This is an old page from Rod Begbie's blog.
It only exists in an attempt to prevent linkrot. No new content will be added to this site, and links and images are liable to be broken. Check out begbie.com to find where I'm posting stuff these days.
Snippet from Bill Carter’s forthcoming book about this year’s Leno/Conan farrago.
The fabulous and funny Anna Pickard has launched a new TV blog, and it’s topnotch. She’s kicking off by watching all of Lost for the first time — all five seasons — over the course of one week, so she can be ready for the final series next Tuesday. Marvelous.
ESPN is producing a series of documentaries about notable, potentially forgotten, moments in recent US sports history. Some of these sound fascinating, and it might be worth recording the whole set, just to become more sports-conversant.
Attention Americans with senses of humour (sic): Hulu are now streaming the first series of top-notch British sitcom Peep Show. You should watch it, because it is bloody funny, and only mildly uncomfortably close to the bone.
Dollhouse may not be as dead as thought. Fun with US TV politics means that what “FOX Broadcasting” (the TV network) ordered, and what “20th Century Fox Television” (the production company) produced for sale to secondary markets and DVDs, haven’t lined up, so there’s this mysterious not-to-be-aired 13th episode.
But let’s face it, Dollhouse is still probably not coming back.
The real winner of tonight's debate? ME! For managing to spread my "X loves Y like a basset hound love cheese" attempt-at-a-meme to an unsuspecting debate-viewing audience.
This is amazingly good news. Steven Moffat (writer of Coupling and Press Gang, as well as the best episodes of “new” Doctor Who) is taking over as lead writer. I’m giddy at the prospect of what’s to come.
Preview clip of the US version of Life on Mars. Getting past the generic music and cheesy voiceover, this looks like it has the potential to get the right mix between the original’s storyline and 70s Americana. Looking forward to seeing more.
The superb 90s sketch show Absolutely is finally getting a complete DVD release. Hurrah!
Or, more accurately, my avatar's first appearance on Current.
A comment I posted to the website was pulled into the Current News broadcast at 11pm.
More details of what's going on at TechCrunch.
Ashes to Ashes (the 80’s Life on Mars follow-up) is starting the first week of February, and everything about it sounds bloody AMAZING.
“What’s been your favourite scene to film?” “That would have to be when we were on a speed boat going under Tower Bridge carrying machine guns. Say no more.”
Woot! “The Mole” is coming back in a non-celebrity edition. This makes me: happy!
This year’s Beijing olympic games will have the highest TV viewing figures in the US for, let’s say, 10 years, since it’ll be the first summer games shown in high-definition.
I can forgive TV companies for running crooked competitions, or faking phone-ins, but overrulling the viewers’ choice for the name for the Blue Peter Cat? That’s just EVIL!
DirecTV is beta-testing a new video-on-demand service on their High-Def PVRs. Since there’s only one-way communication via the satellite dish, they require you to plug an ethernet cable in the back of the PVR. Interesting approach.
YES! When I was flying on JetBlue last week, I happened upon a Gladiators rerun on “ESPN Classic” and loved it. Not quite as awesome and deliberately campy as the British version, but still ridiculously fun.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone hint that the season premiere of South Park is so controversy-prone, they can’t reveal its topic in case it gets pulled. Also coming soon: Cartman as Jack Bauer in a 24 spoof.
Christopher Guest is to direct the pilot of the US version of “The Thick of It”. Very cool.
Studio 60 going off the air in a month, return date “to be announced”. The writer sums up my feelings towards the show pretty well: “I don’t hate it, but I find it incredibly frustrating. All that talent—Sorkin, the blue-chip cast (led by Matthew Perry)—and all those lofty aspirations, marred by weak execution, lazy writing, dramatic issues that are hard to care about, and a lack of verisimilitude”
The Mac & PC on British TV are played by ace comedy double-act Mitchell & Webb. Genius!
Tremendously enjoyable quiz show format from the UK. Surprised it hasn’t been snapped up by a US network as cheap filler.
“Chloe is right. Don’t ever question that girl. Believe it or not, she can shoot a gun.”
Amazon have Apple TVs ready to ship right now!
One of the more interesting gadgets I’ve heard about from CES so far: a portable DirecTV system. It’s a case that unfolds as screen, tuner and satellite “dish”.
The rumoured “All Star” edition of The Amazing Race is confirmed. I’ll wait to see the full cast-list before I get too upset.
NBC will stream an extended version of The Office on their website this week after the normal-length episode airs on TV. Considering how good (and plentiful) the deleted scenes are on the DVDs I’m watching, this’ll be worth checking out.
Mitch Hurwitz’s new project is a US port of the low-key British political sitcom “The Thick of It”.
For all the US version of DoND is bright, brash and loud, the UK version is subdued, complex and, from the sounds of this report, completely fucking barking insane.
BBC One’s done a revamp of their Idents, and they’re brill — especially the synchronized hippos. There really seems to be an element of humour about them that was missing from the politically-correct dancers.
Predict which shows will be canned by the TV networks, and possibly win some goodies.
Bugger me backwards, this sounds good. A modernised retelling of Jekyll and Hyde, written by Steven Moffat of Press Gang, Coupling, and Three of the best new episodes of Doctor Who fame. Hooray for the BBC!
Build yourself an 11-tuner DVR so you can record every new show this season without having to think about it.
Crikey! That splendidly-moustachioed fellow appearing in the DaimlerChrysler TV ads actually *is* the chairman of the board. I was sure he was an actor.
For my sins, I’m hopelessly addicted to the current British series of Big Brother (damn you UKNova!). Since it’s not covered by TWoP, I’m delighted to find this excellent snarkblog on the Radio Times site.
Get every single thing DirecTV broadcasts for a $7,500 annual payment. How much pr0n would you have to watch to break even on this deal?
The Brit version of Big Brother is going to include a contestant picked by finding a “golden ticket” inside a Kit Kat bar.
Incredible story of how a fan bought the DVD rights to the excellent, but forgotten, BBC sitcom “Joking Apart” (written by Stephen Moffat of Press Gang and Coupling fame). I only caught a couple of episodes, but loved it, and can’t wait to buy this.
The BBC Archives database has been put online in an searchable and hyperlinked format. How long until the archives are web-accessible too?
Some excellent Public Service Announcements from the cast of The Office. I fast forwarded right past the one in Thursday’s episode, because I figured it was a genuine “The More You Know” segment. Luckily, Joy got me to skip back.
Hopes for a return of Arrested Development are dashed. No worries — It ended on such a pitch-perfect note that I almost don’t want them to return for fear of pissing on their legacy.
Channel 4 are streaming the first episode of Graham Linehan’s new sitcom. It’s good, but not great, but then I didn’t think the first episodes of either Father Ted or Black Books were all that good, but the series turned out to be fantastic.
The Beeb’s made a commentary track for the new Doctor Who christmas episode available as an MP3 download. What a great idea!
BitTorrent tracker focused on video content of a suitable resolution for video iPods.
Recaplet of last night’s Apprentice, the boardroom of which was one of the finest, most superbly bizarre and duck-behind-a-cushionly cringemaking bits of television ever.
This has the potential to be fantastic, and knock IMDB into a cocked-hat for UK telly info.
I’ve spotted this too. I download a lot of TV, but Safe Peer only goes bezerk stopping nastiness when I’m downloading “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, another HBO show
This is an archive of groovmother.com, the old blog run by Rod Begbie — A Scottish geek who lives in San Francisco, CA.
I'm the co-founder of Sōsh, your handy-dandy guide for things to do in San Francisco this weekend.
