tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65081975948719262922024-03-13T06:07:57.499-07:00blackheartchuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-49141278514128203822014-12-03T07:23:00.000-08:002014-12-03T07:23:34.591-08:00Wentworth Prison Review <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2mCZycpbtiE/VH8nwmjHmII/AAAAAAAAADQ/XutnApA--Ng/s1600/large_size_group3_D5.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2mCZycpbtiE/VH8nwmjHmII/AAAAAAAAADQ/XutnApA--Ng/s1600/large_size_group3_D5.jpg" /></a>
<p>As a Prisoner fan, I really want to like Wentworth, but there are just so many things I don’t like about it.</p>
<p>The constant slow motion.
The blue tint.
The rubbish songs played over a montage at the end of every-single-episode.
The series’ inability to have a consistent storytelling format
And the series inability to keep to a consistent tone.</p>
<p>The slow motion completely takes me out of Wentworth, by reminding me that I’m just watching a TV programme. I have to try to quell my frustration at the cheesy slow motion and get back in to it. And then what happens? More slow motion! The choice to add slow motion is completely bewildering because slow motion has been thought of as cheesy for at least 20 years. I remember being a wee boy and comedy sketch shows would mock movies and TV as being cheesy by mocking their slow motion. Every single violent scene in Wentworth completely loses it’s dramatic impact because of it’s unnecessary, ill-advised slow motion. To makes things even worse they always add a cheesy ‘whoosh’ sound effect at the beginning and end of the slow motion, which makes it even more noticeable and more cheesy! Even worse than the slow-mo is when they speed up the footage (again accompanied by a whoosh sound effect) This slow-mo to fast forward type effect was the type of thing you used to see in cheesy straight to video action movies, in the 90s, starring people like Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal. It’s unnecessary, excruciatingly cringe-worthy and always takes me right out of the show.</p>
<p>The rubbish songs played over a montage at the end of every-single-episode.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with having a montage, if it’s done on a particularly special episode. For example when a major character has died, a Christmas special, the last episode, or whatever. But Wentworth uses a montage (with a rubbish song playing over it) on every single episode! And it’s done so right from the very beginning of the series! It’s far too heavy handed. As with the slow motion, I’ve never seen anything like it. Never have I seen a TV programme over use something the way Wentworth does.</p>
<p>The series’ inability to have a consistent storytelling format.</p>
<p>Season 1 had a very annoying format of each episode focusing almost completely on one character. Laboriously jumping back and forth between present day Wentworth and the crime that got them in there. Season 2 seemed to have ditched the laborious flashbacks (thank god) But then brought them back for Joan Ferguson. As with the slow-mo and montages, I’ve never seen a TV show have such an inconsistent format.</p>
<p>The series inability to keep to a consistent tone.</p>
<p>The first episode saw a mini riot brake out in the prison in which the prison governor was killed. The series had set itself up as being a dark, gritty crime drama. Yet when viewers tune in to see the second episode, taking place just after the riot, we’re confronted with the inmates singing and dancing to ‘Hot Potato’, directly towards the camera. I wouldn’t necessarily mind a little subtle humour in the series, but a riot had just taken place. Viewers are tuning in to see the aftermath. Yet at the very start of only the second episode we’re confronted with the inmates singing Hot Potato? What the fuck? It’s a song I’ve not heard since nursery school and upon seeing it in Wentworth, made me realise how annoying it is. The scene was an extremely stupid thing to do in such an early episode, when a series should be making a mark as to it’s overall tone.</p>
<p>Season 2 seemed to be an improvement on the first. And then the programme brings in a transsexual male character, as if a man would be put in a female prison! Then, as if to deliberately make it more cringe worthy, they put a tea cosy on it’s head. Some viewers have asked their selves why Wentworth isn’t more popular in Britain than it is. Part of the reason for this might be the fact it’s on channel 5. But partly it’s because the series doesn’t keep a consistent tone, in the same way, a better produced U.S. drama would. You simply wouldn’t see such ill-advised , cringe-worthy scenes such as prisoners singing Hot Potato or a transsexual man in a female prison in U.S. drama’s such as Oz, Prison Break, The Sopranos, Sons of Anarchy or Breaking Bad. Such scenes have shown the producers don’t have any awareness as to what makes or breaks a programme having any street cred.</p>
<p>The constant slow motion, montages and the fact that each episode focuses mainly on one character, with one character’s flash backs being boringly interspersed throughout each episode, makes the series very difficult to get in to. And very difficult to find entertaining. The series is chucking everything but the kitchen sink at you . Wentworth is all over the place.</p>
<p>One of the good things about Prisoner, is that it had this wonderful feel of voyeurism. As if you were peering into a world you shouldn’t be allowed access to. And it all seemed so effortless and naturalistic. Wentworth never has that feel because of the constant reminders that you’re just watching a TV show. Wentworth needs to ditch the slow motion, the blue tint, the rubbish songs and montages and just get on with the serious business of telling stories.</p> chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-24546071294925045002013-07-12T10:08:00.002-07:002015-12-01T23:22:38.155-08:00Tabloids Looking for Women<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JCj2L8Pt-i0/Vl6bZJv2YkI/AAAAAAAAAEM/Gb19lQiPoKs/s1600/The-sun-newspaper-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JCj2L8Pt-i0/Vl6bZJv2YkI/AAAAAAAAAEM/Gb19lQiPoKs/s320/The-sun-newspaper-logo.jpg" /></a>
<p>Hay ladies!</P>
<p>Have you been sexually abused?</p>
<P>If you haven’t, who cares!</p>
<p>Just pick a man. Any man.</P>
<p>Say he sexually abused you.</p>
<p>Say he did it 40 or 50 years ago. That way it’s impossible for him to clear himself!<?p>
<p>Who cares it happened 40 or 50 years ago. Who cares you were a teenager when he felt you up. We’ll call him a pedo anyway. We don’t worry about semantics.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your allegations not being true. That’s why we have lawyers!</p>
<p>Hay, you can even pick a man who’s dead! That way he can’t defend himself.</p>
<p>If you’d like your name in the paper and a shit load of cash we’d like to hear from you.</p>
<p>If you’ve got the allegations we’ve got the headlines. And who knows, you might even end up on the next reality show. Money. Fame. Attention. Money. They all await you. That’s right ladies, you can start getting the cash and attention you deserve. So point your finger and say the magic word: Rape!</p>
<p>So join in on the latest craze sweeping the nation and accuse a man of sexual abuse today!</p>
<p>Testimonials:</p>
<p>Here’s what others have had to say:</p>
<p>Mary: “I’d never really thought about accusing a man of sexual abuse before, but now that everyone’s doing it I thought why not give it a go, you know. All me mates down bingo are all talking about how me name was in the paper. And I’ve been able to do up me living room with the 50 grand I got. I’ve never been the centre of attention before. But it’s great, yeah, really good”.</p>
<p>Abigale: “I thought it would be really hard but the paper talked me through it, you know, what to say ’n’ that. In fact once I got talking to the woman from the paper, the story practically wrote itself. I’ve never really felt like I fitted in or belonged but being one of the claimants, well it gives you a sense of belonging. I wanted to fit in, be a part of something and now I am. And now that my name has been in the paper a few times, I’ve been asked to appear on the next addition of Celebrity Big Brother. If you haven’t accused a man of rape then all I can say is do it today. Yeah do it today, it’ll change your life”.</p>
<p>Maureen “I’m glad I had those awful men from Corrie arrested. What they did to Deirdre and Sally was terrible”.</p>
<p>Butch Buzzcut: “All men deserve this. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, all men deserve this. At birth they should all be circumcised, completely, if you know what I mean. Men have been oppressing women for far too long and I say it’s about time we started oppressing them. Let’s have them all bloody locked up. They’ll pay. They’ll all pay”.</p>
<p>Stacey: “I just did it for the cash”.</p>
<p>Tracey: “With so many women saying they were abused by celebrities decades ago, I thought, it must have happened to me too. And I just don’t remember it. You know, repressed memories like. Anyway I must have been right coz as soon as I phoned the police he was arrested and the next day the papers were calling him a pedo”.</p>
<p>Kim: In the 60’s I used to go to the BBC and ITV buildings and hang around all the stars, all tarted up like. I was 15, just a month away from turning 16 actually. I was a perfectly willing participant. Boy, we had some good times. But I thought, if shagging someone a month under the legal age is so abominable now, it must be 50 years retroactive. And with everyone else accusing these men, I thought why not join in. You know, get in on it, be part of something”.</p>
<p>So ladies, why not join in on the current cool trend. And don’t worry if you don’t want your name in the paper. It can be completely anonymous and your details are kept confidential. Remember, It’s his name we’re sullying, not yours!</p>
chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-44222579403882249412012-11-02T06:52:00.001-07:002012-11-02T06:52:06.641-07:00PoppiesIf someone fights an enemy of theirs, they are thought of as being a thug. Yet if someone kills strangers for politicians they are branded a "hero".
Tony Blair wears a poppy! If there’s anything that sums up how much of an empty sentiment poppies are, it’s seeing the very person who started a war, wearing one. I’ve never started a war, and you know what, I don’t wear a poppy.
Poppies are a symbol of war. The very point in them is to make you think of “heroes” “who have died for their country” This hero-ising of soldiers is what keeps war going. If we stopped glorifying war, maybe we’d stop war.
In what situation do you think war is most likely to occur? Among people who don’t think, but rather believe and repeat what the mainstream media tells them, that soldiers are “heroes” who are “fighting for their country”? Or among people who refuse to be a part of war, including not wearing a poppy?
Virtually everyone on TV wears one. And you can tell just how contrived that is. The amount of politicians and people on TV wearing poppies is very disproportionate to the amount of people who wear one in the real world. You can tell, squirmy, weasely politicians wear one just because they think it will make them look good in the eyes of the majority. You can tell TV presenters and news readers wear poppies because their producers behind the scenes are saying “here, stick one of these on, we don’t want any complaints”.
I remember at school, the poppies were in a box at the till, where you paid the dinner lady for lunch. And the dinner lady would say “want a poppy”, making sure everyone knew they were there. So there was pressure to buy one there and then, as there were lots of other kids in the queue behind you (who were also buying and wearing poppies just to fit in). Kids don’t have any real understanding of the world, of what poppies are about. Many things are inaccessible to children because their minds aren’t developed enough to know if they want it. Yet they are pressured in to buying poppies. Funny that.
It could be said encouraging children to wear poppies, which are a symbol of how the establishment has tried to legitimise war and killing, is child abuse. Why should children be encouraged to wear a symbol of the hero-ising of killers.
Poppies are worn by people who want to fit in.
Poppies are a symbol. And as George Carlin once said, I leave symbols to the symbol minded.chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-75956276958136376172012-04-10T20:13:00.013-07:002020-11-06T19:09:56.420-08:004Later<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1dFwnM-DyqE/T4T6bjVGUII/AAAAAAAAABY/Mw7ymNOzGJQ/s1600/4later_id1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729979977169260674" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1dFwnM-DyqE/T4T6bjVGUII/AAAAAAAAABY/Mw7ymNOzGJQ/s200/4later_id1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 112px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>4Later</strong> was a late night block of offbeat programming on the UK’s Channel 4. It was broadcast sporadically, Thursdays to Sundays in between the years of 1998 to 2002. Some nights of <strong>4Later</strong> only included one or two programmes, while other nights (particularly Friday and Saturday nights) would include programming all through the night from around midnight to 5:30am. </span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Idents and presentation: </span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Each night of <strong>4Later</strong> began with a specially made introduction. A menu would show the list of programmes coming up, then a surreal short film or animation would be shown before each programme.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">One introduction used for <strong>4Later</strong> showed footage of a mouse, as the image faded on and off, footage of a dog was shown barking. The sound of barking was morphed with other sounds and the feeling of the introduction was deliberately quite menacing, strange and sinister. This introduction can be viewed on the TV Ark website in the channel 4 1999 idents section.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">After some time, the introductions for <strong>4Later</strong> programmes were changed to a specially made CGI introduction called <strong>The Motel</strong>. Although <strong>The Motel </strong>was adult in it’s content, it was visually similar looking to the Channel 5 children’s series, <strong>Too Much TV</strong>. In fact <strong>The Motel </strong>and <strong>Too Much TV </strong>were made by the same animators. A short segment of <strong>The Motel </strong>introduced each programme on <strong>4Later</strong>. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">A short segment was shown before each programme and then one last segment after the last programme. Each segment of <strong>The Motel </strong>played out a small part of a story, with a different story being played out each night of <strong>4Later</strong>. On one occasion <strong>The Motel </strong>spoofed the U.S. prison drama, <strong>Oz</strong>. On another occasion it spoofed <strong>Jam</strong> by Chris Morris.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">During this era of <strong>4Later</strong>, the idents and break bumpers showed the image of an animated brain with the <strong>4Later</strong> logo on it. During this era, <strong>4Later</strong>’s night of programming would end with a TV ‘snow’ effect as if the broadcast had been interrupted, to signal the night of programming was over. The <strong>4Later</strong> ‘Brain’ idents can be viewed on the TV Ark website in the Channel 4 1999 idents section.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">After some time the interstitials were changed again. This time they focused on a character from <strong>The Motel</strong>, called Ginger Forrest and her chat show, <strong>Secrets With Ginger Forrest</strong>, broadcast from fictional channel, ‘Channel Phwoar’. Ginger Forrest was a character who’s dialogue mainly consisted of sexual innuendo. <strong>Secrets With Ginger Forrest </strong>once included the guest voices of <strong>4Later</strong> personalities, Nigel Buckland (from <strong>Vids</strong>) and the presenters of video game review show, <strong>Bits</strong>.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">To celebrate 4Later’s birthday and a night before Channel 4’s animation week, Ginger Forrest interstitials were used to introduce Friends, Frasier and South Park. Which must have been confusing to a mainstream audience. Both <strong>The Motel </strong>and Ginger Forrest were made by production company, Impossible Television.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">When <strong>4Later</strong> returned, it had another ambitious change in presentation. It returned with it’s own slogan, “Do Not Sleep”. The idents and introductions were changed again to allow viewers to introduce programmes their selves via their webcams. Some viewers were regular contributors and became familiar faces to regular <strong>4Later</strong> viewers. <strong>4Later</strong> viewers introducing programmes via their webcams were known as The Collective. A couple of times celebrities unexpectedly popped up via their webcams, page 3 model Joanne Guest and astronomer Patrick Moore. DJ Downfall was commissioned to make a track for <strong>4Later</strong> called Do Not Sleep. Tiny segments of Do Not Sleep were used in the background of <strong>4Later</strong> idents while viewers introduced programmes. And it was also used for break bumpers. (The screen used to separate programmes and commercials.) So, for example while a movie was on, before the adverts interrupted it, a break bumper would play a tiny segment of DJ Downfall’s track with the audio “do not sleep, (echoed twice) do not sleep, do not sleep”. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Sometimes 4Later complimented programming on Channel 4. For example, during Channel 4’s animation week, <strong>4Later</strong> screened more provocative, adult animations such as <strong>Deep Sympathy </strong>and <strong>Sittin’ Pretty </strong>by Michael Grimshaw. And during channel 4’s horror weekend in which they screened the original version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Death Race 2000, <b>4Later</b> screened <strong>Fear, Panic And Censorship</strong>, a one off documentary about horror film and censorship.</span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">4Later Programming:</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Vids</strong>. A cult film review show. Presented by Stef Gardiner and curiously hook-nosed far left extremist Nigel Buckland, the latter of which has a bizarre obsession with faeces. (Why is it left wingers are always obsessed with faecal matter?) In between his constant talk of shitting and farting Buckland spends the series bemoaning so called "racism" and "misogyny" while celebrating things such as scenes of female on male violence and blacks being placed in movies simply on the virtue of...being black. The series was unique, creative and and lots of fun aside from Buckland's preachy and destructive leftism. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Bits</strong>. A video game review show. Presented by Alex Krotoski, Emily Booth and Emily Newton Dunn.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Eurotika!</strong> A documentary series about European horror and sex films. Each episode was followed by a <b>Eurotika </b>feature presentation film, as well as a special <b>Eurotika </b>introduction to each film. (1999)</span></span><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">While showing sexy and violent clips from films, <b>Eurotika </b>was also educational! With a genuine love of film coupled with a slightly ironic and cheeky sense of humour, <b>Eurotika </b>is the perfect late night programme.<br /></span>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Exploitica</strong>. A surreal comedy series using clips of old ‘B movies’ and public information films. (1999) </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Frontal</strong>. Broadcast live from the Channel 4 building, <strong>Frontal</strong> was a subversive series looking at the 'underbelly of pop culture'. Included features on culture jamming, reviews on erotica, revenge techniques, performance art and a weekly instruction on how to get high legally, including how to get high using a cactus. The pilot episode for <strong>Frontal</strong> included showing a banned music video for the song ‘Pretty When You Cry’ by Vast. Another episode of <strong>Frontal</strong> showed the music videos for ‘Plug Me In’ and Metal Fingers In My Body by the group Add N To X. Presented by James Hyman, Natasha Bell, Tim Gould, Lisa Rogers and Italian music producer Charlie Rapino. A pilot for <strong>Frontal</strong> aired in 1999. Five episodes where aired in 2000. In total six episodes were made. Although <strong>Frontal</strong> was a very unique and subversive programme, it’s short life span means that it seems to have fallen in to obscurity. <strong>Frontal</strong> was shown on Friday nights after the first series of Big Brother. A Channel 4 introduction to <strong>Frontal</strong> can be viewed on the TV Ark website. The <strong>Frontal</strong> opening sequence can be viewed here</span></span><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqnf3rFIXxU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqnf3rFIXxU</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">and a short teaser for the series can be viewed here</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MZJJKLYScg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MZJJKLYScg</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Unlike many other 'edgy' shows Frontal was genuinely edgy and it pulled it off with an air of class.<br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Sweet Talk</strong>. "A late review of erotica filmed in Amsterdam. Rowan Pelling from `The Erotic Review' interviews guests drawn from Euro-intellectuals and sex professionals." Each episode included a segment in which Page 3 model Joanne Guest read out erotic literature. (1999) Production company: Freeform. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>The Other Side</strong>. A weekly documentary about people and their story / journey.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>The Trip</strong>. A surreal mix of NASA footage mixed with weird music.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trip_(1999_TV_series)" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trip_(1999_TV_series)</a><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Spy TV</strong>. Not to be confused with a completely different U.S. show with the same name. This was a programme about how modern technology is affecting voyeurism, and causing a lack of privacy etc.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;">From what I remember Spy TV was often used to promote the upcoming first series of Big Brother to Channel 4. I remember thinking "what is this "Big Brother" thing they keep going on about?"</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Spy TV</b> Intro Sequence: </span></span><br />
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<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/31545159">Channel 4 UK "Spy TV"</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/subvoyant">SUBVOYANT</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Disinfo Nation</strong>. AKA <b>Disinformation</b>. Billed as a 'conspiracy and counter culture magazine show', it had a cool presentation style with fast paced onscreen graphics and cool theme music but was very lite on exploring conspiracies and very heavy with pushing left wing propaganda. Disinfo indeed. Season one comprised of 6 episodes. Season two comprised of 10 episodes. There is a U.S. DVD release but it's a U.S. re-edit of the show, not the original UK edit. The U.S. edit takes some content from the 16 half hour episodes and distills it down to 4 hour long episodes. This means much of the content is missing and the series isn't really suited to hour long episodes. The U.S. edit has the host, Richard Metzger standing in front a cheesy looking CGI white background, it's visually unappealing and I don't remember that being the case with the original UK broadcast version. It's curious that the "Disinformation Network" chose to release 4 hour long episodes and not the whole series in it's original format, or at least upload them to YouTube. Also curious is the fact that the Disinformation Network presented itself as an edgy, rebellious, independent company against commercialism and the monopolisation of media when in fact they began life as a project funded by Comcast! Comcast! One of the largest media conglomerates in the world! They allegedly spent some time as an independent company before being bought / selling out to other publishers. Disinfo Nation was a great idea for a series or at least it appeared to be at first glance. But ultimately it doubled down even more on the left wing politics already pushed by the entirety of the mainstream media. For example there is one single "bonus episode" on the DVD release which is in the original UK edit. This episode consists of the Jew Howard Bloom lying on his bed for half an hour, bug eyed, doing what Jews do, talking about Hitler and "anti-racism" (read Anti-White). That's the furthest thing from "counter culture" you could possibly get. And it's telling, that that's the episode they chose to release in full. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Digital Sex</strong>. A show about how technology is changing our sex lives. Produced by Ricochet Films. Six 30 minute episodes were made.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8555ed1b" target="_blank">https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8555ed1b</a></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398947/" target="_blank">https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398947/</a> </span></div><div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Pulp</strong>. A book review show.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Treasure</strong>. A programme about people’s collections and hobbies. If I remember correctly one episode features a man who photographed electricity pylons and an attractive woman who collected medical paraphernalia. Including buying her own ambulance. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Late Night Poker</strong>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>The Clangers</strong>. A British stop-motion children's television series. Originally broadcast on the BBC between 1969 to 1972. This is one of those programmes 4Later showed that made me wish I could talk to the people behind 4Later and ask "why are you showing this?" (I'm not complaining, just curious) Seeing scary break bumpers introduce adult programmes along with the most gentle and subdued children's programmes was confusing, perhaps even slightly disconcerting and that confusion added to the fun.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Dick’s Bar</strong>. From the Zombie club in London, a 5 minute programme in which barman Dick Bradsell gives instructions on how to mix your own cocktails.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Naked Elvis</strong>. Game show.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>The Divine David Presents</strong>. (1999) Production company: World Of Wonder.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>The Divine David Heals</strong>. (2000) Production company: Allied Forces.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Mirror Ball</strong>. A programme about music video directors.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Pets</strong>. A comedy puppet show.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>A Taste Of The Vampire</strong>. A one-off programme looking at people who wish to be vampires. Includes footage from the Vampyria II event in Camden Palace, London. (2000) Full Gauge Productions.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Troma’s Edge TV</strong>. A magazine show from independent movie company, Troma. 20 episodes were made. 10 episodes have been released on Region 1 DVD's.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Slam</strong>. A street performance show. Showcasing street dance, skateboarding etc.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>The Magic Roundabout</strong>. Shown at the end of <strong>4Later</strong> Saturday night broadcasts. Presumably shown to add surrealism and provide light relief.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Focus North</strong>. A parody of lame daytime TV.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Onedottv</strong>. A programme about digital creativity. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Love’s Like A Dog</strong>. Supposedly named after a foreign soap opera of the same name (If that's true I can't find any details on it). A game show utilizing clips of cheap foreign TV. Presented by Trey Farley. In some episodes Lauren Laverne was the co host while in other episodes Rachel Brady is the co host. Usually included clips of a U.S. public access show called Colin’s Sleazy Friends.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Fear, Panic and Censorship</strong>. A one off documentary about horror films and censorship. This was released as an extra on Anchor Bay's 'Box of The Banned' DVD. Though the version on the DVD is a slightly different edit to the one broadcast on 4Later.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Manga Erotica</strong>. A one off documentary about erotic manga. This was narrated and presented by anime 'expert' and author, Helen McCarthy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Dogma TV</strong>. Each episode was a self contained drama, mainly about teenagers. Possibly the most memorable episode was about two teenagers who decided they couldn’t cope with their baby. They left their baby on a beach, to be drowned when the tide came in.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Karaoke Fish Tank</strong>. Pop music videos introduced by a foul mouthed CGI fish. (Yes, you read that right)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Yeah, the swearing fish was mildly funny but modern manufactured pop music was a very unwelcome intrusive addition to what was supposed to be a late night block of weird programmes.<br /></span>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Jaaaaam</strong>. A ‘remixed’ version of Jam, the dark sketch show by Chris Morris.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Man Test</strong>. Male celebrities such as Henry Rollins and Michael Winner answer questions on their masculinity.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>SF: UK</strong>. A weekly show about British Sci-Fi. Later shown on the UK Sci-Fi channel.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Bad Trip</strong>. Travel documentary in which people travelling through different parts of the world kept a video diary.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Reclaim The Streets</strong>. One-off documentary about protesting in the UK.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Road Movies</strong>. "Drama/factual crossover. Each episode takes a white Cadillac as its theme and features a different director each with a £12,000 budget. The 30-minute slots are split into two: the first half follows the director who, having written the movie, goes about getting it shot; the second half showcases the result." The series comprised 5 x 30 minute episodes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Strippers</strong>. "A documentary about club strippers, made by an all female team." 10 x 30 minute episodes. Produced by Ricochet Films</span></span><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Note: I read on a website this was produced for 4Later but I'm not sure if it actually was shown in the 4Later block, it may have been shown on E4.<br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong><br /></strong></span><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong>Cult Crazy</strong>. 6 part series about cults. Presented by someone called Steve Smith, this was very similar to the type of thing you would often see presented by Louis Theroux (2000) Production company: Vashca Limited.</span></div><div><a href="https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b859c5725" target="_blank">https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b859c5725</a><br /></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong>Bangkok Beats</strong>. Ambient sounds Thai style.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong>Sick and Twisted</strong>. Series about animation. 6 x 30 minute episodes.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong>Celeb TV</strong>. Synopsis unknown.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong>E For Edge</strong>. Presented by obnoxious twat Iain Lee. Synopsis unknown.</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3339458/?ref_=hm_rvi_tt" target="_blank">https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3339458/?ref_=hm_rvi_tt</a><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong>DURT</strong>. Digital Underground Remixed Television. Presented by Tim Gould. From what I remember this was about underground films etc and the studio Tim Gould presented it from was made to look like an underground bunker.</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bac737df9" target="_blank">https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bac737df9</a> </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><strong>Mondo Macabro</strong>. From the makers of <b>Eurotika</b>. Another documentary series about bizarre films from around the world. (2001)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Do Not Sleep</strong>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">As well as being the 4Later slogan, <strong>Do Not Sleep </strong>was also the name given to a one off special 4Later night, broadcast live from the Sound Nightclub in Leicester Square, London. It was shown at the festive season to celebrate Christmas and the new year. It was presented by Paul Tonkinson, Emma B and June Sarpong. Although 4Later regulars were also included such as Nigel Buckland and Stef Gardiner (from Vids) Emily Booth (Bits) Charlie Rapino and Tim Gould (Frontal). The Do Not Sleep one off special included mini versions of 4Later programmes and live features broadcast from the club. (Such as strip poker.) Break bumpers showed people blowing up a bed. The night ended with all the presenters singing Lonely This Christmas by the band, Mud. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">After the <strong>Do Not Sleep </strong>one off special had finished at around 05:00am, past Ginger Forrest interstitials were shown, which had been edited together to create a full 15 minute episode.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Due to the above programmes being shown late at night, most of them have fallen in to obscurity. With Channel 4 now being a much more mainstream channel, it seems Channel 4 want to distance themselves from these programmes due to the provocative and experimental nature of some of them. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Imported shows on 4Later</strong>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Oz</b> U.S. prison drama produced for HBO. Dark, shockingly violent and disturbing, this was the perfect programme for 4Later. The first 3 seasons were shown on 4Later. When 4Later was axed subsequent seasons were shown on plain old Channel 4 without any fanfare.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Dark Skies </b>American UFO themed sci-fi series 1996-1997. This was shown on Sunday nights on 4Later's 'Sci-Fi Sundays'.</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Vengeance Unlimited</b> Created by John McNamara and starring Michael Madsen, this felt like an unofficial remake of <b>The Equalizer</b>. It was well made and entertaining but cancelled after just one season</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>American Gothic </b>Created by Shaun Cassidy and starring Gary Cole. This series is often compared to <b>Twin Peaks. </b>Speaking of <b>Twin Peaks</b> that would have been a good fit for a late night block of offbeat programming. So might have <b>The X Files</b> and some old horror anthology shows. Shame they weren't shown. Certainly they would have made for a better fit than most of the following imported shows... </span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Codename: Eternity </b>Canadian sci-fi series. It was cancelled after just one season 1999</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Prey </b>Sci-fi series starring Debra Messing. It was cancelled after just one season. 1998</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Spy Game </b>American action-adventure spy series with a comedic tone. Created by John McNamara and Sam Raimi. It was cancelled after just one season. 1997</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Brimstone </b>Fantasy-thriller series about a cop (sigh) who is released from hell on the condition that he can capture other escaped souls. It was cancelled...you've guessed it, after just one season! 1998-99</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Mortal Kombat: Conquest</b> (Shown on Sunday nights, usually in a double bill)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Pop Up Video UK </b>(I thought the point in the programming block was to escape the mainstream, the last thing I wanted to see is music videos with fuckin' Robbie Williams!)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Fist Of The North Star</b>. Anime. From what I remember this was surprisingly tame. I think anime such as <b>Devilman</b> etc would have been more appropriate.</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>The Strip</b> Rubbish cop show set in Las Vegas. 1999 This series was one of several shows on 4Later that felt very ill-fitting for the programming block.</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>The Mod Squad</b> (Another cheesy cop show and again it felt ill-fitting for the block) <br /></span>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Films on 4Later</strong>: (Included but not limited to)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Films shown as part of Jackie Chan season:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Police Story 2</b></span></span><b><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Police Story 3: Super Cop</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">The Young Master</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Each film in the Jackie Chan season was introduced by Nige and Stef from Vids under the title Vids Does Jackie Chan</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Films shown as part of <b>Eurotika</b> season: (Included but not limited to)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>The Shiver Of The Vampires</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Female Vampire </b>Erotic vampire film by Jess Franco. If I remember correctly this was introduced as the most explicit film to ever be shown on television. I think they were probably right.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">I Am Frigid…Why?</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">The Awful DR Orlof</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Naked Warewolf Woman</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Frustration</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">The Devil’s Kiss</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Four Times That Night</span><br /><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Black Candles</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>She Beast<br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Each film in the <b>Eurotika</b> season was shown after an episode of the <b>Eurotika</b> documentary and a special <b>Eurotika</b> introduction to each film.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Films shown as part of <b>Godzilla </b>season:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Godzilla</b></span></span><b><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Godzilla Raids again</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Ghidrah, The Three Headed Monster</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Godzilla Vs Mothra</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Return Of Godzilla</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Godzilla Vs Hedorah</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Godzilla’s Revenge</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Each film in the <b>Godzilla </b>season was introduced by Nige and Stef from <b>Vids</b>, in a segment called <b>Vidzilla</b>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Films shown as part of <b>Troma Classic Movie season</b>: </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Tromeo & Juliet</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>A Nymphoid Barbarian In Dinosaur Hell</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Redneck Zombies</b></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Terror Firmer </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">SGT Kabukiman</span><br /><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Surf Nazi’s Must Die</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Chopper Chicks In Zombie Town</span></b><br /><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Films shown as part of <b>Secrets of Japan season</b>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Tandem</b></span></span><b><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">The Dream Of Garuda</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">The Bedroom</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13;">These erotic Japanese films were also reviewed by Charlie Rapino on Frontal. In the <b>Secrets of Japan season</b>, the Channel 4 logo was changed to a Japanese 4. These idents can be viewed on the TV ark website in the Channel 4 1999 idents section.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Films shown as part of <b>Mondo Macabro</b> season:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Blood Of The Virgins</b></span></span><b><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Awakening Of The Beast. </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">The Killing Of Satan.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Ammoru The Mother Goddess</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Karamurat The Sultan’s Warrior</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Alucarda</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">The Warrior</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Other films shown on 4Later:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Shadow Skill: The Movie</b> was shown on 4Later as part of Channel 4’s animation week, just after the one off documentary, <b>Manga Erotica</b>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Films shown on 4Later that weren’t shown as part of a season:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Martin</b> (horror directed by George Romero)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">4Later usually included a short animation under the title ‘Late Toon’. Late Toon was sometimes shown at the start of the night and sometimes at the end. These included: (but not limited to)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>No More Mr. Nice Guy</b> (by Brad Schiff)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Lava Lava </b>(series by<b> </b></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Federico Vitali)</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Gas Planet </b>(by Eric Darnell)</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Guy's Dog </b>(by Rory Bresnihan)<br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Beat The Meatles</b> (by Keith Alcorn)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Morris</b> (by Ed Talfan)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Xerox And Mylar </b>(by Joel Brinkerhoff)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Homiez </b>(French animated series)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><strong>Sick Night</strong>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">During Channel 4’s animation week, 4Later broadcast ‘<b>Sick Night</b>’. A list of all the programmes shown as part of <b>Sick Night</b>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Sittin’ Pretty </b>Animation by Michael Grimshaw</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Quiet Please </b>Animation by Michael Grimshaw</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Vids </b>Season 5 episode 1 The boys review adult animations <br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Deep Sympathy </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Animation by Mike Grimshaw</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Guano! </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">French</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">animated series by Federico Vitali</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Bump In The Night </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">I don't know what this is. All I can find is a children's animation with the same name. It would be good if a reader could identify it!</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">There’s A Pervert In Our Pool </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">After looking online, </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">I assume this is an animation by Martha Colburn</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Expelling The Demon </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Animation by Devlin Crow</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">4Later’s Influence:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Late Night Poker began a poker craze in Britain which continued for some time after. For a short while, BBC Three allowed viewers to introduce programmes by filming themselves doing a short sketch. This is very similar to the idea pioneered by 4Later’s The Collective. Though 4Later allowed viewers a greater amount of freedom in what they said and did. Whereas BBC Three viewer introductions were confined to talking about the particular show they were introducing. BBC Three showed a programme called ‘Mongrels’ which is very similar in concept to 4Later’s Pets. And the sardonic style of Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe has been compared to 4Later’s Vids.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-54694764978320350952009-05-28T05:53:00.000-07:002009-06-02T04:57:56.644-07:00Some things to think aboutDo aliens have ghosts?<br /><br />If they do, will we meet them in the after life?<br /><br />Given the fact we all die, does anything really matter? Or is life ultimately pointless?<br /><br />If heaven exists why are we not created there in the first place rather than having to live a life of hell in the psysical world first?<br /><br />Is there really right and wrong or just perception?chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-76925313007672372682009-05-21T06:10:00.000-07:002009-06-02T04:54:47.946-07:00Things i'd like to do before i dieRob a bank. Not for the money but the adrenaline.<br /><br />Drive a getaway car.<br /><br />Have a life or death car chase with the police. And Win.<br /><br />Become a crime boss.<br /><br />Date a famous model.<br /><br />Direct the most shocking movie ever made.<br /><br />Abolish all UK laws and watch Britain descend into chaos.<br /><br />Be a tyrannical world leader.<br /><br />Find happiness.chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-24427566488638169202009-05-14T06:24:00.000-07:002009-06-03T01:04:12.990-07:00Pulling my hair outThings that irritate the hell out of me:<br /><br />Opening my packet of fags and it turning out theres none left, after shops closing time.<br /><br />People walking infront of me in the street who suddenly stop. (gimme some freakin' notice)<br /><br />Complete strangers who approach me in the street and ask me for fags and money. (yeah right, what's in it for me) Human beings have a thing called self interest.<br /><br />Alarm clocks. Worst invention ever.<br /><br />Sport being on the news. The media are always going on about horror films and video games causing violence. How ironic is it then they are so embracing of something that does literally and directly cause real life violence-football matches. Football is mainly liked by idiots and it being shown every single day on tv isn't helping society to progress. Why should sport be on the news?<br /><br />Small change. pennies covered in a billion germs. what's the point.<br /><br />People who nag. (just shut the fuck up!)<br /><br />Girls who flirt and seduce with no real intent of going out with you. My heart wil never really heal.<br /><br />Good looking girls going out with complete "chavs" or "neds". You see it all the time. They could do infinitely better.<br /><br />Bus's. Bus times. Bus drivers.<br /><br />Smokers. Yes, even as a smoker myself I hate other smokers. Im'e a considerate smoker. I hate people who blow their smoke all over you. I don't want to inhale smoke that's been in someone else's lungs! In Dunfermline, and Glenrothes Every shellsuit, dirty, spotty, tattooed, bleached haired person smokes, many of them with wrinkles on their wrinkes and being in the town is like death. Just being near them makes me feel really unhealthy. (shudder)<br /><br />The wind. (Stop fucking blowing on me) especially when im'e trying to light a ciggie.<br /><br />It being too cold.<br /><br />It being too hot.<br /><br />T.V. Theres fuck all good on.<br /><br />Women.<br /><br />Girls who swear. it's so unfeminine. A complete turn-off. Girls who swear constantly and still attract a man are definately attracting the wrong type of man. Save it for dirty talk in the bedroom bitches!<br /><br />Standing in Queue's. How much time is taken from our lives doing such mundane stuff?<br /><br />Strangers who stare at me. (Why, what are they thinking?)<br /><br />People. Pah! People. Is there anything worse?chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-67920910781241604822009-04-30T07:09:00.000-07:002010-12-12T03:41:06.041-08:00You Swine!The media began reporting on swine flu just a few day's ago. "Nothing to worry about" I thought. After all bird flu came to nothing. Foot and mouth disease came to nothing. Over the following few day's the reports became greater. As usual all the information seemed confused. "it's deadly" "It's not deadly" "We Should be worried" "We shouldn't be worried" "It could potentially kill millions of people" "but let's not panic about it" To be honest I don't know what to think about it. A lot of people where emmediatly sceptical about swine flu and it's dangers. "it's just another media fabrication my media tutor proclaimed.<br /><br />immediatly conspiracy theory abound about how the virus was government produced in a laboritory.<br /><br />I think it's indicative of the state of the government and the media when even the general population are mis-trusting and immediatly skeptical of them.chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-17623425854960149482009-04-23T06:35:00.001-07:002020-03-30T23:35:20.108-07:00Prisoner Cell Block H and other prison drama's<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NQZ2pNdeBGk/TQHqvzV_iAI/AAAAAAAAABE/auc7tP4MPZc/s1600/Prisoner%2Bimage.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548974322854365186" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NQZ2pNdeBGk/TQHqvzV_iAI/AAAAAAAAABE/auc7tP4MPZc/s200/Prisoner%2Bimage.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 160px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
The first television drama to be set inside a prison was <strong>Within These Walls</strong>. A British series, it focused on the lives of the prison staff as opposed to the prisoners. The series lasted for 72 hour long episodes. The first two series are now available on DVD, rated PG. <br />
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The success of <strong>Within These Walls </strong>in Australia apparently inspired Reg Watson to produce <strong>Prisoner</strong>. Depending on which source is correct <strong>Prisoner</strong> was produced as a 12 to 16 part drama for Australia’s network ten. Commissioned in 1978 and shown in 1979 <strong>Prisoner</strong> was an instant success among viewers and the series was immediately extended-it ended up running for 692 episodes, each of which lasted about 50 minutes long. Set in the fictional Wentworth detention centre, <strong>Prisoner</strong> went much deeper than <strong>Within These Walls</strong>, focusing on the prisoner’s themselves rather than just the officers. <strong>Prisoner</strong> gave us some very memorable characters such as top dog “queen” Bea Smith, violent lesbian Frankie Doyle, old alcoholic Lizzie Birdsworth and nasty by-the-book officer Vera “vinegar tits” Bennett. In episode 287 <strong>Prisoner</strong> introduced one of the most iconic characters in television history-Joan Ferguson. Nicknamed “The Freak” by the inmates, Joan Ferguson was a corrupt, vicious lesbian prison officer who ruled over all the inmates, beating them up, and conducting strip searches with her black leather gloves! <strong>Prisoner</strong> was subtitled <strong>Cell Block H</strong> for overseas sales to differentiate it with 60s British spy series <strong>The Prisoner</strong>. It was the first Australian programme to be sold outside of Australia and was a massive success in America where it won awards for it’s lighting and camera work and ratings wise, was only beaten in it’s time slot by <strong>Charlie’s Angels</strong>. The course of <strong>Prisoner’s</strong> seven year run saw fights, murder, rape, escapes, riots, fires and even a terrorist siege! The feel to <strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> is similar to that of a 70’s and 80’s B movie but that’s no bad thing, particularly if, like me you’re into B movies! The difference is that <strong>Prisoner</strong> was much more character driven rather than just being about violence. <strong>Prisoner</strong> wasn’t shown in Britain until 1986, the year after it finished in Australia. As such the 1978 episodes looked dated to be shown on British TV in 1986 and the programme came under a lot of critical panning. Elitist British critics have come down hard on <strong>Prisoner</strong>, mainly for having a false looking set. <strong>Prisoner’s</strong> set is it’s main failing but all programmes from that era have a false looking set, including <strong>Doctor Who </strong>and <strong>Star Trek</strong>. Yet those two programmes have always been fully accepted by the British mainstream media. You know why snobby British critics and the British mainstream media have always been so accepting of <strong>Doctor Who</strong>? Because it’s British! It’s only fairly recently the set’s for TV programmes have become realistic, even then it’s only American programmes-the set’s for British soaps still look 2 dimensional and false. Another reason British critics mocked the series was for having “ugly” actresses but that’s not fair on the actresses who appeared in the programme. And British critics would have been the first to mock the series credibility if it was filled with Barbie doll types. Characters such as Bea Smith and Frankie Doyle may be the most associated with the series but I prefer the latter, more modern era of the series which had better music and a younger cast of characters. Such as tough biker Rita Connors and violent but vulnerable top dog Lou Kelly. Controversial for it’s time, <strong>Prisoner</strong> pushed the boundaries of acceptability and as such it’s legacy can still be seen on television today. The Quality of <strong>Prisoner</strong> varied not only from episode to episode but from scene to scene. For example one scene could be a brilliantly dramatic, gritty fight sequence combining brilliant incidental music with ahead-of-it’s-time, hand held style camera work. Then the next scene could be cringe worthy because of a false set or forced “comedy.” I think this polarising change in quality accounts for such differing views of the series-you either love it or you hate it! The programme had a lot of outlandish plots, such as The Freak being drugged and having a surreal hallucination, people breaking into the prison to kill or free a high profile prisoner and drugs being smuggled in to the prison using a remote controlled car! <strong>Prisoner</strong> can be put under four categories, it’s a soap, a drama, a cult programme and one of the weirdest programmes ever made. <strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> has had a few “best-of” releases in Britain and America and in Australia all 692 episodes have been released in the “largest box set in the world.” Tapes of <strong>Prisoner</strong> originate from tapes shown on Australian television but the series was cut before it was even shown in Australia so it’s unlikely the series will ever be seen uncut. The series is also being released in DVD volumes in Britain now. Although some content from DVD releases was cut by the DVD distributors before release, such as the cold blooded shooting of Bongo Connors by a prison guard. <br />
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<strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> got quite a few spin-offs. <strong>Punishment</strong> was a male version of <strong>Prisoner</strong> and the first episode featured a young Mel Gibson before his film career took off. Sadly <strong>Punishment</strong> was axed after only 26 episodes. A theory put forward for <strong>Punishment</strong> not being embraced by viewers is that it was too uncompromising, too dark and serious, and viewers just weren’t ready for that. Where as <strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> had a lot of comedy relief. HBO's <strong>Oz</strong> would later prove <strong>Punishment</strong> could have been a success if TV executives had stuck with it. An American version of <strong>Prisoner</strong> was also made called <strong>Dangerous Women </strong>which starred Casper Van Dien (<strong>Starship Troopers</strong>). <strong>Dangerous Women </strong>was sadly also a flop and neither <strong>Punishment </strong>nor <strong>Dangerous Women </strong>are likely to be made available on DVD (though you never know!). There was also a pilot for another American version of <strong>Prisoner</strong> called <strong>Willow B: Women In Prison</strong>. Germany also made a version of <strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> called <strong>Hinter Gittern</strong>, which is available on dvd but without English subtitles. <br />
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When <strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> finished on ITV the channel needed another prison drama to cover the hole left in it’s schedule (and it’s ratings!) And so they commissioned <strong>Bad Girls</strong>. And so we’ve come full circle- a British programme, inspired by an Australian programme, which was inspired by a British programme. <strong>Bad Girls </strong>was an extremely poor imitation of <strong>Prisoner</strong> which seeked to copy it without realising what made <strong>Prisoner</strong> special. <strong>Bad Girls </strong>suffered from bland, still camera work and it’s difficult to know what was more annoying about it, the horrendously irritating characters (the two Julies!) or the abysmal incidental music, which was pretty much unbearable to listen to. One of the main failings of <strong>Bad Girls </strong>is that it never pushed the boundaries at all. It didn’t push the boundaries of acceptability past what <strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> had already done between 1978 and 1985! <strong>Bad Girls </strong>was unbelievably tame, there was very little on screen violence, there was no sex or nudity, the style of it wasn’t over the top enough to keep you from realising how tame it was and it wasn’t intelligent enough to take seriously. <strong>Bad Girls </strong>was abysmal, it was always too rigid and not fluid enough. The series’ one saving grace (aside from a couple of attractive actresses) was the character of prison officer Jim Fenner, kind of a male version of Joan Ferguson (he even has the same initials). We watch Jim Fenner rule over all the inmates until he buries one inmate alive and inevitably get’s killed off. The entire series of <strong>Bad Girls </strong>is available uncut on DVD, whether that’s a good thing I’ll leave for you to decide! There’s absolutely no need for the programme to be described as “uncut” other than marketing reasons as the series is remarkably restrained in it’s content and style (there was no way the British board of film classification where going to cut anything out!) <strong>Bad Girls </strong>made the same mistake of <strong>Within These Walls </strong>by focusing far, far too much on the lives of the prison officers. Britain is such an authoritarian country it’s typical of Britain to waste the opportunity offered by the setting of a prison and focus on the dictators rather than the rebellious. A mistake not made by America with their prison drama’s, <strong>Oz</strong> and <strong>Prison Break </strong>who realised the potential of programmes which would appeal to a young audience, eager for something more subversive than most programmes on TV… <br />
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In 1998 <strong>Oz</strong> exploded on to the screen. Short for Oswald penitentiary, <strong>Oz</strong> focused on the fictional Oswald maximum security prison. Named after Russell G. Oswald, the prison warden during the real life Attica riots. <strong>Oz</strong> was the first hour long drama produced for HBO, paving the way for <strong>The Sopranos</strong>. As well as being a highly entertaining crime drama, <strong>Oz</strong> is filled with philosophical conversations about love, life, death and religion and raises many questions about the judicial system. After prisoner Ryan O’ Reily gets caught for murdering the husband of the female prison doctor (who O’ Reily is in love with) a character tells him love’s not a reason to commit murder-to which O’ Reily replies “maybe you’ve never been in love.” A deeply cynical programme,<strong> Oz </strong>is about deep inner pain people go through that even those closest to them don’t understand. One of the many ironies of <strong>Oz</strong> is that all the prisoners in <strong>Oz</strong> are remarkable people from their deviousness to their resilience at surviving in prison. Some prisoners, such as Arian brotherhood leader Vern Schillinger are so feared they feel comfortable, maybe even at home in prison. Pre September the 11th, <strong>Oz</strong> was the first programme to have a muslim as a main character and launched the careers of Harold Perrineau and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje who both later starred in Lost. It Occurred to me, while watching <strong>Oz</strong> that everything that happens in prison also happens outside of prison. So as extreme as the violence and betrayal is in prison, it happens in our everyday lives, maybe to a less exaggerated extent. <strong>Oz</strong> acts as a Parable for society as a whole, using the incarcerated to hold up a mirror to outward society. At the end of each hour long episode you’ll find yourself taking in a long deep breath and wanting to sit and think for a while about what you’ve just seen! The influence of <strong>Oz</strong> can be seen in all of the American drama’s made since. <strong>Lost</strong>, for example is about a group of people closed off from society, it has big, movie style production values and some hand held style camera work, it has a muslim character and features long conversations between non English speaking characters. <strong>Oz</strong> creator, writer and producer Tom Fontana seems to realise the power and potential of television, using the power of sight and sound to their full potential, to shock, to entertain, to provoke thought and discussion and to surprise the viewer. The shocking violence, thought provoking dialogue, hand-held style camera work and screeching music make <strong>Oz</strong> immensely entertaining and infinitely re-watchable. American television became braver after <strong>Oz</strong>. The picture quality of <strong>Oz</strong>, particularly in the first season is grainy and even pixilated, performances are very enthusiastic and there seems to be synchronicity issues with sound. For the most part though the first four seasons are perfect television. Season 5 was only OK and season six didn’t offer a satisfactory conclusion to the series. All six seasons of <strong>Oz</strong> are available to buy on DVD. <br />
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<strong>Prison Break </strong>was promoted as a real prison drama, like <strong>Oz</strong>, and as such was a real disappointment. Where as Oz took prison drama and TV drama in general a step forward <strong>Prison Break </strong>took it a step back. It’s pretty much the very antithesis of <strong>Oz</strong>. Prison Break just isn’t bolstered in any reality. The programme combines elements of different programmes and films. It’s basically a much toned down rip-off of <strong>Oz</strong> combined with the conspiracy element of <strong>The X Files </strong>and Michael Scofield is basically a modernised, American version of James Bond…in prison! The feel to the programme is similar to a Saturday morning adventure series, since a run of absurd coincidences constantly occur which keep the main characters alive and as a viewer you “know” Michael Scofield will survive until the end. This makes it very difficult to get into and take seriously. It’s so unbelievably far fetched it’s insulting to the viewer’s intelligence. One of the most annoying things about it for me is how it’s constantly filmed through wide angle lenses, it just doesn’t look realistic enough. Not a real drama at all but rather a far fetched adventure series, <strong>Prison Break </strong>is an absurd guilty pleasure that’s entertaining despite itself.<br />
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A few more, short lived, less memorable prison dramas worth noting are <strong>Corelli</strong>, an Australian drama about a female prison psychologist, it starred Hugh Jackman before his movie career took off, <strong>The Governor</strong>, A British drama written by Linda La Plant and <strong>Buried</strong>, another downbeat, pretentious British drama. <br />
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Prison dramas are generally much more “over the top” than most programmes and films, not just in content but in style (offbeat camera angles and loud, bold incidental music) and as such more entertaining than most other programs and films. It’s been said conflict is the main component of a good drama, and you couldn’t find a better setting for conflict than a prison! A prison is the ultimate setting for a drama because it allows for maximum scope for drama and conflict between many varying characters, all in an enclosed environment where emotions are heightened and things happen at a faster pace and to a greater extent. A theory put forward for the fascination of prison drama’s is that we enjoy watching the underdog struggling for survival. Exploiting voyeuristic human nature, prison drama’s allow us to peer behind the walls, to a world unfamiliar to us. <br />
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There are four more prison drama’s rumoured to be coming soon. <strong>Eden</strong> is being touted as being like a female version of <strong>Oz</strong>. A female version of <strong>Prison Break</strong>, entitled <strong>Prison Break: Cherry Hill</strong>, An American remake of <strong>Bad Girls </strong>(I’m sure they’ll do a better job than us Brits!) and most interestingly of all <strong>Women In Chains </strong>by <strong>From Dusk Till Dawn </strong>writer and director Robert Rodriguez, which will have a deliberate B movie feel like those old women in prison exploitation movies. It’s ironic Women In Chains will have a deliberately kitsch feel to it, the very thing <strong>Prisoner Cell Block H</strong> has been mocked for all these year’s. So your TV might be holding you prisoner for some time yet…chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-89006617241782284842009-04-02T05:52:00.000-07:002009-04-02T07:32:35.476-07:00I'v been asked by my tutor to write a blog about easter and christmas. But to be honest I don't feel either way about the days. I don't like religion or religious people. But christmas has changed and progressed into so much more than a religious holiday. It's about being with family, friends, spoiling yourself without feeling guilty and...presents! And i've noticed that people are generally nicer at christmas. Like, at the back of their minds they know what it's about and that's an endearing thing. So to me christmas isn't about religion. it's taken on a life of it's own. It's about being nicer and enjoying yourself and that can only be a good thing.<br /><br />As for easter, well that's just about easter eggs isn't it?chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-51029210130512437972009-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:002009-06-02T04:51:33.228-07:00UGLY"You're ugly"<br /><br />Can their be two words that are more hurtful?<br /><br />"He's ugly" "she's ugly" "he looks like shrek" etc etc. People seem to love calling each other ugly. You hear at least one person being insulted about the way they look everytime your outside. Everyone differs in degrees of sensitivity and everyone is different in what their sensitive about. So being called ugly may not bother some people. Some people may not care about how they look. it's just not that important to them. Other people however are not so lucky. Some people become so consumed with the perception of how they look it becomes an obsession. To the extent they feel they can't even leave the house. Their is a name for this: Body dysmorphic disorder. In a way it's unfortunate it's been named because it makes it sound like another thing people use to feel sorry for their selves and get attention. It will no doubt grow in "popularity" by the kind of people who say "iv'e got issues" even though they don't have a clue what it's like. It's a real shame that their being a name for it might cheapen this psychological illness. Because it's effects are far more devastating than you might think. This isn't just about haveing a bad hair day. Having body dysmorphic disorder means you constantly believe everyone is looking at you. Everone is judging you. All eyes are on you. And they are thinking about how ugly you are. Even if their not saying it out loud their thinking it. "I dont look like anyone else." "I look differant", "I look wierd." "like an alien." "How dare I even go out?" "my nose is bigger than anyone elses" "my whole head and body are misshapen" Such thoughts can make sufferers feel suicidal. Such a complete lack of confidence (and that's an understatement) manifests its self in body langauge, always prompting people to think the sufferer is "shy." It's unlikley that being called ugly a few times will make someone feel like this but rather one or more big bad events in someones life can trigger such an anxiety. And when someone is then told their ugly or told "you look like such and such" it feeds their anxiety. Even if someone doesn't seem hypersensitive about their looks it could be secretly knawing away at them. And it's the people who keep things bottled up who things effect the most. So the next time you go to say "you're ugly" or "you look like such and such" Stop, think-don't be a wanker.chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-59860854066777157992009-02-12T06:34:00.000-08:002011-08-12T15:00:57.426-07:00The military-aaaarrrrgggggggggg"Just miles from your doorstep, hundreds of men are given weapons and trained to kill. The government calls it the army." And so goes a quote from the simpsons.
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<br />Without the army there could be no war. A simple truth yet that seems to be a controversial and little held view point. At the most the media are questioning of the government but insist on constantly calling the army "our heroes" "our boys" and "brave young lads" etc. Another favourite of the media's is saying "our brave soldiers are fighting for our country" They are NOT fighting for the country at all. Wars have absolutly nothing to do with citizens. They are about politicians fueds over power and money. If politicians have a disagrement with eachother and want to fight about it they should be put in a ring and made to fight it out themselves! Sounds absurd doesn't it. But then so is war. If your son is fighting in Iraq he is out killing and blowing the limbs of innocent people including children. There is nothing honourable or brave about being in the army. And it's long overdue people got out of that absurd mindset. People allow themselves to be brainwashed by the media. If you are in the army you are a tool. Nothing but a Pawn in the governments real life game of chess.chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-28748347338230967912009-02-05T06:31:00.000-08:002010-12-11T22:16:08.023-08:00Corporate owned youth cultureBeing young used to be about rebellion. About challenging and changing the status quo. Now corporations seem to “own” youth culture. Rather than company’s following what young people like the opposite seems to be true. Company’s are telling young people what to like and worryingly people seem to be following along like good little slaves. Everything from bland, homogenised manufactured pop to whole TV channels are aimed towards young people and unfortunately they seem to be lapping it up. Truly this is the commercial, materialistic age. Channel 4 have their own youth programming block called T4 made up of squeaky clean presenters, loads of sponsors, Hollywood stars plugging their latest mainstream movies and manufactured bands miming to music. Surely if there is going to be a block of programming aimed at young people, showing things such as music it should include no holes barred music videos such as hard rock music and provocative, subversive programmes. But T4 shows manufactured boy bands such as take that and boyzone. Your never going to see Marilyn Manson on T4. Or E4, or any other Mainstream media outlet aimed at teenagers. A slot of programming for young people should be completely unapologetic and risqué but everything about T.V. programmes for young people scream out “we don’t want to offend” everything about youth culture is a plastic, commercial, populist joke. Like a kids show, T4 is on early on a Sunday morning, the very time teenagers are least likely to be up watching T.V. (after a night spent on a street corner drinking buckfast) It's timeslot and the fact T4 is produced by Andy Peters is representative of the fact T4 seems to be aimed at children-not teenagers. In fact channel fours youth programming seems to be aimed at everybody but teenagers-it’s so safe it seems to be aimed at kids and old people. Hollyoaks is very popular among the elderly. In fact I think that’s where most of its audience lies! T4 presenters are just as vacuous and annoying as the show itself. Channel 4 doesn’t have one discussion show to discuss the big issues in life yet when big brother is on they devote an hour of air time every day to discussing it. I’m not saying programming with adult content should be on during the day, I’m saying provocative programmes should be on at night for people to discover for themselves when they have a natural want for something subversive. And I don’t think things like T4 should be on at all. Why should kids and teenagers be forced to endure such rampant commercialism? When a person is a child and a teenager their brain is just developing, who knows what harm trash such as “Temptation Island” is doing?! The idea that teenagers have become complacent slaves to neatly packaged products specifically targeted towards them is an extremely depressing one. Are teenagers really content to sit and watch T4? I sincerely hope not.chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508197594871926292.post-38431024873869946182009-02-05T05:51:00.002-08:002009-06-02T05:03:07.397-07:00Religion-AarrrrrggggggggggggReligions stem from “holy books” such as the bible. Texts that where written thousands of years ago. Texts that proclaim the existence of a god-an all seeing, all powerful being that none of us can see and whom there is no evidence for. If we lived in an ideal world religion might be fine. People are entitled to believe what they want to believe. But have you noticed how religion attracts horrible people? People who want to have control over others. People who want to have control and influence over society. People who will not take part in a mature, civilised discussion-about something that they themselves believe in and the complexities that their beliefs cause! When authorities are making decision they consult religious figures-so called “community leaders.” As someone who is not a slave to religion I find this infuriating. Why the hell should people have a say in the law just because they subscribe to a certain belief. I was never more angry than when, after the 7/7 London bombings muslim “leaders” where invited to 10 downing street to discuss ways to stop terrorism when it was their beliefs that lead to the bombings and people being killed in the first place. Why should people be invited to meet the prime minister and have a say on policies because they subscribe to blatantly absurd beliefs? Those clever enough to be independent thinkers will ironically never have so much say. I think that’s one of the reasons people subscribe to religions-power in numbers! Religion causes countless confrontations, arguments, fights and wars while those sane enough to not believe sit on the sidelines watching. Religion has an unfair power over all of us. For example imagine what TV might be like if it wasn’t for religious prudes who insist on complaining. And how many times has someone got at you for saying “Christ” when it is their religion that has indoctrinated us into us saying that in the first place! And how can the word “Christ” be offensive when their symbol is “Christ” bleeding on a cross!chuckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07494013282179485572noreply@blogger.com1