Are we alone in thinking this?

The Hubster and I have about given up on television, there just seems to be a general 'dumbing down' going on. We are not claiming to be any smarter than the next person, but we like to watch something that has a modicum of worth or entertainment to it.

But it's hard to find a program maintaining strong storylines, or wit, or originality, or good old fashioned entertainment anymore.

It seems television executives have decided the public deserve an endless supply of reality shows, usually showcasing the freaks of society, or those famous for being famous and not much else! Sorry but I am not interested in the self promoting untalented Kardashians, or Hugh Hefner's girlfriends, or a group of alcohol fueled wannabe's from the Jersey Shore. I am even less interested in celebrities eating bugs in a jungle, who the next Bachelor won't stay with, or listening to housewives in various cities bitch about each other!

But the 'drama' programs are not much better. Three years ago I watched Desperate Housewives, it was funny with good leads, but then it got ridiculous and two years ago I quit. It took the Hubster another season before he gave up, but after a tornado, a plane crash, arson, plus the odd murder it was beyond a joke. And yet ongoing great shows like ER, 24, Boston Legal and The Unit were dropped!

We have a particular issue with ABC. They are the worst for starting a show and then dropping it after a season or two. They replace good new family or legal drama's, with shows about aliens amongst us and humans with superpowers, yet more 'dumbing down'!

Our second gripe with ABC is their need to have a token gay couple in almost every show and then show them in very intimate situations. I accept there are gay couples, I have first hand experience in my immediate family and have no issue with this.  But enough already! I don't need to see it close-up on my 44" screen to know it goes on! I feel the same way about too much slobbering by straight couples too, whatever happened to subtlety?

So we find ourselves watching less television, using Netflix streaming and watching channels like Nat Geo, History, PBS, Discovery and HGTV. Many nights we just turn the rubbish off and read instead!

There are a few programs we still enjoy. We watch four drama's: Private Practice, Fringe, The Good Wife and Masterpiece Theater, which is currently Downton Abbey. Our purely for entertainment programs are: Hawaii Five O, Kitchen Nightmares, American Idol and Cake Boss (we love Buddy Valastro).

Another indicator of standards dropping are the dodgy British hosts popping up on American programs. Sorry but in all cases except Len Goodman, these are actually the 'c' list dregs of British TV.

Larry King's replacement Piers Morgan was a much maligned newspaper editor known for sleaze in the UK. It's quite beyond most of us Brits why he is a success over here, but they're glad to be shot of him back home!

So I am interested, are we alone in feeling like this?

Because if you just went by what's popular on television, we are rapidly becoming a nation of intellectually challenged idiots!

"The media can wreak great harm on the family when it offers an inadequate or even distorted vision of life, of the family itself and of religion and morality."

Pope John Paul II, May 2004

Double 4's for me today!

So I thought I'd see who else was born in 1966?

Two funny guys who always make me laugh

A couple of classic beauties with great style

A pair who starred in my all time fave TV shows

Two very discerning, individual and fine actors

A mouthy rebel and an author I love to bits

Two of my fave songbirds

Plus scary and powerful, you decide which?!

So it seems generally I am in good company.

1966 important event -  England won the World Cup!

What's up with your arms Elton?!

Credit for this staggeringly unflattering picture of Elton John goes to the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK. Just the picture alone gave me the giggles.

But then I read the readers comments and the one below the picture reduced me to tears of laughter for a good five minutes. And then I had a bad case of the giggles which the Hubster also succumbed too, the end result being I had cried all my make-up off!

"And what is up with Elton John. Good God he looks like an oompa loompa!"

(Michelle, Los Angeles, USA, 9/10/2009 10:10)

You just can't beat an uncontrolled giggling fit, so thanks Michelle whoever you are!

'Knowing'

Well "WOW" would be the first thing I would say about this movie, it was so not what I thought it was! It's certainly interesting and the Hubster knew exactly what it was trying to depict by the end (Biblical connection), and I'll say nothing more so as not to ruin it.

I'm a fan of Nicolas Cage, most of his movies are entertaining and often make you think, and this is another one of those. It wasn't at all what I expected and got pretty spooky in parts and I don't do 'spooky'!! But I made it through, although I did have to go around and close all the curtains to stop me totally freaking out.

Followers or students of prophecy/astronomy will probably have a field day with this film. It certainly made me think and maybe global warming is already out of our hands, this will make you wonder. I'd recommend it but watch out for the 'jumpy' bits!

My generations Elvis - RIP

It was hard to believe when I first heard the news today shouted across a public restroom, Michael Jackson is dead.

My very first memories of music are of 'I Want You Back' and 'ABC' in 1969 when I was just 3 yrs old, I have always adored his music, it's been the soundtrack of my life. He was 7 yrs older, so his music has just always been there and I am very sad watching the early footage of 'Jacko' tonight.

He may have done some bizarre things over the years, although I always doubted the child abuse myself. But his legacy will be the wonderful music and images of his amazing dancing he leaves behind. 'Off the Wall', 'Thriller' and 'Bad' are still favourite albums that always lift my mood and make me want to dance.

In 1988 I was lucky enough to see him at Wembley Stadium on the 'Bad' tour and it's a night I have never forgotten. Over the years I have seen about 70 top name concerts at huge London venues and some of the legendary names like Madonna, Elton John, George Michael, Tina Turner, Usher, R Kelly, Bon Jovi, Genesis, Rod Stewart, Jay-Z and the amazing Queen. But Michael stood out right at the top of that pile, as a live performer he was unsurpassed, only Freddie Mercury was an equal.

I remember watching the world premiere showing of the 'Thriller' video on MTV and being amazed. Then trying to emulate the moves, especially that cool walking thing with your shoulders with the hands in front! Seeing him Moonwalk on the 'Billie Jean' video, which is my all time fave Jacko track. This would be closely followed by 'Black or White', 'I Want You Back', 'Don't Stop', then 'Thriller' or 'Beat It' - there are almost too many to name in any kind of order!

The hubster and I were in agreement tonight that this is right up there with the untimely deaths of Elvis, Diana and John Lennon, we'll remember where we were when we heard the news. Why do celebrities who are legends in their actual lifetimes, die too soon?!

So what's your favourite Michael Jackson track and were you ever lucky enough to see him live too?

We were also so sad to hear that Farrah Fawcett, one very classy lady, lost her long painful and very brave battle with cancer. What a very sad day this has been.

Simply great entertainment!

New In Town is one of those movies that ticks/checks all the highly satisfying boxes there are.

It's the latest Renee Zellweger rom-com vehicle and co-stars Harry Connick Jr as her love interest. She is the high powered corporate executive from Miami, sent to frigid Minnesota to oversee the downsizing of a smalltown production plant. Think a seriously skinny (which is aging her badly!) 'Bridget Jones' and you're very close to her character here.

This movie is laugh out loud funny, with a couple of classic one liners and one particular moment of dialogue in the woods that had me in tears it was so funny! The plant workers have that salt of the earth quirky charm and backwoods dry humour that is just perfect. The character development is good and you just can't help rooting for them and growing attached.

Harry Connick Jr plays it understated perfectly as a foil to Rene, and despite a god-awful beard, you can't help finding him attractive. The other lead character in this movie is the weather which is frigid and it's comic potential is played out beautifully. Also be sure to watch the deleted scenes as they're very funny.

We both LOVED this movie, in fact it will be joining our DVD collection as soon as I get to WalMart. You just can't beat a feel good rom-com that's not a chick-flick and makes you laugh out loud, this is a classic.

Continuing my one woman campaign...

to get Robbie Williams recognition here in the USA.

On the last video, a few of you requested that the next one be from his award winning 2001 'Swing When You're Winning' concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, so here you are.

Robbie dedicated both the concert and the album that followed, to his mum & dad who love this music and inspired him growing up. If you watch right to the end you will see his proud mum in the audience. This was one of his biggest ever successes and brought him a legion of new fans, including my mum and grandma!

The whole concert was swing favourites and really showcased him for the first time as not just a boy band superstar, but an all round superstar. I have the album of this concert and it's still a great fave of mine years later.

As the song ends you get to see the vulnerable, emotional Robbie that many adore back home. Enjoy!

Sometimes we get what we deserve!

Now I have never been a fan of the above pictured Sasha Baron Cohen (aka Borat), but I'd like to thank him for the best laugh I've had in awhile! I am even less of a fan of Eminem, but finally it seems he got some of his own medicine and found it too bitter a pill to swallow.

During the MTV Movie Awards Baron Cohen pulled this stunt as his latest character and ended up bare bottom up in Eminem's lap. And can I just say it couldn't happen to a nicer and more deserving guy!

It seems Mr Eminem is happy to take many pot-shots on his new album at other celebrities, ridiculing them mercilessly, but he don't like it when someone does it to him! So once his bodyguards had rescued him from this humiliation, he stormed out furiously much to the entertainment of the audience and many others of us.

It may have been tasteless in the extreme, but I suspect Eminem's ego will be dented for awhile. And that is priceless considering how generally hateful the man is to others, justice indeed.

Fringe fan

This new FOX show is a big favourite of ours. It's intelligent, cutting edge, great acting, intriguing storylines and is very reminiscent of the wonderful X-Files.

I was a huge fan of the X-Files from the start and this show has the same mysterious storylines, minus the alien twist. Anna Torv is also the absolute spit of Cate Blanchett, I think she has a twin!

If you haven't watched and you were an X-Files fan, you'll love it.

Ladies - a midweek treat & 2 BWOTDs!

Ladies, I figured it's Wednesday and we all need a little something to get us to the end of the week, right? So what better than a few tasty snaps of Mr McConaughey to raise our spirits! And after yesterdays historic architecture, so today we have something well built!

I saw him on the ACM's the other night, the ladies present almost took the roof off the MGM Grand, and he was so charmingly funny.

So the Brit' Word of the Day that perfectly describes Matt is 'totty' or more accurately ' hot totty'. This can be attributed to a member of either sex who is seriously attractive and sexy!

So here he is in some trendy togs, although a little overdressed.

Here he is modelling a very nice pair of pec's, nipp's and a tan!

And of course we just had to have a 'bum' (BWOTD for butt) shot to make our day complete!

Have a great Wednesday ladies, and apologies to the gents for such blatant and unapologetic sexism! ;-)

Possibly the best in a year!

Seeing as The President 'bumped' AI last night, we watched The Dark Knight, the latest offering from Batman.

This is a superb movie, the plot is strong, the action is top rate and the cast excelled themselves with their fine performances. This film is packed tight with stars; Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and the much missed Heath Ledger.

This is without doubt the performance Heath should be remembered for, and he richly deserved his Oscar. He is so believable as The Joker, that you just can't see Heath in him at all. Heath Ledger went out at the top with this role, it's just so sad such a fine talent is gone.

It's dark, dangerous fun, the Batman franchise has grown-up, and it's easy to see why it was the biggest grossing movie last year.

Five stars plus, very highly recommended and the movie I have enjoyed possibly the most in a year!

So terribly sad

I was so sad this morning to read that Jade Goody had passed away overnight, losing her battle with Cervical Cancer. 27 years old is too young to die and by her own admission, this could have been prevented if she had been more attentive to her history of suspect smear/pap results. But Jade has done more than any other person, to raise awareness of this killer disease for women. Over the last few weeks requests for tests have gone up by huge percentages in the UK thanks to her.

Jade may not have always led a perfect life in the spotlight of being a reality TV star, but she was always true to herself. Her personal choices may have at times seemed like the wrong ones, but she was very much led by her heart. She was obviously a good mum to her little boys and the saddest part of all this is what will happen to them. Sadly although she left them financially secure, those that now have custody of the boys are less than reliable.

She fought her battle with cancer constantly in the public eye and received some criticism for it. But I applaud her, not only did she make enough money to ensure her boys security financially, but she also made more impact on the fight against Cervical Cancer than any other person or advertising campaign. Jade fought it with her usual blunt approach, a smile on her face, dignity and determination, as can be seen below. This is her legacy and many lives will undoubtedly be saved because of her tragic death.

Nobody leads a perfect life and Jade was no angel at times. But I will remember her as very brave, and smiling with her two little boys in the lovely picture above. God Bless you Jade.

What a mess!

We were not at all impressed with 'Country' week on American Idol, but on the upside they do have Brad Paisley guesting tomorrow. First off surely there were better options than Randy Travis! Most of it was pretty excruciating to watch, the boys definitely had the girls beat and why do some of them insist on trying to 'change' a classic.

Adam may need that wild card the judges have tomorrow, what was he thinking, Ring of Fire is a total classic and there are no words for what he did to it! Alexis should also have left well alone with 'Jolene' and what was Danny wearing?

Anyway we are still sticking to our 'best performance on the night' voting strategy, as we like them all (except Megan!).

Matt was our fave, he is an awesome pianist and singer, who Scott needs to take a lesson from right now, in changing it up.

Anoop Dogg definitely put himself back in the running, by just tweaking a classic and keeping it beautifully simple.

Kris is beginning to look like a dark horse, with a knack for picking the perfect song and a great voice.

We think Michael will go this week, Adam was bad but he has a following and we think they might save him if they had to, because as Randy says "the boy's got mad range dawg"!

If you're gonna have an opinion, then VOTE, it's the least you can do!

Sunday Review

Nights in Rodanthe is based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, one of my favourite authors, although I have not read this particular book. So I can't comment on whether the movie is true to the book, but I can tell you I was slightly disappointed in this movie.

I had been looking forward to seeing this for awhile and certainly the location and sets lived up to my expectations. The lead roles are taken by Richard Gere and Diane Lane, they are well cast but neither of them light up the screen.

It tells the story of their meeting on a stormy weekend at a very upmarket B&B on the beach in Rodanthe. They are both damaged goods, him by the loss of a patient during a routine surgery and her by the collapse of her marriage. As they ride out a hurricane, they slowly reveal their problems to each other and find solace in sharing. I won't reveal anymore, or I will be giving away too much of the plot.

So why was I disappointed, well it was a bit like putting on a favourite pair of sloppy, comfy tracksuit pants (bottoms). It was just everyday, not fancy, slightly saggy but still comforting when there's nothing else to put on!

As nice as both Diane Lane & Richard Gere are to look at, neither of them have ever been the greatest actors. Richard in particular seems to have a set range of expressions and I found myself watching thinking 'yep, seen that one before Richard'! It just didn't stir up any real emotion in me, so I guess they failed to connect with me as characters.

I thought it was okay, but it's nowhere near as good as another charming Diane Lane film, Under the Tuscan Sun and so I'd recommend seeing that instead!

And if you really want to be moved and connect emotionally this weekend, then go and watch THIS. It's what made me cry on Oprah and has again twice since!

Sunday Reviews

We watched Australia on Friday night and really enjoyed it. It's a long movie, far better suited to the comfort of your sofa than the cinema, but it kept us both engaged throughout.

It stars the wonderful Nicole Kidman and the deeply delicious Hugh Jackman, who were both perfectly cast for these roles. It tells the story of Lady Sarah Ashley's takeover of her deceased husbands Australian Cattle Ranch and her relationship with the Drover (Jackman), and Nulla a half-caste Aboriginal boy. The story follows their fight to keep Nulla from the authorities, and the driving of her 1500 head of cattle to Darwin to be sold to the military. But there's a hitch, in the form of a Cattle Baron who has the cattle market monopoly apart from her ranch and is determined to get it.

It's all set against the backdrop of the impending attack by the Japanese in WWII, which by the end of the movie is well underway. This is a Baz Luhman movie, he also made Moulin Rouge, and so it has a different feel to it that we personally loved. He makes use of old maps as screenshots, a slightly mystical element in the filming and the whole thing is lush to look at.

We'd highly recommend this movie, it's a sweeping epic, with a great cast and a good story. I spoke to a friend yesterday who also saw it on Friday and they felt the exact same way as us.

Now just a quick book review...I am right in the midst of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. It took me 2 books to really get into them, but now I'm hooked and loving the adventures of this 'off the wall' female bounty hunter.

The characters are developed more with each book, the plots are believeable and at times I laugh out loud at the humour. I am a relative late comer to these books, as detective type stories are not usually my thing, but these are great and I highly recommend them.

Sunday Movie Reviews

We watched Changeling starring Angelina Jolie last weekend. It is inspired by the true story of a woman who's son went missing in 1920's Los Angeles and her battle with a very corrupt LAPD. Desperate for a successful outcome to this widely publicised case, they claim they have found her missing son Walter, only for it to be the wrong child.

Due to the times (of female repression) and pressure from the LAPD, she takes him home despite knowing it's not her son. Over the following months and years she fights the LAPD to prove he's not her son and continue their search, whilst the LAPD resort to truly desperate measure to cover-up her story and discredit her. Eventually an LAPD detective stumbles on the truth and an even bigger case emerges.

This movie was well directed by Clint Eastwood and is very true to the period and times. Angelina portrays the mother with great sympathy and emotion, she is a character you cannot help but care about. I very much enjoyed this movie, the Hubster did too, although he felt it could have been told in less time.

On Friday night we watched Body of Lies starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott.

The movie is about Roger Ferris (Di Caprio) a CIA operative in the Middle East; Ed Hoffman (Crowe) is his control at Langley. After a stint in Iraq, Roger works with Hani Salaam in Amman, Jordan's head of security, whose only dictum is "Don't lie to me." The Americans are after a fanatical cleric who's group places bombs all over Europe. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse.

This is very much about modern warfare and makes you realise what's actually going on over there. The use of satellites for spying, cell phones, computers and setting others up is all covered in depth.

I loved this movie, but then I am a big fan of spy/espionage plots and Leonardo Di Caprio, a seriously under-rated actor in my book. The Hubster was tired and so thought it was okay, but he dozed off a couple of times and this is a movie you need to watch closely due to all the twists. Just a note to the squeamish, there are a few gory shots, but I got through them fine.

In summary, both these films are recommended, but Body of Lies gets the highly recommended.

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly!!

Old Hollywood glamour won the night for me, simply stunning!

Elegance, amazing emeralds & the arm-candy ain't bad either!

Daniel's definitely not a boob man, darn it!

How HUGE is John Mayers head?!?!

It appears Jay-Z makes Beyonce live in a home without mirrors!

Could this be over compensation for tiny feet? ;-)

And finally, way to go Kate, you did us Brit's PROUD!

Traitor

Traitor stars the superb Don Cheadle, Jeff Daniels and Guy Pearce in a movie all about espionage, politics, the world of terrorism and the ongoing fight against it. It is an intelligent and fast paced plot, with alot of twists and turns.

This movie tells the story of an FBI agents chase to catch a former agent who has gone over to the other side. It travels across the world through Yemen, Spain, France, England, Canada and the USA.

I can't tell you anything else without giving away critical parts of the plot. But we both loved this movie and would highly recommend it.

Some things we just don't need to know!

I have always been a John Cleese fan, he is one funny man, but I cringe when I get to know this much information about his love-life with Barbie Orr!

Miss Orr said Cleese was in good shape 'for an old guy', explaining: 'You know, they're normally saggy down there , but he really has a nice package (something tells us she's been down this road before, cause that's not something I would know!). He takes a lot of vitamin supplements and eats really well and he works out. His arms are really muscular and he still has amazing legs. He's had his teeth all redone and he recently got hair plugs (transplants from other parts of the body) to cover the bald patches at the front. He's getting back on the market again so he's got to get himself in shape.'

No actually he doesn't Barbie! I am pretty certain he's had all this done to keep up with his lover who just happens to be 42 years younger than him!! Yep - 42 years, he could be her grandad!! Somehow John I have a feeling if you were with someone born within a decade or so of you, she would love you whatever you looked like, and she'd be aging at the same rate.

Now John, here's a perfect example of a 60 year old lady aging gracefully and I doubt she'd discuss your 'bits' quite so publicly! But then again maybe I need to cut you some slack, after all you're not alone right now in enjoying a humungus age gap.

Bring on Ronnie Wood and his 20 year old Russian girlfriend, that's a 41 year age gap! Can I suggest now we all send a silent prayer up, that she's never tempted to kiss and tell, cause that could make John sound like Brad Pitt!

I really have nothing against relationships with an age gap. Demi and Ashton are 16 years apart and seem genuinely happy and in love. The Hubster and I are 10 years apart and suit each other very well, but these are excessive age gaps! I just sincerely wish they'd keep all the personal details to themselves!