Thursday 19 June 2008

That's what I am talking about

I WAS surprised when Sir Alan Sugar voted Lee McQueen as his Apprentice.

Throughout the series Lee was probably one of the best salesman, along with Alex, although you would have to question if he merited a £100,000 salary.

It seemed, from the way Wednesday’s programme was being slanted, that Claire was going to win. But as usual Sir Alan kept the audience guessing until the very last minute.

The fact Lee had lied on his CV to get on the programme seemed to be conveniently brushed under the carpet, a fact that was spotted in the penultimate programme. Not only that he had also submitted an application littered with spelling mistakes.

Perhaps viewers should have guessed Lee was to be picked when, at the start of the show, he told Sir Alan he was a Tottenham Hotspur fan.

The result may have been a shock, however the programme was again compulsive viewing.

It was interesting to see how the contestants reacted under pressure. There was some noticeable friction between Helene and Alex, while Lee and Claire seemed to gel.

I didn’t get the concept put forward by Helene and Alex, but thought Claire and Lee’s idea good, although it did glamorise gambling.

Both groups were helped by contestants, who had been voted off. I’m not sure I would be too willing to help if Sir Alan had got rid of me.

Anyway The Apprentice is over for another year, I will have to think of something else to watch on a Wednesday night now.

Friday 6 June 2008

The mint with the hole

DID you know that the Polo mint is celebrating its 60th birthday this year?

Polo mints were introduced to the British public in 1948 and were made by Rowntree.

The mint was a novelty in the 40s and was a unique shape for confectionary.

Nestle now own the product and it is the fastest-selling mint. This country is supposed to eat five million of them, or 150 a second.

I quite like Polo mints, but the problem is when I buy a packet I tend to eat one after the other.

There used to be fruit Polo mints too, although I am not sure if theses are still made?

Meanwhile, it was the Monaco Grand Prix recently. This is the one race in the F1 GP season that catches my attention. And I try and catch some of it on television.

It is something to do with Monaco itself. There is nowhere else quite like this place, which is on the Mediterranean Coast.

The event also always attracts the rich and famous. It is held at the same time as the Cannes Film Festival, so many of the film stars make the short journey from Cannes to Monaco to be seen at the race.

Many people criticise the GP and say it is a procession, because there is no overtaking.

But the fact it is held on a street circuit makes it harder for the drivers, as there is less margin for error, so I think it is more exciting to watch. This is the one race I would like to go to.

Monday 2 June 2008

Britain really has got talent

I THINK it was Simon Cowell who said that after the disappointing result of Great Britain at Eurovision it was Britain’s Got Talent that showed that this country has skilled performers. I agree.

Many people in the UK don’t take Eurovision seriously, so when we came last the majority of people weren’t surprised.

I’ve forgotten who sang the song, and what the tune was called.

But I enjoyed the final of Britain’s Go Talent on Saturday night. Here were acts – some of which were quirky - who could engage the audience.

My favourites were Signature and Gin the performing dog. However I wasn’t as impressed with Escala or Andrew Muir.

Escala, who judges said were original, reminded me of Bond.

I was surprised at the winner though. George Sampson’s act was good, but I thought voters would have gone for classical singer Andrew Johnston, who looked gutted to come third.

It was equally surprising to see Jodie being chosen as Nancy in the new West End production of Oliver!

I thought Samantha or Jessie would have taken the role.

Meanwhile an interesting study has shown that playing golf helps you live longer.

The study looked at 300,000 golfers and showed 40% were less likely to die at any given age than those who did not play.

I would also have to agree with this. Many golf clubs have members who play well into their late 80s. I remember one man, who used to have a round of golf into his 90s.