Archive | April, 2010

Barratt on Winkleman

30 Apr

© PBJ Management

Julian Barratt will be on the radio show “The Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman” tonight on BBC Radio 2 at 10 PM. According to BBC, the line-up for the show is Anthony Horowitz, Brian Eno and Alex Heminsley. However, Claudia Winkleman’s tweet earlier today added Julian Barratt (and cashews) to the list.

Tune in today, at 22:00 on BBC Radio 2 to hear about Horowitz life and career, a discussion of the latest rock biographies and of course, to find out what Barratt has to say.

Editors Note: This show is now available on BBC iPlayer here for the next 7 days for UK residents.  Julian’s bit starts at 1 hr 33, although be warned, there’s not a lot of it.

Modern Masters

30 Apr
© BBC Two

A new series called “Modern Masters” premieres this Sunday, prime-time on BBC One. The four-part series, presented by Alastair Sooke will look at the modern artists Picasso, Matisse, Dali and Warhol and explore how, why and in what way their legacy continues to influence our lives today.

Alastair Sooke will meet artists, biographers and curators, advertisers and people from the fashion world in order to find out how the artists have effected their work. Among these people is The Mighty Boosh’s own Noel Fielding who will talk about Dali’s surrealism and its connection to his comedy.

The BBC site has put up various clips from the coming show and in one of them Fielding talks about Dali’s painting Giraffe on Fire. Unfortunately, this clip is only available to users within the UK.

Modern Masters starts at 9pm on Sunday, 2 May on BBC One.

Rich News!

30 Apr

© richfulcher.com

There’s an exclusive interview with Rich Fulcher on the US-based blog site, LA Weekly.  In it he talks about his cult success on youtube, his musical collaborations with Matt Berry and The Mighty Boosh (apparently Rich’s skills on the keyboard are perfectly adequate!) , and his book, Tiny Acts of Rebellion.  Of his book he says, “I thought well, all my life I’ve been doing all these tiny acts of rebellion. You know, when you’re younger you start putting things in the shopping cart that your mom doesn’t see.  I just realised I kept doing them throughout my adulthood. My rationalisation is that if you do these things, you don’t have to do huge acts of rebellion. If you do these things on a daily basis you won’t go off like that Michael Douglas’ character in Falling Down. You’ll be able to function in society.” 

You can read the full inteview here on LA Weekly.

For Rich fans based in the US, don’t forget you can see him this Saturday at Ameoba Records as the special host of Amoeba’s Monthly Charity Auction.  It’s also just been announced that he’ll be appearing at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre on June 11, and will very likely open the Cinefest the previous week.  So plenty of hot Fulcher action in the pipeline!

Don’t forget you can still buy Tiny Acts of Rebellion at the tiny price of £3.48 at The Velvet Onion’s Amazon store here.

Foot & Fielding

29 Apr

© Mogemms

Brilliantly bizarre comedian, Paul Foot, has tweeted that Noel Fielding will be directing his Edinburgh Show this summer.  Paul and Noel recently appeared together on the bill at Clarks as reported here on the Velvet Onion; who knows whether the deal was struck on that fateful night?  Both share a love of the randomly surreal, so we think it’s a comedy marriage made in heaven.   As soon as we hear any more detail about Noel’s involvement in Paul’s show, you’ll be the first to know.

Paul Foot is well worth checking out if you’re interested in the kind of comedy we feature here.  Still not convinced?  Here’s what other reviwers have said about his act:

It’s impossible to describe what Paul does, it’s like trying to strangle mercury. In an all too often predictable comedy universe, Paul Foot orbits his own planet. Fantastic.
Mirror.co.uk

Paul Foot doesn’t tell jokes, as much as have an occasional idea… and then with fumbling and pin-point accurate observational humour makes us all laugh about it for fifteen minutes.
Scotsgay

Respect The Stand-Up

29 Apr

© Mogemms

Last night saw Noel Fielding perform another one-off stand up gig in Kentish Town.  Unfortunately, none of the Velvet Onion crew could make it.  Though if we had, we may have been forced to deal some of the audience members a slice of onion quiche, rammed down both ears.

Fellow comedian, and compere for last night,  Tiernan Douieb, has today reported on his blog that Noel was heckled by the audience “repeatedly throughout the 40 mins he was onstage…several of them acted as though they were on some sort of a date with him, just constantly asking questions such as ‘How’s Julian?’ and generally making every attempt to not let Noel actually do a set.”

We at The Velvet Onion reckon that if you want to see a comedian perform live then let them, and if you don’t, then why not stay at home and watch the telly?  Hopefully we’ll be able to inform you, dear peelers, of future shows sooner to ensure you shining examples outnumber the fans who let the rest of us down.

Editors note: Thanks to ‘Tiddles’ for this story.

Love Song

28 Apr

© Jackal Films

The latest short in the Jackal Films project from Alice Lowe and Jacqueline Wright is now online!

Entitled Love Song, it features Alice and Rachel Stubbings as pitch perfect chavs discussing the night before, hair tips, special gifts and undisclosed desires.  It also features a score from none other than Antony Elvin.

Alice has written about the short on the Jackal Films blog.  As an experiment, it’s a bit more lo-key than usual, and a lot less surreal than the previous short, Birdhandler, but its still laced with Lowe’s sparkling wit, and despite poking a lot of fun at a much derided culture (if indeed, the chav ‘movement’ is fit to be described as a culture!), it never loses sight of the fact that its characters, mild grotesques they may be, are human beings too.

A charming diversion from the ab-norm, then, and you can judge it for yourself below.

Don’t forget to check out previous Jackal Films projects, including the BBC3 pilot Lifespam and the liquid wonderment that is Roots over on the project’s website reet over yonder or their YouTube page down dat der linkage.

Mighty Japan: A Brief History

28 Apr

You may remember that two months ago, we at The Velvet Onion announced the release of the first two series of The Mighty Boosh on dvd in Japan.

Series 1 was released last week, with Series 2 to follow on May 21st, and both sets of releases will help widen Boosh exposure in Japan and also no doubt become valuable rarities for western collectors of Boosh memorabilia!

Since the announcement of the dvds, friend of TVO, ‘brainshortcake’, has been hard at work researching just how big the cult of Booshdom really is in the far east. How did it all begin? Is there really an audience for the madcap adventures of Howard Moon and Vince Noir on the other side of the world in a vastly different culture? Find out below…


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DJ Mike In Reading

28 Apr
© XYZ Magazine

Hear ye, hear ye people of Reading!

Mike Fielding is going to be a guest DJ at Propaganda, Reading. This will take place at the Q Club on Thursday 29th April, in other words – tomorrow. The doors open at 10 PM and the night goes on until 3 AM.

Tickets are £3.00 and there is a limited number of advance tickets available at Rockclix or you can always buy your tickets on the door.

For more information, such as admission prices, drink prices and directions click here.

Laugh It Up Tonight

28 Apr

© Belga Pictures

A bit of a last minute call for our London residents, a Noel Fielding stand-up gig has been announced at the Torriano in London. The gig is tonight, 28th April, at 7:30 PM.

Tickets are available for £7.00, and can be bought at WeGotTickets. For more info about the venue and how to get there go to Pineapster Tickets.

Note: This is an over 18s only event.

Editors note: Thanks to ‘StarShapedOne’ for this info!


The Quiet Hero Of British Comedy

27 Apr

Yesterday evening, make-up designer extraordinaire, BAFTA-winning Christine Cant, gave a talk at about her work in TV over the past 20 years, including her work on Boosh-related shows.  Onion reporters, mogemms and BabyonFire, were there to listen and learn.

Noel and Christine 'do Twilight'. © Rachel Emms

More used to stumbling around subterranean comedy clubs for our Booshy fix, we politely “Ooohed” and “Aaahed” at the novel hushed glamour of BAFTA HQ. Christine Cant is known to many as the make-up designer on The Mighty Boosh, but until yesterday we hadn’t fully appreciated the extent of her involvement in the cream of British comedy, not the significance of her role on the shows.  Christine has provided make-up design for many of the seminal comedy shows of the past 2 decades, including Father Ted, Brass Eye, Alan Partridge, Spaced, French & Saunders, Jam, The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh.  She’s also responsible for Poirot’s cheeky Belgian tache, but we won’t hold that against her.

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La La Land Lastest: Tonight On BBC3

27 Apr

© PBJ Management

La La Land, the hit American comedy featuring British comedian Marc Wootton and narrated by our very own Julian Barratt begins its UK run on BBC3 tonight, Tuesday April 27th.

As we reported previously here and here, the show differs from the version broadcast on HBO in the States, including a plot line which was cut for its controversial nature. The six episode, half-hour series focuses on three wannabes (all played by Wootton) struggling to find fame and fortune in Los Angeles. It sees the return of Marc’s popular cult character Shirley Ghostman, who was last seen in the 2005 series High Spirits.

The show is a hybrid docu-comedy, similar to the work of Sacha Baron Cohen in that his characters are ficitious but everybody else in the show, including his accomplices Kiki, Chico and Ruta are completely real and utterly unaware they are talking to an actor.

As if that doesn’t sound tempting enough, there’s the added bonus of Julian’s smooth, silky tones narrating the action.

You can read an interview with Wootton over at Digital Spy right here – and don’t forget to check out the BBC3 minisite for the show too. UK viewers will be pleased to know that a trailer and a sneak preview are up on youtube, and the episodes will be available on iPlayer shortly after transmission.

Sold! To The Highest Bidder!

26 Apr
TAR

© Rich Fulcher

Rich Fulcher is a man of many talents, and this weekend he can add Auctioneer to the list!

As a treat for any reader who lives near Hollywood, Rich is going to be the guest auctioneer at the Amoeba Studios Charity Auction and Book Signing this Saturday May 1st.

As well as his auctioneering duties, which will apparently include a “crazy array of items”, Fulcher will be signing copies of his book ‘Tiny Acts of Rebellion’ which has recently been released in America, and is available to our European peelers via The Velvet Onion Amazon Store.

To read more about the event, which is free to attend, commit a tiny act of rebellion here.

Onion Portion

26 Apr

Comedy website Such Small Portions is a fantastic portal for news and reviews of everything that can make you giggle and guffaw. They very kindly contacted our editor in chief, Paul ‘Didymus’ Holmes, recently to ask about what its like to bring you this blog each day.

Our mini invasion of their site is now live, and you can read all about it over yonder.

Gala Revisited

26 Apr

Channel 4′s Comedy Gala, which featured Noel Fielding and a host of other comedians at the O2 last month in aid of Great Ormond Street, has been released on dvd today.

The event managed to raise £900,000 for the hospital, as comedy website Such Small Portions has reported – and the entire show can now be yours to own via The Velvet Onion Amazon store, and all other good retailers. Well, those that sell dvds that is. You won’t find it in B&Q…

Buy the dvd here!

Dan Clark at Underbelly

25 Apr

© Rachel Emms

For those of you saddened by the thought of Clarks not returning to the 100 club for a while, have worn out your How Not to Live Your Life DVD’s from over-watching, or are still just itching for the chance to see Dan Clark live after reading reviews, here’s your chance!

As Mr Clark posted on Facebook today, he shall be performing his stand-up at the E4 Underbelly at Southbank Centre on Monday 17th May.
Along with his routine he will also be accompanied by a band including friend and regular accompaniment Ben Parker, (Composer of the HNTLYL theme) to perform his hilarious “melody word formations”.

If you had a chance to see him at The Apollo Theatre back in January or attended any of the Clarks night, then you’ll know that this is not to be missed so head down if you’re in the area, or even make the journey up from wherever you are!

For more info and to let them know whether you’re attending you can head over here, and then get your tickets!

A Message From Maurice. Exclamation Mark.

25 Apr

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to inform you that the Filming of The IT Crowd 4.0 has officially wrapped,  and there certainly are some surprises instore from Graham Linehan and the gang.  We shall educate you in the way of transmission dates, as soon as we can.

In honor of this, we at www.thevelvetonion.com have plans for launch week that we hope you will all enjoy. In the meantime we would love to know your favourite episodes from series 1,2, and 3, as part of a poll to find out which episode is top dog that we’ll announce the day the first new episode airs.

To submit your three choices, simply send an email to itcrowd@thevelvetonion.com and we will endeavour to…

No. That’s too formal.

IT Crowd back soon. Exclamation mark. Big plans ahead. Exclamation mark. E-mail favourite episode here. Exclamation mark. Exclamation mark.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
Maurice Moss
The Velvet Onion.

P.S. There’s a fire.

Last Minute Mike

24 Apr

© DMC Update

DMC Update, the online dance music review site, has included an interview with one Mike Fielding in this week’s update.

The interview, which has Mike speaking about his music taste, time on the Boosh tour, and his dancing skills, can be seen here.

A last minute reminder for anyone Manchester based, that Mike will be guest DJ’ing at Moho’s weekly indie night Propaganda, tonight. Open from 9pm till 3:30am.

The queue-jump tickets are not available any more, but you can still pay on the door to enjoy the apparent endless supply of Guitar Hero, and DJ stylings of Mike.

Click here for more info, including admission prices,  drink prices and a map to help you get your lovely selves down there.

Robots Of The Underworld

23 Apr

© Robots In Disguise

Robots In Disguise are to support Amanda Palmer once again this weekend.

The duo, whose new single ‘Wake Up!’ is available now, are performing with Palmer at The Underworld – the club beneath the famous World’s End pub opposite Camden tube station in north London.  Tickets are available now via Ticketweb for a measly £10 and are bound to sell out fast!

To buy tickets, wake up now.

Editors note: thanks to ‘sparklesharked‘ for this news!

Wake Up is available on iTunes and Amazon now, with a cd release on May 3rd. For more info see an earlier peeling.  Also, see Angel Ceballos documentary footage of the girls out in the streets plugging the single, riding bikes and converting newsreader Jon Snow to the cause on her YouTube channel now.

Bunny in Australia

23 Apr

© Film Four

A reminder for our Australian readers that Bunny & The Bull is currently on cinema release over there. So if you’ve been missing the tasty tang of Boosh now that Dave and Rich are no longer with you, why not go catch the movie and immerse yourself in the gloriously charming darkest recesses of Paul King’s mind?

To mark the film’s local release the Sydney Morning Herald has interviewed Paul.  In the interview he talks about the movie, his forthcoming Paddington Bear project, and the importance of the inter-character chemistry on the Boosh.  On top of that, he also defends the quality of British comedy films against the criticism of Ricky Gervais.  Good man!  You can read the full interview here.

4.0 Beta Testing

23 Apr

© Talkback Thames

The IT Crowd 4.0 gets its first chance to impress the public at a special BAFTA launch night next month.

The event will see episodes of the new run followed by a Q&A session with writer/director Graham Linehan and actress Katherine Parkinson.  BAFTA hopes other members of the cast will also be available to attend, and if we hear further details, we’ll let you know on TVO.

Tickets are free to BAFTA members, and £7.50 to members of the public, and are available on BAFTA’s website now – which also features hints on plots for the season… and we doth quote:

“Jen is looking for new challenges and applies to be the Entertainment Officer, Moss beats all records on a popular spelling show and Roy spends a disproportionate amount of time trying to convince an old friend that he is not a window cleaner.  Inevitably, there’s naked aerobics, bunking off work, marriages and divorces.”

Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?  And you’ll be pleased to know we’ll be covering the launch of the next series with a few nice surprises nearer to the time, including a way for YOU to get involved!  For more details, keep on peeling!

To buy tickets to this event, break the internet.

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