Anglotopia http://www.anglotopia.net A Blog for Anglophiles Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:10:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 en hourly 1 Anglotopiahttp://feedburner.google.com Matt Smith Revealed in New Doctor Who Costume http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/vMtAOW5pnJc/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/matt-smith-revealed-in-new-doctor-who-costume/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:31:34 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=2406 11DdhL

Matt Smith in New Doctor Who Costume

New Doctor Who Matt Smith has finally been spotted in his new costume. It’s a more tweedy Doctor costume but I don’t think it’s  a huge departure from Tennant’s Doctor.

One thing I’m certainly sad to see go is the Doctor’s iconic use of Converse shoes.

Matt Smith Outside the Tardis

Matt Smith Outside the Tardis

From the Telegraph article:

The new bookish style marks a change in sartorial direction for the Doctor after David Tennant’s sharp suits and baseball boots.

Smith’s old-fashioned look – complemented by black boots and rolled-up trouser legs – has echoes of Patrick Troughton, who wore a floppy bow tie when he played the second Doctor in the late 1960s.

Accompanying the time traveler on his latest adventures is new companion Amy Pond, played by flame-haired Scottish actress Karen Gillan.

Well, I like the new costime. And I really like Karen Gillian. I just hope I like Matt Smith.

Related Posts


]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/matt-smith-revealed-in-new-doctor-who-costume/feed/ 0 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/matt-smith-revealed-in-new-doctor-who-costume/ The Ultimate Anglophile Cell Phone – The London Calling Mobile Phone http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/dAQk6Mjy9t8/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/the-ultimate-anglophile-cell-phone-the-london-calling-mobile-phone/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:30:56 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=2387 2BDFF100-B852-4065-9F45-9315EF86E630.jpg

This is quite possibly one of the coolest gadgets an Anglophile could ask for – the London Calling Mobile Phone.

From the Item Description:

How about this neat little number!

Modelled on our classic K6 Red Telephone Box, this impressive fully functional mobile phone is a real winner. It features a 65k colour TFT screen, camera, full SMS and MMS functionality, polyphonic ringtones, and GPRS/WAP 2.0. You can set your wallpaper to display one of fifteen different iconic images from old Blighty, plus you can select from Rule Brittania, God Save the Queen, or one of twenty other ringtone melodies. London Calling measures 102mm by 43mm by 21 mm, and weighs approximately 100 grams. As an unlocked GSM phone, all you have to do is plug in your current Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin or Cingular SIM card and start talking.

The London Calling mobile phone comes with the phone, travel charger, battery and the Getting Started guide. Additional accessories will also become available include a serial data cable, handsfree headset, and additional batteries and chargers. The London Calling mobile phone comes with a 90 day manufacturer’s limited warranty against defects.

Features of the phone include:

It is an unlocked tri-band GSM phone which will work in the UK, US and throughout Europe. Comes with pre-programmed ringtones including Rule Britannia and God Save the Queen.

Additional features include assorted wallpaper images of noted British landmarks. Perfect if you are traveling abroad to different countries.

I totally want one even though I have an iPhone. Would be great for traveling with so I don’t end up with a $500 phone bill. All I would need to get is a pre-paid sim card and I’d have an awesome phone for our trip in November.

224253D6-996B-45D6-884E-55FF2A3FD82A.jpg

For more information and where to buy one, check out this website.

Random Posts


]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/the-ultimate-anglophile-cell-phone-the-london-calling-mobile-phone/feed/ 1 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/the-ultimate-anglophile-cell-phone-the-london-calling-mobile-phone/ My Quick and Dirty Review of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/3DgluA8NrqM/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/my-quick-and-dirty-review-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince/#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:24:00 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=2383 I loved it!

I wasn’t a big fan of Order of the Phoenix – Half Blood prince was a huge improvement.

Very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Related Posts


]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/my-quick-and-dirty-review-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince/feed/ 2 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/my-quick-and-dirty-review-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince/ This Week is Torchwood Week! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/SkG_eOUKwYE/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/this-week-is-torchwood-week/#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:01:46 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=2359 07952525-AC10-4353-9861-934D767CA8CA.jpg

Since Torchwood: Children of Earth is airing this week on BBC America I thought it be a great chance to let Torchwood take over the blog for this week.

So, after every episode airs this week – be sure to stop by to read my thoughts on the show, where it’s going and whether or not it’s worth watching.

My nightly recaps will be SPOILER FILLED. You’ve been warned. Though, if you’re a true fan – you probably already watched the episodes when the aired in the UK last week.

Stay Tuned for updates after 10 PM EST/ 9PM Central Time.

Also, pretty big news for fans – the show will be airing uncut on BBC America. Usually BBC America hacks British shows to bits to make them fit into the one hour timeslot, but thankfully they are refraining from that this time around and allowing them to run over.

Set your DVR’s accordingly!

Buy Torchwood on DVD Today!

Related Posts


]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/this-week-is-torchwood-week/feed/ 0 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/this-week-is-torchwood-week/ Is a Master And Commander Sequel in the Works? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/pP4DOqzqyWA/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/is-a-master-and-commander-sequel-in-the-works/#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:54:38 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=2356 master-and-commander.jpg

One of my favorite Anglophile movies in the last few years is the wonderful sea-faring movie, Master and Commander. It’s just one of those perfect movies and I’d probably love it even if I wasn’t an Anglophile.

The movie wasn’t exactly a huge box office smash, but it met with some box office and critical success. Sequels were planned, but it just wasn’t a big enough hit to justify the cost of making more. Well, it seems that it’s success on DVD is encouraging whispers at the possibility of a sequel.

Recently Slashfilm reported on some simmering rumors that star Russell Crowe is looking to make another Patrick O’Brien based movie and that a script has actually been written.

From the site:

An AP story that I caught via USAToday says that Russell Crowe is looking to reprise his role from Master & Commander. He says a script has been completed based on The Reverse of the Medal, which is novel number eleven in the twenty-volume series by Patrick O’Brian. Speculation has long run rampant (well, perhaps not ‘rampant’, but the subject still comes up) that Crowe was interested in another film, but this is the first real confirmation we’ve had. The report doesn’t name the screenwriter.

Given that the film has been a favorite among Crowe fans and that another seventeen novels remain unadapted (the first film drew from three books), sequel talk has cropped up occasionally in the years since Peter Wier’s film appeared in 2003. But in 2005 Weir said he didn’t think it was likely, which isn’t a huge surprise. Making a big nautical adventure is expensive, and Master & Commander isn’t the sort of film that sets the box office on fire. Doing another $150m adult adventure picture at sea seems like a risky move. It’s not the sort of movie Fox makes now. Crowe isn’t even signed for another film, though Paul Bettany and other cast members were signed to multiple pictures at one time. That was six, seven years ago, however, and probably doesn’t mean anything now.

Read the rest of the report here. You can also check out the original AP article here that has a little more info.

Here’s hoping things move forward and they can make a sequel to Master and Commander. I’ll certainly be there on opening day!

Random Posts


]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/is-a-master-and-commander-sequel-in-the-works/feed/ 0 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/is-a-master-and-commander-sequel-in-the-works/ Anglophile Twitter Updates for 2009-07-16 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/-MscK2Mjfek/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-16/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:00:00 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-16/
  • RT @BritishAirways: Final Day Book a car in the UK for 7 days or more and receive 2 days FREE. Terms & conditions apply. http://bit.ly/uf8tm #
  • I'm torn, the Chicagoan in me hates the new name for the Sears Tower. The Anglophile in me doesn't mind (company is British). #

    • Powered by Twitter Tools.

    Related Posts


    ]]>     http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-16/feed/ 0 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-16/     Dispatches from the North: On the Road… Again http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/b4BVeND29N8/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/dispatches-from-the-north-on-the-road-again/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:46:05 +0000 Lisa http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=2339 As I have mentioned in past posts, I have finally gotten around to taking driving lessons. I am in the midst of my third week of lessons, I take two lessons a week for an hour and a half each. So far my progress is very good. I am quickly learning and with each lesson I feel a bit of my driving prowess coming back as I get more comfortable with the vehicle.

    I am flabbergasted at how expensive this process is, even for me and I don’t need nearly as many lessons as someone learning to drive for the first time. When I was 15 and took driving lessons we took them through school. You could take private lessons if you wanted but they were very expensive and most kids went through the school program. I couldn’t tell you how much the course cost, my parents would be able to vouch for that, but given the fact that all sophomores took driver’s ed and not just the wealthy ones I have to draw the conclusion that the course was nowhere near as expensive as driving lessons in the UK are. For the average new driver in the UK the full driving course costs around £1000, including all of the licensing and testing fees.

    Everyone here has to take lessons through a private instructor, there are some larger driving schools that have franchises in several towns but for the most part the driving instructors are small private companies with 1 or 2 instructors. On one hand I like this, I was able to ask around and choose the instructor I wanted and I am so happy with the instructor I chose. The major downfall is the cost, its quite an investment for me to learn to drive.

    When I learned to drive for the first time 10 years ago our driving teachers were mostly teachers at our school, I am not sure what kind of classes they had to take to also teach driving on top of the other subjects they taught.  One of the instructors was a (certifiably) crazy middle school social studies teacher named Mr. Rathburg. This man had a moldy bagel hanging from the ceiling of his classroom and would have us flip through the social studies book at the beginning of each chapter and give a running commentary on the pictures such as “There is a nudey beach behind that mountain” and “They are growing pot on those terrace farms”. This is the man who taught most of the kids in my hometown to drive.

    Also, we shared cars. Each driver’s ed class was split into groups of 3 and we would have a classroom session with the whole group and then schedule time for driving during the week with our group of 3. I was 15 and the dreamiest guy in school was in my group. He was a transfer student from South Africa with a fascinating accent and I got to spend 1/3 of each driving lesson sitting in the back seat of a little sedan with him and while I was behind the wheel every time I looked in the rear view mirror, there he was. Looking back its a miracle any of us learned to drive at all.

    I guess you get what you pay for, in high school I learned to drive by taking my driving instructor through the McDonald’s drive thru. Here, my expensive driving lessons are tailor made for me. There is no sexy teenager in the backseat to distract me, and my instructor is a qualified professional and not a mentally unbalanced history teacher.

    I am still having a very difficult time with some aspects of learning to drive… again. Driver’s ed was tough for me the first time around but I got through it and learned and became a really safe and proficient driver. Now every time I make a mistake I can’t help but admonish myself and think that I have been driving for 10 years and I shouldn’t be making these mistakes. On the surface I see that I should be making these mistakes, when you learn a new skill you do so by learning from your mistakes. However I can’t get past the feeling that this isn’t a new skill to me. Before this experience I took great pride in my driving and I am embarrassed and ashamed by each mistake I make.

    I am incredibly nervous about taking the driving test. The written theory test is fairly extensive and requires quite a bit of studying. I will be tested on everything from what the catalytic converter is to how to handle passing a horse and rider. As part of the theory test I also have to take a hazard perception test where I will have to view a video simulation and touch the screen every time I see a hazard. After I pass the theory test I have to take the practical test which is infamously difficult. The current pass rate is 43% which is a scary statistic. Most people fail the test at least once. I am hoping my experience will make me one of the rare first-time passers. After all, I failed my first driving test when I was 16 so I have paid my dues right? Somehow I doubt the examiner will see it that way.

    Related Posts


    ]]>     http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/dispatches-from-the-north-on-the-road-again/feed/ 5 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/dispatches-from-the-north-on-the-road-again/     Anglophile Twitter Updates for 2009-07-15 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/IH9CiVAd5BA/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-15/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:00:00 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-15/
  • One consequence of Virgin Pulling out of Chicago – I can no longer book Virgin Vacation package deals. Which were pretty good… #
  • BBC report a third Bridget Jones is in the works. Let's hope it not utter crap like the last one. #

    • Powered by Twitter Tools.

    Related Posts


    ]]>     http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-15/feed/ 0 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-15/     BBC Announces Drama Slate For The First Half of Next Year http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/UFn86aM5jpk/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/bbc-announces-drama-slate-for-the-first-half-of-next-year/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:30:07 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=2335 The BBC recently announced it’s slate of new dramas for the first half of next year. There were a few interesting ones in the bunch, including a modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (with Doctor Who’s Moffat at the helm!).

    The Silence

    4 x 60-minute serial
    Written by Fiona Seres

    A unique coming-of-age drama about a sheltered 18-year-old deaf girl who unwittingly witnesses a murder and consequently becomes the key witness.

    A Passionate Woman

    2 x 90-minutes
    Written by Kay Mellor

    Kay Mellor’s play adapted for TV into two stories: the first focuses on a mother’s affair in the Fifties and the second is set in the Eighties and looks at the consequences of that affair 30 years on. A Passionate Woman is a very personal look at the changing role of women over the last 50 years.

    Luther (working title)

    6 x 60-minute series
    Written by Neil Cross

    A dark psychological crime drama in which John Luther, a detective struggling with his own terrible demons, might just be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts. Each week, the killer’s identity will be known to the audience, making every story both a ticking clock and a psychic duel between hunter and quarry – who have more in common than either would like to think.

    The Deep

    5 x 60 minute serial
    Written by Simon Donald

    A thriller set far below the Arctic ice, the action follows the crew of an oceanographer’s submarine as they search the final frontiers of Earth for unknown and remarkable life forms. When inexplicable circumstances cause catastrophe to strike, the crew find themselves stranded with no power, limited oxygen and no communication with the surface. And they are completely alone – or so they think…

    Sherlock

    3 x 90 minutes
    co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss

    A contemporary take on the classic stories, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Dr John Watson. Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London.

    Looks like a very interesting lineup. I’m most looking forward to The Deep and Sherlock.

    What new announced series are you most looking forward to?

    Related Posts


    ]]>     http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/bbc-announces-drama-slate-for-the-first-half-of-next-year/feed/ 1 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/bbc-announces-drama-slate-for-the-first-half-of-next-year/     Anglophile Twitter Updates for 2009-07-14 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Anglotopia/~3/aNVuyJ__gTY/ http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-14/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:00:00 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-14/
  • RT @TheMayFairHotel: Complimentary Afternoon Tea with your stay @TheMayFairHotel, From just £219: http://tinyurl.com/kmvftk #
  • RT @BritishAirways: Be the Face of Opportunity. Enter for a chance to expand your business in London & beyond. Visit ba.com/facetoface #
  • Does anyone know a place where I can sell ad space (ad blocks and text ads) for my blog that's like a marketplace? #

    • Powered by Twitter Tools.

    Related Posts


    ]]>     http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-14/feed/ 0 http://www.anglotopia.net/2009/07/anglophile-twitter-updates-for-2009-07-14/