Going green

JONATHAN Ross definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Friday night audiences are still going for his brash, vulgar and over-the-top antics.

He’s always keen to entertain and the show has now run for nearly a decade now.

We’re nearing the end of the current run, but there still space in the green room for Hollywood superstar Sandra Bullock. The Miss Congeniality actress is in town to promote her latest film, The Proposal, which hits our screens in a few weeks’ time. She plays a pushy boss who forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so that she doesn’t get deported to Canada.

However, Bullock reveals she wasn’t overly keen on taking the part, especially as she’d spent the past two years pursuing other interests.

So what made her change her mind?

“I read the manuscript and I was laughing – and I don’t ever find anything funny,” says the Speed actress. “And I didn’t look at it as a romantic comedy. This is a comedy that has romance elements in it, but it’s something completely different.

“I was a little open then just to hearing what they said and I figured they would screw up the casting. Then they brought up Reynolds, who I have known for a long time. As soon as they said Ryan it made it even harder because I could visualise how we could do the comedy because we work very similarly.”

Sandra’s decision to appear in The Proposition was swayed when she heard that director Anne Fletcher had chosen Reynolds to co-star. She claims their comic synchronicity is a rare commodity.

She says: “To find your comedic match, I have had it once with Hugh (Grant) and I have had it with other actors on a smaller scale, but when you find that you can’t pay for that and it just made it hard to say no.”

Speaking of acting partnerships, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint have forged quite a decent one of their own while starring in the Harry Potter films.

The sixth film in the series, The Half- Blood Prince, hits the big screen in less than a fortnight, and Emma Watson appears as Ross’s guest to promote the latest blockbuster.

Finally, everyone’s favourite Royle Liz Smith, aka Nana, looks back on a remarkable career spanning nearly 40 years.

As always, Jonathan has only the very best musical acts to conclude the show, and tonight sees the hotly-tipped Little Boots take to the stage to showcase a tune from her debut album, Hands, which was released to much critical acclaim last month.

Air Force Afghanistan (Five, 8pm)

THIS fascinating fly-on-the-cockpit documentary continues to chronicle life for the British servicemen and women stationed at Kandahar air base in southern Afghanistan.

In the fourth instalment, a Chinook pilot practises landing in a dusty desert, a suicide attack in Kandahar city puts the base hospital staff on high alert and the Royal Marines welcome some special guests from the UK.

Built to operate in all conditions, the powerful Chinook helicopter provides a lifeline for the ground troops serving in the Afghan combat zone.

Flying these bulky machines over sand, however, is not easy. The huge downwash created by the Chinook’s twin rotor blades during landing can cause a blinding dust cloud known as a “brownout”.

Stevie Wonder: Live at Last (BBC 2, 11.35pm)

THE musician, who was born Stevland Judkins in 1950, first came to the attention of Motown boss Berry Gordy when he was just 11, and scored his first number one single at 13.

Although some cynical record buyers in the early Sixties might have thought the blind youngster was a bit of a novelty act, Wonder soon proved he deserved to be taken seriously.

The hits continued throughout his teens, and by the time he reached his twenties, Wonder was ready to assert his musical independence over a series of hugely influential albums.

Now, there’s a chance to find out just why the singer-songwriter’s career has lasted for over four decades – and why soul fans are more than willing to overlook the odd critically derided single like I Just Called to Say I Love You – as he performs at the O2 Arena in London.

The setlist includes My Cherie Amour, Superstition, Higher Ground and new parents’ favourite Isn’t She Lovely.