Third Star...

Third Star!  At last, I finally got to see it 25-January-15.  Been waiting a long while for TS to be aired in my area.

Lovely movie.  There is sadness, but funnies too.

If you haven't seen it, you may want to skip the movie trailer at Digital Spy.  It has a few spoilers.  I only knew the famous quote, and it's a good one, but you may want to avoid that as well.  Or not.

Note that audience has more affection (and love) for Third Star than critics did; certainly this is true at Rotten Tomatoes, and most 'Batch fans are quite keen on Third Star.  Expect feels!

I really want to see Third Star again, without commercial breaks -- the station broke scenes in really bizarre places.

If you have seen the movie, Roger Ebert wrote a really good review -- very in-depth and with spoilers -- about Third Star and his own father.  Roger has several great pics.

It's always Mycroft. Isn't it?

If not, it should be.  8)

Spoiler zone for s3! and very probably s4, particularly if you aren't up on ACD canon.  Also the pastiches.

Reviews of The Sign of Three.

. @hartswoodfilms #Sherlock currently holding the top two places in the @BBCiPlayer Most Popular content list pic.twitter.com/3jwNFavOEs
— cumberbatchforum (@cumberbatchfrm) January 6, 2014

All s3 spoilers, all the time.  This is your only warning.

This is why we love this show by thecutteralicia, who is mighty!

The podcast for The Sign of the Three by the Baker Street Babes.  (I haven't listened to this yet, sorry, I am not much for audio online; but it's the Babes, I bet it's incredible!)

Baker Street Babe Ardy's The Sign of Three review.

Wedding bells and a new direction by Sherlockology on Metro.

And Buzzfeed WINS the Interweb for this take on The Sign of Three.  Trust me.  Even the article title is a spoiler, which is why you gotta click to see what it is.

I adore this ep sooooooo much.  The Sign of Three is my all-time favorite, I think.  I don't think His Last Vow will take that away -- but we'll see, won't we?  A week until the world gets to see how vowing works out...

Mystrade; John's blog; spec or spoilers?

Need something to distract you -- or feed your SH obsession?  What about the classic fics?

Like the fantastic Mystrade by kazvl.  This particular installment is a) brilliant b) involves angles of something you've seen in s1 c) is as always, amazingly written.  I do not ship; but her writing carries me off.

In fact, I treat this series (Fire and Ice) as an alternate universe of our SH universe.  Which I adore.  Anyone who can make me suspend my belief that way for an AU is spectacular.

#Mystrade #Mycroft #Lestrade http://t.co/plFYCBJzrt "Don't commit suicide"? #BBC #Sherlock fic
— Anne Zanoni (@ninja_CE) December 20, 2013

And have you checked up on John's blog lately?  Because it's been updated.  If you read nothing else, read his last blog post for Many Happy Returns.

Of course, if you want a teeny bit of possible spoiler for s3, there's Twitter RP with CAM...

Or you could get lost in the Final Problem tumblr (what fangirls do).

Parade's End sweeps through fandom.

Cumberbatched moments:  Images from The One Show.  HD screencaps.  Good morning... 

Sobbing Benedict in Parade's End.  Watching Parade's End. 

-- Nothing for Parade's End is behind spoiler tag!   I haven't got any PE spoilers as far as I know.  I also have not seen PE myself, but you're very welcome to send me pics or tell me your opinion, either here or on Twitter.

'August: Osage County' will be filming in Oklahoma.

Fan art:  Sherlock is so purple.

Funnies:  Sherlock:  The painting's a fake!  Wild Cumberbatch in captivity - seeking to breed. 

After this point: Spoilers for season/series 2.

Sherlock - Behind the Scenes: Vatican Cameos...



Wow.  Still haven't put up the half-dozen YT fan vids I found yet.  Sorry!  Was on my tablet, haven't got the hang of it pasting links.  :c  Yet.

Season 3, fan fic, and August's CumberbatchDay.

Hell week is nearly over!  I am reinstalling Stuff on my PC now.  As I shouted on Twitter last night...


Items of interest:

The Big Issue (Cumberbatch:  The Lonely Detective).  Transcript of same! 

Interview: Benedict Cumberbatch for 'Parade's End'.

Today I was alerted that #4 Constantly was up -- another Holmes Boys fan fic story from SherlockCares. 

Plus, some fun captions:  Sorry you missed the bachelor party and It's just John Watson's...  Beware the Johnlock in case you weren't expecting it!  :D 

More fic:  A shoutout to the alert Cumberbabes everywhere, and why you ought not to ask about Twitter followers.  ;)  Sherlock hot line now available! 

After this point: Spoilers for season/series 2 AND season/series 3.

(This may be a spoiler, but as my PC's not fully updated, I can't be sure; sorry!)  Pursuit by the Sherlock Fan Orchestra. 

Season THREE spoilers:  The Three Key Words for Sherlock 2013.  Gatiss [teasing?] and possible airdate and hints against the Words.  :D

Favorite fan fic, Sherlock and Johnlock.

Note that this post contains many possible spoiler links for season 2. Read at your own risk! And... you will very probably cry if you read many of these.

I'm not Johnlocked.  Really, I'm not.  But my friends who are will offer me their  favorite fics to read, and I read them:  I wept over Alone in the Water (which is very well done, and loaded with angst), and Sink Like a Stone is another story of high caliber and great pain.  Bring Kleenex along for them both!

Why do I read the Johnlock they suggest?  I'm a voracious reader.  Not read something??  Only if I really don't have any interest whatsoever -- and there is some writing that fits that -- while fic about Sherlock and John, two characters I adore... of course I'll try it.  :D


And I've read Present Danger twice thrice already, because it's very very good.  And cute. 

Beautiful Dreamer is gorgeous.  I had to keep playing Coldplay's Fix You constantly as I read it, in fact.

The other fic by the same author, What Meets the Eye, is also gorgeous.  These are the only Johnlock stories I've read that make me able to see how the underlying premise could really fit the characters.  

I've read WMtE twice, two nights running.  Because it's that good.  Makes me cry.  Thanks to Gita for sending me to BD and Nika to WMtE!


Some of my favorite Sherlock fan fic, which is not Johnlock:

The Holmes Boys:  Epiphany #1 Try #2 Philosopher #3.

SPOILER ZONE:  The Dog in the Night (post-Reichenbach).

So consider this a primer into what Sherlock and Johnlock fan fic can be like, if you would.  :D


ETA in March 2013:  The only Mystrade I've read, which is really excellent and has hooked a few Tweeps I know on fan fic.  :D  It's a series.  Do go try it!

Finals time! Plus BC audio dynamite.

Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch to perform one-off reading of Look Back in Anger -- I wish I could be there. I hope someone puts this on YouTube!!

Cumberbatch moments: Time Traveller Problems; Casual (Blue Jean) Batch and another Casual Batch; Anything will be held against you poster; ibelieveinmycroft offers Blond Batch when he's Peter Guillam from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy... and Benedict smoking (obviously in smokers' jail, hmmm; maybe while filming Sherlock).

If audio Benedict is more your cuppa, there WAS a tumblr for that [link broken as of October 2013].  From that lovely source, I found that Benedict has read a Ngaio Marsh novel, Death in a White Tie; you can find that and other audio books via LiveJournal now. First, I highly recommend Dame Ngaio Marsh's mysteries, and second: WOW. You can also Google to get various YouTube readings, such as Jabberwocky and Kubla Khan, for starters.

Review of the unaired pilot for Sherlock; and another longer review of it over here. 

After this point: Spoilers for season/series 2 until the final paragraph!

Our lovely ladies of BBC Sherlock pic!  Martin having a John moment with The Hat.

Yes, Anglo Fan Favorites did it for their 2012 Finals tourney.  

You knew it was coming, that Benedict would be pitted against Tom Hiddleston... and that Martin would be up for the Bronze! Finals voting ends Wednesday, July 11 at 11 am ET.

Printed fanfic & other candy.

Some folks on Twitter have been requesting more/other fanfics to read. Well, strangely enough, first-generation fans were just as fascinated by Sherlock Holmes and they wrote fanfic too. Including authors of mystery and other genres. Some you might know, such as Mark Twain and Agatha Christie and August Derleth... :)

It is one of the oldest groups of fanfic around, if not the oldest.

I highly recommend The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes. I love that book. Someone should get on to the heirs of Ellery Queen [and all the others, Agatha Christie and August Derleth included] and see about reissuing it.

My very favorite is Richard Mallett's story about The Great Detective. Unforgettable! <3 And another Twitter user kindly recommended The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes to me. Its introduction is of great interest to Sherlockians. Particularly if you haven't delved elsewhere into the Golden Age of Detection.

If you haven't read Ellery Queen's Challenge to the Reader, you ought to. It's fun. :)


I found the book about Highly Sensitive People through the lovely MoniqueJ, who feels Sherlock is an HSP. I am becoming persuaded, since I've got farther into Chapter One. (Of course this means Moriarty probably is too -- that's a frightening thought!) I don't think Sherlock's really got Asperger's [despite John's half-joke to Lestrade; John was trying to make Greg feel better].


The Modern Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Limits of Rationality. Nice take on his limits.

I'm really certain I have forgo neglected to bring up the fabulous Ariane DeVere, whose LJ transcripts of the Sherlock DVDS have given me many delighted moments.

More pics coming, some of which is frankly "just looking at Benedict" [natch], like this pic; although this one's got both Benedict and Martin smiling!

Benedict teases people about Sherlock, as does Mark Gatiss via a Q&A. (Don't worry, they're filming Sherlock come 2013, the boys are just messing with you!)

For fans of Andrew Scott, Radio Times just interviewed him. :)

P.S. For more GAD detective recs, see my work blog, AZ Shea, where I do bring up favorite mysteries. :)