by Irma Arkus

The finale of the Doctor Who “The End Of Time” special will be forever marked with a death of a beloved character, in this case the Doctor as portrayed by David Tennant. And I hated to see him go.

The heartfelt goodbye, Tennant’s close-up whispering “I don’t wanna go,” hit me square in the chest, forcefully provoking an emotional response.

I know, and you know, that Tennant in real life is not the Doctor, and I presume, nothing alike to him either. But Tennant’s acting skills and passion for this character has revived an almost dead franchise (not to undermine the marvelous debut by Christopher Eccleston) and made us “love him” in an entirely new and unpredictable way, one that can only be compared to what I call “passion of Tom Baker.”

End of Tennant is also an end to a chapter for the franchise, which at this point rules the hearts and minds of UK viewers.

It isn’t however Tennant’s work that we should mire, but rather Russell T. Davies, who started humbly with a vision of the Doctor’s resurrection, only to pump out not one but three (3!) successful television shows.

Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Doctor Who concurrently ran in order to provide a complete immersive experience to an audience thirsting for science fiction with a UK angle in numerous flavours.

And having three television shows was only the beginning. There is also the tireless marketing machine that engages the public in an even broader sense, with Dr. Who music concerts, various benefits and fundraisers, featurettes, television specials, behind-the-scenes video diaries, cartoons, blogs and webisodes of all colours, not to mention the amount of merchandising available.

That said, Tennant’s face represented an important era of Doctor Who series, and while three seasons of watching him perform may sound like a lifetime for an actor, in reality, when compared to Tom Baker’s run at the role who lasted for seven seasons, it does not seem like all that much in particular.

Three seasons is nothing when looking at comparably popular shows. Stargate SG-1 for example, had ten seasons, and the core cast held on for an entire decade, but I digress.

The point is, it could have lasted for longer. Why didn’t it though?

The idea behind Tennant’s decision to move on may be directly tied to the fact that Russell T. Davies has decided that it is time for him to take a break, announcing the franchise is to be left in the competent hands of Stephen Moffat.

On the one hand, Moffat’s work has been quite exciting. Blink, The Girl in The Fireplace, the Doctor Dances, and more importantly, his genuinely interesting work on Jekyll, represent the body of Moffat’s writing.

However, Moffat’s arrival is also hailed as a Reboot, or Restart of the Doctor Who universe. Moffat’s favorite Doctor is Peter Davison, and he apparently has not much love left for current villainous creatures, intending to bring, I am guessing, more gothic themes, more dead and ghostly children.

Moffat’s arrival to the helm has already struck my heart with a pang of panic and fear, but the teaser for the upcoming season has been already eliciting excitement.

So, thank you Tennant. I wish you a lot of luck. The best of luck. And more importantly, thank you Davies! And Moffat…we know where you work.

Not sure how many of you have seen the first part of…DOOM!!! Alright. Not exactly doom, but rather the highly anticipated Doctor Who X-mas special, which will result in hallowing in a new era of the Matt Smith Doctor, and kiss the old one, meaning David Tennant, goodbye.

Thus far, the nailbiting adventure has brought back the old and the bad: John Simms is back as The Master, except somehow even more likeable and charming than the last time around. Turns out, The Master was not crazy, he just can’t stop hearing the drums!!!

Grandpa Noble is back as well, we just cannot figure out why, but we like the old man a lot.

And also, Donna Noble is back! Donna turns out to be one of the select few humans who can resist the Master’s mind-manipulation techniques. As a side effect, Noble is also starting to remember the past, which is a bit of a relief considering that she has left to a cruel, average and miserable destiny, leading the life of a minimum wage temp.

At the end though, we are exposed to not only a swarthy, vocal and somewhat spitty Timothy Daulton, but to a potentially returning glory of Gallifrey.

Here’s the teaser for the Saturday’s conclusion of the End of Time!!!

by Irma Arkus

Wow. So many people are being added to True Blood cast that I am starting to seriously suspect some major funding provided to production.

The latest scoop is that we are not only to meet Sam’s younger, long-lost brother, but we’ll also get to meet his father, played by Cooper Huckabee, his mother, as portrayed by J. Smith-Cameron.

But don’t think that the story will be only concerned with Sam’s family background as we also get to meet Lafayette’s mother, played by the wonderful Alfre Woodard.

Natasha Alam is added to the cast as a sexy Fangtasia dancer who catches the eye of none other than Eric.

But that is not all, as Sookie is said to also have a romantic interest in the new werewolf in town, played by Joe Manganiello, who as Alcide Herveaux, helps her find Bill after a “kidnapping”???

Evan Rachel Wood is reappearing as queen of all vampires, but leeks indicate that there will be some kind of vampire king in the mix as well.

Tommy Mickens, a character unknown, will apparently also play an important role in the upcoming season. We just don’t know who it will be, or who it will be portrayed by.

Apparently, Alan Ball wants to shake up our feathers quite a bit this season, adding werewolves and romantic interludes a plenty. Who am I to argue?

The only fly in the ointment is the date for the new season premiere: June, 2010. Long way to go, and nothing to watch.

by Irma Arkus

James Frain, the silver tongued Cromwell from Tudors is Franklin Mott!

Mott will be a new vampire in town, one that will capture the attention and heart of…wait for it…our lovely Tara.

Frain was born in Leeds, England, and does actually sport an English accent. This not only automatically propels him into sexy-land amongst the southerners, but also acts as a pair of “invisible glasses,” ie. sudden rise in perception of intelligence.

Tara will hopefully take him down a notch or two, but I suspect that what we’ll be really witnessing is some kind of anglo-version of a latin lover.

we’ve all been soaking up the new show, and unlike other shows this season, SGU has been consistently offering the much needed hard scifi edge to our viewing.

The show has been renewed for the second season, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, many changes are to be expected.

For one, the communications stones have been a fly in the ointment. And their malfunction led the fans to believe that their use will be suspended, or in the least, heavily curtailed.

As far as visiting other planets and meeting alien creatures, the writers promise some of that, but more of a “District 9″ version of aliens, rather than the stereotypical “I have gunk on my face” type.

Robert Cooper says that tThe implications of leaving Rush on the planet, the real division that will cause amongst the crew, the judgment of those characters and their actions are going to have a big impact on the show. we have a lot of things planned for the second half of the season, which will be much more serialized.”

As for the girls, apparently a lot of people have been questioning the open sexuality of women (??) to which Cooper elaborates: “I think our female actors are playing strong female characters and they are proud of the characters they’re playing. We didn’t do a good enough job establishing them early on, it took too long for those traits to come to the forefront, and I think people are recognizing that in the later episodes. But that’s the other big hot button — whether sex belongs in sci-fi. It’s a huge deal with our fan base and I think its bizarre to ignore sex as a part of translating the human condition to fiction. If we’re going to try and tell a more realistic character story we need to include those things.”

SGU is returning after holidays, and the first season story lines and principal photography have already been wrapped up. Now, we just have to wait, watch and enjoy. [TheHollywoodReporter

by Irma Arkus

The show that must go on…goes on.

The latest in Thirst News is that while Emmy Awards decided to entirely circumvent the mention of most excellent writing and acting of True Blood productions, the AFI’s list definitely included the series as impressive, relevant and worthy of lavish praises as well as of tiny, shiny figurines.

Indeed, True Blood appears on THE LIST.

In other news, True Blood casting announced some new faces for the upcoming third season. Theo Alexander, a relative newcomer is joining the cast as “that gorgeous vampire named Talbot.”

Denis O’Hare is also joining the cast, appearing as another vampire lording over a district, possibly dating Talbot.

And Grant Bowler, the man better known for his thick New Zealand accent in Ugly Betty, will get a recurring role on the show, which will lead to some major growls and scowls – you see, Bowler will be a werewolf.

There will be werewolves!

Also, Sam is getting a brother. Marshall Allman has been announced as the new kid on the block that will become a “permanent fixture.” Allman has scored a big, recurring role of Sam’s younger, presumed-lost sibling who comes to find him.

Much more is on the horizon for the show that starts taping in mere days from now, and we will be reporting on the up and coming True Blood news. Stay Thirsty!

by Irma Arkus

This day in history marks the beginning of one of my favorite television shows of all time, possibly the show that sucked me into the world of science fiction forever: Doctor Who premiered on BBC TV for the first time, back in 1963.

Today, Doctor Who is known as the longest running show on television, and is going through quite the upheaval too.

For those unfamiliar with the Doctor, do tackle the best: all of the fourth Doctor, starring Tom Baker, as well as the new Doctor series by Russell T. Davies are my absolute favorites.

However, David Tennant, the latest of the Doctor incarnations, together with Russel T. Davies, is leaving the show, and is about to be replaced by a much younger version of himself (to think of it, he is progressively getting younger), as portrayed by the newcomer Matt Smith.

The latest Doctor Who special was “The Waters of Mars.”

It not only brought back David Tennant, but it depicted a conflicted Doctor, undergoing some interesting psychological processes. “The Waters of Mars” presented the Doctor with a dilemma.

Upon landing on Mars, the Doctor realizes that he is caught at a particular spot in time and space, marked in history books as a source of great tragedy and inspiration.

If he assists the crew of a science station on Mars, battling the alien creatures trapped in Mars water, he will potentially change the history and halt the progress of human aspiration to reach the stars. Then again, if he does nothing, where does that leave him? What kind of a timelord does that make him?

Undoubtedly, the Doctor is going through some rough patches at the moment.

Now, we await the next Christmas special, “The End of Time” featuring not only the Doctor, but also his nemesis, the only other, albeit mad, timelord in existance, known as the Master.

See preview for The End of Time below:

by Irma Arkus

The latest episodes of SGU left me dangling on the sidelines.

For one, our demands to see our heroes outdoors were answered with a smart, time-travelling short, where a potential loop enabled survival of the Destiny.

The outdoors was dangerous. Not only was the crew quickly succumbing to a dangerous and deadly bacteriae, but the planet itself was crawling with…creepy crawlies.

This week though, marks the spot of the painful character development. Once again, the crew is mostly swimming in the sea of desperation, as psych evaluations uncover the surfacing of suicidal behaviours.

While the usual suspects are doing yoga and jogging circles across the bow of Destiny, Young is experiencing further clashes with Colonel David Telford. Who knew that Phillips Lou Diamond would make for such an excellent baddie?

One thing is for sure, Diamond is growing into a villanous presence, perverting what Young cares for the most, his already-shaky marriage.

But the claustrophobia felt by the Destiny’s crew is something that the viewers are already familiar with, and unlike on BSG, the crew is not relating to each other, or having any semblance of private lives, if not for any other reason, then for the fact that they are not busy enough, or even better yet, for the overuse of the convenient communication stones that allow them brief visits to Earth.

They are painfully attempting to maintain their relationships at home, rather than ensuring the development of new ones. And these are literally holding them back from progress on the ship.

Scott’s teen affair, for example, is exposed as a teen pregnancy that instead of an abortion, resulted in a fruitful birth of a boy. Too bad that the mother is hopeless, abandoned, looking for salvation in a new job of an exotic dancer.

Eli’s mother, on the other hand, is shown to be ill from not just anything, but AIDS, contracted via (EDIT: an accidental stab from an needle). Where is the sarcophagus when you need one I ask?

There are some signs that this small group of characters that SGU writers have been focused on is about to expand. For one, I noticed the appearance of Zach Santiago, a Vancouver veteran actor, and a relation of an acquaintance. I expect to see a lot more of Santiago, and development of characters that thus far sat at the sidelines.

The stones are problematic. Thus far, they’ve served only in as much as to introduce further clashes between Young and Telford. Furthermore, Scott noticed a strange shared memory feed from Telford, due to the use of the stones. Either they are about to become a major problem, or their use will be minimized.

I do hope to see some sunshine, some action, some substantial movement of the crew. Something? Anything?

The one character that does stand out is Robert Carlyle’s Dr. Nicholas Rush, whose cantankerous, manipulative, yet logical nature excels at being masterful, dangerous and interesting at the very same time.

Until next week, that is.

A while back one of my friends forwarded me the John Safran’s TV special “John Safran vs God” which left me panting for more. As it turns out, Safran is a bit of a autobiographical essayist with a dash of comedy, and a twist of ballderdashery that reminds of Sasha Baron Cohen’s wiley interviews with unsuspecting participants.

Unlike Cohen though, Safran is right now a new face, still unrecognized by North Americans, allowing him a greater degree of freedom to experiment with various interviews and identities.

I highly encourage you to check out his new show, “John Safran’s Race Relations.” Must warn you that initial impetus for the show is a bit lessened as material wears thin in the latter episodes, but the series is yet another Safran’s personal odyssey exploring his open wish to marry a Eurasian girl (identity yet to be determined) rather than court the local Jewish girls.

But Safran also asks the tough questions. For one, he questions the “stick with your tribe” philosophy which is a somewhat racist and culturally insular, yet socially tolerated position on interracial or better yet, intercultural couples.

However, today I want to share with you the true genious of John Safran: his Master Chef pilot. I must warn you – it is highly graphic and does involve a lot of blood.

by Irma Arkus

This week’s episode of Stargate Universe has provided a few laughs, a little bit of relief from the “we are on a million-year-old spaceship and weeeze are gonna die!” dread.

Lou Diamond Phillips, for one, is utilized in a wise and sparse manner. The kind that implies he will no longer represent the fly in the ointment. In fact, the episode marked Everett Young’s coming into leadership position supported by remainder of the ancient ship’s crew. In other words, Young just pissed all over the Earth command post and he didn’t do it alone. He had help.

The idea was to dial up the gate during that precious moment when the ship is powering up, fueled by a sun. At that moment, Earth scientists say, you would have enough energy to get these confused and lost in space back home, and send the “right” crew in.

In fact, Earth is so unhappy about who is leading the crazed monkey people in ancient starship that they relieve Young temporarily of duty. Using communication stones, Young goes back home, begging his wife for forgiveness and some solace. Romance ensues. Bodily contact follows. FTL drives going of and on, and interrupting communication stones at the most inopportune moments. Like during the love-making session between Young and his wife.

Then there are others.

Eli attempts to go home and check on his mom, instead opting to pretend to be a co-worker. Chloe decides to revisit her friends, looking for a bit of solace and escapism, instead finding out that reality is not as half as pretty as she remembers it. Eli and Chloe have more moments that deepen their relationship, positing the question of how exactly strong is her connection to Matthew, or for that matter, what is it based on?

More importantly though, there is a melancholic realisation that being stuck on that dingy (yet technologically hyper cool ship) is perhaps more real and more relevant than half the little things they used to think about and obsess about.

Even Dr. Rush decides to play his cards this time around, going along with Earth’s plan to surge the gate with potentially alarming amount of energy, all in an attempt to regain the command of the ship. In reality though, he is betting on Young.

Hail Young. He is the new father. Hail the leader. Leader amongst them is found.

I guess this is the only problem I am finding with the show. Considering the personality clashes, the power structure up for grabs, is there noone amongst the writers who is willing to present us with some other system of decision making?

It seems that even on a far, far away ship, a million year old ship, destined to provide us with potentially years of entertainment, the only envisioned system of power, decision-making, and control is a direct hierarchy.

What a cop-out!