Just like a coldsore, SSS disappears then comes back in the same place! It's just as irritating, not quite as funny, but takes slightly longer to go stale and crusty... Anyhoo, after the fun that was the unfortunate cull of digibox users of which I was one, I managed to get a pc in time to stay with you all¹... just a shame last week that the pc caught a virus.

So it was that I decided to trawl back through the archive and give you
a sequel Surfin'... a Surfin' that follows on from a previous rant... Yes, another rant. Ladies and gentlemen I give you:

Last time I gave you a brilliant rant on the importance of TV and Movie Themes, this time I do the same except hide it within a
summary of some my favourites (in no particular order of course). Here we go!

1. Red Dwarf (Series III-VIII and Remastered Series I-III) My favourite TV show and thanks to composer Howard Goodall, the rock intro pulls you straight in and the outro lets you out. None of those cliched beeps and synthesiser rubbish you get in most Sci-fi (like the US Red Dwarf pilot for instance). Plus it gives the right attitude just like Stephen Hawking said: Red Dwarf 'is not afraid
   to take it self too seriously...'. 100% pure-bred fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun.

2. Blackadder Another Howard Goodall. Each series having the same theme but played to the instrument of the period its set except the epic movie-style of the first series.
   
   There's the added enjoyment of Blackadder II having different vocals to sum up the plot in a comedic way made including the Lord Flash-heart 'hurray!' at the end of the episode 'Bells'.

3. The Family-Ness How children's programmes should be. An enjoyable theme you can bounce along to along and 'You'll Never Find a Nessie in the Zoo' became a single that now lives on its website: www.familyness.co.uk

4. Penny Crayon From the same creator of the Family-Ness and the theme's just as good.

5. Inspector Gadget (Cartoon) More uber-nostalgia. Killed so much in the Disney movie version that it can be considered murder. One of those tunes that sticks in your head and can't be removed unless someone puts another in that you chronically hate. 'YMCA' springs to mind...

6. My Lovely Horse (Dream Sequence) Not a theme but from Father Ted. Together with the visuals comes a great comedy sequence. I always say that the right music is needed for the right moment, and this is an example. Might not be a good one though!

7. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kinobe) So much text to let it be known that this, although I don't know its name, is a great example of what was said before.

8. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Intro Not a TV show or movie, but a game. It secretly wants to be a film anyway, and the opening theme is great. Really, really, really great. This is how you open a media programme- with an epic score like this that gets you in the mood and entertains.
   PS it's great.

And now for something completely supplemental...

Well the BAFTAs came and went with GASP! Lord of the Rings: Return of the King getting... some. Obviously those with blind devotion will hail its glory but Fellowship was the better third with Two Towers a nasty drawn out 'middle-bit' in my opinion... Great achievement, yes. But greatest films ever? Well the top three highest earners ever were Titanic, Harry Potter 1 and Star Wars Episode I in that order (according to IMDB) and not one have I gone to see at the cinema.

Keep Surfin'

Small Screen Surfin'
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