4 posts tagged “television”

What will Boris do?

 

Many Londoners are wondering the same thing I am, for better, for worse, for whatever. Boris Johnson is our new Mayor, and I’m looking forward to watching these things unfold, living under this new leadership:

Buffoonery

There is going to be a lot of it, and I get the feeling that Boris, in addition to outsourcing his entire professional team, is also recruiting a top comedy performance coach to keep his public laughing, as we get dragged along for this ride.

Comedy Sketch Shows

Can’t WAIT to see what the top British comedy talent comes up with. Will Matt Lucas step up to the plate on this one? There is plenty of material for him already.

Fancy Dress

Festival season, fancy dress parties (hey Americans, that means costume party) and club nights are going to be sprinkled with Boris look-a-likes. I suspect the fancy dress shops are now stocking up on floppy blonde haired wigs. Better get my order in.

Documentaries

I suspect that brainstorming is now in progress among Channel 4’s Dispatches, the BBC’s Panorama and all the other fantastic British documentary producers, who are planning for the next investigative piece about how and why Boris Johnson won the London Mayoral election. I’m looking forward to some hilarious ‘docudrama’ about the subject, and wondering who will be cast as the lead role for...Boris the West End Musical, or for Boris the Movie? Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis could dye his mop blonde, gain weight, and give a fantastic OTT moving performance, something he is great at, as a bonified card-carrying member of the Overactors Annoynmous. He won't take the gig though, as for him to play Boris, it would require him to do some actual acting.

Virals

I’m already seeing some citizen-created viral campaigns appear in response to this election, such as the folks over at I Didn’t Vote For Boris, who invite non-Boris voting Londoners to tag a photo with ididntvoteforboris and add it to the Flickrstream. The conservative viral online campaign viral Boriswatch, has had its day, and now I’m looking forward to other Citizen Journalist reports, such as the eye view of Sunny Hundal, from the frontlines of what may be a new sport in London of Boris Watching. Clearly with 2,000+ already signed up to the Facebook group, it will be a popular activity here.

Celebrity Commentary 

“Boris has as little knowledge of multiculturalism as I have of life on Jupiter. He used to go to this club in Oxford called the Bullingdon Club, full of snobs and creative conmen. The man has not only no physical ability to run anything, he is immoral and a bully. Boris as mayor would be like discovering you had piles and there was no cure for it.”

Vivienne Westwood

“In Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, there is a scene where a character is talking

about another who is a card player and he’s described as ‘a fucking liability’. That’s my idea of Boris. The mouth engages before the mind does. He doesn’t have any sense of diplomacy or tact. London is a cosmopolitan city. You can’t have someone who makes quotes like that [Johnson’s “piccaninnies” comment] representing London, regardless of the fact it was in the past [Johnson wrote the comment in 2002]. Of all the things people say about Ken, in my view he’s done a lot for London. When you go into the city it looks like a European capital now with all the regeneration, and it didn’t before. Trafalgar Square is a much more welcoming place.”

David Mitchell
Comedian, Peep Show

“Boris is mad. He wants to bring back bus conductors, but that’s never going to happen. I think he talks rubbish. He’s

out of touch and he doesn’t understand Londoners. People say Ken is obnoxious, but what can you do? One thing about him is he knows London.”

Charlie Brooker
Guardian columnist and Television Presenter

Thanks to this election result, I’ve now got a powerful retort to the next Brit who blames me for the conservative politics of George Bush, because clearly it can happen here as well, and I will not be surprised if David Cameron is this country's next Prime Minister.

 

I’m watching Boris,

-Lisa

 

Who’s Lisa Devaney?

I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm a Broadway baby, having spent my childhood in New York City literally backstage at Broadway

theatres, watching my Dad, who played French Horn in the Orchestra pits throughout the city. Together we witnessed the glitter – and grime – of musical runs of George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, A Little Night Music, The Wiz, opera at the MET, annual Christmas show's with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and often he gigged at Lincoln Center as a professional musician, among many, many more performances.

Dad studied at the Julliard School of Music in the 60s, alongside several great names in classical music - including Itzhak Peralman. Few had the wealth of culture that I experienced as a child, but most of my friends had an easier time buying designer jeans or taking family vacations to Disney Land regularly. A professional musician’s salary is no easy way to raise four children. He did what he had to do to keep income flowing, in between shows, or in the face of sudden show closures. I remember one musical called Rex that had a one-night run and was closed immediately following disastourous critical review. Dad sometimes drove a cab, and had a host of other amusing odd jobs throughout his career. It is an economic struggle I wish on no one who possesses as much talent as my Dad - Lloyd Rosevear.

This year, watching the WAG strike unfold, followed by the Broadway stagehand's strike, I'm thinking about my own special childhood. Under the stage lights, sitting back stage among the performers and dancers, I saw magic. I often wish that behind all that pretty display, that behind the scenes, the reality of what we faced in getting by financially, wasn't such a brutal, ugly story of hardship that my Dad faced for so many years. The musician's union had a few fights back then, but, as I was a kid, I didn't understand everything that was happening. I just remember that he had to really fight to hold onto good-paying gigs, and it seemed that these were constantly under threat from a variety of seedy influences in the world of showbusiness. I wish my Dad had the community of support that is emerging for WAG and the Broadway stagehands -- because it takes a whole world to support good art.

On my recent visit to the theatre district in Times Square, I'd hoped to catch a show for old time sake - but the stagehand workers strike was still in full force. I chatted with a frontline striker in Times

Square and gave him all of my support. While I haven't seen the musician’s union of the entertainment world chime in just yet, in support, other than a few individuals like KT Tunstall, or to hang out their own list of grievances, today I received news that the Screen Actor's Guild will show solidarity tomorrow in New York City for the Writers Guild of America. Seems it:

 'Tis the season to strike!

Hurray that actors in NYC are uniting with writers over what is a long-overdue dispute over the need for fairness in this ever-changing media landscape. Of course writers, and all contributing talent, should receive increased compensation from the sale of DVDs! It is about time that what’s fair is fair be accounted for accurately with the emergence of new models for entertainment content distribution. Everyone (even me) knows that a whole new wave of fortune is presented with television shows availability on DVD and these days, movie releases are often rushed ahead, many skipping over wasting money on marketing and promotions efforts for general theatre release, to get to the shelves of Blockbuster, and for online distribution, as soon as possible. The Hollywood tycoons are always screaming Show Me The Money! And it is about time that the creatives are taking a stand to scream the same line...that they wrote in the first place!

In spirit, I'll be out on the cold streets New York City to join the picket lines alongside my SAG friends, to support my WAG friends -- and if you think you want to get involved, the full details about what's going down in front of Viacom are below:

Information on WGA Strike Locations for Thursday, Dec. 13

 Dear Guild Member:

Now more than ever, we must bolster our commitment and keep walking picket lines to let management know that we stand firmly with our brothers and sisters at the WGA. The commitment of actors has been astounding—and our message has been heard loud and clear: The WGA's fight is our fight.

On Thursday, December 13, students and future members of the Writers Guild will join us at Viacom to march, learn about the issues of our strike and show their support. When you arrive at the location, please look for the designated Screen Actors Guild staff member.

Viacom

44th and Broadway

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

REMINDER:  

• Please stay at studio locations, and do not join picketers at on-location sites. Screen Actors Guild is not condoning or participating in disruption and/or attempts to shut down location shoots.
• It is critical that SAG picket signs not be displayed at any locations other than the appropriate sites at the studios and networks.
• If you are contracted to work on a television series or motion picture that continues to produce while the WGA is on strike, you are obligated by your personal service agreement and the "No Strike" clause in our collective bargaining agreements to go to work. You can continue to audition for work and accept new work if you choose to do so.  
• Screen Actors Guild members should not perform the duties covered by WGA contracts. Simply stated, you should not write anything normally written by striking WGA writers.
• Finally, and most importantly, we must support our fellow SAG members on every set even if they have to cross a picket line to get to work. They are simply following the advice of their union and honoring their contract. It is not reasonable to expect SAG cast members to risk the potentially enormous personal liability that may flow from refusing to work in the absence of a SAG strike. Please note, the WGA contract includes a similar "No Strike" clause and writers would be bound to the same rules as you are if another union were striking.

IMPORTANT NOTE:   We have also set up a toll-free Screen Actors Guild WGA strike information hotline number for questions regarding work rules and picket line locations. Through this hotline number, you can get up-to-the-minute information on work rules, picket line locations and help with other questions.

-----

If Paris Hilton & Victoria Beckham walked past me, I'd only recognize them because of the entourage and crowd of paparazzi they would likely attract. Just now, I saw my kind of celebrity in Hammersmith. Nope, not an A-lister tabloid star or even a former contestant of Big Brother, but a BBC programme host of the series Coast.

Nicholas Crane is a geographer and a journalist, who is one of the presenters of Coast, a breathtaking documentary

television series that explores the natural beauty and history of the Britain's seashore. Nick is also known as Map Man after presenting the BBC TWO series of the same name. He is currently filming a new series for the BBC called Great British Journeys to be broadcast this season and is writing a book to go with the series.

He politely spoke to me, when I bombarded him with fan enthusiasm. I'd probably do the same for Dan Cruickshank, another BBC documentary producer or the world's best paid film critic Jonathan Ross and have already been thrilled to meet Bobby Friction and Moria Stewart, among other British media notables. Nick Crane humbly pointed out that:

"The real star of the show is the British coast," and he was happy to know that I am a big fan of the show.

Watching Coast actually compelled me to plan a trip to the Cornwall coast this summer, rather than choose a warmer climate such as the South of France. I had a second reason to visit, as I was tracing the land of my ancestors, and I'm glad I finally visited the southern tip of Britain and looked out upon the seaport in Plymouth where my ancestors set sail for America back in the 1830s.

I am slowly trying to see more of the British coast, and recently took a day trip to Whitstable, a seaside town in Kent, where efforts to clean up the bay (it is where the ocean meets the mouth of the Thames River), have resulted in oysters returning to the area. Sampling the local seafood, I was impressed by how delicious the Whitstable oysters, and locally caught fish tasted.

Programmes such as Coast bring positive attention to the natural environment that Britain has to offer, and rather than burn up some more of the ozone layer with a cheap airline flight, UK residents have plenty on offer to see in this country - if they can get there. The downside about traveling within Britain is the unpredictable weather, but even more off-putting is the ridiculous prices of transport. It actually cost more to visit Cornwall this year than it would have cost to take a cheap flight to the South of France, or even a trip on the Eurostar train. This makes me endlessly mad. If my husband's family lived in Paris, Rome, Amsterdam or Prague, instead of Scotland, we would likely get to visit them more. The cost of trains, buses, tubes and planes within Britain is double, and even triple, what the rest of continental Europe pays. And, the service is unforgivably below average. If Britain wants to attract both its own people to visit and support what is on offer in this country, as well as tourists from abroad, why not do something about the transport infastructure here?

An organization called Visit Britain seems to be the leading group for tourism advocacy in this country - and I ask the people at Visit Britain - what are you doing about improving transport within this country so that more people can get to the seashore, the mountains and move affordably and freely within the borders of Britain - without having to rent or own a car? Whatever you are doing, it is clearly not enough, given that transport prices are ever increasing here and more people are choosing a trip on easyJet and Ryanair than booking a journey via British railways or other options - unless they have to do so. 

Now that Nicholas Crane, and his Coast colleagues, have shown the viewing public what beauty abounds just hours from their doorstep - can we please have those in charge of public transportation make it easier for us to get there?

Tonight - 10 pm GMT - comedian Graham Norton debuts his new chat show on BBC Channel 2 and on BBC America.

Last night, my husband and I got to be one of the lucky first in-studio audience members with a couple of free tickets he scored from his work's social club. He knows I'm a fan of the man, and have had some minor brush-ups with the celebrity. We managed to get front row seats among the 300 or so guests, and enjoyed sneaking peeks at the celeb line-up list that was written on Camera 4's schedule. Looks like we were supposed to see Hilary Swank, but she was a no-show. Nothing to be disappointed about though, as Kim Cattrall (Sex & The City's Samantha) and Elijah Wood (that hairy hobbit guy from The Lord of the Rings) took the hot seat.

True to form, Graham Norton (predictably) had plenty of Brittney Spears jabs and one incredibly naughty paparazzi photo of her...very private, very bald parts. The image, most likely to be fully censored for tele viewers, appeared to shock the American celebrity guests. I don't even want to Google the image, to post on my blog - Brittney's bits are best left for her to deal with. And deal she will have to do, as there will be a lot of top & bottom scratching in her future. Gross, moving on.

There was a very special appearance by a small horse, an entire army of Barbies and an audience guest who got an English Breakfast tattooed on his head - by choice! Much of what we saw will be found in the Podcast, viewable online at his fancy new website here: The Graham Norton Show

We learned that Elijah Wood loves music and is focusing his creative efforts on his own record label (Simian Records) these days. One of the label's bands performed a number, the name was Heloise & the Savoir Faire, a New York City band that I'd have to describe as electro-clash. I like electro-clash, and love New York, so cheered and clapped plenty for them. They are sooooooo LES, B-Burg music scene. Probably saw them hanging out at Lit in the East Village a few years ago, or doing the odd gig at Galapagos or North Six. It is great to see a Hollywood movie star supporting emerging artists from my hometown.

Unlikely that we'll appear on camera tonight, as we were quite far off to the left edge of the stage. My husband (the introvert in this relationship) did get signaled out by comedienne Jo Caufield, during her audiecne warm-up routine. She described him as "the hippie boyfriend who sits home and does fuck all!" Hmmmmm....good thing he has got a warm sense of humor, and maybe he should have kept his business suit on from work.

I've come close to Graham Norton with:

• Appearing (as a lowly extra) in an Absolutely Fabulous special New York City episode in 2002.
• Having a friend, very oddly, ring him up one night while he was on stage performing in New York. She had seen his show the previous night and saved a phone number that he told the audience was the number for a prop phone he was using. He answered, surprised and chatted with her awhile until proclaiming she was a sick! sick! stalker woman. Which, in hindsight, I thought she was as well.
• Learning that he lives just a few doors down from some London friends of ours, in Mile End.

OK, pathetic I know, and hardly makes us on a first name basis - but, hey, my life really isn't that glamourous most days, so I must relish the little A-List sparkle dust that ocassionally sprinkles on it.