BJK&E

When Sky One brought back Gladiators this summer my first thought was “Amazing! Hot men in lycra. What’s not to love?”
Unsuprisingly the updated version failed to live up to expectations. (Rubbish presenters, too modern, no sign of Rhino anywhere)
Why was I interested in the return of this programme?
Well, as a child I wasn’t allowed to watch Gladiators and had to resort to sneaking in episodes at friends houses (It was deemed too ‘common’, as were burgers, monster munch, pot noodles and shell suits, to my utter disappointment) which elevated the programme to unattainable levels of glamour and excitement.

Which is why the anticipated return of The Krypton Factor to ITV makes me nervous because I desperately don’t want to be let down again!
Date yet to be confirmed, ITV is to bring back The Krypton Factor in its biggest ad-funded programming deal. The series ended in 1995 after an 18 year run and was dubbed “television’s toughest quizshow”. ITV said “The Krypton Factor will be given a 21st century makeover that will see the stakes become bigger, the competition harder and the pressure higher”.

Auditions are open now if any one fancies the challenge……

http://www.itv.com/Games/Gameshows/TheKryptonFactor/ApplicationForm/default.html

Having just spent the last 5 hours trying to get hold of my in-laws for a case of child care emergency I need to vent some frustration and rant about parents and mobile phones.

My in-laws both have mobile phones, however, whenever I try to get hold of them I get the message ‘this mobile phone is switched off’.  What is the purpose of the phone?  My father in law takes great pleasure in telling me his mobile phone bill is £0.03 each month…..yes because it’s never near or on his person!

Why do the older generation have difficulty with the concept of a mobile phone?  And think that a mobile is only to be used in an emergency…..how would they know about the emergency with the phone switched off?  Do they switch their home phone off?

My mother has finally grasped the concept and does keep her phone on and with her, however, it took a while for her to work out how to grasp the technicalities of using it……one incident whilst I was driving, my phone was ringing and I asked her to answer it for me – “how do I answer”, “just say yes” was my response – mum then proceeded to shout “yes” very loudly into the phone!

Maybe someone should invent a phone for this tech un-savvy audience that cannot be switched off.

End of rant.

This summer has shown a drastic rise in the number of summer music festivals and an ever growing list of great venues such as:

‘V’
Isle of white
Reading
Glastonbury
Bestival
Global Gathering

The growing number of companies willing to sponsor and advertise at these events has caused a rapid growth over the past few years.

Each summer brings a different experience.  Bestival was appropriately themed ‘under the sea’ this year as it was the wettest one ever.  Glastonbury is always a wash.  Matthew, a member of the Ubisoft team and pictured below, attended Bestival dressed as Scuba Steve from the movie Big Daddy.

What was your highlight of this year’s festivals that you have attended?

…. OK so we know things are tough at the moment… Alistair Darling had just announced a £50bn rescue package for the UK banking sector, Iceland is melting, the DOW Jones saw it’s greatest fall in a day since 1987. The crisis in the world economy is being mirrored in the UK media market with TV, press, outdoor and radio all recording significant revenue declines in ‘08 but cinema appears to be bucking the trend.

Cinema revenue’s were up almost 10% across the period Jan-June with admissions driven with the release of big screen blockbusters including Indiana Jones, Sex in the City, the Dark Knight and er… Mamma Mia (the latter is currently the third highest grossing movie in UK box office history…aaagh).

I’m firmly of the opinion that the time couldn’t be better then to immerse yourself in a good movie and afford yourself a little escapism from the economic doom and gloom. My personal favourites from this year are the Dark Knight (yes, Heath Ledger’s performance really is that good), Iron Man (explosions, tongue in cheek humour and flying super-heroes; what’s not to like?) and Gone Baby Gone (a dark and harrowing film but stand out performances by both Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman). So come on then, what would your movie of choice be to generate a little light and laughter  (Mamma Mia? I’ve seen it. Don’t. Please. End of story)?

Having run out of butter one-too-many times we’ve taken to mixing sandwich fillings with sheer abandon - and not without success!

• Peanut Butter & Jam (Jelly, according to Patrick)
• Peanut Butter & Honey
• Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spread
• Chocolate Spread & Honey

I’ve been told Banana, Peanut Butter & Honey is pretty sensational, and Elvis’ favourite was Bacon & Peanut Butter…. what’s your favourite?

Flicking through my freeview box the other day I must of instantly dismissed watching at least 6 comedy shows, from the torturous ‘My Family’ to smug American sitcoms. Where is the fresh, exciting new comedy out there? Why am I forced to watch old classic DVD’s such as the genius of Chris Morris in Brass Eye and The Day Today over and over again?

There is some fantastic comedy out there if you look hard enough, but not enough. It seems when it comes to the mainstream, the BBC 1’s or ITV’s of this world would rather play it safe, leaving me to trawl through More 4 or BBC 3 & 4 to find some hidden gems.

Basically, what i’m trying to say is………………does anyone have any new comedy to recommend that I may of missed out on?

A few of us headed over to Company Magazines 30th birthday party in Camden last night - where we experienced some serious z-list celeb spotting including Calum Best, Avid Merrion and enough Big Brother contestants to sink a (rather beautiful) ship.
A good time was had by all, with make-up artists and hairdressers on hand, some excellent goodie-bags (including what some might say was an excessive amount of Durex lube) and thankfully no broken ankles from dancing on the cobblestones.
We also got papped on our way out, until they obviously realised who we were (or weren’t!). I don’t think we have many celeb look-a-likes in our office, although Gemma says people often mistake her for Steven Tyler from Aerosmith…….
Any suggestions?