Jack Yan on Vox

‘I had an accident and woke up in the year …’

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:09:18 +1200

Some lads decide to have a go at the terrible and now-scrapped David E. Kelley version of Life on Mars and its star, Jason O’Mara. If you have seen any part of the remake, you should enjoy this.

Steven on Mars 2: The casting of Jason O'Mara

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Am I mad, in a coma, or forward in time?

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:50:31 +1200

Late last year, co-creator Matthew Graham wrote Life on Mars one more time: in a Christmas special short story for the Daily Mail tabloid in the UK. I mentioned this earlier in 2008, but now that Ashes to Ashes has finished its first series, this part fascinates me about Sam’s post-series life. Annie speaks to Sam and recollects a dream she had:

[Sam] turned to go, aware that outside a Ford Cortina was blocking in the ambulances and an impatient pair of leather string-backs were tapping the steering wheel. But Annie snatched his elbow and grinned awkwardly.
“When I was shot I … I blacked out I think. I had this incredible dream. It was so vivid. I was in a hospital room. It wasn’t like this one. It was spanking new and white and there were gadgets and stuff by the bed that I’d not seen before. Space age—all flashing lights and beeping. And … and you were lying there, Sam, connected to these machines.”

I know Matthew has said that Sam was in a coma and it’s that simple, but given that Alex Drake’s Ashes to Ashes situation is different, does the above give us any clues? Remember, it’s not fan fiction: this is from the co-creator of Life on Mars!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

ITV’s answer to Gene Hunt: Jane Austen

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:15:26 +1200

Lost-in-Austen-1

ITV wishes to compete with Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, so it has come up with a new series, Lost in Austen, for next month.
   The heroine, Amanda Price (note that human time travellers must have five letters in their surname, e.g. Tyler and Drake, McFly and Brown), played by Hammersmith-born Jemima Rooper, is transported back to Jane Austen’s time, leading her to wonder: ‘Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?’
   She’s been reading too much Pride and Prejudice, and notices that in her new world she has assimilated Mr Darcy et al.
   But instead of being struck by an old Cavalier, she has discovered a time portal, once used by Nicholas Lyndhurst to get back to World War II, or something like that.
   Bond girl Gemma Arterton co-stars as Elizabeth Bennet, which kind of reminds me of the time another Bond girl, Rosamund Pike, played Jane Bennet. No word on a cameo from Halle Berry.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

How ABC really promoted itself in the early 1970s

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:55:28 +1200

For those who saw my earlier post on the ABC retro-style promo—and the discussion that it wasn’t that genuine—here’s what a 1972 promo for the network really looked like.

ABC 1972 This is the Place to Be

Gotta dig that slitscan technique—no computers doing these effects then!
Some from 1973 announcing programmes:

ABC Telops 1973

Since ABC has used the Mod Squad theme for its Life on Mars promo, how about a real one for Mod Squad—really from 1973 itself?

The Mod Squad - last series television commercial 1973

Surely if the BBC can re-create its 1973 graphics, and ABC wants to play the same trick, it wouldn’t be that hard to make something like this, would it?

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

ABC goes old school for US Life on Mars

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:55:20 +1200

Looks like ABC is getting into the retro theme with this 15-second promotion for the American Life on Mars.

ABC Life on Mars Old School campaign—15"

OK, so the typography is meant to be reminiscent of the 1970s but it looks more modern (I seem to remember Peignot was used a lot then on ABC, but perhaps Americans can tell me more definitively), the theme is that of The Mod Squad, and the voiceover sounds like the old announcer on that network (who I understand has passed away). The logo looks suitably retro, too.
This reminds me of the campaign the BBC used for the second series of the original Life on Mars in the UK, which included the old BBC1 globe before each episode. A pity TVNZ never did it here in New Zealand—I did suggest it to them at the time, and they could have got out old TV1 logos. For those who might not remember the 2007 campaign:

Life on Mars outdoor ad

with all those lovely brown tones from 1973 and typography looking like it was done on Letraset (it was more likely digitally set). The retro ident was also computer-re-created but it looks nearly indistinguishable to the original, apart from the widescreen ratio:

"Retro" BBC1 Ident (Life on Mars)

It looks like ABC is being far more serious about Life on Mars than when David E. Kelley was helming the programme, though I wonder if first-time viewers will understand the retro campaign for a first series. Even the UK, despite its nostalgia for The Sweeney and The Professionals, waited till the second year before springing the retro marketing campaign on to the public.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

BBC v. ITV—as remade in the US

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:33:44 +1200

Looks like Life on Mars (US) is filming South of Houston and on the Lower East Side of Manhattan—as Bowery Boogie shows.
   Also in the news is that this BBC remake on ABC is up against an ITV remake on CBS: that of Eleventh Hour, which originally starred Patrick Stewart. Both are on Thursdays this autumn in the US.
   Eleventh Hour, I thought, had lower production values when old Capt J.-L. Picard,* back in Britain fresh from hating President Bush,** starred—the computer graphics looked like they had come from the disappointing 1990s TV show Bugs.
   However, the 2006 series had cost Granada £4·5 million—a tidy sum for a four-part mini-series. The premise is being stretched probably to a 13-episode season in the American remake, which like Life on Mars stars a non-American: Twickenham-born actor Rufus Sewell. The lovely Marley Shelton co-stars in the Ashley Jensen role. Jerry Bruckheimer is executive-producing.
   In Britain, Life on Mars was the better show in my opinion, but it will be interesting to see how the remakes fare. Certainly the Eleventh Hour premise, as made by Granada, was never fully realized, which is why I think the Americans will do quite well with it. Sewell is also a darned good actor. This might be why the protests about that remake have been relatively quiet compared to the din of how ABC will fail in its quest for Mars.

* Could you see this guy go on Boston Legal after Star Trek?

** One reason Stewart gave for returning to Great Britain was his dislike of the Bush administration. Whether you agree with that or not, unlike George Soros or Michael Moore who said they would move if Dubya was re-elected, Stewart put his money where his mouth was and buggered off home. For having principles, Mr Stewart deserves admiration.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Vox Hunt: favourite quote

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:31:11 +1200

Share one of your favourite quotes.

I don’t have an all-time favourite but these would rank in the top 20.

Life on Mars, Series 1 Episode 1, Good Kids Clip

dirty harry do you feel lucky

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Ooh, Geoffrey!

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:43:53 +1200

It’s probably because Ashes to Ashes is new that I was able to identify where Prime made cuts to fit in the ads—but I have to compliment them because I don’t think they were as serious as what we lost on TV One with Life on Mars.
   I think around seven to ten minutes were cut whereas I am sure we lost over ten with Life on Mars.
   I watched it again tonight, partly to support the network for making a good move—they deserve as many viewers as they can get for not just buying a great series but showing it in the year it was first broadcast in the UK. I think for once we beat the Americans in getting a British series—maybe even the Australians. It’s a real treat to see a British 2008 copyright notice!
   Missing were a few scenes where the Pierrot clown chased Alex down the alleyway, Chris’s final apprehension and shooting of a villain, and entire conversation between Alex and Shaz about death and life flashing before her eyes, and this:

Ashes to Ashes - Zippy and George scene

I know it wasn’t integral to the plot since it was a dream sequence, and if cuts had to be made, I can understand why this went, but since Rainbow aired in New Zealand, too, it would have had some significance to people my age. Even my Dad asked me if there was a cut right there, so he noticed!
Still, thank God for YouTube and a chance to share this bit with other Lifers in New Zealand.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Bureaucratic Bungle over Copyright

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:24:42 +1200

Apparently, the producers of Ashes to Ashes wanted to use one of Toyah Wilcox’s songs. They never did, because the BBC did not know who looked after her music’s licensing.
Ms Wilcox is fuming, because the licensors are: the BBC.
Even with the excellence of Life on Mars and other shows, this reminds you why state terrestrial TV can be lousy.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Production begins on US Life on Mars remake

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:43:17 +1200

Production has begun (again) on the US Life on Mars, according to an ABC press release. We also get the surnames for two of the characters: Annie Cartwright becomes Annie Norris in the US version (I imagine Cartwright would be too Bonanza for American television) and Maya gains a surname, Daniels. The Manchester ‘A’ Division CID becomes the NYPD’s 125th Precinct.
   The way New York was in 1973, near bankruptcy, with a gloomy feeling, might just work better than the Los Angeles of 1972 that David E. Kelley envisaged.
   Most Lifers I know here, upon hearing that Harvey Keitel is the new Gene Hunt, finally feel some anticipation for the American remake.
   No news, meanwhile, on the Spanish remake, as far as I could locate without being fluent in Spanish.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend