Madman with a Box
I gave up on Ashes to Ashes, the UK sequel to Life on Mars, once, but I was encouraged to give it a second try and did so. After all, you can never have too much Gene Hunt. The third series just started overseas and it got off to a rousing start. I really like what they’re doing with the D&C guy (The Complaints, the UK equivalent of Internal Affairs). He is presented as a very likable and supportive guy and, as quick as the blink of an eye, he shows his true colors when talking with Gene. Nicely done. And only Gene Hunt could pull of a line like, “I will paint your balls the color of hazel nuts and inform a bag of squirrels that winter’s coming.”
Several years ago at NECON, Hank Wagner asked me if I’d be interested in writing an essay for the International Thriller Writer’s fund-raiser book, Thrillers: 100 Must Reads. He wanted me to write about King, but I asked for the chance to tackle a different subject. We settled on Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris. The book is due out soon–you can read more about it at the official web site. I saw a galley of it at World Horror–it was presented to me for my autograph.
OK, I’m with Flashforward for at least another week. The little girl’s vision wasn’t so impressive, but this week’s episode was decent.
I’ve been having a mostly relaxing weekend. I finished the short story I was revamping for Thrillers 3 and sent it off to the editor with a wish and a prayer. It’s not a paying market, but the first book was a NY Times bestseller, so it would be a nice one to crack. They only accept a handful of member submissions, though, so the odds are against.
Spring is almost over, it seems–very warm weekend, in the eighties. The Easter lilies haven’t quite managed to flower yet, but they’re getting close. I dug up the remains of the hibiscus plants that didn’t survive the multiple winter freezes and planted some hardier bushes in their place. It’ll probably be a few years before they become more substantial, but who’s in a rush?
The new Doctor Who launched this weekend…
I also appreciated the way they faked us out a bit by releasing early publicity shots of the new companion, leading us to believe she’s a cop instead of a kiss-o-gram. I think I’m going to like her a lot. Not only is she easy on the eyes, she has a terrific accent and a perky attitude that’s going to go a long way. I liked her comeback about why she chose to dress like a cop when confronted with an intruder (It was either this or a French maid).
A favorite line: “I’m the Doctor. I’m worse than everyone’s aunt.”
A favorite exchange: Amy: “I grew up.” The Doctor: “Don’t worry–I’ll soon fix that.”
It looks like “silence will fall” will be the mantra for this series. Ominous. Cracks in the universe.
The trailer for the upcoming season looks fantastic, including some of the traditional villains, as well as a revisit from the Blink statues and a group of beautiful vampires in negligees. I’m especially psyched to see among the upcoming guest stars Toby Jones (who I got to interview on the set of The Mist) and one of my favorite British actors, Bill Nighy.
There’s always a lot of trepidation when a new Doctor comes online, but this was a fine transition. The Tardis gets a reboot, as does the theme music and the logo. But at the heart, it’s the Doctor saving the earth one more time.
Neil Gaiman wrote an episode that was supposed to be for this season but it got scheduled late and then went beyond budget, so it won’t air until early in the new Doctor’s second series.
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