Online Home of Derek Meister
Planet Magrathea has a spoiler-free review of the upcoming Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie by M J Simpson, who claims to have been “studying and documenting the life and career of Douglas Adams for more than 20 years.”
There’s also a longer review that has a number of plot elements spoiled for those interested.
The Anime News Network website is reporting that Toei Animation and Aniplex are joining forces with Cartoon Network to produce a japanese anime series based on the popular Powerpuff Girls cartoon produced in the US.
The announcement for the new series, entitled “Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z”, was made at this year’s Tokyo Animation Fair, where a poster, promotional artwork and preview video (screenshots) were made available to the public.
The style for this new series seems to be more traditional, if not generic, for japanese anime. This is something of a shame, as the US series used a rather unique, minimalist style to elevate it’s borrowed anime magical girl genre concept to a new level.
I have to admit, when I first heard about Eccleston leaving, I was rather angry with him. But after the showing of End of the World, I’m actually becoming excited about the prospect. No, not because I dislike Eccleston, in fact I was upset because I liked his performance.
Knowing that his Doctor is going to die is actually making the drama and tragedy of this Doctor all that more intense. Here’s a Time Lord, the last of his kind perhaps. When he first left Gallifrey, he was sad because of what he’d left behind, yet could take some small comfort that maybe one day he could go home. For the new Doctor, though, he’s lost it all. There’s no home to go to.
You can see that the time war has done so much to him. The fighting alone would leave scars, but the loss of Gallifrey even more so. He’s obviously used to traveling alone again, at least in the beginning of Rose, and almost seems to be doing so just to run away from the guilt and the pain. He seems to actively enjoy the idea of tossing himself into situations where there’s danger, with his “fantastic!” response to knowing there’s no one to help them in EotW. It’s like he’s actively hoping to end it all in one of these episodes, to go out with a bang.
And then Rose Tyler comes along, forcing herself into his life, and he starts to feel again. But the pain is still there. It’s enough to cause him to react rather badly toward Cassandra when her actions cause Jabe’s death. But he’s opening up again, with his admission to Rose, starting to feel again.
So I’m actually beginning to like the idea of this being a Doctor who’s been hurt bad and can only heal himself by making the ultimate sacrifice toward the end of the season. It makes the tragedy elements that much more intense, and will allow for a new Doctor to come along next season with a renewed sense of purpose.
I found a wonderful source of these seven-inch tall little mechanical terrors in the United States in the form of Who North America.
Available in a number of colors based on various appearences over the last 40 years in the BBC’s Doctor Who television series, the Talking Dalek makes a great gift for any fan.
Fully articulate, with spinning head and movable eye stalk, plunger arm and weapon, the Dalek is sturdy enough for a little exterminating science-fiction play on your desk. The real magic, however, begins once you insert three AAA batteries (not included, of course) and press the cleverly hidding button on the front. A sound chip inside shouts out perfect little reproductions of well-known Dalekisms in a great mechanical voice while the ear bulbs flash just like on the show.
Who North America has some of the best prices for such merchandise here in the States, with the Talking Daleks coming in at $29.95 for most models, well below the average $40-50 most other collector sites are asking.
After nearly a decade of waiting for development in bringing back Doctor Who to television, fans of the series have been hit with a number of news items, both positive and negative.
In light of the first episode’s positive press and a ratings figure that pushed to nearly ten million (nearly 40% of the total possible viewers at that time tuned in), the BBC has announced that there will be both a Christmas special and a second season of the new series, making it the 28th season of Doctor Who.
Unfortunately, this bit of good news was tempered by the announcement that Christopher Eccleston has chosen not to return for the new series due to fears of being typecast, but will appear in the Christmas special. Since it’s rumored that the season finale will end in a cliffhanger in which the Doctor appears to die or be dying in the process of saving Rose, the Christmas episode will no doubt feature the regeneration of the 9th Doctor into the 10th with a “rebirth” theme fitting for the holiday season.
The BBC has confirmed that it’s currently in talks with actor David Tennant, who’s currently staring in BBC 3s series Casanova, which is another project of Doctor Who’s executive producer and writer Russell T Davies. The BBC has stated, however, that Billy Piper will be returning as Rose Tyler.
