Wednesday, January 23, 2008

An odd week for entertainment news.

Well here I am again, somewhat later than I promised back on the 16th. Although I am at fault, that is not to say that you were not forewarned about my general state of apathy when it comes to finding the correct level of focus required for writing. Indeed, I bumped into a couple of friends this afternoon and shared with them my belief that I am not cut out to be a writer, in a professional sense at least. So here I am, Dan McDowell, 23, apathetic part-time blogger.

To the news:

Heath Ledger found dead at 28

This news still hasn't sunk in to its fullest extent and still feels a little unreal. I keep wanting to believe that this is all a huge, if very sick, publicity stunt for "Ther Dark Knight", but I realise that this can not be the case. I am sure that most of you will be keeping abreast of the details of this story through the media so I won't bother going into details about the case. All I will say is that we have lost an actor who was truly beginning to show the extent of his talent and versatility. He will be missed.

Oscar Doubts

Following the farce that was The Golden Globes "ceremony", speculation over the format of the 2008 Academy Awards is rife. Despite reassurances from awards organisers that the show will go ahead as planned on February 24th, very little is being said as to whether expectant film fans will be treated to the usual three-hoiur extravaganza.


The Writers Guild of America have stated that they intend to picket the event unless a settlement can be agreed to by all parties involved. The sister union to the WGA, The Screen Actors Guild, have taken a stance of solidarity by saying that none of its members would cross a picket line. So the immediate future for this usually star-studded event remains in doubt.

In the 80 year history of The Academy Awards, the show has only been postponed three times; once in 1938 due to flooding, once in 1961 after the assasination of Martin Luther King Jr and finally in 1981 after an attempt on the life of then President Ronald Reagan. Even the writers strike of 1988 failed to put a stop to what has become the biggest event in showbusiness.

Negotiations are continuing, however, most Hollywood insiders are predicting that we may see a much scaled-down version of the Oscar ceremony this year. The Academy can apply to the WGA for a waiver in order for it to use union writers during the strike.This may be the only saving grace for the show, but time is running out. Previous years have seen teams of upto 20 writers preparing for the event anything upto six weeks in advance. The Academy have set a rather ambiguous cut-off point of "late February" at which point their also ambiguous "contingency plan" will take effect.


Torchwood Still Gay!

The second episode of series two of this BBC show heralded a return to form after a rather shaky start to its second series (and first non-repeat run on terrestrial TV).

Whereas the first episode was altogether forgettable despite an unmissable performance from James Marsters (otherwise known as Spike from Buffy), episode two once again shows that BBC writers are able to remember the shows brief and not turn the whole thing into an American-fronted, Cardiff-based, special-effects filled pantomime.

Ignoring the oft-used conceit of sleeper-agents (and rip-off's of War of the Worlds -- "they're already here" anyone???) taking the forefront, this episode was genuinely well written. Gone are the days of Russel T Davies seeing exactly how far he can push the themes of sex and violence with a wild disregard for pertinence to plotting or characterisation. Don't get me wrong, this episode is at times turned red with blood and blue with language, however, it was never over the top and it never felt like it was there purely because of the post-watershed air time.

Yes! There are still an awful lot of references to Jack and his penchant for a nice bit of man-love every now and again, but once again this has been toned down in favour of plot and actual useful dialogue. I especially liked the message of this episode that love can conquer all, unless, of course, you have an alien device implanted in your arm which causes you to go "a bit Terminator 2" on your loved one by stabbing him with the blade that has just extended out of your arm.

It's nice to see that contemporary science fiction is sticking to its roots and still has a message, even if finding that message involves guns, sex and Welsh mines full of nuclear warheads.

Thank you and goodnight.

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