Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Oy! Where's me beans (with sausages)?


The great bean robbery

Thieves have stolen 6,400 tins of Heinz baked beans. Unfortunately for them, their fences, and the café owners who may have ultimately profited from their criminal enterprise, they have nicked the more niche market and less easily resaleable beans with sausages. Not something your average punter wants with their egg, bacon, sausage and mushrooms.

What made me laugh out loud was the police statement, where in true Cybil Fawlty (specialist subject the bleedin' obvious) fashion they said:

'[The police] are appealing for information, especially about anyone trying to sell large quantities of Heinz baked beans in suspicious circumstances.”

There is a huge temptation to grass up your local Tesco or Co-op, or café. Anyone other than a food outlet or supermarket dealing in large quantities of tinned goods must register as suspicious?


Apparently TV is now better than film (according to some bloke in the Guardian):

I can't see it myself.

  1. The long story
Yes TV give you longer, and I take Breaking Bad as a great example. It gives way too long, on the other hand, to pile s of rubbish way too often, and isn't as clever or as ruthless as the film industry when it comes to recognising that it is time to call a halt.

  1. Less franchise-fixated

Is it? Spin offs abound. Copy-cat programming, identikit hospital dramas, same-old same- old, the film guys are getting there, but have a way to go to catch up.

  1. The power of surprise

Yeah, the occasional programme is just about watchable and even more rarely worth watching, that isn't surprise, that's just lowered expectations, due to experience.

  1. Word of mouth

Small shows get taled up and watched by millions, and the same goes for films. Not a unique television win, mate.

  1. Actors best work

The example given is Idris Elba being excellent in The Wire, then ropey in a thriller with Beyonce. But he was only decent in Luther and it isn't the medium, it's the quality of the material that makes the difference, and while the best telly has got better, most, sadly, hasn't.

  1. The British excel at TV

Do they? Cited are: Downton Abbey (yawn, yawn, scratch, stretch, yawn, dribble, yawn), Top Gear (eh? right wing racist tory bigot petrol heads trading clichés and acting like they weren’t the bullied nerds they obviously were – jesus, if Clarkson (next in the Savile / Hall / Harris queue, trust me) is quality UK telly, that goes a long way explaining why I avoid it like a plague-ridden plaguey thing with the plague), and Dr Who (which was ok, the first new bit, with the northern bloke who was actually funny – nothing to write home about since). Nope, they do not.

  1. British actors rule the US

It does come as a surprise that Dominic West and Idris Elba, in The Wire, are Brits. Could the right Yanks have carried the roles equally well? Well, yes they could.

  1. The bond with characters

Intimacy? Who feels intimate with a soap opera character (this item on the list has a photo of the granny out of Eastenders with it)? Characters as extended family? I don't need extended family, and certainly don't need some sort of imaginary telly friends. Sorry mate. Point not made, epic fail, whatever. Intimacy? Family bond? Bog off with your rubbish.

  1. Big film stars of tomorrow are on TV now

And?

  1. TV made NetFix successful

Er, and?

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