An Idiot Abroad 2 - Premieres 21 Jan 2012!

An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List premieres Saturday, 21 January 2012 at 10:00 PM ET on the Science Channel. If you subscribe to The Ricky Gervais Podcast through iTunes, you can see clips (since it has already run in the U.K.).

• In other news, Ricky Gervais will be hosting The Golden Globes for the third time in January.

An Idiot Abroad 2: The

An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List is now playing in the UK. Not yet sure when it will be available in the U.S.

Important Words and Phrases, Part 2.5

• Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.):  Formally known as The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, the OBE is an  order of chivalry. It is awarded by the Sovereign, on the advice of the government, for a national order of merit. There are five classes:

• Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GBE)
• Knight/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE)
• Commander (CBE)
• Officer (OBE)
• Member (MBE)

Only the highest two ranks automatically cause an individual to become a knight or dame, an honor allowing the recipient to use the title "Sir" (male) or "Dame" (female) before their first name.  The Order's motto is "For God and the Empire." It is the most junior of the British orders of chivalry, and the largest, with over 100,000 living members worldwide.  The OBE medal is traditionally worn on the left side.

 *Stephen Merchant mentioned the OBE on the most recent Ricky Gervais Podcast, "The Ricky Gervais Guide To...Comic Relief." (I highly recommend that you download this podcast from iTunes. It is possibly their funniest ever, and it's free!)

 The Brits had a lesson in OBE etiquette at Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding:

David Beckham wore his medal on the wrong side

[David Beckham switched his medal to the left side before the ceremony began.]
From: Royal Wedding: David Beckham's last-minute OBE switch


See Also:

• Wikipedia article
• More about "chivalric order"

Compiled by Jill A Hurley

An Idiot Abroad 2 (No joke!)

From Wikipedia.org:

Announcements have apparently been made that a second series--tentatively titled An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List--will be made and released in late 2011. This is taken mainly from a phone interview with Pilkington on The Richard Bacon Show on BBC Radio 5 Live on 1 February 2011. The new series will apparently feature Karl travelling the globe to take part in activities that are considered "things you should do before you die," hence a Bucket List. According to Gervais' online blog filming is already underway and will be released later this year.

• YouTube posting of Karl Pilkington interview on BBC 5's The Richard Bacon Show

An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad was finally shown in America! However, I don't think it was even publicized. I found out about it by accident. The Science Channel (run by Discovery) aired the nine episodes on Saturdays at 10:00 PM EST, and they were available On Demand the following day. I was looking for another show On Demand (probably HBO's The Ricky Gervais Show), and I saw An Idiot Abroad listed. I watched and told others to watch. It's a BRILLIANT show! I don't understand why they didn't publicize it more, though. Ricky didn't even mention it on his many podcasts about the show (which aired on Sky in the UK).

Episodes:
22 Jan 2011: The Preview Show

• Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant prepare to send Karl Pilkington around the world. Half practical joke, half human experiment, Karl's journey is unlike any undertaken before.

22 Jan 2011: China -- The Great Wall of China

• En route Karl is forced to experience traditional fire massage, learn the ancient art of Kung Fu, and discovers a disturbing fact about his future.

29 Jan 2011: India -- The Taj Mahal

• Before he can even get there, he's forced to visit the largest religious festival in the world, stay in an Ashram with a living Saint, and get cow poo smeared on his head at a cow sanctuary. 

5 Feb 2011: Jordan -- Petra

• Before he even gets there, Karl's forced to go on a tour of the Middle East that takes in the religious sights of Israel, a tour of Palestine, and the Dead Sea. 

12 Feb 2011: Mexico -- Chichen Itza

• Arriving in the middle of the Easter celebrations, Karl witnesses a crucifixion, is forced to do Mexican wrestling, and learn cowboy skills.
  

19 Feb 2011: Egypt -- The Great Pyramids*

• He tries out a traditional Egyptian outfit, experiences Cairo night life, and comes across a restaurant whose staff are all deaf.

26 Feb 2011: Brazil -- Christ the Redeemer

• Before he can even get there he takes part in the Rio Carnival, immerses himself in Rio's gay scene, and learn about Brazil's beaches.
  

5 Mar 2011: Peru -- Machu Picchu

• Before he gets there Karl's unexpectedly dropped in the middle of the Amazon where he's forced to survive in the jungle.

12 Mar 2011: Karl Comes Home

• Karl Pilkington finally returns home after traveling around the world to see the Seven Wonders of the World. Back in Britain he's quizzed about his travels abroad by his friends Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who want to find out if he's actually learned anything from his experiences.

*My only problem with this show is the fact that they sent Karl to see The Great Pyramids in Egypt but not to The Colosseum in Rome, Italy. It may be because Karl has already been to Rome (as mentioned on the XFM radio show). However, The Great Pyramids are NOT one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, but The Colosseum is. The Great Pyramids were given a special honorary status as the 8th Wonder when the new wonders were being decided on because it is the only ancient wonder still in existence. I have no problem with Karl visiting The Great Pyramids, but they shouldn't leave out the fact that The Colosseum IS one of the modern wonders, and he should have visited it. By leaving it out, the show provides misinformation about the Seven Modern Wonders of the World. It's misleading, and I know Ricky and Steve are better than that.

Products:

From http://www.amazon.co.uk

• An Idiot Abroad is available on DVD and Blu-Ray for those who have DVD players that can play Region 2 DVDs (The United States is Region 1).

• An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diary's of Karl Pilkington is available as a hardcover book (ISBN: 1847679269)

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

• The Great Pyramids at Giza
• The Hanging Gardens at Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
• The Colossus of Rhodes (my favorite!)
• Lighthouse of Alexandria

Visit An Idiot Abroad: Science Channel for information, quotes, video clips, puzzles, etc.

Episode descriptions are from The Science Channel and Amazon.co.uk

Ricky as host of the Golden Globes

Ricky was not too harsh when he hosted the Golden Globes for the second time last weekend. Most Americans don't understand British humor. Plus, the Head of the Film Association should have been more light-hearted about Ricky's joke. They hired him to host AGAIN. You would think they knew what they were getting into.

One con: Ricky's final comment (thanking God for being an atheist) was unnecessary.

Season 2 Has Started on HBO

Season 2 of The Ricky Gervais Show has started! It is on Fridays on HBO.

This page has not been

This page has not been updated because I do not have any followers. If you do follow this blog, please e-mail me.

is wishing Steve Merchant a

is wishing Steve Merchant a happy birthday.

Important Words and Phrases, Part Two

• Cottaging: A British gay slang term referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory (a "cottage", "tea-room" or "beat"), or cruising for sexual partners with the intention of having sex elsewhere. The term has its roots in self-contained English toilet blocks resembling small cottages in their appearance.

A bathroom in England that resembles a cottage (cosy, countryside home)

• General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE): An academic qualification awarded in specific subjects taken by students aged 14 to 16 (year 9 to year 11) in secondary school, the equivalent of the United States' high school. Normally, eight to ten subjects are studied, though it is common for more to be studied. Compulsory subjects are English, Mathematics, Science, Religious Education, Physical Education, and some form of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and citizenship. An "A-Level" is a GCE Advanced Level, and an "O-Level" is a GCE Ordinary Level. (The "O-Level" no longer exists.)
• Karl famously received his GCSE results from Ricky and Steve thirteen years after he took the test. Although he turned up for and took exams in several subjects, he only registered for History, which is only qualification. He received an E, the last passing grade one can receive before failing.
• The GCSEs have changed significantly since Ricky, Steve, and Karl took them.

 

• Gobbledygook: Jargon or convoluted English that results in it being excessively hard to understand
• Ricky is know for speaking a lot of gobbledygook, especially on the XFM shows
• U.S. Representative Maury Maverick coined this phrase in 1944 as an onomatopoeic imitation of a turkey's gobble.

 

• Hammer and Tongs: A phrase meaning "with great energy and force," often phrased "to go at it with hammer and tongs" (to argue fiercely). The origins of this phrase is from blacksmithing

• Magpie: The European Magpie is a resident breeding bird throughout Europe, which is part of the crow family. (There are other types of magpies, such as the Australian Magpie.)
• Karl had a "pet" magpie, named Maggie, who followed him and sat on his finger. Maggie popped Karl's bike tires, pecked at Karl's head, and flew away for good when Karl took Maggie to his school in Manchester.

A European Magpie in Manchester, England

• Perambulator: A baby carriage

 

•  Trilby: Used as a synonym for a short-brimmed fedora in the UK, but it is distinguished by a very narrow brim that is sharply turned upward

Trilby Hat

Fedora Hat
(Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey on "White Collar")

More to come, including: (1) Congestion Charge, (2) Having a Go, (3) HMV, (4) Mobile Disco, (5) Snidey--AND MORE! 

Compiled by Jill A Hurley

Some information from Wikipedia and WikiMobile

Important Words and Phrases, Part One

• Angel of the North: Contemporary sculpture made of steel (that resembles an angel) located in Gateshead, England, overlooking the A1 road

• Gateshead.gov.uk site for Angel of the North

• Antediluvian: Meaning "ancient," especially in reference to an ancient and murky period, specifically the period of the Creation of the Earth and the flood ("deluge") in the Bible.
• Karl often mispronounces this word and refers to the meaning as "old." 

• Balaclava: A type of ski mask (sometimes used in bank robberies)

• Karl describes a man who walks into a bank wearing a balaclava, only to be outwit by a chimpanzee in one of his Monkey News features.

• Bangers and Mash: A traditional English dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages--traditional British working-class dish. Also known as "sausage and mash." 

• Budgerigar: A small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot native to Australia. It is also called a Common Pet Parakeet or Shell Parakeet, and is nicknamed "the budgie."

• In American English, they are often called parakeets, though "parakeet" is not specific to the budgerigar.
• Karl's mom had a budgie. When the budgie died, she put a rock with a feather from the dead budgie in the bird cage, so the other budgie would not get stressed out.

• Bung In: Put in
• Podcast Season 2

• Butlins: A company that provides economical holidays (vacations) in the UK and Ireland
• Steve goes to one on vacation once, and Ricky sneaks into one

 

• Camp: In the UK, "camp" is an adjective, often associated with a stereotypical view of feminine gay men. Although it applies to gay men, it is a specific adjective used to describe a man that openly promotes the fact that he is gay by being outwardly garish or eccentric.
• In the English sitcom The Office, one of Tim Canterbury's pranks on Gareth Keenan includes a pun on the meaning of the word camp.

 

• Fly-Tipping: A British term for illegally dumping waste somewhere else than in an authorized landfill.

• Lanzarote: Island in the Canary Islands (Grand Canaria) known for its volcanoes



Cesare Manrique House in Lanzarote

• One of Karl's vacation spots; the listeners e-mail in to say it is referred to as "Lanzagrotty"
• Discover Lanzarote 

• Pikelet: A British regional dialect word variously denoting a flatter variant on "crumpet" or "muffin."

  

  Pikelet

   

• Madeira, Portugal: One of Karl's vacation spots (where he spends his last few days kicking sand at crabs); what Madeira Cakes are named after; part of the EU



Madeira

• Madiera Archipelago 
• Marmite: A British food spread made from yeast extract. The slogan for the company that makes marmite is "love it or hate it."
• Karl talks about Ricky squeezing his head and commenting on it to Karl's friend, as if Ricky is comparing head squeezing to marmite; you either love it or hate it.

 

• Nelson's Column: A monument in Trafalgar Square, surrounded by four bronze lions at the base, in honor of Admiral Nelson

 

• Scouse: Someone from Liverpool (formally known as Liverpudlians)

• Porthmadog, Wales: Karl's childhood vacation spot--near Portmeirion, Wales

Black Rock Beach in Porthmadog

Portmeirion

• Prang: Slang for cocaine, mentioned in some songs by The Streets, which were played on XFM
• Take the Piss/Take the Mick: An expression meaning to mock, tease, ridicule, or scoff. Take the Mickey is also used
• Tenerife: Island in the Grand Canaries
• Karl mentions as one of his vacation spots

• Trafalgar Square:  A square in Westminster, Central London, England that commemorates the Battle of Tragalgar (1805), a British naval victory. It is a popular tourist attraction, containing the National Gallery, because of the sculptures on display (specifically Nelson's Column). It is also a place used for protests and New Year's Eve celebrations. The mid-point is Charing Cross, from which all distances are measured.
• Trafalagar Square

More to come, including: (1) Trilby, (2) Cottaging, (3) Gobbledygook, (4) General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), (5) Hammer and Tongs, (6) Magpie--AND MORE!

Compiled by Jill A Hurley