More TV and another Single of the Week

Just what I need at this crucial time of the year when work is piling up and assignments are being handed out like flyers outside the student's union. I can't really complain I suppose, but I know that in a couple of months time there will be a complete TV and work vacuum and I will bored out of my mind. Winter has properly set in now, the sky starts getting dark at about half past three in the afternoon and it seems colder inside the house than outside.

Dr Who is back on our TV this evening for the first of the three special episodes that lead up to David Tennant's demise as The Doctor and the transmogrification or regeneration of The Doctor into the new one played by Matt Smith. No idea how I'll take to him but so far I have preferred the new Doctor's to the old ones, I started off thinking no-one could replace Christopher Eccleston but now I have become so used to David's Doctor that I can't imaging any one else playing the part. From what I have heard, he is the best Doctor yet but I think I'm going to have to wait a bit longer to see for myself, I don't even know when the next series is due to be broadcast but I'm guessing it will be spring next year at the earliest. Waters of Mars is an intriguing title for an episode seeing as it was only last year that we thought Mars was devoid of any water but now that I've seen the episode it seems appropriate. Not meaning to cast to critical an eye over the episode but it certainly isn't one of Russell's best episodes. A little bit too similar to the statues storyline I thought whereby they try and introduce an enemy who is even more scary because it exists in out lives at the moment. We all need water to live and see vast quantities of the stuff everyday so if you can make water into an enemy then you're doing very well. Aside from the less then convincing foes, I really enjoyed the rest of the episode, and it got much better towards the end when we see a very different side to The Doctor which is a nice thing to have every now and then. I can't say I like his new personality much but at least it doesn't seem to have lasted very long and he seems to have learned his lesson after Adelaide Brooke decides to take things into her own hands take her own life in order to preserve history. The only other time I remember seeing The Doctor like this was when the Daleks were involved and one particular moment back in the first series since its comeback when Christopher Eccleston's Doctor was confronted by a captured Dalek and instinctively tries to destroy it without so much as a second thought. It was only thanks to the quick intervention of Rose that he had time to rethink his decision and that seems to have happened again in this episode. I now can't wait for the next episode thanks to the teaser trailer at the end promising another appearance from The Master played wonderfully by John Simm and I'm hoping that it will be a bit cleverer than this last one. Also am I the only one confused by the appearance of an Ood at the end? It doesn't seem to make any sense unless they are the grim reapers of the world which doesn't seem to ring any bells. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait and see.

As if a new episode of Doctor Who wasn't enough excitement for one night, a new series of Top Gear started as well. Funny and interesting as always but I stil haven't worked out if all of the Dacia Sandero moments were scripted or coincidental. They did all seem to show the same car (working by colour only, I didn't check the registration plates) and it would seem like too much of a coincidence that a huge lorry crushed it shortly after Jeremy gave it to James. I will say this though, if it was scripted then James' acting is pretty good and he looked genuinely traumatised when the event occurred.

Despite my previous thoughts that I wouldn't get the chance to start reading The Lost Symbol until Christmas, the temptation proved itself to be too much and I gave into its haunting calls to be read. So far so good even if it did start off a little slowly, but by chapter ten the pace got a little bit quicker and more like the other books. This one is a huge book compare to the others though, at first I thought it was just because I'd bought a hard copy rather than the cheap paperback version (which presumably isn't out yet) but despite there being about a hundred fewer pages, they are significantly bigger and I'm convinced this is a much longer book than the other four which all seem to be a similar size. Perhaps it's just my imagination. A longer blog will follow about this when I've finished reading (which at this rate could well be tomorrow!).

Single of the Week
Last but not least, Single of the Week time and this week is one I had no trouble picking because I've been waiting for its release for what seems like ages now. I only came across this artist by accident when playing my recommended radio on Last.fm and this was one of the tracks that made me drop everything to find out who it was by and what it was called. I went to see her play at the students union as part of the NME Radar tour earlier on in the year which you can see pictures (and a video) of here. Single is out to download tomorrow (or today for those of you using iTunes. Also highly recommended is the B-side which apparently is going to be her cover of Late of the Pier's Space and the Woods, the remixes of the single are pretty damn good too. Of course I'm talking about Marina and the Diamonds so here as usual are the YouTube video of her single, the link to her official website is here (she is also a fellow blogger so check that out while you're there!) and she is on Last.fm here.