That so many of us are suffering from sleep deprivation may be something of a myth; just because you can sleep all day doesn’t mean you should. Way back in 1894 the British Medical Journal was reporting that the; ‘hurry and excitement of modern life is held to be responsible for much of the insomnia of which we hear… The pity of it is that so many people are… obliged to lead a life of anxiety and high tension.’

At the risk of extrapolating too much from personal anecdote, I’ve noticed that I often feel more energetic and more content when I’m burning the candle at both ends. I enjoy my sleep… but I enjoy it better upon going to bed tired. And I could easily lie in bed for a day… but I’d feel listless afterwards.

It seems the idea of that we all need at least eight hours is the result of a plot by evil pharmaceutical companies desperate to flog sleeping potions… so stay awake and work, work, work!

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The Village Prostitute Who Threw Herself in the Pond may not have romped home to another glorious victory (although we have enjoyed plenty), but Monday night did see us walk away with the usual bottle of beer, a copy of Naked Lunch and… horror of horrors… a Boddington’s Extra Cold promotional T-shirt.

I’m no fan of Boddington’s and didn’t think the brewery closure a great blow to real ale or Manchester. But I do find the idea of Boddington’s Extra Cold abhorrent. It’s okay for Guinness, as Arthur Guinness was a technologist. The more manufactured the stout, the truer it is to Arthur’s vision. But that’s not the case with formerly real ales like Boddington’s. Real ale is to lager what red wine is to white. It should be served around room temperature. If you want something cold, grab yourself a pilsner.

Anyway. The Boddington’s Extra Cold T-shirt is on sale here at eBay along with lots more Boddington’s Extra Cold memorabilia and collectables. Happy bidding!

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This Blockbuster reader offer is no longer available. Why not try the market leader, LOVEFiLM or Amazon DVD Rental?
I go to the cinema a little too much to be really into DVD rental, but I still count the large Blockbuster on our doorstep as a significant local amenity, adding much to the area. So it was disappointing to go in the other day and find the place significantly thinned out. They seem more interested in selling films than renting them and it looks like games is where it’s at.

The culprit will be online DVD rental, something Blockbuster’s obviously got into itself. And their deal is pretty good: unlimited DVD rental from £9.99 per month. And there’s a free two week trial. And postage is free both ways. (Offers and prices correct at time of writing.)

It’s pretty simple. Create a list of DVDs you want to rent and they’ll start sending them out to you. There are options to hold on to one, three or five DVDs at a time. Send them back whenever you feel like it and, when you do, they’ll send another DVD from your list. Blockbuster claim the fastest turnaround in the business, as verified by a mystery shopper survey by Tango Communications, and this month they got a Web User Gold Award.

I still prefer the spontaneity of popping out to video shop but, until movie downloads really take off, online DVD rental is the place to be.

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At it’s height the Jerry Springer Show was must see TV. But conscientious viewers might have felt a little pang as they squirmed at the inarticulate freaks on screen, just as the fictionalised Jerry Springer we meet here does. This is a show for these viewers. If you enjoyed marvelling at how low the trailer trash could go, you’ll enjoy watching it opera style too.

‘I’ve been seeing someone else,’ the fat man sings to his fiancée. ‘She’s your best friend.’ And so the fiancée hits back at her (now ex) friend; ‘you’re a whore, you’re a slag,’ et cetera.

But the Jerry Springer Show was never this tame. I remember a late night edition about a man who’d flushed his penis down the toilet. Nevertheless, it is both funny and fun, ‘Jerry, Jerry… Jerry, Jerry,’ we gently sang along. Springer occasionally breaks off to do battle with his conscience – isn’t it all a bit exploitative? – and this makes for the first half which climaxes (don’t think this is a spoiler) with his being shot.

Poor dying Jerry Springer must now answer for his sins. The devil wants him for a TV special so he can resolve his arguments with God (‘But I don’t do conflict resolution,’ pleads Springer). In this bizarre death dream good and evil are not black and white and everyone – Jesus and God included – has their issues. But this is not a heavy critique of Christianity; it’s a light critique of trash TV. Judeo-Christian mythology merely frames Jerry Springer’s interior debate.
Related: Jerry Springer: the Opera protester