BCG Daily Tuesday 2nd February 2010

Cable girl: The Good Life

Just how did The Good Life - the improbable 70s sitcom about "non-hippy hippies" turning self-sufficient in suburbia - come to exist?

We respect artists not self-regarding ones like Gervais

Ricky Gervais is hypocritical to blame the press for deriding artists' efforts, writes Michael Deacon.

No More Coffee for Women in the Lobby

This was a tough game of No More Women played out by the lifts at the BBC (you can go on tours there where you catch glimpses of celebs/weathermen).

UK comedy goes "Beyond The Pole" to save planet

Amid the doom and gloom that has followed the lackluster outcome to last December's U.N. summit to save the planet from global warming, it takes a brave man to make a comedy about climate change.

That is exactly what British director David L. Williams did with the film "Beyond The Pole," which is due for British release on February 12 at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts.

Round 3.1: Viva Johnny Vegas

Following the Red team's massive humiliation last night - a 100% clean-sweep by the Blues - Marcus begged me to review the events of the 'closely-fought first battle' (in which he was thrashed in every round) because he's "not feeling well enough to write his blog this week".

Iannucci on Sweariest Oscar-Nominated Script Ever

Movieline's first stop on the Oscar-reaction rounds is Armando Iannucci, the In the Loop director whose caustic political satire today earned an Adapted Screenplay nomination for him and his co-writers Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche. However, more than just being rewarded for the innovation of its characters and story - which focuses on how one press-office zealot engineers a multinational war effort - the Academy may very well have nominated Iannucci and Co. for their exhaustive efforts in developing Loop's stirring new lexicon of profanity. Their side-splitting effort is the only comedy recognized in its respective category - no doubt an underdog against the likes of Up in the Air and Precious, but one that will be happy just to be in the Kodak Theater March 7.

Iannucci spoke with us this afternoon about his reaction to being nominated, Loop's improv factor, and taking Oscar to the outer limits of screen vulgarity.

Argumental Review: Dividing Opinion

The first episode of the third series of Argumental is definitely not seamless, with the supposed spontaneity of the show becoming contrived. However, it is worth watching and it definitely provides some laughs - even if, at times, you're laughing at John Sergeant (bless him), rather than with him.