mamafeelgood

BBC4, great doc on a chinese school class voting for their class monitor. it was a classic, brilliant fly on the wall doc. the kids were fantastic little politicians with their parents pushing from behind the scenes, but because they're all 8 years old any political duplicity was often followed with tears! they're repeating it throughout the democracy season and it's on bbc on demand site: highly recommend you try and catch it.

i am still intrigued to see where they (bbc) will sit in the future world of myspace telly etc...

panorama debate is interesting. my dad was a producer/director in the golden years when it was often regarded with caution by policticians, much like the today prog of today. they made them under extreme pressure and very demanding editorial standards. i agree it's dumbed down to disgrace BUT is it not catering for a section of society that wants what they are now producing? and by keeping the panorama tag they don't have to package a new title. then ... i suppose channel 4 has picked up with dispatches etc... and on bbc4 there is a wealth of interesting docs, some investigative some just watching the world go by (did anyone see the great one about the chinese school class monitor election?). has the hole that panorama left not been filled by other docs?

i ask this to keep discussion going: is it fair to pay for high brow output if most people don't care about it? also, as an information providor are they doing enough to anticipate new viewing habits? ie: online on demand etc...

in an attempt to steer a thread away from estate agents, kids and LL etc... i was wondering what people think of the BBC. i see it as an important provider in an age where radio 4 and bbc 4 would not exist without the way the bbc is funded. since hutton i have found that the press is all too happy to slate the corporation and 'queengate' certainly has not helped. am i the only person who believes that the bbc remains an essential organisation that should be appreciated for all that it offers?

flawed! the area over 10 years ago compared to the area today is a vast improvement, jesus, if they tried that kind of regen in brixton it would not only probably not work but actually end up worse. it's true it's not turned into a middle class 'oasis' but maybe that's not the point. maybe the point is a cleaned up street, with good lighting and an interesting mix on offer. plus on bellenden there's more of the kind of mix of shops and eateries that everyone wheeps about the death of on LL.

this is great, have been wondering for a while what it was and who owned it. i love the fact that in bethnal green it's a working mans club and here it's a 'aligned to the tories with pictures of maggie et al'. having witnessed the resurection of the WMC in bethnal green through hire for parties this could be the best place for one off parties, events etc... if the hall is a good size, get a projector and show short films. anybody know what hours they keep?

i too saw prince at the o2 and think that it's a great venue, not just because there are enough toilets and food but because it's easy to get to and you just step out of the tube station to the dome. unlike wembley it was built with crowds in mind so it works for the big events. i have hated the academy for years, it has just fallen down without ever trying to get up. town and country (can't remember what it has been renamed) i haven't been to in years and i hate earls court and both wembleys, although haven't been to the new stadium. i'm pleased o2 has opened, it may force some venues to sort out their own acts!

ha! well i was much surprised by the little scamp justin, he did have a great band with him though. but that boy can sing and dance well, the coronet was certainly jumping for a few hours. plus it was past midnight so there were no 'kids' there. i forgot to say: the cult hammersmith palais or odeon, pheonix tour. that was great too.

sold in brixton using haart and bought here using haart. they were both pretty usesless, as stated above a house will sell in this area with little work from the agents. i refused to go with their mortgage broker who wanted a % of what he negotiated for us: negotiated?? purlease, he just enters your data into a computer prog and it does all the work for him, plus he kept telling us we couldn't afford anything, which even with my limited knowledge we could. and by the by we are not mortgaged to the hilt, far from it, it's the pain of getting a mortgage when you're freelance. no one should have to pay for financial services like that, they make a big enough commission from the mortgage companies and if they're good you'll go back and get more. then haart's legal team, we we stupid and went with them, kept getting all the forms wrong so we'd have to go and get them witnessed over and over again. they never called to tell us what was going on, we had to do all the chasing... basically they weren't worth the thousands we paid, but then i often think it's the luck of the draw. if you get an enthusiastic rep then great, we were unlucky both times.

back to great gigs: roy ayers, pretty much anywhere. justin timberlake at the coronet in elephant and castle, unrecognisable compared to his pop alias. u2 joshua tree tour, wembley. james taylor quartet at the old milk bar circa 1988. bryan ferry, 80's, wenbley arena. yes i know that the family politics has let him down some what but it was great. beastie boys, glastonbury 1995.

goose green fair = aupair: that is fantastic, brilliant, i love it. i think this should be sent to time out. however ... i hate to break it to everyone (especially the estate agents that happily refer to one tree dulwich and dulwich boarders with serious faces) that under a picture of pete doherty looking sh*t in one of the freebie papers today, i read that ken livingstone has spoken out on this issue and we are all to become north london borders. the WHOLE of south london is going to be referred to this. this is due to the carbon footprint currently being caused by ceaseless south london forums bickering about post codes and values of properties, yet at all times eshewing any love of estate agents. he said in a statement "as i have taxed the chelsea tractor to penalise these gross emblems of wealth, i, ken your leader, now tell you that all londoners are are responsible for their carbon foot print." sign the online petition to halt this: www.wemaynothavethetubebutwho'dwanttolivenorthofthethames.com apparenlty the mayor of paris has already succesfully done this by renaming the rest of France Paris II. fight this whilst we have the chance.

it is really hard to develop good ideas as good ideas are hard to come by. it's not entirely the commissioner's faults, although i have seen them make terrible editorial decisions. ultimately if an idea is good it will be picked up and made, there is quite a lot sitting on shelves waiting to be broadcast. it's easy to shout at the telly but go ahead and make something better. the budgets are not silly money, television is not film, 120 grand to make 60 minutes high (note the use of the word high) quality telly is actually little. this figure represents what you were lucky to get 6 years ago, lord knows how it's gone down now. if anyone is at all interested there was a piece in the guardian media section last week where they pitched spoof ideas to the channels. they said no to the nuts ideas.

hey, pleased to hear that someone else didn't enjoy atonement either. actually don't know why i'm pleased, but good to know that i'm not the only one... tarantino film has been panned, i'm not into this whole grimehouse crap. so could explain why he's out doing all the appearences he can to hype the film...

the last i heard the academy had not been granted planning. it was a recent decision and i'm sure that it will continue. the area certainly does need a new school but i think trying to cram 1000 on that site is a bit ambitious.

"Here we go again! Another thread goes the way of "new vs old". Can't we just let it lie for once?!" can i second that motion and add that i have been priced out of my area in london to here and i just hope that people priced out of here are not treated the same way as 'newbies' are here. back to thread: i don't like mark one, would much rather have a primark, or even better a uniqlo. i love cheap clothes shops, just not mark one. there are many better ones. however, i agree, being that there is one in peckham doubt they'll open here.

steamy windows as tina crooned all those years ago ;-)

they probably do think that they are doing you the favour! fair enough that we don't have american style over helpful staff but the least people can be in a service industry is be polite. did you lay it on thick that you had taken the day off work? what did they offer as an apology? a fresh juice upon opening or a free ride in a mini??

are you surprised? this is the beast we are talking about here! i'm sorry to hear of your experience but to be honest it tallies with many similar stories from friends across london. on the 'foxtons opening thread' someone describes how their valuation went and once read you may be happier that you never met them at all.

well GBK is making them enough cash! i never realised that they were part of the same company. maybe their decision is more to do with the fact that LL is lined with indian restaurants ... not that you couldn't pick up a burger in most of the pubs.

i agree with all of the above, not nec the most romantic place but the food is spot on and when i've been always a good atmosphere. a great gem on that stretch.

i don't think that this forum would survive another estate agents let alone east dulwich! ;)

back to thread, let's listen at least to the administrator. so, i'm giving it one last try ... what is going into no 6? i have seen work going on in there? is that sugar moma, or, as i thought, sugar is going into the old barbers? also, the corner of white stuff, is that still going to be a shoe shop? it would be great to see the stretch with old unwins developed and opened up again, but is it true that bombay bicycle have pulled out?

good, now leave to another thread

for all our sanities sake please take the hints and take this over travelled monolgue about gentrification/EbloodyD in the great old days/snobbery discussion else where onto the relevant thread. i could bang on about how the area in south london that i grew up in got so over priced that we (my friends etc...) all moved out. i remember when waitrose 'thefarmersfriendsupermarket', yes waitrose gasp, moved in and wiped out local grocers etc... but the the new snobby trend has helped new ones open. jeeeeeez your not a londoner if you haven't experienced it and that doesn't make it good or bad it just makes it LIFE. and before you go off i know of butchers fishmongers etc... close friends and family, over many generations, that have both survived changes in this fantastic ever changing city and suffered at it's merciless growth. does anyone actually have any hard gossip on what is going on with the empty sites?