Jools, later, live, whatever

Having cottoned on to the good American TV covering their elections months ago (Colbert Report, Daily Show, SNL Feylin etc), I thought I should watch something British tonight.

That’s why I was so thrilled to see Jools – Later, Live: making a huge deal about being live, holding today’s newspaper, repeating tonight’s Champion’s League scores so we know the show is live, it’s live, wow! Cut to half way through the show, Jools’ microphone stops working and he’s mercifully cut down to a whisper and wild gesticulation for a good five minutes. Brilliant.

Bake!

Ok so in the past I have not been a Rachel Allen fan. But I’m coming around – she’s finally found a format that works for her. In her new series she starts each episode with a recipe (same as ever but with less teaspoon sucking), then visits an interesting baker or chef, then teaches her cookery class a recipe. The teaching segment works best and Rachel comes across here and in visiting the artisan foodies as quite likeable and normal – far removed from her recipe mode in past series. She’s a great teacher and I think she should do more series focussing on teaching recipes to many rather than the uncomfortable false intimacy of speaking to no-one.

Palin needs more than three life lines

Palin and Kouric is the definition of cringe-making TV.

I can hardly watch the original, it’s better watching the SNL spoofs
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/couric-palin-open/704042/