Right, so. I'm still watching BIG BROTHER 10 and enjoying it more than the media want me to, so rumours of its demise are a little exaggerated. Last night's suitably insane Alice In Wonderland task was hilarious. David looking like a flabby Mr Incredible in his red leotard, Marcus resembling King Rollo, and Hira going nuts after eating a gigantic cake. And then levelheaded Freddie finally cracked and laid into Lisa and David after they started grouching about the fact Marcus and Siavash's rule-breaking meant the whole house were up for eviction...
While it'll never be the gossip-magnet it was when 24/7 surveillance gave viewers an automatic, voyeuristic thrill, it's still essentially a show about PEOPLE. And people are interesting and funny. Hence, BB still is, too. I could do with more tasks and surprises, but watching men fall at the feet of Noirin (to be devoured and spat out when a more succulant fly got stuck in her web), has been more entertaining than a lot of scripted drama recently. But yes, I hope they give it a rest after next year. Don't axe it outright, but we need a break.
After some indecision, I've also decided to get VIRGIN+ now that they have 6 HD channels to their credit, and more to come in the autumn, a little birdie tells me. I was a little astonished to discover that their advertised price of £99 for a V+ box only comes at THAT price if you keep your existing digibox and pay them £9 p/month for the privilege. Obviously, I don't want to do that, so the V+ box price rockets to £150. Something to consider there, if you're debating whether or not to get Virgin or upgrade for their HD content now. It's a bit odd that V+ remains so pricey, when Sky+ are dishing out HD digiboxes for £49. But I guess Sky make back a lot more cash from every subscriber to cover their initial loss.
I'm also searching around for a new MOBILE PHONE. It must be: PAYG, touch-screen, with a camera-phone, network unlocked, and a decent make. I was drawn to the LG Arena, but a few things put me off that one. The Nokia 5800 also looks very good. Both have their pro's and con's, of course, but does anyone have any hands-on experience with these products?
I'm not 100% sure what's on TV for the rest of August, but I'm guessing not a lot. So, I'll be continuing my TWIN PEAKS and CHUCK reviews every week -- although I'm taking a break from Twin Peaks this week, to give readers a chance to catch-up with me. How's it going? Elsewhere, NURSE JACKIE and HUNG reviews have pretty much bitten the dust, because I'm not enthusiastic enough and most readers aren't likely to care.
I'm also slowly getting through season 1 of SIX FEET UNDER, so may have a full review up when I complete that. I'm in no rush, so it could be months away yet. I also purchased season 2 of CARNIVALE from Lovefilm.com (for the bargain price of £18), so I may review that HBO series one day soon. I have no plans to continue my retro reviews of THE PRISONER, despite managing to squeeze one out for "Checkmate" because I was high on the remake's excellent teaser. But who knows, whenever inspiration hits, a few more may filter through from brain to blog.
And that's pretty much it. A quiet day today, so feel free to stir up some discussion about whatever you like, if you feel like it.
Thursday, 6 August 2009
