Christopher Fowler's Blog, page 462

Health & Safety Gone Mad

Stewart Lee tells a joke involving his nan at the hairdressers. She complains that they won't serve her a cup of tea under the dryer, and says it's 'political correctness gone mad', to which he points out that she's confusing political correctness with health & safety.

So the BBC covered the New Year's Eve celebrations and [...]

Is Hollywood Really Out Of Ideas?

I have a production list for the upcoming year in Hollywood movies, and from the look of it, the idea bank is bust.

'Reservoir Dogs' – the remake? 'Happy Feet 2′? How desperate has The Business become?

What's interesting is a perusal of what sells here in the middle of the world – I'm in the [...]

Where I'm Going

And You Thought Graphs Were Boring

Stick with this – it's a simple but intriguing way of rethinking the information overload we all have to deal with.

The 365-Days-A-Year Blog

Despite travelling to a bunch of fairly wi-fi unfriendly places last year (it was easier to get online in Oman than in Italy) I managed to blog an article every day. I did this by preparing non-time sensitive pieces in advance and inserting them around more topical articles.

It's a lot of work, as it precedes [...]

Where Am I Heading?

London's winter has burned me out. Christmas was long and cold, and I'm coming down with the first of the season's bugs. The Daily Mail has flown into one of its seasonal panics, screaming that there's a 'perfect storm' (overused phrase) of flu viruses coming, so I'm off for parts unknown. I'll be here, and [...]

Old London Not So Drab Shock

A great photograph surfaces via the postcard archives of London, showing Piccadilly Circus in 1963, after the austerity of the fifties, before London had yet started to swing. What surprises me is the vividity of the circus-like colours (forced, obviously, but still very jolly – click to enlarge). I also like the way in which [...]

English Humour (Old School)

This sketch received instant classic status over Christmas. For non-English viewers, the Two Ronnies were a Christmas staple, two sprightly older men performing silly patter songs and skits largely based around wordplay.

Then one of the Ronnies died, and that was that until this year, when the surviving Ronnie reappeared in a new show with [...]

How Would London Have Coped With This?

This is a time-lapse sequence showing a blizzard in New Jersey which eventually reached 32 inches. London would have come to a standstill just after the first inch. (Thanks to Michele for spotting it)

Impress Your London Visitor In Just One Day

Most of my visitors arrive jetlagged, queue for London Eye tickets, have their bags stolen in Covent Garden and snooze through 'Hairspray', so they don't always see the best side of London.

If you have someone staying from overseas this winter, you can impress them even if they've been here before by taking them to [...]