About old & new Friends and upcoming Mysteries

It has been a while since my last post, and not because of lack of news, but - I just wasn't here... I hope you'll accept this imperfect apology.

Anyway, the whonivers kept spinning, right, what did I expect, the whoniverse wont' keep still just because I'm abroad for about three weeks, maybe it would have kept still if I had stayed at home... So, what are these so called news. We know Karen Gillan's character's name: Amy. I read somewhere*, I have to apologise for being this unspecific, that Mighty Moff's going to turn the whole story in a Doctor - Rose, pardon, Amy relation ship a la Rose, and I really hope this will never come true. Anyway, here 's a nice wallpaper, yes, it's the OLD wallpaper of the two smiling not directly into the camera. You can find an analisation of it here. I'm glad Moffat hasn't completely changed the Doctor's look, although we weren't exactly expecting that the 10th Doctor's legendary brown coat was allowed to stay on set, were we? But why they changed the TARDIS's outside (here, I won't post the original one, we all know how it used to look like) is a secret to me. On the other hand, this might be a hint of what happened in the specials. Who knows. Filming for the next season has already started and - Alex Kingston (River Song) has been spotted on set (pics and source here) and according to Scooty: "she isn't unknown to the Doctor. He clearly recognises her as friendly and they have a chat." I think this isn't her "first" encounter with the Doctor. Still, there's the possibility of twisted timelines: River Song meets Matt's Doctor first, and then she comes across David's Doctor. This could be the reason why they are "doing diaries". Combom has another interesting post about her here. Plus, She's wearing hand-cuffs. Doesn't that ring a bell? Well, if it doesn't then I suggest re-watching the Library 2 parter... And - last but not least (I'm not wanting this post to get too long): Moffat seems to have a freer spoiler policy than RTD ever had. You want proof? Here. "The Crash of Byzantium", as mentioned in s4e8, could be a possible title of Matt's 1st (?) episode. But giving it another thought, "Crash of Byzantium" should be placed before Matt's era, because when River Song meets the Doctor in "Silence of the Library" she thinks that she has been there with David's Doctor... However, I hope Moffat hasn't ignored this fact. So, maybe it is not THE "Crash of Byzantium" but A "Crash of Byzantium" and maybe the whole story is just made up, or the BBC wants us to speculate about "unreal" spoilers while hiding the real ones. To quote Combom: "It's odd that we can deduce this, even the Byzantium sticker, its as if it was put here for us to find!" It is odd, too odd, for what I suggest that it can't be sheer coincidence.

___________
*Those who are really that keen on copyright infringements, go to Combom's blog and read through his entries of the last 2 weeks. It should be there, somewhere.

Speaking of interviews...

Today I stumbled across this interview with David Tennant. I haven't found the date when it was taken, but it's a recent one... Here is my original source, I've copied it, because the prologue on that site is just too long. And I have to thank timelord50 for transcribing it. And I'm sorry, I haven't found the original video. Anyway, here it is:

Where are you in the filming of the "Doctor Who" specials?

 I'm all finished. Three or four weeks ago, I filmed my last scene. So it's over. Still a long time to go before they're all broadcast, though, so I'm still clinging on for a bit. But yeah, it's done. It was very emotional, very exciting. We managed to go out with some of the best scripts I had in four years. So it was a real treat. 

Is the general plan for the last specials to be broadcast around Christmastime? 

 I believe so. I mean, these things can always change. But that's the plan at the moment. "Planet of the Dead" has already [aired] here, "Water of Mars" will be toward the end of the year, as it leads into the final two-parter. The plan for those is Christmas-New Year's time, but they'll be very secretive about what their plans are until the last minute. 

They like to keep us guessing, don't they?

They keep us all guessing. 

Oh, I just thought it was us in the press that they wanted to keep in the dark.

No, it's exactly the same for us. We usually find out when the Christmas edition of the Radio Times comes out. Then we finally learn what the scheduling is. 

You also appear on "Sarah Jane Adventures" too, right?

Yeah, I filmed an episode of that. 

Was it one episode or two? I thought I read that it was a two-parter.

Eh, ah, without giving too much away, yeah, it's a two-parter. 

Now I also have to ask, I read a story about all 11 Doctors being united for a charity special some time this fall. Is there any truth to that?

Ooooh, that sounds like a good tabloid wheeze!

Well, if there's one thing I've learned from reading UK tabloids it's not to trust UK tabloids. So I thought I'd ask the source.

Oh sure. So what are they saying? 

They're saying that for Children in Need, there will be a 15-minute charity film, it will reunite all the past Doctors via old footage or newly shot scenes. So I didn't know if you knew anything about that.

It's not something I've heard anything about. And I would have thought they'd be in touch. But that'd be quite a curious way to introduce Matt Smith, I'd have thought they'd wait until his first story. Not anything I've heard about yet. 

Well, one of the stories I read today misspelled TARDIS, so I wasn't taking it all that seriously.

So maybe they're not going from an official press release [laughing]. 

Maybe not. Just to get back to your final run of specials as the Doctor, I was thinking that there's sort of a split in "Doctor Who" episodes -- there are the more larky, adventurous, light-hearted episodes, then the darker episodes with more of a psychological thriller aspect. Would you say "Water of Mars" and the final two-parter are more in that second category?

I think inevitably, because we all know the Tenth Doctor's days are numbered, the storm clouds hang over the last stories. "Planet of the Dead" is in some ways, the Doctor's last hurrah. He's clearly in a death-defying situation, but he's enjoying himself and having a blast.

By the time we come to "Waters of Mars," things start to happen that mean things can never be quite be the same again. Stuff occurs in "Waters of Mars" which leads directly into the final story, where the doctor really is on the run from the inevitable, I think it's fair to say.

There's a tiny little hint at the end of "Planet of the Dead," a tiny portent of doom is whispered in the Doctor's ear. And really that's heralding the beginning of the end. So yes, "Planet of the Dead" is a bit of a larky one, a bit of a romp, and really, that's the last time we're going to see the Tenth Doctor allowed to have quite so much fun. 

And "The Next Doctor" is sort of in that realm too. What was it like working with David Morrissey on that?

Well, David and I worked on a show called "Blackpool" a few years ago. 

Oh yeah, "Blackpool." That was great. 

Yeah, I think it was called "Viva Blackpool" over there. Then I guess it was "Viva Laughlin," which I guess wasn't so successful. 

It was … really bad. It wasn't as good as your one, put it that way.

OK [laughs]. Well, I was quite proud of our one. Don't know what went wrong there. But yeah, Dave and I got to know each other on that, so it was a real treat to have him in "The Next Doctor."

And of course you know what tabloid stories are like. From the moment I took over [as Doctor], they were all saying, "Well, who's going to be next?" One of the names that always came up was David Morrissey, so it was nice to be able to play with those expectations a little bit. 

I'm going to make this next question a double-decker, and you can skip over the first part if you want, because I'm sure you've been asked it a million times. So the first part is, why leave "Doctor Who"? And the second part is, "Doctor Who" is such a long-lived franchise -- what do you feel you've brought to "Doctor Who" or left it with? 

Oooh. It's very hard for me to answer that. It may be for others to answer and for history to dictate. I've had a wonderful time. I hope I'm leaving at the right time. I think you can overstay your welcome and I hope I'm not doing that. It's funny because it's difficult to leave something that you love so much and have such a great time with. It's hard to ever move away from--I could stay forever. I think it's always best to leave yourself and hopefully everybody else wanting more. I'm hoping I've done that and I'm hoping I'm leaving at the right time.

As a rule, it takes an enormous infusion of creativity and energy and enthusiasm to do it justice. Which I've had, I think--I've really enjoyed the last four years. And I'm quite happy to leave it still feeling that way, leave it before it starts feeling like a job. So it's probably not for me to say what I've left it with, but hopefully some stories that people will come back to and enjoy and feel very fondly about.

I have such fond memories of watching "Doctor Who" when I was a kid and growing up, that if I've left anybody anywhere with memories as fond, then I feel like I've done my job. 

Do you have a favorite episode or a favorite memory of making the show?

It always feels wrong to choose favorites. It feels like choosing between children. It's unlike filming any other series, because every story is so different. Every story leaves you with particular memories. And we have a different guest cast every time. There's very few shows that are like that, I suppose. We have one standing set, which is the TARDIS, which we're only in for a couple of scenes. So each story is such a different world, with such different people. I genuinely have fond memories of every story we've done and each one lives very vividly in my memory still. It feels disloyal to choose.

It's the people I'll miss, and getting those fresh scripts, and being the first one to read them. But at the same time, it'll be lovely to return to watching the show and not knowing what happens next. I'm a genuine fan of it and I look forward to being a fan again, in a more traditional sense, rather than a fan who happens to have the best job in the world. 

But it seems as though it's a taxing job -- there's lots of running around.

Oh, it's full-on. The Doctor is the kind of character -- because the guest cast is changing all the time, there are very few constants in the show, so the Doctor -- when you're there, you're in it a lot. You're speaking a lot. It's a lot of lines to learn and he speaks quickly, so you've got to learn them well. There's a lot of running around and a lot of energy and it takes a level of commitment and enthusiasm to serve that stuff up the way that it needs to be fulfilled.

I'll miss all that because that kind of energy is very inspiring in itself. But yes, it's relentless, that filming schedule. You have to keep on top of it and you have to keep ahead of the game to give it what it requires. But I'll miss that too. I'm jealous of Matt starting out and having all that to look forward to, but at the same time, it's correct and the right time to move on for me. 

One thing I've always appreciated about your take on the Doctor, and obviously this was Russell's doing as well, is that he has many emotional colors, if you will. He's not just lighthearted and adventurous all the time, there's an undertow of melancholy or sadness to him as well. There's a sense of the knowledge he has or the history he's lived.

Well obviously some of that kind of thing is script-led, but it's something that I'm always delighted to play, because it just makes sense, doesn't it? It's just real, that someone who's 900 years old, when no one else in the universe can live that long -- he's going to be lonely. He's never going to be able to find happiness.

And Russell likes to turn the thumbscrews on him and give him ever more emotional moments to navigate, but from an acting point of view, that's what you want. You want to have that range of emotions and states to play. That's what makes it just about the most exciting character to inhabit, because he can be everything and is everything.

I think perhaps in the classic show, the emotional life of the Doctor wasn't quite as investigated as it is now. But I think that's wonderful, it's great to get to play all those different colors and all those different scenes. 

So you're coming over here for Comic-Con. Have you ever been to things like that before? Do you have any expectations of what that'll be like?

Never. Absolutely none, I have no idea. We're sort of in and out, I think. I think Russell and Julie [Gardner] are there for longer. I think we do a panel and Q&A. And then I'm doing the TCAs [after Comic-Con, the Television Critics Association's summer press tour takes place in Pasadena]. But I don't even know where San Diego is, that's how green I am.

But I'm fascinated to see what I'm coming to. San Diego Comic-Con has become a bit of a sensation, hasn't it, a huge industry event after starting out as a fan meeting. It's become this huge industry event. I know Julie and Steven Moffat were there last year. 

So what's next for you as far as roles you'll be playing?

I've done a sort of cameo in a movie called "Glorious 39," which Stephen Poliakoff wrote and directed. Then there is some stuff but it's all a bit unconfirmed so I better not say anything in case it all falls apart. I don't quite know what the next move is, really, so I'll just wait to see what scripts come in.

I just finished "Hamlet" for the BBC. I did it on stage last year, in the break from filming. The day after I finished "Doctor Who," I started shooting that production, a TV version of the stage production. So I just finished that. As soon as I get off the phone with you, I'm on my way to the wrap party. I'm just beginning to unfold my brain from all that. It was very quick. We had three weeks to shoot three hours.

So it's been a fairly manic, fairly high stress-level three weeks. But I'm really chuffed that we get to have a permanent record of what I think was a very special show, I think. 

So you've been busy.

I really have, yeah. To go from one to the other -- I finished "Doctor Who," then went the next day to "Sarah Jane," then the next day started "Hamlet." So I might have a drink tonight.

Have two.

Well, let's not go crazy. It's been very hard work the last few months, I'll be quite a lightweight. I don't want to embarrass myself.

Another typical RTD interview

A few days ago I came across this interview with Russel T Davies. It's mostly about Doctor Who, he also mentions the specials, but, as usual, he doesn't give away anything we wouldn't already know about. Still, it's interesting. There are a few nice background information of RTD's era, although I think not everything is true... RTD claims he did always know that Chris Eccelston won't stay for another season, but I remember a few old interviews in which he said exactly the opposite. At least, it's nice to know that even RTD haven't "planned" each story arch in the show.
Here are a few remarkable abridgments, but I think the original article is worth to be given a read. About his finals (more or less) in general

I don't just increase things in scale because I'm mad. With "Doctor Who," every year the finale got bigger, and every year the rating got bigger. [...] Increasing the scale of the program has literally paid off. If the viewers had been deserting the show, I would have done something different. When we get to David Tennant's finale, you will not believe the scale of it. But it's all about the acting in the end.

About Donna Noble's noble "end" in s4 [interviewer, RTD]

I've only seen two of the specials so far, but there's this recurring theme about The Doctor not wanting to take on a new companion because of what happened in "Journey's End."

Poor Donna Noble.

You're a bastard, by the way.

Ha ha ha! He just called me a bastard. Ha ha ha ha!

About the upcoming specials

The bigger picture is why The Doctor's traveling alone -- because he's heartbroken, because he loses too much in the end (each time). This is an arc over these last few specials, gradually, especially in "Waters of Mars," which comes up in November, we discover that he travels with a human because he needs a human. He's too powerful, and without that (human with him), he can become a dangerous man. Donna pointed that out to him in her very first story, "The Runaway Bride." [...] We're sort of all heading towards series 5 and the new Doctor and the new companion, played by Karen Gillan. I think it's a nice set-up for her, in that The Doctor needs a companion and we're going to understand why.

About him bringing Doctor Who back on our screens

I worried that, if I'd fumbled it on this resurrection, it would have been fumbled for a few decades. And we got lucky in the timing, If we'd been five years later, we would never have been able to afford the program I wanted to make. I wanted it to be expensive. I'm not saying all good television is expensive, because I've worked on some of the cheapest shows in the world. But the ambition, and the big picture, and the epic intimacy demanded that. And then all of this was theory, and none of us knew if it would work, but we got on air, and it worked, and it's been wonderful.

About him NOT "planning" every story aches

Some things are planned. There was never a rigid plan that I followed for five years and never deviated. But the important thing is, I was thinking about "Doctor Who" more than I should have every day. Even the strongest fan of "Doctor Who" will think about "Doctor Who" a lot, then go on to their regular job, and I was thinking about "Doctor Who" all day, every day. [...] I know my own mind and it's always prodding the idea and finding ways to push it forward. If "plan" means having everything constantly in flux, then that is what we had.

And finally: him watching the show as a fan

I don't know if this is good or bad, but I've always been able to sit and watch my own stuff and enjoy it. Sometimes, I'll sit down and I'll just catch an episode by chance. I caught the Shakespeare episode ("The Shakespeare Code") by chance the other night and I thought it was magnificent. I really, really can watch it as a viewer. I always cultivated that in my head, you have to train yourself to watch it as brand-new, so you can see its faults and its strengths, so I've always been good at it. So I can watch it on repeats. I still love them. And thankfully, I love watching the old show as much as I did. I can still watch the old classics from the 70s and be as happy as I was when I was a kid.

Sanity is not statistical.

I just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell and I have to admit it belongs to the best books I've ever read.
Just imagine a world, in which you seem to be the only one being aware of what is really going on, but where at the same time people who resist the government's insane system vanish and whether never come back, or they are made to change their world-view. And no, not exactly by having a few good arguments.

This is the world in which Winston, the main protagonist finds himself, in a love-banning and power-seeking world, a cold utopia reigned by hate, ignorance and censorship. Big Brother's Party controls everything, the past the present and the future simply by re-writing history. It also tries to be in charge of people's thoughts and feelings. If the Party says two plus two makes five it becomes a fact people aren't allowed to doubt. That's why Winston comes up with his own definition of freedom:

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.

But seeking 'otherness' isn't a safe thing in a world like that. Sooner or later Winston finds himself arrested and imprisoned behind the secretive walls of the Party's prison, the Ministry of Love.

This is also where one of the book's key scenes takes place; Winston is talking to O'Brian who is about to torture him and despite the obvious circumstances Winston still feels attached to his old friend who has betrayed him in the worst way possible. Nevertheless, he is thankful that O'Brian seems to understand his feelings, sometimes even better than Winston himself, and for this Winston just can't escape his former friend's influence.

O'Brian has his own way of maximising the party's principles, by saying:

'Obedience is not enough. Unless he [the individual] is suffering, how can you be sure he is obeying your will and not his own?'

However, the Party knows it can't win against humanity. The fight against it is an inherent part of their policy, despite being very much aware of how the world is going to look like without it:

'It will be a world of terror as much as a world of triumph... Goldstein [the enemy] and his heresies will live forever. Every day, at every moment, they will be defeated... - and yet they will always survive.'

The Party knows that there will be always individuals fighting its system, hence its main aim is to make heretics love the Party and "Big Brother" whose principles form the golden laws of this cruel society. After braking people's personality their 'victims' either want to die or they get killed anyway. Nevertheless, Winston is still fighting for his own ideas, he does his best to cling to his last, what he considers as a sane, idea

'To die hating them, that was freedom.'

This seems to be nothing, but in the end he fails to reach this seemingly small goal.

To sum it up, 1984 is shocking and touching at the same time, and the story does hurt. Especially the last chapter.
So, if you really want to read an excellent book then I can recommend it to you. It's a real masterpiece.

EDIT: I couldn't help noticing that the vast majority of people who end up reading this post in the first place googeled the words 'sanity is not statistical meaning'. So to please them, to me the tittle of this post means that other people can only say what they think is right or wrong. Let's take the famous example of Galileo Galilei. He was forced to deny his theory of the Earth rotating around the sun, although he and we know he was right. So to put Orwell's quote into Galilei's words: 'In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.' That's what Orwell was trying to say, and actually said.

News.

I'm sorry for this very non creative title, but that's really what I'm writing about: News.

I think I haven't post a link to Matt Smith old Cannes interview yet, so here it is. The beginning is a bit weird...

Oh, and maybe you haven't come across this one. There were a few rumours about a new Doctor Who movie, and the BBC has announced recently that David Tennant would like to put on the legendary brown coat for a last real Doctor Who adventure.

Life the Universe and Everything

Hi froods out there.

This is going to be one of those posts about pretty obvious things:
Tomorrow is the annual Towelday, one of the most important days of the year.

So, have a nice day and don't forget your towel! You may need it.

And those who think I'm just writing about some kind of mind boggling nonsense: let me direct you to this link.

Yes, but not if we're going into a nightmare.

Two weeks ago, we were all glued to our idiot's lanterns and watched "Planet of the Dead" [PotD]. Ok, that's an exaggeration, as there were more people watching "Britain got Talent" than Doctor Who... but who cares. I bet those who stumbles across this blog belongs to the "PotD" minority. 

So, what was this eagerly awaited episode all about. Firstly, I need to say it was one of Russel T Davies' [RTD] best episode we've ever had. Only "The Runaway Bride" has been better in my opinion. But maybe that's only me, because I'm a Donna fan, and because I like having a "real" villain on the screen. But I'm glad the PotD's "swarm" wasn't put down as "simply bad".

I know Lawrence Miles' famous "PotD" review. I wished he wouldn't delete his posts constantly, although this time he sailed really close the wind. If it were still available I would have posted a link. But it's not. Not yet. He's going to write a new one, although I always like the first version more, it's more spontaneous.

So, here is my first objection. I'm sorry, but the Tritovores were.... pointless. They didn't look great or interesting, or is it that they just don't fit? Don't get me wrong. I liked them in a very non terrestrial way, but "Planet of the Dead" is the wrong episode to appear in for them. I wonder if the producers of "The Fly" will take the BBC for copyright infringements to court. 

Talking about pointlessness. Are humans really like those passengers behaved? I don't think so. Maybe I'm living in an area with really extraordinary people, but just have a look at your accompanion on the public transportsysthem in the morning... what do you see? Are we really this shallow? 

I have to admit there have been also a few positive aspects about "PotD", elsewise I haven't written that it was RTD's second best episode. I loved Edward' Lee performance. Malcolm was a great character, a typical genius. Chaotic, loyal and just with the right portion of craziness. I hope this hasn't been the last time Malcolm appeared on our screens. 

>So, what about the others. There isn't a lot to say about David Tennant that hasn't already been said many times by many others. We already know he's magnificent and we'll still going to miss him. After waiting three month for the next episode I almost got used to the idea him stepping out of the TARDIS. But now I still can't believe it. Then: Michelle Ryan did a great job. Cathrina de Souza was an amazing character, and she and the Doctor were an incredible good team. She was one of the few sensible characers with whom the Doctor worked with, although she wanted to follow him after all. Her answer to the Doctor's "Allons-y" - "Oui, mais pas si nous allons vers un cauchemar. [Yes, but not if we're going into a nightmare.] should be hanging in a frame on the wall of the TARDIS, reminding the Doctor's companions of what's so obvious. But this nightmares are exactly the reason why we love this show. 

The next nightmare "The Waters of Mars" (The Wars of the Master/ or Hamster Software) looks really angsty. We've had an amazing cliff hanger, and I bet, Russel T Davies will spoil the last episode by writing a final a la Russel T Davies: with pointless dialogues, with an unrealistic storyline, and yes, I do know that Doctor Who is a science - fiction show, so nothing is really impossible, but I'm just asking the main writer to concentrate a little bit more on the word "science" than on "fiction". Thank you very much. 

I hope he won't bring Rose back, but again, it's RTD we are talking about. I don't feel like wanting another "Journey's End" fiasco. And that's exactly what RTD's finales usually are.

RTD's desirable Utopia

Only three very effective words: I'm shocked! If you haven't heard the recent news, just have a look at this.

I know we're facing an economic crisis and that because of this development the government spends less money on culture, just the same way every one else do. But I think they are wrong when they don't fund children's television anymore. RTD says:

"They're our children, they're the most vital and precious resource you could ever find. It is more important than industry, it is more important than the economy, it is more important than food and education."

Maybe he isn't the most innovative script writer (I'm sorry, that's my honest opinion), but if there's one thing he's really adapted in, then it's children's television. You don't need to be an expert to be able to say "he knows his job". Because of him "Doctor Who" became the show we know and love today. Before him it was something for "real" sci-fi fans, or it was considered as "children's stuff" (although I really love the old episodes as well). But he made it popular. And it's his "fault" that today millions of fans can't wait until Easter because of the next special.

And I also do know, the article isn't about Doctor Who but other programs (e.g. Sarah Jane's Adventures) although they don't want to raise too much money for the special effects anymore, but it's just the same. Right, they won't cancel one of their most successful programs. 

But we're living in the 21st century, and I really hoped we'll do a better job than 80 years ago... Cutting culture to a minimum has never been an effective way of facing and fighting, or rather defeating an economic crisis. We shouldn't only notice the economical potential of the entertainment industry, but that it can motivate people to achieve their goals, even defeating a crisis. And taking the money away from our children is certainly a step into the wrong direction, especially as parents don't seem to have too much time for them (thanks to the economic crisis), so our children deserve at least some kind of quality entertainment. No, I'm exaggerating. 

What I'm trying to say is: entertainment is an important part of every child's life. And if the government doesn't care about a child's spare time (as no matter how engaged one's parents are, there are always a few "spare" hours left), then others will do. And I think the government should rather invest some money into children's television now, than into drug-rehab-clinics in the future.

A Few Sentences About the Greedy Beeb

Yesterday I've been curious how long it would take to find someone uploading the whole Comic Relief to a video-sharing site, in other words to YouTube, giving all the non-British fans the chance of watching the show. Almost 24h after the original programme has started, I've found this. It's not complete yet, but I think it's getting there ;)
 

And for those who understand Lawrence Miles' humour, here's a short but pregnant rewiev of the whole story. Don't take it to seriously, although I have to agreee with some points...
 

I only want to show a few Utopian people the disadvantage of living abroad. Our "brave new world" isn't as up-to-date as the media wants us to believe. Today the French revoltion's slogan "Liberte, Egalite, Fratalite" hasn't reached the media's every-day life yet. To those living abroad, it can be pretty difficult to keep well informed, and it would be a great help if the beeb had a more open information-policy, especially when it comes up to some charity events.