A real banker on the dance floor

This is currently rockin' the rafters in our household, although I have to say that Coldplay's Viva la vida is still up there. It really is remarkable to come across a rap track (is it a rap track? - probably not) which has such mainstream appeal. It's a real banker on the dance floor. (as I would be qualified to say if I still had hair).

Getting over-excited at Crystal Palace

I can't be described as someone with an athletic history. Apart from numerous failed attempts at displaying even the remotest athletic prowess, my only claim to fame on the athletics front is that I helped, albeit pathetically, to warm up a sandpit for Jonathan Edwards.

One's offspring is showing some promise in this field and one's wife has always been a fan. So I tagged along to Crystal Palace today, to the Aviva finals.

Excitement on sticks - it was.

This was the first time I have attended a proper adult athletics meet, and, my goodness me, I was bowled over with the excitement.

We saw athletics celebs galore, including Kelly Holmes at close quarters. And the athletics was breathtaking.

Seeing Usain Bolt cruising (well that's what it looked like to me) to a UK All-comers 200 metres record - was just stunning.

I am open to offers. If anyone from Jamaica wants to invite me to take up joint-nationality, I think I could be persuaded.

Down the bay where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountain top
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop

There - I can sing that - out of tune. Does that qualify me? If not, I'll keep cheering for Jamaica when there isn't a Brit involved....

Resisting Coldplay

Well I tried for a long time. Bland pap, was how I regarded their music. And after "Clocks" and "Speed of Sound" they couldn't do anything better anyway, I thought. Anyway, they are rich now so they don't care about decent music.

Then the "Viva La Vida" album came out. Rubbish - more bland pap - I thought.

Oh well. I have finally given in.

The title track - "Viva La Vida" - or "When I ruled the world" if you prefer, is flipping brilliant! It'll be around as a classic for donkeys' years.

And the line "And I know Saint Peter will call my name" sends shivers up my spine everytime I hear it or remember it.

Well done Coldplay. Click below to hear and see it.

The primeval urge to smash crockery

I ran the Crockery smashing at our local PTA fete today. We were stuck round a corner and expected very little interest. Instead, there were kids queuing up to have a go - little boys and girls hardly strong enough to hold the ball. We had 150 customers. What is it about corkery smashing which attracts people? It seems to tap into a deep primeval urge.....

Extraordinary snatches of "Do it Again" on Doctor Who

I was watching Doctor Who this evening anyway, before I read Alex Wilcock's entreaty to watch it. I tend to be rather semi-detached in my viewing of it, while the rest of the Burbler household are glued.

Anyway, I noticed a snatch of Raffealla Carra's "Do it Again" at the start of the show (hear and watch it on You Tube below). Extraordinary. I've just heard it again about 10 minutes in. What is going on ? An obscure Euorvisiony Italian-originated song cropping up on Doctor Who?. Wikipedia says about Rafaella Carra's song:

"A far l'amore comincia tu" ("Start Making Love Each Other") was another success for her internationally, known in Spanish as "En el amor todo es empezar", in German as "Liebelei", in French as "Parce que tu l'aimes dis-le lui", and in English as "Do It, Do It Again".

It reached number 9 in the British charts in 1978.

PS. I think I've sussed it. The episode is about repetition, hence "Do it again". It's all logical.

That song off the Piriton advert

I've just had one of my periodic fevered searches for music I heard on an advert. In this case it was a jolly ditty with the words "Could it be me?" from the Piriton adverts. It turns out the song is called "Everywhere" by Empire Dogs (above) and it is currently coming down my wire courtesy of the iTunes store.

For a group which produced that catchy little clip for early morning adverts on GMTV, Empire Dogs are a surprisingly solid rock band from Sweden. Here below is their video from their 2006 tour of India.

Posh Spice - A Nation Mourns

Victoria Beckham is launching a new range of clothing in the UK after disclosing she is giving up singing for good.
The former Spice Girl will launch her new range of denim jeans costing up to £340 a pair at Harrods in London after saying she will not sing again.
She told GMTV she was concentrating on a career in fashion and had hung up her microphone after the group's reunion world tour.
She told the programme: "I love the whole social thing of being back with the girls, it was so much fun. And I loved the kids watching me, going, 'wow, this is what mummy used to do,' rather than just moan, you know, 'Do your homework and clean your teeth'."
She added: "I'm not going to sing any more. I've hung my microphone up."

Fear of explosion of local radio football presenter

Such is his excitement at every twist of (for the last eight hours and 45 minutes of play) goalless Reading FC's relegation battle, I fear that if the HobNobs finally sink down to the Championship, BBC Radio Berkshire's Tim Dellor will explode.

The genius of Rick Wakeman

A few months ago, my wife said she had book us seats to see "Grumpy Old Men".

Great. I like that show. I dutifully attended (my wife was working) Newbury's Corn Exchange, expecting four men sitting in a row being grumpy, as per the telly prog.

Instead, it turned out to be "The Grumpy Old Picture Show" with Rick Wakeman, who appears on "Grumpy Old Men".

He told anecdotes about his life, had some sketches and photos behind him and played some music, including some pieces accompanying people who appeared via video on the screen.

I was not expecting the whole thing and it turned out to be a magical evening. Rick Wakeman, despite being a Conservative, is blessed with two talents.

He has a first class comedic ability. I can't imagine Mike Oldfield holding the stage like he does.

And he showed us glimpses of his keyboard ability which were just stunning. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when he did a Prokofiev version of Eleanor Rigby. Judas Iscariot, was also a great treat.

He looks knackered - frankly. He has a large "beer belly" and his face looks like he's eighty.

But my goodness me, when he gets on the keyboards and closes his eyes....he emits sounds which just transport you to another world. He is fantastic. He is also very funny.

Heather Mills' dad is a good egg

All right, he was in jail for fraud. But he did the crime and did the time. On Channel 4's "Heather Mills: What really happened", Mark Mills came across as a thoroughly good egg. He has had a stroke, which impairs his speech. But he released some happy family home movies and denied that there was any violence in his family:

Heather Mills’ father has released a series of home movies to disprove her claims she suffered an abusive childhood.
Mark Mills - who Heather has claimed is a “schizo” who viciously beat her - vehemently denies her accusations, and has revealed footage of his daughter playing happily on a family holiday to Wales.
Mark - who has trouble speaking after a stroke - told Channel 4 documentary Heather Mills: What Really Happened: "There was no violence. I’m convinced."
The 64-year-old has not seen Heather for 20 years, and insists her tales of living in fear of his violent temper are a complete fantasy.

What particularly endeared me to the old boy was that he wasn't at all bitter about his daughter's claims that he beat her and, indeed, he showed tremendous pride in his daughter, particularly the fact that she took on the lawyers single-handed.

It was a poignant picture of a proud father.

Bruce Willis playing Murray Walker - you couldn't make it up

Die Hard star Bruce Willis is tipped to play Formula One commentator Murray Walker on the big screen.
According to newspaper reports, the Hollywood actor will play Murray in a forthcoming film about the life of Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.
In the film, the character is expected to narrate the tale as well as feature alongside Schumacher.
Willi Weber, a former Formula One champion and Schumacher's agent said: "Bruce Willis would certainly do Murray justice."
Weber added: "A Hollywood producer is interested. It would be called The Michael Schumacher Story, with him as the main actor."

The genius of Harry Hill

It was gratifying to read the discerning Jonathan Calder lauding Harry Hill's TV Burp.

It was very heartening to see that programme receiving two BAFTAs in the broadcast of the awards last night.

As always, the basis of great comedy is the writing, which on TV Burp is superb. But Hill is also a remarkably talented performer and comedian.

The bit of the programme I like most is the "I beg your pardon of the Week" or "Best outbreak of Pig wind of the week" (or other crazy "...of the week" titles) which adorn the programme. They really are a hoot.

I previously raved about the programme last March, but I now retract the "cheap tea time trash" epithet I used for it. Sorry. It was meant in a complimentary sense - if you can believe that! Honest.

Mark Speight RIP

It was a very sad shock to hear of the death of Mark Speight.

Many are the editions of SMart and Smarteenies that I have enjoyed as a father. Mark was an astonishingly lively, bright and friendly presenter. Most of all, he had an inspirational gift for demonstrating the skills of art. I have seen his wonderful "tricks of the trade" enlivening the enthusiasm of a child.

He was in the same league as Rolf Harris and Tony Hart, in terms of communicating the magic of art to children and the population in general. It is a tragedy that his life ended while he was still so young. It was heartening, though poignant, to see his cheery grin last night on the BAFTAs when they showed clips of television professionals who died in the last year.

Trevor Eve does Hughie Green

Trevor Eve deserves congratulations for playing the role of Hughie Green in Most Sincerely on BBC4. It was a superb performance, capturing the essence of the man, in a wonderful production. The "Curse of Comedy" series is turning out to be a BBC masterpiece.

Well done BBC!

In praise of Lewis

I've been meaning to put in a word of praise for Lewis for a while.

Coming from a home which sometimes seems to revolve around watching Taggart, Midsomer Murders, Morse etc, we have quite a background of watching TV detectives.

Lewis, I am pleased to say, is one of the finest and is coming very close to Morse, which was of course the Big King Grandaddy of all TV detective series. I was particularly impressed that ITV drafted in someone of Alan Plater's abilities to write the screenplays.

Is Duffy's "Mercy" a cover version of an old song ?

When I heard Duffy's "Mercy", I had a niggling feeling that it was a cover version of an old song. It sounds like an old fifties American soul/blues song - the keyboards, the sort of soul music/spiritual lyric, the incredible, errily echoing bass line, the Tamla Motown sort of feel to it etc etc

It just can't be an original song can it?

After an exhaustive search of web sites and books followed by the simple ruse of looking on the album sleeve notes, I find that the song was written by Duffy and Steve Booker (a contemporary song writer). So it is not a cover version - it is an original.

Which makes her success with it even more awesome. This song is an instant classic. They'll be playing it for decades to come!

Well done Barnsley !!!

Barnsley versus Chelsea was an extraordinary game, topping a remarkable day in the FA Cup competition.

I have been a Chelsea fan since 1967, but I am sentimental at heart. I could not be more delighted for Barnsley, who played fantastically well.

Man U v Portsmouth - Is it OK to laugh ?

The sight of Man Utd down to ten men and Rio Ferdinand having to go into goal to take a penalty stimulated one of the biggest laughs I have ever enjoyed for several months.

Well done Foo Fighters

Well done to the Foo Fighters for winning Best International Group and Best International album at the Brit awards this week.

A few months ago I posted the video of "Times like these". Here's another of my favourite Foo Fighter tracks - "Long road to ruin".

Fill up our pints to the top!

This is an ongoing obsession of mine. Pub staff not filling one's glass up to the top or at least so that the glass contains 95% liquid. In busy pubs it happens particularly.

So full marks to CAMRA for continuing their long-running campaign with their Take it to the top web site and petition.