Glee!

[slemslempike]

I got a returned ticket for King Lear with Ian McKellen on Saturday! It is my reward for ringing them up, I feel. It would be my reward for giving a paper, but as I have not yet finished writing it, that might be a bit previous.

Lear! McKellen! I have seen one production before. It was at Tolethorpe Hall, and the highlight was when an audience member sneezed during the most moving speech. This was also before I had read the play, and my sister was annoyed because I told her there was a specific line in it that she was waiting for the whole way through, but it turned out I'd got that wrong. Tolethorpe is a bit wobbly a lot of the time. I've seen a really good Midsummer Night's Dream there, but King Lear was dismal. And not in the way it's kind of meant to be, either.

Must finish paper and do slides for it. Huh. I have been very good (though not if you judge goodness by actually doing any work) and not started the slides until it's finished, because I know I would just spend all my time messing around with background colour and turn up hoping desperately that the audience would be mesmerised by all the special effects and not notice that I hadn't said anything.

I watched Arabella Weir's Tough Gig last night, and was rather annoyed by it. She said that she hadn't done stand-up before, and it seems a very odd decision to have the only woman in the series not be an established comedian (as distinct from comedy actor). She wasn't terribly good either. Her crowd were paranormal people, and throughout the "before" bit where she spent time with them to get material she seemed really sneery, and making jokes at their expense completely, rather than finding out why they were interested in the subject, and what their experiences were. Her gig was more of the same, with the addition of a really stupid comment about the men in the group only being there because the women had big tits. Nice.

I didn't watch Three Fat Brides, One Dress or whatever that dreadful sounding thing is that Gillian McKeith was doing last night. I almost did, because it seems so, so awful. We in this house have been watching a lot of television recently designed to make us better women. Anthea Turner's Perfect Housewife, Trinny and Susannah Undress, and a weird thing about home decoration where they found a couple wanting to redecorate a perfectly serviceable living room, made two mock-ups and got them to design their perfect living room. Which they both duly did, without any thought about what the other might like. The man had a huge flatscreen TV mounted to the wall (and very little else), while the woman had a tiny TV housed in a cupboard, which you couldn't see from the sofa. And then she had her piano in there, and it hadn't seemingly occured to him that she might want that. Oh, bad. Mostly what we learned is that we are not good women.

But! The other day I was watching Trisha (while waiting for Orlando to be on Ellen), and they were doing a make-over of a woman whose daughter complained that she was too frumpy. The mother came out looking uber-swish, and the daughter cried in happiness that she was no longer to be subjected to a less-than-beautiful relative. The mother was a little nervous still, and said "I don't look like Lynn Scully?" and the daughter said "No mum, you look like Susan Kennedy!" Which is, I think you'll have to admit, the nicest thing anyone could ever say to another human being.

Comments

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Nothing on earth would induce me to watch Gillian McKeith, who is a quack (I'd link to why, but I dare say you already know, and if you don't, I don't want to deprive you of the joy of Googling 'awful poo lady' for yourself) but I have to say that I can't think of anyone I'd sooner see on the wrong end of a full-out Bridal Fury. I hope one of the fat brides hits her round the head with an ice-sculpture.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I do know yes, though I don't think I've ever seem more than a minute or so of whatever it is that her poo-programme is called. There were no tantrums to be seen in the clips, sadly, but oh, if they had clubbed together to beat her up quite a bit, then that would have been fantastic.

There was an interesting episode of Trinny and Susannah, in which they were utterly at a loss to start with because the couple they were attempting to "fix" weren't wracked with low self-esteem, and were quite happy in sportswear. And then when they did the naked behind a sheet thing, they were comfortable with their own and each other's bodies, and it baffled them. Hah.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I wonder what on earth possessed the couple to go on the show in the first place. Did they just want to discomfit Trinny and Susannah?

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Apparently the man did want to dress more smartly occasionally, and was worried that they were in a rut. But they did the horrible thing where they take people's glasses away from them, so 1) they can't see, and 2) they look wrong! As if glasses weren't just great.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

If it wasn't for all the bafflingly unflattering beiges and heathers they insist on wearing themselves, I would be willing to bet good money that neither of those two women need glasses for anything more than, say, driving. They think 'oh, it'll be a bit more blurred at a distance, so what' rather than 'These people will be about as able to function as if someone had suddenly made them wear headphones playing loud thumping music and wouldn't let them take them off'.

Alternatively, they do it on purpose to make their protégées less confident and bolshy. I wouldn't put it past them.

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

Lear with McKellen!

*dies of jealousy*

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I know! I'd heard it was on in Stratford, and thought I'd never get to see it, and then when I was looking for stuff to do in Newcastle, it was there for a very short period of time, and naturally all sold-out, but they had returns! And I'm going!

Sorry. Probably not the best reaction to jealousy.

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

No, 'tis okay. I'm so glad that the returns thing worked out for you (I hope someone was as happy when I had to return my tickets to an Andreas Scholl concert a few years back.

I quite like Trinny and Susannah, to be honest. But then, as a rather junior lawyer, I *have* to fit the accepted "image" required of junior lawyers. I can see the problem if someone is being told that they're a "bad woman" for dressing in sweat pants when they're chasing around after kids all day, or that they feel that they have to dress up to keep their husband. But a lot of what they say about styles and flattering cuts and things applies across the board, and I've found it very helpful. And as I say: a law firm is not the place to challenge dress codes (or not until you are secure in your job and know that you have backing from others... when Soccer!Hippie was still here, she, not!Ainsley and I (and eventually BigSis) were pushing the dress code *every* Friday, not just last Friday of the month. When I go to my new place, you'd better believe I'll be toeing the line, heels and all. Possibly even make-up (*shudder*).

[cellardor.livejournal.com]

I decided I'd avoid the fat bride thing, as I can see myself getting sucked into the dreadfulness. Plus McKeith is the worst advertisement for eating healthily. Can't stand to look at her. I want to eat crap just to annoy the woman.

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I agree with you about McKeith! chiller and I refer to her as "that shrivelled little raisin woman". She looks HORRENDOUS, years older than her actual age, and her 'healthy eating' plans are just bollocks - she keeps suggesting things like quinoa pasta which, yes, of course you're going to find in your Cwmbran Sainsbury's. And I hate the way she completely works against people's tastes and preferences, rather than working with them, not to mention all the shaming. If you've got any sort of rebellious streak, she taps right into it. The whole night last night, whenever something 'bad' was shown on the telly (chow mein, wine, burger), chiller and I were like "MMMMMMMMM."

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I know! I saw a clip of the table thing where she showed them what they'd eaten, and it looked GREAT. I'd have eaten twelve of those tables, and possibly the tables too, over what she suggested as an alternative.

[pisica.livejournal.com]

Woot! I pretty much joined the RSC friends club to snag early tickets for Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (well, also it was only 15 quid and I'd just gotten some tax returned), and I booked my Lear tickets months in advance, and I'm so glad I saw the production and also glad that it will end in LA so my dad can see it too.

And I am also glad for YOU that there was a returned ticket.

I saw two eps of the T&S show and I did, even before that, feel that I should stop dressing in jeans all the time, but I don't really want to.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

But why? Jeans are great. I really don't like the way that they try to get everyone to look the same. They are quite good about talking about clothes instead of bodies, but all too often they try to fix mental health problems with clothes instead of mental health help.

Excellent! I'm glad your dad gets to see it too.

[pisica.livejournal.com]

I guess because I've been wearing jeans as a basic outfit for all of my life and I'm weary of looking like a student, as I am finally no longer one. Also, all but one pair of jeans are either ripped in the crotch or otherwise really shabby, so if I *am* going to wear jeans I should at least upgrade to ones I don't have to question about wearing out of the house, and t-shirts that are overstretched and faded because I've been wearing them since high school.

But then I don't, because jeans are so comfy and they have good pockets (I dislike carrying a purse).

I agree wholeheartedly about not being able to fix real problems with a makeover. You can still feel plenty like crap even if they give you a nice haircut during the commercial break.

After I saw Lear I went round to the stage door and hung around until Sir Ian appeared, at which point I asked politely for an autograph for my dad, which I sent him for his birthday along with the program. But the autograph was on the back of an RSC form, so at first he was all, why is she sending me an RSC form? Thankfully he turned it over and figured it out. :)

[peeeeeeet.livejournal.com]

Is that the one with Sylvester McCoy as the fool? ::jealous::

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Oh, turns out it is! I hadn't even noticed that bit. It all looks incredibly great.

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

Obviously the fat bride thing is politically horrendous, but I watched it because I cannot resist Crazy McKeith. It's patricularly weird to see one of her shows back on after How to Look Good Naked, with the gorgeous Gok Wan, given that he's spent weeks building up people's self esteem and telling them they're gorgeous, and now we're back to McKeith shaming people and making them cry. Eek.

But still. Can I just tell you about the best bit of McKeith last night? All three brides had to bring McKeith a poo sample, of course, and McKeith was suspicious that one of the poos was too healthy from the woman it had come from - and on investigation, it turned out that she'd brought in her fiance's poo to fox McKeith! McKeith said something like "he must really love you to do something like that," at which point they showed a montage of pictures of the woman and her fiance, with a soundtrack of Meatloaf singing "I would do anything for love...but I won't do that." Who knew that poo-lending was the 'that' to which Meatloaf was referring? I still laugh a bit just thinking about it. A moment of televisual genius.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I think Gok Wan is great. He manages to jolly people out of their ruts without making them think they're worthless or horrible, and either he's a great actor or he genuinely does think they're all gorgeous, and either way it seems to work. I want to take him out for tea and tell him how brilliant he is.

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

I ADORE Gok Wan, and I really think he is genuine - even if he doesn't really think all the women are gorgeous, he's passionate enough about clothes and dressing to enhance your features and that really shines through. He was on the F Word with Gordon Ramsay last night being all sweary and flirty and magnificent. LOVE. HIM.

[cellardor.livejournal.com]

I'm sure if we delve into the crazy past of McKeith there has to be some shady explanation for her fascination with poo. It's probably why she became a 'nutritionist' in the first place, just to have a legit reason to poke about in the stuff. God she's awful.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Oh, if the best bit of McKeith is like that then you are honour-bound to tell me! That's great. Song-vidding about poo-love. Perhaps I should start watching her. Though it will clearly never reach that level of greatness again.

[chiasmata]

Oh oh oh! Madly madly jealous about Lear, as you can probably imagine :)

I saw literally a flash of McKeith last night, and then had to go and watch some more ER to decontaminate my brain...

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

What was the flash like? Was it even a pretty dress?

I'm so excited!!

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

NO. Traditional glittery meringue-type thing. The winner (who did seem to lose an impressive amount of weight, and looked loads better by the end of the show - by which I do not mean 'thin', but just healthier, clear skin, good hair, etc.) added a bizarre fur stole thing to it (chiller and I speculated that it was because she still had fat upper arms).

And the thing is, you KNOW that all three of them are going to put that weight straight back on after the wedding. I don't believe for a moment that the McKeith plan produces any sort of lasting results.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Oh, if it's not even a good dress then I don't feel so bad at having missed it.

We were comparing Supernanny with Nanny 911 the other day, and saying that the best part of Supernanny was that she'd teach them how it's done, go away and wait for them to fuck up again, and then return to fix again so it had a better chance of sticking.

[chiasmata]

All I saw was a flash of scales, and a woman - possibly wearing lime green - smiling entirely too much whilst standing next to the hideous McKeith. was quite enough for me!

[bouncymonkey.livejournal.com]

Three Fat Brides? I have never heard of this programme, but just the mere title is making me seethe with annoyance.

"No mum, you look like Susan Kennedy!"

I think that is the best thing EVER. <3

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

It looked AWFUL. The one who lost the most weight got a dress. Apparently not even a good dress.

I know! Best compliment you could ever hope to receive.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Well done, you. I've seen Ian McKellen on stage as Richard III: v. good. I can never, ever go to see Lear in the theatre because of the blinding of Gloucester scene. If it's on the TV or radio you can leave the room but in a live theatre I'd be frightened of passing out.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I have had a vague meaning to see more Shakespeare, and now feeling quite guilty that I've only managed it when famous people are in them. But still. I have quite a high tolerance for gore, so I am not too nervous. More about keeping concentration for three and a half hours.