OK not OK

I want to talk about OK magazine.

Yes the magazine that sank to new depths under it's proprietor Richard 'anything for money' Desmond with such headlines as: 'Jordan - why I walked out on Pete' (she didn't),'Cheryl - baby boy predicted' (Cheryl Cole wasn't pregnant but a physic OK had hired did a reading and said if she ever was pregnant it would be a boy) and The Lily Allen exclusive look round her Kilburn home (Ms Allen had not opened her doors and got her lawyers to force an apology). Has a new issue out that has caused quite a back up of bile in me.

That is because it has now plumbed depths not seen before in a 'checkout special' by showing how much it 'cares' about dying 27 year old Jade Goody in its 'Jade Goody Official Tribute Issue'.

Now I'm not a fan of Jade's work, I wasn't a lover of Big Brother, nor appreciated her apprentice rip-off, however I can sympathise with her and her family over the foul illness she has and even raise an impressed eyebrow about her determination to get as much money as she can to secure her family's future.

It is this selling of her story that muddies the water of my outrage somewhat. OK seems to think that because they paid for the exclusive to her wedding (even banning a close friend from attending because she worked for a rival mag) they think that they now have exclusive over her death as well.

To hammer home this exclusive they decide to release this 'Obit Special' before rivals and before Jade has actually died.

This is not, despite the 'Official' headline on the front cover, an official tribute. (I'm taking official to mean something asked for by the person involved or their family, not officially an OK tribute)! Despite OK saying they had cleared this with family apparently speaking to them to explain this celebration of Jade's life, it not appears they had not and that the family is not happy about it at all.

Some will say if you court the media for gain you must expect to have them come down on you as well. I personally think that's bullshit and hope these bottom feeding, gutter scouring, greasy, conscious free hacks choke on the money their grubby bylines bring in.

But that's just my opinion.

Saturday afternoon sat at home want to be out blues

Bah, I'm sat in on a sunny Saturday watching the six nations, I'm all a jitter as I want to be out enjoying the sun as it's the first Saturday I've had off in three weeks.

"Well go out then Loz," I hear you cry and you'd be right to do so. There are a couple of impediments to this however:

Firstly I've just woken up after a three shift of nights so I'm still a little groggy.
B) England will be playing soon and I'd rather have a venue or social situation to arrive at to see it
and 3. My Lady is sleeping off her night shift (she's got another tonight) and it would be good to see her as I haven't in the past week or so.

As to the rest of the day I've had no response from the Mon-Fri working crew as to what can be done with this fine spring day/evening.

I need transporter technology, that way I could jump over to Dubai to visit Katy who would always have a cure for this restlessness (and be up for getting boozy in front of the rugby).

*sigh* Could always tidy the house..........

Ga-Ga for radio and the lonely censor.

Hello.





I've been marvelling at the depth of podcasts recently, I have learnt about Ancient Rome (from the softly spoken Mike Duncan, who has his blogspot here), been educated about the Greek Gods and kept abreast of politics with from the Guardian yet the podcast I've enjoyed the most is the BBC Friday night Radio4 comedy podcast.

It contains 'The Now Show' (featuring Hugh and Steve from my favourite 90's BBC2 comedy show 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience' my second TV appearance, I was in the audience (not strictly on TV, but you can see me) my first TV appearance I'll talk about in a bit), and the 'News Quiz' both of which you can listen to on iPlayer if you want.

This has lead me on to delving into some of the great radio comedy that the BBC has in it's archives, to name but a few there are 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue' (anybody actually know how to play 'Mornington Crescent')? 'Children's Hour with Armstrong and Miller', 'Radio Shuttleworth', 'The 99p Challenge' (which I regularly steal lines and gags from) and the sublime 'Old Harry's Game'.

My question is does listening to Radio 4 now officially stick me into old duffer territory? There is something about it that makes me want some slippers, a pipe, a nicely upholstered armchair and one of those walnut old-stylee radios. Ahhhh the 1940's bliss of it all.

Some belated praise to a man who was an inspiration to young artists, young people who liked to make messes or just young people who loved strange plasticine creatures.

Tony Hart died recently, a great presenter and teacher, I met him once, he came to my school to film an episode of 'Hart Beat'. I was one of the dancing robots on it. He was as happy and enthusiastic in the flesh as he seemed on TV.

My favourite news snippet of the week (from the aforementioned 'News Quiz') involves the BBFC. The BBFC, for those that don't know is the body in the UK that watches all films, programmes and straight to DVD classics and applies a suitable age rating to them.

They also have to view all pornographic titles to ensure the films do not contain anything that contravenes the R18 rating. This was usually done in two's, (one to watch the other to follow the plot no doubt) however due to cutbacks, crunching credits, money squeezes and frankly, robbing, stealing, thieving bastard RBS bosses it is being cut back to only one person.

There's a punchline here, but instead of me providing it I'd like suggestions.

Blog or not?

Boring, everything I start to write is coming up boring, every time I start in on a subject it ends up being a rant about the rotten mood I'm in at the moment.

So I decided I'd just write up a few things I'm liking at the moment.

Starting with Mr Stephen Fry, a man who continues to grow in my mind as an arbiter of things good and great (though I'm sure he'll disagree in a suitably modest way). If anyone asks my opinion of him I tend to get unashamedly gooey, gushing and worshipful.

I've been a fan of his for a while, ever since picking up 'The Liar' when I was 16 and devouring it. I've followed him on twitter , downloaded his podgrams from i-tunes (I particularly urge anyone who is in love with the written,spoken,sung or shouted word to read/listen to the blessay called language good to read, even better when listened to), and dived into his varying novels. The latest that I read being 'The Stars' Tennis Balls' a modern re-telling of The 'Count of Monte Cristo' story which lead me to jump into Alexandre Dumas's classic and tear through it. (More on that later).

He is a commentator, novelist, columnist, comedian, actor, and the only real claimant to the title of 'UK's favourite quiz master' after the sad death of the brilliant Humphrey Lyttelton

Maybe I've a little bit of a bro-mance going on here? Speaking of people I'm a little in love with.

Next up is Alesha Dixon, I have a fully grown up type crush on her (my girlfriend is fully aware and approves).

I watched her documentary 'Look But Don't Touch' about trying to get a non-airbrushed, non-made-up picture of herself on the front of a fashion mag because it was on and my girlfriend is a Strictly Come Dancing devotee. I found it was surprisingly good and ever since I have unintentionally followed her work.

The crush is not simply because she is absolutely stunning, has a good voice, produces music that is a notch above the normal ex-girlband/boyband type thing, or that she can dance it up a storm. It's that she actually comes across as a genuinely pleasant person. A total package almost.

Talking about packages, check out eclectic eccentricity lovely jewellery, good prices. One of my Lady's favourite places, they turn over their designs and items regularly. I've got these bookmarked for special occasions, surprises, bad weeks at work!

These items come packaged up in little pink boxes, perfect for a little gift for your someone special (I have ordered some for Alesha and Stephen).

Books, books books, knowledge, learning, escapism, fantasy. I've been doing a lot of reading since Christmas.

As mentioned above I've just finished The 'Count of Monte Cristo' which I always thought was a children's book. However once I'd started I found it contains murder, infanticide, matricide, patricide, suicide, live burial, rape, lesbianism and liberal use of hashish! Which thinking about it sounds like my bed-time stories as a child!

It's an amazing read, it tells the tale of Edmond Dantes a young sailor in love with the beautiful Mercedes who is wrongfully accused of being a Bonapartist sympathiser at a time when this is considered high treason, he is imprisoned for life and escaping after a decade swearing revenge on the four people who destroyed his life. At over 1000 pages of close type it's a a long read, but well worth it.

Well I think that's enough of the things I like for now, as a return it's not a bad smattering of thought, but what I really brought you here for was to talk about cheese...................