Search results matching tag 'celebrities'

Farewell Big Brother - for now at least

255762 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:25:00 GMT

So Big Brother is to be axed from Channel 4 according to an The Sun. Let's hope the news is true. The show has really run its course. That has been said several times in the past but with ratings falling every year it was a surprise that Channel 4 signed another three-year deal with Endemol, meaning that an 11th series is locked in.

Last year Channel 4 showed its desire to chase ratings when it kept housemate Alexandra in (remember her? No me neither) despite proving one of the worst bullies the show had ever had the displeasure to host.

All the signs were there last year that it had run its course, but Channel 4 has ploughed on and has been rewarded with some of the lowest ratings in years for the 10th series. I think this is good news for Channel 4. Yes it leaves a hole in its schedule, but surely that is a creative opportunity as well and a challenge to be met?

Not only having ratings been low, but it was virtually ignored by the media. Even the stalwart Sun provided no haven. Not even a NIB, a tiny paragraph, each day has been warranted.

Channel 4 executives looking for coverage of their once cash cow must have been dismayed, or more likely depressed, by its absence from Britain's media diet.

There is no denying that Big Brother has provided us with much entertainment. There was a time when casual viewers would more regularly tune in on a Friday to see an eviction (Channel 4 says 38m viewers watched Big Brother at least once - that's 69% of population), but that time has past.

I suspect many of us could pass the housemates in the street this year and not recognised one of them. They are going to be more shocked by its axing than anyone. More shocked that they have been in there for more than 80 days and few will know who they are.

No D-List media careers are going to be kick started this year. What's a former Big Brother contestant to do? Opening up a new branch of Lidl might be a stretch even for the winner which ever loser that might be.

According to reports though Celebrity Big Brother might still return and there's nothing wrong with that. I can see that still have a good set of legs and exciting interest.

I can also see the format being adapted and tweaked. If it goes anywhere that's what it needs most. New ideas. As it is the lack of innovation that has as much as anything done it for this show. It has turned into something relentless. Kind of like The Long March - but probably less fun (and not in China). Maybe it won't be the same show exactly and maybe it won't be on the same network. There is nothing to say that it has to be on Channel 4. You could easily see ITV or Sky having a crack at taking the format on. I'm pretty sure there is life in it yet - just not 13 weeks of life.

As that was the one thing above all others that struck me this year. It was more or less the only thing that struck me this year as the updates from the Big Brother press office popped into my in box was how the day count inexorably built.

Big Brother used to be much shorter and have fewer contestants, but when you get an email and the headers says day 67, 75, 80 and 84 you have to ask will this show never end? Well yes it will and it the very near future - but I'm pretty convinced that in some form or another it will be back.

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Rick Astley isn't dead (unofficial)

255762 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:25:00 GMT

Reports circling this morning saying that Rick Asltey, the king of Rickrolling, has died, are apparently fake. Thank the gods of Rickroll. Oh the perils of user generated content.

The reports first appeared on the CNN's user generated content website CNNi, before generating a few news reports. Including this one on the Maylasia Star that claimed he had died in his hotel in Berlin.

1980s pop icon Rick Astley, 43, found dead in Berlin hotel room
Malaysia Star - ‎1 hour ago‎
BERLIN: Known for his 1980s pop hit Never Gonna Give You Up, 43-year-old Rick Astley has been pronounced dead Tuesday. His body was found at the Angleterre Hotel...

The CNNi iReport said an ambulance responded to an emergency and Astley was found unconscious in his hotel bedroom and was unable to be resuscitated. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

There were also reports on this Indian website Ihatky.In, but oddly nowhere else.The Inquisitor and Twitter is emphatic and Twitter is awash with talk of another fake celebrity death. Rick Astley is the number one trending topic on Twitter outstripping even Michael Jackson for which I think people are thankful for.

The Inquistor says that unlike previous fake celebrity deaths, the use of CNN’s iReport gives this a little more legitimacy up front, at least if you don’t know how iReport works.

The site wrote: "iReport is open to all submissions without pre-publication review: I could submit a story saying Rick Astley is dead at the hands of an advanced civilization of alien music lovers and it would be published until such time CNN pulled it it. Rick Astley is not dead, Rick Astley has not died, Rick Astley was not attacked by aliens either."

Rick rolls on. Quite literally. Next.

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Kanye West lets rip at Twitter celebs – IN ALL CAPS

255762 — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:35:00 GMT

I realise some of us spend way too much time talking about Twitter and celebrities. What can I say? It's a failing, but some celebrities have been at it also. Namely rapper Kanye West who is very upset about Twitter and celebrites.

Maybe he's been blown away by the recent Twitter race to 1m followers led and won by Ashton Kutcher. Maybe he read the most influential list of Twitter's and saw that none of them counted for anything in his world. Maybe he read fellow rapper 50 Cent's recent tweet, and go annoyed: "902,000 fans on facebook .. are u one of them? I gotta have 1Million!" Hear that? he's got have them. Join him. Errr you know or not.

You already know what I think, I can not really understand why you would want to follow a celebrity on Twitter in the first place.

Kanye West is not just mad about celebs he is mad about all these fake Kayne West's on Twitter. I blogged about that too and most of these celebrities are fake (other than Ashton Kutcher and Mrs Kutcher). I wonder what he thinks about people like Kayne_West (who wants to make it clear that they not affiliated with Kanye West). Anyway, Kayne is angry and to convey that he is also very shouty, which is the only reason to explain why he has written in all caps in this blast from his blog.

(This spaz comes courtesy of losers making fake Kanye West Twitter accounts) I DON’T HAVE A FUCKING TWITTER… WHY WOULD I USE TWITTER??? I ONLY BLOG 5 PERCENT OF WHAT I’M UP TO IN THE FIRST PLACE. I’M ACTUALLY SLOW DELIVERING CONTENT BECAUSE I’M TOO BUSY ACTUALLY BUSY BEING CREATIVE MOST OF THE TIME AND IF I’M NOT AND I’M JUST LAYING ON A BEACH I WOULDN’T TELL THE WORLD. EVERYTHING THAT TWITTER OFFERS I NEED LESS OF. THE PEOPLE AT TWITTER KNOW I DON’T HAVE A FUCKING TWITTER SO FOR THEM TO ALLOW SOMEONE TO POSE AS ME AND ACCUMULATE OVER A MILLION NAMES IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND DECEITFUL TO THERE FAITHFUL USERS. REPEAT… THE HEADS OF TWITTER KNEW I DIDN’T HAVE A TWITTER AND THEY HAVE TO KNOW WHICH ACCOUNTS HAVE HIGH ACTIVITY ON THEM. IT’S A FUCKING FARCE AND IT MAKES ME QUESTION WHAT OTHER SO CALLED CELEBRITY TWITTERS ARE ACTUALLY REAL OR FAKE. HEY TWITTER, TAKE THE SO CALLED KANYE WEST TWITTER DOWN NOW …. WHY? … BECAUSE MY CAPS LOCK KEY IS LOUD!!!!!!!!!

There's lots of coverage on this today including this great pic on CurrentUK.

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