Misfits in the USA

Last week I attended the Misfits S3 launch and screening at the BFI.

I won't delve deeper into the premiere episode aside from saying that any concerns about the series' demise, with the departure of Nathan, were premature and assuaged by a breakout performance from Joseph Gilgun as Rudy.

During the cast and creator Q&A that followed. Misfits' creator Howard Overman outlined that Superhoodie's identity was decided midway through recording S2 and alluded to a US version, after it was noted that Misfits has garnered a cult following, in North America, since Hulu started streaming S1.

Josh Schwartz (The OC and Gossip Girl) confirmed that a Misfits remake will be produced by his company Fake Empire under Warner Bros.

The combination of Howard Overman and the power of the Schwartz is too compelling to fail! The OC's Rachel Bilson should be cast as Alisha. What do you think?

Misfits S3 starts on E4 Sunday, 30th October, at 10pm.

Watch Misfits online at LOVEFiLM.com today, LOVEFiLM stream a huge collection of movies, also sign up now and get a 2 week trial absolutely free.

All Good Things

This blog started in May 2004 when The OC debuted on UK television screens. Starved of Roswell, Buffy and Dawson's Creek. Orange County provided plenty of laughs, thrills and geeky amusement! Seth's comic book obsession and penchant for perky brunettes parallels my own!

No sooner am I up-to-date with Apple Inc kit; as depicted in The OC. The OC ends! Hot damn!



It's time to say goodbye to the first family of Orange County. In Season Four, high school seems like a distant memory for the young graduates, who have been thrust into adulthood after the death of their beloved friend Marissa. The Cohens struggle to keep Ryan focused on the future, fighting the forces that threaten to pull him back into his old life. Having left Orange County, Summer attends Brown University in Rhode Island, where she has reinvented herself as a left-leaning, tree-hugging activist. And, lonely in Orange County, Seth works at a local comic book store.

So long Sandy, Seth, Summer and co. It was fun and I'll miss seeing you on my Sony Plasma! Perhaps The Real OC will show up on Joost™ as part of the Viacom deal?

Opulent Tunes

Enough ruminating on the Sony BMG Music UK competition fiasco! Yesterday, I discovered that singer Nerina Pallot is from South London! Her dulcet transatlantic intonations fooled me!

Nerina sounds reminiscent of Sheryl Crow (famous former backing singer on Michael Jackson's Bad Tour). In the words of Times Online, Nerina has an 'astonishingly versatile voice' and a 'knack for alchemising half-focused images into phrases that haunt as long as her opulent tunes echo in the head'. Her album "Fires" is truly worthy of your consideration!

'80s mix master, Chris Lord-Alge (Darren Hayes' Spin), adds further snap, crack and pop to Nerina Pallot's production - you can really envisage "Learning To Breath" playing in The OC or The Hills. Chris would you mind remixing my DEF Track demo single?

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover (MP3)

Nerina Pallot will be performing at the Acorn Theatre in Penzance on January 24th. A tempting post Birthday treat!

Welcome Chang3

Sony's official launch of PS3 may witness a more far reaching alliance between the embattled electronics company and Apple Computer! The PS3 is alleged to include an iPod interface port and iTunes in the GUI. The PlayStation and iPod brands command lucrative market and mind share. Combined they would be an unstoppable force. Sony is also proposing exciting news regarding the PSP too.

My imported The OC S1 set has arrived from Australia. The R4 release cost £19.99 compared to £59.99 for R2. The next few nights are going to be an Orange Fest!

Singin' in the Rain

The rain is pouring down outside and captures the dramatic nuances of The OC episode "The Rainy Day Women". The reprise of the Spider-Man (2001) 'kissing' scene between Seth and Summer crackled with sexual tension and chemistry.

Having always been a casual fan of No Doubt, when lead singer Gwen Stefani stepped out, to embark on a solo career, I was intrigued by the result. Ms Stefani's debut album repackages early Madonna (an obvious comparison) in a J-pop bubblegum wrapper! Love, Angel, Music, Baby is singularly the most engaging (acidic and schizophrenic) pop album that I've heard in a long while. And the videos are spectacular. Stefani's an audacious Alice.

The Apprentice

The OC has become a staple of my television viewing for a multiplicity of reasons, some of which I cannot elaborate on (need to know)! References to iPod and Star Wars are always an indulgent pleasure, but the news that George Lucas is to make a cameo appearance, in the penultimate episode of S2, takes the biscuit! Seth will make a 'choice' that will shape his destiny and the future of the galaxy... No, sorry wrong narrative!



Even the box art is cool.

Success! My site plays nice again with Firefox and its Mozilla Brethern - clear cache - the files were being sent to iDisk as application/octet-stream rather than text/html. By chance I noticed the update icon in Firefox and downloaded the latest Yahoo! Toolbar Beta. This includes a handy new feature called My Web. Grab some online candy.

Don't Believe The Hype

Feeling that your literary needs are undernourished? Then read a transcript of the press kit for the new novel by my friend Nick Smith. Next stop the movie franchise. Personally I'm really looking forward to reading Nick's books to my Mother.

Watching last night's episode of The OC, I noticed classic arcade game machines in the Student Coffee House! Galaxians and Pole Position had pride of place on the set. Don't you just love it?

To anyone who has downloaded my MacMAME Xcode build, you are cordially invited to provide usability feedback here. Thanks for your time.

OK. I'm off to unwrap the gorgeous Dead or Alive Ultimate and bask in its 16:9 rays.

Mad as a March Hare

Another month and another Mac-compatible product from those Google geniuses. Gmail appears to be on the verge of going mainstream! My invite allocation has jumped to 50.

With the news that Apple is preparing Mac OS X 10.3.9, there's little chance that Mac OS X 10.4 will be released this month.

After initial testing you can now download my MacMAME Xcode build here (Xcode project provided by Alex Eddy). Requires all folders from the official release to work. Strictly speaking this is an unofficial and unsupported product. However, so long as Brad Oliver, the author, doesn't object too vehemently, it's always preferable to be on the cutting edge of Mac gaming emulation. Enjoy.

Lucas Online has officially announced that the full Revenge of the Sith trailer will premiere during The OC, online (in partnership with AOL) and in theatres on March 10th. Those of us living in Europe should expect to see the trailer on sky news (ultimately owned by News International) alongside reenactment of Michael Jackson's Child Molestation Case.

Since registering with Blogger last year, it's interesting to note how many web site managers have now switched to the likes of Movable Type (a subscription service). The format is extensible and relatively straightforward to manage. A recent switcher is Bombia Design.

Mini size me

E4 will be showing the first of two The OC specials before the UK premiere of S2 tonight. And Warner Bros is set to release the show on Mini-DVD in Q1. Mini-DVD was originally developed for the US children's market and intended to compete with Hasbro's VideoNow. The idea has caught-on and mainstream electronics companies are releasing players for a wider customer base. The 3" discs (remember CD singles from Japan?) and Gameboy Advance SP scale hardware is the epitome of an always-on-the-move lifestyle! The format will also go head-to-head with Sony's proprietary PSP.



Today's Macworld Keynote from Steve Jobs may be considered historic in years to come. The feted 'headless' iMac emerged as Mac mini. A miniature marvel with a pedigree that matches the coveted Cube (2000) sans confusing marketing and prohibitive price! The SuperDrive option, coupled with Airport Express and Bluetooth, equates to a scalable A/V blockbuster beneath your TV (via Mini DVI to Video Adapter).

The zealous emulation community has dubbed the Mac mini a 'super console' when used in conjunction with MacMAME, SNES9x and PCSX (amongst others). From this Mac User's perspective the Mac mini evoked memories of the Apple/Bandai Pippin (1995) games console. The Pippin was essentially a stripped down computer (see Microsoft's XBOX) and predicted the popularity of online play (repeat income from subscription services).

The petite package includes iLife '05 (iDVD 5, iMovie HD, iPhoto 5, iTunes 4.7 and Garageband 2) and Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. I'd recommend considering iWorks if your budget precludes Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (further upgrades are imminent and I'll post any significant changes).

In summary. It's easy to envisage these selling like hot cakes on Amazon UK and I'll most certainly purchase a Mac mini sometime this year.

And don't get me started on the ubiquitous iPod franchise. The iPod shuffle is the perfect impulse purchase and birthday gift (casual hint to family and friends). How long before both show up in hit television dramas and pop videos? Apple is the new Sony...

Although there was no official announcement regarding the release date of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. 10.3 Panther continues to reap the rewards of further development as Apple begins seeding 10.3.8. This has ignited speculation that existing hardware (PowerBook, iBook and iMac G5) will be refreshed later in the month or early February.

Thunderbirds are go!

Visited our local Ford stockist. The gleaming showroom cars were all but obscured by Thunderbirds The Movie promotional litter. The new Focus 2 isn't released until 2005. So, I've ordered a Ford Fusion 2 UAV (Urban Activity Vehicle) to replace my current Focus Zetec.



This stylish UAV excudes urban chic and will sport magnum grey livery! It's so The OC, and I can't wait to collect it in November.

Yeah ... and I'm still - I'm still - well, I'm still Seth Cohen

According to Digital Spy, The OC S1 DVD set will be released in the UK on October 18. This is a week in advance of the US bow. Pre-order your copy of this delicious guilty pleasure.

Welcome to The OC

In October Warner Bros lifts the wraps off the first season of The OC (on R1 DVD). The set traverses seven discs and contains compelling added-value. R2 details are unknown at present, but I'll update as soon as I know more.



The creative agency commissioned to produce the DVD packaging also worked on the upcoming Star Wars Trilogy release.

Whilst Mac OS X 10.3 users wait for the final release of 10.3.5 (seeding continues). Technology from PortalPlayer forms part of the iPod DNA.

Empire of Dreams

Hyperspace (the official Star Wars Fan Club) has exclusively released the official Star Wars DVD Trailer (QuickTime format). Lucasfilm has digitally restored the original trilogy frame by frame, and predictably included a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX audio mix. Surround EX debuted with the theatrical release of Star Wars The Phantom Menace (1999). Rumours abound that the FX have been further retooled and augmented with brand new material! Controversial? Decide for yourself in September!

Further to my dismay at E4's premature summer hiatus for hit show The OC Media Guardian explains more.

Custom built Jedi

A couple of weeks ago during an online chat with Aspyr programmer Brad Oliver, I asked whether or not a Software Development Kit (SDK) for Jedi Academy (Mac port) would ever be released? Last evening Brad lifted the wraps off an unofficial Star Wars: Jedi Academy SDK (download link), that allows players to create custom multiplayer (MP) content for the popular Star Wars FPS. You will need to have Xcode installed. For more details. Quake 3 game engine mods are a scarce commodity on the Mac! So, this is a rare treat!

E4 has stopped showing The OC mid season! Considering the buzz surrounding the show, it's a curious scheduling decision. However, previous faux pas included Angel and Alias.

Enterprise is mining, to exhaustion, the Borg/Starfleet battle from Star Trek: First Contact, as it collides with an uncertain future (both figuratively and literally)! However, as I've mentioned previously it's pretty sterling stuff.

Inauguration Day

Nothing important happened today other than this! 😉

Started watching new time-traveling drama series Tru Calling on Sky One! Initially, I was averse to the series due to my disappointment at Eliza Dushku's reluctance to sign-on for a second sequel series to Buffy! Faith. However, Tru Calling is a pleasure to watch and the notion of Groundhog Day meets The X-Files is seductive! This show has, as they say in Hollyweird, legs!

Another US show that has become a guilty pleasure is The OC on E4! Now that Dawson's Creek is over (the series should have ended after 4 seasons) I was in need of a witty dose of angst and a cute brunette female fix! The sultry Summer Roberts, played by Rachel Bilson, fits the bill!

Just finished writing my second review for Inside Mac Games (IMG). This time it's Feral Interactive's Mac port of Worms 3D that comes under my literary microscope! Hope that it gets posted over the next few days! Does it need a rewrite? I sincerely hope not, because "real world" activities take precedence! Friends know what I'm alluding to!

Time to 'fire-up' GameRanger and play Jedi Academy MP!