I was a bit skeptical about the BBC's ability to reproduce the TopGear show phenomenon in other countries with other presenters. Well I was wrong, sort of. I watched the first episode of the Australian TopGear show on Friday and um, it's exactly the same. Frighteningly the same. Like they lifted the set exactly as it is in the UK and rebuilt it in Australia. They didn't even let them customize it to Aussie standards. The intro is also an exact copy of the intro for the TG UK show. Same music, same images just different outlines of different guys and a few new clips. Ok, that is just freaky. I expected the logo and theme music to go over but they treated this like a franchise of American Idol. Yuck.

I would have liked to see the mimicry end at the logo and theme music. After that why not give the show their own ability to create a cool guy set with some Australian flair? Is Britain just too into the monarchy system to let individual creativity happen?

And the guys are totally the same, it's like they cloned them with better hair. The older guy is the main lead presenter and he is cocky and always making fun of the other guys and showing off like Jeremy. The second guy is shorter and way hyper and talks hella fast and is all emotional all the time like Richard. The third guy is a cartoonist, (I like this twist, he draws on sight and this could lead to some interestingness) and not a pro driver and most like James may with short hair. (Charlie Cox, Warren Brown, Steve Pizzati)

And OMG there is no intro that explains what the show is or where it came from. Hello, a segway was necessary there. Would it have killed them to say that they have launched their own creation under the TopGear family umbrella and introduce the guys in a little more detail. Maybe say why they wanted to do the show in the first place and why they went through an open audition process to get there? Was that funny at all behind the scenes?

They just try to jump into cockiness and double entendre with total awkwardness because no one knows who they are. They should say this is the biggest car show about absolutely nothing or this is the car show where we plan to break very expensive things. Anything would be better than odd pauses as the audience doesn't know what to laugh at because no one knows who these guys are.... Or they haven't yet gotten comedic timing from their cue cards...

I sincerely hope they allow these series a little more breathing room to not only re-create things with a regional flavor but to look for ways to improve on the show and innovate too. Things will never innovate if the guys are practicing talking like Jeremy Clarkson in their dressing rooms and they have to name turns on the track after the UK presenters.

Dude, and they never say anything about the Stig being the Australian cousin? Why just make up all this stuff about the Stig with such a weak intro. Yikes! The guest star in a reasonably priced car was weird too. Over enthusiastic in everything he said in a really creepy way. And he liked Saabs. Heh, I own one buddy they are not luxury and sport cars. They are an unreliable bowl of crap. This post has been brought to you by "don't buy a Saab". 

I shouldn't be so hard on the show but I am a fan, so I have to be this way.  I plan on watching the second one tonight. The thing is they did have some snafus that were a surprise to the viewer even if they were scripted so it had it's entertaining moments. But gee whiz, please let these smart people you have hired in Australia do what they do best, make a funny car show by mucking around.

I do have to mention though that the content of the show was around 55 minutes with the commercials cut out (that might be entertaining to watch commercials from another country actually, if they're weird or funny) so at least they shoved the commercials on the end of the 60 minutes and added time rather than cut it back. Yay for that.

And...when this show and the US show have gotten their feet under them we need to have an inter TG competition of some kind between the 3 regions. But that is not for a couple of years yet...

Jeremy Clarkson (pictured above), the host of the BBC's heralded automotive program Top Gear (which can be seen in the States on BBC America), has written a very interesting comment piece in today's edition of The Sunday Times of London concerning veteran bands that are losing members through either the band member leaving the group or by key members of the band dying. Clarkson discusses the idea of tribute bands and doesn't dismiss them as many other writers have done. Clarkson opined:

In fact, when you stop and think about it, the London Symphony Orchestra is a tribute band. It simply turns up and plays music written by someone else.

Since I will be going to see The Who (or more realistically, The Who's surviving original members, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend) in concert later this month in New Jersey, I was particularly interested in the following bit from Clarkson's piece:

As you may know, I am a very big Who enthusiast. I saw them first in 1975 at the Bingley Hall in Stafford, and it was the start of something wonderful. But then Keith Moon shot into the next life through a puddle of vomit, and every time I’ve seen them since – it’s 13 and counting – I’ve always felt that, despite the best efforts of Kenney Jones and Zak Starkey, I’m not really seeing the band that gave us Who’s Next. And now, with Entwistle gone, the problem will be even bigger.

Clarkson mentions that his wife has stated to him that there are plenty of great new bands and artists coming along to replace the bands and artists of the past. He disagrees with her. I happen to agree with Clarkson's wife's opinion. I hope that she can convince him to open his mind a bit and give some of the new music a proper listen. He just might like what he hears.

To read the full article, which is titled "Play it my way, kids, and you'll save rock 'n' roll," on The Sunday Times of London's Web site, click here.

For additional information on the BBC's Top Gear, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/.

Alex Hughes's blog is only 400 views away from reaching 10,000 total views. From such humble beginnings its amazing to think that that many people have visited the site over the time it has been online.

Il programma è condotto dai simpaticissimi Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond e James May(detto anche Capitan Slow), tra le particolarità dello show, la pista (Dunsfold Park), che progettata in origine da Lotus viene utilizzata per testare supercar ma anche auto di tutti i giorni con prove originali e mai noiose e gli studi di registrazione ospitati all'interno dell'hangar adiacente la pista.
Altre chicche dello show sono il VIP in a Reasonably-Priced Car, che vede protagonisti dello spettacolo e della televisione impegnati in un giro di pista su una Suzuki Liana (erede della nostra Suzuki Baleno), il Cool Wall, dove Jeremy&Co stabiliscono cosa è Cool e cosa non lo è.
Infine i tempi sul giro con le supercar di volta in volta provate ad opera di "The Stig" misterioso pilota dall'identità sconosciuta sulla quale aleggiano diverse leggende e della quale si è detto più volte possa essere un ex-pilota di Formula1
Top Gear Power Laps

Grazie al canale esclusivo su YouTube potete seguire alcuni spezzoni delle spassose puntate di Top Gear
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopGear?ob=1

Di seguito il video di uno dei test più divertenti, dove la faccia di Jerremy va quasi in pezzi, LOL!

Sneak Peak: Judging by the photos I've seen, there will be a shootout between Chevy's ZR1, the Dodge Challenger and Cadillac's CTS-V.  Whether that will be featured in the first episode or not will remain to be seen, but it's definitely in the works.

Sources: Final Gear and AutoBlog

What were they thinking? You might be able to franchise the wiggles - one skivvy is much the same as another - but you can't franchise Clarkson, Hammond & May nor can you fake their banter. 

This show might have a chance of working if it develops its own Australian voice. The chances of it doing that are pretty slim when its so wedded to the UK production values - same set, same edits, same segments. The production encourages you to keep thinking - where is Hammond? which one is the May character? Why isn't this one more pompous & condescending a la Clarkson. 

The best segment was the moke being dangled into shark infested waters and covered in burley. You won't see that on the UK version. 

Do you think it worked? 

Maybe I need a holiday but it got me thinking about cultural contextualisation. As we look to what works overseas we can't just cut, insert Australian voices, and paste.

This is my official review on the long awaited arrival of Top Gear Australia.

It wasn't ALL suckful.

Yes Aussie Stig did exhibit man-boobs or moobs as Flick pointed out. Incidentally Felicity -  I've never called you Flick but every1 else does and I need every bit of shorthand I can get in my current state...so I do apologise.

Also, I tolerated every1 except the stupid host, Charlie Cox. He is NO Jeremy clarkson. I actually had to adjust the tv volume several times to even make out what the hell he was saying. Ocker is good, plain Aussie is fine but this hybrid English-wanker-dyed-blonde-oldie-who-reads-expression-from-a-script really didn't satsify my lust for the experience that resonates through the voice of the driven individual. What the hell is with your complete lack of expression and the hair man?

I did dig Warren in the shark cage - maybe because I was hoping one of those babies nipped off his facial hair. He didn't try to be James May but was anyway which was bearable.

All of the quips were funny if you listened but lacked the comic timing of their UK counterparts but I was pleased to see a few super cars as I dreaded my Monday being completely filled with Holdens and Fords. Hmm I think that's what they forecast for next weeks episode (sigh).

So I will watch again next week but I better have as nice a wine to test drive or I might not make the distance. What did you think? Because I haven't got time to traverse the net and read every1s blog - I have more wine to drink.

Jamie Oliver sneaks up to the kitchen window and watches a group of young women mess up at cooking.

JAMIE: (Shaking head) Fucking hell

Fin

And there you have Jamie’s Ministry of Food in a nutshell. Voyeurism. A chance for the middle classes to feel superior by sneering at the less well off. Carefully casting a group of hapless individuals and passing them off as representatives of the working class.

In a rare burst of honesty- this was the clip used to publicise the show on Jonathan Ross. In a pattern which will become depressingly familiar- the audience cheered Jamie to the rafters for taking on his selfless mission to raise up the savages and laughed their heads off at mentions of Rotherham.

Jamie displayed his usual grip on statistics by saying that the UK was the third most obese nation- after America and South America. Me neither. I thought he must have meant South Africa- but a poverty riddled country is hardly likely to be the second most obese on Earth. Also- Jamie has let it be known that people in Soweto have better diets than us plasma screen pissheads.

The photo’s of the Rawmarsh were put up. The audience laughed when he said he had called Julie Critchlow a scrubber. Ross generally took the piss and repeated the lie about “Big Macs” being passed to kids. Jamie didn’t join in because he didn’t have to. By coming to Rotherham- he knew that the power of the images would do his promotion for him.

Every piece on TV or radio I have heard refers to pushing burger and chips through the fence at Rawmarsh. Most build it up as some concerted campaign to stop the School Dinners campaign. This not true- but it is the general perception and that is all that matters. Even if the actual show has Oliver doing a five minute bit to camera apologising (which I doubt he will) - the damage is done.

Never mind the "issues"- let's face it, Pass it On is a pretty thin idea. Instead, follow the lead of the radio presenter I heard on Friday. She just went on about a scene where a young girl gets alarmed when she sees bubbles in boiling water as she's never seen it before. The radio presenter did the polite equivalent of shaking her head and saying "fucking hell". That's the level of analysis you're supposed to have. If you think deeper and consider the casting process and the encouragement people may get to say whatever's in their heads- no matter how daft it may seem- you may find the whole exercise exploiative and distasteful.

Jamie dodged every question worth answering. He banged on at length about how the government must keep funding investment in school dinners. When asked if he had put up the money for the Ministry of Food shop in Rotherham- he sort of made a noise which sounded a bit like yes. He failed to mention that it was also funded by Rotherham Borough Council, that RBT has given him phone lines and he wants the council to fund it to keep it open. In other words- those of us who pay council tax to Rotherham Borough Council put the money up for the shop. How much are the council getting for the tie in promotions Sainsbury's and WH Smith are running at the moment? As a stakeholder in this enterprise- I think it's only fair that a share of any profits should be spent on local services for Rotherham people. Don't you?

Also – check the editing on the clip they showed. Either they had plenty of cameras or they are acting out the scenes more than once. Reality TV- do me a favour.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jamie didn’t make it onto the cover of this week's Radio Times.

That honour went to James May: erudite, urbane and a maker of interesting and entertaining shows. And a product of a Rotherham comprehensive school. May’s mate Jeremy Clarkson started off on the ‘Tiser. And he produced this tribute to our fair town.

Written in a familiar style to his spoken word and following the TV series of his (which I am yet to see), this book was quick and interesting. The chapters are relatively short, just a quick anecdote or two about the country, but there is so much to get out of this. It is not just a car book, as I have had people comment to me, but a series of social observations on how people interact and treat their vehicles - it combines my love of people watching with my not-so-secret desire to own and drive a great many cars and bikes, old and new.

Highlights include Vietnam (I had visions of mopeds multiplying) and Iceland (the sheer emptyness and subsequent freedom for the 4x4s). As well as feeding my car-love, I also feel the need to travel a whole lot more.

Ook z'n pompeuze manier van praten ontsnapt niet:

We're not actually Clarksons as such. But we talk a bit like him. Well probably the thing that's most like the genuine Clarkson is we

pause            in the middle        of our sentences.

Wat dan weer doet denken aan de verschijningen van Steve Stevaer' in Alles Kan Beter.

Harry & Paul: elke maandag om 23u op BBC 2. Zeker kijken, kan u zeggen dat u het net als bij The Fast Show, Top Gear, Coupling etc.. al beu was tegen dat het hier op tv kwam.

On my Facebook profile last week, I updated my status, that "I was driving in the ugliest BMW ever" and one comment I received was, well it's still a Beemer! How typical!

My husband (a car designer) often brings home different cars from various manufacturers to evaluate. Lately it has been a series of luxury cars, most I enjoy. But last week it was a current BMW 5 series. From the exterior it still has some of the elements of classic BMW proportions, the engineering of course is stellar, but I was shocked at how stupid and ugly it was in the interior. None of the controls were intuitive (the blingy Idrive system). The interior functionality and aesthetics were in serious conflict with traditional BMW core values.

Why are we (the consumer) so willing to accept what ever is thrown our way just because it has a certain name plate or status?

I know what you are thinking...well money, Leah! But does it really come down to a quick buck? Is that good business? Not if you want to be in business for long. Not if you want to keep devoted customers.

The key for the brand is to know who you are and what you REALLY believe in. Sticking to those fundamentals is success in business.

I have a feeling that in Clarkson's review, he will talk about how cheap the interor is and how flimsy the body panels are, but then he'll throw it around the track and fall in love with it.  Time will tell, the new season of Top Gear should be starting in a few months.  Stay tuned and we'll keep you in the loop!

Source: TopGear.com

Another column from the great English wit known colloquially as Jeremy Clarkson.  A tease:

And then they showed us pictures of the crowd. The boy and I stopped jigging for a closer look. It was even better than we'd expected. The whole Kop was a sea of misery. God, how we laughed. We hadn't laughed so much since Manchester United were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Coventry City. We hate Manchester United. We think Rooney's ears are ridiculous and Ronaldo is a big girl. Indeed, my boy came home from school the other day and said: "Dad, do you know what the three best words in the English language are?" "Manchester. United. Nil."

Everyone has that one car that they like that other people think is downright ugly. That car for me is the BMW M Coupe. Sure, the front end looks just like the Bimmer that James Bond drove in Goldeneye, but the back end has been described as looking like a hearse, or a bread van. I think this car is one of the most distinctive, driver oriented cars on the planet, and that is why I would want one in my garage.

With the legendary BMW straight six under the bonnet, this car made 240 horsepower in US spec trim, and a much more generous 321 in European trim. This is down to the fact that 1) other countries usually get better products than we do right away, and 2) the European M Coupes had the actual M3 engine which made the car much better than the ones in North America. Eventually though BMW relented, and the last couple of model years saw the M3 engine transplanted into the North American body shell. New owners were nonetheless overjoyed, while the first buyers were probably none too impressed. However, the gas mileage for this car was relatively high at 17/25. Of course, all fuel figures are reliant upon the actual driver not wanting to plant his or her right foot to the carpet all the time, and I suspect that actual fuel figures are less than those BMW quoted. But that is not the point of this car. The point is that this is a fast car that has distinguishing looks, not to mention fantastic handling.

When this car hit the market in 1999, it was instantly considered to be one of the best handling cars in the world. These cars were raved about for their handling prowess by the likes of Jeremy Clarkson and Jenson Button (and if you don’t know who they are, look them up). This was down to BMW knowing how to build a car that drove very well, and extensive testing on the Nurburgring. This was a hooligan’s car that could get you in a lot of trouble if you weren’t careful.

The real reason this car was destined for classic status though, was because it looked like nothing else. Sure there are other coupes and hatchbacks out there, but nothing could match the raw “love it or hate it” first glance looks that this car offered. The interior, too, was another place where love it or hate it came into play. Of course it had all the great looking and feeling BMW switchgear, but the interior was awash in two-tone leathers and cloths all over. This made the car look less like the “Ultimate Driving Machine”, and more like the “Ultimate Thrown Together by a Ricer Machine.” But once you got over the looks and the interior, driving became a pure joy.

For about the same money as a top spec Honda Fit, you can lay your hands on a legend in the car world. And it will be much rarer than a Honda Fit, too. If you want to have people stare at your car and wonder what you are driving, then you will definitely want to pick up one of these for your own garage. The BMW M Coupe is in my top ten list, and should be on yours too.[gallery]

Het deel over Alabama in zie je in het tweede filmpje.

Als de video's hieronder niet werken, klik dan hier voor deel 1 en hier voor deel 2.

Top Gear is te zien op zondagavond op BBC2 en op maandagavond rond 21.15 uur op Canvas.

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• Jeremy Clarkson on the Chrysler Sebring Cabriolet 2.7 V6 for Times

Immediately, I was annoyed by a nonstop whining sound from the back. This turned out to be Richard Hammond, who, despite being 8in tall, claimed that he had never been so uncomfortable in his life, apart from when he was being born. “Only that,” he said, “was more spacious.”

Jeremy Clarkson is by far one of the more entertaining and interesting reads around. Aside from his bizarre, over the Top Gear performances, he spends plenty of time writing articles about cars in various publications. Here is a bit of glory from The Times Online about the, erm, glorious Chrysler Sebring

Many people imagine when they rent a convertible in America that they’ll be thumping down Highway 1 under a blazing sky in a throbbing Corvette or an evocative Mustang. Yum yum, they think. Freedom. Sunshine. A V8 bass line. Engineer boots, leather jackets and tight blue jeans. The American dream. Sadly, however, most tourists end up with a Chrysler Sebring convertible, which is almost certainly the worst car in the entire world.

Fantastic. I always feel this way when i end up with a rubbish rental car at the local Hertz dealer when my car is in service, OR when i'm traveling. Yeah, i know some people i know don't really like Mr. Clarkson-----but i find him most entertaining.

Click here for the full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article4873574.ece

Get your fix of Jeremy Clarkson here, in his written review of the god-awful 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible.