Comments on: 15 days to go http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sat, 26 May 2012 13:49:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Steve LaBonne http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63891 Steve LaBonne Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:34:41 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63891 What do you mean "if only"? I'll have you know that's a perfect description of what many of us LIKE about Dr. Who! ;) That's why I'm alarmed about the purported elimination of cheesy special effects from the new series, though it sounds like the other essentials have been left intact. No money from me for PBS until they bring the new series to the US! ;) It'd be nice if they'd rerun the old ones too (years ago the PBS station where I then lived reran _everything_ from the first surviving William Hartnell episode on, so I may be one of the few Americans who's seen a lot of the first three Doctors) but at least we can get those on cheap video cassettes from Amazon (DVDs somehow seem inappropriately high-tech. ;) ) What do you mean “if only”? I’ll have you know that’s a perfect description of what many of us LIKE about Dr. Who! ;) That’s why I’m alarmed about the purported elimination of cheesy special effects from the new series, though it sounds like the other essentials have been left intact.
No money from me for PBS until they bring the new series to the US! ;) It’d be nice if they’d rerun the old ones too (years ago the PBS station where I then lived reran everything from the first surviving William Hartnell episode on, so I may be one of the few Americans who’s seen a lot of the first three Doctors) but at least we can get those on cheap video cassettes from Amazon (DVDs somehow seem inappropriately high-tech. ;) )

]]> By: g1lgam3sh http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63890 g1lgam3sh Tue, 15 Mar 2005 14:59:54 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63890 "Dr. Who is an exciting adventure series about a communist who travels around through time in a heavy overcoat using a call box that obviously is as complex as english technology will ever get with the empire in sharp decline for over a century. He fights evil people and aliens by using longwinded discussions on the implied subtext of gay erotica or the merits of centralized health care (in spite of displaying teeth clearly a product of the British health care system) until his opponents fall asleep or go into a mad frantic fit of self-destructive rage. At this point there is usually a really cheap looking explosion using flash paper that is supposed to signify the alien’s logic circuits overloading and blowing up. Then a cardboard set wobbles in the background. The show nearly always concludes with another seemingly endless debate on some utterly useless philosophical point. This is because Dr. Who is not going to be having any sex with his costar due to his flaming homosexuality showing in his every gesture. Then there is some cheesy special effect that looks like a laser light effect from a 70’s rock concert with the credits. The next week is pretty much the same. If only that weren't true :-) “Dr. Who is an exciting adventure series about a communist who travels around through time in a heavy overcoat using a call box that obviously is as complex as english technology will ever get with the empire in sharp decline for over a century.
He fights evil people and aliens by using longwinded discussions on the implied subtext of gay erotica or the merits of centralized health care (in spite of displaying teeth clearly a product of the British health care system) until his opponents fall asleep or go into a mad frantic fit of self-destructive rage. At this point there is usually a really cheap looking explosion using flash paper that is supposed to signify the alien’s logic circuits overloading and blowing up. Then a cardboard set wobbles in the background.
The show nearly always concludes with another seemingly endless debate on some utterly useless philosophical point. This is because Dr. Who is not going to be having any sex with his costar due to his flaming homosexuality showing in his every gesture.
Then there is some cheesy special effect that looks like a laser light effect from a 70’s rock concert with the credits. The next week is pretty much the same.
If only that weren’t true :-)

]]> By: Skippy McGee http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63874 Skippy McGee Tue, 15 Mar 2005 04:09:26 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63874 Dr. Who is an exciting adventure series about a communist who travels around through time in a heavy overcoat using a call box that obviously is as complex as english technology will ever get with the empire in sharp decline for over a century. He fights evil people and aliens by using longwinded discussions on the implied subtext of gay erotica or the merits of centralized health care (in spite of displaying teeth clearly a product of the British health care system) until his opponents fall asleep or go into a mad frantic fit of self-destructive rage. At this point there is usually a really cheap looking explosion using flash paper that is supposed to signify the alien's logic circuits overloading and blowing up. Then a cardboard set wobbles in the background. The show nearly always concludes with another seemingly endless debate on some utterly useless philosophical point. This is because Dr. Who is not going to be having any sex with his costar due to his flaming homosexuality showing in his every gesture. Then there is some cheesy special effect that looks like a laser light effect from a 70's rock concert with the credits. The next week is pretty much the same. Dr. Who is an exciting adventure series about a communist who travels around through time in a heavy overcoat using a call box that obviously is as complex as english technology will ever get with the empire in sharp decline for over a century.
He fights evil people and aliens by using longwinded discussions on the implied subtext of gay erotica or the merits of centralized health care (in spite of displaying teeth clearly a product of the British health care system) until his opponents fall asleep or go into a mad frantic fit of self-destructive rage. At this point there is usually a really cheap looking explosion using flash paper that is supposed to signify the alien’s logic circuits overloading and blowing up. Then a cardboard set wobbles in the background.
The show nearly always concludes with another seemingly endless debate on some utterly useless philosophical point. This is because Dr. Who is not going to be having any sex with his costar due to his flaming homosexuality showing in his every gesture.
Then there is some cheesy special effect that looks like a laser light effect from a 70’s rock concert with the credits. The next week is pretty much the same.

]]> By: nick http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63748 nick Sun, 13 Mar 2005 07:09:42 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63748 SE19 is the part of London easiest reached by Tardis. SE19 is the part of London easiest reached by Tardis.

]]> By: Antoni Jaume http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63728 Antoni Jaume Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:13:18 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63728 Thanks, however I can't recall much about Dr Who as here, in Spain, this series has not been much on the air. I could only catch fragments in one of the occasion it was aired, some 20 years ago. DSW Thanks, however I can’t recall much about Dr Who as here, in Spain, this series has not been much on the air. I could only catch fragments in one of the occasion it was aired, some 20 years ago.

DSW

]]> By: Roger Mexico http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63724 Roger Mexico Sat, 12 Mar 2005 17:04:34 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63724 Antoni - it refers to the part of London she comes from: Norwood in this case (SE19 being the post-code for that district). Ace, you will recall, was from Perivale (post-code unknown at time of writing) Antoni – it refers to the part of London she comes from: Norwood in this case (SE19 being the post-code for that district). Ace, you will recall, was from Perivale (post-code unknown at time of writing)

]]> By: Antoni Jaume http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63720 Antoni Jaume Sat, 12 Mar 2005 15:36:26 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63720 What is an "SE19 girl"? DSW What is an “SE19 girl”?

DSW

]]> By: Tom Bozzo http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63696 Tom Bozzo Sat, 12 Mar 2005 02:51:08 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63696 I hate to comment after Fafnir, but wouldn't this be an ideal thing for PBS to air during the next fundraising period to either raise funds from nostalgic long-time PBS viewers, or at least to stop us from going all Giblets on them for preempting Sesame Street on our not exactly understanding two-year-olds... I hate to comment after Fafnir, but wouldn’t this be an ideal thing for PBS to air during the next fundraising period to either raise funds from nostalgic long-time PBS viewers, or at least to stop us from going all Giblets on them for preempting Sesame Street on our not exactly understanding two-year-olds…

]]> By: fafnir http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63692 fafnir Fri, 11 Mar 2005 21:55:58 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63692 I seen the new Doctor on accounta they were showin it on the internet an I caught the matinee an it was a light-hearted entertainin smart romp through established adventure serial tropes. But the cleavage on the Daleks! Shameful! I seen the new Doctor on accounta they were showin it on the internet an I caught the matinee an it was a light-hearted entertainin smart romp through established adventure serial tropes. But the cleavage on the Daleks! Shameful!

]]> By: Cheryl Morgan http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63686 Cheryl Morgan Fri, 11 Mar 2005 21:14:55 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63686 Well they failed to sell the series to SciFi Channel, but the word is that was because of quality not because it was too "British". Some fans who have seen the leaked episode <a href="http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=19567" rel="nofollow">seem to agree</a> on the quality angle. But I guess the BBC thought us Brits would be nostalgic for wonky sets. Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The <a href="http://www.interaction.worldcon.org.uk/" rel="nofollow">World Science Fiction Convention</a> is in Glasgow this year (first time in Europe for a decade) and we are very much hoping we'll have something to celebrate rather than something to hang our heads over. Well they failed to sell the series to SciFi Channel, but the word is that was because of quality not because it was too “British”. Some fans who have seen the leaked episode seem to agree on the quality angle. But I guess the BBC thought us Brits would be nostalgic for wonky sets.

Still, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. The World Science Fiction Convention is in Glasgow this year (first time in Europe for a decade) and we are very much hoping we’ll have something to celebrate rather than something to hang our heads over.

]]> By: Nick http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63683 Nick Fri, 11 Mar 2005 20:53:40 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63683 Surely a sign of any Canadianisation would be if the series was renamed Doctor Eh? From what I've heard, I think the important thing is that they've stuck to the essence of the show and kept it as an adventure show that appeals to kids and adults, rather than try to turn it into a glossy SF show. Surely a sign of any Canadianisation would be if the series was renamed Doctor Eh?

From what I’ve heard, I think the important thing is that they’ve stuck to the essence of the show and kept it as an adventure show that appeals to kids and adults, rather than try to turn it into a glossy SF show.

]]> By: John Quiggin http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63679 John Quiggin Fri, 11 Mar 2005 20:29:01 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63679 Harry, I disagree with your pessimism about social democracy, and would argue in reverse that the continuing appeal of Dr Who, Star Trek and so on is indicative of continued strength. Of course, there are also plenty of shows that embody old-style conservatism, and plenty that simply appeal to greed, lust, gluttony and sloth, but I can't, off-hand, think of any that present a good case for neoliberalism. Harry, I disagree with your pessimism about social democracy, and would argue in reverse that the continuing appeal of Dr Who, Star Trek and so on is indicative of continued strength. Of course, there are also plenty of shows that embody old-style conservatism, and plenty that simply appeal to greed, lust, gluttony and sloth, but I can’t, off-hand, think of any that present a good case for neoliberalism.

]]> By: Steve LaBonne http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63676 Steve LaBonne Fri, 11 Mar 2005 20:07:35 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63676 Hmm, yet another reason why we in Northeast Ohio should secede from the more backward parts of the state, build a bridge across Lake Erie and petition to join Ontario. ;) Hmm, yet another reason why we in Northeast Ohio should secede from the more backward parts of the state, build a bridge across Lake Erie and petition to join Ontario. ;)

]]> By: kevin http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63675 kevin Fri, 11 Mar 2005 19:54:55 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63675 Actually, it premieres on "this side of the pond" on April 5th...on the CBC. I can't wait! No word on whether the Doctor has been Canadianized... Actually, it premieres on “this side of the pond” on April 5th…on the CBC. I can’t wait!

No word on whether the Doctor has been Canadianized…

]]> By: Urinated State of America http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-63663 Urinated State of America Fri, 11 Mar 2005 18:32:39 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/03/11/15-dyas-to-go/#comment-63663 "the only way the series can sell is by Americanising it." Eat lead, Dalek Mothafucka! “the only way the series can sell is by Americanising it.”

Eat lead, Dalek Mothafucka!

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