I love it when they pick the unknowns. Everyone deserves a break.

No, seriously. It’s Matt Smith. Who’s he? Doesn’t matter! It’s Doctor Who!!!

At just 26 years old, Smith will be the youngest Doctor ever, beating Peter Davison, who was 29 when he was cast as the Fifth Doctor.

Brought up in Northampton and initially planning to become a professional footballer, Smith studied drama and creative writing at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. Since then he has carved out a very respectable theatre career, his stage roles including Lockwood in The History Boys and Guy in Swimming with Sharks, opposite Christian Slater. He appeared in On the Shore of the Wide World, which won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best New Play.

His most notable TV role was a Labour researcher Danny Foster in BBC’s political drama Party Animals. He also appeared in The Ruby in the Smoke, its sequel The Shadow in the North and an episode of The Secret Diary of a Call Girl – all three of them opposite former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper.

This might just be groovy although Eccleston and Tennant were AMAZING.

I’m a Doc Who geek. Shut up.

It’s a great show.

Shout out to LeBlanc. DUDE!

If you haven’t seen it, I’ll put it behind the wall, but I have to say, if this is Russell T. Davies swan song, he’s going out with a bang.

Spoilers behind the jump.

I won’t get into the semantics of the episode because I realize that not a lot of people have seen it, but I’m sure you heard the companions are all back in this episode. Sarah Jane, Martha Jones, Captain Jack and Rose, although she is the biggest surprise for the Doctor although we’ve been watching her pop up from time to time all season. From last week’s episode called Turn Left, we know that some major things are fixing (my Southernisms are coming out here) with Donna, who has been a fabulous companion. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, it’s nice to see that she has no romantic interest in the Doctor, which continues with the canon of Rose being one of the loves of Doctor Who’s long and lonely life. Donna is a companion who has grown during her travel with Doctor Who, and she’s just better than good. If Turn Left was any indication of Catherine Tate’s dramatic chops, she earns all kudos for being a fine actress. And there was some funky foreshadowing from a member of The Shadow Proclamation. I fear that Donna won’t be on the show much longer.

The companions return was fun for Doctor Who junkies, but some of it, I’m sad to say, seemed a bit forced. I feel though that the payoff will be pretty good in Journey’s End. I have heard that Tennant has signed on for two more series, but the end of Stolen Earth will break your heart and if he does regenerate into someone else after becoming injured, it will be one of the best smoke screens ever for the entire 40+ years of Doctor Who. If he is coming back, then it was an amazing cliffhanger nonetheless. I will say that they focused just a little too long in the opening sequence on his hand he lost that Captain Jack kept for all those years which might make a difference.

One never know though, do they?

It’s melodrama at it’s best.There is also a theme that comes from Russell T. Davies of how mass communication fascinates him and how it has been intertwined into many of the Doctor Who episodes he has written. He seems to utilize that theme quite often.
The most fabulous part of the episode, for me at least, was Penelope Wilton returning as former prime minister Harriet Jones, who although she had been denounced by the good Doctor, turns out to be a hero when push came to shove. And it does come to shove.

The earth is whisked away by those lethal and pesky Dialeks, led by former supervillan Davros, who are on the “Exterminate” trail again freaking out the world and being quite nasty.

Shout outs to good acting goes to Bernard Cribbins, who plays Donna’s grandfather, and is just absolutely wonderful and it was nice to see Michael Brandon in a cameo.

Next week will be the last regular episode until 2010 although there will be a couple of specials.

And, if you want to know why I adore Doctor Who, go here.

I don’t want to fall in love and have to wait week after week to build the story. I’m greedy and have no sense of responsibility or dedication (well, maybe to Lost) but seriously, I’m the perfect date. I hate getting “married” to something. I want to enjoy it and then go for a pizza.

I don’t waste the money these days on DVDs and I’m not organized or focused enough to deal with Netflix.’

Yeah, I’m groovy that way and at least I’m somewhat honest.

We won’t see Doctor Who until 2010 and it’s making me antsy. As I said, I’ll watch some tube, but I just hate the “attachment” to it all.

When I type 2010 for any reason, it kind of wigs me out. Where’s my damned flying car? I have a PT Cruiser named Steve Austin that I haven’t seen in three weeks. Seriously, I expected to be living in black spandex by now and my own personal jetpack with a robot that cleaned my house and talked to me about politics and robot gender identity.

Doctor Who is exquisite. It always has been. Due to nefarious although not illegal means, I’ve seen all of the latest season other than the Doctor’s Daughter. I loved Tom Baker. I loved Christopher Eccleston (and in some ways, he’s most tied to me for some reason. I love geeky, goofy, smart men and he hit it perfectly) but I’m smitten with David Tennant as well even when he’s most over the top. He does convey emotion and loss so very well and he’s like Macgyver on acid but so much cooler.

Next week, apparently it’s going to be everyone that we know in the 2008 finale. I’m hoping the swaggering Captain Jack from the Doctor Who/Rose seasons shows up and not the manchild who has his own show now. (By the way, Catherine Tate ROCKS the house. She’s just wonderful.)

As I said, as a kid from Hoots, we had four channels. One of them, my beloved local PBS channel, played Monty Python and Doctor Who (ahhh, Tom.)

You find joy where you can. I was an unusual child growing up in Hoots. I realize that’s not much, but it’s true and it’s all I have.

One thing I keep thinking is I reconnected with Doctor Who through the innertubes. I’ve had a couple of people say that if they had to choose between HD computers and digital televisions, they would go with a laptop.

Me too.  I would in a minute. I wouldn’t even take a second to make the choice.

One of those reasons is Doctor Who. Because I have more options to watch it.

And, if you haven’t seen Blink, you should. It will scare the hell out of you.

If you haven’t read Sandman, you should go out this very second and buy it. And when you are done, read it again.

I’m feeling all Pop-Culture Grrl today.

I love Doctor Who. And I dig the Oods.

Just being a fangirl for a moment. Carry on.

Tom Baker has admitted that he may be persuaded to make an appearance in the revived series of Doctor Who.

The 74-year-old actor, who played the fourth incarnation of the Time Lord between 1974 and 1981, told Kent News: “Perhaps I might make a guest appearance – perhaps. Providing they ask me nicely, of course.”

Oh, how I love PBS who gave me some Tom Baker and made life so groovy when I only had four channels to watch.

And then Sci Fi is bringing back more Doc Who and Sarah Jane Adventures. Sometime I cuss cable and satellite and then I think better of it.

But still …

Dang. The world moves fast.

I think the government should give me a bunch of money to build a time machine. Yeah, that would be cool and it would have a keg and David Tennant on board, who would entertain me by pointing out all the cool things in history that I probably have forgotten. Here’s my first post.

In my time machine that the government will pay for because they sho’ do like spending money, I will head back to 1960 and have a groovy dirty martini as I contemplate the next 48 years and how funny looking Richard Nixon was (or is, I wonder). As I wasn’t even a sperm then, I might just spy on my parents, but then that would be gross. Or, I could head back to the nineties, when I made more money and was not as saucy as I am now.

Or, I could just tip up a lovely Bass beer today and celebrate myself. (No one else will, so I have to do it.)

Man, I haven’t changed much, have I since day one, have I?

So thanks. It’s been swell. I’ve enjoyed you guys more than you will ever know. Thanks for lifting a beer with me on occasion, sending me nice emails and even having a friendly debate from time to time.

Blogging. Yeah, it’s fun. Keeps me sane.

Do you get Blog Birthday presents?

No, you say.

Damn.

Anyway, happy day to you.

Fear affects us all more than we care to admit, and it’s especially insidious for writers. Writing online is one of those activities where you’re really putting yourself out there, and the critics are always waiting to pounce. But as we’ll see below, failure and mediocrity are not the only things we fear.

Most fear works at the subconscious level and manifests itself in the form of procrastination and writer’s block. We want to write that novel or business book, start that killer blog, release that article or white paper that boosts our business authority… and yet we keep putting it off.

I don’t like to waste time on regret, because, well, it’s a waste of time. But looking back, I see I’ve wasted so much time in my writing life because I let fear hold me back.

And the truth is, every time I push myself in a new direction, I’m still afraid. I don’t think that ever changes—it’s just part of the game.

The key is to not let it stop you

I’ve written a couple of books. I don’t let anyone read them, so I get the fear. I wouldn’t even know where to start to get them published. That’s why I respect Kathy T. so much as she just put her mind to it and has released one book and is looking on releasing a second. She’s fearless. I like that.

I actually started a blog in 2001 and I didn’t continue it because I didn’t think it was good enough. When I started this blog, I got through that. I would read folks like Aunt B., Sharon Cobb, TV on the fritz and think to myself that I couldn’t write or articulate like they did.

I didn’t think that anyone would give a damn about what I had to say. When I realized that I was doing this for me and was just as happy as a clam when I was getting about 15 hits a day, I realized I had denied myself a great deal of joy. Now that I have folks visit and then I go to visit them, I have been given a great deal of happiness that I would have never imagined.

Joy is a good thing.

With that said, over the years I’ve stopped myself because I didn’t feel “good” enough. But, as I’m looking at celebrating two years on this blog at the end of the month, I’ve realized that I really did deny myself so much.  Those three people I read long before I blogged are now people I have met that I really like and enjoy.

I guess the thing is that deciding to be fearless is about one of the toughest things I’ve done. I am pretty transparent on this blog, although I admit that I’ve toned it down over time. I don’t vent about the job like I used to (which was pretty stupid but, of course, I didn’t know what getting Dooced was two years ago either.) I enjoy it more than ever because I’ve been able to be realize I don’t have to please other people, just myself.

About a year ago I decided that I needed to do something everyday that just scares the crap out of me. I try to do that, and it’s opened a bunch of doors. I’m writing this to you this morning because recently I took a walk out of my comfort zone and I just got my first regular paid blogging gig.

Yup, I’m getting paid to write at Teevieo. My first post went up this morning and I can read in it how nervous I am about it all. It’s just a side thing but it’s important to me, and I’m glad I walked through the fear and attempted to move forward. I hope you will come and visit me over there sometimes. I’ll be writing there about three times a week. Don’t worry, because I know you were biting your nails, I’m still here as well. Hopefully in the next little while, I can find some more cajones to get me to other new and exciting levels.

Fear is an amazing thing. Now that I’m older, I have found that I’m not letting it paralyze me like I did 20 years ago.

Now back to your regular scheduled Newscoma, already in progress.

It’s for me as well.

From TV Squad:

Last night on BBC One in the UK, the Corporation’s annual charity telethon, ‘Children in Need’ raised £19million for underpriviledged kids around the country.

This happened last night. Thank goodness for youtube goodness because we get to see it today.

[youtube=[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtIXg7MzPUY&rel=1]

If you like Doctor Who, the last minute will get to you. I promise.

If you don’t like Doctor Who, then go read this.

[youtube=[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYy3XelAn3M&rel=1]

For LeBlanc and The School Girl. I wrote about this one earlier this week.

Good scary television. Of course, from the UK.

Anyway, I watched Doctor Who and the episode was called “Blink“. I have to tell you, it was probably one of the best hours of television I’ve seen in awhile.

And damn it all if it wasn’t creepy as hell. If you blink, the monsters will get you. And the monsters are things that have always been there.

I also think that Amelia, which was the freakiest thing I’d ever seen as a child on the tube from the awesome “Trilogy of Terror” movie written by Richard Matheson (who also wrote the upcoming “I Am Legend” which is a great book but I’m not so sure about how it’s going to translate to film.)  The doll who loses his necklace that just terrorizes the hell out of Karen Black. Totally rocked my world as a kid. I also got a bit chilled over the old Twilight Zone, especially the ones about people’s behavior (The Monsters are Due on Maple Street.)

Now, it could be debated that for an hour a night, Bill O’Reilly will terrify you. I just finding it terrifying that people watch him. But that’s just me.

So, which shows, on the good old fashioned telly, wigged you out?