New Year of Squee!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year (well not yet, but you might be reading this post a bit late). Now pleasantries aside, to business!

We waited. We watched. We blogged. We bitched. And now, the moment has come, to make it all worth it...January 1st. Primeval. Is. BACK.

And now if you will forgive me, I feel like using everyones's favourite online exclamation. Squee! *Coughcough*, now I feel better.

Well everyone knows the story of how fans worldwide couldn't bear a world without Primeval in it. We complained until the eardrums of ITV executives burst, and their email inboxes melted. Mammoths were loosed on the motorways, and top government officials found socks in the breadbin (it's possible I may be exaggerating slightly). Anywhoo, long story short, we, the fans, beat those faceless execs down.

Chances are you know this. And chances are you've also been following such admirable blogs as Primeval Anomalies, who have been keeping us up-to-date with any tiny tidbit of news that trickles through. If so, you'll now know all about new characters, Jess and Matt (So far, incidentally, the jury's still out for me - Jess has a cool wardrobe, but she's almost offensively perky, reminding me of a small woodland creature which is beseeching you not to step on it. As for Matt, the whole "Bad or Good, Is he or Isn't he?" thing has kind of been done. Helen in series 1, Caroline in series 2, even Danny was portrayed as a mysterious potential enemy at one point!)

And now to the webisodes - five taster scenes available exclusively from itv.com, each lasting around 5 mins. Frankly, I'm amazed at ITV's foresight about this - so far they've been pretty clueless about Primeval fans' needs (cancellation, ITV, we do not forget!) But in an unusual blast of sense, some top bod somewhere has seen that a jump of a year might be too hard for even the best of fans to keep up with. These little clips show the events which bring Jess and Matt to the ARC, help us get to know the previously aloof Becker (I don't care what Sarah/Becker shippers say, I never considered him a proper ARC team player before) and just fill in some of the background. For example, the new 50/50 management split between Lester and some chappy called Philip Burton, or the new (and, I think much uglier) ARC building. I just hope they don't change their logo before I get a chance to buy my T-shirt! In all seriousness though, if you like Primeval (which I assume you might, if you've persevered with my ramblings thus far), check out the webisodes. The new content, references to old friends, and future happinesses will really get your TV tastebuds juiced. Less than a week to go my friends, less than a week to go...


Elsewhere, In The World of Doctor Who

It's here! The trailer for Doctor Who series 6 has landed. Critically, because it moves flipping fast (I suppose this is the point to keep us guessing), I had to grab my impressions as I watched, and they flew by quick. So here goes (this is not necessarily in order of appearance, but in order of memorable-ness) a greater historical focus - nazis, pirates, etc; a naked River Song; A beardy Doctor; another fez craving; the Doctor wearing a stetson now (stetsons are cool); what looks like the Whitehouse; a quite epic western landscape; an Ood (or perhaps two) and the fact that monsters are real.

Now if that doesn't whet one's appetite, what will?

Something I've noted with interest in this trailer, and in yesterday's Christmas Special, was the almost Gothic feel there's been. At the start of series 5, the Moff made a bit of noise about making Doctor Who darker, more of a fairytale. I also believe that comparisons to Tim Burton were made. Well I love the work of Burton, so I was well into that idea... Yet (to my mind) it just didn't materialise. With the exception of a few brilliant scenes like the young Amelia's house, and Liz Ten's masked wandering, Doctor Who remained unchanged - still brilliant, but definitely not living up to it's Burtonesque hype. However, yesterday's A Christmas Carol was finally in the promised new vibe. A victorian planet, where people wear velvet jackets, white lace dresses and flying goggles. Little boys are got up in stripy pygamas, old men grouch around in tall towers, and beautiful ice maidens hang out in the basement. The lighting was darker, richer, as were the concepts. And, from the teasing trailer, Series 6 seems set to be cut in the same cloth. Perhaps this change (if, it sticks around, that is) won't be to everybody's taste, but I'm loving it!

Oh yes, 2011's going to be a very good year for entertainment.
Sassy xx

Good Poster for the ARC?

I can completely picture one of the Primeval team posting this, with wonderful irony. *Giggle*

Adventures In the Capital

My Mum was right. That big souvenir balloon was a mistake...

Geography fact: London is the capital of the fair United Kingdom. Sassy fact: I have been there. Many times, as I have family both big and small living in its environs. Plus it does house a lot of fun things to do. Plus it has lots of hotels (not all of them great, but more on that later). Plus the trains running there are really regular... Plus... well you get the picture!

Anyhoo, that's the background. The short version of that little trip to nowhere is that I went on a lovely outing to London for my holidays! This is my main excuse for my less-than-regular blogging. Oh it was marvellous, children! Art, culture, fancy food, too many souvenirs, sunburn in the roasting heat of southern England and sore feet from all that darn touristing... Ach, well what can ya do?

People - Londoners in particular - HOW HOT IS IT IN LONDON?! I dunno how they stand it,especially on the tube, which is brilliantly organised, but rubbishly air-conditioned. And outside is burny too. I made the stupid mistake of forgetting my suncream... At Kew Gardens. I felt like a Pyrovile by the end of the day - by that I mean, on fire. Youch. And talking of fire, my hotel decided to test its fire alarms. At midnight. That was not very nice of them, was it? Still, crowd situation, call me insane but I always expect one of the Doctors to leap up and take charge OR a member of the ARC team to shout "You all need to evacuate, there's an anomaly in here!" He he, I kept myself amused.

But no, those were my only moans, the trip was lovely - the only thing we didn't do was the London Eye... I just don't trust it after that nasty business with the Nestene consciousness!

Keep the Blue Light Flashing, folks!

Sassy xx

Coming Soon to a Computer Screen Near You!

• Sassy's adventures in London - the full (barely) shocking truths.
• Sassy as Every SciFi star she has admired (there may be photos - be afraid, be very afraid)
• Dougie vs Davy: THE SHOWDOWN
• My adventures with the handmade jewellery world

All these treats await you... (Anyone know why I keep referring to myself in the 3rd person? I HATE when other people do that!! Note to self: Cut it out.)

Sassy xx

I'll Keep This Brief

Dear readers of SassySciFi. I shall take this chance to apologise for the fact that I haven't blogged in quite some time. The reasons for this are the following:

• Exams ended, term ended, I crashed out.
• Frenzy was epic, but exhausting, causing me to crash out.
• Doctor Who (every episode which has passed since my last post) has been epic - so epic, I can't quite get my head around reviewing it, right now!
• A crack ate me.
• I then turned into an auton, which, while meaning I could absorb the Internet, also severely damaged the creativity required to ramble randomly about my weird life.
• Then everything went kind of mental, and the world was saved by a man in a fez. Then 2000-odd years later, I was suddenly no-longer an auton (I may be confusing my life with someone else's, here...)
• I joined an obscure sect called The Cult of Moff, which worships a great man and genius.
• I realised I was crazy, and decided to leave the sect (but never stop loving the Moff)
• I remembered this blog, and decided to leave a post of lame excuses.
• My dog ate it.

I know this makes exactly NO SENSE, but it is rather late, and I am rather tired. (Slightly) more logical ramblings soon. Keep the Blue Light Flashing,

Sassy xx

PS - The IT Crowd. How good is it?! I fear that is how my life will end up, some day...

Things I Have Learned From Playing The Adventure Games

So the first installment of Doctor Who's The Adventure Games rocked onto our screens last week (much earlier than scheduled, which is most unlike the BBC... to give us pleasure rather than irritation from their shoddy scheduling!) so here's some lessons I've learned from the awesome game!

• Daleks are MUCH scarier when you are the actual one running away from them.
• I wouldn't be a very daring companion... When the game said I had to sneak through a Dalek patrol, I was like, "Oh noooo, can't I just hang out here, in this nice, safe little room?!"
• Amy looks like a chicken having a heart attack if she gets exterminated.
• I actually DO like video games! I was just playing the wrong ones...
• I totally can't steer - at one stage I spent about a minute walking the Doctor into the same wall!
• Most things are better free - love, chocolate, the Metro... But ESPECIALLY Doctor Who related things!
• The graphics fall down when they automatically zoom into the Doctor's head or a random wall - or maybe it's my fault and I'm just being dense?
• I will never stop loving Doctor Who!
• (But I think we knew that already!)

Sassy xx

The Podosphere

Those of you who are listeners of the Doctor Who Podcast (website link in the sidebar), featuring Trevor, Tom and James may have noticed a familiar face - or voice, in episode 21... Me, Sassy! Damn right, I sent in my audio feedback! To hear my own voice on the podcast was tremendously exciting. Unfortunately, it was done on my phone (my lack of sophisticated recording equipment is the reason I write a blog, rather than have a Youtube channel or do a podcast), and I had a relatively bad headcold, so I sounded proper nasal! As far as I know, I don't normally sound that way... So tune in everyone and hear my views on The Hungry Earth, it'll save me some time!

In other news, my exams are officially over! I've got a week to recover before returning to the grindstone of school. Now all I have to occupy my time is worrying about the results... And blogging about Sci-fi!

Talking of science (though not fiction) anyone know how to fix iTunes? Mine's gone mental and deleted half my tracks, for no apparent reason! I feel so aggreived, cause I work really hard to maintain my library, full of all my favourite music... Grr!

Oh well, lets wrap up there, since I've got no other news. Keep the Blue Light Flashing!
Sassy xx

Mmm... Fandom!

In the spirit of displaying the wild, weird and wacky things we Doctor Who fans do, I thought I would continue the theme of such features as my TARDIS search, and Fandom Tattoos and show you some of my favourite edible Doctor Who art... They're all awesome, but I must admit I have a soft spot for the Pizza of Rassilon and the Gingerbread Doctors (he finally got his wish!)

Sassy xx

David Tennant in Primeval! (But Not Really...)

Hey all, sorry about the rather shameless headline-grab! I was watching an old episode of Derren Brown: Trick or Treat, and guess what I saw?

David Tennant and Derren Brown, taking a walk outside a building which looks suspiciously like the ARC... Here they are again in close-up:

Am I crazy or is that totally the ARC, there?! We usually see it from a different angle, but if you look at it, the shape's the same, and that funny rising-up effect... compare with the ARC as shown in Primeval:

The building's been CGI'd, and filmed from a different angle, but it's sure similar, huh? Especially in the shot with the ARC explosion... DT in Primeval, eh? A fangirl's dream!

Just a lil thought from the infinitely random mind of Sassy (I may not look too bright, but my head...? It's bigger on the inside!)

Keep the Blue Light Flashing!

Sassy xx

Dawn of the Elderly!

Just a quick thought about the killer OAPs in Amy's Choice. In that scene where they slowly but deliberately approach from the field, was anyone else reminded of a zombie apocalypse style scene? The slow movements, the wide eyes and the gaping mouths are very stereoptypical of Hollywood zombie flicks.

Talking of zombies, I reached a really interesting conclusion tonight. For the past few years, I have had zombie nightmares, in which I was recurringly chased to and from various locations by a Horde of the Undead - and I'm not talking friendly zombies, like in Daniel Waters Generation Dead books - after reading some stuff on the internet, and having a good old think, I realised that these dreams are a reflection of security issues on my part. For example, that nothing and no one is safe, the fact that the zombies seem to be able to breach defenses like locked doors and barricaded windows, the idea that there is no permanent resting place, because zombies are never far away... Interesting stuff, huh? And I bet, after all that I'll have a nightmare tonight!

More thoughts on Amy's choice: I'm not sure, but I don't think I saw a crack this week... Did anyone else? Maybe because in the Dream Worlds/ The TARDIS there's no danger to the fabric of reality. Another thing - I heard someone bring up the fact that Series Five seems very Mouth centric (i.e. the immense teeth on Prisoner Zero; the Doctor and Amy being propelled onto the Starwhale's tongue; the frightening leers of the Smilers; the vampire girls sucking blood...) and now eyes popping out of mouths.

Eyes, too seem to have a focus - the gigantic Atraxi EYEball; the Doctor's POV scene where he observes everything (including close-up on his EYE); the dangers lurking at the corner of your EYE; the fact that looking a Weeping Angel in the EYE, means they take you over via your EYE; the perception filter of the Saturnyne Vampires meaning you can't believe your EYES; and, finally, once again EYES popping out of mouths.

Could these things be significant? Well, I doubt it, to be honest. I reckon it's just a coincedence, but it's certainly an interesting one. It would be good if the cracks were just a red herring, and the real story arc was infinitely more subtle, instead of something glaringly obvious cracking us on the head every episode.

Anyway, them's my thoughts!
Keep the Blue Light Flashing
Sassy xx

Whirly Stuff

Finally I get what the Tenth Doctor is on about when he yells "Oh, my head, my head!" At the moment my head is full of the eponymous whirly stuff; I have far too much to think about and not enough space to do it in.

First is image. At the moment I am in desperate need of a summer wardrobe, but have no time or money to go shopping. I find that I literally have a file on my internet favourites which is simply called Clothes I Want, and is full of links to everything I desire, and cannot afford. I am also in need of a haircut - not desperately, but moderately. I am beginning to find hairs in irritating places like the washing up or clogging the vaccuum, which is never a good sign. Plus, as mentioned I have no money...

Which leads me to another train of thought. I have no money because it's all being saved for Frenzy! As previously mentioned, I am extremely excited about my visit to this Christian rock festival, in the town of Edinburgh on June 12th, in part because it'll be a chance to bag some cool Switchfoot merchandise. And I'm thrilled about that. Having said that, it is kinda getting on my nerves that my cash is all tied up in the "Frenzy Fund" as I call it.

Thirdly, there's revision. At this point I'm taking exams, so a fairly large part of my day is spent trying to cram knowledge into a reluctant brain, which would rather be thinking about clothes, hairdos, science fiction and good looking men...

Talking of science fiction (and perhaps also good looking men, depending on your taste) my brain is also full of Doctor Who, and other sci-fi. Random thoughts include:

How can I ever send in feedback to the various Doctor Who podcasts I listen to, when they update faster than I can catch up? And why do they all insist on audio format?!

Man, I really want that book, Chicks Dig Timelords (No Sassy, no! You have no money!)

Why is there Doctor Who and Torchwood magazines, but no Primeval magazine? It would really fill the gap between now and 2011... Also, why has nobody thought of a Primeval graphic novel... I draw Primeval art (badly), what's stopping more talented cartoonists?

- A thought for anyone who draws Primeval art!

I has brainy specs (£1 from Primark, with clear glass. See above): "You don't even need them , you just think they make you look a bit clever!"

Does the fact that I can very, very rarely find fault with any Doctor Who episode make me a better or worse fan?

What little part of my brain that's left is occupied with the other miscellaneous shenanigans of life - If I had a Tennant-style mop of hair, I'd be ruffling it right now, with gusto... I realise anyone who reads this is probably crying out for me to get to the point and do some reviewing of the last few episodes, but I find my head is too Wibbley-Wobbley, Timey-Wimey to do it... And , as I've said, I find it hard to review after watching an episode just once, or even twice... MY advice? Download the Doctor Who Podcast, or the DWO Whocast, for extensive reviewing, and come to me for the more frivolous side of fandom...

Keep the Blue Light Flashing!

Sassy xx

PS - The Pandorica will open, and Silence will fall... and when it does, try not to leave the handbrake on!

Fandom Tattoos - A Step Too Far?

The hardcore Sassy who is my other-self thinks these fans had the right idea, and would love this kind of tat... Am I crazy? Admittedly some of them do go a bit far... But the Gallifrey handwriting is cute, right? Any thoughts?

Sassy xx

The Wonders of Merchandise!

I am currently suffering from a severe case of merchandise envy! It has come to my attention that on the wonderful wiggly lines of the Interweb, Whovians everywhere are making and selling specially themed Doctor Who products. I consider my Doctor Who collection to be fairly extensive, but on seeing some of these products (see pictures above and below for my favourites) I was seized with some SERIOUS product-lust.

You see, at the moment I am surrounded by a group of people who fear technology - particularly the wondrous world of Internet Purchasing. My current finances are not in good shape: I have no accessible bank account, PayPal account or other financial equipment with which to buy online. I would rely on other dear friends and family to supplement my Internet needs in exchange for cash, however they all seem strangely reluctant.

For the reason of this, I refer you back to earlier blogs, on the subject of my family and how it seems to want to curb my science fiction enthusiasm. Their campaign, naturally has failed, however they seem rather stubborn in their refusal to buy me sci-fi related gifts for birthdays or Christmas. Case in point, at Xmas I asked a member of my family for a monthly subscription to Doctor Who Magazine. The suggestion was edged around to the point where I was asked outright to choose a different gift - this was on the grounds of "practicality". I find it unfair , that I should have to put up with being stereptyped within my own family - young sci-fi geeks put up with enough crap from their peers without it being added to by their own families. My mother looks at me with a bemused expression; my father likes to wind me up by making imflammatory Doctor Who or Primeval related remarks. Why? What do they gain from this, except making me feel foolish?

What they don't understand is that the days when sci-fi fandom was a shameful secret are over! It is generally acknowledged that British sci-fi is a force to be reckoned with in the worldwide entertainment field. It's no longer the sole property of spotty, balding men who still live with their Mums! So, let us cast aside these dark thoughts and enjoy some of the quality goods on offer (and if anyone knows a stockist with an actual physical shop, who I can pay real money, please let me know, ASAP!)

Keep the Blue Flag Flying!

Sassy xx

Tallyhoo!

All judgement I may have been withholding about Series Fnarg (Series Five! It just is, let's face it!) ended with Victory of the Daleks.

In the past, though I find them extremely entertaining, I've been a bit unimpressed by the Daleks. They just seem such a boyish part of Doctor Who - and yes I know that what I just said is sexist, as well as practically sacriligeous amongst Who fans - but whatever. They've never terrified me. Well, you'll be pleased (or maybe horrified) to know they still don't.

However, I have to say that thus far, Victory of the Daleks has been the highlight of the season for me. Daleks! In khaki! With union flags! Offering cups of tea! To Churchill! Does it get any better than this...?

Damn right it does! Doctor wielding hammer! Teleport! Daleks in pretty colours! Self destruct jammy dodger! Just when you think my sweet little fangirl heart can't get any gladder, there comes the piece de resistance:

SPITFIRES. IN. SPACE.

Scientifically, it's a heap of cabbage, but my God it made me cheer to see Danny Boy attacking a stonking great Dalek ship in a spitfire. And the Dalek-destroying catchphrase which will endure eternally?

"Tallyhooooo!"

Perfect. Add to that a pepperoni pizza, a bar of Dairy Milk, and a Cola float, and that's about as close as SassyScifFi gets to heaven... And I had those things!

It'll be interesting to see how Time of Angels/ Flesh and Stone live up to Victory. Since I adore the Weeping Angels (a truly psychological creature, don't you think?) and am fascinated to find out the story of River Song, it's looking good... But it's got high standards to live up to!

Before I go, I realised something about the Series 5 naming argument. I was watching confidential, and saw the Clapper Board, which had Series 1 emblazoned on it... When it hit me! Never mind the Moff's chat about tired brands and radical rethinks - this is just the BBC saving money! You think those boards come cheap? Nah, they're saving the money by recycling clappers, and spending it on new and fancy FX! And fair play to them, if it makes the show better, so long as they know the fans will always call it Series 5.

Tallyhooooo! (Keep the Blue Light Flashing)
Sassyxx

The Votes Are In, and The Moff Is Definitely Easier!

Turns out I have been spelling Steven Moffat wrong... Oh the shame!

That name just gets me... Is it a "V"? Is it A "PH"? Who can tell? Grr... The Moff is definitely easier to remember, and it turns out he is officially called that by Doctor Who insiders! I thought I just made that up, but I guess I may have heard it and let it mulch into my subconscious somehow...

In other news, the Guardian published a poll - Who Is the Better Doctor: Matt Smith or David Tennant? David Tennant won, with 82% to Matt Smith's poor 18%. Let's be fair, people! David Tennant has appeared in three seasons of Doctor Who, as well as eight specials, and those Children in Need thingys. Matt Smith, on the other hand, has been in two episodes, and already folk are saying things about him! Give the poor dude a chance!

I think it's totally unfair how people make snap decisions on things like this (and yeah I am being a bit hypocritical here). Actors are people too, not just animals in a zoo for us to jeer at. If you were to go into a new job, and on your second day, came in to find people voting on your performance, you'd be pretty damn offended! Give Matt Smith a chance to prove his worth, rather than jumping instantly to DT's defence - yes, he was a brilliant Doctor, and nobody loves him more than I, but it's time to let go...

Reading that back, it was a total rant, so I'm gonna chat for a bit about happier subjects. (These are mostly to do with my life, rather than anything newsie or viewsie, so if that's what you came for, press the big X in the top right corner now!)

I spent a pretty blissful afternoon watching Doctor Who series 4 from my bed (when I should have been revising for my damn exams - oops!) and later, when the sun came out, I went into my garden to sunbathe and read the Writer's Tale - I find Russell T Davies fascinating, possibly because I can't decide whether he's a lovely man with a hard job, or a total diva! I also love the book because it's so massive it'll take me a good, long while to get through.

A friend of mine who doesn't follow SciFi was eyeing my Torchwood DVD today... or more specifically eyeing John Barrowman! The conversation went like this:

R: *Eyes JB* He's quite HOT!

Sassy: John Barrowman? Er...

R: Oh, don't tell me - he's married with two beautiful sons!

Sassy: R, you do realise John Barrowman is, like, 40 and VERY VERY GAY?

R: *looking scandalised* Why is it that all the gorgeous ones are married or gay?!

Sassy: Technically he's married, too. To a guy.

R: *Gasp, followed by long sigh* Oh, you were serious. Damn.

Aw, I love R, she is comedy gold! Man, imagine JB saw this? I can totally imagine him hooting with laughter!

Well that's all the news and busybodying from SassyScifi! Until next time Keep the Blue Light Flashing (BTW who did I steal that line from? I own NOTHING original!)

Sassy :) xx

In Which Sassy Has a Good Old Ramble

Disclaimer: this Blog will have no specific news, but will mostly consist of random ramblings.

Parents, eh? You can't live with them, and you can't afford to live without them. Yesterday I went on a wee day out with my Dad, to cement the whole "Father-Daughter Bonding" thing. What a drag... Not that I don't love my Dad but he can be a bit of an old fart, as well as pretty damn embarrassing. Anywhoo, we headed to a bookstore.

I purchased the new edition of the Writer's Tale, a 700-plus tome, composed of correspondance between writer Russell T Davies and Doctor Who journalist Benjamin Cook. What a book! It really is freaking comprehensive... For example, I've learned that the Series 4 companion came perilously close to being Penny Carter, not Donna Noble! Who knew? And, if you want to hear the words Doctor Who and Primeval uttered in the same sentence, The Writer's Tale is the place to go. RTD is a fan of Primeval! This has shot him even higher in my estimation.

Talking of Primeval, amongst fans of the show it is pretty old news that it will be returning in 2011, but God, how I 'm missing it! I bought the last Primeval Book, to complete my collection - The Lost Island by Paul Kearney, if you're interested - and am now acutely aware that it's the last piece of new material I'll get for nearly a year. Ouch, that stings. Hurry back Primeval, I miss you - you were about the only thing worth watching on ITV!

Anyway, back to parents. D'you know what mine said to me? Not just once, but twice (in relation to Doctor Who and Primeval respectively):

"Aren't you getting a bit old for all that?"

I ask you! The obvious answer to that question is NO, and they know it. They ask, not because they genuinely feel I will grow out of this "phase", but because the fear I will not is growing in their hearts. I was joking about the idea of going on Mastermind - specialist subject: Doctor Who, 2005 to Present Day. I could answer every question they put to me, all bar one.

What IS the "T" in Russell T Davies, by the way?

I think what they fear is that I will be a horrifically stereotypical nerd - you know the type, spotty, messy, lonely and fat - when I am older. But truly, I don't think that's gonna happen. Scifi is a hobby, albeit a passionate one, and if New Who has proved anything, it's that Science Fiction can attract a wide range of fans and age-groups. Long gone are the days of spotty teens dressed up in makeshift Cybermen costumes. Let me have my passions - anything's better than the endless episodes of Coronation Street my Dad watches!

One last message, before I go - The Eleventh Hour? Loved! I literally applauded at the end. When I heard about all the changes ( The logo, title sequence, reset to "Series 1", TARDIS interior AND exterior, to say nothing of the Kissogram companion) I was a little apprehensive. I actually trusted Matt Smith to be a great Doctor, it was Stephen Moffat I was wary of - he seemed to be changing too much!

However, the new episode made me eat my words. Amy Pond was a great partner to the Doctor; the logo and title sequence were logical evolution, rather than a radical about turn; the new TARDIS complimented the new Doctor, and still held elements of the old (plus, let's be honest, who didn't love the "sexy thing"?) and, most amusingly, I noticed the BBC Iplayer have Doctor Who marked as Series 5. Guess the Moff can't get his way all the time!

Some have said that Matt Smith was trying too hard to be like the Tenth Doctor, and I did see some mannerisms that lingered at first. However, as the story progressed, it became clear (at least to me), that what Smith was doing was portraying a character regeneration as well as a physical one. By the time he had stripped off - yummily - and changed into his bow tie 'n' braces attire, he was very much his own man. This theory of mine was backed up in The Beast Below, in which, from the start, the Doctor felt like a very new character who we were getting to know. And I was loving it!

Keep that Blue Light Flashing
Sassy xx

When Love Makes You Hate, You Know You're Loving Wrong...

Sometimes it shocks me just how much hate there is in the world. I'm not talking about war, guns, bombs or murders, although obviously those are terrible things. No, what I'm talking about is how people can hate with the least provocation.



Some things you might not know about me:

• I'm a Christian


• I love music


• Two of my favourite bands are Switchfoot and Green Day

I recently bought Hello Hurricane, and having only listened to it a few times I already love it. Living in the United Kingdom makes it pretty difficult to get music by Switchfoot, since they're not such a big deal over here, but after visiting a Christian Music store, and getting the CD especially ordered I got hold of it - true dedication, yes?

In a moment of boredom I got to thinking... How good would it be if my two favourite bands met/ collaborated/ whatever. Well, stranger things have happened, right? To Google I merrily went and searched the two bands - not much came up which was relevant, but I was intrigued by some people who had set Green Day music videos to Switchfoot songs - intrigued, that is until I scrolled down and read the comments. Here's a sample of what people said [sic]:

f*ck you for making this vid u stupid f*cking *sshole what the f*ck is wrong
with you using this gay f*cking christian for a GREEN DAY tribute how about
using some GREEN DAY u dumb pr*ck

Ur a POS for making this vid dont put a switchfoot song on a green day vid and your mother hates u




When someone protested at the angry commentators' complete verbal destruction of both a band, their music and s person's religion, this is the reply they recieved:

f*ck u f*ggot i will say whatever the f*ck i want about ur gay christian music

Well, what a lovely specimine of a human being! If I'd been the person who posted that video, I think I'd have been in tears at the negativity - and presumably that wasn't the worst there was, as a few comments had been removed.

I find it incredibly depressing that people can have this attitude - Switchfoot are a talented band, whose lyrics are meaningful and have touched me on many occasions - and though the members are Christian, not every song is a Praise song, they make a wide range of music which can appeal to everyone.

I can understand that those who aren't Christian might be intimidated or at least wary of the Christian Rock genre, but does that mean that it should be dismissed offhand, and its fans subjected to such abuse? I doubt a Christian would do the same to a Green Day in the same situation.

A fact about Green Day and Switchfoot: A they actually have some common ground - for one thing Rob Cavallo, who produced a good many Green Day albums also produced Hello Hurricane.

Obviously, the angry Green Day fan feels very passionately the band, but when loving something means you hate everything a little bit different, the you must be loving it wrong - and it's about time to weigh up your priorities. I doubt Green Day would want their fans to abuse other bands, or people who experiment with combining sounds, would they?

My message is this: be a little bit sensitive to the opinions of others - it's easy to get sucked into a little world where your own obsession is the only thing in your world, but let other people in. And if you can't do that, at least allow them to exist outside without attack.

(Switchfoot are headlining at the Frenzy Festival in Edinburgh in June, and I'm very excited!!)

TARDIS WATCH!!

I promised you Tardises and I'll give you Tardises!! (What's the plural of Tardis, Tardii?) All these were taken in my very own hometown... Which is proof you can find a little Doctor Who magic wherever you are:

Spotted! An ordinary high street, in an ordinary town, outside an ordinary shop, an extraordinary man has arrived. As captured by Sassy Scifi!

I love this shot! I like the way everyone is blurring past it, never suspecting the magic which might possibly be hidden inside...

And spotted! A completely different location - possibly mid-dematerialisation? And who is the shadowy running figure...?

Could it be...?

This is me outside it - I touched the door, squeeeeeeee!

It's a very bad (and blurry) picture of me, but I don't mind too much.

Daleks should not be allowed in back alleys and bookstores!!!

We barely escaped with our lives...

And Finally...

That's right. I blinked.

Luckily a nice man showed up with a Timey Wimey detector...

And yes, it does go DING! when there's stuff :)

Keep on looking for the Doctor...

If you have an open mind and a lively step, you might just find him!

Keep the Blue Light Flashing!

Sassy xx