Doctor Who: The 50th Anniversary and Beyond

 

The British Television series Doctor Who is celebrating its 50th anniversary on November 23, 2013 and the BBC just (finally) released the official poster for this iconic and celebratory episode of the show. Previous stars David Tennant (the Tenth Doctor) and Billie Piper (Rose) will be joining forces with Matt Smith and guest star John Hurt in what is sure to be an adventure of epic proportions, but beyond that little information has been released in regards to the content of episode or even the 50th celebration in general. With November 23rd now rapidly approaching, fans (more affectionately known as Whovians) are growing more and more anxious. 

Series 7, which concluded on May 18th, has received perhaps the most severely mixed reviews since Doctor Who started up again in 2005, leaving much of the audience concerned about the direction the show is now taking. In addition to the anniversary, 2013 proved to be even more of a milestone year when the departure of the current star, Matt Smith, was announced back in June. Following the anniversary episode, Smith will make his last appearance as The Doctor in a Christmas special this December. Knowing the loss of Matt Smith would be overwhelming, the BBC turned things right around by announcing who would be taking over the role. In a live broadcast on August 4, it was revealed that Peter Capaldi would be Smith's successor as the twelfth Doctor.

Those of you unfamiliar with Doctor Who probably have no idea just how big of a deal this really is. Next to the coronation of a new monarch, the announcement of a new Doctor is the pride and joy of the UK (at least in terms of entertainment). I don't think there's a Whovian out there that wouldn't be able to tell you where they were when they found out about the twelfth Doctor. As for my story, I was on vacation in Las Vegas. It was morning, and I was in my hotel room waiting for my sister to wake up so that we could start our day. I grabbed my laptop and logged onto my Facebook mere minutes before the announcement was made; not realizing the convenient timing until I witnessed the internet nearly implode upon itself. My news feed exploded, I got text messages from friends, and let's just say I can't believe Tumblr didn't crash from overuse as fans around the world posted their reactions to the news in uncontrollable quantities. It was mind-blowingly remarkable.
The transition from one Doctor to another is always a bittersweet event (actually it's entirely bitter at the time it occurs, but never fails to turn sweet in the end). While Peter Capaldi has already been  wholeheartedly welcomed as the newest star of Doctor Who, it's impossible not to associate his casting with the inevitable demise of Matt Smith. The 50th anniversary and Christmas specials, while highly anticipated, will surely not fail to be heartbreaking as they mark the end of one era and the beginning of another.
 

The Wonderful World of Color

Last November I had the pleasure of attending Disney's California Adventure park for the first time in about ten years. While the design improvements throughout the park in general were both countless and impressive, there was one thing in particular that captured my attention, and that was the World of Color. 

For those who don't know, World of Color is a nighttime show at California Adventure combining light, water, music, fog, visual projections and fire into an entertainment phenomenon. The whole thing required about $75,000,000 to design, manufacture and build (according to Wikipedia), and I'm assuming the cost of upkeep isn't a small number either. 

World of Color is truly one of the most, if not the most, breathtaking thing I have ever seen in my life. The show runs about 27 minutes in length, and there's not a single dull moment. My jaw literally fell open over and over again in sheer awe of the beautiful choreography. It's a visual delight guaranteed to fill you with nostalgia if you grew up with Disney. 

This is the perfect event for parents and children to enjoy together. I saw the production for the second time just recently, and looking around at the crowd, I was incredibly surprised by the attentiveness of young children, teenagers and adults alike. Everyone looked to be enjoying themselves, despite the fact that it was the end of the day and you have to stand for the entire duration of the show on tired feet. 

I think the thing that makes this show particularly successful is that it draws on all the senses simultaneously. You can smell the fog, hear the music and feel the mist of the water and the heat of the fire even from the very back of the viewing area. You feel one-hundred percent engaged in the moment.

I highly encourage you to see the World of Color if you ever get the chance. The visual and auditory content is constantly being updated and revised to encompass the latest Disney movies, songs, and characters. However, there are also snippets of the classic films and even the company's early cartoon shorts to satisfy older Disney-goers and die-hard fans.

If you can't make it to California Adventure anytime soon, you can catch the entire show here. Naturally it's not quite as impressive online, but it gives you a taste of what World of Color is all about. 

9/12/13: Tom Hiddleston LIVE on Twitter

This morning, @marveluk sponsored a one-hour live chat with actor Tom Hiddleston on Twitter. Needless to say, the internet went a little crazy! I've never witnessed anything quite like this before, and until today I had very limited knowledge of how to even use Twitter, but I guess that only made it all the more exciting!

Fans from across the globe immediately began tweeting their questions to Tom when this event was announced on various social media sites yesterday. The conversation was based strictly on whatever items Hiddleston decided to answer.

Just to stir up a bit of excitement before the chat began, Tom posted this behind-the-scenes photo from the set of Thor titled Filming Loki's Demise (2011). This photo definitely got me really excited, and may very well be my favorite thing to come out of the entire event. In the movie, this scene has such an intense emotional resonance, that seeing it all laid out with the green screens makes it infinitely more awesome!

Before I even get into the content of this conversation, can we just take a minute to appreciate the immense modesty of this man?

He never ceases to be amazed by the quantity of his followers and his sincere appreciation of us all is quite endearing.

Now, even though this was a live chat, it obviously takes time for a person read through a massive pool of questions, chose one to answer, and then give a concise and adequate response. It was a lot of fun watching new items gradually pop up in my feed. And in between Hiddleston's tweets, you could relish in and laugh at the comments posted by other people. 

What really blew mind though, was the number of people who were online and actively involved in this event world-wide. Tom would post something and within mere seconds it had hundreds of notes. There's something truly magical about the instantaneous communication that is made possible by the internet, but I digress...

In addition to sharing his favorite Shakespearian insults and his preferred song to jam out to on the set of Thor: The Dark World, Tom also revealed that his latest film, Only Lovers Left Alive will reach the US sometime in late March or early April 2014. 

While this conversation was only scheduled to last one hour, Hiddleston was gracious enough to continue answering questions far beyond the time limit, and the event eventually ended the way it started: with "Lots of Love" from Tom. 

So rather than trying to summarize everything that went on during the chat today, I've posted bits and pieces of the Q&A that I found particularly interesting below. Enjoy!

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(aww, can't wait to see this mother-son relationship depicted in the movie)

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All in all, the whole thing was a fun little affair. I learned a lot about Tom Hiddleston and even more about Twitter.

You can follow Tom on his official Facebook account here: https://www.facebook.com/twhiddleston
                                                       Twitter account here: https://twitter.com/twhiddleston

The MARVELous World of Disney

Back in 2009, the Walt Disney Company purchased MARVEL for a whopping $4 billion dollars. There was a lot of concern expressed at the time, as MARVEL fans feared the worst for future movie productions. However, after the immense success of recent films such as Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers, I think it's safe to say that those worries have since been put to rest.

The two companies have managed to maintain surprisingly distinct identities despite the absorption of MARVEL by Disney. Recently though, there has been a great deal of speculation about how the various MARVEL superheroes will inevitably be incorporated into Disney products and theme parks. 

Four years after purchasing the company, Disney is finally initiating some projects that will introduce elements of MARVEL into the existing magic. As a fan of both companies, I'm rather excited by the things they are planning. 

The Disneyland park in Anaheim California got the party started this year by opening up a Stark Industries exhibit to accompany the film Iron Man 3. According to Disney.com visitors can "experience the latest Iron Man technology" in both physical and virtual form. But this is only the beginning. The Disney Cruise Line is said to be starting an Avengers Academy for young fans to enjoy their time at sea in an environment themed to that of the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier (video). It is said that Captain America will even appear in character to inspire budding Avengers.

Most recently however, Disney has announced their intention to bring the mighty Thor into Disneyland in correlation with the release of the The Dark World this coming November (Disney Parks Blog). Guests will now be able to meet and greet their favorite hero in person. How cool is that? 

With all of these smaller elements of MARVEL gradually creeping into the wonderful world of Disney, I can't help but wonder if we will ever see a full on MARVEL theme park (or at least a MARVEL-themed land within one of the existing parks) in the future. Can you imagine crossing the Bifrost bridge, seeing the Asgardian castle, visiting Stark Tower, bumping into agent Coulson, or coming face to face with the God of Mischief himself? How magical would that be for young superhero fans?

Thor: The Dark World Cast

With Marvel's next big film Thor: The Dark World hitting theaters in just over two months time, the anticipation is as strong as ever. More than anything, I think fans are thrilled to see the God of Mischief back on the screen for the third time, and this time, perhaps even at his brother's side (fingers crossed). However, I've also become quite intrigued by some of the new additions to the cast as well. 

For starters, the villain this time around is to be played by Christopher Eccleston. Those of you familiar with British television will recognize the name from Doctor Who. That's right, the man so well-known for his role as savior of the universe has had to harness his inner villain in his portrayal of the character Malekith. In a recent interview Eccleston admitted that "there is a kind of tragic quality to his quest" (Empire Magazine October 2013). Sound familiar? I can't help but wonder if they decided to play the "wounded British villain" card again because it worked so well with Loki. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing Chris Eccleston's performance. 

In other news, Zachary Levi, star of NBC's Chuck and voice of Flynn Rider in Disney's Tangled, will be replacing Josh Dallas (Once Upon a Time) as Thor's friend Fandral. Now, like most people, I am not a fan of re-casting. I am however, a big fan of Zachary Levi, and I'm confident that he will do the role justice. In a Nerd HQ interview this summer, Tom Hiddleston said that his friend and co-star (Levi) needed no help in perfecting his British accent for the role. It'll be interesting to see how he pulls it off.

Bill Nye the Dancing Guy

The cast of Dancing with the Stars Season 17 was revealed this morning, and for me, the highlight was hearing that Bill Nye the Science Guy would be taking to the floor! The crowd in New York seemed perhaps the most excited by his entrance, bow tie and all. 

While most the rest of the cast is largely unknown to me, I'm willing to bet that Corbin Bleu will go far in the competition judging from his background in High School Musical. Brant Daugherty, who plays Noel Kahn in ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, is also among the stars set to dance this season. It'll be interesting to see him on the dance floor rather than entwined in the mysteries of PLL.

However, most importantly, this season's cast includes an inspiration woman who is currently fighting cancer; Valerie Harper. She was diagnosed as terminal several months ago, but rather than accept such a grim fate, she's agreed to compete in a reality television show! What better way to put up a fight? Valerie is partnered with Irish pro Tristan MacManus. I can't wait to see what they can do when the show premieres on September 17th.