John Updike: 1932-2009.

By way of a tribute to John Updike, who died yesterday, an interview from 1995.

All text © 2009 Gary William Murning

Defining Yourself As a Writer.

The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn’t behave that way you would never do anything.

John Irving.

Books, Books, Books…

 Today I bought:

Engleby
By: Sebastian Faulks.

In Search of Schrodinger’s Cat
By: John Gribbin.

The Kraken Wakes
By: John Wyndham.

The Chrysalids
By: John Wyndham.

The Christmas Mystery
By: Jostein Gaarder.

Revelation Space (Gollancz S.F.)
By: Alastair Reynolds.

What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character
By: RP Feynman.

And they’re all for me! Ho Ho Ho!

© 2008 Gary William Murning

John Barrowman’s Fruit and Nuts.

Okay, it’s official. The world has gone totally fucking mad. First John Barrowman — star of the West End and Torchwood (he’s also been known to “sing”, but it’s probably best if I don’t mention that) — decides to flash his genitals during a Radio One interview. A pretty juvenile thing to do, admittedly, but not exactly the end of the world.

And then?

Well, and then someone actually complained. Someone sitting at home felt the need to pick up the telephone and express his/her disgust at the fact that Mr Barrowman had flashed his genitals… on the radio! Nothing appeared on the studio WebCam. No one, as far as I know, saw his “fruit and nuts” other than the hosts Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac (who were, possibly quite provocatively, asking him about his “predilection for exposing himself during interviews”), and for all that the listeners knew the incident might not have actually occurred at all. But… someone… complained.

Bleeding barmy.

Mr Barrowman has since apologised for any offence he may have caused.

And whilst the image isn’t the most appealing to me, I like to think he was stark bollocking naked when he did so.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Triffids Returning to Television.

The new incarnation of the Triffids with their fatal sting will be shown in High Definition for the first time.

via BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Triffids returning to television

John Wyndham’s science-fiction classic The Day of the Triffids is to get another reworking by the BBC in a production due to be screened next year.

And I for one am certainly looking forward to watching it.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Sergeant Marches.

Former political journalist and the unquestionable star of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing John Sergeant has, alas, decided that enough is enough and the joke has gone on long enough. After being continually criticised by the judges, and in spite of the huge public support, this funny, charming and thoroughly entertaining gentlemen has quit the show.

Whilst I certainly understand why he felt the need to do this I can’t help feeling that this light entertainment show has, in this case, lost some of the very things that made it successful. Humour and the opportunity for the viewing audience to stick two fingers up at the judges and vote for whoever they judge fit. Contrary to the insistent proclamations of some, this is not a dance contest. It’s more than that. If it were not, the old format Come Dancing would never have become unpopular and faded from our screens.

Strictly Come Dancing is purely and simply light-hearted entertainment. It’s disposable television intended for those of us who just want to turn off for a short while and watch something that demands nothing.

Let’s not take it too seriously, please. It kind of defeats the object.

John actually looking quite graceful in my humble opinion.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Clothes Maketh the Candidate.

Whilst amusing myself by watching this “explanation” by Sarah Palin of the $150,000 wardrobe issue (I’m tempted to say at this point that maybe she should have gone to IKEA, but that really isn’t very funny, now is it?), I found myself scratching my head. Admittedly, I don’t know a great deal about how the RNC allocates its funds, but when she says…

“[...] they are not my property [...]“

… is that really the point? The fact of the matter is, the money was spent by the RNC — probably in an attempt to make this proud hockey mom look less of a hockey mom, or maybe to wreck the Saturday Night Live budget — to improve her image. Okay, if it had all gone according to plan, they all would have benefited, but the bottom line is, she got to dress up and she loved every minute of it.

$150,000. And to think they could have improved her image at no cost whatsoever, and to greater effect… by simply telling her to keep her bloody mouth shut.

Sheesh. These guys could really do with a thrifty Yorkshireman on their team. If anyone from the RNC is reading this and wishes me to share my expertise with them, by all means email me. It goes against the grain, politically, of course, but… let’s call it $150,000 — I’m anyone’s for $150,000.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Sarah Palin Poll.

It seems that WordPress has given us a new toy with which to play. It’s now far easier to create polls.

And so I thought I’d give it a go. (Not to be taken entirely seriously, this in no way implies a personal preference either way… ‘onest.)

What I Really Think of Sarah Palin.

In my comment to Lottie’s excellent post Sara Palin: Full of Crap, Bless Her Heart, I think I may have enjoyed myself just a little too much hehehe…

Sarah Palin and Her Bible.

Yet again I find myself thinking, if only she’d left her Bible at home…

Peter Brookes –Times Online.