The Inbetweeners is The Anti-Skins

I tuned in for a peek at The Inbetweeners which premieres tomorrow night on E4 at 10pm. You see, I saw the ad and thought ‘argh, Skins. Again.Why? We already have one….’ Plus I was confused since they are both projects of channel 4. Only it turns out this is the first sitcom commissioned for E4, so that’s pretty big, and also, actually having seen it, its kind of The Anti-Skins.

So why is it The Anti-Skins? Well, this show isn’t about pregnancy, near deaths and eating disorders, oh no, The Inbetweeners revels in the puerile, shallow concerns of adolescence. Virginity, mockery and parents all feature. This is more American Pie than your usual dirty gritty channel 4 drama.

Will is a public school nerd who has moved to the local comprehensive and is trying desperately to fit in. Since no one except the ‘freaks’ will talk to him he forcibly befriends some marginally cooler kids who want nothing to do with him. He ploughs on regardless. It’s weird, but this idealism in the face of true loserism makes him a strangely likeable character.

The set up is as snappy as the dialogue, which is good because the acting is at times (ok most of the time) pretty heavy handed. It kind of gives you the feeling you are watching your kid brother in a well written school play. But it’s filled with laugh out loud lines that pin with uncanny accuracy the bolshy, bull***ing nature of teenagers.

The casting is great, from Will (Simon Bird), who holds himself like a middle aged man and talks with the accepting irony of a self aware loser, to the brutal head of sixth form played by Greg Davies.

All round, definitely a good one to watch.

The Inbetweeners premieres tonight on E4 at 10pm

Escape from Alcatraz : The True Story

Al Capone While the Alcatraz prison, which was located on Alcatraz island in the middle of San Francisco, closed down in 1963 it is still possibly the best known prison in the world. It housed some of the more dangerous criminals in the US and was known to many as a fortress, until that fateful day in 1962 when three prisoners decided to break out.

Escape from Alcatraz : The True Story tracks the amazing escape attempt, how it was planned and exactly what happened to the three prisoners, who were never seen again. The show has footage of interviews with former inmates who knew what was happening, prison guards from Alcatraz and FBI agents.

Each of these contributors offer an interesting angle on life at the prison and how likely it was that the men actually made it to shore in their makeshift raft. Three modern day coastguards agreed to retake that fateful journey in a replica of the raft which the prisoners used to escape, in an attempt to see if it was possible that they survived.

While the stories about Alcatraz continue to circulate to this day, by far the most high profile of “guests” was the gangster “Al Capone” who arrived on the island with one of the worst reputations in US criminal history. As soon as he “landed” it was stated that he would not receive any special treatment from the guards and was just another inmate, but the fact that he was still able to run his criminal rackets from Alcatraz island is a mystery!

Alcatraz seems to have one of those reputations which continues to grow even though it was decommissioned back in the 1960s. Afforded official US designation in the 1970s and 1980s the island is now operated by the National Park Service and open to the public for tours.

Jimi Hendrix in Sex Tape

Marilyn Monroe is not the only celebrity to have a sex tape surface after several decades.

Two weeks after Monroe’s sex film was sold to a private collector in the U.S. for 1.5 million dollars footage of rock legend Jimi Hendrix has come to light.

Hendrix, who died of a drug overdose in 1970, is allegedly seen frolicking with two brunettes in the bedroom. There is only one front on shot of his face, while his profile can be seen briefly.

The footage appears on a DVD that documents Henrix’s later life and includes interviews with two famous groupies from the era, Pamela Des Barres and Cynthia Albritton, both who claim that they believe the film to be genuine.

Hendrix biographer Charles R. Cross doubts the authenticity of the sex film claiming that the face and nostrils of the man in the video do not match Hendrix.

The company who made the DVD stand by the validity of their claim and have said they brought in expert consultation to authenticate the footage.

Michael Barrymore: What Really Happened

After the success of last weeks Heather Mills show the audience figures for tonight’s instalment are sure to rise substantially higher with many people amazed at some of the facts and the people that Jacques Peretti managed to unveil on air. The show caused a number of uncomfortable comments and headlines in the press in the proceeding two days with furious denials from Australia with regards to the country’s richest businessman and claims made on the show.

While there are many who have reason to see the fall of Michael Barrymore, there are just as many who feel that the entertainer is something of a tortured soul, with his private and public life at different ends of the spectrum. Michael Barrymore: What Really Happened takes a fateful look at the night when a young man drowned at Barrymore’s mansion and the sudden demise of his TV career over night.

Tonight’s show contains a number of interviews with those closest to Michael Barrymore as well as the father and brother of Stuart Lubbock who so tragically died on that fateful night. We have seen a number of police investigations, rumours, counter rumours and much controversy surrounding this case but nobody seems to be able to get to the bottom of what happened that night.

This is sure to make very uncomfortable viewing for Michael Barrymore with his whole life and lifestyle dissected in front of the UK public yet again. He has made a number of attempts to restart his career in the UK, after emigrating for a few years, but it seems that his once adoring fans are no more. Unfortunately there are no winners in this particular show but it will be interesting to see what new facts have emerged in the years since the event.

Hannah Montana Star’s Nude Shots Cause A Stir

Star of TV show Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, is doing more than entertaining the kids these days.

The fifteen year old actress has had to apologise for a highly controversial photo shoot for Vanity Fair in which she is swathed in nothing but a sheet.

The shots were taken by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, who has photographed many of the world’s most famous faces.

However Miley says “I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and i apolologise to my fans who I care so deeply about.”

While this is what Miley is saying today, word has it that she and her parents saw the photos after the shoot and had no problem at all with them, leaving Vanity Fair and Annie Leibovitz surprised at the hubub.

Commentators suggest that the similarity to the scandal created when High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens had some private nude photo’s leaked has made Disney go into overdrive to protect their wholesome image. Hannah Montana is currently the top rated Disney show and the ratings within its target audience of 6 to 14 year olds is second only to American Idol.

Disney have come out with guns blazing and had this to say about the shoot: “Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a fifteen year old in order to sell magazines”.

Vanity Fair had this to say: “Miley’s parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally , they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural protrait of Miley.”

Bad Manners Britain : Tonight

If like many of us you are sick and tired of being labelled as loutish and ill mannered just because a handful of the UK population feel it is ok to act that way, take a look into the real world of the UK with Jonathan Maitland.

Bad Manners Britain : Tonight investigates whether the UK population have wholeheartedly taken on the mantle of boorish louts with bad manners, or whether the minority in this bracket are the ones damaging our rep. The program takes a look at a number of different areas, attempting to pinpoint a specific demise in British behaviour over the years.

Maitland and his team have enlisted the help of an amateur football team, aiming to turn them into gents on the field to see if this has any impact on their performance and general outlook on life. While football has long been the number one sport in the UK, it is never too long out of the headlines with many fans and players alike showing unnecessary aggression towards each other and match officials.

Tonight’s show should certainly prove thought-provoking. Writer and author, Maitland has a history for courting controversy and getting to the heart of the matter, having carried out a number of hard hitting investigations for programs such as BBC’s Watchdog and ITV’s House of Horrors. It will be fascinating to see the results of an investigation that should hopefully dispel some of the labels that many of the UK population have been unfairly afforded.

My Family Star in Intensive Care

Actor Kris Marshall is in intensive care in a Bristol hospital after he was a hit by a car on Sunday night.

He had been out drinking with friends when he was run over and suffered a serious head injury.

He remains in intensive care but his parents told reporters that his condition is improving.

The Avon and Somerset police said: “There was a collision between a car and pedestrian shortly before 1am on Sunday.

“It happened in St Augustine’s Parade in Bristol City Centre. A man in his 30s was taken to hospital with head injuries not considered to be life-threatening.

“Police spoke to the driver of the car involved, which was a VW Polo. He stopped immediately after the collision and we are looking into how it happened. He was not a drink driver.”

Marshall currently stars in the BT internet ad campaign but is also famous for his roles in TV show My Family and film Love Actually.

Amy Winehouse Drinks, Gets Violent, Gets Book Deal

Amy Winehouse, ever a source of gossip and sleaze, has outdone herself in the last week as news columns are flooded with her latest antics.

She spent Friday night at Holborn Station in central London after getting into a fight with two men (bring it on Amy!) while out on the town. This is the same week in which she allegedly headbutted someone. For what? Trying to hail her a taxi apparently.

This comes on the heel of rumours that Amy has hooked up with a new fella, despite her husband Blake Fielder-Civil still being in prison.

Alex Haines, 22 years old, is an assistant to Amy’s manager and very opposed to drug taking, a factor which Haines’ stepfather said ‘could only be a good influence’ on the spectacularly troubled singer.

Speaking of fathers, Amy’s father has also weighed in with claims that Amy should sectioned, for her own good.
In an interview with News of the World (right on, Dad, tell the people who really care)“The situation is getting out of control. I want her off the street. I don’t think being (in rehab) for six weeks is going to cure her problems. I think it needs far more radical measures.

“I’ve been on the phone to Amy’s manager in Los Angeles and he’s starting things rolling. They are going to be speaking to doctors, psychologists and everything else. Ultimately, it’s the doctors who will decide if anybody is sectionable.

“I’ve told (medical authorities) she is a danger to herself. There is evidence of self-harming and she’s a danger to other people because she’s attacked someone.”
Amidst all this drama it seems unsurprising that rumour has it that Amy and Blake have been offered £1 million for a book about their relationship (or so the tabloids say).

Ah, another week in the life of Amy Winehouse.

Lethal Weapon 3 - third time luckiest?

Lethal Weapon III has become something of a legend in the movie world. Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and the hilarious Joe Pesci shine in some classic action and comedy scenes that place the third installment of the Lethal Weapon series in a class of its own.

The film opens with Murtaugh (Danny Glover) only days from retirement. His plans for an easy life are scuppered when his old partner in crime Riggs (Mel Gibson) persuades him to help track down an ex-cop who is flooding the streets with guns. Unable to let a challenge like this pass him by, Murtaugh agrees to join up with Riggs again, but will he live to regret it?

There’s some amazing chemistry between Gibson and Glover as they brawl their way through various high-powered scenes. The plot is traditional action fare - bomb blasts, gun fights and general mayhem - but the script keeps the fun flowing.

Lethal Weapon III has to be one of the best action movies of its day. It grossed $145 million at the box office which is slightly less than the sequel, but it’s the one most people remember. Love, romance, jokes, action, bombs, gun fights and suspense - Lethal Weapon III has it all.

Movie buffs should check out the bath scene at the end with Joe Pesci and see if you notice anything strange about his broken hand. Watch carefully!

Catch this classic tonight at 22:00 on ITV1.

Wesley Snipes Jailed for Three Years

Famous Hollywood actor Wesley snipes was sentanced to three years jail yesterday for wilfully failing to file his US tax returns between 1999 and 2001.

Despite such character witnesses a Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington, Judge William Terrell Hodges (described as ‘cantankerous’ by many reporters) said that Snipes showed a “history of contempt over a period of time” for the U.S. tax man.

Judge Hodges awarded the maximum sentence to Snipes, a move which many say is to provide an example to the American people that if a celebrity can be jailed, so can anyone.

Snipes denied that it was wilful evasion, saying that he had been badly advised. He said “I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance”

Snipes is appealing the sentence.