InterWho - Whovian J'Cynda Whitely

Hello Sweeties!

Welcome to our next InterWho (Whovian Interview)..
I had the pleasure of interviewing J'Cynda Whitely, so grab a cup of tea and enjoy the read ... 
Allons-y!

BBB: Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about yourself…
JW: Hi everyone I’m J’Cynda (@jcynda on twitter). I live in Fort Worth Texas and am a jewelry maker. I have a dog Kila, that I love to dress up in costumes, tshirts and bow ties!

BBB: When did you first become a Whovian?
JW: I'm a fairly new Whovian! Last year I had run out of things on Netflix/Hulu/Amazon to watch while I was working and Two of my friends suggested that I give Doctor Who a try. My friend Jeanette was the first. She was watching it and would recap what was going on in the episodes she was watching and indulge my many questions. Then my buddy Kent really convinced me. We’ve been friends for a very long time and he knows what kind of entertainment will grab me (I can be rather difficult when it comes to finding things that really entertain me). He was such a good salesman on the subject that I started watching the next day. He had told me that the first couple of episodes of the new series were a little bit cheesy and to just make it through those and stick with it. Im so glad I listened. That first episode was a bit difficult to watch and enjoy but luckily I knew quite a bit about the show from my two friends and knew it was going to get better. After I made it through the first two I was HOOKED! It didn’t take me very long before I had breezed through the all the series available to me.
Then came twitter. Doctor Squee was a friend of mine on Twitter because we are both fans of the same podcast ( Tell em Steve-Dave) and he mentioned one morning he was starting a podcast about Doctor Who. I tweeted him and told him that I had been watching and we started talking about it. He also indulged all my questions. He was the first person outside of my two friends that discussed the show with me. He probably solidified my active fandom ( I don’t think I’ve ever told him that LOL ). He was so nice and through his podcast (Gallifrey Stands) introduced me to several other super nice people that really encouraged my watching and curiosity. So I guess I owe all three of them a BIG thank you!

BBB: What is your favorite Classic Who and/or New Who episode and why?
JW: I had a very hard time getting into the classic episodes. They are just a little too long for my liking . Being broken up into so many parts , I felt like there were several episodes that absolutely nothing happened. It just didn’t hold my interest.
My favorite episode of the newer series is Vincent and The Doctor. I absolutely love the story of Vincent Van Gogh being influenced by the Doctor and Amy and some of his , well known, madness explained . Even though they couldn’t save him from himself they gave him one of the greatest gifts someone could receive. A look into the future to see how he was remembered. He got to see that even though he wasn’t appreciated and felt he had no value in his time that in the future he was revered. I don’t know about you but I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I will be remembered. I think everyone has ! So that episode really resonated with me because of the beautiful story line.

BBB: Series 8 is nearly over, tell us what do you think of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor?
JW: I am LOVING Capaldi. He is so different from the other doctors I am familiar with but I find him to be incredibly endearing. The intensity he brings to the role blows me away sometimes. And while he can he very intense and aloof of other people, when he does have an “emotional” moment it comes across as very sincere. Like you can actually see the wall that this Doctor has built around himself come down and he’s free of himself. Capaldi has amazing facial expressions and eyes! So when he is having a more tender moment or something is bothering him, you see it all over his face no matter what he is saying. I love that ! Im also really enjoying his interactions with the kids on the show. He tends to be very fatherly ( in his own eccentric way ) towards them and I’m finding myself enjoying that aspect of him very much. I am looking forward to seeing more Doctor centric episodes so we can really see what he’s made of, so to speak.

BBB: If you could meet just one Doctor Who cast or crew member, who would it be?
JW: I would really like to meet Murray Gold. I think he is an incredible composer and his music really sticks out to me in the show. I would love to sit down and pick his brain about how he uses the music to set the tone of scenes, how he decides on the Doctor’s themes (because they are all pretty personal to each Doctor) and ask him about the challenges of both of the afore mentioned things. I listen to the scores quite often and they really take you to whatever scene that they were written for. he does such an incredible job, I would love to fangirl out and hang out with that guy!

BBB: Who is your favorite Doctor and why?
JW: Man this is a hard question! I loved David Tennant from the get go! I was devastated when he regenerated! LOL It made me cry a bit. It was just so sad! So, when Matt Smith came into the picture I had a harder time warming up to him.  But, by the time his run was over and I was re-watching episodes on TV and he was sweet and charming in his own way. So, can I pick 2?
Tennant was playful, caring and such a defender of humanity. When he first became the Doctor you could sense that all of the brooding guilt that Eccelston’s character carried with him had been released and he was more carefree and loving.  He always made it seem like humans were capable and so much better than we give ourselves credit for. In several episodes he becomes our biggest cheerleader, even when the humans he was dealing with wanted to carry out some awful plan. I was really drawn to that. Plus how can you not be attracted to and love that adorable mischievous smile ! It will get you every time.
Matt Smith’s Doctor was still playful and sweet but also seemed more sad. It was a combination I didn’t truly appreciate till he regenerated and made me super sad. That's when I realized I was way more attached to him than I had thought! He was emotional and picked up more guilt as his run went on. It was a bit heart breaking you know? Also Matt Smith for being such a young actor to play the role did an AMAZING job of seeming so much older and wiser than his predecessor. He did an incredible job and sometimes it seems doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the performance he turned out .
Overall I suppose Tennant was my favorite Doctor but Matt Smith had my favorite stories and episodes <— see what I did there ? I sorta made a choice!

BBB: Who is your favorite companion and why?
JW: This is another toss up. I loved Rose and the Bad Wolf story line.  The whole thing was so sweet. I also loved Donna because she was a nice change from the love sick ladies accompanying the Doctor. She was a buddy and was not interested in him at all and that was a very nice change . Then there is Clara. What is not to like about the impossible girl. I was fascinated by her story ESPECIALLY after she entered the Doctor’s time line and had always been around him. It was such a cool twist. I loved how in “Listen” it was revealed that she had effected the Doctor’s whole life. She was there even at the beginning. But now I’m kind of over her LOL! So I guess if I have to choose my favorite companion is Rose .

BBB: If you could travel with The Doctor in his TARDIS to any time and/or place, where would you like to go?
JW: Where and when WOULDN’T I like to go !?! I would love to see any part of space and any other time besides the 30 years I’ve lived. I would want to visit a planet that had multiple moons in the night sky,  planets you could see clearly from the surface of wherever you are and meet whatever and whomever is out in the universe. If the Doctor were to pick me up, I would be enthusiastic and so in to whatever he wanted / needed to do . Of course after I settled into my companion role and wasn’t so overwhelmed by the infinite choices I’m sure I could come up with some specific time and place.

BBB: Are you in any other fandoms besides Doctor Who? Such as Torchwood or Sherlock?
JW: I'm not really in any other fandoms. If I were to find myself in another one I would probably be a Trekkie. I have loved Star Trek since I was a kid! Every couple of years or so I find myself re-watching all the series up to Deep Space 9 . I don’t know what it is about the show, but I’m fairly certain there will never be a time that I've had enough of it.

BBB: If you could receive one Doctor Who related item this Christmas, what would it be?
JW: Oh man there are so many cool Doctor Who related items out there ! I'm a big fan of cups (coffee cups, tumblers, pint glasses) and there are tons of cute ones I wouldn't mind having. There are also these cute little Tardis salt and pepper shakers I want ( wink wink nudge nudge Mom ).

BBB: Tell us your favorite geek stix or geek scent from Blue Box Balm..
JW: Another hard hitting question! I have loved all that I have tried and I have tried A LOT! My current favorite is Dandy. It smells so good!

BBB: Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up this interview (such as conventions you gone to, cast you have met, a collection you have, etc)?
JW: First,  I would just like to say a BIG thank you to you Traci for making such an awesome product and bringing so many friendly and fun people together. I truly enjoy talking to everyone in the Facebook Group and seeing all the fun stuff they’re coming up with to express their fandom. It really is special and none of it would be possible without you bringing everyone together.  Another BIG thank you to Doctor Squee for really hooking me into the show and always being a gracious host when he has invited me onto his podcast. And last but not least Thank you to all the Balmers for being so engaging and fun everyday. You guys really make my work day go by a lot faster and I’m inspired by some of the cool creative stuff you all have come up with.

Big THANK YOU to J'Cynda for participating in our whovian interviews!

If you have any questions for J'Cynda please comment below..

InterWho - Whovian Andrew Chalmers from Dark Journey

Hello Sweeties!

Welcome to our next InterWho (Whovian Interview)..

I had the privilege of interviewing Andrew (The Doctor from Dark Journey), Dark Journey is an audio drama that can be found at AM Audio Media

Before we begin, we would like to take a moment to send out CONGRATULATIONS to the Dark Journey Team for being nominated for 12 Audio Verse Awards! Nominations include Andrew Chalmers for Best Writing, way to go Andrew and the entire cast and crew!!

Now hold on tight, you're in for a fun ride!
Here we go.....

BBB: Hello Andrew, please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about yourself...
 AC: I have a very Scottish name...Andrew Frazer James Chalmers...which is great as coincidentally I am Scottish. To me, writing begins as a passionate love story full of imagination and fire then turns into a long term marriage where you realize your mutual shortcomings, take each other for granted but still love one another anyway!

BBB: When did you first become a Whovian?
 AC: My parents were moving house and I ran into ‘our’ new place (well, it was ‘their’ house really as I wasn't paying the mortgage) and perched myself on a box to watch Jon Pertwee. I couldn’t believe that he was helping us move in, it must have been between series 9 and 10 and he was desperate for the cash. It wasn’t unusual in those days for BBC stars to help their audience’s out. It was nothing to see the cast of ‘Dad’s Army’ clearing out the drains or the nice people from ‘Are you being Served’ doing a shift at the local fruit and veg markets. It’s not the same with these day’s youngsters. I tried to get the cast of ‘The Big Bang’ to unblock my toilet and they told me where to go.
Anyway, there I was watching Jon being ‘The Doctor’ and loving it. It was like watching a movie as I was inches from the bloody screen. My Dad used to warn me that my eye sight would suffer as I was too close to the 'telly' but I didn't hear him as my hearing had gone because I was too close to the 'telly'. In hindsight I couldn't really see him either as my eyes had gone from being too close to the 'telly'. There’s a lesson there kids. Always listen to your invisible Dad’s. That line is probably more poignant to all of us than I originally intended. Hmmm…time for a…..

WRITING LESSON – Don’t wait for perfection. You’ll be waiting forever. Get it on the page ASAP and you’ll discover stuff you didn’t even know existed. Don’t think too much about ‘the writing’. A great line of dialogue only comes from  a big mess of words and misfires, so try and avoid thinking wherever possible. In my time as a writer I have tried to avoid thinking wherever possible.

BBB: You are involved in a very exciting online audio drama where you portray "The Doctor", can you tell us about Doctor Who Dark Journey? 
 AC: Doctor Who Dark Journey moves into 'edgier' Who territory without losing the heart of what the show is all about. The more I've written the more I've realized what makes the show tick which is very interesting indeed. I started out committed to creating a darker, more angst ridden Doctor but instead, was persuaded by a power tripping producer to come up with a catch phrase against my better judgement so my edgy, raw creation was described as "the hilarious 'Cool Beans' Doctor”.
Naturally, because of this ‘catchphrase’ I was thinking about being close to death so I became interested in creating a Doctor that was on his last life as I felt dramatically that it was great territory. I also decided on this as I couldn’t write the Tenth Doctor as well as RTD.
My wife Lynda describes me as a 'Bridge Doctor' meaning I my Doctor (in her esteemed words) is a "great bridge between the classic and the modern series".
This was a relief. I had suspected that I was the 'Bridge Doctor' as people had been walking all over me for years. All comedy is based on truth, suffering and huge banana peels.

BBB: You are also the writer for Dark Journey, can you tell us where you get your inspiration?
 AC: I was terrified by the Bob Clark masterpiece ‘Murder by Decree’ as a nipper and introduced to Sherlock Holmes by my Mum who fancied Basil Rathbone (a brilliant Holmes btw…not my Mum…Basil I mean).
But my true inspiration for recording Dark Journey was my producer type buddy Michael Tamburro. I don’t have a brother (my parents gave me 2 middle names instead) but if I did it would be Mike. Let’s continue this fantasy and make him heir to the Swiss Chalet restaurant chain, the manager of Rush and the outgoing show runner for ‘Doctor Who’ who thinks I’m perfect for the job.
Sorry bro, no can do. I’m busy eating free chicken with Rush.
Great, now my brother hates me. Christmas is going to be tense again.
Anyway Mike (fueled by my old rejected scripts and pretty dodgy fast food) became the creative rocket behind Doctor Who - Dark Journey.
Here’s the excerpt, courtesy of TMZ.
“Hey ‘Chalmy’…let’s do one of your old scripts as an audio play!” (This was wise as I was told by a talent scout that I had the perfect face for radio).
“Sure ‘T-Bone’, anyone, but not the Doctor Who one”.
“Got ya. How about the Doctor Who one?”
“No”.
“You can be the Doctor?”
“Yes”.
So Mike was rocket captain and I was quite happy to go to space creatively as most of my writing has no atmosphere to begin with. My continuing inspiration for Dark Journey has to be blamed er…attributed to our fans and the wonderful people who support us.
Dark Journey has motored on and powerful, transformative inspiration has been supplied by people who we have never even met. What a powerful concept. It’s an honour to know such kind people.
Dan ‘The Writing Man’, Dr Squee and the ‘Droids’ you know who you are.
I am going to write more about ‘angels’ on the weekend when we release Episode 6 ‘The Legend of the Beast’. This is true but in reality I just wanted to be able to write “The Legend of the Beast’. That’s a boot shaking masterpiece of a title for our next episode ain’t it Bobby Sue! YEE-HAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow…it’s an awesome title though. What does it mean? “The Beast?” Who is that? Exactly.

BBB: What is your favorite Classic Who or New Who episode and why?
 AC: Oooh….the classic question and it’s a toughie isn’t it? Here we go…
The Empty Child because it was like classic ‘Hinchcliffe’ Who but it was new series ‘Moffat’. How cool was that? Answer…very. I didn’t want to type that as it was obvious but I did. All comedy is based on internal conflict.
Classic episode? Robots of Death. My wife Lynda has a pair of oriental style short pants that she wears around the house and I call her D-84. Keeping with the ‘Robots of Death’ theme Lynda then tries to strangle me.

BBB: Series 8 is underway, with a brand new Doctor. What do you think of Peter Capaldi and the series so far?
 AC: Series 8 is fantastic with a selection of adventures that are very impressive in range and attitude (the ending of Kill the Moon for example as well as Mummy on the Orient Express) However, at this stage, I would like to see the continuation of these questions and /or set up’s….
When is ‘the search for Gallifrey’ exactly?
What mistakes did the Doctor make and when is he going to start to do something about them?
Why has The Doctor never mentioned the fact that Clara effectively saved his life by chatting with a crack in a wall?
How does he know he has another set of regenerations? Why not just one more?
Why did he question ever being a ‘good man?’
Why does The Doctor’s hair vary in length between scenes? (see the ‘TARDIS in siege mode’ scene from Flatline).
Just my opinions. Love it all the same well except the hair, that’s just lazy continuity. You wouldn’t see anything like that on Dark Journey.

BBB: If you could meet just one Doctor Who cast or crew member, who would it be?
 AC: Tom Baker. Sounds obvious, but it’s true. And as for the reasons?....well, do I really have to list them here peeps?

BBB: Who is your favorite Doctor and why?
  AC: Please refer to the answer for Question 7. I’m lazy…..er…..but do it in a cartoon voice so it sounds different, witty and unique.

BBB: Who is your favorite companion and why?
 AC: And the winner is….
Donna Noble because it wasn’t all about the new series romance (which by Series 4 had been done to death). Donna was a ‘mate’ and backed up by a brilliant back story with her Mum and Grandpa Cribbins. And the ending (well, the first proper one) was poignant and everything else you would expect. RTD at his best. I always think the new companions need an Earth back story. I think that’s why Clara is flourishing in Season 8. Yes, it’s basically Rose meets Mickey again but it works doesn’t it? To be fair, it was 8 years ago and these days people have short attention spans don’t they? I don’t. I always thought that the key to life was….oh…where’s my Time and the Rani DVD again?...yes, I do love strawberries…

BBB: If you could travel with The Doctor in his TARDIS to any time and/or place, where would you like to go?
 AC: I would travel back to 1963 to witness the birth of Doctor Who, bribe BBC management with scones and become head writer. In the pilot I’d make the Doctor’s first companion Ian into Darth Vader and Susan into Mr Spock. Fandom would be united for ever! I would never see it though as on my attempted return to 2014, I had gotten lost and crashed in Roswell 1947. That’s a good question actually….how am I achieving this time travelling of yours ‘Miss Blue Box Balm’? Oh…a space ship? Cool. But wait..I didn’t invent a space ship time machine? Oh, one of your other interviewees did. Okay. I get it. Poor design though. I did get shot down after all. Thanks Mr Inventor….I’d be less concerned about dating Cleopatra and more concerned with putting shields on the bloody thing.

BBB: Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up this interview (such as conventions you gone to, cast you have met, a collection you have, etc)?
 AC: Well, we have a collection of very supportive and kind people who take an interest in Dark Journey which is fantastic, heartwarming and very encouraging. Thank you for being more additions to my collection (imagine me laughing in a maniacal way and moving wooden figures of you guys onto a chess board. That’s not a 5 Doctors reference just me on a Saturday night).

Blue Box Balm would like to say THANK YOU to Andrew for participating in our fun whovian interviews!
We would also like to extend our THANKS to Anthony from AM Audio Media for putting us in touch with Andrew.

Follow Dark Journey audio drama..

https://www.amaudiomedia.com

https://twitter.com/AMAudioMedia

https://www.facebook.com/amaudiomedia

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/am-audio-media/id887606877?mt=2

If you have any questions for Andrew, please comment here ...

InterWho - Whovian Heidi Lemarr

Hello Sweeties!

Welcome to our next InterWho (Whovian Interview)..

I had the delight of interviewing Heidi, so grab a cup of tea and enjoy the read ... Allons-y!

BBB: Hi Heidi, please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about yourself...
 HL: Hi, my name is Heidi. I live in Dallas but grew up in New York. I'm a married mom of two, stepmom to another, an advertising exec with what some could call an obsessive love of TV, Sci-Fi, Fantasy and most things geeky. I also have many personal side projects. My husband is my very own "son of a preacher man", a writer/artist and shares many of my fandoms. My stepdaughter is just as geeky, my 6 year old recognizes all New Who Doctors, and my 3 year old knows a TARDIS when he sees one and nearly bowled people over to get into one at a local event. 

BBB: When did you first become a Whovian?
 HL: When I was about 8 or 9. I watched Doctor Who on local public television. The 4th and 5th Doctors stand out most in my memory from then. 

BBB: I understand that you are a Chancer, can you please explain what this is to our readers?
 HL: A Chancer is a fan of The Minister of Chance audio drama, who is very supportive of the current audio incarnation and has a fanatical desire to see the audio make it to a film version. 
Brief history of the Minister: The Minister is one of five Time Lords who survived the destruction of Gallifrey and he was first played by Stephen Fry in the audio/webcast Death Comes to Time.
The new re-imagined (and current) version of The Minister of Chance is also an audio drama that features an amazing cast (including two former Doctors - the 7th and 8th), wonderful acting, and a fantastic script. The thing that strikes me the most about MoC is that there is no advertising - it is all word of mouth through the fans, and all of it is completely crowd funded. 
It is available for free download on the MinisterofChance.com site. Fans of Doctor Who, and/or of Big Finish will really enjoy it. And if they enjoy it, they can help support the film, eh? The Kickstarter is going on through October 31. (Blue Box Balms was not paid for this plug, all opinions of the Inter-who-ee alone.)

BBB: What is your favorite Classic Who and/or New Who episode and why?
 HL: Favorite at the moment has got to be Blink. It is a perfect episode to let people who have never watched ANY Doctor Who watch it and not feel like they need to be soaked in the 50 year history, and can intrigue them to know more and watch more. And what fan doesn't want more people to be fans?
I could go on about my favorite pivotal episodes, but...you did ask for one. So there you go.

BBB: Series 8 is at it's half way point, with a brand new Doctor. What do you think of Peter Capaldi and the series so far?
 HL: I am enjoying Series 8 so far. I've seen some of the fan reactions and people seem to completely love or completely hate this new series, and I'm sitting over here saying: these are good episodes, and I know they'll work even better together when you can see the series as a whole. 

BBB: If you could meet just one Doctor Who cast or crew member, who would it be?
 HL: I've actually met the 5th through 8th Doctors and Captain Jack. For cast, I'd love to meet all of the New Who Doctors, but I think David Tennant most of all, just because I've had a chance to enjoy other bits of his work more so than any of the others, and would happily chat about Broadchurch/Gracepoint and Shakespeare. For crew, Moffat, because I'd want to pick his brain.

BBB: Who is your favorite Doctor and why (we may already know this answer..lol)?
 HL: LOL - This is a great question. As always I point to my pinned tweet. I think they're all my Doctor. Honestly, its whomever I'm watching, listening to, reading about at that moment. I tried once to put them in some sort of order, but I wound up with seven of them tied for number one. 

BBB: Who is your favorite companion and why?
 HL: This is a toughie. I've really enjoyed all of the New Who companions (yes ALL of them), but I'd have to say my favorite of all time and all media was Evelyn Smythe, who was a companion to the 6th Doctor on Big Finish audios. I just loved her character, and that she was completely unlike many of his other companions. If I have to pick a TV companion, probably Captain Jack? He was brave, loyal, and funny and has endless possibilities. I'd love to see him interact with Peter Capaldi's Doctor. That would be a hoot.

BBB: If you could travel with The Doctor in his TARDIS to any time and/or place, where would you like to go?
 HL: I'd love to see Earth's future. Maybe 200 years up? Maybe visit a descendant or witness a "historical" event. 

BBB: If you could steal something from the Doctor Who set, what would it be?
 HL: The TARDIS! Barring that, River's shoes. You know the ones. I love a pair of killer heels.

BBB: Tell us your favorite geek stix or geek scent from Blue Box Balm.. 
 HL: I'm currently loving my "Don't Blink" geek stix. It is a combo that one would never find anywhere else, and it is delicious.

BBB: Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up this interview (such as conventions you gone to, cast you have met, a collection you have, etc)?
 HL: I currently have a set of illustrated Doctor Who cards that my husband purchased for me at a local convention. I've since had the 4th through 8th Doctors sign their cards (4th through the mail, and 5-8 in person), and I'm hoping to get 9-12 at some point so that I can actually frame them and display them in my home 


Big THANK YOU to Heidi for participating in our whovian interviews!

If you have any questions for Heidi please comment below..