Another Doctor Exits The Tardis...

 

In news that was supposed to be embargoed until Midnight, BBC has revealed that Matt Smith is The Doctor no more.  His final episode will be the 2013 Christmas Special.

No word yet on who the next doctor will be.  Perhaps a woman? 

Here is Matt Smith's full statement:

"Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show.

"I'm incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.
"Having Steven Moffat as show runner write such varied, funny, mind bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career. It's been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven - he's a good friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor.

The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I've never seen before.

"Your dedication is truly remarkable. Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number 11, who I might add is not done yet - I'm back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special.

"It's been an honour to play this part, to follow the legacy of brilliant actors, and helm the Tardis for a spell with 'the ginger, the nose and the impossible one'. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go and Trenzalore calls. 

Thank you guys. 

Matt."

TVLine has a quote from current show runner Steven Moffat:

“Every day, on every episode, in every set of rushes, Matt Smith surprised me: the way he’d turn a line, or spin on his heels, or make something funny, or out of nowhere make me cry, I just never knew what was coming next. … But great actors always know when it’s time for the curtain call, so this Christmas prepare for your hearts to break, as we say goodbye to number Eleven. Thank you Matt – bow ties were never cooler."

Who do YOU think the next doctor should be?

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Contest: Win Merlin Season Three!!

Merlin is back with even more magic, adventure and romance as the young wizard struggles to protect Prince Arthur in the perilous world of Camelot. While battling deadly assassins, mystical monsters and the most powerful sorcerers Camelot has ever seen, Merlin must work harder than ever to conceal his unique abilities while King Uther redoubles his war against magic. Featuring exciting new villains, white-knuckle stunt sequences, and spectacular CGI monsters, Merlin season three is more thrilling than ever.

Want to win a copy of this awesome show's awesome third awesome season courtesy of our friends at the BBC?

Email us at contest@popculturebeast.com and include your name and address (under 13 please have your parents write in!)

It's JUST that easy.  We'll pick a winner at random on Sunday, January 29!

In the meantime if you want to catch up.  Seasons one and two are a RIDICULOUSLY low price of $14.99 each over at amazon!

Merlin Season Three is now available!

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DVD Round-up: 3 BBC Titles

Three great and award nominated titles are now available on DVD and are definitely worth your change.

The first is the Idris Alba starrer Luther 2, a gritty psychological crime drama.  Packed with great story moody atmosphere and a star making performance from Alba, Luther 2 is can't miss television.  It's really a rather dark show with some heavy subject matter and a wonderfully flawed character.

I really can't understand why Idris Alba wasn't cast as Alex Cross in the new films.  He's really a brilliant actor just waiting to inherit Denzel Washington's throne.  The guy is the whole package.

Luther also boasts some great writing.  I really love the stories and the world they've created, especially Luther himself.  I really can't wait for Luther 3.

Next up is the great series The Hour which focuses on a news show launching in 1956.  Before you start thinking Mad Men, don't.  The Hour is more tense and less brooding than Mad Men.  Don't let the subject matter fool you.  There is a lot to be had here than just a show about a news room.  There are some pretty excellent twists and turns here.

Richly plotted and tense, The Hour makes for a wonderful time.    The writing is rich with plot and smart dialogue and gives plenty for its marvelous cast to work with.  It's just another example of brilliant storytelling coming from the UK.

Lastly, The Rise and Fall of Margaret Thatcher.

I never knew she was this fascinating and this show makes me want to see The Iron Lady even more.  Featuring three riveting performances from Andrea Riseborough, Patricia Hodge and Lindsay Duncan, Rise and Fall is a fascinating look into the life of an amazing woman.  It delves deep into the workings of British government and gives us a wonderful look at a whole different world of politics.

I really found myself riveted from beginning to end and driven to learn more about this woman.   I can't say how historically accurate the information here is but it was presented in a way that kept me interested.  To be honest, I kinda dreaded having to watch this.  I really didn't have any interest for some reason.  I am pleased to say by the end I was extremely glad I had watched.

I'm looking forward to comparing the three women from this production to Meryl Streep's performance in The Iron Lady when it opens!

BBC continues to put out simply brilliant television and these three titles are prime examples of that.

Luther 2, The Hour and The Rise and Fall of Margaret Thatcher are all available now on DVD.

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TV DVD Review: Skins

Skins Volume One and Volume Two
Starring: Joseph Dempsie, Mike Bailey, April Pearson, Mitch Hewer, Nicholas Hoult, Larissa Wilson, Hannah Murray, and Dev Patel

Volume One Special Features: Video Diaries and Ancillary Story lines
Volume Two Special Features: 5 Bonus Skins Stories, Christmas Specials, Auditions

Skins is the BBC Channel 4 (thanks to reader "C" who pointed this out to me)drama about the lives and exploits of a group of British teenagers. Maybe it's best if I quote the rear of the DVD:

Skins is an edgy Brit-teen drama which follows the lives and loves of shameless teenagers who get high, get drunk, get laid, and get up for school while pushing boundaries and managing parents with the finesse only teenagers can.

Tony is the best looking boy in town. His sidekick Sid is less successful with the ladies, much less until bonkers anorexic case Cassie turns up. But Sid's in love with Michelle, the school hottie, who goes out with Tony of course. Then there's sassy musician Jal, party animal Chris, Maxxie and best mate Anwar, who manages to combine the pills, the thrills and the spills with his faith-well, sort of.

Snark aside, that is actually a pretty right on description of the show. It's pretty much unlike anything that I have seen on television. That's probably because the majority of my television viewing has been of the watered down American variety, even some of the shows on Showtime or HBO can't come close to Skins. In terms of content and quality, Skins is superior on every level.

Click the Rawr! for the full review.

The cast is superb, the writing is exceptional, and every episode seems to be better than the last. There hasn't been a teen drama show as good as Skins in years, if ever.

The characters in the show are fantastic. All of them are unique and believable and each of them is the focus of each individual episode. It really gives each actor a chance to shine and keeps characters from getting lost in the shuffle. Not that that is really a problem here. This cast is genius and they shine no matter how much screen time they get. Those of you still high off Slumdog Millionaire may want to check this out to see Dev Patel as the goofy and charming Anwar. The shot of him praying while all his friends are passed out drunk from a massive party is quite clever.

The show, for all the antics the kids get into, is extremely believable. I never thought they got out of the realm of possibility. Granted, I don't know the first thing about being a teenager in England so I could be completely wrong on this.

The writing in this show is off the charts good. I'm constantly in awe of it. I hope to one day have the kind of skill to be able to write a show like this. It just blows my mind how great these stories are. Top to bottom, beginning to end bloody brilliant.

I'm purposely avoiding discussing the stories because I don't want to take any of the impact away from the show. You need to experience it first hand. It's better to watch these characters go through what they go through without having me spoil it for you. I will say that the show holds nothing back. Not in terms of language, or nudity, or anything. It's all in your face and even better for it. Skins holds nothing back and does not apologize for it in the least.

I can go on all day about how much I love this show. I should talk about the DVDs themselves though. The releases are pretty standard for TV shows. We get all the episodes and a criminally small amount of features. A show as good as Skins deserves to be loaded with features.

I can't say enough how great this show is and tell all of you out there to click this link right here and buy this show. You'll see that teen dramas are much more than the Dawson's Creeks and the 90210s that we are used to.

I'm a little sad to know that these characters aren't in the new series (which I haven't seen a single episode of) but it's nice to know I can revisit them any time I want with the DVDs and I most probably will visit often.

Skins Volume One and Volume 2 are available now.

RAWR(for more)

"State of Play" BBC miniseries

It’s amazing how much of a difference a few hours can make.
I watched the critically-acclaimed BBC miniseries “State of Play” mere days after watching the feature film adaptation. I found the film to be very frustrating; little more than a collection of clichés from other (better) films about journalism and political corruption. From the character shortcuts to the suspiciously reactionary themes, State of Play seemed like a waste of a capable director and talented cast.

My disappointment in the film grew exponentially when I watched the miniseries. The story of a murdered young woman and her relationship to an up-and-coming politician seems pretty run-of-the-mill, but, in the hands of writer Paul Abbott and director David Yates, the serpentine plot unfolds in a way that never feels manipulative; rather, everything feels organic and character-driven.

And what great characters they are. From the persistent journalist to the reluctant informant to the shady politician, these characters benefit greatly from the miniseries format. These characters aren’t genre conventions. They are real people, allowed room to breathe. From one episode to the next, a character can go from likable to despicable without feeling inconsistent. It feels contradictory, to be sure, but in that messy, sympathetic way that real people have. We spend six hours with these characters, getting to know their strengths and their flaws, knowing what they can withstand and what they can’t.

It helps that these characters are played by committed actors; performers willing to do whatever the character requires. They are not self conscious, trying to milk more out of a scene than is there.

This is also a strength of the director, whose instinct is not to over-explain things. In the film, Russell Crowe’s seasoned journalist eats Pop-Tarts on the way to work, as he drives a beat-up jalopy. He is generally unkempt and doesn’t care. He’s a journalist, dammit, and can’t be bothered with such trivial things as looking presentable!

In trying to show us “everything we need to know” about the character in what he drives, how he dresses, et cetera, director Kevin McDonald overdoes it and creates a character that we’ve seen a hundred times before in other films.

The same character in the miniseries, however, is just a guy like everybody else. His car isn’t great, but it’s not crappy, either. He dresses casual, but not like he just rolled out of bed. In allowing the character to seem average, rather than trying to represent the essence of “experienced journalist,” David Yates embraces the spirit of journalism itself, staying true to the facts and not embellishing more than he has to.

This commitment to reality permeates the whole miniseries, which comes in handy during the more fantastic moments. Scenes of violence or other sensationalism are handled with the same matter-of-fact attitude as everything else, which helps us to buy something that we might not otherwise.

I never believed any of what was happening in the film State of Play, and yet, in the miniseries, every sordid story element felt like it could happen in the world that we currently occupy. The plot points themselves are almost exactly the same, but the miniseries has the advantage of time; time to immerse the viewer in this world of intrigue and deception. Given enough time to get to know the characters and situations, even the most ludicrous story developments can seem perfectly plausible.

That is why the film State of Play never stood a chance at being as good as the miniseries. And that is why I recommend anybody who is a fan of journalism movies or political thrillers go out and rent “State of Play” as soon as they can.

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AbFab USA?

Absolutely Fabulous can easily be described as one of the funniest shows in television history and now it is getting another shot at an American remake. It was first attempted 10 years ago by Roseanne Barr and Carrie Fisher but that attempt never came through. Now, it seems Fox is going to give it another go.

The show will be executive produced by Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum for Sony Pictures TV, Tantamount and BBC Worldwide America. Christine Zander is on board to write the script and will executive produce along with the Ian Moffet from BBC and original series creator Jennifer Saunders!

If Jennifer Saunders is involved I am even more excited for this. I do think this would be a great show for HBO to be honest. Not sure it's best for network TV but we'll see what happens.

Want to see what the fuss is about? You can get the AbFab Absolutely Everything box set from Amazon for $102.99. Well worth it for this show.

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BBC's new show Merlin Trailer

I hope this hits BBC America. It looks like it could be a fun show. Not to mention it has Anthony Stewart Head (Giles!).

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