the long slack summer

Yep, Halloween really really pissed me off.

I'm feeling much better now, it is just a shame despite having nigh on three months to think about it I still don't have much to say.

Kudos to niki for being one of the best bloggers around, no mean feat considering her geographical handicap.

I'm going to go away and think about writing something worthwhile. Come back sometime over the next three months.

hallo-friggin-ween

I put on the record now how much Halloween shits me.

An how pissed off I am that it seems to getting a foothold in this country.

Just let it alone. Please.

more

As I predicted the last few days has seen me remembering other great interviews of our time. Another two need to be mentioned:

1. Parkinson and David and Victoria Beckham, circa 2001. You know when you eat icecream and get that real bad pain in between your eyes? I knew nothing about this pair before this interview, but I was well and truly enlightened. I can't describe it, if you saw it you know what I am talking about. It ended with her singing a love song she had written for him.

2. Ali G and Anita Roddick (of Body Shop fame), circa 2000/1. I am not a big fan of Ali G but this was funny. He tried to convince her that she should bottle his semen as a skin cream - guess you had to be watching it.

In another matters my recalcitrant commenting system should be working again. I probably should put it out of its misery and move to something more reliable but honestly couldn't be shagged at the moment. Speak to me though, please.

booker

The Booker prize has been won by Yann Martel for Life of Pi Sounds like a good read, so it goes straight to the top of my 'to read' pile, along with Tim Winton's Dirt Music, which was nominated but didn't win.

great interviews

Four Corners last night was on the huge fight Simon Crean has got on his hands to even be the leader of the ALP for the next election, let alone win it. This country is a much poorer place for the fact that Kim Beazley was never PM - but I digress.

Liz Jackson was responsible for the program, and as usual did a great job. I can't remember her ever doing a shoddy job - and it reminded me of possibly the best interview I have seen on tv, between her and John Howard on the children overboard fiasco. It was after the whole thing had been shown to be concocted stunt, and the theme of her interview was how much he new at the time. You won't find a much tougher subject to interview than Howard (Phil Ruddock I reckon is one), but Liz had him on toast, particularly over the issue of a late night phone call between he and Peter Reith.

Anyway that got me thinking even further about my favourite ever interviews:

1. Aforemention interview between Liz Jackson and John Howard re children overboard -Four Corners ABC, early 2002.

2. Virginia Trioli v Peter Reith re children overboard, when she told him that she thought the photos of the kiddies in the water were a crock and he went ballistic. She was later proved correct, and he retired with to a high paid private sector job - ABC Radio 774, late 2001. (great timing - this episode will have a post script later today when the report of the Senate committee on 'a certain maritime incident' is handed down. Standby for a good read, Reith has already been on the radio this morning saying it is nothing more than a political stunt).

3. Jana Wendt v Joh Bjelke Petersen. I was only a nipper when I saw this, so the only thing I remember was Joh continually muttering 'no Jana you are wrong, you are just wrong Jana, wrong'. - A Current Affair, mid 1980's. (It was subsequently made even more famous in a skit by the D-Generation or Fast Forward.)

4. Molly Meldrum and Prince Charles - Countdown mid to late 70's. Beyond description.

5. Anything between Kerry O'Brien and John Howard. The contempt these two have for each other is palpable.

That's my five for the moment - there is probably others that I'll want to substitute as I remember them. Any others I should consider?