Strictly Come Dancing: Phenomenon or farce?

I'm  embarrassed to admit (well, only very slightly!) that I'm totally hooked on so-called 'reality tv shows' and alleged talent competitions, my current favorite being Strictly Come Dancing.

This totally improbable and highly unlikely show features celebrity B & C - listers who practice their dancing skills, guided by a professional ballroom dancer. Therre are then showpiece dances, judged by fairly terrifying judges, and ultimately, elimination of the weakest dancer, as confirmed by the voting public.

I know this sounds hopeless and totally uninspiring, but this masterpiece of televisual excellence is absolutely electric! The dancing is not really my scene, but the magic is in the judges, their self-preening, their acidic comments and the drama they make when delivering their verdicts... and the fate of the contestants in front of an audience of millions.

The four judges are all very colorful, and all very different. Bruno Tonioli... very Italian, extremely camp - and ultra generous with his marks. Craig Revell-Horwood, an Australian terror with slick hair and the longest pronounciation of 'daaaaaaaaaahnce' in the world, famed for his meanness of score and so cuttingly saracstic, it actually stings.. Then there's Len.. Head Judge, and the kindest by far. Always keen to say something nice after harsh words from Craig, and rather like your favorite uncle in so many ways. Finally, there's Arlene... straight down the line, and she tells it like it is! She's been a dancer & choreographer for over 40 years, and clearly knows a thing or two...

Then there's the performers... all taking the show very seriously, some good, some not so good at all. The big hit - John Sargeant. Can't dance, is 60+ and is unfortunately overweight. Quite a sight in lycra when cavorting around the dancefloor like an arthritic elephant on valium, but a nice man - who everybody seems to like. So nice, in fact, that everybody kept voting for him... even though the judges were absolutely desperate to remove him from the show... and were clearly angry that they couldn't.

Well, today... John quit the show. It's headline news - on all TV channels. There's a special show - an hour long - on BBC2, and TV schedules have been changed. It's even front page news on all of tomorrow's UK national newspapers... the country is shocked, and the BBC's switchboard is jammed...

Are we taking TV just a little bit too seriously?

... or are we just in need of fun?

Time now to think of next week's show.... plus of course X Factor (getting exciting!) and I'm a Celebrity... awful, but so watchable & totally addictive TV!!!

One of the best places to come to shop?

Cardiff & Co has welcomed confirmation that the St David’s 2 shopping development is likely to push the city into the top five of the UK’s best performing retail locations within a few years.

Research from Experian (a credit reference agency) shows that this year Cardiff has climbed one place to 10th from 2007 and in its projections for the next decade, predicts that Cardiff will have climbed to eighth in the UK, well ahead of rivals such as Bristol, ranked 14th.

Over the next 10 years, Experian believe Cardiff will move ahead quickly with the opening of the St David’s 2 center next year, giving the city a spot in the top five shopping destinations in the UK!

Bruno Rost of Experian is reported in the Western Mail newspaper saying:  “When you see a big scheme such as St David’s 2 taking shape,  it is going to have a positive impact. It is difficult to predict precisely, but you could see Cardiff reaching sixth or even higher over the next few years as result of St David’s 2.

However, over the long-term we believe it will stabilise and by 2018 it will be ranked eighth in the UK.”

This year Cardiff is immediately behind Bluewater in Kent which has a slightly higher total comparison spend of £1.55bn. The top location is London’s West End with a spend of £5.34bn, followed by Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

“Cardiff is punching above its weight and will continue to do so. However, the city’s retail offer doesn’t just rest with the fantastic development in St David’s 2. There's the original St. David's center, Queen's Arcade plus the Capitol Center, not to mention Queen Street itself, plus the many Victorian arcades!"

So, there you go! Nive to know, eh?

David Tennant and a female Doctor Who??

Award-winning actor and mega-star, David Tennant leaves Doctor Who after filming four specials, to be shown during 2009. I can confirm that David's final appearance as the Time Lord will be in the Christmas Special, 2009.

When interviewed for BBC Wales, the Scottish actor refused to confirm, however, that this was a 'final' departure, adding that 'doors would remain open'. Interesting!

After briefly meeting Russell T. Davies today - I can confirm that in spite of all the hype and rumor, the 11th Time Lord will NOT be a woman. How wrong that would have been anyway!

Here are ten things you (probably) didn’t know about David!


1. David was born David John McDonald in 1971 in West Lothian, Scotland. His father was a Presbyterian minister and is now a member of the Scottish cabinet.

2. David was barely out of nappies when he decided to become an actor. He recalls: "I was very small, about 3 or 4 I think, and just wanted to be the people on telly telling these wonderful stories. Obviously the idea grew and matured with me but I can't ever remember wanting to do anything else."

3. David was so crazy about Doctor Who as a child that he had a Tom Baker doll, made his gran knit him a multi-coloured scarf and once wrote a school essay declaring that he would one day play the role.

4. David is a huge fan of Madonna. The first single he bought was 'Like A Virgin' and he credits the Queen of pop with kick-starting his sexual awakening at the age of 13. Oo-er!

5. (Not confirmed!) David took his pseudonym from Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant after finding that another actor shared his real name. He explains: "I was on the bus looking through Smash Hits and I saw Neil Tennant. I thought it would be a good name as it's got a good number of consonants in it." Well, it's as sensible a reason as any! (Sorry! My theory may have been wrong - not sure!)

6. David once lodged with Arabella Weir from The Fast Show and is godfather to her youngest child. He says of the experience: "She probably corrupted me, but I probably needed corrupting a little bit."

7. David received such a scathing review playing King Arthur on stage in only his second job that it made him weep. The critic wrote: "The cast of 18 are uniformly excellent with the exception of David Tennant, who lacks any charm or ability whatsoever." No doubt that nasty man is eating his words now.

8. David counts McDonald's restaurants, astrology, Cliff Richard and the Conservative party among his biggest dislikes. On the other hand, he adores Honeynut Shredded Wheat, Alfred Hitchcock, The West Wing and The Proclaimers.

9. David has auditioned no fewer than six times for a part in Scottish detective drama Taggart, with no success. Maybe it's worth giving it one more shot, Dave!

10. David held 'passing wind' contests with John Barrowman on the Doctor Who set. After finding out that Freema Agyeman was less than keen on the practice, they began "saving them up" and waiting until she walked past to "thunder one out". Charming!

There's your ten facts!

Off to the Valleys - The pink Kappa tracksuit!

Woke up feeling a bit on the 'meh' side - and found it quite tough to decide what to do , where to go, and, to be honest, when to get out of bed - always a tough one! Decided, for a change to head up the Rhondda Valley, a place I rarely visit - but one full of suprising beauty and spectacular sights, as well as a place of contrast and anachronism. Fantastic pine covered hills & mountains, sheer, deep valleys, awesome rock formations & superb waterfalls, along with valley towns & villages, reminiscant of the 1950s, complete with Elvis walking down the high street, and a fantastic array of flared trousers, shell suits & other way-out-of-time stuff. Interesting!

First stop was a smallish town called Treorci / Treorchy; where the first Elvis's were spotted eating chips, suprisingly, outside a rather scruffy chip shop. He seemed to find it odd that I too wasn't dressed in an Elvisesque manner, and couldn't comprehend the concept of black skinny jeans & Converse... I don't think that style has reached the Rhondda yet, but will arrive in perhaps 2038.

Even odder - and somewhat amusing - was being referred to as a 'f**king f@ggot' by a chip-throwing chav in a pink fluorescent Kappa shell-suit (collapses in shoulder-shaking hysteria) - who was also wearing an oil-stained Burberry baseball cap.... Hmm.. What CAN a man say!

The picture above shows Treorci from the Rhygos mountains. Sadly, pictures can't show the contrast between the heights of the mountains, alongside the depth of the valleys. Good view of Treorci in the distance, anyhow. Standing outside the car to take this picture was almost an impossibility - with gale force north-easterly winds being impossible to stand vertically with the camera stable!

The one disappointment - the 'Welcome To Rhondda' sign was accompanied by one of the BIGGEST Speed camera warnings I've EVER seen!! Not the warmest of Welsh welccomes, but sadly, the kind of high profile traffic control made fairly essential by the standard of driving by some local youths - aka chavs.

Then headed down ot Neath, a small town about 8 miles outside of Swansea. Not a quick stop - had to get passengers back home in time for the sheer unmitigated thrill of Strictly Come Dancing. Nice town though - and open, friendly people who are more than happy to talk, however busy or pressurized they are at the time!!

Back home now... Pub later. Star, Dinas Powys calls, as do three bottles of Bulmers Pear, with copious ice!!

Chris @ Torchwood, Cardiff.

Life, and the suprize of the Living Statue.. ..

Spent the day wandering thru Cardiff & mulling over essential, yet unanswered questions.. the true meaning of life.. what it's all about, and, to cut to the chase, why do I actually bother. Life is just so, so dull right now. I need a massive change, but not totally sure as to how to achieve this. Maybe Reggie Perrin had the best idea!

Feeling strangely negative - a combination of extreme boredom and purposelessness making life just too difficult to enjoy. Cardiff's often the essential answer to misery: lively shops, crowds of people, many of them basically friendly, loads of emos & other alternative types - and of course, fantastic shops - with more than enough on sale to bolster the most flagging of spirits!

Then, of course, there's the totally unexplained phenomenon: the mechanical, perhaps clockwork moving statue that stands silently in Queen Street, totally still, occasionally moving very slightly, to capture the interest of small crowds that gather & watch. The statue, appearing to be form the mid 17th Century is totally white, and wears breeches & a frilly-thing shirt. It has hair like Mozart, and oddly piercing, black eyes. It's always mysterious - and always good to watch.

Today, however, my illusions & sense of mystery was shattered. Whilst looking at jeans (black, ultra-skinny, naturally!) in a shop in Queen's Arcade, I suddenly felt the need to go for a pee. I entered the gents, and began the 'operation'.

I was slightly perturbed to hear an uncomfortable rustling behind me. I looked, casually. And there, as if by magic - WAS THE MOVING STATUE!! It had moved from its plinth in Queen Street, and had somehow gotten to the gents closet! Worse was to follow..

(Paragraph CENSORED!)

The Moving Statue had taken a leak!!!

I then found out that the moving statue was not actually an alien from Planet XL390-zeta, sent to spy on the shoppers of Cardiff, prior to an all-out invasion, timed to match exactly the appearance of the next Doctor Who Xmas Special.... but a guy from Caerffili, named Ben.

How disappointing. How disconcerting. Another myth shattered!

And life still sucks. Bigtime.

Chris, Torchwood Cardiff.

Social Networks & blogs... Worth it?

Have to admit I initially thought social networks, like this one, were a total waste of time. Having set them up, loads, to be honest - initially just to see what they were about, and also to improve my internet 'literacy', I intended to ditch them after a suitably experimental period.

Sure, you can over-use them - and some people have become addicted to them, and some people seem to waste many hours just bugging other people, but I've totally surprized myself by finding them actually quite useful... I am amazed to admit this!

Well, the 'chat' functions (including speech & video) on some - has saved me a total fortune in text messages and phone calls. I now contact friends & associates far more often - without worrying about gargantuan bills at thr end of the month.

It's also easy to keep and manage contact lists, which are constantly lost on 'Outlook', each time a laptop dies! It's also cool to keep separate profiles & accounts, for different types of groups of friends... works well!

It's a great way to have an on-line presence without being an expert in HTML or web design, and an awesome way of storing digital pictures, videos, etc, often without upload limits or controls. I love the fact that you can also choose your on-line persona, whether it be the 'real' me, or any other alternative version (perhaps from a parallel universe) I'd care to create!

There's also the fun & creativity aspect. You can design widgets, applications, slide shows, etc, and keep them private - or share them with the world. Groups are good too > great ways of picking up stories and eye-raising gossip, perhaps about TV celebrities & other personalities!

Beyond that, and perhaps most importantly - social networks have been a great way to keep in touch with people who'd otherwise just drift out of touch. Sad, and unnecessarily so.

Only this weekend, I randomly 'met up' online with people I knew over ten years ago... oddly, people who had been thinking of me - some thinking I'd actually left this universe - for good! Great to be in touch again - and without one social network or another - this would never have happened!

Memories are so important... Social networks can help you keep them!

Take care,
Chris@TW-CF