TV - Hotel Babylon (BBC 1, Tuesdays, 9pm)

Series 3 of this popular hotel drama is now back on our screens, but despite its irritating qualities - awful theme music and at times cringey acting - anyone who has spent any time in hotels will find this compelling viewing.

Do people rave it up in hotel rooms, having gak-fuelled orgies? Yes. Can the Concierge call in anything from a top notch hooker to a last-minute cocktail dress? Yes. And are the staff all shagging each other? Damn right.

Not Grammy-winning stuff but perfect school night viewing. Starring Max Beesley, and Dexter Fletcher.


FILM - Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights (Ari Sandal, 2008)

Vince Vaughn is unstoppable. Alongside his ability to star in hit movies such as 'Swingers', 'Wedding Crashers' and the incredible 'Dodgeball', Vaughn has now ventured into the ever-popular world of stand-up, with this new docu-movie.

Wild West Comedy sees Vaughn traipsing across the US in a tour bus with a hand-picked team of comics - John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco and Ahmed Ahmed - all of whom are joined by surprise musical and celebrity guests.

Insight into famous actors is always intriguing, but, after watching this, Vaughn is either a bloke you would want to sleep with, have a pint with, or punch in the face. Whatever floats your boat.

FILMS TO FEEL ALL GYPSY BRASS TO

Ben Ellman is saxophonist for jazz country hip hop outfit Galactic from New Orleans that are currently cleaning up with their new album 'From The Corner To The Block'.
This five piece band are about to embark on their world tour, coming to you soon. So to celebrate their new success, Ellman share with us the films to get your gypsy thing on to.

1) Latcho Drom (1993, Tony Gatlif)

This is a great documentary about gypsy music from all over the world, which takes the viewer on a trip from India to Spain, dramatising Romany's nomadic culture.

We can identify with this with all the touring we have been doing of late, there's nothing like the adventures to be had on the road.


2) Black Cat White Cat (1998, Emir Kusturica)

This is a comic movie about a small-time smuggler who lives with his teenage son by the Danube river in eastern Serbia. The soundtrack boasts some incredible gypsy brass music, and, as a band, we have all sat down and watched this movie about ten times, with the sound turned right up!


3) Underground (1995, Emir Kusturica)

Again, this is another amazing film by Kusturica, with themes of smuggling once more, set in Belgrade during World War Two.

We love the story and the narrative strands running throughout the movie, as well as the inspirational art direction, but it is the music by the legendary Serbian brass band leader, Goran Bregovic, that really rocks it for us.


4) Brass On Fire (2002, Ralf Marschalleck)

If you have never really checked out documentaries before, we can highly recommend it. It's incredible what you can learn about other cultures and what makes artists and musicians tick.

This documentary is about the amazing Fanfare Ciocarlia, a 12-piece Romanian brass band that were able to tour across the world, over 50 countries. Brass on fire, indeed.

We really hope we can have this much fun we go on our forthcoming tour.


5) When The Road's Bend (2006, Jasmine Dellal)

This is the Buena Vista Social Club of gypsy music documentaries.

It's a fantastic docu-movie - you can tell these are our favourites, right? - which follows a tour of Gypsy musician across India, Romania and Spain.

What's amazing about this film is the way the Director has interwoven their musician's musical world with the background and insight of their life stories. We bow down to these guys.