The following is a guest post written by the President of the Vancouver Sherlock Holmes society, The Stormy Petrels.
It has come to my attention that there are two new Sherlock Holmes movies in the works. This is always good news to Sherlockians – fans of the great detective.
Downey, who earned raves for the action blockbuster hit Iron Man this spring, has signed on to play the iconic literary sleuth in an upcoming film directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, Warner Bros. announced on Thursday. [CBC]
However, the casting of the main character is critical. Sherlockians are very protective of Sherlock Holmes, and he must be portrayed as the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, had described him. Physical characteristics can be altered somewhat by movie magic, from his tall, thin stature, to his hawk-like nose, but the mannerisms and quirkiness must be adapted to a fault. The casting of the title role is crucial to the movie’s success. Needless to day, the movies will be judged with many keen eyes.
Hundreds of Sherlock Holmes movies and plays have been adapted or written for stage and screen and the list of actors portraying the detective is as varied as the plot lines.
John Barrymore, Orson Wells, John Gielgud, Peter Cushing, Christopher Plummer, Roger Moore, Raymond Massey, Charlton Heston, George C. Scott, Michael Caine, Rupert Everett, Matt Frewer, to name just a few actors who have taken on the title role.
The most well-known, and one of the most popular actors as Sherlock Holmes is Basil Rathbone in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Although, except for “The Hound of the Baskervillesâ€, the stories did not follow the originals very closely.
It was not until the 1980’s when a Grenada TV series introduced Jeremy Brett to the role of Sherlock Holmes, to great critical acclaim. This series sparked much renewed interest in Sherlock Holmes Societies around the globe. The stories resembled the original writings and Sherlockians were very pleased as Brett had the character down perfectly.
Actors have been and will always be compared to Rathbone and Brett. Nearly all have and will fail in their attempts. Recently, very poor choices have been made to cast the role. These movies have all been panned by Sherlockians based on this factor alone.
I get the sense that comical portrayals, such as the up-coming movie starring Sasha Baron Cohn (“Boratâ€) as Holmes will not be popular among Sherlock Holmes fans. Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes? I think it unlikely. Sherlockians are still waiting for the next great Holmesian performance.
Update: May 2009 – the trailer for the film has been released:
Waiting in line ups since 4:30am, watching the Rogers system fail and confronted by those who simply don’t get the hype, Tanya Davis and John Biehler were real troopers this morning (and continue to be) while attempting to secure their shiny new iPhone 3Gs.
They were featured on the Bill Good Show on CKNW and I was able to capture some audio from the show.
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You can read their blogs for coverage, Tanya’s focusing on Rogers and their outrageous plans and lack of customer service, and John’s for the more technical side about this freakin’ cool gadget. John was also the one responsible for me getting my first gen iPhone at Christmas time so I think CKNW couldn’t have picked two better people to talk to today – that and Tanya’s comments are amusingly sharp and witty.
The video podcast scene in Vancouver is pretty bare (aside from a nice group of tasty bites produced by DaveO) but thanks to Warren and Jon reviving The East Van Podcast, Vancouverites (East, North, South and West) will be able to enjoy their hyper-local content.
In Episode 4 they venture over to Bon’s Off Broadway, a legendary joint where you can get breakfast at any hour for $2.95. Actually for that, Bon’s isn’t just legendary, it’s an institution.
Bon’s Off Broadway is located at 2451 Nanaimo St. and it has atmosphere, decor, and washroom graffiti that many locals can appreciate in a diner.
You can subscribe to the East Van Podcast on YouTube, Warren’s Blip account, or follow along on their Facebook group.
As a side note, this is my 1,501st blog entry on Miss604.com – I totally missed the milestone in the last post but I’m happy to mention it here on a post about something truly ‘Vancouver’.
The first few days (okay who am I kidding) years of working for yourself are pretty scary. I say years as this blog has been four years in the making and it’s not slowing down any time soon.
Miss604.com circa 2005
John and I formed a partnership called sixty4media to consolidate our website works, podcasting, freelance writing and all out social media consulting gigs to which I have started contributing full time.
Now I’ve worked from home before as most of my professional career over the last eight years has been in the online realm, which leaves these options pretty open. However, many people who work from anywhere often have a hard time getting motivated or finding a good place to get out and be inspired to put their nose to that grindstone and crank out their work.
Having recently made our partnership announcement public, I’ve been getting some excellent advice from all over the blogosphere so here are some tips and tricks for those starting out on adventures like this, in this town.
Everything you keep has a clear reason for being in your life at any given moment—both now and well into the future. This gives you an amazing kind of confidence that a) nothing gets lost and b) you always understand what’s on or off your plate.
Organization is key, in most of the texts I have read and aside from the stack of papers, files, and business cards on the dining room table, everything that is online is in order right down to the shared Google Calendar to which John and I both contribute.
“I used to think those people who sat alone at Starbucks writing on their laptops were pretentious posers.” – Carrie, Sex and the City, The Good Fight
Monday was a little crazy, migrating from coffee shop to coffee shop around town for meetings, but it was actually quite easy to move around town, working on the go.
I think that one of the reasons why we do this is that we feel accompanied but at the same time, we’re all doing our thing. I love doing this with friends… going to a coffee shop and working. Each one of us is doing his/her own thing but at the same time, we have a chance to chat and make small talk.
Earlier this week, a highlight was meeting up with Raul and doing just that – being in each others presence but also getting things done and being productive in our own way, on our own projects (much like the informal NerdCamps John and I have with Duane at our place or his).
Aside from getting motivated and having a place in which you can be productive, I think something else that keeps me pushing forward it simply my desire (not to rule the world… not yet anyway) to be good at what I do and help people along the way.
Our ultimate goal is to help others find their online presence because I think John and I can both supply ample advice, tips and tricks in that department. That being said, if you want to know what a blog is, know how to start a blog, have someone write for your blog, have me out to liveblog your event, podcast, or delve into the bulging world of social media, please feel free to drop me a line.
I spent a fun-filled morning with my family as guests of the Vancouver Aquarium where the kids enjoyed interactive displays and learning about marine life around the world.
When I was little we spent school field trips perched on the edges of our bleacher seats watching the majestic orcas perform stunts for handycam-toting crowds. Nowadays the orcas are gone, their large pool has been transformed into more of a learning and research zone and the home of four Pacific White-Sided Dolphins.
Next to them you’ll find the otters (who are totally internet-famous), sea lions, and the beluga habitat.
Since there was a baby beluga born June 10th they are limiting the amount of foot-traffic passing through the underwater viewing area so the line ups are long. They begin at 10:15 so it’s best to show up early if you’d like to catch a glimpse of the little one, however you can still view the tank from above water (and there’s also the beluga cam online).
Inside the aquarium there are several exhibits that showcase everything from exotic frogs to creatures and plant life of the Pacific Coast.
Known to my niece and nephews as, “the stinky area,” the rainforest portion is almost just as I remembered it from childhood, complete with things flying at your head that you hope are simply butterflies.
The gift shop seems to have branched downstairs as well as outside alongside the snack bar leaving stroller navigation to be a somewhat difficult task when the throngs of families, AquaCampers and school groups appear. But whatever the Aquarium lacks in space it makes up for in education.
There is a kids zone with interactive displays and live shows daily, computer screens to touch, puzzles to solve, wheels to crank, and portholes to look through. Each display is accompanied by a photo and a write up featuring information about the animal and its natural habitat.
The dolphin shows are also rather brief, which is nice to see, and they do not simply make them do tricks to entertain (although they do love to show off). In about 10 minutes we learned all about dolphin markings, habits, traits, and the Ocean Wise program for sustainable seafood choices.
A day at the Aquarium for the family may not be on my “cheap things to do” list however if you live in Metro Vancouver the annual family pass is definitely a cost-saver (two adults and three kids for $125/year).
Nothing will compare to the experience John and I had on Salt Spring Island when we spotted a Pacific Dolphin circling the water around us while we were perched on a rock at the opening of a bay. However, when it comes to education and ‘reaching the masses’ the Vancouver Aquarium is doing the best it can to heighten awareness and conservation with regards to our fragile oceans and ecosystems.
