Strange Bedfellows
It seems that everywhere you turn at the moment there are Brits on the TV. Now obviously for you back in the UK this is no strange phenomenon but here it is something that is close to my heart. Now I don’t know if it is because I have been away from the UK that I suddenly notice, or if it because I search them out but it seems like almost every show has its resident Brit. And due to patriotism I find myself rooting for some strange people.
Some current British actors who are making a living over here are Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Rome), Johnny Lee Miller, Eddie Izzard, Minnie Driver, Hugh Laurie, Michelle Ryan (she plays the new Bionic Woman). All of them perform with faultless American accents in fact Hugh Laurie’s is so good that the majority of Americans were shocked when he spoke in his normal accent at an awards show and found out he was English.
Then there are the reality TV shows, which again seem to be peppered with Brits, and it is here that I find myself with some strange bedfellows. Simon Cowell, whom I despised as an obnoxious twit in the UK, is here with American Idol and I can’t help but agree with everything he says. Piers Morgan is a judge on “America’s Got Talent” (which is yet to be proved) and is currently in the Celebrity Apprentice. Suddenly this man who lied for a living as Editor of the Mirror is someone I want to win. Sharon Osbourne is also a judge on a talent show called the X factor. Len Goodman from Strictly Come Dancing heads up the judging panel here in the US equivalent Dancing with the Stars. It seems each reality show needs to have its own Brit to bring it the necessary gravitas.
And reality shows are huge here, as are game shows as there is a writers strike. As I write this the strike is almost over but it has been going on for 12 long weeks. Shows have been affected and will continue to be effected. Some shows haven’t started again, while others have started with 3 or 4 episodes and when they are done they are back off the air. The studios have lost a lot of money from lost advertising revenues. Movies will also be affected so in around 18 months time there will be a dip in the number of movies coming out.
Some current British actors who are making a living over here are Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Rome), Johnny Lee Miller, Eddie Izzard, Minnie Driver, Hugh Laurie, Michelle Ryan (she plays the new Bionic Woman). All of them perform with faultless American accents in fact Hugh Laurie’s is so good that the majority of Americans were shocked when he spoke in his normal accent at an awards show and found out he was English.
Then there are the reality TV shows, which again seem to be peppered with Brits, and it is here that I find myself with some strange bedfellows. Simon Cowell, whom I despised as an obnoxious twit in the UK, is here with American Idol and I can’t help but agree with everything he says. Piers Morgan is a judge on “America’s Got Talent” (which is yet to be proved) and is currently in the Celebrity Apprentice. Suddenly this man who lied for a living as Editor of the Mirror is someone I want to win. Sharon Osbourne is also a judge on a talent show called the X factor. Len Goodman from Strictly Come Dancing heads up the judging panel here in the US equivalent Dancing with the Stars. It seems each reality show needs to have its own Brit to bring it the necessary gravitas.
And reality shows are huge here, as are game shows as there is a writers strike. As I write this the strike is almost over but it has been going on for 12 long weeks. Shows have been affected and will continue to be effected. Some shows haven’t started again, while others have started with 3 or 4 episodes and when they are done they are back off the air. The studios have lost a lot of money from lost advertising revenues. Movies will also be affected so in around 18 months time there will be a dip in the number of movies coming out.
posted by Nick at 1:23 PM
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