2011 Big Brother (4)

{Later} 14/10/11

Marion wrote:

Apparently , as a prank, jay defecated in a box and put it in the freezer and that is what Aaron is referring to.

That puts Bobby Sabel’s sweat into the shade.

{Later}

des wrote:

That puts Bobby Sabel’s sweat into the shade.

Meanwhile, Faye and Aaron have a hiccup!

… and the best game ever DEAL OR NO DEAL now cloned as a meal game on on BIG BROTHER! Does life get any better?

Both Anton and Aden to go, I say!

15/10/11

British troops fought in Aden when I was at University in the sixties. Armies struggle and rap within this new Aden’s ill-shaven headland – as he faces the prospect of his sham/real skirmish/entente cordiale/romance (sham to some of those armies and real to others?) with the Protectorate of Rebeckah and its snarly-grin.

To appreciate that Meal game, Marion, you need to appreciate the subtle complexities of DEAL OR NO DEAL (of which I have written blogs in the last few years). Temptation and probability and all-or-nothing or halfway measures from some pervasive but non-omniscient God-banker. Whether it was a false game last night depends whether all the tureens were chosen randomly for each HM. The player-HM seemed to be random with Aaron’s spin of the wheel. But I sense that pizza&beer was BB’s preferred choice for them, so I do have my suspicions. Your astute itemisation of each of the HMs own tureen contents being appropriate to them personally might mean there is a meaningful pattern in the universe. If, say, Jay had been chosen by the wheel, then, if he had not been tempted out of pursuance of its hidden prize by the God-banker, then all of the Hms would have ended up with one pea. [The crux of the game is that the God-banker (here BB) does not know what is in each tureen.]

{Later}

Aaron’s Shakespearean soliloquy in the garden – with the refrain ‘My House’ – was carefully constructed, rehearsed and delivered –
And Louise, later, with the single line “I wish I could burp, but I can only fart, me.” A dramatic contrast. Comic relief from Lady ‘Toby or not Toby’ Belch.
Well, it seems posh Harry specifically ordered all those Frosties a week or two ago, simply to supply a Frostie Fight tonight.
It’s as if plans were laid – and the whole thing staged or rigged even though none of the participants knew it was or would be staged or rigged.
Jay and Louise realise they need to re-ignite their ‘relationship’ if they are to stand any chance of winning.
Aaron and Faye, too. To see which couple can climb the highest in the rigging.

16/10/11

Marion wrote:

Aaron had been out stargazing with Faye (shades of Brian Belo and Amanda?) looked upon the ruination with sorrow and disgust

Shades of Shakespeare in Love, too. Intentionally ‘more mature’ than the ‘Brian’ version –

I always thought it was against the BB rules to create games (like chess) from household artefacts. (They’re not allowed to take in games or books etc so that they can concentrate on the love, bitching, grossness etc).

Jem and Faye seem a staged sororal archetype of squabble and hugging.

{Later}

Marion wrote:

…disgusting habits, the unfriend friendships, the filthy untidy house and poor rations, the silly tasks and pointless destruction,

Seems like an ambiance many people would recognise these days in their normal lives – with them and their world on the brink of some brink!

17/10/11

Anton to win!
The only housemate who has reconciled himself to the need to publicly embrace the human condition of self-deception and to admit that BB is nothing but role-playing when push comes to shove. Artifice and truth, albeit both are intrinsically character-based, surely represent a paradoxical battle that artifice will always win because of the nature of the human being. A paradox of becoming true to artifice!

The artifice of being true to oneself, while in BB.
In BB and in Life itself, perhaps.
Internally and externally.

{Later}

Marion Arnott wrote:

he deceives himself about his own motives

That’s part of the human condition, too. I agree that Anton has a long way to go to become decisively machiavellian and to to be likeable. All machiavellians have to be likeable (at least likeable to some people) to be machiavellian! But nobody is likeable in the house, except possibly Alex. She’s my other choice but purely on the grounds of likeability.

{Later}

Marion Arnott wrote:

Aaron is a major character – without him we’d have no counterpoint to the grossness of some of the others. He brings conflict, drama, and hilarity. He is the real machiavellian of the house (no wonder Anton loathes him) – changeable as the weather and a complete self construct.

Aaron is that dark creature squirreling away a spine of self-ness that allows of no self-deception. Worthy catalytic Housemate. But I don’t like him.
Tom is not my cup of tea.
Harry, maybe.
So Alex or Harry, if I am serious.
Anton, if I’m being mischiveously machiavellian myself!

{Later}

Some great highlights tonight:
The Peg-faces
Anton’s knitting and sunflowers
Jay’s ‘Loo’ and voicing the word ‘epiphany’ in a story he tells to Lou.
More from me tomorroo.
Not so great: Aaron and Faye snogging in every available space. They ought to try the camera runs. And not come back.

18/10/11

I think the peg task gave striking images with the resultant peg-‘bearded’ faces as art installations.
And Anton showed his sense of humour in oscillating so blatantly between aspirational villain and reluctant good guy.

19/10/11

Marion wrote:

The show opened with Aaron declaring that the house is built on a burial site and is haunted.Cue: The discovery of the Crypt later on in the programmeAnton and Jay complain in the DR about starvation. They will cut off digits in exchange for food. They are near death through lack of food. ‘How near death are you?’ BB coolly asks.Cue:Jay and Anton will become dead to the other HMs in the Crypt.OK, we read the signs. There’s a scriptwriter at work. Whoever he is, he should be taken out and shot for his juvenile foreshadowing.PS Wasn’t it odd that Jay and Anton nominated Alex, Jem and Tom? and not Harry and Aaron? It’s almoast as if the crypt was meant for them and no other…

Marion, you’ve hit another nail on the head. They are not the only examples above of this programme being either full of the spirituality of predestination or the collusive fraud of all parties (including professional actors as mock HMs) who are shareholders in Channel 5.
Goats and monkeys! Stone headphones and crypt-kickers! A real monster mash.

20/10/11

Marion wrote:

The dog turned out to be Tashie, so no scare there.

I thought that was very effective. A yappy dog in a cage with a human face – startled me – and reminded me of the film ‘Freaks‘.

In fact the whole Crypt task should appeal to readers of ‘Black Static‘ (an award-winning Horror magazine published by TTA Press, the Host of this discussion forum we’re using for our BB comments). Some of it was very well done. Some not. The half-serious, half-absurd elements (certainly in the two crypt-kickers) were interesting if one is able to insulate some of the images and statements from the game-show ‘Reality’ TV of BB against which most people who read our comments are prejudiced.

NB: TTA Press also publish the acclaimed and long-running SF magazine ‘Interzone‘. The Dickian reality of BB is probably that side of things … and dystopian futures.

{Later}

Marion wrote:

What a scare you gave me with the Black Static link, Des – I looked and thought – oh, poor Des! He does look ill! Then I saw your photo underneath the bigger one! Such a relief…

LOL! … PREVIOUSLY (in BB voice over) and NOW. “Worth a closer look”. {That tall lady in the Feeederm advert with the top-knot in her hair will have the latest Black Static in her hand TOMORROW).

BTW, Marion, your summaries of each BB episode are second to none on the whole internet I reckon. I think BB fans must be flocking here, because the viewcount of this thread still increases exponentially.

THIS COMMENTARY IS CONTINUED HERE

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ABOVE ARE EXTRACTS FROM: http://ttapress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=182 where Marion’s posts are also shown in full.