The Dossing Times

Fairview Park in Dublin is home to a much vandalised statue, that of controversial figure Sean Russell. Chief of Staff for the IRA during the 1930s, and the leader of a bombing campaign as part of a declared war on the UK, the bulk of the vandalism is to display affront as his association with [...]

With my Mam and Dad coming to Dublin this weekend, I am for the first time in my life ‘hosting’ my parents. Said event inspires the list below.
6. Jack and Norma Arnold
All American, demanding father, doting mother.

5. Cliff and Claire Huxtable
Large family, huge ratings, both with professions.

4. Charles and Caroline Ingalls
Hard working, inspired popular fiction, [...]

There will be no Top 6 because frankly I’m tired and drank too much last night. Had there been a list it would have been linked to  this week marking the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. In doing the research I would have spent a good chunk of time browsing the excellent coverage [...]

I became aware of Bill Hicks, an American stand-up comedian, through Simon and Tuathal. Now, I can take or leave stand-up comedy, I don’t need to pay someone to make witticisms from a stage about the mundanity of his life, and gets laughs for cursing. Hicks though makes smart observations. I can tell I would [...]

One of the great untapped resources of this blog is Simons knowledge of music. The tunes below are a snap shot soundtrack to the 90s and when Simon suggested the list he described them as ’songs you forgot’. Turns out he was right, these tunes are from a time when I hadn’t begun drinking, I [...]

When the director of the Dublin film festival was introducing this years surprise film, she commented how 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of ‘North by Northwest’ and how she had considered the movie as the surprise showing. Whatever her thought process was, she ultimately went with ‘Hamlet 2′. Then this May while I was [...]

Rather than look to the words of poets, writers, religious leaders or political revolutionaries, this collection of wisdom, mantras, advice or instructions tailored to navigate whatever should cross your path, comes from where else but movies and TV. Pay heed. All the choices are effective, the sentiment of No.2 may not initially sit well with [...]

6. Will Ferrell has launched a range of sun protection because he has always wanted to own a lotion company and has always hated cancer. It may be for charity, it still doesn’t make the man funny though.
5. Pat Kenny shares his highlights from his time on the Late Late Show here. His final turn [...]

Oddly when I think of ’spin-offs’ I think of ‘dance-offs’ and imagine dance crews spinning to outdo their opponents. It is of course Wolverine weekend and as mixed reports reach us we list a selection of spin-offs from the world of TV and movies which have had varying degrees of success.

6. ‘Angel’, the spin-off show [...]