Is the binge dead?

One of the most interesting announcements about the Disney+ streaming service is that it will be releasing episodes of it's shows on a weekly basis. This is unusual for a streaming service, the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime made great play of the fact that their viewers could watch whole seasons of their show (House of Cards, Stranger Things and The Man In the High Castle to name 3) in the one go. The idea even crossed the Atlantic with both the BBC and ITV putting out whole series in the one go. However with the recent news from Disney is the idea of the binge watch coming to a close.

No, not the thermal bottle

At the Star Wars: Galaxy Edge attraction at Disneyland visitors can buy Coke-Cola bottles in the shape of thermal detonators. As Star Wars fans know thermal detonators are the saga's equivalent of hand grenades. However the US 's Department of Homeland has found reamalbance between the 2 far too alike for comfort. They have banned the bottles being brought on bard air planes in order to ease security fears. Those who have brought the bottles and want to bring them home have to think another way or face a very long wait.

Stop moving Jeremy

On Saturday Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? will going on at 10PM on ITV. The next day it will be going out at 8PM. Is this sign of disrespect for loyal viewers?

Making other people's mind up

The Eurovison Song Contest was set up with the idea of bringing nations together. However an one time winner has been announced as a candidate for a political party whose aim is the exact opposite. Jay Aston who with the group Bucks Fizz won the contest in 1981 with the song Making Your Mind Up will be standing as a candidate for the Brexit Party at the next UK General Election. Bot of a change eh Jay?

TV ratings 25-08-2019

The much hyped move of crime drama Peaky Blinders from BBC2 to BBC1 had a very disappointing launch. It got only 3.7 million viewers. Some consolation was that it just beat ITV's adaptation of unfinished Jane Austen novel Sanditon which got 3.3 million viewers. ITV will be concerned that their track record with costume dramas with the failure of the likes of Vanity Fair, Beecham House and now Sanditon.

The return of Ewan and more

At the D23 convention Disney revealed some of the forthcoming productions from their various outlets. First of all there was official confirmation that Ewan Mcgregor will be returning to the role of Obi Wan Kenobi in a series for the  Disney+ streaming service. Another Star Wars related production the service is bringing to the screen is The Mandorlion for which a trailer was shown featuring the likes of Carl (Apollo Creed in the Rockey films) Weathers, Gina Carno and in an acting role eccentric film director Werner Herzog. Marvel Studios announced that Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington will be joining the cast (including his GoT brother/cousin Richard Madden) of The Eternals as The Black Knight. And Black Panther 2 will be released in 2022.

Clive back to gambling

In 1998 Clive Owen made the film Croupier, the tale of double dealing received rave reviews. It set Clive off on a film career that included The Bourne Identity, King Arthur and Closer for which Clive received an Oscar nomination. At one point Clive was even considered for the role of James Bond but he lost out to Daniel Craig. But in recent years Clive's film career has somewhat ground to a halt and now he finds himself in a TV advert that plays on his Croupier role.

Hugh is roadkill

BBC1 have announced that Hugh Laurie is to star in an new political thriller from acclaimed playwright David Hare. Roadkill will star Laurie as a poltcilan under attack as he plots his way to power. Roadkill should be seen next year.

No more wall crawling?

Spider-Man: Far From Home may be the latest film to have made a billion dollars but a follow up may not be made. Sony and Disney are at loggerheads over profits. Sony through Columbia Pictures has been making Spider-Man films since 2002 but since 2016 brought on Marvel owners Disney to bring the web slinger into the same cinematic universe as his regular comic co-stars and to much success. Tom Holland's appeared in the biggest film of all time Avengers: Endgame before appearing in his most recent solo film. The news of the breakdown in the working relationship has provoked much fan fury. There will be many who hope the situation changes.

No time for Bond

After months of being known simply as Bond 25 the next James Bond film has had it's title revealed. No Time To Die will see Daniel Craig play Bond for the Fifth and possibly last time. The official synopsis has Bond coming back from retirement to go on an rescue mission which turns into a battle against another well equipped bad guy. Rumours about the film include the return of Christoph Waltz's Blofled and the mantle of 007 being taken by a female agent. No Time To Die is released in cinemas April 2020.

When are we on?

For the past 6 weeks the final series of Poldark has gone on at 9PM Sunday BBC1 However the final 2 episodes have seen a schedule sift The second last episode will go out 8PM on Sunday while the final one will go out the next day 8:30PM. Why the change? Some think that crime saga Peaky Blinders which has made from BBC2 has been given priority. We just have to see what the effects the changes have on Poldarl.

Jimmy conquers the Crucible at last

Jimmy White has won the World Seniors Snooker Champion and in doing so he did at the home of the main championship The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Jimmy never won the main title. He was runner up 6 times and had to suffer 5 of those defeats on the trot and 4 of those to the same player Stephen Hendry. Jimmy beat in the final Darren Morgan who had beat Stephen in the quarter finals.

A return from exile

After 6 years of being shown on the digital CBBC channel Blue Peter is making a return to broadcast TV. The show will be on BBC2's Saturday Morning Kids strand. weather this paves the way for a long term return remains to be seen.

Infamy in cheating

Cheat an new forthcoming ITV drama tells the story of the infamous 2001 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? cheating scandal. Matthew MacFadyen plays Charles Ingram an Army Major who with his wife and an accomplice used dubious methods to win the million pound prize. However the ruse was discovered and 3 served jail sentences and Ingram was drummed out of the Army. Playing Chris Tarrent the host of WWTBAM? is Michael Sheen adding to the roll call of famous real life figures he has played. Cheat should be seen later this year.

Return of the Ewan

News has come out that Ewan McGregor is in talks to reprise the role of Obi Wan Kenobi for an new series for the Disney+ streaming service. There had been talk of Ewan returning to the role in theatrical film however the disappointing (for Star Wars) box office of Solo: A Star Wars Story has seen production on any more Star Wars films reduced. Fans will be in a state of epectictation.

Do not go hand in hand

At an qualification event for the Triathlon at next year's Olympics there was contervisal scenes. In the Women's event British competitors Jess Learmonth and Georgina Taylor-Brown crossed the line together in first and second place with them holding hands. This lead to them being disqualified as it was deemed that they had helped each other. Some have pointed out to an occasion when in a race in Mexico 2 time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee pushed his brother Jonathan to the finish line. However the rules were changed after this hence recent events.

You know you are watching an Anna Friel drama when...

Tonight on ITV sees the start of the new drama Dark Water. Telling the emotion struggles of 3 women in the Lake District. The starring role goes to Anna Friel who since her early days in Brookside has made her in grim and gritty dramas. There are some running motifs in them.

Anna wears the same pained expression

Anna will often shout

Anna's screen family will have a dark secert

Brining out the genie for more cash

Disney is looking to make a sequel to the live action version of Aladdin starring Will Smith which made a billion dollars worldwide. Some may say this smells of creative bankrupt and they are probably right.

Not enough class for Jaime

In May of this year celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant chain Jamie's Italia closed for the loss of a thousand jobs. In an new interview Oliver blames the failure on the restaurants not being posh enough. This has led to a bit of a backlash from fans. One has to remember that in recent years Oliver has been known for his healthy eating campaigns. The comments are bit of an embarrassment given the campaigning for the nation to change it's eating habits.

The Hunt is off

After the 2 gun massacres in the USA the release of the film The Hunt has been postponed. Starring 2 time Oscar winner Hilary Swank The Hunt tells the story of a group of individuals being being hunted by rich hunters. Universal Picture have now delayed release due the film's scenes of gun violence. We will just have to when the film is finally released.

I didn't know he was there

Gywneth Paltrow has made the astounding claim that she did know that Samuel L Jackson played the role of Nick Fury this despite appearing with him in an number of films over a 11 year period. Granted Jackson played the role of the hard bitten S. H. I. E. D chief in post end credits but in least 2 has a pivotal role.

When is the war?

The BBC's upcoming (and first to be set in the period it was written) version of War of the Worlds has been given a certificate for home release but there is still no sign of when it will reach our screens. The production has been part of 2 BBC Drama promo of up coming show, also included was the first 2 seasons of award winning black comic thriller Killing Eve which have already been shown. And to add to the problem another modern day version of the H G Wells (starring Gabriel Bryne and Elizabeth McGovern) novel has been made. The wait goes on.

Taking the game elsewhere

David Benioff and D B Weiss the men who turned George R R Martin's Song of Fire and Ice into Game of Thrones the defining TV show of the 2010s have signed a production deal with Netlix. The deal will see the pair work on new shows and movies for the streaming giant. A prequel to Game of Thrones is still coming and the pair are working on an new Star Wars series of films.

Not known on Wikipeadia

in the late 1980s Capital Radio DJs Pat Sharp and Mick Brown released an number of charity singles under the name of Pat & Mick. While Sharp has his own Wikiepadia page Brown has to make do with the one on Pat & Mick. At least Mick has one that is partly about him, one time Radio 1 Paul Jordan has nothing.

The Rock and The Stah slay The King

Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham took top honours at the worldwide box office. In the US alone it took$60 million and in the process knocking The Lion King remake off the top spot. Expect more the pair to bring more mayhem to the screen based on these numbers.

Not good TV shows that are always repeated

Here are 3 TV shows that are often repeated. Though they may be repeated they are not very good.

Mrs Brown's Boys

No denying it is the most successful British Sit Com of the 2010s. But for every fan you can find at least 3 haters.

Vera

Brenda Bleythen plays the titular Police Detective, 2 problems the character has the most awful voice possible and Brenda is now in her 70s and too old to serve in the Police in real life.

A Touch of Frost

The show that was the template for Vera. David Jason is dogged Policeman Jack Frost. However the characters joking just makes you think of Del Boy.

The man who put Morse in to Morse

The composer Barrington Pheloung has died. Best known for his Film and TV work with the most famous being Inspector Morse. On some episodes of the Barrington would write in the score Morse giving hints to the episode's killer. Other work included Bonn starring Michael Elphick and the film Truely, Madly, Deeply.

Barrington Phelung R. I. P.

Another feather in the cap for Mike

The latest contestant for the next series of Strictly Come Dancing has been announced. It is BBC News Sports correspondent Mike Bushell. Mike is known for his reports which he tries out different sport such as Cheerleading, Water Polo and the only team sport where Men and Women play together Korfball. It was in the last of these Mike was sent off for marking a girl! Hopefully Mike will have better luck with Ballroom Dancing.

Battle of the airwaves

Scala Radio the new Classical music radio station has launched to 250,00 million listners though it's main rival Classic FM has seen an increased in listenership. Ken Bruce has overtake Zoe Ball as the most listened to DJ on BBC Radio 2. Ball who took over the Breakfast Show after Chris Evans left Virgin Radio though hers is still the most popular for the slot.