Speaking of the often messy, ego-driven, class-driven nexus of contemporary British politics and news media, as I was in my last blog post... I've heard lots of great things about this mini-series over the years but I've never seen it for myself.
The first episode of State of Play airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern, DirecTV Channel 264.
Bill Nighy, who stars in the mini-series as a newspaper editor, was EXCELLENT as an MI5 operative playing alongside his curious neighbor, longtime HBB favorite Rachel Weisz, in the David Hare-directed BBC thriller, "Page Eight," which ran on PBS'Masterpiece Contemporary early last month.
Lots of people I know all over the country say that was one of the best things they've seen all year on TV the past year, along with Downton Abbey, of course.
*You can also STILL watch Page Eight online for free at the PBS website until December 6th.
England's current and past stars are asked, "Why can't we beat Sweden?" (Varför kan vi inte slå Sverige?). English National Team vs. Sweden preview for the Tuesday night Friendly at Wembley on November 15th, 8 p.m. GMT; at 9 p.m. on TV4 Sport, Sweden. Sweden plays Denmark in Copenhagen this Friday night.
SvFF WebbTV video: Erik Hamrén inför Danmark och England.
SvFF's Andreas Vanberg talks with Sweden manager Erik Hamrén about the upcoming matches against Denmark and England, November 3, 2011.
Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand: When the All Blacks were expected to win, what usually happened? Just ask "Sonny Wool"
At 5:45 a.m. Eastern, I'm currently watching the first game between New Zealand and Tonga -from Eden Park- on Universal Sports, DirecTV Channel 625, and the game will be repeated from 5-8 p.m. U.S. Eastern later on Friday.
(Universal Sports is currently being shown on a Free Preview basis on DirecTV thru September 30th, and starting October 1st, it will be offered as part of the Sports Pack, which I already subscribe to. Since the Rugby World Cup will still be going strong, there's the possibility of seeing lots of high-quality action.)
The U.S. plays Ireland in New Plymouth on Sunday, New Zealand time, which will be televised on a taped-delay basis in the U.S. on Sunday from 5-8 p.m. Eastern and repeated from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Reminder: Auckland is 16 hours ahead of Miami/Eastern US
The Telegraph
Rugby World Cup 2011: let battle commence
Rugby’s World Cup will be about thunderous combat, with none of football’s petulance.
By Ian Chadband
9:10PM BST 07 Sep 2011
Here are some things you should know about the Rugby World Cup, which will kick off in New Zealand tomorrow. It will be interminable, running on and on for some seven weeks; it will be predictable, with the chances of a new winner’s name being inscribed on the trophy minimal; and it will be peppered with lots of awful mismatches, taking its cue from tomorrow’s opening game, when New Zealand will roll over plucky little Tonga like 15 big All Black bulldozers.
Meanwhile, in the world of psychic animals and sports predictions... AFP is reporting that:
A rugby-mad sheep touted as the world's latest animal pyschic picked the All Blacks to win their opening World Cup match Friday, in New Zealand's answer to the late, great Paul the Octopus.
Levi's Latest 'Go Forth' Ad Romanticizes Youth Riots At The Wrong Time
Matthew Newton
8/10/2011 @ 01:37PM
As London burns and violence creeps north into Manchester and Birmingham, Levi’s launch of an advertising campaign that features images of rebellious youth clashing with police in riot gear comes at a bad time. That’s the reality the brand is facing with “Legacy,” the latest spot in its often controversial Go Forth series. And according to Creative Review, such synchronicity has led Levi’s to postpone the UK release of the ad.
But if it makes them feel any better, a lot of their jeans were stolen from legitimate stores...
Ah, the San Francisco counter-culture approach to selling jeans!
Despite all the inevitable media backlash and offense this ad would be sure to cause, and despite the fact that they won't be running this TV advert in England for obvious reasons, Levi's "Favorited" this ad on their YouTube Channelyesterday.
Yeah, that'll show the critics.
LOL!
And when DO they run this precious Wieden + Kennedy ad on TV in the U.K., anyway, given public sentiment?
Play with fire, you get burned.
Especially when you play with poseur fire!
Channel 4 News video: Reporter Jane Deith describes the police's seven-hour battle of endurance in Manchester, where they were usually on the wrong side of a cat-and-mouse game with looters, to the dismay of shop owners and residents.
Entire families are showing-up at Manchester City Centre stores being looted with their cars -and children.
And the kids are helping Mom and Pop to loot!
I've been listening since 10 a.m. Eastern in utter amazement as the situation escalates.
An MP for Manchester has stated on the air that the police knew where the most likely hot spots would be, so why weren't they pre-positioned?
Instead, the largest gangs are engaging in hit-and-run tactics, and hours later, they seem to have the advantage over the timid police, who are vastly out-numbered.
One thing is abundantly clear in listening to eyewitnesses for hours: there are thousands of people looting, not hundreds.
And more cries are being raised for the British military to get involved since the timid police tactics so far are proving completely worthless.
Listening to BBC's 5 live reports LIVE from Croyden on rioting by thugs and the devastation they have wrought, while Police did nothing but mill about
Tuesday August 9th, 2011
2:30-4:20 a.m.
Below, some things I've learned while listening to BBC's 5 live reports from Croyden in South London as one successful shop -owner after another describes rioting by gangs of teens and the devastation they have wrought, destroying small shops that in some cases have been there for 40-50 years, as well as Ye Olde Dominos Pizza..
One business destroyed has been there for 140 years -made it thru WWII, but destroyed by people in their own neighborhood.
It's located on a street that's named for the business...
Nearby is a safe in the middle of the street.
A woman who owns a maternity boutique described seeing her life's dream literally going up in smoke, finding small hangers on nearby streets that had fallen from the clothes that were stolen.
The hangers got in the way of how much they could carry out.
Guess we'll finally see what all those CCTV cameras can do, since there is clear shots of what took place and who was doing it .
I also think we will be hearing lots of talk about future reprisals against the guilty.
Many business owners think that the military needs to get involved and wonder how 13-year olds are out on the street at 1 am without their parents knowing?
And ask why there were no water cannons or rubber bullets?
Lots of people interviewed there -and listeners at home- texting in to the Breakfast show are taking the Police to task and criticizing the Police establishment for their failure to adapt to changes -social media, Internet, cell phones- and to stop acting like it's fifty years ago and the problem is just juvenile delinquints out on a lark.
Lots of criticism of The Met following an outmoded Police model of civil cooperation that is simply fantasy-land.
Business owners and BBC listeners are saying over-and-over that the criminal element isn't interested in cooperation or "working with the community" but the Police establishment will be slow to change their tactics and strategy.
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is being interviewed now and wants to say that it's "sheer criminality" -and she has said it 6-7 times- but she is avoiding answering the host's question about whether or not these are, in fact, race riots, since most of those involved are poor Blacks/Carribean and in many cases, it's Asian-owned shops that are the ones that seem to be targeted for destruction.
Many think that while there's an element of wanton opportunistic destruction, there's definitely an ethnic angle, too.
It's also been mentioned that the European press is already saying that the riots show the failure of multiculturism.
All the affected areas in London are ones with the highest concentration of gangs.
The past Labour government's notions of empowering social workers to reach out to the community is a completely failed policy in the view of the majority of the people I've heard today.
One such woman calling for more of that now is getting withering criticism on the radio from others and is actually blaming the necessary govt. cuts for the troubles.
Some people can never accept the fact that their high-minded approach, however well motivated, has failed, which the last three nights has thoroughly proven
Or recognize that some people are, in fact, criminals.
The UK-Netherlands "friendly" at Wembley Thursday night is now in the hands of the Metropolitan Police, not the FA, with a decision expected later today before Dutch team flies out from Amsterdam.
Kudos to Breakfast co-host Rachel Burden for walking thru Croyden while doing her report and keeping it together while seeing such signs of devastation.
It made me think of ABC News'Diane Sawyer and her well-known ability to do the same, regardless of circumstances, at world and national hot-spots, which is why she does that so often -and so well.
On the 5 live website yesterday, I spotted a very interesting video in which former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond"explains what life as a Princess for Kate Middleton could be like."
Above, my screen-shot of David Furnish and Elton John at Westminster Abbey around 10:05 a.m. looking around at the impressive scene all around them.
This morning, as planned, I'm listening toBBC Radio 5 live'scoverage of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton -the future Duke & Duchess of Cambridge- and watching theBBC-TV's worldwide coverage, the latter of which I'm watching on the local Miami PBS affiliate, WPBT, Channel 2.
5 live's Victoria Derbyshire, Richard Bacon and Gabby Logan are hosting the coverage on the radio side and have already been mentioning some good factoids, anecdotes and stories of a sort that American reporters flown over to London for the occasion couldn't possibly know or tell as well, which is one of the reasons that I'm observing the wedding this way, and not watching the U.S. TV networks.
SERVICE REVEALED St James’ Palace, which is the official residence of the bridegroom's father - has issued an order of service for tomorrow’s proceedings which it boldly claims to be “the epitome of Britishness'. We will be examining whether it is, with three people who have some degree of access to the question of what ‘Britishness’ actually is.
You can watch the last seven days of Channel 4 newscasts on their catch up player - available on iPhones and iPads too: http://www.channel4.com/news/catch-up/
Look out NASCAR! The Rhesus macaques at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire have a car of their own to play with -they're 'grease monkeys' AND quick learners! And their sponsors love them -or rather, will. http://www.longleat.co.uk/ While they have learned how to keep making left-hand turns for 500 miles and how to pull into the correct spot in the pit-stop, there are certain things they still haven't quite caught on to, but give it some time.
For one, they haven't quite figured out how to do the celebratory donut in the infield after the race, an obligatory move in this day and age.
And most importantly for any professional automobile driver, they STILL haven't figured out how to start every post-race interview by thanking their sponsors and mentioning each one in declining order of financial investment. Next year at Bristol and Martinsville!
I should also add that like me, other than at the Indy 500 or the Daytona 500, races with real tradition, the monkeys in Wiltshire see little value in having military flyovers at automobile races. If it seems silly to them, imagine how it seems to those of us who can can add the taxpayer dollars involved...
I should mention here that one monkey wanted to put a Miami Dolphins pennant clip on his back window while still another wanted to put a bumper sticker on the back of the Mercedes that read "My child is a Honor Student at Jim Notter High School", but I talked them out of it.
While you're in the area, you may even want to visit a place that's even more famous, Stonehenge, which is why a friend is fond of saying, "Come for the Monkeys, Stay for the Druids."
FA video: England National Team Press Conference in Cardiff for England at Wales Euro 2012 Qualifier, 25/03/11; Fabio Capello and John Terry comment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAt0OVCvvgE
FA video: John Terry delighted to regain the England armband - Wales v England http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkvx9OIElQA
----- BBC Sports Phil McNulty's Sports blog Emotional Terry picks up pieces By Phil McNulty 16:41 UK time, Tuesday, 22 March 2011
John Terry's bleary eyes betrayed a sleepless night and maybe even a hint of the "overwhelming" emotion of reclaiming the England captain's armband after Fabio Capello's brief address to his squad at London Colney.
Capello's reinstatement of Terry has met with a mixed reception, and the man who lost the honour 13 months ago amid claims about his private life admits he will not be "everybody's cup of tea" after replacing Rio Ferdinand.
Read the rest of the post at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2011/03/emotional_terry_picks_up_piece.html
I've been listening to lots of BBC5 live the past two weeks, getting reacquainted with some voices, sounds and mental images that for awhile had been part of my daily routine, but which changed when I had to work on a project that was taking up a lot of my time.
I've been hearing some very interesting quotes, comments and interviews about Saturday's England at Wales UEFAEuro 2012 Qualifier in Cardiff, which will be starting about 11 a.m. Miami time, as well as the continuing saga of John Terry's quest for redemption, that, if it were about the NFL, people would say, "Wow, THAT's some interesting stuff!" Like the way the current NFL Films videos of weekly 'miked' sidelines sound -a depth and context you're not used to. http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/euro2012qualifying
But because it's about English and European football, and there's not a lot of people hereabouts who share that interest, I don't really have a friendly venue for sharing what I've heard with any locals. Unlike the case in Arlington at Summer's Restaurant, the sports bar/restaurant I frequently went to catch Dolphin games on satellite hosted televised Premier League and Serie A matches on Fox Soccer Channelright before the NFL throngs poured in and the great TV switching and game info signs were hooked up. American Football in one door, European Football out the other. http://www.summers-restaurant.com/ http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer
I actually listened to John Terry's press conference Tuesday afternoon via my computer, which, quite literally, sounded like it was next door, so I could hear the extraneous chatter, the moving about in the back of the room and could literally feel the anxiety from thousands of miles away. There are a lot of smart people who think this decision by Fabio Capello is absolutely dreadful, and a like amount who think it's overdue, and in any case, was NOT playing-related and thus more a media-created controversy than a genuine one.
It's my understanding that it was originally scheduled for Friday up in Cardiff at the team hotel, but was moved-up to tamp down media speculation that Terry regaining the captaincy was sure to create fault lines within the team. http://www.livesoccertv.com/news/3200/wales-vs-england-bellamy-doesn-t-know-me-well-enough-says-terry/ http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/euro2012qualifying/story/England-star-Crouch-denies-unrest-over-Terry-leadership
It remains to be seen whether that press conference will keep lips sealed. Personally, given the circumstances of what's happned, the scrutiny that will only increase and the fact that many reporters simply don't like Terry, I'm doubtful.
Saturday's match will be on ESPN 2 in the U.S. at 10:55 a.m. Eastern, and can also be seen on ESPN3.com.
-----
FA video: Ashley Cole exclusive on Wales, Bale's explosive rise to prominence and Ghana http://www.youtube.com/user/england#p/u/2/kkheSLIHKwI
See also: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/crouch-bale-is-wales-biggest-threat-thats-no-secret-2251063.html
-----
FA video: Wales vs England predictions from the stars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9YxE_XrJok
Former Labour Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, caught up in the MP expenses scandal as a result of a bill submission, and forced to resign from the House of Commons, examines the adult entertainment industry and the wide variety of people "who make, watch and commentate on pornography." To wit,"What is the impact of pornography upon society?"
Her one-hour special airs today onBBCRadio 5 live at 21:30 G.M.T., which is 4:30 p.m. Eastern in the U.S. and Canada.
You can hear it hear here via the Radio 5 live website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/#twoand click the "Listen live" link, or, go straight to the BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_five_live
-----
YourNews24 video: Porn Again - Jacqui Smith http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WT33BJnKFw
----- As most of you who come to the blog fairly often know, I'm a devoted5 live listener, probably listening to it about 4-5 hours a day during the week. I listen even more on weekends because of all the discussion of the Premier League, esp. the 606 Football Phone-in, the U.K.'s biggest football chat show, which is always funny, interesting and fast-paced. It's a great show.
Naturally, from listening for so long, when the traffic reports come on, I almost vicariously hate all those lorry rollovers on one Motorway or another I'm forever hearing about, as much as I hate the near-daily truck accidents on I-95 near the Hallandale Beach Blvd. exits, or the ones that were weekly taking place on the "Mixing Bowl" on I-95, south of Washington, D.C. when I lived up there. So predictable, it almost wouldn't seem like a real traffic report if they didn't mention it!
It's always something and always right BEFORE I need to get on it!
-----
BBC Radio 5 live video: A day in the life of 5 live http://www.youtube.com/user/bbcfivelive http://www.youtube.com/user/YourNews24
FA video: England 2, Denmark 1 at København, February 9, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mZaC1KbsRg
Stories at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/8311873/Denmark-1-England-2-match-report.htmlandhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9392631.stm Phil McNulty's blog at the BBC includes this gem:
The talent was on show in a 45-minute cameo that, while confirming Wilshere is not the defensive midfield man Capello apparently envisages and never will be, illustrated rare gifts and an immediate comfort on the England stage.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2011/02/capello_relishes_win_with_mean.html The Guardian'sEngland National Team homepage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england
Today's Daily Telegraph headline asks the simple question that people were asking throughout England on Wednesday: Why did Britain slide into snow chaos again? An inquiry into how the freezing weather crippled Britain's transport network ordered by the Government Caroline Gammell and David Millward 10:19PM GMT 01 Dec 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8175167/Why-did-Britain-slide-into-snow-chaos-again.html
Channel 4 News -Half of England & Scotland stay home from work due to heavy snow and transport problems, especially smaller towns.Scotland gripped by the worst winter in 45 years http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid601325122001?bctid=694613892001 http://www.channel4.com/news/uk-snow-arctic-weather-set-to-stay
The bad weather created a larger than usual captive audience for BBC Radio5 live and listeners took advantage by generating lots of calls and emails about what people were doing with their time, or, alternatively, relating their "war" stories. Over 150 motorists were stuck in their vehicles on the A57 for two days and were helped by Mountain Rescue teams.
On Richard Bacon's afternoon program it was apparent that residents of Kent, Surrey and Essex largely stayed home, staying out of gridlocked, motorways and London after driving 6 hours hours to get 15-20 miles. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pstlg http://www.channel4.com/news/snow-gallery-november-2010
In Kent, estate agents (real estate) signs were being snatched by kids from in front of properties and being used by kids to slide down hills, i.e. what we call sledding, but they call sledging. And reports are that the snow is only getting worse there.
One particularly interesting conversation I heard concerned the Halifax Courier publisher discussing the era of the new media, but then saying that while he was in charge of a media business with a newspaper component, at times of such bad weather, those abstract ideas about the future would have to take a back seat to him and his team trying to cope with getting news to readers while snow made deliveries impossible on Wednesday, with no print edition.
At one point, someone, I don't know who, even remarked that they couldn't wrap a set of dishes in aniPad, which caused me to laugh, but depending upon your point of view, that's either an overly-romantic image of the news business, or merely stating the facts Jack Webb-style.
Gatwick Airport is now officially closed until Friday.
Squawk Box Europe Airtime: Thurs. Oct. 28 2010 | 3:20 AM ET
Countries keen to host the 2022 World Cup flew into Zurich to meet with FIFA members Thursday. Ben Buckley, CEO of Football Federation Australia, spoke to CNBC about the tournament http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1627049219&play=1 -----
Australia's FIFA World Cup Bid Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zd8lTHdj0k
-----
Come Play! Australia 2018 - 2022 - Australia's FIFA World Cup Bid
Nicole Kidman explains why Australia is the best choice to host the World Cup. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwWs3HxeKJs
http://www.australiabid.com.au/
-----
Danielle Isdale of Ten News reports on Sunday night from Zurich on Australia's World Cup bid for 2018 or 2022
Slate sports nut: The stadium scene. Who Will Host the 2018 World Cup? The most secretive bidding process in sports. By Simon Kuper Updated Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010, at 8:14 AM ET
Three years ago, when the bidding to host the World Cups of 2018 and 2022 was just getting going, a lobbyist explained to me how the decisions would be made. Over lunch at the International Football Arena in Zurich—a cozy annual gathering of the game's power brokers—he led me on to the terrace for a quiet word. There, he emphasised that what "the world" thought about the various bidding countries wouldn't matter much. Instead, the only voters were "24 old men." He meant the members of Fifa's executive committee (Exco), who will choose the hosts for 2018 and 2022 in Zurich this Thursday. The lobbyist and his partner, he added, "know those 24 men better than anyone. We know their strengths, we know their weaknesses." Read the rest of the story at: http://www.slate.com/id/2276128/ ----- Ten NewsYouTube Channel-videos of the most recent news stories broadcast http://www.youtube.com/user/ten
