Happy 50th Birthday Doctor Who!

This is the year many of us longtime Doctor Who fans thought we wouldn’t see, the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who! Sure we would have had an anniversary, but the fact that after the show went off the air and all hope was lost, it has come back stronger then ever is so cool!!  Doctor Who first was aired on BBC on November 23, 1963 after much planning by BBC Head of Drama, Sydney Newman, producer Verity Lambert, Waris Hussein, director of the very first Doctor Who episode and several others to bring the story of the mysterious traveler from outer space, who travels in a blue police box.

To really celebrate the founding of this amazing show, there will be  a docudrama called “An Adventures in Time and Space” written by Mark Gatiss, writer of several Doctor Who episodes and Sherlock , which chronicles the initial founding and filming of this long running series. For me one the most exciting part, for the Doctor Who geek I am, is that  William Russell, Ian Chesterton, one of the Doctor’s first traveling companions and Carole Ann Ford, the Doctor’s mysterious and often discussed granddaughter, will be making an appearance. William Russell is 88!!! Sure they won’t be playing their original roles, which would be themselves, but it will be so neat to see them. Also in the production will be Brian Cox as Sydney Newman, Jessica Raine (of Find the Midwife fame and recently seen on the Doctor Who episode Hide) as Verity Lambert and David Bradley as William Hartnell, the first actor to play the Doctor. On a side note, David Bradley was recently seen in Doctor Who opposite Matt Smith, in the episode Dinosaurs on a Spaceship as a ruthless buccaneer.

I really CANNOT wait for this movie. I’m going to have to unplug/turn off my phone the night I watch it. In addition to this, BBC America has been featuring once a month, one of the past Doctors’ “classic” episodes. It has been really fun to watch the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and Jamie outwit the Cyberman or to see the  Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, fight the Autons. Much fun! And prior to the episode, the actors and people involved, are interviewed. Some sadness for those who left us, some too early, but also lots of fun.

So enjoy, celebrate and Happy Birthday Doctor!!!

-Christine

Call the Midwife!

Last year, I had head about a series that was going to be aired on BBC, “Call the Midwife”. It looked interesting but I didn’t get around to seeing it. A couple of weeks ago, I happened upon a reference to it and thought, wow I forgot I wanted to see that. Luckily, the library owns a copy of the 6 episode of series one. I got my hands on it and was hooked! The show, based upon the true life memoirs of Jennifer Worth, follows Jenny Lee, a young nurse and midwife in late 1950s England, who goes to work at Nonatus House, a nursing convent in the poor section of London, the East End. England’s National Health Service provides midwives to the area, they not only deliver the children, but they do well-being visits and follow-up baby visits.

We see an array of women that initially one feels a sort of a sense of contempt for, 10 kids being an average, poverty, squalor, disease, but eventually you start viewing these women as heroines as does our main character Jenny Lee. The show is an emotional roller coaster. There are so many heartfelt moments and even a bit of humor thrown in. It is also a fascinating look at the time period and the health system. All of these women are heroines, the mothers, the midwives and especially the nuns who keep everything together.

So far there is only series one that has aired here in the states but there also is a series two currently being broadcast on BBC. If you get a chance to see this show, please do. It is truly inspiring.

-Christine

He’s Back!!!

Sunday is Oscar night when Hollywood puts on their tuxes and gowns to celebrate the year’s best in film. I am very excited about watching it this year! Billy Crystal is back!!! Yay! After Eddie Murphy backed out (thank you!), it was announced he would be hosting.  Starting in 1990, Billy has hosted on and off 8 times. This Sunday will make it 9, second to Bob Hope who hosted 18 times!

Billy has had many very funny and memorable moments on the show… Billy being wheeled out ala Hannibal Lecter, or his hysterical introductions of the nominated films (paying tribute to Titanic with the Gilligan Island’s theme).  He is just funny enough to make what seems like an endless show (editing for a short documentary award, anyone??) be pleasurable. After suffering through last year’s James Franco and Anne Hathaway debacle, it is so nice to see Billy back. It has been too long, 8 too long years.

And what better way to show his humor as this, after he accepted the hosting job, he tweeted  ” Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show.”

So am I.

-Christine

Sunday Night with Zombies!

Sunday nights… family dinners…. laughter… heartwarming stories, but recently something new has taken over Sunday nights for many families across America, I know it has in mine.  Its not just Sunday night with the family, but its Sunday nights  with “The Walking Dead”!  The show, which is based on the graphic novel created by Robert Kirkman, that follows a group of survivors during a zombie, they call them “Walkers”, apocalypse. The main character is Deputy Rick Grimes,  who woke up from a coma only to find his wife and son gone and the world in shambles. He eventually meets up with some survivors, including his wife and son, as well as Shane, his former co-worker and best friend. There are an assortment of other characters, some who surprise us as they are not what they appear to be on the surface. The show isn’t just mindless zombie violence (though that is fun!), but includes a lot of character development as well. I’m not watching a bunch of characters I hate, hoping they get killed off. Instead, I’m watching people I like and who I want to succeed in not getting eaten. So far the story has varied from the comics, but there are still elements of it in the show. “The Walking Dead” is currently in its second season on AMC at 8pm CST, it  is usually repeated right again at 9 and then is followed by an “after the show” special that has stars from and fans of the show. Its doing fantastic in the ratings and has been picked up for a third season. Seriously, if you like zombies (like me), give this show a try!

-Christine

RIP Brigadier

“Chap with wings, five rounds rapid”… with great sadness, I read today that Nicholas Courtney who portrayed the Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart passed away at the age of 81. If you are a Doctor Who fan, then you know just how important the “Brig” is to Doctor Who. Friend, sometimes foe, morally strong, leader of UNIT, he never failed to bring a smile to my face every time he was on the screen. He had the best lines and delivered them with such seriousness that they became unforgettable. As if it were a daily occurence that one had to shoot a moving gargoyle terrorizing the country side! Unbelievable? Nope, Nicholas was that good of an actor that the out of the ordinary was believable. He is also the only Doctor Who companion (and actor) to appear with the most doctors (5), starting in 1968 to 1989. He briefly revived his character in 2008 for the Sarah Jane Adventures. In his later years, he also continued to work as the “Brig” on audio episodes of Doctor Who.  A friend to conventions and appearances, he was always kind and gracious to his fans and to the show’s fans.  Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss called him “the sweetest of gentleman”.

Godspeed Nick, our dear Brigadier ….  say hello to Patrick, Jon and Ian…. we will miss you and thank you.

-Christine

God Bless The Vicar, Of Dibley That Is!

My love of all Britcoms continues in my latest TV watching vice… The Vicar of Dibley. The show stars the fantastically talented Dawn French. Dawn is the French half of the very funny French and Saunders comedy duo, who brought us Absolutely Fabulous. The show was created by Richard Curtis of Four Weddings and a Funeral fame, specifically for her.

Geraldine Granger is a bodacious and lively female vicar who is sent to the very small and rural town of Dibley. While there she meets a variety of “interesting” characters namely the village council. There is the arrogant multimillionaire, David Horton who initially tries to get Geraldine fired, and his thick as a plank son Hugo. Hugo loves Alice Tinker, the church verger, who is so dense that at one point, after reading the Da Vinci Code, she is sure she is a descendent of Jesus Christ. There is Frank Pickle, a man who never met a speech or a story he couldn’t drag out for hours on end. He is well-known for putting people to sleep. Jim Trott is an elderly gentleman who says no-no-no-no before most of his sentences. This turned into a problem when he was asked if it was a deal on the British version of “Deal or No Deal”. You can only imagine. Owen Newitt is a farmer with extremely poor hygiene and some rather adult interests. He is Geraldine’s biggest supporter and along with David Horton, wanted to marry her. There was also Letitia Cropley, who died early in the series…. she was especially known for her cooking…. parsnip brownies or pancakes with  a hint of liver, anyone??

From the Easter Bunny incident, to Dalek Bridesmaids,  to Geraldine’s real middle name (think Mary Poppins songs) this show is a classic! Throw in some bawdy humor and a fantastic ensemble cast, add Dawn French who  is one of the best comediennes of our time and you have a must see. There are some great guest stars, Sting and Sean Bean,  for example and some really touching moments such as the special involving the Make Poverty History campaign or the church service for animals that despite sounding silly, was quite heartfelt. The Fountaindale Library owns all the DVD releases of the show, so check out our catalog for this and other Britcoms.

Enjoy!!

-Christine

They’re Too Much!

Does the name “Heat Miser” mean anything to you? Do images of little  men dancing with straw hats fill your head? Then you are one of the many devoted fans of the Rankin/ Bass stop-motion Christmas specials that ran (and still run) ad nauseam during the month of December starting back in the mid 60′s.  Everyone remembers “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and even “Frosty the Snowman” . Those were just too pedestrian for me, I wanted something campy and fun (even though I didn’t know what campy was at the time)… well, I found it with my favorite Christmas special,  “The Year Without a Santa Claus”. It didn’t run often, and I think it even took a break for several years… but I never forgot it.

The show opens with Santa dealing with a bad cold. His doctor tells him he needs to make changes this Christmas….  Santa, feeling that people really don’t believe much in him anymore and not feeling well, decides to take a holiday. Two of his elves, Jingle and Jangle,  decide to set out to find people who still believe in Santa. They fly off  on a very young Vixen, run into some trouble and end up in Southtown USA. There Vixen is mistaken for a dog and sent to the pound, where she get sick from the hot weather (she is a reindeer after all!). The skeptical mayor promises the elves if they can get it to snow this Christmas in Southtown and prove themselves to truly be magical, Vixen will be freed. 

The elves have to go ask two very scary people for help… the Miser brothers! What follows is one of the most memorable and outrageous song and dance routines ever done by cartoon characters in a children’s Christmas special.The Snow Miser controls the climate in the North, he’s “Mister White Christmas”, he’s “Mister Icicle”, he’s “Mister 10 Below”, he likes things to turn to snow in his clutch!  The Heat Miser controls the climate in the south, he’s “Mister Green Christmas”, he’s “Mister Sun”, he loves it over 100 degrees, he likes to have things melt in his clutch  (he’s too much!). Accompanied by mini versions of themselves as a chorus line, each brother gets a chance to sing and dance. The elves try to convince the brothers to, for one day let it snow in the snow and be hot in the north. They won’t stand for it…. and after their respective musical numbers, they fight. So the elves call on their mother, “Mother Nature”, who makes them compromise.

Meanwhile, Santa comes to Southtown to help. The children of the world decide if that if he won’t come to them, they will make him presents. We get the song “Blue Christmas”! Santa is moved…. it snows in Southtown, Vixen is freed and Christmas is saved!  Happy ending. And children everywhere, are left singing “I’m Mister Green Christmas….”! And yes, they sell Miser action figures, t-shirts and Halloween costumes.  

-Christine

 

Looking Marvelous!

Any fan of TLC’s “What Not To Wear” knows who Clinton Kelly is. Those of you who don’t What Not To Wear is a reality program where Clinton and his co-host, Stacy London, who have both worked in the fashion world, do makeovers for the woefully in need. The new season debuted on Oct. 26th with former Facts of Life star Mindy Cohen in need of help. I’ve been watching the show, based off a British show of the same name, pretty much since it debuted in 2003.

Clinton  has also written several books, the newest being “Oh No She Didn’t:  the Top 100 Style Mistakes Women Make and How To Avoid Them” This book is hysterical yet  sadly true! Each 100 examples has a very funny picture, some staged some actual fashion faux pas. Some of my favorites include “matching your mate” , “hairy legs under hose” , ”pajamas in public” (which really is a very annoying trend!!! Why oh why???), he even takes on “bad posture” !  Clinton is outspoken and some might say not always very nice….  but he does offer advice on how to change these mistakes. For example with the “I give up dress” which is basically the ugly shapeless boxy dresses so many women (me included) purchase at some point, he actually tells you a few simple facts to look for in any dress you buy. If you take one thing away just remember, if it looks like a box on the hanger, what do you think it will look like on you??? And importantly, dress the body you are in! Don’t dress and shop for “I want to lose 10 lbs”.

Clinton has also authored the book “Freakin” Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate and Generally Be Better Than anyone Else”  , “Dress Your Best: the Complete Guide to Finding the Style That’s Right for Your Body”, and of course there is a “What Not to Wear: Mom Makeovers” DVD. So check one out, have some fun and learn if you are a fashion victim!! Oh my!

- Christine

Being Human Isn’t Easy

What do a slightly dorky werewolf, a dark, handsome vampire and a cheery ghost have in common? They are all roommates, each trying to overcome their curses and trying to be human in the show “Being Human”. You might think this is a comedy, but it’s not. Originally broadcast in England, the show is now airing its second season on BBC America.

The show’s first main character is Annie, the resident ghost.  When alive, Annie was a bride-to-be looking forward to a promising future when an accidental fall kills her. She misses her fiance and hovers over him… eventually discovering the actual cause of her death (you can’t miss it!).  Annie likes to make tea that she cannot drink, normally has a sunny disposition and is quite a lot of fun to be around. Only other ghosts, vampires and werewolves could see her initially, but soon others could until recently. Sadly for her, the situation has again reverted back to her not being seen by the human world.  Despite this, she continues to try to help others. Oh, and she also wears the same clothes for eternity!

The next main character is Mitchell the vampire. He works as a hospital porter and yes, he can go out in the daytime (only needing sunglasses for his eyes).  Mitchell was bitten during WWI by a  vampire named Herrick, who was scouting around bodies of soldiers looking for anyone alive that he could feed on. Mitchell made a promise to Herrick that he could turn him into a vampire in exchange for not killing his men. In his early days, Mitchell became quite a hero and legend in the vampire community. He has made several attempts to give up blood and has recently created a support group for other vampires to try to do the same. AA for vampires!

The final main character is George, the Werewolf.  George was on holiday in Scotland when a werewolf attacked him and his friend. His friend was killed, George was scratched and the rest is history. Despite a high IQ and speaking various languages, George is also a hospital porter working alongside Mitchell. He falls in love with a nurse, Nina and all is going well until she gets scratched by George the werewolf. George feels extreme guilt for what he has done to her. He tries to “cope” with his condition but locking himself in a cage and drugging himself during his transformations… but you can’t keep the wolf at bay. If he can’t come out and play during a full moon… he will find other ways to get out.

There are a variety of supporting characters human and non-human. I really like the storyline of there being a sub-culture existing around us humans for centuries, protected by some (many times police),  pursued by others, and infiltrating our society’s  highest ranks. Don’t go into it expecting “Twilight” with brooding beautiful people, this show is fairly gritty and not always pretty. The main characters just want to have normal lives and are really struggling with their situations (which are certainly not glamorized). Season one is soon to come out on DVD, so catch it if you can.

-Christine

Reconsidering Nellie

As a child, I grew up enchanted with Little House on the Prairie. My best friend and I would fight over who would be  sweet Mary or if the mood struck, tomboy Laura….  never, EVER did either of us want to be Nellie Olson. Nellie was the meanest, most spoiled, most  selfish girl in all of Walnut Grove! For years she and her mother, the evil Mrs. Olson, terrorized the poor, good Ingalls family to no end!  As stories go, however, Nellie was eventually tamed ala Shrew, by Percival Dalton, she became nice (with still a few flashes of chutzpah) and eventually left town.

I had read the biographies of Melissa Gilbert (Laura) and Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary) when I heard Alison Arngrim (Nellie herself!) was coming out with her own book.  “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Olson and Learn to Love Being Hated“.  I read the book in two days. This book is excellent.

Alison grew up in a showbiz family, her mother voiced Casper, Gumby and many others. Her brother Stefan was in the tv show “Land of the Giants” and became a teen idol. But her life was not idyllic. Her brother, addicted to drugs and alcohol abused her as a small child for several years. But this isn’t a book about sour grapes or a tell all lurid tale. Playing Nellie Olson gave her an outlet, gave her an escape from her brother and gave her the strength and humor she needed to survive what had happened to her without ending up as so many child stars did.

Filled with stories about her and Melissa Gilbert doing silly things on and off the set (yes, Laura and Nellie were great friends), Michael Landon not wearing underwear under his costume (PA!) as well as some of the offset hatred she encountered when her and Katherine MacGregor (Mrs. Olson) appeared in custom at an event and had to flee for their lives from a group of schoolgirls! She also recounts her deep friendship with her on-screen husband, Steve Tracy and his valiant fight against AIDS, his death and her activism for the cause.  As she says in the book, when Nellie speaks people listen!

In this day and age when child stars go wrong, it was refreshing to read about a former child star who embraced her past and lives life to the fullest with humor and no regrets.  You go girl!

The Fountaindale Library, in addition to owning this book, carries several seasons of the Little House series.  We also carry Melissa Gilbert’s and Melissa Sue Anderson’s biographies.

-Christine