New Year, new site

The Stoat has moved to a new site for the new year! Thought it was about time to drag myself out of the dark ages... Take a look at Media Stoat

Driving Home for New Year

Well, for once the weather forecast was right. I'm home after driving pretty much the full length of the M1 motorway with most of it drenched in spray, hurling down with rain, strong and gusty winds and - through the Midlands - mist. Nice. So after 200 miles my shoulders are shot but the beer is poured, and the nibbles of French sausage, Turkish Delight and Mini Cheddars are going down a treat. There's candle light, because the fuse for the lights has gone and we don't have any spare, whilst musical accompainment is seaping through the wall from next door's party (wouldn't be so bad, but no taste whatsoever!!).

Have to say though that Radio Five Live did themselves proud with a pre-recorded programme this evening - the film review programme was a re-run from Christmas Day, but at least the intro and outro was re-recorded to reflect this, and apparently, the programme re-ran the same web-cam pictures. That's a very clever idea if that actually happened, but I was doing 45mph on the M1 in a monsoon at the time, so can't prove it.

So as the old year turns new, the news agenda keeps turning, so I'll leave you (on UK time) with this thought from Lost Remote on the Saddam-hanging material that's doing the rounds on the net courtesy of a mobile phone (and someone was taking still pictures, too, I note from this evening's news). I tend to agree with the posting, 2007 will be interesting.

Have a good one and see you next year :)

Oh dear... oh dear, oh dear...

Work over the past couple of days has been very quiet. It's a great time to get the naff jobs out of the way that I've put off the rest of the year. Although this year, a whinging colleague who should've been on holiday had it cancelled and turned up to tell everyone about it... and not just once, oh no... It hasn't been cheery.

Aside, I went to see The New Statesman at the Trafalgar Studios last night. I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time. I've heard that the script has some additional material on hand depending upon the political news of the day. The thought of the US invading Norway and Alan B'stard's quest to take over Number 10 by kidnapping Tony Blair and bringing down the BBC was very, very funny. Excellently written and a superb performance from Rik Mayall, it definately brought back fond memories of the original series from the 1980s. Indeed, I noticed that amongst the programmes was a DVD of the first series. Fine stuff. Great theatre too, as the front row is actually on the floor level stage.

Westminster Council has been getting ready for the Trafalgar Square New Year's Eve (non) celebrations. I spotted this lunchtime teams of workmen brushing anti-climb paint on all the lamposts. And then tying signs to each one warning of the paint's presence. Why? Surely if you're drunk enough to have a go climbing a lamp post you're not really going to be reading signs.

Happy New Year! I've great plans for 2007.

The Best... and the worst

I love this time of year as it really brings out the two faces of the media.

On the one hand, the reviews of the year and pre-recorded specials in place of live broadcasting is a complete nause. I also can't abide programme presenters that proclaim they'll be with us on Christmas Day - in spirit alone as it's obviously pre-recorded - there's been a lot of that on Radio Five Live over the past few days. I've presented on Christmas Day morning, it was great fun and still got home before lunch.

On the other, there's been some good efforts. The BBC World Service 'Europe Today' programme ran Europe's Christmas food and festivities. Very interesting differences and similarities. The common message was the fear of commercialisation and 'cultural imperialism' from the USA.

On television, the Christmas Day special of Dr Who had its good and awful points (not for this posting, but I'll let them go by because I'm feeling charitable for once) but bleeding dry Strictly Come Dancing? Enough, please. That said, the Father Ted Christmas special in the lingerie department is still very, very funny (as was the 'Father Neil Hannon' quote). And since when was a BBC programme getting high ratings a news story and worthy of interactivity? Oh, every day if you're the BBC news website needing some filling...

I presume next come the New Year Resolutions? Food for thought... meanwhile, another beer methinks.

Wow, Chelsea have just scored an own goal... that's something you don't see very often!

Hic!

Greetings of the season!

Best wishes to you, be you in Australia, Canada or in the places in between.

After a fill of food and merriment, I'm sleeping it off, so some broadcasting musings tomorrow.

zzzz zzzz

My husband and i-pod

Probably the best thing about HM Queen's Christmas message this year being podcast is not that fact that it's being podcast at all, but the fact that Private Eye foretold the event in a cartoon earlier this month!

Tracking Father Christmas

I could witter on about the BBC telly tax story, or that it's still foggy in London and there's travel chaos.

But no, the biggest story of the day is this:

NORAD is tracking Santa!

Can't wait for the first piccies. I'm pretty sure that this was on-line last year, but according to the website they've been doing this for over 50 years. A small bell did start ringing when I saw this earlier, and I recall from my Cold War childhood a news story of NORAD not only looking out for missiles and impending doom, but also Santa.

Ahh.