Dreamgirls

Didn’t make it to Nick’s birthday but made it to Dreamgirls. Liked the film’s joke at Martin Luther King, ‘an amateur on the front of a record sleeve’. Plus, recalled that Eddie Murphy had once pissed off James Brown by satirising him, now in the role akin to Brown (extract from wikipedia):

“One of Eddie Murphy‘s well-known characters during his tenure on Saturday Night Live was his good natured caricature of Brown during the James Brown Hot Tub Party sketch. In this sketch, Murphy as Brown danced while wearing a towel in typical James Brown fashion in front of a backing band, singing about his attempt to get into a scalding hot tub of water. Murphy also referenced Brown in his standup comedy film, Delirious, mocking Brown’s energy and style of conversing with the band during a song. However, Brown got revenge; his song “Living in America” included the line “Eddie Murphy, eat your heart out!” – ostensibly in retaliation to Murphy’s jokes.”

Though come to think of it there was more than a touch of the character from Red Dwarf in Murphy’s personification..

Oona King – again..

God, why do I have to keep seeing former East End MP Oona King on the TV? You may ask why am I so irritated. And to be frank it’s just plain dumb ego. I’d suggested way back in 1997 or 1998 I think it was to documentary producer Dev Varma (after spotting his name when I was working at Mental Health Media) that we get her to do a piece on the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King to the UK. And we got her interested. And we go the BBC interested. And an independent company Dev showed it to decided to sit on it. And that was it. My glamorous career in TV gone! And then just to rub it in what a fun idea it woudl have been Oona King backed the Iraq war, and then got turfed out iof her seat by George Galloway. And now she’s back on TV membling about the after life, and being an atheist. And Dev goes on to direct Lara Croft – Lethal And Loaded [2001] with Angelina Jolie! What’s going on in this shaggy dog story?!