NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 137: "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" is Up!

"Hah!  Do you know what this is?"
"You ask me so that you can tell me."
"Exactly."
-- The Fourth Doctor and Leela, Doctor Who: "The Talons of Weng-Chiang"

Back from time and space, original partner in time Jesse Jackson joins me for a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast, as we discuss "The Talons of Weng-Chiang", the controversial sixth serial from Doctor Who Season 14 in 1977, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela, Christopher Benjamin as Henry Gordon Jago, and Trevor Baxter as Professor George Litefoot!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like our great special guest companion fill-in hosts, which episodes are left to discuss on Next Stop Everywhere, Weng-Chiang/Magnus Greel being a replacement for The Master, the various Sherlock Holmes references, William Goldman's The Princess Bride, Deep Roy as Keenser in the Star Trek reboot films, the yellowface racism controversy of white actor John Bennett being made up as the Chinese magician Li H'Sen Chang, Leela being the Doctor's bodyguard, Leela's "My Fair Lady" instruction with Professor Litefoot, the Victorian era always making for a good Doctor Who story, Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor getting his Sherlock Holmes on, the greatness of Jago and Litefoot, why the Master would've made for a better reveal than Magnus Greel, Li H'Sen Chang deciding to join his ancestors to free himself from Greel, the Big Finish audio adventure The Butcher of Brisbane, Mr. Sin the Peking Homunculus, Mr. Sin's homicidal killing spree, our favorite lines of the story, the Doctor's toy Batmobile, the really bad giant rat, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, some feedback from Holly from Wisconsin and Paul from Australia, the return of Christine Peruski, and more!

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Be sure to come back in two weeks as special guest companion Christine Peruski returns to Next Stop Everywhere and we discuss "A Good Man Goes to War", the seventh episode from Doctor Who Series 6 in 2011, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Alex Kingston as River Song, and introducing Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny Flint, and Dan Starkey as Strax!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

WESTWORLD Leads 2017 Emmy Nominations with 22

These violent delights have viable noms.

With Game of Thrones missing in action, HBO's science fiction western thriller Westworld filled the void nicely with a leading total of 22 nominations for the 2017 Emmy Awards, including acting nominations for Sir Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, and Thandie Newton.

Netflix's fan-favorite series Stranger Things was close behind with an impressive 19 for its first season, with acting nominations for David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, and Shannon Purser.  Justice for Barb, indeed.

FX's American Horror Story: Roanoke earned 4 nominations, as did USA's Mr. Robot, Showtime's Penny Dreadful, and BBC's Sherlock, all down from last year.

Other recognized geek-favorite shows include Fox's Gotham and The Simpsons, Starz's American Gods, FX's Archer, Comedy Central's South Park, AMC's The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Netflix's Luke Cage and Sense8. 

Some notable oversights include FX's Legion and Fox's Lucifer, both of which failed to earn a single nomination.

You can read the full list of nominations HERE, but this is the breakdown for the shows listed above...

WESTWORLD (22 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series -- Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Robert Ford
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series -- Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Thandie Newton as Maeve
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- Jonathan Nolan -- "The Bicameral Mind"
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series -- Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan -- "The Bicameral Mind"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "The Bicameral Mind"
Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music -- Ramin Djawadi
Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "The Bicameral Mind"
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) -- "The Bicameral Mind"
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) -- "The Original"
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "The Original"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "Contrapasso"
Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "The Original"
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special -- "The Original"
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "The Bicameral Mind"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "The Bicameral Mind"
Outstanding Period/Fantasy Costumes for a Series, Limited Series, or Movie -- "The Original"
Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Program -- "DiscoverWestworld.com"

STRANGER THINGS (19 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- David Harbour as Jim Hopper
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series -- Shannon Purser as Barb Holland
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- The Duffer Brothers -- "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series -- The Duffer Brothers -- "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down"
Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music -- Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period Program (One Hour or More) -- "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street"
Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Chapter Six: The Monster"
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "Chapter Seven: The Bathtub"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down"
Outstanding Music Supervision -- "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street"
Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Program -- "Stranger Things VR Experience"

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ROANOKE (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special -- "Chapter 1"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie
Outstanding Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special

MR. ROBOT (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series -- BD Wong as Whiterose
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "eps2.0_unm4sk-pt1.tc + eps2.0_unm4sk-pt2.tc"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "eps2.8_h1dden-pr0cess.axx"
Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Program -- "The Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experience"

PENNY DREADFUL (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) -- "Perpetual Night, The Blessed Dark"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "Ebb Tide"
Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Perpetual Night"
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special -- "No Beast So Fierce"

SHERLOCK (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie - Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes -- "The Lying Detective"
Outstanding Television Movie -- "The Lying Detective"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special -- "The Lying Detective"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie -- "The Lying Detective"

GOTHAM (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "Destiny Calling"
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role -- "Heavydirtysoul"
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie

THE SIMPSONS (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "The Town"
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson -- "Looking for Mr. Goodbart"
Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Program -- "The Simpsons -- Planet of the Couches"

AMERICAN GODS (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "The Bone Orchard"

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series -- "Passage"
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series -- Kelsey Scott -- "Passage"

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series -- "Slingshot"

ARCHER (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Archer Dreamland: No Good Deed"

LUKE CAGE (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie

SENSE8 (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "Obligate Mutualisms"

SOUTH PARK (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Member Berries"

THE WALKING DEAD (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special -- "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"


The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled to air Sunday, September 17th on CBS.

Your 2017 Geek Movie and TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for Like Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2017.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

6 - Underworld: Blood Wars (Movie)
8 - Elementary, Sherlock: The Lying Detective, The Simpsons (TV)
10 - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
15 - Sherlock: The Final Problem (TV)
16 - Gotham, Lucifer, Supergirl (TV)
24 - The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
25 - Arrow (TV)
26 - Riverdale (TV)

FEBRUARY

2 - Powerless (TV)
8 - Legion (TV)
10 - John Wick: Chapter 2, The LEGO Batman Movie (Movie)
12 - Last Week Tonight, The Walking Dead (TV)

MARCH

March 2017? -- Better Call Saul, The Americans (TV)
3 - Logan (Movie)
10 - Kong: Skull Island (Movie)
17 - Iron Fist (TV)
24 - Power Rangers (Movie)
31 - Ghost in the Shell (Movie)

APRIL

April 2017? - American Gods, Class, Doctor Who, Fear the Walking Dead, Into the Badlands, Orphan Black, Twin Peaks (TV)
4 - iZombie (TV)

MAY

May 2017? - Preacher, Star Trek: Discovery (TV)
5 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Movie)
19 - Alien: Covenant (Movie)
26 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Movie)

JUNE

June 2017? - The Defenders, Game of Thrones, Outcast (TV)
2 - Wonder Woman (Movie)
9 - The Mummy (Movie)
23 - Transformers: The Last Knight (Movie)
30 - Despicable Me 3 (Movie)

JULY

July 2017? - Stranger Things (TV)
7 - Spider-Man: Homecoming (Movie)
14 - War for the Planet of the Apes (Movie)
28 - The Dark Tower (Movie)

AUGUST

August 2017? -- Halt and Catch Fire, The Strain (TV)

SEPTEMBER

September 2017? - Gotham, The Inhumans, Lucifer, The Punisher, The Simpsons (TV)
4 - The Inhumans (Movie)
8 - Stephen King's IT Part One (Movie)

OCTOBER

October 2017? - American Horror Story, Arrow, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Elementary, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, The Walking Dead (TV)
6 - Blade Runner 2049, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Movie)

NOVEMBER

3 - Thor: Ragnarok (Movie)
17 - Justice League (Movie)

DECEMBER

15 - Star Wars Episode VIII (Movie)
25 - Doctor Who 2017 Christmas Special

GAME OF THRONES Leads 2016 Emmy Nominations with 23

Winter finally came...and so did the Emmy noms.

HBO's fantasy drama series Game of Thrones once again leads the pack with a total of 23 nominations for the 2016 Emmy Awards, including acting nominations for Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, and Maisie Williams.

Fan-favorite Tatiana Maslany finally received a long-overdue nomination for BBC America's Orphan Black, although that was the show's sole nomination.  Netflix's Daredevil and Jessica Jones scored two nominations each, although Jessica Jones stars Krysten Ritter and David Tennant were sadly overlooked.

FX's American Horror Story earned 8 nominations, while USA's Mr. Robot, Showtime's Penny Dreadful, and BBC's Sherlock each earned 6 nominations.

Other recognized geek-favorite shows include Fox's Gotham, The Simpsons and Family Guy, FX's Archer, Comedy Central's South Park, AMC's The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, and NBC's Hannibal.  

You can read the full list of nominations HERE, but this is the breakdown for the shows listed above...

GAME OF THRONES (23 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Kit Harington as Jon Snow
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Emilia Clarke as Danerys Targaryen
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series -- Max von Sydow as The Three-Eyed Raven
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series -- David Benioff and D.B. Weiss -- "Battle of the Bastards"
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- Jack Bender -- "The Door"
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- Miguel Sapochnik -- "Battle of the Bastards"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "The Door"
Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Battle of the Bastards"
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) -- "Blood of My Blood, The Broken Man, No One"
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series -- "Home"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "The Door"
Outstanding Interactive Program
Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Battle of the Bastards"
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special -- "The Door"
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "Oathbreaker"
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "Battle of the Bastards"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Battle of the Bastards"
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie
Outstanding Costumes for a Period/Fantasy Series, Limited Series or Movie -- "The Winds of Winter"

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL (8 Nominations)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie -- Sarah Paulson as Hypodermic Sally/Billie Dean Howard
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie -- Kathy Bates as Iris
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special -- "Checking In"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
Outstanding Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special
Outstanding Costumes for a Contemporary Series, Limited Series or Movie -- "Chutes and Ladders"

MR. ROBOT (6 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series -- Rami Malek as Elliot
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series -- Sam Esmail -- "eps1.0_ hellofriend. mov"
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series -- Mac Quayle -- "eps1.0_ hellofriend. mov"
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "eps1.5_br4ve-trave1er.asf"

PENNY DREADFUL (6 Nominations)

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series -- Abel Korzeniowski -- "And They Were Enemies"
Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "And They Were Enemies"
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) -- "Fresh Hell, Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places, And Hell Itself My Only Foe"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "Glorious Horrors"
Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Glorious Horrors"
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special -- "And Hell Itself My Only Foe)

SHERLOCK (6 Nominations)

Outstanding Television Movie -- "The Abominable Bride"
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie - Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes -- "The Abominable Bride"
Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie -- "The Abominable Bride"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special -- "The Abominable Bride"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie -- "The Abominable Bride"
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role -- "The Abominable Bride"

GOTHAM (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "Azrael"
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series -- "Azrael"
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie

SOUTH PARK (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "You're Not Yelping"
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Matt Stone as Craig Tucker, Tweek, and Thomas Tucker -- "Tweek x Craig"
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Trey Parker as Eric Cartman and PC Principal -- "Stunning and Brave"

DAREDEVIL (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "New York's Finest"
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series -- "Flight 462"
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series -- Michelle Ang -- "Flight 462"

JESSICA JONES (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music -- Sean P. Callery

THE SIMPSONS (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Halloween of Horror"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation -- "Halloween of Horror"

THE WALKING DEAD (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special -- "No Way Out"
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role -- "No Way Out"

ARCHER (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "The Figgis Agency"

FAMILY GUY (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, Dr. Hartman, Tom Tucker, Mr. Spacely -- "Pilling Them Softly"

HANNIBAL (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role -- "Primavera"

ORPHAN BLACK (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series -- Tatiana Maslany as Sarah, Alison, Cosima, Helena, Rachel, M.K., and Krystal



The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled to air Sunday, September 18th on ABC.

The SHERLOCK Christmas Special Trailer is Afoot in Victorian London

"The stage is set, the curtain rises, we are ready to begin..."

The BBC has officially released the first trailer for the upcoming Sherlock Christmas Special, which features Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson reprising their roles...but in Victorian London.

We see the familiar setting of 19th Century England, horse-drawn carriages, cobblestone streets, and men in top hats and derbys, as Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of someone that Holmes promised to keep safe.

"Well, Holmes," says Watson, sporting a thick, traditional era mustache, "Surely, you must have some theory."

"We all have a past, Watson," replies Holmes.  "Ghosts -- They're the shadows that define our every sunny day."

"Every great cause has martyrs," Holmes remarks later on as we get a quick glimpse of a group of figures (bodies?) in black robes with pointed hoods and Watson sitting with his wife Mary (Amanda Abbington).  "Every war has suicide missions, and make no mistake, this is war."

"What made you like this?" Watson asks Holmes in another fleeting scene.

"Oh, Watson...Nothing made me.  I made me."

After seeing flashes of Rupert Graves as Inspector Lestrade and Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson, we have a small exchange between Holmes and Watson, who hands Holmes his traditional deerstalker cap.  "This one," Watson tells Holmes, who asks why.  "You're Sherlock Holmes -- Wear the damn hat."  Holmes dons the deerstalker, then steps outside to presumably face the public.

Interestingly, the Christmas Special is listed as "Coming Soon" instead of Christmas, so perhaps we won't see it until early 2016?  In the meantime, you can check out the trailer below thanks to the official Sherlock YouTube account...

SHERLOCK Christmas Special Previewed, Gets Theatrical Release

The game is afoot at Christmas!  And even on the big screen!

Downshifting from Hall H to Ballroom 20 at San Diego Comic Con 2015, executive producer Steven Moffat brought our first look at the upcoming Sherlock Christmas Special.

The special will be a standalone episode, set in Victorian times where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first gave birth to the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes.  And since this is a Christmas episode, it seems likely that the story will be based around Doyle's Holmes Christmas story, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.

And even better, the Christmas special will also be released in theaters, similar to the Doctor Who fiftieth anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," that was shown in theaters and on television the same week.

A 90-second preview of the special was shown during the Sherlock panel, showing Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman) arriving at 221B Baker Street by horsedrawn carriage, greeted by Holmes' landlady, Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs).  We learn that neither Holmes nor Mrs. Hudson are fans of Watson's stories, with Mrs. Hudson complaining that she never gets to say anything in them, remarking "According to you, I just show people up the stairs and serve you breakfast."

Sherlock tells Mrs. Hudson not to feel singled out, complaining that he is hardly in "The dog one," referring to The Hound of the Baskervilles, adapted on Sherlock in Series Two as "The Hounds of Baskerville."

Mrs. Hudson also complains that the living room is depicted as "so drab and dingy," forcing Dr. Watson to reply "Oh, blame it on the illustrator.  He's out of control."   A sly reference to Sidney Paget, the illustrator of Doyle's stories for The Strand magazine.

You can view the preview below, thanks to PBS' official YouTube account...




The Sherlock Christmas Special should presumably air on the BBC and in theaters sometime around Christmas.

Your 2015 Geek Movie and TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for Like Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2015.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

4 - The Simpsons, Downtown Abbey (TV)
5 - Gotham (TV)
6 - Agent Carter (TV)
7 - American Horror Story: Freak Show (TV)
8 - Archer (TV)
16 - Constantine, 12 Monkeys (TV)
17 - The Musketeers (TV)
19 - The Venture Bros. (TV)
20 - The Flash (TV)
21 - Arrow (TV)
28 - The Americans (TV)

FEBRUARY

February 2015 -- Hannibal, iZombie (TV)
6 - Jupiter Ascending (Movie)
8 - Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead (TV)
13 - Kingsman: The Secret Service (Movie)
27 - House of Cards (TV)

MARCH

March 2015 -- Mad Men (TV)
3 - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
4 - Broadchurch (TV)
6 - Chappie (Movie)
20 - Insurgent (Movie)

APRIL

April 2015 - Game of Thrones (TV)
18 - Orphan Black (TV)

MAY

May 2015 - Daredevil, Penny Dreadful (TV)
1 - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
15 - Mad Max: Fury Road (Movie)
22 - Tomorrowland (Movie)

JUNE

June 2015 - Defiance, Heroes: Reborn (TV)
12 - Jurassic World (Movie)
19 - Inside Out (Movie)

JULY

July 2015 -- The Strain (TV)
1 - Terminator Genisys (Movie)
10 - Minions (Movie)
17 - Ant-Man (Movie)

AUGUST

August 2015 -- Doctor Who (TV)
14 - The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Movie)
28 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Destiny (Movie, TV)

SEPTEMBER

September 2014 - Gotham, Once Upon a Time, The Simpsons, South Park (TV)

OCTOBER

October 2014 - American Horror Story, Arrow, Elementary, The Flash, Preacher, Supergirl, The Walking Dead (TV)

NOVEMBER

6 - Spectre (Movie)
20 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (Movie)

DECEMBER

18 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Movie)
25 - Doctor Who 2015 Christmas Special, Sherlock 2015 Christmas Special (TV), Mission: Impossible 5 (Movie)

GAME OF THRONES Leads 2014 Emmy Nominations with 19

HBO's Game of Thrones leads the pack with a total of 19 nominations for the 2014 Emmy Awards, including acting nominations for Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Dame Diana Rigg.

The FX series American Horror Story: Coven followed with an impressive 17 nominations, and PBS' airing of Sherlock earned a surprising 12 nominations.

Other recognized geek-favorite shows include  Adult Swim's Robot Chicken, FX's Archer, Comedy Central's Futurama and South Park, Fox's The Simpsons, Sleepy Hollow, Almost Human and Family Guy, HBO's True Blood, BBC America's Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond, ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Once Upon a Time, AMC's The Walking Dead and NBC's Community, Grimm and Revolution. 

BBC America's Orphan Black and star Tatiana Maslany were criminally overlooked once again, as was the CW's Arrow and CBS' Elementary, with these shows failing to earn even a single nomination.

You can read the full list of nominations HERE, but this is the breakdown for the shows listed above...

GAME OF THRONES (19 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series -- Dame Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series -- David Benioff and D.B. Weiss -- "The Children"
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- Neil Marshall "-- The Watchers on the Wall"
Outstanding Interactive Program
Outstanding Art Direction for a Contemporary or Fantasy Series (Single-Camera) -- "The Laws of Gods and Men," "The Mountain and the Viper"
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series -- "Two Swords"
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series -- "The Lion and the Rose"
Outstanding Costumes for a Series -- "The Lion and the Rose"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "The Lion and the Rose"
Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Oathkeeper"
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special -- "The Children"
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) -- Ramin Djawadi -- "The Mountain and the Viper"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "The Watchers on the Wall"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "The Watchers on the Wall"
Outstanding Special and Visual Effects -- "The Children"
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries or Movie

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN (17 Nominations)

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie -- Jessica Lange as Fiona Goode
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie -- Sarah Paulson as Cordelia Goode Foxx
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie -- Frances Conroy as Myrtle Snow
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie -- Kathy Bates as Madame Delphine LaLaurie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie -- Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special -- Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk -- "Bitchcraft"
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special -- Alfonso Gomez-Rejon -- "Bitchcraft"
Outstanding Art Direction for a Period Series, Miniseries or a Movie (Single-Camera)
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special -- "Bitchcraft"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) -- James Levine -- "The Seven Wonders"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special -- "Fearful Pranks Ensue"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie -- "Fearful Pranks Ensue"

SHERLOCK (12 Nominations)

Outstanding Television Movie -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie - Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie -- Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special -- Steven Moffat -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special -- Nick Hurran -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) -- David Arnold and Michael Price -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special -- "His Last Vow"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie -- "His Last Vow"

FUTURAMA (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Meanwhile"
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Maurice LaMarche as Calculon and Morbo -- "Calculon 2.0"

ROBOT CHICKEN (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program -- "Born Again Virgin Christmas Special"
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Seth Green as various characters -- "DC Comics Special II: Villains in Paradise"

THE SIMPSONS (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Harry Shearer as Kent Brockman, Mr. Burns, Younger Burns and Waylon Smithers -- "Four Regrettings and a Funeral"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation -- "Married to the Blob"

TRUE BLOOD (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Art Direction for a Contemporary or Fantasy Series (Single-Camera) -- "At Last," "F**k the Pain Away," "In the Evening"
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries or Movie

THE WALKING DEAD (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "Too Far Gone"
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role -- "30 Days Without an Accident"

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Special and Visual Effects -- "T.A.H.I.T.I."

ALMOST HUMAN (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Special and Visual Effects -- "Pilot"
ARCHER (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Archer Vice: The Rules of Extraction"

COMMUNITY (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or a Variety Program

FAMILY GUY (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin and Glenn Quagmire -- "In Harmony's Way" 

FLEMING: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE BOND (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie -- "Episode One"

GRIMM (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries or Movie

ONCE UPON A TIME (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Costumes for a Series -- "A Curious Thing"

REVOLUTION (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries or Movie

SLEEPY HOLLOW (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music  -- Brian Tyler and Robert Grant Lydecker

SOUTH PARK (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Black Friday"


The 66th Primetime Emmys is scheduled to air on Monday, August 25th on NBC at 8 p.m. EST.

SHERLOCK Returns for Christmas Special...in 2015

The game is back on at Christmas.  Well...Christmas 2015 at least.

After the end of "His Last Vow" in January, fans of the BBC television series Sherlock have been eagerly awaiting word of when Series Four will arrive.  Well, according to The Telegraph, a new episode is reportedly on the way, just not until Christmas 2015.

They spoke with Martin Freeman, who plays Sherlock Holmes' recently-married best friend Dr. John Watson, who said that a period of filming "looks pretty likely" in early 2015.  "If that’s going to be a special -- I’m speaking off-message here; if this was New Labour I’d get fired -- I think that might be for next Christmas.  A Christmas special.  That’s what I understand."

Meanwhile, Freeman was asked if his real-life partner Amanda Abbington is going to return as John's new wife Mary Watson.  "Certainly, yes, for the foreseeable future," he said, adding a spoiler from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Holmes stories.  "While we play fast and loose with the original stories, we generally follow the trajectory of what Conan Doyle did.  So he [Watson] gets married, and then Mary dies -- so at some point, presumably she’ll die."

The problem with making new episodes of Sherlock hasn't been due to lack of interest from Freeman, co-star Benedict Cumberbatch and executive producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, but finding an opening in everyone's busy schedules.  Freeman stars in Richard III at London's Trafalgar Studios next month and has recently finished filming the Hobbit trilogy and the first season of the FX series Fargo.  Cumberbatch has recently voiced the role of the dragon Smaug for the Hobbit trilogy and is currently filming Black Mass, then will also take on Richard III for a BBC production to be broadcast next year. As for Moffat and Gatiss, they've been working on Series Eight of Doctor Who and Gatiss recently appeared as Tycho Nestoris in Season 4 of HBO's Game of Thrones.

Your 2014 Geek Movie and TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for Like Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2014.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

1 - Sherlock (UK) (TV)
2 - Community, Elementary (TV)
3 - Dracula (TV)
5 - Downton Abbey (PBS), The Simpsons (TV)
6 - Almost Human, @Midnight (TV)
7 - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Intelligence (TV)
8 - American Horror Story (TV)
10 - Helix (TV)
13 - Archer, Bitten (TV)
15 - Arrow (TV)
17 - Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Movie)
19 - Sherlock (PBS) (TV)
21 - Knights of Badassdom (Movie)
24 - I, Frankenstein (Movie)
29 - Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond (TV)

FEBRUARY

February 2014 - Survivor (TV)
7 - The LEGO Movie (Movie)
9 - The Walking Dead (TV)
12 - RoboCop (Movie)
14 - House of Cards (TV)
26 - The Americans (TV)
28 - Hannibal (TV)

MARCH

6 - Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (TV)
7 - 300: Rise of an Empire, Mr. Peabody & Sherman (Movie)
9 - Once Upon a Time (TV)
14 - Veronica Mars (Movie)
21 - Divergent, Muppets Most Wanted (Movies)

APRIL

April 2014 - Game of Thrones, Mad Men (TV)
4 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Movie)
19 - Orphan Black (TV)

MAY

2 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Movie)
16 - Godzilla (Movie)
23 - X-Men: Days of Future Past (Movie)
30 - Maleficent (Movie)

JUNE

June 2014 - Defiance, True Blood (TV)
13 - How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Movie)
27 - Transformers: Age of Extinction (Movie)

JULY

11 - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Movie)
18 - Jupiter Ascending (Movie)

AUGUST

1 - Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie)
8 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Movie)
22 - Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (Movie)

SEPTEMBER

September 2014 - Boardwalk Empire, Doctor Who, Elementary, Gotham, Homeland, Once Upon a Time, The Simpsons, South Park, Survivor (TV)

OCTOBER

October 2014 - American Horror Story, Arrow, The Walking Dead (TV)
17 - Dracula Untold (Movie)

NOVEMBER

7 - Big Hero 6, Interstellar (Movies)
21 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Movie)

DECEMBER

17 - The Hobbit: There and Back Again (Movie)
25 - Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special (TV), Into the Woods (Movie)

The Return of SHERLOCK in "Many Happy Returns"

The game is back on.  At last.

Taking a page from Doctor Who's book, the BBC series Sherlock teased the return of Sherlock Holmes in a new 7-minute Series 3 prequel episode titled "Many Happy Returns."  The story, written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, was released by the BBC this morning, giving Sherlock fans an early Christmas present.

Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) and Metropolitan Police Forensic Services member Anderson (Jonathan Aris) sit down in a pub, with Anderson attempting to convince Lestrade that Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is still alive after the events of the Series 2 finale, "The Reichenbach Fall."  He offers up three supposed Sherlock sightings:

1.  A breakway sect of Buddhist warrior monks infiltrated by a blonde drug smuggler exposed by an abbot with unusual powers of observation and deduction.

2.  An incident in New Delhi, where an Indian police detective explains how he solved a murder by working out the depth to which a chocolate flake had sunk into the victim's ice cream cone. 

3.  The mysterious juror in Hamburg, Germany, who somehow persuades a jury tconvinced that a man named Trepoff isn't guilty of the murder of his wife is, in fact, actually guilty.

"He's out there," remarks Anderson.  "He's hiding, but he can't stop himself from getting involved.  It's so obviously him if you know how to spot the signs."

We learn that Anderson, who used to give Holmes a hard time at crime scenes, lost "a good job fantasizing about a dead man coming back to life."  Before leaving, Lestrade feels sorry for Anderson and offers to put in a word about having his case reviewed.

"Just look at the map, though," replies Anderson.  "He's getting closer.  It's like he's coming back."

Lestrade goes to check on Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), bringing him a box of things that belonged to Sherlock.  He pulls out an uncut version of a video message that Lestrade insisted Sherlock make for Watson's birthday.  After he's alone, Watson watches the DVD and we realize how much he misses his presumably deceased friend.

"I'll tell you what you can do," mumbles Watson.  "You can stop being dead."

"Hello, John," begins the recording.  "I'm sorry I'm not there at the moment, but I'm very busy -- however, many happy returns.  Oh, and don't worry -- I'm going to be with you again very soon."

Watson pauses the recording when the doorbell rings, then we cut to Anderson, who smiles as he realizes that Sherlock Holmes is coming back.  And if that isn't subtle enough for you, a man outside reads a newspaper proclaiming "The Game is Back On!"  And then, the video recording suddenly starts again, with Holmes smiling and winking at the camera...and us as well.

If you'd like to watch "Many Happy Returns," you can view it below thanks to the BBC's official YouTube account...



Sherlock returns on January 1, 2014 in the UK and on January 19, 2014 on PBS in the United States.

Moriarty Returns to ELEMENTARY in January

The world's greatest detective's greatest adversary is about to return.

Last May, the CBS series Elementary did the unthinkable by revealing that Irene Adler, the love of Sherlock Holmes' life, was actually his diabolical and mysterious arch-nemesis Jamie Moriarty.  Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer became the first woman to portray the famous literary villain on screen, completely changing the dynamic between Holmes and Moriarty in a bold, fresh way.

When last we saw Moriarty in the season one finale "Heroine," she was taken into federal custody after Holmes faked a drug overdose and lured Moriarty into a trap when she visited his hospital room.  The recent episode "We Are Everyone" revealed that Moriarty has been writing letters to Holmes from prison.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, series executive producer Rob Doherty discusses Moriarty's return in the episode scheduled for January 2, 2014.  Doherty describes the episode as "A young girl is kidnapped in New York City, and Sherlock and Joan come to believe that Moriarty may have orchestrated the abduction, which is a tad confusing since she’s been in federal custody for several months now.  So in the episode, they seek her out and she becomes something of a participant into the investigation into the kidnapping."

"We’re going to learn a lot more about Moriarty," he continues.  "We’re going to reveal some secrets regarding her past and where she comes from and what she’s done to get where she is.  You know, it’s definitely an episode with some major twists and we’re excited for it to air."

When asked about how Moriarty's return complicates things for Holmes, Doherty replies, "People who have enjoyed the complicated relationship will not be disappointed.  It remains as complicated as ever.  It’s very interesting for Sherlock to see her and be around her again.  And it’s, of course, not just about how it lands on Sherlock but Joan as well, given that Joan played such a major role in Moriarty’s takedown at the end of the first season.  There’s plenty of unfinished business between those, so we single those two out for a little alone time over the course of the episode."

As for how Moriarty feels about all this, Doherty remarks, "She recognizes that she was defeated but she hasn’t quite figured it out yet.  I think she’s certainly one to point out that she has a lot in common with Sherlock, but unlike him, she has remained independent to her detriment and ultimately, that’s really what led to her downfall last year.  She doesn’t have a Watson in her life, and she could probably benefit from one.  Sherlock and Joan as a unit tend to be stronger than Moriarity as a solo."

Elementary airs on CBS on Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST.