Articles

First today, two RIPs (one of which, if I'm honest, I shamefully forgot yesterday) -- both cultish, though one will undoubtedly get more media coverage than the other:

John Scott Martin (1926-2009) by Paul Hayes
(from Outpost Gallifrey)
"veteran of countless roles in over one hundred episodes of the classic series of Doctor Who... best remembered by fans as the main Dalek operator across the twenty-six years of the classic series, but he also played various other monsters opposite the first seven Doctors, and also had occasional more visible roles, such as the dead miner at the start of The Green Death... In 2004, he appeared as the old man who inherits all of Swansea in the Russell T Davies comedy-drama serial Mine All Mine."
I know this isn't necessarily the place to say it, but Mine All Mine is brilliant and much underrated, and it was lovely to see Martin turn up in it.

R.I.P. Patrick McGoohan by Keith Phipps
(from A.V. Club)
"Actor and writer Patrick McGoohan has died at the age of 80... his fame rests squarely on the cultishly adored series The Prisoner, which ran for 17 episodes in 1967 and 1968. McGoohan, who also wrote a few episodes under a pseudonym, starred in the James Bond-meets-Franz Kafka series as a spy who, after resigning, wakes up in a mysterious village assigned a new name: Number 6."

Moving on...

John Barrowman To Write Torchwood Comic by R. Alan Siler
(from Outpost Gallifrey)
Part of Torchwood Magazine's much-needed revamp? (See here for more of my thoughts on that!)

Samuel L. Jackson: The man who may not be Nick Fury by Keith Phipps
(from A.V. Club)
"Jackson, who famously cameod as Marvel superspy Nick Fury in 2008's Iron Man, may not be reprising the role... "There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down... Maybe I won't be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won't be in it." ... Marvel has stated that it will not comment on active negotiations, so maybe all is not lost."

Also see today's reports on an idiotic judge and the uselessness of our legal system.

the British Injustice System

(Do you see my clever pun there?)

A yob accused of robbing a driving instructor walked free from court - after a judge ruled that the victim was too believable as a witness.

Judge Jamie Tabor praised Denise Dawson as 'honest, utterly decent and brave' when she identified a man as her alleged attacker and gave evidence against him.

But moments later he halted the trial and ordered a not guilty verdict on Liam Perks, 20.

The judge said Mrs Dawson's good character and compelling evidence could sway the jury, even though she had had only a fleeting glimpse of her attacker.

[source]

What a moron! Surely the point of evidence is to sway the jury?

And this is the same judge who...

set free a woman who killed her husband just to stop him seeing his mistress [source]

let off a famous photographer who took indecent photos of a 15-year-old girl [source]

suggested rape victims shouldn't bother pressing charges [source]

let a paedophilic choirmaster go with a lighter sentence because one boy he abused seemed to be enjoying it [source]

let a defendant break his curfew to go to a holiday camp!

I appreciate that most of these articles being from the Daily Mail rather weakens the case against anyone, but it was the top Google result. See the main story covered by The Independent, The Times, The Telegraph, or even The Sun. (I also looked on The Guardian's site for a leftest-of-the-left view, but couldn't find an article on it.)

Judge Jamie Tabor -- the sort of person that makes you wonder why being in contempt of court is a crime.

TV

Broken Saints
Chapter 11 Surfacing
Chapter 12 Passage
The plot rattles on ("rattles on" in the context of Broken Saints, anyway) as we reach the halfway point -- in terms of episode numbers at any rate (the parts get much longer toward the end, meaning the halfway point in running time is somewhere around the end of Chapter 15).

Derren Brown: An Evening of Wonders
Derren Brown's brilliant, you know -- incredibly clever, hilariously funny, amazing to observe. It's all good.

Gilmore Girls
5x15 Jews and Chinese Food

Films

Watchmen Japanese Trailer
Sure, you can't understand a word the voiceover guy says, or read any of the on screen text, and it's pretty low quality... but look at the beautiful pictures! Revel in the coolness! Amaze at the apparent faithfulness! I can't wait.

Articles

Add "Get Off My Lawn" To "Make My Day"
(from Studio Briefing)
"Gran Torino took in $29.5 million in 2,808 theaters -- or a whopping $10,500 per theater -- [over the weekend] after playing for a month in limited release. It was the 78-year-old Eastwood's best opening ever." Well blimey.

Report: Watchmen Settlement Close
(from Studio Briefing)
Fingers crossed!

TV

Argumental
1x10 (12/1/09 edition)
Annoyingly, I missed last week's episode 9, and it's not repeated. It's on Dave for Chrissake, the channel that exists for repeats -- why wasn't there one of their only (pretty much only, anyway) original programme?!

Broken Saints
Chapter 8 Lomalagi
Chapter 9 Personas
Chapter 10 Trinity
Things actually happen! The story moves forward! My God, what is the world coming to?! "And so it begins," Shandala says in Chapter 8, and I'm inclined to agree with her -- but why did it take two hours to get there?!

Films

Anne Frank Remembered (1995)
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

1 million smite ITV's Demons by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
"New fantasy drama Demons lost almost a million viewers Saturday. The supernatural series made an encouraging start last week with 5.75m (24.1%). The second episode averaged 4.83m (20.4%)... The most-watched programme of the day was Lottery gameshow In It To Win It, which pulled in 6.86m (28.9%) for BBC One."
Oh dear for Demons -- but how the hell did that wind up as number one for the day, especially on a Saturday?!

Golden Globes bring tears, tributes and upset wins by Maureen Ryan
(from chicagotribune.com)
"“Well done, Winslet,” Ricky Gervais said to the actress, who got one Globe for her work in The Reader, a Holocaust drama. “I told you -- do a Holocaust movie, the awards come, didn’t I?”" Nice Extras reference.

Someone rescue 24 from bland stories — now! by Maureen Ryan
(from chicagotribune.com)
"If familiarity with 24 doesn’t quite breed contempt, it has, by this point, bred a certain amount of indifference...
There are droning scenes in Sunday’s season premiere that literally stop the show cold... the biggest problem is that by now some elements of 24 are distressingly predictable. There’s no computer system or firewall that snarky hackers can’t subvert or disrupt. There’s always a mole among the good guys. Characters who flinch at the idea of torturing suspects are portrayed as hopelessly naive...
Despite an extremely uneven start to the season, there’s always hope that, as Jack Bauer so often does, the show may pull off an unlikely rescue -- of itself. Or we could all be in for another very long day."
(The rest of the article includes some spoilers for the new season; but they're all from the first ep and quite widely known.)

Plus, see here for more thoughts on the Golden Globes.

Golden Globes result

Winslet and Slumdog sweep Globes
(from BBC News)

"Kate Winslet has won two awards at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles, winning best actress for Revolutionary Road and best supporting actress for The Reader."

Now that was unexpected.

Elsewhere, British efforts also cleaned up: "Slumdog Millionaire was named best film drama, one of four awards Danny Boyle's Mumbai-set movie received [also director, screenplay, and score]. Other British recipients included Sally Hawkins, named best comedy actress for her role in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky... John Adams British co-star Tom Wilkinson was also recognised, winning a best supporting actor prize for his role as Benjamin Franklin."

Plus, "Irish star Colin Farrell was named best actor in a musical or comedy for his role as a hit man in black comedy In Bruges" and "Irish actor Gabriel Byrne was named best actor in a TV drama for In Treatment." (Though Cranford was shockingly overlooked in all the TV categories.)

Despite the amazing turnout for our fair isles, the Americans managed some notable wins too, including... "Heath Ledger was given a posthumous supporting actor prize for The Dark Knight, accepted by director Christopher Nolan, who said the late actor would be "eternally missed but never forgotten... All of us who worked with Heath accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride."

"Mickey Rourke was named best actor in a drama for The Wrestler. Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona was named best comedy, ahead of Happy-Go-Lucky and Mamma Mia. WALL-E was named best animated feature, while animated documentary Waltz with Bashir received the best foreign language film prize. Steven Spielberg was presented the Cecil B DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field"."

And a small splash of disappointment too:

"But there were no awards for Doubt, Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, despite them having led the field with five nominations apiece." Don't be surprised if Frost/Nixon is a tad more successful at the BAFTAs, considering its British roots -- hopefully a nomination, if not an award, for the always-excellent Michael Sheen.

Still, well done Britain! Chances of a similarly good result in six weeks at the Oscars? Slim, I would imagine.

TV

Broken Saints
Chapter 6 Synchronicity
Chapter 7 Lucid
After a Christmas hiatus (that lasted exactly a month), it's back down to business with this animated-comic-y epic. It's still rather pretentious and incredibly slow-paced though.

Gilmore Girls
5x14 Say Something

QI
6x03 Flotsam and Jetsam (extended repeat) [2nd watch]
A much lower percentage of filthy stuff in this fourteen-minutes-longer extended repeat. It's all interesting and amusing too, making the filthiness of the edited one look even more deliberate.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sandbaggers
2x03 Decision by Committee
Another brilliant episode, as Burnside fights Whitehall bureaucracy to save two British officials -- plus Willie and a CIA agent -- trapped on a hijacked plane that's set to explode at midnight. It might sound like something Spooks would do, but in practice it really isn't. For one thing, in Spooks you'd know from the outset Harry would succeed in his persuasions, but in Sandbaggers the outcome is always in doubt -- and I'm not going to reveal it here, because you should go watch it!

Articles

Five Favourite Films with Danny Boyle by Joe Utichi & Jen Yamato
(from Rotten Tomatoes)
A very interesting list, with much of interest to say about the choices. Danny Boyle is an excellent filmmaker too, so, all in, this list earns much respect from me.

Harry circus shames journalism by Iain Martin
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
"It is all so very typical of... a section of the modern British media and its absence of any sense of perspective. There's a dislike of anything which smacks of complexity and a refusal to understand that people make mistakes. Should Harry have used those precise words? Of course not, but is anyone really surprised that young soldiers say silly things? And heavens, one can never imagine a News of the World reader using such a term as that employed by the Prince."
(If any News of the World readers happen to be reading, I'd like to point out that the last sentence is using irony. This means he actually means the opposite. Complex, I know, but people with brains can handle that kind of thing.)

TV

Demons
1x01 They Bite
My God, that's one of the worst title sequences ever! A dreadful -- and dreadfully inappropriate -- song stuck on animation that would barely pass as a DVD menu. Oh dear oh dear. And Christian Cooke needs a better agent -- he's ostensibly the star, yet his name comes third? Ha! And Philip Glenister's accent is variable and a bit am-dram; which is a shame because, obviously, he's great otherwise.
Still, the first episode did alright in the ratings (and by "alright" I mean it didn't do as well as Merlin (created by some of the same people, incidentally) or Primeval -- or Doctor Who, obviously... or even the Doctor Who Confidential announcing the 11th Doctor, which was on earlier that evening -- but still beat what was on BBC One at the time); and the concept, albeit all nicked from other places (mainly Buffy), has legs.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Eurovision: Your Country Needs You
Episode 2 (of 5)
And so it becomes your bog-standard talent show. Except, it must be said, with less talent than usual.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
5x13 Wedding Bell Blues

Live at the Apollo
4x05 (9/1/09 edition)
So what if nearly all the guests are regulars on Mock the Week? It's still funny. Also, an appearance by Lenny Henry, which seems to be something of a rarity these days.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sandbaggers
2x02 Enough of Ghosts
Bloody Germans, eh?

Non-Fiction

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Chapters Twelve - Fifteen
Nineteen Days Later...
Appendix 1 & 2 [the end]
Including the first drafts of Journey's End and The Stolen Earth, featuring the original conception of the Shadow Proclamation -- so, so, so much more glorious than the couple of Judoon and pasty-faced woman we ended up with on screen. Plus, the alternate ending to Journey's End and an alternate open to The Next Doctor.
As I said before, this is a great book and a definite must-read for all Who fans and all aspiring writers. "If you still want to be a writer after reading this," says Steven Moffat, "then you probably will be." I guess I must be halfway there then...

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #404
DWM's 30 this year -- happy birthday, DWM! Though that's proudly emblazoned across the top of the cover, there's no mention of it inside (that I noticed anyway), so perhaps they have a big feature coming up. Then again, they only just did something for issue 400, so maybe not just yet, eh?

Torchwood: The Official Magazine #13
An even more uninspiring issue than usual, with absolutely no news on the forthcoming third series (to be fair, there's an interview with the new producer that features a couple of new piccies). In fact, the best bit is a teeny tiny news box-out, announcing three new radio plays to come later in the year (more news next issue folks!) Thankfully, the last page promises a great big revamp next issue, as the mag switches format to be 100 pages bimonthly. Let's hope that gives it a much needed kick up the arse, eh?

TV

The Diary of Anne Frank
Part 5 (of 5)
An appropriate end to what's been an excellent series.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

No Heroics
1x05 Origin, Toxic
Sex. Ob. Sessed. Also, they've just started repeating it on ITV1, if you're interested.

QI
6x03 Flotsam and Jetsam
QI's back! Hurrah! But oh my, isn't it filthy? I wonder if that's a deliberate reaction to the move to BBC One...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Vicar of Dibley
2x05 Dibley Live [3rd or so watch]
Ah, random Dibley. Isn't it brilliant?

Articles

Producer: Dark Knight sequel a mystery by Lara Martin
(from Digital Spy)
It's amazing how thoroughly "there's no news" can be reported, isn't it? (Note another silly article from the same authoress later in this post.)

Ross 'lining up Cruise for chatshow' by Alex Fletcher
(from Digital Spy)
"Stephen Fry [yay!], comic Lee Evans [never mind] and Scottish indie band Franz Ferdinand [meh] have already been confirmed for the first show back on January 23 [but] Jonathan Ross is reportedly lining up an appearance from Tom Cruise to boost his chatshow's ratings."
It'll be interesting to see how the show's ratings fare at the start -- will they be huge, as people tune in to see what he says; massively down, as people avoid him following the fuss; or just normal, because his fans weren't the sort who complained in the first place? Personally, I think the first or last of those are most likely, as the majority of complaints were by people who don't even watch or listen to his programmes.
Additionally, "Film 2009, also fronted by the star, will return to BBC One two days later" (source). Yay!

Suchet wants to complete Poirot series by Lara Martin
(from Digital Spy)
"David Suchet has revealed that he wants to continue playing Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot until he has filmed the novelist's "complete works"."
Revealed? Revealed? "Yet again reiterated" more like! Still, with only 10 to go -- and four of those being shot this year -- let's hope he can do it.

Poem of the Week: A Farewell

by Charles Kingsley

By the author of The Water-Babies and Westward Ho!, for those who are interested.

My fairest child, I have no song to give you;
No lark could pipe to skies so dull and grey:
Yet, ere we part, one lesson I can leave you
For every day.

Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever;
Do noble things, not dream them, all day long:
And so make life, death, and that vast for-ever
One grand, sweet song.

Poem of the Day is dead, long live Poem of the Week!

TV

The Diary of Anne Frank
Part 4 (of 5)
Who knew Anne was so sexed-up? (Well, anyone who read the uncut version of the book, I suppose. But still!)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sandbaggers
2x01 At All Costs
Hurrah for more Sandbaggers! (The fact that this was broadcast 28 years ago this month does not stop me hurrahing watching it.) Still excellent -- why is this not remembered as one of The Best Shows Ever? I only heard about it last year, by fluke, and it's not like that was as part of some "oh, look at this!" big revival thing -- which, incidentally, it deserves.

Non-Fiction

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Chapters Ten - Eleven

Articles

British talent up for Bafta prize
(from BBC News)
"Three British actors have made the shortlist for Bafta's Rising Star award recognising emerging talent. Noel Clarke [yes, Mickey from Doctor Who!] and Rebecca Hall, who is starring in Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona [sic], are nominated. Film actor Toby Kebbell is also in the running, along with Irish actor Michael Fassbender and Canadian Michael Cera."
As writer, director and star of the immensely (and surprisingly) successful Adulthood, it seems only fitting that Noel Clarke should walk away with it. Failing that, vote for Rebecca Hall, who is also excellent. Or Michael Fassbender, because he is too.
Anyway, place your vote here. The rest of the BAFTA Film Awards nominations are announced next Thursday.

Doctor Who: Dalek War - DVD Boxset by Steve Roberts
(from the Doctor Who Restoration Team Website)
"it's only fair that this article devotes the majority of its space to discussion of the fascinating story behind the episode's return to full colour." Quite technical, but also fascinating.
Just one of many exciting Classic Who DVDs out this year. For more, look here.

More Recognition For The Dark Knight
(from WENN)
I mention this primarily because, based on various sets of nominations for various gongs, it looks like these five films are emerging as the frontrunners in this year's round of awards ceremonies. That doesn't guarantee Oscar noms, of course, but it all helps.

Warner Bros. Asks For Quick Decision Of Watchmen
(from Studio Briefing)
This is dragging on much longer than I -- indeed, I think, anyone -- expected. Bloody Fox, always have to ruin everything.

TV

The Diary of Anne Frank
Part 3 (of 5)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Lark Rise to Candleford
2x02 Episode 2
Things actually seem to happen now in Lark Rise...! It's quite astounding.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Non-Fiction

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Chapters Six - Nine
Now covering most/all of the first draft of Partners in Crime. I wonder how much shorter this would be if they took out all the scripts? Not that they need to, really, as if one wasn't interested in reading them they could easily be skipped over.

TV

The Diary of Anne Frank
Part 2 (of 5)
Despite an excellent cast all doing great work, Ellie Kendrick still shines as Anne (born in 1990, she's actually playing much younger as the 13-year-old titular girl). Her agent obviously did a good job getting her an "Introducing..." credit too, considering she's been in Waking the Dead, Doctors, Lewis, and the final Prime Suspect.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Non-Fiction

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Chapters Three - Five
This book is really brilliant. In today's reading, Russell begins to write Starship Titanic -- or, as it will eventually be renamed, Voyage of the Damned, the Kylie-starring 2007 Christmas special. Packed with script excerpts (seems to be most of the first draft, in fact; quite possibly every last word of it), it's amazing to see how close this initial vision is to the final product -- having seen the episode a couple of times myself, I wouldn't argue if you told me what we read in these chapters was the final shooting script.

TV

The Diary of Anne Frank
Part 1 (of 5)
BBC One's new dramatisation of the famed teenage war diary, showing on consecutive nights this week -- the BBC's new favourite way to show drama, it seems, after Criminal Justice last year and Torchwood: Children of Earth later this, among other examples.
Well made, and well scheduled at 7pm too -- a good time for family viewing.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Eurovision: Your Country Needs You
Episode 1 (of 5)
This is certainly a... slightly different way to choose a Eurovision entry. Will it be any more successful? I highly doubt it. At least this is entertainingly camp at times though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Graham Norton Show
4x13 (30/12/08 edition) [Christmas special; season finale]
Michael McIntyre is amazingly good, I say. Plenty of (mildly) festive fun with Graham, though it does feel a bit belated at this point. Christmas is rather over now, isn't it? (Still got Christmas TV to catch up on though. And Christmas chocolates.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Non-Fiction

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Chapter Two
This book is brilliant. A must read for both Whovians and any aspiring writers, especially if they want to work in TV.

Articles

A Shot-By-Shot Analysis Of The New Wolverine Trailer
(from Empire)
Packed with spoilers, and -- much to my surprise -- mutants! There's all sorts of new-to-film ones here (and plenty of shots of them too, including a certain Cajun), plus cameos from younger versions of main characters from the trilogy. So much for it just featuring Wolverine and a couple of others, eh?
As for the trailer itself, look... oh, um, they didn't provide a link... (It can be found here.)

TV

Gilmore Girls
5x12 Come Home
Oh Emily! You do something good, and then you have to toddle straight off and do something bad. Typical Gilmore.

Midsomer Murders
9x08 Four Funerals and a Wedding
I haven't watched Midsomer by choice for the best part of a decade, and this has done little to change my mind. Apparently it's the highest-paid writing gig on TV though.

Films

The Kite Runner (2007)
[#3 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Non-Fiction

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Chapter One
Including RTD's initial episode-by-episode breakdown for Who season four, which reveals some interesting things -- for example, Mark Gatiss' original WW2-set episode three (sounds like a corker), the long-gestating Tom MacRae-penned episode eight (nifty also), and that the excellent Turn Left began life as little more than "Doctor-lite, I'll try to keep it cheap."

The Eleventh Doctor

After yesterday's announcement -- which drew 6.1 million viewers (despite its early slot, it was the second most-watched programme of the day) -- there have naturally been a flurry of articles and whatnot about the rather shocking casting.

Courtesy of the BBC Press Office (via Outpost Gallifrey), here are the first pictures of Smith 'in character' -- though as that's the same outfit he was wearing in the interview I'm guessing it's not his costume, and I hope to God he gets a haircut.

Click to expand.

Naturally articles abound. You can find the official press release here (plenty of comments from Official People on the Who staff and at the BBC), and the official site's exclusive interview here. Typically, Outpost Gallifrey have a nice summary of some major reactions from the press, which can be read here.

Personally, I'm still not convinced. The comment that he looks like "the Twilight choice" seems worryingly spot on. Many fans will take comfort in that he's Steven Moffat's choice, as Moffat is seen as Who's best and most consistent writer. I'm sorry to say, not me. The Empty Child is still one of Who's best ever stories, and Blink is one of the scariest things in anything ever, but Moffat's most recent work -- Silence in the Library and the separate miniseries Jekyll -- has been too barmy, unfocused, and of dubious quality, in my opinion.

Still, we'll see... in about 15 months...

TV

Doctor Who Confidential
4x15 The Eleventh Doctor
So, the 11th Doctor is... Matt Smith! A surprise choice, to be sure, who looks... well, kinda the same... Oh well, we've got over a year to get used to the idea. (For further thoughts, look here.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Some Like It Hot (1959)
[2nd watch; #2a in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Son of Paleface (1952)
[#2 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

January 1st 2009

For whatever reason, my scheduled posts for January 1st didn't get posted. They're there now, if anyone cares.

TV

2008 at the Movies
It's amazing how well some things do at the worldwide box office, especially compared to their meagre performance in the key US market (see: The Mummy 3). Also, really cheesy graphics, and a disappointing lack of the usual studio guests and viewer-voted top films elements, thanks to Jonathan Ross' ongoing BBC ban. I hope he's back in place for next year -- while this had it's moments, it's nothing like as good as the usual Film 200X year-end round-ups.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear
12x08 (28/12/08 edition) [season finale]
Francis Ford Clarkson, Francis Ford Hammond and Francis Ford May undertake to travel from the bottom to the top of Vietnam, managing in 8 days what the Americans failed to do in however many years that war dragged on for. Unfortunately, it's far from the best Top Gear Mad Challenge Special, especially as Jeremy seemed miserable for a large chunk of it and they were on motorbikes -- if further proof were needed that Top Gear is no longer a car programme and is instead an entertainment show, that would be it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Marple
3x04 Nemesis [2nd half; season finale]
An above-average episode with a neat conclusion, despite the old rule of "most famous person in smallest role did it" applying.

Articles

New Doctor to be revealed on BBC One tomorrow
(from BBC Press Office)

"The BBC confirmed today that it will reveal the identity of the 11th Doctor as part of a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential to be aired on BBC One tomorrow, Saturday 3 January 2009, at 5.35pm... The programme will be broadcast live on BBC Big Screens [in city centres] nationwide."
Oh my oh my oh my! Yay! Be interesting to see the ratings on that one.

Also...
"There will be four Doctor Who specials featuring David Tennant that will run in 2009 into New Year 2010."
Considering that the last two specials will form a two-parter, and the specific wording of that statement, I'm suspecting a Christmas Day 2009 / New Year's Day 2010 two-parter to say farewell to the 10th Doctor. How cool is that? (Answer: extremely.)

Poem of the Day: Text me my darling

by John Lancaster

After a Christmassy break, this week sees the return of the grand tradition of Funny Friday here on Poem of the Day. Sadly, this is the last regular Funny Friday, as Poem of the Day is becoming Poem of the Week from now on. Every Friday, a new poem. There'll still be funny ones, just not every week.

Anyway, this piece is lifted from deviantART and, as with the very first Funny Friday, I think the rhyme and maintained rhythm are key to the humour, but so is the excellent spoofing of the subject.

My phone subscription will renew
But I can't contain my Love 4U
My facia's the height of fashion
My keypad rattles with great passion

I need a bit of SMS
If only to relieve the stress
I'll type a ;>) with sexy lashes
Hot Love tonight - In dots and dashes

Text me tonight - Oh, Text me harder!
Or I'll get bored and raid the larder
Text me my darling - Please B mine
O Text me where the sun don't shine!

It's more exciting at peak rates
Please Please B quick - my phone awaits!
Text me my precious - with skill and grace
(I'll orgasm in uppercase)

As mentioned, the original version of this is published at deviantART. Please comment there, and mark it as a favourite too, if you wish.

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year
2008 edition
Entertaining, but not as good without Jonathan Ross, Rob Brydon, Russell Brand, Noel Fielding.

Marple
3x04 Nemesis [1st half; season finale]
ITV's scheduling of its Marple is decidedly odd -- for more thoughts in this vein, look here.

Films

Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
[#1 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
And so, the third year of 100 Films begins, once again on New Year's Day itself. (Last year's New Year's Day film was The Simpsons Movie, the year before Eragon.)

Non-Fiction

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Foreword by Philip Pullman
Introduction by Russell T Davies
Introduction by Benjamin Cook
Well, I feel thoroughly introduced. "If you still want to be a writer after reading this, you probably will be" says Steven Moffat. So let's see...

Poem of the Day: New Year’s Reality Check

by Joanna Fuchs

Rather describes my thoughts on New Year's resolutions 'n' all. Found online (among a collection of New Years poems) here.

Another year, another chance
To start our lives anew;
This time we'll leap old barriers
To have a real breakthrough.

We'll take one little step
And then we'll take one more,
Our unlimited potential
We'll totally explore.

We'll show off all our talents
Everyone will be inspired;
(Hmm... while I’m writing this,
I'm getting very tired.)

We'll give up all bad habits;
We'll read and learn a lot,
All our goals will be accomplished,
Sigh... or maybe not.

Oh well, Happy New Year anyway!

Happy New Year indeed!

Happy New Year!

Ooh, 2009...

Films

The Blues Brothers (1980)
[#99 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Russian Ark (2002)
[#98 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Stardust (2007)
[2nd watch]

Swing Time (1936)
[#100 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Hurrah! Made it!

Articles

Warner Bros. Won't Settle Watchmen Case (from Studio Briefing)
and
Fox Wants to Delay Watchmen Release by Robert Greenberger (from ComicMix)
Fox really aren't doing themselves any favours here.

Poem of the Day: Auld Lang Syne

by Robert Burns

Poem of the Day is not dead, just forgotten in a rather busy day yesterday!

But today it's back (obviously), and there's none more appropriate for this day. As this is Poem of the Day's first New Year I think it can be excused (again).

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gies a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

If you feel in need of a translation, look here.

Happy 2009!

A final push...

It's New Years Eve, but some of us are 'working'...

Today is the final day of 2008, and so the final day of 100 Films in a Year's second year. And have I made it to 100?

Not yet.

A quick look at the coming soon page reveals I’m up to #97 — only three films to go, with 24 hours left.

Read the full piece (not that it's very long) here.

Films

White Christmas (1954)
[#97 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
24 hours to go! Nearly there...

TV

Gilmore Girls
5x10 But Not as Cute as Pushkin
5x11 Women of Questionable Morals

Films

Chicago (2002)
[#96 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Die Hard 2 (1990)
[#95 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Snakes on a Plane (2006)
[#94 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Might make it to 100 yet...

Articles

Warner Bros. Loses Watchmen Suit
(from Studio Briefing)
Well, I didn't expect that outcome!
"Despite the fact that it has been more than ten years since Fox decided to abandon production based on the superheroes graphic novel, a federal judge on Wednesday ruled that it continued to own a copyright interest in the project."

Poem of the Day: The Day After the Day After Boxing Day

by Paul Cookson

Today is, in fact, the day after the day after the day after Boxing Day, but as yesterday was Sunday this was the best I could manage. Anyway...

On the day after the day after Boxing Day
Santa wakes up, eventually,
puts away his big red suit and wellies,
lets Rudolph and the gang out into the meadow
then shaves his head and beard.
He puts on his new new cool sunglasses,
baggy blue Bermuda shorts (he's sick of red),
yellow stripy T-shirt that doesn't quite cover his belly
and lets his toes breathe in flip-flops.

Packing a bucket and spade,
fifteen tubes of Factor Twenty suncream
and seventeen romantic novels
he fills his Walkman with the latest sounds,
is glad to use a proper suitcase instead of the old sack
and heads off into the Mediterranean sunrise
enjoying the comforts of a Boeing 747
(although he passes on the free drinks).

Six months later,
relaxed, red and a little more than stubbly,
he looks at his watch, adjusts his wide-brimmed sunhat,
mops the sweat from his brow and strokes his chin,
wondering why holidays always seem to go so quickly.

Google revealed this poem to me, and also turned up this analysis... which doesn't contain any analysis at all.

TV

The 39 Steps
Very good... until a bloody stupid ending.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
5x09 Emily Says Hello

The Graham Norton Show
4x14 (27/12/08 edition)
A 'best of' of the last series. Attentive readers will notice ep13 appears to have been skipped. From what I can tell, that's an hour-long ep that actually airs after this one, on the 30th. Don't blame me for the silly numbers, blame the BBC.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Frost/Nixon Trailer
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Plucky underdog Brit beats American President? Oh yes. Plus Michael Sheen's a fantastic actor. Can't wait for this.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
[#93 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Sleeping Beauty (1959)
[2nd or so watch]

Non-Fiction

For Crying Out Loud! (The World According to Clarkson Volume 3) by Jeremy Clarkson
The worst word in the language (pages 11-13)

TV

Outnumbered
2x07 Episode 7 [season finale]
Brilliant, as ever; certainly no significant loss of form this series. I sincerely hope we get a third.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Becoming Jane (2007)
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
[#92 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
I don't think I've seen all of this before, just some of the famous bits...

State of Play Trailer
No, no, no, no, no. Watch this instead.

Articles

Mamma Mia! beats UK cinema record
(from BBC News)
Now the highest-grossing UK film ever. No surprises there, other than that it tipped over into number one after the DVD came out!

Wallace and Gromit top TV ratings
(from )
The largest Christmas Day audience for five years, and the largest full-stop for three. Hurrah! Doctor Who came a very respectable second, not drawing quite as many as last year but with nonetheless a huge audience.

TV

Dancing On Ice
Christmas Special

Have I Got News For You
36x10 (24/11/08 edition; uncut repeat) [Christmas special; 2nd watch]
Still by far the best way to watch HIGNFY -- 10 minutes of new, usually good, material. Though it's annoying to have watched the normal one first, because those 10 minutes are peppered throughout the 30 you've already seen.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Be Kind Rewind (2008)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Madagascar (2005)
[#89 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Read the 100 Films review here.

Articles

TV Show Breakdown: Wallace And Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
(from Empire)
Last night's excellent new Wallace & Gromit adventure -- watched by a whopping audience, the largest at Christmas for five years -- was packed with film references, many of them subtle. Here, Empire explain a dozen (well, eleven, actually) of the best. Or most obvious. Except that Spider-Man 2 one.

Poem of the Day: Wenceslas: A Boxing Day Poem

by Martin Newell

Did you have a good Christmas? Enjoy Doctor Who? It's all over now...

Well, except for today, of course -- Boxing Day! Hurrah! Everyone -- and every family -- have their own rituals for what happens on Boxing Day, and here's just one -- sort of -- that is also, of course, beholden to Funny Friday (I know I said it would be back in January, but I didn't think I'd find a funny one for Boxing Day).

It's ludicrously long -- easily the longest poem yet featured on Poem of the Day -- so will certainly keep you busy if you need to escape the family for a while.

Wenceslas was woken early,
By the hounds, who wanted out.
Brandy glass and tipped-up ashtray
Where his clothes were strewn about.
Cursing by his old four-poster
Utilising his gazunder
Limbs were stiff and head was aching,
Fit to split his skull asunder.
Christmas Eve had snowed all morning
Forced him out to get the stock in
Trip to town and lunchtime session
Followed by a late-night lock-in.
Memory blurred -- a Tarantino
Hangover was what he'd got --
(That's the one where all the flashbacks
Come, before you get the plot).
Still, he'd hang on to his castle
If he made it pay its way
Now his page stood waiting for him
For this was St Stephen's day
Wenceslas and page were talking
Pipes had frozen overnight
Past the gatehouse they were walking
When a couple came in sight.
Poorly dressed for such bad weather
Gathering their winter fuel
City types, they looked, together
On a country break for Yule
"Page," he asked, "Who are those people?"
Page replied with bridled sneer:
"Sire, they are the London grockles,
Renting your old cottage here."
Page continued: "Most unhappy --
Been here for the past few days
It appears they're having trouble
Coping with our country ways.
Sundry powercuts, snow, what-have-you
Laptops, car and mobile phone
Out of service now, they're stranded
Hungry, cold and quite alone."
Wenceslas, an old patrician
Patriarchal sort of gent
Said: "We can't be having this one
Even though I'm overspent.
Fetch some logs, a festive hamper,
Crate of grog to slake their thirst
It can wait though, till it's lunchtime
While we do some shooting first."

Nikki and her partner Drew
Had flipped a coin for what to do
Thirty-something West Elevens
Found themselves at six and sevens
With the Saturnalia near
Tuscany might be too dear
Suffolk? Cheaper, if less fun
Prudence reigned and Suffolk won
Both employed as health advisors
To the various Czars and Kaisers
Who by cattle-prod or stealth
Police our ailing nation's health
Now though, for their own health's sake
They were on a winter break
Country cottage, bird-life, walking.
Perfect cure for weltschmerz stalking
Sat by fireside, bonding, thinking
Freed from stress-related drinking.
Firstly it had been plain sailing
Till the power-grid started failing
Due to weather most malignant
Now they bickered, cold, indignant.
Chiefly on nutrition issues
By a fire of twigs and tissues
All they had to keep them going
While the Suffolk wind was blowing
From the Russian steppes, unstopping
Troshing at the trees and stropping
At the chimneys, window-ledges
Freezing ponds and bending hedges
Nikki and her partner Drew
Found it took an hour or two
Heating soup with scented candles
Holding saucepans by their handles
Huddled up in duvet jackets
Snacking from organic packets.
Till the knock upon the door
And a stout stentorian roar.

Wenceslas stood beaming proudly.
Twinkle-eyed with outstretched hand
Boomed a Merry Christmas loudly
Gestured back towards his land:
"Brought some pine logs over for you
Took them down myself this year
What with all the various cutbacks
Just one man and me left here.
'Tisn't easy trying to manage
Told we must diversify
Still, despite the fiscal damage
What the hell -- a chap gets by.
Met my page already, have you?
Helps me manage this estate
Yes, I grant he may seem surly
As a stockman though, first rate."
Wenceslas regarded Nikki
Said: "The logs are in the 'Drover
Move it girl, it's freezing out here.
Help me haul the buggers over."
Half an hour or so -- no later
Fire was roaring, cheered the gloom
Warmed the landlord and the peasants
As it flickered round the room.
"Page should be here any minute
With a case of wine and grub.
Can't think where the bastard's got to
Prob'ly stopped off at the pub
Touch and go, the trade round here now
Since they built that by-pass mall.
All the shops will disappear now
At this rate, there'll be sod all.
How d'you say you make your living?
Health advice? That's clever stuff.
Lot of call for that in London?
Citizens seem pale enough.
Hardly feel the need to go there
'Less of course, they give us reason
Then we all troop down together
-- Like that march we held last season."
Wenceslas now paused a second
Rummaged in his waxy cloak
"Haven't had a fag all morning
-- Either of you people smoke?
Can't think where that page has got to
Must have been delayed somehow
Sharpener should clear the headache
Ah! Here comes the fellow now."

In the page came, even surlier
Than he'd been three hours earlier
"Bloody hunt-sabs in the lane.
-- Ran over the fox again.
Accident it would appear
Third time it's occurred this year."
Wenceslas just shrugged and sighed:
"Way it's going country-wide.
Since the Bill was fast-tracked through
They kill more than our side do."
Nikki, shocked at this exchange
Barked: "I find your logic strange.
I hate hunting, so does Drew."
As the awkward silence grew
Wenceslas clapped hands, said: "Fine!
Let's agree to differ. Wine?
It's St Agnes Fountain, red.
Very good indeed they said."
Drew enquired where it was made
Was the import-scheme Fair Trade?
Did the wine upon the table
Have the units marked on label?
Wenceslas just shrugged and sighed:
"Way it's going country-wide.
Since the Bill was fast-tracked through
They kill more than our side do."
Nikki, shocked at this exchange
Barked: "I find your logic strange.
I hate hunting, so does Drew."
As the awkward silence grew
Wenceslas clapped hands, said: "Fine!
Let's agree to differ. Wine?
It's St Agnes Fountain, red.
Very good indeed they said."
Drew enquired where it was made
Was the import-scheme Fair Trade?
Did the wine upon the table
Have the units marked on label?
Can't be fussed to take a test.
-- These bi-focals cost a lot --
Look, d'you want a drink, or not?"
Drew replied that it was fine
Though perhaps he'd best decline
Watch those units and all that
And besides -- it made one fat.
Wasn't worth the risk somehow
Healthier drinking water now.

Wenceslas and page stood muttering
Smoking in the freezing yard
Shaking hands round ciggies sputtering
While the blizzard came down hard
Ordered from the house by Nikki
Whose reaction was dramatic:
Shrieking anti-smoking maxims
In a tone sub-operatic.
Back inside again, the heroes
Dripping like retriever dogs
Found themselves interrogated
On the matter of those logs:
Were they seasoned quite correctly?
God-forbid the wood was green
Lest the smoke be carcinogenic
Which, said Drew, it might have been
Was it not a folly planting
Pine -- a non-deciduous tree
Leaving harsh acidic needles --
When a healthy mulch was key
To the lives of forest creatures,
Nesting birds and generally?
How much better, Nikki hectored
Ash and oak, or beech might be.
Finally, this Christmas hamper...
What was in it, Drew enquired
"Venison and boar," the page said,
Lit the paper and retired.
Which unleashed a further salvo
From the peasants at the pair
In a gale of Nikki's fury
Page and king stood withered there.
Wenceslas withdrew at this point
Pine logs, wine and flesh despatched
Had he not fulfilled his duty?
Even if it wasn't matched
By the gratitude incumbent
On recipients of such.
"Whaddyaknow?" The baffled king said.
Blandly said the page: "Not much."

Wind had dropped, the sky was clear
Moon to cheer the dying year
Sparkling blue on frosted snow
Beckoning the pair to go
Snow had covered up the 'Drover
Feast of Stephen nearly over
Home they went, the mission finished
Cold, but spirits undiminished
Wenceslas and trusty page
Silent for what seemed an age
Till the king produced some brandy
From the flask he'd kept in handy
"Need a tincture in this climate
Weld the balls back on the primate.
Things get worse as we go on.
Years ago, in times long gone
Peasants that you got in those days
Whiffed a bit -- we needed nosegays
When we did the logs-of-pine gig
Garnished with the flesh'n'wine rig
But we found them grateful for it
Fell on it as soon as saw it
These days when you leave the castle
May as well forget the parcel
Best avoided, Feast Of Steve.
Or maybe, I'm being naive."
Peasants - 2. Bohemians - nowt.
Good King Wenceslas, look out.

Said it was long.

Discovered here; originally from The Independent on Sunday in 2004.

TV

Crooked House
Part 3 The Knocker [final episode]
Short series of three horror tales set in the same house, by League of Gentlemen co-founder/member and Doctor Who & Lucifer Box writer Mark Gatiss, also showing as a portmanteau horror movie on December 27th.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who [new]
4x14 The Next Doctor [Christmas special]
Possibly a bit low-key for the Christmas Day episode, with a disappointing underuse of the Cybermen. Not sure about that finale either. Planet of the Dead is a good title for the next ep though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
5x08 The Party's Over

Strictly Come Dancing
2008 Christmas Special

Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death
[#88a in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Hurrah! Absolutely brilliant, though it was so packed with things you can't help wishing it were longer. Another Oscar nomination? It would be deserved.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Mamma Mia! (2008)
[2nd watch]

Articles

Disney: No, No Narnia
(from Studio Briefing)
"Disney announced that it will not exercise its option to co-produce and co-finance The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [the third in the series] with Walden Media. The film was reportedly already in preproduction with a May 2010 release planned... Walden said that it would seek another production partner."

Poem of the Day: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Merry Christmas!

Yes, it may be Christmas Day, but it's also a week day, so business continues as usual here on Poem of the Day... but with a festive spin.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

"Longfellow wrote Christmas Bells on Christmas Day 1864 in the midst of the American Civil War and the news of his son having suffered wounds as a soldier in battle. He had suffered the great loss of his wife two years prior to an accident with fire." Oh dear! (Source: Wikipedia)

Tomorrow, a Boxing Day poem.

Merry Christmas

to all readers of My Cultural Experience

Hope you have a good one.

(The site will be updated as usual today.)

TV

Big Cat Live
1x09 What Happened Next...? [Christmas special]
Big Cat Live suffered from a lack of content, wasting time on "ooh isn't our technology clever" witter and watching nothing happen on live feeds. Unfortunately, this special mostly collates footage from the series, with a few segments added that were previously only online. Only the last ten minutes actually catch up with what's happened since -- "not much" being the answer.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Crooked House
Part 2 Something Old
Short series of three horror tales set in the same house, by League of Gentlemen co-founder/member and Doctor Who & Lucifer Box writer Mark Gatiss, also showing as a portmanteau horror movie on December 27th.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gavin & Stacey
3x00 Christmas Special
As brilliant as ever. In fact, one might argue it's a return to form after the occasionally lacking second series. With much left unresolved, I hope a third follows.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
36x10 (24/11/08 edition) [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Peter Serafinowicz Christmas Show
2x00 Christmas Special
Peter Serafinowicz's first solo sketch series -- which first aired over a year ago now! -- was a real treat, so it's wonderful to have some new stuff at last. Look out for the iToilet sketch in particular. Hopefully a second series will follow.
One of the best things about Serafinowicz is that he's a rather talented impressionist, but his show isn't about the impressions in the way that your usual impressionist show (e.g. Dead Ringers, Alistair McGowan's) are.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Survivors [2008]
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
This started out as a good finale, bringing threads together and being decidedly more epic than any episode since the first. Unfortunately, it didn't bother to resolve any of its plot strands and ended on a great big cliffhanger. Rather shoddy, if you ask me -- by all means have a cliffhanger, but wrap some stuff up too! Unsatisfying.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

While You Were Sleeping (1995)
[2nd watch]
Very seasonal. Not that you'd guess it from the DVD cover, oddly, but it really is.

Poem of the Day: Twas the Night Before Christmas

or A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Anonymous

As it's still Poem of the Day's first Christmas I think I can be excused some obvious choices, so for the Christmas Eve poem I present this absolute classic.

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle,
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

"A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas)" -- which is how I've always known it, so how it's named here -- was "first published anonymously in 1823. It is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of his reindeer, and that he brings toys to children. Prior to the poem, American ideas about St. Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors varied considerably. The poem has influenced ideas about St. Nicholas and Santa Claus beyond the United States to the rest of the Anglosphere and the world." (Courtesy of Wikipedia.)