Monday, August 24, 2009

The All About How You Don't Have To Be Posh To Watch Privileged Post.

I had to miss Privileged last night, but Channel 4/E4/More4 has an OnDemand facility so you can watch episodes of this and many other 4 shows online (see also the BBC's iPlayer, ITV's ITV Player, and so on). So I head off to the site and prepare for more of the adventures of the engaging Megan and the Baker twins. (Unlike Gossip Girl, it doesn't revel in amorality and doesn't suffer from too many epically hateable characters - sometimes I suspect only the immense beddability of Blake Lively keeps me going. Which is probably why, unlike Gossip Girl, the CW isn't bringing it back. But I digress.)

Anyway, I went to the site but... um... it didn't play. Unlike ITV Player, where this kind of thing is to be expected, it refused to play because it said I wasn't in the area where it was available. Which would be fair enough if I was out of the UK (these things never go across borders), but I'm not, darnit. It's not like I'm trying to watch it on the CW's site. Anyway, until Saturday morning's repeat (or until the DVD release, which at least should have the episodes in their uncensored forms and no loud-mouthed announcer talking over the end credits and that blue bird at the end, but that's another story), that's your lot.

"Bye."

Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Bandslam Post.

Bandslam was the second time I've ever seen Aly Michalka in a non-Disney context; the first time was when she was on London Tonight promoting Bandslam. The film itself, despite coming with a trailer for New Moon attached, has turned out to be something of a box office dud on both sides of the Atlantic (a fate doomed to be shared by I Love You, Beth Cooper thanks partly to the reviews - most of which, mercifully, didn't go after my girl Hayden (though woe betide Chris Tookey and Nicholas Barber if I meet them) - but mostly to it not being on many screens in London... and thanks to my unwillingness to see anything in its first week of release I'll have to wait until next weekend!); for which some have blamed the marketing. Others blamed the casting of Vanessa Hudgens.

I blame the marketing - for a start, you know the poster art featuring Aly, Vanessa and Gaelan Connell proudly on stage? Doesn't really happen in the movie. Plus the movie's official UK website doesn't help reduce any High School Musical connotations, although the movie itself is overall better written (by Josh A. Cagan and director Todd Graff, from the former's story) and more filled with what's called "real" music in some corners. The trouble with the movie is that it's more interesting with its story and characters than with... you know... the music. Relationship between Aly and Gaelan's characters? Yes. Vanessa's edgy persona (a nice change of pace for her, really)? Yes. The whole "Dewey" thing? Yes. The actual musical numbers? Not really that rousing - even in the climax. (Also, when they're in CBGB's and the hero says there wouldn't have been U2 or The Killers without it... so it was them!)

Can't fault the singing, though, or most of the acting. And it passes the time well enough - too bad David Bowie still can't act. And too bad Aly's character is ultimately more interesting than Vanessa's. And too bad it had to come in the wake of the passing of John Hughes... but it still deserved to do a little better than it did.

Friday, August 21, 2009

The Panettiere And Crawford On Friday Post.

It's only fair that the birthday babe come first, really (today Hayden turns 20, the same day as I Love You, Beth Cooper opens in the UK to not particularly good reviews - but she's moved on).
Cindy here is for her new line of shoes for the German company Deichmann, called 5th Avenue. Not expensive, and not available in the UK. Fortunately it's not about the shoes, it's about who's wearing them...

Monday, August 10, 2009

The I'm Back Post.

Upside: Cindy in St. Tropez again! More Vanessa Hudgens nudity! JoAnna Garcia in Privileged every Sunday evening!

Downside: Spending a week off work because of illness. And John Hughes.