Episode 5

Wordwatch
Note the regular use of words like adorable and gorgeous to indicate admiration (usually
Nick or Bridget talking about a member of the opposite sex). Note also that the word line is
used in two different ways in this episode; on the (telephone) line and learn my lines (the
words I have to say in a play or film).
Oscar (Academy Awards)
prizes given every year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for cinematic
achievement; the prize is a small statuette; it allegedly got its nickname Oscar when
Academy Librarian Margaret Herrick saw one on a table and said: "It looks just like my
uncle Oscar!"
Piccadilly Circus
an area of central London, considered to be the centre of Londons night life; therefore
should be quite noisy on a Friday night.
Robert de Niro
American film actor, born August 17th 1943; regarded as one othe finest actors of his
generation; came to fame after his roles in two Martin Scorcese films, Mean Streets and
Taxi Driver, where he played the role of Travis Bickle, a mentally unstable Vietnam war
veteran who works as a night time taxi driver; also famous for his portrayal of the boxer
Jake LaMotta in Raging .Bull
Russell Crowe
Oscar-winning film actor born in Wellington, New Zealand April 7th 1964; has Irish,
Norwegian and Maori ancestors; two of his cousins, Martin and Jeff Crowe, have
captained the New Zealand cricket team!
Steven Spielberg
extremely successful and multi-Oscar-winning American film director, born December 18th
1946; among his many enormous hits are ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and
Saving Private Ryan
The FBI (the Federal Bureau of Investigation)
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US internal crime investigation organisation
Warner Brothers
one of the worlds largest producers of film and television entertainment; a subsidiary of
the Time Warner conglomerate