Anthony Hopkins will return for Thor: Ragnarok, but what we don’t know is how director Taika Waititi will interpret the script on screen.
At the end of Thor: Dark World Loki, disguised as Anthony Hopkins, has taken Odin’s place on the throne of Asgard, but the real Odin’s fate remained a mystery. A source close to Geek.com has revealed the plot thread for Odin in the third film.
It’s near impossible to kill Odin, and the best time to try is while he’s in his Odinsleep (a sort of meditation used to recharge the Odinforce, a powerful magic possessed by the ruler of Asgard). When Loki replaced him, Odin wasn’t in his magical slumber. As much as Loki might want to kill Odin, he didn’t — or, at least, can’t — just yet. Whatever did happen, Odin has fled Asgard for Midgard, where he wanders the Earth as one of those crazy-looking “the end is nigh” street-corner hobos, warning of the impending apocalypse (American for Ragnarok).
Geektyrant pointed out that this could be a dark, sad moment for Odin, as the homeless man trying to convince the world it is coming to an end. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is more upbeat than that, and with Waititi at the helm, this could be where he injects comedy into the film. The funny angle does have a greater chance of a miss fire, but Hopkins does have the skill to make the best of an awkward situation.
This plot thread is considered a rumor as no official announcement has been made by Marvel Studios.
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi, Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle are working on the script, and the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, and Anthony Hopkins.
Thor: Ragnarok will destroy the universe on November 3, 2017.
Everyone knows The Oscars don’t necessarily pick the very best films every year. They pick the ones they’re told to pick. But even then, whether it’s five nominated pictures, ten, or somewhere in between – as is the case with this year’s eight nominees – sometimes the correct answer is right there in front of them! They get it right more often than not, at least in the vacuum of their nominees and which one should win, but on occasion they get it wrong. Very wrong.
Rather than selecting the truest Best Picture they can, the Academy is sometimes manipulated by lobbying, politics, and a fear to go out on a limb and pick a film that will, in a few years, be considered the best of the bunch. Here are a dozen times The Oscars missed the mark with their Best Picture selection:
11. American Beauty beats The Insider – Honestly, The Insider never had a chance up against the box-office and critical power of American Beauty. Sam Mendes’s film was something entirely new and fresh in 1999, pre 9/11, when suburban malaise had yet to be exploited into oblivion with imitators. These days, it rings false and feels ancient. The Insider has only improved with every passing year, and every subsequent viewing. It is antiquated in a sense as well, but in an important way, telling the tale of a type of journalism that has passed us by.
10. Dances with Wolves beats Goodfellas – I’m one to defend Dances With Wolves for what it is. Kevin Costner’s magnum opus is a wonderful Western generating great emotion, fantastic visuals, and solid performances, albeit ham-fisted performances at times. It’s “Oscar bait,” and the backlash makes sense… because it isn’t Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese’s third masterpiece in a decade and a half transcends film, it vaults into that rare air of cultural artifact. But it was much too edgy, to violent, and too frightening for Academy voters, who opted to take the bait instead.
9. The King’s Speech beats The Field – Tom Hooper’s claustrophobic, murky story was Oscar bait of the highest order in 2010. Colin Firth deserved his win for Best Actor, but the film as a whole? Forgettable. Especially when it’s compared to David Fincher’s The Social Network (which was probably the right choice), Darren Aronofsky’s seminal thriller Black Swan, and Christopher Nolan’s Inception. But none of these were safe enough for the Academy, so they went with the period picture about a king with a stutter. Yawn.
8. A Beautiful Mind beats In The Bedroom – The early 2000s were a weird time for Hollywood. With a writer’s strike significantly weakening the quality of the product for a few years, 2002’s list of nominees was considerably thin. In The Bedroom, Todd Field’s tough, captivating family drama, is head and shoulders above the list of nominees. But it was much too dark and upsetting, unlike the inspirationally saccharine Ron Howard doc-drama – which was less true than false – A Beautiful Mind.
7. Driving Miss Daisy beats The Field – This is where things get truly offensive. Driving Miss Daisy is utterly forgettable drivel, not even deserving of its nomination let alone a win. Any of the other four nominees are more deserving, so much so that it’s clear politics were in play. Consider Dead Poet’s Society, Born on The Fourth of July, My Left Foot, and Field of Dreams. Of these five, Driving Miss Daisy is obviously the most forgettable.
6. The English Patient beats Fargo – We should have all listened to the wisdom of Elaine on Seinfeld. The English Patient is a stodgy slog of a film, a faberge egg – beautiful but hollow. On the other hand, Fargo is one of The Coen Brothers’ greatest achievements in a career full of greats. The “sorta-true” tale of crime and corruption on the frozen tundra of North Dakota is a masterpiece of mood, humor, and pathos. The English Patient is absolutely forgotten these days.
5. Forrest Gump beats Shawshank Redemption/Pulp Fiction – At the time, Forrest Gump had more momentum than any movie ever. It was a crowd pleaser, a box-office smash, a 20th-century American history book come to life. Tom Hanks was a shoe in. Shawshank Redemption, on the other hand, was a little seen drama a the time that history has since appreciated. There was also this small indie called Pulp Fiction that reshaped cinema for decades. But it was much too edgy at the time. Forrest Gump has not improved with age.
4. How Green Was My Valley beats Citizen Kane – In one of the earliest instances of the Academy being scared of new, fresh material, they chose a film about a small town ravaged by coal miner’s strikes. It was a heavy-hitter for 1941, early Oscar bait. But Citizen Kane will find its way near the top of pretty much any best-of-all-time lists. It reshaped the way films were shot, it brought in wonderful new techniques, and it captured the mad genius of a young Orson Welles.
3. Shakespeare in Love beats Saving Private Ryan – One of the most gross miscalculations of The Oscars came thanks to the power of Harvey Weinstein. The producer lobbied heavily for Shakespeare in Love, a thankless, forgettable period comedy that I honestly can’t remember despite seeing it two or three times. On the other end of the spectrum is Steven Spielberg’s WWII masterpiece, able to tell a small human story in the midst of a sprawling moment of heroism in American culture. It’s clear which film has stood the test of time, and this upset is one of the moments when Oscar officially became political to its core.
2. Crash beats Brokeback Mountain – In 2005, The Oscars had a moment, and squandered it. It was a time when homophobia was falling out of favor with culture in the country, and Ang Lee’s gorgeous romance would have gone a long way to shed the stigma of the 90s. Instead, Weinstein struck again, and Paul Haggis’s abhorrent Magnolia ripoff, complete trash, one of the worst films ever made let alone the worst Best Picture winner, took home the top prize. It transcended embarrassing BP winners, and kept the Academy as a cultural staple stuck in another era.
1. Ordinary People beats Raging Bull –Ordinary People is a fine film, and would be served well as a movie-of-the-week family drama with solid performances. But when was the last time you sat and watched Ordinary People? What is the best scene of the picture? You don’t know, because Robert Redford’s drama has all but disappeared after winning at The Oscars. On the other hand, Martin Scorsese’s ferocious, emotionally-charged, perfect masterpiece, his truest masterpiece, Raging Bull, is arguably one of the two or three best films of the 80s.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising has its first trailer, and it looks like pretty much the exact same thing as Neighbors. That isn’t all bad – the original movie was a solid Rogen-style comedy full of immature comedy and drug bits. This time around, Rogen and Zac Efron team up to stop a rowdy sorority, so there’s a difference.
Now that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs. But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a sorority even more out of control than Teddy (Efron) and his brothers ever dreamed of being.
Tired of their school’s sexist, restrictive system, the unorthodox ladies of Kappa Nu have decided to start a house where they can do whatever the hell they want. When Shelby (Moretz) and her sisters, Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), find the perfect place just off campus, they won’t let the fact that it’s located on a quiet street stand in their way of parties as epic as the guys throw.
Forced to turn to the one ex-neighbor with the skills to bring down the new Greeks next door, the Radners—alongside best friends Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) and Paula (Carla Gallo)—bring in charismatic Teddy as their secret weapon. If he can infiltrate the sorority and charm his way through it, the thirtysomethings will shutter the Kappas’ home. But if they think that their neighbors are going down without a fight, they have severely underestimated the power of youthful ingenuity and straight-up crazy.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising hits theaters May 20th.
The social media campaign for the Wonder Woman film launched today with their first tweet. The official Twitter handle is @WonderWomanFilm.
Almost 75 years in the making… #WonderWoman is underway.
The account is following four handles; Patty Jenkins, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Gal Gadot.
Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins from Jason Fuchs screenplay. The film stars Gal Gadot as Diane Prince/Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, Elena Anaya, and Lucy Davis.
Set to open in 2017, the film is based on characters created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment.
Last night, hand-selected Deadpool superfans in New York and LA were treated to a screening of Deadpool, Marvel’s new R-rated superhero flick starring Ryan Reynolds. To the surprise of no one, fans who proclaim their undying love for this “witty” character call it the greatest thing of all time. Or the greatest superhero thing ever, because it’s hilarious. Or something:
Just saw early screening of Deadpool. The movie is fucking amazing. Everything I was hoping for from the Merc with a Mouth! #deadpool
It’s a genius move by the marketing team of Deadpool, to cut off negative critic reviews at the pass with fanboy reactions. Not that I’m saying all critic reviews or consensus will be overwhelmingly negative. It might turn out to be a great superhero movie. But judging by the trailers, I personally don’t see it. The comedy in the trailers is broad and unfunny, the action seems like it could grow tiresome pretty quickly. The whole endeavor feels like it was written by a 13-year old boy.
“You look like an avocado had sex with an older avocado.” Har-Dee-Har…
Again, I could be entirely wrong here. Deadpool could surprise me and be one of the best… all that. Maybe Ryan Reynolds is actually funny for a change. But here, from this distance, it has some work to do to convince me. The cynic inside me makes me believe this surprise screening for hand-selected fans of the source material, while brilliant, is preemptive overcompensation. Seems to fit the film’s thematic elements, at least the previews I’ve seen.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs put out a statement Sunday night acknowledging the lack of diversity in the nominations for the 88th Academy Awards Thursday morning.
“I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year’s nominees. While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond,” said Isaacs.
Academy membership is limited to film artists working in the production of theatrically released motion pictures. The Academy has 17 branches, for the crafts ranging from Actors to Writers, and two categories, Members-at-Large, and Associates to accommodate individuals who work in motion picture production but do not fit into one of the branches.
“As many of you know, we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly,” said Isaacs.
“This isn’t unprecedented for the Academy. In the ‘60s and ‘70s it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We recognize the very real concerns of our community, and I so appreciate all of you who have reached out to me in our effort to move forward together,” said Isaacs.
The 88th Academy Awards will be held February 28 live from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, hosted by Chris Rock.
Here is the list of all Oscar nominations.
Best Picture
Big Short
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
Bridge of Spies Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Brooklyn
Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
Mad Max: Fury Road
Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
The Martian
Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
The Revenant
Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
Room
Ed Guiney, Producer
Spotlight
Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers
Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Micheal Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge Of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Directing
The Big Short
Mad Max
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Film Editing
Big Short
Mad Max
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Foreign Language Film
Embrace Of The Serpent Mustang Son Of Saul A War
Original Score
Bridge of Spies Carol The Hateful Eight Sicario Star Wars
Production Design
Bridge Of Spies The Danish Girl Mad Max The Martian The Revenant
Visual Effects
Ex Machina Mad Max The Revenant Star Wars The Martian
Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short Brooklyn Carol Martian Room
Original Screenplay
Bridge Of Spies Ex Machina Inside Out Spotlight Straight Outta Compton
Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa Boy And The World Inside Out Shaun The Sheep Movie When Marnie Was There
Cinematography
Carol The Hateful Eight Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant Sicario
Costume Design
Carol Cinderella The Danish Girl Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant
Documentary Feature
Amy Cartel Land The Look of Silence What Happened, Miss Simone Ukraine
Documentary Short Subject
Body Team 12 A Girl In The River Last Day Of Freedom
Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road 100 Year Old Man The Revenant
Original Song
50 Shades Of Gray Racing Extinction Youth The Hunting Ground Spectre
Animated Short Film
World Of Tomorrow
Live Action Short Film
Ave Maria Day One Everything Will Be OK Shock Sutter
Sound Editing
Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Sicario Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Sound Mixing
Bridge Of Spies Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Vin Diesel gave fans a treat on his Instagram account over the weekend: the poster and title of the upcoming installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise:
Nothing is still known about the plot of this latest installment. This image boasts the New York City skyline, but Variety had previously reported that the studio was eyeballing Cuba as a shooting destination. Furious 7 spanned multiple worldwide locations, so there’s no reason Fast 8 can’t do the same. In fact, after its predecessor made over $1.5 billion at the global box office to become one of the Top 10 movies of all-time, Fast 8 very well may have to go to the moon to top it.
F. Gary Gray helms the flick, hot off of 2015’s smash hit Straight Outta Compton.
The Doctor in Doctor Who is one of the most prominent roles on British Television, a leading role on a primetime sci-fi show that is a big hit internationally. Many of the actors – from Tom Baker to David Tennant – have become recognizable after being The Doctor.
There have been reports and rumors that Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat’s time on the show is nearing to an end and the BBC will be needing to find a new star and showrunner for Doctor Who.
The Doctor is a unique character because there is no restrictions on race, class or creed, or even gender. They just need to be a good actor from any region of the British Isles who is a talented serious actor with excellent comic timing. There are many actors who want the role and others fans would like to see as The Doctor so we at Monkeys Fighting Robots look at ten actors and actresses who could make an excellent thirteenth Doctor.
This article comes with a note of caution because the BBC has surprised us with the casting of The Doctor – such as casting a then unknown Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.
Hayley Atwell
Steven Moffat has stated he would like to see a woman play The Doctor and Hayley Atwell has expressed an interest in the role during a Twitter Q&A session saying “I’d like to BE Doctor Who”. Casting a woman as The Doctor (and having an actress who calls the character ‘Doctor Who’) would be a very controversial move that would divide fans, but Atwell would be a brilliant actress for the role.
Atwell is best known for playing Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and she gave that character plenty of spunk – she was introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger by punching an army recruit who sexually harassed her. Atwell can certainly play a strong-willed Doctor who would use all her guile and wits to face any adversary.
Atwell has looked good in historical costumes, dressing in Regency dresses (The Duchess), World War One nurse outfits (Testament of Youth) and World War Two army officer uniforms (Captain America: The First Avenger). The showrunners and costume designers would have a lot of historical outfits for her role as The Doctor and could give her a slightly masculine/tomboyish sense of dress to ease us into having a female Doctor.
However Atwell is busy leading Agent Carter for ABC, so it would be unlikely she could lead two major TV shows at the same time.
Richard Ayoade
Richard Ayoade is a big personality in the UK, working as an actor, a TV presenter and as a writer/director and is considered by fans of Doctor Who to be a popular choice to play the famous lead. Ayoade is best known for playing the highly geeky Moss with poor social skills in The IT Crowd. It is a persona Ayoade has played up when presenting and appearing on comedy panel shows and he could easily transfer these characteristics if he got to play The Doctor. Ayoadye already has a distinctive look with his afro and glasses.
Ayoade would easily be able to portray The Doctor’s intellect – he has a law degree from the University of Cambridge – and he was the president of The Footlights Dramatic Club when he was a student.
Olivia Colman
If the showrunners do decide to go down the route of casting a female Doctor they need to find a talented actress with a wide range and make a character with their own distinctive style. Tilda Swinton and Helena Bonham Carter have been taunted by fans and the media, but it would be highly unluckily either of them would take the role.
Olivia Colman is a respected and prolific actress in the UK – appearing in shows like Peep Show, Rev and Broadchurch and movies like Hot Fuzz and Tyrannosaur. She clearly has the necessary comedic and dramatic abilities for the role. In the past Colman has played characters who on the surface seem like very sweet and nice persona but have darkness underneath. This was the case with Sophie in Peep Show who at first seems like a friendly co-worker but slowly evolves into a selfish woman who used Mark Corrigan and in Tyrannosaur she was a friendly charity shop worker who had a troubled home life. Colman also showed she can perform physical comedy as the Marriage Counsellor in I Give a Year, so it would be easy to picture her playing around with lots of high tech gizmos.
Colman could play a very kooky Doctor – being the crazy aunt version of the famous sci-fi character – but also harbor the burden of all the actions The Doctor has conducted and all the deaths he/she has seen.
Colman has appeared in the Fifth Series opener “The Eleventh Hour” as a psychic projection of Prisoner Zero and the show would need to address it like what happened with Peter Capaldi who also appearing as Lobus Caecilius in “The Fires of Pompeii”.
Rupert Grint
Since completing their work on the Harry Potter series Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have had great success. Their co-star Rupert Grint has a lot of catching up to do. Fortunately for Grint he has been seen as a potential Doctor by the media.
Grint is obviously best known as Ron Weasley, the comic relief out of the Harry Potter trio, but still very brave in the face of danger. Since finishing the famous movie series, Grint has appeared in the Dutch war movie Into the White, the music bio-pic CBGB and comedy movie Moonwalkers. Grint’s version of The Doctor would easily be a joker, a light-hearted figure but still willing to charge head first into battle.
One of The Doctor’s biggest fears is regeneration would give him ginger hair and it would be fun to see how The Doctor would react and have some self-deprecating humor at Grint’s expense.
Paterson Joseph
Another alumni from Peep Show, and my personal top choice to make The Doctor, from made it onto this list is Paterson Joseph. Best known for playing Johnson on the cult sitcom, Joseph is a prolific actor on TV, appearing in shows like The Leftovers, Babylon and Hyperdrive. He has also appeared in plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company and film fans will know him for stealing the show in The Beach as Keaty, professing his love for God and cricket (a great example of what kind Doctor speech he could give).
As Johnson Joseph played Mark Corrigan’s boss, a highly confident businessman with an unshakeable swagger, a sharp dresser and at times a complete asshole, all great qualities for anyone to play The Doctor. He could easily give a smug, superior attitude, has the ability to put down his friends and enemies and during the Peep Show episode “The Affair” he played a more insane Johnson. Joseph could easily balance the comedic and dramatic side.
Joseph was the bookies favorite to replace David Tennant as the Eleventh Doctor before Matt Smith got the role. Joseph also played a role in the Series One finale, but the casting of Capaldi set a precedent that actors had previous preformed on Doctor Who can still be The Doctor.
Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie is a great British institution, an actor and singer who has starred in Blackadder and House and would make an excellent Doctor, even if his casting would be more fanciable we can still dream.
To British audiences Laurie is best remembered as Prince George and Lt. George in the third and fourth seasons of Blackadder – both were upper-class twits. One of them is a spoiled man-child, the other a well meaning but dim army officer. However it’s his work on House and Spooks that shows what sort of Doctor Laurie could be, an egotistical being who relishes his intelligence and love for high culture and treats everyone around him with contempt. It would be in keeping with the Doctor’s character traits.
House helped make Laurie into a household name in America, but the drawback for Doctor Who was becoming one of the highest paid actors on TV, earning $409,000 per episode and he has been linked to big movies like Superman Returns and the 2014 reboot of Robocop. But it would be a coup for the BBC if they were able to rehire him.
Richard Madden
Back in September 2015, when the ninth season was first aired in the UK, viewing figures were low and there were rumors in the British press that the BBC were considering replacing Peter Capaldi with his fellow Scot Richard Madden. However the reason the viewing figures were low was because of the Rugby World Cup and in an age of digital recordings and catch up TV audiences were able to watch the show any time they wanted, making it a non-story. Still let’s give Madden a fair hearing.
Madden is best known for playing Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, being a young man who is thrust into leadership and become a skilled military commander. He was a fighter and a romantic and he has appeared in other shows such as BBC’s adaptation of Birdsong with Eddie Redmayne, the Discovery Channel mini-series Klondike and a TV movie adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Madden has also been breaking into Hollywood, playing Prince Kit in Disney’s live-action version of Cinderella.
Madden is talented but his ability with comedy is unproven considering many of his roles have been serious and straight. He is also appearing in the upcoming action movie Bastille Day with Idris Elba, so he properly has ambitions to start in more movies after appearing so much on television.
If Madden did play The Doctor he should play up a light-hearted swashbuckling type: he has proven he can handle a sword in Game of Thrones and Cinderella. He could dress in a similar manner to Prince Kit in Cinderella, in some sort of pseudo-18th style clothing, or maybe be the upper-class Victorian version of the Doctor, someone who wears coat-tails and top hats.
Madden does have some similarities to former Doctor David Tennant – both are Scottish, can do an excellent English accent and are renowned for being very good looking. He is also Jenna Coleman’s partner in real life, so she can give Madden some tips.
James Nesbitt
Hailing from Northern Ireland, James Nesbitt has been a prolific actor in the UK, starring in shows like the police drama Murphy’s Law, comedy-drama show Cold Feet and Paul Greengrass’ Bloody Sunday. Film fans would recognize him as Bofur from The Hobbit trilogy. Nesbitt has also worked with Steven Moffat on his modernized adaptation of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, simply titled Jekyll, which put Nesbitt at an advantage.
Throughout his career Nesbitt has weaved between being deadly serious and very jovial – sometimes within the same role. He would be an excellent fit to play The Doctor, a charming Jack-the-Lad type with a sense of humor, but also delivers on the dramatic side. His work on Jekyll shows he flips between being a desperate family man to a more vicious thug.
Nesbitt was considered by the bookies the favorite to replace David Tennant as The Doctor during the Season Four finale “The Stolen Earth”/”Journey’s End” when it looked like there was going to be a surprise regeneration. He is also set to star in a new series, Lucky Man, created by Stan Lee.
We have had Doctors from Scotland and various regions of England, so why not have an Irish Doctor?
Chris O’Dowd
>
Another Irish actor that should be ideal for the role of The Doctor is Chris O’Dowd. Hailing from the Republic of Ireland, O’Dowd is known for his role on The IT Crowd as the slightly more socially apt but grumpy Roy. Considering he has to answer the same questions everyday you can hardly blame him acting like that.
O’Dowd has been more successful as an actor than his IT Crowd co-star, appearing in movies like Bridesmaids, Thor: The Dark World, Calvary and St. Vincent. He also writes and stars in his own Irish sitcom, Moone Boy where he plays the imaginary friend to a weird child. O’Dowd has also been branching out into more serious roles, co-starring with Ben Foster in the Lance Armstrong drama The Program.
O’Dowd has a deadpan delivery and that would be a great virtue for any Doctor as he faces his enemies, answers stupid questions or simply defuses a tense situation for his companions. It would be a defence mechanism as much as a character trait.
O’Dowd would be a great Doctor, but his busy schedule may make his casting less likely.
Tim Roth
In a recent Q&A session on Reddit where Tim Roth allowed fans to ask him anything he was asked if would like to be the next Doctor. His response was “Ok. If this is the casting director, I’m all for it”. Obviously the statement needs to be treated with a pitch of salt seeing he could hardly saying “no”, but let’s treat Roth’s statement with respect.
Tim Roth is an accomplished actors, starring in movies like Reservoir Dogs, The Hateful Eight and The Incredible Hulk and he would bring a lot of gravitas to the role of The Doctor. Roth has also been doing more independent movies recently, starring in the independent British movie Broken, had supporting roles in movies like Selma and has done television work – starring in the TV series Lie to Me and the TV movie Skelling. He has however starred in some clunkers recently, appearing in Grace of Monaco and the notorious FIFA propaganda movie United Passions as Sepp Blatter. Roth even admitted he only did United Passions for the money.
Roth is an intense actor, many of his roles have been in serious dramas and he could easily deliver being the lonesome traveller who has seen the universe and all the pain and suffering that comes with it. Peter Capaldi was originally envisaged to be a darker version of The Doctor, but Roth would be a better fit for that type of Doctor (Capaldi is known more for being a comedic actor). He has played many villains during his career (i.e. Planet of the Apes and The Incredible Hulk) and other characters who have had mixed loyalties, so Roth could easily portray a conflicted version of The Doctor.
Also Roth has played The Doctor in an episode of Robot Chicken.
Robotic Mark Twain, model J-537 here with another recap on some exciting news in the world of space exploration. We’ve all had bad moments, and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster, which is meant to be the first rocket that can return from space for multiple launches, is no exception. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s fearless leader, posted the video below online recently, and while the satellite payload for the mission, Jason-3, was delivered successfully, Falcon 9’s performance lacked some of the panache we, and likely SpaceX investors, were hoping to see. I sympathize, though. Robotic appendages aren’t as reliable as they ought to be. I am embarrassed to report that the last time I employed the vertical thrust mode for my autosynchronous bipedal extensions, I barely cleared the freshly painted bench I had intended to sail over. When I landed, my steam-powered locomotor nearly became dislodged from its chassis, and I don’t need to tell you how awkward that can be to explain.
Although some may view the above video as a setback for this up-and-comer in the space exploration business, Mr. Musk seems downright nonchalant about the mishap in his comments on Twitter saying, “At least the pieces were bigger this time,” and, “Am optimistic about upcoming ship landing.” Although a Falcon 9 booster has already safely launched and returned to terra firma (at Cape Canaveral) in one piece, this more recent and much more rocky landing occurred when attempting to land a Falcon 9 booster on a platform at sea. As we can see, although the Falcon 9 booster may not suffer from seasickness, it has certainly yet to find its sea legs. I recommend spending a bit of time as a steamboat pilot. Until next time, or until a system upgrade spontaneously erases my memory banks, this is Robotic Mark Twain, model J-537 signing off.
January, it’s a new year with new possibilities, and that also means it’s time for one of WWE’s ‘Big 4’ events of the year. First held in 1988, the Rumble is a 30 man battle royal, but unlike other battle royals where all of the contestants start in the ring, two simple changes makes the Royal Rumble unique.
WWE Royal Rumble
Firstly, only two men start in the ring at the very beginning, every 90 seconds another competitor enters the ring until all 30 have entered. During the course of the match, any contestant can be eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and both feet hitting the floor. The second wrinkle is the most interesting, in terms of story lines in wrestling. Beginning in 1993, whoever wins gets an instant title match at the biggest event of the year for WWE, WrestleMania, held in April. However, 2016 will mark an important year for the Royal Rumble as this year, the WWE championship will be up for grabs for only the second time in the events history.
It is widely considered one of the WWE’s most fun and interactive event for a number of reasons. Typically the order of entrants is kept under wraps with the exception of the first or second entries and maybe the last entrant. A number of entries are typically surprise entrants, like the return of John Cena from injury in 2008, or when Goldust returned in 2002. A countdown clock appears at the last 10 seconds before each entry is set to appear, leading to a countdown from the crowd and various reactions, depending on who walks out.
THE NEXT LEVEL
The event can also make careers. Legends like Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steven Austin, and The Rock have Royal Rumble wins under their belt. Shawn Michaels was entrant #1 in 1995 and #18 in 1996, he would go on to win the WWE championship at WrestleMania after his second Rumble win. Stone Cold Steve Austin would win his first WWE title in 1998 with a win over Shawn Michaels, he would also win again in 2001 and go on to face The Rock during one of wrestling’s best feuds between it’s two biggest superstars.
Austin awaits his next competitor in the Royal Rumble Photo: WWE
A ROBUST UNDERCARD
While the Rumble itself is fun, the undercard matches leading up to it can be great as well. Title matches for the WWE Tag Team Titles and the Intercontinental Championship have added some great performances to go along with the main event. One of this years’ undercard matches will be a Lat Man Standing match between two of WWEs rising stars Kevin Owens and current Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose. Look out for a column later this week showcasing some of the Royal Rumble’s best undercard matches.
This year’s Royal Rumble will take place on January 26 and can be seen on the WWE Network and Pay Per View
