all the way through, but I can't find it in my heart to really dislike her. She's like an over-enthusiastic 6 year old girl who has accidentally drunk some Alice potion.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Yes, It's best avoided unless you feel like weeping

[sara-lou.livejournal.com]

I want to go to Brula again; it was so lovely. I think. It might be just a teensy bit blurry in my recollection. :-)

Kirsty should try trawling through my local auction house on a regular basis. That would be a challenge.

Now talk about the kittens.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Ooh yes, we should arrange another Brula session soon.

[sarah-mum.livejournal.com]

We watched the second Event (or Lost Forward as we've rather obviously tagged it) and it's...OK.
I was a bit suspicious of the hero's ability to be all cunning and stealthy in the face of rather overwhelming things, but apparently he's a videogame designer, so he's just behavign like Metal Gear Snake or something.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

"he's just behavign like Metal Gear Snake or something. "
Lol!

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

last night's firing actually made me punch the air.
I burst into spontaneous applause.

The Irish Apprentice is on at the moment too. Instead of Lord Suralan we have Bill Cullen. He is also a working class lad made good but with quite a lot of hair dye. He doesn't like 'spoofers'. He keeps saying how he wants 'warriors' and people with 'lee roady' - I can't spell it but it's Irish for 'balls'.

Also loving Downton and relieved that it's not just me turning into my mum.

Glad you're enjoying True Blood. It won't last. Season 3 is sheeeeeite. I only watch it for pervy reasons now (see icon).

I am currently watching Boardwalk Empire which is about Prohibition era mobsters. The young one from Trainspotting is in it with an awful Kerry accent. Stephen Graham from This is England is Al Capone and is really very good.

Will watch Walking Dead tonight, that's about zombies. \o/

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Oh pants news about True Blood. It seems to be the law that third seasons of US shows have to be rubbish. They really ought to quit while they're ahead.

Bill Cullen sounds like as much of a tool as Suralan.

Haven't tried walking dead... is that on free telly or sky?

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

I wasn't mad on season 2 of TB really, well I didn't like the cult storyline.

They should just have an Eric spin-off programme. Yes...

Eeeeh, I think WD is on FX but I download most of my telly programmes from t'internet.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I could handle more Eric ;-)

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

The first Eric scene of season 3 is really, really good. ;)

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

It turns into an Eric spin-off series in the books, which is no bad thing.

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

So there's hope that season 4 won't suck (as it were)... Needs more Lafayette being ace. And less Tara being mopey. And less Bill altogether.

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

Lafayette is a minor character in the book and so is Tara as the series goes on. Bill ... well... that would be telling.

[ivory-goddess.livejournal.com]

'Walking Dead' starts tomorrow (Fri) 10pm on FX

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I will have to wait for it to come on free telly

[chiller.livejournal.com]

I watched the MadCatLady thing and it had the same effect on me as my actual visit to the actual Celia Hammond Centre did: just an overwhelming sense of "woah, I have to get out of here", as if the despair of the place was this physical thing, like a sort of emotional pillow put over my face. I not only have no idea how they do what they do, I genuinely cannot understand WHY anyone would do it. I know. I am a cow.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how they do it, but I'm glad that they do. I suspect it's one of those things that starts out as wanting to devote a little bit of free time to making a difference, and then it must become hard to stop, once they realise the scale of the problem that needs solving.

Those of us who are not so generous with our free time (or emotional strength) can at least make donations. With any luck that programme might have generated an influx of donations for Celia Hammond & co.

[chiller.livejournal.com]

Yes, I hope so. I cannot imagine spending one's life pissing into quite such a cold, miserable wind as those ladies have chosen.

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

Apparently they've just made a film of Nigel Slater's autobiography Toast, which is a lovely read if you haven't seen it yet.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I have read a few bits of it, and really liked it