Big Day for Me

Not only did I Skype the UK (not the whole nation, just my new colleague Lou Clarke at Watchmore TV in London) but I got this pretty pic from my old colleague Mame McCutchin. Hey, I'm not saying it takes much to make my day.

Mame's an Anglofan from way back, solidified when she traveled America looking for art with a UK-based crew.


Check out Mame's blogs (where does she find the time?):
This Idiot
Found Money
and The Daily Draw

The Prisoner

Number 6 is dead.

Well, the Prisoner was never my cup of tea, but so many Anglophiles have used it as their entry point to British culture that I had to mark Patrick McGoohan's passing somehow.

In spite of my feelings about the show itself, I do love this opening sequence. Something tells me that this clip is going to get a lot of viewings on YouTube today.

The Funniest DVD Menu in History

Well, beside being super busy with work, Battlestar Galactica, 24, and Lost are all starting up again -- not to mention the Simon Cowell Show, which I will try to avoid but will fail.

And with all of that going on, I just couldn't resist the I'm Alan Partridge Series 1 DVD when I saw it in the library. Steve Coogan for free? Count me in.

I haven't seen much of this show which stars Coogan as a washed up TV presenter, but I have noticed one thing: The menu is the most inspired bit of madness since the CD, "Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time."

I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that you won't see the word, "Play" anywhere and if you want to see the show, you'll want to clear the room of children.

Oh, Harry

Here's the quick version: Prince Harry (that's the one who was photographed wearing a Nazi uniform a couple of years ago). Made a little tape during his army training. In it, he refers to a fellow soldier as a "little Paki," tells another that he looks like a raghead, he makes a mock phone call to his grandmother ("Love to the Corgis!"), and confirms that his pubes are ginger.

Check it out if you wish. I won't comment here as I know little about how soldiers need to set their heads. All I will say is that this is how the man behaves while he knows he is being recorded.

Things I Missed on Holiday

If you've every been on a cruise, you know it takes ages to find out what you've missed.

In this case, I missed both happy and sad news while I was away (I'm not counting the Gaza Crisis ... that was on every telly on the ship).

I have learned that there's a new Doctor: Matt Smith will play the 11th Doctor Who. I'll analyze the choice of an actor who was born after I finished high school another time.

Also Harold Pinter, a towering figure, is gone.

I hope this is all I missed.

Tastes a Bit Squirrely

Saw a piece in the New York Times the other day: Brits are going in for squirrel meat. Well, it's not exactly an fad, but since the population is out of control, the eco-friendly thing to do is to tuck into a nice squirrel pie.

But what interested me was that their squirrels, the red squirrels with the fluffy ears (you know them from the Beatrix Potter drawings) are getting pushed out by those tough-as-nails gray squirrels we have here in New York. It seems the louts carry a disease against which reds have little or no resistance.

It's like:

Gray: Yo, can you tell me (cough, cough) the way to "Lie-chester" Square?
Red: It's pronounced "Lester."
Gray: (cough, cough) Whatever, fuggedaboudit.

So tuck in, Britian, and enjoy our squirrels! Grays for tea is a point of national pride.

Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood -- that's what I got when I found out that the Norwegian Broadcasting Company, NRK, had started a free podcast in which they were going to make the entire Fab Four catalog (which they put at 212 songs) downloadable as a free podcast. All you had to do was listen to Norwegian musicologist analyze the song for several minutes prior.

But alas, I got there long after the Apple Corps's lawyers .... the podcasts have been pulled for the time being.

Apple Corp: I have deal for you ... start making your music available online some other way, and I will be happy to pay shell out a few quid for it.

England is Mine, Owes Me a Living

The Smith are available from the Guardian for free.

For a limited time, go here and get the video for Panic.

Ah, the Smiths. Have I ever told you that I was at their American premier? It was at Danceteria in New York. As Morissey once said, "Tell the truth, it really, really helped you."

This photo taken in Her Majesty's realm

Sorry my holiday in the Bahamas put a stop to posting for a while. However, it was a thrill to be in country that drives on the "right" side of the road and has a proper monarch.

Didn't get much of a feel for the country as it was a cruise and I mostly saw other holidaymakers also doing their side trips planned by the ships extortion er- excursion desk.