Monday, February 27, 2017

Dave-El Does Hollywood: Oscars 2017 - The Aftermath

Here are the nominees for 10 categories for last night's Oscars, my picks for who would win and how I actually did. Out of 10 possible points, how did I do?  

Best Picture
  1. Arrival
  2. Fences
  3. Hacksaw Ridge
  4. Hell or High Water
  5. Hidden Figures
  6. La La Land
  7. Lion
  8. Manchester by the Sea
  9. Moonlight

main pick: La La Land 
back up pick: Moonlight 
actual winner: La La Land 
no, wait!
actual winner: Moonlight 
points awarded to myself:  1/2

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Best Director

  1. Damien Chazelle, La La Land
  2. Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
  3. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
  4. Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
  5. Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
main pick: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
back up pick: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
actual winner: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
points awarded to myself:  1

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Best Actor

  1. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
  2. Denzel Washington, Fences
  3. Ryan Gosling, La La Land
  4. Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
  5. Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
main pick: Denzel Washington, Fences
back up pick: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
actual winner: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
points awarded to myself:  1/2
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Best Actress

  1. Emma Stone, La La Land
  2. Natalie Portman, Jackie
  3. Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
  4. Isabelle Huppert, Elle
  5. Ruth Negga, Loving

main pick: Emma Stone, La La Land
back up pick: Isabelle Huppert, Elle
actual winner: Emma Stone, La La Land
points awarded to myself:  1
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Best Supporting Actor

  1. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
  2. Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
  3. Dev Patel, Lion
  4. Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
  5. Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

main pick: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
back up pick: Dev Patel, Lion
actual winner: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
points awarded to myself:  1
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Best Supporting Actress

  1. Viola Davis, Fences
  2. Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
  3. Naomie Harris, Moonlight
  4. Nicole Kidman, Lion
  5. Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures

main pick: Viola Davis, Fences
back up pick: Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
actual winner: Viola Davis, Fences
points awarded to myself:  1
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Best Adapted Screenplay

  1. Moonlight
  2. Arrival
  3. Fences
  4. Lion
  5. Hidden Figures

main pick: Moonlight
back up pick: Arrival
actual winner: Moonlight
points awarded to myself:  1
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Best Original Screenplay

  1. Manchester by the Sea
  2. La La Land
  3. Hell or High Water
  4. The Lobster
  5. 20th Century Women
main pick: Manchester by the Sea
back up pick: La La Land
actual winner: Manchester by the Sea
points awarded to myself:  1

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Best Animated Feature

  1. Zootopia
  2. Kubo and the Two Strings
  3. The Red Turtle
  4. My Life As a Zucchini
  5. Moana

main pick: Zootopia
back up pick: Maybe Moana but it looks like a lock for Zootopia unless one of the two "artier" entries (Kubo and the Two Strings or The Red Turtle) pulls a major upset.  
actual winner: Zootopia
points awarded to myself:  1

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BONUS PICK!!!

I normally don't make a pick for this one but let's take a look at....

Best Original Song

  1. “City of Stars,” La La Land
  2. “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
  3. “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
  4. “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
  5. “The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story

main pick: “City of Stars,” La La Land
back up pick: “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
actual winner: “City of Stars,” La La Land
points awarded to myself:  1

Bummer that Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't get his EGOT*.  

*Award winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar AND Tony.  

But not a bad turn for me this year with 9 out of a possible 10 points. I kind of took a chance with Denzel on Best Actor but I really thought the momentum was moving away from Casey Affleck. 
  
But Best Picture gets Steve Harvey'ed after Warren Beatty announces La La Land as the winner instead of Moonlight? Wow. It was down to the wire for those twp films and could've gone either way.  

And what do I get for my 9 out of 10 points? Self validation of my worth as a human being maybe? Also, I owe myself a frozen yogurt, that'll be nice. 90%. I'm OK with that.  

We're back with a new post on March 2nd which is the 4th anniversary of I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You. 

Until then, remember to be good to one another.  



Sunday, February 26, 2017

Dave-El Does Hollywood: Oscars 2017

On Monday, I posted that I wasn't posting to this blog again until March 2nd.  But I was forgetting the Oscars. 


Below are my picks for 9 categories.  

Disclaimers:
I have seen virtually none of the films and performances listed below. My assessments are made purely on whatever impressions I've gotten from various pop culture/movie review features I've seen on line or on cable TV. (The same way Donald Trump determines presidential priorities, except with a smidgeon more thought.)  

These are not opinions on who should win but who is expected to win.  Based on just the trailers, I'd say just give everything to the women in Hidden Figures and go home. 

Each category has a main pick. That's the one I would put in an Oscar pool if I were a betting man.  There is also a back up pick just to make me feel a little better. During the Oscars, I give myself a full point for each main pick and ahalf point for each back up i get right.  The higher my final score, the more value I place on myself as a living human being.  

OK, let's get started.   

Best Picture

  1. Arrival
  2. Fences
  3. Hacksaw Ridge
  4. Hell or High Water
  5. Hidden Figures
  6. La La Land
  7. Lion
  8. Manchester by the Sea
  9. Moonlight

La La Land was considered an early favorite months ago for Best Picture.  But there has been some backlash against the movie: 

1) criticism of the singing voices of the two leads, Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling. From the clips I've heard of these two singing, yeah, I've heard better but nothing as laughably bad as Russell Crowe in Les Misreables.

2) The movie is whiter than a jar of mayonnaise at a Republican prayer breakfast.  So attention has turned to more culturally diverse films such as Fences, Hidden Figures (no, not Hidden Fences) and Moonlight, the latter checking off boxes for race and sexual identity.  Still, I think the Best Picture trophy is La La Land's to lose. 

main pick: La La Land 
back up pick: Moonlight 

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Best Director

  1. Damien Chazelle, La La Land
  2. Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
  3. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
  4. Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
  5. Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge


Conventional wisdom is that Best Director and Best Picture tend to link up.  

In recent years, Conventional wisdom has been upended as much as its been followed,  Still, my main pick is going to Damien Chazelle for La La Land

main pick: Damien Chazelle, La La Land

back up pick: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

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Best Actor

  1. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
  2. Denzel Washington, Fences
  3. Ryan Gosling, La La Land
  4. Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
  5. Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic


Casey Affleck won nearly every critics’ accolade this season, but he lost the Screen Actors Guild trophy to Denzel Washington. Since 2003, every SAG winner in this category has gone on to take the Oscar. 

main pick: Denzel Washington, Fences
back up pick: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea


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Best Actress

  1. Emma Stone, La La Land
  2. Natalie Portman, Jackie
  3. Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
  4. Isabelle Huppert, Elle
  5. Ruth Negga, Loving

main pick: Emma Stone, La La Land
back up pick: Isabelle Huppert, Elle

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Best Supporting Actor

  1. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
  2. Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
  3. Dev Patel, Lion
  4. Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
  5. Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

main pick: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
back up pick: Dev Patel, Lion

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Best Supporting Actress

  1. Viola Davis, Fences
  2. Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
  3. Naomie Harris, Moonlight
  4. Nicole Kidman, Lion
  5. Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures

main pick: Viola Davis, Fences
back up pick: Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures


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Best Adapted Screenplay

  1. Moonlight
  2. Arrival
  3. Fences
  4. Lion
  5. Hidden Figures

main pick: Moonlight
back up pick: Arrival

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Best Original Screenplay

  1. Manchester by the Sea
  2. La La Land
  3. Hell or High Water
  4. The Lobster
  5. 20th Century Women


main pick: Manchester by the Sea

back up pick: La La Land


Best Animated Feature

  1. Zootopia
  2. Kubo and the Two Strings
  3. The Red Turtle
  4. My Life As a Zucchini
  5. Moana

main pick: Zootopia
back up pick: Maybe Moana but it looks like a lock for Zootopia unless one of the two "artier" entries (Kubo and the Two Strings or The Red Turtle) pulls a major upset.  

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BONUS PICK!!!

I normally don't make a pick for this one but let's take a look at....

Best Original Song

  1. “City of Stars,” La La Land
  2. “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
  3. “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
  4. “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
  5. “The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story


main pick: “City of Stars,” La La Land
back up pick: “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana

I'm really pulling for “How Far I’ll Go,” from Moana because i really want my man-crush Lin-Manuel Miranda to get his EGOT*.  

*Award winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar AND Tony.  
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There will be a post tomorrow to look at how i did with my guesses. After that, regular posting will resume MARCH 2nd. 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.   

Monday, February 20, 2017

Blog Bidness: the Moose out front should have told you

Okay readers of this blog should know that when you see a blog post titled Blog Bidness and that's a post about the blog itself.



In this case I would just take a few moments to establish a few things about the status of this blog.  

As of right now I'm shutting down this blog but it is my intention to get her started again as of March 2nd.The first blog post was on March 2nd 2013 and I think it'll be an appropriate date to get back to blogging on a regular basis.

I'm hoping by that point I've had some more physical therapy so I'll be able to type more easily and be able to start posting on the regular basis also maybe I figured out this talking to typing business but for now I need to dude until I'm ready to fully commit to it so March 2nd is the return of I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You and then after that there will be a series of post explaining what the heck is been going on for the last 2 months. 

I've mentioned a couple of times that part of the problem is an injury I sustained and that injury was where I fell and shattered my left elbow and broke part of my left arm I did have surgery on the elbow I'm currently under Physical Therapy trying to get worse for movement and strength to that arm my right arm was not injured overtly but it was still no like many fall your body her and plus because my left hand doesn't left arm doesn't work my right on it's been doing all the work so I'm going with soreness there so it's basically both hands are not there. More about that incident of what happened then and afterwards will be forthcoming.  

Anyway thank you for your time and patience those who have on this basis I just don't want to be one of those bloggers or just something stop doing what they're doing without saying something so just let you know that you probably won't see anything new or even an encore post on this post on his blog until March 2nd so there is that unless something really really really really really really really really really really gets my attention I just can't wait so there's that 

Thank you very much and as always remember to be good to one another.  

Sunday, February 19, 2017

The Next Doctor Who: Rumours and Odds


















You're welcome to another post here on I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You a Blog powered by the quill pen and a jar of Ink. 

I'm Dave-El and I access the internet via carrier pigeon.

As I noted in previous posts, my ability to post to this Blog has been limited by the injury I sustained back in January which has resulted in it being very very very very difficult to type things. 

However there are Technologies apparently available here in the 21st century will need to compose a Blog without necessarily have to type all these words so bear with me while I use this opportunity to see how this works updating my blog FOR Today's post is about Doctor Who.

I want to follow up on post and I made on February 5th regarding speculation on who is going to be the next Doctor,; "wildly" is probably the most appropriate word to use in describing this speculation because it is way way way way too early.

The next producer of the show,Chris Chibnall, is still finishing up work on the third series of Broadchurch and won't formally take over the reins of Doctor Who until later this year. I have an idea that we may have good get to the end of the Christmas special with Peter Capaldi's 12th doctor in the middle of the Regeneration and we may still have no clear idea who's going to be the next Doctor

When the 10th doctor regenerate it at the end of the end of time part 2 we were introduced to the concept of regeneration reset where the existing doctor would actually restore his current features before formally and completely regenerate into his next tour this concept was Revisited at the End of Time of the Doctor when the 11th doctor regenerate into the 12th doctor it is very possible that maybe come to the end of the Christmas special for 2017 that Peter Capaldi could film regeneration scene but not have his replacement available at that time so there's that that doesn't stop the speculation from moving on and there's been some recent movement and people on the list to replace Peter Capaldi as the Doctor in Doctor Who.

OK, this talking to type stuff is a bit weird so I'm going to be a bit lazy and paste some stuff from Bleeding Cool.com.


Kris Marshall  has been usurped, it seems, by Doctor Strange star Tilda Swinton, according to the latest odds. Swinton leads the pack with 7/2 odds, while Marshall has fallen to second place at 4/1. 




Bleeding Cool’s pick, Olivia Colman, is in third with 5/1, followed by Maxine Peake, Richard Ayoade, Andrew Buchan, early favorite Ben Wishaw, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Reece Shearsmith, and Andrew Scott.

If you’re wondering why so many women are on the list, that’s because the calls for the Doctor to regenerate as a woman seem louder than ever. So far, we’ve seen Peter Capaldi, Billie Piper, and David Tennant all rooting for a female Doctor. 





Capaldi announced back in January that he would leave the show after the upcoming tenth season, which debuts on April 15, regenerating into a new actor during the next Christmas special and giving Chibnall a clean start.

Of course, odds are likely to change many times as we get closer to actually choosing a new Doctor, and more concrete information than the current rampant speculation becomes available.


Below is a list of 10 actors and current betting odds to be cast as the next Doctor on Doctor Who


  1. Tilda Swinton  7/2
  2. Kris Marshall  4/1
  3. Olivia Colman  5/1
  4. Maxine Peake  8/1
  5. Richard Ayoade  10/1
  6. Andrew Buchan  10/1
  7. Ben Wishaw 10/1
  8. Phoebe Waller-Bridge 12/1
  9. Reece Shearsmith 12/1
  10. Andrew Scott 16/1
And that is what I can manage for today.  Thanks for dropping by. And remember to be good to one another. 

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

ENCORE POST: The Mad Scientist's Lament: What I'm Tired of Hearing

Hi there! Dave-El here, continuing to endure my house arrest here at the Fortress of Ineptitude, still recovering from the shattering of mt left elbow and the subsequent surgery to repair said elbow.  



Yesterday, I had my 1st session with a physical therapist as we work to have me engage in such complex physical feats like reaching above my head, Also, pointing. 

Maybe soon I will have two working arm-themed appendages to facilitate posting to this blog on a regular basis on such urgent topics like whatever dumbass thing Donald Trump did 15 minutes ago. 

In the meantime, here is another Encore post from four years ago; this one originally posted on Friday, March 8, 2013.


The Mad Scientist's Lament: What I'm Tired of Hearing

The topic #ImTiredOfHearing was trending on Twitter on the evening of March 8th and I thought, what the hell? :Let's share that story about my mutated alligators. 


Er, not really mine, they were...ah, here...yes, here when I got...here.


·        #ImTiredOfHearing those blood curdling screams from the basement. Really, how long does it take a mutant alligator to eat 2 teenagers?

·        Also #ImTiredOfHearing my so-called fellow scientists mock my experiments with alligator mutations. There are no useful applications? Ha!


·        And #ImTiredOfHearing banks turn me down for funding of my experiments. "No marketable use for mutated alligators," they said. The nerve!


·        I would say #ImTiredOfHearing my girlfriend whine that I spent too much time on my experiments &not with her. But I fed her to an alligator.


·        I honestly can't say #ImTiredOfHearing my lab assistant say , "Yes, Master, I shall fetch another victim." Some things just never get old.


·        However #ImTiredOfHearing him breaking test tubes & beakers. Dammit, those cost money! Maybe I should feed some of his toes to the alligators?


·        Sometimes #ImTiredOfHearing the snapping & roaring of the mutated alligators in the pit. Oh, why didn't I mutate bunnies? Bunnies are quiet.


·        #ImTiredOfHearing my mother nag me! "You should do something with your life!" "I am, mother! These alligators will not mutate themselves!"


·         #ImTiredOfHearing the voices in my head: "Mutate the alligators! MUTATE THEM!" Shut up, voices! I'm working on it! You're NOT my mother!"


·        Finally #ImTiredOfHearing this police officer read me my rights. Apparently its illegal to feed people to mutated alligators. Who knew?


------------------------------

Thanks for dropping by. And remember to be good to one another. 

Amd I do miss being more of a regular presence on this blog.



Click here for the September 2013 post this graphic 1st appeared.  

Thursday, February 9, 2017

ENCORE Post: The Amazing Dave-Man in How To Fly

Hi there! Dave-El here in the Fortress of Ineptitude still struggling with the physical limitations of a broken arm and orthopedic surgery on a dislocated elbow. 

Yes, the operative is indeed "ouch".  

The story of my injury and all that has occurred since will make for a few "interesting" posts once I have full function to type stuff. 

Not wanting to let this blog lie fallow for too long, below is an encore post of something I wrote back in 2013.  

Enjoy!

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Monday, March 4, 2013
The Amazing Dave-Man in How To Fly

I read comic books. Yeah, I know, I'm way past the age I should be reading these things but what can I say? I still enjoy reading them. Today, we call them graphic novels to sound pretensious but hey, they're still comic books. 

My habit of reading comic books began when I was a very young boy. Of course, back then comic books were printed on stone tablets. (Ha. Ha.) But seriously, I started off with comics aimed at really young kids. I remember reading Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich. Anyone remember Casper & Richie Rich? Of course, Casper was the ghost of Richie Rich who had killed himself in despair that his massive weath could not buy true happiness. 

For anyone who remembered reading these comics as a child, sorry if I shattered any childhood innocence. 

But from these books, I began to read comics for older kids. Now, comics are not just about super heroes. There are comics about western cowboys, space explorers, monster fighters, war soldiers and...okay, mostly it was about super heroes. Oh did I glom on to these bright colored characters with their amazing powers. 

The strength of the Incredible Hulk. 

The speed of the Flash. 

The agility of Spider-man. 

The ability of Wonder Woman to fight enemies without a wardrobe malfunction. 

Of course, as a youngster, I was not just content to read these astonishing exploits; I was determined to act them out. 

So with a towel tucked in the collar of my shirt...like so!...and I battled the forces of evil, injustice, excessive homework and early bedtimes as the magnificent...DAVE-MANNNNNN!!!!

And like all super heroes, I had an arch nemesis...known as The Mad Mother.

(As Dave-man) "Dave-Man fights the terrible PLANT MONSTER!" 

(As Mad Mother) "David! Put down the potted plant before you break it!" 

(As Dave-man) "Oh no! Innocents trapped behind that stone wall! Dave-Man to the rescue with....LASER VISION!" 

(As Mad Mother) "David! The flashlight is not a toy! Put it down before you break it!" 

(As Dave-man) "Oh no! A gazillion ninjas! Dave-Man will fight them with his super speed!" 

(As Mad Mother) "David! Stop running around like a crazy person before you break an arm or a leg!" 

And so it went. Dave-man was dedicated to the defeat of Mad Mother. Until she gave me a cookie. 

But the super power I most wanted to emulate was the power of flight. 

(Well, when I was sixteen, I really wished I had x-ray vision. But THAT's another story.) 

But the power to fly...oh, what a wonderful feeling to soar free over the masses of people, to slip the bonds of earth, to feel the wind in my hair and the bugs in my teeth. 

OK, we can skip that last part. 

Once there was a time, even in the fantastic world of comic book superheroes, being able to fly was a big deal. Most heroes had to make doing with leaping and bounding. A few could fly: Hawkman had wings, Wonder Woman glided on air currents. Iron Man had jets in his boots. My favorite flight ability belonged to the mighty Thor. Thor would swing his big magic hammer around and around and around and then hurl it away but he wouldn't let go so the hammer literally pulled Thor along. So it was very important for Thor to know the right direction he was going because turning around was not an option. 

(As a damsel) "Thor! Save me, Thor! Wait! You're going the wrong way...."

(As Thor) "Please hold tight while inertia overcomes the forward momentum of my thrown hammer and I'll get back to you....." 

But today, a lot of super heroes can fly and its almost a given regardless of the power set. 

(As a random hero) "I am Capt Squash. I have dominion over squash and certain zuccini. Oh, and I can fly." 

But as absurd as the ability to fly is, even amongst comic book super heroes, it is the one ability that may be within your grasp. 

If you want super strenght or heat vision, you're going to need mystic artifacts, alien visitation, strange radiation and more. 

But I can teach you to fly. In two easy steps. 

Now, in the essence of full disclosure, this is not an original concept. Douglas Adams who wrote The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy and all subsequent sequels and spin offs postulated this two step process to learning how to fly. 

Step one: Hurl yourself at the ground. 

Step two: Miss. 

Now step one is very easy: hurling yourself at the ground. But step two, that's tricky. In order to miss the ground, you require a moment of extraordinary distraction. Someone popping out from behind a hedge with an extremely unexpected declaration of love or a particularly garish outfit, for example. 

But once this moment of distraction is accomplished and you have missed the ground, you will be able to fly. 

A couple of thing for when you first learn to fly: 

1) Do not listen to anything anyone says to you at this moment. For anyone witnessing this will likely not say anything helpful. More like, "You cannot possibly be doing that." And then you won't and down you come. 

2) Don't look down. Looking down will only accent how impossible what you're doing can be. And you're liable to think, "I cannot possibly doing this." And then you won't and you know the rest. 

But once you hit that moment of distraction, it will be easier and easier to take flight and soon you will be soaring with the birds. 

Oh, I can teach you the power to talk to birds. However, I can't help you to understand them.

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Looking for a graphic to accompany this ENCORE post from 2013, I decided to include this photo of Lady Gaga flying at the 2017 Super Bowl. 


Just because...

Why not?

Until next time, remember to be good to one another. 

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Doctor Who: Time for Change?

Earlier last week, Peter Capaldi almost off-handedly dropped the news that 2017 would be his last year as the Doctor on Doctor Who. 

Speculation on who the next Doctor should or might be is a topic that is never far from the thoughts of Doctor Who fans but it is a topic that gains a certain amount of urgency when the actual casting of a new Doctor is on the line. 

SO let's commence a fresh round of speculation with some input from a prior Doctor.  

David Tennant Thinks Olivia Colman Should Be the Next Doctor on Doctor Who

By

Guessing who the next doctor on Doctor Who might be commences we’ll miss you, Peter Capaldi, you had a great run — tenth Doctor David Tennant has decided to weigh in on whom he believes the next leading Time Lord should be. 

So don’t blink when we tell you he thinks his Broadchurch co-star Olivia Colman should be at the top of the list. Keep your eyes open! “Olivia would clearly be a magnificent choice,” Tennant told The World of One. “If you have the right people telling the right stories then it’s absolutely a possibility.” 



Colman recently won a Golden Globe for her performance in The Night Manager, and she’s starred in quite a few popular shows across the pond including Broadchurch, Peep Show, and Fleabag.

While it’s certainly a bit too early to expect the BBC to name an immediate Doctor replacement —  Capaldi’s last season hasn’t even yet begun airing — prominent British bookmakers have already begun putting odds on who will be cast in the role next. 

And apparently, they agree that it might be time for the first woman Doctor: Colman is currently topping the list by a decent margin of 8-1 odds, followed by Richard Ayoade, James Norton, Reece Shearsmith, and Ben Whishaw.

The idea of Olivia Colman as the Doctor is one that i put forth here on this blog last year.  

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Hi there, Whovians!  Dave-El with a new Sunday post about our favoriest TV show ever, Doctor Who. 

Today, I want to share a theory. I have absolutely NO basis in fact for this theory. I have read NOTHING, seen or heard NOTHING to give any credence to this theory. As far as I know, this theory has just bubbled fully formed in my unbalanced brain with zero input from any outside sources. 

It is a theory that centers around a much debated subject among Whovians, who will be the next Doctor? 

Peter Capaldi has hinted that his third go-round as the Doctor may be his last and what with the change over of producers from Steven Moffat to Chris Chibnall over the course of 2017 and 2018, it does seem like the timing might be right for such a change. Moffat started with a brand new Doctor when he took over the reins from Russell T Davies. 

Assuming such a change in Doctors is forthcoming, who might Chris Chibnall consider casting? 

Producers may have an idea of who they might want but they rely on casting directors who may have other ideas. Steven Moffat has said that he was considering an older Doctor when he took over the show but then someone brought in this punk kid still wet behind the ears from high school and voila, the legend of Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor was born. 

But sometimes producers do have some idea of actors they want to work with, perhaps because they've worked with them before. David Tennant certainly had an in with the Russell Davies team due to his portrayal of a young Casanova in a previous project for Davies. Back in the classic series, Peter Davison got the nod because John Nathan-Turner had worked with him on All Creatures Great and Small. 

So who might Chris Chibnall have rattling about his head as a possible Doctor? 

What little I know of Chris's work outside of this previous Doctor Who scripts is watching Broadchurch with my wife. So I started thinking about the cast of that show and began wondering, "Who would make a good Doctor?"   

A couple of people from Broadchurch are out. Sorry, David Tennant and Arthur Darvill. But as I think over the rest of the cast, I really didn't find anyone leaping out at me as a possibility to play the Doctor. 

Except one. 

Before I unveil this person, let me set the scene a bit. 

Steven Moffat has a full year to prep for his blow out final season as the top dog of Doctor Who and Moffat knows how to crank things up to 11. 

Chris Chibnall has to follow up this very popular and beloved producer who is going to have a kick ass final season and he's thinking, "I'm so screwed." Chris is facing a situation where no matter what he does, he's going to come up short or at least be perceived as such. So faced with the prospect of facing an uphill battle against the Moffat Myth and the strict attentions of Whovians waiting to see how Chibnall is going to follow this up, Chris may decide to go for broke and do something unprecedented. 

Something that Moffat has been preparing us for. 

A female Doctor. 

So let's go back to Broadchurch and suddenly a strong pick for the next Doctor becomes almost unavoidably obvious. 

Olivia Colman. 

As Detective Ellie Miller, Colman impressed me with her dramatic depth but leavened with flashes of humor, particularly in her interactions with Tennant's Alec Hardy. She displayed a range that would make her an ideal Doctor.

And if fans were worried that a female Doctor would be portrayed by some young fashion model, Colman has an unconventional style that belies that concern. I could see Olivia in a style echoing the 10th Doctor.

And yes, I know OIivia Colman has already been on Doctor Who in The Eleventh Hour. Well, being on DW before didn't stop Peter Capaldi, did it? 

Anyway, that's my crazy "next Doctor" theory. Not saying it's original. It's a big world out there and who am I to presume this idea hasn't crossed anyone else's mind? But the pieces are there and I wouldn't be surprised if events take a turn in the general direction I'm imagining. 

Over on bleeding cool.com, Rich Johnston weighed in on the idea of Olivia Colman as the Doctor.   

Olivia Colman Now The Bookie’s Favourite To Be The New Doctor Who 

Yesterday, we reported on the bookmaker William Hill’s odds on who will be playing the next Doctor Who. And how Ben Whishaw was their 6/1 favourite. At the time Olivia Colman was 20/1.


Well, it appears that someone read it.
William Hill have now made her their favourite to take the role, on 8/1 odds while Ben Whishaw has crashed down to 12/1.

This is the first time a bookmaker has ever made a female actor the odds on favourite to be the next Doctor.
But also, coming in at 14/1, is a new entry, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, of Crashing, Fleabag and the upcoming Killing Eve.

Well, that would be rather fun as well, wouldn’t it?
Here ate the current odds in full.

8/1
Olivia Colman

10/1
James Norton
Reece Shearsmith
Richard Ayoade

12/1
Ben Whishaw
Jason Flemyng
Rory Kinnear

14/1
Phoebe Waller-Bridge

16/1
Andrew Scott
Ben Daniels
Chris Addison
David Harewood
Robert Carlyle
Rupert Grint

20/1
Adrian Lester
Alexander Vlahos
Daniel Kaluuya
Domhnall Gleeson
Hayley Atwell
Russell Tovey
Sheridan Smith
Stephen Fry
Vicky McClure

25/1
David Morrissey
David Tennant
David Walliams
Gemma Arterton
Helena Bonham Carter
Idris Elba
James Purefoy
Lara Pulver
Rhys Ifans
Steve Pemberton
Suranne Jones
Tom Hiddleston

33/1
Alan Davies
Alexandra Roach
Benedict Cumberbatch
Billie Piper
Catherine Tate
Eddie Redmayne
Michelle Dockery
Paterson Joseph
Tilda Swinton

40/1
Christopher Eccleston
James Corden
Philip Glenister

50/1
Martin Freeman

66/1
Daniel Craig

At any rate, it would seem that any such speculation on the next Doctor is more than a bit pre-mature.  

It's Going to Be a Long Time Before We Hear About Peter Capaldi's Doctor Who Replacement
by James Whitbrook

Earlier this week, Peter Capaldi confirmed that he would be departing Doctor Who at the end of 2017—and instantaneously, media outlets across the world began pondering just who will step in the TARDIS next. But if you’re excited to here about a Post-Moffat, Post-Capaldi Who right now... you’re gonna have to wait.

Amidst the frenzied speculation and bookmakers odds flinging around the internet this week, the Radio Times reports what while Capaldi’s decision to leave Doctor Who has been known for a while inside the BBC, the process of finding his successor has yet to begin—and won’t be beginning for at least several more months. This is mainly because the search for the thirteenth Doctor will only get away when incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall is ready to begin laying out the plans for his first season on the show, which is currently expected to air in Autumn 2018.
That process won’t begin at least until the middle of this year, according to the Radio Times, as Chibnall is still hard at work putting the finishing touches on the third and final season of his popular crime drama Broadchurch. 

Chibnall told Radio Times he expects to take a short break after finishing Broadchurch before he starts preparing Doctor Who’s eleventh season—partially because of the hectic nature of moving from managing one big show to another, but also to give Capaldi and Moffat the chance to finish production of their final season of Who without the specter of their replacements hanging over them. 

So while there’s the closest thing to a hard date on when we’ll see the next Doctor in action—they’ll be a part of Capaldi’s regeneration scene in the 2017 Christmas special, presumably—it’s going to be a good few months before we hear anything official about who’ll be playing the new Doctor, and then an even longer wait for season 11. Although I guess Doctor Who fans are getting pretty good at waiting for things at this point.

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By the way, sorry for all the cutting and pasting from the works of others. I'm still dealing with a broken arm which makes typing my own material exceedingly difficult. I'm hoping for a more complete recovery soon in the weeks to come as I very much miss having this forum.  

As always, remember to be good to one another. 



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