Watch: BAFTA television lecture 2012 – Armando Iannucci
The annual BAFTA television lecture this year was delivered by comedian/writer/director/producer/genius/Scotsman Armando Iannucci, who really shouldn’t require introduction. But if you insist, some quiet little gems you can thank him for would be Alan Partridge, The Thick of It, and most recently Veep.
Iannucci uses the lecture to urge the creatives to take back control and belief in their work. Musing that too much power has been handed over to commisioners and rooms full of suits needing to tick boxes not necessarily for good original content, but for what they think the consumer wants/needs. He talks about the BBC losing its way and its nerve. The new role Sky is taking on by taking cues from US networks like HBO and Showtime and picking up the ball to take chances on putting money into new British comedy content. He talks, of course, of the global audience and the global community of creators who no longer necessarily need to take cues from network executives to tell them what, when and how content is created and viewed.
It’s an entertaining and informative talk along with a short Q&A led by Richard Bacon. It won’t just interest industry professionals and hopefuls, as there’s food for thought in it for anyone from creators, to commisioners (who he insists aren’t all bad), to the all important consumers.
Read: Suri’s Burn Book : Well-Dressed Commentary from Hollywood’s Little Sweetheart – Allie Hagan
Released off the back of the incredibly popular Tumblr onto Suri’s adoring public is the best (and bitchiest) celebrity style guide ever written by a 5 year old.
The premise is simple; famous for being the offspring of the rich and famous, a little girl judges her peers and their parents. It sounds like it could all go horribly wrong. Luckily Allie Hagan has a brilliant satirical mind that has allowed her Tumblr and now the book to tread about in areas where just an adult giving commentary on the style and social standings of children of the famous would fall flat. The voice Hagan has given her character of little Suri Cruise feels so pitch perfect you could even fall into a trap of forgetting that it’s not actually written by the 5 year old fashionista. With all new content the book is a silly and amusing read.
Listen: Heavy – Dizzee Rascal ft. Chase & Status
I pick on dubstep a lot. Mostly to upset younger members of Gen Y. But some of it I genuinely cannot stand. Though over time I’ve come to realise it’s probably more brostep that grinds my gears.
But I digress.
I do however have a lot of time for its close cousin grime and their garage roots. Now I’m definitely no expert and my most played venue for grime is an office in the ‘burbs (incredibly productive desk jockey music, I don’t know why) but undoubtedly grime was brought out of East London to us common folk floating about in the mainstream by Dizzee Rascal with Boy In da Corner the 2003 Mercury Music Prize winner. His 2009 record Tongue n’ Cheek is a lot less grime a lot more pop, but track Heavy on the re-release “deluxe edition” where he collaborates with Chase & Status is a straight out nod to his roots and (this is where I have to say nice things about dubstep) beautifully marries elements of grime and dubstep together to produce possibly my favourite Dizzee track.