A gig like this...

If you listen to radio 2 and bbc six music you might be aware that they were giving tickets away to Elbow's Homecoming gig at Manchester Cathedral last thursday.  I had seen the link on Twitter and because I don't live that far away from Manchester, I decided to apply for two tickets to see them.

Well I received an email confirming that I'd been selected so my chap and I duly headed out to Manchester last Thursday to go and see the gig.  Free gigs are great things, I've been quite lucky in the past and have won tickets on a few occasions most memorably the Scissor Sisters in Trafalgar Square.  The T&Cs for this one were quite scary and warned you not to be disappointed if you didn't get in. So it was some trepidation that we queued to get in. My fears were somewhat unfounded though as we made it in and experienced the space.

There was a lot of dry ice and the BBC had made the stained glass windows look amazing by shining some bright lights through them.  The cathedral itself was smaller than I expected but warmer.  The band played for a good 85 minutes and were incredible.  I always like Elbow stuff when I hear it, I don't necessarily own much, between us we have seldom seen kid and build a rocket boys and their set covered some of their older back catalogue.

Guy Garvey comes across a bit like a kindly geography teacher, dressed in a shirt and pullover. His voice is something else and his presence on stage is one of a kindly giant. He seems like the sort of person you would like to share a pint with and have a natter.  And yes this comes through his singing and the banter between numbers.  One thing we noticed in out position near the front but extreme stage left was that there was a bod from the BBC holding up a sign saying hurry up please.  Playing live to the nation, even artists are subject to deadlines.

I found the gig to be uplifting and mostly full of admiration.  Highlights for me were Seldom Seen Kid and the sing along preceding, I also may have audibly squeed at On a Day like this.

I'm really grateful to the BBC for putting shows like this on and offering tickets to people who just apply.

And just a little thing to show off, at one point my chap found himself standing next to Jo Whiley, Mark Radcliffe and Mark Riley.  I do believe he squeed.

Welcome to the new crowd of readers I've picked up from the OU creative writing level one course.  This seems like a good a time as any to reiterate what this blog is for and who I am.

Well let's start with the easy bit.

I'm Jane this is my blog. I am 32 I live with my boyfriend just outside of Wrexham. I'm a geek and a fangirl and I'm proud.

This blog is a positive place, it's where I'll write about what I'm enjoying on TV, what has tempted me to the cinema and what love film has served up.  I'll also talk about what I'm reading though I have a good reads account which is where most of my writing about reading occurs. Here is also where I write about how I experience and express what fandoms means to me.

Please feel free to comment, it makes me feel loved and that I'm not shouting into the void.

What I've been watching lately: 

Firstly last week BBC Four showed Holy Flying Circus which was a drama based on the furore surrounding the Python team at the time of the release of the life of Brian.  It was a perfect piece about the group because it did it in the style of  Monty Python, with fantasy sequences, weird animations and good old fashioned silliness. For instance the actor playing Terry Jones also played Michael Palin's wife and the actor playing Michael Palin also played his mother.

Darren Boyd was incredible as a very Basil Fawlty version of John Cleese, the pitch of his voice, the way he moved, it was a beautifully observed and fantastically funny.

The show was very knowing and very self referential and post modern in the way the story was told I loved it, I laughed out loud a lot and when I watched the actual interview and 'debate' afterward it was interesting to see just how closely the scene in the drama had kept to the show that had aired.  Some things I felt sure must have been put in for comedy effect were there in the original and I was amazed.   

I will have to watch this again, get it on iplayer while you can.

I've also been keeping up with Warehouse 13 the finale to the third season was on recently, and I'll be watching it tonight, it promises to be a game changer. This really is the little show that could and over its three seasons it has become more exciting and more intricate. They have great guest star slots including Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Jewel Staite and Sean Maher also the ubiquitous Mark Sheppard and Saul Tigh.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this season gets finished and where they will head next.

We've also started watching the Closer from the beginning which is really easy TV to watch and a southern accent, I'm kinda there y'all.

And Spartacus Gods of the Arena, which is the prequel to blood and sand is just great, a time before Spartacus, with Crixes on the rise and the status of the ludus being one that was very much in the lower echelons, it will be interesting to see the rise in status, that we know will come.

 

In defence of Fangirls

All over the internet I see snide comments regarding fangirls and they are always excessively negative. That fangirls only like insert random writer/character/actor because they find them sexually attractive.  I've seen this opinion expressed over women who like Neil Gaiman or China Miéville but not just limited to authors.  And you know what? As someone who identifies as a fangirl I've got a two word response to that; the second of which is 'off'.

I read a lot of books and I watch a lot of shows and I feel passion or a large percentage of what I consume.  The passion that I feel for a piece of work can develop for many reasons its not limited to getting warm fuzzy feelings in my loins because someone is pretty. Not surprisingly I get pretty angry when male fans presume that's my sole reason for liking something. I'll write about why I think male fans need to do this at the end, but before that I want to explore why I fangirl things.

When I get excited about a book by a specific author it isn't because I fancy the author. I'm excited because it's new and I am desperate to know what is going to happen to the characters I'm invested in. I'm invested in the narrative and the characters not the author. Same with TV I'm invested in what's going to happen how the characters will deal with something. I might regularly tweet that I love Steven Moffat, but that's not because I think he's a sex god, its because I think he's a genius with plots and when he's pulled off a episode like Let's Kill Hitler I am genuinely thrilled.  

The other accusation which is basically the same is that fangirls only watch X Y Z because they fancy the actors.  Excuse me while I headdesk. Yes many actors are attractive and yes I've got a long list of actors I think are rather dishy, but by and large they still aren't the sole reason I'd watch a show (they might be the reason I stick with a show long after it's past it's best though). It's still all about the characters and how they react to a given situation.

I've asked my friends and the consenus was that they might watch shows for certain actors but to really stick with it the narrative has got to be good and the characters have got to draw you in.

So why do male fans feel the need to put down fangirls?  Is it because in the past scifi fanboys were seen as nerds and geeks and derided because of that fact? In some areas sci fi is still seen as the preserve of geeks and is still looked down on because it's a genre. Feel free to argue with me about this, but I think that with the advent of fangirls male fans feel that the way that women interact with a show and the way that men interact with a show are different and they feel that the way fangirls interact with a fandom is somehow less valid than their male ways.  I am aware that I'm making sweeping generalisations here and not every male fan feels this way but I believe that the ones moved to make disparaging comments are the ones who do.

One thing I'm certain of is that being a fan should be about celebrating that fandom and everyone should be able to express their love for a show or a character in a variety of different ways. I might not appreciate or agree with the way you celebrate that show or book but by golly it is certainly not my place to judge or to harsh your squee.  I guess negative opinions get thrown around for a variety of reasons, we all like to feel that our way is the best way of being a fan; but putting down someone else's work so you feel better about yourself is a poor choice.

All photos in this post are me expressing my fangirly squee.

Top 3 Shows that went on too long

Well after last week's shows which were cancelled too soon, I've had a request to do the shows that went on too long.

Now I'm going to qualify my choices here at this point. I'm not in the business of intentionally harshing anyone else's squee and if there's a show I took an instant dislike to or just didn't get on with I ignore it's existence. My choices are shows that I loved but along the way they lost what made them special.

1. Heroes.

Season one was an amazing piece of television.  THere were many threads of seeming disparate narrative which over the weeks wore a tapestry which had a fab finale.  It had a comic book ethos and was beautifully shot.  Save the Cheerleader, save the world. Yatta! and Sylar all became iconic hallmarks of the series.  Season two suffered because of the writers strike, but despite the shortened season I had loved Adam's story and was disappointed that his arc had been curtailed.  Season three lost it's way and season four jumped the shark repeatedly.  My problem with the show was that the rules for the universe that the show operated in were not consistent.  The writers were changing their mind's about character's motivation on a weekly basis and it kind got to the stage where it just didn't make any kind of sense at all.



2. Torchwood

I'm sure you're already sick of my writings about Torchwood and I'm loathed to repeat myself so here's the potted version.  Believe me getting me on this rant live is a whole other ball game. I've written multiple times at length about Miracle day but here's the bottom line, Torchwood  was always a bit of silly fun. Pterydactyls, sex aliens, bloody great demons destroying half of Cardiff. Torchwood was also creepy, there was Coutrycide, the circus freaks and then there was a smattering of wibbly wobbly timey wimey.  Everyone had sex with each other and it was a hoot.  Then there was always the threat of Death, Suzy, Tosh, and Owen all lost their lives in the first two series. 

Then Children of Earth happened and as a viewer it was like: oh wow, Torchwood has grown up and isn't it ace. I'm one of the few that thought Ianto had a fantastic poetic death. And I loved Peter Capaldi's performance.

Miracle Day for want of a more elegant phrase has shat over that legacy, it hasn't managed to capture the fun of the early series nor the beautifully crafted tension of Children of Earth.  Miracle Day meanders amlessly for many episodes with no aliens, or threat beyond the human.  THere are two weeks left, I'll admit that week eight was an improvement (thank you lords of Kobol for John Do Lancie) but in a ten week run leaving the plot development to week eight is a very risky strategy.

3. Red Dwarf

Shock inclusion? I do still love the early series of this show. I think more than fondly or series 1-6 but let's face it things started going wrong with series seven onwards.  I used to blame the 'new Kotchanski' but as I've gotten older I've drawn a new conclusion.  It wasn't Chloe Annett's fault, in fact Claire Grogan could have joined the team and it still wouldn't have worked.  Adding a female to the cast completely altered the chemistry of the show. The point was that all the male cast had nothing in common and didn't really like each other, they generated friction and tension and that generated the comedy.  Kotchanski fundamentally changed how the characters interacted with each other and not for the best.

Series 8 was back on the ship and introduced,or rather reintroduced the crew which again lost the point somewhat.  And Back to Earth didn't really do it for me either.

TV round up

I have to squee at you dear reader, please take a seat. I have to squee because I've got a new show which ticks my boxes and that doesn't happen as often as it should do.

Forbrydelsen.

Or The Killing if you prefer. How did I miss this first time round? Dear old BBC Four didn't really trail it and I'd heard the hype but didn't want to come into something half way through and was going to rent it from love film but Auntie saw fit to give this show a repeat showing. 20 tense episodes over four weeks.  I currently am one episode behind as its hard to make time enough to sit down and watch on a daily basis but its so good my chap and I caught up at the weekend and we can happily watch two episodes when we get behind.

So what's so good about this show? I know a lot of people get put off something if they have to watch it with subtitles, but not this puppy. Denmark seems familiar but different; we've had a lot of rain recently and the colouring of the show matches it perfectly. A lot of US shows are very colourful and sunny, this is bleak looking but there's beauty in the bleakness.

The protagonist is Sarah Lund, she wears chunky jumpers and in that respect alone, she's a woman after my own heart.  She's dedicated to her job so much so, she can't leave even though she has a young teenaged son and a Swedish boyfriend who looks like Richard Gere.  She's also very good at her job, she has principles and she isn't an alcoholic and she doesn't have any of the more usual foibles which detectives all seem to have in modern mysteries.  Her grumpy replacement Meyer is irked by Lund's continued presence and her boss doesn't want her to leave.  Meyer and Lund don't really get on, he's somewhat slap dash but his heart is in the right place even when he goes for the easy option.

Add to the mix the family of the murdered girl the Birk Larsen's their reaction to their daughter's death played beautifully and truthfully. 

There's also a political Layer Troels Hartmann campaigning to become mayor, he has his advisor and lover Rie and Morten his campaign manager.  His party are backstabbing and his opponents seem to be capable of stooping to ever more scary depths.

The story is utterly compelling, littered with red herrings and twists, just when you think you've got a handle on things and a working theory, new information comes to light and your prime suspect is now innocent.

I'm loving the tenseness of the show its operating on so many levels and seemingly effortless while it does so.

I can't wait to see how it does.

I'm also rejoicing because Doctor Who is back.

Let's Kill Hitler was a romp wasn't it? Many questions answered, and a fair few more asked. Thank you Steven Moffat, this was excellent when a Good Man Goes to War felt to me to be all set up with not enough satisfaction.  I love that the title was a joke and Rory Williams is a complete BAMF.

I can't really discuss much about the show without spoilers but I will say, "you are authorised;  your existence will continue" made us guffaw along with "you may experienc a tingling feeling then death."

The Borgia is my current catnip.  Its sumptuously shot and Jeremy Irons is second only to Alan Rickman in voice and making me go kind of gooey.  He is quite simply acting the socks off anyone else in shot with an extreme close up and an eyebrow quirk.  The show itself is ridiculous in the way that the Tudors is and in that respect most enjoyable but I'm not expecting nor even wanting historical accuracy. And what's more I don't care I'm having fun watching it and that's all that matters.

I'm also watching the third season of Warehouse 13 which is now being shown in the UK on SyFy.  The show goes from strength to strength, I love the quirkiness of it and the steam punk elements which make this show great for family viewing.  The cast is a great ensemble and its always reasonable viewing.  Its never going to change the world but who said every tv show had to?

Changes to this blog

I'm a bad blogger, I don't have a regular schedule and I'm a bit random, though random about TV film theatre and books.

So I've been thinking, and I'm wanting to organise myself a little bit better.

The plan is this: to write three regular blog posts per week, one for the TV I've been watching, one top ten/top five/pic spam and one lucky dip.

If you want to prompt me with a theme for a list please comment.

So with out further ado I give you My Top Five Shows that were cancelled too soon.

1.  Dollhouse.

I was one of the few.  I loved this show and thought it was pretty damned epic. The premise sounded hokey I'll give you that and the first five episodes of season one were not very good and we know that was all down to the network interfering in Joss Whedon's show.  When the plot arc took off the show really did come into its own. So many layers of deception and it just kept on getting twistier. (What you say twistier isn't a word, well  damned well should be.) I was amazed when it got a second season and what a second season it was. The red herrings, the feints, the grand reveals, Epitaph 1 and 2. I'll concede that Eliza Dushku isn't that strong an actress but as with all Whedon shows it wasn't about Echo, it became about the Ensemble.  The subject matter wasn't an easy sell either but it was a great show and I for one really miss it.

2.  Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

I'll let you into a little secret, I actually prefer Studio 60 to the West Wing.  Now, before you call me out and want me shot, let me explain my theory why.  I came to Studio 60 first, I'd missed out on the West Wing and the goodies it had to offer and my introduction to Aaron Sorkin was this gem which ran for 22 episodes.  The writing for the pilot is completely exquisite and some might argue that the show lost pace half way through its run, I still loved every second. I have a deep abiding love of Matthew Perry and the relationship between Matt Albie and Danny Tripp is one of the most absorbing friendships I've ever seen portrayed on screen.

3.  Firefly

Its a must on any list for a show that was cancelled too soon. Another one of Joss Whedon's greats. Completely underrated when it first aired and pulled too frakking early.  Now another little confession and a controversial one. I prefer Dollhouse to Firefly. There I said it and I believe it so deal with it.  I like Firefly and yes it was cut down in it's prime but it didn't hit some of the buttons for me that Dollhouse did. I don't know maybe I'm just born that way or something I don't know.

4.  Caprica

I really got into this series I watched the first ten episodes fanatically, I was so excited there was going to be ERic Stoltz there was going to 'Grandpa' Joe Adama as a younger man, young William. So many possibilities and I loved the forties Noir feel of the show and then came the hiatus.

And we waited and we waited and the show got buried.  I still haven't finished watching this show, but I will, one spare weekend I'll over dose on the lot. It had some great promise and Sasha Roiz as Sam Adama. Who could ask for more?

5. Pushing Daisies

Oh this show was so saccharine it hurts your teeth but its a bittersweet too. Another show that managed two seasons before getting chopped off despite having some great little plot arcs, it was romantic and sweet and funny and very very knowing.  

Where else could you fine Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene in the same show? Remember this was pre Glee!

Olive Sings Hopelessly Devoted to You

Torchwood Miracle Day

I've been quiet the last couple of weeks because I was hoping that Torchwood would improve and its with a heavy heart that I have to report that its completely lost the plot.

I'm not someone who is adverse to change, I like it and equally I find shows that retread the same set of tropes endlessly somewhat a chore to watch.

I've been reading a number of opinions out there on what's going on with Torchwood and the consensus is that it has lost it's charm somewhere along the flight across the atlantic.

Some people have suggested that Miracle Day started life as a 5 parter like Children of Earth it's true that the pace of the show feels like there's rather a lot of padding going on.

As far as the characters are concerned, Rex can go die-in-a-fire. Esther who was a little bit like Tosh 2.0 is so consistent at doing stupid things I'm about ready to pop a vein when I see her on the screen.  Gwen and I have always had a difficult relationship, I didn't really like her, although she utterly redeemed herself for me in Children of Earth by being AWESOME.  Miracle Day, she veers between almost likeable and bat poop crazy. I love Eve Myles and it is fantastic that we see a normal woman sized woman on the screen but by the cringe Gwen makes me want to stab my own eyes out.

And where the hell is Jack?  For many people Jack is Torchwood and in Miracle Day he's around briefly and he's all out of character and not the Captain Jack we adore and love to see taking names and kicking ass.

It’s a mess, a big mess. I'm persisting with the show because its one I used to hold so dear and it makes me sad to see the show that I used to enjoy so much become so much of a chore.

True there were moments where I laughed out loud, but they weren't comedy moments, they were meant to be moments of drama which came across as the bat poop crazy variety.

Also we've had lots of coverage of Oswald Danes and Kitty only for them to be completely ingnored in episode six.  Where were they?  Come to mention it, what happened with the creepy mask wearing cult, the souless? THey disappeared pretty quickly and without explanation, also the Dead is Dead Brigade were offed pretty quickly. I'm not a script writer but all the loose ends that are discarded are pretty frustrating for a viewer. There is a frustrating lack of answers and I'd have thought that over half way through the series answers would at least begin to be forthcoming. You know something, anything.


One thing I've been talking to people about is how this show isn't Torchwood anymore, for episode seven I'm going to try watching it as though its called something else, maybe I'll be able to enjoy it then?


So I'm sticking with it out of sheer bloodimindedness.


Wish me luck.