Frost has managed to get their hands on a fantastic behind the scenes featurette as well as exclusive interviews with the cast of Misfits. Add in some never before seen footage and we really are spoiling you. Season 2 has been fantastic and if you missed it the DVD is out on December the 27th. Enjoy!
DVD release of Misfits series 2 out on the 27th of December. Pre-order it now.
An addiction for the 21st century is causing increasing numbers of desperate parents to seek help for their teenage children.
Internet Addiction Disorder, or IAD, is now as much of a real addiction as drugs and alcohol, according to the renowned Priory Clinic in Roehampton, south west London.
The disorder can lead to mood swings, compulsive lying, loss of interest in studies and a breakdown in real-life relationships, as surfers spend time using and abusing chatrooms, multi-user games such as EverQuest, and social networking sites like Facebook.
Speaking back in 2008, Richard Renson, then Addiction Therapist at The Priory, said: “In some families, money can be tight. Both parents work and children often come back home alone and go straight on to the computer. It becomes a routine and that routine becomes very hard to break.
“It’s lack of communication with another solid human being. Some people say when they’re gaming online, they’ve got thousands of friends, but it’s not communication and emotional involvement. It’s avoidance behaviour.
“One of the hardest things to manage is our emotional world and if you’ve not got any role models and are only using computer-based information, it’s not going to be solid, concrete or useful.”
Two years on, there are currently no statistics outlining the number of UK addicts, but with Facebook and Twitter usage continuing to amass large numbers of followers, the problem is increasing.
Mr Renson estimated at the time that as many as 20 per cent of Priory patients were chronically affected by internet and computer-based addiction.
However, critics argue potential sufferers only use the internet as a medium to fuel other cravings and that internet addiction itself is not a true condition.
Mr Renson firmly believed this was not the case: “There’s more and more evidence to show that it is,” he said.
“We can sensationalise it, but any action a human being takes that is detrimental to their well-being, and seems a repetition, can be classed as an addiction.”
He added: “Evidence also shows there are ‘hot-spots’ in the brain that remain when somebody stops using the computer. It’s exactly the same as when using a substance.”
An addict, speaking to The Times in March, said: “The social thing was something I always had trouble with. It was a lot easier to socialise and make friends online than it was in real life.”
However, treatment is not as simple as stopping use. Instead, it can be a slow and difficult process, requiring considerable after-care.
The key, according to Mr Renson, is tackling the underlying problems that lead to the compulsion.
“If you start off with abstaining from that substance or behaviour, you get to the bottom of how you feel,’ he said. “You can learn how to manage the emotions you probably thought were too hard to manage initially.
“When you’re not intoxicated, inebriated or doing something that avoids feeling, you can start to make sense of it and see that it isn’t so tough.
“But abstinence is quite a tall order. When you take away a behaviour that people have seen as addictive, it can be quite troublesome. People relapse unless you’ve got a support network around you.”
The cure though, can be prohibitively expensive. It costs approximately £20,000 for a 28-day programme at The Priory, although medical insurance may cover certain cases.
“It may sound like quite a lot of money,” said Mr Renson. “But you can’t put a price on a person’s quality of life. If you can give somebody back their life, it’s money well spent.
“We’re doing quite a lot of education around general compulsive behaviour and addictions,” he added.
“For better or for worse, The Priory has a reputation for treating the rich and the famous, but we have a social conscience.
“We want people to experience the world and the beauties of it. You can’t do that if you’re sitting at a computer.”
The recent London attitude to bad weather has been weary fortitude. Usually it’s rain. But more recently add to this mix – Tube strikes. Tube breakdowns. Train breakdowns. Student protests. Council cutting back on bad weather provision. Freezing cold. And then to cap it all. Snow. Look at the London news and it’s a repeat of every other year. Fed up people complaining. The train company did this. Or more accurately didn’t do anything. Nothing works. Where’s the grit? It’s part of the London cycle.
We just repeat the same problems. My more surreal moments in the inclement weather being watching an elderly man on skis in Hampstead High Street. Calmly floating down the pavement he looked very determined. And so did the small dog he was using to pull him along. A spaniel. But my favourite being a miserable looking bus driver repeating in a monotone “Snow off your shoes please” to every passenger. This elucidating a frenzied procession of semi Flamenco moves from a bunch of cold people who just wanted to get on and sit down. It looked like a street dance off with shopping and elderly people.
But it’s Christmas now. The race begins. Buy. Buy. Buy. And all the local papers go into charity mode. Good causes. Smiling old age pensioners in hats. Cheery looking homeless people grinning over a bowl of soup. It’s so very Victorian. And so very London. The TV is straight on it. Out come all the Dickens analogies. It’s as if the presenters can’t help themselves. “And here’s a real old curiosity”” It’s a bleak house tonight” and one that made me choke during a report on a local council closing a toddlers club “The spirit of Christmas present lost in a scoogelicious committee decision” Scroogelicious! And then comes that unique London traditional phenomenon the absurd pre Christmas sales in the posher shops. Items such as a Swarowski encrusted hot water bottle or a platinum apple phone. Slashed from mind numbing prices to surprisingly staggeringly high prices. Who is buying this stuff? I thought there was a recession on? But the London Christmas rolls on. It’s party season. You can tell by the tents set up in Leicester Square to deal with the incoherent drunks paralytically spreading the yuletide cheer. I think we should wait until they’re completely unconscious and then stick them in air freight containers so they wake up in say Bolivia or Morocco. Watch the drinking statistics drop away!
But food and drink feature large in a London Christmas. The major restaurants falling over themselves to do deals. The Evening Standard is full of coupons suddenly. Who cuts them out? It must be very difficult to go on a date with someone who surreptitiously starts sliding coupons under their credit card come bill time. Not really giving the right impression. Hi I’m sexy but very cheap. But the 2 for one offers often come with a sting in the tail. The good stuff never seems to be included. And then when you do stray from the deal it sends the price into the stratosphere. But that is the London way. Just like the Traditional German markets that suddenly seem to be appearing everywhere. Londoners just accept the fact that a load of fake alpen huts will start springing up on every corner. Bratwurst. Hot wine. Weird looking ginger bread. All to the accompaniment of brass band music. They have a thing called Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park with a huge German fair. And it’s a mixture of baffled looking Japanese tourists uncertainly smiling unsure whether they were tricked over the war and hardy Londoners braced against the cold munching on surreal looking sausages in rye bread that has the consistency of an elderly carpet tile (and a similar taste I might add) all secretly longing for a bacon sandwich. But it’s Christmas in London which means anything goes. Apart from Christianity. This is a no no with most London councils. I saw an article with some Council leader who seemed confused at the concept. He thought it was an economic opportunity with a holiday attached. The Christ and religious bit clearly passing him by. Hence that horrendous Winter Festival concept put about by the more moronic ones. Even though they all get the cast of East Enders in to turn on the Christmas lights. Huh? But they’ve figured out that upsetting Christians is easy – they’ll just turn the other cheek. The most radical things some local Christians round here did was to sing a load of Carols outside the Town Hall. How vicious was that? God bless them. Or as my local council would put it. Winter bless them.
Oh yes just a quick update on my human signs. They’ve now got them dressed as furry animals. Quasi Disney Characters. With holly and tinsel stuck all over them! They still have Golf Sale and Cheap Computers written all over them but it’s nice for the children. And very confusing. Goofy clearly reduced to sidelining in cheap Golf equipment since his falling out with Mickey they must suppose. Anyway finally after the shopping then comes the final Christmas ritual. The big get away. In London we head for the airports and the streets fall silent. It’s a very odd time. The usual rush and whizzing around replaced albeit temporarily with a brief period of tranquillity. I tend to stay to enjoy the peace and once everyone else comes back then I leave. The prospects for the New Year a bit uncertain this time. The austerity year I heard it called. I chatted to some people in a café the other day and asked them their fears and thoughts about the coming year and all the cuts. I listed all the things that were going to be closed and cancelled. They all shrugged. So what they said. And ordered another latte and biscotti. Denial. No. It’s a London thing.
Well that’s it for this year! Merry Christmas to you all. And here’s crossing my fingers for 2011. So whoever they may be – may your God or non belief go with you.
Regards Phil
London’s new media and tech savvy were out in force and in the real world last week to witness Street Magician Dynamo (aka Steven Frayne) perform magic tricks in Chelsea’s JuJu bar. Bloggers and Journalists were joined by names such as Karen Millen as they looked on in disbelief, amazement and cynicism.
Dynamo’s been taking the Panasonic TA1 handheld camera on his recent journeys filming with the likes of Tinchy Stryder, the Sugababes and Keith Lemon. Billed as the new, slightly cheerier David Blaine, Dynamo first learnt magic from his grandfather
Take a look at Dynamo’s TV channel on YouTube
BBC Two and Hat Trick have created ‘Episodes’ a seven-part comedy series from the highly acclaimed writing partnership of David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik (Mad About You).
The show tells the story of a happily married English couple, Sean and Beverly Lincoln, who also happen to be successful producers of a hit British TV show called Lyman’s Boys.
At an awards ceremony in London they are wooed by a hugely powerful and charismatic US network executive who persuades them to move out to LA and remake their hit show for an American audience – with disastrous results.
Things begin to unravel at Sean’s and Beverly’s first studio meeting. It soon becomes clear that the network president has never even seen their show. To make matters worse, he insists they replace their lead actor, an erudite Royal Shakespeare Company veteran (played by Richard Griffiths) with… Matt LeBlanc. Sean and Beverly are appalled. But the decision is out of their hands.
Matt comes on board and they find themselves in a complicated triangle, which threatens to destroy not just their TV show but also their marriage.
The quintessential US comedy star Matt LeBlanc plays a larger than life version of himself. Joining him are Tamsin Greig (Tamara Drewe, Green Wing, Love Soup), Stephen Mangan (Free Agents, Never Better, Green Wing), Kathleen Rose Perkins (Without A Trace, Tell Me You Love Me), Mircea Monroe (Scrubs, Without A Trace), Daisy Haggard (Psychoville, Sense And Sensibility) and Richard Griffiths (The History Boys, Withnail And I).
Jimmy Mulville comments: “These are some of the best scripts I’ve read in a long time by two writers at the top of their game.
“To have the opportunity to make a show with David Crane andJeffrey Klarik, with Matt LeBlanc playing a hilarious version of himself, and then to make that show for both Showtime and the BBC, whose combined portfolios of comedy are second to none, is both a thrill and a great privilege. Episodes promises to be one of the great comedy treats of 2011.”
Matt LeBlanc adds: “This is a great idea from David and Jeffrey – I love it. I am really excited to be working with Showtime and the BBC. And I am also so glad I got the part; seeing someone else playing Matt LeBlanc would have been devastating.”
Start watching Episodes from Monday 10 January 2011 at 10pm.
Despite best intentions, 68% of Brits still search for gifts on Christmas Eve
· Brits set to waste £2 billion[1] on panic-bought gifts this Christmas
· A nation of last-minute Christmas shoppers – over three quarters (76%) of us panic-buy the night before Christmas to ensure stockings are filled
· Half (50%) of shoppers have deliberately bought something overly expensive or extravagant in a moment of panic
· Panic-buy Britain: 32% have bought on a whim because they couldn’t find what they are looking for and 32% because they unexpectedly received a present and felt obliged to return the gesture
· Almost half (48%) of consumers admit to avoiding the panic by recycling an unwanted gift they’ve already received
· Christmas shoppers urged to use InvisibleHand (www.getinvisiblehand.com) to grab the best festive bargains.
Ever woken up realising you’ve forgotten that all-important present the morning before Christmas Day? Well you’re not alone. According to new research[2] from InvisibleHand, the free online shopping tool, over two thirds of UK shoppers (68%) also end up buying last minute gifts from the shops on Christmas Eve, while over three quarters (76%) of us end up panic-buying to ensure Santa’s quota is met.
In fact, panic buying last year led to half (50%) of consumers deliberately purchasing something overly expensive or extravagant. Going by last year’s overspend, Brits could be set to waste a whopping £2 billion on last-minute, panic-bought gifts this year[1].
Not being able to find the ‘right’ gift (32%) and being unexpectedly given a present and having to return the gesture (32%) are among the main reasons why people end up panic-buying. However, consumers also put pressure on themselves with over a quarter (26%) leaving it until the last minute because they can’t actually decide whether to buy someone a gift or not. A forgetful 18% end up in a flap because they simply forget to buy a gift.
As a result of the panic, consumers cut corners with three in ten (31%) buying something the wrong size so that the recipient could return it after Christmas. Men are particularly bad at adopting this cunning ploy – 38% use this tactic. Two in ten people (19%) even buy something that they know the recipient won’t like. Again, men lead the way with 24% having used this ruse.
People even resort to ‘re-gifting’ – almost half (48%) admit to re-cycling an unwanted gift they’d already received. What’s more, women seem to be the best at this with almost half (48%) having recycled unwanted gifts in the past, compared to just 30% of men.
Robin Landy, founder of InvisibleHand, says: “As the carol goes: ‘‘tis the season to be jolly’, but for most of us the weeks leading up to the big day are often another story altogether. This is especially the case if you’ve left your Christmas shopping to the last minute. This often leads to panic-buying and consumers making extremely poor purchasing decisions, often forking out far more than necessary as a result.
“Purchasing Christmas gifts under pressure could see a staggering £2 billion wasted on panic–bought items this year alone. This is astonishing and could be easily avoided by shopping online. The key thing is for consumers to shop around to make sure they find the best prices available to avoid paying vast amounts. There are some great deals to be found by savvy shoppers looking to track down a Christmas bargain.”
InvisibleHand’s top five tips for online Christmas shopping:
§ Search online to make sure you have the best price available to avoid spending more than you need to
§ Ensure you read the terms and conditions regarding postage and packaging to avoid any unnecessary costs
§ Be sure to read up on delivery times to ensure gifts arrive in good time
§ Take advantage of discount vouchers on offer by searching online and entering a promotional code before clicking the ‘buy’ button
§ Check whether the retailer offers a gift-wrapping service, which could save you time in the long run.
Retired Canadian teacher enters the Guinness World Records™ 2011 edition with world’s ‘Largest Collection of Santa Claus Memorabilia’
Jean-Guy’s 25,000-piece collection fills his entire house!
74-year-old Jean-Guy Laquerre from Boucherville, Quebec, today celebrates being officially recognised as the biggest collector of Santa Claus-themed memorabilia in the world, having accumulated an incredible 25,189 items from 33 countries over the past 22 years. His record-breaking collection, which is still growing in size, has earned him a place in the Guinness World Records 2011 edition and will also feature as part of the new Guinness World Records iPad app Guinness World Records: At Your Fingertips, which launches today on the iTunes store.
Jean-Guy began his collection in 1988 after being left a Santa Claus statuette from the early 1900s by a deceased relative. This touching gesture inspired him to start hunting for everything Santa-related, from postcards and brooches to toys and posters. And just like Santa, in his bid to keep expanding his collection, Jean-Guy has his own band of helpers – friends rather than elves! – that send him gifts from antique shops and garage sales, to help boost his assortment of Father Christmas merchandise.
Now the enthusiast has been rewarded with a certificate, a place in the 2011 edition book and will also feature in the new Guinness World Records app which launches today. Commenting on his record-breaking collection, Jean-Guy said: “To be included in the Guinness World Records book is a big honour. It’s the best of the best, the top of the top – like being an Olympic gold medal winner! Being part of the iPad app gives me even more joy as it will help spread the happiness my collection brings to people.”
Guinness World Records Editor-in-chief Craig Glenday says: “Jean-Guy personifies the magic of Christmas his collection is a joy to behold and brings a smile to the face of even the most hardened of cynics. He’s the kind of grandfather that every child would want!”
An ideal Christmas gift for both knowledge-seekers and aspiring record-breakers of all ages, Guinness World Records 2011 edition is available now from all good book retailers (RRP £20).
The Guinness World Records app Guinness World Records: At Your Fingertips launches today, delivering more than 150 photographs, 140 records, 20 stunning video clips, and three exclusive games that enable iPad users – for the first time ever – to be able to attempt and set real Guinness World Records straight from their iPad.
Guinness World Records: At Your Fingertips is available now at the iTunes Store for £2.99. For more information visit http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ipad.aspx
Vampires might be ubiquitous at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that viewers are sick of them yet. The return of the sexy, slick True Blood is most welcome. Mostly so due to the casting of the gorgeous ( and mostly naked ) Alexander Skarsgård.
Bill proposed to Sookie and promptly goes missing. Where is he, and has he been kidnapped? Overly fertile Arlene is also in for a surprise.
In it’s third series, True Blood is still coming up with the goods. The writing is on top form and there is enough twists and turns to keep viewers happy. Due to the nudity and violence, probably not one to watch with your parents.
Fridays at 10pm from Jan 14th. Only on FX