The Vampire Diaries

Have we not all had enough vampires in our lives? I thought Twilight was the nail in the coffin for vampires so to speak but no, they continue to capture our imagination. I have started watching this show as I need something to watch on my commute and I've finished Gilmore Girls.

This show is the very definition of a bad TV show we love. It's pretty awful yet I find myself compelled. It owes a tremendous amount to Charmed, a show I had a soft spot for because Aaron Spelling was behind it and it had that guy from Home & Away who married Danni Minogue playing the devil himself.

The Vampire Diaries is a show about Elena (intensely annoying and she appears to be unable to tie her hair back ever) who falls in love with Stefan who is a vampire. Stefan is boring. His brother Damon isn't and is played by a guy who looks like Rob Lowe's little brother. Damon is evil, he kills people for fun but it's only because he is tortured missing his love Katherine from over 150 years ago. Elena looks exactly like Katherine. We can all see where this is going and I am only half way through season one.

Jasmine Guy was in this playing a grandma. Now, I may be one of the few people around who instantly recognised her name in the credits. Jasmine played Whitley Gilbert in A Different World, the Cosby Show spin-off with Lisa Bonet. Now she is playing a grandma who is a witch. I don't think I've ever felt so old. I don't think I'm spoiling much to say she's just died in the show. I quite liked her too.

This is trash of the highest order. I can't believe Kevin Williamson (he of Dawson's Creek) is behind it. Obviously I shall continue to watch it.

Romancing the Stone

On Friday I found myself at Dubai airport having missed my connecting flight home (thanks for nothing BA) and had to spend five hours there. There are worse places to be stranded that Dubai airport but I was exhausted and for once, didn't want to shop. So I waited patiently and finally boarded my Emirates flight feeling very jaded with life.

I perked up because Emirates business class is delightful. Properly decadent, you get your own little bar! I sipped some champagne and casually looked at the in-flight entertainment. New films are a given on all flights, I judge an airline on the classic films. BA is woeful at this (of course). American Airlines had Gone With The Wind which made up for the fact I had to ask for my glass of champagne. Emirates had dozens and dozens of classics and I may have actually squealed when I saw it had Romancing the Stone. When you are travel-weary and your eyes hurt because you are so tired, you don't want anything worthy or new. You want your old friends to soothe you. I settled down with my lunch and wine and revisited this absolute classic.

It's never going to win any awards and it's super-cheesy but I have always loved this film because of the two leads. Kathleen Turner is quite simply, wonderful and gorgeous. Michael Douglas is sexy, funny and divine. They cavort round the Colombian jungle, running into trouble and Joan is a timid romance writer sexually awakened by Jack. Danny DeVito is after them as well as other baddies. It's all most pleasing and charming. It rattles along at a fair old pace and it still makes me laugh. The Jewel Of The Nile, its sequel was nowhere near as good but I would still happily watch it.

Michael Douglas is a bit weird these days (he is 70 which is a bit freaky to think about) but for me, this is his best film. He is charming and sexy. Watch it if you don't believe me. And Kathleen Turner is always wonderful. God bless the 80s.

ETA: I'd already blogged about this, I thought I had, I did a search and it didn't come up. Anyway, it's so good, I've talked about it twice.