Neil Quigley

Neil Quigley

31st January 2012

My mate proudly told me his son had got his first football the other day, he was happy as they gave him the choice of a rugby ball or football, he chose a football though my mate did have to talk him out of the pink Barbie one he initially wanted and got a white one it the end. I was terrible as a kid, I knew I wasn’t meant to play football in the house but got given a full size foam football which I used to play with in the house when I thought no-one was looking and I never broke anything, although I did break several lights with a foam ball at Monks Risborough C of E School, we were playing keep ball in PE I threw this ball really hard, caught the lights and they fell to the floor luckily the other kids managed to get out the way, I didn't get into any trouble but I was pretty embarrassed!

Peter Andre is speaking to students at Oxford University tonight with Union leaders hailing the pop star-turned-TV personality an "inspirational figure". Spokesman Mark Greaves says "He's got a lot of experience in the media and we think he would be really interesting speaker for our members "He is one in a line of a wide range of speakers. We are definitely not dumbing down, we are just trying to reflect the 21st century and will keep inviting important people. Celebrity culture is here to stay." Well he certainly caused a bit of a stir when he was in Thame and Aylesbury last summer that’s for sure!!

Billy Connolly and Robin Williams have been named the greatest stand-up comedians of all time.  Connolly topped a poll of the most influential comics, beating double act Morecambe and Wise into second place. Victoria Wood came third, cross-dresser Eddie Izzard was fourth, and politically-charged writer Ben Elton was in fifth.  In the international category, Mrs. Doubtfire actor Williams came first, edging out Irishmen Spike Milligan in second and Dave Allen in third. Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy rounded out the top five in the survey, carried out by TV comedy channel Dave.

Posted by Neil Quigley at 12:39pm

Neil Quigley

30th January 2012

It was weird watching the Take Me Out I saw recorded on TV on Saturday, it’s interesting to see how they edit it and what bits they keep in and get rid of and obviously they film more material than they can ever use, I love that bit where Paddy reveals a secret about one of the girls,  that happens really quick when you watch it on TV but during the recording he takes ages with it and really hams it ups and messes about, which is very funny, even he had given up trying to pretend the show is serious and is just enjoying himself, would anyone actually want to go on date with any of those girls it’s a “no” from me!!

I watched the current Jimmy Carr DVD "Being Funny" on Saturday night not for the faint hearted but very funny obviously I can’t repeat any of the jokes on here but he does come across as a man who genuinely loves his job and he is the king of the heckler put downs and did you know he went to school at the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, so I always like to class him as a Buckinghamshire success, sure he is coming to the Waterside Theatre this year he is bound to be he is always touring!

A blob of dried glue bearing a vague resemblance to Homer Simpson has attracted astonishing bids of almost £150,000.  London-based seller Christopher Herbert didn't know if the bizarre item would attract any interest when he put it on eBay.  Putting it up for sale out of fun, he set a starting price of just 99p but bidding quickly rocketed with the auction not due to close on Monday.  After finding the item whilst clearing out his stationery cupboard, Mr Herbert listed the object after his girlfriend noticed it shared some of Homer's distinctive features. The 36-year-old said: "I've never actually sold anything on eBay before, so I thought I'd just stick it on for a bit of a joke to be honest. Why can’t I find something like that lying around my house to sell that would be brilliant, when I get home tonight and am going straight up into the loft with a torch!

Posted by Neil Quigley at 11:25am

Neil Quigley

27th January 2012

An Australian politician has been accused of parroting Michael Douglas' speech in the 1995 film The American President.  Transport Minister Anthony Albanese was making a speech to to the National Press Club in Canberra, when he launched an attack on opposition leader Tony Abbott.  "In Australia we have serious challenges to solve and we need serious people to solve them. Unfortunately Tony Abbot is not the least bit interested in fixing anything," he said. "He is only interested in two things, making Australians afraid of it and telling them who is to blame for it." In the movie, Michael Douglas, playing fictional US President Andrew Shepherd, criticises his rival with very similar lines. The uncanny similarity was spotted by the Liberal Party's Federal Director Brian Loughnane who put together a video contrasting the two, called 'Albo, you're no Michael Douglas'. I don’t know why more politicians do not do that quote from films to each other it would make watching the parliament channel much more interesting!

Steven Spielberg's epic movie War Horse is still leading the field at the box office for the second consecutive week.  The film debuted in the top spot last week and it's still reigning in first place with takings of £3.2 million, seeing off competition from Ewan McGregor's new film Haywire. The spy thriller debuted in second place with £1.2 million, while another new movie, Underworld: Awakening, took third spot with £1.1 million.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (£956,434) and The Iron Lady (£949,517) rounded out the new top five.

The episode of Take Me Out I went and saw filmed, I think is on tomorrow night so keep an eye out for me in the audience. Although they stuck ,e away right at the back I am guessing so I did not steal the thunder of the guys actually taking part in the show. Paddy Mcguinnes was great very funny. Altogether now "No Likey,No Lighty!! 

Posted by Neil Quigley at 12:21pm

Neil Quigley

26th January 2012

Thousands of Star Wars fans have joined forces to create a low-budget version of George Lucas's classic film. Star Wars Uncut has gone down a storm and has attracted more than 1.3 million hits since it was uploaded to YouTube a week ago. It was the brainchild of film buff Casey Pugh who cut the film into 472 15-second segments and asked fans to record their own interpretations. Although the clips had been available online previously, this is the first time they have been put together into a full-length film. Mr Pugh's efforts have already earned him a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media. The movie is an eclectic mix of live-action, animation and puppetry, featuring actors of all ages, and in some cases species. A bewildering variety of household goods are enlisted as substitutes for the original film's ground-breaking special effects and props. Locations vary, with efforts to faithfully recreate the original sets sitting side-by-side with homes, suburban streets, bowling alleys and, in one case, a hot tub. As a massive Star Wars fan I think it is brilliant and I wish I had been involved. Still slightly regret selling all my Star Wars Toy last year but then again I am in my mid 30’s!!

Nearly 1,000 stressed young office workers and students joined a mass pillow fight in China. They were handed pillows at the door and wrote on them the names of their bosses, teachers, exam subjects or whatever was stressing them out.  It was the fifth time the annual event has been held in Shanghai and it now so popular that there are plans to stage it in other cities. That sounds like fun lets organise one in Aylesbury, who’s up for it??

Posted by Neil Quigley at 1:41pm

Neil Quigley

25th January 2012

So we heard yesterday that HMV will be leaving Aylesbury as a few changes occur at Friars Square, I still remember when the old Friars Square was destroyed the one that used to have Woolworths facing you when you walked over the bridge over Friarage Road from the Car Park and walked past the selection of giant plastic birds before you made it into the store for your pick and mix and then there was the Wimpy that looked like it was somehow magically balanced on one side of the building, I always wanted to eat in there but my parents never let me, anyone else remember that!

A new website has been set up to help people dispose of unwanted gifts from relationships that have gone bad.  Annabel Acton, 28, from New York, created neverlikeditanyway.com after her own romance fell apart days before Christmas. Miss Acton, originally from Australia, had two tickets to London, as well as artwork and jewellery she did not want to wear anymore, so set up the website to sell it on.  Items for sale include designer wedding dresses, wedding and engagement rings and even wedding packages from couples who didn't make it to the altar.  Sellers list the 'real world price' and the bargain 'break-up price' and then blog about their reasons for selling the goods. Everybody has some new business idea nowadays don’t they!

A Star Trek fan who spent ten years turning his flat into a replica of the interior of the Starship Enterprise is "gutted" after being told to rip it out.  Tony Alleyne transformed the one-bedroom flat to look like the famous flight deck with a computer console, flashing lights and even "transporters". Wow I thought I had too much time on my hands!  He built it himself and says it would cost at least £100,000 to do it again from scratch, but he is now getting a divorce from wife who owns the flat in Hinckley and wants to sell up. Well if he can sell the bits on, he could get himself a nice deposit on a new place. He does need to take it out of the flat or that would really narrow the potential buyers. Can’t think why she is divorcing him anyway!

Posted by Neil Quigley at 2:13pm