Outdoor Advertising advertising Outdoor Advertising

This makes my head hurt a bit. Goodge Street underground station is beseiged with outdoor adverts for CBS Outdoor. The tag line is "it's nice to know that some things in life are certain". Death, taxes and outdoor advertising.

Fake Celebrities on Twitter - Ten of the Best

Prior to the Twitter detective actions of @Wossy, and the proliferation of real celebrities on Twitter as highlighted by Nick, I'd already blogged variously about
fake celebrities on Twitter, real celebrities on Twitter and indulged in a spot of mild baiting.

In addition to the large amount of spam profiles popping up on twitter, there are a number of celebrity squatters attempting to cash in on the phenomenon of cyber celeb-spotting.

Obviously this is cynical and not to be applauded. On the other hand, there are a number of profiles that utilise the persona of celebrities to hilarious effect. @RichardMadeley is one I've already talked about, but here are ten noteworthy, mostly because they're hilarious, fake celebrities in the Twittersphere.

1:@lindsaylohan

I can't repeat what Lindsay Lohan said she was going to be thankful for at Thanksgiving because my mum sometimes reads this blog. Suffice to say it was along the lines of what was said when Britney Spears' Twitter account was hacked, but also included a drug reference. Hilarious though.



2:@Alan_Partridge

Obviously there's a line to draw between fake celebrities and celebrity characters. Believe you me, I would love to read Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge's Tweets, but it hasn't happened yet, and I suspect he's not the type. This is not a particularly prolific account, but gets full marks for trying and for attempting to continue themes from the series.



3:@KMKYWAP - The Real Alan Partridge

Yes, there is a battle for the title of the real fake Alan Partridge. It is currently being won hands down by this chap. He has resorted to thinly veiled threats against the other fake Alan Partridge, and gets extra points for the KMKYWAP name.



4:@billclinton

My favourite Tweet from Barack Obama's Inauguration came from this guy:

Very SAD day for me.....I really thought I would be back in the White House today. Thanks for nothing Hillary!!!

5:@darthvader

I'm no Star Wars fan, but this guy is funny. I'm pretty sure he forgets he's supposed to be Darth Vader sometimes, but that actually makes it funnier.



6:@Borat

Like Darth Vader, it's a no brainer that someone would pull Borat out of the bag. Also like Darth Vader, his 'voice' is a little inconsistent, but still consistently amusing.



7:@JeremyKyle

Just look at the background images. He has been inactive for a while, but I salute this site for generally getting Kyle spot on, and for listing his location as 'Your Hearts and Minds'.



8:@davidbrent

Similar to the original Alan Partridge in referencing the series (The Office, for the uninitiated - where have you been?). Again inactive for a while. Surely just a matter of time before Ricky Gervais himself gets on Twitter.



9:@BillOddie

A Twittering twitcher. Very much along the lines of @RichardMadeley, and similarly amusing.



10:@andymcnab

Simply superb. There's something sinister about saying 'I'm being followed by Andy Mcnab.'. Not as sinister as his location: 'I can see you'. Sends shivers down my spine.

Four o'clock funny - He's still bleeding, Doctor

You stitch him up, I'm crap!

More from Bruiser.

Harry Redknapp's Excuse-O-Rama

Happy Australia Day

If you're that way inclined. I saw this yesterday outside the Breakfast Cafe in Camden Passage in Islington.

Four o'clock funny - All pile on!

This is from Bruiser, an old sketch show that featured the likes of Martin Freeman, Mitchell and Webb and the bloke who plays Garth Merenghi.

Four o'clock funny - It was a poo! It was a poo!

I'm going to take this chair. How do you feel about that?

Four o'clock funny - They've all gone

We were watching you on the monitors in the kitchen. And we all thought you were a dick.

Four o'clock funny - Lager Beer

It's the most alcohol per millilitre, at the lowest cost, in this shop.

The Twitter Fail Robot

Get ready to see this a few times in the near future, folks.



As @Wossy and @stephenfry bring Twitter to the wider viewing public tonight through Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, there's inevitably going to be a massive surge in Twitter usage.



I would also suggest it's highly likely that general Twitter behaviour may change somewhat as people find different uses for the site and it's various potential applications.

A lot has been written recently on the success of Brands on Twitter, Nick has talked about the rise in profile of Twitter in the mainstream already and some of the newer additions, like Coldplay. I've focussed on Celebrities on Twitter and Fake Celebrities on Twitter, and whether or not Twitter is becoming the new MySpace, and evidence for that in the rise of Georgia Wonder.

Time will tell how the fastest-growing online phenomenon is changed by such high profile exposure just days after record traffic on Twitter during Barack Obama's inauguration. Watch this space.

Georgia Wonder prove the MySpace potential of Twitter

I already blogged on the subject of Is Twitter the new MySpace?, based on the follow I had from @georgiawonder.

Now it appears they've fully taken off, largely through their excellent networking on Twitter.

Georgia Wonder are now in the Top 20 Most Shared Music on the planet! Well done them!

UPDATE: Visit Georgia Wonder's official site here.
And here's the video for their most popular track Girl You Never Knew.

Cadbury's Dancing Eyebrows Ad

The new Cadbury's Dairy Milk ad, the follow up to Gorilla and the Airport ads, is another cracker.



It's by Fallon again, and features Freestyle's Don't Stop The Rock as the soundtrack.

I've already blogged about several great TV ads so far this year, with the Virgin Atlantic ad, CompareTheMeerkat, and trylifeinanotherlanguage showing a strong start to the year creatively and that advertisers are still prepared to try new ideas to stand out even in what is now officially a recession.

Internationally, I've also noticed great ads for Lactacyd (be warned, it's a bit gross) and Heineken.

This also gives me a good opportunity to post the T Mobile Liverpool Street dance ad, which I was slow off the mark with but which made me chuckle (although I'm still surprised when the T Mobile logo pops up. I don't seem to make the subconscious association.



UPDATE: I believe the ad, as with the Gorilla and and the remixes, will air during the final of Celebrity Big Brother tonight. Verne Troyer will win, although I reckon Coolio is a good outside bet.

Four o'clock funny - We know how much you like heroin

We got you some heroin to have while you're reading it

Four o'clock funny - Can people levitate?

I'm just trying to get to the root of why you felt the need to ask such a humiliating question

Some of the best bits of Mitchell and Webb are when they are being 'themselves'. This is brilliant.

Four o'clock funny - Holmes and Watson

And of course they both felt, very strongly, that it was important to keep that wonderful energy that the stage version had had.

More from Mitchell and Webb. This is a modern classic, in my humble opinion.

This was the best I could come up with

My contribution to Barack Obama's Inauguration. I feel it adds a lot.



Make your own with Obamicon.

Cover Version at 1 - Under The Bridge

This is probably sacrilege to a lot of people. The very idea! All Saints, a 'girl band', covering Red Hot Chilli Peppers!

Well I'm lacking in inspiration today so tough. Be grateful. At least it's not S Club 7.

Four o'clock funny - They've got skulls on them

What's so good about a sickle?

I am of the opinion that That Mitchell And Webb Look is not as good as Peep Show. If you ask me, that's what I'd say. There are, however, loads of really funny and quotable sketches in it. In fact, I'd go as far as to say there isn't a better sketch show around at the moment. Harry and Paul is pretty good but no less hit and miss. I have high hopes for Horne and Corden or whatever it's going to be called, but that's very much an unknown quantity at this stage.

So, for the next few days, enjoy Mitchell and Webb. That's Numberwang!

trylifeinanotherlanguage.com ads engage young audience

If I were a funky young kid, I'd be all over the trylifeinanotherlanguage.com ads.

I've seen a few over a reasonable period of time. I meant to blog on them a few months ago, but never got round to it. Then I saw a new one this morning and it clinched it.

The purpose of the ads is to drive traffic to trylifeinanotherlanguage.com, which is housed as an advertorial within the Channel 4 site.



The campaign is actually for the Central Office of Information and is aimed at encouraging youngsters to learn a language by engaging with them through their interests - sport, fashion, dance, music and celebrity.

The original ad I saw is below. I have long thought I should take more of an interest in French rap music, as it seems pretty damn innovative in a much less irritating way than US rap and a more successful way than British rap.



The music in this ad is by Disiz La Peste and the video is courtesy of Angry Natives. I love it.

The ad I saw this morning featured German Indie Band FOTOS, probably the funkiest thing you've ever seen from Hamburg. It's directed by Ann Xiao.



There's also a football ad to promote Spanish, created by Daniel Cohen at Th1ng.



This is the dancing ad, featuring a London-based French girl called Clara.



There is also an ad featuring a Spanish singer called Nubla.



You can find translations for all the ads here.

Four o'clock funny - The choice of a New Generation

"It's like people only do things because they get paid. And that's just really sad."

Given that this was done before Will Smith started making heavily-sponsored blockbusters and James Bond became the world's most preposterous advertorial, I'd say it's pretty prophetic. And of course very funny.

Cover Version at 1 - Live and Let Die

Ever wanted to see Axl Rose in a pair of hot pants and a waistcoat? Me neither.

This, however, is the best embeddable rendition I could find of the Guns 'n' Roses version of Live and Let Die. I actively dislike Paul McCartney but I love this.

Jim suggested it to me, but I do actually have the cassette single of this knocking about somewhere. I seem to recall buying it on the same day as I bought Justified and Ancient by the KLF featuring Tammy Wynette. If you don't know what I'm on about, look it up. And don't say you never learn anything from me.

Testing out Shozu

I'm having a play around with Shozu as it seems to be potentially The Only Ap You'll Ever Need. Time will tell.
There are a number of snaps in my phone that I've neglected to post. This trailer sits at the top of Brick Lane. It has been designated, and I suspect nor by the owner, as a canvas. Literally watch this space.

Four o'clock funny - Psycho Hose Beast

"I don't even own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack."

FYI Stacey is played by Lara Flynn Boyle.

Cover Version at 1 - Mrs Robinson

Thanks to Jim, aka @dariusperkins, for his tireless work on the cover version front.

I'll be slipping a few of his in (fnar, fnar) in the coming days and weeks, but this is one that really stood out from his suggestions.

It's Mrs Robinson by The Lemonheads, a jaunty cover of Simon and Garfunkel's The Graduate inspired ditty.

Whatever happened to Evan Dando? And was he related to Jill? I need answers.

Four o'clock funny - Schwing

"He could ruin a Led Zepellin reunion concert."

Cover Version at 1 - Smooth Criminal

Alien Ant Farm's version of Smooth Criminal, which is by one of the increasingly rare breed of Jacksons not to have been on Celebrity Big Brother. Michael, I think.

Funky Stuff - LEGO Digital Camera

This is awesome. It's a fully-functioning digital camera in the lego style, although unfortunately you can't take it apart.



Apparently there will also be MP3 players and other electronics in the line, which will cost from $19.99 to $59.99.

Four o'clock funny - The Tool Box

"Abort! Abort! We have been identified!"

Iconic is not even the word.

West Ham Kid Nets Record Deal

According to this story in The Sun, a 16-year-old West Ham United prodigy has given up on football to sign a £1million deal with Universal Music to play the saxophone.



There are two things that I found notable here. First, that there is a choice to make between football and another career, given that even top professionals only train for about 3 hours a day. Surely you can fit in another job in the afternoon? I suspect some of Norwich's players have been for years, if their performances are anything to go by.

The second is the name of the record executive - Dickon Stainer. Dickon Stainer! If ever there was a better name for a jazz music record exec, I would love to hear it.

That is all.

The Daily Mail will not be happy - Gun Sounds on your iPhone

We all know that the Daily Mail hates anything new and anything to do with guns. Someone's head is going to explode when they see this Gun Sounds iPhone Application.



Billed as allowing you to understand the real sound of various models of gun, with and without silencer, as opposed to the 'fake' sounds on TV, it's difficult to see how something like this got past the guidelines. It did though, and for the princely sum of £0.59 you can be both modern and anti-social.

Unfortunately, as it has a cost attached, I can't download it as I have a 'free app only' rule. There must be someone in the Daily Mail offices who will, however (and probably expense it), so expect to see the outrage of the evil that is the iPhone sometime next week.

Even worse, this will go onto my Twitter feed, so Jonathan Ross (@Wossy) will almost certainly be to blame.

Funky Stuff - Nathalie Rykiel Coca Cola Bottle

Coca Cola have done some fairly cool stuff with their bottles in recent years, opening them up to designs by the likes of Matthew Williamson.



Now Nathalie Rykiel, daughter of Sonia Rykiel, has designed this bottle for Coca Cola Light.



It's made of aluminium and available on its own from Colette for just 3 Euros 50.

Or, if you're feeling particularly saucy, you can spunk 60 Euros on this collector's case which includes, and you'll like this, a drinking staw. You can almost taste the value. It is cool though.

Cover Version at 1 - Could it be Magic?

Take That have a couple of decent covers up their sleeve, which I'm sure will pop up here somewhere in time. The first is one of their early singles from back in the blatantly appealing to the gay market days.

Could it be Magic? is, of course, by Barry Manilow. I can't see him wearing Mark Owen's vest though, can you?

The Annual Norwich City Manager Decision

Some of you I know, some of you I'm meeting for the first time. Those of you I know are most likely aware that I am a fan of Norwich City Football Club.

Handsome man at Carrow Road shocker

When I'm not working or posting frivolous piffle on here, I am also the editor of the NorwichCityMad site, part of the FootyMad network. I put as much as I can on there that's Norwich-focussed but don't always pay it enough attention, particularly when they're doing badly and there are no arrivals or departures on the horizon.

I decided a while ago to buy up the url www.letsbehavinyou.co.uk, where I fully intended to post my musings on the general state of football and footballers. When this blog and my interest in social media really took off a few months back, however, it completely fell by the wayside.

NorwichCityMad on Twitter

I've considered, and even attempted to no avail, a rebrand of www.ricklamb.co.uk as Let's Be Havin' You, but was concerned about losing the SEO I've built up on this site, and confusing what little audience I have.

So, I've decided to allow myself to whack the odd football post up here. If it's particularly Norwich related, chances are it'll already be on NorwichCityMad, which also means it will be on Twitter under @NorwichCityMad (eat that My Football Writer).

Anyway, Norwich sacked their manager today, Glenn Roeder. I think he gets a raw deal in general from West Ham and Newcastle fans (particularly the latter, but they've got more to worry about), and would have advocated patience. He's the third manager to lose the same job in three seasons.

Glenn Roeder - tight-lipped

Anyway, I'm publicly advocating the appointment of Aidy Boothroyd as his successor (partly because, for some reason, he really reminds me of my uncle), but am tempted to put myself forward. Loads of football fans have similar tales of applying for jobs at their club, and some even get letters of rejection. I think that's the attraction. That and the fact that maybe, just maybe...

Aidy Boothroyd - waving at himself drives him crazy

And I got through a whole post without mentioning Delia Smith. Oh well.

Ah, that's what's holding up Kaka's move to Manchester City...

It's all very well speaking to Milan and his agent, but what about the Big Guy?

There could be a problem over Third Party Ownership here.

Four o'clock funny - Denied!

"I like to play."

Some You Tube clips are better quality than others. This is a particular doozy, filmed right off someone's telly with a nice little graphic and the added skill of turning up the volume at the end. Sweet.

Cover Version at 1 - Nothing Compares 2U

Originally performed by The Family, and of course written by Prince, this is almost certainly the only Sinead O'Connor song most people can name. Including me. Although there was that one when she had hair and looked quite fit. No, it's gone.

Oh and they had to do the video really quickly and she cried because she was thinking of her mum and blah blah blah.

Four o'clock funny - Foxy Lady

"I must've slipped."

Whatever happened to Dan Carvey? Or Tia Carrera for that matter. They should totally make another Wayne's World.

Cover Version at 1 - We Have All The Time In The World

The Fun Lovin' Criminals used to be my favourite band, and I went through a phase of having a deep man crush on Huey Morgan.

They have a couple of decent cover versions, which I'm sure will come out in the long run, but this is their version of Louis Armstrong's We Have All The Time In The World.

There are a load of Jools Holland clips knocking about and lots of covers are first done as live versions, as with the recent phenomenon of the Radio One Live Lounge.

I'll try and avoid the Live Lounge for the moment, because it's a bit obvious, and Mark Ronson for the same reason, who I also find to be an obnoxious pissweasel.

And if you're waiting for Hallelujah, it'll be a fucking long wait.

Four o'clock funny - Del's Story

"Instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger!"

This is one of my favourite move clips of all time, and one of the few lengthy quotes from a film that I vaguely know. Watch and learn people.

Oh My Gentle Jesus

You know the video to Smack My Bitch Up? Imagine if that had been an advert. Now imagine if it wasn't seen through the girl's eyes, but her special place.

This is an ad for GlaxoSmithKline product Lactacyd from the Netherlands. It was created by Grey Amsterdam, and it made me want to be a little bit sick on my legs.



Via Brand Republic.

Cover Version at 1 - It's My Life

This is a fairly unlikely but excellent cover of an excellent song. No Doubt, shortly before Gwen Stefani branched out on her own, with Talk Talk's It's My Life.

I like Gwen Stefani, more so because her fashion label is called L.A.M.B. I suspect, if the clothing was a little more my style, I could easily walk around with my name spelt out on my chest.

Four o'clock funny - Rentaghost

I believe this is a Timothy Claypole outfit. They should well bring back Rentaghost. With Audrey from Coronation Street and everything. This is all from George Dawes. For the moment.

Cover Version at 1 - Easy

Faith No More suffered from the same sort of problem as Extreme in the early 90s as a rock band who released a more laid back track and found it become their biggest hit. Oh well.

This is a great cover of The Commodores hit Easy, although not as funny as Ulrika Jonsson and Verne Troyer's recent cover of Lionel Richie (who was the lead singer of The Commodores - der!) and Diana Ross' Endless Love.

Sadly, Channel 4 have disabled You Tube clips of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK so they can maximise their own site's exposure, so I can't embed this. You can see it here, but watch the video below first.

And yes, I know it's now Sunday afternoon.

Four o'clock funny - Lenny Henry Show

The elusive link between Lenny Henry and Whitney Houston. Other than their entire lack of success since the early nineties.

Cover Version at 1 - Cum on feel the noize

I have neglected the dubious pop music aspect of this site since Christmas, and just had a toilet-based epiphany relating to cover versions. What better way to celebrate pop music than songs that themselves celebrate another artist and track?

Anyway, from now on I'll be posting, for as long as is reasonably possible, a cover version in this slot on a daily basis. I toyed with the idea of including the original as well, but I suspect there might be the odd bit of repetition so I won't, and besides that would double my trawling through You Tube time.

No doubt I'll unearth a couple of themes along the way, but I haven't thought of any yet, so I'll kick off with one of my personal favourites, Oasis' version of Cum on feel the noize, originally, of course, by Slade.

Funky Stuff - Doorstop "One Man Cry"

I already have one of those doorstops that looks like a little man holding the door open. he's called James and he came from Heal's. I was disappointed to discover them all over the place, so I'm quite tempted by this little guy.



It's called One Man Cry
and it looks like he's being squashed under your door. Apparently this guy's name is Mr P, and he features in a number of products made by Propaganda. I have a limited number of doors, however, so I might just have to admire him for the moment.



This will cost you €12.95 from Pamparampa

Was I wrong to do this? Time will tell...

If you're reading, sorry Will.

Four o'clock funny - Where is Love?

Just a couple more days of George Dawes, I promise.

Tee du Jour - Yes We Did!

It's only a handily-timed-for-the-inauguration Barack Obama 'Yes We Did!' T-Shirt!

Ain't it perdee?



By Obey and available from The Consortium for 29 notes and 99 pennies.

Four o'clock funny - Flava

Ah, Peter Andre. Whatever happened to him?

Is Twitter the new MySpace?

When I logged into Twitter the other day I discovered I had a new follower in @georgiawonder. As is customary, I had a look to see what this was, and it's a 'UK band'. There has also been a spate of random businesses including Galvin at Windows, the swanky Park Lane restaurant, active on Twitter, as well as more 'viral' activity like @GMcQueen (better known as Peter Kay's Geraldine) and @Aleksandr_Orlov from the comparethemeerkat ads. This has got me thinking.



When MySpace kicked off, savvy bands and self-promoters were all over it, and you couldn't log in without having four or five new friend requests from complete randoms. Twitter can do the same thing, and I think is, but makes this much less intrusive and is nowhere near as high maintenance.

Whack yourself a picture and a background in, with a link to your site, and away you go. You are limited in how much you can post, which means you can't ramble, and it's pretty much centralised (you can use direct messages for privacy if you like).

The user-friendly nature of Twitter clearly makes it appeal to a different generation, and with a slightly different purpose. Lily Allen came from 'nothing' on MySpace, while prominent Twitterers like Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross are clearly more established names who don't need to 'promote' themselves but WANT TO communicate with their audience.

In addition, the similarities don't stop there, as Twitter seems to be the new darling of the British media, who can't believe their luck in getting free updates from the lives of celebs, with Ross even threatening to Tweet with Fry when he appears on his returning show.



The issue for Twitter, of course, is how to start raking it in without losing the key attractions. If they can find how to, and possibly even if they don't, 2009 could be a massive year for Twitter.

Now that's what I call contextual targeting

A Google content ad for Compare the Meerkat on an article about... Compare the Meerkat.



And that's not all. The ad also appeared on my Google Reader under the article. Good ammunition for those who doubt the relevance of some content ads. It can work!

Four o'clock funny - Snooker Loopy Mashup

Spandau Ballet versus Chaz and Dave by George Dawes.

Tee Du Jour - I Love My Girlfriends

Simple but effective, by Blue Blood. Mega pricey at £55, but far more affordable in the ASOS sale at £38.

Four o'clock funny - Too Shy

Ever wanted to see a man dressed as a baby dressed as a chicken singing Too Shy by Kajagoogoo? You're welcome.

Virgin Atlantic - 25 Years Old

I'm absolutely full of them today aren't I? Just saw this in the ad break for Celebrity Big Brother and had to stick it up. It's an advert celebrating 25 years of Virgin Atlantic.

It's a bit previous given that the actual 25th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic isn't until June, but hopefully this sets the standard for what will go on for the next six months.

Compare the Meerkat - Differentiating Price Comparison

Insurance and insurance price comparison websites are not the most exciting of things, and to the consumer seem much of a muchness. Something about markets, comparing, that'll do. Loyalty even when consumers search for specific brand terms goes out of the window once the plethora of search results, with various claims to 'save you this much' and 'compare this many prices' fighting for your attention.



Confused.com tried to play on this with their very name, but are stuck with it now and it's not ideal in this sort of fickle market, but how do Go Compare, Money Supermarket and CompareTheMarket differentiate themselves in real terms and show the ultimate value of the copious amounts they spend on TV advertising?

Go completely left field seems to be the answer, and CompareTheMarket have done just that. VCCP have created a superb idea, fleshed out across channels by the media planning and buying of Zed Media, based on confusion over the brand name that, to coin a phrase, really jumps the shark.

Here's Compare The Meerkat's Aleksandr Orlov, a meerkat, naturally, to explain.



Confused? Of course you aren't, it is, as the meerkat says, 'Simples'. It doesn't just stop at a clever idea, either. Comparethemeerkat.com carries the theme on, with the home page mirroring the comparethemarket.com homepage but, obviously, comparing meerkats rather than helping you save money on your car insurance.



The Compare the Meerkat site actually allows you to compare meerkats, obviously, which is as random as it sounds. I found a small helicopter enthusiast in London, of course.



It's all voiced over by the Borat-a-like Aleksandr, who seems, if social media sites are anything to go by, to have captured the imagination already.



Aleksandr, as a sociable meerkat, has put himself about. There's a Facebook profile, already over the 2,000 friend mark, a Facebook fan page, a Twitter profile and a You Tube channel. All the bases are covered and the presence seems pretty consistent to my eye.

Amelia Torode and Funkadelic Advertising were quick off the mark today, as was Tom Langdon's excellently-titled Awful Handwriting, and the majority of respondents have been overwhelmingly positive.

I suppose the ultimate success won't be in terms of favourable Facebook posts, but increased brand distinction and share of voice, but the indications are that it's making the right first impressions.

Fake Celebrities on Twitter - Richard Madeley

If Richard Madeley's Twitter account doesn't make you laugh, there's something wrong with you.

Created by the brains behind The Richard Madeley Appreciation Society, it's what the internet was made for, namely very irreverent free-to-air comedy.



The site has clearly been around for a while (Since July 2007 according to the archive), yet is still regularly updated with tales including a recent one of arm wrestling Gordon Ramsay for blind orphans (in aid of, not as a prize) in a trendy London bistro on New Year's Eve.



The Twitter feed is not just a feed of meaty headlines from the site, in fact it doesn't even feed posts from the site as tweets (Richard, I can show you how to do this). Instead it offers some lovely insights into the homelife of one of Britain's best-loved couples.

Judy just caught one of my toenail clippings in her eye. Felled her like she'd been shot. Luckily, only a glancing blow. Flesh wound.

As well as slightly more insights into the workings of the mind of one half of one of Britain's best loved couples.

There's nothing better than a bag of walnuts and Top Gear.

Except obviously it's not. Why not, you say? Richard Madeley is unpredictable and egotistical enough to have his own website, call it The Richard Madeley Appreciation Society and tweet about his innermost thoughts. To be fair, some of them aren't far removed from the real twitterings of Jonathan Ross in particular.

A look at the 'Richard and Judy's Nut Club' sidebar on the site throws up a fair bit of doubt, as does the superb profile:

An acknowledged expert on every subject, Richard was the host of the UK’s most popular tea-time talk show but can now be found propelling satellite TV into a new era with his show on 'Watch'. His hobbies include skiing, water sports, breaking endurance records, and creating world-shattering inventions in his garden shed.

His dislikes are many and include squirrels, tap dancers, turnips, rosy cheeked farmers, hostage situations, El Greco, Bulgaria, Tony Robinson, ear wax, the word ‘humungous’, Tetley tea bags, North Korea, Eric Clapton, suffragettes, mimosa, beard trimmers, duck tape, manilla envelopes, and 60s pop sensation Lulu.

He lives in London with his wife Judy.

It shows what a good tool Twitter can be for promoting a blog. I've now subscribed to 'All the Richard without the Judy' and look forward to many hours of entertainment.

Tee Du Jour - No Sleep Till Brooklyn

I've been playing Guitar Hero World Tour, which I bought for the Mrs for Christmas, and one of the, shall we say, more accessible tracks is No Sleep Till Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys.

The line was memorably (to me and at least one other person, anyway) parodied by Morris Minor and The Majors in The Stutter Rap, who used the line "No Sleep Till Bedtime".



By El Loco from ASOS. They're fresh out of Mediums though.

Britney's Twitter Hacked!

Either Britney Spears has had a funny turn again, or her Twitter account has been hacked.

After my post yesterday on Celebrities on Twitter, she posted a rather revealing tweet about her personal life this afternoon (in the UK) which isn't entirely in line with the sort of stuff she has tweeted in the past.

Britney's shock confession!

Lets hope that, as much comedic value as this has, the spamming/phishing burst that seems to have hit Twitter recently relents sooner rather than later.

Update: They've taken down the offending post. It lives on here though!

Update on the Update: via Mashable: It wasn't just Britney Spears whose Twitter was hacked. Barack Obama and a couple of other 'names' got the treatment too.

The Twitter Blog, talking about what they refer to as 'Monday Morning Madness' reports:

“These accounts were compromised by an individual who hacked into some of the tools our support team uses to help people do things like edit the email address associated with their Twitter account when they can’t remember or get stuck. We considered this a very serious breach of security and immediately took the support tools offline. We’ll put them back only when they’re safe and secure.”