Television Archive

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The Doctor and a Dalek on Craig Ferguson

Matt Smith is the latest actor to portray the Doctor in the long-running British television show, Doctor Who. He was on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson the other night, during which the British actor highlighted his insight on American society.

If you know me, you know I’ve been a long-time Doctor Who fan. I didn’t have high expectations for the latest series, but I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the stories were well done.

In an interesting move, speaking to the globalization of television (and to the fact that most American fans simply download the episodes from file sharing services, distributed by kind British folk, so they don’t have to wait too long before seeing the episodes air on SyFy or BBC America or whatever network airs the show on delay), this year’s Christmas special, “A Christmas Carol,” will air on Christmas Day both on the BBC and in the United States.

With the time difference, the five to eight hours between the airing may not be enough time for British viewers to record the show, encode it, and host it on bittorrent, and for American viewers to download it. Speaking of the latest Doctor Who news, the Children in Need special is airing Friday on the BBC, so check your local bittorrent server this weekend (if that sort of illicit activity appeals to you).

Back to the Craig Ferguson interview, which is available here in its entirety after the jump. Here were some of the highlights:

  • Matt Smith places Las Vegas on “the coast.”
  • He expected to meet more bears in the American suburbs.
  • Bow ties are cool.

Apparently, the cast and crew have been in Utah, filming the two-part Season Six premiere, set in the late 1960s. They should have chosen Zabriskie Point.

Here’s the video of the interview with Craig Ferguson. For those who aren’t familiar with either Matt Smith or Craig Ferguson, they are both a bit wacky. The interview is followed by a trailer for the next episode to be aired. Read the rest of this entry »

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Massive Attack in Lincoln Car Commercial

I enjoy about half the tracks on Massive Attack’s latest album, Heligoland, but after the first listen a few months ago I immediately identified Paradise Circus as the stand-out cut. I wasn’t the only one; a unique remix was recently used in a television commercial for the 2011 Lincoln MKX.

I didn’t expect Massive Attack to pop up in such a commercial commercial, but the group has donated all income from the production of music for the commercial to the clean-up effort in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a responsible way to offset money earned from the auto industry.

The commercial use of Paradise Circus is in stark contrast with the official video (NSFW), featuring a former small-time porn star reminiscing on her video work during the 1970s, against the song as a backdrop.

Watch the commercial — and more importantly, listen to the music — after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

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