Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season.
I've been quite busy lately so -- obviously -- the blog has suffered. It's not been from a lack of interest on my part. There's just been a lot on in my life lately, not the least of which has been work. But frankly I've not felt particularly inspired to write. Those of you who have followed my blog for the better part of two years have seen it morph from a wannabe society column to hard news and current affairs and then, most recently, a forum for film reviews and general pop culture. That's a bit like me, I suppose: I'm all over the place in terms of my interests and what gets me going.
While I'm not calling this a relaunch per se, I do think going forward this blog is going to change somewhat again. I think I'd like it to be more of a fusion of everything I've been writing about for the past two years. I may decide to make it a little more personal...I may decide not. But in the meantime, as a kick-off of sorts, I want to tell you all about my latest obsession.
Made in Chelsea.
Those of you who read this in the UK are going to think me a little behind the times. But here in the U.S., this hopelessly addictive 'structured' reality show about the lives and loves of twentysomethings living in the posh London borough of Chelsea has never been aired with the exception of a brief stint on Style TV. I've only just discovered it thanks to a very good friend of mine who introduced me to it by lending me her international DVD player and a box DVD set of the first three seasons.
Made in Chelsea -- however fabricated it may be -- is a fusion of several of my favorite things: London, beautiful people wearing beautiful clothes while angsting in London's trendiest restaurants and clubs, all to the sounds of an eclectic, rather fast-fashion musical soundtrack.
I am now halfway through Season Two. I've been binge-watching all week. The show has definitely cast its spell. And how can it not? What sets this show apart from its American reality show counterparts is its exquisite production values and its ridiculously well-spoken privileged cast with names like Caggie, Binky, Ceska, Ollie, Francis, Hugo, Louise, Proudlocke, Millie, Rosie, Gabriella, Amber, Victoria, Mark-Francis, and of course Spencer. There's champagne, caviar, polo, cricket, and country houses galore -- every Anglophile of a certain age's dream. It's also surprisingly witty and it (to top it of) has also won the BAFTA.
Okay, yes, it is a bit snobby, but I think that's also part of the show's appeal. It just wrapped its sixth season in the UK so quite happily I have rather a long way to go.
As I said, the DVDs aren't available here in the U.S. so you'll need to purchase them from the U.K. and have the right DVD player upon which to watch them. You can occasionally find 'bootlegged' episodes on YouTube but they are taken down as quickly as they are posted.
Simply put, Made in Chelsea seems to have been made for me.
Ciao.
