fajrdrako: ([Torchwood] - Captain Jack in Black)
[personal profile] fajrdrako


Doctor Who won the National Television Awards again.

I'm not sure how signicant this is - I'm a little suspicious of popularist awards in general, becuase the stuff I like usually doesn't win. Looks as if this is an exception.

And doesn't everyone look nice in the picture?

Date: 2006-11-01 12:00 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] haydenthorne.livejournal.com
I need to check up on the casting for the series. I'd like to know who's taking Billie Piper's place.

My husband's heartbroken to see her go. XD

And, yes, they all look fantastic (as the Doctor says).

Date: 2006-11-01 03:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I'd like to know who's taking Billie Piper's place.

Her name is Feema Agyeman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who#Companions). She appeared briefly in Army of Ghosts as the member of Torchwood staff who is first assimilated by the Cybermen.

And, yes, they all look fantastic (as the Doctor says).

Quite right, too.

Date: 2006-11-01 10:57 am (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
The new Radio Times had a pic of Billie as Fanny Price in the forthcoming ITV adaptation of Mansfield Park. I think she's far too lively - Fanny is an insufferable wet blanket!

Date: 2006-11-01 12:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Fanny Price? Hmm. Well, maybe Billie Piper will enhance the part. I'm finding it difficult to picture. But then I never could picture Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, even while I was watching the movie. Not to say it wasn't entertaining - just that it wasn't Elizabeth Bennet and it wasn't really Jane Austen. This improved the entertainment factor, admittedly, but the purist in me objected.

Date: 2006-11-01 02:19 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
I always thought Jane Austen could be vastly improved by the addition of Cybermen and Daleks, and action scenes...

Perhaps Lady Cassandra could be Lady Bertram? (She's not confined to her couch; more stretched over her embroidery frame.)
Replace Pug with K-9.

Date: 2006-11-01 02:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Now you've got me picturing Darcy and Bingley in the TARDIS, visiting hot spots on foreign planets!

Though it does seem rather suitable for Captain Wentworth. (My biases are showing.)

Date: 2006-11-01 02:42 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
The Doctor's had mid-18C and Victorian adventures: I don't recall a Regency one...

How about replacing Captain Wentworth with Captain Jack...?!

Date: 2006-11-01 02:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
How about replacing Captain Wentworth with Captain Jack...?!

I'd love to see the TARDIS in Regency times. Hmm. A tempting thought. I did read one story that slashed Captain Jack with Lord Byron and Beau Brummel; I'm sure I could think of some trouble for him to get into.

Date: 2006-11-01 02:53 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
Jack would be in his element in that time-period!
Jack and Byron is a great idea... Byron finally meets someone who's more than his equal in outré behaviour! (Could his ego stand for that?!)

(Do people still call it slash if the characters are canonically gay or bi? I tend to think of 'slash' as changing the perceived sexuality of a character.)

Date: 2006-11-01 03:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Jack would be in his element in that time-period!

I think so. The fashionable quality of charm and wit and repartee - the form-fitting clothes, and the 'period military' - suits him very well. This makes me want to picture Captain Jack on a horse. He's more of a high-tech guy as we see him, but especially in his "Torchwood" mode I think he'd do well as a Regency gent - including the arrogance and the vanity. (I mean this in the nicest way!)

Alternately he could be a salt-of-the-earth lower class kind of guy, like Weaver in "Precious Bane", smarter and more heroic than the indolent (or absent) landowners....

Fits a lot of heroic patterns, doesn't he?

The story I read that slashed him with Byron didn't, to my disappointment, focus much on Byron, who either didn't actually appear in the story or only appeared briefly. Brummel got a little more attention. It made me want to play the game myself.

Byron finally meets someone who's more than his equal in outré behaviour! (Could his ego stand for that?!)

I think it would follow the typical pattern of Byron's relationships: he'd be fascinated and enchanted at first, and it would be the heights of passion and utter happiness. And then: competition and dissention would creep in. And eventually: pistols at dawn, or at least loud drunken domestic fights at 3 a.m. After Jack had enough of that and took off, there would be some clever, insightful, witty, beautiful poetry about the affair.

Do people still call it slash if the characters are canonically gay or bi? I tend to think of 'slash' as changing the perceived sexuality of a character.

Only because most slash is written about characters who are by default taken taken as het in the canon. Slash just means it's a story about sex or romance between same-sex characters. When you slash bi or gay characters - say, if you were to write a story about Nathan and Stewart from "Queer as Folk" - it's still slash.

Date: 2006-11-01 04:41 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
Jack as a Regency buck would be highly entertaining... Jack and Byron... Yes, watch out for flying vases!

Re: definitions:
I always regarded 'slash' as only describing counter-canonical-orientation, and more on the porn-y side. One of my dislikes is the counter-canonical issue: just as when I encountered a much-loved, canonically gay (though discreetly so, as it was an old movie) film character being made straight in a fic (though I think that was more due to the young author's naïvety/poor gaydar). If characters are canonically gay or bi, it's just part of who they are.

Date: 2006-11-01 05:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Jack and Byron... Yes, watch out for flying vases!

And lots of pistol-shooting, directed randomly, if we're lucky, at the ceiling.

I always regarded 'slash' as only describing counter-canonical-orientation, and more on the porn-y side.

I've heard that said by others, though never by anyone within the community of slash writers. By the same token, I've heard people outside the community argue that stories depicting non-canonical sexual relationships between men and women were 'hetslash' and that the characters were being slashed becuase the pairing was written (for example) "Scully/Mulder". Which makes a certainly kind of sense, but it isn't the terminology we use. My example here comes from a conversation I recall at MediaWest con, long before Scully and Mulder in X-Fiels were a canonical couple.

Actually, slash writers might agree with what you say about the porn angle, depending on the writer. I know slash writers who never put sex in a story, and others who think that's the whole point. Most are somewhere in between.

I'm sure most slash writers would say that when they slash a character, it's because they perceive them as gay or bi in the source material - or at least potentially gay or bi - and this of course is highly subjective. It's a kind of bonus when the canon explicitly shows us that the character is gay or bi or, as in the case of Captain Jack, omnisexual.

I find it interesting that so far, though Doctor Who showed Jack as bi, Torchwood has merely raised the question of his orientation and has not definitively answered it, presumably because we're following Gwen's viewpoint, and she doesn't know. It does seem to me that on evidence so far, if a viewer had only seen Torchwood but not Doctor Who or any of the producer's commentaries, they'd be concluding that Jack is straight, the traditional default. We know he isn't, but it makes for an interesting ambiguity of perception. We will probably learn otherwise when Gwen does.

This strikes me as cool. It doesn't need to be an issue till it needs to be an issue, for some story/thematic point.


Date: 2006-11-01 06:50 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
And lots of pistol-shooting, directed randomly, if we're lucky, at the ceiling.

Going by what happened in Torchwood, George would be pretty shocked by what might happen if he hit Jack...!

I'm sure most slash writers would say that when they slash a character, it's because they perceive them as gay or bi in the source material - or at least potentially gay or bi - and this of course is highly subjective.

What I find rather sad - whatever the sexes and orientation of the characters - is that so many fic-writers can't accept characters being close friends without sexualising the relationship: it's as if they're devaluing the whole idea of friendship, that a relationship isn't important unless it involves sex.

Date: 2006-11-01 07:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Going by what happened in Torchwood, George would be pretty shocked by what might happen if he hit Jack...!

Good point! It would probably shock him into sudden sobriety.

As for slash devaluing friendship - I've always seen it as a widening of scope, and a good thing in general - and not so much devaluing friendship as exploring other possibilities - there are a lot of 'friendship' stories in this world, they aren't hard to find, while good slash is hard to find. But I'm not trying to convert you, or anyone else, to slash - just trying to explain it a little.



Date: 2006-11-01 07:18 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
there are a lot of 'friendship' stories in this world, they aren't hard to find, while good slash is hard to find.

The reverse these days, I'd say, especially in fanfic (and I'm taking about straight fic, here, too): people's imaginations seem to be hyper-sexualised. Nothing is allowed to be innocent.

Date: 2006-11-01 07:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I don't read or write gen fic or het fic - no, wait, I can't say that, two of my most recent stories have been her - ! But (ahem) it hasn't traditionally been my thing; I tend to turn to fanfic for the sex and romance that is generally left out of television and movies.

With published books the field is a little wider but all romance (as far as I can see) is written to rigid formula and most gay novels aren't to my taste at all - either geared to men, or too sentimental, or badly written, or pretentiously artsy - I find fanfic often much more expressive and creative. But then, I like the slash genre to start with.

This is said with perfect awareness that there is a lot of really, really bad fanfic out there, which I do my best to avoid.

The good news is that there's some very good writing, too.

Date: 2006-11-01 07:34 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
I'm more interested in fic for back-story, giving depth to underwritten characters, and alternate plotlines to save characters I like.

There's usually more than enough sex and romance in most mainstream fiction/ or film these days!

Date: 2006-11-01 07:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
See? It's all in the perspective.

I like fic as back-story, too, and would like to see more of it.

(Somewhere my mind is speculating about writing a fic on how Jack hired Owen... or Tosh... or any of them. But we know so little about the initial set-up of Jack's Torchwood.)

Date: 2006-11-01 07:41 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
Somewhere my mind is speculating about writing a fic on how Jack hired Owen... or Tosh... or any of them. But we know so little about the initial set-up of Jack's Torchwood.

We may find out more later in the series, I suspect!

Date: 2006-11-01 07:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Probably. I hope so.

Date: 2006-11-01 06:53 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
I find it interesting that so far, though Doctor Who showed Jack as bi, Torchwood has merely raised the question of his orientation and has not definitively answered it, presumably because we're following Gwen's viewpoint, and she doesn't know. It does seem to me that on evidence so far, if a viewer had only seen Torchwood but not Doctor Who or any of the producer's commentaries, they'd be concluding that Jack is straight, the traditional default.

But they'd know he's been pregnant!

Date: 2006-11-01 07:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
If they took his comment seriously. Even his team didn't seem to know what to make of it!

Another give-away line was in Day One where he said to the delivery-man Carys was debauching, "Zip up your trousers and get out of here! - It always breaks my heart to say that." This sort of comment is probably why Owen is so sure Jack is gay.

Date: 2006-11-01 07:15 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
Yes, the wisecracks are sufficiently camp to be a clue...

Date: 2006-11-01 07:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
And really not subtle! Though Jack's general persona these days is not as carelessly gay as it was, for example, in "Bad Wolf".

I find myself curious as to how Owen and Jack met, and how he came to put the Torchwood crew together. How did he come to hire Suzie? Did he meet Tosh because she worked on the fake alien in Aliens of London? I wonder if Gwen is the only one who discovered Jack first, before being hired or recruited?

I picture a sign in a temp agency somewhere in Cardiff: "Wanted: researcher with expertise in alien objects. Experience not necessary. Some high-risk work involved. Knowledge of guns an asset."

Date: 2006-11-01 07:31 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
Jack has become a bit more serious because of his experiences, I think.

I love the idea of the temp ad...!

Date: 2006-11-01 07:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Yes, I think Jack's experiences have - understandably, and for several reasons - made major changes in his character and outlook. Not bad ones, just that he's changed.

I suppose death and rebirth would do that to anyone, and in his case, the circumstances were somewhat traumatic.

Date: 2006-11-01 07:37 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
It's made him grow up a bit.

Date: 2006-11-01 07:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Absolutely. He's taking life a lot more seriously, and more honestly.

Date: 2006-11-01 07:43 pm (UTC)
ext_120533: Deseine's terracotta bust of Max Robespierre (Default)
From: [identity profile] silverwhistle.livejournal.com
David's Dad was interviewed on the news tonight here in Scotland, saying how delighted he was at the award!

Date: 2006-11-01 07:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I bet he is - he has every reason to be very proud of his son.

DT's Acceptance Speech

Date: 2006-11-02 11:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] raissad.livejournal.com
DT's Win At The NTA's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1ijSc_O6E

He's so dear!

Re: DT's Acceptance Speech

Date: 2006-11-03 04:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Thank you so much for the link - that clip is absolutely delightful! The more I see of that man, the more delightfully loveable I think he is. Such a charmer, and so unpretentious. Utterly sweet. Love it when he calls Billie Piper "Dame Billie Piper" - and his line about meeting Julie Andrews.


Latest News On DW Soundtrack CD

Date: 2006-11-03 11:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] raissad.livejournal.com
Here's the latest on the soundtrack CD....

Silva Screen will release Murray Gold's soundtrack to Doctor Who on December 4th. This is the first release of the music from the series revival and includes the 'must have' new version of Ron Grainer's immortal theme. Also included are songs by Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), one, which appeared in last year's Christmas Special and a new offering, Love Don't Roam, which will feature in this year's Yuletide special.

http://www.silvascreen.co.uk/news.htm

Re: Latest News On DW Soundtrack CD

Date: 2006-11-06 01:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] raissad.livejournal.com
CD Details From BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/11/06/37664.shtml

Re: Latest News On DW Soundtrack CD

Date: 2006-11-06 02:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I'm hoping this will turn up soon on amazon dot ca.

Re: Latest News On DW Soundtrack CD

Date: 2006-11-12 03:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] raissad.livejournal.com
Track Listing & Samples:
http://www.silvascreen.co.uk/master.cfm?SilvaCode=SILCD1224&id=4553

Doctor Who: A Celabration Concert On-Line

Date: 2006-11-18 12:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] raissad.livejournal.com
If you don't know, this is a Children In Need event, which includes a Q&A with RTD, David Tennant, and Murray Gold. You also get to hear orchestra an chorus perform the tracks that will be included on the CD. Check it out:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/11/17/38074.shtml

Re: Latest News On DW Soundtrack CD

Date: 2006-11-20 05:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] raissad.livejournal.com
Did you get a chance to listen to the concert?:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/11/17/38074.shtml

Re: Latest News On DW Soundtrack CD

Date: 2006-11-20 11:00 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Yes! Enjoyed it, too.

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