At Least 'My Headband' Was New.
Apr. 26th, 2011 02:16 pmChannel 4 broadcast a really interesting Derren Brown special on faith healing last night: Derren Brown: Miracles for Sale, in which Derren attempted to illustrate and expose faith healing scams by sending a member of the public undercover into Texas as a 'faith healer'.
I have a lot of respect for Derren Brown, to whom I once sent a ukulele in a fit of madness and who, rather than ignoring me or taking out a restraining order (both of which would have been entirely understandable reactions), sent me an extremely kind letter in return, and that respect was bolstered last night when he chose to protect the reputation of a PR company by deciding not to use it to promote his fake faith healer. (Of course, Derren is a deceiver and a showman, and it's perfectly possible that some of the situations in the film were deliberately engineered for drama, but I can believe that he did think 'on second thoughts, let's not endanger this innocent man's livelihood for our programme.' Whilst Derren Brown generally has quite a sinister image, most evidence seem to point towards his actually being a really nice guy.)
Whilst I'm on the topic, I will say that I was a bit disappointed by Derren's autobiography, Confessions of a Conjuror. I adore his earlier book, Tricks of the Mind, but I suppose his style doesn't really lend itself to narrative. The police aren't going to come after you if you let the occasional noun slip past without an adjective, Derren, I promise.
Derren Brown's Miracles for Sale is currently available on 4oD here. (I don't think it's available outside the UK, I'm afraid.) In case the religious amongst you are wary about watching it: it's not an attack on faith itself, but on people who exploit that faith for profit, sometimes with terrible consequences for the exploited (for example, if they are misled into believing they're healed and so abandon treatments that they in fact need).
In other news (although not the sort of news that most newspapers would bother reporting), I have rewatched Glee episode 2.16, 'Original Song', and I now have a couple of thoughts that aren't just 'omg Kurt and Blaine are the adorablest ♥' (although they are, of course, still the adorablest).
Regarding 'Get It Right': it's a lovely tune, but I think it's a shame that the 'original song' that New Directions use to open Regionals is in fact a great big mass of clichés. I mean, take the first few lines:
What have I done? I wish I could run
Away from this ship going under.
Just trying to help, hurt everyone else;
Now I feel the weight of the world is
On my shoulders.
What can you do when your good isn't good enough
And all that you touch tumbles down?
These are all incredibly hackneyed images, Rachel! If you're trying to express your own pain, you really should use your own words. Your voice still gives me chills, though, so well done there. (Yes, 'gives me chills' is also a cliché, but I'm not relying on my lyric-writing ability to win a competition, am I?)
It's a particular shame after an episode of songs with lyrics as creative as 'So sick with love I think I'm coming down with rickets.' Oh, Puck.
The Warblers' cover of 'Raise Your Glass' makes me dance ridiculously in my seat. I can't help it. I punch the air and everything. It is a very good thing that I've never listened to it in company.
I find it weirdly hilarious that Darren Criss's voice is frequently layered over itself during the Warblers' performances, giving the impression that there's another Warbler somewhere in there who sounds exactly like Blaine, or possibly that they have an invisible Blaine clone contributing vocals. OH MY GOD, WAIT: or that my fic in which all the Dalton students' thoughts are audible is true. It answers so many questions! ...by which I mean that it answers one question and raises many, many more.
Despite the lyrical issue and the fact that it didn't do as much with the Rachel-Quinn relationship as I was hoping, 'Original Song' is still my favourite Glee episode to date. It is packed with so many delightful things and I love it endlessly. (Did I mention how charmed I am whenever the Warblers and New Directions cheer each other on? Awww.)
I have a lot of respect for Derren Brown, to whom I once sent a ukulele in a fit of madness and who, rather than ignoring me or taking out a restraining order (both of which would have been entirely understandable reactions), sent me an extremely kind letter in return, and that respect was bolstered last night when he chose to protect the reputation of a PR company by deciding not to use it to promote his fake faith healer. (Of course, Derren is a deceiver and a showman, and it's perfectly possible that some of the situations in the film were deliberately engineered for drama, but I can believe that he did think 'on second thoughts, let's not endanger this innocent man's livelihood for our programme.' Whilst Derren Brown generally has quite a sinister image, most evidence seem to point towards his actually being a really nice guy.)
Whilst I'm on the topic, I will say that I was a bit disappointed by Derren's autobiography, Confessions of a Conjuror. I adore his earlier book, Tricks of the Mind, but I suppose his style doesn't really lend itself to narrative. The police aren't going to come after you if you let the occasional noun slip past without an adjective, Derren, I promise.
Derren Brown's Miracles for Sale is currently available on 4oD here. (I don't think it's available outside the UK, I'm afraid.) In case the religious amongst you are wary about watching it: it's not an attack on faith itself, but on people who exploit that faith for profit, sometimes with terrible consequences for the exploited (for example, if they are misled into believing they're healed and so abandon treatments that they in fact need).
In other news (although not the sort of news that most newspapers would bother reporting), I have rewatched Glee episode 2.16, 'Original Song', and I now have a couple of thoughts that aren't just 'omg Kurt and Blaine are the adorablest ♥' (although they are, of course, still the adorablest).
Regarding 'Get It Right': it's a lovely tune, but I think it's a shame that the 'original song' that New Directions use to open Regionals is in fact a great big mass of clichés. I mean, take the first few lines:
Away from this ship going under.
Just trying to help, hurt everyone else;
Now I feel the weight of the world is
On my shoulders.
What can you do when your good isn't good enough
And all that you touch tumbles down?
These are all incredibly hackneyed images, Rachel! If you're trying to express your own pain, you really should use your own words. Your voice still gives me chills, though, so well done there. (Yes, 'gives me chills' is also a cliché, but I'm not relying on my lyric-writing ability to win a competition, am I?)
It's a particular shame after an episode of songs with lyrics as creative as 'So sick with love I think I'm coming down with rickets.' Oh, Puck.
The Warblers' cover of 'Raise Your Glass' makes me dance ridiculously in my seat. I can't help it. I punch the air and everything. It is a very good thing that I've never listened to it in company.
I find it weirdly hilarious that Darren Criss's voice is frequently layered over itself during the Warblers' performances, giving the impression that there's another Warbler somewhere in there who sounds exactly like Blaine, or possibly that they have an invisible Blaine clone contributing vocals. OH MY GOD, WAIT: or that my fic in which all the Dalton students' thoughts are audible is true. It answers so many questions! ...by which I mean that it answers one question and raises many, many more.
Despite the lyrical issue and the fact that it didn't do as much with the Rachel-Quinn relationship as I was hoping, 'Original Song' is still my favourite Glee episode to date. It is packed with so many delightful things and I love it endlessly. (Did I mention how charmed I am whenever the Warblers and New Directions cheer each other on? Awww.)
