Marilyn Monroe – Publically private and still making money for others

After hearing many good reports and rave reviews about this week’s new release; My Week with Marilyn, I went to see it both excited and expectant. I had been told that the performances from Branagh (who plays Laurence Olivier) and Williams (as Monroe) were top notch.

Both the film and the aforementioned performances did not disappoint. Late 1950s Britain looks idyllic and quintessentially British, and the story – based on a diary account of Colin Clark, an assistant for Olivier, was very moving and at times gave a sense that even in 1956 the writing, for the tragic fate of Monroe six years later, was potentially already on the wall.

I have to say that I was enamoured with Michelle Williams (whom I only knew from Dawson’s Creek) and her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe. I really hope that she gets the critical acclaim and recognition that is much deserved for her performance.

Understated yet always a star attraction Dame Judi Dench is also excellent. Just as in Shakespeare in Love she is not in this film for that long, but in the scene where her character confronts Olivier in defence of Monroe she is simply wonderful and oozes class and refinement.

Whilst I loved the film, the performances and the story, there was one thing that made me feel a little uncomfortable and I don’t know if other people who have or will see it will feel similarly?

Colin Clark’s account is that as a young man he found himself in a position whereby he was able to get very close to the then world famous Monroe. From his perspective, she comes across as both troubled and innocent, struggling to cope with the demands of her fame and the realisation that she must at all times live up to the persona of Marilyn Monroe on film.

His account shows that there are people in her life, surrounding her and making decisions for her, that understand that they are on to a good thing and that they have a golden goose. The young Clark therefore comes across as someone that she is able to lean on, even if only briefly, and let down her guard to and this is where I found myself struggling. It was not with the acceptance of the idea that Monroe might have shown this side of herself to a young assistant, it was more that Clark, after having seen Monroe’s vulnerability, her struggle for normality in a world where she had already become infamous, and having witnessed the money making that went on around her then went on to publish an intimate account of both his time with her and that non public side of her. His account has made her privacy public, and even in death it seems that Monroe is still a golden goose.

I liked the film a lot, but it did feel like a guilty pleasure. Perhaps that’s just me and I do wonder if I’d feel differently if Marilyn Monroe was still alive today. 

Grey’s Anatomy – Seriously, I am addicted

With the new season of Grey’s Anatomy currently on a break, I have been forced to fall back on my faithful box sets of past seasons and it made me wonder - Why is Grey’s Anatomy so addictive, and which of the seasons (if I really had to pick) is my all time favourite?

Season 8 Grey’s Anatomy has for me felt much like Season’s 6 and 7 before it. It is good and still has me watching every week, but there is something lacking now that early Grey’s had in abundance. Yet, credit where it is most certainly due, every time that I start to feel that I may have reached my Grey’s quota (and trust me the amount of times I’ve watched it – I should have), I am just as quickly absorbed back into it with a humdinger of an episode.

Episode 9 of the latest season hooked me again just in time for the show to take a break, and in Season 7 for me the real high point was the musical episode, which I know will most likely be met with the same mixed reactions as the episode was.

I really struggled with Season 6 - I don’t handle change very well and there were a lot of new characters to get to know and also I may have been in a slight mourning period first for George and then for Izzie -both characters that I feel are greatly missed in latter Seasons. Yet, despite this the shooting finale was truly spectacular and had me glued to the screen.

Season 5 was strong in my opinion, and also saw the introduction of Owen Hunt. In terms of newbie’s to the initial Grey’s characters (I am terming newbie as any character that was not introduced in Season 2), Owen and Arizona are the stand out strongest characters and I love their relationships with Christina and Callie respectively.

While Season 4 saw the arrival of a lot of new interns, and a new love interest for Derek Shepherd, the series as a whole I liked. It was for me at times very reminiscent of the first two seasons of Grey’s. It had the will they won’t they for Mer-Der and it at times re-invigorated the intern and Bailey relationship that was so strong in Seasons 1-3.

The secret of Grey’s Anatomy being addictive has to lie in a combination of factors; the characters, the relationships, the drama and above all the catch phrases. Who will forget the episode where McSteamy is named and George chokes back his “McVomit”, the time when “Seriously!” was said repeatedly, and the continual joke around Bailey as the Nazi – “on the hospital warpath and not the German warpath” though, just to be clear as Christina has to be when explaining the name to Burke’s Mama in Season 3.

In terms of a best ever Season – surely though it’s got to be season two? Whilst the first season hooked me in, the second was jam packed with amazing episodes, who could forget “Into you like a Train” – poor Bonny, “As we know it” – poor bomb disposal guy, and finally “Losing my Religion” – poor Denny.

The Season was full of emotional upheavals. The writing, acting and general brilliantness of the show oozed with a very high level of addiction, and the looks traded by McDreamy and Denny when Meredith and Izzie weren’t looking were just wonderful to watch. Even now, every time I hear “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol I think of the season finale. It was spectacular, it was unmissable, it was Grey’s Anatomy at its best. Seriously! Seriously!

For me it’s always the Coca-Cola advert

With each and every holiday seeming to begin earlier and earlier, I often find that I am not always in the right “holiday” frame of mind for the beginning of the season’s festivities. This year seems no different. Just days after bonfire night – which granted I am willing to concede is not strictly speaking a holiday, but then neither in my mind is Halloween, yet hopefully you get my point. We are already being heavily confronted with Christmas.

The shops have out their decorations and lights, and it is difficult to turn around without seeing either an advent calendar or a selection box in the shops.

I have to say I am always a little surprised that this time of year is upon us yet again. It seems not so long ago that we still had light nights, and our Saturday evenings were not consumed with Strictly Come Dancing and the X-Factor.

Now I must hasten to add that I absolutely adore Christmas. I love the lead up, the hustle and bustle around the streets and shops, and I love all the wonderful food and the great excuse to put the diet on hold to the New Year. I even love the cold, I feel sure that winter will set in soon enough!

What I find hard though, is getting into that “Christmas” frame of mind, particularly when we are just half way through the month of November. It is too early to start my Christmas shopping - I’m more of a last minute person. So I sort of feel like I shouldn’t be excited yet, even though I know that once I am I will love every minute of it as always.

Starbucks has made its valiant attempt to knock me into the Christmas spirit with the emergence of its red cups and its syrup flavoured coffee’s of gingerbread and eggnog  - both very Christmassy, that will, once I am in the right frame of mood make me feel very festive indeed. Yet, I still find myself wanting to delay the season’s greetings, at least till say the 1^st December?

Then, last night I heard it for the first time this year. Even before I looked up at the television screen, I knew what it was and felt childishly excited by the prospect of Christmas approaching. It was the one advertisement on television that puts me in the mood for Christmas instantly.

I am, of course, talking about the Coca-Cola advert. The one with the big red Coca-Cola lorry coming through a small town and lighting it up, while the song in the background chants; “The holidays are coming, the holidays are coming!” Then right at the very end you see Santa on the back of the magical town lighting-up lorry, smiling and drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about then you need to look out for it, it’s brilliant and a sure fire way to put anyone in the festive mood. Although I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but I feel certain that in years gone by, the Coca-Cola drinking Santa used to wink?!? In this year’s rendition he doesn’t, but then what does it matter? The advert has done its job and I am feeling Christmassy, but then why wouldn’t I? “The holidays are coming!” 

Circulate or separate, I don’t mind. Just please don’t tumble turn!

I am a frequent swimmer, and by this, I mean that I usually make it to the pool at least five days a week. I should probably mention that this is aided by the fact that it’s directly opposite my flat. I therefore cannot neither leave my home, nor look out my window without seeing it and feeling somewhat guilty that I have not been – particularly when it’s a Sunday around four o’clock in the afternoon and I am still in my pyjamas scoffing down a pot noodle!

Any way I digress. As I was saying, I swim regularly and find myself continually faced with the same issue when it comes to lane swimming. The pool I use is not manned by a life guard and so the strict rules with regards to swimming up and down the lane in a circular motion are not as clear cut as they are in most local leisure centres.

Now I would hate to give you the wrong impression, that the pool where I swim is a free for all. It does still have the swim boards propped up at the end of the three lanes (yes – you would be right in thinking that it is not a very wide pool), that specify Fast, Medium and Slow and have the arrows that indicate the direction in which you are best advised to navigate your way up and down the lane. Yet somehow, I find that these boards do not adequately deal with the situation I find myself faced with time and time again when you are either the first person in the lane and are joined by a fellow swimmer, or you are the second comer. And it seems that I am not the only one!

I often where possible follow the other persons lead or else make the assumption that we will be following the direction as indicated on the lane board. Occasionally though, it is not clear how the other swimming is going to respond, and this can lead to the inevitable short, slightly awkward exchange of; “should we split the lane or would you prefer to follow the board?” I find in the majority of exchanges you are never actually required to ask more than just “should we split the lane.” I have found that most people seem to prefer this approach, as I myself do. I find it very useful when I am in the fast lane and am joined by a person that I think might be better suited to being in the bubble pool.

In a circular lane swim, in the example above I would be forced to swim very slowly where as by splitting the lane, I am not slowed by the other swimmer nor do I have to worry about making them feel like they are in my way, which I feel would be very inconsiderate – not to mention rude, of me.

I must state however, that splitting the lane is not without its hazards. I once agreed to split the lane with what transpired to be a very powerful male swimmer. The waves he created with his strokes lifted me so high against the wall of the pool that I did worry that I might find myself in the bubble pool before my swim was complete. It also does not work at all, if the pool gets busy and you are joined by a third person – the lanes do not allow room for it to be split again.

I should say that I am not against swimming in a circular fashion, but I do think that this type of lane swimming should be reserved for pools that are more than 25metres in length. If the lane is not sufficiently long then I cannot be the only courteous swimmer that finds their swim ruined by the continual stop start that happens in shorter lanes, when you have to stop and wait in order to give the person in front of you time to move on from the wall, and often slow mid stoke so as to avoid swimming to close them. I also feel guilty if they stop and allow me to overtake – this is a clear indicator that I have gotten to close and made them feel uncomfortable.

I would just like to finish by saying that whichever way you prefer to navigate the lane is fine with me. What is not however, is all those swimmers that think it’s acceptable to do tumble turns. To these people I would say, you’re not competing, most good swimmers can do this, and you are really impressing no one - especially the poor person sharing your lane that either keeps getting kicked, nearly kicked, or choked by the mouthful of water they inevitable they catch from the splash that the turn creates.