Glee - What's It All About?

Hey blog fans out there. This is rather a puzzling post, as I wanted to write something about Glee. Only problem is, I’ve never seen an episode of “Glee”, I only have the hype that surrounds it. The way I see it, as an outsider, it just seems like something that has come from the success of High School Musical. Let’s make a musical set in a school. Only difference is, Glee uses already established songs and artists for its musical material.

I personally don’t get it, the covers sometimes seem auto tuned in some songs, or maybe I’m wrong. Not that I have a problem with auto tune as long as it’s used for creative purposes. Looking at Don’t Stop Believing, it’s approach is clever, but what with all the hype around the original in recent times, isn’t it just jumping on the bandwagon? I don’t know really. The dance routines are probably quite good, but can’t help thinking its just easy programming. It’s been a phenomenon in the last few years, the comeback of the musical. I, for one, welcome it but there’s something about shows like Glee that seem false. I mean, like they don’t have a pure sense of a real musical about them. Thinking of High School Musical and Hairspray, they seemed natural in their first incarnations but anything after that seems to be milking its value.

The commercial arm of this whole thing has gone out of control too. There are loads of compilation albums of the covers from the show. They are virtually new interpretations of the songs. It’s the old rule; someone hears something on TV then goes to buy it. These record labels and TV stations certainly know how to work the audience. I guess it’s a good thing as the audience are perhaps experiencing music they would not have usually taken a look at, or perhaps just gives the viewers more versions of Pokerface or Holiday for their digital collection.

So there you have it, an article about Glee from someone who knows nothing about Glee. Just thinking about covers, just listening to a group called “The Silicon Teens”, a synth based group who do Rock and Roll covers. It’s creative, and very easy to listen to! Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave any comments you may have about Glee or related subjects.

Mr Men - Did You Watch It?

Hi all you blog fans, I want to try something different this time. It comes along the line of the children’s show theme I have talked about in recent times, and is yet another show from yesteryear. This one though, is not just a classic show, but can also be classed as an adaptation. I am talking about the Mr Men series, narrated about Author Lowe, broadcast in the early 70s right up to the 80s. When I was younger, I had a VHS of the series, which I got many plays of enjoyment out of.

For those who haven’t heard of the Mr Men, or Little Miss for that matter, then where have you been? The television series was adapted from the books by Roger Hargreaves. The stories were simple, the character designs were simplistic, but we loved it. There was Mr Happy, Funny, Tickle, Forgetful among others. I won’t ask you to name them all as you’ll probably go onto Wikipedia and look.

I loved the series as it was simple animation and an enjoyable pleasant watch. The style is reminiscent of the Mr Benn series which came about the same time. I often found that series rather slow in comparison. Ray Brooks does a good job on that series with the voice though, although Lowe’s delivery is surprisingly good. You don’t expect the man from Dad’s Army to have such a wide vocal range.

I said I was going to do something different with this post, so here it is. I want to know if you used to watch Mr Men when you were younger and if you still think it stands up today. This is not as easy as it sounds. This entire post is from a nostalgic point of view. As I grew up watching these, my view of things is going to be slightly rose tinted. I personally think, all nostalgic feeling aside, that these stories are timeless. Everything is so simple that it would fit into a children’s schedule quite easily if it was given the time of day.

Steven Moffatt's Forgotten Work.

Hi there you blog fans out there. You’ve probably noticed a children’s theme in my recent posts. Well, I am a fan of shows aimed at children because sometimes there are shows out there that can be seen as too grown up to be considered a children’s programme. I would like to talk to you about one such programme, written by a guy who now writes for family and adult audiences.

There’s been a lot of praise for Steven Moffatt, and why not he’s a talented writer. This is mainly due to his work on shows such as Doctor Who, Sherlock and Jekyl of recent times. It may be a surprise to some that he hasn’t been around for 5 minutes. He didn’t just start with the stuff he’s doing now. Obviously, he had the TV hit Coupling but there is a show which some of you may be familiar with, but might not realise who wrote it. I am of course talking about the Children’s series “Press Gang” from the 1980s.

Don’t let the term “children” fool you, this is as intelligently written as anything else Moffatt has produced. If you are not familiar with the show, it was a about a group of teens who run a school newspaper. The series revolves mainly around the relationship between the two leading characters, played by Dexter Fletcher and Julia Sawalha. Fletcher’s character of an American is a stereotype, but Julia is very believable as Lynda Day. Her opinion of Fletchers character is usual, she hates him, but you know there is something underneath.

One thing to note about this is just how hilarious this is. The dialogue is witty and rather playful at times. There aren’t many moments where you feel something was unnecessary. It certainly has that 80s feel about it, but that is down to the production, not the writer. This screenplay is as fresh now as when it was conceived, if you remove the obvious 80s references.

There are a lot of actors in this show who went onto great things, and other stints in television. You may recognise Owen and Lisa from Eastenders. You might know Fletcher from Kick Ass, or you might have seen Sawalha in the BBC’s famous adaptation of Pride and Prejudice as Lydia Bennett.

Moffatt’s work on this show is majorly forgotten, and I don’t think it should be. Everyone has to start somewhere, and in my opinion, this is a great place to start. People will sometimes forget this show because it’s been categorised as a children’s show. It had a reputation for covering subjects which were probably deemed too adult to be considered as content in a children’s programme. Shows along the same lines as this, such as Grange Hill for example, have a tendency to cover taboo subjects. It’s my theory that due to this, these shows should be classed as family entertainment and therefore you should check it out.

Thanks for reading this blog! If you have any opinions on anything that has been raised here, then please comment or send a message!

Championship Manager - Still Champion?

 Hi all you blog fans out there! I am here to talk to you about something rather unusual. I don’t want to sound like Jon Bentley again but it always seems good to include it somewhere. It is something which can take a lot of time and effort. They bring out a new one each year, with updated data and such. If you haven’t guessed what I’m referring to, I am talking about Championship Manager games and similar series on the PC.

If you don’t know what it is, I will tell you. It’s basically a management simulation of the football league. This is where you can take managerial control of a team, buy players etc. It sounds like an experience which should be thrilling to all those football fans out there. There is one slight probably, it is all text based. When I say this, I mean there is only text when playing. You can choose to have dots run around the screen while a game is happening but if you were like me playing the game, the commentary mode was faster and you wanted the game over and done with.

I know a little bit about this series as I myself was once addicted to it. I used to play it every day. I have probably broken some records in it as I played up to the year 2070 something. Considering I started on the 99/00 version of the game, I thought this was impressive. I stopped playing as the game started crashing when I got up to the 2070 mark. Also, what I have found with these types of games is that they have a short shelf life. For example, you’re not going to want to buy David Beckham on the 99/00 version of the game in 2005 unless you’re in it for nostalgia. Most people play these games so they can live their football dreams with the latest squads.

One of the best management games I ever played was Ultimate Soccer Manager 98 on the PC. I have found it was more colourful, better graphics and wasn’t based on a load of words and data on the screen. There was also a decent match mode where you could watch the players. The issue some people find with this is they want to play a Fifa style game where you control the players. A managerial game doesn’t hold these features. This is possibly why the Fifa games include a stripped down manager mode as part of their package, so people can play with David Beckham as he marches on to the pitch for Tottenham, or Andy Carroll running onto the pitch for Liverpool. Things that would never happen in real life football..... Oops

Anyway, I think I shall end this post as it might encourage me to go play Championship Manager. I enjoyed the hours I spent with it, but now it feels like it could be rather bland to play. There are millions of fans out there who would disagree.

Dumbing Down in Children's Television - A Short Blog

Hi there blog fans, Jamie here with yet another blog. I’ve been trying to do these daily but sometimes can be stumped at what to write about. If anyone has any ideas, which are media related, then please get in contact. I would love to hear from you!

So this brings me to today’s blog, and what to write. Right at this time of writing, I am watching classic 70s series “Ace Of Wands”. It is something I haven’t seen before in full episode form. It struck me how much it is a standard drama, which doesn’t seem to have the qualities of a programme aimed at children. Strangely enough this is its intention. One thing I know about it, it has a great theme tune, sung by Andy Bown of Status Quo and Judas Jump fame.

So when thinking about this show, does the show really go with their intended audience? I guess the best example genre to look at is shows aimed at children. It is my belief that children which were made before 2000 are quite intelligent in their approach. Look at something like “How”, its premise is educational, perfect for children. Its approach is simplistic but it is intelligent enough for an adult to sit and watch it and not feel intimidated. One of the few clips I have seen of “How” involved Fred using a potter’s wheel. This clip is hilarious and entertaining at the age of 21 as it would’ve been at its intended target audience.

With all the discussions about children’s television being dumbed down, you have to look at examples. I personally felt there have always been parts of the genre which have been dumbed down. If you go back to the Watch With Mother days, don’t things like Andy Pandy seem intimidating? Some would argue no as its intended audience wouldn’t see it like that. Take another example, Charlie Chalk from the 1980s. It’s the same kind of audience, but the writing in it is cleverer and funnier. It might also seem like there is a less educational concept in it but you do learn things from the show.

Anyway, I am going to end this post and ask your opinion on the dumbing down of television and if these shows fit their intended audience range?

Bertha: The Forgotten Gem Of Ivor Wood

Hi all you blog fans out there. I want to talk to you today about something which I adore very much, retro children’s television. With all the debate about dumbing down, I got to thinking about a show I used to watch, and occasionally watch now and again, named Bertha.

Bertha was a stop motion animation by Ivor Wood’s Woodland Animations. While the company’s big hitter Postman Pat got a lot more attention, I think it is something which needs to be highlighted. Bertha followed a factory machine and its workers. It is perhaps one of the most boring premises for a show ever, but somehow it is both charming and intriguing. Not only are there the usual stereotypical characters, the stories are in a way realistic but still have that zany element about them. Not only this, but it makes a lot of social statements about the society we live or lived in back in the 80s when it was conceived. For example, Mr Duncan is a Scotsman through and through, with a beard and understandable Glaswegian accent. Panjit is an Indian wearing turban, who works in the back warehouse. It is very controversial, the BBC would never have this on now.

I loved its story structure. They would announce what the machine was making then a whole story would be built around it, or be part of the solution to the problem, solved at the end of the show. There is this underlying message of togetherness and teamwork within the show. Everyone helps each other and there is a true friendliness about it. Somehow I can’t imagine a real factory being this gelled together.

The animation in the show was top class, very similar to Charlie Chalk, when looking at the models of the characters. Sadly the colours are rather bland, but it is to be expected when thinking about the programme premise and location. How can you make a factory look colourful and bright? Answer, make the machine, which is the focus of it green and make the Indian’s forklift yellow. This doesn’t really solve the problem; the colours are still rather bland even though the animation is spot on. As a side note, the narrator of the late Roy Kinnear is truly inspiring. Shelia Walker, the female voices is also brilliant!

Thinking about how little this show is remembered in the eyes of the media, it’s saddening really. It had so much potential but ran for around 13 or so episodes. I suppose the best series have very short life spans. I think it is time it got a rerun on some channel somewhere.

Hopefully this post has jogged a few memories for some, if you have any comments on this show, please feel free to leave them!

Kindle, Its not an egg!

Hi all you blog fans out there. Just a quick post to say hello to everyone and focus on something media related. If you’ve been watching the TV or are a regular visitor to Amazon, you would have come across something called Kindle. At first I had no idea what this was. I had a feeling it was something to do with a chocolate egg with a toy inside but I was sadly mistaken. I was walking through Currys one day and suddenly, there it was, a Kindle. It is a new device which allows the user to read a book on a small screen that fits in the palm of your hand. It’s basically an Iphone without all the other features. It has interested me but somehow, I don’t see the point. It goes on the lines of what I talked about in the last post, about a collection of physical media. Surely a book would fall under this category?

The trick with it is you download a book, for free or at an expense, then you read the book on this little device. While it seems clever, it can never replace the feeling of reading a real book where you turn the pages and look at the scribbles and underlines from its previous owner. In addition to this, there are already other devices which do similar things. The Nintendo DS had a programme where it had classic literature on offer to read. The Iphone has similar apps which do the same thing.

It seems like a waste of time, it might be a fad or it might catch on. I can’t imagine the book being replaced by something called a Kindle. Where did this name come from? This is one of those devices where the name doesn’t make sense with the product. I’m sure there are cheaper products which have the same function on the market.

On the subject of actually using the Kindle, I don’t own one but I assume it is relatively simple, as with all devices of this type. The issue I would find with it is that it would be like reading off a computer screen, which can not be a pleasant experience if reading text for a long period of time.

Anyway, there is my mini rant over, now to go look through Google Books, or read a PDF on the computer!