Sci-Fi Storm

Doctor Who seems to be all over the news web this week so far, but not because Matt Smith’s debut is reaching it’s conclusion in a couple weeks. First, the UK blogosphere was abuzz about the shower scene in “The Lodger”, this past Saturday’s UK episode (US viewers will see it in a few more weeks), where the Doctor loses his towel momentarily and may have shown his “sonic screwdriver” – but the BBC denies anything was visible because Smith was wearing something to “protect his modesty.” Before that had even died down, co-star Karen Gillan struck back at critics about her short skirts, saying “Amy’s not a schoolgirl, she’s 21, pretty much the same age as me, and we all wear stuff like this.” And finally, Christopher Eccleston finally revealed why he left the show after just one turn as the Doctor – he “didn’t enjoy the environment and the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in. I thought if I stay in this job, I’m going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong.” No mention of what in particular he didn’t like.

The making of The Hobbit could be as much a saga as the story itself. With the departure of Guillermo del Toro as director of the project, there is a void to fill – if production ever gets moving again. Currently at the top of the void-fill rumor list David Yates, who has directed the last 4 Harry Potter films, including the yet-to-be-released two-part finale. Can he move from one epic series to another?