Downward Spiral

I think it does make sense. Tennant's doctor, more than any other (although fans of the older Whos, please do feel free to correct me on this) has been the "Doctor of the Companion". All of the doctors retain their memories but they don't necessarily retain their personalities. For me, the crucial narrative of the climax of Tennant's Doctor was the examination of what happens when the Doctor is without a companion. The answer seemed to be that he simply can't cope and, to an extent, stops being "The Doctor" and falls into the same vices that the rest of his race seems to exhibit. The Doctor, therefore, knowing he was going to regenerate and knowing that his successor may have a completely different personality (and, crucially, won't be the doctor that any of the companions he visited, except Jack, would know) said goodbye because he knew that there was no guarantee that the New Doctor would want anything to do with them (c.f., I believe, the regeneration of Peter Davidson into Colin Baker, whose first act, I think, was to dump the companion whose life he had just saved). Something like that, anyway

As If. Amazing proto-Skins teen drama, which has never made it to video and likely never will, due to the ludicrous amounts of licensed music it used in every episode

I for one think Matt Smith made a brilliant first impression as the new doctor. Like Split said, I hope he puts his own stamp on things, which he is more than capable of doing, rather than simply being Tennant-lite. Tennnant's goodbye went on a little bit but I thought the final moments were handled to perfection. Tennant's doctor has become obsessed with saving the day and his own mortality towards the end of his run and I thought it was so fitting that his final words were "I don't want to go". It made an already emotional scene just that little bit better. Also, if we could all get around to deifying Bernard Cribbins for that spectacular performance, that would be just swell. The part where he was in that chamber saying "I'm an old man" was just sublime. I couldn't think of anyone more perfect to have caused the regeneration, simply stunning.

I thought it was a brilliant episode but I will be the first to admit I'm a lot more forgiving of stupid plot decisions if the whole thing entertains me. Which is exactl what this episode did. The Master's resurrection was... bizarre, but, hey, it looked impressive. My little sisters were terrified which, really, whilst we can argue about what worked and what didn't all day, for that very reason it did its job. I would also like Bernard Cribbins to be my granddad. What an amazing actor, brilliantly evoking so many facets of Wilf's personality. Excellent stuff. The electrified master was... again a bit odd but Simm played it brilliantly. I think it was brought about entirely through the failed resurrection, really, which is why I'm prepared to forgive these sudden superhuman powers. Simm's constant insane ramblings were brilliant, and when the plan all camee together in the end, his metamorphisis from the powerless to the powerful was superbly played. And finally, if Donna dies without seeing the Doctor again, I'm probably going to... well... get a bit annoyed, really. Roll on part 2. And the Time Lords. Looks like we're FINALLY going to learn something about the Time War!

Oh, that's right, because buying one from almost 15 years ago REALLY rectifies this present "injustice", doesn't it? Yes. THIS is the best solution to the "curse" of the X Factor. Well done, everybody. Sorry. I'm caring about this a lot more than I should but this campaign is so mind-fuckingly stupid.

I'm sorry to get in on this way too late, but this has only just come to the UK (through the usual channels). That was fucking fantastic. I am literally sitting in my living room pissing myself laughing at the Salt N Peppa performance. Also, I am in love with Cory Monteith

Sorry, the 'arrogance'... What part of doing his job really fucking well by making a shitload of money for his employers by selling more singles than anyone has any real right to in a singles market which is pretty fucking dead on its feet, can precisely be described as 'arrogance'? That's what pisses me off about these ridiculous campaigns: they neglect the fact that Simon Cowell and his acts deserve to have the Christmas number 1 because they're the only people who put any fucking effort into getting it. And this is coming from someone who frickin LOVES "Killing in the Name Of". It just probably deserves better than to meaninglessly get to number one as a 'fuck you' to someone who probably won't actually give a fuck. And rightly so.

To be fair, there's no way that all the shilling in the world will get Mariah Carey another number 1 single/album over here... Oh, and if Dannii had done a proverbial fuck you to Simon and saved the twins to pay hiim back for the Rachel/Lucy debacles, I would probably have driven down to London and proposed to her. Sadly, it'll probably mean she's canned next year. Turbo sad-face

Can someone, anyone, explain to me what the appeal is of Lucy? I just don't get it. Every week she's gone out there and sounded completely anaemic, struggling to get any power behind any of her big notes. Every time she goes into the higher register it finishes up as this nasal squeak which I swear, if I amplified it any louder, would get every dog and cat in the city scurrying to the door. Is she completely terrible? No. She can sing. To an extent. But she isn't worthy of the uncritical praise that seems to have been heaped on to her by seemingly most of the viewers. This week was awful. The momentum is fast being sucked out of this series (and this is coming from someone who considers the X-Factor being probably more important than the world cup.) Last week's Rock Week was just painful, and this week wasn't much better. Stacey - I really wanted to like this. Sadly, I think this song only really works when it's delivered by Dusty Springfield or if it's belted out with gusto. Stacey's didn't fall into either category. And please, stop trying to make her 'sexy'. I've never seen someone look so uncomfortable up there... Olly - Terrible, terrible call on the choreography. Yes, I understand that it was sticking with the routine in the movie but if you hadn't seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off, you'll have a similar reaction to me when I literally screamed at the TV. "WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING THRILLER IN A BEATLES SONG?" Olly represents a real quandary for me. I don't like him. His dancing is... awful. I don't find him very likeable, but week on week I have to keep handing it to him; he's consistently delivering the best performances. That said, if he pulls out yet another Beatles song next week it's going to be ridiculous. A good performance, an excellent vocal. The fucker. Lloyd - Fuck off. Just... fuck off. That was absolutely awful. And I think we can all agree what that song needed was a segue into the Sean Kingston version, can't we. Because THAT made the whole debacle likeable. And I swear to God, have Cheryl and Brian Friedman been CRB checked? With last week's horrendous routine, and this week's... fiasco with him serenading Cheryl, every time he goes on stage it just gets uncomfortable. And then he sings... Jamie - This was brilliant. Best performance of the night for me. Sadly I can see him being in the bottom two tonight partly because he was right in the middle of the show, and secondly, every sodding time he gets the judges comments, it becomes a slanging match between Louis and Simon to the point where his actual performance is forgotten. If he goes tonight instead of someone like Lloyd or Lucy then the whole thing will pretty much have become a joke. Lucy - See comments above. I don't get it. It didn't seem like a hard song to sing, and yet still she struggled on the top notes. Why is she in any way likeable??? Danyl - Ruth Lorenzo showed last year how this song should have been done. It was a decent vocal performance, I'll certainly give him credit for that, but I was underwhelmed by how he simply didn't take advantage of the powerful tonal changes in that song. It was toned down in the wrong places, and amped up in the wrong places in others. He absolutely should go through, but I thought that this song would have given him the chance to create the moment to get everyone behind him again. The twins - I'll give them this, I had a smile on my face when they were on. That said, the points been made, and the joke's wearing thin. Can we ship them off to Eurovision and have it done with now please? Joe - Yuk. I can't staand Joe. I don't like his vocal tone although I accept that his vocals have been largely note perfect so far, which given the field of competition this far is no mean feat. The problem has been identified by Simon. If he were to star in the resurrection of Britannia High, he'd probably be brilliant. Sadly, he's not, so instead he stands on stage smiling his way through every song regardless of the tone of the lyrics or indeed anything else. The effect is just simply jarring. He'll probably make it to the final, but I've yet to be convinced he's anything other than a sweet voice and a pretty face. Which, perhaps is asking a bit much of the format. Maybe that's fine. I just can't decide where they've gone wrong this year. I think part of the problem is that some of the interesting acts which would add a bit of variety to this, perhaps this is overstating things, but I think the show would be a lot more interesting if Miss Frank were still around. Oh well, roll on tonight. My predictions for the bottom two are: Lloyd and... as much as it would a bit of a travesty, Jamie.

This. This is the key issue that last night's show raised. As for the whole Miss Frank would never win it thing, I absolutely agree. That said, it's ridiculous that they've gone out in week 3, when of all the acts left, the added exposure and time to gel would have done wonders for their future marketability. Lloyd can stand there week on week and sing the same fucking note for two minutes and still not get any more interesting.

Thoughts from last night in some semblance of order. Olly: I can't fault him on the fact that he's been good, and pretty consistent week after week. But I STILL can't see him as a viable recording artist. Everything about him screams 'cabaret' and whoever told him he could dance needs to be bloody shot. Unless he pulls out something genuinely spectacular, then he'ss just going to look like a one-trick pony week after week. Jamie: I bloody love him. Not his strongest performance, but then again it's not the strongest of U2 songs. I hope he stays out of the bottom two tonight, but even if he doesn't, there's no way they'll send him home. Danyl: Week on week, Danyl is producing the best performances. Last night's was no exception, that was a superb arrangement, oscillating between the Muse and Nina Simone ends of the 'Feeling Good' spectrum and nailing a pretty cool Bond-esque vibe. On talent alone, he's head and shoulders above the rest. That said, he bloody well knows it, which makes him slightly less likeable. On the plus side, it will make him an awesome performer and may finally produce an X-Factor artist who could produce some semi-consistent touring revenue. Lloyd: Fuck me, that pretty much made my ears bleed. Sod back-flip-gate, why not point out the fact that he can't sing and that Cheryl was a moron for putting him into the top three. Joe (aka Shergar): Yes, vocally it was alright, but can we never use the words 'sexy' and 'Joe' in the same sentence again please? Thanks. It was alright. I absolutely agree with Simon's comment at the end though: yes, he can sing. Very well in fact. Sadly there's nothing about him which screams 'interesting' or 'marketable'. That smile will only take him so far. He needs to develop some semblance of a personality or edge is he has a prayer of making it anywhere in the music industry. Miss Frank: Apart from the whole thing being in danger of falling apart at the end, I loved this performancee. They've got a real Mis-teeq quality about them which is far from a bad thing. That said, Shaniece has yet to sing in tune, which makes their harmonies sound fucking awful. It's such a sshame because the other two have got great voices and are being dragged down by poorer vocals from their third member. All that criticism aside, they're a great act with genuine marketability about them. Sod the vocals, at the end of the day, that's the only really important thing here. John and Edward: Well... it was different... Except it wasn't. It was exactly the same car crash as the week before, except with marginally less of a twin-cest overtone and a poor woman who looked like she was about to be raped by the two of them half-way through. I've given up even bothering to have an opinion on these two. They'll make it to the final 6 at least, but I can't help feeling that there would be nowhere near as much ambivalence to them if they fucked off and did Eurovision instead. Lucie: Fuck me she was dull. It was a good vocal (not a great one). The beginning was very good, I actually wanted to like her. But listen back to the high notes at the end. They were completely nasal because, as I've said all along, she just hasn't got the power to hit those big, strong notes. It was the best she's performed so far, but again, I want to see something marketable about her before I start changing my opinion on her. Stacy: I am seriously worried for this girl's health. Genuinely. Every time on that stage when the music stops, she looks fucking terrified. When Cheryl gave some severely mild criticism she looked like she would burst into tears. I wouldn't be surprised if she withdraws half-way through with a nervous breakdown, I'm that worried by her. It was an OK performance, lacking the power of previous weeks, but she is without a doubt the best female vocalist this year. Rachel: YES YES YES! It was a fun, slightly less serious performance where she didn't stare down the camera looking like she would rip someone's throat out. It was all going so well: finaly, I thought my faith in her abilities would be vindicated by some votes. And then she opened her mouth at the end. I mean, seriously, what the hell was she doing? In acting as manically as Stacy she stripped away all the coolness and attitude which made her interesting in the first place. I think she'll end up in the bottom two and end up going tonight, which is a crying shame as I thought it was her best performance yet. Vocally, and commercially, she is still head and shoulders above about 50% of the other competitors, but I just can't see her lasting beyond tonight . I'd love to be proven wrong. It was a real mixed bag this week, but then Big Band always is. Sometimes it produces some amazing performances, other times people forget that the only redeeming thing about swing music is the charisma of the person performing it. Bottom two predictions tonight: Rachel and... Lloyd. Surely? I mean, come the fuck on Wales, Scotland had the right idea last week, it's time for you to follow suit!

Oh thank Christ for that. I had a genuine fear we had another Leon on our hands but thankfully everyone has seen sense. Rachel needs to start pulling out performances like that survival song. I really like her, and I think that with the right material she could go far but if Dannii has learned anything from this weekend, it's don't give the girl a song sung in a high register. Bad things seem to happen. Other thoughts: the John and Edward joke has well and truly worn off now. Take it to Eurovision. Miss Frank were horrendously out of tune at times, but I'm so glad they're through. I think a big performance is in them and hopefully it'll come out sooner rather than later. I'm not entirely sure why Simon thought it was a good idea to give Danyl another ballad as, frankly, he doesn't handle them very well and he's best when he gets to bounce around the stage like an idiot (c.f. his audition). Jamie did very well with the material he was given, and I'm still picking him to win the whole thing. He's floating nicely just under the radar now, but I really wouldn't be surprised if he went all the way. Olly. Ugh. Just... I don't get it. He's a poor man's Robbie during that whole "Swing When You're Winning"... fiasco. Let's put it this way, if he sells a million albums after this competition is over, I'll eat my own piss. Cheryl's group was by the weakest tonight: Joe... he's alright, but I simply can't warm to him. Lloyd. Just fuck off. Awful song choice, yes, but he hasn't once shown that he has anywhere near the talent to be a successful recording artist. And Dannii, well, Stacey once she hit her stride was brilliant, but I think nerves are really getting the better of her at the moment. Her utter lack of confidence makes her extremely endearing; I'd be very happy to see her in the finals, but it is going to be her achilles heel if they're left unchecked. And Lucy's appeal still escapes me. An utterly anaemic voice, struggled with the up-tempo dance routine, seriously, apart from a pretty face, what has she actually got? This weekend really wasn't as strong as the first week. The show needs a phenomenal performance, in the vein of Ruth Lorenzo's Purple Rain last year, to give it a real kick up the arse. At the moment all of them are pretty much coasting at a time when they should really be trying to get their noses out in front early.

Kandi Rain probably weren't going to get very far, but I did like their song choice for the sing-off, even if the execution was somewhat akin to fingernails down a blackboard. If next week is a Whitney Houston week, as seems pretty likely, I think we're going to see a fair few car crashes. Sadly it'll mean that Lucy wheels out that utterly bland 'I Will Always Love You' rendition which perplexingly had everyone salivating at the auditions.

Right, first off, was I the only one that watched it? Secondly, who's your money on? After tonight's show, I was very impressed by Rachel, Miss Frank, Jamie Archer and, bizarrely Kandi Rain. Lloyd, Lucy, John and Edward should probably leave now before it gets embarassing.

I think I'm the only person in the world who loves Blitzball, aren't I

I'm glad I've only fought one battle in that case. Although I heard that the Fallout Trophy patch did something similar but it never affected me one iota. I'm hoping the lucky streak continues. Of course, given that my PS3 still seems allergic to connecting to the PSN it may never be an issue :-/

I got Disgaea 3 at the weekend having become unbelievably addicted to Disgaea 1 and I can't wait to get properly going with it. The level of depth and customisation offered by the first game was just staggering so factor that onto a Blu Ray disk WITH downloadable content and I'm seriously worried that I might never leave the 3 yard radius in front of my TV set. That said, my PS3 seems to be hating the internet at the moment. The bloody thing will rarely, if ever, connect, and when it does the download speeds for comparatively tiny files are so slow as to be ridiculous. The demo of Wet took 39 minutes last weekend which surely can't be right, can it?

Harriet Jones says hi. In all seriousness though, that was fucking quality, as have all the episodes thus far. I think for the first time they've hit a genuine stride with this show. These extended storylines suit the show and the characters much better than the previous episodic outings.

Without (hopefully) giving anything away, I thought episode 1 was fantastic. The Torchwood team are a lot tighter now they only have three main characters to focus on(don't get me wrong, I love Owen and Tosh, but this new dynamic is brilliant). There was a lot less of the facepalmingly corny dialogue which has punctuated previous series and the scenes with the children by the end were becoming extremely spooky. A great first episode and I can't wait for tonights.

THIS. This times a billion.

(Y) Awesome. Impulse purchases FTW.

Do SingStar mics work with Rockband/Guitar Hero?

This may well be a stupid question to ask given that it's out today but... Sacred 2. Has anyone played it (most likely the PC version) and would you recommend it? I'm drawn in by the idea of it, but equally I really don't want a game that's like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (e.g. basically hit as many buttons as you can and hope you connect with something).

Now THIS I can get on board with...

Oh sod right off! I was thinking more along the lines of Valkyrie Chronicles and The World Ends With You but I concur something FF related is more likely, but its by no means a done deal I would argue.