| YOUR HOME WORK |
| PIGEON POSTCARDS |
| Loft Story is French television's tardy and tawdry answer to Big Brother. It has led to obsessive coverage in the French media and weird behaviour all round. As an example, writing in Le Monde, the president of France's main private TV station, TF1 (think SKY having bought out Chanel Neu from the Fast Show) attacked the station that produces Loft Story (M6, think TF1 with somewhat less expensive editing suites) for having descended to 'trash TV'. Ze charitay giveeng out about ze ospital, as the French say themselves (Pot/Kettle/Black). There have also been anti Loft Story riots, yes, I said RIOTS with protesters trying to break into the compound and 'free the chickens'. They were beaten off by riot police in full garb (sadly). |
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A characteristically restrained, tasteful and definitely non-misogynistic take on the Loft Story phenomenon by Cabu from satirical review Charlie Hebdo |
| I can't help noticing that the 3 'pigeons' of non European origin (North African, Middle Eastern & Gabonese respectively) have been booted out of the loft fairly quick sharp by the viewing public. Not as if people who watch shite TV represent a whole nation but it makes you wonder a bit about the land of bleu, blanc, beur. Like Big Brother, of course, the whole shebang is pretty much a load of ballcocks. If it's 'reality TV' then we're living on a planet populated by wanabee starlets and where the atmosphere's composed of 110% emptiness. I can't imagine the pain endured by those who watch the 24 Hr. relay on satellite. I don't even watch the edited highlights - y'see I don't have a telly and there's too few close-ups of the plumbing. I can't resist, how and ever, taking advantage of the fact that they've named the whole pile of droppings after a place where most people I know keep their pigeons (I don't know any estate agents, obviously). There's something about English words that the French always seem to come off the wrong exit on the roundabout with them..... In aby case here's the IMPORTANT BIT, I'd like you, my co-conspirators, to send a wee postcard to M6 (the station that's detaining the pigeons) with the following on it: KIMMAGE, COOLOCK & KNOCKNAGOSHEL PIGEON ATHLETIC CLUB, [WHEREVER YOU ARE] BRANCH MAIS OU SONT-ILS, DONC, LES PIGEONS ? / WHERE ARE THE PIGEONS ? (Whichever language you fancy - even 'Ca bhfuil na colmanna ?' if you want and if you can spell it right I'd be eternally in your debt, me auld Mephistopheleses... Here's a link to the programme's Web Site, in case you're short on vacuity in your lives: Stop the Pigeons ! M6's postal address is : M6, avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92575 Neuilly sur Seine Cedex, FRANCE Finally, if you want some nice pictures of pigeons for your card, here's a couple of nice specimens - one's called Terror and the other Appolo - but I can't remember which is which.... Appolo & Terror |