Weaver

@weaversweek.bsky.social

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Weaver's Week at http://ukgameshows.com As it's entirely clear the moderators here can't be arsed to moderate, I can't be arsed to post. You'll find me as @daweaver@mas.to Fun stuff lives on http://weaversweek.tumblr.com

Show name in posh writing over a shot of the manor house.
Lou Sanders runs on a giant hamster wheel, for reasons too tedious to explain here.
Dave McPherson stands by a science experiment; all dyed red hair, dark jacket, and innocent look.
The actual performance shows Dara sat in an office with four dancers, they perform a sharp visual routine matching with the song. The clock on the wall shows 1.06, which turned out to be the exact time the winner's reprise started on sunday morning. EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett
Two figures in a field, both with identical straw hats, checked shirts, and dungarees. One is Sam Thompson from "Made in Chelsea", the other is a raggedy old scarecrow. At a glance, can't tell which is which.
Marjorie, the trash heap from Fraggle Rock. She's an anthromorphic pile of rubbish, mostly brown in colour, with colourful leaves and packets dotted about her edges, and a banana peel where her hair should be. Marjorie has a face, marked by pink-rimmed glasses and traces of lipstick around her mouth. To the right, rat lieutenants Philo and Gunge prepare to amplify whatever pearl of wisdom Marjorie is about to give. Behind them is a dry stone wall, and some sort of miasma drifts up from Marjorie in a haze.
Contestants put on their hunt garb; Prey wear a visible light blue, Predators a harder-to-spot mid-red. They're in a wood-panelled room in the modernistic "headquarters" house.
Trees are lit in purple and green, with a path leading through them. Caption: SATURDAY 3 January
Each of the little flowers is made out of curved wire, with a small light in the middle. They're scattered across the bank. Caption: FRIDAY 2 January
An arched tunnel spans a path. It's illuminated with thousands and thousands of tiny white fairy lights, they combine to cast a soft glow over the scene. Caption: THURSDAY 1 January 2026
The foreground is a large blue mushroom, looking down almost directly over its stalk. In the background is a golden mushroom, growing quite tall. A field of dots is in the background, leading to the tall conical tree we saw on the 25th. Caption: WEDNESDAY 31 December
A white door is decorated with the cloth outline of a snowman: one circle for its body, another for its head features two large googly eyes. The snowman wears a Santa hat with tinsel round the rim, and with a twig on one side. The door is illuminated only from the bottom right, bleaching out the body and casting deep shadows over the creature's face. It's actually a little bit scary. Caption: TUESDAY 30 December
A path covered in triangular light fittings, all glowing in a strange and slightly eerie green light. The path itself is lit in a dusky purple. Caption: MONDAY 29 December.
A bauble lit up in horizontal stripes of red and white. Caption: SUNDAY 28 December
Wooden butterflies are clasped around the trunks of some small trees; the picture features one butterfly, with veins interrupting the orange hue. Caption: SATURDAY 27 December.
A light display of a star arcing in across the picture, and exploding into a yellow centre with ten points of white light radiating out. Caption: FRIDAY 26 December
A light display in the shape of a Christmas tree: pink at the bottom, blue and green patches as we work up, turning to yellow just beneath the star at the top. Caption: THURSDAY 25 December.
A light display in the shape of a reindeer, complete with antlers - but no red nose! Caption beneath: WEDNESDAY 24 December.
People stand underneath a tall arch, built out of greenery and illuminated with strings of lights. The name "Chelsea Winter Illuminations" is on the top of the arch. Behind are some shacks, and a walk through trees illuminated by coloured lights. Added at the top: TUESDAY 23 December.
Nemo stands on a black podium, with a white sunburst behind them. The youngster is dressed in a pink-and-white coat, with pink furry boots beneath thick tights. It's a stark image, Nemo's human form contrasts with the sharp geometric shapes.
Rosa Linn (right) with Edward Sheeran, a ginger-haired bloke who is (apparently) a cousin of The Krypton Factor's Gordon Burns.
It's a song about ghosts, about nightmares, about things that creep into your subconscious to wake you from your dreams. Perhaps the guitar line is reminiscent of Bob Dylan's "I believe in you", perhaps the break in singer Chris's voice hits everyone right in the feels. It's a song used in the greatest synch of all time, the right song with the right footage to evoke the right emotion. And these two facts are intertwined, to the point that actors Claire Danes and Devon Odessa were thanked on Buffalo Tom's singles collection (where this album track was included, natch). "Late at night" was the romantic moment on "My So-Called Life", television's greatest one-series wonder. Angela Chase has been snogging Jordan Catalano in the boiler room, but he will not acknowledge her in public; the episode concludes with Jordan reaching the conclusion that Angela also has feelings. MSCL's cast and crew grew up: Claire Danes to "Homeland", Wilson Cruz is the poster boy for gay rights, Winnie Holzman wrote the book for "Wicked!", AJ Langer is now the Duchess of Devonshire. Jared Leto never left his lothario character behind, there's always the one. But we won't let that put us off. The show still holds up, with realistic dialogue, and unflinching attention to the issues of youth, and honest complex characters - both the titular teens and the adults. And the soundtrack is exactly where we were in the years after grunge. In my humble opinion, "Late at night" should have been a single; this once, I'm glad it wasn't.
"Rent", a rock musical based on Puccini's "La Boheme", translates the action to 1989 New York. It's set amongst the poverty, homelessness, spunky gay life, drag queens and punk Larson saw from his window; the tuberculosis of Puccini's original becomes the latter-day scourge AIDS. Larson had watched as three of his closest friends fell victim to HIV and ceaseless illnesses. The show is often seen as a bit too earnest for mass audiences: it's heavy going throughout; sometimes they're draining the fun from a situation like a headmaster walking into a classroom. "Poignant" is the lead emotion, fleeting moments of joy are contrasted with tremendous loss, there is addiction and disease and racism and homophobia. And the found family, the group of ne'er-do-wells thrust together through circumstance, recognise pieces of their shared humanity. To start the show's second act, the cast lines up to sing an affirmation to life. What is the value of a year? What is the value of a life? Money? Meals? What about love. Originally written as an elegy for Angel, who dies later in the play, "Seasons of love" was moved up in the show as a tribute to Larson, who had died the day before previews opened. It's remained there ever since. "Rent" has an important part in modern history, showing gay and queer relationships as a completely unremarkable part of life - this was completely transgressive in the late 1980s, and still a bit of a headrush in '96. These days, "Seasons of love" is part of the regular canon of tunes for performers, covered by everyone from Michael Ball to Donny Osmond.
"Going for gold" has a driving drumbeat. The tune begins with gathering, rising chord progressions, like the sun breaking through the clouds. Then the drums intensify, and a million people shout the title. The main verse is - I think - sung by Sandy McClelland, a session singer from Glasgow; we heard him on "Shout" by Tears For Fears. His vocals are just a little yearning, he sings in hope rather than expectation. And the words are strong: "people are coming, everyone's trying... reach for the sky 'cause the stakes are so high". These are simple words, a restricted language for people who know English as a second language. The show "Going For Gold" was shown across Europe on Superchannel, daytime BBC1 came almost as an afterthought; the show was hugely popular and ran for ten years. It's a perfect television theme, with bits that can be cut out and stand alone. The song has not yet been commercially released, but has been covered. Hans Zimmer went on to do some movie soundtracks; Sandy McClelland did backing vocals for Neneh Cherry.
Text: Waynely Farfield's GEOMAQUARIUM™ for MS-DOS A picture of a coral reef, overlaid with a chequerboard in shades of blue. There's a large purple sphere, green cone, and a small yellow cube for no obvious reason. Callout text: "Fiendishly clever... finally a PC game where Mom and Dad will be fighting the kids for a turn in the family computer room - Computer Lair magazine" Includes: Twelve 3½ʺ Disks 250 page book: "The Philosophy of Geomaquarium"
#All50rts day 17 "No matter what" - Meat Loaf B-side to "Is nothing sacred" 1999 BONUS! 11 points "Just dull." The pairing of lyricist Jim Steinmann and noteplayer Andrew Lloyd Webber was expected to make great entertainment. But their musical together "Whistle Down the Wind" surprised critics by its mediocrity, being somehow less than the sum of its parts. "Whistle Down the Wind" tells the story of Swallow, a young girl struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother, who discovers a mysterious stranger whom she believes is Jesus (but is suspected of being an escaped murderer). The children fight to protect the stranger from an adult world determined to catch the fugitive hiding in their midst. In the play, The Man tells the village's children a story. What's the moral, they ask; when The Man doesn't know, the children promise to love him no matter what. The hit single was recorded by Boyzone, who were the pop world's equivalent of innocent stage-school children hitting the tune with gusto. Meat Loaf got to hear the song and thought, "I could do a better job". And he did. Gone is the wall-of-sound from the stage show: we get an experienced performer who knows when to be loud and when to be soft. As the song builds, Loaf's voice swells, and he adds loads of experience and emotional heft to the words. And because there's just one person singing, it's an intimate performance, Meat Loaf could be singing just to you. A great cover will unearth something missing from the original. Meat Loaf made a great cover of "No matter what".
"Independence day" - Gretchen Peters from "The Secret of Life" 1996 Bonus! flash. "When your song is assigned an entire set of cultural values based on a false premise (it was never a song about America, it was always a song about a woman who was trying to save her own life and that of her child) it starts to feel tainted. It feels like words have been put in your mouth that you never said." The CMA Song of the Year for 1995, for the hit single by Martina McBride. It was adopted by right-wing blowhards who didn't listen to the lyric, a bit like Bruce's "Born in the u s a". Gretchen drew inspiration from the story of Francine Hughes; she'd set fire to her home in March 1977 after enduring 13 years of an abusive relationship, her ex-husband did not escape. A jury found Hughes not guilty of murder charges due to temporary insanity, recognising that being trapped can drive a person mad. A call to independence from patriarchy, from a culture that would tell a woman, or any other person for that matter, to stand by an abusive partner at all costs. A day to speak freely, and criticise those who would control others' bodies. Independence Day for the strong women who escaped the oppressive strictures of unhealthy marriages and choose better lives. The independence to wake up every day and be our authentic selves. Background is the next picture....
"Drive" - Melissa Ferrick from "Freedom" 2000 April 2003, Ann Arbor in Michigan. A massive dump of snow has turned spring back into winter. Melissa Ferrick plays two concerts at The Ark. Two nights with my bestie Jaeda, and her babe, and some of the greatest folk music around. Melissa was - and still is - a caring sharing rock star, and she'd end each concert by throwing the guitar pick into the crowd. On the first night, Jaeda caught the pick, got it signed in silver sharpie... and lost it between the stage door and the car. So, she and E buy flowers for Melissa, take them back stage, and plead their case. Enamoured of their charm, Melissa took two guitar picks on stage that night: one to throw to the crowd, one to give to Jaeda at the meet-and-greet afterwards. The legend was born; every time Melissa saw Jaeda afterwards, it was "Hey, Michigan Pick Girl". Jaeda came into my life twenty-five years ago tonight. She left this life in february last year. Happy International Jaeda Day, sweetheart.
Baby Lasagna (left, in a blue puffer jacket) and Käärijä (right, in a green puffer jacket) stare at each other. Both look like they're holding back from bursting into laughter. EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett.
A bowl of bright pink petunias is falling through the air. Caption: "Oh no. Not again."
The Dark Knight from Incredible Games: three children stand on the intersections of a board, and try to keep away from of a masked and robed figure.
A young man, perhaps with the hint of a cyborg's communcation device, sits on a metal staircase in a dark industrial place. He holds some red plastic buttons, and looks concerned. In the corner of the picture, a young recruit also looks concerned. Caption: "Good luck. And to one of you, goodbye."
Elmer Fudd, dressed in the brown outfit of a huntsman, and carrying a rifle almost as tall as he is. Elmer's in the outdoors, next to a forest filled with signs saying "Rabbit season".
A slightly out-of-focus picture of a row of cottage shops, their roof eaves decorated with greenery and baubles. Lights in the background reflect in the windows, there's a funfair ride and the outline of a Christmas tree. Sparkles on the pavement pick out a couple of people walking past. Caption: Friday 3 January.
A large bowl of popcorn, some of which has spilled onto a blanket. And a mug of hot chocolate with a knitted mug-cosy. They're posing in front of a roaring log fire. Caption: Thursday 2 January.
Two dogs - one large, one small - sit on a fluffy blanket on an outdoors bench. They have small golden party hats on their heads. In front of the dogs is a small table holding two glasses of wine, an unopened bottle, and an ice bucket. Party streamers float over its edge Caption: Wednesday 1 January.
A foil-plated horseshoe, tilted at a jaunty angle, with a plastic figure sitting in the bottom. It's dressed in top hat and tails, and has a broad smile. Caption: Tuesday 31 December.
A wreath of greenery and pine cones, with baubles dotted around and fork handles at the corners. Ceramic decorations of a snowman and a cottage are blurred in the background. Caption: Monday 30 December.
An old half-timbered building with decorative spires out the front. Small lights across the front give a subtle glow. In front of the house stands a Christmas tree, and we can make out a stone statue. Caption covers up the blue sky: Sunday 29 December.
Lights hang down, throwing some light into the corner of a room. There's a large window with paper snowflakes stuck to it, and we can vaguely see a string of baubles along the top of the window frame. Caption: Saturday 28 December.
An abstract close-up of some blue baubles, gently glowing from inside. Caption: Friday 27 December.
A late 19th century picture of two girls looking out of a window at a small balcony. There's a fir tree on the balcony, and a large blue bird and a few sparrows are perched on its branches. Other birds are pecking at seed on the floor on the balcony. Up in the top corner, a little wooden nesting box is inhabited by a matching pair. There's ivy around the edges of the window, and a little snow on the tree branches. Original caption: The Birds' Christmas Tree. Modern caption: Thursday 26 December.
A felt Santa Claus decoration, with oversided hat and a massive white beatd dominating his face. Caption: Wednesday 25 December.
A row of foil-wrapped chocolate Santa Clauses, alternating in designs with gold and red hats. Each Santa is designed with an enigmatic smile, full beard, and is carrying a present. Caption: Tuesday 24 December.
An 1870s picture of a large mansion somewhere in New England. There's snow on the ground, covering the roof, and on the building's balconies. A carriage and horse wait just outside, and a woman gazes at who is on the carriage. Superimposed: the date, Monday 23 December.
Horse McDonald likes and reposts my earlier tribute to "Careful". At the time of writing, it is the only item on her feed.
Lord Frederick Lucan of Mercury sings, while Montserrat Cabaillé gestures towards him. Lord Mercury wears a blue suit, Cabaillé a glittering shimmering opera gown. They're in a mocked-up Roman patio, with pillars and flaming torches behind.
Ropey Couples in Pop Part One - Madge and Harold... Have Made a Record!!? A picture of Madge and Harold, an older middle-aged couple, in a recording studio with those bulky headphones around their neck and a massive microphone to "sing" into. Caption: Oh noooo!! But it's true. It's a Christmas monstrosity by the name of "Old Fashioned Christmas". And they're calling themselves Anne Charleston and Ian Smith instead of their proper names in Neighbours. Pih! Bitz feels a global blower "vibe" coming on... (Part two was Bruno Brookes and Liz Kershaw from the Radio 1 Weekend Breakfast Show, the best advert for Henry Owens on Atlantic 252 if you ask me.)
A poster of Rob Newman and David Baddiel; Rob is squatting on top of a marble pillar, David sits astride his column. David Baddiel would make "Three lions", a number one single in 96, 98, and 2018.
A press advert shows the Spice Girls on top of a model of the Earth, the women stand out like the spokes on a bicycle wheel. Caption "Spice up your world" by a can of the spray-on deodorant they were advertising.
Fiona stares into the camera lens; she's on a New York subway train, one arm wrapped around the metal support pole, and wearing a full suit of armour. Nobody is particularly bothered by the unusual clothes, though a man in a suit is mildly interested in the photography.
Barbara Kellerman wears a big pointy crown and fur coat, in character as the White Witch of Narnia.
The album cover features a pink fluffy bunny in a pale pink circle, with a ring of pink flowers matching the bunny's fur. Everything's on a royal blue background. The word "Dubstar" is at the top, "disgraceful" in smaller type at the foot.
Rosie Gaines, a Black woman. In this close-up we see her smiling face, black hair, and a chain necklace.
Tina is a Black woman, singing into a hand mike. She has short curly hair, and wears a blue denim shirt. We're looking at Tina from an angle, and see some green patterns on the edge of the stage behind her.
Elton John, in a smart black suit and bowl-cut hair, plays at a black piano. Behind him is a green-and-white arrangement of flowers. He's performing "Candle in the wind '97", the b-side to "Something about the way you look tonight".
Press advert for the single's re-release, a close-up of Saffron's face looking nervously to the top-right. The red of "Republica" is in the same shade of red as Saffron's hair; single name and the formats [2xCD, cassette] in white, all popping out of a black background. Strikes me as a functional advert, but not a design classic.
"Am I living the pop star life?" he asks. "Not unless pop stars live on Weetabix and water." With the album Women In Technology, Jyoti's particular brand of quirky pop is given a full airing. "I think the album's good," he says. "Other people may think it's rubbish but I've only got myself to blame." White Town is still a one man band, with all the instruments and music being, as Jyoti says, "All my own work." And while everyone raves about his music, what does Mr Town think of the music of the moment? "I love the Spice Girls and Fugees, but I think you need something different. People who look a bit funny or a bit odd who are judged for the music - I'm just a pop musician, pop is what I've always loved. I'm just myself and proud. I'm having a great time putting out my songs and getting interviewed in Smash Hits." Cheers, Mr Town! Album review: "it still gives a feeling that's as comfortable and cosy as his bedroom. Probably." [4 stars of 5]
Kenickie are a four-piece band. Clockwise from top left: Emmy-Kate Montrose, brunette hair in a bob. Lauren Laverne, snarling and making the "horny devil" forefinger-and-little-finger sign with both hands. Johnny X, token bloke. Emmy-Kate Montrose, mousey-blonde hair in ringlets, looking fragile. The youngsters pose against a lime green background.
Press advert for "My So-Called Life" shows Claire Danes as Angela Chase leaning against school lockers; she's towered over by Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano. Caption: "When he's nearby... my entire body knows it". Box-out: "A new dramatic series from the creators of thirtysomething. My so-called life. You know how it feels."