The first recording today starts with the end of Property Ladder.
Then, the next episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – 4am Miracle.
The studio is being sued by a former writer who claims she was forced to work in a hostile work environment, and she was fired for “not being one of the boys”. A lawyer visits to talk to the current writing and producing team, none of whom were there when the writer in question was there, so it’s a bit odd, but the rationale is she’s there to see what the actual work environment is like. Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that this is Aaron Sorkin again writing about something that happened to him? I did like that the lawyer, Mary Tate, is from the firm of Gage Whitney, which is the name of the firm that Sam Seaborn worked at before he joined the Bartlet campaign in The West Wing. In joke or a way to same money clearing the name?
Jordan has got a fake training baby which has sensors and tracks whether the baby is being cared for. Danny thinks it’s weird and she challenges him to look after it for the evening. I don’t think he’s holding it right.
Harriet is still working on Luke’s movie about the Rolling Stones, and they’re running over. She’s playing Anita Pallenberg, who was Keith Richards’ girlfriend, and the scene involves a 17 year old boy who shot himself in the head with a gun owned by Richards. This scene has Anita there with him, and portrays it as some weird Russian Roulette thing. Harriet doesn’t like the way it’s being portrayed, as the death was ruled a suicide, and Anita testified she wasn’t even there at the time, but it seems like Luke wants to make it look more like she’s responsible, and they argue about it. I’d have thought a better time to argue was before they were on set, with an actor rigged with blood packs that probably take an hour to reset when they have to go again.
“You’re shaking it like a snowglobe.” I see something like this, and think that maybe training babies are a bad idea. They might teach you to be as blasé with a real baby.
Simon is talking to Tom about the lawsuit, and it emerges that he slept with the woman a few times. “You got to go talk to the lawyer.” “I’ll lose my job. I’ll lose my house. I’ll lose my Lincoln Navigator.”
I’m going out on a limb to say that Harriet’s new boyfriend Luke is an arsehole. After another take, while they’re resetting the blood packs and cleaning the set again, he asks her what happened and she starts telling him about the big fight she had with Matt, and all the time she’s opening up to him, he’s throwing peanuts in his mouth, then he tells her he doesn’t care. “I thought the conversation was gonna be about you and me.” Then he says “You ready to go back to work?” “Yeah. I’m sorry. How much longer?” “As long as I feel like.”
Cal brings in a guillotine prop, and they joke about it. “You didn’t have a mini-guillotine?” “No, I wasn’t raised by the Addams Family.” They want to try it out, and Cal suggests Simon puts his head in, and I’m glad they don’t because then they try it on the fake baby, and naturally it cuts the doll’s head off. “I didn’t have it set right.” I’m just wondering, if this prop can do that when it’s set wrongly, where’s the propmaster who should be keeping this thing out of the hands of people who might want to play with it? This whole show is a health and safety nightmare. No wonder it’s being sued.
Matt reads the complaint against the show, and comes across a section where the writers were discussing all the ways they might have sex with Harriet.
It looks like Luke is breaking up with Harriet, which might explain his behaviour. “I can’t let you talk about Matthew like that.” “And why not?” “‘Cause he’d never let anybody talk about me like that.” “You’re a sucker, Harriet.” “Maybe. But he’d never go three hours into overtime just to screw with some guy who used to be his friend. Print takes four, seven, 12, 14 and 15. You got the shot. I’m out of here.”
Simon confesses to Mary about his affair. “I slept with Karen Salisbirk.” Tom asks “Is there any way this helps us?” She replies “No.” “I told you” says Simon. But it’s OK because the woman who Simon slept with was someone else. “Karen Salisbirk is short and blonde.” “Then who was the tall redhead?” “I don’t know.” “Connie Briar.” “Connie Briar! Yes! I should call her.”
Mary leaves, and gives Matt her card, implying he should call her and ask her out. “You want to wait till you’ve got Harriet out of your system?” “Yeah, probably should.” “How long do you suppose that’ll take?” “I have a hunch it’s gonna be a while, but you’re all right for asking.” “No wonder the girls like you.”
Matt talks to Danny about it and comes to a realisation. “I’m saying, she doesn’t come up here anymore. I had no idea how much I needed having her around.” “I know.”
Cal brings Danny the baby, after he’s had props fix it. “It was an hour of bionic pediatric surgery from props and f/x.” “What about the computer chip?” “Clean as a whistle. Baby thinks it slept three hours, was fed, changed and spoken to in a soothing voice.”
Maybe Danny shouldn’t have trusted props with the baby.
Harriet comes back from her set as Matt is still struggling with a sketch. “It’s a single-cell paramecium.” “That’s where I get stuck.” “I’ll put my stuff downstairs and come back and see if I can unstick you.” “I’d appreciate that.”
Media Centre Description: Drama series about a late-night comedy sketch show. Matt waits for a moment of early-morning inspiration to rescue him from writer’s block. Jordan and Danny compete to see which of them will make the better parent.
Recorded from More 4 on Thursday 8th November 2007 21:58
After this, there’s the start of a documentary called The World’s Most Offensive Joke.
The next recording start with the weather, and it’s not looking good.
There’s a trail for another Stephen Poliakoff film, A Real Summer.
There’s also an information film about digital switchover. My memory of this is that it didn’t happen until around 2012, but I just checked and it happened by region, and the earliest ones were being switched over (i.e. the analogue TV transmissions were stopped) right around this time.
There’s also a trail for The Graham Norton Show.
Then, another repeat of Heroes – Parasite which we saw on its first showing.
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly discovered superpowers they possess. With the election and NYC’s destruction looming, Nathan has a disturbing meeting with the shadowy Linderman. Hiro’s attempt to steal the sword steers him into a grim new direction. Suresh makes a breakthrough on ‘the list’, but at great cost. DL begins to suspect all is not well at home. Isaac paints his most terrible painting yet. New Hero Candice Wilmer makes an illusive debut.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Thursday 8th November 2007 23:18
BBC Genome: BBC TWO Thursday 8th November 2007 23:20
There’s a trail for Never Mind the Buzzcocks and trails for The Mighty Boosh and Radio 1Xtra.
Then the recording stops with a few minutes of World Bowls.
Here’s the ad breaks from Studio 60 – including the first advert I’ve seen for the iPhone.
Adverts:
- trail: True Stories: The Mosquito Problem & Other Stories
- B&Q
- Confused.com
- Sainsbury’s Insurance
- trail: Deep Water
- Jon Ronson on Nutty Americans
- trail: The Sopranos
- Bath Store
- Vauxhall Antara
- UBS
- Actimel
- Nivea for Men
- iPhone
- Ski-Ride-France.com
- Barclaycard – Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt
- trail: Forgotten Heroes: The Not Dead
- trail: True Stories: The Mosquito Problem & Other Stories
- Lions For Lambs in cinemas
- Polaris World
- Sainsbury’s Insurance
- E.on
- Army
- Herbal Essences
- SCS
- Ing Direct
- trail: Deep Water
- trail: 4OD
- Audi R8
- First Direct – Matt King
- Halfords
- Think! Always wear a seatbelt
- Stella Artois
- trail: The Sopranos
- trail: Film 4
- Barclaycard – Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Renault Laguna
- Nivea for Men
- Jon Ronson on his contemporaries
VHiStory 