Monday, July 27, 2009

FFS, Spara (special!)

OK, normally I try to limit any kind of Spara bashing to one post a month but I feel justified this time because, seriously, he's gone apeshit. The fact is he's suffered a devastating psychological blow - Corrination Street are bringing back Adam Rickitt's character... but not Adam Rickitt, who they refuse to allow on Florizel Street so sick are they of Chatham fics over the last half decade.

To Sparacus, this is like the cancellation of Robin Hood times a million, and his grief has... had a noticeable effect... continually being updated, I regret to say...



Should series 5 include a tribute scene to Michael Jackson?

Given the popularity of Michael Jackson and the huge outpouring of grief since his death, it seems to me that it would be a nice gesture if there was a short scene in an episode of series 5, maybe the first, in tribute to the King of Pop. Michael Jackson was a major pop star, a particularly popular and important superstar and the father of three children and it would be nice to have a respectful tribute scene. Many people did respect him and his music. Adding a tribute scene would boost ratings, especially if the press were briefed beforehand. Also it would be in tune with the public mood. There was no sci fi element to the music of John Lennon.

Michael would have to be played by an actor.

I do not see why such a scene would be tasteless. It would work if it was an affectionate tribute to Michael Jackson, a massive cultural star. His Thriller album is acclaimed and the 'Thriller' video defined the classic pop video. Also including a tribute scene would show that Doctor Who it in tune with the public mood. Michael Jackson shared a sense of eccentricity with the Doctor.

I'd envisage something like a scene where the Doctor takes his new companion to a Jackson concert from the 'Thriller' period and then gets to meet Jackson afterwards and do the moonwalk with him. Another idea would be to have the Karen Gillan character be a Jackson fan and the Doctor take her to Neverland . Michael could teach the Doctor the moonwalk while she watches. Michael Jackson popularised the Moonwalk. He made it well known.

Obviously the scene would have to be done tastefully. If the Neverland idea doesn't work they could just have the Doctor attend the Jackson concert and at the end he meets Michael backstage and offers to take him to the moon so that he can moonwalk on the actual thing itself.

My idea was to have the Doctor meet Jackson in his Thriller period to remind viewers how talented he was. How about the Doctor revealing that Michael Jackson is a former companion & his travels with the Doctor gave Michael the idea for the 'Thriller' video. This would fit in well with the Waters of Mars special where there are zombie things in it.

I am not suggesting that the scene deal in any way with the circumstances of his death. It would be a very bad idea if the entire episode featured the Doctor posing as Jacksons dermatologist and prescobe him a lethal combination of drugs. The Doctor would never kill someone by prescribing him a lethal cocktail of drugs. Especially not the King of Pop. Although it would be interesting to have Karen's character want to warn Michael about his medication taking but the Doctor insist that she cannot interfere with history.

Maybe it could be possible to add it to one of this years specials, although since they're finished this might be too problematic.

...

Michael Jackson was not a "freak show". I accept that certain aspects of his life were slightly eccentric however his music was very popular. I intend to do a tribute to Michael Jackson in my own popular Ben Chatham fiction. One idea is to have Michael give a personal rendition of 'Ben' to him. However this might be a tad cheesy. I have no intention of writing anything offensive.

A suggestion for such a scene:

Michael and Ben are alone in the bedroom. Michael strokes Ben's smoothe chest and says "You're very attractive for a post-pubescent boy." Michael moves in to kiss Ben. As their lips meet, Michael's nose becomes like rubber and begins to stretch, consuming Ben's face. Ben tries to pull away, but can't.....

.....To be continued.

Spara's Response:

I think that the above could be construed as mocking Michael's plastic surgery. I'd suggest removing certain phrases as well. See below:

Michael and Ben are alone in the bedroom. Michael strokes Ben's smoothe chest and says "You're very attractive ." Michael moves in to show Ben his gold discs. Then he teaches Ben the moonwalk and they play with Bubbles the chimp.

.....To be continued.

A suggestion from Wilf:

Never mind MJ, what about a Farrah Fawcett tribute? It would be a nice touch if DW mentioned Charlie's Angels should there ever be an adventure set in the 1970s - a bit like the British Rocket Group's namecheck in Remembrance.

Spara's response:

No disrespect to Miss Fawcett but she was not as large a cultural figure.

The problem is that such a tribute scene would be a year out of date if it was in series 5, which is all the more reason to splice the scene into 'Waters of Mars'! It is a cutting edge idea that would show that Doctor Who is relevent to current events!

I accept that the tribute will need to be carefully thought through so that it does not seem tasteless in any way. It would be a good idea to have a scene where Gillan runs to tell Michael that zombies are on the loose, only to discover he has become a zombie himself... but given recent events, this idea may cause offence.

I am not joking.

Nor do I need to go into rehab due to the fact that I am not addicted to drugs or continually drunk.

Amazingly enough, this idea was relayed to David Tennant at the recent comic convention. Tennant didn't have anything to say, but his reaction was caught on camera:

6 comments:

Jared "No Nickname" Hansen said...

The fact is he's suffered a devastating psychological blow - Corrination Street are bringing back Adam Rickitt's character... but not Adam Rickitt,

Whoa! This must be like definite proof that God does not exist to him.

He was brilliant in the Todd Nicks storyline, I tell you! BRILLIANT!

I'd envisage something like

Ooh, here we go, this is the good bit..


(NB: comments from here are often directed at Sparacus in a frustrated manner...and it seems I need to split it into a different post since Blogger tells me this one's too big)

Jared "No Nickname" Hansen said...

a Jackson concert from the 'Thriller' period and then gets to meet Jackson afterwards and do the moonwalk with him.
... dear God I can't imagine anything more vomit inducing. Not even a deep-throat session from a monster made entirely of Syrup of Ipecap..

Another idea would be to have the Karen Gillan character be a Jackson fan and the Doctor take her to Neverland.
Is Amy Pond still meant to be from the 19th Century, or have they chickened out?

I'm sure the idea of taking a young girl to Neverland will be popular. Okay, not that young and wrong gender but...come on. The public doesn't live in a vaccuum.

they could have the Doctor attend the Jackson concert and at the end he meets Michael backstage and offers to take him to the moon so that he can moonwalk on the actual thing itself.
...WHY WOULD HE DO THIS??? The Doctor doesn't just take random celebrities for joyrides! And who the fuck is going to play Jackson? Somebody from the Dead Ringers? How the fuck can this be done tastefully? If it's as inoffensive as the Richard Nixon scenes from Watchmen it'll be nothing short of a fucking miracle!

My idea was to have the Doctor meet Jackson in his Thriller period to remind viewers how talented he was.
The suggestion - rather than how untalented he was before his death. Fans would appreciate that suggestion, I don't doubt. This is also highly ineffective unless you can get somebody that talented to play him. Witness the Bollywood Michael Jackson impersonator for evidence of this.

How about the Doctor revealing that Michael Jackson is a former companion & his travels with the Doctor gave Michael the idea for the 'Thriller' video. This would fit in well with the Waters of Mars special where there are zombie things in it.
This is one of my many 'dear god you have to be having a laugh moments'. I'm quite sure Waters of Mars has been filmed, also.

How many stories have zombie things in them, anyway? And I can't imagine the Beeb liking the idea of the Doctor, a popular figure for children, spending so much time with such a morally questionable figure as Jackson. And treating him like a hero.

It would be a very bad idea if the entire episode featured the Doctor posing as Jacksons dermatologist and prescobe him a lethal combination of drugs.
What, really?? Christ he loves strawman arguments, doesn't he?

The Doctor would never kill someone by prescribing him a lethal cocktail of drugs.
*Ahem* Solon, Shockeye, sure there're a couple of other examples around..

Especially not the King of Pop.
Sorry, why especially? The Doctor was never particularly enamoured of any pop culture until apparently his 9th incarnation, who also seemed to not be that fond of humans as a whole - it all could be an affectation for the benefit of his companions for all we know. Would he even consider Jackson's life as more important than that of any other person?

Although it would be interesting to have Karen's character want to warn Michael about his medication taking but the Doctor insist that she cannot interfere with history.
Aaargh, I can't take it any more! It isn't history! I don't give a shit about Michael Jackson! He wrote a few good songs but he was a pill-popping pedophile with mental issue upon issue like the world's most fucked up house of cards ever! When he died I DIDN'T CARE! He mainly got only tangential interest from me when he was alive for being such a mental fuck-up and for having a hot sister! I DON'T CARE!

Also, wouldn't it be more realistic for Amy Pond to warn Jackson about prescription drugs only to be told to fuck right off?

Michael Jackson was not a "freak show". I accept that certain aspects of his life were slightly eccentric however his music was very popular.
... that isn't a counter-argument. When you say 'however' there should be a statement to counter the previous one.

Lmao at the extract! You must be joking.

I am not joking.

Oh. Well, how about that.

Youth of Australia said...

Is Amy Pond still meant to be from the 19th Century, or have they chickened out?
We honestly don't know, as the first story they're filming is one long after she joins, so she might have acclimatized like Victoria or something.

How many stories have zombie things in them, anyway?
Hmmm... Since RTD turned up?

Rose
The Unquiet Dead
The Long Game
The Empty Child
The Christmas Invasion
New Earth
Rise of the Cybermen
The Idiot's Lantern
Human Nature
Silence in the Library
and that doesn't include any of the books.

Speaking of the books, a huge row happened when it was announced that Tennant's last story is called "The End of Time" which happens to be the exact same title of the finale of The Darksmith Legacy, a series of Justin Richard paperbacks ALSO featuring Tennant. It's like Eccleston's first episode being called "The Gallifrey Chronicles"...

What, really?? Christ he loves strawman arguments, doesn't he?
Actually, he was replying to someone who made that precise suggestion.

Lmao at the extract!
It's a momentous Chathamological moment - first he revealed he was gay, now the smoothe one reveals he's into bestiality...

Jared "No Nickname" Hansen said...

Huh. Still going, eh? Would you have passed on my own caustic remarks to the Fishy One?

Youth of Australia said...

I would have, but you know how things are - Spara's buggered off when he got three solid pages of revulsion and wrote it into the end of his latest BC story...

Later as they chat, a familiar song plays on the jukebox. It is Michael Jackson’s “Ben”.
“Hey Ben, they’re playing your song” Corinne states. Ben looks sad:
“Do you know that Michael once sang this song to me personally. The Doctor once took me & Rose to one of his concerts in the TARDIS and afterwards we met him. He told me I was a very special person and sang this for me.”
“That’s lovely Ben” Corinne replies, “It is so sad that the King of Pop is no longer with us. I suggest we have another toast; to Michael Jackson!”
The team raise their glasses once more and Corinne sings “You Are Not Alone”.………


Which has in turn horrified the anti-BC gang (who were unaware of Spara's pro-Jacko thread and thus this ending came COMPLETELY out of the blue for them).

Youth of Australia said...

Very impressive. Seriously, the most anyone else could manage from Wilf to Dalek Warhol was a stunned "you did NOT just do that" and lots of "..."s.

I'll relay your comments.