My hour for tea is half-past five, and my buttered toast waits for nobody.

This morning I woke to the news that both Homer Simpson and William Shakespeare were now following me on Twitter. The very idea of it just made me smile. Clearly I preach to a broad church - smirk.
I think it was just cause I posted an article on Simpsons quotes as memes (thus telling the age of writer and reader, and a tweet on going to see the STC briefing for the Scottish play. Alas, I was really tired and kind of fed up so I don't think I got as much out of it as I usually do, but Hugo Weaving was there, right in front of me, and that has to count for something.

What can I say, the moment I realised I was in for another extreme re-imagining of Shakespeare, my heart just sank and everything else was just mechanical listening, though the ghost story was cool (well, somebody had to ask about the 'curse' and at least it wasn't me).
( more: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing )

Yep, the Sweeney is back on TV, and not before time, but way too long between drinks for me - I've lost my Sweeney ear. I spent the first half of the episode whining "Hold up, George" and "SBS Euro cop subtitling unit: we need you", but alas, no SBS subtitles to the rescue, so I've still only the rough gist of the chappies in the very, um, impressive ski masks (wot, had the IRA bought up all the butch black ones?) robbing toffs with shooters and our lads grumbling and swearing and in and out of sweaty pubs and the like. A couple more weeks and I'll be like Manny after he over indulged in the Sweeney - grin.

So, of course, last night, despite having every good and just intention of watching the no doubt excellent Brit telly the ABC was serving up, well, it just wasn't going to happen, not when there was Tufty in the offing. So yeah, I watched Life on Mars. And loved every damn minute of it.
( more: the gentleman prefers blonds )

Well, I finally got my grubby little mitts on a copy of Robin Hood series deux. In fact, it was the Peanut Gallery who eventually found it for me, as every place I'd been to was sold out of the little buggers. So in answer to your question as why R4 got the Hood goods first, I guess it's cause we love the lad. Though you will tell me if you get better extras, won't you? You usually do. Most of the time we don't get extras at all (Casanova, first release of Supernatural, etc, etc, etc ad infinitum).
( more: it's big and it's bland full of tension and fear )

Well, well, well, actually one of the better xmases I've had since, well, since I was a wee thing in the 70s. And boy, was I stuck in the 70s, with wall to wall Life on Mars. UKTV was screening nothing but the adventures of Sam and Gene, and they're also playing S1 on the ABC, so on Wednesday night it was Life on Mars or Life on Mars (or Moonlight, poor neglected middle child that it is).

Funnily enough, I ended up watching Life on Mars. I can't help it, it sucks me in every time, dammit. And every time it's different. Ah, my constantly changing, crazy little show.
( more: the never ending, never finished catch up post )

Hello. As I don't have time to post every day any more, I've got a collection of fun quotes to start off with.

First up is DT himself, providing a masterful example of why hiring actors who know their stuff is a good thing. Here, the boy demonstrates his thorough knowledge of what makes a superior action figure by way of years of field testing, bless:
The trick is, he says, to have a completely blank expression when they photograph you. He learnt this as a child, playing with his own Doctor Who toys. “If the figures look happy, or fierce, or anything, it’s bound to ruin some scene you’ve got going on. The versatile action figure is the blank-faced action figure.” - Behind the scenes of the Doctor Who Christmas Special, starring Kylie

Next up is David McCallum, commenting on MUNCLE slash:
"I mean the idea of Robert and I getting it on (laughs) I think is the funniest thing I've heard this year. With all due respect to Robert, who's a very attractive, nice fellow." - Cool cat doesn't crack under pressure

And finally, because I've been off my game and letting all the Robin Hood reviews slip by, but this one popped into my inbox three times and it's reasonably representative of the rest of the crop (sorry Jonas): ( more: the ginchiest )

Gone and rooted me ankle again. That's what I get for playing weed twister in the garden (left foot between azalea and geranium, right foot between other azalea and dying geranium, right hand between bottlebrush and some withering native...).

Oh well. Got sunburnt too, and for someone shamefully in the red right now, I was Spendy McSpends on Saturday. Well, we needed a new vacuum cleaner because having to sweep up after the other one is simply not on. The shops lured me in by advertising a suitably butch looking machine going by the macho moniker of 'piranha', but of course, there were none to be had when I got there (yes, we have no piranhas, we have no piranhas today). So I had to settle on a more expensive but equally butch sounding model called 'combat'.

Let's hope it does better than the pathetic asthmatic wheeze of the old old lady one (and I think that says all you'd want to know about the state of the place, when only a vacuum called Combat! will do).
( more: and then some men in silvery space suits walk by )

From the laughably titled (please, I may injure myself) article, Emmy Contender: Robin Hood, comes this:
Underappreciated character: "I particularly enjoy Much -- played by Sam Troughton -- who hasn't really had a screen presence before now but comes from a long line of actors -- his grandfather (Patrick) used to be a 'Dr. Who.' I love him, because his part could be throwaway because he's a comic foil, but actually he's got real integrity underneath. But at the same time, he doesn't shy away from playing the character in a vivid way."

Which is a nice 'yay, Sam' moment and serves as suitable spoiler space before I get onto ( this )