CouchSlobs - A Monument To Human Idleness

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Dear faithful readers, happy Stephen Fry Appreciation Monday!

Since we know now that we can expect the sequel to Moab is My Washpot in autumn of 2010, I am really curious to hear what is your favorite Stephen Fry novel?
I have already rambled on quite a bit why I’m so partial to Moab, but I would like to hear what is your favorite Stephen Fry book and why?

Truth be told, I’m going book shopping soon so I would like to hear your recommendations

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Have you ever wondered where was Basil Fawlty’s stomping grounds? Or where did Delboy and Rodney flog their goods? Where did PG Wodehouse live?

Now you can find out. With the summer ahead of us this is one campaign by a tourist board that I actually find interesting. Not that I mind spa breaks or nature breaks or whatever, but this combines 2 of my favorite things - comedy and traveling.

Comedy England campaign is a 6-month campaign by the Enjoy England tourism body that will enlist help of some of the most popular British comedy stars ever (think Cleese and Saunders) to draw the crowds to the locations of their favorite comedic series and movies.

Unfortunately at this stage the campaign is aimed at the locals (all I will say is a big raspberry to the that) and it will highlight some 150 locations all over England that were featured one way or another in some of our favorite shows.

Think along the lines of Torquay for Fawlty Towers, Tower of London for Blackadder, Holland Park for Ab Fab. I would quite fancy poping down to Mayfair to see PG Wodehouse former residence or down to Peckham to check out where Only Fools and Horses was set.

I do have to mention through my perusing of Comedy England website I have learned most of Only Fools and Horses was actually filmed in Bristol. Not to mention Fawlty Towers was never actually filmed in Torquay! Heavens.

But I do have to applaud their efforts, I really love the idea. Finally someone came to realize the universal appeal of British comedy.

If the local campaign is successful it will then be launched worldwide. Well hopefully that will be sooner rather then later.

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I cannot remember when was the last time an itsy bitsy piece news piece made me squeal in delight but this one did.

And I know that I should have kept this one for our Stephen Fry Appreciation Monday however this is the type of news that has to be shared with my fellow Fry-ophiles that suffer from Fry-itis.

According to Bookseller website my sweaty little hand will hold the sequel to Moab is my Washpot in autumn 2010. Yay!

I think the last time I was itching to read a particular book before it was even published was when I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and I knew there was one more.

So am I the only nutter who found this news squeal inducing?

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Ah how can I not love the 80s it was such a fruitful decade. We have finally come to the Sci-Fi bit of the program or some of my favorite Sci-Fi movies of the 80s.

They might not be the best, hell some might even scoff at my choice but these movies are the one that stand out in my mind as most memorable. Oh and the list is no particular order, I wrote them down as it came to me.

I was just thinking, isn’t it funny how you perspective of a movie can change over the years?

As always I’d love to hear your top picks and favorites.

Blade Runner – do you know I think I still have this one a VHS tape somewhere. Beyond cool.

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Yesterday I told you I will try and find something I could recommend. Lets face it there is not much to watch on telly these days.

An I found it, FOUND IT. Have you heard about new J. J. Abrams project called The Fringe? We have written about it already. The rumors were swirling, but we all know what can happen to these overhyped projects – they fall flat on their face.

Now I would love to give you the review of The Fringe (trust me I’m itching to) but since I am afraid the police people will come and take me away, I don’t dare to. Knowing my luck if I end up in jail rather then doing the kitchen duty I’ll end up on laundry duty (which I abhor) plus who would bring me cigarettes to bribe the screws?

Be as it may so I’m not going to tell you much about The Fringe. Well apart from the fact its f*king awesome and one of the best pieces of telly I have seen since first season of BSG and Lost. Fast paced, interesting and it sucks you right in. You know, apart from that.

But what I will tell you and it might be more of interest to our male readers – the female lead is Anna Torv. I thought the name sounded familiar. And then I realized I saw her this year playing a lesbian on BBC show Mistresses. And for the ladies, well I was always partial to Joshua Jackson.

Oh and another bit of mystery, which I don’t get at all, but its probably one of those viral campaigns and it was there last week – when you clicked on the hand on The Fringe website it would lead you to youtube clip about a man in India with 6 fingers?! Now all it leads to is interview with J. J. Abrams.

Anyhow and before the police people take me away – The Fringe fraking awesome.

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With a lack of anything remotely substantial on telly these days I have to admit I was less twitchy then I expected. I haven’t even checked out the possible summer viewings I was contemplating so that should tell you something. But a movie I can manage.

Now I’d much rather write about something that I can recommend (I am working on that) but I made the foolish mistake of seeing The Happening by M. Night Shyamalan.
Since the plot was all shrouded in cloud of mystery I didn’t want to read anything that might spoil the plot. What a silly blond I can be sometimes.

I really liked M. Night Shyamalan’s 6th Sense and Unbreakable, I even managed Signs (even though I don’t like Mel Gibson much) and I thought The Village was not THAT bad. I cannot speak about The Lady in the Water as I haven’t seen it. So I did go into this with an open mind because I do like his storytelling even though it can be slow paced at times.

And all I can say after seeing The Happening is meh – what was the fuss about?

In my opinion it was just atrociously bad – from plot to the actors and some bits (like the old lady oh honestly what was that in aid off?) did not make any sense to me.

But what irks me the most and without spoiling anything for any of you that haven’t seen the movie is that the idea behind the plot, the message that he was trying to convey could have been turned into something extraordinary that could chill you to your bone.

Unfortunately the only chills I got where from the cinema’s air-con unit.

My advice is even if you are M. Night Shyamalan fan wait until this comes out on DVD and rent it if you really want to see what the fuss is about. I think in the end it will turn into one of those you either love-it or hate-it movies. While I didn’t hate it, I didn’t like it much either.

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Dear faithful readers, happy Stephen Fry Appreciation Monday!

Anyone else suffering from Fry-itis withdrawal symptoms? And yes before you ask I have made up that word just now.

With no podgram for ages and not even Dork talk to cheer me up I don’t even mind reading about chutney, goats, wooden batons and Stephen Fry over at Richard Madeley’s blog. Having said that you should check it out – if nothing else then for the pic it gave me such a giggle.

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Today its all about the football I do apologize. But I do have 2 treats for you.

One is from A Bit of Fry and Laurie where you get to see what Dave Wilson’s school of football is all about. Not to mention the sketch is so spot on. Oh and pay attention how ahem bendy Hugh Laurie used to be Well I am not being fair, maybe I just got so used to seeing him playing House and the man can still bend whichever way… hm yes I digress.

The other clip is one thing (apart from QI) that never ever fails to cheer me up.
Its Robin Williams live on Broadway. If you have not seen it yet heavens do. In this particular clip Robin Williams gives his own explanation of football. Hilarious.

Now excuse me, I have a game to watch.

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It’s a bold new summer for conspiracy-themed SF so better dust off those tin-foil hats of yours!

First of all: “X Files: the Movie”. Again. When I first heard about it last year, I thought it was just another silly internet/showbiz column rumor, like endless talk about third Conan movie or Tarantino remaking “Snowhite and Seven Dwarves” as a martial arts movie. But Lo and Behold: Chris Carter has brought Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny together for another movie iteration in the ever-more complex (and, truth be told, increasingly absurd) saga of Government/alien/black sludge conspiracy. Entitled “X Files: I Want to Believe”, the movie should arrive in the cinemas by the end of July. Will it be a fulfilling ending to a much loved cult TV classic? The truth is out there.

Meanwhile, there’s a new J. J. Abrams hit on a horizon. The creator of “Cloverfield”, “Lost” and “Alias” is riding into Dodge with his own version of “X Files”. Entitled “Fringe”, his series follows bizarre cases of modern science run amok thanks to a loving care of international corporations, terrorist groups and shady government officials. Pilot – screened to the journalists around a month ago – starts with a storm-ridden trans-Atlantic flight whose passengers get liquidated – Literally! – by the weird disease. FBI agent (played by Australian actress Anna Torv) need help and turns to – Again, literally! – mad scientist (John Noble) who spent 20 years in the asylum after working on US government’s “fringe science” projects in parapsychology, reviving the dead and weather control. Show premiers in August and I, for one, am looking forward to it. Bad news? It’s gonna run on Fox.

Finally, check out “The Middleman”. Based upon the comic by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Les McClaine, the series lampoons conspiracy theories with square-jawed, all-American Middleman (Matt Keeslar), employee of undefined organization who teams up with hip but failed artist Wendy (delicious Natalie Morales) in order to fix exotic problems like mad scientists, aliens and super-intelligent apes trying to wrest control over Mafia. The series is almost too smart for it’s own good, with characters zapping endless witticisms until you wish for them to start talking like normal folks. But it looks like a goofy fun in the lines of “Special Unit 2″ so give it a try.

Oliver out.

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• The only time you can hear word continuation used in English language is during Hell’s Kitchen

• Food is never being served it is always “flying out” of the kitchen

• Chefs love to talk about themselves in 3rd person

• It is a bad sign when your meal makes the chef vomit. However that does not necessarily mean you are out of the game just yet.

• Other chefs never dislike you because you have an attitude problem, it is because they are”threatened” by your cooking skills

• If you ever do have the opportunity to dine in the Hell’s Kitchen never ever come when there are still plenty of chefs in the running, in all probability the only thing you will eat is the bread roles.

• The rule is – less chefs, better food or better yet less chefs, any food.

• Ramsay’s choice of insults – for females stupid b*tch and/or fat cow; for males stupid donkey, fat idiot

• The loudest chef in the kitchen is not necessarily the best chef in the kitchen

• The exception to the aforementioned rule is Gordon Ramsay

• Ramsay loves his risottos, but at least he gave up on pigeon salad

• Cooking is a great profession. That is if you don’t mind waking up at crack of dawn, working crazy hours and then still cleaning the kitchen when you are done well after midnight. It is also great if you do not mind being shouted at, getting burned and/or cutting your finger off once in a while.

• If the hot appetizers do not “fly out” of the kitchen the whole dinner service is usually screwed. Or in Ramsay language – we are in the shit!

• It is always the most demanding service ever in Hell’s Kitchen (boy those people at Fox love the drama!)

• For all his shouting and screaming, Gordon Ramsay is nowhere near as bad as he would like you to think.

• If you played a drinking game wherein you would have a shot every time one of the following phrases was used by Ramsay you would be drunk 15 minutes into the show

· F*cking donkey
· B*tch and/or cow
· It’s f*cking raw
· Shut it down
· I had enough
· Get out
· We are in the shit
· Concentrate

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