Mod announcement the second!

[santheum]

Hello Mycroftees! Not even midday yet and already a second mod announcement, what are we like?

So if you've been reading recent posts up to now you'll know that Raks has handed ownership of Mycrofting over to me. A lot of new members will probably not know who I am, but don't panic! I've been with Mycrofting since its inception (which had nothing

Comments

[badapplebettie]

Helloooo! We've exchanged comments, so I feel I know you a little bit. I'm Kim. I realize that's a bit confusing with the "bettie" user name. That was taken from a small craft company my best friend and I started several years back. She made jewelry and I did knitted goods, mostly purses. Brown Apple Betty is an American dessert made with apples (obviously), bread crumbs, and cinnamon. We thought it was funny to combine the idea of something wholesome with the concept of the "bad apple" and we wanted to evoke a bit of 50s pin up naughtiness so we spelled Betty the way Bettie Page did. Eh, voila! BadAppleBetties. It's become my default username, so you can find me here and on DeviantArt under it. Of course, the only problem is that people in the fandom now tend to think my name is Bettie. One could have worse problems.

I'm an editor/writer/proofreader in Raleigh, North Carolina. I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was 10 years old, which was *cough*29*cough* years ago. I fell in love with Jeremy Brett's interpretation of Holmes; he was absolutely the version of Holmes I held in my mind. As a result of this, I have never seen any of the Basil Rathbone Holmes films. I just didn't see the point. I did enjoy the Guy Ritchie/Jude Law/RDJ Holmes, but it wasn't Holmes to me, exactly. Had I gone in expecting a more faithful adherence to the spirit of the original ACD stories, I think I would have been very disappointed. But I got what I thought I would -- a fun romp with good chemistry between the leads, decent acting, fabulous costuming (courtesy Jenny Beavan, one of the best in the business -- Sense and Sensibility, Gosford Park, The King's Speech), and a nod to the original stories.

I was fully expecting Sherlock to be at worst a travesty and at best tolerable. Boy, was I wrong! I find this Gatiss/Moffat version to be more true to the spirit of the original than Guy Ritchie could ever hope to be. Proof positive of Gatiss and Moffat's assertion that Sherlock transcends the era in which he was born and would thrive in the modern age. Their adoration of the original stories comes through loud and clear. This series has introduced me to Mark Gatiss in all his fabulously talented aspects: writer, actor, comedian, horror enthusiast, dramatist. I've just come to adore him.

I'm the North Carolina representative for the Undershaw Preservation Trust and I'm really excited about being able to channel my longstanding affection for ACD into a hopefully productive effort to save his home.

As you know, my friend Sarah and I are coming to London for the last performance of Frankenstein. I really hope I get to meet you while we're in town.

Whew, as Buffy the Vampire Slayer would say, "If I'd known I was going to go on so long, I would've brought a glass of water."

[santheum]

It's a pleasure Kim! I hope no one actually thinks my name is Chrysanthemum - my parents aren't that cruel!

I will sadly admit that I have not yet seen Jeremy Brett as Holmes, despite my housemate inviting me to watch it several times. Must get on that. I have however seen the Guy Ritchie film and even more excitingly, one of my friends has helped make some of the costumes for the second film! I might ask her if she could write a short pieces about it, because I'm sure people here would find it interesting.

BBC Sherlock was everything I hoped it would be and more. It's actually helped me decide to move to London next year, which is something I've been dithering over for a while. You will see me in London over Easter anyway, my family lives really close by. I cannot wait!

♥ for the Buffy quote!

[badapplebettie]

Oh, I highly recommend the Brett series, especially if you're a fan of the original stories. They just got everything right. One of the most interesting Benedict interviews for me (which of course I can't find now) was one in which he talked about Brett's interpretation. He had the unique perspective of having known Brett because he was a family friend. He talked a lot about the darker aspects of playing Holmes and how difficult that was for Brett, who was naturally a very ebullient person but who also suffered from clinical depression. Interesting stuff.

I would love to hear about your friend's experiences. I love costuming. As much as I enjoy knitting and am pleased that I've gotten quite good at it over the years, I sometimes wish I'd put my crafty energies into learning how to sew. Jenny Beavan and Colleen Atwood are my two favorite film designers. Atwood just won and Academy Award this year for the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland. Beavan was also up for The King's Speech and I was actually a bit disappointed that she didn't win. I felt her designs were better, but Alice was so flashy and fantastical that it was hard to see past that. Just my opinion, of course.

Sarah and I will be in London from May 2 thru May 8th. We head back on the 9th. I wish we could have stayed longer. We'll be staying with a friend in Greenwich, so we don't have the overhead of lodging, but we both have to get back to work, so staying longer than a week just wasn't feasible. In any case, we'll be doing various and sundry things over the course of the week, including a Sherlock Holmes walk on Friday at 2 pm if you'd care to join us. It's the walk that Raks recommended and you don't have to make reservations; you just show up.

If you'll be at the Frankenstein closing party, we can maybe figure something out.

Gah, I am chatty as can be today!

[santheum]

It's on my to watch list for the summer, definitely :) I would love to see that interview if you can find it as well - Brett seems fascinating from what I've heard of him! I remember talking about him at work before I left last month, and one of my collogues was expressing some interesting opinions on his mental state!

I shall have to get in touch with her. I used to work with a lot of very talented costumers (I also make costumes, but I wouldn't consider myself that talented!) she was by far the best. She did an exhibition of Victorian and Civil War costume and the detail on them just blew my mind. It was an intern ship she did at one of the big costume houses in London (I forget which one) and apparently they had a whole loft of genuine costumes from as far back as 1700! Not even in cases, you could just pick them up and try them on! It boggles the mind to think of it.

Ah, I leave London on the night of the 3rd. Though if you and your friend want someone to show you around, I have nothing to do all that day! I'll be at closing night party as well, so we can talk then :) I'll be the tall one wearing something ridiculous haha.

[kiharukitty]

Hi Kim, I'm Kim! I guess I now understand why I heard someone calling my name at the Sunrise but no one seemed to be looking for me, and I was with all the people who knew my name. And oddly enough, we're both about the same age.

I hope you have an amazing time in London, you lucky thing you. Making that trip is one of my major goals in life.