The Brettish Empire
Vol. IV #1

December 18, 1997
(updated January 2, 1998)

JUST A LITTLE TBE

Hello Everyone,

You may have seen the notice on the TBE website concerning an illness in my family. What happened is that my mom had major heart surgery. She was on the road to recovery when she suffered a near-fatal setback. Praise God, she miraculously survived, and is rapidly recovering once more. However, she's going to need some care before she gets back on her feet again. In addition to working fulltime, I'm one of her caretakers, which means at present I'm not able to spend much time on the computer to answer e-mail or to work on TBE. So, your patience, understanding (and especially your prayers!) are very much appreciated at this time.

Also, I've been having problems with e-mailing TBE. I can't seem to reach the person who was mailing TBE for me. I get error messages saying his e-mail mailbox is full. (David, if you read this, please drop me a line!!!) So, until I hear from my mailer and/or find another person to mail TBE for me, I'm afraid TBE will be a Web-only newsletter. Unfortunately, I can't mail TBE out myself, or add any new names to the mailing list. My Internet providers don't permit mass-mailings. This is to discourage "spamming," but, unfortunately, it also prevents legitimate mailings such as TBE from going out. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

I'm in the process of writing the next installment of "JBTV," but in light of my present circumstances, this may take a while. I don't want you to go TBE-less, though, so in the meantime, here's a potpourri of Brettnews I've received recently:

JB--CHOICE OF A NEW GENERATION

Jeremy Brett may be gone, but he is definitely not forgotten. Reader Tim Keller recently sent me this lovely message:

"I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your Brettish Empire website. I first saw Jeremy Brett in his appearance on The Love Boat. In 1992, I first saw his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and I was instantly hooked! My wife and I watched it every Monday night until his death in 1995 (when [A&E] took it off the air).

Our first son was born on November 25, 1997, and we named him Jeremy Brett Keller. It might sound kookie but the name just seemed right.

Thanks again for a great site!"

Thanks so much, Tim. Naming your precious child after Jeremy Brett definitely isn't "kookie." In fact, if the Good Lord ever blesses me with a son, you know "Jeremy Brett" will be my first choice for a name. (Either that, or "Mortimer Ichabod," after my rich uncle...) <VBG> ;->

TIME VERY WELL SPENT!

Well, Tim, take heart. "MsSheila" has alerted your editor to some welcome news. The folks at A&E have finally come to their senses and are airing two episodes of JB's Sherlock Holmes. On December 29, there's A Scandal in Bohemia and on December 30 the attraction is The Eligible Bachelor. (As always, please check your local listings for the correct times and channels.) Thanks, Sheila! And, way to go, A&E! Now, can we PLEASE have our Holmes back on Monday nights?! (Poirot and Miss Marple should rest their "little grey cells" for a while... ;->)

HEY! THEY HEARD ME! ;->

Take heart, mon ami--A&E is currently airing JB's Sherlock Holmes on Mondays after Poirot (check your local cable guide for correct time and channel).

BOX BRETT

If you're not satisfied with the edited episodes on A&E, here's a possible solution from "Mizpat" for those in need of a regular Holmes fix: "Just wanted to let you know I got a flyer from THE VIDEO CATALOG which is offering sets of the Holmes series in large hunks and also as an entire set of 41. I wish I could buy it just to let them know how great [JB] was. But $750 is a little steep for me. How about you?" Hmm...Well, Pat, I did the math, and that breaks down to about $18.30 per tape for the set of 41 videos. Not bad, but I've found these tapes far cheaper in stores such as Suncoast Video (a.k.a. Saturday Matinee) and Media Play. Still, buying them all at once is probably more convenient than trying to purchase the set piecemeal. It might be money well spent, if one can afford it. However, $750 is nearly four monthly car payments for me, and it's a pretty long walk to work... ;->

EARTH TO SHERLOCK...

And now, here's our intrepid TBE website maintainer, Jeff Wolfe, beaming down with news of an out-of-this world anthology:

"I just finished reading Sherlock Holmes in Orbit [edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg]. It's a recent [1995] collection of original science fiction Holmes stories. Jeremy Brett got two or three brief mentions, including in a story where someone writes an SH computer simulation that looks like JB. Like most anthologies of this type, the stories are uneven in quality, though I thought they were mostly good."

Thanks, Jeff. Incidentally, if anyone is interested, Sherlock Holmes in Orbit can be ordered online at URL: <http://www.amazon.com>.

PARLEZ VOUS BRETT

The sun never sets on the Brettish empire:

"I wanted to congratulate you for this marvelous site about Jeremy Brett. My name is Anne-Sophie MAILLIEZ, and I'm from France. I also wanted to inform you of the recent creation of the Jeremy Brett Society of France (in May 1997). Would it be possible for you to inform the readers of The Brettish Empire for we have no Website? It would be great and useful for us, because it's so difficult to inform people. We publish a magazine quarterly, first issue is just finished. I'll give you more details if you wish. Thank you very much, Anne-Sophie MAILLIEZ (also member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of France)."

Thank you, Anne-Sophie, and my sincerest apologies for not being able to spread the word sooner. I haven't had a chance to write back to Anne-Sophie yet, but her club certainly sounds like an interesting endeavor. If anyone wants more information, Anne-Sophie's e-mail address is: <tootsie@club-internet.fr>.

AULD LANG SYNE

Well, that's all for this little issue of TBE. As mentioned, TBE will be on a slight hiatus for a while, but, I'll still search the 'Net when I can for new links to add to this website. (New ones pop up all the time!) And, I'll work on the JB "FAQ" to try to answer some of the questions which have piled up in my e-mail in-basket. And, of course, I'll be working on the next installment of "JBTV," too. Again, I thank you all for your patience and understanding during this time.

Thank you for sharing 1997 with me through TBE. 1997 was quite different than 1996 was for me. There were no journeys to cities such as London or San Francisco this year. Instead, there were journeys of the heart. In the past few months I have learned much about sorrow, joy, faith, and love. I have been from the depths of despair to the heights of hope. And, through it all, my Lord has been with me, for the Bible says: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28, NIV)

Of course, it is my fervent prayer that my mom makes a complete recovery in 1998. I pray also for blessed holidays and a wonderful 1998 for all of you.

As Jeremy Brett would say, "Upward and onward!" :->

Until next time,

Lisa :-)

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The Brettish Empire Vol. IV #1