Ricky Gervais offends … actually, I don’t know whom

Normally I think Piers Morgan is a plonker, and the time Jeremy Clarkson punched him at the BAFTAs remains one of entertainment’s best stories.    However, I have enjoyed Life Stories, and he has been a worthy successor, in my mind, to Larry King. Of course it’s not the same show, but the important thing […]

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The changing accent of Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson, Chicago-born, star of The X Files, grew up in North London and speaks with an accent that’s closer to Britain than the States. I noticed that she gets quite a bit of flak for this on YouTube comments, which is rather sad, perhaps revealing more about those who criticize her than anything else. […]

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Bingo! Merry Christmas!

Here’s a Christmas treat, an hour in to Christmas Day in New Zealand. Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas, filmed in 1977 33 days before the crooner’s passing, featured a duet between Bingo and David Bowie.    Taped on September 11, 1977, the special aired after Crosby’s death, on November 30. The set is supposedly the […]

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Is your favourite 1980s’ celeb here?

From the ‘Whatever happened to …’ and the ‘My God, is (s)he still alive?’ files comes this promotional video for the (Norwegian) TV2 show Gylne Tider, with a bunch of celebrities lip-synching ‘Let It Be’ (including, appropriately, Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli).    Sir Roger Moore kicks it off, but right after, you’ll catch (inter […]

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Twenty-ten’s TV in eight paragraphs

BBC2’s Mongrels was probably the best thing on telly for me in 2010.    Hustle suffered from being filmed in Brum and the scripts weren’t as good (the “Kylie Minogue” scene being one of the few highlights); Ashes to Ashes’ ending was disappointing and the whole series felt cheap; Luther had a few too many […]

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Farewell, Leslie Nielsen

A quick tribute to Leslie Nielsen—the ‘OC’—and the world’s favourite Danish–Canadian guy, who died today at age 84. And don’t call me Shirley, either. You may also like Is there a type that works from home more easily? History of the 2010s: a look back at the decade that was Seasonal Canadian humour I wanted […]

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A tribute to Mission: Impossible’s nice guy

Maybe I plain did not watch the news on the 15th—goodness knows what I was doing to have missed that Peter Graves, best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps in Mission: Impossible, passed away, after suffering a heart attack. Today would have been his 84th birthday.    I am a huge fan of Mission: […]

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Getting a good laugh over the Jennifer Hawkins nude cover non-story

This whole Jennifer Hawkins nude cover story has been another media-concocted non-story. But I will give it some kudos: it influenced Australian celebrity dialogue for a week, and it shows that Murdochs still have some sway over public opinion.    We knew about it at Lucire, and thought: OK, a radio presenter doesn’t like the […]

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