August 2009 Archives

By Dan Owen

It was the zaniest, funniest gameshow of the '90s... and that's where it belongs. Unwisely re-commissioned after a successful 15th-anniversary special last Christmas, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are back for a sixth series of their comedy panel show, again joined by team captain Ulrika Jonsson and baby scorekeeper "George Dawes" (Matt Lucas).

Time hasn't been kind. There's something a little tragic about Reeves and Mortimer peddling their brand of surreal comedy now they're both 50. It's difficult to keep a youthful, anarchic streak alive when you're middle-aged (ask Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson), so watching two crinkled men beckoning down "The Dove From Above" or singing in a "club style" wasn't funny, or even pleasantly nostalgic, it just felt tired and stale.

Apathy for the format was the reason Shooting Stars was axed in the first place back in '02, so quite why the BBC have revived it is beyond me. I guess it's cheap to produce, has a loyal fan-base, there's a notable gap in the market (ignoring Celebrity Juice) and the principal players have nothing better to do. Which makes Lucas' return even more inexplicable, but I guess it's an easy gig and he owes this show everything for his subsequent success with Little Britain.

By Jay Garrett

Wow – that week flew by!


It’s time for another gadgety update, so what’s new?

You can stay warm and look like an extra from Star Wars thanks to Marc Ecko, make your iPhone look like a tape cassette player and check to see if you’re an internet addict – there’s even an American clinic that can treat you for it as well!

In the past week you have been able to choose to either count down the hours of the day in words or by an average days routines.

Two of the sexiest concepts this week probably sit at either end of a very long scale.  At the more affordable end is the iPod Slide with its nifty hide-away screen and at the other end is the Chanel Fiole futuristic car.  Both look rather tempting!

By Jay Garrett

Ah, it seems so long since we last met.

Fear not gadgety faithful; Jay is here now and I bring an update.

Well thus far into August there's been the new INQ Social Network-centric phones,  8-bit Tarot Cards, an updated  1957 Aston Martin DBR2 that uses NASA technology, a hands-on with LG's BL40 Chocolate widescreened mobile phone, an incredibly green Samsung mobile and Holograms that you can actually touch.

That's not all though.

I've interviewed Tim Page from Sony Europe Televisions, witnessed a digital camera with a front-facing LCD screen, read so many rumours about the Apple iPad/iTablet/iProd and nearly fell over in disbelief when I saw Paul Teutul Jr of Orange County Choppers riding an electric chopper.