Who for Who: Casting the Doctor

Joss Whedon names Tom Hiddleston as his Doctor but would he be your first choice?

Two weeks or so ago, Matt Smith announced that, sob, he would be leaving Doctor Who at the end of 2013. After a brief moment of mourning, the internet went crazy with casting speculation. Everyone from Rupert Grint to Helen Mirren have been suggested amongst other more questionable thoughts on the matter. In the days that have followed, there have also been numerous discussions on whether the next Doctor should be black, shouldn’t be male or seemingly most important of all, have ginger hair.

Personally, I’m not that fussed which way it goes. Do I think he should be less middle class and white? Definitely. Do I think he should become a she? Not sure. One day perhaps but I don’t think I want to see Moffat’s take on a female Doctor. Gatiss’ maybe or Whithouse’s but for now, I’d rather see a less than obvious choice of male. The casting of Matt Smith, who on the outside is very similar casting to David Tennant – brunette and skinny! – was a smart one, as it helped smooth out the potentially tricky transition from ‘everyone’s favourite Doctor’ to something similar but also very new (and better). However now that all the Tennant-fangirls have fallen by the way side and the show is bigger than ever – both at home and internationally – I think there is the opportunity to really push the boat out and make some genuinely left field casting.

Whovians are open minded about The Doctor being asian, female, black … Pretty much anything except American. : ) #doctorwho

— Doctor Longscarf (@DoctorLongscarf) June 9, 2013

Having said that, I, personally, have few original suggestions to offer, bar perhaps Benedict Wong or Amanda Hale. I am simply banking on Andy Pryor and the Doctor Who production team to do their best. After all, in the casting of New Who Doctors, when have they truly failed us?

If you fancy checking out some of my casting suggestions, see my Who for Who Pinterest board.

The Hollywood ‘Implosion’

This week, I’m feeling a little smug. Why? Well last week, two of Hollywood’s biggest, and arguably, greatest movie makers talked of a change in Hollywood and cinema-going in general, that I’ve been wanting for quite some time!

“You’re gonna have to pay $25 for the next Iron Man…you’re probably only going to have to pay $7 to see Lincoln.” Spielberg

I’m far from claiming to fully understand the implication behind Spielberg’s predicted Hollywood ‘implosion’ or know of the difficulties of getting a film financed but the lack of  correlation between a film’s product costs and the eventual cinema ticket is something, with my background in theatre, has always baffled me about the cinema system. Putting aside the fact that for various reasons, I get a lot of theatre for free, I generally begrudge paying more than £15 for ‘fringe’ theatre. Yet I have paid up to £50 (very rarely!) for a West End production starring a well known actor who I know will have cost more to hire than the average jobbing actor thus pushing production costs higher. With that in mind, I have always been a little irritated by the notion that I should have to pay the same ticket price to see a film that cost $500 million as opposed to one that cost £100k?

Of course, in reality you don’t. Regardless of price variation based on location, we all make price choices based on how much we want to see a film or moreover, why we wish to see that film at the cinema. When The Artist was released, I paid just £8 for the pleasure of seeing it on a small local screen. Star Trek however I paid £17 for an IMAX ticket because I wanted to see it (read: Benedict Cumberbatch) on the biggest screen in the country. I was unsure as to whether I’d like Side Effects, so I went on Orange Wednesday. And then there are those ‘I’ll wait till it comes out on DVD’ films, a category which, all too often independent films fall into. I for one would certainly see more of these independent movies, if the ticket prices was appropriately reduced; so long as the independent movie-makers didn’t loose out. I am aware however that if these changes were to take place, these films are likely to remain the same price whilst the cost of seeing a blockbuster would increase but comparatively speaking, they would cost less to see and maybe encourage more people to go.

The word implosion makes it all sound pretty intense but perhaps all it really means is that things are – shock, horror – changing. The world is a different place to when Spielberg and Lucas first begun making films. Every other industry is having to adapt to these changes so its only natural that the film industry should, and is doing so, too. As for Lucas’ final comment on television being “much more adventurous” than film, well, I couldn’t agree more. However, having enjoyed watching Game of Thrones Season 3 with friends, I wouldn’t like to see ‘the cinema’ die out. Communal viewing is part of the enjoyment of going to the movies and one worth preserving.

Twitter Local: It’s a Small World After All

Introducing my first ever guest blogger! The idea for this post came after talking with the writer about a Tweet-up they’d hosted with ‘Twits’ from Oxford and how social media, despite seeming so vast, can be effectively used to connect a community, no matter how small. In this post, Anais discusses how she has used Twitter as an aid to getting more involved in her local area and how you can too:

I’d never used Twitter before moving to Oxford. I was one of those people who rolled their eyes at someone who might release a squeal caused by a 140-character message found in the cavernous Twittersphere. Nowadays, I’m squealing left, right and centre; whether it’s because Reginald D Hunter accepted my silly invite to a Christmas Work Party, or because I’ve tripled the amount of listeners to an events podcast thanks to using social media.

Twitter can be a big scary place, like a really crowded silent disco with everyone dancing to his or her own beat. This can make it quite hard to know what to do, which track to choose, which bunch to sidle up to, which of your best moves to whack out across the floor. If you’re new to Twitter or thinking of joining then starting with your local network is the best.

Think of all the places, people or things you like, follow their Twitter accounts and tweet about them when you’re engaging with them. If you have a nice meal at a restaurant, find a good gallery, listen to a new band – let Twitter and let those restaurants, galleries and bands know. Twitter is the new word of mouth and you can contribute to a real buzz and feel like you’re being heard by just saying what you think. The more you demonstrate the kinds of things you like and are interested in, like-minded people will be able to discover you and introduce you to new places and things to check out in the real. I was recently invited to the launch of a local craft shop’s online store after a mention that they thought their party looked right up my street – and it totally is! How did they know? – Because my tweets have demonstrated my interest in Oxford’s arts and crafts events.

Twitter is also a great research tool to find out about events locally. I once caught sight of a tweet promoting an eco-fashion event in the Town Hall, which I then went along to and had a jolly good time at. I’m not entirely sure how I would have found out about this event otherwise. I wasn’t looking for anything of the kind and hadn’t seen any promotion elsewhere that might have caught my eye. Even if you’re a bit shy on the tweeting front, using Twitter as a local news feed can be really useful.

I made the most of the local Oxford tweeting community recently to organise a Tweet-up with a friend. A Tweet-up is simply a meeting of tweeters – a chance to meet the faces behind the handles. Having got on board a brilliant host venue, with a bustling online presence, we tweeted active local Twitter users and contacts we knew had participated in Tweet-ups before. After a few keen beans were involved, it was a case of letting as many people and organisations know about it. We had a great turn out on the night, people mingled, found new people to follow, and just had a good time meeting local tweeters in the flesh.

Left to right: Alissa from OxfordCiyGuide.com, Max from the Big Bang, Orla & Anais from Daily Info. Photo from Fe-line Women.

There can be a real sense of community on Twitter – like when everyone at the silent disco starts doing the same silly dance move, or you bump into someone you know and share a big hug – and a great way to get involved in that community is to start with the local.

Anais is an Arts Marketer based in Oxford. For more information on connecting with the local, you can follow Anais on Twitter .

An elfin stare if ever I’ve seen one!

The first trailer for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was released this week and it is amazing!

So amazing, that two fans recorded their reaction to watching the trailer to which Peter Jackson, who is beyond amazing (!), recorded Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly and Lee Pace watching the fans’ reaction. So many people watching and so many levels of joy! The video is great just to see these three actors chilling out in their costumes – Bloom looks so pleased to be working back in costume!

MuggleNet Report: Magical Books Exhibition at the Bodleian Library

The city of Oxford, and more specifically the prestigious University, is known for having produced some of the world’s foremost thinkers. Of this number are five novelists often known as “The Oxford School” and heralded as ‘some of the foremost exponents of the [fantasy] genre.’ The works of these five – C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tokien, Susan Cooper, Alan Gardner and Phillip Pullman – have formed the basis for small but fascinating exhibition currently housed within the notorious Bodleian Library, showcasing a treasure trove of unique items that would excite any reader of fantasy fiction and surely any Potter fan.

In fact, despite making just one nod in the direction of Potter, the Magical Books exhibition feels to have almost been designed with a Hogwarts’ subject list in mind. Upon entering, you find yourself first stood next to the Divination cabinet. Entitled Unfogging the Future, it contains a number of antique texts referencing the 14th Century practices of chiromancy and geomancy. So as to relate it to the Oxford School the bottom shelf features a stunning replica of an alethiometer created by goldsmith, Tony Thompson for Philip Pullman, author of ‘His Dark Materials’. After Divination comes Magical Beasts, displaying some of the first illustrated examples of the most infamous fantastical creatures, from 13th Century dragons and unicorns to a phoenix and a pretty hideous 15th Century merman. One book from a similar era details the medical attributes of mandrakes that read much like a Herbology lesson from Professor Sprout. After a section on warlocks and witch hunts (contrary to popular belief, Brits apparently preferred to hang their witches, not burn them) you arrive at the alchemy section and the real reason this writer found herself in the exhibition in the first place.

Perched next to 16th Century replicas of the Ripley Scrolls that pertain to the “right and perfectest means to make the Philosopher’s Stone”, is the annotated hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone’s that recently sold at auction for 150,000 GBP. The book is pinned open on the title page to reveal the exclusive note from J.K. Rowling that she originally contemplated giving Hufflepuff House the emblem of a bear instead of a badger. Above this you can also make out, just under the book’s title, a single telling comment; “changed my life forever”.

The exhibition, whilst perhaps not worth going out of your way for, is a great opportunity for fantasy fans to not only witness rarely seen before notes and illustrations from the likes of Rowling, Tolkein and Pullman but also to appreciate the original historical documentation of the myths and legends that inspired these great writers in the first place.

This is report was original posted on MuggleNet.com

And So Our Watch Begins: Response to Games of Thrones, Season 3

Too soon?

In just a few short hours, Game of Thrones: Series 3 will be over (as will Series 1 of The Fall…what will I do next week?) and oh my, what a season it has been!

This has been both the first season I have watched in full as it aired (my Sky decided to die mid-way through Season 2) and the first season I’ve seen since reading the Song of Ice and Fire books. I thought at first that my knowledge of what was to come would ruin my viewing of the show but I needn’t have worried. Not only is the show so astonishingly well made that seeing the novels come to life is nothing short of a joy, the show runners have made so many sodding changes to various plots and character, that half the time I was probably more confused than the friends of mine who have yet to read the books!

Anyway, Series 3 has been a corker with many moments, anticipated and otherwise, provoking both vocal and physical reactions from myself. I consider these moments as ‘viewing highlights’ for surely it is these involuntary reactions that we watch such intense television for! So with out further ado, here are my Viewing Highlights for Series 3 of Game of Thrones.

“a sword swallower through and through”

When she first arrived in the books, The Queen of Thorns was instantly a favourite character for me so I was rather pleased by the casting of national treasure Diana Rigg in the role. Her portrayal of the character has far exceed my expectations but her moments in the aforementioned scene with Charles Dance was simply brilliant. A perfect example of understated comedy, I could hardly contain my glee whilst watching the two go at each other and have since gone back to watch it on more than one occasion! Thank you show runners for this giving us this joyous moment.

Theon Killjoy

Like many readers, I was surprised by Theon’s appearance in this series and his ongoing presence! Seriously, how many torture scenes do we need? Passing over the utterly ridiculous girls and the fact that Iwan Rheon is kinda ruining the as yet unconfirmed-but-we-know-who-he-is character, Theon’s moment of realisation of what he’d done in Winterfell, his betrayal of Rob and confession that Ned was his real Dad was pretty gut wrenching.

Stumpy Lannister

To the best of our ability, myself and a few friends have attempted to make Thrones a communal event. Whilst not always easy to coordinate, the times it has worked have been incredibly satisfying or at least for me, the book reader! The sight of three friends on the edges of their seats as they thought Jamie Lannister was going to be killed, only for them to jump back and gasp as his hand was lopped off was very incredibly satisfying! Not for Jamie I suspect but I enjoyed it enormously.

The Blood of a King 

I am genuinely very afraid for Gendry’s storyline because, spoilers!, none of this happened in the books. He is still alive and kicking in book five and giving us Gendry fans hope that he may be important after all. BOOM! show runners get the hands on the thing and it all goes to pot! When watching this with a friend, she demanded to know if he dies but all I could do was stare at her and the television in utter confusion! I read the books to prepare myself for the horrors ahead, stop creating more!

Don’t stop actually but you know, please don’t kill Gendry!

The Even Redder Wedding

@olivertwjones @claireejfurner I thought I’d be prepared. Thought I could cope. Wasn’t. Couldn’t.

— Meg Price (@megprice25) June 3, 2013

This tweet pretty much sums it up for me. I was ready and prepared and yet I still cried. And by crying I mean prolonged sobbing that alarmed my, really NOT geeky, family and terrified my sister’s relatively new boyfriend. Awkward and yet I feel no guilt! Television hasn’t left me in quite that state since Birdsong and it was, in a strange way, oddly cathartic. Overall I think it was the shock of Tulisa’s death, a nasty addition, that provoked such a emotional reaction from me but Michelle Fairley’s brilliant performance was equally disturbing. 

So those are my thoughts. How about you? Which moment, scene or episode made you react the most vocally?! What are you looking forward to seeing wrapped up in this finale episode?

Creating Facebook Interest Lists

Love or hate it, Facebook does have an extraordinary ability to adapt to the needs of its ‘customers’, making a seemingly never ending stream of changes and adjustments . Yet one of their smaller alterations in the past year, a less than subtle steal from Twitter, seems to have gone almost unnoticed.

Despite begin available since 2009, Twitter Lists seem very much to be a take or leave it addition. There are contradictory thoughts on how best to use them – optimum number of members, the use of keywords etc. – so they still don’t feel like an essential part of using the platform. However the introduction of Facebook Interest Lists could be a different story.

What and Why?

You may Like a Page to stay up to date with posts by your favourite photographer, band or TV show but overly active Pages can end up clogging up your needs feed. The solution? Create an Interests List. Place similar pages, and people, into a list and you create an exclusive News Feed just for them. Even better, you don’t need to like a Page to add it to a List, meaning you’ll only see a limited number of posts from those Pages in your Feed, clearing up the clutter!

How to Create a List

There are two ways of doing this.

The first is go to your Interests Page and click “Add Interest”. From here you can view a collection of ready made Lists for you to subscribe to or create your own by clicking “Create Lists”. It’s relatively easy from here as you search for Pages and People you wish to add to the list, name it and decided if you want it to be Public or Private. Public settings can vary allowing you to share a List publically, with friends and exclude acquaintances and can be changed at any time.

Alternatively, you can create a List direct from a Page. For example, if you Liked a film page that has now been released but is still posting updates , you may still wish to see the occasional update but at the same time, don’t want see every post. Go to the Page in question, click the cog button next to “Message” and select the first option “Add to Interest Lists”. Here you’ll be able to select a List you have already made or create a new one. Simple!

Need some inspiration?

I personally use Facebook to follow a lot of designers and photographers (personal favourites here and here!) and naturally, they post A LOT of images! Sometimes too many so I’ve created a (Fan)Art List.

Other suggestions from my own Profile

For easy access, you can also add Lists to your Favourites, saving you the valuable seconds spent scrolling down the page…

Now over to you! Have you already created Lists? Or are you going to try now? Share your Interest List ideas below and as ever, if you have any suggestions, or would like to contribute to a #SocialSunday post, then let me know in the comments below or via Twitter.