Electric Roulette (Free subscription) | 09/30/2008
Frank Zappa, eh. Pioneer of the jazz freak out and a frequent lapse of judgement when naming his children, was also fairly prolific, releasing (insert comedic random number here) albums in his life time. And it wasn't just albums the...
Unreality TV (Free subscription) | 09/23/2008
I’d Do Anything contestant, Rachel Tucker made her West End debut last night in Ben Elton musical, ‘We Will Rock You’. Rachel expressed her gratitude to the BBC show which gave her the perfect springboard into the career she had always wanted. Tucker told ITN: “It’s my first role in the West End, live in front of [...]
Reading matters (Free subscription) | 09/21/2008
Fiction - paperback; Faber and Faber; 127 pages; 2008. (Translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside.) When it comes to satire and parody, reality television seems ripe for the picking. I'm not a fan of Ben Elton but I read his very funny and clever send-up of Big Brother, entitled Dead Famous, back in 2002 when the genre was rather new and exciting, if a little tasteless. But now, six years down...
Manchester Evening News (Free subscription) | 09/17/2008
WHEN it first emerged that tub-thumping comedian Ben Elton was writing a musical based on the songs of Queen - or indeed any musical - it seemed an odd departure for the Manchester University graduate.
Sciencebase Science Blog (Free subscription) | 09/15/2008
As a kind of follow-up to my Sex and Social Networking post last week, I thought I’d give a mention to the ludicrous idea of spray-on condoms highlighted, in lurid yellow on Geeks are Sexy this week. This supposedly original idea of applying Latex in spray-on form looks like an April Fool’s joke. First off, it’s [...]
San Fransisco Chronicle (Free subscription) | 09/14/2008
RATING: (ALERT VIEWER) There's nothing wrong with the 1980s British sketch comedy series "Alfresco" that a translator and a British historian couldn't fix. Just kidding. Sort of. Britain's answer to "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" is often very funny, but...
St. Aidan to Abbey Manor (Free subscription) | 09/04/2008
Todays inbox had a round up of various legal cases involving Christians - we're so blessed to live in a country under the rule of law, even if sometimes the law is wrong. One of them caught my eye, involving the Voluntary Euthanasia Society and it's attempt to trademark the phrase 'dignity in dying'..... Case Win - Victory in Important Trademark Case In 2006 the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (VES) changed...
John's Adventures (Free subscription) | 09/03/2008
I’ve read a couple of Ben Elton’s books before and rather enjoyed them. Not only is he a clever satirist and comedy writer (having written programmes like Blackadder and The Young Ones) but he can make you think about and question fundamental constructs of our society such as violence in films (Popcorn), or reality TV [...]
Sky News (Free subscription) | 09/03/2008
Books written by John Prescott, Russell Brand and Cherie Blair have topped a reader's list - but not the kind they would be proud of.
The Inquisitr (Free subscription) | 09/03/2008
A new first for Ustream.tv and possibly the net, a birth was streamed live to the world today from West Pennsylvania. At the time of writing I can’t find a recording of the birth, with only a video of the child post delivery available, but from all accounts the whole thing was shown. This is the [...]
Whatsonstage.com (Free subscription) | 09/02/2008
Denise Van Outen is apparently being lined up to play the lead role of Christine in Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which he hopes to premiere towards the end of 2009 (See The Goss::E8821213096084, 9 Jun 2008). An inside s...
Pigdogfucker (Free subscription) | 08/30/2008
I felt sad about the death of Geoffrey Perkins, creator of Mornington Crescent, first producer of the Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, writer for Harry Enfield when he was funny, first producer of Father Ted, and all-round excellent comedy man. Then, I read this paragraph of the poor man’s obit: His credits as executive producer at the [...]
The Independent (Free subscription) | 08/30/2008
One of the leading figures in British television and radio comedy was killed in a road accident yesterday. Geoffrey Perkins, a former head of comedy for the BBC, had written and produced shows for comedians including Harry Enfield, Catherine Tate and Angus Deayton.
Cele|bitchy (Free subscription) | 08/29/2008
Hugh Laurie, star of the FOX show House M.D. gave a surprise performance on August 9th at a Netflix Live event in Los Gatos, California with the Band from TV. According to the press release, the band is comprised of a bunch of actors who also play music on the side, including, “guitarist James [...]
Ten Percent (Free subscription) | 08/29/2008
Wherein the comedian (41st best) determines Osama Bin Laden is more popular than Ben Elton.
