The Citadel Supreme!

2:58PM - Writer's Block: Doctor Who?

Yikes. Ask a hard question why don't you.

While I don't doubt that Smith will impress me as the Doctor with the aid of Moffat's pen, I have to confess that my first impression upon seeing him cast was: he's very. . .pretty. Of course, similar accusations were lobbed at Tennant when he took on the role and he's become one of the definitive Doctors in my estimation.

But if it were up to me I'd be doing what I could to contrast the Tennant era rather than act as continuation of it. While the notion of the Doctor appearing younger as he grows older tickles the Arthurian nut in me (Merlin often being depicted in that fashion, and the Doctor having been hinted at being Merlin in an alternate-reality Camelot), I would've gone with someone a bit more mature physically. Maybe not a return to the middle to late age of Hartnell, Troughton, or Pertwee(though Pertwee was a total pimp, no man could pull off a cravat with such glory), but perhaps the early-to-late thirties of a Peter Davidson or a Colin Baker.

It'd also have to be with a relative unknown, as anything else would feel like stunt-casting to me. The actor in question should be able to walk the line between whimsy and gravitas that a good Doctor balances, but should also be possessed of a certain melancholy. This is the Doctor's 11th incarnation, and Time Lords only get 12 regenerations. He's a man running out of time and he knows it. It shouldn't make him the Emo Doctor, but it should be there in the background, a sense that the immortal is coming to grips with impending mortality.

The actor in question would have to be equal parts friendly, eccentric, plotting, melancholy, and lonely. Because at his core the Doctor has that need for companionship, to connect to people. Now more than ever because he's no longer the cheeky renegade who 'borrowed' the TARDIS and left the stuffy, static world of the Time Lords to explore and 'get involved' in things, eventually becoming the thing monsters have nightmares about. Now he's the last of his kind, the only one who remembers what it is to be a lord of time. He needs his companions to keep him sane, because otherwise the enormity of the Time War and the sheer scope of his loss would crush him. This makes him a bit more the tragic figure, and anyone picking up Eccleston's and Tennant's mantle would do well to keep this in mind. The Doctor can be light, he can be funny, but that hint of sadness should be there.

There's rage too. The Doctor is an old, old man and he doesn't fool around with evil. He offers them a chance for redemption, to see reason, but if they deny him he brings the hammer down and down hard. The Doctor shouldn't be a malevolent figure, but he should be a man that you do not want to piss off, because when he lets his anger off the chain he is truly the oncoming storm.

It's a bit of a juggling act, but an actor who pulls it off accomplishes pure magic. Each actor to play the Doctor has brought something different to the character, but beneath them all that thread of continuity has allowed the Doctor to become one of the most endearing characters in science fiction. It's a heady responsibility to be sure.

Stac

5:42PM - In Which I am the Last To Know.

So. . .is livejournal going sh-boom?

Confuzzedly,

Stacy

6:37PM - Writer's Block: Be Prepared

Depends. Does running around in circles shrieking like an 8 year-old with night terrors count as a plan? If so, I'm set.

6:06PM - No More.

Two Women Assaulted at Ontario School

I'm not a polticial guy. By and large my idea of the Big Issues tend to revolve around whether who would win in a fight between Superman and Captain Marvel. But the above has shaken me out of my complacency and I'd be remiss if I didn't at least talk about how this news made me feel. Much of this will doubtless sound monumentally naive and simple, but I want to get this out of my system so in the future I can just point to it for my opinion on the subject.

I'm a Canadian, and a proud one at that. I love my country and truly think we've got the best of all possible worlds in this great land. I've always had this image of Canada as having its problems to be sure, but still being a land of decent people where we embraced the diverse and built upon that selfsame diversity for a better tomorrow. Nations, spiritual beliefs, gender, sexuality. . .none of that mattered in the Canada of my idealized vision. Needless to say reading of the above assault, hearing of a similar attack in British Columbia has done a lot to--if not shatter--than at least to smudge that rose-colored view a great deal.

I'm not gay. I say that not as a defense mechanism, merely as a statement of truth. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in a world where I have to face intolerance for being who I am and wanting to be with the people I care deeply for. With the passing of Proposition 8 in the United States, the simple act of recognizing a same-sex couple legally as a loving pair joined in matrimony has been rejected. And most of all, I can't concieve of a world where something as simple as picking your kid up from school could become the basis of a savage, unreasoning attack for no other reason than one of these women may have spoken to the child of this creature that poses as a human being.

Why? Seriously, why is this such a big deal? What is it that's so wrong about people being with people that they love? It makes no sense. They're not trying to force their beliefs on anyone, they're not trying to make you gay. No. All they were doing was living their lives, and for that unforgivable sin of daring to dream of a world where they might actually have a chance at life, libery, and the pursuit of happiness some cowardly, insecure fucktard took it upon himself to act as what he doubtless percieved to be the righteous fist of the majority. How dare anyone think that they could spend an afternoon picking up their kids with the woman they love, maybe heading to Dairy Queen to treat them for good grades on a quiz? Where do they get off just living their lives like they're--y'know--normal human beings? Don't they know they're different? Don't they know that's the way it is? Well I'll sure show them right?

And the worst thing, the absolute worst thing that just makes my molars grind is that this thing, sitting there waiting to be arrested acted blase about the whole thing, impatient to be getting home. Never mind that he'd left these women broken and bleeding. Never mind that he'd traumatized their kids, his kids, and the kids of this school. He had to get home in time to watch the latest tractor pull or run the risk of missing So You Think You Can Dance. To top it all, the police released this walking pustulence. He gets to go home after the mild inconvenience of being detained for a few hours while these women are in the hospital.

It boggles the mind, but more than that it shames me and shakes me out of my complacency all at once. The Gay and Lesbian community are a part of everyday living now. They deserve no less than the same fair shake that we all recieve in turn. They also deserve the same defense that anyone who is attacked and made the victim should be granted, and the offender should be charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We need to send a message that this kind of behavior is the antiquated relic of a previous century and will no longer be tolerated. Who we choose to love should have no bearing on who we are in society. It's just that simple. No more.


Stac

11:14AM - Remember.

'The peace we seek in Irag, as everywhere, is one that reflects the lessons of our terrible century: that peace is not true or lasting if it is bought at any cost; that only peace with justice can honour the victims of war and violence; and that, without democracy, tolerance, and human rights for all, no peace is truly safe.'

-Kofi Annan

'Give peace a chance.'

-John Lennon

'The work, my friend, is peace. More than an end of this war--an end to the beginning of all wars.'
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

'History is littered with the wars which everybody knew would never happen.'
-Wilfred Owens

'There was never a good war or a bad peace.'
-Benjamin Franklin

'In violence, we forget who we are.'
-Mary McCarthy.

Never forget.

10:21AM - A simple plea to my friends south of the border.

I know most of you are planning on it, but for those who might be on the fence, please please please go and vote. We're counting on you to make the right choice between slow, painful but ultimately worthwhile recovery and the apocalypse.

Sincerely,

Stacy

7:23PM - Writer's Block: I Love Lucy

John Sheridan and Delenn, Babylon 5. Their relationship is one of the pillars of the series as of the third season. If you can make it through 'Sleeping in Light' and not break down you're a stronger person than I am. Best couple on television period.

6:11PM - Great googly moogly.

Sometimes, the Internet is just glorious in it's sheer weirdness:



Heh.

2:30PM - Religulous.

This I really want to see. West Hills is playing showings at 7:40 on Saturday. I'll be covering Red 5 that day, but I'm going to be making a bee line to the theatre. Anyone who wants a piece of the action, feel free to get in touch.

7:54PM - The Halloween viewing material continues. . .

Heh heh heh.

3:53PM - The Last Defender of Camelot is my favorite Zelazny story.

So this pleases me:

Your result for The Camelot Test...

Lancelot

Take The Camelot Test at HelloQuizzy

With apologies to dr_p_venkman. I couldn't resist.

3:15PM - Oh we are so watching this.

Bruce Campbell.

David Caradine.

Ash.

Bill.

A vampire movie where Campbell is a descendant of Van Helsing and David Caradine is Dracula.

I will say that again: David Caradine is Dracula.

Halloween. 2008. My place. Be there.

9:40PM - Back again once again.

New content over at The Canadian Defender. Feel free to check it out: http://thecanadiandefender.blogspot.com/

Feedback/suggestions always welcome.

ETA: Not a bad piece now that I've read it cold. A nice effort to shake the rust off.

7:35PM - The elegant weapon of a more civilized age.

Okay, so maybe the entire reason I love Star Wars isn't the lightsaber per se. . .



. . .but it is a contributing factor.

Tomorrow's the premiere. Can't wait!

6:46PM - No one can save the day like. . .

BATMAN!



This preview of the upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold looks so awesome I can't stand it. Man but I wish I was in San Diego right now. . .

7:15PM - Science.

Jeez, first we get molecules that can eat plastic, and now this:

http://trak.in/tags/business/2008/07/01/tata-motors-air-car-minicat/

A car that runs off compressed air. Not the fabled car that runs on water. They bypassed water and went straight to air.

Wow.

Ps. Lifted from MightyGodKing's site. 'Cause it was too boss not to swipe.

4:25PM - It's -THAT- good.

3:26AM - The Dark Knight.

Go.

Go see it.

Go see it as soon as you possibly can, then come back here. I'll wait.

It is amazing. No adjectives I could come up with can explain this sufficiently.

Just go.

Oh. . .and one last thing. . .

Why so serious?

11:37AM - Sunny day, chasing the clouds a-way. . .

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

3:28PM - Let it go.

Look, I get that at this part of the year Albertans wholeheartedly embrace the traditions and festivities of the 19th Century, the Calgary Stampede being an exemplary piece of entertainment and spectacle for loads of people from miles around. People put on cowboy hats, shine up their gaudiest and largest belt buckles and generally have a rootin' tootin' good time. And that's fine; far be it from me to deny the masses their fun. I'd rather be home watching Doctor Who or kicking back with a good book, but that's me.

But when stuff like this happens: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/07/10/chuckwagon-euthanize.html

I think it's time to take a step back and say 'Y'know, maybe all the traditions and games we take from the century before last might not really apply to the modern day'. I like to play 'let's pretend' as much as the next gamer, but when it's killing animals I think it's time to draw a line.