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Arise, Sir Hood
Congratulations to Sir Patrick Stewart, knighted today. He used the occasion to give credit to the English teacher who opened his eyes to literature and first encouraged him to perform. It’s no surprise; many a career in the arts can be traced back to the influence of a charismatic and inspiring figure in the classroom.…
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Chimera at the BFI
Here’s some news… on Monday July 5th as part of the Future Human season, my 1990 miniseries Chimera is getting a screening at the BFI South Bank. A while back I was asked if I’d say a few words before it, but that’s now expanded to become a Q&A with me and director Lawrence Gordon…
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Dennis Hopper
I just heard on the radio that Dennis Hopper died at his Venice home this morning, of complications relating to prostate cancer. Not too long ago, I was working on a project where the producer was pursuing him for a major role. To be honest, the part and the actor weren’t a fit, and Hopper…
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Testing the Audience
We just got back from Las Vegas. It’s a long drive through the desert, with nothing but country music on the radio. If you’re ever thinking about it, you have been warned. The last time we did the trip was around 1980, and that was by Greyhound bus. Back then it was essentially still ’50s…
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Crusoe Region 2
This one sneaked by without my hearing about it… the full season is now available on a Region 2 3-disc set, presumably replicating the content of the Region 1 release. Which will mean no DVD extras, which is a pity. NBC had a behind-the-scenes crew covering just about every aspect of the show’s making, and…
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The Future is Then
From the day that I saw Kenneth Kendall reading the BBC news on one in Kubrick’s 2001, A Space Odyssey, I wanted widescreen TV. Up until then, I’d no idea that the industry had domestic widescreen in its sights. But given the meticulousness of Kubrick’s research, I imagine that the notion was there on some…
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What’s in a Band Name?
Ever wonder why new bands always have such weird names? Because the simple ones are all used up, is why. Google for just about any common noun and you’ll find at least one band using it, usually with a MySpace page. They may not have any track record, they may not even have any songs…
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Stand by for Action
Okay, maybe that’s a bit too dramatic… but there are some changes ahead. I started this blog almost by fluke, not really intending to do anything with it, hence the dumb name and the dumb picture… I’d created a Google identity so that I could comment on other people’s postings, and one day when I…
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Children’s TV: a Rant from the Past
Both my website and this blog are being lined up for a design overhaul, and with content in mind I’ve been sifting through some old material. I don’t know what occasioned this rant, but the Thunderbirds movie reference dates it. I could have made changes… but nah. The few times I’ve brushed up against children’s…
Hauling Like A Brooligan
Stephen Gallagher
