The point is taken, the beast is dead

Behold Doom. It is set on Mars (hurrray!), but even more interestingly, they appear to have made large chunks of it as a first-person-movie. Which only makes sense, I suppose, in a 'how-come-we-haven't-really- seen-much-of-this-sort-of-thing-in-films-before?' way.

'Allo 'Allo (Tim has decided to label it ?Allo ?Allo for some reason, making it look Spanish rather than French) has yet to actually properly open, and yet already one of my eyebrows has a bald spot. I hate make-up, hate hate hate it. If there's a worse concept than rubbing gunk through your hair, it's smearing various clogging pastes and sticky goo on your face. Slowly and painfully ripping chunks out of your own eyebrow hasn't got much to recommend it either. I'm also not sure there's actually much to the 'but you look weird on stage without it' theory - I didn't wear any in Little Shop of Horrors, and nobody in the audience or in the show actually noticed until I told them. Unfortunately in this show the parts Dave and I have necessitate ridiculous moustaches, so ridiculous in fact that even two virile manly testosterone filled hairy studs like ourselves are unable to grow them on short notice. Oh well, it's all part of growing up and being British.

The show looks like it will be good, in a certain way. Hmm, that sounds overly harsh. I only really add "in a certain way" to protect myself slightly - the set is very cool, and the cast is very good - the guy playing Rene in particular could probably slip seamlesssly into the TV series as a replacement without too much trouble - but the script itself isn't really at home to Mr. Sophisticated Humour (which I suppose most people that ever saw and remember the show on TV would already know). Not to say that it isn't funny - but just that a sort of founding principle of the whole thing is, say, the idea that people find the word 'boobies' intrinsically amusing. (Boobies - hehehe.) It's much like 'Carry On in Wartime France' I guess, or 'Are You Being Served While I Am In Danger of Being Shot by the Nazis'. Thankfully, it seems the British can just about get away with this sort of thing, where any attempt by Americans to produce something similar normally ends up looking like 'Dumb and Dumber'(shudder). It is quite remarkable how well the show turns subject matter so essentially serious into successful comedy - there just aren't that many comedic Gestapo agent parts around - but if your tolerance for innuendo is for some reason exceedingly low it would probably be better to stay away.

In other show related news, the Madcaps nominations have been released and have caused a flurry - well, OK, more like a murmur - of internet comment. To me this makes for amusing reading, primarily because (somehow) I have found out pretty much who won everything - it's quite fun to have secret knowledge. Otherwise I'm steering well clear of offering too much of an opinion, partially because I don't actually care that much, and partially because I'm already over the tension, safe in the knowledge I didn't win. Or did I? No. Actually, in all seriousness, I did. But then again, isn't the real truth just a series of fictions? The answer is no (but I did win...nah, I didn't. Although perhaps I did). The important thing is to be magnanimous in victory, anyway. Or perhaps gracious in defeat, I can't remember.

Dramatic criticism, eh? (Over there, in a box.) It's great how everyone gets all worked up about the Madcaps...I guess dramatists love drama, otherwise why would they even have awards ceremonies? The answer is not "to recognise excellence", because you can do that without a silly award. Oh well, long may the debate rage, just don't harrass Karen too much about anything, she's well sick of it all already. Maybe we should bring C.K Stead in to judge next year and see how riled up HE can make everybody.

Speaking of the Madcaps, I have to go now and relearn a dance in about an hour by watching a video. Hmmm. Before I do so however it should be noted that Robert Rodriguez's children are named Rocket, Rebel and Racer.

Mad bastard.