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It's the end of an era as VHS finally heads into the West along with Frodo, Ronald Reagan and Roy Rogers. The final shipment of the once ever-present tapes has left the warehouse of the format's last major supplier. The business's owner claims that the same will happen to DVD within a few years and that it'll yield completely to Blu-ray... but I kinda doubt it. The same was said of VHS more than twenty years ago when laserdisc enjoyed a brief rise in popularity as premium home entertainment. But Blu-ray's attraction is only going to really take off once the capability of recording discs becomes more common, and that ain't happening yet. And there's always gonna be a need for cheap data storage, and just about every Blu-ray player is backward compatible with DVD anyway.
But for the VHS, it is indeed "Farewell, my lovely". It cannot be said that it did not have a good run though. And between you and me Faithful Reader: nothing will ever tear me apart from my beloved - albeit outdated in more ways than one - VHS set of the original Star Wars Trilogy :-)
This past season of Doctor Who has seen some of the best storytelling in the entire forty-five year history of the franchise. More than six months later and I am still as much in awe at "Forest of the Dead" as I am enthralled about what it hinted about the Doctor's future. And of course there was "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" two-parter that hailed the return of Davros: possibly the greatest villain in all of fiction.
So is it possible that the now-traditional Christmas special of Doctor Who could be just as up to par with what has already transpired in 2008? More to the point: could this year's special "The Next Doctor" please be much better than the glorious mess that was last year's "Voyage of the Damned"?!
In so many words: "Yes yes YES!!!"
"I'm the Doctor! Simply the Doctor! The one, the only, and the BEST!"
"You're mad! Both of you!"
"The Cyberking will rise."
"This is hardly work for a woman."
"But that's a screwdriver. How is it... sonic?"
"I was holding this device. The night I lost my mind. The night I regenerated."
"Okay. I think we should run!"
"It's Mercy."
"There she is: my transport through time and space. The TARDIS!"
The Doctor (David Tennant as the character's tenth incarnation), still without a companion following the events of "Journey's End", has arrived in a festive London square circa Christmas 1851. But as much as he is delighted by the sights and sounds of the holiday season, a woman crying out "Doctor!" snaps him back into full-tilt adventure mode. The Doctor runs down an alley and finds that it is a young lady named Rosita (Velile Tshabalala) who has been calling for him. But alas! Rosita does not take him seriously: she's been screaming for the Doctor and the Tenth Doctor is apparently not good enough. And then another man calling himself "the Doctor", played by David Morrissey, arrives at the scene. Could this possibly be a future generation of the Doctor? Just as it goes to the title sequence we witness both Doctors prepare to face down a Cybermen-manufactured monstrosity.
David Tennant announced in October that he would be leaving the role of the Doctor following this last batch of specials (which are being produced in lieu of a proper 2009 season). So the question early on becomes: is David Morrissey being primed to play the eleventh or even some other future version of the Doctor? Aye, 'twould be telling. But suffice it to say I loved his portrayal of the Next Doctor: it reminded me a bit of the Captain Hammer character from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog in terms of pure bravura, albeit touched with a hint of tragedy. From the getgo I found it easy to believe that this might be the Doctor that we know will eventually come (from how River Song described him in "Forest of the Dead"). That there is such great rapport between Next Doctor and Tennant's Tenth Doctor only helps to build the supporting case for this being a glimpse of a forthcoming regeneration (something which has never been done before in the history of Doctor Who). Velile Tshabalala is a lot of fun to watch as Rosita, and Dervla Kirwan (known for her previous work on Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart) turns in a positively menacing performance as Miss Hartigan. She's the proprietress of an orphanage and is betraying humanity to the Cybermen by helping them bring about the rise of the Cyberking: a Master Mold-ish "super Cyberman" with a factory in its chest that is ready to convert millions of people into Cybermen.
Last year's special, "Voyage of the Damned", was the perfect example of something that George Lucas noted years ago: that special effects without story backing them up are a dreary bore. Outgoing Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has learned his lesson well, because while "The Next Doctor" easily rivals "Voyage of the Damned" in terms of effects effort, it squarely remains a story focused on in-depth characters and engaging plot. Indeed, I will readily declare "The Next Doctor" to be the best Christmas special yet of the revived series! It's action-packed and replete with the drama, mystery and humor that Doctor Who at its best is renowned for. If I have one complaint though, it's that I think it's well past time for the Doctor on the new series to face down the "old school" Mondas-spawned Cybermen. The ones that menace the Earth in "The Next Doctor" are still the models from the parallel world that was first introduced in "Rise of the Cybermen". But I'm willing to let that slide this time, if only because of the Cyberking: one of the hands-down most brutally awesome spectacles that has ever been seen in a Doctor Who story.
"The Next Doctor" gets the full Five Sonic Screwdrivers on my Doctor Who rating scale. Well worth the time to download via Bittorrent from our Brittish brethren (of whom much thanks is owed for their work to put it on the Intertubes on Christmas Day!).
Next up for the Doctor: "Planet of the Dead", coming this Easter.
There is some irony that she died on Christmas Day, when her sultry Yuletide ballad "Santa Baby" always enjoys tremendous airplay...
Singer, dancer, actress, writer... and the greatest Catwoman ever. Orson Welles once called her "the most exciting woman in the world". Not a bad way to have spent 81 years of life. And a mighty far road to have come from the cotton fields of North, South Carolina.
This was the woman who, in my mind, defined what it truly meant to be sexy. And it had nothing to do with her ravishing good looks. It was Kitt's unrelenting spirit that enchanted her many admirers. All her life, she was her own person and she never backed down. Eartha Kitt told it like she saw it. It cost her years of a career in the United States following a now-legendary argument at the White House with a wrathful Ladybird Johnson. But Kitt came back. As she said in 1992, "I'm still here!", while everyone who had tried to stop her had already gone.
I think my favorite memory of Eartha Kitt was when she appeared on Politically Incorrect at the height of President Clinton's scandal with Monica Lewinski. Kitt said something that the sorry lot of elected officials in this land would do well to remember: "He's in our house!", talking about the White House... and how it did not belong to Bill Clinton at all, but to "the people". If that didn't scream out that she was smart sharp and sexy, I don't know what would.
And I must grieve that there does not seem to be any performer of my own generation who can even come close to the class and style that this fine lady had.
WFMY News 2 is reporting about this strange image caught by a security camera at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. Many people are saying that it depicts an angel outside the room of 14-year old Chelsea Banton, who had just been removed from life support after extraordinary measures had been taken by doctors to keep her alive. The physicians had said that there was nothing more that could be done. Soon after, Chelsea's aunt spotted the unusual "signature" on the monitor screen and alerted Chelsea's mother Colleen. The image was observed by numerous other people including hospital staff.
And immediately afterward, Chelsea Banton began to make a remarkable recovery. She will now celebrate her 15th birthday at home on Christmas Day.
As is the usual custom here at The Knight Shift blog, I am going to take the next few days off to celebrate Christmas. That's not to say there won't be blogging. If something obscenely crazy and dire comes up that demands writing about, I'll get back behind the keyboard and do my best to report about it. And let's not forget that there's the annual Doctor Who Christmas special that I'll no doubt be downloading, watching and then reviewing as soon as our Brittish brethren have it online :-)
But for the most part, I'm taking a break. And this is one Christmas that it hasn't been more needed.
The past few months have been one of the worst of my life. A lot of things have happened behind the scenes that I haven't touched on here. In many ways this is already set to be a Christmas that I'm not looking forward to...
...but in the past month or so there have also been a lot of good things that have begun to happen as well. I like to believe that it's God's way of telling me "I haven't given up on you Chris." 2008 had some wonderful moments and then tapering off wound up not a very good year at all... but 2009 holds so much promise already. I'm just gonna try my best to hold onto that hope, and put my faith ever more in Him, no matter what happens.
Speaking of 2009, there maybe some lulls in action on this blog as I work on some of what those "hopeful things" are. And Lord willing in the fullness of time I'll get to talk about what those are :-)
So if you've been reading this blog for a number of years, you know what's going to happen next. I'm going to repost the Christmas article that I wrote for The Pendulum, the school newspaper of Elon University, ten years ago in 1998. But before that happens, there is another - and far more notable - anniversary this Christmas...
It was forty years ago this Christmas Eve, on December 24th 1968, that the crew of Apollo 8 greeted the people back on Earth with a special message from mankind's first-ever orbit of the Moon. William Anders, and then Jim Lovell and finally Frank Borman read from the first chapter of the Book of Genesis. It has come to be regarded as one of the most beautiful and moving television transmissions in history. Forty years later it has lost none of its power. So here it is: Apollo 8's Christmas message...
From our house to yours, Merry Christmas and God bless :-)
Originally published in The Pendulum, Elon University, 12/03/1998
Celebrating the Christmas season means celebrating the memories Chris Knight Columnist
Some of the best memories that we take through life are about the times we cherish the most. And sometimes, it doesn’t take much to bring back the joy. Last Friday as I was driving around Greensboro, the all-time coolest Christmas song ever came over the speakers. Who knows what this genius recording artist’s name is? Does it really matter? Whoever he is, he’ll forever be remembered as giving us the immortal sound of “Dogs Singing Jingle Bells”:
Ahh... you know how it goes. And there’s the ever-beuh-beuh-beauh-beautiful rendition of Porky Pig singing “Blue Christmas” and the Chipmunks and of course “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Christmas at Ground Zero,” but hearing those dogs singing “Jingle Bells...” ahhhhh. It brought me back to the very first time I heard that: on the radio coming back from school just before Christmas in 1982. I was in third grade at the time. And it brought back memories of the Christmas we had. It was cold and very cloudy. I remember that because Santa had brought me a telescope and I didn’t get to use it that night. Which wasn’t too big a worry, ‘cause me and my sister had our brand-new Atari 2600 to play with! Another Christmas memory: To this day, I’ll never forgive Anita for the pounding she gave me in “Combat.” I don’t care how fancy Sega or the Playstation get... they’ll never touch the 4-bit pleasures of the Atari! There have been many a Christmas since then, and I remember each one well, for all the little things they had with them. I’ll never forget Mom and Dad taking me and my sister to see Santa Claus at the mall in ‘84. That morning Dad asked if I’d come with him to cut firewood, so we rode the tractor into the woods. There had been snow earlier in the week, which lay around us in the crisp, cold morning. Dad also brought his 30-30 rifle, why I still don’t know. After we had the wood loaded, Dad asked if I wanted to try shootin’ the gun. There I was, a ten-year old kid, holding what looked like an anti-aircraft cannon in my tiny hands. Well, I aimed at this tree like Dad told me to, and pulled the trigger. To this day I cannot describe the colors that flashed before my eyes, or the sound in my ears. When my existence finally returned, I was flat on my back in the snow, and blood was gushing from between my eyes where the scope had hit my nose from the backfire. That night Santa saw the bandages and said “Ho ho hoooo, and what happened to you, little fellow?” “I got shot, Santa,” was the only thing I knew to say. Hey, was I gonna lie to the Big Man? Uh-uh, no way was I gonna lose all that loot! The following year’s Christmas I remember for many things, but especially feeding the young calves on our farm. It would be the last year our family would be running a dairy farm, and I had started helping with some of the work around the barn. Dad set up a Christmas tree in the milking room, with wrapped-up boxes beneath it. Tinsel hung from the front doors of the barn. And there was something about the feel of the place there, that has always held a special place in my heart, as if we knew that there would not be another Christmas like this one. I wish there had been another Christmas on the farm, because there’s something I wish I could have seen. And as silly as some people might find this, I really believe that it happens. You see, if you go out at midnight on Christmas Eve, you will see all the animals in the farmyard, and in the fields, and in the forests, and wherever else they may be, stop where they are. And then they kneel. They kneel in remembrance for another night, long ago. It was Christmas, but how many people could know it then? Nothing remarkable, to be sure: Caesar had decreed a census through the land, and each man went with his family to his town. One man in particular took his wife, a young woman quick with child. But there was no room for them at the inn. So that night, in a dirty and filthy stable and surrounded by animals, a child was born. You see, it’s easy for us to forget. At this time of the year, we are too overwhelmed by the consumption and the material and the glitter /and all the customs that come with Christmas. And it’s too easy for us to forget that Christmas is, before everything else, a birthday. But the animals, who watched over Him as He lay as a newborn babe, two millenia ago... the animals have not forgotten. And so they kneel every Christmas and give glory to the newborn king, and in awe that God would send His Son to live among us in the greatest act of love. And to teach us many things, but especially to “love one another”. And to bridge the gap between man and God. The birth of Jesus Christ: the greatest Christmas present there will ever be. His birth, which would give mankind the greatest present it could ever ask for. Who in the world on that night could know the price that this present would someday have? Heaven and Earth sang praises to His glory on that night. The animals have always remembered that night. And Heaven and Earth still praise and sing unto Him. And if you only take a little time out from how busy things become at this part of the year, you can hear the singing, too. And it is a great temptation to join in that chorus. And perhaps in hearing, we will not forget the real meaning of Christmas, either. This Christmas Eve night I plan to be outside, with the same telescope that I got for Christmas all those years ago, and trying to envision a bright star over Bethlehem. Around midnight, I’m going to take a walk over to my aunt’s farm. Merry Christmas. Peace on Earth, and goodwill toward men.
Dedicated to the memory of W.C. “Mutt” Burton, for whom Christmas was always “In My Bones.”
Slashdot has a humorous story about high school students in Maryland who have targeted those "speed cameras" there for clever abuse. The kids are finding people they don't like - such as their most-hated teachers - and using laser printers and glossy paper to create high-quality copies of their prey's license plates. Then they scram past the cameras at excess speed with the bogus plates on their cars and make the teachers or whoever get slapped with a $40 fine a few days later! From all appearances there is no oversight or investigation: the fines get sent out automatically.
We should start doing this with the cars of a lot of busybody politicians and bureaucrats. What say ye?
Marco van Bergen is a filmmaker that I've mentioned a few times on this blog not only because he's a really cool guy and good friend but because, well, he rocks as a filmmaker. Keep your eye on this up-and-coming director folks: he's definitely headed for good things!
So this morning he tells me that the first teaser for his new project Normalsville is done and that I oughta take a gander at it. So I did. Like, five times in a row. It's a right atmospheric and moody piece of work. Can't wait to see the rest of it (even though I've been "in the loop" on it for awhile :-) Check it out!
Many times, I have been asked "What kind of town is Reidsville like?"
Something like this...
The first time I saw Hobo With A Shotgun was Butt-Numb-A-Thon 9 last year. This short has won a bunch of awards and is now on track to becoming an actual full-length movie! And it cracks me up every time I watch it :-) Shoot here for the official website.
I just finished watching Lesley Stahl's story on 60 Minutes about the Transportation Security Administration: what many consider to be the most worthless government agency ever created (thanks for nothing again George W. Bush). It pretty much encapsulated everything that a lot of us have been saying about the TSA since its inception. Namely, that it is absolutely impotent when it comes to apprehending real threats before they begin. One Congressional source cited in the report said that of the tens of thousands of travelers who had been stopped for TSA "interviews", not one was found to be carrying anything that could be deemed dangerous. That didn't stop outgoing TSA Administrator Kip Hawley from demanding that "THESE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO KILL US!" as a justification for (1) harassing 90-year old ladies in wheelchairs and (2) the cushy job that the Transportation Security Administration gives him and thousands of others who otherwise could not find employment, gainful or otherwise. To this observer, it seemed more like the TSA bunch wants us to believe that they are somehow "superior" to us, that they "know more than we do" and thus we should shut up and accept them as a big brother.
Well, let me go on the record to say this: in seven years, I have never felt impressed or intimidated, at all, with the TSA goons. I have however had much incredulous laughter at their "security theater" antics. There is a reason why a lot of people call them "Too Stupid for Arby's".
For some thoughts about how there can be serious security on the airlines, without abusing the rights and convenience of American citizens and other travelers, read my proposal for the creation of "citizen marshals". Because the TSA and just about every other do-nothing agency has demonstrated that there is no faith at all to be had in government.
'Twas a pleasure meeting you today. And thanks for filling me in on how Harold and Stephen are doing! Drop me a line sometime and we'll compare comic books or something again :-P
I just read on TheForce.net that yesterday in Indianapolis, Indiana the RCA Dome was imploded by demolition crews. The previous home turf of the Indianapolis Colts, the RCA Dome adjoined the Indianapolis Convention Center. That was the site of Star Wars Celebration II in 2002 and Celebration III in 2005. I attended both. The events never went inside the RCA Dome, but as we walked past the glass doors that opened into the floor level of the arena, we got to oggle it plenty. I remember the Saturday morning of Celebration II, there was a wild rumor that they were going to open up the RCA Dome that evening for an advance showing of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones following the Star Wars concert. The showing didn't happen, but it was sure fun to imagine all those die-hard geeks assembled in the RCA Dome to watch it. Good times!
Here's video of the implosion. I love this kind of stuff! All those timed explosions going off just right, making it so the building falls in on itself from its own weight. There's a bloody science to implosions and... in its own way it's a profound thing of beauty.
By the way, in case you're wondering (which I was too) the Indianapolis Convention Center itself did not get destroyed also! This is making way for an expansion to the convention center (perhaps in time for Star Wars Celebration V?) and the Indianapolis Colts are now playing in the brand-new Lucas Oil Stadium.
If there is a comic book franchise that demands a cinematic reboot like what Batman Begins did, then Judge Dredd/2000 AD is it.
I must say though, that 1995's Judge Dredd with Sylvester Stallone is something of a guilty pleasure for me. I don't have it on DVD but whenever it comes on television, I always wind up settling back to watch it. It's what first drew my attention to the 2000 AD mythology. Judge Dredd from '95 did a lot of things right... but it also could have been so much more if you know anything about the comics.
Well, hopefully Judge Joe Dredd and the world of Mega City One will soon be getting the big-screen treatment that they deserve: a new Judge Dredd movie has been greenlit. It'll be produced by DNA Films, which has recently brought out such sci-fi movies as Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later.
Might I be the first to suggest that Christopher Eccleston would be perfect in the role of Judge Death? :-)
I well remember October 3rd, 1995: the day that the verdict in his murder trial was read. You could literally hear the gasps of disbelief all across the Elon campus. "I can't believe he got away with it!!" is what most people were saying.
"He didn't get away with it," I told one friend. "One day, and it may not be in a way that we will ever see, but eventually Simpson will be punished somehow, if he did it."
Does anyone today doubt that he did do it? Or that his personal character has, at last, come back to haunt him in a way that this time, he could not escape?
O.J. Simpson has been a festering keloid on the face of American culture for nearly fifteen years now. At last, we won't have to be bothered with him any longer. He made his bed (one of fifteen hundred at Lovelock), now he'll have to sleep in it.
Cloaked monks working mathematics? Desmond telling Penny that he's leaving? People on fire? Sawyer speaking gibberish? More blinding light?
I have faith that this upcoming season of Lost will be one of the most legendary in television history. Just a little over a month now and the show returns!
A little over two weeks ago we started a contest on this blog. The spoils? Three copies of the Gears of War 2: The Soundtrack CD... personally signed to the winners by composer Steve Jablonsky (the creative force behind the musical scores for Transformers, Desperate Housewives and a wazoo-load of other movies and television shows and other stuff). But in order to be eligible to win one of 'em, entrants were asked to send in a picture of themselves doing their best impersonation of any character from established Gears of War canon. Not a "costume contest" so much as that this was about conveying character and heart.
So we were giving away three Steve Jablonsky-signed copies of Gears of War 2: The Soundtrack... and this was an easy contest to judge 'cuz three is exactly the amount of entries that came in! So the following three individuals will soon be getting their grubby lil' paws on one of the CDs. Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks to Steve Jablonsky! :-)
The first winner is Mike Casteel from Burlington, Kentucky. Mike sent in this photo of himself posing as Chairman Prescott, the leader of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. Looking at this great pic, you can practically hear "Armored Prayer" playing in the background...
The next winner is Adam Solomon from Bay Shore, New York. He sent in this pic of himself as Marcus Fenix. Or as I like to call it: "Marcus getting out of the shower in the morning after a night of killing Grubs"...
And finally, there is Jay Ballance from Cranbrook, British Columbia. And Jay did not play it safe. He made what some might consider to be a very risky move by portraying a Gears of War character that we don't have a single image of at all! What did Jay do? In his own words...
"Carlos (Dom's older brother, from the book. From the chapter where him and Marcus are guarding the emulsion pipeline, in freezing temperatures.....lol)"
"The most famous anonymous source in history", W. Mark Felt - the legendary "Deep Throat" who passed along the information about the Watergate scandal to reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that ultimately brought down President Richard Nixon - has passed away at age 95.
Felt's alter-ego was one of the greatest and most celebrated mysteries of American politics during the past fifty years. For more than three decades speculation continued to swirl about the identity of Deep Throat. It wasn't until the spring of 2005 that Felt came forward and revealed to the public that he was the informant who guided Woodward and Bernstein.
Was he a movie star or sports figure? No. But in his own way Felt was just as much a larger-than-life celebrity to those who came up in the Seventies and Eighties. Some will disagree with his motives and politics, but there is no argument that Mark Felt made a profound impact on the history of his country... and that's plenty enough reason to note his passing.
I have a confession to make: one of the biggest reasons why I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation was because from the very beginning, I became a fan of Lwaxana Troi: the outrageous, overbearing mother of Deanna Troi, both hilariously and tragically portrayed by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.
Of course, that wasn't Barrett's only connection to Star Trek. She was also Nurse Chapel in the original series. She played Number One in "The Cage": the first pilot episode of Star Trek. Hers was the ubiquitous voice of the Federation starships in the later series. And yes, she was the wife of Star Trek creator himself, Gene Roddenberry.
Just a few short days ago, it was announced that Barrett would be returning as the computer voice in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie later this summer. A lot of people rejoiced at hearing that news. And now those same people and many, many others are grieving at hearing that Majel Barrett-Rodenberry has passed away from leukemia at age 76.
