The first week of school is almost over, and I’m exhausted beyond words. Could my raccoon eyes, aching knees and sore feet actually mean I’m old?
Never mind…that’s a topic for another day. While I try to make it through to the weekend, here’s a bit of an update from the geek front…
(1) I’M SICK TO DEATH OF ALL THESE VAMPIRE STORIES!
From Twilight to Tru Blood to The Vampire Diaries (debuting tonight…be afraid)…by all that is holy, EVERYONE is acting as if vampires are the new IT-thing…the hottest, coolest, most fascinating fantasy item on the market, and perfect to exploit for television and film. I can’t escape the pervasive coverage, commercials, DVDs, and posters…
…to say nothing of the love-sick teenage girls who believe these vampiric stories to be TOTALLY the best thing ever.
Before I reach for the nearest sick bucket, here is a simple newsflash, oh people with microscopic memories: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.
We had Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and its spin-off Angel. Twelve years of an astonishing, amazing saga that Joss Whedon oversaw with precision, grace, and pure talent. Writing of such sophistication, acting of such quality… and everything that has come afterwards pales in signficance (though the latest entries seem to have the edge in pure soap-opera kitsch…SHUDDER!). Frankly, if you don’t recognize their brilliance as series, then there truly is NOTHING left to say…except get your hands on the DVDs and come to your senses as soon as possible. I will gladly assist with a sledgehammer to the head.
(2) DOCTOR WHO COMES UP WITH A CUNNING PLAN
Richard Curtis has been announced as a writer for the upcoming premiere season of Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor. For those of you hiding under a boulder for the last twenty years, Mr. Curtis is the man responsible for the writing and/or creation of the television series Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and The Vicar of Dibley, as well as scripting the films Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually.
In other words, the man has a way with words most of us wish we could emulate for even a fraction of a second. He’s going to be a fine addition to an already bountiful 46-year-old honour roll of Doctor Who script writers. I’m sure we’re guaranteed a prodigious amount of laughter…and enough wit to make even Steven Moffatt weep with joy. :D
