The Great Sonic Screwdriver Battle (Minus The Great Part)

The Sonic Screwdriver: the most useful tool in the universe. Just point it at anything, flash it for a couple of seconds, and it can do just about anything. As a Science Fiction icon, like phasers or lightsabers, sonic screwdriver replicas have been on the market for years.

Every die-hard Doctor Who fan has the Doctor's second best friend (apart from the TARDIS) in some form or another, be it a vintage Jon Pertwee unit, or the modern Matt Smith model. I've got a David Tennant/Christopher Eccleston model, thin, blue and silver, which my Aunt (also a Whovian) gave to me on Christmas '09.

At first, I was the only one of my friends who had one. I was the cool guy.

Then my friend Duke got one too. My screwdriver was slightly older than his, which had a brighter light and more realistic sound effects. Then he became the cool guy.

A few days ago, my roommate, Slate, got one of the newer Matt Smith screwdrivers, which is big, green and bronze. Ever since he got it he'd point it at me and say "mine's bigger." I'd point mine to him and say "It's not size that matters, it's how you use it that counts". Eventually, we'd forget we were talking about our screwdrivers and plunge into all sorts of grotesque innuendo.

It's also fun to whip it out in public (the screwdriver, that is) and meet total strangers who are Doctor Who fans too. You never know when it'll come in handy.

(Photos courtesy of Wikimedia)

Chicks Dig Fezzes

If you're a single man living in Boston, there's apparently one sure fire way to rectify that: dress like Matt Smith.

When my gaming/anime club attended Anime Boston this weekend, I wore my 11th Doctor costume, complete with a fez. I cannot tell you how many times I was stopped by fellow con-goers (mostly college girls) for a picture/chat/hug. I lost count somewhere around two dozen (on the first day of a three day event).

Oh yeah...

Matt Smith's popularity has had quite an impact on the world of fashion as well. Since he became the star of Doctor Who, sales of tweed jackets and bow ties have supposedly spiked in the United Kingdom. You couldn't wear a fez in public unless you lived in Northern Africa, but now, in Smith's own words "fezzes are cool." He's a man of danger, a man of adventure, and the most brilliant man in the universe. It's no wonder the Doctor (or people dressed like him) is so popular among women.

Anime Boston, Beantown's annual festival of everything geek, took place from April 22-24. Over 19,000 people from around the country crowded into AB for the even which describes itself as "New England's largest annual celebration of Japanese animation, comics, and pop culture". Hundreds (maybe thousands) of people wore costumes for the weekend, and I saw at least two dozen Doctors.

Not a great dancer though.

(Pictures courtesy of Marissa Tripp and Anime Boston)

Goodbye, Sarah Jane...

It's been a sad couple of days for the world of Doctor Who. As many of you know by now, we've lost Elisabeth Sladen, best known around the world as the Doctor's longest serving companion, Sarah Jane Smith. She died on Tuesday after a long struggle with cancer, aged 63.

Sladen started her long history with the greatest show in the galaxy in 1974 as a partner for 3rd Doctor Jon Pertwee, during his last season with the show. After Pertwee left, and regenerated into 4th Doctor Tom Baker, Sladen remained with the show for another two and a half seasons, departing from the TARDIS in late 1976.

Her character, Sarah Jane was seen as a departure from the women who came before her. She wasn't just some screaming siren who needed to be saved by the Doctor every week (although she was kidnapped sometimes). She was a character who could operate on the same level as the supremely intelligent Doctor, and sometimes solving problems before him.

Sarah Jane and Sladen were so loved by fans and producers, that she continued to be involved with the Doctor Who franchise after her departure. She starred in a pilot for an unsold spin-off  in 1981, five years after leaving the show. Sladen reprised her role yet again in 1983 and 1993, for the 20th and 30th Anniversary specials "The Five Doctors" and "Dimensions in Time".

Even when the new series of Doctor Who began in 2005, she kept returning. She appeared in an episode with 10th Doctor David Tennant in 2006, and became so popular with new fans, that she was finally given her own successful spin-off series in 2006, nearly thirty years after she first became a part of the show.

The future of her spin-off, "The Sarah Jane Adventures", is unknown; Sladen completed six episodes before her death. The producers of Doctor Who have said that a "suitable tribute" to her will air during the premiere show's sixth season this Saturday.

I'm no good at writing obituaries, and I couldn't say anything that hasn't already been said a million times. But I'll end with this: Rest in peace Mrs. Sladen. You've made millions of fans during your nearly four decades of acting, and you're already missed by them all.

Third time's the...ah, screw it.

I've talked about the concept of "so bad, it's good" in one of my previous entries, so consider this part two.

In the music industry, there's one man whose name is practically synonymous with unintentionally hilarious songs (apart from William Hung, or Soulja Boy, or Limp Bizkit, or Kevin Federaline, or...). One man whose foray from sci-fi television to the recording studio left behind a wave of unexpected fans (mostly dopeheads and masochists). Now he's doing it again. For a third time.

That's right. William Shatner is making a third album.

He first showcased his musical "talents", with his 1968 album The Transformed Man. The most famous track from this album has to be his cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man":

His unusual spoken-word performance style was presented to a wider audience a decade later, when he sang Elton John's "Rocket Man" at the Science Fiction Film Awards in 1978. How the audience made it through the whole thing without laughing, we'll never know:

He made a second album called Has Been in 2004, with help from some actual artists like Joe Jackson and Henry Rollins. Shatner's new album, scheduled for release later this year, is titled Searching For Major Tom. The track list, which has a distinct sci-fi theme, includes David Bowie's "Space Odyssey", Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", and a re-mix of "Rocket Man".

Just for the heck of it, here's one more Shatner gem. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds:

Only Two Weeks Until Doctor Who Season 6!

The new season of the nearly fifty year old TV show premiers on Saturday April 23rd! For the first time ever, the show is being taped in the United States (specifically in Utah) for a two part episode. Other stories include one written by fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, and another one rumored to feature the return of the original Cybermen.

Matt Smith will be reprising his role as the Eleventh Doctor, while Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are returning to play his companions, Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Alex Kingston (of "ER" fame) will return in a recurring role as Dr. River Song. Season 6 will be aired in two parts, with seven episodes airing in Spring, and the remaining six airing in Autumn.

The BBC America trailer looks intriguing, complete with (among other creatures) pirates, nazis, and secret service agents. The equally interesting prelude to episode one features the President of the US (who may or may not be Richard Nixon) apparently getting a call from an alien.

Check 'em out!

"Alas Poor Picard, I Knew Him Horatio. (Or, Something Is Rotten In The State Of Gallifrey)"

It's almost like a crossover. Not quite, but almost.

The other night I watched a performance of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. Some of you may not be big fans of Shakespearean theater (I recently gained an interest, and am still working my way through his complete library), but it's worth watching just to see the Tenth Doctor and Jean-Luc Picard together in the same performance.

If you've never seen a performance of "Hamlet", nor read the script in high school, here's a quick rundown:  Claudius (played by Stewart in this version) is the brother of the King of Denmark (also Stewart). Claudius steals the throne by poisoning him in his sleep. The ghost of the King visits his son, Hamlet (Tennant), in his sleep, and tells him to avenge him.

This present-day production has a very dystopian atmosphere. The characters dress in modern attire and use modern technology, while the Danish (not as powerful today, as it was back in Shakespeare's time) monarchy still maintains complete control over the nation. It almost feels like a work of Science-Fiction. 

Like all of Shakespeare's work, the Olde-English in the dialouge can make it difficult to understand if you aren't entirely familiar with the story. As the author of a seldom read Sci-Fi blog, I'm hardly qualified to review it, but I'll just say that if you enjoy good drama (and are proficient in Olde-English), it's worth watching, especially just to see (SPOILER ALERT) the Doctor stab Capt. Picard.

On a semi-related note, William Shatner is a classically trained Shakespearean actor. They should have had him play Yorick.

You can watch the entire production (Along with "MacBeth", starring Patrick Stewart) here.

Writing That First Novel (Part 1)

I enjoy writing. Not just essays or articles for classes or assignments, but I gained an interest in writing fiction towards the end of my middle school years.

My bibliography consists of only a couple of short stories, most of which were written during high school. A lot of these stories were fan fiction featuring characters from Star Trek and Doctor Who.

I actually started writing a novel during my freshman year of high school. It was a story of a secret civilization who lived in a city under the ocean. I stopped writing it after a couple of chapters, and scrapped the idea, for a couple of reasons. I hadn't planned out the story before I started writing, and this often led me to make up characterizations and plots as I went along. I wasn't even sure how I wanted to end it. The parts of the plot I had thought of were quite preachy and heavy handed, and there were some environmental messages spread through out (I was going through sort of a hippie phase around this time).

I probably won't start writing it again. I had the only chapters I wrote saved on a floppy disk, which I managed to lose somewhere. Also, the idea has since been done. If I tried to publish this story today, I'd probably get a cease & desist from the creators of BioShock.

I've had a lot of time to hone my skills, and study the styles of some of the greats (Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, etc.). This summer, I'm going to try again.

I won't reveal too much about the plot of my new novel (You never know where plagiarists may be lurking). I'll just say that it's part sci-fi, part surreal comedy. I'll try to keep making updates on my progress throughout the summer.

To Be Continued...

A new Doctor Who MMORPG? Fantastic!

According to Geekosystem, a new Doctor Who MMO is in production.

I'm imagining the game will be similar to Star Trek Online, where you can start out in the Federation or Klingon Empire, work as a lowly crewman, and eventually work your way up to the Captain's chair.

Apart from the Time Lords, there's not much room for individuality among the various other races. The Cybermen pride themselves on the fact that they are a singularity. The Doctor's most famous enemy, the Daleks, have just one goal: extermination. It might be fun to destroy anything that isn't a Dalek at first, but it would probably get boring quickly.

I hope the game will be available in the USA. I'm not sure how many UK produced web games are available in America. Doctor Who, however, is an international phenomenon, one that millions of people around the world are fans of. Demand for the game will likely be high.

Filming Of "The Hobbit" Underway (Finally)!

Rumors about a film adaptation of "The Hobbit" have been swarming the blogosphere ever since the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy first hit theaters nearly a decade ago. When the project legitimately went underway, most news off the film involved the financial troubles of MGM, the film's production company, and whether or not Peter Jackson would direct.

Now it seems we finally have some good news.

Production of the movie finally started in New Zealand yesterday (with Jackson), and it is scheduled for release in late 2012.

The film will star British actor Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, who is inheriting the role from Ian Holm. Freeman is unknown to most Americans, but has gained fame in the UK for playing Doctor Watson in the TV series "Sherlock", and starring in the film version of "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy."

The cast list includes some familiar names, including Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Christopher Lee as Sauroman, and Andy Serkis as Gollum. Some newcombers include Richard Armitage as Thorin, and former "Doctor Who" star Sylvester McCoy as Radagast.

It appears that the film will be split into two parts, likely to be released a year apart from each other.

The live-action "Akira" movie: Will it be good?

Warner Bros. Studios is planning a live-action version of Akira, a 1988 Japanese animated film, which depicts a post-apocalyptic Tokyo.

I'm not going to describe it too much for two reasons. First of all, it's an amazing movie, and I don't want to spoil anything. It needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. Secondly, it's very difficult to describe this movie to someone who's never seen it before. It has a fair share of mindscrew moments.

What I will tell you is that Akira had quite an impact in the USA upon being released. Most people had never seen animation used to tell such a graphic story; one that was definitely not made for children. It also introduced America to Japanese animation, collectively known as "anime". It's a film that's influenced the works of many filmmakers, including Larry and Andy Wachowski, who are best known for directing The Matrix.

I'm interested to see how this movie is going to turn out, for a couple of reasons.

Back in 1988, animation was the only way such an epic story could be shown on the big screen. CGI was still in its infancy, and many works of fantasy and other forms of fiction were unfilmable. In a related story, the first film version of The Lord Of The Rings was an animated movie produced by Ralph Bakshi. When Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy was released between 2001 and 2003, it won a combined seventeen academy awards, including Best Picture for The Return Of The King. I'm not saying something similar will happen with Akira, but lightning could strike twice.

One thing that puzzles me is the casting for the movie. Actors like James Franco and Morgan Freeman have reportedly been attached to various roles in this project, despite the fact that all of the characters in the original film are Asian. Perhaps the plot is being altered to have the film take place in the US. If they do have them play Japanese characters...I dunno. The thought of Morgan Freeman playing a Japanese man does make me snicker, however.

Regardless, I will still see the film when it's released. It's an excellent story, and I'm hoping whoever directs the movie handles it with care.

Mal fans, grab your torches and pitchforks...

I have a confession to make. One that will shock and disturb you all. One that could ruin my long and illustrious career as someone who writes for a blog that nobody has heard of. Here it is:

I have never watched Firefly before.

{Cue loud booing. Rotten tomatoes and other junk is tossed as I rip up my geek card in shame.}

Yep, I've said it. I was 11 years old when Joss Whedon's cult classic first aired on the Fox Network in 2002. I can't remember what I was watching around that time; it was before I went to high school, when I first channeled my inner nerd. Even after I had graduated from Junior High, and became interested in Doctor Who and Star Trek, the short-lived show, and its movie adaptation managed to slip under my radar.

A few of my friends are Browncoats*, and apart from them quoting some parts of the show, I don't know a lot about it. I've told myself from time to time "I've got to find some time to sit down and watch this program that everybody seems to love", but I haven't found the time or energy to do it yet.

Fortunately, there's a chance for redemption. The Science Channel has recently announced that they have picked up the rights to air Firefly, and will start re-airing it on March 6th. All fourteen episodes will be interspersed with scientific commentary from Dr. Michiu Kaku, a theoretical physicist.

I predict a Firefly marathon during my spring break.

(*Browncoats: Term used to refer to fans of Firefly. Used the same way "Trekkie" is applied to Star Trek fans.)

Man versus machine on "Jeopardy!"

IBM has produced a new super computer called "Watson". This computer has a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence program. IBM's programmers tested Watson this week by making him a contestant on the quiz show "Jeopardy".

Watson was pitted against two of Jeopardy's biggest winners, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. Rutter won two of Jeopardy's biggest paying tournaments, and has won over three million dollars during his combined appearances. Jennings gained national fame in 2004 for winning 74 consecutive games, and earning a total of about $2.5 million.

This unusual game of Jeopardy was held at IBM's headquarters where the super computer was held. Watson, who was too large to be placed behind his studio podium, was represented by an avatar, which was hooked up to the main computer. The avatar resembled Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and spoke in a manner similar to Stephen Hawking.

Monday's show was the first part of a three day challenge. This show featured the first round of a game, interspersed with information about how Watson came to be. Watson dominated the the first half of the round, with a $5,200 lead, ahead of Rutter's $1,000 and Jenning's $200. Watson faltered in the second half, getting stumped on several pop culture questions. Watson and Rutter were tied at the end of the first round with $5,000, and Jennings had $2,000.

I predict that Watson will win in the end. After this contest is over, it'll be interesting to see what other purposes Watson is used for. Here's a show recap from J-Archive.com.

What's next, Tickle-Me Cthulhu?

I was going to write about "Stargate SG-1" today, but then I came upon this.

The regular readers of this blog (both of them) already know that I love Doctor Who. While I was checking Facebook this morning, I came across a video that my friend Jacob posted. It was an ad for the "Ride-In Dalek", an inflatable, life-sized model of the Doctor's arch-nemesis.

If you aren't familiar with the Doctor Who universe, allow me to explain what is so odd about these toys. The Daleks are a very hostile and xenophobic race, they believe that any form of life that isn't them should be destroyed. They've been known to give children nightmares, despite the fact that they look like over-sized salt shakers. And now they're being sold as play vehicles for children.

I'm not saying that these are inappropriate for children. It was just bizarre to watch the advert, and see smiling, happy children play inside a fictional killing-machine. It even comes with a voice box which plays some of the Dalek's catchphrases, including "We are the superior race" and "Halt, or you will be exterminated".

They sell in the UK for around £200 (about $322). Despite the fact that they're marketed towards kids, I wouldn't mind having one of these in my house. I wouldn't be able to ride it very often; I'd probably pop it after using it just once. It would, however, make an interesting conversation starter.

Here is the ad:

Tom and Crow would have a field day with this...

For the past several years, the Sci-Fi channel (stupidly renamed "SyFy" in 2009) has devoted it's Saturday night lineup to a series of movies, many of which they produced themselves. A vast majority of these films are B-movies; low-budget movies with horrid acting, tacky computer effects, and nonsensical plots. They're the kinds of movies you'd see on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". A lot of these movies fall under the category "so bad, it's good".

Most of these movies seem to involve giant or mutated animals, or concepts which were stolen from better, more profitable movies. Movies they've aired in the past include "Ice Spiders", "SS Doomtrooper", and their magnum opus, "Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus". In one of this movie's most notorious scenes, the title shark leaps out of the water and snatches a jumbo jet from the sky. No, really, it needs to be seen to be believed.

A lot of these movies are produced by a studio called "The Asylum". They're infamous for making cheap knock-offs of popular blockbusters, including "Snakes On A Train" and "Transmorphers". Not surprisingly,  20th Century Fox has a pending lawsuit against them. Apparently, The Asylum's movie "The Day The Earth Stopped" was too similar to their movie, "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

Their newest film, which sounds like a rip-off of one of their own movies, airs this Saturday on SyFy. It's called "Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid". In this gem, a team of scientists create a giant alligator in order to defeat a giant python created by a crazed animal rights activist. Both creatures go berserk and wreak havoc upon the state of Florida.

Maybe it's better than it sounds.

You can watch a scene from the movie here.

Coach Gary and the Daleks

I instantly fell in love with the BBC TV series Doctor Who when I first saw it a few years ago. Despite being introduced to the show in the new millennium, I saw the classic series (which ran from 1963-89) before seeing the modern series (which started in 2005). I like both of them for different reasons, but I have a slight preference towards the classic series. I could go into further detail, but that's not what I want to tell you about.

A few weeks ago, my younger brother, Jim, was at a team dinner for his high school swimming team, which I used to be a member of. Apparently, he mentioned to the team coach, Gary, that I was a die hard Whovian. At practice the next day, Coach Gary gave Jim a box. It was heavy, and had been formerly used to store bulk underwear. He asked Jim to give it to me.

I was reluctant to open the box at first. I knew my former coach had a twisted sense of humor, and was befuddled as to why he was giving me an old box of women's undergarments. Nevertheless, I opened it. Inside were about a hundred Doctor Who novels.

These books were mostly novelizations of classic DW television stories. A lot of them were based on episodes from the '60s which no longer existed. This was back in the day when it was cheaper to record over used tapes instead of buying new ones.

While the windfall was quite large, it wasn't a complete collection. There are still about 30 or 40 books still out there. Apparently the books are very hard to find outside of Britain, but can be found on eBay from time to time.

I just finished reading "Invasion Of The Dinosaurs", the 45th book in my new collection. This book is about exactly what you think it's about. Next up is "Death To The Daleks", featuring the Doctor's most infamous enemy (pictured above). I'll have to write more about them in a later post.

Greetings, earthlings!

Welcome to Chameleon Circuit!

This blog will consist of news, reviews, opinions, and other anecdotes about science and fantasy fiction. You can expect me to cover movies, TV programs, literature, comic books, video games, and all other media.

I'll be making at least two posts every week, so be sure to check back often!