I Am A TV Junkie

Video -- Hugh Laurie Covers Leadbelly's You Don't Know My Mind in Paris

Those of you who saw Hugh on The Graham Norton Show this past week in the US and two weeks ago in the UK also know that he just released a blues record that he recorded in New Orleans.

It's not available in the US. At least that's what Amazon says. If I'm wrong get back to me. You can pick it up from Amazon UK, however, and with no worries b/c CDs don't have region codes like visual media.

Watch Hugh perform from Paris at a gig that happened right after the Norton appearance in this clip (LINK) courtesy YouTube user frenchbluesygirl.

Watch Hugh talk to Graham Norton at this link.

Watch Hugh talk about making this album in a promo clip that includes recording studio footage at this link.

Oh, and on House's penultimate episode of the season the crazy SOB is gonna try to perform surgery on himself. I don't think that's gonna go over very well. See three preview clips of tonight's episode which are posted after the jump.

Once again, for the record, I prefer the funny British Hugh Laurie. This musical British Hugh Laurie comes in a solid second.

Video -- Today Show's Meredith Vieira Shoots Her Doctor Who Cameo

And ... battles Cybermen too, if you click over the jump you can see that web-only extra.

If you wanna consider that and other things you might see in these two clips spoilers, well you're just gonna have to tell River Song so she can get all up in my grill about it.

Haven't even seen this yet (I live in the pacific time zone) but I'm posting for you because I'm a mensch.

Where's My Non-Spoilery Doctor Who First Episode Post?

It's nowhere. I didn't get a screener this year. Got one last year. What did I do?

What. Did. I. Do? You know, besides devote 261 posts at this blog to the show and its cast members over the years. Besides lay out a blueprint for BBC Worldwide to take the show back from the haphazard way it was being syndicated and make it the center of the BBC America schedule. Besides post the countdown widget in my primary advertising spot on the site?

What. Did. I. Do?

I dunno. Whatev. Watch it tonight at 9 eastern on, you know, that channel that doesn't send me screeners. 

Video -- Jennifer Hudson Gets Her BAFTA Award Four Years Later from Graham Norton

JHud (which is what I call her because I'm so street) won the BAFTA Award for Dreamgirls in 2007 but she didn't get to the awards and then there was problems apparently with shipping her award.

I think some big British queen stole it and is still prancing around his flat lipsynching And I Am Telling You over and over and thanking the academy while wearing something shiny (think of something Bob Mackie, not a studded leather jockstrap).

Anyhow, Graham Norton found this out and had a surprise waiting for Jennifer on this BBC One chat show, and you can watch what happens after the jump. Panelists include k.d. lang and Bill Bailey. This episode airs in the UK tonight and here in the States on May 11.

May 11? We usually get Graham on a one week delay here in the States. We also usually don't get a full hour, just whatever they can squeeze into the 45 minutes after the 1:15 premiere airing of Doctor Who or whatever sci fi show runs before it on Saturdays.

I would appreciate being able to watch ALL of Doctor Who and ALL of Graham. And I'm not the only one.

Can't BBC America do something about this?

Watch the JHud clip after the jumperoo.

Clip Bonanza: Doctor Who Insider Previews the New Series

Yes it's still Doctor Who week (until the moment Saturday that the first new episode starts) so I have more Doctor Who content, naturally.

Today, just in case you've missed one of them, all the behind the scenes clips from Doctor Who Insider. For those of you outside the States this is what BBC America does with the stuff from Doctor Who Confidential, which doesn't air in the US like it does in England right after the episode on BBC Three.

So, have at it, they're all posted after the jump, including the clip released today about the companions in this new series.

Confirmed! New Absolutely Fabulous Episodes Being Shooting in August AND Bonus Video

Well, a little champers all around, huh?

Got confirmation yesterday from producer Jon Plowman, and he should know.

No word yet on air date. I'll keep you in the loop. Only three episodes, which is what the BBC doles out these days (Sherlock, Upstairs Downstairs).

Now, about the bonus video ... ages ago before this all started there was a French & Saunders sketch that was the basis for the entire series. That clip ... is after the jump. Enjoy it. There are French subtitles so if you watch it over and over until your eyes bleed you might learn a new language.

Doctor Who's Sarah Jane Smith, Elisabeth Sladen, Dies at 63

Now this is unexpected and sad. My first report of Elisabeth Sladen's death came from Tom Wilson at Simply Television and I was very hopeful this was yet another Internet hoax because you know how often that happens anymore.

Apparently Sladen had been quietly battling cancer for quite some time.

For those of you who like me weren't raised on the show, Sladen's Sarah Jane was the companion of choice for fans of classic Doctor Who. From the Guardian:

Sladen first starred as Sarah Jane opposite Jon Pertwee. The pair worked together for three seasons, before Pertwee left the show in 1974.

She then became the assistant for Tom Baker. When the show relaunched, she appeared in an episode alongside modern-day Doctor Who David Tennant.

In a 2006 interview with the BBC ahead of rejoining Doctor Who, she spoke of her love for the programme, saying: "I think it has lovely layers and I'd defend the programme to anyone.

"I'm very emotionally part of that programme and I think a lot of the people who worked on it are. You used to love going to work every day."

Sladen of course went from the School Reunion episode of the show to her own series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which ran on CBBC, the British pubcasters children's channel and on The SciFi Channel here in the States before that channel's name change to Syfy.

From BBC Radio news today there's these words from the man who brought Sladen back to active Doctor Who duty, Russell T. Davies, at this link.

The text of the press release from the BBC  is posted after the jump, following a great clip from the episode of Doctor Who Confidential where the cast of the show talks about Elisabeth's return and their memories of her tenures with Doctors 3 and 4.

Video -- Matt Smith on New Season of Doctor Who; Filmic Scale, Filmic Ambition

And Doctor Who week continues with today's clip from the Doctor himself, Matt Smith, speaking enthusiastically about the upcoming seven episodes that will make up the first part of this split season of the big BBC and BBC America hit.

Watch it below.

And these shows won't be your only opportunity to see the stars of Doctor Who this year ... not only do we have Smith's 2010 Christopher Isherwood film from the BBC to see on PBS Masterpiece later this year (no specific airdate yet) but Karen Gillan will be playing model Jean Shrimpton in a new BBC telefilm that will shoot in New York for broadcast later this year in the UK ... and then hopefully a US outlet will pick it up.

One can hope, right?

Finally, a Doctor Who clip from an unlikely source, my hilarious online pals The Fine Bros., who are presenting 47 years of show history in six minutes and 10 seconds. You'll love it, it's after the jump.

Video -- Doctor Who's Karen Gillan on Amy's Vulnerability and How it Informs the New Series

It's Doctor Who week and I'm finally feeling like it's TV Christmas. I'm decorating my Tardis, I'm replacing the batteries in my personal massager sonic screwdriver, I've called my Judoon friends and reminded them not to break up my party when it gets outta hand but to rush over should those damned Sontarans try to take things over, which they always do, frickin' potato headed imperialists!

The amount of press and promotion of this series is unprecedented here in the States, with New York being treated to a rash of promo screenings, many with our big four cast members (Smith, Gillan, Darvill, Kingston) in tow for Q & A sessions.

Wanna see excerpts from one of these Q & As? Part one here. Two here. Three here.

There is also a video prequel to this season's first episode, and if you haven't seen it yet it's at the BBC America show site at this link.

Includes this image ...

... which we can all agree is obviously Richard Nixon. Honestly he is the last public figure I thought I'd ever see in a Doctor Who episode, but maybe it will reframe Watergate for a new generation (though I doubt it).

As Saturday approaches I'll share all manner of Doctor Who news and clips, and today, after the jump, I have Karen Gillan talking about some changes in Amy, some revelations that inform her choices and the new series at hand.

And come back all week for more. Saturday at 9 eastern is quickly approaching.

Breaking, but Unconfirmed: New Episodes of Absolutely Fabulous Start Shooting in August

In what could be the best thing that's happened for gay men since ... well, since last weekend's Palm Springs White Party (recap and photos at this link), I've heard that Joanna Lumley has told Hello! Magazine (you might remember Hello! from the episode where Patsy was caught sleeping with a member of Parliament and it wasn't George Clinton) that BBC has given the go ahead for three new episodes of Absolutely Fabulous.

She added that the new episodes will start shooting in August in the UK.

I'm waiting for confirmation and/or a link to pass along.

As you remember, a pilot for a US version of the show with Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Johnston was shot in late 2009 (that's a guess) by Fox but not picked up for series.

If you are reading this and have any additional info please leave me a comment below.

While you're waiting for official word, watch as Edina and Patsy get stuck in the panic room. Click this.

Updated w/ Video -- Right Now! Doctor Who DVD Signing at Barnes & Noble NYC

This photo just tweeted by the Anglophenia blog at BBCAmerica.com (site) (Twitter account). They're following Matt, Karen and Lottery Winner Arthur Darvill around New York as they get the buzz going for the series six premiere set for April 23 and promote the sale of the series five DVD set which you can buy by clicking the icon right here.

 

Karen's set for a guest shot on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson which will tape during this trip but won't air until the 22nd, the Friday before.

No word on where Matt might show up. I hear Arthur will show up to the opening of an envelope so look for him with your daily mail delivery.

More as the trip continues. Anglophenia is promising video, check the Twitter link above for that to happen. Or just read the blog, it's THE place to go for this kind of thing.

And I don't really dislike Arthur Darvill. But I'm certainly not running for fan club president.

UPDATE: Watch them talk to you by clicking this link. Karen talks about the upcoming BBC Four film where she places Jean Shrimpton, who many of you might know of because she's mentioned in an episode of AbFab (and unfortunately I can't find a clip to support that).

Video -- Direct from MIPTV in Cannes, Barrowman, Pullman Talk Torchwood

I haven't even watched it yet, so you can beat me to the punch by clicking right here and the clip will appear as if out of thin air here on the page.

Magic, it's magic. Okay, it's coding.

Video -- Doctor Who Panel from WonderCon w/ Neil Gaiman, Mark Sheppard, Toby Haynes

 

And it's hosted by Chris Hardwick, your friendly neighborhood Nerdist and friend of Craig.

BTW, Gaiman's episode comes with this series, as does the appearance by Sheppard (who has guested in every big scifi hour by now). Toby Haynes, who directed the Christmas special also directs the US shot episodes set for this year.

The audio's kinda spotty but there's none of that jiggly camcorder that you usually find in YouTube clips like this. And this, btw, comes from YouTube user NathanT, who did a nice job with it.

Video -- Straight from WonderCon, Doctor Who S6 Behind the Scenes

You love the clips? I bring the clips. Enjoy.

Video -- What? A Tardis in the White House?

Do my eyes deceive me or is that a tardis in the Oval Office?

Another NEW Doctor Who series 6 trailer from BBC America. Keep 'em coming until April 23, guys! You can see it by clicking right here.

Video -- Some Will Call This the Most Disturbing Image From the New Doctor Who Trailer

You know how some people are about clowns, right?

Watch it by clicking this link right here, it'll pop up right here on the page. Premiere date is April 23, both here and in the UK.

Video -- (Mild) Spoilers! Doctor Who's Series Six American Odyssey Starts April 23

Ah, I just love remembering to use graphics that I downloaded for no reason, it makes me feel better about the time I waste clicking around geek sites like Chris Hardwick's Nerdist.com, which is where I found this early last month.

Click on it so that you can see a large version and actually read the thing.

So, 35 days or so from now the Doctor, Amy, Rory and various and sundry nogoodniks of human, alien and machine kind come back for another 13-episode run on BBC One and BBC America, on the same night, April 23rd.

Nogoodniks for series six include Nazis, musketeers and what looks in the series trailer (after the jump) to be an actual classic inverted teardrop-shaped head E.T-like alien. In a suit. Though it also might be a Dalek hybrid, like in series three's Daleks in Manhattan. Can't quite tell to be honest, there's some fog and haze obscuring said creature.

Regarding Daleks in series six, those in the know say they won't appear, which frankly shocks me. They gotta keep selling those toys, after all. But I hate the fracking things with their plungers and of course the globes of dalekanium with look like they were put there "for her pleasure."

(That's right, I said it. Waiting for the Dalek vibrator, until then I'm sure some hacks to that Dalek USB Hub that Underground Toys makes could do the trick if you want to "create your own sexy adventure.")

Still better than Cybermen and certainly less Rube Goldbergian in design than that ridonkulous cyberconversion unit that you see in the first series of Torchwood, it's just stupifying to see these cranks and whirling blades and ... well, it just doesn't quite fit into a 21st century Doctor Who.

There will be Cybermats, those little things that look like the scrubbing bubbles in those household cleaner commercials. I guess at one time they were part of the cyber-race, but they look like (above right) Cyberman's Cyberpet.

More, including lotsa relevant clips, after the jump. One of them is a series five blooper clip, you know you love that stuff.

Video -- Doctor Who Red Nose Day 2011 Mini-Episode from BBC One

In two parts, after the jump. Go! Watch! While you do that I'm prepping a big pre-season Doctor Who post, look for that tomorrow.

Live Video -- UK Red Nose Day Stunt 24-Hour Panel People Streaming Worldwide

David Walliams, who with Matt Lucas made you laugh in Little Britain and most recently Come Fly With Me (and I am waiting on a US acquisition report for you on that), is a bit of a marathoner. He does stuff for long periods of time for charity. We've discussed this before here, good works are great but as you know I'm opposed to physical activity over long periods, makes it difficult to breathe.

So you can imagine I'm totally on board today as David does something else over a long period of time for charity. Sitting around and being clever on the teevee is something of which I completely approve.

The event, Red Nose Day, benefits UK Comic Relief, which for years has been raising money of those in need in the UK and in Africa for years now.

(The US Comic Relief, the event that used to be fronted by Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal is not related. And, while we're discussing it, it needs to come back. I thought it would in 2009 when the financial shit started to hit the fan, but it hasn't yet. Why? I dunno, but there needs to be new blood injected into the effort here and I think these three American comics should try to put that in motion.)

Walliams will be joined by lotsa UK stars. In fact, right now Miranda Hart and her TV mom are challenging Walliams and his real mom in some sort of pottery throwing challenge (results by photo above).

(And in my sick mind I just keep thinking Patrick Swayze's ghost should show up and show 'em how it's done, now that would REALLY boost donations.)

It's go on for the next 23 and some hours, with guests scheduled to include David Tennant, Jack Dee, Stephen Fry, Miranda Hart, Claudia Winkleman, Jason Manford, David Mitchell, Dara O’Briain, Paul O’Grady, Sue Perkins, Jo Brand, Jimmy Carr, Lee Mack, Richard Bacon, Vernon Kay, Sir David Frost, Barbara Windsor, Russell Tovey, Charlie Brooker, Christopher Biggins, Ulrika Jonsson, Patricia Hodge, Jedward plus many more.

Click here to watch live. David Tennant coming up very soon.

I Lied! One More Valentine's Day Mention from the Whoniverse

The kind folks at BBC America (who could send a screener every now and then, just sayin') wanted me to extend their Valentine's Day wishes to you.

The Daleks, however, will totally kill you.

EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

Torchwood Set Pic -- Action Gwen With a Bazooka?

I know, I know, we call it a recoilless rocket antitank weapon now. I still like the word bazooka, though. Note Mekhi Phifer (Rex) hanging with our cast. He looks settled in, huh?

Only six months or so till Torchwood returns on Starz here in the US and BBC One in the UK. More as we get closer, much more once I get to Comic-Con, where I hope to get some access to the principles.

Hat tip to Ty Davies, I stole the pic from his Torchwood: Miracle Day page at Facebook. Visit that, will you?

Video -- Wanna Watch Your US Being Human Cast Play in Toronto?

Well, do ya? Because I've loaded that clip after the jump. Listen to Sam Witwer explain how the news is done in Canada starting at about the 2 minute mark. Fascinating insights!

About the show? I'm still watching. It's just different enough in story from the BBC original that I'm still entertained. I can't say the same about Skins, which just didn't translate for me.

About the UK version from BBC One, it returns this month in America on BBC America on Feb. 19. From the press release from the network:

Leaving the memories of their much-loved former house behind, George, Nina and Mitchell settle into their new home – a kitsch bed and breakfast named Honolulu Heights that boasts many benefits for supernatural sharers – a large basement providing a safe and sheltered environment on a full moon, for one.

Season three boasts an impressive array of guest-stars, including Lacey Turner (EastEnders) as Lia, who Mitchell meets in Purgatory, Robson Green (Wire In The Blood) as primitive werewolf McNair, Michael Socha (This Is England ’86) as McNair’s son Tom, Paul Kaye (It’s All Gone Pete Tong) as twisted vampire Vincent, Craig Roberts (Young Dracula) as teenage vampire Adam; Nicola Walker (MI-5) as social worker Wendy, James Fleet (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as George’s father George Sr; and Jason Watkins making an eventful return as vampire leader Herrick.

That's right, Robson Green, who any fan of Brit TV worth their salt knows and loves. In fact, Rob Buckley (his blog, this link) promises me that I'll be enjoying Green's turn as a werewolf, and especially his scenes with Russell Tovey, who I have newfound respect for since the US version has debuted.

The promised clip PLUS a preview of the UK show's third series are after the jump.

In Case You Missed It Video -- Doctor Who at the National Television Awards

Unfortunately the show did not win Favorite TV Drama and Matt Smith came up empty, too. Check out the winners from last week's award show at this link.

Video -- The Lost @CraigyFerg Doctor Who Number, Now Found!

Enjoy it! Watch till the end or you'll miss The Doctor.

Why is the BBC Making Something Called History of the Word ...

... when part one has already been made by the film legend pictured above?

Watch some critical scenes from that film in clips after the jump and have a lovely Sunday.

If you're really interested in this project, btw, click to this link at TheWrap.com for details, it's the first announced project since the Beeb renewed their partnership with Discovery Communications.

Video -- Craig Ferguson, Matt Smith, a Dalek and Chris Hardwick Walk into a Tardis ...

... and I don't have the end of that joke, but if you do leave it in the comments.

My favorite moment? Hardwick's bigger on the inside joke.

Previously ... I complain about UK stars never doing press in the US (link). Now what will I complain about? Oh don't you worry, I'll find something.

One note: What's with male guests on the show doing a pelvic thrust action during the Secretariat dance? It's not about sexytime it's about the joy of Secretariat, no thrusting required.

Selleck got it right.

Video -- Did Craig Ferguson Give a Reach Around to a Dalek on National TV?

I dunno, you be the judge. Craig and Matt Smith (Doctor 11) on the show with Chris Hardwick and of course the dalek will be back for ... third base? What is third base when you're a dalek? After Letterman on CBS.

Like The Simpsons? Like Doctor Who? Then You'll Like This

See this? It's cool, right? Wanna see more? Click this! Or this!

All 11 doctors above are from Andy Davies at Deviantart (this link). Let's thank Rob Buckley for posting about this today by visiting his blog and while you're there get involved in the Sitting Tennants contest. I played this week, see my entry by clicking here.

The rest of the Simpsonized Doctors and cast are hand drawn by Dean Fraser, and many of your fave villians and companions are represented, though I don't immediately see a Rose Tyler.

Dean, I'm formally requesting a Rose Tyler and a Martha Jones. And a Sarah Jane, you know, for the kids.

You are a talented guy.

The Doctor (Yes, THAT Doctor), Now Immortal (because no one thought they'd get to 12?)

Yeah, I guess it's because no one ever thought they'd get to 12, and since they're at 11 something needed to be done.

Some backstory here ... I was not even aware that the story goes that a Time Lord has only 11 regenerations in him (or her ... you never know who Doctor #12 might be). Apparently this has been the case since the show debuted.

But in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures set to air at the end of the month on CBBC (their kids channel) Matt Smith will guest as The Doctor and very offhandedly mention that Time Lords can't die.

Guardian UK:

Fans of the show have been expecting an official moving of the goalposts for some time, but it was anticipated as part of the Christmas special, rather than in an after-school slot on the CBBC channel.

Back in 1976, 12 regenerations must have felt like a safely distant number to pluck from the ether. Now, however, with Smith playing the character in his 11th incarnation, circumventing the rule has begun to feel rather urgent. As JK Rowling hinted last week, once a hero has conquered the world, it is hard to put him away for good: we may also see an extension to the seven-book Harry Potter franchise, despite its very final ending and Nineteen Years Later epilogue.

And with the Doctor Who brand constantly expanding (including spin-offs that range from lunchboxes to the Doctor Who Live show currently on a 25-date, nine-city tour) it was hardly likely that the BBC was going to call time on the series.

So, no limit on regenerations now. Though I wonder if they'll have a Doctor #13. Wouldn't that be bad luck? Or maybe #13 is a Bizarro Doctor (you know, like Bizarro Superman), an evil Doctor that, you know, tears Amy's pantyhose and plays ring and run on River Song.

Or worse. Much worse.

BTW, about this Doctor Who live show? I have an illustrative clip for you, click this. The tour is UK only, obviously.

And, finally, I just took a look at WhoNA.com looking for the 11 Doctors action figure set pictured at the top of the page and I can't find it there, it also might be UK only, at least for now. If you know more, hit me up in the comment section.

Who's Coming To America? No, No, No ... Who's Coming to America!

The first two episodes of series 6 of Doctor Who will be set AND shot in the US. Doc, Amy, Rory and River Song (Alex Kingston) will come to the US for a two-parter.

Yes, this has never happen before and it's very exciting news ... until you find out some of the story is based in the Utah desert. Reasons I don't like this? 1) It's the Utah desert, why would I go there? 2) It's Utah, I might get stampeded by gay-hating fundamentalist Mormons and their multiple sister wives. 3) If you're gonna shoot in the US and you're not shooting in Cardiff-By-The-Sea, CA you're missing out on some ironic symmetry AND ... living five miles from there I could stalk the production.

Then again, they could be shooting somewhere else and saying it's the Utah desert.

You might remember that in series one, Doctor #9 (not #8, thanks commenter) Christopher Eccleston and Rose (Billie Piper) were in Utah where American rich boy Henry Van Statten (image left) has a Dalek in his basement.

(Frickin' Daleks with their plunger thing and moving like zombies. Hate Daleks, not in a fanboy way but in a "the sixties are over" way.)

Eventually the story, set in the 1960s, takes them all the way to the White House. Is there a casting notice for either Presidents Kennedy or Johnson? Or (gasp) Richard Nixon?

Press release after the jump. I just hope we get to see a nehru jacket or two. And some big hair.

Not on Matt, his hair is big enough. 60s hair? All backcombed and teased, Amy should definited have some big hair.

Video -- Catching Up With BBC America's Being Human

I'm behind on True Blood (Sunday's episode) and The Gates (the same), but I did spend some time with vampires, werewolves and a couple of ghosts this past weekend while playing catch up with the BBC Three series from Toby Whithouse, its second series running currently on BBC America.

You know the deal ... a vampire (John Mitchell), a werewolf (George Sands) and a ghost (Annie Sawyer, you can see them all above) live in a crappy flat in Bristol and try not to let their fangs or their teeth or their sudden invisibility get in the way of getting on with it, it being their attempts at ... Being Human.

(I like that they live in a crappy flat, btw. In fact, it's one of the rare shows where the people -- people? -- live somewhere realistic..)

With varying degrees of success, of course. Mitchell and George have crappy NHS jobs to go with their crappy flat, mopping up at a local hospital while Annie, because she hadn't mastered certain parts of the human charade (ghosty problems like not being able to eat or drink or accidentally disappearing) stayed home making tea and coffee that she couldn't even drink and figuring out that her pre-death BF Owen was a sonovabitch.

Owen freaked out when confronted by the three and went to the police with his info, info that quickly gained him entry to a local mental institution. But his story also tipped off an enemy of the otherworld, a man named Kemp. We'll get to him after the jump.

This season started with George's girlfriend Nina, also a hospital worker, living with the trio after the big first series finale where George transformed and killed the local leader of the vampires, Herrick.

(I miss Herrick, he was nasty and fun and a great villian. Watch this interview clip with the producers of the show talking about losing Herrick at this link. And, you UK viewers, NO SPOILERS please.)

Something else happened during Herrick's demise, though. During his transformation, George scratched Nina while trying to push her out of harm's way and gave her "the curse."

Which is where we picked up the opening episode of the series, with Nina dealing with her new circumstance, George not yet knowing what he did, Mitchell trying to keep the local vamps in check (filling the power vacuum George created when he killed Herrick) and Annie gaining control of her "presence," so to speak.

More after the jumperoo.

More on Torchwood: The New World -- Spoilers Abound (Esther, CIA Laughs & a Pedophile)

See? Even Jack and Gwen are looking at the headline. They're thinking, "Esther? Who's named Esther anymore? And WTF is a paedo (british spelling) doing in our world?"

Since this is a spoiler-filled post, I'm putting the rest of it behind the jump.

And, btw, there's a new Starz Twitter account for the show, check it out at this link.

Starz Day for TCA: The First Poster for Torchwood: The New World

First of all, thank you to Eric Goldman at IGN.com who tweeted this image from the Starz panel at the Television Critics Association dealio. Click his name, see his tweets from the panel, which is happening right now (as I type this).

And the premiere date is narrowed down to Summer 2011, probably right after Comic-Con convenes, I would guess (if they're smart about it).

Also check Matt Roush from TV Guide, also at the panel, also a Torchwood viewer.

Extra thanks because it's Gwen and not that tool Jack Harkness (though he sent that one later on and it's here to the right). No I don't have a problem with Barrowman, far from it in fact. I do have a problem with Jack, though, documented at various spots on the blog.

Jack's not to be trusted. Sooner or later it'll be Torchwood or Jack's libido, and libido just might win. Or his fight or flight response will stick on flight and he'll disappear. Again.

He's a skeezer! Yeah, I know he's a man, but he's also a skeezer. That link, btw, is NSFW.

Oh, btw, Rhys (Kai Owen) is back for this series. Can't forget the relationship that grounds Gwen, after all. And one new character for the series will be Baby Boy or Girl Cooper-Williams. And, after that episode where Gwen was pregnant via alien in S2, who knows what might come out of her womb! In fact, I'll say it now: I predict complications for the Cooper-Williams kid. Certainly behavioral issues stemming from mom being an alien technology hunter but maybe ... more.

Writers announced for the upcoming 10 episode series (sticking with series, not season, as it's still a British show, at least to me) do not include Bryan Fuller (LINK) but do include Jane Espenson (everything that you love, too many to note here), Doris Egan (House), John Shiban (Breaking Bad) and the returning John Fay (episodes two and four of Children of Earth, don't hate him because he wrote Ianto's death scene, he was working under strict orders from above). Info per Mo Ryan at the Chicago Tribune.

I do realize, btw, that they're not new Gwen or Jack images, it was shot during the Children of Earth promo shoot. Still, I think I'm gonna make it my new Twitter background.

So thanks again, Eric Goldman from IGN.

BBC's Ideal From the Beginning, Again, on IFC Starting Tonight (As in Really Late Night)

Once again I'm shilling here for a show I adore.

Of course, these episodes of Ideal, the BBC comedy about a downmarket weed/hash dealer and his life and work are airing at 2 am (or thereabouts) eastern so you gotta set your DVR or start that coffeemaker.

For those of you who have the HD IFC feed in the Western US you can watch it at 11, which is ... easier.

All of my posts on the show are at this link.

A clip from tonight's first episode at this link. Non-spoilery.

Want more about the show? Click around the web, but note that in the States we're only as far as series four and in Britain they're about to start running the sixth series on BBC Three, so beware the spoilers.

It's just the best show, you gotta check it out.

And for those of you who are already fans, I'm still looking into where to buy a Cartoon Head mask (image left). And I'm still looking for scrummy creator Graham Duff (top of post, center) on various social media sites, would love to do a five questions email thing with him about the show.

Clip Bonanza -- Okay I'll Say It ... I Prefer Rusty's Doctor Who

Let them condemnation begin.

Tonight's the first of the final three Doctor Who episodes of this fifth (or 31st or even first, depending on your view) series and only after last week's Van Gogh episode (and btw, here in the States we say "Van Go" though the alternate pronunciation does remind us all of Tony Roberts in Annie Hall) have I finally settled in with the new series.

And I thought it was about Matt Smith. But it's not, and I know I'm gonna get all kinds of shit for this but it's Moffat's doing.

It turns out I prefer my Doctor Who in the Russell T. Davies style. You know, all whimsical and flourishy and sentimental and with more lyrical music choices and, yes, that big David Tennant performance at the middle of it, sure, but most of it has to do with Rusty and his take on the show, which is certainly different than the Steve Moffat approach. In fact, I imagine that in a Moffat-led crew that David Tennant performance would have been a bit smaller and without as much flourish.

It's not that I haven't enjoyed the episodes this year. Well, actually I wasn't so hot for Vampires of Venice, which is strange considering how much I enjoy Toby Whithouse's other work (Being Human, returning here in the US in less than a month).

The episode that airs tonight here, The Lodger, is actually a bit of a throwback to series four in tone, with the Doctor out of his element and a nice little love story at the center of it, featuring a very subdued and lovely performance from James Corden (Gavin & Stacey). Watch him introduce his character by clicking this link.

So enjoy that and of course the final two as they air (some very nice work that I won't expound on because, as River Song would say, "Spoilers!"). These final three episodes are much more to my liking than most of this fifth or 31st or first series.

Watch a preview of tonight's episode by clicking this. Some Q & A with the author of the Van Gogh episode, Richard Curtis (Love, Actually) at this link.

Watch Me Start a Rumor (About Bryan Fuller and Torchwood) By Just Reposting One Tweet

You can look at it for yourself by clicking this.

So, could the highly sought after Fuller be considering jumping on board with Starz and BBC Worldwide for the new series of Torchwood? Huh? HUH? HUH?

Well?

Okay, I have no idea, but I do know Fuller's a great fit for the show, I'm sure working with Rusty and Julie and the gang on a big global TV event like the return of Torchwood is something in which the creator of Pushing Daisies and Wonderfalls might be interested.

Thing is, Fuller (with Bryan Singer, he of Hugo's on Santa Monica Blvd. -- seriously, at least in my time in LA he used to practically live there) has (or maybe had?) a deal at NBC and a project in the works called Sellevision that purportedly has interest from some pretty big comedy heavy hitters. I believe it's an hour long comedy taking place behind the scenes at a home shopping channel.

Fuller on Torchwood, though? That would be pretty cool.

Check out Bryan's pic on Tweetphoto with a dalek and the two aforementioned by clicking this link.

I still hate that frackin' plunger thing.

Video -- Why You Should Give UK Reality Series The Choir A Chance Tonight on BBC America

Why? Because my email pal Scott Matthewman who works for TheStage.co.uk tells me the show, which premieres tonight at 10 eastern on BBCA, rather inspiring, and as someone who spent a lot of time standing on risers in front of crowds of people I can tell you that there's nothing in the world quite like standing up with a group and singing.

Okay maybe that's just me. No, it's not. Other people have shared similar thoughts with me.

I didn't get a screener from BBC America so I can't report firsthand, but I trust Linda Holmes at the NPR Monkey See blog, who said about the show and about the NY Times review of the show:

(O)ne of the things I think is terribly sad is that the New York Times review of the show, which will probably be the most widely read, misses its point entirely. I don't mean to pick a fight, but apparently, Gina Bellafante takes the position that the reason the kids are shown is to emphasize how bad they are and how big Malone's job is.

This is absolutely, positively not the case. The entire point of the show is that you do not have to be a great singer, or a potential solo singer, to love singing in a choir. It pains me in particular that she singles out the "Tainted Love" auditioner, claiming that's played as a bad audition, when it simply isn't. Malone's immediate reaction to that kid is that she's wonderful, because she snaps her fingers and dances, and her audacious attitude is like catnip. Of course some of them are bad, but he mostly sees them as untrained.

This is the show's position (and Malone's): To like choral singing, and to get a lot out of it, you basically need to be able to carry a tune (accompanied, not a cappella), learn a part, and work hard. You do not have to be someone people would pay to hear in a club. Entirely contrary to the claims in the NYT review that the show goes to great lengths to demonstrate how bad everyone is and how uphill Malone's battle is, it actually goes to great lengths to demonstrate how many undiscovered singers there are in the school. Not potential recipients of record contracts, but people who are ripe to receive joy from singing and to produce lovely music who, because of the decline of school music programs, are not currently doing it.

I don't think NYT Gina ever sang in a choir. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. And you can hear what Malone has to say about the show to BBC America by clicking this link.

More after the jump.

Donald Glover Will Apparently Not Be Spiderman. Unfortunately. It'll Be ...

... this guy.

No, I didn't know him, either. His name is Andrew Garfield and you can tell he's British from the big ol' crop of hair up there on top of his dome, just like Matt Smith!

And, because he's British he'll cost almost nothing and won't make noise on the set when they suspend him from some rig with dental floss, just like Matt Smith!

Speaking of Doctor Who, of course he did a couple of eps of the show, he played Frank in the two-part Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks in series three.

He's also in the upcoming Sony Pictures Facebook movie. 

More details on the casting from TheWrap.com when you click here.

I still would have preferred Donald Glover.

American Glastonbury Festival Fans Will Wait Until September for Palladia Telecast

I know that U2's Bono disappointed (what with his bad back, rockers aging is never pretty) but there was plenty more on hand at this year's Glasto that U.S. fans would love to see in a more timely manner.

But, that's not gonna happen, per my sources.

MTV Networks' Palladia HD channel (the former MHD) runs BBC Three coverage of the festival's previous years on what sometimes seems like an endless loop. The most recent festival, though, won't get to US televisions before September.

(I'm hoping Labor Day weekend, it's good TV for a crowd situation, say a holiday open house.)

In the meantime if you're just desperate to see your favorite performer from last weekend's festivities there's always YouTube. Below I have links to some bands on the programme ...

• The National
• Groove Armada 
• Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood
• Gorrilaz

I posted a couple other Glasto clips from BBC Three at this link and this link.

Video -- Scissor Sisters & Kylie Minogue Live From Glastonbury 2010

I'm not really a fan of either but it's gay pride weekend and I though I should celebrate in some fashion (well, besides thinking about Hung's  Tom Jane and True Blood's Joe Manganiello being HBO's gay pride programming for this year).

This is as close as I come to celebrating the day ... a have a problem with crowds ... and really expensive bottles of water ... and most house music.

Plus, I'm proud every day.

Bonus clip from Glastonbury ...Muse with U2's The Edge plays Where the Streets Have No Name. Just click this link!

Pretty sure the BBC Three coverage of the festival will show up eventually on Palladia, the MTV Networks HD channel. I'll try to find that date for you.

Check out YouTube for video from both this festival and the NY and SF Pride fetes, just in case you have an aversion to crowds like I do.

Breaking News! Torchwood Returns ... to Starz! With Barrowman & Myles & Newbies!

Very very nice outside the box thinking. Congrats to Starz and Chris Albrecht and BBC Worldwide for getting it done.

Thanks to multiple sources including Hibberd, AfterElton.com and Ausiello for the heads up.

Of course everyone but Jack and Gwen are dead so there will have to be new cast members, they are TBA.

Here's a massive excerpt from the press release which you can read in full by clicking here:

"Torchwood" is a drama that puts extraterrestrial threats into a very real world, and asks how humanity deals with the danger - while fighting mankind's darkest instincts. The series' previous three seasons aired on BBC America in the U.S. and garnered record-breaking ratings for the network. Created by visionary writer/producer Russell T Davies, "Torchwood" has to date been located primarily in Cardiff, Wales. The new series will allow Davies and his writing team to tell a more explosive and global story, one that takes advantage of the unlimited narrative opportunities of a premium television service like Starz.

Davies and BBC Worldwide Productions' SVP Scripted Julie Gardner return as executive producers, with Davies also serving as show-runner for the new "Torchwood."

"We're committed to programming exceptional television that is entertaining, imaginative and provides a premium TV experience, and by any measure the new concept for 'Torchwood' fits that mandate," Starz, LLC, President and CEO Chris Albrecht said. "I've been part of successful partnerships with Jane Tranter and the BBC previously, and I'm very much looking forward to working with them again."

"'Torchwood' has attracted remarkable attention and loyalty in both the UK and U.S., and in this new partnership with Starz, the next chapter will not only reward our current fans, but also introduce new viewers to the most impressive installment yet," said Jane Tranter, EVP, BBC Worldwide Productions. "Chris Albrecht and his team are committed to delivering quality premium programming to their subscribers, also a core attribute of the BBC, and we are excited to be working with them as the 'Torchwood' adventure continues."

"Russell, Jane and Julie came to us with a compelling vision for the evolution of the 'Torchwood' saga that really takes the story into whole new areas," added Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz Media – the production and development division of Starz. "The compelling story and characters this trio created provide a strong template for driving this narrative in exciting ways."  

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning said: "We have a long history of working with many U.S. networks, but it is incredibly exciting to be working with Starz for the first time, as well as to be reunited with the best of British in Russell, Jane and Julie. 'Torchwood' will burst back onto the screen with a shocking and moving story with global stakes and locations that will make it feel bigger and bolder than ever"

More on this later. In the meantime we can do the dance of joy.

3 Premiere Clips -- Gleeks: You Would Love Beautiful People From UK's BBC on Logo, Try Some!

So you sit there each week watching Glee and you think to yourself, "I like this show but there's not enough Kurt, and he should have an accent and ironically live in a city in England famous for imprisoning Oscar Wilde"

That's Beautiful People, the BBC Two musical comedy series based on the memoir of my email pal, Barney's creative director and raconteur Simon Doonan who grew up in the afore-referenced (?!?)  Reading, England.

See three non-spoilery clips from the season two premiere by clicking this link. They'll pop up right here.

Seriously, if you're loving that other musical comedy TV show you should really give this one a shot, it returns with new eps on June 12 at 10 eastern on Logo.

And if you don't think you get Logo, look again. You probably do. It's that channel with the RuPaul reality show. Catch up on season one by watching them all at LogoOnline.com at this link.

More as we get closer to the season two premiere.

Email From New Friends Re: NBC's David Tennant Pilot

So I open my email this AM and this was there ...

The word on the street is... well, the word on Twitter is... that the pilot was mailed out to various press people earlier this year for reviewing purposes, so certain people who work in media reporting may have it.  

 

I do the Rex blog for fun (http://rexisnotyourlawyerinfo.blogspot.com), and have been begging just to WATCH it for a while now, all with no luck.  And I know people in L.A. have the thing!

It seems everything ends up on a torrent sooner or later, but since "Rex" is still NBC Universal property, there is always the possibility that it could be kept under more secure wraps than usual.  Who knows?  The network could try to get it picked up again next year.  After all, "Rex" first hit NBC's desks in 2007, was postponed during the Writers' Strike, got rejected in 2008 by the brass, then finally made it to the pilot stage in 2009.  Maybe next year, we'll see it again?  You never know.  It's beaten the odds by hanging around this long!

Which tells us two things. 1) People read this blog. I know, I look at the webstats all the time and I see the numbers but sometimes I don't believe it myself: and 2) There's a show out there, an actual 42 minutes of show starring David Tennant for US television with Jane Curtin and Jeffrey Tambor that someone has that could actually be sent toward me in some form or another for my review.

Are you the person who has this show on DVD or on your hard drive? You wanna make a guy very very happy? Do ya?

You know what you have to do. And thanks to "Wrytered" from the Rex blog for chiming in.

The image above? Our lovely DT taking a lunch break on the set of the show.

Wrytered also put together a quick YouTube clip with stills and video of some of the location shooting, click this link for that.

Also, if you need to hear David's take on a US accent, click this link to hear what he sounds like doing what I'm guessing is something Midwestern for us.

DT does have a TV project upcoming, the four-part BBC One drama Single Father, more about it at this BBC Press Office link.

The Perfect Director for the #DoctorWho Movie is Now Surprisingly Free, Let's Get it Done!

It is amazingly simple to see and incredibly obvious that the man who should direct a Doctor Who movie written by Russell T. Davies and starring Doctor 10 David Tennant and Billie Piper as Rose has been, is and will always be Guillermo Del Toro.

(Sorry Euros Lyn, I know you'd like to get the call.)

Spend ten minutes watching clips form Pan's Labyrinth or either of the Hellboy movies and it's obvious he would have the feel for the script and the performances and for the elaborate effects work that would need to be done to bring the show to your local cinemas.

And now, Del Toro has some room on his schedule as he's pulled out of the two-film Hobbit series being produced by Peter Jackson in New Zealand.

So, Jane Tranter  (pictured here above right with DT at the BAFTA TV Awards in 2009) I encourage you today or tomorrow (okay, take a day off and eat something fried with cheese, it's a bank holiday ... in fact I'll join you!) and maybe just let the word get out to some close industry friends that a team could be put together fairly quickly for this enterprise and if you work fast we might have something for a 2013 production date.

And just to get you thinking this way, Jane, watch the Hellboy 2 trailer again, click this and watch. He's really perfect for the job and getting him, especially now, would cement the fanboy furvor for the project.

Plus DT and Billie won't be available for this forever, you know. They'll need to get on with it, eventually.

Meow! BBCNews.com on the UK Eurovision Entry & ALL Your Eurovision Clips (Oops, Not Absolutely All!)

Read their summary of the Eurovision finals in full, certainly, but in particular I loved this part (It's Mark Savage for BBCNews.com):

At the other end of the scale, UK entrant Josh Dubovie will be drowning his sorrows after taking last place, with a measly 10 points.

His fatal mistake was to cling stoically to decades-old Eurovision cliche, in a year when the contest finally dragged itself into the 21st Century.

That Sounds Good To Me was written by Pete Waterman and Mike Stock - bankable hitmakers in their heyday, but that heyday was 20 years ago, and their song sounded like it had been pulled off a shelf marked "Jason Donovan rejects (1988)".

You can decide for yourself by watching a March 12 performance of the song by Dubovie. Click here.

Bland song, that last pair of lyric lines don't even rhyme, and the boy from Essex has no character to his voice. He's what Cowell would call a cruise ship singer, and maybe Cowell did. The guy auditioned for both X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent and got neither.

Point of trivia: Josh auditioned for the role of Freddie on Skins, according to Wikipedia, and of course Luke Pasqualino got that part.

Germany won. The singer is this 19-year-old named Lena Meyer-Landrut who with no previous professional credits entered a reality show of Germany's ProSieben channel (the company that's co-producing the new series of Primeval) and the public broadcaster ARD, so it was a really big deal apparently.  and won. Point of trivia: Her grandfather was the West German Ambassador to the Soviet Union, according to Wikipedia.

And she's cute as getout, huh? The same BBC News article is headlined: Germany drags Eurovision into the 21st Century. I heard the song , called Satellite, and it's good, I offer it for you at this link.

I don't think it's EVER happened before, but I think we might see some US airplay for a Eurovision winner. I think she has a kinda Duffy with dark hair meets Ute Lemper thing going.

For some context, here's what the poster of this Jason Donovan clip on YouTube said was one of his better efforts. Meh.

You can watch all the official Eurovision YouTube accounts clips right here, with the winner's reaction, etc.  Click this link of that widgety thing.Make sure you check out some of the BBC clips from Eurovision with your host Graham Norton by clicking the previous link. They'll just start in the screen that pops up and keep going for as long as you can stand it, there are 56 clips in the playlist, so go wild!

Oh, btw, Dubovie won his spot at Eurovision on a TV show, too. I guess, maybe, they all did. We should have sent Lee DeWyze, just for giggles.

I wonder if they're allowed to use auto-tune. Oh, I know, now it's meow me, huh?

For the record, I loved the girl and the song from Iceland, though on the Facebook chat I was in while watching it at the Eurovision website I was disappointed with all the rude comments about her weight. I thought Europeans were more accepting.

Watch her song, Je Ne Sais Quoi, by clicking this link. The singer is Hera Bjork (sorry, I don't have the ... uh oh, ignorance about to so ... I don't have the dots above the O in her last name). She's actually had a pop singing career in Iceland and does theatre and has participated here before, apparently to great national notoriety.

I was very intrigued by the fact that almost all the singers I saw sang in English. Also a little disappointed. I'd hate to think they're all hoping some A&R guy at Arista is gonna send a tape to Clive Davis.

That would be sad.

UPDATE: Hey, the YouTube playlist won't create a widget in Apture, or at least it won't today, and I'm not gonna sit here and take an hour constructing one for the site, so watch some here and then click over the YouTube for the rest of 'em and some semi-final clips and ... also make sure to go outside this weekend and get some sun.

Video -- The New Series of Ideal on IFC & the Amazing Sinead Matthews

I don't know how many of you watch the BBC Manchester series Ideal starring Johnny Vegas as a really really really downmarket weed and hash dealer in Salford, England. Here in the States the show airs on IFC and we're in the fourth series of the show (for you UK readers who have seen all of series five please don't leave spoilers in the comments, I hate that).

If you're not watching, you should. It is the best example of how you can produce fun, interesting and sometimes even moving television on a budget much lower than the US networks.

Written by Graham Duff (left), who also co-stars as Brian, Ideal all takes place in the apartment building of the dealer in question, Moz (Vegas). The show never strays from Moz's place, the hallway outside and the two apartments on either side.

One is inhabited by Judith (Joanna Neary, Skins and Notting Hill) who started out a necrophiliac but is currently living and sleeping with Cartoon Head, the most identifiable of the characters ... because he has the head of a cartoon mouse. Seriously. Here's a clip, click this.

The other apartment is occupied by Fist, and although I know a little too much about him already from researching this post (DAMN, the spoilers you run into when another country has seen stuff before you, DAMN!) I've watched to the point that Fist has made the acquaintance of Kim and Miko, friends of Yasuko, who was a friend Moz's ex Nikki from a trip to Thailand where they had a three-way.

(Yes, it's convulted and the cast is huge, but it all works. Duff weaves all these characters into a lovely cloth.)

And there's Nikki (Nicola Reynolds, right) who I just hate. Not the actress, the character. Granted I have a certain affinity for Moz because he's a man of size and we need to stick together (though frankly I don't quite qualify as a man of size as much as I used to but old allegiances die hard) but Nikki is a bitch, a liar and a serial philanderer.

She's been sleeping with Moz's policemen pal PC (character's birth name is Phil Collins, wouldn't you go by initials?) since the beginning of the series. During Moz's birthday party she has sex with PC, Moz and DJ Kuldip who got her pregnant.

She left Moz to believe that the kid was his up until the birth, when it was obvious that the kid was Kuldip's. And she had a lesbian relationship with Sangita. Man, I hate Nikki.

Not that Moz is a catch. Fat, high and tethered to your TV does get you ... hey, wait a minute, am I describing myself in my college days? Well, yeah, but I digress. Moz is no prize package, he's hit on almost every single woman who's entered his place to buy weed or hash (which, btw comes from PC who makes regular trips to the evidence locker at work to supply Moz with inventory.

The inventory doesn't go too quickly, what with everyone buying as little as possible. I said Moz was really really really downmarket. The aforementioned Brian stops by regularly with some young guy he's dating (except for the one time the guy was older, everyone needs to switch it up a bit) and is the reason I've started using the word scrummy here on the blog. 

And there's Moz's most upmarket clients, two local kids played by Primeval's Andrew Lee Potts and Tim Fallows, who are in a bands called Silicon Valets. Get it? It's like Silicon Valley without an L and adding a T, like parking your car. And they explain it to everyone they meet, because ... well, they have to.

Click over the jumperoo for more of this post ... and clips. Non-spoilery clips for the US audience.

Preview Clip -- @AdamLambert on BBC One's Ross Show Re: Kissing His Bandmate

As much as I dislike Jonathan Ross he's still the leading talker on BBC One (at least for a while longer, he's done at the end of this series) he gets the big guests and if you wanna see them that's where you have to look.

This Friday he has Adam Lambert as the Idol runner-up tours Europe promoting his debut album.

And, in the clip you can see by clicking here, he talks about the American Music Awards performance where he kissed that guy in his band and sent ABC into quite the tizzy along with repressed America.

Jake Gyllenhaal is also on the show. Adam must have loved that green room that night. I'm guessing it's time for Jake to start promoting Prince of Persia and fortunately that long straggly hair is gone.

Bonus clip, Jake tasting his first pickled onion thanks to Wossy at this link.

The episode airs this Friday on BBC America.

Video -- Graham Norton and His Cartoon Version With @JLo Re: #Bennifer & #DoctorWho's Karen Gillian

If you're a big Doctor Who fan you might remember hearing about what happened a couple weeks ago on BBC  One when the channel ran an animated "bug" (you know, the show promos that populate the bottom fourth of the screen) for Graham's Over The Rainbow theatrical competition show before the end credits while Doctor Who was running the preview for the conclusion of The Time of Angels, the episode that we'll see next week.

(Wow, run on sentence much? Sorry.)

Six thousand complaints to the BBC switchboard, allegedly. Yes, we fans of the Doc and his new pal Amy are pretty vocal people.

So, from Den of Geek I give you the BBC apology:

It reads: "We apologise for the timing of Saturday night's trail."

It does not, you'll notice, read: "We apologise for the timing of Saturday night's trail, and also agree to stop promoting other shows before the credits have rolled on the one that you happen to be watching."

It also missed out: "In hindsight, we understand that we are the BBC, and thus one of the advantages people expect of us when paying their licence fee is for our programmes to be advert-free."

Okay, D of G is not buying it. To those of us in the States it's no biggie, we're used to losing up to half the screen toward the end of some of our shows, right TBS? (And I don't like it, but I deal with it.)

Of course BBC channels are viewer supported via the TV license fee. And viewers get pissy about promos, which they think of as commercials. And here we don't, so much.

Graham made light of it in this clip with a little bit more help from the BBC graphics department. After that I'm serving up a clip of Jennifer discussing the heady Bennifer days (this clip) and Karen talking about the Amy Pond audition process (this clip).

Since it migrated up a notch from BBC Two, Graham's show is better than ever. It's not everyone who can manage to relax Jennifer Lopez enough to get her to talk about previous relationships. It also takes a host with skills to get three celebrities on a couch to interact in an entertaining way.

If it were this kind of show, I would welcome a chat show on a Thursday or Friday night in the US on a major network. Yes, The Marriage Ref is also a show with three celebrity panelist and a host, but I don't care about Jerry Seinfeld and friends (or even Madonna or Gwyneth Paltrow) riffing semi-humorous on strangers' marriages.

And I can't imagine that you do, either. 

Graham has Kevin Bacon and Brooke Shields next week. Saturday's at 10 eastern right after Doctor Who on BBC America.

Win David Tennant/Patrick Stewart RSC Hamlet on DVD From BBC Video -- Details Here!

UPDATE: Folks, we have a winner. Thanks for playing.

I know that many of you have not seen the Great Performances on PBS performance of Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart yet. I know this because it hasn't played on my PBS affiliate yet so it might not have played on yours.

Readers have also shared that it's run in their markets at strange middle-of-the-night times and they missed it.

So, all the better for all of you that I have one copy to give away on DVD. They sent me two, one Blu-ray for me, one DVD format for you guys.

Be the 15th commenter under this post. Since the comments are moderated I'll just not approve any of the comments till we get to the 15th one and that person will win.

No, I'm not saving all your email addresses so that I can sell them to some company, that would be rude.

Enter now! Disclaimer: If there's a link to your blog in my blogroll in a column to the right or you're a personal friend or relative you're not eligible. Sorry. Also, it's a US region one DVD, so if you're overseas it won't play on your DVD player.

Why You Should Be Watching BBC America's That Mitchell & Webb Look

Why? Because of sketches like this one that you can watch by clicking right here.

Another reason? It's part of BBC America's hour of the British comedy duo (and the Mac v. PC guys in the UK) that starts with the legendary Channel 4 comedy Peep Show (also in it's third season here) making a full hour of smarter and funnier stuff than you'll get on most US shows.

And, though you only have two more weeks to watch them on BBC America there's plenty of content at their On Demand channel and at iTunes and all over the web to keep you laughing until we have new episodes here in the States.

The shows air Wednesdays starting at 9. Some of you might need your closed captioning, it's totally worth it.