"If you're an alien, how come you sound like you come from the north?"
"Lots of planets have a North!" - Rose + the Ninth Doctor, "Rose" (A1) -2005
I'm afraid its with North America that I have to start my latest blog/rant. Hello again, by the way everyone - welcome back if you're an old mate, if you're new, this is a good place to start. I'm one of those that like the US electorial system - I suppose it comes from watching my favorite season of The West Wing, Season 6. A very brave experiment to devote a whole season and a half of a telly show to an almost real time search for Martin Sheens successor. I love the fact you see Jimmy Smits right at the start of the process - scratching around in the depths of winter after deciding to run for nomination looking for any hustings, any chance to get some publicity. And slowly but surely, the profile grows, through the conference and nomination, through the famous Season 7 debate (both East and West coast versions), and the show surviving the tragic death of John Spencer as Leo to a triumphant election 2-parter and through to inaguration and those great final episodes where you see the end of the old team and the start of the new.
And now it seems its happening for real with Barack Obama. Seriously, where was he five years ago? And now it's the heart vs the head for early November. But I get the distinct impression that this long haul is not everyone's cup of tea. So I thank God that a sardonic savior is around to put the daily struggle in perspective - yes, its Jon Stewart.
This assault on the funnybone is definitely one of the highlights of my new digital satellite future. Whats that, you say? Sis hasn't finally sorted himself out and got some extra channels?
YES!!!!! It's finally happened!!! Just before May Day (May 5th), I took decisive action and plugged a sleek black box in for some cracking new shows. And The Daily Show is worth being around for any day of the week - don't know how America survived during the writers strike. It's actually put to bed quite a number of famous urban myths - as well as destroying the concept that the American censors are the strictest in the world, I can discount the fact that most Americans supported the war in Iraq. Am I right in thinking that us Brits came out against the invasion and government first and the Americans have followed suit with Bush? The open fury that Stewart has for the whole process is quite astonishing - regularly getting ex White House staff on to press questions of corporate malpractise and homicide based on the apparent lies we were told.
Throughout the long-drawn out struggle between Clinton and Obama, Stewart has carried a torch of mania and outright giggling where no subject is safe. It gives me a unique balanced view of a fascinating process - and recently on June 3rd, one "guest" drew parallels with the campaign and another long drawn out affair, Lost.Referring to the campaign, the quote was "How has something this boring not been cancelled?" followed by the legendary "Where's the polar bear, man? Come on - it's a polar bear!! On a tropical island !!!".
Genius. Just genius. On the subject of Lost, just briefly, is what I'm hearing about "There's No Place Like Home" true? They haven't done what I think they've done? Bloody hell - talk about jumping the shark.....
Let me put my librarian hat on now -its Reader Recommends time.
Three choices this time around - two (OK, three books) and a truly odd film. I've got everything Bill Bryson has written (apart from his slightly tedious "deconstruction of language" tomes) - and two of the three books has a definite northern feel. Oddly , both the writers are current Radio 2 DJ's and shared a show together - its Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe (the latter of legendary Mark+Lard fame on Radio 1). Radcliffe's saga is an epic story of power struggles , fame and scarves set in the dynamic and shifting world of folk music. Being a current DJ, Radcliffe should know and this experience shows through in the text of "Northern Sky"- all the right questions are asked, some at the wrong time leading to some tasty confrontations. Maconie prefers the real atmosphere of northern towns and townsfolk in his "Pies and Prejudice: In Search Of The North" - again , very lyrical passages and glorious descriptions of places and people both oddball, hilarious and deadly serious. Well worth searching out.
The film in question is Perfume: Story of a Murderer. 
From the opening five minutes with a quick-cut and brutal birth, you know this is going to be something different from your usual run-of-the-mill romcom or search for hidden treasure. Cut faithfully from the novel by Patrick Suskind (which I also completely recommend - very florid and lovely prose - almost scent on the printed page), the brutal story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille , the most gifted procurer of scents ever born, is told from filthy birth through to his outrageous and flaming death by way of a twist the likes of which you have Never seen before. Trust me, if you want an original way to avoid the gallows, this is the way to do it. You know from a French/German co-effort, no quarter is going to be given - and some sterling support from Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman make this one of the most original films of the decade so far.
Finally, I can put a ten-year struggle to bed. Resident Evil 2 is finally complete - I have always hated the fact that I walked away at the final battle a long time ago thinking this is unbeatable - but last month I returned to Raccoon City older and wiser and finally the Birkin beast bit the dust!!! Plus with an added extra - the true end after you beat the game as Leon and Claire with the slimy train finish. I was so happy to finally put the game to bed thought I was going to fall at the last - but just managed to hang on and catch the oohh- so- Guitar Hero credits. Very funky.
So at the moment , I'm running at full speed from an annoying beast who smashes through doors, grumbles "STARRRRS" at me and smacks me over the head with iron bars - yes, it's the Nemesis. Responsible for my biggest shock of the series yet back in the day when I completed the game, it's a little test of just how much I remember. And that's before the little diversions of Code Veronica X and the prequel 0..... blasting heads has never been so much fun....
Summertime...... and the zombies are easy........,
Regards, Sis .x