Hello :-)
Today I’m in a lovely mood! So I'm going to talk about somehting I love :-)
Last year was a stellar year of telly, the good was really good and the bad… well, the less said about the epic FAIL that was ‘The Song of Lunch’ the better because it’ll ruin my mood.
In January Charlie Brooker brought another series of Newswipe to BBC 4. I’m a fan of Charlie’s articles in the Guardian and I understand some people don’t get it, but his brand of sarcastic, sometimes vitriolic, humour gives a voice to some of the things that I’m just too much of a wussy to say aloud. Brooker’s take on the news is brilliant, his feigned ignorance is always funny and the reviews of rolling news channels like Sky News and BBC News 24 (especially when they’re tackling big news stories such as the Haiti earthquake and not so big news stories such as the snow we’ve been having recently) are spot on. I know he doesn’t appeal to everyone but I, rather selfishly, hope they make another series.
When April came around it brought with it series 5 of Doctor Who and crucially the debut series for Dr Who newbie (Whobie???) Matt Smith. As an optimist I always had faith in Mr Smith, not as much faith as I had in David Tennant before him (because I’d previously seen ‘Casanova’ starring Tennant and it is excellent, find a copy if you can and I’d never seen anything Smith had been in), but still I had faith.
I bought the box set of series 5 at Christmas and it reminded me of just what a punch Matt Smith packs in that series. Amy Pond has cemented herself as my favourite companion with her independence and humour and it’s so nice to have an assistant that doesn’t just moon over the Dr for the whole series (cough…Martha Jones…cough). I also quite like the character of Rory. In the case of Doctor Who, 3 is not always the magic number as it’s almost universally acknowledged that no one liked Mickey when he was tagging along with the Dr and Rose so the introduction of a third character into the Tardis was a risky one. However, the crucial difference between Mickey and Rory is that Rory is involved in the story. His ‘Lone Centurion’ was adorable and brought a tear to my eye.
If I was forced to pick I’d say my favourite Episode is ‘Amy’s Choice’. It’s really inventive and has some of the best lines (Amy: “If we're going to die, let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band”). Roll on series 6!
As April brought about the start of a new Doctor it heralded the last hurrah for the Gene Genie. Ashes to Ashes and Life on Mars before it are two amazing series. I’ll be honest I never liked Alex Drake like I did Sam Tyler but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of this series. Gene, Ray, Chris and Shaz were the best characters. I genuinely believed in them and cared about what happened to them. I think the last series was a fitting end for the characters I had bought into so much.
Towards the tail end of July is when Sherlock graced our screens. A series of 3, one and a half hour episodes that made me feel like nothing could top it. Benedict Cumberbatch (BEST NAME IN THE WORLD) was born to play Holmes. That detachment from emotion that Sherlock Holmes is supposed to have is played well, not as much as to render him unlikable but enough to make you think this man is different and really something special. Martin Freeman makes the perfect Watson, the emotional yin to Holmes’s logical yang. It’s through Watson we witness the events that unfold over the series. I’m so excited about the new series and if rumours to be believed I suspect this will be the last one which is fine by me because it’s often true that the brightest flames burn half as long.
September heralded series 4 of Mad Men to BBC 4 (fast becoming my favourite channel). This year the world seemed to go Mad Men crazy, you couldn’t move for features in Cosmo or Glamour telling you how to ‘Get the Mad Men Look’ or interviews with Jon Hamm and suggestions he could be next to take on the caped mantle of Superman. All of this made me want to shout ‘Where the hell have you been?!?!?! It’s the fourth series! It’s been around since March 08!’
Fashion aside (it PAINS me to say that because the clothes are beautiful) Mad Men is one of the best things that’s been on telly in recent years. It’s not fast paced but I don’t think that’s a bad thing and as far as character development, photography, script, plot development and central performances go it's pretty flawless. Plus Christina Hendricks is gorgeous and I would give my right arm to look like her.
For me 2010 saved the best till last. In November E4 showed Misfits series 2. It's just great. Pitched perfectly (halfway between funny and dark), a great story and some brilliant performances make it the best thing about last year. Series 2 was definitely Simon's series and Simon was played fantastically by Iwan Rheon (Welsh, excellent actor, lovely singer songwriter, he may well be the perfect man). The decidedly un-Christmassy Christmas Special left us on a fantastic cliff hanger and I’m just so excited about where they’re taking it next.
So that was my TV of 2010. Feel free to comment if you think I’ve missed anything.
This year I’m looking forward to 10 o’clock live, the new series of Being Human, Charlie Brooker's How TV Ruined your life and all the new series of Sherlock, Misfits and Doctor Who and I’ll probably blog about those as and when they hit the small screen.
And now…
Today’s reasons to be cheerful
1. I’m off to see the Kings Speech tomorrow! I’m excited for two reasons. 1) The film looks amazing and Colin Firth is well due some plaudits because I think he’s a brilliant actor and 2) it’ll be my first ever solo cinema trip. I’ve never been to the pictures on my own and I’m actually quite excited about it, hopefully it’ll mean none of my mates asking me ‘who’s he?’ or checking Facebook and blinding me with light pollution halfway through the film.
2. Nintendo has denied producers the use of the Super Mario theme for the upcoming Justin Bieber film 'Never Say Never'. Yay! Apparently Bieber tweeted ‘Aw C'mon Nintendo! Y won't you let us use the Mario theme for 15 secs in the @JustinBieber movie’. I love how he felt the need to @mention himself in his own tweet. If anyone’s wondering why this qualifies as a reason to be cheerful, well it’s because I love Nintendo and they are denying Justin Bieber (who I can’t stand) something he wants.
3. Anne Hathaway has been announced as playing Catwoman and Tom Hardy (SWOON!) has been announced as playing Bane in the new Batman film. Tom hardy is a brilliant actor and I have loved him since I saw the adaptation of ‘Stuart: a Life backwards’. Most people will know Bane from 'Batman and Robin' where he’s an inarticulate, stupid, thug of a character but those familiar with the comics know that Bane is a much more rounded, intelligent character that’s a victim of a life in the penal system. I think Hardy will carry this off with aplomb, he’s obviously not going to be as hench (yes, i just said hench) as the Batman and Robin abomination (he was played by a wrestler which I think is all that needs to be said on the matter) but I think that’ll work with Christopher Nolan’s current vision of the story. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman is interesting. Not casting wise, she’s my hero, I love her and I’ll watch her in anything but the way it’s been announced is odd. She hasn’t been announced as playing ‘Catwoman’ they announced her as ‘Selina Kyle’, Catwoman's alter ego. It’s either they’re trying to distance themselves from the Razzie laden ‘Catwoman’ starring Hallie Berry OR Anne won’t be donning any PVC for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (if this is true you'll be hearing weaps of sorrow from Batman Fanboys everywhere). Either way I can’t wait.
3. Anne Hathaway has been announced as playing Catwoman and Tom Hardy (SWOON!) has been announced as playing Bane in the new Batman film. Tom hardy is a brilliant actor and I have loved him since I saw the adaptation of ‘Stuart: a Life backwards’. Most people will know Bane from 'Batman and Robin' where he’s an inarticulate, stupid, thug of a character but those familiar with the comics know that Bane is a much more rounded, intelligent character that’s a victim of a life in the penal system. I think Hardy will carry this off with aplomb, he’s obviously not going to be as hench (yes, i just said hench) as the Batman and Robin abomination (he was played by a wrestler which I think is all that needs to be said on the matter) but I think that’ll work with Christopher Nolan’s current vision of the story. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman is interesting. Not casting wise, she’s my hero, I love her and I’ll watch her in anything but the way it’s been announced is odd. She hasn’t been announced as playing ‘Catwoman’ they announced her as ‘Selina Kyle’, Catwoman's alter ego. It’s either they’re trying to distance themselves from the Razzie laden ‘Catwoman’ starring Hallie Berry OR Anne won’t be donning any PVC for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (if this is true you'll be hearing weaps of sorrow from Batman Fanboys everywhere). Either way I can’t wait.
And that’s it for tonight.
Goodbye till next time :-)
x x x x x x
