Somewhat wide ranging round-up post
F1:
Schumacher still has it, is still wonderful and now I have to hope for an amazing start thanks to the ridiculous verdict of the stewards.*
Also, David Coulthard continues to be a snot.
Not directly related but given they have promised an interview with Niki Lauda, and because they were doing a bit on 'Rush', have my opinions on said film.
I'm actually pleased that they've cast Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt because it means you all know that my issues with this are nothing to do with the cast. Or the director, because I know Ron Howard plans to be as respectful as he can be to the historical truth. That being said, I have all kinds of issues. Mostly that I don't get why. We have video footage. We have interviews. Niki, thankfully, is still around to give his part of the story.
I'm also a bit 'hmm' because an American film where there's the British king of the playboy racers, idol to all ** (without wishing to in anyway do down Hunt the driver who was a master) vs cold, calculating German-speaker who was already a grumpy old man when he was younger (Niki's original retirement was because he was sick of driving round in circles), I know who is going to get the most of the shades of grey. And it's the guy I like more.
I mean I could be wrong but ...
I'm especially worried about how they're going to handle the Suzuka incident. For those who don't follow F1, Niki Lauda was in a terrible crash at a very, very rainy Nurburgring, which almost killed him. Within a month, he was back racing. By the last race of the season, the title race was down to him vs Hunt. At Suzuka, there was again a torrential downpour, so Lauda stopped, to paraphrase, he decided his life was worth more than the world title. Generally held opinion, including that of James Hunt, was that it was the bravest possible decision. For people who don't know about that era of F1 - slightly better than the deadly years, but not much - I'm not sure how well that will come over.
Also, I saw the actor who'll be playing Lauda in the Edukators and I don't think he can convey Niki's Nikiness.
~~~~
Later With Jools Holland:
Jools was as good as expected (Iplayer link here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01j9hq9/Later..._with_Jools_Holland_Series_40_Episode_6/). The Hives were good, Esperenza Spalding (an Oregonian for the information tame Oregon bod I know) was good, Jimmy Cliff was amazing.
Paloma Faith is now a poor-man's Adele instead of a poor-man's Amy Winehouse, and even the peculiarly American sounding kiddie blues player from Nottingham (yes, really) was solid.
Funniest moment was Jools interviewing TV Smith (of The Adverts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adverts) fame) about the BBC's new season on the punk movement, and they were both going, "how is this history? We're not old enough to be historical." My Mother is having similar issues, she has major issues with Dylan and McCartney being 70. She also objects severly to 'The Idiot's Lantern' being considered a historical because she can remember the coronation.
Actually pondering Jools and sound systems, Lana del Rey sounded fine on Jools. One of her videos was playing on a music channel and it struck me that she has a very unusual voice (for a pop singer) and I'm wondering if that's part of the problem, that it's hard for sound engineers to do something with the kit to suit her voice and to have it work for other people as well.
~~~~
Cricket:
Geoffrey Boycott has just come out with 'he h'opens his bat wonderfully' which I believe stretches even the Yorkshire habit of adding miscellaneous habit of adding H's to words to it's breaking point.
~~~~
Football:
I don't like the new England away strip. Or rather, I'm sure it'd be perfectly serviceable for ... well I can't think of anyone who black and blue (that particular shade of blue which is too dark to be Dutch blue but too light to be Azzuri blue) would suit, but watching tonight, I'm getting the two teams confused.
Also, Hodgson coaches like a German. And that's a compliment.
~~~~
Dentistry:
I've just flossed for the first time. It went about as well as expected. Which is to say, not very. It just feels weird and I live in constant terror of getting the floss trapped in a tooth. Not-actually-evil dental hygenist may be pacified however. See also my purchase of an electric toothbrush. I've gone for a Spiderman one. <- my inner 5 year old strikes again.
~~~~
Links
Really interesting documentary about the evolution of the British sitcom, using the example of sex - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zwnt0/Sex_and_the_Sitcom/
To paraphrase, UK sitcoms are all about the frustrations of not getting any.
~~~~
Tennis:
ITV4 have the French Open coverage, which means unfeasable numbers of add breaks, but they have given me Fabrice Santoro on commentary so I don't care and all is forgiven.
Schumacher still has it, is still wonderful and now I have to hope for an amazing start thanks to the ridiculous verdict of the stewards.*
Also, David Coulthard continues to be a snot.
Not directly related but given they have promised an interview with Niki Lauda, and because they were doing a bit on 'Rush', have my opinions on said film.
I'm actually pleased that they've cast Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt because it means you all know that my issues with this are nothing to do with the cast. Or the director, because I know Ron Howard plans to be as respectful as he can be to the historical truth. That being said, I have all kinds of issues. Mostly that I don't get why. We have video footage. We have interviews. Niki, thankfully, is still around to give his part of the story.
I'm also a bit 'hmm' because an American film where there's the British king of the playboy racers, idol to all ** (without wishing to in anyway do down Hunt the driver who was a master) vs cold, calculating German-speaker who was already a grumpy old man when he was younger (Niki's original retirement was because he was sick of driving round in circles), I know who is going to get the most of the shades of grey. And it's the guy I like more.
I mean I could be wrong but ...
I'm especially worried about how they're going to handle the Suzuka incident. For those who don't follow F1, Niki Lauda was in a terrible crash at a very, very rainy Nurburgring, which almost killed him. Within a month, he was back racing. By the last race of the season, the title race was down to him vs Hunt. At Suzuka, there was again a torrential downpour, so Lauda stopped, to paraphrase, he decided his life was worth more than the world title. Generally held opinion, including that of James Hunt, was that it was the bravest possible decision. For people who don't know about that era of F1 - slightly better than the deadly years, but not much - I'm not sure how well that will come over.
Also, I saw the actor who'll be playing Lauda in the Edukators and I don't think he can convey Niki's Nikiness.
~~~~
Later With Jools Holland:
Jools was as good as expected (Iplayer link here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01j9hq9/Later..._with_Jools_Holland_Series_40_Episode_6/). The Hives were good, Esperenza Spalding (an Oregonian for the information tame Oregon bod I know) was good, Jimmy Cliff was amazing.
Paloma Faith is now a poor-man's Adele instead of a poor-man's Amy Winehouse, and even the peculiarly American sounding kiddie blues player from Nottingham (yes, really) was solid.
Funniest moment was Jools interviewing TV Smith (of The Adverts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adverts) fame) about the BBC's new season on the punk movement, and they were both going, "how is this history? We're not old enough to be historical." My Mother is having similar issues, she has major issues with Dylan and McCartney being 70. She also objects severly to 'The Idiot's Lantern' being considered a historical because she can remember the coronation.
Actually pondering Jools and sound systems, Lana del Rey sounded fine on Jools. One of her videos was playing on a music channel and it struck me that she has a very unusual voice (for a pop singer) and I'm wondering if that's part of the problem, that it's hard for sound engineers to do something with the kit to suit her voice and to have it work for other people as well.
~~~~
Cricket:
Geoffrey Boycott has just come out with 'he h'opens his bat wonderfully' which I believe stretches even the Yorkshire habit of adding miscellaneous habit of adding H's to words to it's breaking point.
~~~~
Football:
I don't like the new England away strip. Or rather, I'm sure it'd be perfectly serviceable for ... well I can't think of anyone who black and blue (that particular shade of blue which is too dark to be Dutch blue but too light to be Azzuri blue) would suit, but watching tonight, I'm getting the two teams confused.
Also, Hodgson coaches like a German. And that's a compliment.
~~~~
Dentistry:
I've just flossed for the first time. It went about as well as expected. Which is to say, not very. It just feels weird and I live in constant terror of getting the floss trapped in a tooth. Not-actually-evil dental hygenist may be pacified however. See also my purchase of an electric toothbrush. I've gone for a Spiderman one. <- my inner 5 year old strikes again.
~~~~
Links
Really interesting documentary about the evolution of the British sitcom, using the example of sex - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zwnt0/Sex_and_the_Sitcom/
To paraphrase, UK sitcoms are all about the frustrations of not getting any.
~~~~
Tennis:
ITV4 have the French Open coverage, which means unfeasable numbers of add breaks, but they have given me Fabrice Santoro on commentary so I don't care and all is forgiven.