TcV His Life In Pieces

Last week I made an oblique reference to Life on Mars being transported to LA.

ABC has aired the pilot of the American take on this popular drama, tranfering the action from Manchester to LA.

In the olden days when US TV companies tried and failed to do their own versions British TV staples such as Til Death us do part, Dear John or Fawlty Towers it was when it was highly unlikely that an average american viewer would have seen the original version. Today however with file sharing sites and BBC America the average discerning american tv viewer has the ability to watch british telly almost as soon as it airs. Much the same as we brits can watch cutting edge US TV.

I was amazed at how popular the ITV programme Footballers Wives was over there.

Ricky Gervais loves "The Office - An American Workplace", he said that the cheques roll in without him actually having to put pen to paper. Now they have made more episodes than the British version and is still going strong, it even has a popular following over here (I haven't seen it).

So ABC have taken Life on Mars, and I think without having watched a trailer, that they've ruined it. Colm "Chief O'Brien" Meaney as DCI Gene Hunt?

In the US of A they do WD-40 in a handy pen-shaped container. It is more aimed at removing sticky deposits than degreasing a mini cooper gearbox. It works well and mine is safely ensconsed at home and has seen far less usage than the Tide-to-Go Pen.

A pal of mine who works for P&G informed me that the Ariel Stain Pen didn't sell in the UK so they stopped selling them in our territory. Maybe they should have spent more on advertising and called it a more catchy name.

I also inadvertantly carried a small bottle of hand sanitiser, a tide-to-go pen and a wd-40 pen in my hand luggage on my return to blighty. Despite the restrictions on fluids.

I first heard the track Jellybean on Radcliff & Macconie's radio show last year and I liked it so much I bought the Album 'Uncle Dysfunktional'. It has been almost 20 years since the last proper Happy Mondays' album. This one is definitely worth the wait. Alright there are not many of the original line-up present, and what we have does veer towards Black Grape Territory.

Apparently Shaun Ryder's management woes are over, he has spent his Dare money on a new set of teeth. And finally he is drug free (at least at the time of writing). The album is however saturated in drug references and humour. Give it a chance it grows on you. I am for one am heartened that Shaun Ryder is making music again.

Stand out tracks: Cuntry Disco and Jellybean.

This isn't a sponsored advertising feature, but maybe it should be.

When I was on my great American road trip, I chanced upon on of the most excellent product "Tide To Go". It is a pen, that can remove stains. I first saw it advertised on TV in my dingy San Fran hotel room.

Tide To Go Saves the day

The ad was a typical army boot camp scenario, in which a Drill Instructor is shouting at one of his troops, who has a stain on his TV shirt. The drill instructor looks away long enough for the recruit to remove the stain with a Tide-to-Go pen.

I was sold; the very day I purchased one in Walgreens or Rite-Aid or somewhereelse I forget now. In any case I used it to succesfully remove a chocolate stain on a shirt. The stain had been there for two days since I had, had an accident eating a Choc-Ice on the flight over.

It is a simple enough concept the pen holds a quantity of solvent, which is released when you press the nib onto the fabric and then you use the nib to rub the stain away.

I had never seen anything like it in blighty.

I used mine as and when it was needed and was seldom disappointed. I was travelling so it was difficult to get my Laundry done. So this and febreeze and careful management meant I looked mostly presentable.

The advertising has moved onto a talking stain that interrupts people's conversation.

Upon my return to the UK I regretted not having purchased some more in America for myself and friends and family. I bought a few pens from off of ebay last July.

Shortly afterwards we were on a shopping trip where we saw
"Ariel Stain Pens" in Home Bargains. These are the exact thing Tide being the US name for Ariel. These magic little pens should be everywhere, why aren't Procter & Gamble marketing them as aggresively here as they are in the US? I reckon Johnny Vegas would provide an excellent voice for the annoying stain. And why not Ariel-to-go?

That said they're not 100% effective on every stain but they do work for most common things, like tomato sauce, coffee, wine & chocolate.

If anyone from P&G is reading this I want a commission.

Next time continuing the pen theme, WD40 pens.

Life on Mars moves from Manchester to LA in the latest incarnation of the popular BBC drama.