Originally published on the Chronicles of Who Website (1998-2000)
02.20.2000
Hey to everybody from the Gallifrey Convention in Los Angeles.
We're having a fantastic time out here and getting some nice
tales to regale you all with upon our return. I wish I could
say that I'm writing this by the side of the pool, sunning
myself and getting a massage from some voluptuous California
Girl, but unfortunately it's rather cold and rainy at the
moment. Still, it's been a good time and has given us some
time to consider our fine club in the Grand Scheme of Doctor
Who Fandom.
Just what this all means to the future of the club is still
unknown, but rest assured that it's all gonna be good.
12.24.1999
I hope ev'ryone is getting their hollies and their jollies
this week. I know that the club had a heck of a good time
at our Xmas party on the 17th. More food, drink, and McGann
than anyone in their right mind could handle (amazing what
a little dry ice can do to liven things up, isn't it?). Now
we're all looking forward to the long-delayed 'Colin-Baker-Rama-Call-My-Mama-Thon'
some time early in the new year. Maybe I'll actually be able
to stick around for the whole thing this time.
One of the highlights of this year's holiday season is, for
me, having an additional day or two off from work to catch
up on all the little things. Such as... this website... Obviously
the changes I've been trying to make have been a little slow
in coming. It's an entirely new technology to me, and I'm
also working with a site that someone else (entirely) had
concieved and half-built. Again, my apologies for this not
yet being a first-class site. I'm working on it.
I was quite annoyed to see Outpost Gallifrey beat me to the
scoop on the Fox re-broadcast (or lack thereof) news item.
See, I got the very same response from the Fox people on the
very same day that OG did. I thought it was an amazing bit
of investigation until I logged onto their site and found
it already placed on their newspage. So much for my career
as a journalist...
12.08.1999
Doctor Who got a special stamp this year in the UK, which
it obviously deserved. But here in America, the post office
gives the special 'Stamps of the Century' honor to Star Trek
instead of Star Wars. You tell me: which one of these had
the greater impact on people? Star Wars inspired an entire
generation of people, whereas Star Trek was universally laughed
at until the 80's ...when it made itself look like Star Wars
to finally become popular.
I'm looking forward to getting those new incidental music
CD's when they come out. For years I wondered why some of
the classic music of the 60's and 70's were unavailable on
the market and yet we could get every crap McCoy-era tune.
Okay, I know I'm being a little harsh on the late 80's...
I'll give it to ya on the Dominic Glynn tracks and a even
a few by Mark Ayres. Regardless, I'm pleased to see that some
balance is finally being achieved out there. And to see that
they might but some novelty records on CD as well -to finally
get Jon Pertwee singing on CD -Woo-Hoo!!! About time!
How bout a new fanzine... anyone?
...Anyone?
12.06.1999
Well, we've somehow survived a year without Visions here in
Chicago. It's hard to believe, but this was only the third
time since I became a fan back in '83 that a year has gone
by without a serious Who party in this town. Prior to the
great stretch of Visons years (1990-1998), Chicago was lucky
enough to play host to the Spirit of Light conventions from
1983-1986 and a visit by the Doctor Who USA Tour Bus in 1987.
So when is someone gonna donate a house to Cowboy Bob so we
can continue to make Chicago the Second City in the Whoniverse?
I'd hate to see us lose THAT title to LA, too...
Without a doubt, WYIN is a Godsend. Not only are they friendly
and committed to keeping our show on broadcast television,
but now they're expanding upon our loyal fanbase by importing
even more shows in our genre (and giving our club heavy promotion,
to boot). Their lineup of Blakes 7 followed by Dr. Who is
the sort of thing I'd always seen in other cities and wished
to have on a local station (of course, now that it's happened
we're getting nostalgic for the days when they preceded Who
with Monty Python and Dave Allen), but now to have them adding
Red Dwarf to the schedule as well... wow. Maybe we oughta
rename it the Visions Channel. V-TV? As long as they don't
go and resurrect The Two Ronnies...
08.18.1999
Q) What do you call a BBC Books companion whose space suit
rips open on a planet with serious atmospheric pressure?
A) Compression.
The new DWM 'columnist' sucks. There. I had to get that over
with. Previous outings (don't you dare take that the wrong
way) with 'The Watcher' had been fun and frivolous, but now
he's gone and become all fannish on us. It's pathetic to nit-pick
garbage like 'Is his name the Doctor or Doctor Who?' 'The
Watcher' reasons that his articles are meant to deliberately
upset fans with serious opinions about these horrifically
un-serious topics, but in fact he's pandering to them. These
people would like nothing more than to have a forum from which
they can argue about things that only a true saddo could.
I'd much rather see more goofy comparisons between the Doc
and James Bond. I give him seven issues.
Sheesh- do I have to think of everything? I got a great new
money-making idea for the BBC. Take some of the great quotes
and audio clips of the show and sell them on a CD. It oughta
have all the best scripted lines as well as the best fluffs
and blunders (make way for Billy! - he could fill a double
CD all by his-sorry-dead-ass-self). They gotta get on this
one before it becomes any easier for people to move quality
sound clips off of their PC's and onto their stereo systems.
Personally, I'd purchase something like this any day of the
week over one of those fan-made 'Farts of the Companions'
CDs...
The worst thing about the cancellation of Visions (I'd like
to cancel the Hyatt...) is that we'll never get to have out
Trial of a Timelord theme year. Never will we get to see Michael
Jayston, Dominic Glynn, the dude who played Glitz, Bonnie
Langford, or that handicapped guy who played Sil. And now
that Colin Baker has announced his possible retirement from
conventions altogether, the chances of seeing them all together
are slim-to-none. I guess we'll just have to make do with
getting together on our own and having simultaneous "Trial-of-a-Timelord-Colin-Baker-Rama-Call-My-Mama-Thon's".
Unless, of course, sanity prevails.
Let me close with a personal note to the people who recently
outbid me on eBay for certain Troughton and Pertwee annuals:
May the heinous Gods of the planet Zor frown upon you and
force you to do all the 'Fascinating Facts of Space Travel'
crossword puzzles.
08.05.1999
Things are looking up! A new movie might be in the works with
a black American tagged for the lead role. Who might the lucky
bastard be? Top bets include Richard Pryor, Gary Coleman,
and Ted Danson in blackface. Personally I'd rather like to
see Jimmie Walker...
So we're not getting the Early Years video that was included
with the UK release of Crusade. What, we're supposed to be
happy shelling out the dollars for an incomplete story and
none of the goodies? We're gettin' shafted! They say it's
to keep the cost down. Yet if they release the Early Years
as a separate tape later on down the line (as they currently
plan), we'll end up coughing up ten bucks more than if they
released it as they did everywhere else in the world. And
we won't be gettin' any friggin' CDs or keychains either,
mark my words...
Is Doctor Who gay? Does he have a girlfriend? The answer
to these questions and many more will be answered soon enough
by the BBC 8th Doctor books. Word has it that new companion
'Compassion' is to be Doctor Who's first deliberately sexually
ambiguous companion (disincluding Adric, naturally). AND rumour
has it that the Doctor and his companions will be seeing in
the new millennium with a 'bang'... Apparently the new companion
is being based upon the new head of the range, a bloke with
a taste for men, women and wild animals! If you thought the
previous books were 'heavy breathers', the novels slated for
early next year sound like they've got iron lungs...
For the absolute lack of anything else mean or funny to say,
I'll end this rambling letter with a cry for equality and
peace in the world; at least for those of us who've never
sung onstage at a Doctor Who convention.
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