I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Moriarty, John Gardiner's Last Book, Is Available

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"I can tell a Moriarty when I see one" [VALL]</h4>
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You may recall the <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/08/had-reached-bottom-of-reichenbach-fall_6.html#.VTXMDCFVikq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">death of author John Gardner, BSI</a> ("Moriarty") in August of 2007. He was well known for where he picked up with the James Bond novels, as commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate.<br />
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Of course, one of the reasons he was inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars was his Sherlockian work in the 1970s, in which he looked at life as a Victorian criminal through the eyes of Professor James Moriarty. His first entry in this series was <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425050939?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0425050939" name="evtst|a|0425050939" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Return Of Moriarty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425050939" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>; the second was <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425050920?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0425050920" name="evtst|a|0425050920" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Revenge Of Moriarty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425050920" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>, which picked up where the Return left off. There were rumors of a manuscript for a third installment in the series, but the book never made it to bookstore shelves before Gardner's demise.<br />
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Well, the wait is over - the final installment in the trilogy is titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0151012520?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0151012520" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Moriarty</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0151012520" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and will be available in November 2008. You can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0151012520/thebakerstree-20" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">pre-order it from Amazon.com by clicking here</a>. You can also <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0151012520/thebakstrblo-21" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">pre-order it from Amazon.co.uk by clicking here</a>. The description of the book, courtesy of Amazon:<br />
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It is the turn of the century and, having survived the struggle with Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls, Professor James Moriarty is alive and well and about to realize his plans to establish crime syndicates in the major cities of the United States. But suddenly he is called back to London, where his vast criminal society has been overrun by a rival concern led by the shadowy Sir Jordan Jack Idell—or Idle Jack—a supposed gentleman hoodlum acting on behalf of criminal elements in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany.<br />
As Moriarty fights back—against both the unruly crime families and the forces of law and order—readers are thrown in among the lurkers, punishers, dippers, cracksmen, and the professor's elite guard.<br />
Moriarty lives again and revolts against those who attempt to oust him from his rightful place as king of “Napoleon of Crime.”</blockquote>
While you won't be able to get a signed copy, you might want to act early on this, as it's likely to capture a lot of attention and fly off the shelves early. This is yet another piece in what I like to think is a Sherlockian Renaissance that's about to begin.<br />
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Moriarty, John Gardiner's Last Book, Is Available

"I can tell a Moriarty when I see one" [VALL] You may recall the death of author John Gardner, BSI ("Moriarty") in...

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by Scott Monty

Two New Sherlock Holmes Films

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"the colossal schemes of Baron" [REIG]</h4>
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While it's encouraging to know that Sherlock Holmes is being considered for cinematic outings from time to time - the last big screen flourishes having occurred with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AUHPC?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000AUHPC" rel="nofollow"><i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000AUHPC" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00015HVN8?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00015HVN8" rel="nofollow"><i>Without a Clue</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00015HVN8" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> - the latest round of Hollywood rumors leaves a little to be desired.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sherlock Holmes Reinvented</span></h4>
<a href="http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/robert-downey-jr-a-swashbuckling-sherlock-holmes.php">The first announcement</a> occurred a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that none other than Warner Bros. were interested in backing a film by Madonna's soon-to-be-ex Guy Ritchie. In this gritty, action-based dramatization, we'll see a "reinvention" of the character as Ritchie rewrites an upcoming comic book by Lionel Wigram. According to the article, the focus will be on adventure, with Holmes's skills as a boxer and swordsman being highlighted. Rumor has it that Robert Downey, Jr. will take the lead.<br />
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If you ask us, the stories already have a good deal of adventure to them, and Holmes is already imbued with superhero-like powers that he doesn't need to be rewritten or sexed-up for the big screen. When will screenwriters and directors realize that they've got the makings of the perfect hero the way the character was written?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">"Frankly Hilarious"?</span></h4>
The latest ugly rumor is that none other than Sacha Baron Cohen - yes, that's right, Borat - will team up with Will Ferrell to <a href="http://www.dailystab.com/will-farrell-and-sacha-baron-cohen-take-on-sherlock-holmes/">play Holmes and Watson in a comedy</a>. How they'll manage to work the potty humor for which they're known into a treatment about the detective and his colleague is a mystery to me. One of the producers is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0031976/">Judd Apatow</a>, who's been responsible for recent comedies such as <i>Walk Hard</i>, <i>Knocked Up</i>, <i>Talledega Nights</i>, and <i>The 40 Year-Old Virgin</i> (all titles meant to inspire confidence in his comedic judgment, we suppose).<br />
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But according to the co-president of Columbia Pictures, "Sacha and Will are two of the funniest and most talented guys on the planet, and having them take on these two iconic characters is frankly hilarious."<br />
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At least they're sticking to the right genre.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Has It Come to This?</span></h4>
We're not trying to be spoilsports here - publicity for the great detective is important as we try to keep his name in the spotlight - but think of the children! In these days when books are getting less attention and kids get more information through video games, the Web, multimedia and text messaging, we need to be circumspect with the material we're presenting to them.<br />
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What will coming generations think if they're introduced to Holmes and Watson via recent questionable productions like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AOEMVY?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000AOEMVY" rel="nofollow"><i>Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000AOEMVY" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R349HK?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000R349HK" rel="nofollow">Sherlock Holmes and Baker Street Irregulars</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000R349HK" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>, or the above-mentioned projects? We can only hope that creative devotees will find a way to integrate more Canonically faithful movies.<br />
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Think of what the world would have been like if the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RPCJB6?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000RPCJB6" rel="nofollow">Granada Television series with Jeremy Brett</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000RPCJB6" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> hadn't come along in the early 1980s. We would have been relegated to memories of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000A5L2D?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000A5L2D">John Cleese in <i>The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It</i></a><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000A5L2D" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i> and Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LLLLLU?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000LLLLLU">The Hound Of The Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000LLLLLU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>. We shudder at the thought.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">What do you think? Chime in with a comment below.</span><br />
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P.S. In case you're wondering, this is no joke, unlike our successful hoodwinking of many outlets with <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/04/is-long-row-veil_1.html#.VbEE2_lViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an April Fool's Day prank</a>.<br />
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</i> <i>Image credit: <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Borat_Sacha_Baron_Cohen.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></i><br />
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Two New Sherlock Holmes Films

"the colossal schemes of Baron" [REIG] While it's encouraging to know that Sherlock Holmes is being considered for cinem...

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by Scott Monty

Remembering Bruce Montgomery, BSI

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"a remarkably rich tenor voice" [VALL]</h4>
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It came as a great surprise and shock to to receive notice of the passing of Bruce Montgomery, BSI ("The Red Circle") on Saturday, June 21. He was, for many years, the voice and spirit of the Baker Street Irregulars annual dinner in New York, where he would invariably sing the BSI's unofficial anthem, "Aunt Clara."<br />
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Monty, as he was known by all (a name we both shared) picked up where his father, James Montgomery, BSI ("The Red Circle") left off. The elder Montgomery was also a gifted tenor and provided musical entertainment during the BSI's early years. He passed away very suddenly and very prematurely in 1955, as his Christmas Annual was being printed. As a side note, I actually own a copy of that annual, with a note from Jim's wife:<br />
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"My husband died very suddenly on November 9th. It was his expressed wish, however, that I should get out this little booklet in the envelopes which he had already addressed."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
Constance P. Montgomery<br />
Christmas, 1955</div>
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Like his father before him, Monty was a victim of heart failure - which is ironic, because he had a big heart that was dedicated to bringing joy to all around him. A more upbeat and friendly man I have yet to meet. He brought his special variety of joy in a variety of settings, from the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (which he brought to a BSI dinner one year), to the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia, to the artwork he took up upon his retirement.<br />
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An example of his artwork, which for a time could be ordered as notecards, reminds us of one of the illustrations from "The Lion's Mane":<br />
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Thankfully, Monty's contributions will not be forgotten. His artwork lives on and the <a href="http://www.brucemontgomery.org/" target="_blank">Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts</a> has been established in his memory.<br />
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And of course his voice will live on in the BSI's archives - which will now include digital media. And you can hear Bruce give <a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/ihearofsherlock/bruce-montgomery-at-the-2008-bsi-dinner" target="_blank">his last BSI performance</a>, recorded at the BSI dinner in New York City on January 11, 2008.<br />
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We were honored to stand in his presence on a number of occasions and share the microphone with him. While our singing voice is fairly good, it paled in comparison to the consummate professional who stood beside me. Good night, Monty. You'll be terribly missed.<br />
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You can read <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/name/bruce-montgomery-obituary?id=24965434" target="_blank">his obituary here</a>.<br />
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Do you have your own memories of Bruce Montgomery? Please share them as a comment below.<br />
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Remembering Bruce Montgomery, BSI

"a remarkably rich tenor voice" [VALL] It came as a great surprise and shock to to receive notice of the passing of Bruce ...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

"In a Flash We Caught a Glimpse" [RETI]

I recently shared a short video with you that described social media. As you may know, the essence behind social media is sharing information - text, audio, video, photos, etc.<br /><br />I just found an interesting application that allows me to share a stream of mentions of anything on <a href="http://twitter.com/S_Holmes">Twitter</a> with a background of Flickr photos. I've set it to stream mentions of "Sherlock" while backed with images tagged with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Sherlockian&w=all&m=tags&sourceid=firefox">Sherlockian</a>. See what people are saying and what images show up:<br /><br /><center><object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-4445535100" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="400" id="twitterfountain" width="400"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="movie" value="http://www.twitterfountain.nl/twitterfountain.swf?fv_event=Sherlock&fv_flickr=Sherlockian&fv_kleur=FFFF0"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="scale" value="noscale"><param name="salign" value="lt"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFF0"><embed src="http://www.twitterfountain.nl/twitterfountain.swf?fv_event=Sherlock&fv_flickr=Sherlockian&fv_kleur=FFFF0" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="lt" bgcolor="#DC1689" name="twitterfountain" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" width="400" height="400"></embed></object></center><br /><br />This is also a good time to remind you: if you take photos at any Sherlockian events, please consider uploading them to Flickr and tagging them with "Sherlockian," to share them with other like-minded individuals. You might find that you'll connect with some interesting people that way.