And the new Doctor is...
Posted on Saturday, January 03, 2009
For quite a while, rumors of which actor would play the next Doctor Who circulated on the net, including the possibility of the first female or black Doctor. It seems that the BBC has now settled on a relatively unknown [male, white] actor. Though he seems rather young for the role (26), Matt Smith seems an alright choice ... he's quirky and British ... just like all the other Doctors. Though I will surely miss David Tennant, as I missed Christopher Eccleston before him, I guess we'll see what happens when the new guy dons the TARDIS in 2010.
The BBC today announced that Matt Smith has been cast in the role of the Doctor in the iconic BBC series Doctor Who. Smith will be the eleventh Time Lord and will take over from David Tennant who leaves the show at the end of 2009. He will be seen in the forthcoming fifth series that will be broadcast in 2010.
The fifth series will also have a new lead writer and Executive Producer in the form of the BAFTA award winning writer Steven Moffat who is taking over from Russell T Davies. Moffat will be joined by Piers Wenger who will be the new Executive Producer for BBC Wales making the show.
Following David Tennant's decision to step down at the end of 2009, the team behind the new series set about casting the new Doctor so that new adventures could be created and scripts written with Matt in mind.
The identity of the new Doctor was revealed on a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential that was broadcast on BBC One on January 3rd at 17.35hrs. In it Smith revealed his initial reaction at taking on such a legendary role and his thoughts on what direction the Doctor might now be going with him playing the part.
Matt Smith said of his new role "I'm just so excited about the journey that is in front of me. It's a wonderful privilege and challenge that I hope I will thrive on. I feel proud and honoured to have been given this opportunity to join a team of people that has worked so tirelessly to make the show so thrilling.
"David Tennant has made the role his own, brilliantly with grace, talent and persistent dedication. I hope to learn from the standards set by him. The challenge for me is to do justice to the show's illustrious past, my predecessors and most importantly to those who watch it. I really cannot wait."
Lead writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat said "The Doctor is a very special part, and it takes a very special actor to play him. You need to be old and young at the same time, a boffin and an action hero, a cheeky schoolboy and the wise old man of the universe. As soon as Matt walked through the door and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time Lord, we knew we had our man. 2010 is a long time away but rest assured the Eleventh Doctor is coming - and the universe has never been so safe."
Piers Wenger, Head Of Drama, BBC Wales added "With two hearts, a ferocious mind and over 900 years of experience behind him, it's not every 26 year old actor who can take on a role like the Doctor but within moments of meeting Matt he showed the skill and imagination needed to create a Doctor all of his own.
It's just the beginning of the journey for Matt but with Steven Moffat's scripts and the expertise of the production team in Cardiff behind him, there is no one more perfect than him to be taking the TARDIS to exciting new futures when the series returns in 2010."
Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama added "I am delighted to see Matt take on this iconic role. It will see him continuing his relationship with the BBC following his performances in Ruby In The Smoke and Party Animals, and his upcoming role in Moses Jones. The combination of Matt, Steven and Piers will, I know, take Doctor Who onto new and even dizzier heights."
Jay Hunt, Controller. BBC ONE said "Matt Smith will be a mesmerising eleventh Time Lord, true to the spirit of the show. He is a worthy successor to David Tennant who has been utterly remarkable in the role and promises to continue to be in next year's four special episodes."
A Lost Disappointment
Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 Before Lost returns on January 21st, I'm doing my best to re-watch seasons 1-4 of my favorite series. Lost is leaps and bounds better than anything else of TV, and if you're not a rabid fan of Lost, then there is clearly something wrong with you.
This said, I admit that I have some issues with the series. Season two moves like a snail, and until the producers and ABC came to terms and set their end-date, the series was on a downward slope. Thank goodness that all changed in season 4, which completely redeemed Lost for all its hiccups and missteps in seasons 2 and 3.
As I watched episode 13 of season 2 a few nights ago, I was reminded of my biggest issue with the series. The episode, which is titled "The Long Con" ... just plain sucks.
In the episode, we find Sawyer struggling to retake his position as 'bad guy' by conning his fellow castaways into giving him control over their gun stash. But this is all fine and dandy, it's basically character reestablishment and treading water in old story lines for Sawyer. This is, after all, season 2: the season where very little happens.
My major issue with this episode is Charlie. Charlie is fresh over of his case of the crazies (OMG Clair's baby needs to be baptized!) -- and now he is posing as an Other and attacking Sun?! Why? Because of some weird deal with Sawyer to help him get the guns? Or his goal of making Locke look like a fool after receiving his smack-down in the previous episode?" ("I wanted him to look like a fool -- to feel like a fool.") It's stupid, it's bad writing, and it's TOTALLY out of Charlie's character.
Was this an odd (and ultimately failed) attempt to turn Charlie into a bad guy? Was it lazy out-of-character storytelling? Or was it just some poor attempt to add another wrinkle into our favorite lovable drug addict's story?
Thankfully this storyline was pretty much forgotten and Charlie later redeems himself. If i remember correctly, he receives a slap when he tells Sun the truth, but not much else. His character is ultimately redeemed in the eyes of the other castaways, and in a heartbreaking scene, he gives his life for his friends. But in the grand scheme of Lost, it's something that should never have happened.
Do you agree? Do you love that episode? Or am I am just too Lost-crazy? After all, just a week later we were introduced to Henry Gale (a.k.a Benjamin Linus), and we got our first taste of what happens when the fateful numbers were not entered in time. Sound off in the comments!
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2008
This year's 35th Annual People's Choice Awards will feature two new categories, "Favorite Online Sensation" and "Favorite User Generated Video." Among the nominees for the first category is a personal favorite, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." This odd musical is the brainchild of Joss Whedon (of Buffy and Firefly fame), and features Neal Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day.
Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillain with his own video blog, is attempting to join the prestigious Evil League of Evil (led by the legendary "thoroughbred of sin", Bad Horse), but his plans are usually foiled by the egotistical superhero Captain Hammer. Horrible's life is thrown for a loop when he falls in love with Penny, a beautiful and optimistic advocate for the homeless he meets at the laundromat, a situation which complicates itself even further when Penny begins dating the boorish, oafish Hammer after he apparently saves her life. Faced with the task of impressing the League, can Horrible overcome his own incompetence to ruin the day, kill the hero, and still get the girl? Written by Ted Z.
It's definitely worth a watch, and if you love it as much as I do, hop on over to http://www.pcavote.com/ and vote for the People's Choice Awards. Voting has closed on all but 4-5 categories, which will remain open until the show airs on January 7th. BTW ... just about everything else in all of the categories that are still open ... sorta suck. So just vote for "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" and be done with it.
