Saturday, Nov 28

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Diary of an Editorial Assistant
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Digital Spy's Editorial Assistant Philippa Warr reports on the behind-the-scenes activities at the DS offices.

Darts, Quizzes and the Tellybox

This has been an insanely busy week and I've only been in for part of it! So, what's been keeping us occupied?

Well, I was sent out on an emergency mission to buy a cuddly toy rabbit. We actually already have one in the office but if we got rid of it I think there's a real danger that Paul 'If it's not about memcache I'm not listening' Jones would never talk to any of us again. The rabbit was a prize for Simon's new gameshow pilot 'Bullseye for a Bunny'. Apparently it was largely successful apart from a controversial Sudden Death round where Simon felt that he may have been "a bit like the ref who let the Thierry Henry handball through". Perhaps the show will get picked up by one of the telly channels for a full series run, although if that happens my work expenses will probably start to raise a few eyebrows in the accounts department. I'll be on Question Time quicker than you can say "Jacqui Smith".

Elsewhere Mayer 'Curator of the Odd Section' Nissim was unexpectedly starstruck during an interview with Christopher Lloyd. When asked for further details Mayer simply smiled blissfully and repeated that Mr Lloyd was "lovely".

After all this excitement we all decamped to the pub yesterday for a Digital Spy pub quiz. We (as hosts) weren't allowed to win, however competitive spirit kicked in along with some drinking thinking and soon we were furrowing our brows and trying to remember all ten of the highest earning deceased celebs along with everyone else. Alex 'I eat pub quizzes for breakfast' Fletcher was in his element in the panto-based picture round which read like a roll call of DS Icons. Halfway through, Chris Allen defected to another team who went on to win. He thinks this is evidence of his greatness, I think that the evidence is circumstantial at best AND he still wasn't allowed a prize.

Finally, who was watching EasEnders Revealed last night? If you were you might have caught sight of our multi-talented Soaps Editor Kris 'Did someone mention Barbara Windsor' Green giving opinions! If you missed it you can find it on iPlayer OR you can gaze happily at the image below - we did both!


Posted Friday, November 27 at 16:31 by Philippa Click to see article >

Digital Spy takes on MasterChef

Last Friday Alex "a little bit of pepper" Fletcher went along to do some cooking for Greg and John from MasterChef in a live event (apparently being in Hot Gossip didn't work out). Prior to Friday Alex veered from confident to anxious to fearful. His tweets from the event back me up even if he would rather pretend he was cool as a cucumber: "At Masterchef live. Bricking it. Everyone here is talking food and can clearly cook. Don't think a fried egg sarnie will cut it.".

The fear was apparently compounded by the presence of the broadcasting colossus Terry Wogan and cookery addict Andi Peters and the revelation of the ingredients ("Chicken, bacon, bottle of wine, digestives, carrots, broccoli, lemon, mascapone. Argh!"). Modern technology came to the rescue and we all tweeted our most helpful suggestions. Chris Allen managed "Wrap chicken in bacon. Poach in white wine. Add some marscapone?" whereas I went for the tried and tested: "Drink wine, eat biscuits, leave."

There was a buzz of excitement a little while later when we heard that Alex had managed chicken in bacon, mash and two veg as we (or at least, I) hoped for some sort of takeout doggy bag arrangement, however the follow-up tweet banished those thoughts: "I should add, that I burnt the garlic, the chicken was barely cooked, the mash was lumpy and only half the veg was cooked properly".

In other news: Mayer Nissim spoke to the absolute legend that is Paul "Celebrity Love Island" Danan and guess what? He (Paul not Mayer) is in a FILM! I have told Simon that if he goes to review it I am his plus one.

Posted Friday, November 20 at 12:00 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (1)

All's fair in 'Modern Warfare 2'...

So, Modern Warfare 2...

On Monday I found myself unexpectedly heading off with Matt Reynolds to the MW2 launch in Leicester Square and then to the secret bunker-party-that-wasn't-really-in-a-bunker-but-did-have-authentic-bunker-lack-of-phone-reception.

The first part (camouflage carpet in Leicester Square) was an interesting experience - it's exciting for a game to get that kind of mainstream recognition and star treatment - coloured carpet, paps, a jeep full of fake soldiers - and watching it played across a huge cinema screen really highlighted its cinematic sensibilities. Host Vernon Kay was ridiculously excited by this, although he led us to believe that wife Tess Daly does not share his enthusiasm. Alice Delall, on the other hand, left to go to the loo partway through - perhaps she's more of a point-and-click afficionado?

It was also reassuring to me (who is traditionally an awful but enthusiastic FPS participant on anything other than N64 Goldeneye) to watch Chance Glasco, one of the Infinity Ward developers, get killed on the first level on the easiest difficulty. The one weird thing about it all was that gaming is fundamentally interactive and putting a game launch in a passive setting like a cinema is utterly counterintuitive. Only Dom Joly and some hand-picked audience people got to have a bash at it.

It was far easier to get stuck in at the secret bunker thing - Xbox booths with MW2 just crying out to be played, sausage and mash in ration boxes, soldiers handing out mojitos and cosmos, a bar made from ice with copies of the game frozen inside and a set from Dizzee Rascal at midnight. If this is life in the army then the telly adverts have been hugely misleading!

As you might also expect, among all the people eyeing the copies of the game frozen into the bar and absent-mindedly flicking their lighters, there were also celebs - some more related to the game than others. Billy "Have you had an accident at work that wasn't your fault?" Murray was there, tapping girls on the far shoulder and then walking away giggling while they looked around for their invisible tapper, as well as fellow voice providers Kevin McKidd and Craig Fairbrass and - fresh from his hosting stint at the cinema - Call of Duty evangelist Vernon Kay. Also spotted were Leigh Francis (bag of swag and woolly hat), Alice Delall (this time not on her way to the loo), Dom Joly and Goldie...

All in all a really decent night culminating in a free copy of the game*! How are you all finding it?

Phil x

*For the purposes of full disclosure: I am currently still awful but hellbent on improving - I hope to be 'below average' by December...

Posted Friday, November 13 at 06:00 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (0)

Oh, Mr Darcy!

Just a short one this week:

Last Tuesday as part of our DS Sessions we were visited by Carl and Andy Pemberton (better known as Journey South). I stepped in to lend a hand since Tom 'I point cameras' Mansell has fled the country and those boys can certainly belt out some notes - I think the mikes are still quivering!




Elsewhere - i.e. without me - Simon Reynolds headed off to hobnob with that Mr Darcy Colin Firth chap. In my opinion Simon was nowhere near excited enough, although perhaps that was for the best because I would probably have made him dive into a lake.

As an aside, if he ever interviews Barbara Leigh-Hunt (Lady Catherine de Bourgh) Simon is under strict instructions to make her say "Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?!".

Anyway, the chat was sadly focused on the newest version of A Christmas Carol (the one which suffers from a distinct lack of muppets) but does involve a brief discussion of Mr Firth in a leotard...

Phil x

Posted Monday, November 9 at 15:05 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (2)

The Lazarus touch

Sorry that this blog is a bit later than usual. I wish the excuse was something more entertaining than just being outrageously busy but I'm afraid it isn't. Perhaps I should have made something entertaining up? Yes, let's do that - I was out yachting with Britney Spears and lost track of time. Anyway...

On Tuesday David "I'm with the band" Balls went to catch up with N-Dubz. Due to some tight scheduling our intrepid reporter bundled into one of the band's taxis for a chin wag with Dappy. Dappy was eating a chicken and rice thing at the time so questions were interspersed with pearls of wisdom such as "mff nff chomp chomp unff" and "sfft uffn grff chomp". Luckily for Dappy this meant David was also on hand to open his drink, although at the last minute David ruined his cool credentials by being unable to open the bottle with his teeth. Clearly university was wasted on him!

On a completely separate note, things are not looking too good for Dan Saney's promotional bonsai tree. For those of you who have been following this blog since the start (and your commitment over the last two months has been truly heartwarming) you will remember that Mini Ninjas popped in to deliver it to him as part of some game promo. You may also remember me doubting Mr S's l33t treekeeping skillz. Well, it seems I was right. The tree has moved out after a breakdown in communications - namely that Dan didn't know what it wanted and the tree refused to provide hints - and is eking out an existence in the garden (Dan isn't entirely sure where). If I were a lesser person I would say 'I told you so' but instead I shall keep a diplomatic silence.

UPDATE: Just as well I kept a diplomatic silence given the tree has apparently made a miraculous recovery over the weekend. I could try to insist that the apparently healthy leaves are actually some kind of green fungal growth but I may actually have to accept that Mr Saney's garden brand of tough love is working.

Humble pie tastes AWFUL.

Phil x

Posted Monday, November 2 at 15:49 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (0)

We're with Mr Clooney, honest!

This week, Simon and I seemed to be duelling for the dubious title of 'worst anecdote'. Simon is currently winning with the one I mentioned last week - basically he went to the Fantastic Mr Fox press conference, sat as far away from Mr Clooney as was humanly possible and failed to engage him in any conversation whatsoever. My anecdote is slightly less terrible as I attended the Men Who Stare At Goats press conference and sat far closer - in the second row for the completists among you - I even took a picture AND Kevin Spacey was there AND he smiled at me. Take that Simon!

Tom "I love 24 more than I love oxygen" Mansell then tried to muscle in on the lame anecdote contest with his sad tale of nearly meeting Carlos Bernard but then not meeting him after all. A fine attempt. Chris Allen was disqualified from the contest on account of his trip to see the cast of Hustle actually happening. He even went out of the office to Birmingham and hung out with Robert Vaughn too.

Rescuing the week with an undiluted injection of celebrity was Austin Drage (X Factor class of 2008) who serenaded us on Wednesday afternoon. He sang his socks off and most of the office promptly fell hopelessly in love. I think it was the amazing singing combined with his implication that it would be more pleasurable to get intimate with a pair of scissors than to watch John and Edward perform anything.

Phil x

Posted Friday, October 23 at 12:11 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (0)

Alex and Arlene

Millions (or more accurately, none) of you have written in to ask 'How have you guys been coping while James, Neil and Kris have been away?'

Well, to answer your question I have decided to focus on one of our number: Mr Alex 'I hate big band week' Fletcher. I would have focused on Simon Reynolds but he only has a single George Clooney anecdote and honestly? It's weak.

Alex decided that this week it was time to break out of the reporting rat race and fulfil his dream of becoming a dancer. In order to test the waters he did what any sensible aspiring dancer does: he phoned Arlene Phillips.

As luck would have it Arlene had a few minutes to spare in between filming for So You Think You Can Dance so Alex rushed to audition. You can judge his smooth moves below...



Alexander Fletcher: coming soon to a dancefloor near YOU!


Posted Friday, October 16 at 11:50 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (1)

David, DS and Disneyland

Just after I wrote the last blog entry - literally just after I pressed 'submit' - our intrepid music reporter David Balls ventured out to meet up with JLS. He says it was an interview but I have a sneaking suspicion that he was actually auditioning to be the fifth band member. He did return to the office afterwards so I'm assuming there were some creative differences or dancefloor disputes that prevented the formation of this supergroup (you can get a glimpse of his incredibly brief stint in the band on the right). There is a bright spot in this sad story though - when David was walking down the hall Alexandra Burke wandered out of the loos and said hi.

In a slightly less star-studded anecdote your beloved blogger (that would be me) toddled along to a launch party for the DS game Scribblenauts. I was already very excited about the game itself but what really sealed the deal was the promise of a rooster hat. Yes, you heard me, a Rooster Hat. The main character, Maxwell wears one and let's just say it did not disappoint. It's bright red and I think you'll agree that I look amazing! (Please agree, no-one else has yet :( )

In other news, Kris, Neil, and James are jetting off to America for a whole week to party at Disneyland do lots of work. Staying behind does have its perks though - last time we all put in our various food requests and the office was pretty much awash with candy the day after they came back (FYI peanut butter M&Ms were awesome, Twinkies were less so)!

Phil x

Posted Friday, October 9 at 14:38 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (1)

Inside the Inside Soap Awards

Now, if you are any kind of soaps fan you can hardly have failed to notice the Inside Soap Awards were taking place this week. Kris 'soaps are my lifeblood' Green and Chris 'my camera sees all' Allen decamped to Sketch to hang out scoffing mini-burgers provide comprehensive coverage of the event.

Kris and Chris were AWED by the egg pod toilets (dignified pic on right), SURROUNDED by the glitterati and ASTOUNDED by the dancefloor skills of Neil 'just call me Beyoncé' Wilkes and James 'religious follower of Len's It Takes Two masterclass' Welsh.

There was also the now-standard picture of Kris with his arm round Cheryl 'Heather Trott' Fergison. I've included it below so you can see just how much joy there was on Kris's face. I really do wish I'd put a sneaky few quid on him being the father of her baby in EastEnders, you know.

Elsewhere Neil managed to convert hanging out in John Barrowman's dressing room and looking through his things into 'work' with a few well placed Doctor Who questions. The interview built to a startling climax with the revelation that Mr Barrowman is gay. Listen closely to hear Chris 'I'm a trained actor, darling' Allen gasping with completely natural surprise...

Phil x

Posted Monday, October 5 at 10:28 by Philippa Click to see and add comments (0)

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Tube Talk

Today: The latest '24' season eight trailer - Click in to watch the latest new trailer for Jack Bauer's next - and possibly last - day from Hell.

Soap Spoilers

Neighbours: 5786: Zeke tries to escape the store room.
Monday, 17:30 on Five.

Home and Away: 4966: Kirsty's illness is unknown.
Monday, 18:00 on Five.

Hollyoaks: 2701: Zoe's trial commences.
Monday, 18:30 on Channel 4.

Emmerdale: Will suddenly collapses.
Monday, 19:00 on ITV1.

Coronation Street: Rosie blackmails John for more cash.
Monday, 19:30 on ITV1.

EastEnders: Max's plot to fleece Ian takes a surprising turn.
Monday, 20:00 on BBC One.

Saturday's TV Picks

Our picks from Saturday's primetime TV:

20.00The X Factor (ITV1)
21.45I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (ITV1)
18.05Merlin (BBC1)
18.50Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1)