=-=-=-=-= Society of the Rusting TARDIS Newsletter (#23, 09/25/95)
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>>> Items of interest to British media fans and Seattle-area residents,
<<<
>>> and whatever else I feel like spewing about. You have been warned.
<<<
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Japanese class starts this week, so until December I will not be dropping
by
the video meetings until ~9pm. But never fear, Ryan will take the world by
the reins and pull until its gums bleed. Um...I think I need to go to bed
now...
In this issue:
Quick news items
Jeremy Brett dies
New production from Aardman Animations (plus Wallace & Gromit news)
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Subject: Quick news items
Sound bites:
A new episode of Mr. Bean, "Tee Off, Mr. Bean", will be airing in the
UK this week.
Best Dr. Who rumour: The new Doctor will be played by Abe Vigoda.
The new CBS/Fox Video release of "Inferno" has a slight "typo" on
the box. It is described as black and white, but (surprise?) it is
in fact in color.
The next batch of "Dr. Who" videos released in the U.S. will be out
in March 1996. They will be: "Android Invasion", "Androids of Tara",
"Carnival of Monsters", "Frontier in Space", "The Rescue/The Romans",
and "Stones of Blood". They will be $19.99, except "The Rescue/The
Romans", which will be $29.99.
Fox (Channel 13) will be showing Nick Park's "A Grand Day Out"
Saturday at 10:30am. For those not in the know, this is the Wallace
and Grommit film that preceded "The Wrong Trousers." It was
originally ~20 minutes, so hopefully it will run uncut. (BTW, Eric
Gjovaag informs me that those Chevron commercials with the talking
cars were in fact produced by the Aardman studios, but Nick Park may
or may not have been involved.)
Local news:
This next Thursday (October 5th) at the Varsity, "Festival Hong Kong"
features one slightly sleazy film ("Naked Killer") and one rather
good one (Ringo Lam's "Full Contact", starring Chow Yun-Fat). Also,
on October 3rd they will be running "The Sum of Us", a fine
Australian film starring Russell Crowe. Call 632-3131 for show times.
Miscellany:
According to a Canadian polling firm, Dick Assman's name recognition
among his fellow Canadians is 49%. (And if you don't know what I'm
talking about, you obviously don't watch Letterman.)
Jeff's movie pick-of-the-month: There's nothing like high cinema, and
take it from me, "The Prophecy" is _nothing_ like high cinema. Is
anyone surprised that Christopher Walken steals the show as the evil
angel? These people knew what kind of movie they were making, and
thankfully they didn't let it bother them one bit. It's got great
lines, some brilliant throw-away shots, and a few in-jokes for those
of you who stayed awake in bible school. Yes, those things alone do
not make for a quality film, but remember, this is nothing like a
quality film. I laughed, I cried, I went to confession. Jeff-Bob
says check it out.
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Subject: Jeremy Brett dies
LONDON (AP)--Jeremy Brett, the actor who brought the legendary detective
Sherlock Holmes to life on television, has died at the age of 59.
Granada Television said Brett, star of 41 episodes of its Sherlock Holmes
series, died of heart failure in his sleep early Tuesday at his London
home.
'He was an actor of immense talent who has given us the defining
characterization of Sherlock Holmes for years to come,' said Rebecca
Eaton, executive producer of 'Mystery!' and 'Masterpiece Theater'. "He'll
be missed terribly by us and by millions of viewers who loved him in this
role."
Brett's portrayal of Holmes was regarded as one of the finest ever. Tall
and dark, with a hawk-like profile and piercing eyes, he seemed made for
the part.
'A finer Sherlock Holmes has never, and will never, exist,' said Sally
Head, Granada's controller of drama.
The role was a little intimidating at first.
'The hardest thing in the world is to play someone who is almost an
ancient monument,' Brett told the Evening Standard in 1988.
When the television series became a hit and he filmed more of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle's stories, Brett didn't worry about being typecast.
'What a part to typecast in. I can't tell you the difference it's made;
it's lovely,' he told The Associated Press that same year.
Brett was born Peter William Jeremy Huggins, one of four sons of an army
colonel, and was educated at Eton and the prestigious Central School of
Drama in London. When he took up acting his father asked him to change
his name.
He acted with The National Theater from 1967 to 1971 and did many other
stage and television roles before taking on Sherlock Holmes.
His films include 'War and Peace' and 'My Fair Lady', and on television,
he played Max de Winter in 'Rebecca' and Robert Browning in 'Robert and
Elizabeth'.
Brett was divorced in 1963 from his first wife, actress Anna Massey, with
whom he had a son.
He became depressed after his second wife Joan Wilson, a producer of
'Masterpiece Theater' and 'Mystery!' on public television, died of cancer
in 1985. Brett suffered a nervous breakdown, but recovered and went back
to his portrayal of Holmes. He had another bout of depression and was
hospitalized in 1994.
Funeral plans were not immediately announced."
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Subject: New production from Aardman Animations (plus Wallace & Gromit
news)
Here's an article from this week's 'Broadcast' magazine:
UK independent Aardman Animations, which has won 2 Oscars for its
plasticine
creation, is planning to make its first TV series.
Aardman is to create a 26 x 5-minute series, "Rex The Runt", aimed at what
it believes is a growing market for youth and adult animation.
"Rex The Runt", being written and directed by Richard Goleslowski, is a
comedy starring "4 plasticine cut-out friends who inhabit a world of TV
cliches".
Production will start early in 1996 with the first episodes ready for
broadcast in the summer.
The BBC is understood to be bidding for the UK TV rights, while competition
for international rights is expected to be intense given Aardman's previous
success.
The independent is in the process of completing its latest Wallace & Gromit
feature, "A Close Shave", which it hopes to premier at the London Film
Festival.
Aardman hopes "A Close Shave" will qualify for the next Oscars ceremony.
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Currently planned for the next Rusting Tardis video night (September 27),
at
Round Table Pizza, 5111 25th Ave. NE (in Seattle):
"Waiting for God": Season 5(?), Episode 7
"Heroes & Villains" - Rowan Atkinson stars as racing driver
Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin
"Harry Enfield and Chums"
"Bottom", Season 4(?), Episode 1 (starring Rik Mayall & Adrian
Edmondson)
[reflects weight before cooking, some settling of contents may occur
during shipping, offer void where prohibited, batteries not included,
your milage may vary, not to be taken internally, do not fold spindle or
mutilate, if a rash develops consult your physician, objects in mirror
are closer than they appear, offer good at participating retailers,
shipping and handling not included]
Coming in the near future (honest!): the new season of "Goodnight
Sweetheart"
with Nicholas Lyndhurst.
The next social is Tuesday October 3 at Round Table Pizza, 5111 25th Ave.
NE
(in Seattle).
See you on Wednesday.
"Eric Fenn glanced at the screen and thought of the
Earth as a little, coloured, round pill, a pill from
which somebody had sucked half the sugar coating and
found the harsh-tasting chemical inside was not
pallitable and had therefore spat it out. It had
been a good strong expectoration, thought Eric Fenn."
--"The Last Astronaut", Pel Torro (actually
Robert Lionel Fanthorpe)
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