EPHEMERA: ALA SHERLOCK HOLMES MOVIE TIE-IN READ POSTER

As part of their READ promotion the American Library Association has produced a 22 x 34 inch poster featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson. The sharp looking poster features the tradtitional quote:

"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

The $16.00 poster is available to order through the American Library Association online shop

TRAILER: NEW 2.5 MINUTE TRAILER FOR GUY RITCHIE'S SHERLOCK HOLMES

MTV has unveiled yet another new trailer for Guy Ritchie's SHERLOCK HOLMES. The new trailer utilizes some new footage giving a better look at the production design and highlights some new action sequences. Check it out!

STAMPS: ALDERNEY/GUERNSEY ISSUES GREAT PACKAGE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES STAMPS

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Arthur Conan Doyle, Guernsey Post has issued a very nice little package of stamps, stamp sheets, first day cover, stamp sets and a 'Mystery Pack'. Guernsey Post has also set up a great site for international orders at http://www.sherlockstamps.com/

"To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of this highly influential writer, our unique collection of stamps tells the story of "Sherlock Holmes and the Curious Case of the Alderney Bull", which is a new mystery set in Alderney. Whilst the stamps provide an insight into this intriguing story, it can be followed in full - and you may even solve the mystery yourself - in our special mystery pack, which includes a stamp souvenir sheet containing a hidden image complete with lens."

Visit  http://www.sherlockstamps.com/ for full details and to order your set today!

MOVIE POSTER: FINAL ONE SHEET POSTER ART FOR GUY RITCHIE'S SHERLOCK HOLMES

At long last, courtesy of the fine folks at FirstShowing.net, we have the one-sheet movie poster design for Guy Ritchie's SHERLOCK HOLMES film starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson. The blue-steel background motif certainly seems to project a steampunk vibe. While the pale blue cast to movie posters has been horribly over-used in recent years, it's still a sharp looking poster.

COMIC: SHERLOCK HOLMES - THE PAINFUL PREDICAMENT OF ALICE FAULKNER GRAPHIC NOVEL

While therre are numerous comic book adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and many more derivative works, it is fairly unusual to find a graphic novel based on William Gillette's play SHERLOCK HOLMES. However, that is precisely what  Bret M. Herholz has done with SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE PAINFUL PREDICAMENT OF ALICE FAULKNER. Utilizing a style reminiscent of the late great Edward Gorey, Herholz has adapted Gillette's play into an interesting and appealing graphic novel format. Due for release in December 2009 from Alterna Comics it should, in due course, also be available through most of the usual online bookstore sources as well as your local comic book retailer.

ISBN: 9781934985175
128 pgs, BW, $11.99

Preview pages available at Alterna Comics.

TRAILER: SHERLOCK HOLMES MOVIE NEW TV TRAILER RELEASED

Yet another trailer has been released for Guy Ritchie's SHERLOCK HOLMES. Similar in tone to the previous trailers, there are some noticeable additions in this new trailer devised for television. A reference to Holmes experimenting on Watson's dog and an appearance by someone who is, presumably, Mrs. Hudson as well as some different dialogue snippets for Rachel McAdams' Irene Adler. You can view the new TV trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4xMIZeebvY  Check it out!

Okay, so much for the YouTube link. How about this one from ComingSoon.net instead?

ANIMATION: RUSSIAN SHERLOCK HOLMES SHORT FILM AT RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL IN LONDON

The 3rd edition of Academia Rossica’s Russian Film Festival  held in London, England from October 30th to November 8th will include a screening of the 2005 animated short film SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DOCTOR WATSON. This charming animated film by creators Aleksandr Bubnov, Irina Kovtun and Zoya Trofimova has been making the YouTube rounds for a couple years since placing 3rd at the 2006 Open Russian Festival of Animated Film. Apparently a sequel is in the works, details and images, for those who read Russian, can be found at http://community.livejournal.com/holmes_2/


Details on the Festival can be found at http://films.academia-rossica.org/en/

The short film itself, as mentioned above, has been available on YouTube (in 2 parts with English subtitles), for some time, but if you haven't already seen them, here it is...enjoy!

Part 1: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson



Part 2: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson

EPHEMERA: SHERLOCK HOLMES PAPER DOLLS, COLORING BOOKS AND ACTIVITY BOOKS?

Okay, what can I say, I'm a sucker for silliness. With the upcoming release of the Robert Downey Jr. starring SHERLOCK HOLMES film it appears that everybody is doing their best to get in on a piece of the action, which isn't the least bit surprising, and good for them, but what is surprising is some of the oddball products that are making their way into the Sherlockian marketplace. Paper dolls? A Coloring Book? An Activity book?

The most interesting of these, from the description at least, strikes me as being the Sherlock Holmes Paper Dolls. Here is the product description:

"The dean of detectives is a master of disguise so his doll comes with 10 different costumes. This set also includes 5 colleagues and adversaries: the loyal Dr. Watson, the nefarious Professor Moriarty, Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, Mrs. Hudson, and Irene Adler, the only woman to outwit Holmes. Sixty interchangeable heads portray a variety of actors who have played Holmes and Watson over the years."

Yes, you read that correctly "Sixty interchangeable heads" featuring a variety of actors who have played Holmes. Yes, my curiosity over the representations of actors is strong enough for me to order this ephemeral bit of silliness just to see who made the cut.  Expect a follow-up when I find out!

As for THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES COLORING BOOK and the SHERLOCK HOLMES ACTIVITY BOOK, I'm afraid that you're on your own!

All three items are currently available for pre-order on Amazon USA.

SHERLOCK HOLMES PAPER DOLLS Amazon Link

HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES COLORING BOOK Amazon Link

SHERLOCK HOLMES ACTIVITY BOOK Amazon Link

TV: BBC SHERLOCK PRODUCED BY STEVEN MOFFAT AND MARK GATISS

SHERLOCK
Duration:
3 x 90 minutes
Channel:
BBC1 in 2010
In production:
November 2009 
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman 

 
From the programme press release:

"John Watson, army doctor, invalided home from Afghanistan, alone and friendless ...

Sherlock Holmes, the most brilliant intellect of his generation, alone and friendless ...

London, 2009 - the best and longest friendship in all of fiction is about to begin anew.

The most famous detective, the most baffling mysteries, the most thrilling adventures and the deadliest foes, are coming in out of the fog. Sherlock Holmes was always a modern man - it was the world that got old. Now he's back as he should be - edgy, contemporary, difficult, dangerous.

A woman in pink lies murdered in an abandoned house - a serial killer is loose on London. Inspector Lestrade is the best Scotland Yard has got, but he knows he's not as good as a strange young man called Sherlock ..."

The Hartswood Films Initial Press Release (January 2009):

BBC Wales Drama, BBC One and Hartswood Films announce SHERLOCK, a contemporary remake of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (STARTER FOR TEN, STUART: A LIFE BACKWARDS) as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman (THE OFFICE, HOT FUZZ) as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves (GOD ON TRIAL, MIDNIGHT MAN) plays Inspector Lestrade.

The drama is co-created by the amazing partnership of Steven Moffat (DOCTOR WHO, COUPLING) and Mark Gatiss (THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, DOCTOR WHO, CROOKED HOUSE) and produced by Sue Vertue (COUPLING, THE CUP). The 1 x 60 minute episode, written by Moffat, started filming on 12th January, and is being directed by Coky Giedroyc (VIRGIN QUEEN, BLACKPOOL, OLIVER TWIST).

SHERLOCK is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced take on the crime drama genre set in present day London. The iconic details from Conan Doyle's original books remain - they live at the same address, have the same names and, somewhere out there in the London of 2009, Moriarty is waiting for them.

Piers Wenger, Head of Drama, BBC Wales, says: “Our Sherlock is a dynamic superhero in a modern world, an arrogant, genius sleuth driven by a desire to prove himself cleverer than the perpetrator and the police, everyone in fact.”

SHERLOCK is produced by Hartswood Films, continuing their fruitful relationship with the BBC. Past productions include COUPLING, MEN BEHAVING BADLY, JEKYLL and, most recently, THE CUP for BBC Two.

Steven Moffat says: “Everything that matters about Holmes and Watson is the same. Conan Doyle's stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they're about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes – and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that's what matters. Mark and I have been talking about this project for years, on long train rides to Cardiff for DOCTOR WHO. Quite honestly, we'd still be talking about it if Sue Vertue of Hartswood Films (conveniently also my wife) hadn't sat us down for lunch and got us to work.”

Mark Gatiss says: “The fact that Steven, myself and millions of others are still addicted to Conan Doyle's brilliant stories is testament to their indestructibility. They're as vital, lurid, thrilling and wonderful as they ever were. It's a dream come true to be making a new TV series and in Benedict and Mark we have the perfect Holmes and Watson for our time.”

Sue Vertue says: “Steven and Mark are such huge fans of the Sherlock Holmes stories that I had a feeling they would just go on and on talking about it, so I picked the Criterion for our lunch as I knew of its iconic significance in the meeting of Sherlock and Watson and thought it might get the boys' attention! It did, and what has evolved from that meeting is hugely exciting.”

Commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, and Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One, SHERLOCK is shooting in Wales and on location in London. SHERLOCK is executive produced by Beryl Vertue, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat.

More information when it becomes available.

PASTICHE DATABASE: SHERLOCK HOLMES PASTICHE DATABASE WITH ROUGHLY 8,000 ENTRIES

The field of Sherlock Holmes related fiction and pastiche is an amazingly huge and rich one that incorporates literally hundreds of  novels and short stories, the latter appearing in a dizzying selection of books, magazines, and various other outlets. Works of pastiche and parody featuring Sherlock Holmes and other Canonical characters have appeared in print steadily since the early 1890s. The sheer volume of these works is rather staggering and can be rather bewildering for the hardcore collector trying to track down as many of them as possible. Fortunately for the collector, Sherlockian scholar and reviewer Philip K. Jones of the Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit, Michigan maintains a remarkable database of pastiche and Sherlockian fiction that currently lists nearly 8,000 entries, with updates provided on a semi-regular basis. The links below include the database (in the form of an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet SHERLOCK.xls), a supporting document to explain the headers and functionality of the spreadsheet (Rich Text Format SHERCODE.rtf) and another document discussing and identifying the "Untold Tales" mentioned in Conan Doyle's stories (Rich Text Format UNTOLDEX.rtf).

The files are made available free to all, but should you make use of the material for reference in a published work please credit Philip K. Jones. Should you notice any errors or omissions, please drop Phil an email with the details.

Database links for direct download (clicking the links should open a dialogue box for viewing or download. Files hosted at www.bakerstreetdozen.com):

The Sherlock Holmes Pastiche Database (SHERLOCK.xls)
Explanation of SHERLOCK Database (SHERCODE.rtf)
The Untold Tales Analyzed (UNTOLDEX.rtf)


My thanks to Philip K. Jones for providing these useful and interesting  resources.