Saturday, November 30, 2019
Seuss Saturday, One Face, Two-Face
One-face, Two-Face, Red Face, Blue Face,
Black Face, Blue Face, Old Face, New Face.
This one has a little fun.
This one has a little gun.
Say! What a lot of Face there are.
Yes. Some are red, and some are blue.
Some are old, and some are new.
Some are sad, and some are glad,
And most are very, very bad.
Why are they sad and glad and bad?
I do not know, go ask your dad.
Some are thin, and some are cute.
The old one has a two-toned suit.
From there to here,
From here to there,
Crazy guys are everywhere.
Jason makes me rather ill.
all he does is kill, kill, kill.
I will not have this one about.
When he comes in I put him out.
Cassandra's quiet as a mouse.
I like to have her in the house.
The Twisted Christmas Series: Old Shelob is Comin' to Town!
You better watch out,
You better not die!
You better stay put,
I'm tellin' you why!
Old Shelob is comin' to town.
She's makin' a list,
And checkin' it twice.
Gotta find out
who tastes very nice!
Old Shelob is comin' to town.
She sees you when you're sleepin',
She knows when you're awake.
She knows if you taste bad or good
So stay put for goodness sake!
You better watch out,
You better not die!
You better stay put,
I'm tellin' you why!
Old Shelob is comin' to town.
You better not die!
You better stay put,
I'm tellin' you why!
Old Shelob is comin' to town.
She's makin' a list,
And checkin' it twice.
Gotta find out
who tastes very nice!
Old Shelob is comin' to town.
She sees you when you're sleepin',
She knows when you're awake.
She knows if you taste bad or good
So stay put for goodness sake!
You better watch out,
You better not die!
You better stay put,
I'm tellin' you why!
Old Shelob is comin' to town.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy the work of the greatest chef in history, a true inspiration for all!
Enjoy the work of the greatest chef in history, a true inspiration for all!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Whosday: The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
Loosely based on The Daleks' Master Plan, The Stolen Earth shows the RTD-era Daleks at their most powerful. Filled with action and plot complications, it could have potentially have been so complicated that it would have failed as a finale, but ultimately, it didn't. In fact, it proved to be one of the single strongest RTD finales!
It worked far better than Doomsday and Last of the Time Lords, no unwanted additional monsters, and no deification of the Doctor. He was basically almost on the same level as many of his own companions, a nice change of pace from how the Tenth was often treated previously.
Monday, November 25, 2019
Musical Monday: Insane (in Da Brain)
This video is filled to the brim with cultural references, but the lyrics themselves seem to value the sense of rebellion and emotional independence that was most especially popular at the time ("every time you call, you think I'm your freakin' doll, but I'm not your freakin' doll...").
Saturday, November 23, 2019
The Doctors Ranked Objectively
For the show's anniversary, the Doctors will be ranked as objectively as possible, my emotional opinions will be wholly ignored.
I will not include the Thirteenth Doctor or the War Doctor, simply due to a lack of exposure to their full material; the Thirteenth Doctor only had one season so far.
Ranked in Terms of Writing
12. The Sixth Doctor
JUST!
11. The Fifth Doctor
He's kind of dependent on the dynamics of his companions in order to have much going for himself, unable to stand on his own.
10. The Third Doctor
Not as exciting as he could have been, the Third still was loveable and commanded staying power, only sometimes undermined by the occasional inconsistency (Robert Sloman often wrote the Third Doctor rather differently from the other writers), and the fact that the role was originally written very much for Jon Pertwee in particular.
9. The Eighth Doctor
Because we only got one movie, I decided to cheat and reference the novels, which seem the closest to the intended characterization of the telemovie and the events that led to the Ninth Doctor, but most fans prefer the audio plays because of their use of authentic actors and superior plots. However, in terms of characterization, the novels are probably the best.
8. The Twelfth Doctor:
His problem is that he's too inconsistent, changing too frequently.
7. The Eleventh Doctor:
His problem is that the window dressing of deity status that the Revived Series introduced was a little too intrensic to his character.
6. The Seventh Doctor
The only real problems with this Doctor were firstly, that the intended window dressing was by far too intricate to his character, and that secondly, he's a bit of a Mary Sue, not in terms of being as admired as the Tenth or leading as perfect a life as the Eleventh, but rather in terms of being a total reflection of the author's beliefs. However, the fact he is so dynamic in some ways strongly suggests that maybe being a Mary Sue isn't the biggest sin an author can commit.
5. The Fourth Doctor:
Better-written than often given credit for, he's mostly undermined by how the producers switching around came to remove some of the character arcs intended for him.
4. The First Doctor
Probably the best balance of being truly dynamic but also truly consistent, his only major problem was sometimes a lack of character depth in some of the early individual stories.
3. The Second Doctor
Probably gifted with the single most deep and insightful characterizations out of any of the Doctors, he simply lacks a more clear sense of direction for this character, a very rare case of a character being so fleshed out that there is little place to take him.
2. The Ninth Doctor
His only major problem was that he didn't always interact with the plots as much as he could have, but usually he played a part in resolving the conflict.
1. The Tenth Doctor
Probably the best on value of the overall sense of direction that so many others lacked, his character clearly going from one place to the next in response to the events that happened. He's only undermined by the garish window-dressing of god status that Russel T. Davies sometimes assigns him, but this is only surface detail, and behind it, one finds a man struggling with the implications of the lofty status of being the last of the Time Lords.
Ranked in Terms of Acting
12. Sylvester McCoy
He got WAY better with Big Finish, but on-show, it had room for improvement.
11. Jon Pertwee
His problem was that he often overpitched the subtlty, coming across as underconcerned half of the time.
10. Matt Smith
I think he overpitched the swagger at first, and still got a little too silly at times.
9. Colin Baker
While not the worst actor, Colin Baker had to break into his role over time.
8. Paul McGann
I think he didn't always seem like he understood his character at times, but he was very good at appearing enthusiastic when he had to.
7. William Hartnell
While he overpitched the swagger at first, he later got better about conveying sorrow and pain as the series progressed.
6. Tom Baker
A stronger actor than often given credit for, it's still hard to neglect the fact that often his method acting occasionally went too far, especially during the Graham Williams era.
5. Peter Davison
One of the few actors who mastered the art of always being subtle without ever underacting.
4. Christopher Eccleston
It's like he himself said, he overpitched the comedy, but besides that, he managed to be one of the best at conveying a tortured soul.
3. Patrick Troughton
His only problem was that towards the end, he was clearly getting somewhat bored with his role, and thus he lost some of his touch.
2. Peter Capaldi
The best method actor of the bunch, Peter Capaldi's only weakness is a relative lack of communication with the eyes.
1. David Tennant
He probably had the largest range and was the best about communicating with the eyes, a very important part of classical acting.
So, in conclusion, the Second, Ninth, and Tenth Doctors are probably the best written and acted ones if you take everything into account.
But that's the funny thing; they're not exactly my favorites. That's because on an emotional scale, I prefer Doctors with a more subtle mystique, hence I love the Fourth Doctor the most. But it's hard for me to resist good writing and good acting, so the Tenth is, probably, objectively the best one on the most critical fronts.
I will not include the Thirteenth Doctor or the War Doctor, simply due to a lack of exposure to their full material; the Thirteenth Doctor only had one season so far.
Ranked in Terms of Writing
12. The Sixth Doctor
JUST!
11. The Fifth Doctor
He's kind of dependent on the dynamics of his companions in order to have much going for himself, unable to stand on his own.
10. The Third Doctor
Not as exciting as he could have been, the Third still was loveable and commanded staying power, only sometimes undermined by the occasional inconsistency (Robert Sloman often wrote the Third Doctor rather differently from the other writers), and the fact that the role was originally written very much for Jon Pertwee in particular.
9. The Eighth Doctor
Because we only got one movie, I decided to cheat and reference the novels, which seem the closest to the intended characterization of the telemovie and the events that led to the Ninth Doctor, but most fans prefer the audio plays because of their use of authentic actors and superior plots. However, in terms of characterization, the novels are probably the best.
8. The Twelfth Doctor:
His problem is that he's too inconsistent, changing too frequently.
7. The Eleventh Doctor:
His problem is that the window dressing of deity status that the Revived Series introduced was a little too intrensic to his character.
6. The Seventh Doctor
The only real problems with this Doctor were firstly, that the intended window dressing was by far too intricate to his character, and that secondly, he's a bit of a Mary Sue, not in terms of being as admired as the Tenth or leading as perfect a life as the Eleventh, but rather in terms of being a total reflection of the author's beliefs. However, the fact he is so dynamic in some ways strongly suggests that maybe being a Mary Sue isn't the biggest sin an author can commit.
5. The Fourth Doctor:
Better-written than often given credit for, he's mostly undermined by how the producers switching around came to remove some of the character arcs intended for him.
4. The First Doctor
Probably the best balance of being truly dynamic but also truly consistent, his only major problem was sometimes a lack of character depth in some of the early individual stories.
3. The Second Doctor
Probably gifted with the single most deep and insightful characterizations out of any of the Doctors, he simply lacks a more clear sense of direction for this character, a very rare case of a character being so fleshed out that there is little place to take him.
2. The Ninth Doctor
His only major problem was that he didn't always interact with the plots as much as he could have, but usually he played a part in resolving the conflict.
1. The Tenth Doctor
Probably the best on value of the overall sense of direction that so many others lacked, his character clearly going from one place to the next in response to the events that happened. He's only undermined by the garish window-dressing of god status that Russel T. Davies sometimes assigns him, but this is only surface detail, and behind it, one finds a man struggling with the implications of the lofty status of being the last of the Time Lords.
Ranked in Terms of Acting
12. Sylvester McCoy
He got WAY better with Big Finish, but on-show, it had room for improvement.
11. Jon Pertwee
His problem was that he often overpitched the subtlty, coming across as underconcerned half of the time.
10. Matt Smith
I think he overpitched the swagger at first, and still got a little too silly at times.
9. Colin Baker
While not the worst actor, Colin Baker had to break into his role over time.
8. Paul McGann
I think he didn't always seem like he understood his character at times, but he was very good at appearing enthusiastic when he had to.
7. William Hartnell
While he overpitched the swagger at first, he later got better about conveying sorrow and pain as the series progressed.
6. Tom Baker
A stronger actor than often given credit for, it's still hard to neglect the fact that often his method acting occasionally went too far, especially during the Graham Williams era.
5. Peter Davison
One of the few actors who mastered the art of always being subtle without ever underacting.
4. Christopher Eccleston
It's like he himself said, he overpitched the comedy, but besides that, he managed to be one of the best at conveying a tortured soul.
3. Patrick Troughton
His only problem was that towards the end, he was clearly getting somewhat bored with his role, and thus he lost some of his touch.
2. Peter Capaldi
The best method actor of the bunch, Peter Capaldi's only weakness is a relative lack of communication with the eyes.
1. David Tennant
He probably had the largest range and was the best about communicating with the eyes, a very important part of classical acting.
So, in conclusion, the Second, Ninth, and Tenth Doctors are probably the best written and acted ones if you take everything into account.
But that's the funny thing; they're not exactly my favorites. That's because on an emotional scale, I prefer Doctors with a more subtle mystique, hence I love the Fourth Doctor the most. But it's hard for me to resist good writing and good acting, so the Tenth is, probably, objectively the best one on the most critical fronts.
Oh the Places You'll Go! (Doctor Who Edition)
Congratulations!
You're in the right place!
To travel my TARDIS
Across time and space!
With the brains in my head,
And the feet in your shoes,
We can steer ourselves,
Any direction we choose.
We're on our own, on Jelly Babies chewing,
And there's no one in the Universe who can do what we're doing.
You'll look up and down some worlds, look them over with care,
And some of you will say "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains, (all of course from me),
You're far to clever to visit Metebelis III.
And you might not find any worlds
That bring joy that will last
We can just go back and time,
And see deep into their past.
The TARDIS is waiting,
So get on your way!
You're in the right place!
To travel my TARDIS
Across time and space!
With the brains in my head,
And the feet in your shoes,
We can steer ourselves,
Any direction we choose.
We're on our own, on Jelly Babies chewing,
And there's no one in the Universe who can do what we're doing.
You'll look up and down some worlds, look them over with care,
And some of you will say "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains, (all of course from me),
You're far to clever to visit Metebelis III.
And you might not find any worlds
That bring joy that will last
We can just go back and time,
And see deep into their past.
The TARDIS is waiting,
So get on your way!
Friday, November 22, 2019
The Ultimate Snoke Theory
We all know that Snoke is a new character...or is he?
What if he is not a new character, just a character who is new to Stars Wars?
He has a bald head, favors bright yellow gold attire, and often acts cranky and cruel.
Don't you see?
Snoke is Caillou!
What if he is not a new character, just a character who is new to Stars Wars?
He has a bald head, favors bright yellow gold attire, and often acts cranky and cruel.
Don't you see?
Snoke is Caillou!
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Whosday: Ranking the Doctors
This blog post is about personal opinions, and these are subject to change every single time I pull one out. In fact, tor the anniversary post this Saturday, I will shoot for the more objective lists ranking them based on what could be considered the very best writing and what could be considered the very best acting, to keep it more objective, but this is not such a list. Rather, this is a list of strictly personal opinions, manifest for your enjoyment!
16. The Valeyard
Not particularly exciting by the standards of incarnations of the Doctor, the Valeyard is admittedly really cool as a villain...but, as I cannot stress enough, not really that cool as the Doctor.
15. The Thirteenth Doctor
Her problem is not that she's a woman; I always saw the Doctor as being truly alien beyond measure. Her real problem is that she's written to be such a generic Doctor that she's really, in her current state, not particularly much to write home about. However, the same could be said about the Seventh Doctor during his first season, and look how that turned out!
14. The Shalka Doctor
A bit more amusing, the Shalka Doctor could be a mite flat and generic at times, but full of whitticisms that never cease to amuse the viewer!
13. The Third Doctor
Really a fascinating character, but far removed from what the Doctor had ought to be most of the time.
12. The Sixth Doctor
His problem was that he was not really allowed to interfere with the plots of his stories, resulting in a character who was hard to like at times simply due to not ever giving the audience a sense of shared experience.
11. The War Doctor
The War Doctor is mostly just on a low spot on this list solely due to the lack of use of the character, so we don't get to see more of him.
10. The Fifth Doctor
A bit of a flat, wet fish by current standards, the Fifth Doctor remains a favorite of mine regardless.
9. The Eighth Doctor
Perhaps more of a basket case than often given credit for, the Eighth Doctor nevertheless is a perfectly loveable incarnation of the Doctor.
8. The Seventh Doctor
Sneaky, tricky, manipulative? All of these things and more, this is the Seventh Doctor! But he's also so soulful at times.
7. The Eleventh Doctor
Whacky as they come, his only real problem is that this is all that really defines him at times.
6. The Twelfth Doctor:
Maybe if Steven Moffat stopped confusing constant dynamism with great writing, he'd be an even better version of the character.
5. The First Doctor
Where would we be without the beginning? It's often forgotten just how funny and warm this Doctor could be once he began to trust his first companions.
4. The Second Doctor
Of course, this is the one who redefined the series.
3. The Ninth Doctor
Christopher Eccleston's version of the character is easily one of the most underrated.
2. The Tenth Doctor
I absolutely loved how much he just owned being the Doctor!
1. The Fourth Doctor.
My favorite. The best one, with everything to love about the First and Second combined in him, with several brand new traits that transferred to the rest of his incarnations, particularly the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Twelfth Doctors! He's got a lot of loveable qualities, silly and scary all at once!
16. The Valeyard
Not particularly exciting by the standards of incarnations of the Doctor, the Valeyard is admittedly really cool as a villain...but, as I cannot stress enough, not really that cool as the Doctor.
15. The Thirteenth Doctor
Her problem is not that she's a woman; I always saw the Doctor as being truly alien beyond measure. Her real problem is that she's written to be such a generic Doctor that she's really, in her current state, not particularly much to write home about. However, the same could be said about the Seventh Doctor during his first season, and look how that turned out!
14. The Shalka Doctor
A bit more amusing, the Shalka Doctor could be a mite flat and generic at times, but full of whitticisms that never cease to amuse the viewer!
13. The Third Doctor
Really a fascinating character, but far removed from what the Doctor had ought to be most of the time.
12. The Sixth Doctor
His problem was that he was not really allowed to interfere with the plots of his stories, resulting in a character who was hard to like at times simply due to not ever giving the audience a sense of shared experience.
11. The War Doctor
The War Doctor is mostly just on a low spot on this list solely due to the lack of use of the character, so we don't get to see more of him.
10. The Fifth Doctor
A bit of a flat, wet fish by current standards, the Fifth Doctor remains a favorite of mine regardless.
9. The Eighth Doctor
Perhaps more of a basket case than often given credit for, the Eighth Doctor nevertheless is a perfectly loveable incarnation of the Doctor.
8. The Seventh Doctor
Sneaky, tricky, manipulative? All of these things and more, this is the Seventh Doctor! But he's also so soulful at times.
7. The Eleventh Doctor
Whacky as they come, his only real problem is that this is all that really defines him at times.
6. The Twelfth Doctor:
Maybe if Steven Moffat stopped confusing constant dynamism with great writing, he'd be an even better version of the character.
5. The First Doctor
Where would we be without the beginning? It's often forgotten just how funny and warm this Doctor could be once he began to trust his first companions.
4. The Second Doctor
Of course, this is the one who redefined the series.
3. The Ninth Doctor
Christopher Eccleston's version of the character is easily one of the most underrated.
2. The Tenth Doctor
I absolutely loved how much he just owned being the Doctor!
1. The Fourth Doctor.
My favorite. The best one, with everything to love about the First and Second combined in him, with several brand new traits that transferred to the rest of his incarnations, particularly the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Twelfth Doctors! He's got a lot of loveable qualities, silly and scary all at once!
Monday, November 18, 2019
Musical Monday: The Light
It's nice how long and strong Disturbed has been going, and this is probably one of their most underrated songs, perhaps because it's not what their fans exactly asked for, but I loved both the melody and the lyrics.
I've been struck by personal tragedy in the past, some of it by my own making, some of it not, but no matter how it happened, I was deeply affected by the loss.
It can be hard, dealing with things, like being cut off from your best friend, or losing somebody really close to you. Sometimes, the memories continue the haunt you, and all you want is for them to come back.
And yes? Sometimes, the best thing you can do is try to seek out the light, and to help others going through the same problems.
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