Bit of a shock exit by Nicky Watson and her partner, er, whatsisname, from Dancing with the Stars the other week. But were we really surprised to see Ewen Gilmour and his partner, er, whatsername, booted off? He looked like he wasn’t quite trying hard enough, although he did have the best jokes. Rumour has it that Nicky was distraught with disappointment, although probably not as distraught as the producers at the loss of all those women’s mags covers on which she will now not appear. Damn that voting public.
My guess for next exit would have to be Nicky’s compatriot in fake body parts, Georgina Beyer, who is good at miming and drag, but moves like a rugby player, which strangely, Norm Hewitt doesn’t. (You’d think I’d been watching the bloody thing wouldn’t you?) DWtS is weirdly compelling, in the same way that Eating Media Lunch’s compilation of biff was compelling. Is it wrong of me to admit that there’s a sad little place deep down inside that is watching to see if anyone falls on their arse?
For anyone worried about Sunday Theatre, I’m told it’s coming back after Dancing with the Stars, but in the meantime there’s Prime’s drama slot on Sunday night, which is sporadically excellent: The Long Firm was brilliant, although I bloody missed the last one (my tape got stopped by someone in the household who shall remain nameless) and coming up is a Ray Winstone drama called Lenny Blue. Jolisa mentions Miss Marple in her post, of which there was one recently.
So I, er, just found out that season five of Angel is rentable on DVD. Duh. Although – yay, no more taping it every Tuesday. I thought the season was a little bit ropey to start with, but I’m tellin’ ya, it’s getting really good, what with Spike having horror movie moments and Lorne having an Incredible Hulk problem. The episode “Harm’s Way” is, like, totally excellent, with Harmony facing off against another female vamp in the lunchroom with … chopsticks. Heh. Oh, oh, in other news from the Whedonverse, my sources tell me that Serenity will play here in November on the big screen. Joy. (Speaking of sauces, what’s happened to Rocket Fuel? Best sauce ever with snarlers. Can’t see it in the supermarket anywhere.) Also, reader Craig asks if there is a New Zealand branch of the Browncoats. I can put both of you guys in touch if you want.
Check out the video for The Checks’ “What You Heard” on the NME site. They’re destined for superstardom, according to the site, although they had to cancel a gig on the NME new music tour because singer Ed got a throat infection.
Deadwood’s Sol Star is in a band. Best brilliantly black moment of the week: Swearengen spitting, "Welcome to fuckin' Deadwood!" at little William just as he's about to stick a knife in his new daddy's gut out in the mud and filth of the street. Those Shakespearean soliloquies are fantastic – I like EB Farnum's the best – and all that scrubbing at bloodstains on the floor like testosterone-fuelled Lady Macbeths.
If you’d like to know how to burgle a house, I’d heartily recommend To Catch a Thief on TV2 which features two former burglars showing naïve homeowners just how easy their stuff is to pinch. This instructional programme is tempered by particularly stilted conversations between the reformed pair about how their lives have been turned around, how much happier they are now, yada yada, yada, but mostly is a fantastic primer for trainee burglars. Hell, even I know how it’s done now and I’m seriously wondering how the Listener’s word rate compares to flogging off my neighbour’s DVD player and digital camera. Okay, so yeah, it did make me think about security around the house, but really …
Letterman list:
Monday 23: Ellen DeGeneres, Hot Hot Heat
Tuesday 24: David Arquette, Gordon Ramsey
Wednesday 25: Paul Newman and the guys from Mythbusters
Thursday 26: Adam Sandler, The Wallflowers
Friday 27: Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls), Ryan Adams
Monday 30: Robin Williams, Martha Wainwright
Looking forward to the Great Blend tonight, peeps. Less looking forward to Star Wars: Return of the Revenge of the Clone Army Sith Lords and Their Evil Empire tomorrow, but the two younger members of the household are insisting.