I'm having a bikie baby

Apparently, at 27 weeks, my baby is able to hear sounds in utero. I fear I may be having a bikie baby as we've become addicted to the TV series "Sons of Anarchy", about a motorcycle club in Northern California. Great acting, great scriptwriting, lots of drama. Perfect.

Either that, or he/she will be a Real Housewife. I'm not sure what's worse?!

5 DVD box sets you need to own. Or at least rent.

1. Friday Night Lights - we have just finished watching all five seasons of this show. And by watching, I mean devouring! We couldn't get enough of it. The premise is simple: follow the lives of a high school football team in a small town in Texas. But the execution is complex: strong scriptwriting, great acting and directing, shot on location with three cameras and no marks, no rehearsals. You don't need to like or understand American football to like this show. It's all about the characters. And you'll be talking like a Texan in no time, "y'all".

2. The Wire - another show that was seriously overlooked by audiences and award shows during its five seasons on air. Set in the crime-addled streets of Baltimore, the show follows both sides: the drug gangs and the police. Every season is fantastic. The acting and scriptwriting is incredible. And you'll be talking like a Baltimore drug dealer in no time, "a'ight".

3. Sex and the City - this show was groundbreaking in its day and it still stands the test of time. This is like having coffee with a girlfriend. I've seen every episode at least five times, maybe more. It never gets old.

4. Breaking Bad - this show is still on air so you can only buy the first four seasons. The fifth and final season returns next year. Set in Albequerque, New Mexico, it follows the exploits of Walter White, a former high school science teacher turned terminal cancer patient turned crystal meth dealer. It's a drama but with darkly comic undertones. The acting across the board is superb.

5. Mad Men - another show still on the air, but if you haven't already, you must catch up with the first seasons. Set in New York's advertising industry in the late 1950s and 1960s, the central character is one Don Draper, a character you should hate but can't help but be captivated by. But Mad Men is more than just Don Draper: the acting from all cast members is killer. As is the scriptwriting.

What else is on your list? I need a new season to get into. Am thinking In Treatment or Sons of Anarchy. I also need to go back and get into a few shows I completely missed the first time around, The West Wing, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.  So many series, so little time...

The Walking Dead is back.... and with a parody

The second season of zombie series The Walking Dead is back on TV screens. It brought in massive ratings in the US when it screened on Sunday night. We watched it last night. Why do I do it myself?! I hate violence and torture on screen, but for some reason it's alright with zombies. They're dead. They're not real people. They're zombies. Still, there were some pretty gruesome zombie kills last night.  I almost had to leave the room in one scene.

And check this out. Someone has posted this new parody on YouTube. It's called The Walken Dead and the premise is this: what if all the zombies were infected with the ability to recite only lines from Christopher Walken films. Ha! Brilliant.

"The Slap". So far, so good

I read "The Slap" earlier this year.  It had been on my must-read list since its release, but I never got around to reading it. I then proceeded to whip through it in two days while on holiday. For both of those days I was in the foulest mood possible. When I put the book down I felt like I'd spent time with a bunch of some of the most horrible people imaginable. Despite the interesting premise, none of the characters appeared to have any redeeming features and I despaired at the rampant infidelity, substance abuse and physical abuse.

I read many interviews with the author, Christos Tsiolkas, who proclaimed it as his ode to the changing face of Australia. How there is a new "underclass" in Australian society and the role of multiculturalism and second generation migrants. As much as I hated the characters and some of the plot developments, I did consider it a powerful work. A case of "you don't have to love everything, but it's important to document and discuss this". My interest was certainly piqued when I heard that the ABC had acquired the rights and would be making an eight-part TV series.

We're two episodes in, and so far, so good. The acting has so far been universally solid and the book has come to life for me in a rich way. The set decoration in particular is particularly impressive. There is a realism to the characters and plot that was curiously absent from the book in parts. I like that it is staying relatively true to the book, but there are some additional characters and scenes. It's an excellent production. It won't be for everyone's taste, but I am liking it more than I thought I would.

Why are film heroes and villains so stupid?

It always bugs me when a hero or a villain (in many cases, the anti-hero) does something so monumentally stupid and out of character that it gets them caught / killed / tortured. I know it's called a "plot point" but it just seems like really lazy scriptwriting and the movies are entirely hung on these inherently stupid character decisions which ultimately make the movies less enjoyable.

Want some examples?

Look away now if you don't want to read spoilers!  You have been warned.

Drive (2011) - starring Ryan Gosling as a stunt driver / getaway driver. He has one million bucks in his possession - more than enough to run away on his own (and we've already established he's a loner) so why does he stick around, wear a blood-soaked jacket in public, meet up with a gangster and turn his back on said gangster who's known to carry knives and kill people wantonly?

Collateral (2004) - starring Tom Cruise as a professional hitman. Why in god's name would a contract killer take a cab driver hostage while he goes on a killing rampage. Is that not against the rules of Hitman 101?  I.e. act alone, don't leave any witnesses, make a quick getaway.  Duh!!!!!  The entire premise of the movie is flawed.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) - starring Matt Damon as a trained assassin on the run from the CIA. So somehow Bourne and Marie have made it from Greece to Goa and have been living undetected long enough for her to grow her hair long, get a few more tattoos and get a job. In the first five minutes of another assassin arriving in Goa, Bourne openly and frantically runs for his life (when Bourne could have just chilled out and hid quietly), and gets his much-loved girlfriend killed. Bad on-the-run behaviour. I hate that the romance got killed and then we had grieving Bourne for two movies.

Heat (1995) - starring Al Pacino as an overacting loudmouth detective and Robert de Niro as a professional thief / criminal mastermind. Why on earth would Robert de Niro's deliberate, careful character care enough about sabotaging his getaway to kill a character he would never normally care about? Why would he leave his girlfriend in a running car next to the hotel, pull a fire alarm necessitating fire engines and police cars to arrive en masse and then make his getaway on foot into an open field? The film's ending sucks. Pacino should have died.

Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) - starring Julia Roberts as a beaten wife who fakes her own death to escape her evil husband. Why does she throw her wedding ring in the toilet?!!! Although I guess there wouldn't have been a movie at all if he thought she was really dead and not just faking. Still, it bugs me!








I'm waiting for someone to write a film or TV where no stupid moves are made. I reckon there's a TV series in there somewhere. Hitman makes a run for it to start a new life. And makes a success of it!!! And never does anything stupid to get caught / killed / tortured.  But uses his villainous / heroic characteristics to make a better life for himself, but not a boring life. I'd watch it.

The best supporting characters on TV

It's usually the Don Drapers and Dexters that get all the love. But it's the supporting characters that can elevate a TV show from something good to something great. More often than not, these actors don't get any love at awards time - either overshadowed by flashier actors or forgotten in the shuffle. Here are my Top 5 best supporting characters on the box.

Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad - played by Giancarlo Esposito. Although Walt and Jesse nab the main billing, it's Esposito's cool characterisation of the villainous drug baron Gus that has us on edge. This is one bad mofo. With Bryan Cranston in the lead role and Aaron Paul gaining the supporting slot, it's unfortunate that there's no awards love for Esposito. He's simply brilliant.

Pete Campbell from Mad Men - played by Vincent Kartheiser. While John Slattery gets all the attention at awards time for his character Roger Sterling, for my money it's Pete Campbell who is the best supporting character in this series - an ambitious young executive chasing success but constrained by social standing, money worries and family ties.

Omar from The Wire - played by Michael K. Williams. In a sea of incredible characters, it's Omar who stands out. He's a stick-up man, but with a strict moral code. We should hate him, but we can't. It's his contradictions that make him so interesting. He's openly gay, openly violent and openly independent on the streets. Like Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad, he's the anti-hero we love.

Johnny Drama from Entourage - played by Kevin Dillon. Yes, it's Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold that got all the awards love and cult fans, but it's Drama that really makes us laugh. He might look and act pathetic and dumb, but he's not. His inappropriate, blunt commentary is hilarious and his loyalty is endearing. Ari might get the more controversial lines, but the show would be nothing without Drama.

Samantha Jones from Sex and the City - played by Kim Cattrall. This was an ensemble cast with Sarah Jessica Parker pushing herself as lead. However, it's Samantha that stole the show. Brazenly sexual and ballsy as hell, she consistently had the best lines. The show wouldn't have been half as successful without Kim Cattrall on board.

Downton Abbey is back for Season 2

I absolutely loved the first season of this period drama and have been eagerly awaiting the second season. It's jumped forward two years, so we're in the middle of WW1 and things are a-changing.

I just watched the first episode and I know I'm going to enjoy this season just as much as the first. If you've not seen it yet, go buy the first season on DVD. Then get stuck into the second season after it screens in the UK every Sunday night.

Every TV station wants another Mad Men

Mad Men, the TV series set in New York's advertising world of the '50s and '60s, has been a massive hit these past few years. If you don't know who Don Draper is, well, you need to find out.

So it now seems that TV producers have gone and thought, "well if Mad Men is a hit, we need our own" and rustled up some copycat programmes.  It remains to be seen whether they'll be poor imitations or stand-alone hits, but my money's on the former. Mad Men is shooting its fifth season now, so these other producers might be too late for the party.  Just as vampires were done to death a few years ago, this '60s boat may already have sailed.

Still, it's worth checking out some of the offerings:

First up: The Playboy Club. Where Eddie Cibrian tries to be Don Draper. I'm guessing he'll look hot with his slicked hair and dimples but he'll have none of the subtle nuances that Jon Hamm brings to his interpretation of the complicated character that is Don Draper.

Secondly: Pan Am.Where Christina Ricci tries to be Christina Hendricks and Kelli Garner tries to be Elisabeth Moss. It looks like Gossip Girl set in the 60s. Maybe I'll be wrong....

For a look at all the new shows hitting US screens in the "Fall season", i.e. in the coming weeks, Gawker have put together a great list and summary. Go here to read, see and contemplate.

 I think I'll be giving both The Playboy Club and Pan Am a go, plus Ringer, Prime Suspect and Terra Nova. All the others look like one season wonders or sitcoms from hell.

Every character needs a signature catchphrase

And so it is in Breaking Bad. Jesse Pinkman, as played by the Emmy Award winning actor Aaron Paul, has one signature word that he tags on to the very end of every sentence.  It's amazing how he can make this word sound so different each and every time.

Want to know what it is?  Watch this compilation clip of scenes from the first three series.  It's fantastic.

This one is my favourite. As one of the posters commented, it's the perfect home phone answering message.

Great news. Breaking Bad is returning for a fifth and final season.

As reported on Just Jared. I'm actually glad it will be the last season. Too often TV shows are stretched and watered down. It's much better to go out on a high while the story is still tight.

The battle to produce the best TV show

I found this recent article from Huffington Post quite interesting. In a nutshell, the creator of FX show Sons of Anarchy, Kurt Sutter, has called out rival American cable channel AMC for prioritising Mad Men over its other two creations, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. So much so that AMC apparently fired TWD's creator Frank Darabont due to budget cuts, although it was reported that he had quit. Wonder what the truth is?

Sutter ranted on Twitter:
"no one else wants to f*cking say it, but the greed of mad men is killing the other two best shows on tv -- breaking bad and walking dead."

As a huge fan of all three shows, I'm intrigued to watch this play out. Is Sutter right? I'd hate to think that the quality of any of these shows will suffer as they're some of the best being made at the moment.  I love Mad Men, but it would be unfair for Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead to be the sacrificial lambs.

So that's what speed does to your face...

The FINA World Championships are on it here at the moment in Shanghai - swimming, synchronised swimming, diving, etc.

I actually watched the Mens platform diving competition the other day on TV, complete with Chinese commentary. Funnily enough, I totally got what was going on. They dived, the judges scored, the divers celebrated. Easy.

I just love this collage of the divers' faces mid-dive. Read more here.

Source: www.cnngo.com

Breaking bad with Bjork. But in a good way.

Two of my favourite things have returned at the perfect time for the ultimate distraction from real life: Bjork and Breaking Bad.

First up, Breaking Bad. Whoa!  What a great first episode. It's been a long time coming and I must say I loved the first helping and can't wait to see what unfolds in this fourth season. I won't give anything away at all. But it's a ripper. If you're a fan, get onto it ASAP! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, get to a store and buy the first three seasons now.

Secondly, Bjork. I have been a massive fan of the Icelandic songstress for decades. Her concert at Sydney Opera House in January 2008 was out of this world and one of my favourite concerts of all time. I still get chills when I think about that night: the lights, the lasers, the costumes, the wild dancing, the harbour backdrop, her incredible performance. Truly spectacular. She's not to everyone's taste, but she's certainly mine. So I am loving her new single.

There's no official video as yet, but I'm sure when it's released, it's going to be amazing. Michel Gondry is directing. Say no more. Her album Biophilia drops in September and she's going about it in a very post-modern multimedia way: she's designed an app for each single for an interactive experience between visuals and music. Such a cool idea. Download the app for free here.

I love a 'behind-the-scenes' reveal

Roseanne has written a pretty interesting column for The Guardian about her experience in Hollywood. Read it here.

Oooh I'm excited. A new season of Breaking Bad is on its way

One of my favourite TV shows, Breaking Bad, is returning next month (in the US) for its long-awaited fourth season. And to promote the new season, they've released a new poster. Loving it! Can't wait for the return of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman to my life.

And if you've not yet watched this show before, buy the last three seasons on DVD and catch up. If you like other cable dramas like Mad Men, The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, you'll love this.

Phrases that drive me nuts

Everything happens for a reason (my ALL-TIME hated phrase)
Wow factor
It was totally surreal
Fairly unique, totally unique, very unique (kill me)
I literally died (I wish you had)
Yummy mummy
Azure blue seas
State of the art
At this point in time
In no way, shape or form
Win-win situation
It goes without saying
A whole new level
Legendary (there are no "legendary Beijing rock bands")
Iconic (no, that "legendary" Beijing rock band is not iconic either)
You're so random
Without further ado (and even worse... without further adieu. Aaaaaaagh!)
Don't get me wrong
Do you know what I mean
It's all good
Rolling coverage

Don't know what I'm talking about?  Watch this:

Nerd alert

Why do TV science commentators always seem to wear bow-ties or wacky shirts?  Do TV producers think viewers can only associate intelligence with nerdiness?

Case in point:  Bill Nye, "The Science Guy" on CNN:

Case in point #2: Australia's own Dr Karl Kruszelnicki