Title of Neil Gaiman's Doctor Who Episode Revealed!

Oh my. Not the sort of fun news one expects to actually wake up to...

http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/doctor-who-fourth-episode-title-revealed-the-doctors-wife/

(Please, do read the article before continuing this post...)

The Doctor's Wife?

Let me say it again.

The Doctor's Wife?

I think it's almost unfair to give an episode a title like that. Not if it ends up being... well a big cheat like "The Doctor's Daughter" and "The Next Doctor" were. Now "The Doctor's Daughter" ended up being a fantastic episode, and "The Doctor's Wife" has been written by Neil Gaiman so that alone leads me to have high expectations for the quality of the show.

Idris is a familiar character with a new face. Say what? So many possibilities. I am actually desperately trying to keep my hopes down and believe that it is not the actual DOCTOR's wife, but you know... just some random doctor...

Yeah. Nice try, self.

As much as I want it to be River, I have to say, I don't think it is and here is one simple reason. All the previous episodes with River have been written by Steven Moffat. This one is not. She is his special creation and I don't think I'd want to see her written by anyone else (unless she became more of a regular and that just was the way it had to be).

What interests me is the very Victorian look of Idris's clothes. Is this just a planet where people dress that way? (As in "A Christmas Carol"). Or is it an episode that takes place in the past?

And then there is the curious phrase... "an old acquittance with a new face." There are three possible ways for that new face. Drastically different age. Plastic surgery. Or... Time Lord Regeneration.

Oh the possibilities. Is it River Song with a different face? Is it a Time Lady come back? (ROMANA? JENNY?)

Won't be much longer until we find out. The Season Premiere is less than a month away!

How to color digitally

Have you ever wondered how I do the digital colors in my pictures? Well now you can find out! My friend Shaelynn has featured me as a guest blogger over at her awesome craft blog. Check it out!

Alas! My brilliant plan has been foiled.

Today I planned to post the first installment of my latest sewing project -- my sister's prom dress. However my sister has put her foot down and declared she will not allow me to post any pictures of it until after prom. Which I guess is within her rights.

So instead I moved up my next art post and voila! Here are my latest creations.

The finished picture of Wolverine -- sketch reproduced from "How to Draw Marvel Heroes" but inks and colors primarily my own works.

An inked version of #2 from my "Nightcrawler in Action" series (sketches based on HtDMH)
An original picture of Rogue in current uniform, inked. I used a variety of reference sources, but the picture is ultimately my own unique creation.
Nightcrawler in Action #1, finished
A sketch of Jubilee I created for my friend Alicia, who is possibly the biggest Jubilee fan ever.
Scott Summers -- finished (look for an upcoming post on my friend Shaylynn's blog with a step-by-step digital coloring tutorial from moi on this picture!)
Lastly, my sketch of the bridesmaid dress I will be making for my friend's wedding this summer.

Books, weddings, writing and geekdom (not to mention a revolution)

The lovely thing about getting well is being able to... you know, do things. Like actually leave the house! Not that I'm completely recovered because I'm not, but I've got more energy than I have since Christmas and that is a major blessing!

Last week a friend and I went to the local Irish pub to celebrate St. Patrick's day. It was a blast! The pub was completely packed with celebrators -- we likened the crush to a concert. I felt sorry for the bartenders, but otherwise it was a pretty cool experience!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my library? Because I really, really do. We just got a big beautiful new one. It's light and airy and has dozens of corners with comfy chairs to curl up in, and wonderful computer stations, and a huge selection of books... and it also has some great meeting rooms. My new D&D group discovered that we can meet for up to two hours in one of the library meeting rooms for free. Not long enough for a full game, but it's still fun to utilize!

On Friday I got a message from one of my oldest friends. He's getting married this spring and he and his fiance would like me to be a bridesmaid in their wedding! I am absolutely thrilled! (I also get to design and sew my own dress. WIN!)

Tuesday was cold, rainy and dreary. I couldn't bear to stay cooped up, so I hauled my laptop over to a local coffee shop and wrote for about five hours. It was heavenly. I got the comfy chair right next to the fireplace and pounded out an entire chapter in my latest novel. I also was able to talk to a young lady who works at the shop that I've been getting to know. She gave me the info for her church and I think I'm going to check it out (I need to find a new one). Also, the guy sitting in the chair across from me heard me talking about my book and we struck up a conversation. That's what a coffee shop should be, you know? Like in the old days of the enlightenment, when thinkers and revolutionaries sat in cafe`s exchanging great ideas.

Speaking of the Enlightenment, yesterday I got to see part of my sister's drama practice for "A Tale of Two Cities." Primarily I got to see a bit of the courtroom scene, with Madam Defarge and Lucy Manette/Darnay doing their bits of drama. It was wonderful!

I also hooked up with a friend and we went out for supper, then poked around in the local comic book shop. We had to laugh because there was some sort of game going on and ALL the players were guys. We only spotted ONE other girl in the entire store. C'mon, girl geeks! Don't be shy. Get out of hiding! Be proud of your interests! ;)

We didn't actually buy any comics at that shop through. Instead we went over to the Half-Price books and I picked up a whole handful of comics for less than $9.00. That made me happy...

Don't get me wrong, I like staying home too. On Wednesday I hung out with my sister. I'm working on her prom dress, and we sung Disney songs while I worked. It was pretty epic.

Of course, the downside of this week is that we got another major dumping of snow. The forecast was 1-3 inches, but we ended up getting more like half a foot. Boo.

However we've actually got sun now, which is way nicer than the constant cloudcover we've been having...

POTC: On Stranger Tides - Trailer #2

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3649608985/

A new POTC: On Stranger Tides trailer came out this week! While reusing many previously released shots, it also contains extensions of sequences and some entirely new material!

Most interesting to me is the further revelation of the mermaid plot. It looks to me like one of the mermaids is going to be somehow a protagonist and join our group of heroes, and likely fall in love with the young missionary guy (I think that's who he is, anyhow). Anyone have any thoughts to add to this theory?

Also, it appears that Blackbeard can actually control his ship almost telekinetically. He appears to have power over the ropes at least. Agree with this? Disagree? Why?

Farewell, Elizabeth Taylor

This morning we mourned the passing of one of Hollywood's greatest stars - Elizabeth Taylor.

Taylor was classic, beautiful, talented, and dedicated to humanitarian causes despite personal health and romantic troubles (including her famous 8 marriages).

I first saw her in "National Velvet" ages ago, but my first memories come from seeing her play Amy March in "Little Women."

My favorite roles, however, are her portrayals of Maggie the Cat in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (with Paul Newman) and Katherina in "The Taming of the Shrew" (with Richard Burton).

What are your favorite Liz memories? When did you first see her? How many of her movies have you seen?

(For a refresher, check out the Elizabeth Taylor IMDB page to see a complete list of her roles)

AT LAST! Here comes THE HOBBIT...

The Hobbit begins filming today!

Have you been keeping up to date with the production? You can find the latest news at http://www.councilofelrond.com/ or check out the full cast list at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/. Keep in mind that some names are still rumors only, but even so, there are a lot of very impressive actors involved in this project!

Anyhow, congrats to Peter Jackson and crew for finally getting cameras rolling. It's been a long haul and at times many of us doubted it would ever happen. Thankfully we were wrong and PJ persevered!