TV Karma-coma

The last episode of Life on Mars turned out to be another viewer torture, broadcaster-money spinner just like Lost. As soon as the penultimate scene came on I was satisfied of guessing how it was going to end i.e. as soon as Sam Tyler's father shot him he would wake up from the coma - but that didn't happen so slightly annoyed we'd have to wait until next year to know how it ends. Let's hope they don't spin it out for multiple series' with more repressed memories to explain. At least there'll be more Gene Hunt, what a character! Spotted a classic scenery clanger - Whilst the Sam was waiting in the car for his father, the reflection in the window saw the house opposite with a satellite dish.

Recorded Snuffbox last night and watched the first few minutes. Wasn't that impressed but not willing to write it off just yet.

Happy Birthday Trev

Feeling like I look like Popeye today after a trip to the dentist. Two fillings and two painful injections (plus £140 shorter) with an hour in the seat. As well as the pain from the needle, the other annoying thing was the sprinkler system created from the water pipe for lubricating the drill. Freezing water went everywhere over my face and neck.

It was Trev's birthday on Saturday plus Karol's, Kev's and Sarah's around the same time so it was a good excuse for a party. I've been busy finding new tunes from DJDownload and borrowing tracks from recent CD purchases such the Glimmer Twins mix CD and the recent Mixmag Album by Soulwax, all for my DJ stint. Must have only used a handful of vinyl that night for classic moments.

Not quite sure why my mixing wasn't quite up to scratch. Monitors weren't quite set up loud enough and my concentration levels had disappeared with mates happily chatting to me then letting the tune run out. Justice - Let there be light had a mixed response - a bit freaky, bleepy for some, though glad to hear the Soulwax Nite Version remixes go down well.

Just found out that Juno are now offering MP3s which should save their skin in the next few months.

Other useful links:

Glimmer Twins official website
Headbangers - Record label to Justice with some mention of Daft Punk

Sunday, we dragged ourselves out of bed then started painting again at 5pm stopping only to see some of the closing ceremony to the Winter Games.

Sickboy and Tom Nook

Blog slacker's back. Just had two days of feeling crap with a king sized Cold or Diet Flu. Felt like a leather belt had wrapped itself around my head whilst an army of ants were alpine skiing with sandpaper skis around my throat. Nearly gave in to guilt to look at my work email and do some work but Animal Crossing demanded me to find more fossils, pay off Tom Nook's debt or write letters to Cupcake and Olivia hoping they'd stay in my town. It beats the quality of daytime TV anyday though couldn't switch off Bargain Hunt for some reason (reminiscence of my student days maybe).

Student stand-up comedy

Weekend was a bit of chore with a builder friend coming into to doing our hall and stairs wall plastering. Bless him for taking on the job but making us get up to let him in for a 8am start on Saturday morning then pissing off at 1:30pm, then promising to arrive at 9am, then turning up at 9:30am and then going at 3pm didn't put him high on the popular list. Still, he did a great job. Problem now is the condensation dripping everywhere until the walls dry properly - no wonder I'm feeling rough around the gills today.

With the early starts that weekend we resorted to TV based entertainment and rented the DVD of Sky Blue. I'd read reviews for this awhile ago, all praising the artwork but slating the story and pace of the film. Shame really as 7 years to produce 90 minutes of classy animation to be failed by a storyline so basic it made all the long brooding scenes of directed emotion drag into snoozeville. It either needed more violence and character building or made shorter and aimed at 12 year olds. This was the first Korean manga film I'd ever seen and had worthy moments of graphic gorgeousness but could never meet the unique weirdness, associated strong characters, style or adult slant of Japanese anime.

Sunday night was a personal work project coming to a climax with my own version of the BAFTAs. I've been running a competition with my University's student union clubs and societies to create the best online communities through the web portal called SUSSED. Bit nervous at how it was going to turn out as I didn't know whether any of them would turn up. Basically, the student union organises weekly quizes every Sunday evening so I asked if I could hi-jack it for 10 minutes and a mini-ceremony in the beer break. Everyone at my work made their excuses weeks ago so I had to drag poor Kerry out to provide support and act as press-photographer. It was your basic pub/bar lay-out and students sitting everywhere in huddled groups waiting for the quiz. After the 3rd round of 6 I took to the stage (well, next to it) and used the radio mic. Bit nervous at first but after reading out the first batch of nominated clubs I got a few responses from crowd and my confidence blossomed. More cheekiness and cheesy jokes got a few confince boosting laughs and cheers making my nerves disappear. After that I could have done analysed about relationships, told some sick jokes, dealt with some hecklers and sang 'Dannyboy'. Maybe it was the cheap beer or the cheesy jokes but something inside really kicked in that night much to the surprise of Kerry and myself.

Thanks to the Mighty Boosh e-mailing list I'm part of, I've come across this new comedy sketch show, Snuffbox. This link summarises the programme where as this is the official BBC webpage for it. Biased as I am loving the first series of the Boosh, its good to see the actors who played Dixon Bainbridge (Matt Berry) and Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher) are doing this new show. Matt Berry also did Garth Merenghi's Dark Place - another comedy that, bizarrely and should be a hangable crime, has not been released on DVD. The second link gives you an exclusive sketch which is funnier than the whole of Hyperdrive put together (not hard). Anyway, set a date for next Monday 27th Feb at 11pm on BBC3.

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Wiki meets twiki relatives

Just had a proper look at the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia and I'm quite impressed. One of my first searches was AIBO robots and found a link to Beck's website who used 4 humanoid robots, the QRIO for his latest video, My Hell. Go to Videos and there's 2 versions with the robots dancing. The second video has more close-ups of the robots.

Found the ASIMO website as well here seen above doing something useful as office tea-boy.

Other notable entries on Wikipedia are Norfolk and my home town Dereham.

Been having some random dreams lately. Last night Dick and Dom turned up to do a practical joke on me then took me to Radio 2 studios where we hassled Jonathan Ross and the other night my double turned up causing havoc like crashing cars and pushing people out of windows killing them.

I'm a bit behind with this news story but still worthy - Banksy does West Bank.

Burton ballet

Saturday was getting ready for Kerry's family night out in London. Unfortunately, the careful planning of Kerry's day went straight out of the window thanks to Railtrack. She was supposed to have her haircut in London just before the meal whilst I would drive up there later. No trains from the South Coast could reach Waterloo. Reached Leicester Square in good time before the others and had a few drinks in the restaurant, Palais du Jardin in Convent Garden.

I'm always a bit hesitant with fancy restaurants especially fish based ones as my taste buds are as adventurous as a panda. The other worry was the expense. Across the bar from us sat Jane from Rod, Jane and Freddy which was totally bizarre and most of the diners had an air of luvee-ness and a hint of fame-connected recognition.

I took a bit of a gamble with the main course going for Sea Bass with parsnips in vanilla cream sauce which amazingly paid off. Previously, cod, scampi and scallops were the only fish I would consider plus discovering asparagus at Xmas opened up a whole new avenue of food to choose from. The starter was a bit too sweet with smoked chicken, mango and pou pou (I think). When the bill came, it came with a sobering silence from everyone. Amazingly, top bloke bro-in-law, Neil forks out the £500+!

Line of the night was asking the waiter what beers they had. "Kronenberg, Becks and Fosters" - "I'll have a vodka and coke then please".

Sunday was collecting Neil's Bose system and Sky box so we now have 2 boxes - doh!

Valentine's Day was a little surprise for Kerry. Took her to see Edward Scissorhands at the Mayflower theatre in Southampton. It was a ballet based on the Tim Burton film and stuck pretty close to the story with just a bit more poncing around. It was slightly surreal as the dancing was quickly accepted whilst the costumes, excellent scenery, lighting effects, orchestra music and (especially) the see-through screens for rain and snow effect made the show a classic. Humour was evident throughout the performance with Edward perfecting the awkwardness of the scissored-handicap against the classic American suburban background. The supporting cast were cleverly dressed as family stereo-types such as the reverend had a wife and children of pale complexion being gothic at times, whilst another family had the air of working class, porkpie hat and fag for the dad. Props were vital to the atmosphere and the production didn't disappoint. The pruned, shaped hedges, the ice-sculpture, poodle dog and amazing haircuts were all there. Slightly creepy but cleverly done was the magical garden sequence (see pic) where dancers disguised themselves as moving hedges which would scare the crap if you'd taken anything before to enhance the effects (see pic above). A good night with only the local car-park taking 15 minutes to escape from!

Pirate name

My pirate name is:

Bloody Morty Kidd

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Happy Boosh day

Some call me...
Originally uploaded by Ginger DJ.

What a night! Arrived early to get some merchandise to find only one person serving. Between Kerry and I, we racked up an impressive £46 on 2 mugs (no jokes please), 2 t-shirts and a programme. Later at both the half-time break and at the end, the merchandise stall was so busy with at least 3 people deep buying stuff as if there was a famine of comedy sized proportions going on. No support came during that time for the poor single stall holder.

As I've been bragging, we really did have the best seats in the house and a few times had eye contact with the Boosh getting some quality photos. Next to us were the most dedicated fans I've ever seen making Rocky Horror show look like a fancy dress cop-out. The detail of their costumes was impressive. Both were dressed in the Zoonivese green jackets with the Vince Noir character played by electro-girl and Howard Moon by a lanky fella who I couldn't look at without cracking up. Even his hair was similar though couldn't quite manage the pathetic moustache Mr Moon had perfected. Still, you had to salute these people's obsession to the point of growing their hair and searching the ends-of-the-earth for the exact look. Other notable fans were a number of poncho wearers and my favourite, a guy bringing in a coconut decorated like those from the last episode of TV Boosh series 2. Otherwise the buzz of the rest of the audience had a teenage over-excitement which had its moments of slight annoyance later.

As the glam-rock warm-up music died down, the famous pair walked on stage to a heroes' welcome with Noel quickly commenting on the Guildhall's size being the longest room ever. Both introduced each other with impeccable banter and witty retorts, improvising as they went along to the point of duelling. This theme continued as they introduced the other key players with Naboo, Bollo and, of course Bob Fossil, who surprised everyone appearing at the back of the audience. Once on stage he performed his 10CC "I don't like cricket dance" which brought the house down.

During the introduction an obsessive fan threw 2 pairs of sequinned kickers on the stage, one pair falling short then me handing the pants to Noel! The duo took it in their stride and wore their new clothing additions much to the delirious delight of the mega-fan behind me who giddily laughed at nearly word spoken by the cast.

The 'real' show kicks off just after Howard Moon's Russian mini-drama (involving a pie) bringing in familiar music and dance routines from the TV show, again receiving cheers from the crowd. Vince and Howard work in Naboo's shop which sells antiques, jazz records and wigs from Vince's real hair. More mini-dance routines to stereo-type their characters such as Vince's 'I am electro-boy' and Howard's jazz-trance before more characters add to the plot which sees Naboo being killed by the Hitcher, who Howard let escape from a prison box which had been brought in by a customer. Bollo sets the pair off on a mission to find a magical ruby that can bring Naboo back to life which could either be in Spain or the Arctic Tundra. Again familiar comedic territory for fans with poncho jokes and the 'isolation' song/dance.

One of my favourite characters, the psychedelic priest (played by Julian Barratt) got wheeled on to divert Vince's mission direction which received more cheers. His outfit was complete with Afro and mini-door plus his false teeth causing some speech trouble.
The spangly kickers re-appeared on Howard Moon again, this time showing his bare arse and naked spindly legs with the obsessive fan behind me going into love adoration heckling over-drive!

I'm not going to give away much else but the Hitcher re-appears with some great lines relating to cockney references and how evil he could be. Oh, and there was a surprise character near the end which completed our grinning, laughing face workout. In summary, it was a pantomime of well-rehearsed sketches taken from the TV show patched together into a slick stage performance with ample space for on the spot improv.

Boosh Eve

Getting a great bargain from Ebay really puts you in a good mood. Our 5 year old Amstrad Sky box had been on its last legs for a few months and the constant beating it received from Kerry's fist meant we had to get another one. £26 got us a like-new Panasonic from a guy in Portsmouth. It works like a satellite dream with the interactive shifting like a turbo.

Damn my body clock! As well as Kerry reminding me that we're seeing the Mighty Boosh on stage just before going to sleep therefore exciting my mind like its Christmas tomorrow, my body-clock thinks I need to wake up at 4am. Managed to get back to some sort of shut-eye state but dreamt of being a game-keeper after watching 'Who do you think you are?'. According to my Dad, my great grandfather was a game-keeper. Quite interestingly, Coleman was a popular name around Norfolk in 1881 and Kerry's pre-wedded name was Bartlett which was popular down in Devon and Dorset in 1881. Try this link to find out where your surname might have come from.

Surname Search

The picture above is grabbed from the first series of the Boosh (Killaroo) - Been looking forward to this for ages and we've got front row tickets! Times online already have a review. I hate the quote of "the more fanciful, better realised second series" - come on! The first series is way much better! All these johnny-come-latelys get on my tits! Also found an interview courtesy of the Richmond and Twickenham Times. Plus found the tour's merchandise website (click on shop) just off their own official site. I'm liking the lightning bolt t-shirts so can see myself getting quite carried away tonight!

How do you want me? I've been searching for the DVD or video for this excellent comedy since it came out back in 1998. It starred Dylan Moran (Black Books, Shaun of the Dead) and my name sake, Charlotte Coleman (RIP) plus the guy who played Duane Benzie in Spaced, Peter Serafinowicz (he did the voice for Darth Maul in Star Wars: Phantom Menace). Here's what IMDB say. Bit more delving through the net found a petition to get it released on DVD. So help me out otherwise I might have to download onto my laptop's hard-drive which is struggling to squeeze in another 8Mb photo and being a tight-arse.

Bin man evils

Not much sleep last night as poor Kerry suffered with some weird virus thing. Bin men came at the most inconvenient moment at breakfast so had to scramble the wheelie bin out to the collectors. Couldn't get over the evil look the bin man gave me. From the look of him he could only communicate in facial expressions from 'feeling angry, gonna murder your pet dog' to 'feeling psychotic, gonna cut you up good with Mr. Bleed-machine then eat my lips'.

Matt from work passed on a cool link for anyone who remembers Street Fighter 2.

Without Glastonbury this year, I've been keeping my eye out for anything festive. Found this alternative called Earthwise but won't even measure up to even 1% of Glastonbury. Still at least it's sort of local.

Asteroids

We definately love Katamari

Friday (and all last week) we've been revisiting Animal Crossing (Gamecube) with the DS wireless version released recently. Forgotten how cute it can be. Have read recent stories of people selling virtual items on Ebay which has reached a new height of strangeness.

I.T. Crowd on Channel 4 didn't really live up to my expectations. Quite an obvious idea about nerdy office geeks though can't quite think if anyone had done it before. It had Father Ted humour all over it (obviously with Graham Linehan writing, directing, producing and making the tea for everyone). Chris Morris (Brass Eye) did the best performance and the Irish guy did cut close to some people I work with (including myself), though the usually brilliant Richard Ayoade's (Garth Merenghi) character was just annoying. The 3 central character formula just seemed a little tired and done too many times before. Other highlights for me were the mangled feet joke in the second episode. C- = must do better.

Saturday evening was celebrating my uni mate's 31st birthday at a 'dinner-party'. The last few meetings with our 'Groove' collection (named after our student Monday night at the old Centro bar in Southampton where James DJ'ed rare groove, Stu did hip-hop to house and I did deep, french and latin house) had been re-enactments of our student days, getting so mashed and sleeping on living room floors. Even our favourite groupee had the respectable nick-name of 'Drunk Jim' to give you the impression of those heady student days. Although there was a more sedate setting and slightly different characters attending, I had prepared for the worst bringing some mexican beer and rose wine. Arrived after the most infuriating directions taken from Google maps (never again), we arrived almost last to a tightly packed house of familiar faces from yearly reunions. First sign of change was the absence of Vodka in the house with hosts offering me gin as an alternative (sorry I refuse to drink G&T). James and Sarah had squeezed a long table for 14 people and a great mexican feast was served. With only 6 years from graduating the conversations went from past degree studying exploits through to typical 'where are you working now' then on to house prices to cycling the Jurassic coast in Dorset. By 11pm only one drink was spilled only through the disguised gap in the table.

Sunday was laziness to the extreme. Straight after an 11:30am breakfast we switched the PS2 on to play We love Katamari and hardly did anything else. Had played a preview of this in Tokyo (don't you know) back in October and loved the concept. Basically you're rolling a sticky ball collecting things along the way to make the ball bigger - just like rolling a ball of snow. Between the bouts of ball rolling is a bizarre Japanese story of a king all to some swing music ala Sinatra meets Jap-pop. First stages you're rolling up pins, lego bricks and batteries. Other stages you get roll up pets, trumpets, traffic cones then people. Last few stages you go to buildings, bridges and super-tankers. Best game in ages though after several hours we had overdosed on it.

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Oh La La! Goldfrapp at Guildhall

Goldfrapp8
Originally uploaded by Ginger DJ.

Went to see Goldfrapp at the Southampton Guildhall last night. Phoned earlier in the day to find out when they would appear on stage and avoid any ropey support as well as having to stand about making small talk. Drinks were scandalously high priced. Saw the tail-end of some folky-durge band who seemed to get everyone in a bad mood then went to find a decent place to stand whilst those thirsty people went to spend their taxi fares on more booze.

Goldfrapp came on at 9:20pm each carrying a big flashlight though it wasn't really that dark. Alison came on last with a quite ordinary black outfit covered with a shocking pink, pleated cape with sleeves. The crowd warmed to their entrance with what seemed a couple of people clapping. I guess they were still pissed off at the support. A few tracks in, the Nun loving vocalist even mentioned it was quiet out there. Shame on you Southampton - either get drunk quicker, take more drugs or get camper!

We'd seen the band before at Glastonbury 2004 and loved their live show. Was expecting to see some dancers with stag horns and tails but tonight was just about the band and the nice coloured lights. Really impressed with the sound quality as the last few events we'd been there the acoustics ruined the experience. I'm guessing you have to be in a good place for Guildhall. Alison's voice was amazing as well - sounding exactly like CD quality. In fact, you couldn't fault the other band members either. Shame the crowd had forgotten to show their appreciation until right near the end when Oh La La came on - obviously it takes a mobilephone advert to make the right impression with some people!

Was also impressed with the outfit of the synth guitar/electric violin player. Was a cross between MC Hammer trousers/Duran Duran jumpsuit, looking like a coke dealer from Miami Vice. Nice!

Bad day for toilets

Started the day in a bad mood after last night's karate lesson. Carman, who normally takes the class, decided to be ill leaving me to organise a lesson plan. Being a sempai (teacher's assistant) has its pitfalls even though I don't have to pay. A couple of things pissed me off about the class. First, the short notice to do the lesson plus my crap confidence in teaching. Secondly, another sempai interupting me whilst I try giving out directions. This got to a point when I lost my rag and told him to stop pissing me off and shut up under hushed breath. I'm not quite sure the class heard me but about two parents of karate students standing right near us did. Felt crap afterwards but must have done the trick as he admitted giving it verbal and bought me a drink afterwards.

Back to today, as well as trying to cheer myself up reminding myself what I've got to look forward to (Goldfrapp this Thursday, Mighty Boosh next week and New York in April), I took a weird pleasure from doing an 'unflushable' at around 10:30am. Two flushes and lashings of loo paper still couldn't sink the huge log I produced. By 4:45pm it was still there half attached under the U-bend winking at the next dumping contestant looking for a lighter skinned partner.

Hyperdrive: Is it crap? Discuss
Nice to look at, has the right type of cast but what's missing?. Still it's the only decent thing at 10pm on a Wednesday. "Talky door" - best line so far.