HANDBAGS AT DAWN ...

I watched the spat between James Cordon and Sir Patrick Stewart from this week's Glamour Awards with a very uncomfortable feeling. A couple of issues compound this uncomfortable feeling... Firstly how it appears that drink plays a major part at these events. It contributes to rambling introductions and acceptance speeches. It turns boring people into giggling, f word expletive-ridden numbskull's. It turns egomaniacs into drunk and obnoxious egomaniacs. It certainly looked like Sir Patrick and James had downed a few cheeky vimtos beforehand. 
And secondly, James Cordon is worrying me. From humble beginnings from appearances in The History Boys and Fat Friends, he, along with Ruth Jones penned the superb Gavin and Stacey tv comedy. I may be way off mark, but I get the feeling that Ruth Jones was the tour de force in the writing partnership. 
Now he has just become the ubiquitous funny man on what seems to be every tv programme. He's become the 'face' of rehashed new laddism, taking over the mantle vacated by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. He is now the official role model and 'face' for all male football supporters. He's a lad. He's one of us. He's normal. He's funny. He also gets paid lorry loads of cash for fronting his new show 'A League of Their Own' and for his contributions (if a little self-indulged) to Sports Relief, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and was the the 'coach' in the recent awful 4 hour Unicef England v Rest of the World football match at Old Trafford. And to cash in just a little further, James Cordon now has the best gig of fronting 'World Cup Live' which the ITV advert promises us a summer-long party which gaaaar-gus people and James of course, providing the cheeky fun. 
A marmite comic? yes perhaps there's an element of either liking or loathing him. I'm sitting on the fence with my feelings edging more towards the fact that I'm just bored with him. He not only created Smithy, one of the seminal comedy characters of the noughties.. he's also actually becoming Smithy. Watching his behaviour towards Sir Patrick Stewart was loutish. SPS was no better, but perhaps his dickheadedness was more induced by alcohol and was more laughable than nasty. James Cordon's reaction could have shown SPS up to be the boorish old thespian luvvie that he is. Instead, he just looked like an arse playing to the crowds and with little grace.