The winning franchise continues as- staggeringly- we find ourselves at series 8 of the UK version. And oh my, for the love of Saint Dolly, is it kicking off already. These queens do not hold back. In an extremely ill-judged moment backstage, young queen Paris Baby threw what I think she thought was shady banterContinue reading “RuPaul’s Drag Race Series 8 Begins!”
Category Archives: Television
That Mitchell and Webb Look- Series 1(2006)
The first series of ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’ is by far the best. It came along at exactly the right time, 2006, when sketch comedy shows seemed moribund. Melding their contrasting ‘Peep Show’ personas with outright absurdism, it was very silly and often inspired. There was ‘Numberwang’, the quiz show with no discernible rules;Continue reading “That Mitchell and Webb Look- Series 1(2006)”
Boom! An Explosive Farewell to River City
Angus and bestie Boab (Scott Fletcher and Stephen Purdon) Top: Frank Gallagher as Lenny Murdoch. Bawbags, burrrds, dysfunctional families and gangsters: few TV soaps cut to the heart of Glasgow humanity like ‘River City’. But alas, it is no more, and last night’s episode was the final, after twenty four crazy years. A few spoilersContinue reading “Boom! An Explosive Farewell to River City”
Tim Curry Was Hot
Said it before and I’ll say it again, the Rocky Horror film is overrated shit, but for Tim Curry, the naughty tomcat. RIP, TC.. Top Cat! The purr, the pout, the sass, the strut, the mangled RP pronunci… ation. No one could come close to his Dr Frank -N -Furter. Nobody would dare. Props tooContinue reading “Tim Curry Was Hot”
Darlene’s Poem
‘Roseanne’ was such a radical sitcom for the time. It focused on a sardonic, overweight working-class couple, Roseanne and Dan Conner, and their equally wayward kids DJ, Becky and Darlene. Even by series three, the seeds of Goth Darlene were being sown. Impeccably portrayed by Sara Gilbert, she was a wisecracking tomboy (as was theContinue reading “Darlene’s Poem”
TV Review:The Vampire Lestat: Interview With the Vampire
Sam Reid stars as a derivative glam rocker… Except he’s the immortal bloodsucker Lestat in this Anne Rice- inspired follow-up to ‘Interview With the Vampire’. How to modernise him for Gen Z? By making him an insufferable, preening edgelord, part Ewan McGregor in ‘Velvet Goldmine’, part undead Michael Hutchence, and inserting endless jump-cuts and heapsContinue reading “TV Review:The Vampire Lestat: Interview With the Vampire”
Iggy and The Stooges,1970 TV Broadcast
In 1970, nobody had seen the like of Iggy Pop. A writhing Dionysus, feline, stalking, feral creature, he was, as Iggy himself said, the antithesis of “are you having a good time, ladies and gentlemen”. The Stooges were wild, psychedelic, anti-cliche, unafraid to experiment. This clip from a Cincinnati gig, shows the Igster getting upContinue reading “Iggy and The Stooges,1970 TV Broadcast”
Film Review: Gene Kelly-An American In Hollywood
Claudia Collao’s exuberant documentary on the great actor, dancer and film maker Gene Kelly looks at his rise to stardom, quest for innovation in all that he did, and above all, his egalitarian attitude that dance should be accessible to everyone, no matter where they came from. As someone who had grown up in hard-scrabbleContinue reading “Film Review: Gene Kelly-An American In Hollywood”
Every Generic Animated Sitcom
You’ve seen them, broader than Broadway, written by manatees, lacking humanity, and punching down. Alasdair Beckett- King’s parody absolutely nails it. *Cue canned laughter, disproportionate whooping and applause*
It’s All A Bit Rainbow Rhythms
‘Peep Show’ created by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, was always brilliant for capturing the zeitgeist. Now, looking back, it’s an accurate time capsule, and we can remember exactly where we were when Mark and Jez were making total dicks of themselves with their latest unsuitable crush, or ridiculous scheme. One episode, though, remains goldContinue reading “It’s All A Bit Rainbow Rhythms”