“The end is near,” says mysterious stranger John in the opening scenes of John from Cincinnati. His words are prophetic, as this underappreciated show from David Milch (creator of Deadwood and Luck) only lasted 10 episodes. Intended as a replacement for The Sopranos, the “surf noir” drama baffled many viewers when it was first shown in the US in 2007, causing HBO to cancel after a single season. It subsequently aired in the UK on FX, practically unnoticed, which is a shame, since it’s perhaps the most wonderfully strange television drama since Twin Peaks…

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“London has got the Thames, Paris has got the Seine, LA has got a concrete drainage ditch.” That’s our introduction to Boomtown, a city that rises out of the California dust in the opening sequence of this shortlived cop show from Graham Yost (creator of Justified). First aired in 2002, Boomtown is an original and unconventional police procedural that ultimately proved to be too innovative for network TV…

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Piece written for The Guardian’s Comment is Free section on the renaming of Newcastle United’s St James’ Park:

“The rebranding of St James’ Park is another slap for Newcastle fans; Supporters fear Newcastle United’s owner, Mike Ashley, is using the club as a billboard to advertise his Sports Direct chain”.

It was all going so well. Perhaps too well, with hindsight. The announcement that Newcastle United’s ground, St James’ Park, is to be renamed the Sports Direct Arena has shattered the fragile truce between the football club’s supporters and its owner, Mike Ashley…

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Got an idea for a killer iPhone app? With more than 1bn applications sold since its launch last July, Apple’s iPhone App Store has become one of the fastest-growing tech enterprises in recent history, and gained a reputation as something of a developer’s goldmine. Success stories such as that of Ethan Nicholas, whose iShoot app has earned him $900,000 (£567,000) in eight months, have only added to the App Store’s appeal for would-be iPhone entrepreneurs…

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