Atticus

Oh god. Last night I was flicking through Twitter when the usual 'Find your friends on Twitter' option came up. As usual, when I clicked it checked my Yahoo contacts and came up with zero.

But in my haste to get off that screen I accidently clicked 'yes' to sending out invites.

It went out to EVERYONE in my address book - work colleagues, my bosses, contractors, sub-contractors, people I approached for a job years ago........

It's so unprofessional. Is it possible to die of shame? If not, can someone please kill me now.

I may have to hand my notice in, just so I don't have to face any of these people again.

Umm...so the Creeper is now supernatural in the New 52?

I watched Dates on Channel 4 last night, the first in a short series of stand-alone mini-dramas featuring (mainly) just two actors meeting on a date.

This one had the surprisingly restrained Will Mellor meeting his blind date, the lovely Oona Chaplin, who was previously brilliant in BBC2's The Hour.

It was a great little slice of drama from the writer of Skins, with Mellor playing David, a lorry driver on his first blind date opposite Chaplin's bitchy Mia. As you would expect of a double-header like this, the show relied heavily on the dialogue between the two characters and it didn't disappoint.

Mellor was subtle and Chaplin was spiky as the two verbally jousted in the first half of the programme, where Mia attempted to stand David up while checking him out unannounced across the restaurant. As the programme developed we see Mia start to warm to David's lack of bullshit and evident down to earth kindness, although she does her best to keep it hidden beneath her hard facade of metropolitan girl about town.

The closing scenes, where David reveals how he ended up using a dating agency, were genuinely surprising and moving. Mia's reaction was perhaps inevitable, and we leave the two in an ambigous street scene as they depart the restaurant.

I'll certainly be watching the rest of these.

I have no idea who those ladies are, but can I have the 2 brunettes wrapped and sent up to my room please?

I think you were doing the right thing waiting for a while before introducing your BF to your Dad, if that felt right for you. But the opportunity is there now, so if you're looking for an opinion I'd say go for it now. Besides, it'll look weird if some months from now you introduce him and your dad says "don't I know you from somewhere?"

Anybody else watch The Americans the other night (ITV, Saturday)?

I was pleasantly surprised. I had to get over my initial dislike of watching ITV in the first place, and then an opening where they tried to cram in as much as they could into the first 15 minutes. Secret agents, blowjobs, high octane chase through some alleys and a highly choreographed fight scene all seemed a bit trying too hard, but it settled down to a more talk-ey scenario pretty soon.

By the end I was happily drawn into this world of KGB deep cover agents, their family, and their new neighbour, a counter espionage FBI agent who coincidently (or perhaps purposely) moved in next door. Some of the exposition in the flashbacks was perhaps a bit clunky, but I'll forgive that in a first episode. An interesting family set-up too, as KGB mom & dad dwell on how to keep their genuine purpose separate from their family life.

Given the satisyingly blurred lines between the "good" guys and the "bad" guys, this will happily fill the Homeland shaped gap in my viewing schedule (since that has already jumped the shark in a spectacular fashion)

I'm obviously doing something wrong.

Clicked 'inca's link, takes me to the National Trust Facebook page.

I click the link to take me to the shortlist and I end up on a page that tells me I must be logged in.

Sorry, but my luddite tendencies are preventing me from voting.

Getting it out the way first, I still suggest Robert Glenister for the next Doctor. He can do blokey (Hustle), he can do upper class with an authoritative edge (Spooks). He's not going to have a female companion getting all dreamy about him or flirting outrageously, and a male companion could create an interesting dynamic.

Now that's out of the way, I quite like the idea of Sue Perkins but unfortunately she's a terrible actress.

Miriam Margolyes would be great but perhaps too old.

Julian Rhynd-Tutt (I'll have to check the spelling, he was in Green Wing) would bring a ginger to the role at last.

Cumberbatch is probably above doing such a role now.

Paterson Joseph could've tied up the next incarnation when he auditoned for Smith's role, that would be cool.

What about Tom Hollander?

Can't quite manage to post a link for some reason, but Bleeding Cool seem to think that the BBC will announce tonight Matt Smith's departure from the show.

New Doctor takes over next August, with a full series run (rather than 2 halves) taking us up to the 2014 Christmas special.

Flavoured...........whisky......?!? Oh my sainted aunt.

From my pretty basic recollection of the movies I'd have to say that as usual Mark Speaks The Truth.

Mark, I get the feeling that like me, you will not be happy until Nina Sosanya is in everything you watch & enjoy.

Lovely pic. I'll vote from my computer at home - we aren't allowed access to social networking sites at work.

Do you have to be on Facebook to vote? Cos if you do, then I'll have to offer my apologies.

Aye, I see what she's done there - she's used the "devilishly handsome" filter.

That woman was tremendous.

As for the racial/cultural thing, my main gripe on that score is Chekov's outrageous russian accent. When everyone else, including the aliens, speak fluent English, having him speak broken "russian-english" just makes him seem like an idiot.

Aye, it does seem a little off but I just assumed that they were taking their cue from TOS where Chekov & Scotty were the only ones to speak in a non-US accent (despite Uhura coming from "United States of Africa" she shows no trace of even a generic "TV" African accent).

It's even more strange when you realise that although the Yelchin family left Russia when he was only a baby, Anton would surely have grown up with russian accented english at home. Maybe his accent is too real? Or he might just be bad at it.

Regarding the "white / non-white roles"

I second all the positive comments on the finale, which have been put far better than how I could have.

Some great moments (without spoilers):

The opening scene was EXCELLENT!

Strax going to Glasgow for a fighting holiday.

Jenny's "I think I've been murdered".

Strax finally being threatening when he turns on Madame Vastra.

The whole concept of what is contained in the tomb of a time lord.

The answer to the impossible girl.

A bye-bye to River Song.

The forthcoming 50th Anniversary special looks even better now.

And I'll not even get all humpty over Madame Vastra's anachronistic chairs.

Common complaints: tacked on/ham-handed 9/11 subtext, pro-interventionist/militaristic rhetoric, sexism in the form of gratuitous bikini scenes, racism in the form of stereotypical alien species, white men cast as obviously non-white characters etc etc.

I didn't think the post 9/11 subtext was any more ham-fisted than most other movies;

I actually thought the movie was more anti- than pro-interventionist;

the underwear scene WAS quite gratuitous;

I'm a bit confused about what was stereotypical about the alien races featured - Klingons are already pretty well-defined rather than stereotypical, same with Vulcans, and how can you avoid being stereotypical when showing a primitive society?

Don't recall any white people in non-white roles. Uhura was definitely not played by a white woman. Sulu as played by a man of Korean descent. What other 'non-white roles' are there in the Star Trek canon?

I'm seriously considering a second viewing, this time in IMAX 3D

In the words of Acting Captain James T. Kirk in the first movie: "DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!!!"

According to Stephen Fry on an old QI "Newcastle is the largest UK city without a red-light district.......it doesn't need one"

Did you see the Angel Of The North from the train? Impressive, but smaller than you expect.

It's beautiful. It doesn't need to be comfy!

However, I sat in one at the Design Museum years ago, and it was pretty comfy. Wasn't able to spend too long in it though.

Ooooh you utter utter bastard (in a nice way).

Those two objects are on my furniture wish list, straight after a Mies MR chaise lounge. I am so jealous right now.

But, aye, congratulations on an excellent purchase. Would it be rude to ask how much you paid?

I quite enjoyed that. Not a patch on The Doctor's Wife, but still pretty fun. I like the idea of the fast moving cybermen, but the FX were pretty ropey.

Also - not pleased about having to avoid spoilers for the next week due to DVDs shipping to the states a week early. Not best pleased at all.

You can tell Mark's been on the sauce already if he's wearing a tie with a black shirt...

 

Three points occur:

 

- A tie with a black shirt is completely acceptable

I like to think he was observing that, while some people are known to lose clothes periodically when getting drunk, often resulting in full nakedness - a level of dress that you have shown to embrace - you look increasingly dapper as the evening wears on. Good work, I fully approve.

Looks like a good evening was had by all.

I hate the fact that I'm stuck here in a sweaty negotiation room while you're having the Straight to Hell meeting of the decade. Curse you, fates! Curse you to hell!

Take solace in the fact that you're busy fighting the good fight.