Gareth – Page 872 – The Designer Monologues

March 31, 2005

Doctor Who Whirlwind

Hell of a week to be a Doctor Who fan.

First, the new series premiered in the UK on Saturday, to huge ratings.

Then, yesterday, with only one episode of the new series aired, the BBC announced the go-ahead for a second series, as well as an hour-long special episode to air at Christmas. (I’m not calling it a “Christmas Special”, since here in the US, that would bring to mind visions of an animated puppet Doctor singing about snow and toys.) This is it. Doctor Who is officially back, as more than just a one-shot.

Then, today, the shocker hits: Christopher Eccleston is quitting the role. Talk about your ups and downs! My friggin’ head is spinning.

There are precious few details. Some UK papers report a fear of typecasting, some report it’s a salary issue. Part of me thinks that it might be a ruse — it had earlier been announced that Eccleston had signed a two-year contract, after all…and the final episode of this season supposed ends in a cliffhanger where we don’t know the Doctor’s fate. What better way to preserve tension than by putting a big question mark over the lead actor’s participation?

But, in the end, the reality of it probably is that Eccleston is leaving at the end of the season, and that next season we’ll see a new Doctor. I’m hoping that they’ll sign Eccleston to do the Christmas episode, so that they can film a proper regeneration sequence (and, in fact, that may be why the special episode was commissioned, given the fact that the show never had a special in-between-seasons episode for any of its original 26-year run).

Rumors are floating around about the identity of the 10th Doctor. Current front runners are David Tennant (currently staring in BBC3’s Casanova(written by the executive producer/writer of the new Who, Russel T. Davies) and appearing as Barty Crouch, Jr. in the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), or Bill Nighy (“Billie Mack” from Love, Actually and Slartibartfast in the forthcoming Hitchhiker’s Guide movie). Personally, I’d love to see Nighy do it.

So, in the space of a week: elation and disappointment.

But still, in the end, the core fact remains: Doctor Who is back, there are 12 more episodes of Eccleston to enjoy, and another season on the way…..and that’s a good thing.

March 28, 2005

Why I love Lawrence (part 326 in a continuing series)

Take the new advertising slogan unveiled a couple months back by the state of Kansas: “Kansas: As Big As You Think.”

Add the fact that the upcoming statewide April ballot has a Gay Marriage ban constitutional amendment that is sure to pass, thanks to Ma & Pa Kettle and the Baby Jeebus,

Mix well in a university town that has been traditionally liberal since it’s foundation by anti-slavery Jayhawkers in the mid-19th century, and:

(For sale at “Third Planet” 846 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044 phone: 785-843-6871)

March 25, 2005April 19, 2010

Friday Music

Another week. More music.

We’ll kick things off with something from the “really nifty covers” category. I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you’re going to do a cover of a song, you should put your own stamp on it, rather than just making it nearly identical to the original…otherwise, what’s the point? This track, Oingo Boingo – “You Really Got Me”, is an inventive new wave cover of the Kinks classic, and a good representation of what Danny Elfman was doing before settling down into a career of composing scores for superhero movies.

Here’s something unsual, but very, very cool: The Evolution Control Committee – “Rocked by Rape”. This group took samples from ACDC’s “Back in Black” and dialog from CBS News anchor Dan Rather, and spliced it up into a track that manages to not only be a head-bobber, but also a fairly amusing indictment of the “TragiCrimePorn” school of news broadcasting that is so prevalent now. Both ACDC (who doesn’t allow sampling of their songs as a rule) and Dan Rather hit them with a cease-and-desist, and so the track was removed from record stores.

I picked up the debut album from Scissor Sisters on Theron’s recommendation. Good call. The album manages to combine several cool elements from 70s music: the biggest influence is glam, but there’s a nearly tone-perfect cover of “Comfortably Numb” done to sound like a Bee Gees tune, and this track: Scissor Sisters – “Take Your Mama”, which has the fingerprints of “Captain Fantastic”-era Elton John all over it.

There’s a cool french movie from a few years back called Vidoq, with Gerard Depardieu. It’s a supernatural/steampunk/mystery, set in Paris in the 1800s. Quite good, and it’s a shame that it was never released in the US. I tracked down a DVD, and when I watched it, I was really blown away by the end credits music. Some of you may have heard of Apocalyptica, a string quartet who does covers of Metallica tunes on amplified and distortion-pedalled cellos, violas, etc. Well, they did the end credits music, which was an original song, rather than a cover. Apocalyptica (feat. Matthias Sayer) – “Hope, Vol.2”. Great stuff.

Another mash-up for you this week. Laura loves this one: DJ Tripp – “She Wants Animals”, which is a mash-up of Ace of Base’s “All That She Wants” and Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” (no, I’m not kidding….and the scary thing is, it works!).

People who are only familiar with the Cardigans’ sugar-sweet single “Love Fool” will be a bit surprised to learn that their usual sound is a bit darker than that. The Cardigans – “Erase/Rewind”, which I first became aware of when it was used in the soundtrack of The 13th Floor, is a moody, trip-hop-esque song, and I like it quite a bit.

Here’s a brand new track from the soon-to-be-released second full-length CD from Gorillaz: Gorillaz – “Dirty Harry”. Some of you probably remember the Gorillaz first single from a few years back, “Clint Eastwood” (“happy, feelin’ glad, got sunshine in a bag…useless, but not for long, the future is comin’ on…”) I’m detecting a theme here. Still, some of the best stuff you’re likely to hear from a group comprised entirely of cartoons, so there ya go.

…and finally, because I have to get back to working on the latest Thrilling Tales release, here’s one of my favorite tracks from the 1930s (1938, to be exact): Artie Shaw – “Begin The Beguine”.