Category: Life: TV and Movies

I’ve just caught the latest episode of “Wobble and Bob” on MTV UK (NTL analogue cable channel 12) – it’s on at 9.58pm: just before Jackass. I must admit, I didn’t think much of the Psychiatrist episode (Bob goes to see a psychiatrists, explains that he sold his house so Webbl – sorry, Wobble, could buy a rocket, and then the psychiatrist is next seen begging for money). It’s not an episode on the official “Weebl and Bob” website (there are only 25 episodes available there), but “Weebl” (actually J.Picking) has stated in the forums that he has done some episodes especially for MTV:UK and until they give the “say so” they can’t appear on his website.

There are also meant to be official “Wobble and Bob” black t-shirts (made in China) coming out soon, but there are some semi-official “Weebl and Bob” ones out already.

My favourite episode? Well, I think the first one – “Pie!” would be the one (especially how Weebl/Wobble looks around before shouting) but the two of “Bob’s Trip to France” are quite good as well.

Spooky! I sat down last night to watch an episode of V Graham Norton that I recorded at some point (I think it was actually Wednesday – but it could have been even further back) and what do I see Graham showing one of his guests? The Peter Petrie Egg Separator that I blogged about way back on the 23rd of November: whilst I’d like to think that the show’s researchers found it via my blog, I doubt they really did.

When Graham demonstrated it on the show, the look of repulsion from the guests (Rod Stewart and Rosanna Arquette) was good to watch – but unfortunately the egg separator didn’t quite perform as advertised. The yolk followed the albumen through the nose of the egg separator into a cup. Oh well.

I was saddened to hear via the Guardian’s Online Blog that the BBC’s science and technology TV programme Tomorrow’s World has been axed after 38 years on the air.

I started watching it when I was young (when Judith Hann and Howard Stableford presented it) and it really interested me and “had me hooked”. They covered a wide range of innovations – occasionally getting them wrong (where are the robots to clean our houses?), but others they got more than spot on. I remember them demonstrating a new printing method which allows information to be printed on egg shells – it had to be delicate so as not to break the shell, lasting (you don’t want the ink to be easily rubbed off or smeared) and yet not soak through the shell: nowadays it’s quite difficult to buy eggs WITHOUT the “use by” date printed on the shell.

They also did (I think it was covered in one of the “Prince’s Trust” shows which were supported by Prince Charles) a way of printing on one side of glass yet allowing you to see through the other side (sort of like a one way mirror but without the mirror). Nowadays, at least around Leicester, you see buses with this sort of advertising on their rear and side windows. Oh – and they also covered how Zaphod Beeblebrox’s “extra” head did (or, as more was the case, didn’t) work in the TV series of Hitch-hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.

I stopped watching it when the BBC moved it off it’s (IIRC) 7.30 Wednesday night slot to make way for yet another episode of EastEnders. They then continually re-vamped it and seemed to dumb it down (and had less ‘in the studio’ articles which I really enjoyed). Shame such an “institution” has come to an end after so long, but my feelings are that the BBC alone are to blame for the falling audience figures.

Tomorrow’s World also gave me my first chance to operate a BBC television camera – it would then be many years before I next operated a broadcaster’s camera (Granada was the next company) and appear actually in front of a camera for a national TV show…

Wow! It seems hard for me to believe that LOTR: The Two Towers is already out at the cinema and I still haven’t watched LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring nor read any of the books.

I know there have already been a large number of reviews about “The Two Towers” film, but I’ve never really been “into” Tolkien so it’s doubtful whether I will see the film or not: but reading the 50 reasons why LOTR sucks (they also have a review of LOTR: TTT) and the quite valid reasons such as “Every time Frodo or Bilbo went invisible with the ring they should have also gone BLIND. Your eyes cannot function unless light is reflected off the cornea. If light passes through it (as must be the case with invisibility) sight is no longer possible. Also, rings do not turn you invisible.” makes me wonder if it is worth seeing anyway….

Continuing on from Sunday’s post of which films I would really like to see again, here’s another couple of movies.

Basically, Weird Al Yankovic’s “UHF” and “Troll” are two movies I’d like to watch again: but there’s a slight problem. Both films are only currently available on DVD – NTSC Region 1 (US and Canada). These means that my Region 2 (UK and Europe) PAL players just will not play them. Therefore, thanks to the regionalisation of DVDs, the makes of those movies have lost a potential customer who would have happily paid shipping from the States to the UK…

Anyway, on with the rambling: