49. Last week was all right

FOOTBALL. (Tuesday 21st November, 2006)

From a goggle-eyed old'uns point of view last week was all right.
On Tuesday there was football: Champions League Live from Celtic Park, Glasgow.
Celtic v Manchester United.
The cat Shadow purred when the Scots pulled it off.
I think he rates Gordon Strachan and is of the opinion that Alex Ferguson might be the type to kick a football boot in a cat's direction when his team loses.

FOOD.

On the same evening there was a fellow called Heston Blumenthal searching for perfection in fish and chips.
His myriad travels and scientific experiments finally produced the goods.
But I wonder if I was alone in feeling that there are more out than in?

YOUNG@HEART. (Wednesday 22nd)
Here was a gem about a singing group of New England pensioners.
Only America could produce a bunch of people, average age 80, who would tackle songs by the Clash, Radiohead and Coldplay, let alone Dylan and Bowie classics, and do it so well.
The viewer was in turn uplifted by joyful performances and touched by sad departures.
One to watch again and again.

OZ & JAMES'S BIG WINE ADVENTURE.

The Two Fat Ladies worked: The Hairy Bikers work:
Oz and James does not work.
Reason for this seems to be that Oz Clarke is depicted as a poncy wine-tasting bore and James May (the wet one in Top Gear) is portrayed as a macho beer-swilling boor.
One suspects that neither of these is an accurate representation and the programme suffers accordingly.
One not to watch again and again.

THE QUEEN MOTHER IN LOVE. (Thursday 23rd)
I avoided this.
Well, she always avoided me.
My Leader watched it.
Said it had all been done just as well before.
So I was glad I settled for...

THE STATE WITHIN.

Though I'm still not sure what bloody state that is.
Our man in Washington, Sir Mark, is being betrayed on all sides.
People take photographs of him in every conceivable place, position and situation.
He never recognizes that friends can be foes and foes can be even bigger foes.
It was part 4 of 6 this week.
I have not understood any of it since Part 1.
I shall watch it until the last incomprehensible moment.
I shall then look forward to seeing Jason Isaacs back as Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
(Keep writing, J.K., Keep writing!)

JAM AND JERUSALEM. (Friday 24th)
Written by Jennifer Saunders.
Starring too many luminaries of the acting profession to be listed here.
It might, just might, have been a flop.
But of course it wasn't.
It was gloriously, outrageously, indescribably funny.