Will he end up doing all the classics?

From Doctor Strange to Dr Seuss: Benedict Cumberbatch is new Grinch

Sherlock star to voice the curmudgeonly festive party pooper previously portrayed on screen by Jim Carrey and Boris Karloff

Benedict Cumberbatch is to take the starring role in a new animated adaptation of Dr Seuss’s classic children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! from the makers of Despicable Me.

The news was announced by Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio offshoot of Universal which produced the supervillain movies and last year’s spin-off Minions.

Marvel's Doctor Strange: Does Benedict Cumberbatch have you under his spell?

 

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Cumberbatch succeeds Jim Carrey, who played the role in the live-action 2000 film. Horror icon Boris Karloff voiced the cave-dwelling curmudgeon in an earlier 1966 animated adaptation.

“We were determined to make a choice that would not only define this version of The Grinch as absolutely singular, but most importantly, we were looking for a voice to express comedic wickedness while embodying vulnerability,” Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledandri told delegates at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. “It is that vulnerability that allows us to create a character that is not only highly entertaining, but also has an irresistible appeal.” Meledandri said the film, which is due in November 2017, would be “both modern and classic”.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is about a moody monster who steals all the presents and festive accoutrements from the home of a family who live near his cave, but is amazed to note that his victims do not lose their Christmas spirit. Dr Seuss, real name Theodor Geisel, published the book in 1957 and it remains among the American author’s best-known works.

Cumberbatch is hoovering up the high profile Hollywood roles, having recentlydebuted as Doctor Strange in the first trailer for the forthcoming Marvel comic book epic. He will also voice the tiger Shere Khan in Andy Serkis’s version of The Jungle Book for studio Warner Bros in 2018 – Disney’s rival version, out this weekend, features Idris Elba as the vengeful big cat – and is tipped to portray famed illusionist Jasper Maskelyne in period drama The War Magician.

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Is Sherlock Holmes a winter sport?

This may be question I should be asking myself more than anything since my output on this blog seems to have been somewhat lacking over this past summer.

Be that as it may, the question still seems to need to be asked; "Do we spend more time with Holmes in the cooler months than we do in the summer?"

If this were a question about beer I could easily explain my preference for one type over another as the seasons change.

The one summer, a couple of summers ago, when I found my Sherlockian output steady throughout the year was when Brad offered up the Sherlockian summer reading list.
I had a purpose, without even thinking about it, for continuing my Sherlockian reading through the warmer months.

But over all, I  believe my reading of Holmes usually drops off during the summer.
I am not sure why, but I have a couple of theories.
I find reading Holmes, for me, a very atmospheric pursuit. The mood has to be right, my surroundings have to be comfortable and I have to at least imagine that it would be nice sitting near a fireplace reading. And since I am more of a wine drinker in the winter than summer, a nice glass of a dry red doesn't hurt either.

The Canon of Sherlock Holmes of course is not with out it's stories set in a sweltering heat wave that neither Holmes nor Watson seems to relish. Several stories suggest that it is uncomfortable in Baker St. in a London summer.

But for the most part I imagine Holmes and Watson walking about their business always wearing some sort of a jacket (which is not unusual in England at that time all year round) and often times with an outer coat over it. And of course, always a hat.

I want my stories to not only have a briskness in adventure but also in temperature.
I want Holmes and Watson using the fire place in 221b and I want a chill wind blowing across Dartmoor. And let's not forget "a lonely hansom splashes through the rain. . .". Who wants to imagine it being all hot and humid and rainy when the hansom comes along?

In a real quick survey (the chronology you chose to use my differ slightly) of the Canon I found 27 stories took place between June and Sept.
We could argue what months should be included as the warmer months, but even adding May we only come up with 3 more stories in the Canon that could be placed in, for arguments sake, summer.
So, using this as the bases for my discussion, over half of the Canon takes place in 'cooler' months.
And that's good enough for me.

How about you, when do you get more of less involved with the Canon of Sherlock Holmes?

For many a newer Sherlockian their reading trends could be spurred by the time of year new video media is released. Most TV shows come out in the fall or early winter. And most big movies come out around Thanksgiving and Christmas ( not including what are known as summer block-busters. Both RDJ films came out in winter, but Mr. Holmes did come out in July but to not as big a release and it's premier was in Feb. 2015 with the DVD release coming in Nov. 2015).

But having been a Sherlockian for a very long time I have found these releases have not effected my reading habits.

So, this evening I am going to go home and dust the pollen of my bookshelf, pick up a couple of bottles of a dry red and move my reading chair closer to the fire.

Why Holmes really left Baker St.

Property prices in London have skyrocketed, and British police say money being laundered by international criminals is now the biggest factor driving the boom.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Britain has long been a safe haven for people fleeing persecution in their home countries, but now anti-corruption campaigners say the narrative has changed. The U.K. has also become a safe haven for dirty money, and a senior police officer claims money laundering is the biggest factor driving up London property prices. Vicki Barker reports.

VICKI BARKER, BYLINE: Baker Street in Central London - Chido Dunn from the anti-corruption organization Global Witness is looking for something that isn't there - 221 Baker Street, home of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.

CHIDO DUNN: So we're looking at 219 Baker Street, which is a...

BARKER: What is there is a vast art deco building that takes up most of the block.

DUNN: If 221 Baker Street had existed - if Sherlock Holmes had ever existed - that's where the property would be located 'cause it's such a big block.

BARKER: The building's real ownership is equally elusive, but Global Witness has traced it to the late Rakhat Aliyev, a shadowy Kazak businessman with links to the ruling family. Aliyev was found hanged in an Austrian prison this winter while facing multiple European money laundering charges.

A short walk away, in the leafy splendor of Regents Park, Dunn explains that the same things that make London such an attractive destination for tourists and ex-pats also appeal to dictators, drug lords and common crooks.

DUNN: It's got great schools. It's got great shopping. It's also a really secure place if you want to put your dirty money. It has a really secure system of law, and its property is a great investment.

BARKER: An estimated $200 billion worth of property in the U.K. is owned by offshore companies, and much of that is concentrated in the capital's most desirable neighborhoods. In the wealthiest, Westminster, one in five property transactions now involves a foreign buyer.

JONATHAN HUDSON: There's the properties that start from four-and-a-half million.

BARKER: In SoHo, where the sex shops and bohemian bars are slowly being edged out by upmarket restaurants, cafes and condos, realtor Jonathan Hudson says he's never had a shady client, and he's confident he can spot one.

HUDSON: If you can prove where your cash is from - can we have it from a lawyer, or can we have a copy of a bank statement? And if they're then quite a little bit cautious about giving their information, that would be the first red flag for us.

BARKER: But not everybody finds differentiating between dirty money and the merely filthy rich so easy, especially when realtors can earn hundreds of thousands on a single sale.

UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing) (Unintelligible).

BARKER: In a courtyard in the shadow of Westminster Abbey, as a choir rehearses nearby, I meet Mark Hayward, head of Britain's realtors association. He's well aware that his colleagues are legally required to report any suspect clients to anti-money-laundering authorities. He's also aware only a tiny number of them do so, and he says that's going to have to change.

MARK HAYWARD: I think government has now got the bit between its teeth. And the National Crime Agency, which is the equivalent of your FBI, has been targeted, and our sector is at the top of their hit list.

BARKER: Later this year, the British government will begin publishing the names of all foreign companies that own property in Britain. Anti-corruption groups called that a start, but they say the real owners will likely still remain in the shadows. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

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Addictive. . .

I don't very often get the opportunity to sit down and catch up on Sherlockian video or audio programs that I hear about and would love to catch.

Last night however was an exception.
With a little time between loads of laundry I was finally able to watch the web series 'Baker Street', starring and Hannah Drew and Karen Slater. They are part of the creative team also.

I had first heard about the show on IHOSE and put it on my Sherlockian bucket list.

The show developed a lot over it's three episodes, growing a little with each one. The performances definitely hold your attention and the stories are good enough to carry the show. Camera work got better and more creative as the episodes went along.
I actually think it would be less fun if it had better production values. It works well just the way it is.

Maybe because the gender of both lead characters has been flipped, the fact the both Holmes and Watson are women does not seem to be a problem and works well in the modern setting.
I hope they can make more episodes.