Titanic: Ep 2&3

-uh...like everyone survived, minus Mrs. Bates and Paulo, which was dumb, the Paulo part.
-uh...like everyone survived, even Linus Roaches that went into the water and Toby Jones. We basically followed all the people that are pulled from the water or were on the overturned boat...kind of lame.
-Second Officer Lightoller is my hero.
-When was the last time we saw Captain Smith?
-I guess the American boy died, that was sad. I liked him enough.
-So...the Irish wife that wasn't Mrs. Bates was in love with the Russian revolutionary before the boat? And he died...and her husband and daughter died.
-I feel like I know who lived and I guess everyone else died, but not seeing them die made me not really care...
-The third episode with Annie and Paulo was my favorite.
-Finally we saw Molly Brown.
-I really only ended up caring about Annie/Paulo and the valet and the lady's maid. And I wanted Linus Roache to live.

I feel like overall this could have been great with a couple more episodes to really flesh some people out. I guess we got a nice taste, and at the end of the day I liked the patchwork quality of it all, but it just needed a little more. Not sad I watched it, but not really obsessed with is.

Titanic: Ep 1&2

Some very quick notes about the first two episodes of Julian Fellowes' Titanic:
SPOILERS

how are anyone's hips that narrow?

-I know that's Linus Roache's real accent, but it just seems strange...
-Lady Georgiana is nowhere near as likable as Sybil, and somehow has narrower hips than Mary!
-I think Lady G is just plain annoying.
-Also, Lady G kissing Philadelphia boy is going on the worst kiss list: There was literal sucking happening, like she was sucking at his lower lip, ack.
-The lighting for the first episode sure makes all the wigs and lips look strange.
-I like the way Titanic 1997 handles J.J. Astor and Gugenheim better, somehow this one just seems like it's cramming people in.
-Low budget or design choice to have first class in terrible browns and drabness?
-White Star china, nice touch.
-Stephen Campbell Moore or Victor Garber as Mr. Andrews the ships designer? I like them both.
-Ismay is not the bad guy in this one. Captain Smith is the one making all the demands for speed? Interesting Mr. Fellowes. From interviews I've been listening to this week survivors say neither were to blame.
-This version does mention the Californian which was visible (some say they could see the men aboard her) and less than 10 miles away from Titanic when she hit and started sinking, which is absolutely heartbreaking.
-Don't worry, Officer Lightoller survives, I listened to his interviews.
-Who's the large Italian man that found the Irish engineer's son?
-The nice stewardess w/ the bad hair is Doctor Who's new companion.
-I want the wenchy lady's maid (the lady is wenchy, not the lady's maid) and the valet to get together, but they won't because he's going to die.
-Is there some thievery with the lady's maid?
-They're all going to die, except the ladies, Lightoller, Ismay, and Officer Boxhall (who you don't really know, but he was mentioned, and I listened to his interviews, so he survived).
-There are too many people to follow and I'm not getting attached to many.
-The Mrs. Bates/Toby Jones scenario is such a whirlwind of frustration and not enough back story for me to really care to follow.
-Can Mrs. Bates play anything but the horrible wife?
-You like how I call her Mrs. Bates even though this isn't Downton Abbey?
-Where's Molly Brown?
-The whole "starts sinking at the end of every episode but from a different point of view" is nice in theory, but really rather strange. The first episode seemed to jump straight to Sunday, the second one not so much.
-I still feel like there are 500 people we've been introduced to that we'll have to see the stories off, but there are only two more episodes.

That's it for now. I'll watch the last two episodes tomorrow. Don't you fret! You can watch them too!
http://abc.go.com/shows/titanic/?cid=abccomsearch_results 

Fantastic BBC archive of Titanic interviews. Officers Lightoller and Boxhall and fashion writer Edith Russell are esp interesting.

Titanic US air dates

ABC will be broadcasting Julian Fellowes' Titanic which premiered on ITV1 this weekend, to lack luster reviews. The four part series will be shown two parts at a time on Saturday April 14th and Sunday April 15th on ABC at 8/7c. Reviews in the UK for the first episode described the show as having too many characters to follow leading to not caring about any of them. Tellyspotting wasn't so hard on it, and I don't think I, or the American public will be either.

As it usually happens, I think epic mini-series like this spend the first episode introducing characters so that not that much really happens. The first hour is always Jane Eyre's bleak and rather boring, but necessary childhood. The one upside for being a US viewer is that on the whole PBS, and now it seems ABC, will give us the first two episodes as one so we can go straight into the happening of stuff. I'm surprised ABC hasn't started the TV promos for this, have you seen them? They do however have a website, with episode descriptions I've learned not to read beforehand. Are you excited for this? I'm prepared to be totally devastated by the end of it.

New Doctor Who Companion Announced!

Karen Gillian (who's only a month older than me and the same height!) is leaving Doctor Who sometime during the upcoming season which started filming in Wales last month. Head writer Steven Moffat has announced that Jenna-Louise Coleman will become the Doctor's new companion during next year's Christmas episode leading into the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who. Coleman will be recognized in the upcoming Julian Fellowes' Titanic. 

BBC article here.

This just makes me miss Donna. You'd think I'd identify and enjoy watching a companion that's my own age, but I miss the chemistry a Donna type had with the Doctor, although I do imagine Catherine Tate and David Tennant's age differences are similar to Matt Smith's and these women. Oh well. Really I just pine for the good ol' 10th days. I have nothing against Matt Smith's Doctor, nor the writing in general for his seasons, I just miss 10's personality. The Doctor has moved to a different place. Matt Smith's Doctor is a different and more detached Doctor where Tennant was so empathetic and caring. Moving from the last episodes of 10 into 11 it's understandable that 11 has become more distant and disconnected from his companions and reality. He just sort of runs about doesn't he?

Julian Fellowes' Titanic

I've known about this for awhile, but realized that I haven't told you yet! And the thing is upon us!

Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame (well, and Gosford Park if we want to get to the bottom of why he's famous) wrote a Titanic series for the 100th anniversary of the sinking. The four part series will air on ITV1 (Downton's home) in April and in the US by April 14th (official anniversary, and tax day present!).  I'd say that's a darn good turn around for the US showing! Huzzah! It's basically Downton on the Titanic, following all classes and characters aboard. Article from Telly Spotting here.

Cast includes (so excited for some of these!).

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David Calder, the dad from Bramwell, as Captain Smith, pretty dead ringer I'd say.

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Toby Jones, from like everything.

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Maria Doyle Kennedy, aka Mrs. Bates, aka my favorite gravel-y voiced lady actor.

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Linus Roache from Law & Order, didn't know he was English, did ya?

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Stephen Campbell Moore, He Knew He Was Right, Lark Rise to Candleford, and I saw him in All My Sons in London!
















You'll recognize a lot of other people as well, including Lily Potter! Sad thing though is that at least all of the men will die, and inevitably some of the women too, so don't get too attached, but with Julian Fellowes at the wheel (or helm rather) you are going to get very attached, THEN they'll all die.
IMDB PAGE!!
TRAILERS!!