Michael*

Have yet to determine if this is on the level or not.

A treat, as always. Thanks gang!

A treat, as always. Thanks guys!

Alice Hermione

^Now that I know this is a thing, I want it!

^Do let me know how it goes. I invested quite a bit of time in the Riddler challenges while playing 'Asylum' and 'City' and was mildly underwhelmed by the pay-offs, so I'm still somewhat undecided about taking them on this time around.

A new viral advertising video has appeared, hinting that Magneto was involved in the killing of John F. Kennedy.

Watching the half-time analysis on ITV last night, one could have been forgiven for thinking that Arsenal were 5-0 down instead of 1-0 up. After the Dortmund defeat they were slated for going gung-ho, this time around they played it safe and never looked to be in real danger, and were slated for not wanting it enough. Granted, the match was a rather tame affair, but you can't have it both ways.

Despite the Thor tie-in amounting to little more than a clean-up operation in London, it was another decent episode. Ward even received a mild personality upgrade from the Asgardian staff, must have been made of some powerful stuff. I can't believe it's taken me until now to figure out that Ming-Na Wen played Chun Li in the old Street Fighter movie. Finger on the pulse as usual...

I remember reading an interview with Hiddleston a while ago in which he hinted that Enchantress and Executioner might show up at some point. Honestly, what I wouldn't give for a Loki movie. Even a miniseries would do. Sif, though fantastic as always, didn't really serve much of a purpose in the context of the story besides being Odin and Frigga's preferred choice for a daughter-in-law. She's basically a sidekick for the hero, while Darcy is a sidekick for the heroine. Both did well in the limited roles allowed for them, but I didn't get the particular impression that either character would have especially benefited from having more screen time. Incidentally, although I can't abide '2 Broke Girls', I'm in the camp that doesn't mind Kat Dennings. Obviously, she'll never be Audrey Hepburn or anything, but the scathing hatred she seems to bring out in some people is only slightly short of mind-boggling. I even caught myself laughing at a few of her lines. Also, I wouldn't mind either if Jane were killed off, there's not a lick of chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman.

Another Saturday, another unprecedented act of incompetence from an official. The fact that a straight red card for endangering an opponent was issued to Wes Brown, who at 34 has worked his way back to something approaching full fitness after 22 months on the shelf, only serves to make it doubly insulting.

^They apparently had an album pencilled in for August but delayed it, citing busy schedules. No word on a new release date as yet. Only other thing they've put out so far is this, a cover from the recent Beck song reader album...

Recent history suggests that if England had beaten Germany tonight, Ant and Dec would have written a song about it. I ask you, would it have been worth it?

Alas, there'll be no more BBC-related dancing for Rachel, but here are the videos of her two remaining routines.

Love this one, from a forthcoming EP collaboration between Willy Mason and Brendan Benson.

I understand where you’re coming from, Bast. I'll sometimes catch myself thinking “wow, Actor X should have been as big a star as Actor Y” while watching a movie. But really, who can say for certain that Actor X even cares about achieving fame and marketability? We're nothing more than outside observers, we have no idea about Bregje's ambitions, her career aspirations or her future plans. Perhaps becoming the next Gisele simply isn’t her mission? Er, no. As far as I'm aware, no-one here has even remotely implied that.

(The) Ha Ha Wall / The Libertines

Also, a new video advertising St. Vincent's European tour features a 30-second clip of a brand new track, which I'd imagine is likely to appear on her next album, expected next year. Can't wait.

New one from Bombay Bicycle Club landed yesterday...

A surprise mini-episode by the name of 'The Night Of The Doctor' has been released. It's almost seven minutes long and stars former Doctor Paul McGann. Sadly no sign of Eric Roberts.

Word is that the season finale will tie into 'Winter Soldier'. Perhaps they could explain Ward's robotic personality by making him the spawn of an Arnim Zola lab experiment or something. Also, while on the subject of tie-ins, episode eight of 'SHIELD' will apparently be dealing with the aftermath of 'The Dark World'. It would have been great if the movie's post-credits scene had...

Jeans On / David Dundas

I think my replay button is worn out.

Really enjoyed it. The core issue of the story (family tragedy reunites feuding brothers who come to an understanding and catharsis of their prior conflict, only to take two steps backwards), while admittedly only explored for about a third of the movie, was absolutely terrific. The rest was good clean fun, if a bit fluffy at times. Didn't take itself too seriously, but not to the point of self-parody. All in all, I'd watch it again. Also, I can't remember ever actually punching the air while watching a movie at the cinema, but I did exactly that at the very end when...