Much better progress with AIOTM today. In fact for the first time in about a month I was actually enjoying getting it together. There's still a long way to go, but the first half of the script is written and I've actually been over it a few times. A stupid and deeply offensive joke involving me and Jesus pretty much came out of nowhere and there seems a lot to write about. I even took a little look in my diary to see when it would be possible to do some more (I could get another ten week run in between the middle of May and the end of July - but might be a bit preoccupied with Edinburgh then so have to be careful) If the last couple of shows get good audiences then that will certainly act favourably on the decision. It would be a great situation if my three days work on AIOTM funded the other four days of the week, rather than the other way round. There are plenty of tickets left for
tomorrow's show (late start of 9.30 thanks to Stewart Graham Lee who thinks he might overrun a bit as well) so you should be able to turn up on the night and get tickets on the door, but
show 10 is already looking pretty busy, so book now to avoid missing out on the party.
And to tantalise you a little, the Ipod/iPhone application that Andrew and I recorded last week (which led to the skit in AIOTM8) should be available to buy in a couple of weeks. You can get a sneak preview of what to expect
here.
And plenty of craziness in the news for potential AIOTM inclusion. Maybe so many that these ideas won't make it in. According to the Sunday Mirror Simon Cowell is launching a range of X-Factor action figures, including one of Louis Walsh. I don't suppose anyone could have predicted that one day children would have been playing with a doll of the short, old Irishman. It is a surreal thought. But my favourite detail was that the dolls are going to be able to utter their "catchphrases" and according to the Mirror Walsh's catchphrase is "You. Deserve. Your. Place. In. The. Competition." Yes that's what he says. In fact he's knows as Louis "You. Deserve. Your. Place. In. The. Competition." Walsh. Not Louis "You deserve your place in the competition" Walsh. But Louis "You. Deserve. Your. Place. In. The. Competition." Walsh. It's unique in being probably the only seven sentence long catchphrase, but definitely in also being a seven word catchphrase. Perhaps it is his habit to turn unnecessarily punctuate a sentence with full stops, but I don't for a second think that "You. Deserve. Your. Place. In. The. Competition." is his cathcphrase. If it is, it's a rubbish one. And someone should really talk to him about putting so many full stops into what he says. Much better to ration them out a little bit. But then what do I know. I don't have an action figure of myself. And probably never will. I. Probably. Never. Will. It's too late to start the one word sentence thing for me. It's. Been. Done.
I, might, try, putting, a, comma, after, everything, I, say, instead.
Damn didn't think I was going to put that in the show, but it turned out quite well. Best not read the blog if you want to be surprised by the podcast.
And another ridiculous non-controversy breaks, as a result of a journalist trying to whip it up. Some contestants in "I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here" or as Louis Walsh calls it "I'm. A. Celebrity. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here." or as I call it "I'm, a, celebrity, get, me, out, of, here," which I have managed to live without watching a single second of (like much of the country it would seem) apparently
caught and skinned and ate a rat to compensate for their meagre food rations. But the Australian RSPCA are now threatening them with legal action for cruelty to animals. Which seems rather ironic given that pretty much the whole show revolves around the murder of thousands of insects and castration of marsupials. But the RSPCA representative apparently wasn't on set that day because no insect murder had been planned. It would have been OK if the RSPCA man had been around to witness the murder, it seems, but it's not OK to do it without his presence.
I don't know. Maybe they should have said something to stop all that nonsense rather than worrying about people killing an animal to eat it because they were hungry, which is one of the better excuses for animal murder.
Ah well, let's whip up another fuss about something that common sense dictates is by no means the worst thing about the thing we're looking at. Much better to create hysteria over a side issue than properly consider the major problem.
Has anyone in the history of the world ever been anything but congratulated for killing a rat? If the bloke who did this should be prosecuted for anything it's for winning a show called "I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here" when no one in the world has actually heard of him before.
When will the press turn on Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley clearly saying "chocolate niggers" after the appearance of a black woman in the latest M&S advert. Come on Daily Mail, do you job.
And a day where I managed to make up loads of funny stuff (I hope) and my job suddenly felt easy again after week's of wading through stodge was made even better by reading the diary of my erstwhile double act partner
in the Financial Times to find him an uncharacteristically chipper and optimistic mood, with his tour apparently doing blistering business as well as getting great reviews. Financial success and critical acclaim - that's a rare combo for the comedian.
And clearly something is going right for me too that his deserved achievements bring nothing but a smile to my face and a warm feeling in the place my heart is supposed to be.
Oh and don't forget the
Collings and Herrin Live Christmas Podcast at the Duke of York's in Brighton on Tuesday. You'd be nuts to miss this if you are in the area. Gonna be a whole lot of fun. Collings has found some of his childhood stories. And I might let him read out "The Dectives" written at an age where I was trying to be funny, rather than being so accidentally. The podcast will be on iTunes for free as usual, but there will be a good 45 minutes of stuff that you'll never get to hear otherwise. So get your skates on. Less than 90 tickets left!
