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mockturle06"I think the word bromance is so passe. We are two men who happen to be roommates who wrestle a lot and share a bed." - Robert Downey Jnr on Holmes and Watson, MyPark Magazine
Ah, bless (though he later recants). I just know I'm going to be horribly disappointed, but I can't help but be curious about this film. Especially as a lifelong Holmes/Watson fan (no don't ask me to choose, because as a lass I wouldn't be shifted from Rathbone until Mr Brett, but I've yet to be swayed from Mr Brett by later intrepretations, though I preferred Everett to Roxburgh).
Meanwhile, work has been hell. I've not slept or eaten and it has sent me grey, but enough of that.
Did I mention my Merlin dvd's arrived? Too cute, especially the extras. I know it's a dumb show, aimed at five year olds, but dammit, it ticks a lot of boxes (the the old blond/brunette combo, the Arthurian blah, a couple of the cast members). Actually, on cast memners, I gotta say, while there's precious little in the way of glossy mag spreads (that I've found, very hard to get UK mags right now, especially as several of my fave newsagents closed) but on the plus side, the only Merlin cast memember I've seen tumbling out of the Ivy in the wee hours was Mr Wilson. Tsk.
But this is neither here nor there. Nor is wondering where my shelves of Arthurian sources (both 'primary' and secondary) have got to (did I chuck 'em, too, in a particularly black mood?). No, the main thing is just ogling the pretty boys (who also ogle) and giggling at the dvd extras. Glittery unicorn stickers for all, to borrow from a dear friend.
Then there is the problem of watching the show, and I don't mean just wallowing in a show purpose built for five year olds. Nor am I talking about watching it wrong, because in Merlin (even more than True Blood, mercy), it's often a case of subtext rapidly becoming text, to borrow from Uther's other show.
Nope, I'm talking about trying to sit through Merlin and not erupting with "Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony" or "Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" or even "The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?" and then there's "Have fun storming the castle", "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!" or even a rousing "In Camelot!" and so on and so forth. I even remembered King Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table and I've not seen that since I was two (oh year, early imprint on the Matter of Britain, make no mistake).
I do love it though, for my sins. I like Merlin, cocky young beast that he may be, and Arthur, the posh prat with the heart of gold. I was wondering though, watching last night, the whole "the chalice from the palace contains the brew that is true" bit, and wondering if Arthur swigged because it was his duty, for the people, or whether it was all for Merlin, his secretly beloved Merlin, as was very strongly suggested that it was. Sigh. Swoon.
I kinda like it that both boys are hiding their true selves. I mean Merlin has the whole metaphorical magic minority thing going, but Arthur, brash and rash Arthur seems to be concealing (or trying to, at least), some bog standard yet obviously very painful daddy issues, a tender heart that has been trampled somewhat (cf distant and authoritarian, and then some, father), and he has of late, in the episodes I've watched at least, demonstrated a great fondness and loyalty for Merlin even if he's always smacking him upside the heed. And it's not like Merlin doesn't deserve some of it (the smacking upside the heed), he is cheeky and far too sure of himself at times and at others almost insuffferably gormless. The whole bit in the unicorn (oh, help, canon unicorns) where Arthur is doing the whole covert badarse soldier thing and Merlin is just so utterly clueless was kinda cute and harked back to classic Stargate (which kinda lost its fun when Daniel stopped being quite so nebbish).
So I like it. Okay, the production values and stories are all a bit Xena, but it has layers, it has themes, and unlike the latest version of Robin Hood which is all about the Iraq war, and rather clumsily at that, too, Melin at least deals with parental expectation and disapproval, unrequited love, the face we show to the world, repressed minorities, discrimination, class warfare, honour, duty, loyalty...big themes, teen angst, all the usual anxieties and all rather timeless. This is why I think it works better than some of the other shows. Perhaps, properly, it is the most like Buffy, as in it sucks to be me but I'm gonna do the right thing and kill the monsters and save the day. So very Buffy. And lookit, it even has Tony it in - grin (and there was a flash of Giles when he got the unicorn horn and he was all oooo shiny! For just a moment, there was Giles, bless).
But yeah, pretty young boys trashing my favourite stories and being kinda gay. What's not to love?
Other stuff watched: Life. Oh man, it is silly and has the substance of a meringue, but I love it. Last night's was okay, but the one before, on the reservation, that had its moments. Especially the faces Damian made when he took the purple panties phoneccall (and amusingly both Mr Lewis and Mr Laurie drop their American accents, just a bit, when being silly, the same way you can hear an Oz actor when acting drunk and a Scots actor when doing angry, and what does it say about us?). That was not quite but almost up there with some of the moments in Much Ado About Nothing. Heh, I loved that.
True Blood. Episode two. Bill's a'courting, folks are turning up dead, more on society's attitude towards those who don't fit in, toe the line, etc. Though, like Merlin, there probably is a bit of baby eating going on. I kinda like True Blood. It's a good companion piece to Merlin, or rather Merlin vol ii, once the magic folk are outed. True Blood is not so much segregation as integration. Interesting, lotsa social commentary, with a whole lotta nudity (but I s'pose you need a little sugar to help the medicine go down). Kinda interesting, too, how fantasy shows are still the shows dealing with the big and serious issues, for all the mocking they get from the mainstream.
Maverick: last night was a Jack Kelly episode - yay. And there was this chubby young chap who kinda looked like the unholy lovechild of Robert Redford and Bill Clinton, and anyway I kept berating him for looking like Robert Redford. Turns out it was doin' what came naturally. Yep, it was Bob. Okay, that's Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and Roger Moore, just fer starters. Why the fuck is this not on dvd???? Harumph. And yeah, ol Bob was a bit of a chubster in 1959. Hee.
Oh, and saw some Lost In Space. Guess when the really good drugs hits America in the 60s. Yikes.
Nothing much else, as work has taken over my life (I even toss and turn over code at night), but I did just have a stroll around a bookshop with a friend (we have walking/talking/browsing lunches because actually sitting down in a cafe wold send mixed signals, apparently). I found a few books, including the latest Gatiss (at last). Love the first edition Fleming mockup cover. Love it quite a bit.
Oh, and the laundry door is stuck fast. Oh, for the days when I took opening the laundry door for granted. I'm hoping it'll dry out and resume functioning as intended (because I can't remember the last time we had an entire week of rain, although it hit just short of the magic 100mls, but at least it turned my dustbowl into a muddy swamp) otherwise I'll have to get a man in, and I'd rather not replace door and/or lock, as I'm rather fond of the big old door knob and antiqurian lock and the frankly enormous old fashioned key that goes with it. Just jangling the key on a Saturday lets the birds know it's washing day. Sigh. Gonna hafta do something, my supply of knickers is finite.
Merlin/Arthur
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/merlin/images/s01e11/s01e11_07_1024x768.jpg
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/quotes
Sherlock Holmes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes
May/Ray
http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/galleries/covers-party-part-two/21/
JP
http://community.livejournal.com/rightclickdrool/657536.html
Lewis
http://www.radiotimes.com/shows/lewis/gallery/gallery-two/
WWI love letter sparks public plea
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/13/2491359.htm
Generation Kill: Episode three
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/feb/08/generation-kill-first-episode-busfield
Talking Shop: Jeremy Paxman
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7889617.stm
Life On Mars
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/tv-reviews/life-on-mars/2009/02/16/1234632729120.html
Review: Top Gear Live
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4847911a25083.html
Ventimiglia is no longer Panettiere's Hero
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/1/20090217/ten-ventimiglia-is-no-longer-panettiere-c60bd6d.html
Milo Ventimiglia & Hayden Panettiere Split
http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/02/16/milo-ventimiglia-hayden-panettiere-split/
THREE Jane Austen Science Fiction Movies In The Pipeline?
http://io9.com/5154815/three-jane-austen-science-fiction-movies-in-the-pipeline
Save Bletchley Park: Why I'm ashamed to be British
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4640672/Save-Bletchley-Park-Why-Im-ashamed-to-be-British.html
Monkey business: Cheeta the chimp is a cheat
http://www.smh.com.au/world/monkey-business-cheeta-the-chimp-is-a-cheat-20090216-898e.html?sssdmh=dm16.361158
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond grounded by seagull
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25057921-5006022,00.html
Home and Away's Ryan Kwanten finds success in True Blood
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25067308-5003422,00.html
Merlin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin
Merlin (TV series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(TV_series)
King Arthur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Pendragon
Blue Peter must be more like Top Gear to create playground buzz, says BBC controller
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4681574/Blue-Peter-must-be-more-like-Top-Gear-to-create-playground-buzz-says-BBC-controller.html
The Victorians: Jeremy Paxman
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz/s/1095693_the_victorians_jeremy_paxman
Generation Kill: Episode four
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/feb/12/generation-kill-fourth-episode-busfield
First born, best served...?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4641329/First-born-best-served....html
Can Jeremy Clarkson give Blue Peter appeal?
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article5761636.ece
Why men can't apologise
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article5761637.ece
The unbearable pointlessness of subversion
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/4642464/The-unbearable-pointlessness-of-subversion.html
Ah, bless (though he later recants). I just know I'm going to be horribly disappointed, but I can't help but be curious about this film. Especially as a lifelong Holmes/Watson fan (no don't ask me to choose, because as a lass I wouldn't be shifted from Rathbone until Mr Brett, but I've yet to be swayed from Mr Brett by later intrepretations, though I preferred Everett to Roxburgh).
Meanwhile, work has been hell. I've not slept or eaten and it has sent me grey, but enough of that.
Did I mention my Merlin dvd's arrived? Too cute, especially the extras. I know it's a dumb show, aimed at five year olds, but dammit, it ticks a lot of boxes (the the old blond/brunette combo, the Arthurian blah, a couple of the cast members). Actually, on cast memners, I gotta say, while there's precious little in the way of glossy mag spreads (that I've found, very hard to get UK mags right now, especially as several of my fave newsagents closed) but on the plus side, the only Merlin cast memember I've seen tumbling out of the Ivy in the wee hours was Mr Wilson. Tsk.
But this is neither here nor there. Nor is wondering where my shelves of Arthurian sources (both 'primary' and secondary) have got to (did I chuck 'em, too, in a particularly black mood?). No, the main thing is just ogling the pretty boys (who also ogle) and giggling at the dvd extras. Glittery unicorn stickers for all, to borrow from a dear friend.
Then there is the problem of watching the show, and I don't mean just wallowing in a show purpose built for five year olds. Nor am I talking about watching it wrong, because in Merlin (even more than True Blood, mercy), it's often a case of subtext rapidly becoming text, to borrow from Uther's other show.
Nope, I'm talking about trying to sit through Merlin and not erupting with "Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony" or "Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" or even "The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?" and then there's "Have fun storming the castle", "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!" or even a rousing "In Camelot!" and so on and so forth. I even remembered King Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table and I've not seen that since I was two (oh year, early imprint on the Matter of Britain, make no mistake).
I do love it though, for my sins. I like Merlin, cocky young beast that he may be, and Arthur, the posh prat with the heart of gold. I was wondering though, watching last night, the whole "the chalice from the palace contains the brew that is true" bit, and wondering if Arthur swigged because it was his duty, for the people, or whether it was all for Merlin, his secretly beloved Merlin, as was very strongly suggested that it was. Sigh. Swoon.
I kinda like it that both boys are hiding their true selves. I mean Merlin has the whole metaphorical magic minority thing going, but Arthur, brash and rash Arthur seems to be concealing (or trying to, at least), some bog standard yet obviously very painful daddy issues, a tender heart that has been trampled somewhat (cf distant and authoritarian, and then some, father), and he has of late, in the episodes I've watched at least, demonstrated a great fondness and loyalty for Merlin even if he's always smacking him upside the heed. And it's not like Merlin doesn't deserve some of it (the smacking upside the heed), he is cheeky and far too sure of himself at times and at others almost insuffferably gormless. The whole bit in the unicorn (oh, help, canon unicorns) where Arthur is doing the whole covert badarse soldier thing and Merlin is just so utterly clueless was kinda cute and harked back to classic Stargate (which kinda lost its fun when Daniel stopped being quite so nebbish).
So I like it. Okay, the production values and stories are all a bit Xena, but it has layers, it has themes, and unlike the latest version of Robin Hood which is all about the Iraq war, and rather clumsily at that, too, Melin at least deals with parental expectation and disapproval, unrequited love, the face we show to the world, repressed minorities, discrimination, class warfare, honour, duty, loyalty...big themes, teen angst, all the usual anxieties and all rather timeless. This is why I think it works better than some of the other shows. Perhaps, properly, it is the most like Buffy, as in it sucks to be me but I'm gonna do the right thing and kill the monsters and save the day. So very Buffy. And lookit, it even has Tony it in - grin (and there was a flash of Giles when he got the unicorn horn and he was all oooo shiny! For just a moment, there was Giles, bless).
But yeah, pretty young boys trashing my favourite stories and being kinda gay. What's not to love?
Other stuff watched: Life. Oh man, it is silly and has the substance of a meringue, but I love it. Last night's was okay, but the one before, on the reservation, that had its moments. Especially the faces Damian made when he took the purple panties phoneccall (and amusingly both Mr Lewis and Mr Laurie drop their American accents, just a bit, when being silly, the same way you can hear an Oz actor when acting drunk and a Scots actor when doing angry, and what does it say about us?). That was not quite but almost up there with some of the moments in Much Ado About Nothing. Heh, I loved that.
True Blood. Episode two. Bill's a'courting, folks are turning up dead, more on society's attitude towards those who don't fit in, toe the line, etc. Though, like Merlin, there probably is a bit of baby eating going on. I kinda like True Blood. It's a good companion piece to Merlin, or rather Merlin vol ii, once the magic folk are outed. True Blood is not so much segregation as integration. Interesting, lotsa social commentary, with a whole lotta nudity (but I s'pose you need a little sugar to help the medicine go down). Kinda interesting, too, how fantasy shows are still the shows dealing with the big and serious issues, for all the mocking they get from the mainstream.
Maverick: last night was a Jack Kelly episode - yay. And there was this chubby young chap who kinda looked like the unholy lovechild of Robert Redford and Bill Clinton, and anyway I kept berating him for looking like Robert Redford. Turns out it was doin' what came naturally. Yep, it was Bob. Okay, that's Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and Roger Moore, just fer starters. Why the fuck is this not on dvd???? Harumph. And yeah, ol Bob was a bit of a chubster in 1959. Hee.
Oh, and saw some Lost In Space. Guess when the really good drugs hits America in the 60s. Yikes.
Nothing much else, as work has taken over my life (I even toss and turn over code at night), but I did just have a stroll around a bookshop with a friend (we have walking/talking/browsing lunches because actually sitting down in a cafe wold send mixed signals, apparently). I found a few books, including the latest Gatiss (at last). Love the first edition Fleming mockup cover. Love it quite a bit.
Oh, and the laundry door is stuck fast. Oh, for the days when I took opening the laundry door for granted. I'm hoping it'll dry out and resume functioning as intended (because I can't remember the last time we had an entire week of rain, although it hit just short of the magic 100mls, but at least it turned my dustbowl into a muddy swamp) otherwise I'll have to get a man in, and I'd rather not replace door and/or lock, as I'm rather fond of the big old door knob and antiqurian lock and the frankly enormous old fashioned key that goes with it. Just jangling the key on a Saturday lets the birds know it's washing day. Sigh. Gonna hafta do something, my supply of knickers is finite.
Merlin/Arthur
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/merlin/images/s01e11/s01e11_07_1024x768.jpg
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/quotes
Sherlock Holmes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes
May/Ray
http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/galleries/covers-party-part-two/21/
JP
http://community.livejournal.com/rightclickdrool/657536.html
Lewis
http://www.radiotimes.com/shows/lewis/gallery/gallery-two/
WWI love letter sparks public plea
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/13/2491359.htm
Generation Kill: Episode three
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/feb/08/generation-kill-first-episode-busfield
Talking Shop: Jeremy Paxman
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7889617.stm
Life On Mars
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/tv-reviews/life-on-mars/2009/02/16/1234632729120.html
Review: Top Gear Live
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4847911a25083.html
Ventimiglia is no longer Panettiere's Hero
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/1/20090217/ten-ventimiglia-is-no-longer-panettiere-c60bd6d.html
Milo Ventimiglia & Hayden Panettiere Split
http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/02/16/milo-ventimiglia-hayden-panettiere-split/
THREE Jane Austen Science Fiction Movies In The Pipeline?
http://io9.com/5154815/three-jane-austen-science-fiction-movies-in-the-pipeline
Save Bletchley Park: Why I'm ashamed to be British
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4640672/Save-Bletchley-Park-Why-Im-ashamed-to-be-British.html
Monkey business: Cheeta the chimp is a cheat
http://www.smh.com.au/world/monkey-business-cheeta-the-chimp-is-a-cheat-20090216-898e.html?sssdmh=dm16.361158
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond grounded by seagull
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25057921-5006022,00.html
Home and Away's Ryan Kwanten finds success in True Blood
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25067308-5003422,00.html
Merlin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin
Merlin (TV series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(TV_series)
King Arthur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Pendragon
Blue Peter must be more like Top Gear to create playground buzz, says BBC controller
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4681574/Blue-Peter-must-be-more-like-Top-Gear-to-create-playground-buzz-says-BBC-controller.html
The Victorians: Jeremy Paxman
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz/s/1095693_the_victorians_jeremy_paxman
Generation Kill: Episode four
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/feb/12/generation-kill-fourth-episode-busfield
First born, best served...?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4641329/First-born-best-served....html
Can Jeremy Clarkson give Blue Peter appeal?
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article5761636.ece
Why men can't apologise
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article5761637.ece
The unbearable pointlessness of subversion
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/4642464/The-unbearable-pointlessness-of-subversion.html
