Is the Guardian worse than it used to be?

Lily Allen comes off very well compared to Hyde above. What is this British obsession with bemoaning celebrity culture in the most boring ways imaginable, and pretending these rants aren't a worse side-effect of it anwyay?

These days when I open "Lost in Showbiz" I can barely read a line, it's just so bilious but all that's there is bile. "Oh wouldn't you know it/don't you just love it" etc etc. Tell me something you care about or something worth hearing, not something that's oh so jaded and predictable.

The pathetic part is that you read equally smart assed celeb coverage in London Lite or whatever but it's not pretending to be above it all.

"Ms Hyde, i feel i have become a happier person since i started reading your column, and I should like to thank you from the bottom of my stony black heart. You should marry Charlie Brooker and have lots of lovely cynical babies. Thanks again"

Seriously wtf is wrong with these people? "I dislike celebs I am so smart!" Is that what the Guardian is reduced to for a laugh now?

Working in PR must be like selling your soul to the devil - poor darlings.

It's all rubbish, Garda. Best to ignore them and hope that your own life is a little more substantial and worthy than theirs.

i loved hyde's political diaries, when she did them. this kind of press release skewering comes off a lot better when it's taking politicians down a peg or two rather than some random showbiz flunkie

You'd have thought it'd be hard for Hyde to come across as superior to anyone when she's had Piers Morgan's dick in her mouth.

That's millionaire Piers Morgan to you, son! Which should answer your question; she doesn't run on cheap gas.

^^^content brought

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/06/bad-song-lyrics

'Literary boffin John Sutherland'

Also, use of the phrase 'there's no denying' in the Guardian Guide, in fact anywhere, but especially here because it usually preludes some piece of pseudo-knowledge, which, even if you hadn't wanted to deny it before you want to deny now.

'The Dark Night - Overhyped? Probably. Overrated? Perhaps, but there's no denying that this has much more than just a recognisable franchise and the attachment of a famous tragic death going for it.'

WHY? Why would I want to deny such a curious formulation until you just said 'there's no denying' it?

In fact, it doesn't just make me want to deny what the writer (Phelim O'Neill) says there is no denying, it makes me want to deny the very premise of the thought.

I mean, those qualities might be seen as reasons for its success but not things that are 'going for' something.

In fact it makes me want to deny everything.

Argh! I don't want to analyse the non-thought any more, it's making me upset. Take it away please.

It's quite easy to deny, anyway. You just go "fuck off stupid comic book movies".

There's no denying that The Guide is a bag of wank tho.

I can't believe people actually open The Guide and actually read it. I mean, you have to pull open that plastic wrapping and everything.

morelike "the ghey-de"

c-, must try harder

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/12/16/1229423900342/Britains-Conservative-Par-001.jpg

Found it lying on a seat, innit

Bring back "Powerblogger" Tony Naylor and Ruth Fowler's Daddy Issues

― The stickman from the hilarious "xkcd" comics, Wednesday, July 30, 2008 4:07 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

oh word

http://enemiesofreason.blogspot.com/2008/12/meanwhile-over-at-culture-hub.html

Oh snap

what a nob

my favorite thing about this thread is that apparently no one reads anything but G2, film and music, & occasionally the guide and review

okay maybe in the "skipping 558 messages" bit someone did

okay the pinedox does, well done the pinefox

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/22/christmas-shopping

I actually find that idea quite romantic, just wish the pic was of Harris.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Lifeandhealth/Pix/pictures/2007/01/15/jh.jpg

HAHAHA

that is funny, I was just looking at the other thread and captions for it

imagine if Harris did buy someone a toaster for xmas !

i can't! it's too bizarre!

Reader's Poll: The Results!

Not exactly exciting.

I meant to put that here.
Guardian - pop music = conservatism
Have now.

Banner headline for Harold Pinter tribute today, pages 14-15 (perhaps not later editions?)

"Theatrical world applauds life and art of our greatest living playwright"

It's in my copy, lolz.

The first few paragraphs of this George Monbiot piece are vintage stuff

Couldn't make it past the 3rd as was laughing too hard. Hope there's a bit where he goes and burns down a holiday cottage.

He's never been shouted at in Wales apparently. Any Welsh ILXors out there to take up the challenge?

when I wrote to a very active councillor asking his permission to recommend him for a gong, he replied: "I would prefer not to seek such an honour."

George Monbiot believes in the honours system?

i nhad assumed that he was an 'hon' himself, but pops seems not to have been enobled despite all his service to the nation/conservative party.

I wouldn't have imagined him to be super concerned about national borders either but As far as I can discover, this is the only country in Europe that you cannot traverse by train without spending most of the journey passing through another. The only rail link that allows you to travel from north to south crosses the border near Llangollen and doesn't re-enter Wales until it approaches Abergavenny, 100 miles away kinda suggests otherwise - I mean this is a true statement, I think, but the specific importance of this eludes me

Think it means Monbiot's been caning the Snowballs and chocolate liqueurs since Christmas Eve.

Reminds me I need to go and buy another bottle of Warnink's.

Gonna be travelling that Abergavenny line on NYD, will pour one out for Monbiot as I exploit Wales for inter-England travel purposes.

This impulse arises from a number of observations: in two years of walking through the valleys and over the hills here, I have never been shouted at; the cafe in the local leisure centre serves smoothies in measures labelled "small" (about a pint) and "regular" (about two pints); when I wrote to a very active councillor asking his permission to recommend him for a gong, he replied: "I would prefer not to seek such an honour."

vs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maciejdakowicz/sets/1391696/

Dude Likes Holiday Home Better Than Real Home, film at 11.

god bless this humble little land

Those photos are tremendous (you imperialist polish dog)

The dude who took those came to a house party at mine earlier this year with a bunch of crazy Pole pals who drunk loads of my booze. It was pretty funny. They are rad photos

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jan/21/police-form-696-garage-music

^^ guardian jumps on the anti-elf-and-safety/bungling-bureaucrats bandwagon.

I thought they'd already done a piece on this?

tbf bureaucrats often bungle. Or at least I'm one and I do.

i know, but it's good guardian manners to remain in denial about that. the overweaning state is a good thing, only disputed by mail readers, until it affects something really important, like grime music.

Racism.

wow, possibly the most narcissistic piece I've read in a long, long time:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/30/women-gayrights