Big Fat Shat Attack

Given that he has long portrayed a fictional namesake (until he was usurped by a younger, fitter model last year) and that he has also provided services to the world of music which may well redefine the word "unique", it's probably about time to get into some William Shatner news. Because, let's face it, who doesn't love the Shat? Well, alright, maybe most of the the original cast of Star Trek but still...

This is a man who is responsible for two extremely fine moments in pop culture history. This (the point where a man is acting so hard that his eyes go all wonky):-




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRnSnfiUI54&feature=player_embedded

And of course this, which really needs no introduction (go to about 40 seconds in):-



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvQwXOCKNLY

So why is Billy Boy newsworthy all of a sudden? Well, it turns out that, due to a Canadian journalist's experiments with the reach of new media (more specifically, the ever-present Facebook group), a campaign is now underway to have The Shat appointed as Governor General of Canada.

Despite starting as a journalistic exercise (i.e. way for journalist to come up with an article in a slow news week), this isn't necessarily all that unlikely. The Governor General position is apparently unelected and largely ceremonial. Also, the whole "actor holding political office" thing has been done many a time (ex-cowboy Ronald Reagan as US President, former bodybuilder and professional cyborg impersonator Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California, etc.). It's so silly that it just might work.

That's not the best bit about this, though. The post has to be appointed by the Queen and, for some reason, the image of Captain Kirk being appointed Governor General in a solemn ceremony with the Queen really tickles me. So I say Shat for GG!

(Yes, quite right, this whole post was a shameless excuse to post those two William Shatner videos. It was worth it.)

Unbloggy

So it turns out that it's been nearly three weeks since you've had some bloggy action round these here parts. Well, it turns out that there was a pretty good reason for that. I've just not been feeling blog-like.

What's that you say? It's a relatively poor reason. Well, you may say that but, let's face it, nobody wants to read a half-arsed blog (although a blog about half-arses - whatever they may be, people with just the one buttock, I guess - may well be reasonably entertaining). Your blog should always be fully arsed, I reckon (unless it's on that singular buttock topic mentioned in the previous statement).

I tried, dear readers, oh I tried. There were a couple of half-hearted attempts at blogdom that fizzled and limped to an uninspiring halt (which I won't describe as I may cannibalise them for usable parts like some grotesque Frankenstein's blogs). I just wasn't feeling it, I guess. I didn't even have something about nothing to write and, given that over 90% of this entire blog has consisted of pretty much nothing, that's a fairly rare occurrence.

So what's today's topic then? Ah, well, I didn't quite get that far but at least I'm back to writing about nothing. Maybe tomorrow, you'll get something about something. of course, my use of the words "maybe tomorrow" just there now means that I have the theme tune to The Littlest Hobo firmly stuck in my head going round and round in a loop and so, in order to share some of that joy with you, here is that self-same theme to finish on. Y'all come back now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGKSjiw0HQ

Review - Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour

I feel a little bit like I may have missed out on something. Looking at the various reviews and comments online, the general consensus seems to be that, in the newly re-launched series of Doctor Who, Matt Smith is fantastic as the new Doctor. Maybe I was watching a slightly different programme as I mainly seemed to see an underwhelming actor vaguely mimicking the last person to play the role. Anyway, here's my own personal two-penneth on last Saturday's episode to add to the rest of the internet opinion...

The Good:- Given that it had a daunting run from David Tennant to follow, this was an assured and confident debut story. Stephen Moffat is an accomplished writer and indications here are good that he's got what it takes to step up to show-runner. There was a nice sense of fun, energy and wonder along with his trademark creepiness (the whole looking-out-the-corner-of-the-eye thing) which is so much a part of Doctor Who in general. There was also a nice sense of the surreal to the episode - giant eyeballs, barking workmen. As usual, the companion is the focus of this introductory story and Karen Gillan proves to be an engaging actress with a nice backstory for the character - if there's one thing that Stephen Moffat is good at, it's utilising the time travel element of the show to good effect. The newly designed TARDIS is also a winner, proving a nice mix of the new and the old (nods to the original design in some of the features).

The Bad:- The new theme is an absolute disgrace - taking a memorable theme tune and turning into something that barely even registers in your attention - and is accompanied by a shoddy looking new CGI sequence. I doubt it's going to grow on me - just have to grin and bear it for the next 12 weeks. Also, while the episode does have some nice, fun moments, it once again proves that new Doctor Who struggles with comedy from time to time with the overlong and not particularly funny food tasting sequence. The plot itself wasn't overly much to write home about but you can forgive that in an episode like this where there's so much to establish (new Doctor, new companion, etc.)

The Too Soon To Call:- Matt Smith himself. He seems to won over plenty of people with much raving about him being completely the Doctor but I was personally underwhelmed by him. There was nothing particularly distinctive or new about him and I felt at times that he was trying just that little bit too hard to be zany. that said, it is only his first episode and I didn't dislike him so let's see if he can win me over in the next few weeks.

The Verdict:- So, a new production team is at the helm and it has freshened up a show that was becoming in need of some new ideas but it still feels very much like a continuation of the same show. I'm not wowed by the new Doctor but I'm willing to give him a chance and I'm definitely keen to see where it goes in the next twelve weeks. I mean, it's Doctor Who and I've eagerly looked forward to each new series since I was four. I'm hardly going to stop now, am I? (No, I'm not, in case you were wondering.)