24/7 French Internet TV
Something new to fill the hours when 18 Doughty St is off the air: France 24, although it does not launch until the 6th December. The interview with the CEO in Le Figfaro fits in the customary few digs at 'les Anglo-Saxons': "The 'new leaders of opinion', making up 25-30% of the world's population, are very sceptical of the view of the world offered by the Anglo Saxons like BBC World and CNN". Apparently what the thick end of 2 billion people are crying out for are "French values, diversity of opinions, a sense of debate and confrontation, and not forgetting culture and the French art de vivre". (I use babelfish to do the translation spade work before rendering it as believable English, and it just threw out 'the art of living with a Frenchwoman' for 'l'art de vivre à la française').
I'll keep an eye out, if I remember. All mockery to one side, although much French TV is truly terrible - ghastly light entertainment spectaculars of the type that died out here in the '70s etc - when they do 'serious', it can be very, very serious. Some years back one of the channels cleared its entire Saturday night schedule for an academic debate etc on ancient Egypt. Can't imagine that happening here.
I'll keep an eye out, if I remember. All mockery to one side, although much French TV is truly terrible - ghastly light entertainment spectaculars of the type that died out here in the '70s etc - when they do 'serious', it can be very, very serious. Some years back one of the channels cleared its entire Saturday night schedule for an academic debate etc on ancient Egypt. Can't imagine that happening here.
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whereas we clear it for ball room dancing!!
vive la difference!
apols for the franglais
Their discussion panels are full of smarty-pants, look-at-me-aren't-I-something trickery.
For example, there's one news panel, chaired by a woman, which seems to take place in the club car of a train. There's a seat, facing forward, on either side of an aisle, so none of the people can look at one another while they're talking. That was the most baffling, but French TV is full of silly little self-regarding tricks like this. The only decent programmes - and I use the term in the widest possible sense - are covers of English shows, like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
I think the French lead the world in lurid jackets for anchors / presenters too.
Ever seen Mexican TV?
Perhaps you can make a guest appearance and fly the British flag. Remember to take some British beef with you! They still owe millions of francs in unpaid fines for their illegal ban.
I find it hard to tell how serious the French are being. I scratched my head for years at French Pop music until Antoine de Caunes cleared it all up “ You English take it all seriously . We just like something to shake our bottoms to in the hope someone will notice”
Which explains a lot . They are a weak case of they Chinese problem culturally, magnificently Conservative, they read books and listen to classical music. So their attempts to swim in the degraded Anglosphere pond are a bit elephantine.
They can be offended. You can trust me to find out how.
I watched the RFU World cup semis in which, I think they were playing SA, with French Euroweeds from Bonk Paribas. I asked them which side they were supporting and they said “What are yow asking this stoopeed question for “
“Cos you couldn’t make you mind up in the second world war , could you !!!! “
Total sense of humour failure. People are so touchy( especially collaborators .. War? 10 minutes of spineless froggery more like ).
V - No, do tell....
Ellee - the former Mrs C was all for getting me to go on the French equivalent of Mastermind, but I'd have none of it...
N - Old Mr Rapido himself was a heavyweight rock journo (think Charles Shaar Murray, Nick Kent etc) prior to re-inventing himself as a comedy Frenchman, so don't believe a word of it. French music mags are at least as po faced as the likes of the NME used to be when you and I were sulky teenagers. From my observation of Gauls over a long period, they can be terribly prickly. I don't think I've made this observation before, but whereas 'you have no sense of humour' is the deadliest non-sexual insult you can make in this country (no-one will ever concede it), plenty of Gauls will nod in sage agreement. As to collaboration, I think we are very fortunate that our mainland didn't suffer occupation, as I know there would have been plenty of eager collaborators here too.
" I know there would have been plenty of eager collaborators here too."
I think that is a little bold if you are suggesting equivalency. France at the time was divided politically in a way that this country was not and there was real support for the Nazis. There was none here by the time it kicked off. I do not agree there would have been a British Vichy. Different circumstances as I`m sure you know better than I do.
CS Lewis pointed out how humourless we can be about our sense of humour. I find the French rather amusing. Also if our foreign policy was run on strictly selfish lines , like theirs ,we would cause less trouble and be better off.
Nose in the air "Non" to anything that does not directly benefit this country.
Croydonian - Plus the women presenters and guests apply make-up by weight.
N - Maybe not as enthusiastic, but I think we would have found plenty of takers. One of the Third Reich's outline plans was to depopulate the country and ship our forbears off to the Blatic as slave labour.
V - Indeed. Given how few blondes there are in France, I think ALL of them must be in media and entertainment....
Croydonian, So you missed Mastermind as well as that makeover show for your house, so when are you going to make your TV debut? You would be a natural ....
I had to turn down the Dalemeister the other week too.
Not sure if the world is ready for a multimedia Croydonian yet....
I meant in Mexico, Croydonian! One thing French women know how to do is apply make-up very well!
V - sorry. Not at my brightest today. So, what's a Mexican night's TV line up like?
I turned down a TV offer .Gasp . they were looking for a right of centre person and big mouth. Go figure ?
It was a jury concept where you judged , relationships.Even I have a limit and turned it down . I said at the time what would I know I `m a man? In retrospect perhaps I was wrong
"Women might be able to fake orgasms, but men can fake a whole relationship".
Sharon Stone , not bad
Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand."
Woody Allen
Much better
Why am I so crude to day ? Sorry
What's a Mexican night's TV lineup like? God, I haven't a clue! I only turn on the TV to play a DVD and I see it in shops and doctors' and dentists' offices. It seems to be all talk programmes, and being Mexican, they all talk at the same time. They don't get controlled by the compere because he's busy talking as well. I don't know how anyone understands a single word. It's just all three or four people talking at the same time at the top of their voices, then they break for a commercial.
One thing French women know how to do is apply make-up very well!
lets face it they need all the help they can get.
phitchens - snide comments are only funny if they ring true. Otherwise, they're perceived as being mean-spirited.
Verity
Did I ever claim not to be mean spirited?
Ah, les Francaises...
I really like them, in a perverse sort of way. They're such a challenge. Also, in the Midi, they really are quite sweet. I actually like the French very much. It is just that it is so expensive to live there.
Re their copy of The Weakest Link (for a start, the woman was too heavy and wasn't mean enough - although week by week she relaxed into the role and got quite a grasp on the viciousness - but that's not the point) on one show, inexplicably, they had 11 drag queens, kitted out in Marlene Dietrich to the nines.
Why? Who knows?
But it was one of the funniest shows I have ever seen on TV. The "Anne Robinson" compere lost control over them, except for the one who was dressed like a 1940s movie star and wore a little Celia Johnson toque and maintained her air of mystery by not getting involved in the melée. The rest, as the show went on, got more and more out of control, waving their wrists at one another, shouting witty answers to the questions not addressed to them, swanking from behind their stands, sulking and refusing to answer. It was the most inexplicable show I've ever seen on TV.
Again, French.
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