Willi's Guide to Glitz and Glamour 1.2

Well folks, it's that time again. Here comes another dose of commentary on the world of entertainment and what's caught my eye.

I certainly wouldn't call myself an avid TV viewer and I am seldom rewarded with power of the remote though there are a few shows that continue to impress me. First up, The Big Bang Theory, the American sitcom about a group of super intelligent geeky types, showing on E4. Aside from my own seal of approval, whenever browsing various TV commentaries, this show is often given rave reviews. As with all great sitcoms, the characters are superbly crafted and their personalities, whilst adhering to the geek stereotypes, retain a quirky sense of individuality. After all, it is the exaggerated nuances of character that add comedic effect. There is the evil genius Sheldon, the neurotic Jew Howard, the superficially traditional Indian Raj and then there is the hero of the piece, Leonard. He's just an exceptionally intelligent young man who doesn't wish to dwell too much on this aspect of his personality. He'd rather spend time with the incredibly gorgeous girl across the hall, Penny, doing 'normal stuff'. Indeed, at this point of watching, Penny is still his girlfriend, Lucky Leonard.

I suppose another one of the Big Bang's most endearing qualities is that its humour does not necessarily deviate towards the sex and drug obsessed 'yoof' portrayed by BBC3 and Channel 4. (Coming of Age anyone? It's an insult that this programme follows the excellent Being Human). Neither is it the atypical tale of a group of metropolitan friends in their late 20s/early 30s who are still trying to find their way yet remarkably afford to live in expensive looking apartments. Along the way, many a relationship fails, jobs are lost and other setbacks occur but ultimately the whole affair is regailed to the audience in all its saccharine detail. Friends undoubtedly set the benchmark for this type of sitcom however it was original. And at times, touching.

All of this brings me along to another American import, How I Met Your Mother. I don't like it. Part of me doesn't want to like it. Part of me wants to persevere. Even the intro song and the montage of the characters pulling endless narcissistic poses sums up everything that is wrong about the show and about people. We're self-obsessed and we demand that people love us. Whether we're starring in a stream of forgetful pouty pictures, taken when we were just walking to the corner shop or sitting around on an alcohol soaked Sunday watching the snooker, we want people to look at us, hear us, watch us and read what we have to say. (ahem, I'm one of these folks too to some degree). Maybe I'm delving too deep here and perhaps I'm harshly judging the programme. But as mentioned before with Friends, when I watch How I Met Your Mother, I feel like I've been down this road before. Except with How I Met Your Mother, I don't like the road so much. It's old, tired and maybe even a little cliched (as roads go). I'm sure the scriptwriters and producers don't see the show as an updated version of Friends but to me, it's trying too hard to be funny and cool and a whole load of other things that its predecessors did so well. Maybe I just don't appreciate its 'goofy' humour. My favourite character is probably the sex-crazed, loveable pervert, Barney. A cross between Joey and Quagmire but then again, I get the impression that he's trying too hard to make me laugh. And quite frankly, that's not funny.

Willi's News Review 1.1

Firstly, please accept my apologies that it's taken a few days longer than anticipated to get the first 'news review' of the year published. And welcome along to Willi's News Review, a condensed commentary on what's been hitting the headlines in the past week or so. It's certainly not going to be exhaustive however I shall do my best to cast my net as far and as wide as possible. The aim is to also highlight a few stories that may have been buried deep in the reams of print and online copy available.

So, now for this weeks news; snow, snow and more snow. The artic freeze that has ensnarled Britain for the past few weeks has been the major talking point. Abandoned cars, icy roads and a never-ending littany of snow tales is becoming increasingly tiresome. Facebook statuses across the land, once charmed by a rare white blanket, are now cursing the prolonged cold snap. 'Fuck off snow' appears to be the message from long-suffering Britons. Spare a thought for the local councils who are under pressure with dwindling salt and grit supplies. We're asking questions about why greater provisions haven't been made despite warnings from the Met Office however how much budgetary consideration can events that happen once every thirty years be afforded? Is there any sympathy out there? No? The cold weather is expected to last into next week though conditions are starting to ease slightly. Ok, let's move on...

Of course, there is a serious side to the effects the bad weather has had with twenty-seven people dead as a result and many more injured or facing severe disruption. Likewise, there are a number of other tragic stories that have made the headlines. The attack on the Togo national football team's bus in the seperatist state of Cabinda in Angola that left three members of their party dead has shocked the world and raised security fears for the rest of the African Cup of Nations competition. Now, under instruction from Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo, the team have left the country and will take no further part in proceedings. Angolan officials were surprised that the Togo national team had decided to enter Cabinda, an area seperated from the rest of the country by the DR Congo. It is also a place of intense rebel activity from the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (Flec), the group that has claimed responsibility for the attack.

So what now for African football? Togo's group opponents were supposed to be Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso and they too had threatened to leave but have decided to stay on. Questions have been raised about security in the country, especially Cabinda, a particularly war-torn province where despite a nationwide ceasefire in 2006, insurgents remain. And security in the continent as a whole will be even more scrutinised ahead of the World Cup in South Africa later in the year. The fact remains however, that this horrific incident could potentially have been avoided had Togo listened to CAF, the continent's football governing body, and travelled by air instead of by road. In the words of team-mate Thomas Dossevi, Togo had wanted to "to show our national colours, our values and that we are men".

As campaigning begins in earnest in preparation for a general election to be held in May or June at the latest, Gordon Brown survived an attempted coup last Wednesday. Former cabinet members Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt failed to weaken the Prime Minister sufficiently or garner enough support to challenge his leadership of the Labour Party. Indeed, according to the latest ICM poll, support for Labour has marginally risen. The net result has been a strengthening of support for Brown. He may be considered a 'lame duck' Prime Minister however with the support of arch schemer Peter Mandelson, he remains a defiant and stoical figure, comparing his struggles to that of Nelson Mandela. Mandelson may be trying to loosely disguise the schisms that exist within the Party and perhaps inside the Cabinet itself however it is important to him and Labour to maintain a united front. Despite Brown's unpopularity with the electorate, a change of leader is unlikely to aid their chances at the ballot box.