Band/choir/orchestra geekiness meets Doctor Who geekiness

Still dog-paddling, gazing across the bleak expanse of February. Here's something keeping me afloat. This is the third collaboration of the Doctor Who Fan Orchestra, where musicians and singers from all over the place submit a video of themselves playing or singing part of Murray Gold's Doctor Who score which is then knitted into a quilt of gorgeous geekiness. (Yes, I know. You don't knit quilts. It's been a tough month, okay?) The first two were fun, but sounded a wee bit like high school band class. This one is the best one yet.

I just love these glimpses of bedrooms, living rooms, band rooms from all over. Coordinator Stephen Willis tells us: This final mix includes a total of 177 submissions from 154 individual participants, ranging in age from 11 to 57, and who are located in at least 18 different countries across the world, including: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Spain, France, Russia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Israel, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland.

I've subscribed to http://www.youtube.com/user/socksofbalhoon so I won't miss the next one! (Don't quite have the nerve nor the technology to join in!)

BabelColour does it again!

I've been --- occupied. Plenty to write about, but somewhat overwhelmed. However, I simply cannot resist this. I have mentioned BabelColour before. He is totally batty about Doctor Who, but I've yet to meet a Whovian who wasn't. (The Resident Fan Boy has just spent over thirty dollars on a SFX Magazine with a DW theme; he swears he will not eat lunches in restaurants for weeks.)

Anyway, there's some sort of Doctor Who milepost or anniversary coming up this year (or next?), so here's a worthy offering. All hail the BC:

For Doctor Who fans only (and possibly for literal video fans only as well)

Two or three years ago, I did a post on literal videos which featured the work of dascottjr, featuring his classic literal version of Bonny Tyler's epic and weird music video "Total Elipse of the Heart". Dascottjr's version went viral, so naturally, the people responsible for the original got it yanked for copyright infringement (presumably they didn't appreciate such a work of -- cof, hac, wheeeeze -- art being made a figure of fun), and since I'm among those who failed to save it to my computer, I can't show it to you here.

Recently, a very strange tribute has appeared on YouTube by someone who evidently did have the foresight to save dascottjr's masterpiece to her computer. Zeborahnz took the soundtrack of the literal version of Total Eclipse and made (wait for it) a Doctor Who fanvid.

Now, I don't know if you need to be familiar with the original literal video to find this amusing or clever, but I certainly do -- although I echo Zeborah's recommendation of using the CC (closed captions) option so you know exactly what the singers are saying.

MAAN-i-cure

Not everyone sees out Christmas by seeing one's youngerdaughter crowned The Royal Fool at a Twelfth Night celebration and having oneself serenaded with sonnets by two august members of the Company of Fools. Okay, one so-called sonnet was actually the lyrics to "Poker Face" as recited by the very handsome AL Connors, but being compared to a summer's day by the very intense Scott Florence was dreamy. Too bad I knew he was acting.

Then Epiphany dawned and I got all bogged down taking the decorations off the tree, so badly that I had to beg the Resident Fan Boy to only play major key music on the computer and to hide the tree out back until it's time to leave it out for the city.

Thankfully, I found this on the 'net yesterday. It's nowhere during the play, so I must assumed this was something reserved for those entitled few who actually got to to the theatre in person. Take it away, Davy and Cathy:

Hugo First

New Year's Day hit me like a hair-pin turn. Shortly before awakening that morning, I was hit with an attack of gremlins, and woke up in a sweat of anxiety, the myriad of worries I'd set aside for Christmas flying at me like panicked bats. What I'd like to know is, do I get overwhelmed by anxiety in the wee small hours because I'm vulnerable with lack of sleep, or is it because I'm seeing things with dangerous clarity? Oh gawd, I really don't want to know, do I? I'm blaming this on PMS.

Best to cling to what is beautiful. I started the new year with the almost completely silent filmThe Artist because I've heard so many good things about it, and it is charming and lovingly made, but I'm going to make a plea for what is the most gorgeous and beguiling movie I've seen in ages:

Hugo is also a tribute to the art of silent film, but the much earlier works of Georges Méliès. The movie itself is not silent; it's a russet-brown and midnight-blue fantasy of Paris eight or nine decades ago. It's meant to be seen in 3D but the Resident Fan Boy, younger daughter and I saw it in 2D in a small-screen cinema and you know what? We were still enchanted.

There is not a single ugly shot in this entire work, and the performances by Ben Kingsley, the two child leads, and a half-dozen not-quite-cameo supporting performances are a joy to watch. If this doesn't get some sort of Oscar recognition, I certainly will be pelting the television with foodstuffs.

If you haven't seen it, go. 3D or 2D, it won't matter.