TV Times – 31st July 2011

Celebrity Apprentice USA

Donald & Ivanka Trump - Celebrity Apprentice USA - Jane Reynolds' weekly 'TV Times' reviewThis is a show from 2007, so all of you in the US will have long-since watched it (why DO we have to wait so long to get it over here, BBC?), and it’s on so late here in the UK you’ll either have watched it and know what I’m on about or won’t care, so I’m not going to review the content as such.  I have to say again though: this is by far the BEST thing I’ve seen on TV this year.

Sometimes something happens that really makes a difference to your life.  Episode 3 of this show did that for me last night.  Gene Simmons (who I’d never even heard of until last week I’m afraid), behaved in such an extraordinary way that it literally left me open-mouthed.

Gene Simmons - Celebrity Apprentice USA - Jane Reynolds' weekly 'TV Times' reviewWhat his motives were I don’t know, but it made for the most incredible viewing.  I don’t know what I’d have to say that would persuade you to watch it too, but if you’re in any sort of business (or are into Self-Awareness/Motivational Techniques), then this Episode will give you as much food for thought as anything you’ll read in a book.  (If you do watch it, and want to discuss it with me afterwards, I’d love to hear your thoughts!)

As for Piers Morgan: it’s like flicking a switch.  You go from loving to hating him in an instant – and then back again. I’d love to know what American viewers think.  I’m guessing it’s like Marmite.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH EPS 3 & 4 ON iPLAYER

Show Me the Funny

ITV1 Show Me The Funny - TV Times - Jane Reynolds' Weekly BlogThis week’s Show Me The Funny focussed most of the time on watching the candidates square-bashing and trying to undermine discipline as they visited an Army Barracks.

Luckily, I virtually never watch anything ‘live’, so was able to Fast-forward most of it.  As it’s meant to be a programme about stand-up comedians, I don’t understand why they’re not showing the whole of the candidates’ routines each week.  Surely that’s what it’s supposed to be about, isn’t it?

IEllie - ITV1's 'Show Me The Funny' - Jane Reynolds' TV Times reviewt appears to be more about ‘Entertainment’ than the comedians themselves.  Maybe as the weeks go on and there’s less of them, they’ll start showing more of their routines?  The two weakest have already gone.

Ellie’s the best (in my book), so far, but I’m guessing one of the blokes will have to win, as a woman’s just won the Radio 2 New Comedy Awards 2011 and I’m guessing it wouldn’t do to have two female winners …

Alan Davis gives me the creeps.  Sorry; it’s the hair.  I liked him in the recent BBC Series Whites (but that was because I didn’t realise it was him for the first two weeks as he’d had a proper haircut)!

Episode 3 ITV1 (Monday 9.00 pm).

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ‘SHOW ME THE FUNNY’ HOMEPAGE

The Hour

It’s no good, I just can’t ‘bond’ with the Freddie character.  He looks too young and weedy to be a believable love interest for Bel.  She’s about to have an affair with Hector by the look of it though so that’ll help, but it’s all getting a bit complicated for me and is picking up the pace a bit too, so I’ll be well-and-truly lost this week!

BBC1 The Hour - Jane Reynolds' weekly 'TV Times' reviewI couldn’t work out whether the show was supposed to be going out live, but the clips showing Hector not being able to look into the right camera or even answer a question were too far-fetched.  As if they’d have let such a poor presenter continue past even one week, let-alone three?  Ok, we KNOW it was so that he’d suddenly pull it out of the bag and become a star (a bat could have seen that one coming), but it’s as if they’re just trying to fit the 50’s to suit the show – and not the other way round. Interesting how their phones are being tapped.  Some things never change!

It’s quite entertaining though, and I happened to see something this week which said that Episode 3 is a cracker.  Hope so. Episode 3 BBC2 (Tuesday 9.00 pm).

CLICK HERE FOR ‘THE HOUR’ WEBSITE

Sugartown

As I suspected.  Candy Cabs was sweet and sugary (but it had Jo Joyner in it so I wouldn’t have cared what it was about!), and so is this.  Ooh, it’s ever so predictable, but I still enjoyed the first Episode (except the dance routines, which I FF’d), and it had a nice one-liner:

BBC1 Sugartown - Jane Reynolds' weekly 'TV Times' review“What do you do for fun around here?”

“Leave.”

Tom Ellis (in my opinion – other opinions are available!) is mis-cast as he a) doesn’t look remotely like his supposed brother, and b) is too ‘smooth’ and polished for the part.  He’s far better cast as the Guy you’d want to take home to your mother, and I just get the impression whenever I watch him that he’s got a mirror just out of shot so that he can keep checking to make sure he’s perfect enough.  He’s just a bit too sugary for me.  Mind you, it’s called Sugartown, so maybe that’s why!

It’s got Sue Johnston in it, too (most things have), but I’ve loved her since Brookside so am always happy to see her pop up!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SUGARTOWN WEBSITE

What else?

I’m so behind on my Radio listening (it’s all there waiting for me), but can’t wait to get round to the latest Series of Radio 4’s Cabin Pressure, and they’re repeating Series 1 of The Castle on Radio4 Extra.  The first Series was full of great one-liners.  I went off it a bit in Series 2 when they changed the character of Henry to a ‘Rasta’.  It SO didn’t work – for me.

Louie Spence - Pineapple Dance Studios - Jane Reynolds' weekly 'TV Times' reviewI see the outrageously camp Louis Spence’s Pineapple Dance Studios is starting on the Pick TV Channel (11) 8.00 pm Mondays on Freeview this week.

I’d seen a few snippets of this (I haven’t got Sky), and will definitely record it, as much to watch Andrew Stone; a man who believes he’s on the verge of success as a ‘Pop’ singer, but is about ten years too late, bless him!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SHOW’S WEBSITE

PS The New Series of Dragon’s Den starts at 9.00 tonight on BBC2. I might review that next week …

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinteresttumblrmail

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply