Friday 1 May 2020

Documentary: Planet Earth Episode 2 (Mountains)

Well, another lull in tv programming left me with a hole in my schedule. (To be fair, there was some decent stuff showing, but I'd already seen it.) So I took myself off to catch up with more of Planet Earth! This time, it was Episode 2 (Mountains) - a favourite topic of mine..

As with other episodes I've watched, this is available in bitesize pieces on YouTube, 2.5 minutes each. This one, I had to click around a fair bit for, though - they kept redirecting me to other series. Just make a note of what number part of the episode you've just watched, then search for the next part - I managed to get almost all of it. And as usual, it's worth it - grand, sweeping shots: and I have to wonder how they managed them without drones.

The music suits the majestic landscapes, as the camera soars around and over mountaintops and mountain ridges, giving wide shots of glorious, but desolate landscapes. Some slopes, as Sir David Attenborough points out, are too steep to sustain snowfields, and appear as bare, jagged rock. But as usual with this series, we also get to zoom in and examine the wildlife - and it's spectacular in this case, from the elusive snow leopards of the Himalayas to the absurdly cute giant pandas of China, barely surviving on the ultimate junk food diet of bamboo, which hardly sustains them. How on earth they've survived this long..

Have to be awake tomorrow in time for a Paranormal Investigator Virtual Conference! Organised by Spooky London, it's on all day - the organiser hadn't heard from me since lockdown started, and was good enough to enquire after my health; as I explained to him, I can't make the whole thing, but will dial in when I can.

Tomorrow afternoon, behold, London Social Detours has my attention again - they're doing an online murder mystery, where everyone chooses a character and (optionally) dresses up. Small fee. Cool! We've been sent scripts.. And I've been chosen to be Sierra Tango, police constable! Seems it's been booking heavily, and that was all that was left. Fine by me. Got myself a character image - we'll see about a background. And I'll have to organise myself in time - I can't print out the scripts, as suggested.. my printer is stuck in London, with most of my wardrobe!

On Sunday - middle of the day, for once - Up in the Cheap Seats is watching this weekend's offering by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This time, it's his 50th birthday concert, featuring a famous cast singing his most famous numbers at the Albert Hall. And I can join them, for once, which will be lovely.

That evening, they're back with Hampstead Theatre for The Arrest of Ai Weiwei. I was thinking of seeing it tonight, as the weekend promises to be so busy - but it didn't take me long to realise I'd seen it before! Seven years ago.. my first time ever there, in fact! I think this is the last of their online broadcasts, sadly - available until 10pm that day. I guess they expected to be open again, after that.

Now, next Friday is a bank holiday - so I'll need something to do that day as well. And I was thinking I'd follow their lead from earlier in the week, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..

..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from that day. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that does sound interesting..

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