TWO QUIET AMERICANS

TWO QUIET AMERICANS

I had not known Jermaine Jackson (Michael’s brother) and Dirk Benedict before but in the Celebrity Big Brother house they stand out as two beacons.  They are both way out of their comfort zone but, so far, have managed to keep their cool and their dignity and put some of the British residents to shame.  And of course, as tends to be the norm nowadays, some of the latter have none.

By the way it’s OK to watch CBB, now that Sarah Crompton has pronounced in the Art’s column of the Daily Telegraph, that it is ‘a masterpiece of modern television’.

‘What distinguishes it from virtually every other reality show, the quality that enables it to sustain the acres of programmes, blogs, vods, pods, texts and water cooler comment that springs up around it, is the way it hold an unflinching mirror up to the culture that spawned it.  If a Martian wanted to understand British society in 2007, this would be a very good place to start.’

And Heaven help us all say I.

Three men have voluntarily left already.  Film director Ken Russell who, nearing eighty, found the influx of Jade Goody, her mother Jackiey and boyfriend Jack all a bit much and who could blame him?  Rocker Donnie climbed over the wall when he heard they were coming.  His hard man façade didn’t fool me for a moment; in an earlier interview his mobile went off in the midst of his effing and blinding and spitting, and he said sheepishly ‘It’s my Mum.’

And the third escapee was Leo Sayer who lost it when CBB refused to give him clean underpants but had given him soap powder.   Both Jermaine and Dirk offered to give him theirs and even wash his, but he was incandescent with rage and upset Jermaine to the point of tears by not even saying goodbye to him.  He later apologised to the presenter Davina, after some prompting, but it was a sorry episode.

Jackiey has been voted out, deservedly IMO; she is a troubled woman but also can be mean-spirited and started the movement ‘let’s be beastly to Shilpa’ the Bollywood film actress who has the effrontery to be beautiful and graceful and dares to cook for them all.  She has more charm in her little finger than the three ladettes together could ever aspire to.  I feel quite strongly about this as I have seen too much mass bullying of someone who dares to be different.  Even idle Jack has climbed on the band-wagon and joined in.
By the three ladettes I mean Jade, Danielle, a WAG (wife or girl friend of footballers) and Jo – ex singer in a girl/ boy band.

Carole Malone the columnist has been voted out by the public so Cleo Rocos the friend of the late Kenny Everett, is the only mature, sensible woman left, trying to keep things on an even keel.  Actually in tonight’s programme she told a tale of when she wasn’t so mature and sensible.  She and Kenny had a night out and thought it would be fun for Cleo to prostrate herself on top of the car, in her tiara and evening dress and make siren noises as Kenny drove along.  They were stopped by the police who asked Kenny if he was aware of what was on the car roof whereupon Kenny said ‘Oh that’s where you are Cleo!’

The picture changes all the time and of course anything can happen so please Jermaine and Dirk, I’m begging you, don’t let me down.
Maybe I’ve been too harsh.  Maybe I’m the only one who has been watching it.