TV With the popularity of 'The 1900 House' and it's sequels, it was only time before the US wanted their own version. Starting a run soon on UK television is 'The Frontier House'. The one image which stands out from the trailer is one of the participants saying they're starving. I can't remember seeing one of these things where someone involved hasn't been reduced to absolute misery in the name of television. The sight of the mother in 'The 1940s House' going hungry so that her kids could eat was crippling. Yes kids. They don't get a choice here do they? Pop Matters has noticed this too and as it doesn't look like thing sare much different on the 'frontier' wonders 'When does reality TV become child abuse?':
"Granted, their Moms and Dads were going hungry with them out there on the frontier (perhaps the family that starves together stays together?). But, even if adults have every right to make whatever choices they want about where and how they live, what they eat and if they eat, for these two sets of parents to deny their kids adequate food for the sake of a TV show displays to me a stunning lack of judgment on behalf of the parents (not unlike the current case of Kevin C. Kelly, charged with involuntary manslaughter and child neglect after leaving his toddler to die in his minivan). It also suggests culpability on the part of the PBS producers and executives who, not unlike Randy Yates, seemed to have turned a blind eye to the goings-on in front of them."
I'm not denying this is strong language, and that the production team wouldn't step in if they thought for a moment that anyone involved is in actual danger. But it does feel as though even though the makers thing they are somehow offering a higher quality of entertainment. How is it any less exploitative than Jerry Springer? Speaking of which ...

Big Brother continues to infuriate me. Ten reasons ...
1. Jade is continuing her steady transformation into Yoda
2. For whom are the bars still entertaining? See above article about how uninteresting it actually is to watch people in squaller. This isn't an east European art film from the eighties you know.
3. The bizarre editorial choices of the producers (Alex and Kate finally spent time together the other day, according to this, and found out they quiet liked each other ... but you wouldn't know it from the 'highlights' show.
4. The lack of humour of the non-slapstick kind. Although we like pissed Kate. Tim seemed to like her especially. But then judging by his GIRLFRIEND, he seems to be drawn to blondes.
5. The lack of common sense. From everybody.
6. The O2 sponsorship buffers. They aren't big or clever or amusing.
7. The crowds which turn up for the eviction nights. That's humanity folks. You're welcome to it.
8. The Ri:se coverage. Do you have to play the BB logo jingle between every clip? You know the viewers will desert you again once the BB3 has finished. If I was you I'd be thinking up ways of keeping them on. I'm telling you, move into a house, have two chairs in a living room and the production team cackling at your every joint movement and you've got yourself a show.
9. People who are watching it now and think it's the best thing they've ever seen, even though they weren't there for Nasty Nick or Brian. I was there from the start. You've missed 'Star Wars' and 'Empire' -- you're sitting through 'Jedi'.
10. I'm still bloody watching it. And talking about it. Even though I know it's bad for me. Would anyone like to send me a videotape of 'The Real World'? It might act as a nicotine patch so that I can ween myself off this crap.

Film Wonderful piece from scr(i)pt magazine about writing characters in film. When I was at school my teachers would almost scream the two Cs at me, Contrast and Conflict. It helped me when I was writing, but finally somone has articulated how:
"In Seven, when the two detectives realize that “the seven deadly sins” are the key to understanding the killer, we see a sequence where the Morgan Freeman character goes to a library all night and studies old research books. His concentration, his familiarity with the library security and cleaning staff, tells you he’s done that a lot. But that took film time to set up and establish. By contrast, the next day, we see his partner, Brad Pitt, do TWO one-second reveals on the same subject. He sits in his car and tries to read one of these same thick books about John Milton or Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. He TRIES to get it; it’s his job, but can’t, and EXPLODES in rage at himself—scream-ing, pounding on the steering wheel; he just doesn’t “get” it. That one second of self-hatred at his reinforced sense of his own intellectual limits was very revealing.
This is something which seems to be largely missing from film lately, the ability to show in a few moments the basis of your characters. At the moment all characters do is narcasistically talking about each other, when a looking would work. Somewhere along the line they've forgotten that cinema is a visual medium. If I want someone to explain everything to me, I'll listen to Radio 4. [the article is in Abode format by the way. Might want to download that]

Art H.R. Giger does sculpture.

Blogging Just received this news be email ...
You’re being contacted because you were a participant in the Blogger Insider. As some of you may know, and most of you probably don’t, Keith has decided to pull the plug on the blogger insider program. So, a few of us who would like to keep it going have decided to take it upon ourselves to start it up anew.

So, if you’re still interested in participating, please send us an e-mail with your name and current website address. If you could also forward this e-mail to anyone you exchanged questions with in the past, or anyone you think might be interested in joining, or even post this on your site if you’re so inclined, it’d be appreciated, thanks. And if anyone's interested in helping out, please let us know that too.

Thanks,
Mike
They can be contacted at blogmatch@hotmail.com ... this has been a feeling listless blogging service anouncement ...

Logobar First clue. This site has been writing about her recently ... don't forget there is a prize on offer here ...

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