A bit of a catch up.

How lovely. Amazon have turned nasty and started blacklisting homosexual content, and despite claiming only adult material is affected, this would appear not to be the case (and not actually affecting heterosexual adult material).



David Starkey has done a grand job of reminding me why I think he's such a tool.



The new episode of Dr Who was tops, very much so in fact. More than made up for such a substandard Christmas Special. If only Lee Evans wasn't in it...



On the other hand Dave's somewhat misguided resurrection of Red Dwarf is pretty abysmal. And where the smeg is Holly? Either one of them would have done.



I went to see Jackson Browne last week, he was rather good, but ruined it by being so indulgent (knock the five minute instrumentals on the head, learn to understand that while people will tolerate a bit of your new stuff it isn't what they want to hear, and don't talk for so long when you've got so little of interest to actually say - then maybe you can justify £40 a head hot stuff).



I also recently saw A Woman of No Importance's one night reunion, great stuff, but they got Blackflowered. I bought Blackflower's CD that night as a matter of fact, I've had a demo since I interviewed them, God knows why I waited so long. Have a listen, it's simply beautiful. Or just buy it, you won't be disappointed.



I'm nearly finished Battlestar Galactica, despite the occasional hints of certain of the stupider plots (Gaius as Jesus, give me a break) it's cracking stuff.



Went to see The Boat That Rocked recently, hardly astonishing but I liked it more than I had thought I would. Little curious about the ongoing absence of black characters (and you can't claim realism reasons, because this is clearly Richard Curtis's fantasy of the pirate radio ship) not to mention the way women are portrayed. And the scene where what is essentially attempted rape is played for laughs as something men do? Seriously not on.

Mind, it did have one or two redeeming features, there was the excellent soundtrack, and of course...



I've been reading a few more Alan Bennett short stories since An Uncommon Reader, the first time I've really dallied with his fiction, and they're wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.



Most importantly notes for my second draft of Firebird & Nightingale are now done, just got to get typing now. I may even but up the introduction and first chapter on here once I'm done...