This is the inaugural blog entry regarding TV programmes that catch my eye. I'll add further entries as and when something good (in my opinion) appears on TV. I thought I'd start with what I liked over the past year. I was unemployed for a portion of last year so I spent quite a bit of time watching the gogglebox! So without further ado...

 The Ascent of Money

This was a really good multi-part series about the inner-workings of the financial system. I got fed up of hearing the terms 'sub-prime' and so on, and not understanding what they meant. Anyway, this series gave a concise and easy-to-understand overview of the financial world and how it came to be, including the much-publicised credit crunch of late. Well noone with any sense at all wouldn't lend money to a pleb who could not pay it back, would they? They obviously would, and did, because of the astronomical amount of money that was available due to the backing of Chinese savers who bankrolled America's sub-prime extravaganze.

Lost Series 4

Yes, a lot of people got sick of this around series two, but the stories kicked-up a gear in season four and for me the series was engrossing from start to finish with a lot of the storylines coming together. Series five is on the way soon and I can't wait. The island-moving trick at the end of this series was a nice ending and the usual episode cliffhanger. I stopped trying to work out what it's all about at the end of series two and now I am just enjoying the ride. That's the best way to watch Lost I reckon.

Heroes Series 3

This was pretty good and the stories are normally pretty engaging, but this series doesn't quite capture my interest as does Lost. It's still worth watching the for the gorgeous ladies such as Hayden Pannettiere and the hispanic chick whose name escapes me.

Desperate Housewives

This is another good US series, but I mainly watch it to perv over the ladies.

The Kevin Bishop Show

Everybody to who I've talked haven't seen any of this comedy show. I thought it was the comedy in ages. Some geniunely original and clever bits such as the Christopher Walken sketches. The show is in the format of someone flicking through the Sky TV channels in a random fashion. If it's out on DVD, get it or wait for the repeats on TV, but definitely watch it.

Live at the Apollo

I've really got into stand-up comedy and this year there's been some really good comedians such as Stephen K Amos, Omid Djallili, Jason Manford and Sean Locke. Omid Djallili's set made me laugh the most, although a few of his jokes I'd already heard before. I always hate it when comedians recycle the same jokes.

 [To be updated soon with the rest of the TV programmes I enjoyed last year]

As a huge fan of Hybrid, I eagerly awaited this CD, and I was disappointed to say the least when the CD arrived and the casing was cracked, and crushed in the corner. A rare damaged good from Amazon though I have to say. Anyway, thankfully the CD played and I'm so glad it did. I assume this single is a poster for the full album, and if so, the next album should be amazing.

It's so great to listen to an original Hybrid track, without worrying about the terrible singer murdering the musical arrangement (with the exception of Julee Cruise who sounded amazing in Wide Angle). This has always been my only criticism of Hybrid; they produce amazing music only to ruin a beautifully produced track by getting a singer who can't sing their way out of a paper bag. But hopefully, this will be a thing of the past with new permanent singer Charlotte James (who sings on this track).

The Formula of Fear is amazing from start to finish, the singing and harmonies beautiful, the rhythm is storming and the track is full of texture and atmosphere with some clever twists and turns.

The remixes on the disc are standard fare to be honest, but I was only really interested in the new unmolested track.

With this track, Hybrid are now a perfect team!

Well worth £3.90!

I am a massive fan of Hybrid, and have been ever since 1999/2000 when I first heard their music, so readers of these comments may think that I am biased, but this review is a honest, unbiased opinion of what I think of the album.

It's a bit of a departure from the normal thread of Hybrid music, and I must be honest, this album was bit of an adjustment for me, having listened to Wide Angle, Morning Sci Fi, and I Choose Noise for the last few years. I was expecting upfront breakbeats, and you have to wait until around CD1 track 5 before there is any resemblance of a beat. So initially I was disappointed, but I listened to the first CD later on the same day, and I eased into the music a lot more. The quality of the atmosphere portrayed on the first CD is outstanding. I really hope that Hybrid integrate this soundscape feel into their next studio album as it's top notch, and the collaboration with Harry Gregson-Williams has been a smart move because the partnership works really well.

So the first CD is cracking, just don't expect any breakbeats. It's more like Chilled Out Europhia, but done extremely well.

The second CD is also very good, the mixes are done very fluidly, and none of the tracks become repetitive. The choice of remix tracks is very good, and on the whole, the CD sounds fresh. The quality of the tracks are on par with the classic techno and trance tracks from the late nineties (Cafe Del Mar, etc), and nothing like the Cascada-esque crud that pollutes the charts at the moment.

One last thing, the mastering of both CDs is fantastic. The clarity of the music is extremely crisp, and I really enjoy playing them in my car with the bass cranked up full. All-in-all, and excellent compilation and easily worth the money. Much better than the Hybrid Re:Mixed album that was an up-yours from Distinctive Records when Hybrid left them to join Hope.

Buy it!

Before I start my rant, I'm not complaining about this, just because I'm British, but because Eurovision is not a fair contest any more.

The British entry was a quality performance and great song; none of that epic bullshit sung by all the other entrants. It didn't deserve to finish at the bottom, on the merit of the song alone. What's the point of a contest where all the voters in Eastern Europe just vote for each other for political reasons? It's a song contest, not a bloody election.

Anyway, I don't see the point of the UK being in Eurovision any more; we should withdraw from it and let all the euro-politicians get on with their politics.

One of the boxes opens, and it's a '1p' box. Cue dancing, singing and hugging, and lots of geeing-up of the audience. I absolutely f*cking hate 'Deal or No Deal'! I quite like Noel Edmonds; he's a good presenter, but this programme is absolute bullshit. A proper waste of a hour's airtime. I can see the point of the game; you may or may not have the £250,000 box, but instead of f*cking about opening 15 different boxes, just f*cking open the one on your table and let me watch something a bit better on Channel 4 in the mid-afternoon. Put anything on in that time slot. I'd even watch a hour of Time Team for Christ's sake. You could fit that entire programme into one of those 60-second news slots.

The contestant says that she loves you, when you open that box, and it says '1p' on the blue label. Just remember, if she's got the £250,000 box, she wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire, and she'll probably spit on you as she passes in her brand-spanking new CLK. With AMG alloys. Just remember, love; you opened a box. You didn't paint the Cistine Chapel, perform open-heart surgery, build an XML-based, ASP.Net-powered website from scratch, or even give birth. You opened a box. You didn't even answer 15 questions. I have no respect for you, as you spit from your car.

The only reason I can possibly think of to watch the programme, is the groan when one of the plebs behind the row of boxes, opens up a £250,000 box. That gives me will to live. I long for the day when the contest picks up an STD from one of the people he/she kisses on the panel.

I use this site to rant about the things that really annoy me about life, and Deal or No Deal is right up there at Number 1 at the moment, closely folllowed by Barnsley Council, who spend £17m on the roads around Barnsley in 2007 (according to their literature). 'Doesn't sound too bad, mate' I hear you say, until you find out they spent £45m on Arts and Crafts! ARTS AND CRAFTS? I'm a graphic designer and appreciate art myself, but I would have rather them spent the £45m pounds on re-tarmacking the roads. Anyway that's a rant for another day. I hate Deal or No Deal!!!

I know what you're thinking; why don't you change the channel? I would if I could sum up the energy to reach for the remote control.

 GC