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Plans have been made. Plans have been changed. Plans are being revised.
But at the end of the day I'll still be out in LA for Gallifrey 20 this upcoming week.
I have realized I've reached a new level of geekdom as I've already created a working plan of attack for the con based on the schedule as it currently is. Not as many conflicts as with Chicago TARDIS last November, but at least these conflicts are due to the excess of nougatty goodness and not just crap scheduling.
The Magical Bucket of Booze will also be making its first appearance in LA along with some fun surprises.
As always I would love to meet some of the 10 or 15 of you that I know read this blog. I'll be the one sporting the jaunty Pilgrim hat late at night in the lobby.
And for those of you that can't make it check back next week as I'll once again be posting my travelogue.
See y'all in LA.Powered by ScribeFire.
Time constraints got more tighter and no Angelie means we decide to just do a single audio. With Gallifrey coming up we decide to do something special and pop in "The Prisoner's Dilemma" which I just grabbed from the Big Finish website.
The Prisoner's Dilemma stars Laura Doddington and Sophie Aldred, written by Simon Guerrier and directed by Lisa Bowerman. While it's the latest intallment in the Companion Chronicles it's also part of the new Key 2 Time series being produced by Big Finish.
We open with Ace and Zara getting thrown into the same cell. Zara's freaking out because she knows mind wiping is waiting for them while Ace is her usual cocky self in regards to escaping. Zara then begins to narrate how she came into being and how she's a liar and a killer.
Tim: Holy shit! It's McCoy's music. And a teaser which you normally don't see in a Doctor Who. Ya for new things!
Zara begins to talk about the Key and Tim starts moving his hands around.
Tim: I just remember this segment in the original series with the key spinning around. That's probably what the shimmering sound is.
Ace finds a way to break out of the cell and she and Zara make a run for the border. Their escape attempt fails as the alarm is sounded and they get zapped.
Me: Guess it wasn't such a good idea.
We continue to get Zara's backstory as she relays her first few hours of life after being programmed with the mission to find three segments of the key. Zara is a pretty heavy sneezer as she finds herself allergic to the air within a geodesic dome populated by Stepford Wives and Husbands.
Me: (as Apu) In a geodesic dome.
In the nature vs. nuture debate her blank slate is being filled by some cynical bloke named Zinc who we're constantly told takes advantage of her. This story is broken up with what's happening in the here and now with Ace in the prison.
Zara is apparently a bloodhound as her nose tingles as she gets closer to a segment.
Me: Well, that's an interesting way to find them.
Tim: She'll probably sneeze real hard and impale herself on it.
She finds a way to get to the segment which is apparently under the water. As she continues her story she relates seeing a man who's the 7th Doctor watching her, looking on disapprovingly. Zara reaches into the water to get the segment and bad things happen.
Tim: It sounds like she's a tracer. That's great they kept the sound effect.
She's basically boiled the water which leaves a huge mud pit where the lake was and plenty of dead fish and people. Naturally the local authorities aren't down with that and Zara is arrested, bringing us back to how sends up in the cell with Ace. Zinc ditching Zara leads Zara to sell Ace down the river as Ace tries to pull a Doctor to get out of the situation. The episode ends with Ace screaming about how she's trying to save the world and if her memory is wiped everyone will die.
Me: Could just be me, but I'd actually explain what I'm trying to do if my memory is about to wiped instead of just saying we're all gonna die.
Episode two begins and this time Ace is the narrator. She begins recounting a tale where she, the Doctor, and a woman with earrings who knew a lot about dead things were trying to recover a time bracelet stolen by Zinc and his wife, Magda, from the Trib museum. I begin to grin and stamp my foot as Ace talks about the woman and how Ace's mom brought a man to a wedding that Ace had also managed to snog.
Tim: I don't get the reference.
Me: It's Benny!
Tim: Oh. Okay. I guess if I had focused on the mention of dead things I'd have gotten it. The earrings threw me. I knew what Florana was.
Ace manages to infiltrate Zinc and Magda's partnership and we eventually learn how Zinc gets to Zara and where he goes when he's left her. He and Magda develop a plan that will destroy Aratune and since Ace mentioned her skill at demolitions want her to do the dirty work. Instead Ace makes enough of a scene to get arrested in the hopes of being able to alert the authorities to Zinc and Magda's plans. But as we're reminded from the rehash of episode one that plan doesn't work out so well.
Ace continues to recount how her memories were getting sucked out, every last precious memory.
Me: They even took the last can of Who hash!
Zinc apparently saves the day, rescuing Zara and Ace. Zara returns to narrating the story and explains how she and Zinc retrieve the segment to the Key and leave Ace and Magda to take the fall. Ace escapes and ends up being rescued by the 7th Doctor. Magda gets her mind wiped while Zinc and Zara go off to be Bonnie and Clyde. Or at least Zara goes off to be Bonnie as the rocket gets launched. Ace starts to wonder what Zara has done to her, Zinc, and Magda.
Me: She's fucked you all.
Ace gets rescued by the Doctor again while Zara is heading off to go hunting for the segments with Zinc in tow. We get an explanation why all the Stepford Wives and Husbands were doing their tasks as it was part of the safety system the planet has in place. The Doctor takes Ace off to the TARDIS to hopefuly retrieve her memories and explains not to worry about Zara, that he knows how it all ends.
We get a big surprise as we stumble upon the interview Simon does with Laura, Sophie, and Lisa.
Tim: Apparently the Doctor takes all his women to the Eye of Orion. It's oddly different. Lisa's right in that it's a big audio book with an extra person so it's taking some getting used to. I was of the understanding that these chronicles were a way to have stories involving Doctors who are dead or in the case of Tom Baker unwilling to play ball. To have a McCoy era story is kind of odd to me, but with his character being so mysterious and manipulative being underplayed, as a silent character in the background sort of works.
Me: I'm not sure what I was expecting as this is even strange by Companion Chronicles standards with two narrators. It's almost Rashomon in nature.
Tim: It's hard to explain. Maybe if I had heard the other Key 2 Time first and got introduced to Zara that way it might've been a bit easier to see this as a multi-doctor story without the Doctor. As it is it just seems like Ace's story with Zara along for the ride, but that's because I'm more used to Ace. I'm Ace biased. It's nothing against the writing.
Me: I defnitely enjoyed it, especially all the little references like Cheldon Boniface and the unammed Benny bit. A very capable directing job by Lisa Bowerman who having also directed some of the other Key 2 Time stories does a great job in making sure Zara is not the same as we see her in the other audios. As always Sophie is able to seemingly go back in time to be the Ace we all know and love from twenty plus years ago without cojuring the image of an Ace in her forties, if that makes sense. Laura Doddington moves easily from crazy, evil Zara to the innocent newborn that we first see her as.Powered by ScribeFire.
We'll be returning from the holiday season this Saturday. Check back later in the afternoon as due to time constraints we'll make our way only through The Poison Seas and Death and the Daleks from season 4 of Bernice Summerfield.
If I can work it out you'll be seeing a Tomorrow People segment starting in February. Keep your eyes out for that.
I have been horribly remiss, but in issue 7 of Shooty Dog Thing I contributed an essay on the upcoming ten year anniversary of Big Finish. Also starting with issue 9 I'll be part of the review team, naturally doing audios. Think of it as the same booze, but with less words, less snark and no turkey or steak. My first offering will be Seasons of Fear written by Paul Cornell and Caroline Symcox.
Also in the horrible remiss department our friends at Forest 4 the Trees, Cathy and Keefe, did a review of Gallifrey 19 for Doctor Who Podshock back in August. It's a great convention report from the eys of first timers and they also give us a little shout out.
Speaking of Gallifrey the countdown is on as we're now less than a month away from Gallifrey 20 in Los Angeles. As last time you'll be able to find us in the lobby with either a pint or an overpriced cup of coffee in our hands. Please stop by and say 'hi' at some point. We enjoy meeting you all.
On the Big Finish front plans are being made to relaunch the Big Finish classics line with The Phantom of the Opera. New podcasts and music downloads will be made available. Apparently all they need to do is sell another 750 copies/downloads and Barnaby Edwards will be given the greenlight to produce another classic. He's got three ready to go so go help a brother out and get yourself a copy.
See you all Saturday.Powered by ScribeFire.
I guess the convention gods were reading this blog when I whinged and moaned about how the Chicago TARDIS schedule didn't allow me to see more of Colin Baker. The following is the guest announcement made by the fine people that run Gallifrey a few days ago. I sense a good friend of mine will be staying up late at night trying to figure out what to get autographed. ;)
Gallifrey Conventions is delighted to make a major announcement about two new guests for our 2009 convention:
We are extremely pleased to welcome back the Sixth Doctor, COLIN BAKER. Colin is a special sponsored guest being brought over by Alien Entertainment, a major dealer of Doctor Who memorabilia, as well as the sponsors of our annual sister convention ChicagoTARDIS and the official North American distributor of Big Finish Productions audios. Colin Baker, who played the Doctor from 1984-1986, has been with us several times in the past, and is being sponsored by Alien Entertainment for a trip to Los Angeles to help promote the Big Finish audio series. As such, he'll be signing in the dealers room at the Alien Entertainment table. However, Colin *will* be participating in the rest of the Gallifrey 2009 convention... including a panel that reunites him with his co-star Nicola Bryant (Peri) for the first time at a US convention in many years.
Meanwhile, it is our pleasure to welcome for his first North American convention actor KAI OWEN, in a visit sponsored by Tenth Planet Events. Kai is familiar to current audiences from his role as Rhys Williams, the husband of Gwen Cooper on Torchwood, who is a recurring regular on the series and whose role was expanded
during the second season. Kai Owen has also appeared on stage and in such productions as "Casualty" and "Rocket Man" as well as productions for Welsh television. Tenth Planet Events, who are long-time
dealers in the Gallifrey One dealers room, will be hosting the actor for autographs at their table; Owen will also appear on stage on several panels, including together with actor Gareth David Lloyd (Ianto).
Additionally, some very good news: GARY RUSSELL will be at Gallifrey 2009 after all! The long-time writer/producer and friend of Gallifrey One had to cancel out due to his responsibilities on Doctor Who's 2009 schedule, but has been able to make some time to get to Los Angeles after all. And STEVE ROBERTSof the Doctor Who Restoration Team will be joining us for panels, including a look at the current and forthcoming slate of BBC Doctor Who DVDs for 2009.Powered by ScribeFire.
Monday finds me praying for the sweet release of death.
Normally I do not get hangovers when I drink. Apparently my body decided the day I was to start my drive back to Houston would be a good time to have one. Oddly enough my body likes to do that. The last major hangover I had came after a night of drinking in New Orleans at a Squeeze show where I lost count after screwdriver number six in an attempt to keep up with the locals and the British fans. Many early morning hours were spent wrapped around the Porcelain God but I had to a get back on the road to head to Austin to see the band again. Insert a bit of my vision going just as I got off the causeway, not making it to the Waffle House in time and therefore hanging my head out of my car window to throw up along with a two hour nap in an Exxon parking lot and that would sum up my return trip in that instance.
You remember that scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off where Cameron is in his bedroom and Ferris is trying to convince him to skip school? The part where he's laying there in the dark, singing "When Cameron was in Egypt's land"? That was me Monday morning. Except without the singing because that would've hurt too much. As it was I had to beg John and Dan to stop making me laugh because that was putting me perilously close to puking my guts out. Unlike my New Orleans trip solids did not pass through my lips in the wrong direction, but it took me a long time to become functional.
John and Dan left for the airport around ten and I just hung around the lobby trying to regain my faculties. I was almost gifted a bunch of booze but that hand off never happened. I also got invited to dinner which I had to naturally turn down.
I finally headed out around eleven, wishing old and new friends safe flights. It had snowed most of the night so while the roads were relatively clear it was still slow going. Things were not helped by the public works department deciding they didn't need to clean the road signs. This means I went the wrong way on the turnpike and spent a good thirty minutes trying to go the right way. All I'll really say about the trip back is that I'll never drive through Oklahoma again. That nearly broke me and I ended up sleeping a few hours in a gas station parking lot to get my head back on straight. I eventually made it back into Houston around three in the afternoon on Tuesday.
Much love has to be given to my roommates, John and Dan. I don't think the convention would've been half as fun if they hadn't made it out. Fine me on Facebook and see how much fun we all had in visual form.
India Fisher pwned me in ways I hadn't been pwned since I saw a photo of Miles Richardson with a midget. We were in stitches every time she spoke during a panel. Her continual egging/friendly griping at Jason for not using her for the BBC7 McGann audios was priceless. I hope Colin is successful in his pursuit to keep Charley as his companion. I'm so glad I got the chance to see her. Lord knows if she'll ever make it back for another convention, I can only hope so.
Speaking of convention returns would it surprise anyone if I said I really hope Lisa Bowerman shows up at Gallifrey 20? It's fun to be able to talk with someone who's worked both sides of the audio studio for Big Finish. The rest of the gang from the Key 2 Time series will be there so in my sad little world it makes sense for her to be there as well. I'm a sad unofficial Benny pimp that way, but that's why you guys love me.
The Magical Bucket of Booze will return at Gallifrey 20 in LA. You won't be able to miss us so do come by and say "hi" if you happen to be there.Powered by ScribeFire.
I've decided it's high time that I chronicle my adventures in fandom and booze. If you think you'd be even remotely interested in reading me voice my opinions on things besides Big Finish audios I encourage you to join me.
Drink + Geek
Must give props to my friends James who helped nail down that blog title for me.No Livejournal mirror site, but I do have the Facebook Blog Network deal.Powered by ScribeFire.
If you were at Chicago TARDIS you might remember that in the Big Finish panels there was talk of a special Paul McGann 8th Doctor release. No info, just promise of a release within the regular Doctor Who line with McGann.
If you read Matthew Cochrane's nifty blog (handy dandy link on your right) you'll remember he mentioned he was getting ready to work on this release. Again, no info outside of something nifty keen is happening with McGann.
If you've gotten your hands on DWM issue #403 you'll see that they've released what's involved with the release. If you haven't and you'd like to remain spoiler free turn back now.
Seriously, avert your eyes because blogger doesn't have the spiffy cut option that Livejournal does. Or if it does I'm not smart enough to discover and use it.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
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The McGann release is currently titled The Company of Friends and will have four stories, each with a different companion. My brain has just exploded with pleasure because one of the stories will be a Lance Parkin tale involving Benny! I cannot be the only one all a flutter over the possibilities of Paul McGann and Lisa Bowerman in an audio together. Can I?
All fluttering aside it's great to see Big Finish give Benny another shot in the main range of Who audios. I had thought we'd seen the last of her in that capacity after the atrocity that was The Dark Flame nearly a hundred releases ago.Powered by ScribeFire.
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