A few months ago, the great Terry Pratchett - author of the Discworld series of fantasy novels, revealed that he had Early Onset Alzheimers - one of the most cruel diseases you can ever hope to have, both for the person suffering from it and for that person's loved ones.
Recently, he gave 500,000 pounds to the Alzheimer's Research Trust, and I can only hope that that Trust spends that money more wisely than most research places seem to spend the money they get.
Author Terry Pratchett attacks the NHS over Alzheimer's policy
Anyway, there's a movement afoot by Mr. Pratchett's fans around the world to "Match it for Pratchett" - donate as much or as little as you can, so that another 500,000 can be given to organizations researching this terrible disease.
Well, I suggest that all American fans of Pratchett make donations to the Alzheimer's Association.
However, before you give to this OR ANY OTHER CHARITY, make sure you check out that charity at this site:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/
which will tell you how much of your donation goes to the people who need it, and how much goes to the people at the top, who do the "schmoozing".
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Jon Pertwee fans get a treat
If you're a fan of Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor (and I am) you're in for a treat, as BBC Radio 7 is airing a 30 minute doc on Jon Pertwee's early radio work (before the Doctor was even in its first incarnation....)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/
Radio Roots
Jon Pertwee: Russell Davies traces the actor's early broadcasting career before he was famous, with archive clips and interviews.
Problems of a Tentacular Nature
Another new blog I've started consists of links to external movie reviews of science fiction and fantasy movies, beginning with March 2008.
http://problemsofatentacularnature.blogspot.com/
http://allaboardamerica.blogspot.com/ is a combination History of train (and automobile) travel in the US, but a chronicle of my goal to ride around the US on Amtrak.
http://problemsofatentacularnature.blogspot.com/
http://allaboardamerica.blogspot.com/ is a combination History of train (and automobile) travel in the US, but a chronicle of my goal to ride around the US on Amtrak.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Blogs, blogs, blogs, blogs...marching off to space
I have several blogs, but for various and sundry reasons, I've let several of them slide, some for several months, and I'm rededicating myself to updating them on a regular basis.
I'll mention a few today, and a few tomorrow, so as not to overwelm anyone!
A new blog is The Patrick Barlow Experience
I've recently become a fan of this actor, author and comedian. He doesn't do science fiction, but I'll share the blog here nevertheless.
http://patrickbarlowexperience.blogspot.com/
This is going to be a finite blog, a blog that will just have pages for his radio work, tv work, movie work, books, and photos. Basically how I'd do his website if I had time to do a website for him.
http://themuseumofideas.blogspot.com/
Another new blog, in fact this one is brand-new, replacing my Lacemaking Through the Ages. Basically a blog that will chronicle the rise of technology...the shortcuts, the blind alleys, the this-es and the that-s!
I'm also rededicating myself to updating my Space News and Marine News blogs on a daily basis.
I'll mention a few today, and a few tomorrow, so as not to overwelm anyone!
A new blog is The Patrick Barlow Experience
I've recently become a fan of this actor, author and comedian. He doesn't do science fiction, but I'll share the blog here nevertheless.
http://patrickbarlowexperience.blogspot.com/
This is going to be a finite blog, a blog that will just have pages for his radio work, tv work, movie work, books, and photos. Basically how I'd do his website if I had time to do a website for him.
http://themuseumofideas.blogspot.com/
Another new blog, in fact this one is brand-new, replacing my Lacemaking Through the Ages. Basically a blog that will chronicle the rise of technology...the shortcuts, the blind alleys, the this-es and the that-s!
I'm also rededicating myself to updating my Space News and Marine News blogs on a daily basis.
Grocery Store Wars
I posted a link to this video at YouTube a couple of years ago, but since then my sophistication in posting videos has grown tremendously, and so now I'm gonna embed the video here so you can see it!
In many ways its propaganda - organic farming instead of chemical farming...but it is hilarious.
"Darth Tater"
"That's not a moon! It's a melon!"
In many ways its propaganda - organic farming instead of chemical farming...but it is hilarious.
"Darth Tater"
"That's not a moon! It's a melon!"
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Wholesome group activities
I wonder if its possible for people to go into gang-infested areas in various cities and say, hey, instead of going around killing innocent people and reinforcing all the stereotypes, why not learn how to dance, or to sing, or to hold still for 5 minutes at a time, and have competitions that way...
Anyway, just found these on Youtube and they are hilarious.
At New York's Grand Central Station, 207 people remain frozen for 5 minutes - now try to stay still without moving for even one minute - it is not easy to do. And when you're holding a spoonful of icecream almost to your lips - what will power!
This would make such an excellent plot for a science fiction story...
In London, a group of people on a bus get up and perform the choreography to Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Anyway, just found these on Youtube and they are hilarious.
At New York's Grand Central Station, 207 people remain frozen for 5 minutes - now try to stay still without moving for even one minute - it is not easy to do. And when you're holding a spoonful of icecream almost to your lips - what will power!
This would make such an excellent plot for a science fiction story...
In London, a group of people on a bus get up and perform the choreography to Michael Jackson's Thriller.
The Current Brouhahah - and STDs are rife. Rife!
Well, the Governor of New York was caught hiring a prostitute, and not for the first time. Not only any old prostitute, but one that cost $5,000 an hour! And one that he "transported across state lines" in order to have sex with.
And yet when he appears on stage to aplogize to his family and friends, his wife - a beautiful woman (who looks like Jennifer Aniston!), it must be pointed out - stands by his side.
I've been listening to Rush Limbaugh this morning,and he's been expressing his bewilderment at women who "stand by their man" in this fashion, and I have to say he's right. Spitzer's wife should have stepped up to the podium and told him in public that she wanted a divorce, and he could go make himself feel better by paying for sex with a woman.
That's what I don't understand, really. Athletes who make millions of dollars, surely they don't actually have to pay a woman to have sex with them? Politicans - even balding ones like Spitzer - surely they don't have to pay a woman to have sex with them?
I would think it would be demeaning for a guy - not being able to get sex unless you pay for it. Perhaps that's why he paid $5,000 for his prostitutes - if you have to spend a lot of money on a woman obviously there's nothing sordid or pathetic about it.
And on a slightly related note:
STDs rife among US teenage girls
How can this be possible? Don't these girls know enough to use condoms? Well...of course not, the use of condoms isn't allowed to be advertised, they're not allowed to be taught in sex education, and guys don't like to use em so of course they mustn't be forced to.
And then there's this:
Why is it serious that any of these girls should become infertile? Seems to me that that's the best thing that could happen to them - that would bring an end to at least one unwed woman's childbearing and welfare-living.
Now, having vented that, I see that the number of teenage girls who took part in this study is given.
838 adolescent girls took part in this survey, and from this, the headline is, STDs are rife in teenage girls.
How many teenage girls are in the USA??? Because it's rife in 838 of them, can that really be extrapolated to the rest of th country?
From where were these girls tested? In poor communities? In middle class communities? In wealthy communities?
Whenever a study includes less than 10,000 people - I give absolutely no credence to it.
And yet when he appears on stage to aplogize to his family and friends, his wife - a beautiful woman (who looks like Jennifer Aniston!), it must be pointed out - stands by his side.
I've been listening to Rush Limbaugh this morning,and he's been expressing his bewilderment at women who "stand by their man" in this fashion, and I have to say he's right. Spitzer's wife should have stepped up to the podium and told him in public that she wanted a divorce, and he could go make himself feel better by paying for sex with a woman.
That's what I don't understand, really. Athletes who make millions of dollars, surely they don't actually have to pay a woman to have sex with them? Politicans - even balding ones like Spitzer - surely they don't have to pay a woman to have sex with them?
I would think it would be demeaning for a guy - not being able to get sex unless you pay for it. Perhaps that's why he paid $5,000 for his prostitutes - if you have to spend a lot of money on a woman obviously there's nothing sordid or pathetic about it.
And on a slightly related note:
STDs rife among US teenage girls
How can this be possible? Don't these girls know enough to use condoms? Well...of course not, the use of condoms isn't allowed to be advertised, they're not allowed to be taught in sex education, and guys don't like to use em so of course they mustn't be forced to.
It found that nearly half of the African-American girls surveyed had at least one STD, while the rate was 20% among white and Mexican-American teenagers
And then there's this:
The CDC's Devin Fenton said it was a serious issue because the diseases could lead to infertility and cervical cancer.
Why is it serious that any of these girls should become infertile? Seems to me that that's the best thing that could happen to them - that would bring an end to at least one unwed woman's childbearing and welfare-living.
Now, having vented that, I see that the number of teenage girls who took part in this study is given.
Researchers analysed data from a nationally representative sample of 838 US girls aged 14 to 19.
838 adolescent girls took part in this survey, and from this, the headline is, STDs are rife in teenage girls.
How many teenage girls are in the USA??? Because it's rife in 838 of them, can that really be extrapolated to the rest of th country?
From where were these girls tested? In poor communities? In middle class communities? In wealthy communities?
Whenever a study includes less than 10,000 people - I give absolutely no credence to it.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Review: Oneira
BBC 7 is replaying Oneira once again, from Monday through Friday of this week (March 3-7, 2008).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/
This is fantasy rather than science fiction, and has its characters debating philosophy while trying to solve the mystery of String Theory.
The plot
Oneira is a woman who works in a museum, and wants to take up smoking so she can have a habit to kick, and she lives with her boyfriend Pete who is a very well off banker who treats their relationship strictly on a business footing.
One day she meets Nikolai Van Der Man. Both of them look exactly like two people in a 400-year old painting in the musuem, Nikolai is the artist. He is searching for the Lux Atter (not sure of the spelling) the Book of Black Light - which proves the link between alchemy and string theory.
In this first episode, Nikolai gives Oneira a small shoe-box refrigerator, which she brings home to the pent-house flat she shares with Pete. It cries like a baby to be fed, and Pete falls victim to its powers of mind control, feeding it as it grows larger and larger.
Review
Frankly, I didn't care for this show at all. It's full of "flip" humor and quips, none of the characters act like real human beings, and you don't really care for any of them, as they don't seem to care for each other. There's no sense of connection - Pete disappears at the end of the episode, but I really wouldn't have cared if Oneira had done as well. As for Pete, he's an unpleasant character from beginning to end, so there's certainly no sense of loss when he goes, least of all felt by Oneira!
Cast
Written by Robert Easby
Oneira - Lindsay Marshall
Nikolai - Peter Marinka
Pete - Joseph Kloska
Salesman (of refrigerators. "I think, therefore I chill.") - Mark Straker
Vistor - Bethan Walker
The episdodes
The Big Chill: Museum guard Oneira meets a 400 year old Dutchman who invites her on a quest to discover the secrets of the universe.
Sleight of Mind: Oneira is interrogated by a man from the Electrical Company - but is he trying to help her, or is he an alien? Episode 2 of 5.
A String of Time: Oneira ends up in the Texan Desert with a dead American comic and a 13th-century Friar. Episode 3 of 5.
The Thing with Two Cappuccinos: When she forgets to pay for a coffee, Oneira is chased by multiplying android coffee bar staff.
Mind the Gap: Oneira ends up talking to herself, literally, and finds her other self very rude. Episode 5 of 5.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/
This is fantasy rather than science fiction, and has its characters debating philosophy while trying to solve the mystery of String Theory.
The plot
Oneira is a woman who works in a museum, and wants to take up smoking so she can have a habit to kick, and she lives with her boyfriend Pete who is a very well off banker who treats their relationship strictly on a business footing.
One day she meets Nikolai Van Der Man. Both of them look exactly like two people in a 400-year old painting in the musuem, Nikolai is the artist. He is searching for the Lux Atter (not sure of the spelling) the Book of Black Light - which proves the link between alchemy and string theory.
In this first episode, Nikolai gives Oneira a small shoe-box refrigerator, which she brings home to the pent-house flat she shares with Pete. It cries like a baby to be fed, and Pete falls victim to its powers of mind control, feeding it as it grows larger and larger.
Review
Frankly, I didn't care for this show at all. It's full of "flip" humor and quips, none of the characters act like real human beings, and you don't really care for any of them, as they don't seem to care for each other. There's no sense of connection - Pete disappears at the end of the episode, but I really wouldn't have cared if Oneira had done as well. As for Pete, he's an unpleasant character from beginning to end, so there's certainly no sense of loss when he goes, least of all felt by Oneira!
Cast
Written by Robert Easby
Oneira - Lindsay Marshall
Nikolai - Peter Marinka
Pete - Joseph Kloska
Salesman (of refrigerators. "I think, therefore I chill.") - Mark Straker
Vistor - Bethan Walker
The episdodes
The Big Chill: Museum guard Oneira meets a 400 year old Dutchman who invites her on a quest to discover the secrets of the universe.
Sleight of Mind: Oneira is interrogated by a man from the Electrical Company - but is he trying to help her, or is he an alien? Episode 2 of 5.
A String of Time: Oneira ends up in the Texan Desert with a dead American comic and a 13th-century Friar. Episode 3 of 5.
The Thing with Two Cappuccinos: When she forgets to pay for a coffee, Oneira is chased by multiplying android coffee bar staff.
Mind the Gap: Oneira ends up talking to herself, literally, and finds her other self very rude. Episode 5 of 5.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Williamsburg Film Festival: Friday
Today was a busy day at the Williamsburg Film Festival.
Again, I'll be covering everything fully in my article about the festival, soon to come, so today I'll just mention things briefly.
I will start out, however, by saying that it rained ALL DAY today, which was extremely annoying, as I'd hoped to grab some free time in order to wander around Williamsburg and take pics of the various buildings... it's also supposed to rain tomorrow...
Anyway...
Friday happenings:
The afternoon panel featured actress Jacqueline Scott and her playwright husband, Gene Lesser.
Among many topics touched on was her time as Roddy McDowall's significant other in the television series version of Planet of the Apes. She commented on how the visitors to the sets would treat the ape actors (while in costume of course) almost like animals, pulling and tugging at them to get their photographs, and said she'd never been able to go to a zoo since, as she knew how the animals there must feel.
The 7 pm session was with Lee Meriwether and her daughter, stunt woman Lesley Aletter.
Meriwether described how she earned the part of Catwoman for the Catwoman movie by walking into the casting room, curling up inthe chair like a cat and licking her hand like a cat and so on.
Much more was discussed in each session, of course, and I'll cover it in my article.
Again, I'll be covering everything fully in my article about the festival, soon to come, so today I'll just mention things briefly.
I will start out, however, by saying that it rained ALL DAY today, which was extremely annoying, as I'd hoped to grab some free time in order to wander around Williamsburg and take pics of the various buildings... it's also supposed to rain tomorrow...
Anyway...
Friday happenings:
The afternoon panel featured actress Jacqueline Scott and her playwright husband, Gene Lesser.
Among many topics touched on was her time as Roddy McDowall's significant other in the television series version of Planet of the Apes. She commented on how the visitors to the sets would treat the ape actors (while in costume of course) almost like animals, pulling and tugging at them to get their photographs, and said she'd never been able to go to a zoo since, as she knew how the animals there must feel.
The 7 pm session was with Lee Meriwether and her daughter, stunt woman Lesley Aletter.
Meriwether described how she earned the part of Catwoman for the Catwoman movie by walking into the casting room, curling up inthe chair like a cat and licking her hand like a cat and so on.
Much more was discussed in each session, of course, and I'll cover it in my article.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Williamsburg Film Festival: Thursday
Today was the first day of the Williamsburg Film Festival. I'll be writing a complete article about the entire festival, so Ill just share a few things here.
I showed up at 11 am for the first autograph session. Everyone was quite pleasant, chatting with their fans, etc., but the one who stood out most of all was Gregory Walcott - talking to each fan individually and asking questions, like "where are you from", rather than just waiting for the fan to ask a question or what have you. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.
Second was Richard Devon - professional bad guy on the screen, but obviously a very sweet guy in real life.
He introduced his Daniel Boone episode "The Plague That Came to Ford's Run." I came back a bit late to hear his end-of-show Q & A, but he shared a few anecdotes on Steve McQueen of Trackdown aka Josh Randall - Bounty Hunter).
At 2 pm was The 4D Man. I was expecting Lee Meriwether to introduce the movie, but she was unavailable. I was only able to watch about 45 minutes, and missed her Q&A, because at 3 pm was the guest panel of Richard Herd and Roger Davis.
That was great - and I'll be sharing that in full in my article.
At 5.30, the Solar Guard began its shows in its room. First they showed a few trailers, then was an episode of Science Fiction Theater, "The Negative Man" starring Dane Clark and Beverly Garland, and then the Amazon Women of the Moon segment of the Amazon Women of the Moon moive, with Steve Forrest, [and oh my goodness, I didn't know Steve Forrest was the brother of Dana Andrews!]
At 7 o'clock was the star panel of Gregory Walcott and Don Kay Reynolds (Little Beaver as an actor, also a horse trainer.)
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Williamsburg Film Festival Begins March 6, Thursday
For the 3rd year in a row, I'll be attending the Williamsburg Film Festival, which begins on Thursday, March 6 and ends on Saturday, March 8.
In an effort to provide information for anyone who might want to visit the Historic Triangle of Virginia in March, I go into details about accommodation and so forth:
I only live about 40 minutes away, but this year I decided to stay in a motel in Willimasburg for 3 days, instead of driving back and forth. So I'm currently in a Super 8 motel - a large, 3 story motel - , about a mile away from the Holiday Inn Patriot where the film festival is taking place. (There's a Motel 6 right next to the Holiday Inn, with even cheaper rates, but I made my reservations too late to get in there.) This Super 8 is about half the price, on a daily basis, of the Holiday Inn Patriot, and since I'm only going to be spending nights here, why pay more?
Williamsburg is of course the heart of the Historic Triangle - along with Jamestown and Yorktown, so depending on my schedule I'll be doing some other things while I'm here.
Super 8
Back to the Super 8... first time I've ever stayed in one. Smell of disinfectant as you walk in rather strong... but I dont mind it. That's the way hotels and motels should smell! I'm on the second floor, so even though my windows seem to face the street, I'm not too bothered by it. (Especially since the street is a large parking lot away.)
Winter season rates
Inside the room it smells fine - and I have got a huge room - two king size beds in here for $45 a night which includes taxes. There's a small refrigerator - currently cooling 3 Pepsis and a small carton of milk, and a microwave. There's a small round table and two chairs. Ther's a wardrobe. No overhead lights, but lamps everywhere. There's an ironing board and an iron!
There's a large screen tv and it gets cable...70 channels and nothing on worth watching.
(As an aside, it's too bad the Sci Fi channel has gotten so far away from science fiction. There's no classic SF on anymore, it's all the various Stargates and reality series featuring ghost hunters. Boo hiss!)
Anyway, the heater works and I've got it turned up high - I like to be toasty. The room in which the toilet and bathtub reside is rather small - but they both are clean-looking - no chipped paint, etc. so that's good.
And they've got free high speed internet, so I'm happy!
Temperature during March
Even though it's winter here in Williamsburg, VA, the weather is rather temperate during the day. Should be in the 50s-60s for the next three days - so if you visit here next year - you'll be able to do plenty of outdoor things...
Okay...to the point of this entry, which is the Williamsburg Film Festival.
Williamsburg Film Festival
It's more a Western film festival than anything else, but they've got some sci fi actors in amongst the bunch.
Guests
Lesley Aletter - daughter of Lee Merriweather. She's a stuntwoman who has doubled Sigourney Weaver and Lucy Lawless
Roger Davis - Dark Shadows (sorry, Roger, but I prefer Jonathan Frid!)
Richard Devon - various westerns, and as Molack in Space Patrol
Richard Herd - V, Star Trek Voyager
Tom and Ted LeGarde - appeared in I, Mudd as two androids
Gene Lesser - Westerns
Lee Merriweather - Catwoman, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel
Don Kay Reynolds - horse trainer - trained the horses for the Lord of the Rings movies
William Sanderson was supposed to be here, but apparently had to cancel
Jacqueline Scott - she guest-starred on on quite a few SF shows. She played Roddy McDowall's "girlfriend" in the Planet of the Apes TV series, was in a few Outer Limits episodes, a Twilight Zone and in the movie Empire of the Ants with Joan Collins.
Gregory Walcott - Plan 9 From Outer Space
On my first critical note of the evening, I must say that the $7 program sucks. Each actor has their photo in b&W. That would be fine except the photos are very dark - you can hardly see them!
The show gets started tomorrow at 10 am, when all the guest stars will be in the Dealer's Room signing autographs. They'll sign the program for free, but charge for photos and so on.
Thursday events
Thursday 2 pm - a sci fi movie - the 4D Man starring Lee Merriweather and Robert Lansing. She should be giving a brief talk before and a q & a after...
5:30 pm - the Solar Guard academy will be showing episodes of Tom Corbett and Space Patrol
Friday
12;45 pm - Twilight Zone ep Spur of the Moment, guest star Roger Davis
5:15 onward - Solar Guard
Panel of stars for Thursday - Richard Herd and Roger Davis at 3 pm, Don Reynolds and Greg Walcott at 7.
So I hope to get a lot done tomorrow...
Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel.
In an effort to provide information for anyone who might want to visit the Historic Triangle of Virginia in March, I go into details about accommodation and so forth:
I only live about 40 minutes away, but this year I decided to stay in a motel in Willimasburg for 3 days, instead of driving back and forth. So I'm currently in a Super 8 motel - a large, 3 story motel - , about a mile away from the Holiday Inn Patriot where the film festival is taking place. (There's a Motel 6 right next to the Holiday Inn, with even cheaper rates, but I made my reservations too late to get in there.) This Super 8 is about half the price, on a daily basis, of the Holiday Inn Patriot, and since I'm only going to be spending nights here, why pay more?
Williamsburg is of course the heart of the Historic Triangle - along with Jamestown and Yorktown, so depending on my schedule I'll be doing some other things while I'm here.
Super 8
Back to the Super 8... first time I've ever stayed in one. Smell of disinfectant as you walk in rather strong... but I dont mind it. That's the way hotels and motels should smell! I'm on the second floor, so even though my windows seem to face the street, I'm not too bothered by it. (Especially since the street is a large parking lot away.)
Winter season rates
Inside the room it smells fine - and I have got a huge room - two king size beds in here for $45 a night which includes taxes. There's a small refrigerator - currently cooling 3 Pepsis and a small carton of milk, and a microwave. There's a small round table and two chairs. Ther's a wardrobe. No overhead lights, but lamps everywhere. There's an ironing board and an iron!
There's a large screen tv and it gets cable...70 channels and nothing on worth watching.
(As an aside, it's too bad the Sci Fi channel has gotten so far away from science fiction. There's no classic SF on anymore, it's all the various Stargates and reality series featuring ghost hunters. Boo hiss!)
Anyway, the heater works and I've got it turned up high - I like to be toasty. The room in which the toilet and bathtub reside is rather small - but they both are clean-looking - no chipped paint, etc. so that's good.
And they've got free high speed internet, so I'm happy!
Temperature during March
Even though it's winter here in Williamsburg, VA, the weather is rather temperate during the day. Should be in the 50s-60s for the next three days - so if you visit here next year - you'll be able to do plenty of outdoor things...
Okay...to the point of this entry, which is the Williamsburg Film Festival.
Williamsburg Film Festival
It's more a Western film festival than anything else, but they've got some sci fi actors in amongst the bunch.
Guests
Lesley Aletter - daughter of Lee Merriweather. She's a stuntwoman who has doubled Sigourney Weaver and Lucy Lawless
Roger Davis - Dark Shadows (sorry, Roger, but I prefer Jonathan Frid!)
Richard Devon - various westerns, and as Molack in Space Patrol
Richard Herd - V, Star Trek Voyager
Tom and Ted LeGarde - appeared in I, Mudd as two androids
Gene Lesser - Westerns
Lee Merriweather - Catwoman, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel
Don Kay Reynolds - horse trainer - trained the horses for the Lord of the Rings movies
William Sanderson was supposed to be here, but apparently had to cancel
Jacqueline Scott - she guest-starred on on quite a few SF shows. She played Roddy McDowall's "girlfriend" in the Planet of the Apes TV series, was in a few Outer Limits episodes, a Twilight Zone and in the movie Empire of the Ants with Joan Collins.
Gregory Walcott - Plan 9 From Outer Space
On my first critical note of the evening, I must say that the $7 program sucks. Each actor has their photo in b&W. That would be fine except the photos are very dark - you can hardly see them!
The show gets started tomorrow at 10 am, when all the guest stars will be in the Dealer's Room signing autographs. They'll sign the program for free, but charge for photos and so on.
Thursday events
Thursday 2 pm - a sci fi movie - the 4D Man starring Lee Merriweather and Robert Lansing. She should be giving a brief talk before and a q & a after...
5:30 pm - the Solar Guard academy will be showing episodes of Tom Corbett and Space Patrol
Friday
12;45 pm - Twilight Zone ep Spur of the Moment, guest star Roger Davis
5:15 onward - Solar Guard
Panel of stars for Thursday - Richard Herd and Roger Davis at 3 pm, Don Reynolds and Greg Walcott at 7.
So I hope to get a lot done tomorrow...
Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel.
Oneira returns, Perelandra continues
All this week, Oneira is being run, to get people in the mood for a sequel, which I believe starts next week. Below are eps from Mon - Wed of this week. (Fathrland also continues, but the description of each ep is always the same, so I won't bother to put it here.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/
Oneira
The Big Chill: Museum guard Oneira meets a 400 year old Dutchman who invites her on a quest to discover the secrets of the universe.
I've got this recorded and will be reviewing it in due course.
Perelandra started last week, but I haven't listened to it for a while. Anyway, part 4 is on Monday:
Perelandra
Ransom wakes on his island to see a human form, a woman, facing him from a neighbouring island. Episode 4 of 18.
On Tuesday:
Oneira
Sleight of Mind: Oneira is interrogated by a man from the Electrical Company - but is he trying to help her, or is he an alien? Episode 2 of 5. [Rptd Wed 12.00am].
Perelandra
Ransom swims to the other shore and discovers that the Green Lady is none other than Perelandra herself. Episode 5 of 18.
Wednesday
Oneira
A String of Time: Oneira ends up in the Texan Desert with a dead American comic and a 13th-century Friar. Episode 3 of 5. [Rptd Thu 12.00am].
Perelandra
The Green Lady tells Ransom of Maleldil's decree; she cannot stay the night on the mountainous island known as the fixed land. Episode 6 of 18.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/
Oneira
The Big Chill: Museum guard Oneira meets a 400 year old Dutchman who invites her on a quest to discover the secrets of the universe.
I've got this recorded and will be reviewing it in due course.
Perelandra started last week, but I haven't listened to it for a while. Anyway, part 4 is on Monday:
Perelandra
Ransom wakes on his island to see a human form, a woman, facing him from a neighbouring island. Episode 4 of 18.
On Tuesday:
Oneira
Sleight of Mind: Oneira is interrogated by a man from the Electrical Company - but is he trying to help her, or is he an alien? Episode 2 of 5. [Rptd Wed 12.00am].
Perelandra
Ransom swims to the other shore and discovers that the Green Lady is none other than Perelandra herself. Episode 5 of 18.
Wednesday
Oneira
A String of Time: Oneira ends up in the Texan Desert with a dead American comic and a 13th-century Friar. Episode 3 of 5. [Rptd Thu 12.00am].
Perelandra
The Green Lady tells Ransom of Maleldil's decree; she cannot stay the night on the mountainous island known as the fixed land. Episode 6 of 18.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Radio drama review: Fatherland by Steve Harris
Way back on July 9, 1997, the BBC aired the first of its 4-part adaption of the Robert Harris novel, Fatherland.
It is currently being run on BBC 7 - an episode a day, beginning on Monday March 3.
I read this novel many years ago, and remember much of it. So I tuned in to the first episode, and I have to admit I was disappointed.
It takes place in Germany. Therefore, every bloody actor should be using a German accent! But they don't! They're all English. When they use a German word - like übergrupenfuhrer, or similar, they say that in a quasi-Germanic way, but that's about it. It's annoying and it detracts from the story, because these are all professional actors who should be able to do a German accent!
Anton Lesser plays police detective Xavier March. Angeline Ball plays the female reporter Charlie Maguire. Also in the cast were Peter Ellis, Andrew Sachs (Manuel on Fawlty Towers is his most famous role in the States, but he's been in tons of stuff), Amanda Wallace, Ned Sherrine, and Stratford Johns. It was directed by John Dryden. Unfortunately, nowhere in the credits does it tell which role each actor plays - except for the top two, of course, and I don't know these actor's voices well enough to be able to assign role to actor.
Being lazy, I'm just going to share the plot from the copyright free Wikipedia:
The plot follows detective Xavier March, an investigator working for the Kripo (Kriminalpolizei), as he investigates the suspicious death of a high-ranking Nazi (Josef Bühler) in the Havel, on the outskirts of Berlin. As March uncovers more details he realises that he is caught up in a political scandal involving senior Nazi party officials, who are apparently being systematically murdered under staged circumstances.
March meets with Charlie Maguire, a female American journalist who works for the New York Times, who is also determined to investigate the case.
As for the rest, it's a full-scale adaption - each character voiced by its own actor, sound effects, etc. etc. If you can get past the fact that the accents are all wrong - which I can't - you'll probably enjoy it!
It is currently being run on BBC 7 - an episode a day, beginning on Monday March 3.
I read this novel many years ago, and remember much of it. So I tuned in to the first episode, and I have to admit I was disappointed.
It takes place in Germany. Therefore, every bloody actor should be using a German accent! But they don't! They're all English. When they use a German word - like übergrupenfuhrer, or similar, they say that in a quasi-Germanic way, but that's about it. It's annoying and it detracts from the story, because these are all professional actors who should be able to do a German accent!
Anton Lesser plays police detective Xavier March. Angeline Ball plays the female reporter Charlie Maguire. Also in the cast were Peter Ellis, Andrew Sachs (Manuel on Fawlty Towers is his most famous role in the States, but he's been in tons of stuff), Amanda Wallace, Ned Sherrine, and Stratford Johns. It was directed by John Dryden. Unfortunately, nowhere in the credits does it tell which role each actor plays - except for the top two, of course, and I don't know these actor's voices well enough to be able to assign role to actor.
Being lazy, I'm just going to share the plot from the copyright free Wikipedia:
The plot follows detective Xavier March, an investigator working for the Kripo (Kriminalpolizei), as he investigates the suspicious death of a high-ranking Nazi (Josef Bühler) in the Havel, on the outskirts of Berlin. As March uncovers more details he realises that he is caught up in a political scandal involving senior Nazi party officials, who are apparently being systematically murdered under staged circumstances.
March meets with Charlie Maguire, a female American journalist who works for the New York Times, who is also determined to investigate the case.
As for the rest, it's a full-scale adaption - each character voiced by its own actor, sound effects, etc. etc. If you can get past the fact that the accents are all wrong - which I can't - you'll probably enjoy it!
Audio drama review: Robert Heinlein's Ordeal in Space
For the next week, you can listen to a reading of the Robert Heinlein short story, "Ordeal in Space," on BBC Radio 7, aired to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. (Which actually doesn't make any sense to me, because he was born on July 7, 1907 and died on May 8, 1988. However, BBC Radio 7 has a habit of repeating material over and over and over again - that is their raison d'etre - so presumably this was first aired on July 7, 1907 and is just being repeated now.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/
The story
The main character, Saunders, was a spaceman who has an accident in space, and develops a dehabilitating fear of falling as a result. This makes it impossible for him to return to his life on board spaceships, so he is doomed to spend the rest of his days on Earth, feeling less than a man. One day he is invited to the home of a new colleague at his place of work. That night, he hears a small kitten crying outside the high-rise building, trapped on a window-ledge. But how can he save it?
Review
A good narrator can save a poor story. A poor narrator can ruin a good story. This story is read by American Adam Sims, and I'm afraid he comes down on the poor side. He doesn't ruin the story, really, but he certainly doesn't augment it. I listened in spite of him.
He has the same kind of voice as Ed Bishop (of UFO fame) - kind of reedy and thin, with little inflection. He also barely varies his voice for each character - similar to William Hootkins who narrated Philip Dick's "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" (source for the movie Total Recall). Contrast their voices with those of the Brits who alter their pitches and registers and accents for each and every character....
As for the story - it's predictable. But then, I like predictable. I'm not sure that I believe in the psychology of it, but perhaps a cure for a phobia can happen as easily as seems to occur here...
Heinlein is an excellent writer, and most of his work up until a certain point is very good. So if you like Heinlein, or classic SF, you'll like this.
Adam Sims
He has only one entry at the IMDB, as a lab technician in the Lost in Space movie of 1998. That doesn't necessarily mean anything - IMDB is hardly complete.
I like Robert Heinlein's early work - his "juvenalia" such as Space Cadet and Podkayne of Mars, but don't much care for his later work. Friday, in particular, stank on ice, as far as I'm concerned!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/
The story
The main character, Saunders, was a spaceman who has an accident in space, and develops a dehabilitating fear of falling as a result. This makes it impossible for him to return to his life on board spaceships, so he is doomed to spend the rest of his days on Earth, feeling less than a man. One day he is invited to the home of a new colleague at his place of work. That night, he hears a small kitten crying outside the high-rise building, trapped on a window-ledge. But how can he save it?
Review
A good narrator can save a poor story. A poor narrator can ruin a good story. This story is read by American Adam Sims, and I'm afraid he comes down on the poor side. He doesn't ruin the story, really, but he certainly doesn't augment it. I listened in spite of him.
He has the same kind of voice as Ed Bishop (of UFO fame) - kind of reedy and thin, with little inflection. He also barely varies his voice for each character - similar to William Hootkins who narrated Philip Dick's "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" (source for the movie Total Recall). Contrast their voices with those of the Brits who alter their pitches and registers and accents for each and every character....
As for the story - it's predictable. But then, I like predictable. I'm not sure that I believe in the psychology of it, but perhaps a cure for a phobia can happen as easily as seems to occur here...
Heinlein is an excellent writer, and most of his work up until a certain point is very good. So if you like Heinlein, or classic SF, you'll like this.
Adam Sims
He has only one entry at the IMDB, as a lab technician in the Lost in Space movie of 1998. That doesn't necessarily mean anything - IMDB is hardly complete.
I like Robert Heinlein's early work - his "juvenalia" such as Space Cadet and Podkayne of Mars, but don't much care for his later work. Friday, in particular, stank on ice, as far as I'm concerned!
Monday, March 03, 2008
Indiana Jones 4 Trailers
I went to YouTube to see if there were any Indiana Jones trailers, and although there are plenty of them, they are all fan made and are therefore pretty useless.
This one is the best of the lot - although the pomposity of the voice-over gets annoying.
Below is a grainy video that someone made of Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart eating at an outdoor dining area during the filming of the movie. He's not in costume. The comments at YouTube are hilarious - the more so because the film was obviously made from a long way away, there was nobody pushing their way up to the man asking for autographs, etc., nothing paparazzi like about it.
Nothing really worth watching, either. (Now if it had been 20 years ago when he was in his prime...)
This one is the best of the lot - although the pomposity of the voice-over gets annoying.
Below is a grainy video that someone made of Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart eating at an outdoor dining area during the filming of the movie. He's not in costume. The comments at YouTube are hilarious - the more so because the film was obviously made from a long way away, there was nobody pushing their way up to the man asking for autographs, etc., nothing paparazzi like about it.
Nothing really worth watching, either. (Now if it had been 20 years ago when he was in his prime...)
Alternative SF at BBC 7: Fatherland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/
In a world where Hitler's Germany won World War II:
A five part adaption of Robert Harris novel, starring Anton Lesser
Fatherland
A chilling adaptation of Robert Harris' novel set in an imaginary Hitler-led post war Germany. Episode 1 of 5.
In a world where Hitler's Germany won World War II:
A five part adaption of Robert Harris novel, starring Anton Lesser
Fatherland
A chilling adaptation of Robert Harris' novel set in an imaginary Hitler-led post war Germany. Episode 1 of 5.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Patrick Barlow tribute
I created a very brief tribute to Patrick Barlow - it's just 30 seconds of a few photos, but with some funny audio from his radio program Desmond Olivier Dingle's Complete Life and Works of William Shakespeare.
Americans probably don't know who Barlow is, although his play The 39 Steps is running on Broadway in a limited engagement right now, and anyone who watched Absolutely Fabulous saw him as Max in a couple of episodes, and he was part of the company of French and Saunders. He's been in a lot of stuff.
Basically I'm just procrastinating...I've got a lot of work to do on The Thunder Child but I've got a headache and dont' feel like doing anything where I've got to think....
Americans probably don't know who Barlow is, although his play The 39 Steps is running on Broadway in a limited engagement right now, and anyone who watched Absolutely Fabulous saw him as Max in a couple of episodes, and he was part of the company of French and Saunders. He's been in a lot of stuff.
Basically I'm just procrastinating...I've got a lot of work to do on The Thunder Child but I've got a headache and dont' feel like doing anything where I've got to think....
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Gearing up for baseball
Spring season is practically upon us...and 27 more days until opening day.
I have a website for the Boston Red Sox phenom Jacoby Ellsbury, and a small site for Ichiro Suzuki, and I thought I'd share the URL here.
http://themudvillemegaphone.com/
Please check it out.
I have a website for the Boston Red Sox phenom Jacoby Ellsbury, and a small site for Ichiro Suzuki, and I thought I'd share the URL here.
http://themudvillemegaphone.com/
Please check it out.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Star Wars exhibit in Brussels, Belgium
This photo is of a hot air balloon in the shape of Darth Vader.
If you're in Brussels, check it out: http://www.starwars-theexhibition.com/brussels.html
If you're in Brussels, check it out: http://www.starwars-theexhibition.com/brussels.html
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Model train show at Hampton Roads Convention Center
I went to the Model Train show at the Hampton Roads Convention Center today - the last of its two day appearance. And it was fun - lots of model trains running around on tracks, lots of stuff being sold...if I had the space and/or the discretionary funds I would have picked up a few things...unfortunately, I lack both!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth
The recent Writer's Strike, which cost a lot of people a lot of money and ended up accomplishing very little, is so in everyone's minds now, that I thought I'd share this little rant (and it is a rant!) from Harlan Ellison, for an upcoming documentary called Dreams with Sharp Teeth. (It's not a reaction to the strike, by the way, but rather having an interview with him on a DVD of Babylon Five.
And he wants to be paid for giving this interview. And I'm like... no. If you write a script for something, you should be paid, but what is an interview except you answering questions? Sure - high up politicians expect a gazillion dollars for their interviews, but actors and writers...? Who are supposed to be promoting their work anyway?
Still... listen for yourself.
And he wants to be paid for giving this interview. And I'm like... no. If you write a script for something, you should be paid, but what is an interview except you answering questions? Sure - high up politicians expect a gazillion dollars for their interviews, but actors and writers...? Who are supposed to be promoting their work anyway?
Still... listen for yourself.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Rush Limbaugh reaches a new low
I've just turned off Rush Limbaugh, because what he's just said has made me so angry that if I were anywhere near him I'd give him such a slap!
"The level of racism in the delegates or the super-delegates is going to determine who gets the nomination, Obama or Hilary."
That's his categorical statement - it's all going to come down to racism. Forget the fact that if Obama were not black, he wouldn't even be in the position he's in. THat's not racist on my part, by the way, that's just a fact. Name one presidential candidate in modern times who has ever gotten as far as Obama with NO experience. None.
So, the delegate's could very well decide their nomination simply on experience - Obama doesn't have any. Granted, Hilary Clinton doesn't have much more, but she did spend 8 years in the White House with Clinton.
But to state categorically that "racism" is what will cost Obama the nomination, that's just despicable.
Because, when it comes to the general election, if Obama is defeated by McCain, that just opens the door for people to say, well McCain only won because all of the country is racist.
Limbaugh does like to open cans of worms.
For myself, I gotta tell you that I'm not impressed by any candidate of any party. I think the time for a single president is over, frankly. There simply is too much going on for one man, or one woman, to keep track of it all and make good decisions about everything. We should have one president for domestic issues, and another for international issues. When those two conflict - for example opening the borders to Mexico allowing gazillions of unemployable people into the US to batten on our welfare system...then.... well, I dont' know who should make the ultimate decision about that. Okay - so I dont' have it all worked out yet!
But it sure isn't working the way we have it now. The Democrats hate the Republicans and vice versa, and nothing ever gets done because of it.
(That's another interesting little insight into Limbaugh. A few months ago he was ridiculing the Democrats who had taken over in the Senate - Pelosi et al, because they werent' getting anything done. They "can't" get anything done, Limbaugh was saying, because they're incompetent.
He's changed his tune now, though, because he's talking about Republican John McCain going into the White House. He'll be able to get things done, because he's on the Democrat side. He'll work with the Democrats. In other words, it wasnt the incompetence of the Democrats such as Pelosi that hasn't allowed them to accomplish anything, but rather the fact that Republicans block them at every turn.
If the Democrats get a majority in the House and Senate in the next election - well, then they'll be able to get things done.
And vice versa if it's the Republicans who get in (except McCain is pretty much a Democrat, anyway...)
Anyway, I certainly don't know how to solve the world's problems. The easiest solution would be for a bunch of highly educated atheists to build a space ship, take off, settle on Mars or somewhere and form a new government based on humanistic ideals, but if that ever happens it'll be too late to save the current generation of humanity...
"The level of racism in the delegates or the super-delegates is going to determine who gets the nomination, Obama or Hilary."
That's his categorical statement - it's all going to come down to racism. Forget the fact that if Obama were not black, he wouldn't even be in the position he's in. THat's not racist on my part, by the way, that's just a fact. Name one presidential candidate in modern times who has ever gotten as far as Obama with NO experience. None.
So, the delegate's could very well decide their nomination simply on experience - Obama doesn't have any. Granted, Hilary Clinton doesn't have much more, but she did spend 8 years in the White House with Clinton.
But to state categorically that "racism" is what will cost Obama the nomination, that's just despicable.
Because, when it comes to the general election, if Obama is defeated by McCain, that just opens the door for people to say, well McCain only won because all of the country is racist.
Limbaugh does like to open cans of worms.
For myself, I gotta tell you that I'm not impressed by any candidate of any party. I think the time for a single president is over, frankly. There simply is too much going on for one man, or one woman, to keep track of it all and make good decisions about everything. We should have one president for domestic issues, and another for international issues. When those two conflict - for example opening the borders to Mexico allowing gazillions of unemployable people into the US to batten on our welfare system...then.... well, I dont' know who should make the ultimate decision about that. Okay - so I dont' have it all worked out yet!
But it sure isn't working the way we have it now. The Democrats hate the Republicans and vice versa, and nothing ever gets done because of it.
(That's another interesting little insight into Limbaugh. A few months ago he was ridiculing the Democrats who had taken over in the Senate - Pelosi et al, because they werent' getting anything done. They "can't" get anything done, Limbaugh was saying, because they're incompetent.
He's changed his tune now, though, because he's talking about Republican John McCain going into the White House. He'll be able to get things done, because he's on the Democrat side. He'll work with the Democrats. In other words, it wasnt the incompetence of the Democrats such as Pelosi that hasn't allowed them to accomplish anything, but rather the fact that Republicans block them at every turn.
If the Democrats get a majority in the House and Senate in the next election - well, then they'll be able to get things done.
And vice versa if it's the Republicans who get in (except McCain is pretty much a Democrat, anyway...)
Anyway, I certainly don't know how to solve the world's problems. The easiest solution would be for a bunch of highly educated atheists to build a space ship, take off, settle on Mars or somewhere and form a new government based on humanistic ideals, but if that ever happens it'll be too late to save the current generation of humanity...
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
New dinosaur discovered in Mexico
A new species of duck-billed dinosaur unearthed in Mexico is helping scientists fill in gaps in the fossil record of the Age of Dinosaurs.
The creature, dubbed Velafrons coahuilensis, was a massive plant-eater belonging to a larger group of duck-billed dinosaurs called hadrosaurs.
New duck-billed dino discovered in Mexico
The creature, dubbed Velafrons coahuilensis, was a massive plant-eater belonging to a larger group of duck-billed dinosaurs called hadrosaurs.
New duck-billed dino discovered in Mexico
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Falcon/Hawk kills deer - YouTube video
A few months ago I was watching one of those history channels, where they show documentaries of various "weird" things. One told a story of a young boy, about 14 or so (happened a long time ago) who claimed to have been attacked by a giant bird and lifted off the ground, before being dropped. His mother claimed to have see n it as well.
Well, I reserved judgement on it, but then I saw this video of some kind of raptor attacking a deer, and if that raptor had been after a human being...it would've been lights out!
Well, I reserved judgement on it, but then I saw this video of some kind of raptor attacking a deer, and if that raptor had been after a human being...it would've been lights out!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Curse of Fatal Death
For some reason, only pt 2 of this Doctor Who spoof is on YouTube.
Rowan Atkinson plays the Doctor, Jonathan Pryce plays the Master.
The humor is a bit too "earthy" for me...but give it a look.
Rowan Atkinson plays the Doctor, Jonathan Pryce plays the Master.
The humor is a bit too "earthy" for me...but give it a look.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Tyson the Skate Boarding Dog
This Video from Youtube has been online for 2 years now and has over a million hits, presumably because everyone wants to see the last 3 minutes of it, which features a skateboarding dog named Tyson.
Also on offer are some funny kittens, a hopping penguin, a polar bear (can't quite figure out if he's really tired or just lost the use of his front arms...)
Also on offer are some funny kittens, a hopping penguin, a polar bear (can't quite figure out if he's really tired or just lost the use of his front arms...)
Saturday, February 02, 2008
When making $70,000 a year isn't enough....
There's an old truism that people live up to the level of their income. In the United States, the richest country in the world, more than half of the people live "from paycheck to paycheck." If they get laid off, they have no savings to fall back on. (After all, why should they? It's the government's job to help them out, isn't it? And the fact that the government gets the money to do this from us, the taxpayers... so it's we taxpayers who are helping these deadbeats out...all because they couldn't be bothered to save money for emergencies....)
Okay...too soon into my rant.
The point is this. An archivist at the New York State Libary, who made $70,000 a year, has steadiliy been stealing historic documents from that institution and selling them on Ebay.
Archivist: I stole papers to pay bills
An excerpted paragraph:
Well...gee...you don't think your daughter could have returned whatever it was she bought for $10,000 to lessen her debt a bit? Or got a second job so she could pay off her own bill?
But this is one thing I don't understand about the article. According to the quote above - he stole all this stuff. He says so.
Yet:
Why is he pleading "not guilty" when he's already admitted he took the stuff?
Here's how this will probably play out. He'll plead mental illness...the stress of his life in the education system was just too much for him...he needs understanding, not prison time.
Frankly, I doubt if he'll spend a day in prison...it's a "victimless" crime. Indeed, although he'll probably lose his job you can bet he won't lose his pension....
Okay...too soon into my rant.
The point is this. An archivist at the New York State Libary, who made $70,000 a year, has steadiliy been stealing historic documents from that institution and selling them on Ebay.
Archivist: I stole papers to pay bills
An excerpted paragraph:
"I took things on an as-needed basis to pay family bills, such as house renovations, car bills, tuition and my daughter's credit card problem," Lorello wrote.
He said he took many items last year because his daughter "unexpectedly ran up a $10,000 credit card bill."
Well...gee...you don't think your daughter could have returned whatever it was she bought for $10,000 to lessen her debt a bit? Or got a second job so she could pay off her own bill?
But this is one thing I don't understand about the article. According to the quote above - he stole all this stuff. He says so.
Yet:
Lorello, an archives and records management specialist in the New York Department of Education, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and scheme to defraud and was released on his recognizance. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Why is he pleading "not guilty" when he's already admitted he took the stuff?
Here's how this will probably play out. He'll plead mental illness...the stress of his life in the education system was just too much for him...he needs understanding, not prison time.
Frankly, I doubt if he'll spend a day in prison...it's a "victimless" crime. Indeed, although he'll probably lose his job you can bet he won't lose his pension....
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Lego
The only Monty Python movie I've ever liked.
Jan 28, 2007 was apparently some kind of anniversary for legos...or something... Google created their logo out of them. They have been in existence since 1934.
Legos are very popular, there's several theme parks in Europe, and last year I saw the touring exhibition of marine creatures made out of Legos that I enjoyed very much.
Here's some clips:
Indiana Jones in Lego
and of course Darth Vader in Lego, conducting the Star Wars theme
and the Star Wars Trilogy in Legos... this is hilarious
Jan 28, 2007 was apparently some kind of anniversary for legos...or something... Google created their logo out of them. They have been in existence since 1934.
Legos are very popular, there's several theme parks in Europe, and last year I saw the touring exhibition of marine creatures made out of Legos that I enjoyed very much.
Here's some clips:
Indiana Jones in Lego
and of course Darth Vader in Lego, conducting the Star Wars theme
and the Star Wars Trilogy in Legos... this is hilarious
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Mookie and Sam: Sam Goes to Texas
Okay, I've got to share this.
Two cute dogs, very believable as Sam (male) tells Mookie about his visit to a Texas dude ranch.
Two cute dogs, very believable as Sam (male) tells Mookie about his visit to a Texas dude ranch.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
When is anonymity not anonymity?
There was a TV show...I can't remember what it was...perhaps Saturday Night Live? ... where a guy in shadow is supposed to be giving evidence about his criminal cohorts, and his face is supposed to be in shadow so that no one will recognize him... except his face isn't in shadow... and of course much hilarity ensues.
Imagine my amusement, not to mention concern, to read this article today.
Satellite is weeks away from hitting Earth
Read these first several paragraphs. The bold highlights are mine...
So it's Gordon Johndroe who is speaking on condition of anonymity???????
Imagine my amusement, not to mention concern, to read this article today.
Satellite is weeks away from hitting Earth
Read these first several paragraphs. The bold highlights are mine...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday.
A senior government official says lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation.
The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.
[and yet]
"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
So it's Gordon Johndroe who is speaking on condition of anonymity???????
Thursday, January 24, 2008
A Statement on the Human Condition, using Bettas
This is a video about bettas. I couldn't decide which direction to take it in, so I did it on two subjects, and hopefully that won't scotch my viewership.
1) How to create a patriotic betta aquarium, for use at July 4 parties, or during political meetings.
2) How to use a betta bowl to comment on the human condition. Bettas are very territorial and will fight to the death (in small aquariums where the loser has nowhere to flee) because they're animals with teeny tiny brains. Humans exhibit the same behavior, and yet we have brains, the ability to think and see the consequences of our actions, emotions such as empathy and compassion...and yet it doesn't seem to do many of us any good (because we also have emotions of hate and antipathy)....
Also a visual joke on the recent Edwards/Clinton/Obama debate where Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama were going at it, while colorless John Edwards was pretty much forgotten....
1) How to create a patriotic betta aquarium, for use at July 4 parties, or during political meetings.
2) How to use a betta bowl to comment on the human condition. Bettas are very territorial and will fight to the death (in small aquariums where the loser has nowhere to flee) because they're animals with teeny tiny brains. Humans exhibit the same behavior, and yet we have brains, the ability to think and see the consequences of our actions, emotions such as empathy and compassion...and yet it doesn't seem to do many of us any good (because we also have emotions of hate and antipathy)....
Also a visual joke on the recent Edwards/Clinton/Obama debate where Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama were going at it, while colorless John Edwards was pretty much forgotten....
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
1984 Won't Be like 1984...
I was actually watching the Superbowl and saw this commercial...the computer for the first Apple Macintosh.
I actually used one of the first Macintoshes...no internal hard drive, you had to use external floppies....ad there were two slots for those....teeny tiny screen with black and white print - which I loved...
Sure wish I knew who played the female hammer thrower...
I actually used one of the first Macintoshes...no internal hard drive, you had to use external floppies....ad there were two slots for those....teeny tiny screen with black and white print - which I loved...
Sure wish I knew who played the female hammer thrower...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Heath Ledger dead
I got a bit of a shock today when I read the headlines that Heath Ledger was dead at age 28, from a possible drug overdose.
Obviously, one shouldn't jump to conclusions before one has all the facts - as we frequently learn - but for a 28 year old actor to die so abruptly, a drug overdose does seem to be a plausible reason.
And it's so frustrating. Here's a guy with everything. Looks, money, fans - and he can find nothing better to do with his time than to take drugs? Jeez...start skydiving or parasailing if you want a rush - get it naturally. That way, if you survive to old age, you'll probably be able to remember all the good times you had, whereas if you're stoned out of your mind for most of your life...you wont' be able to remember anything when you're old. Does the fate of Jan-Michael Vincent...not to mention River Phoenix...teach nobody anything????
Other than that, I must admit Heath Ledger is just a name to me. Never went to see Brokeback Mountain, although apparently he was very good in it... and had absolutely no intention of going to see his version of The Joker in the new Batman. There's something wrong with the creators of an iconic movie franchise like The Batman, that they'd give the posters over to glorifying a psychotic criminal such as the Joker.
There are plenty of photos of Ledger as the Joker on the internet...I'm not going to share one here.
For the man, RIP. Let's hope that those people among his legions of fans who do drugs, think to themselves..."gee...if it could happen to him, it could happen to me. I'd better give up drugs."
Obviously, one shouldn't jump to conclusions before one has all the facts - as we frequently learn - but for a 28 year old actor to die so abruptly, a drug overdose does seem to be a plausible reason.
And it's so frustrating. Here's a guy with everything. Looks, money, fans - and he can find nothing better to do with his time than to take drugs? Jeez...start skydiving or parasailing if you want a rush - get it naturally. That way, if you survive to old age, you'll probably be able to remember all the good times you had, whereas if you're stoned out of your mind for most of your life...you wont' be able to remember anything when you're old. Does the fate of Jan-Michael Vincent...not to mention River Phoenix...teach nobody anything????
Other than that, I must admit Heath Ledger is just a name to me. Never went to see Brokeback Mountain, although apparently he was very good in it... and had absolutely no intention of going to see his version of The Joker in the new Batman. There's something wrong with the creators of an iconic movie franchise like The Batman, that they'd give the posters over to glorifying a psychotic criminal such as the Joker.
There are plenty of photos of Ledger as the Joker on the internet...I'm not going to share one here.
For the man, RIP. Let's hope that those people among his legions of fans who do drugs, think to themselves..."gee...if it could happen to him, it could happen to me. I'd better give up drugs."
Sunday, January 20, 2008
I Am Legend and Cloverfield reviewed at The Thunder Child
I've added a few new reviewers in the last week, and one, Adam Durrant, has already provided me with two new movie reviews.
Cloverfield
I Am Legend
And another, Sarah Benson, has provided a book review for The Stolen Child, by Keith Donahue:
The Stolen Child
Currently, as I type as a matter of fact, I'm listening to the soundtrack for Futureworld, (1976), Peter Fonda as Chuck Browning, Blythe Danner as Tracy Ballard, Arthur Hill as Dr. Duffy and Yul Brynner as the Gunslinger, and enjoying it quite a bit.
Unfortunately, I have no knowledge about music except knowing what I like. I've got a knowledgeable music reviewer in Steve Vertlieb, who will shortly be sending me reviews of The Return of the King, and the new Monstrous Movie Music release, The Blob.
Cloverfield
I Am Legend
And another, Sarah Benson, has provided a book review for The Stolen Child, by Keith Donahue:
The Stolen Child
Currently, as I type as a matter of fact, I'm listening to the soundtrack for Futureworld, (1976), Peter Fonda as Chuck Browning, Blythe Danner as Tracy Ballard, Arthur Hill as Dr. Duffy and Yul Brynner as the Gunslinger, and enjoying it quite a bit.
Unfortunately, I have no knowledge about music except knowing what I like. I've got a knowledgeable music reviewer in Steve Vertlieb, who will shortly be sending me reviews of The Return of the King, and the new Monstrous Movie Music release, The Blob.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Photo fakery
Photographers manipulating the images they've taken is not a new thing. In fact, it's probably been going on since the invention of photography.
Most recently, however - for the last few years, anyway - I've been particularly aware of this egregious practice.
For example way back when OJ Simpson was first arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, Newsweek and Time ran a photo that had deliberately been darkened to make him look more menacing.
All you have to do is look at gossip magazines to see how photogs have wiped away all the lines and wrinkles from the face of their subjects to make them look younger - and unhuman!
In the case of movies, I believe the breasts of the actress in Herbie Reloaded were digitally shrunk, since it was a kid's movie and they didn't want big breasts dancing around.
On the other hand, I think Angelina Jolie's breasts in the two Lara Croft movies were enhanced just by wearing padded bras... probably a cheaper way to do it...
Anyway, now politicians are getting into the act.
Politicians head on slimmer body
The politician's head has been placed on the body of a "much slimmer man" - because the politician was too busy to pose for photo shoots himself. Yes, this sounds totally believable. Dean Hrbacek is the politician involved.
Of course, quite innocent trickery has been used in the past, where an old politician continues to use a headshot of his younger self so voters don't know how old he really is.
And those ridiculous magazines like Star and National Enquirer....
There is an inherent problem in this of journalistic integrity. It goes beyond politicians, to magazines, newspapers, etc. It's quite easy to manipulate photos these days to make anyone appear to be doing anything (for example the commerical of Fred Astaire dancing with a vacuum cleaner, etc.) and I think there should be clearly labeled warnings on the bottoms of such computers and such photos - this stuff digitally altered.
Most recently, however - for the last few years, anyway - I've been particularly aware of this egregious practice.
For example way back when OJ Simpson was first arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, Newsweek and Time ran a photo that had deliberately been darkened to make him look more menacing.
All you have to do is look at gossip magazines to see how photogs have wiped away all the lines and wrinkles from the face of their subjects to make them look younger - and unhuman!
In the case of movies, I believe the breasts of the actress in Herbie Reloaded were digitally shrunk, since it was a kid's movie and they didn't want big breasts dancing around.
On the other hand, I think Angelina Jolie's breasts in the two Lara Croft movies were enhanced just by wearing padded bras... probably a cheaper way to do it...
Anyway, now politicians are getting into the act.
Politicians head on slimmer body
The politician's head has been placed on the body of a "much slimmer man" - because the politician was too busy to pose for photo shoots himself. Yes, this sounds totally believable. Dean Hrbacek is the politician involved.
Of course, quite innocent trickery has been used in the past, where an old politician continues to use a headshot of his younger self so voters don't know how old he really is.
And those ridiculous magazines like Star and National Enquirer....
There is an inherent problem in this of journalistic integrity. It goes beyond politicians, to magazines, newspapers, etc. It's quite easy to manipulate photos these days to make anyone appear to be doing anything (for example the commerical of Fred Astaire dancing with a vacuum cleaner, etc.) and I think there should be clearly labeled warnings on the bottoms of such computers and such photos - this stuff digitally altered.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Tom Cruise on Scientology video
After only 15 hours at Youtube, this video where Tom Cruise discusses scientology already has over 15,000 hits.
I'm not in to scientology myself, let alone Tom Cruise, but it is science fictional (read about its beliefs at Wikipedia), so I thought I'd share it here.
EDITED: The very next day, and the two videos are no longer at You Tube.
Funny, you'd think the Scientology big wigs would want people to be able to see it, and see his/their views, and have them expressed to a vast audience.
Oh well.
Click on the arrow twice to view it.
The above iss 4 minutes long, this one starts out the same but is 8 minutes long...
I'm not in to scientology myself, let alone Tom Cruise, but it is science fictional (read about its beliefs at Wikipedia), so I thought I'd share it here.
EDITED: The very next day, and the two videos are no longer at You Tube.
Funny, you'd think the Scientology big wigs would want people to be able to see it, and see his/their views, and have them expressed to a vast audience.
Oh well.
Click on the arrow twice to view it.
The above iss 4 minutes long, this one starts out the same but is 8 minutes long...
Friday, January 11, 2008
Sci fi on BBC Radio 7 next week
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/
From their newsletter:
7th Dimension
Scramble
Another chance to hear this 3 part sci-fi thriller, originally commissioned for BBC 7. In a futuristic totalitarian world where music has been banned, a government scientist uncovers some uncomfortable facts. Written by Martin Kiszko and starring Clare Corbett and Christian Rodska the director was Mark Smalley.
Saturday at 6pm and midnight
Survival
John Wyndham's sci-fi horror story is another special commission for BBC 7. The instinct for survival is tested when a group of space travellers are trapped on board a shuttle to Mars. Read in two parts by Nicholas Boulton.
Sunday at 6.30pm and 12.30am
Project Raphael
A first broadcast for this new BBC 7 commission. A dangerous enemy agent of British Intelligence has died, taking his secrets to the grave. The only hope of retrieving them is to send someone after him. Raphael volunteers to become a 'revenant', a dead agent. However, once he is dead no one can contact him, and so a ghost-hunter is recruited. Written in 3 parts by Jenny Stephens and starring Deborah McAndrew (pictured), Aneirin Hughes, Dan Hagley and Emily Chennery it was directed from Birmngham by Peter Leslie Wild.
From their newsletter:
7th Dimension
Scramble
Another chance to hear this 3 part sci-fi thriller, originally commissioned for BBC 7. In a futuristic totalitarian world where music has been banned, a government scientist uncovers some uncomfortable facts. Written by Martin Kiszko and starring Clare Corbett and Christian Rodska the director was Mark Smalley.
Saturday at 6pm and midnight
Survival
John Wyndham's sci-fi horror story is another special commission for BBC 7. The instinct for survival is tested when a group of space travellers are trapped on board a shuttle to Mars. Read in two parts by Nicholas Boulton.
Sunday at 6.30pm and 12.30am
Project Raphael
A first broadcast for this new BBC 7 commission. A dangerous enemy agent of British Intelligence has died, taking his secrets to the grave. The only hope of retrieving them is to send someone after him. Raphael volunteers to become a 'revenant', a dead agent. However, once he is dead no one can contact him, and so a ghost-hunter is recruited. Written in 3 parts by Jenny Stephens and starring Deborah McAndrew (pictured), Aneirin Hughes, Dan Hagley and Emily Chennery it was directed from Birmngham by Peter Leslie Wild.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Golden Compass
I went to see The Golden Compass today, starring Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter, Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel, Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra Belacqua (the heroine), Ian McKellen as Iorek Byrnison (voice), Tom Courtenay as Farder Coram and Sam Elliott as Lee Scoresby.
I saw it at 3:30 pm, and there were about 10 people in the theater, 2 singles (me and some guy) and 4 couples. No kids.
Well, it's not a kid's movie. I found the look of the movie gorgeous...it's "steampunk" - everything runs with clockwork. The narrator at the beginning explains that people's souls in this universe live outside their body, as animals - and this is an important, key point as the movie continues.
The actors are good, especially Nicole Kidman as the villainous Mrs. Coulter, the scenery good, the dialog good for the most part, the special effects are good, the only problem is it starts out very slowly. In today's rapid-fire world, I wonder if teens have the patience to sit through all the opening exposition? But then...the story did have to be "set up" and I don't see how else they couldn've done it.
Well...there is another problem - Sam Elliott as Lee Scoresby. Oh, he does an excellent job, but his role is just too similar to his role in Ghost Rider, the older "mentor" type character with the Western accent. (I really have to read the book to see if the character is that way in the book!). At leat in this movie, Elliot's character gets in on the fight at the end, instead of in Ghost Rider, where he rides all the way to the final battlefield with Nicolas Cage...and then just rides on! Stupid!
The controversy about The Golden Compass is that, in the books at least, the villain is the Catholic Church. The religion that didn't acknowledge until just 20 or 30 years ago I think that the Earth revolved around the sun. In the movie, all mention of the Church has been exorcised and the Magisterium is just the government, that likes to control people to within an inch of their lives.
Well, I'm an atheist, so I have no problem with a movie that "promotes atheism" and thinking for yourself. I will say this for the Catholic Church that has banned the movie and urged librarians to confiscate all copies of the books... at least they aren't burning the movie theaters where the movie is being shown, or putting "fatwahs" on the author or any of the actors that dared be in it. There's that difference between Christianity (now, at any rate - not 200 years ago!) and a certain other religion that I won't name.)
Secular government is the only government that will keep all people safe, safeguard the rights of all people, etc. Every time I see these religious fundamentalists banning books or forbidding movies, I just shake my head. (Although, yes, certain movies that degrade women I think should be banned, but consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...)
Oh, and one thing I forgot...
At the end of the film a few "Russianesque" soldiers block our heroine's way out of a certain location. The one character says several words in Russian, including the word "Nazad!" And I understood what that meant! I've been listeing on BBC Radio 7 to serials featuring Inspector Lionheart (Nicholas Courtney, Brig Gen Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who) and Professor Edward Dunning, author of horror novels, comedy/mystery/horror programs.
In the first, The Nazad Conspiracy, the victims are the Russian individuals who killed Rasputin, so they're all talking Russian, and we learn that "Nazad!" means "back" or "return" in Russian. So I thought that was a bit of amusing serendipity.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Women pilots video magazine
A sister site to The Thunder Child is Winged Victory: Women in Aviation (aka You Fly, Girl) and I've added the following to it:
http://thethunderchild.com/YouFlyGirl/YouTubeGuide/
is the URL for a new feature at Winged Victory. There are several videos at YouTube featuring women pilots - from footage of Amelia Earhart to documentaries on the WASP of WWII, to today's acrobatic pilots, to astronauts such as Shannon Lucid, Eileen Collins and Sally Ride, and I've created a "video magazine" to showcase those videos.
Check it out today!
http://thethunderchild.com/YouFlyGirl/YouTubeGuide/
is the URL for a new feature at Winged Victory. There are several videos at YouTube featuring women pilots - from footage of Amelia Earhart to documentaries on the WASP of WWII, to today's acrobatic pilots, to astronauts such as Shannon Lucid, Eileen Collins and Sally Ride, and I've created a "video magazine" to showcase those videos.
Check it out today!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
On BBC 7
Still chance today to listen to
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/wednesday/
Wednesday, 26 December
Fantasy:
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Peter is young, eager to please and impatient. When he is left alone with a book of spells, it all goes a bit wrong.
Science fiction
Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future
The Mekon: On Venus, Dan has fallen to his apparent death; the others of his crew are prisoners of the Treens. Episode 3 of 4.
Thursday, 27 December
Fantasy:
Fairy Tales
Jack the Giant Killer: The stories behind the pantos. Jack sets off on a murderous mission without a beanstalk in sight. Read by Stephen Mangan.
Science fiction:
Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future
Battle Stations: Dan has come face to face with the blue Atlanteens. The Treens are preparing to attack the gentle Therons. Episode 4 of 4.
Friday, December 28
Fantasy
Fairy Tales
Little Snow White: The stories behind the pantos. Driven by jealousy, Snow White's mother plots to destroy her daughter. Read by Keeley Hawes.
Science fiction
The Ghost Galaxies
A sci-fi adventure by cult writer Piers Anthony. What happens to a galaxy when it dies? Episode 1 of 2.
Saturday, December 29
Science fiction
Blake's 7
Traitor: Can Blake and his rebel crew make a stand against the power of the Liberator? Only Avon has the answer, but whose side is he on? Episode 2 of 3.
Monday, December 31
Science fiction
The Ghost Galaxies
Piers Anthony's sci-fi adventure continues. An uncertain future faces the Meg II as it hurtles towards the rim of the universe. Episode 2 of 2.
Tuesday, January 1
Fantasy
Mort
Terry Pratchett's tale of Death's new apprentice with Anton Lesser. Mort tries to alter the course of history. Episode 1 of 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/wednesday/
Wednesday, 26 December
Fantasy:
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Peter is young, eager to please and impatient. When he is left alone with a book of spells, it all goes a bit wrong.
Science fiction
Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future
The Mekon: On Venus, Dan has fallen to his apparent death; the others of his crew are prisoners of the Treens. Episode 3 of 4.
Thursday, 27 December
Fantasy:
Fairy Tales
Jack the Giant Killer: The stories behind the pantos. Jack sets off on a murderous mission without a beanstalk in sight. Read by Stephen Mangan.
Science fiction:
Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future
Battle Stations: Dan has come face to face with the blue Atlanteens. The Treens are preparing to attack the gentle Therons. Episode 4 of 4.
Friday, December 28
Fantasy
Fairy Tales
Little Snow White: The stories behind the pantos. Driven by jealousy, Snow White's mother plots to destroy her daughter. Read by Keeley Hawes.
Science fiction
The Ghost Galaxies
A sci-fi adventure by cult writer Piers Anthony. What happens to a galaxy when it dies? Episode 1 of 2.
Saturday, December 29
Science fiction
Blake's 7
Traitor: Can Blake and his rebel crew make a stand against the power of the Liberator? Only Avon has the answer, but whose side is he on? Episode 2 of 3.
Monday, December 31
Science fiction
The Ghost Galaxies
Piers Anthony's sci-fi adventure continues. An uncertain future faces the Meg II as it hurtles towards the rim of the universe. Episode 2 of 2.
Tuesday, January 1
Fantasy
Mort
Terry Pratchett's tale of Death's new apprentice with Anton Lesser. Mort tries to alter the course of history. Episode 1 of 4.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Actor's Master Class: How to steal a scene, by James Whitmore
I've completed my final video for a while (it's time consuming!), a video article for The Thunder Child called How to Steal a Scene, featuring clips of James Whitmore from the movie, Them!
Whitmore steals scenes from practically everyone in the film, from James Arness to Joan Weldon to Edmund Gwenn.
Whitmore steals scenes from practically everyone in the film, from James Arness to Joan Weldon to Edmund Gwenn.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Science Fiction in The Avengers video article
Well, after a week of work with my movie making software, I'm now an old pro. I've done three videos, of which the latest is above, and I've gotten all the skills I need - movie making wise. (Unfortunately I have no original art or music making talent, all I can do is compile the work of others... but oh well.)
So please take a look at my Science Fiction in Avengers video. The beginning is a bit awkward, but there's a reason for that. There are so many photos strung together that it takes forever to "compile" it all, so I'm not going into fix that beginning (there really should be a change of title card at the gunshot in the opening music), because I don't have the time it would take to do it all!
I figured out how to use the story board and timeline features, which would enable me to go in to the Peter Wyngarde video, and fix that so the music better matches the action on screen...but there again, I got rid of those photos once I'd finished the video so it would be too much of a pain to reload them to do the fixing...
Ditto my Let Joy and Innocent Prevail video.
There's a lesson in that, of course. If I'd explored all the features when I'd first started, instead of exploring just a little bit during the making of each video, I'd be a happier camper today. And indeed, I lost a whole day on my Avengers video because I somehow saved a blank movie over three days worth of movie work for it. Still dont know how that happened...
My problem is I can't just do a little bit at a time. I'd intended to do the Avengers video over a couple of weeks...but I started getting more and more into it such that I spent the entire day on it, day after day...not accomplishing anything else in the meantime, which isn't good.
So I can't putz around with more videos, because...I can't putz. If I start a project it will overtake me all day long again, and that's time I can't afford to waste right now.
Perhaps when the New Year starts and I'm caught up with all the reviews I have to do...
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Golden Compass
I haven't seen this yet, but will probably go within the next week.
I'm sorry to see it isn't doing well. (Oh, people are going to see it...but it cost sooooooooo much to make that if it isn't a smash hit, it will lose tons of money)
Whether people are staying away because the heroine is a young girl (and guys of any age don't go to see adventure stories starring young girls), or because the Catholic Church has condemned it as being anti-religious, we'll probably never know. Perhaps a bit of both?
If it's the case that the young male demographic isn't going because they're not interested in female heroines, I'm sorry to hear that. (Equally, that apparently the young female demographic isn't interested either!) It's just like that old truism... girls will read books intended for boys (adventure books, naturally), but boys will not read books intended for girls (even adventure books, presumably.) And I must say that a lot of books for girls are, in my opinion, crap - romance and how to get a boyfriend and what to do if your boyfriend dumps you ya da ya da ya da!!!
But when an adventure film with a strong female lead comes along...it should show young girls that there's so much more in the world, and in themselves...than wondering whether or not some cute boy will ever call them for a date...
On a side note, Benazir Bhutto has been murdered in Pakistan. I was shocked to read that this morning. Of course, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself, and 25 other people, up, nearby, but apparently Bhutto was shot by an assassin from a nearby building. This is just madness. No one is safe. As the old saying goes: Anybody's safety is dependent uppon the fact that no one wants to kill them.
But when these loons get their people into power, the other side will just start killing them off....
Frightening world. No solution in sight.
I'm sorry to see it isn't doing well. (Oh, people are going to see it...but it cost sooooooooo much to make that if it isn't a smash hit, it will lose tons of money)
Whether people are staying away because the heroine is a young girl (and guys of any age don't go to see adventure stories starring young girls), or because the Catholic Church has condemned it as being anti-religious, we'll probably never know. Perhaps a bit of both?
If it's the case that the young male demographic isn't going because they're not interested in female heroines, I'm sorry to hear that. (Equally, that apparently the young female demographic isn't interested either!) It's just like that old truism... girls will read books intended for boys (adventure books, naturally), but boys will not read books intended for girls (even adventure books, presumably.) And I must say that a lot of books for girls are, in my opinion, crap - romance and how to get a boyfriend and what to do if your boyfriend dumps you ya da ya da ya da!!!
But when an adventure film with a strong female lead comes along...it should show young girls that there's so much more in the world, and in themselves...than wondering whether or not some cute boy will ever call them for a date...
On a side note, Benazir Bhutto has been murdered in Pakistan. I was shocked to read that this morning. Of course, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself, and 25 other people, up, nearby, but apparently Bhutto was shot by an assassin from a nearby building. This is just madness. No one is safe. As the old saying goes: Anybody's safety is dependent uppon the fact that no one wants to kill them.
But when these loons get their people into power, the other side will just start killing them off....
Frightening world. No solution in sight.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Peter Wyngarde duels Roger Moore
Well, I think I'm finally Peter-ed out.
Yesterday I decided to try to learn how to use the movie making software that came with my computer that I got a few years ago, and discovered it's pretty easy.
Pretty easy to do a movie - not so easy to make it look good, I hasten to add.
I uploaded Let Joy and Innocence Prevail, today I did Peter Wyngarde vs Roger Moore in an excellent sword fighting duel from The Saint, and set it to the music O Fortuna.
Unfortanately, the only way to control how long a photo stays before moving to another photo, is via a slide control. Worse than that, although you're supposed to be able to work in second increments, my last 30 or so photos are all stuck at 2 seconds. I can't get them to go shorter.
This is annoying because it's hard to time it to the music properly...
Nevertheless, for a second effort it's not too bad.
However, this will be my last effort for a while, as I've spent 7 hours on this! And I've got so many more important and urgent things to be doing...
So:
Yesterday I decided to try to learn how to use the movie making software that came with my computer that I got a few years ago, and discovered it's pretty easy.
Pretty easy to do a movie - not so easy to make it look good, I hasten to add.
I uploaded Let Joy and Innocence Prevail, today I did Peter Wyngarde vs Roger Moore in an excellent sword fighting duel from The Saint, and set it to the music O Fortuna.
Unfortanately, the only way to control how long a photo stays before moving to another photo, is via a slide control. Worse than that, although you're supposed to be able to work in second increments, my last 30 or so photos are all stuck at 2 seconds. I can't get them to go shorter.
This is annoying because it's hard to time it to the music properly...
Nevertheless, for a second effort it's not too bad.
However, this will be my last effort for a while, as I've spent 7 hours on this! And I've got so many more important and urgent things to be doing...
So:
Monday, December 24, 2007
Blake's Seven at BBC 7
Blake's 7 has a new production on British radio, and you can hear a 3-part version of the introduction of Roj Blake and his crew right now on BBC 7, every Saturday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/saturday/
Blake's 7
Rebel: Exiled to the notorious prison planet of Cygnus Alpha, the Federation thinks it has seen the last of Roj Blake. Episode 1 of 3.
Here's a video of Grace Jones singing Let Joy and Innocence Prevail, from the Toys soundtrack. I love this song. Very powerful.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/saturday/
Blake's 7
Rebel: Exiled to the notorious prison planet of Cygnus Alpha, the Federation thinks it has seen the last of Roj Blake. Episode 1 of 3.
Here's a video of Grace Jones singing Let Joy and Innocence Prevail, from the Toys soundtrack. I love this song. Very powerful.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
New Website: Guide to You Tube Videos
About a month ago I posted a You Tube video about how to destroy an evil baby clone, and since that time that particular entry has gotten more looks than any other entry I've ever posted here. (Actually, that's kind of depressing. ; ) )
However, it gave me the idea to start a website called Caroline Miniscule's Guide to Her Favorite You Tube videos, where I share what I've found in my many searches there - great music, animal, kid, political commentary, sports and other videos.
The You Tube Guide - I search You Tube, so you won't have to...
http://thethunderchild.com/YouTubeGuide/
is the URL.
IT's got everything from Rush Limbaugh to Trans-berian Orchestra to Vincent Price.
(Please note that You Tube provides the code for embedding these videos, and since the lawsuit of last year everything on You Tube has to be copyright free or put there with the permission of the copyright owners, who grant this additional use. (If they don't, "embedding" is disabled, but I still provide links to the YouTube page that has the video. If you're looking to hear the Big Pig/Sherine Abetrayne video Breakaway, for example, it's back at You Tube and you can listen to it by following the link on my site.)
However, it gave me the idea to start a website called Caroline Miniscule's Guide to Her Favorite You Tube videos, where I share what I've found in my many searches there - great music, animal, kid, political commentary, sports and other videos.
The You Tube Guide - I search You Tube, so you won't have to...
http://thethunderchild.com/YouTubeGuide/
is the URL.
IT's got everything from Rush Limbaugh to Trans-berian Orchestra to Vincent Price.
(Please note that You Tube provides the code for embedding these videos, and since the lawsuit of last year everything on You Tube has to be copyright free or put there with the permission of the copyright owners, who grant this additional use. (If they don't, "embedding" is disabled, but I still provide links to the YouTube page that has the video. If you're looking to hear the Big Pig/Sherine Abetrayne video Breakaway, for example, it's back at You Tube and you can listen to it by following the link on my site.)
The Lucy Show
Pursuing my quest for the work of Peter Wyngarde, I had ordered a DVD of The Lucy Show: Lucy Goes to London. Fortunately it only cost $6.00 (I bought it used) because it is a piece of garbage.
It's a 20 minute episode and after the first half of it, Lucy is still on a plane...to New York. Peter Wyngarde is supposed to be in this, Wilfred Hyde White, James Robertson Justice. If they are in it, they've got about 30 seconds of screen time each.
I can remember watching the Lucy Show when I was a kid - both the one in B&W where she startred with Desi, and then the one in color where instead of a housewife she works in a bank, despite the fact that she's petty incompetent.
And I'm watching it now for the first time and I'm just cringing.
Did I actually like this stuff when I was a kid? I know slapstick is supposed to be her schtick, and it's supposed to be funny...but she's just so incompetent.
On the other hand, I think to myself...I saw this crap as a kid, I must have liked this crap as a kid...but it didn't change my opinion of myself as a woman who wanted to get out and do things. So while Lucy would have been a lousy role model, perhaps she didn't "hold girls down," as I would have thought.
And on a side note...the episode has just ended and Lucy never made it to London. No Peter Wyngarde, no Wilfred Hyde White, no James Robertson Justice. Maybe it was a 2 parter and they didnt' bother to include the second part in this Goodtimes DVD. So I sat through it for nothing.
It's a 20 minute episode and after the first half of it, Lucy is still on a plane...to New York. Peter Wyngarde is supposed to be in this, Wilfred Hyde White, James Robertson Justice. If they are in it, they've got about 30 seconds of screen time each.
I can remember watching the Lucy Show when I was a kid - both the one in B&W where she startred with Desi, and then the one in color where instead of a housewife she works in a bank, despite the fact that she's petty incompetent.
And I'm watching it now for the first time and I'm just cringing.
Did I actually like this stuff when I was a kid? I know slapstick is supposed to be her schtick, and it's supposed to be funny...but she's just so incompetent.
On the other hand, I think to myself...I saw this crap as a kid, I must have liked this crap as a kid...but it didn't change my opinion of myself as a woman who wanted to get out and do things. So while Lucy would have been a lousy role model, perhaps she didn't "hold girls down," as I would have thought.
And on a side note...the episode has just ended and Lucy never made it to London. No Peter Wyngarde, no Wilfred Hyde White, no James Robertson Justice. Maybe it was a 2 parter and they didnt' bother to include the second part in this Goodtimes DVD. So I sat through it for nothing.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
My Christmas favorites from Charlie Brown
From She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown - my favorite scene in the entire Brown ouvre:
Double click arrow twice to view:
And this great Christmas song: Snoopy Vs the Red Baron
Double click arrow twice to view:
And this great Christmas song: Snoopy Vs the Red Baron
Oh Fortuna
My goodness Youtube is wonderful.
If you've ever wondered what the words are in Oh, Fortuna from Carmina Burana (most famous from the movie Excalibur) (a great piece of music, but I've never been able to distinguish the words...)
Double click arrow twice to view:
And then there's this version...showing the seductive power of violence...
If you've ever wondered what the words are in Oh, Fortuna from Carmina Burana (most famous from the movie Excalibur) (a great piece of music, but I've never been able to distinguish the words...)
Double click arrow twice to view:
And then there's this version...showing the seductive power of violence...
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Plays Christmas Canon
Last few times I've watched Monday Night Football, they played some cool music from Trans-Siberian Orchestra. So I checked YouTube to see if they had videos, and there are several.
Double click arrow twice to view:
They have several CDs out:
Wizards of Winter - someone timed their outdoor Christmas lights to this - it's very cool!
This one is pretty cool as well, although it takes a while for the music to get started. (Song put to an anime shot). A music video tribute to Haku from NARUTO, song by Trans Siberian Orchestra, "Carol of the Bells"
Double click arrow twice to view:
They have several CDs out:
Wizards of Winter - someone timed their outdoor Christmas lights to this - it's very cool!
This one is pretty cool as well, although it takes a while for the music to get started. (Song put to an anime shot). A music video tribute to Haku from NARUTO, song by Trans Siberian Orchestra, "Carol of the Bells"
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Jim Dale Reads The Deathly Hallows
When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out in July, there were parties at bookstores all over America, lasting until midnight when the books were available for purchase.
In New York, Jim Dale, who has read all of the American Potter books on tape, was at a gigantic Barnes and Noble party, and read excerpts.
Here is part 1 of 5 parts of his readings.
In New York, Jim Dale, who has read all of the American Potter books on tape, was at a gigantic Barnes and Noble party, and read excerpts.
Here is part 1 of 5 parts of his readings.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The health of Terry Pratchett
I was shocked today to read that Terry Pratchett, only 60 years old, has been diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers.
Here's the news from his website:
http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html
11th December 2007
AN EMBUGGERANCE
If anyone's looking for any charitable giving to do this year, may I suggest donating to a reputable firm that is researching this horrible, horrible disease.
Terry Pratchett's work holds an important part in my life - for many reasons I won't go in to.
Let's all send positive vibes and good thoughts to him.
Here's the news from his website:
http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html
11th December 2007
AN EMBUGGERANCE
Folks,
I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".
We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, Iexpect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)
PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell. I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case Iwould only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.
If anyone's looking for any charitable giving to do this year, may I suggest donating to a reputable firm that is researching this horrible, horrible disease.
Terry Pratchett's work holds an important part in my life - for many reasons I won't go in to.
Let's all send positive vibes and good thoughts to him.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Peter Wyngarde photo pages
I've watched my favorite Peter Wyngarde episodes: The Man Who Liked Lions from The Saint, and Epic and A Touch of Brimstone from The Avengers, and put together some photo pages.
Hellfire Hall
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Time keeps on slipping into the future...
I am far behind on entries to all my blogs (Daily Space, Space and Marine Exploration, Dated Death Movies, Movie Education Undone, You Fly Girl), and even further behind on my websites, The Thunder Child, Ghost Guns Virginia, The Solitary Cyclist, and Winged Victory (aka You Fly, Girl).
So today, for the first time in a while, I am pleased to report new stuff at The Thunder Child.
http://thethunderchild.com
Michael Sinclair sent me a program book from the latest WorldCon, Nippon 2007. I've written up some coverage of it and it is now there, as is more of Michael's reminiscences about fandom during the 70s and 80s - "Say Da to Moscow" and "Hotel Horrors."
I've been watching a TV show called Jason King, from 1970-1972. Features an actor I like - Peter Wyngarde. The shows are ... bizarre...as is a CD I bought called "When Sex Rears Its Inquisitive Head" - also by Wyndgarde. There's a spoken "song" on there called "Rape" which is just the weirdest thing I've ever heard...Wyngade doing all sorts of accents as he talks about rape in poetry form...I just held my head in my hands and laughed in astonishment...but the rest of its interesting...bizarre.... kind of like those records by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy...although I have to say I liked Nimoy's album and loved the Bilbo Baggins song!
Anyway...there's much of interest in the Peter Wyngarde saga...so much so that I think it'd be worthy of a book...except I dont' have the time or the contacts to write one. Simply put, he was a major star in England up until 1973, until he got caught in a public toilet with another guy. And this ended his career there and then. Oh, he'd show up intermittently as a guest star on a tv show once every 3 or 4 years...but that's it.
And I can't help but wonder why. I know the same thing happened to John Gielgud in the 1930s...but that was the 1930s...and his career had hardly a blip. Homosexuality was illegal in England until 1967 so why should Wyngarde, in 1973, have suffered more than Gielgud? Except that Wyngarde was regarded by much of the public as a straight sex symbol, and to discover that he was gay...
(Whereas, in private life, all the actors knew. Apparently he had a relationship with Alan Bates for quite some time...)
Why couldn't Wyngarde's career get back on track? Was he so disliked by all his acting peers that no one would help him? (The story about Bates and Wyngarde implied Wyngarde was very controlling and "bad" for Bates - but it doesn't go into details.)
Anyway, the series is interesting. Most of the episodes don't "work" - the endings are anticlimactic - but probably more "true to life" than other adventure shows - King often calls in the cops and it is they who simply arrest the crooks in the final scene, instead of having a knock-down, drag-out. And he is sooooo self-absorbed...
Ah, well, I've got to stop watching this show and start reading the stack of books I've got to review...
Friday, November 30, 2007
Kill Jason King!
I've been assembling a collection of my favorite TV shows from the 70s..now that they're gradually becoming available as used DVDs... (I'm too cheap to pay full price for them).
So today is Jason King day.
And I've go to say they're a bit of a disappointment. Mainly because I really can't stand "big hair" on a guy, let alone a Fu Manchu moustache, and that's what Peter Wyngarde has in this. In two Avengers episodes and a Saint, he was clean shaven and drop dead sexy, but in this...he just doesn't do it for me ... (Yes, he's gay, but a guy can still ooze sex appeal to a straight woman for all that.)
I don't think I ever saw Jason King, lo these many years ago... actually what I saw was a show called Department S, in which he's one of three secret agents. In Jason King, he's a writer, who keeps getting involved in international crimes and such, much like Roger Moore's Simon Templar.
But the scripts, the camera angles, I don't like them that much...
Some are amusing...but overall...
Peter Wyngarde in Two Gentleman of Verona - a two-tape abridged edition:
And for those of you who can play Non-USA-playable DVDs:
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
My headline rant of the month
Each time today that I've gone to Yahoo to check my mail, I keep seeing the following headline:
Arrest warrant tossed for Donda West surgeon
Now, Donda West is the mother of a rapper, named Kanye West. She recently died after complications from her plastic surgery, and she and her son have been much in the news as a result.
Just looking at that headline, doesn't it make you think that the arrest warrant is for Donda West's surgeon because of what happened to Donda West?
And doesn't the term "tossed" imply that the arrest warrant was proper, but legal finagling got it dismmissed? Much in the way that an earlier headline used the word "quashed" instead of "tossed," but which implies the same thing.
It is only if you actually read the article that you find out that the arrest warrant is for a civil case, completely unrelated to the Donda West death (such that if this guy hadn't had a high-profile patient die on him, this arrest warrant stuff wouldn't even be news).
In addition, the warrant was not "quashed" or "tossed." The guy missed the first court date, resulting in the warrant, but then he went to court and got the misunderstanding about his non-appearance sorted out, and so the warrant was simply "dropped" or rendered unnecessary.
I wonder, how many people now think that Donda West's surgeon (anyone even know his name?) is facing, or should face, criminal charges over Donda West's death?
I'm not saying that that won't come - I haven't kept track of any of the articles about this tragedy, frankly, and only read this one because I wanted to see if an arrest warrant was really "quashed" or "tossed" (you see, they know how to get people to read their articles...even when they're bogus), but it hasn't come yet and that headline is irresponsible.
Arrest warrant tossed for Donda West surgeon
Now, Donda West is the mother of a rapper, named Kanye West. She recently died after complications from her plastic surgery, and she and her son have been much in the news as a result.
Just looking at that headline, doesn't it make you think that the arrest warrant is for Donda West's surgeon because of what happened to Donda West?
And doesn't the term "tossed" imply that the arrest warrant was proper, but legal finagling got it dismmissed? Much in the way that an earlier headline used the word "quashed" instead of "tossed," but which implies the same thing.
It is only if you actually read the article that you find out that the arrest warrant is for a civil case, completely unrelated to the Donda West death (such that if this guy hadn't had a high-profile patient die on him, this arrest warrant stuff wouldn't even be news).
In addition, the warrant was not "quashed" or "tossed." The guy missed the first court date, resulting in the warrant, but then he went to court and got the misunderstanding about his non-appearance sorted out, and so the warrant was simply "dropped" or rendered unnecessary.
I wonder, how many people now think that Donda West's surgeon (anyone even know his name?) is facing, or should face, criminal charges over Donda West's death?
I'm not saying that that won't come - I haven't kept track of any of the articles about this tragedy, frankly, and only read this one because I wanted to see if an arrest warrant was really "quashed" or "tossed" (you see, they know how to get people to read their articles...even when they're bogus), but it hasn't come yet and that headline is irresponsible.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
More money than sense....
I haven't been able to work on The Thunder Child for the last week or so, as my real world job got in the way...
I finished that yesterday and have been decompressing ever since. Also my new betta died last night, and I'm a bit depressed about that, and then there's all the stuff going on in the world today, and looking at the US politicians, and their records over the course of 200 years, not to mention the records of politicians around the world...I think the world is doomed...
Yes, I'm depressed.
Then, I read this article about a NYC eatery called Serendipity 3, closed down after it failed its second health inspection in a month:
So loons pay $25,000 for a Frrozen Haute Chocolate, and $1,000 for a sundae named Golden Opulence...and the owners of this place can't keep out cockroaches and mice???? What is wrong with this picture????
I finished that yesterday and have been decompressing ever since. Also my new betta died last night, and I'm a bit depressed about that, and then there's all the stuff going on in the world today, and looking at the US politicians, and their records over the course of 200 years, not to mention the records of politicians around the world...I think the world is doomed...
Yes, I'm depressed.
Then, I read this article about a NYC eatery called Serendipity 3, closed down after it failed its second health inspection in a month:
People stand in line for hours outside the Manhattan restaurant, known for its extravagant and expensive desserts. Its $25,000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate features top-grade cocoa, edible gold and shavings of a luxury truffle and was declared the most expensive dessert in the world by Guinness World Records. The eatery also offers a $1,000 sundae named Golden Opulence requiring 48-hour advance notice.
So loons pay $25,000 for a Frrozen Haute Chocolate, and $1,000 for a sundae named Golden Opulence...and the owners of this place can't keep out cockroaches and mice???? What is wrong with this picture????
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Manhunt 2/ Bee Movie
Manhunt 2 should have a Sick rating attached to it. Sick in the formerly accepted sense of that word:
There's a game out now called Manhunt 2, in which the character playing the game gets to torture other people. There was a big brouhaha over what rating it should get, Mature or X, and Mature won. Well, all I can say is the people who could even think of creating this game are sick, the people who want to play the game are sick, and it is to be hoped that parents will show some discipline and prevent their kids from playing the game...and if they do see someone playing the game, it would be best to make a note of that and not let them near any guns or sharp objects in real life.
Will it then be hypocritical of me to say that freedom of speech is being attacked again in the cause of author Anne Enright? [I don't think so. One is trying to prevent a psychotic game from being unleashed on the public, much like the n-word is trying to be prevented from being unleashed ever again, the other is a woman expressing her *dislike* of a couple of people!]
Anne Enright Dislikes the McCanns
Anne Enright received an award for one of her books, and is now threatened with losing her job because she dared to say in an essay that she disliked the McCanns (whose 3 year old daughter Madeleine has disappeared.)
The article's in the New York Times. The author of the piece said:
What "slur?" She dislikes the people, that's her opinion, she's entitled to it and to say it. It's not like she called them by the N-word, or the F-word, or the B-word. She simply said she disliked them. And it was an essay, not a factual report on the events, so there again, this is ridiculous.
Congratulations on the Book Award, and Welcome to the Scrutiny
And, of course, instead of standing up for herself, Enright is hurriedly apologizing that she didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, and she's sorry if she did so. I do so wish people who've done nothing wrong would stop letting themselves be put on the defensive like this, and stand up for themselves. But, of course, unlike game companies, she doesn't have millions of dollars to use in her defense should some judge allow the McCann's to sue her for defamation of character...despite the fact that, again, all she said was she didn't like them! Lots of people don't!
I went to see Bee Movie yesterday, starring Jerry Seinfeld. I don't mind admitting that the only things I knew about bees before yesterday were that there was a queen bee, they made honey, if they stung you they'd die, and that honey bees in the US are dying out for some reason - and if they do...life as we know it is over because they're the ones who pollinate the flowers and cause things to grow!
So, Bee Movie was okay...sort of a take off on frivolous law suits, kinda boring, with some funny jokes. When Barry the Bee was given his flight jacket at the end of the movie, I found myself hoping that they would market that jacket, as it looked really cool, all black and yellow...
But then I went home, spent five minutes with a children's book on bees, and discovered that Seinfeld and his other writers had missed the boat big time.
In the movie, the bee society is a male dominated one, and it runs perfectly. The only female bee we see who has a speaking role is Seinfeld's mother. Jerry's character Barry doesn't want to work for the rest of his life in one job, he wants to be a "pollen jock" - a bee that goes out into the big wide world and gets the pollen and nectar to bring back to the hive.
And these pollen jocks are real macho, male bees with the flying jackets, helmets and goggles of fighter pilots from WWII. Cool.
Except...
In reality, a beehive is ruled by one queen bee. There are thousands of worker bees, who are FEMALE. It is the female bees who are the pollen jockettes, flying out into the world. They're also the ones who stay at home and clean up the hive, feed the Queen, etc.
And what do the MALES do? (Of which there only hundreds, not thousands.) Nothing. Their job is to service the queen so she can lay eggs, nothing more. Otherwise they just hang around doing nothing.
Now, imagine what Seinfeld's movie should have been like, if he and his writers hadn't been concerned with presenting what they considered to be the perfect society - one run by men.
Barry graduates from bee school...but this time he has no exciting job waiting for him, because he's just a male. He gets to spend the rest of his life hoping the queen will pick him to do the um...you know. (I'm sure Seinfeld could have come up with a joke to make that clear to the adults without letting the young kids know exactly what's being talked about.)
So he's hanging around, stuck in the kitchen as it were, while all the females get to do the fun jobs - cleaning, making honey, going out of the hive to pollenate plants and bring back plants and nectar, and he envies them their freedom.
So one day he decides to go out with these pollen jockettes, who allow him to do so...
And the rest of the movie can go on from there with little changes, except of course a female actress would be the one voicing the pollen jockette's leader, and the three characters who sort of take Barry under their wing to start with are voiced by women instead of men...and at the very end when the pollen jockettes save the day by holding up the plane, it's the females who are doing it...
That's the way it should have been, if any slight attempt at accuracy was to have been made. But much like the male cows with udders in last year's ridiculous Barnyard, film creators see the world their way, the patriarchal way, and that's the way they're going to present it.
But I think my version would have been better...
Well, well, well, three rants in one post. Pretty good.
There's a game out now called Manhunt 2, in which the character playing the game gets to torture other people. There was a big brouhaha over what rating it should get, Mature or X, and Mature won. Well, all I can say is the people who could even think of creating this game are sick, the people who want to play the game are sick, and it is to be hoped that parents will show some discipline and prevent their kids from playing the game...and if they do see someone playing the game, it would be best to make a note of that and not let them near any guns or sharp objects in real life.
Will it then be hypocritical of me to say that freedom of speech is being attacked again in the cause of author Anne Enright? [I don't think so. One is trying to prevent a psychotic game from being unleashed on the public, much like the n-word is trying to be prevented from being unleashed ever again, the other is a woman expressing her *dislike* of a couple of people!]
Anne Enright Dislikes the McCanns
Anne Enright received an award for one of her books, and is now threatened with losing her job because she dared to say in an essay that she disliked the McCanns (whose 3 year old daughter Madeleine has disappeared.)
The article's in the New York Times. The author of the piece said:
The essay was about Madeleine McCann, who was 3 years old when she disappeared this spring in Portugal. In the essay Ms. Enright tried to work through a cacophony of complicated emotions toward the girl’s parents, including reluctant voyeurism, distaste and pity. But newspapers here and in Britain picked out a sentence in which Ms. Enright said that she “disliked the McCanns earlier than most people” and ignored what she wrote afterward: that she was ashamed of the impulse and, in the end, rejected it.
The people calling for her head are saying: Her publishers should have put a large brown bag over her head immediately,” Janet Street-Porter wrote in The Independent on Sunday, in a typical comment. “I urge you not to buy Enright’s book until she apologizes for this slur.”
What "slur?" She dislikes the people, that's her opinion, she's entitled to it and to say it. It's not like she called them by the N-word, or the F-word, or the B-word. She simply said she disliked them. And it was an essay, not a factual report on the events, so there again, this is ridiculous.
Congratulations on the Book Award, and Welcome to the Scrutiny
And, of course, instead of standing up for herself, Enright is hurriedly apologizing that she didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, and she's sorry if she did so. I do so wish people who've done nothing wrong would stop letting themselves be put on the defensive like this, and stand up for themselves. But, of course, unlike game companies, she doesn't have millions of dollars to use in her defense should some judge allow the McCann's to sue her for defamation of character...despite the fact that, again, all she said was she didn't like them! Lots of people don't!
I went to see Bee Movie yesterday, starring Jerry Seinfeld. I don't mind admitting that the only things I knew about bees before yesterday were that there was a queen bee, they made honey, if they stung you they'd die, and that honey bees in the US are dying out for some reason - and if they do...life as we know it is over because they're the ones who pollinate the flowers and cause things to grow!
So, Bee Movie was okay...sort of a take off on frivolous law suits, kinda boring, with some funny jokes. When Barry the Bee was given his flight jacket at the end of the movie, I found myself hoping that they would market that jacket, as it looked really cool, all black and yellow...
But then I went home, spent five minutes with a children's book on bees, and discovered that Seinfeld and his other writers had missed the boat big time.
In the movie, the bee society is a male dominated one, and it runs perfectly. The only female bee we see who has a speaking role is Seinfeld's mother. Jerry's character Barry doesn't want to work for the rest of his life in one job, he wants to be a "pollen jock" - a bee that goes out into the big wide world and gets the pollen and nectar to bring back to the hive.
And these pollen jocks are real macho, male bees with the flying jackets, helmets and goggles of fighter pilots from WWII. Cool.
Except...
In reality, a beehive is ruled by one queen bee. There are thousands of worker bees, who are FEMALE. It is the female bees who are the pollen jockettes, flying out into the world. They're also the ones who stay at home and clean up the hive, feed the Queen, etc.
And what do the MALES do? (Of which there only hundreds, not thousands.) Nothing. Their job is to service the queen so she can lay eggs, nothing more. Otherwise they just hang around doing nothing.
Now, imagine what Seinfeld's movie should have been like, if he and his writers hadn't been concerned with presenting what they considered to be the perfect society - one run by men.
Barry graduates from bee school...but this time he has no exciting job waiting for him, because he's just a male. He gets to spend the rest of his life hoping the queen will pick him to do the um...you know. (I'm sure Seinfeld could have come up with a joke to make that clear to the adults without letting the young kids know exactly what's being talked about.)
So he's hanging around, stuck in the kitchen as it were, while all the females get to do the fun jobs - cleaning, making honey, going out of the hive to pollenate plants and bring back plants and nectar, and he envies them their freedom.
So one day he decides to go out with these pollen jockettes, who allow him to do so...
And the rest of the movie can go on from there with little changes, except of course a female actress would be the one voicing the pollen jockette's leader, and the three characters who sort of take Barry under their wing to start with are voiced by women instead of men...and at the very end when the pollen jockettes save the day by holding up the plane, it's the females who are doing it...
That's the way it should have been, if any slight attempt at accuracy was to have been made. But much like the male cows with udders in last year's ridiculous Barnyard, film creators see the world their way, the patriarchal way, and that's the way they're going to present it.
But I think my version would have been better...
Well, well, well, three rants in one post. Pretty good.
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