Yesterday I descended once more upon the Fox and Hounds to watch England's rugby travails whilst sipping draught London Pride (and enjoying a plate of bangers and mash), and finally the boys in white and red gave me something to be hopeful about. After witnessing the shockers against France, USA, and South Africa (and Robinson's injury in that last match) I had serious worries about England even making it to the knock-out stages. Thankfully, they showed a lot more spirit and drive in the game against Samoa, refusing to bow their heads even when a questionable try brought them worryingly close to disaster. Some cynics get tired of the near-religious belief in Johnny Wilkinson's ability to lead England to victory, but his presence in this match (and his absence in the prior outings) really showed. Finally England showed some cohesion and fluidity in the half-back area: Andy Gomarsall cleared the ball well at the breakdown, and between them Johnny and Olly Barkley kicked tactically and accurately, enabling the team to build some dangerous momentum at times. Sackey finally produced some big finishes, and Martin Corry's second try was fantastic. I'm still not sure if we've got what it takes to keep the Webb Ellis cup, but hopefully England can build on this performance to put in a decent showing in the tournament over all. 44-22! Bring it on, Tonga!

Lisl and I were walking up our street, past the Prospect Studios and the regular line of showbiz trucks, when we noticed that the names on the doors were, for once, very familiar to us. David Aceveda...Dutch Waggenbach...Danny Sofer...that's right! They're filming The Shield on our street. Which is a funny coincidence, given that I was going to link to this great story on blogging.la anyway.

In other news, Halo 3 drops tomorrow (or at midnight tonight, depending on how fanatical I decide to be). This is perhaps the most entertaining article I have encountered relating to this momentous occasion. Meanwhile, Stephen Fry reveals that he is even more awesome than any of us knew.

Did I mention that I'm typing this post on my new laptop? UPDATE: Lisl and I have since realized that the main vehicle entrance of Prospect Studios has always doubled for the exterior of the Barn. You see Talmadge in just about every episode. Nice.