Festive Halflings, and the television wasteland...

I've just got back from university and am now faced with illness, and the strange sensation of loneliness. Not that I'm actually lonely, but when you've become accustomed to wandering out of your room and chatting to people immediately it feels a bit strange. Also, this room is cold. Oh so very cold, even my hairy feet cannot withstand its chilly evil. I left my slippers in Egham (Yes I'm 18, and I wear slippers. They are comfy, and they have the Superman logo on them.) and so now my duvet has become a strange kind of foot blanket. I feel like I should be in a retirement home.
Speaking of feet however, I settled into a bit of a Christmas ritual yesterday. I sat downstairs, popped on the surround sound, let it snow (SNOW!! IN DECEMBER! THE END OF DAYS COMMETH!) outside and watched Fellowship of the Ring. Now, the Lord of the Rings films have a very special place in my heart. This is not because I am obsessed with the books, or the lore, its just that they are good. Really, really good. Better than the books in my own humble opinion, enjoyable on multiple over multiple viewing and something my whole family enjoys. Put one of these babies on (extended edition, of course) and the family will gather around to watch. Well, everyone except my sister, but she will learn. The first film was released in 2001, and I remember going with my parents. I found it a bit boring to be honest. Then I watched it again and loved it, and they came out each year, each one being almost faultless pieces of entertainment: the only criticism I can level at the entire trilogy is that Return of the King has a bit of too many endings syndrome. It drags a bit. But I even have grown to love that bit. The scripts are fantastic - condensing the source material into a exciting narrative with a better flow than the actual books and giving the characters more space to breathe and develop. The characters themselves are also fantastic, every actor perfect for their role, no matter how small the part and each giving performances that will forever define them for me. Even Orlando Bloom. The music is brilliant, giving Mr Williams a run for his money, and that doesn't happen often. I distinctly remember seeing Return of the King in the cinema with some friends, and as the sequence of the lighting of the beacons kicked in, my friend went to the toilet. He came back and said: "I could hear that in the loo's. It was epic." Epic sums up that bit perfectly, in both music and image, talking of which I don't think I can add anything that hasn't already been said about the fantastic photography and direction of the films as a whole. It's a continuous "wow" moment, and probably the main reason I come back to watching these so often, at least twice a year - like no other films these pull you into a living, fantastic world. If Avatar can match this, I will be a happy man. Some fun nerdy facts about these films: Originally, Sylvester Mcoy, the seventh Doctor, nearly played Bilbo. Nicolas Cage was nearly Aragorn (this didn't happen, and is proof there is in fact a God.) Patrick Stewart was also offered the role of Gandalf before Mckellen was. He rejected it because he didn't like the script - I contest this is not in fact true. He rejected it because to then have been Picard, Xavier and Gandalf could have basically caused the universe of fandom and geek culture to implode on itself. He was simply doing everyone a favor.
Another reason I have resorted to these films is that there is simply nothing on. TV has become its usual pre-Christmas dirge. There isn't even anything good happening stateside, as everything has stopped into mid-season breaks. I've stayed with Stargate: Universe, despite it being a bumpy ride so far. It's had its highs, and then some lows, in particular the episode Time which was a fantastic example of where the series should be headed, and then the episode that followed it Life, which was an example of everything completely wrong with the show. The cliffhanger ending has again seen a return to form, and its been given a second season so probably worth keeping with it I think. House is, and will always be, fantastic. Nothing more to say there. Scrubs has returned with its new format... and actually isn't too terrible. But the sooner they send J.D off on a bus the better. A few more episodes and he actually leaves, and hopefully the show can try and flourish in its new self. Until that, there is nothing. Until Christmas day that is... and the Doctor Who big finale. Doctor Who has already taken a place as part of my Christmas every year, but this time round it is dominating it. By new years day, I may be a lunatic. If anyone speaks, death shalt be swift.
And that should pretty much be enough for this blog post... I've got a load of articles and pieces to actually upload onto this blog, but I'm lazy. The new Nonstandard website is coming along lovely for a Christmas Eve release date, and I'm already writing some stuff for that. Tomorrow its off to see Them Crooked Vultures, which should be fantastic, and day after that is the ever reliable Frank Turner. Not a bad way to round of the year gig-wise, especially a year that's included the Reading festival and U2. That reminds me in fact, I must now depart to go and listen to War remastered on my new massive speakers. I can make the house shake if I turn it up enough...