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Big Brother

 
  

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suds
22:31 / 26.07.02
channel 4 were not happy about the sandy no show, huh?
 
 
Spatula Clarke
22:46 / 26.07.02
Yeah, they did go out of their way to paint a pretty ugly picture of the man. Despite that, I'd imagine they were quite relieved that he didn't want to do it. Would have soured the atmosphere somewhat.
 
 
Ganesh
22:49 / 26.07.02
Yes, Jade's exit interview was the best. I also thought it was sweet of Tim to step back and applaud her when people started to boo him as they came up the stairs together. He let her go ahead and have her moment before he came forward to face his boos alone. An unexpected kindness from him. First time ever I've had a positive thought about the man.

Alex was graceless and inarticulate with Davina, obviously pissed off. Jonny's close second is no disgrace but Kate deserves her victory. Going to miss the shenanigans in the house. This tradition of mass voyeurism every Summer is a curious but satisfying one. Not to mention the daily presence of Dermot O'Leary in our lives, which is nice.

It will be interesting to see how, and if, this crop of BB subcelebs turn their weeks of exposure to their future advantage. I do hope Sandy makes enough money out of it to pay to have the broom handle surgically removed from up his arse. Spencer has lucked into modelling and it will be no hardship to see him in a glossy magazine or two. Kate has intelligence, wit, gorgeous looks and a juicy ladette streak, she will go far.
 
 
Mourne Kransky
23:24 / 26.07.02
Thus spake Zocher, btw, and not Ganesh, who was still logged in.
 
 
Ganesh
00:23 / 27.07.02
I'd have preferred to see Alex evicted before Jade. Otherwise, I was really chuffed by the result. Sooo glad Jade wasn't booed - and her microsecond with Graham Norton ("Oooh! It's Graham Norton! Oooh! It's someone else standing behind him! Oooh! It's a dog!" Etc.) was rather amusing.
 
 
Turk
02:56 / 27.07.02
"It will be interesting to see how, and if, this crop of BB subcelebs turn their weeks of exposure to their future advantage."

Possibly Jade has impressed enough to become a new co-host on Channel 4's RI:SE.
 
 
The Natural Way
08:22 / 27.07.02
Jade's eviction placing established her as the "cult" housemate - not exactly big time, but popular enough to have garnered a loyal, hardcore following. The sort that attracts the lone obsessives, a la "Avid". As much as she annoyed me, she's not exactly horrid or anything(and certainly DID NOT deserve all that cuntery in the press) and I'm pleased she's so well set up now she's out the house.

Tim? Sweet? Maybe. But I tend to think the magnanimous, generous-to-a-fault thing was motivated more by his desire for the public's approval than, y'know, his being a reeeeaally great guy. Note: I don't think this makes him a wanker - under the circumstances, it's completely understandable. It must be horrid being Tim. Tho' I am guilty of big dislike for the guy.

And I certainly don't think Alex was "pissed off". I'm not sure, upoun their leaving the house, a contestant's emotional state can be so easily reduced. Ambivalence, bewilderment and FEAR were, more than likely, the cause of any gracelessness on Alex's part. To me, he just seemed a little bit "dun in" by the whole affair.

So happy Kate won. She was a lovely ray of light in, more often than not, a very gloomy atmosphere. And she's female (which DOES mean something whatever that twart from the Late Review says).

And, speaking of Late Review twarts, it was nice to see Paul Morley articulate, around Mark Lawson's table of snobs, exactly what is interesting and exciting about BB (and with so much gusto and enthusiasm! He was bordering on manic!).

Bye-bye for another year excellent Brother. Now, tellykrunts, bring on the fine documentaries, the Sopranos and as much Buffy as I can shake a stake at! At least Oz is still griming up the airwaves.....

What's Scrubs like?
 
 
Ellis says:
09:17 / 27.07.02
Scrubs is funny.

I haven't seen OZ in three weeks tnough; thought it had been taken off or something.
 
 
Nelson Evergreen
11:25 / 27.07.02
Best Bit for me: the peculiar mixture of disbelief and delight on Jade and Jonny's faces when presented with footage of, respectively, Johnny Depp condemning the tabloid's early treatment of her, and Dustin Hoffman impersonating him on VGN. Reality where art thou? It was a shame that Alex was so subdued, having amused the fuck out of me over the last two months.

Kate's win was an absolute joy.

I read a while ago that Anna, who really should have won in 2000, has been working on a documentary for the BBC; the subject matter wasn't specified, but was said to be something close to her heart. Does anyone know about this?
 
 
Spatula Clarke
16:28 / 27.07.02
Got to agree with The Runce about the Alex interview. He'd acted the same way whenever he was asked similar questions in the diary room, and seemed more uncomfortable than anything else.

Anyone else concerned about the way a slightly creepy Jade 'fan' had not only been allowed into the studio during her interview, but was also given the opportunity to present her with a personal gift? Nice work, security fellas.
 
 
Ganesh
16:30 / 27.07.02
Erm... the 'fan' was Avid Merrion, Channel 4's Ali G-esque comedy Dutchman. He's in loads of the links and appeared on 'Big Brother's Little Brother'.

I like him. He is warm.
 
 
Mourne Kransky
18:34 / 27.07.02
Nelson E, here's a BBC press release with the lowdown on Anna's documentary series on BBC Choice. Saw a little of the wrestling one and she was fine but I found the subject matter dull. Wish I'd seen the subsequent one where she goes to live with fanatical US Christians who claim they can convert gays into godfearing heteros.

You may well be right about Alex, Runce. I disliked him from the start (when he whinged about 9/11 ruining his big modelling break) and very rarely saw or heard anything which redeemed him in my eyes and so am likely by now to give that spin to all I see of him.

I guess that's been the fun and the shame of BB3 for me, experiencing violent likes and dislikes for people whom I feel I know intimately when, of course, I know very little about them and that has been brutally edited to make interesting tv. So seductive to give vent to these strong feelings without any fear of retribution and, given their mayfly existence, not having to feel any guilt.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
22:26 / 27.07.02
Oops. That's what I get for only having terrestrial telly.
 
 
Bill Posters
13:09 / 28.07.02
Does anyone believe the allegation in the Sunday People that Jade bit part of a girl's ear off and ate a chunk of it? Yikes!
 
 
Ganesh
13:54 / 28.07.02
Rather disappointingly, Jade's already gone to the tabloids with claims that Kate's a "bitch" who "used her body to win" (says the girl who stripped naked and had the first ever 'Big Brother' sex), is sly and manipulative and hated by Jade's mother, who wants to "punch her in the face".

Niiice...
 
 
suds
14:09 / 28.07.02
what paper is there a jade interview in? i'll have to see if there are any left. ganesh, i'm sure that there's a chance that jade was misquoted or led to say something she didn't mean!
and also, jade was often stripped of her clothes by people in the big brother house in ways that i think were verging on sexual harrassment, so i don't think that she used her nakedness to dowell in the house at all. i don't think it's that black and white.
bill posters, no.
i liek avid, he is warm.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
14:20 / 28.07.02
The News Of The World carried the Jade interview, I think.
 
 
Ganesh
17:08 / 28.07.02
The Jade interview was in the News of the World - and she doesn't seem to have been misquoted. For whatever reason, both she and her mother seem to have "forgiven" every housemate other than Kate, upon whom they've released a surprising amount of vitriol.

When she removed her clothes during strip poker (or monopoly, or whatever), there were at least a couple of housemates urging her not to, pointing out that she didn't have to do this, etc. I completely agree, though, Suds, things are not that black-and-white. I think it's a feature of the programme's awful misogyny that every single female housemate is, at some time, scrutinised in terms of whether she "uses" her body/looks/charm in order to manipulate the apparently guileless and helpless males. The same accusation is very, very rarely levelled at the men.

It's just slightly sad that, in this case, it's women (and women who, frankly, should know better) who're doing the accusing.
 
 
Nelson Evergreen
17:46 / 28.07.02
Sure. In fact, the axe that Jade is presently grinding probably was kicked off by the final Godalmighty Barney of the series, between herself and Kate on Thursday, over which of them had knowingly or unknowingly displayed the most buttock throughout the series. It was sparked off by some wit shouting a request over the wall at Kate to "Put your arse away". A similar and more appropriate demand might have perhaps been made of Jonny, but such are the times we live in.
 
 
Mourne Kransky
22:03 / 28.07.02
I dunno, Nelson, I thought Jonny looked much better from the back.
 
 
suds
07:49 / 29.07.02
yes, ganesh, i see what you mean. but i don't think it's merely "sad" when females do this to each other, it's what's expected when you are living in a patriarchy and you are female. it's the more than expected it's more than the easiest way to behave. it's deeply ingrained in our society and of course, fucked up!
it was interesting to see who scored what deal with which newspaper. i couldn't bring myself to buy news of the world. it all seemed way too depressing.
was anyone as sad as me and see big brother's little brother award show? chris moyles was there being an ass kisser and moocher, and jade was in paisley which was sorta gross but of course she still looked beautiful. and the best moment of the series according to viewers, was when alex sang behind a door! excuse me, but that was really very boring.
alex's parents look like tory mp's.
 
 
Ganesh
08:13 / 29.07.02
Mmm. I got the distinct feeling Alex could have climbed onto the table and defecated in everyone's lap, and the steady beam of his parents' warm, unconditional approval would barely have wavered.
 
 
Saveloy
10:23 / 29.07.02
I wouldn't be so sure, 'nesh. Apparently Alex' mum (Christine Hamilton) was very upset at something he did during his final shower.

So, has anyone else heard the rumour that Adele and Lee shagged 3 times in the first three weeks? A friend of a friend of the producer sez it happened, so it must be true.
 
 
Mourne Kransky
12:14 / 29.07.02
If true, can't see those restrained and public-spirited BB producers holding back on trumpeting the news and showing candid bedroom antics. Maybe they did it in some hidden corner where nobody could see and no camera has gone before. Nah, Lee would have wanted an audience.
 
 
suds
19:17 / 29.07.02
ew ew ew!
lee having sex!
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
21:08 / 29.07.02
Ummm... suds, mate, does you having said that mean that I should voice my equal horror over Jade having any kind of sex? No, didn't think so. Sometimes gut reactions should stay in the abdomen, no? Wouldn't want people to misunderstand and think it was a 'black thing'.

Adele made a big thing about 'still being a virgin' (despite having had sex with her girlfriend, but she obviously has a different definition to a lot of us, so we'll let that one slide) all the time in the house. I don't think they'd have let her get away with it if she'd fucked Lee on camera.

For my money, Alex's lip synch to 'That's The Way I Like It' was the best moment of the series. But then I really liked Alex... didn't think he deserved to win the game show, but he was the person least playing to the cameras, despite being very aware of their presence. The fact that he and Sandy were the only ones to get actively depressed and annoyed by the reality of where they were speaks volumes to me. They didn't appear to like it in there. Who would, unless they were pretending to?
 
 
Ganesh
21:53 / 29.07.02
I think viewers of 'Big Brother' tended to mislabel attempts to create a pleasant atmosphere amongst one's fellow housemates as 'playing to the cameras' - and it was assumed that those who actively tried to suppress the more selfish, antisocial elements of their characters were somehow being 'fake'. All depends whether or not you want to make a virtue of being true to one's worst excesses at the expense of everyone else. If that's seen as somehow more 'real' then yes, Alex was one of the realest people there...
 
 
suds
23:09 / 29.07.02
sorry, jack, but he has a mean looking face and the body language between him and sophie is waaaay fucked up. yucky. ew.
ganesh, yes, alex was real but lest we forget, he was also very boring.
 
 
Ganesh
23:23 / 29.07.02
Which is kinda my point, Suds: boring, bad-tempered, too selfish to bother 'faking' niceties with anyone. Somehow, making an effort to be patient and pleasant with one's housemates is seen as being false or 'playing to the cameras' - whereas being self-centred, inconsiderate and bad-mannered is applauded as evidence of being 'genuine' or 'real'.
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
11:05 / 30.07.02
I think there are some 'shit-tinted specs' being worn here... Alex's sour and shitty elements weren't nearly as prevalent as people's memories seem to be saying they were, and when having a laugh with the housemates, performing tasks, partying etc, Alex was just as pleasant and approachable as the rest. But he didn't get on with some people in the house, didn't have a very good time, and wasn't always amenable to the suggestion that he should just lighten up and forget about the fact that he was miserable. And I for one didn't see his sour moments as being nearly as unpleasant as they're being painted here. I couldn't have lasted ten days with Jade without wanting to tie her to a nuclear warhead - not just a reflection on her, more that, like Alex, she wasn't remotely the kind of person I could have stood hanging out with on that kind of captive basis. And how exactly would anyone here have reacted when anyone you got on with left the house just as you were beginning to bond?

suds: hugs! Those are the exact reasons I didn't take to Lee. That and the resemblance to Mike Tyson, which did him no favours in the first impressions department, IMStridentlyFascisticO...
 
 
Ganesh
11:23 / 30.07.02
Alex was fun when he was fun, but he had a rather self-defeating tendency to attach himself to (stronger?) individuals who reinforced his sense of separation from the rest of the group, encouraged his self-righteous bitchiness and effectively prevented him from getting on with the group as a whole. He just seemed a rather pale, weedy satellite forever being drawn into the orbits of others...
 
 
Nelson Evergreen
16:45 / 30.07.02
He'd probably agree with you, assuming these are the traits he was referring to when he gave that speech about the BB experience having brought to light certain things about himself he didn't much care for.
 
 
DaveBCooper
16:52 / 30.07.02
Stray final thoughts, in hypothetical order:
1. Kate seems likable, so that seems fair. Got her personality back when Spencer left, too.
2. Could the papers have been more wrong about Jade ? They made out like she was going to win, and she came… fourth out of the four remaining people. Hah.
3. Last year, when Josh pulled Brian’s swimming trunks off, did anyone refer to this as sexual harassment? I don't remember it, but it would seem to apply, wouldn't it ?
4. Is there a transcript of Morley’s comments somewhere online ? He amuses me, so if anyone could help with a link, I’d appreciate it.
5. Johnny’s quite the mover, isn’t he? When he was dancing in the garden in that clip, he was really rather good, I thought.
6. Jack’s comments about tinted specs apply to this series as they do to the show each year, I fear. Of the ten weeks, usually about two are gripping viewing in total, the rest are ho-hum viewing… which is why I guess they put out a 2hr video/DVD of it, not a boxed set. But that said, I’m sure I’ll be back for it in 2004.

DBC
 
 
The Natural Way
17:50 / 30.07.02
DBC, I think the papers, and possibly quite rightly, might have been worried about getting sued. All it would take is one pissed off, slandered housemate and an enterprising lawyer. I'd fucking lap it up if Jade suddenly went "Fuck it, you cunts! You've been calling me a "pig" and basically waffling about how I'm a waste of oxygen for 10 weeks, now I'm taking you for a few million!!"

Yeah, we're all complicit, but Jesus the Mirror were nasty. Really unpleasant.
 
 
DaveBCooper
10:15 / 31.07.02
The Mirror’s whole stance was bonkers, I felt – calling themselves the Anti-BB paper, and then examining it in minute detail every day in a way that suggests they love it.
The way the papers try to ‘get involved’ is rather irksome, really – they’ve tried to send remote control helicopters over the fence before, they try to get people to vote for particular people in the show, and so on… maybe they’ll finally realise that it’s not always ‘about them’ ? That’d be a healthy thing…
But I agree wholeheartedly, it would be funny if someone sued. Especially someone like Jade who'd received a lot of abuse for her appearance - from the objectively gorgeous, elegant and fragrant hacks. Ahem.

DBC
 
  

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