Sometimes I am (probably) more than a little slow to pick things up. These aren't objects that I've dropped. No. These are things that people write or sometimes say. Takes me a little while to pick up the gist of things. This is not due to a bad education, either. I had a very good Grammar School education thank you, even involved some classics along the way (Latin was just awful).

However. Reviews, or what's probably more to the point, reviewers, is what I'm meant to be ranting about. Reviews have been around for many, many years of course. Ever since people started entertaining other people, there have been the Critics and therefore the written reviews.

Before the dawn of the Internet (and blogging) the review was usually written in newspapers, by usually the same people. So you wanted to see a show, read the review in the newspapers, then make your own mind up (based on the information written by the reviewer) whether you want to see it or not. That's pretty much stayed the same for many years, television reviews were commonplace (and probably still are) in the popular press.

Now, of course, the Internet brings a whole new medium to the review process. Blogging, microblogging and the accessiblility of the Internet from almost any device nowadays means that anyone can be a reviewer or a blogger. Prime example is me blogging here, of course.

I just knew it!!  The unfortunate and (probably sad) demise of one M. Jackson has completely overshadowed the (untimely) death of Farrah Fawcett.  Not even a mention on today's (or last night's) news and I gather that most media have pushed the news items back to their "second pages".

Yes it's a sad loss that MJ passed away (is it?) and it's a great loss to the music business etc etc, however that doesn't ratify the fact that another icon also passed away.  This icon had her troubles and her difficulties, but what must the poor family be feeling at this particular time to have all of her good points (and there were many) shoved to one side  in favour of a person who's latter life was filled with such controversy and madness.

I for one am unhappy that this poor girl - and remember that she's been very poorly for quite a while  - is fading into the background in favour of some insane little bloke, who can't decide what colour he is and dangles babies over balconies. (Let's not mention the court cases) Hmmm.

Okay Farrah was an literally an Angel on screen and probably no angel in real life, but she was certainly the inspiration for millions of people in the eighties all around the world, just as much as a certain other person. So why are we forgetting about her?

Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Two Celebrities in one day. Blimey.

Or is it blimey?  Farrah Fawcett (she'll always be Farrah Fawcett-Majors to me) the eighties sex Goddess that blessed our tellies on Charlie's Angels and that poster.  Many a teenage fantasy fuelled by those days and those images. Men "of a certain age" will know exacatly what I mean. The poor girl has been quite poorly for some time, so I suppose it's no real shocker that she's now finally passed on.  Without wishing to sound callous, it might have been a blessing in disguise, as some forms of cancer are extrememly painful.  Yes, it's sad to lose such an icon of one's youth, but not such a shocker.

What did surprise me, however, was Michael Jackson.  Okay, so Jacko wasn't exactly the most health-problem-free person, but it was a bit sudden and he was only 50 (I'm 50 in three years!). So that was a bit of a surprise.  I'm not really a Jacko fan I must admit - I've never been overly enamoured with the songs or the dancing etc and there are better writers-performers in my opinion, but some (a scant amount!) of his stuff was okay. Mainly because it was that time in the Eighties when Thriller was top and the world was reasonably okay on a personal level.  Being an early twenties bloke at the time, it was a golden era for some of us that Thriller was one of the moments that captured it - therefore that particular song strikes a chord every time I hear it and it does evokes very happy memories.  (Oh dear how quickly that would change!!)

Surrounded by controversy for most of the time since the eighties, he probably could have done better, but I suppose that was Fate and Fate decided he should be surrounded by court cases and controversy. Ah well. As I said, I'm not a fan, but I'm naturally sad he's passed on in a sort of "Mrs so-and-so passed away" kind of way.  But I'm afraid that's as far as it goes.

You have to laugh (well, I did, anyway!)

I follow Jill Wagner on Twitter, you see.  She does quite a few Tweets and makes quite an interesting read (she's a very pleasant person). I was even lucky enought to get a reply from her once.  Quite by accident, as I didn't actually realise that people you follow (and don't follow you) could ready your replies!!  So I'd been idly replying now and again to different celebs that I follow, not realising that they could see it. (Much wiser now!!)

So - Jill had Tweeted that she was watching some programme on TV called Jem. I idly replied "What's Jem" and she replied! Shock! I digress.

Anyhow, Jill Tweets about Wipeout USA, which is the US version of a tea time game show programme that had aired in the UK some time ago.  Not really into the UK version, I thought she was just a fan.  Until I caught the US version on one of the Sky channels last night.  Turns out she co-presents the show!!  No wonder she Tweets about it often!

I'm a tad narked.  Mainly because one of what is, in my humble opinion, one of the better US Series has been cancelled!!

The series I'm waxing about here is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  The title probably explains what it's about, but what I don't understand is just why the series was axed after two seasons.

Is it purely based on viewing figures, ratings etc?  Or is there something else behind it, as I really couldn't see a great deal wrong with anything to do with it!

OK, so it's not everyone's cup of tea, but then nor are other programmes, such as Dollhouse (I like this one too!) House etc to certain people. It's all about personal choice.  You either like something (and therefore you'll watch or record it) or you won't.

True Blood - in a nutshell - is an American series shown on the HBO channel.  It's currently just started it's second season run (one episode aired so far) having completed it's first season run of 12 episodes in about October/November last year (2008).

The series is about a girl - Sookie Stackhouse - who has the ability to read minds, or rather listen to people's thoughts and her relationship with a vampire and a shape-shifter!  The series is based on a series of book by author Charlaine Harris and is set in Louisiana, US.

This is no ordinary run of the mill tale though! The thing that sets this series apart from anything else (vampire related) is A) It's full of sex B) It's full of Vampires and C) It's full of very good actors!!  Now, I likes a good vampire film or story, but this truly is something else!  Whilst the sex is not gratuitous in any way, it adds to the plots and adds to the general story with humour, sensitivity and candour.  The Vampires are no "standard" Vamps either.  Yes, they're dead and yes, they're blood suckers (with rather cool fangs that "flip down"), but the traditional Holy Water and Silver Cross malarkey doesn't play a part (or hurt the Vampires, actually) and they can even go in Churches.  So this is no ordinary Vampire tale.  The writers even go as far as to mention these things as part of the plots too, mostly in a humourous fashion.

Also humourous at times, is the effect that Vampire blood has on people.  Likened to an addictive Class A drug, the Vampire blood can have different effects on different people, ranging from gentle LSD-style hallucinations, to phalllic torporism.  Funny to wincing in one fail swoop.