THURSDAY
More of the same?
Watching a rather uninspiring Andy Burnham on Question Time (BBC 1) tonight, I’m not at all sure that the aspiring new UK Labour Party leader has much more to offer than the incumbent, Keir Starmer.
If this was speed dating, and one had just left Keir at table one, switching to Andy at table two might lead to a sigh or two!
FRIDAY
Songs That Built A Nation
There was a full house at Roscommon Arts Centre tonight for Roscommon Solstice Choir’s production of ‘Songs That Built A Nation’.
It was a pleasure to be present. This was new territory for the esteemed choir, with members teaming up with local playwright Tommy Murray to stage a dramatic retrospective on important milestones in Ireland’s fight for freedom.
It was an excellent production, with the capacity crowd responding with a standing ovation. The show featured many great ballads, bringing back memories of childhood when such songs were regularly sang in pubs and indeed at family gatherings. See my review on page 9.
SATURDAY
Mirra & Spike
When Russian tennis player Mirra Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title today – the French Open – she was gracious to her opponent, while adding: “I also want to thank myself for believing in myself.”
Apparently Andreeva thanks herself any time she wins tournaments, saying she ‘stole’ the phrase from rapper Snoop Dogg.
It reminded me of a famous acceptance speech by one of my comedy heroes, Spike Milligan, when he was presented with a lifetime achievement award (in 1994).
Spike joked: “I’m not going to thank anybody, because I did it all on my own!”
SATURDAY
Boys to men…
I see where Irish Boyzone fans travelling to London for the band’s, er… farewell tour… told TheJournal.ie – “You don’t want it to end.”
Don’t want it to end? Some of us might not want it to continue! (This ‘boy band’ started out in 1993).
SUNDAY
Trump-free zone
It’s dawned on me over recent weeks that (for the first time in years) I’m not currently passing any heed on President Donald Trump’s idiosyncratic behaviour/utterances.
Some random combination of circumstances has reduced my exposure to Trump on television and social media. Getting some refurbishment done at our house, enjoying the exploits of Roscommon GAA teams, being busy at work, and spending a couple of nights at the Night and Day Festival – all have contributed to my finding myself in an unplanned Donald Trump-free zone (more or less).
Yes, I’ve seen the odd eyebrow-raising headline – amongst them ‘Trump to host UFC fights at White House’ and ‘Trump planning a Trump promenade’ – but I haven’t taken the bait.
Over the years I’ve sometimes enjoyed Trump’s showmanship, but it’s exhausting dealing with his mayhem, and taking a break from it all has actually been a pleasure.
Now I’m planning to work on the Healy-Raes…
MONDAY
Brexit: Still hair-raising
I would have thought that the last thing most of us (particularly millions of still-scarred people in Britain) need is a new TV documentary on (whisper it) the ‘B’ word. That’s Brexit.
Still, being a sucker for political drama, I tuned into part one of ‘Brexit: A very British Civil War’ on BBC Two tonight. This documentary coincides with the 10th anniversary of the historic vote.
Needless to say, many of the principals involved in the build-up to the seismic 2016 decision couldn’t resist taking part, all delighting in this opportunity to spin the momentous event in a manner that they consider suits their image and future legacy.
Amongst those solemnly reflecting on the historic Brexit call are Nigel Farage, David Cameron, Michael Gove, Gordon Brown, Boris Johnson and Theresa Villiers. Our own campaigner-in-chief, Bob Geldof, who had a media-delighting cameo role when confronting Farage on the River Thames, also contributes.
The Guardian describes the two-part series as a “hoot”, adding: “When you’ve got an endless stream of blockbuster names spouting irresistible gossip – plus Nigel Farage being a total panto dame – you can’t help but have a ball.”
For my part, I can report that Boris Johnson hasn’t changed much, and certainly didn’t detain any BBC make-up department hairdressers during filming.
With characteristic intent, his hair is wildly chaotic in this documentary – an apt symbol of the bedlam that befell the UK ten years ago.
*Part Two airs on BBC Two on Monday, June 15 (9 pm).
TUESDAY
Head-wrecking
According to ongoing national media reports, the ‘Healy-Rae split’ is getting worse – with Michael and Danny allegedly involved in a quite bitter stand-off.
Surely it’s time they put a cap on it?
TUESDAY
Netflix musings
No Netflix recommendations here recently… because I’m kind of binge-watching the classic US sitcom Seinfeld (as previously mentioned in this column).
Although I occasionally noticed Kramer careering into Jerry’s Manhattan apartment in the 1990s, I didn’t get into Seinfeld at all at that time. Catching up now is a great pleasure – it’s comedy genius.
The problem is, I’m dreading coming to the end of the final series! It’s a while off yet; 180 episodes of Seinfeld were made, and I have about 80 still to watch (they’re generally only 22 minutes long).
I can’t imagine how I’d have felt back in the late 1970s if someone had told me that John Cleese and Connie Booth would only be writing 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers! Still, those repeats have aged very well. The same applies with Seinfeld, although both of these – and many other sitcoms – obviously contain cultural stereotypes that some viewers may now deem offensive.
One Netflix series I do hope to watch soon is Legends, a thriller that’s receiving very positive reviews.
WEDNESDAY
Big kick-off
The World Cup starts this week (Thursday). No doubt many of us will soon be greatly invested in the tournament.
Closer to home, the big sporting focus this weekend is on Clones, where Roscommon play Monaghan in the All-Ireland series. It’s a town I’m very familiar with, having covered Ulster finals there in my days as a sports reporter with the now long-defunct Cavan Leader. Come on Roscommon!
