Of Bell Ringing amd Marilyn Monroe

TV in UK can be mediocre. What with all the reality tv programmes nowadays. Sometimes watching the upteenth Pop Extra/Pop Idol/Castaway/Celebrity BB, I can cheerfully strangle the person who germinate this idea. Most probably the said person is sleeping in a pile of cash by now.

Now with the success of "How to solve a problem like Maria?", where they search for the singer to sing Maria on stage, we have the show to look for the next Jason and the show to look for the next Danny and Sandy for Grease. Argghhhh... stop it already! Don't let me get started on the search for the next Pussycat Doll.

But I digress.....

Really this post is about the gems you can find in midst of all this tat. I love BBC documentary for its weird and quirky subject matter. The other night I watched a reporter interviewing people who 100% believe they were re-incarnations of famous figures in the past. There was a Merlin magician, dressed in the most outlandish costumes and one who believed he is Father Time, re-incarnated to lead humans to a new dawn in the humankind. So desperate was his belief that he rage and rant against family and the mental health service who was trying to help.

Of course no reincarnation story is complete without one believing she is Marilyn Monroe re-incarnated. As opposed to the other cases, this one was in U.S. and her psychiatrist is more than happy to believe her. To the extent of putting her under trance so that the reporter can witness Marilyn Monroe incarnate. Hmmm.. the fact that the psychiatrist shared the same hotel room + wearing a Hugh Heffner like robe made it so sleazy somehow.

The other programme was all about 2006 Bell Ringing compeition. Who would have thought that Bell Ringing could be a sport? but then if you have climb hundreds of stairs up to the bell tower, jerk a 1/2 tonne bell about and emerge with armpits drenched in sweat, why not?

What struck me is how competitive it was! The lady from the College Youth really wanted to win so bad, you can taste it. And the intense wait for the results and polite bravado at tasting defeat. Oh well... there is still the real ale tent for winners to toast their wins and for the losers to drown their sorrows.