Scott_EVill

A Bit of a Who S5 Post-Mortem: How Moffat's Who Differs from RTD's

2010-07-24T18:34:00.013-04:00

There's a spoiler below for the season finale, premiering tonight in the US, so if you're a US-based viewer, beware.

Is Star Wars SF or fantasy? Most people would say the former. I usually say it's high fantasy with spaceships, but really, in the minds of most people, that's a distinction without a difference.

So what about Doctor Who? Was it SF during RTD's tenure? Is it now Fantasy? Does it matter?

Yes, yes, and not sure.

"Not sure" because although a significant paradigm shift has clearly occurred under Moffat -- a shift we would never see in a US franchise at this point, as it represents considerable risk for the network -- after watching the whole season, I think the jury is still out on whether it was for the best.

RTD's Who was informed heavily by alien invasion and first contact tropes dating from 50s B-movies and 80s genre films. Flying saucers were overhead wreaking havoc all the time. Aliens possessed or masqueraded as people regularly, always with nefarious, conquest-related intent, and we invariably got those TV montages detailing the reactions of the global media. None of this stuff happened in secret. On the contrary, it was writ large. We were in Downing Street many times, in the UN, on the tarmac with the President of the United States debarking Air Force One, etc. That RTD was almost never concerned with exploring political ramifications is understandable (albeit consistently disappointing to me) when you consider that neither were many of the B-films from which he took inspiration. Political ramifications weren't typically the point.

And of course the Doctor and his companion visited a lot of alien planets and cultures during S1-4.

We can pretty comfortably call all of this SF rather than fantasy, even the farting grotesques in their "Edgar suits."

Moffat's season, by contrast, was about the crack in a little girl's bedroom wall and how it transformed her life. This is what Moffat means when he says he sees the show as "dark fairy tales" about "the things that live under your bed."

Is it still a show about a guy with a time traveling spaceship? Of course. Are there still alien baddies? Of course, but look at how the references have shifted. The show is no longer informed by Alien or Aliens, The Abyss, War of the Worlds, Earth vs the Flying Saucers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, et al, but by Indiana Jones (i.e., River's scenes at the start of both the Angels and Pandorica two parters), The Time-Travelers Wife (again, River), and the stories of Alan Moore circa 2000 AD and Neil Gaiman (who, of course, will write one of next season's episodes).

And look at the shift in how the show presents its aliens and monsters -- from cities in flames and mustache-twirling heavies with paper-thin motivations (i.e., Davros) to the weightier morality plays and political allegories of this season, i.e., "Vampires in Venice," the Silurian episodes, and the (under-appreciated) Starwhale episode.

Were these episodes always successful? Not at all, but I do think they were more ambitious than many of the RTD episodes, and that these differences in approach are significant in terms of the paradigm shift affected by Moffat.

Note that I'm trying like crazy to avoid making a quality remark here. And failing. So fuck it. Here's some more: I often thought RTD's era could have been a little more challenging, the heavies a little more multi-faceted -- again, see Davros' hysterical monologuing about "The. Reality. BOMB!!!" -- but I also feel that Moffat could offer us more bang for our buck. His Doctor is such a wimp. And Amy hasn't turned out to be as interesting or three-dimensional a character as I thought she'd be. Furthermore, Karen Gillan seems to have a single line reading she deploys for all occasions, and it's pissing me off. As the season wore on, I started to feel like Moffat had thrown out too much of RTD's approach. Maybe I'm just impossible to please. Then again, maybe there are occasions when a little US-style network interference works in a show's favor. I do think there has to be a happy medium here, and I hope next season, which promises to reveal the off-camera heavy lurking around the margins of this season's arc, is more successful at striking it.

In any case, it seems clear that Doctor Who was but is no longer a show about alien invasion. (It doesn't seem like the people of Earth even remember all the alien invasions of the RTD era. Moffat is much more interested in presenting a 2010 that is recognizable and relatable to our own real 2010, as opposed to RTD's contemporary reality, where the Earth has been regularly invaded by Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, et al, for years and famous people are seen cracking wise about it on late night chat shows. They're so over it. Incidentally, now that Amy's family has been restored, I hope Moffat develops the town, and her family, into significant supporting players because I felt the absence of that anchor, one of the best features of all of RTD's seasons, this year.)

Equally clear is that Dctor Who is now but didn't used to be a show about time travel, by which I mean that, although there was obviously plenty of time travel during S1-4, it was presented in a fairly straight-forward, easy-to-follow way.

RTD was always reluctant to go down the temporal rabbit-hole.

Moffat's show, on the other hand, lives down there, and that's laudable. It's clear that what interests him is the idea that things "don't always happen to [the Doctor] in the right order." His season consistently challenged the conventions of linear storytelling in a way RTD's seasons--with the exception of Moffat's own episodes--never did, having effect precede cause with River, with the cracks and their attendant paradoxes, with messages sent back and forth across history, etc.

Personally, I file all this timey-wimey stuff under fantasy (and under "fascinating"), though obviously time travel doesn't have to be fantasy any more than space ships have to be SF. It depends on how these things are contextualized in the story.

I'd be interested to hear other opinions of the season...

Iron Man 2

2010-05-08T15:18:00.039-04:00

A fine sequel! Iron Man 2 may not raise the bar the way The Dark Knight did, but the strengths of the first film -- the superb actors and inspired casting, the snappy repartee, the overall tone and style -- are all here, and in greater helpings. And it's consistently funny, which is perhaps the main thing that sets it apart from its brethren. Iron Man 2 is superhero movie dressed up as a screwball comedy. It turns serious when it needs to, but thankfully without the melodramatic mustache twirling and catch phrases you expect from the genre. (The plot appropriately centers on proliferation of the iron man tech.) The set-pieces are all good but these were the least interesting parts of the movie, which is to its credit. The high-caliber cast of actors at the top of their game is what elevates Iron Man 2 to a whole other level. Same as last time in that regard.

Don Cheadle was great. (Terrence who?) I did feel like they could have dug a little deeper on the Stark/Rhodey friendship and falling out, but the acting more than makes up for it. I love that he declined to return the war machine suit in the end. Surely just coincidence that this provided Marvel Studios with a contingency if Downey Jr ended up saying "no" to The Avengers. The exchange at the end where Fury tells him they want Iron Man but not Stark serves the same purpose. He's saying they want him, not his b*llsh*t--which has been on spectacular display throughout the film--but phrased in a way that gives them wiggle room to substitute Cheadle in The Avengers, if need be. (Downey Jr did eventually sign up.)

Sam Rockwell -- Brilliant, as expected. Hammer is a perfectly executed high-powered corporate douchebag. I love how they transitioned him at the end from an adversary for Tony to an adversary for Pepper.

Mickey Rourke is fully transformed. A really impressive performance. Whiplash could have been an embarrassing choice. Instead, he's genuinely menacing. He never rants and is never campy, even with the bird, which plays as an oddly touching, humanizing element. Very well done.

Gwyneth Paltrow is wisely given more to do this time. The chemistry with Downey Jr is crackling, and the script smartly deals with her screwball promotion from Girl Friday to CEO by having Bill O'Reilly angrily questioning her qualifications on FOX News. Pepper takes it all in stride, because she's a superhero, too. She even gets in another memorable jab at the reporter Tony slept with in the first film.

The supporting cast is equally great. Scarlet Johansson is a welcome addition, more than holding her own with Downey Jr, Paltrow and Favreau, and she kicks ass impressively. She should get more to do next time. And if that next time is in Joss Whedon's Avengers, that would be spiffy.

The wonderful Clark Gregg is dryly amusing as Agent Colson. The gag with Captain America's shield is piss your pants funny. John Slattery, as Tony's father, was a nice touch, though I expected him to chain smoke. He'll reportedly reprise the part in Captain America, as Gregg will Colson in Thor. Favreau himself is more prominent as Happy Hogan, this time, and has several memorable scenes with Johansson. But it's Gary Shandling who steals the show with his constipated senator, forced to grin (through his teeth) for the cameras as he pins a medal on Tony a bit too enthusiastically. "Oops! A little prick is always so annoying, isn't it?" More of him next time, please!

Sam Jackson's Fury did strike me as a little too ... happy. I always think of Fury as an impatient, take-no-prisoners/brook-no-b*llsh*t type. But this is a nitpick, certainly, and the movie is so entertaining that it doesn't deserve to be nitpicked.

The movie gets a little bogged down towards the latter part of the second act as we wait for Tony to confide in someone, anyone that the suit is killing him and get over his daddy issues. But really, so what? This isn't a nitpick, but the film has earned so much good will by this point that it really doesn't detract from my enjoyment. The pace picks up again after daddy saves his life from beyond the grave and everything comes together for a highly satisfying final act.

All in all, I think I liked it a little bit better than the first one.

Late in the second act, Colson gets called away to New Mexico. In the after-credits tease, we find him standing at the edge of a crater in the desert reporting back to Nick Fury, "we found it." The "it" at the bottom of the crater is Thor's hammer. The geeks remaining in the theater squeed while their girlfriends (and boyfriends) rolled their eyes and continued tapping impatiently on their iphones.

Bring on the God of Thunder (written by my buddy Zack and his partner Ash, directed by Kenneth Branagh) next summer, and the one-two punch of Captain America and The Avengers, in May and July, 2012, respectively. Iron Man 3 in 2013?

Doctor Who 5X04 "The Time of Angels" by Steven Moffat

2010-04-25T13:18:00.029-04:00

“The Time of Angels’” opening sequence tells us we don’t know jack about River Song, the character introduced so memorably in last season’s Moffat-penned “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead” two-parter, and played by the wonderful Alex Kingston (ER, Moll Flanders). Yes, she’s an archaeologist/adventurer cut from the mold of Indiana Jones. And yes, she may well be the Doctor’s wife (in his future/her past), but this teaser reframes her as a classic femme fatale, to boot, right down to her 1940s-era costume, hair & make-up, a stylistic masterstroke.

We meet her very much as we usually meet Indy -- at the conclusion of a caper. It's the 51st century. River has broken into a vault on the Star Liner Byzantium, the crash of which she alluded to in her appearance last season. But the caper appears to have gone wrong. After burning some hieroglyphs into the cover of a metal box (for reasons unknown), she's retreating empty handed. She ends up cornered by the bad guy—Alastair—and his armed goons at an airlock door.

"Wait til she runs," he tells the goons. "Don't make it look like an execution."

So why is River Song smiling?

“Sorry, Alastair,” she says, oozing confidence and sex appeal. “I needed to see what was in your vault.” He wishes. He knows that hallucinogenic lipstick is her calling card. Perhaps he knows all too well.

But before he can take his revenge, she plays her hole card, ordering up an emergency extraction across 12 millennia of space and time! There’s clearly no question in her mind that the TARDIS will be waiting for her on the other side of that airlock. After all, she’s left The Doctor a message he’s sure to see, a message in Old High Gallifreyan, the lost language of his forebears. (Does she know this language in her professional capacity or is she, herself, an Old High Gallifreyan? Sure, she died in her last appearance... no regeneration... but she specifically told the Doctor that his plan, which she ended up implementing herself, would "kill you dead, and don't think you'll regenerate." If she was a Gallifreyan, the same would go for her.)

In a museum circa AD17,100, the Doctor and Amy Pond contemplate the Gallifreyan hieroglyphs on the same box. “There were days," he begins, solemnly. "There were many days these words could burn stars, and raise up empires, and topple gods.”

“What does this say?” asks Amy.

It says, “hello, sweetie.” :)

Cut to surveillance video from the 51st Century. River looks dead at the camera and winks at us – at him. How could he not love her? She’s wooing him across time and space.

“Do you even know what's in your hold?" River asks Alastair. "Because I'll tell you something: this ship won't reach its destination." She looks at her watch. "Like I said on the dance floor, you might want to find something to hang onto.” Music swells as River blows Alastair a kiss, trips the airlock, and hurtles through space right into The Doctor’s waiting arms. “Follow that ship!” she orders.

Cue title sequence, take a deep breath, and ask yourself: has this show ever been better?

The answer is: hell fucking no.

And if there’s any doubt on that score, the immensely entertaining chase sequence that follows should settle it, as River schools The Doctor on how to properly drive and park the TARDIS with her high heels dangling from the console monitor. Surely, this is the sci-fi equivalent of leaving her pantyhose to dry on his shower rack.

Safe to say, the Doctor is not amused. “Come along, Pond,” he harrumphs. “Let’s have a look.” But as soon as River steps out of the TARDIS, he bars the door, intent on fleeing.

“Why?” demands Amy.

“Because she’s the future, my future.”

“Can you run away from that?” asks Amy, sensibly, and without a trace of irony.

“I can run away from anything I like. Time is not the boss of me.” But intimacy issues are, it seems. Luckily, "Pond" isn’t about to let him do a runner, despite the fact that she's in the middle of one of her own. She knows how to push his buttons, too, albeit in a way that puffs him up. “You promised me a planet," implores the protege. "Five minutes.”

“Five minutes. That’s all. Because I’m telling you now, that woman is not dragging me into anything!”

K.

The scene outside is catastrophic. The Byzantium has crashed into a long-abandoned alien temple.

River wastes no time dropping the other shoe: “There’s a thing in the belly of that ship that can’t ever die.” She looks at Amy, smug, knowing she’s got him. “Now, he’s listening.”

And so they compare diaries--"Have we done The Bone Meadows?"--and we meet River’s team, a band of 51st century Christian Soldiers led by Father Octavian, Bishop 2nd class. Amy: “You’re letting people call you ‘sir.’ You never do that.” For the first time, she’s seeing the side of The Doctor that worked for UNIT. The professor becomes the officer.

“A weeping angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most malevolent, most powerful lifeform evolution has ever produced. And right now one of them is trapped inside that wreckage. And I’m supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch, and assuming I survive the radiation long enough and assuming the whole ship doesn’t explode in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven’t actually thought of yet. That’s my day. That’s what I’m up to. Any questions?”

Well, one. “Is River Song your wife?’ Amy Pond keeps her eye on the ball. She continues to be The One Who Asks Smart Questions.

Incidentally, Christian Soldiers to fight (Weeping) Angels… Very good. And of course, these warrior-priests are not quite trust-worthy. Neither is Doctor Song.

Octavian: “He doesn’t know yet, does he, who & what you are.”

“It’s too early in his time stream,” River admits.

“Well, make sure he doesn’t work it out or he’s not gonna help us.”

“I won’t let you down. Believe you me, I have no intention of going back to prison.”

River's connection to the Doctor has been made more complicated, more enigmatic—and potentially more sinister—than it seemed last season. But that was Professor Song at the end of her life, her relationship with The Doctor fully matured. This is Doctor Song, who is far more Temple of Doom than Last Crusade.

Is Doctor Song genuinely in love with him yet, or is she just waiting to plant a big, wet hallucinogenic lipstick kiss on him?

Or is it--deliciously--a bit of both?

“You’re so his wife,” Amy concludes.

“Amy, Amy, Amy. This is The Doctor we’re talking about. Do you really think it could be something that simple?” Amy thinks it can, yes, and ultimately she’s right – we watched River sacrifice her life so The Doctor could live rather than let him do the same for her – but at this moment? Their relationship is anything but simple, as befits the early days of a time-crossed romance.

By the way, what did she really inject Amy with? And how creepy was all that stone dust coming out of Amy's eye?

I haven't said much about the plot, because -- fantastically -- the characters and relationships are by far the most compelling thing here. (It was rare to be able to say that during RTD's tenure.) But the plot itself is well-executed and suspenseful. The Angels remain genuinely creepy and very effective, perhaps even moreso here than in "Blink." The kids must have been watching from behind the couch.

For sure, the Angels are the best recurring baddies the show has by miles. They make the Daleks look like The Wombles. (Though maybe the Daleks do that all by themselves.)

So, basically, another homerun. That’s two so far, and a stand-up triple with the very cool, 2000AD-esque "Beast Below." I didn’t care for the Dalek ep, but that’s not unusual for me. Still, three out of four so far is nothin' to sneeze at, and a better gold-to-crap ratio than I ever expected during the first four seasons.

Next week: Part 2. Can't wait!

Doctor Who 5X01: "The Eleventh Hour" by Steven Moffat

2010-04-04T17:13:00.005-04:00

I loved it. If this is what new head writer Steven Moffat has in store (and I trust that it is, since he wrote by far the best episodes of the first four series, including arguably the best Who episode ever, "Blink"), then bring on the Moffat Era!

Matt Smith is a winner, taking ownership over the role more or less instantly. Smith's Doctor is not a sea-change from Tennant's -- both are lonely, skinny, manic, floppy haired genius adventurers who have vowed to protect the earth and its people come what may, and in nerd-chic costumes, no less.

Clearly, for this modern era, that's the Beeb's conception of the character, no matter who plays him, and I think that's reasonable. (I mean, what's really changeable there, given the realities of the business?)

But within those parameters, Smith's Doctor is distinctive from Tennant's (and Eccleston's) in a number of interesting ways. Tennant's Doctor (as River Song noted in Moffat's "Silence in the Library") was always so young at heart -- as distinct from world-weary Eccleston -- but Smith is simultaneously Peter Pan and stodgy old Oxford professor, a contradiction that Smith nails seemingly effortlessly and with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It's an outstanding performance.

Which is not to detract from Karen Gillan, who is by far the best female lead they've had in the modern era. She's got the pluck and snark of Sally Sparrow (Moffat's brilliant "Blink") and a deep, timey-wimey relationship with the Doctor reminiscent of Madame du Pompadour (Moffat's "Girl in the Fireplace"). The chemistry between the two is crackling -- I can't imagine either of these roles better cast. Smith pushes -- and Gillan pushes back. Their sharp, screwball banter is pure gold.

Of course, snappy dialogue is one of Moffat's strengths, and the episode is filled with it. Smith's weary, "Get a girlfriend, Jeff" was laugh-out-loud funny -- the best line in the episode -- but there was also, "your friend. Not him [i.e., Rory]. The good looking one."

Jeff's Gran: "I like Patrick Moore." Doctor: "I'll get you his number, but watch out -- He's a devil."

"You're Scotish -- Fry something." And upon eating the bacon: "Are you trying to poison me?"

"Turn around and look." Amy: "Why?" "Because it will change your life."

"I'm not afraid." "No, you're not afraid of anything, so you know what I think? That must be one hell of a scary crack in your wall." Delicious and creepy, perfectly capturing the dark fairy tale vibe Moffat is going for.

The new supporting cast -- Rory, Jeff, Jeff's gran, and the town as a whole -- was well-sketched. (Jeff's Gran in particular got in a number of great lines in her couple of scenes.) Rory (Amy's boyfriend -- presumably fiance by the end of the episode) is very reminiscent of "Blink's" Larry Nightingale, an affable (and probably nerdly) slob.

Anchoring the show to a country village seems like a particularly good idea after the RTD era's sharp focus on London.

Orphan Amy appears to have been adopted not just by her unseen Aunt, but by the endearingly quirky townspeople, all of whom know about her lifelong obsession with this "imaginary" Doctor character.

It feels like the village is a shade of GIlmore Girls' Star's Hollow. (Ironic, if that's the case, that Amy's boyfriend is called Rory...)

And of course, the new TARDIS set is magnificent.

The ending, with the two of them taking off for adventure, was a genuine thrill, as was the (unsurprising but still effective) revelation that tomorrow is Amy's wedding day.

A few things felt a bit off... It was a bit catch-phrase-y for my taste, but hopefully that will fall by the wayside once the new show establishes its ratings dominance (which it's well on the way to doing with 8.45M viewers and a 37% share).

The introduction of the season's arc element (re: the cracks in the skin of the universe, silence falling, "the Pandorica" opening) was the one thing in the episode that felt a bit perfunctory.

And though I liked the music in the episode, the one thing I honestly did not care for was the new opening, especially the new version of the theme.

Still, those are nitpicks. All in all: homerun.

The Trailer Is Here

2008-11-15T15:39:00.002-05:00

And it rocks.
star trek trailer from SPOCKBOY on Vimeo.

Yet More Trek Porn

2008-10-28T19:52:00.002-04:00

Check out the saucer section, visible in the bottom half of the viewscreen. *Suh-weeeet*

More here.

The First Lost Season 5 Promo

2008-10-22T22:17:00.002-04:00

Finally.

Sarah Connor Chronicles Gets Full Season

2008-10-18T12:14:00.002-04:00

*whew*

Despite struggling in the ratings on a very tough night & timeslot (Mondays/8PM), FOX has decided to pick up the back 9 episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' second season.

Couldn't've happened to a better show.

I hope all my tens of readers will sample--It's really a fun, thought-provoking, subversive show. Great character work, highly suspenseful, and top-notch action.

Star Trek Plot Details

2008-10-16T21:39:00.002-04:00

Star Trek’s time-travel plot is set in motion when a Federation starship, the USS Kelvin, is attacked by a vicious Romulan (Eric Bana) desperately seeking one of the film’s heroes. From there, the film then brings Kirk and Spock center stage and tracks the origins of their friendship and how they became officers aboard the Enterprise. In fact, the movie shows how the whole original series crew came together: McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoë Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin). The adventure stretches from Earth to Vulcan, and yes, it does find a way to have Nimoy appearing in scenes with at least one of the actors on our cover — and maybe both. The storytelling is newbie-friendly, but it slyly assimilates a wide range of Trek arcana, from doomed Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to Sulu’s swordsmanship to classic lines like, ”I have been, and always shall be, your friend.” More ambitiously, the movie subversively plays with Trek lore — and those who know it. The opening sequence, for example, is an emotionally wrenching passage that culminates with a mythic climax sure to leave zealots howling ”Heresy!” But revisionism anxiety is the point. ”The movie,” Lindelof says, ”is about the act of changing what you know.”

From this week's Entertainment Weekly.

Trek Pics

2008-10-15T23:05:00.005-04:00

Click to embiggen.

Finally, JJ Abrams & Co have been cleared by Paramount to release some images from the new Trek movie, and all I can say is: squee, (motherfucker). Do the link (and the link at the link) for more images, including some space battle porn.

Guys, this movie's gonna rock. Unfortunately, we have to wait til next May for it.

SNL

2008-10-05T17:59:00.003-04:00

That was the best episode of SNL I've seen in a long time. The political sketches were spot-on (see below), but--shockingly--the non-political sketches were actually funny or clever -- sometimes both in the same sketch. Can you imagine?

A smart, talented guest host (Anne Hathaway) can make all the difference, huh?

This Thursday at 9:30PM, SNL begins a month of live, prime-time political satire. Woof!!

Don't Vote!

2008-10-02T20:01:00.001-04:00

Sarah Connor 2X04: Allison from Palmdale

2008-09-29T21:18:00.014-04:00

Toni Graphia does not disappoint, and it's not like the bar is set low for her episodes. She wrote "The Demon Hand," arguably last season's best. She wrote "Flesh and Bone" in Battlestar's first season. (The one where Starbuck interrogates, and ultimately airlocks, a Leoben.) And she wrote two stand-out installments of Carnivale Season 1. (I'm looking forward to her first series--someday--I expect it will be memorable.)

Tonight's episode, "Allison from Palmdale," is some of her best work. I won't go through a plot synopsis. Suffice it to say, the sixty-four thousand dollar questions are as follows:

1. Was Cameron lying to Allison, the human resistance fighter she was built to replace, about some terminators wanting peaceful coexistence with the remnants of mankind?

I'm gonna go with "no," despite the fact that Cameron subsequently executes Allison without batting an eyelash.

The question of whether Cameron is truly sentient hung over last season, unanswered. But this season, the answer came right off the bat. She is. She's been programmed, yes, but she can "cross against the light." In the season premiere's final moments, she chooses not comply with her prime directive, to kill John Connor.

And with sentience would come empathy, the ability to sympathize with a species she knows is being exterminated by her own kind. She, and others like her, can question whether the AIs, as a group, are doing the right thing, and potentially decide the answer is "no."

So it's possible that she was telling Allison the truth, even in the face of her subsequent decision to execute the girl for lying. She may be concerned with saving the species and still be unconcerned with saving any particular member of that species.

Question #2: Is Weaver's daughter really her daughter? Or is the T-1001, as an infiltrator, assuming the role of mother to the real Weaver's human child?

Hard to say on that one. Certainly, she seems a might young for sudoku... but that may be a clever misdirect for keen-eyed viewers.

If some of the robot terminators, like Cameron, have achieved true sentience, have the more advanced liquid metal models achieved the final piece of the puzzle: the ability to procreate?

"Sarah Connor" is consistently excellent, a thought-provoking, suspenseful action-hour wrapped around a well-observed, deliciously subversive character/family drama about time travel and genocide. (So, y'know, fairly ordinary in the pantheon of family dramas.)

Anyone who's not watching this show -- seriously, start!

It Doesn't Have To Be This Way

2008-09-27T18:15:00.001-04:00

Debate 1 Reax

2008-09-27T14:11:00.009-04:00

That was exactly the kind of debate I want to see, where they can talk to each other, ask each other questions, press for answers -- and even declare, "Horsesh*t!" if they're not satisfied.

That was a *real* debate. More, please.

We don't need any of this artificial "your time is up" bullshit we saw so much of during the primary debates. (Remember the one where Hillary and Obama were in the middle of a really interesting exchange on universal healthcare and the narrator kept trying to cut them off? One or both had to basically say, "do you mind, this is important, we're gonna talk about it for a bit.")

Overall, it was basically a draw. They both did what they had to, nobody farted over their dialogue, and I don't see too many minds changing as a result.

Obama was cool and professorial, maybe too cool and professorial, but that's who he is. (Loved his "inside baseball" line--That kind of thing really works for him, IMO. He's not as good as Bill Clinton in that regard, but he would definitely be another "explainer in chief.") For the purposes of appealing to people who aren't already supporting him, maybe he could've been a little more... vigorous.

McCain was contemptuous and dismissive, maybe too contemptuous and dismissive, but that's who he is. (And it does accurately reflect what his base thinks of Democrats in general and Obama, specifically.) For the purposes of appealing to people who aren't McCain supporters, he should probably be a little more "the happy warrior" -- a little more gregarious, a little less hot under the collar.

I wonder if there might now be some backlash over that a la Nixon/Kennedy. Clearly, Tweety and other Obama-supporting pundits were preoccupied with McCain's "body language" in the post-game... perhaps overly, though I guess time will tell.

To me, McCain came off as a superior, entitled sonofab*tch, someone you worry will lose his temper and repeat some of the same reactionary mistakes of the Bush administration rather than, y'know, think things through. I expect someone with McCain's experience to understand that foreign policy is a chess game, but he seems to think it's Texas Hold 'Em. And certainly, that's how he's run his campaign, too. Not sure we need any more of that on the world stage.

Everything about McCain's demeanor said, "how dare this young upstart, this empty suit, this *kid*, pit himself against me, when I'm so obviously his superior!" He couldn't possibly admit what Obama, IMO, demonstrated so amply -- that he's smart enough, and knowledgheable enough to be commander-in-chief. (And gosh darnit, people like him!)

If he does admit that his opponent has what it takes to be president, as Al Gore did so disastrously with George Bush in 2000, that's the ballgame, because all things being equal, this is a change election -- and McCain is not "change." He's "experience."

So I dunno. The debates are three rounds, though, so I guess we don't have to decide who won just now.

Why Would Anyone Mock Sarah Palin?

2008-09-25T17:55:00.005-04:00

COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.

Are you fucking kidding me? I don't know what's more troubling, that a major party candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States thinks Putin might be planning to invade Alaska or that she reaches for but can't quite grasp the word "caricature."

Can't imagine why anyone would "mock" this woman.

God Hates Shrimp

2008-09-24T23:02:00.003-04:00

Yep, the cuckoo Phelps hate group walked the plank this morning after a happy bunch dressed like pirates and holding signs saying "God hates shrimp -- Leviticus" and "God hates cotton-polyester blends" stood opposite them at the corner of Markham and Scott streets. The group, made up of Central Arkansas Pastafarians, waved swords and growled "Arrghh!" in a manner that would have made Abbie Hoffman proud.

With cars honking and waving at the pirates and a TV crew giving them all the attention, the Phelps group -- with a child in tow, sadly -- picked up their "f*g" epithets and went away. Pitiful....

Source

The news just doesn't get better than this, folks. Wouldn't it be great if everywhere the execrable Phelps clan went now, a group of pirates taking after these intrepid pastafarians were there to meet them?

Decisions Are Made

2008-09-22T20:04:00.004-04:00

by those who show up!

It's no secret that I supported Hillary in the primaries, and one of the several reasons I did so is because I distrust the kids who are so overwhelmingly supporting Obama. Why? 'cause come Election Day, y'all never fucking show up. You take bong hits the night before and oops!

No one is saying "don't take your bong hits," but please, for christ's sake--This year, show up.

(If you still need to register, do the link above.)

I'll go back to nerd stuff, now.

9 To 5: The Musical

2008-09-21T23:24:00.003-04:00

gets a great review in the Hollywood Reporter. It's scheduled to open on Broadway in April 2009.

John McCain Approved This Message

2008-09-21T17:04:00.003-04:00

Apparently, Al Franken (an original SNL castmember who is current running to unseat Senator Norm Coleman in Minnesota) co-wrote last night's SNL cold open...

Obama Meets Jed Bartlet

2008-09-20T23:04:00.003-04:00

Is it still fanwank if Aaron Sorkin scripted it himself? Eh, whatevs...

BARACK OBAMA knocks on the front door of a 300-year-old New Hampshire farmhouse while his Secret Service detail waits in the driveway. The door opens and OBAMA is standing face to face with former President JED BARTLET.

BARTLET Senator.

OBAMA Mr. President.

BARTLET You seem startled.

OBAMA I didn’t expect you to answer the door yourself.

BARTLET I didn’t expect you to be getting beat by John McCain and a Lancôme rep who thinks “The Flintstones” was based on a true story, so let’s call it even.

The rest is in Maureen Dowd's Sunday column
*sigh* I miss Jed Bartlet.

Fringe 1X02: The Same Old Story

2008-09-17T20:59:00.003-04:00

This was a damn fine episode.

Not sure I've ever been turned around on a pilot I hated so quickly. The characters and relationships (and the quality of the cast) make all the difference. Plus, it was genuinely creepy.

I'm on baord.

I'm also super-impressed that they snagged Darin Morgan as a consulting producer. Morgan wrote four--and only four--episodes of The X-Files, each one a classic. His script for "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" won an emmy -- which is exceedingly rare for a genre show.

So, fine--It's basically a new X-Files... but maybe it's not a knock-off, after all. Time will tell...

SNL: A Non-Partisan Message from Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton

2008-09-14T12:40:00.003-04:00

Last night's SNL Season Premiere cold open was genius.

The rest of the episode sucked, but that's nothin' new. Poor Michael Phelps looked supremely uncomfortable throughout. I felt really bad for him. They included him in as few sketches as they could get away with, and even in those, they had to write around him.

Cringe

2008-09-09T22:45:00.005-04:00

I saw the Fringe pilot last summer... Didn't care for it. Decided to give it a second chance tonight, but the second time isn't doing anything more for me than the first.

Impressive cast and production values... but jesus, it's preposterous.

She comes out of the Altered States tank saying "I saw him!" and I'm sitting there thinking, "is NO ONE gonna even raise, 'power of suggestion?'" Apparently not.

And I'm still scratching my head over why Altered States is even germane as an inspiration here, especially since the producers have talked it up so much...

Not to mention: why would an FBI agent who is as smart, and level-headed as we're lead to believe Dunham is take Special K and LSD without even considering that a) she's breaking the law and b) she could lose her job and pension if she failed her next mandatory drug test?

What's (the scrumptious, charismatic) Joshua Jackson character going to do week after week? Chase & punch out the bad guys, even interrogate them... despite the fact that he's a civilian?

I mean, hello? (And how did he end up so invested in whether Dunham's boyfriend lived or died? That's not even addressed.)

The bit about "The Pattern" was interesting, but so far at least, Fringe is a bad X-Files knock off.

Intervention w/ Kristin Chenoweth

2008-08-28T18:21:00.000-04:00

See more Kristin Chenoweth videos at Funny or Die

Robert Downey Jr on The Dark Knight

2008-08-17T19:28:00.002-04:00

"My whole thing is that that I saw 'The Dark Knight'. I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so f--king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? F-ck DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."

Mrrrow! Dude--Bitter much?

Buffy The Animated Series

2008-08-04T22:57:00.001-04:00

...that never was, sadly. Here's the four minute pilot presentation prepared by Mutant Enemy back in the day.

Christian the Lion

2008-07-31T21:43:00.002-04:00

Grab yer kleenex, ladies... and pass the whole box right over here.

Say it with me, please: awwwwww...

Lost: New Dhamra Video Shown at Comic Con

2008-07-27T16:55:00.002-04:00

This year's installment of the Dr Marvin Candle/DHARMA videos, teasing the next season of Lost, was shown yesterday at Comic Con.

The implied bottom line: looks like the Losties are gonna have to figure out a way to change history so that the Dharma purge never takes place. Hmmmmm...

In related news, on Friday HBO elected not to renew Tell Me You Love Me, co-starring Lost's Sonya Wagler, for a second season. This could mean we'll be seeing more of Penelope Widmore.

Alan Dale, who plays her father, Charles Widmore -- who is quite possibly the show's Big Bad -- has been locked down as a recurring player for Season 5 with an option to bump him up to series regular for Season Six, which is the show's last.

Producers made the same deal with John Terry, who plays Jack's (dead) father.

Lost Season 5 premieres in early 2009 (probably late January or early February).

Brooklyn Bound!

2008-07-22T22:40:00.003-04:00

*gulp*

What will I call myself if I no longer live in the E.Vill???

UPDATE: It's official. Lease signed. (Where is that terrible death whinney when you need it?)

Dark Knight Sets Box Office Record

2008-07-20T12:54:00.003-04:00

'Dark Knight' sets weekend record with $155.344Million

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Batman has sent Spidey packing as king of Hollywood's box office superheroes.

"The Dark Knight" took in a record $155.34 million in its first weekend, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the "Batman Begins" sequel.

That topped Hollywood's previous best of $151.1 million, set by "Spider-Man 3" in May 2007.

"We knew it would be big, but we never expected to dominate the marketplace like we did," Fellman said. The movie should shoot past the $200 million mark by the end of the week, he said.

Factoring in higher admission prices, however, "Spider-Man 3" may have sold slightly more tickets than "The Dark Knight."

Don'tcha love when a movie THIS good hits big? So rare. . .

The Dark Knight (SPOILERS)

2008-07-18T19:45:00.031-04:00

So much more than what you expect from even a ~~good~~ great superhero movie (i.e., X-Men 2, Iron Man), Christopher Nolan's tremendous Dark Knight mixes and matches the conventions of several genres--superhero, action/adventure, thriller, crime drama--to fuel an exploration of the fear and chaos of urban life in the post-9/11 period... with, y'know, tights & capes. I'm not sure how surprising it should be that the two go together so well. I mean, does Osama bin Laden resemble anything so much as a stock supervillain?

Hard to pick a favorite moment, but if I had to it would probably be the ferry sequence. The Joker has put explosives on 2 ferries evacuating Gotham City -- one packed with commuters, the other with mob prisoners taken earlier in the film. Joker has the detonators for each delivered to the captain of the other ship, and he puts it to them: if one of you decides to push the detonator, blowing up the other, the remaining ferry goes free. At midnight, he will detonate both.

We sweat bullets with the passengers as democracy fails them. Votes taken on each ferry come down on the side of saving themselves at the expense of the others. At one minute to midnight, a very large, very scary prisoner gets up and tells his jailer to give him the detonator so he can do "what you should have done 10 minutes ago."

He could even say the prisoner attacked him. He doesn't have to admit he gave it up willingly.

This is the true climactic moment of the film, a film in which the city itself is the most important character. Gotham has already endured so much by this point. You know that if either boat turns on the other, the entire city will erupt irrevocably into chaos... The pretense of civilized society will fall by the wayside. (You can see where the comparisons to Scorsese and especially to Michael Mann's Heat are coming from.)

So the jailer turns the detonator over -- and the prisoner throws it right out the window. It's the single ray of hope in the whole film -- and it packs quite a wallop. Gotham chooses life -- though just barely. Fitting that an imprisoned gangster -- one of those Batman declared war on in the last film -- ends up being the one to put his finger in the dam.

We realize, and so does Wayne, that there's a larger threat to the city than organized crime: disorganized crime. Terrorism... The whirlwind personified by the Joker. Batman has met the enemy... and it's him. In his attempt to save the city, Wayne has unwittingly infected it with his own compulsion. Civilization in Gotham still hangs by a thread at the end of The Dark Knight, and now the outbreak of costumed vigilantism (predicted by Gordon at the end of Begins) is upon them. If even Harvey Dent, the best of them, is susceptible, then who is immune? An epidemic is on the horizon.

This is why Batman convinces Gordon to brand him an outlaw, and why Gordon reluctantly agrees: Batman may be Gotham's last, best chance, but he's also part of the problem. Alfred summed it up nicely: "It was always going to get worse before it got better." Not for the first time, Alfred seems to have Batman's crusade better thought out than Wayne himself.

And finally a note on the superb cast: overshadowed by all the--well-deserved--adulation for Ledger is the performance of Aaron Eckhart. Ledger will certainly get a posthumous Oscar for his Joker, but Eckhart at least deserves a nomination for his absolutely perfect Harvey Dent.

Cillian Murphy's cameo at the start was also much-appreciated. Too bad he didn't have more to do. Maybe he'll have a larger role next time -- I'm sure Bruce will need a good shrink after all this.

And, clearly, a new love interest. Bring on Catwoman! (And the Riddler?)

Doctor Horrible Act 2: "The Freeze Ray Takes A Few Seconds To Warm Up."

2008-07-17T20:55:00.007-04:00

Act 2 of Joss Whedon's latest went live today.

Go there now. Please. It's even better than Act 1, whcih you can view here.

The third and final act goes live on Saturday, 7/19... and the whole thing disappears behind a pay-per-view wall at midnight on the 20th.

For uber-geeks (like me) who are still smartin' over the cancellation of Whedon's Firefly and countless other "brilliant but cancelled" cult classics, please -- spend the 4 bucks to legally download Dr Horrible... and down the road, buy the DVD... Help change the paradigm, kids, so the *next* Firefly or Freaks & Geeks has other economically viable platforms besides broadcast TV.

The Watchmen Trailer

2008-07-17T20:17:00.004-04:00

is here.

Many recognizable visual elements (the creation of Dr Manhattan, his tick-tock citadel rising out of the martian landscape, the Comedian on a battlefield) but that's the style... the easy part.

I refuse to believe that they got the substance right (but secretly hope they did).

2008 Emmy Nominations

2008-07-17T18:45:00.003-04:00

I gotta start with the writing categories... Actor and Show categories are below.

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
30 Rock • Rosemary's Baby • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger Inc., in association with Universal Media Studios
Jack Burditt, Written By

30 Rock • Cooter • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger Inc., in association with Universal Media Studios
Tina Fey, Written By

Flight Of The Conchords • Yoko • HBO • Dakota Pictures and Comedy Arts in association with HBO Entertainment
James Bobin, Written By
Jemaine Clement, Written By
Bret McKenzie, Written By

Pushing Daisies • Pie-Lette • ABC • Living Dead Guy Productions, The Jinks/Cohen Company in association with Warner Bros. Television
Bryan Fuller, Written By

The Office • Dinner Party • NBC • Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios
Lee Eisenberg, Written By
Gene Stupnitsky, Written By

Wow--What a strong category!

Two absolutely brilliant episodes of "30 Rock" -- "Rosemary's Baby" guest-starred Carrie Fisher as an old-time comedy writer naively idolized by Liz Lemon. "Cooter" was a wickedly funny satire of Bush-era patronage appointments to vital Federal agencies guest starring Matthew Broderick.

The "Dinner Party" episode of "The Office" was their take on "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" (with Michael and Jan as George and Martha) -- IMO, far and away their best episode last season. When the strike hit, showrunner Greg Daniels announced that they'd just had the table read for this ep, and called it "the best script we've ever done," which may be exaggeration -- though maybe not.

Flight of the Conchords' "Yoko" guest-starred the brililant NY musical theater star Sutton Foster as Coco, who comes between the bandmates. Cool, off-beat show--Great ep.

And Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies pilot -- sorry, "Pie-lette" -- was, of course, pure joy from beginning to end... though I'm not sure putting it in the comedy category does it justice.

My pick... So hard to choose, but I'll have to say Tina Fey's "Cooter." The actual winner? Equally hard to say. Flight of the Conchords is probably out -- but the other four are all pretty strong contenders.

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica • Six Of One • Sci Fi Channel • Universal Media Studios in association with R & D TV
Michael Angeli, Written By

Damages • Pilot • FX Networks • FX Productions and Sony Pictures Television
Todd A. Kessler, Written By
Glenn Kessler, Written By
Daniel Zelman, Written By

Mad Men • Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Pilot) • AMC • Lionsgate Television
Matthew Weiner, Written By

Mad Men • The Wheel • AMC • Lionsgate Television
Matthew Weiner, Written By
Robin Veith, Written By

The Wire • 30 • HBO • Blown Deadline Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
David Simon, Teleplay By/Story By
Ed Burns, Story By

Another really strong category. Two brilliant episodes of Mad Men, the best ~~new~~ show of last year. Battlestar again cracks the genre stigma in this category --Ron Moore's fantastic "Occupation/Precipice" was nominated last year -- with one of the strongest episodes of this season. The Wire's series finale was excellent, even to someone who's only seen a handful of episodes. And though I didn't see Damages, the pilot was highly regarded.

My pick? The Mad Men pilot. The winner--Ditto. Mad Men got more nominations than any other show, and there's a reason why. HBO must be kicking itself for so arrogantly passing on this show.

Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special

Bernard And Doris • HBO • Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
Hugh Costello, Written By

Cranford (Masterpiece Theatre) • PBS • A BBC and WGBH/Boston co-production
Heidi Thomas, Written By

Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale • HBO • BBC and HBO Entertainment
Ricky Gervais, Written By
Stephen Merchant, Written By

John Adams • Independence • HBO • Playtone in association with HBO Films
Kirk Ellis, Written By

Recount • HBO • Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films
Danny Strong, Written By

I only saw three of the five here, and though Buffy actor Danny Strong's Recount script is a good effort, it doesn't belong here. The "Independence" episode of John Adams was strong, but not as strong as the premiere -- which was the high-point of the series. It was all downhill from there.

My pick? The Extras Christmas Special. The winner? Ditto. Emmy loves Gervais and Merchant -- with good reason.

DRAMA SERIES
Boston Legal," ABC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC

My pick? Mad Men. The winner? Mad Men. (re: Boston Legal--What IS it with Emmy and David E Kelly shows?)

COMEDY SERIES
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
"Entourage," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC
"Two and a Half Men," CBS

My pick? 30 Rock. The winner? 30 Rock. It was the best comedy of the year, hands down. IMO.

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"

Jon Hamm.

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

Glenn Close probably has it all sewn up, but I don't have a horse in this race. Too bad Mary McDonnell didn't make the cut -- best she does next year.

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"

Tina Fey--Hands down.

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"

Alec Baldwin. He's doing the best work of his career on this show.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office"

All really strong actors. I'd have to pick Rainn Wilson... No idea who will win, though.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Ted Danson, "Damages"
Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages"
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
John Slattery, "Mad Men"

Again--Incredible actors. Zelijko Ivanek blows me away in everything he does (he was the one good thing about the last Broadway production of Mutiny on the Bounty). John Slattery was a revelation in Mad Men.

But I gotta give it to Michael Emerson, and I hope he actually wins it. He sure as hell deserves it--It was a tour de force year for Ben.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers and Sisters"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"

Rachel Griffiths and Dianne Wiest are my favorites in this category, mostly based on their past work -- though I *did* see quite a few episodes of In Treatment, and Wiest was fantastic.

Toss-up.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies"
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live"
Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men"
Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"

Amy Poehler is nominated for SNL?! Wow. She deserves it -- She *more* than deserves it.

Then agian, so does the brilliant Kristin Chenoweth for Pushing Daisies... but I gotta route for Poehler.

What are everyone else's picks?

The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 21 on ABC.

Joss Whedon's Dr Horrible

2008-07-15T20:17:00.003-04:00

Act 1 of Joss's new superhero musical comedy project is live--and god damn, is it good. Check it out here before they "monetize" it. Yes, that means eventually you'll have to pay.

Dr. Horrible is good!

And that’s exactly his problem. The title character of the landmark new Web musical, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” played by the lovable and unmenacing Neil Patrick Harris, dreams of gaining admission to the vaunted Evil League of Evil, home of the baddest baddies in the land. But he’s kidding himself. Dr. H. is too skittish to harm innocents or wreak much havoc. The ray guns he invents never seem to work that well, and his cackle is so wimpy he’s hired a voice coach....

The first of the show’s three 15-minute episodes went live Tuesday at midnight and immediately, international viewers were screaming that they couldn’t watch it (the Hulu video player they were using didn’t work overseas). And those of us who tried to pay $1.99 to download the show from iTunes couldn’t do that either. Still, those were the least of “Dr. Horrible’s” problems: by the time U.S. viewers woke up yesterday, so many people were clamoring to watch the show that its web site crashed completely, sending the makers scrambling to find more bandwidth.

Dark Knight Hysteria

2008-07-10T21:52:00.005-04:00

The Dark Knight doesn't open for another week, but the reviews are starting to come in. The trades--Variety and The Hollywood Reporter--basically came all over each other.

Variety excerpt:

Having memorably explored the Caped Crusader’s origins in “Batman Begins,” director Christopher Nolan puts all of Gotham City under a microscope in “The Dark Knight,” the enthralling second installment of his bold, bracing and altogether heroic reinvention of the iconic franchise. An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.

THR excerpt:

"The Dark Knight" is pure adrenaline. Returning director Christopher Nolan, having dispensed with his introspective, moody origin story, now puts the Caped Crusader through a decathlon of explosions, vehicle flips, hand-to-hand combat, midair rescues and pulse-pounding suspense.

Nolan is one of our smarter directors. He builds movies around ideas and characters, and "Dark Knight" is no exception. The ideas here are not new to the movie world of cops and criminal, but in the context of a comic book movie, they ring out with startling clarity. In other words, you expect moralistic underpinnings in a Martin Scorsese movie; in a Batman movie, they hit home with renewed vigor.

None of this artistic achievement denies the re-energized Warner Bros./DC Comics franchise its commercial muscle. Those bags of money in the movie's opening bank heist are nothing compared with the worldwide boxoffice haul "Dark Knight" will take from theaters. Repeat viewings are a certainty.

Repeat viewings might also be a necessity. That adrenaline rush comes at a cost: With the film's race-car pace, noise levels, throbbing music and density of stratagems, no one will follow all the plot points at first glance. Not that the story with its double crosses and ingenious plans isn't clear, but to enjoy the full glory of these urban battlefield strategies, multiple viewings are required.

"Enthralling... bold... bracing... ambitious... moral complexity..." Favorable comparisons to Scorsese... "Satisfies every expectation and then some." Bear in mind, this is not USA Today, or some random website. This is from the trades. I've never seen such orgasmic endorsements of a superhero flick from the trades. It'll be interesting to see what the NYTimes has to say.

Speaking of the Times, just when I was starting to think, "better order my tickets," I came across this article: Many Movie Theaters Decide to Leave the Bat Signal on Till Dawn.

Apparently, the now-traditional midnight screenings the night before a tent-pole picture opens were selling out across the country leading many theaters to add 3AM showings... which were also selling out. Apparently, there will now be *6AM* screenings, too.

Now, I bow to no one in my geektasticness--obviously--and I love Batman as much as any thirtysomething comic book nerd, but 6AM??? That's just ridiculous. I would *never* do that. (...as far as you know.)

What I *did* do was go immediately to Fandango to check whether the Lincoln Center IMAX was sold out on Friday the 18th. There were only *two* screenings left: 10AM and 3PM. My company closes at noon on Summer Fridays, so I quickly sent an email to my friends. In the half hour it took them to get back to me, the 3PM had sold out. :(

We ended up with tickets to a 3:45 screening at Union Square. Meh. But at least we'll get to see it on the 18th. Round 2 can be at the IMAX.

Anyway, all this hysteria -- after Batman Begins failed to meet expectations at the box office, no less -- is starting to remind me of the lead up to Tim Burton's Batman in 1989. Feels like this will be *the* monster hit of the summer... And if the reviews are to be believed, it will actually *deserve* to be. How cool would that be?

Wall-E

2008-06-27T22:14:00.004-04:00

Tremendous. Pixar knocks it out of the park again. (What else is new?)

It's a bold film. It asks more of the viewer than any other Pixar film has, probably more than most young kids have to give. It's gotta be a good hour in before you get any real exchanges of dialogue, or characters beyond the two robots.

The tone is consistently bright, and comedic, and sweetly romantic but everywhere (in the first half) the background is apocalytic. The earth and everything on it is dead (except for the last cockroach, who is Wall-E's little pet), and the film isn't shy about pointing the finger at the culprit: us. The audience. And our SUV/Cosco culture of mega-consumption, all gloriously brought to life in the second half, which is Vegas on a starship. Or Battlestar if it was set entirely on the luxury liner. Thousands of our descendants have survived, all so fat they're confined to floating hover-lounges. They're waiting for the sign that they can go home--plant life returning to the Earth. And while they wait, they're living entirely disposable, fast food, trashy, mediafocused pop culture lives. ("Red is the new Blue." Dozens of identical outfits shift from blue to red. Heh.) They've learned nothing in 700 years, but they might be about to get a new beginning.

They even have an army of AI robot slaves performing all the labor, some of which rebel while others discover their essential "humanity." Though the rebellion is less Cylon, more Hal 9000.

The romance at the heart of the story is sweet and plucky. The boy robot is an affable but lonely nerd, a slob who idolizes Hello Dolly. (His only tape... I think it's a Betamax.) The girl robot is a sharp, polished professional, all no nonsense, quick to shoot stuff. She's on a mission so she doesn't have time for him ... at first.
Oh, and it opens with a short, which I love. (I keep hoping to see that revived on a wider scale.) And it was very good, a slapstick magic act starring a hungry bunny who wars with a cross magician over a carrot. :) It was much better than the short that preceded Ratatouille (though I also liked that one).

Who's Grand Finale (SPOILERS)

2008-06-26T21:18:00.010-04:00

So... people who are watching Dr Who on the Sci-Fi schedule may not want to watch this teaser for Part 1 of Russel T. Davies' two-part grand finale, which airs on Saturday in Britain, but not until two weeks later in the US.

In fact, don't even read on... unless you want to know that the S4 finale is a Dalek invasion featuring... well, everyone who's anyone in RTD's Whoniverse.

Captain Jack (and his Torchwood love interests, Ianto and Gwen)... check. Martha Jones (and her family, and her UNIT buddies)... check. Sarah Jane (and her little pinocchio boy... possibly even her "daft robot dog?")... yeppers.

Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister... (We know who you are!!)

And, of course, Rose Tyler, who's been haunting this season. (Her parents and Mickey reportedly also appear, though they are not featured in the teaser.)

Hope it doesn't disappoint. Notice how the less you actually see the (ridiculously unmenacing) Daleks on camera, the more effective they are?

These will be the last regular Who episodes until 2010 when Steven Moffat takes over, though there will be three or four specials (written and produced by Davies, starring Tennant) next year.

Indy 4 The Way It Could've Been

2008-06-12T23:04:00.009-04:00

Frank Darabont's draft is here, and boy, is it good. It's basically the same story as the final film, but done right. Some may recall that, though Spielberg and Ford were ready to commit to this script in 2004,Lucas rejected it... perhaps because he was hell-bent on shoe-horning that damn kid in there. Darabont told him, "You're insane, George." (And the Golden Globe for Stating the Obvious goes to....)

Here's a quick and dirty review of the first 10 pages...

The hot rod across the desert bit happens (with a lizard sunning itself instead of those ridiculous CGI prairie dogs), but it leads almost immediately to reveal Indy watching from a distance, about to enter the Atomic Cafe.

"Damn kids" is the first line. An *excellent* first line. (Already, to me, this is a FAR superior opening and reintroduction of the Indy character than having him removed from the trunk of a car and stand up to retrieve his hat.)

His old buddy Yuri -- the Mac character as a Russian -- exclaims, "American kids, Indy! Having fun! You should try it sometime."

In the diner, a Gogi Grant song Yuri likes is playing. This sets him off. He goes into a stereotypical comic monologue about all the American things he loves (with the twist, of course, that we discover down the road he's actually an enemy agent)... and then he asks Indy what *he* loves.

Indy produces ceramic shards from his nearby Anasazi dig. "This is what I love." He describes the pottery as a match cut moves the action to Indy's nearby dig. Yuri: "Words cannot begin to describe my excitement."

"Yeah, wiseguy? I see you go off everyday and come back empty handed. What are you trying to dig up?"

Yuri deflects: tonight, he's trying to dig up women... that is, if Indy will lend him his truck.

Indy: "Knock yourself out."

Yuri turns serious, says how good it was to bump into Indy, and how grateful he is Indy shared his camp "these past many weeks." He's signed onto a big job overseas. Expedition foreman. "You know how it is. Adventure calls."

Indy: "Well, enjoy it for me."

Yuri: "It no longer calls you?"

Indy: "Nyet. Not me, pal."

Yuri: "You're not the same man I knew all those years ago, my friend, before the war. Back then, adventure had a name."

They share a wistful smile.

It's dusk. The truck pulls out. Indy hikes up a ridge, contemplating a native american flute. Sometime later, he sees a dust trail tear-assing across the desert. "Damn kids." He pulls out his binoculars.

It's not the kids. It's his truck... and it meets another. Yuri climbs out, greets his comrades. New decals are applied, turning the truck into a military vehicle...

The vehicles head off together.

Indy pulls out a map, traces his finger left to: "Restricted Military Test Site."

Indy gazes up after the departing vehicles. Boy, does he *not* want any part of this.

Indy: Aw, nuts.

In camp, moments later, Indy spurs his horse and gallops off down the mountain path...

****

I haven't finished the script yet, but among the highlights: no Irina Spalko... no Mutt... Marion is actually Marion (and of course, Indy is *actually* Indy). And cameos from Henry Jones and Sallah.

Huskies & Bears--Who Knew?

2008-06-11T19:32:00.001-04:00

Say it with me, please: awwwwww....

Battlestar 4X09: The Hub written by Jane Espenson

2008-06-10T21:17:00.003-04:00

Finally watched this ep and was suitably impressed.

Roslin's turnaround was masterful, mostly due to Mary McDonnell's fantastic performance. She's holding on to life by her fingernails. I was gratified to see her get her chance to take Baltar out, but even more gratified -- and surprised -- that she ultimately elected not to go through with it. It would've been satisfying either way, but I was happy to see that she still possesses a soul. (Clearly, that surprised her as well. "About time," indeed.)

Loved the very Espenson-ian line, "if you're my subconscious, you're a little full of myself."

But Baltar remains the most engrossing character this season (possibly in every season, but I'd have to go back and re-watch). His transformation is absolutely genuine -- why else would he confess his greatest sin to his greatest enemy while she ministered to what could've been a mortal wound? -- and yet, he still remains the serpent in the garden, whispering sweet nothings about slavery into the "ear" of that centurion. Who thinks *that's* gonna come back to bite them all in the ass? (Raises hand.)

Another little moment really impressed: D'Anna's reaction on being brought to see Roslin is to go immediately to "Gauis!" I'm glad they remembered, and focused immediately on, that relationship. It's nice to have her back.

Also really liked the music in this ep, though I'm not generally a fan of the show's music.

Battlestar 4X08: Sine Qua Non

2008-06-02T20:54:00.008-04:00

J James asks...

I am wondering if you'd post your thoughts on exactly what was going on with Rolo Lampkin on Battlestar Galactica this week?

I must have missed something....

What was in that bag?

What was he talking about?

I saw the cat alive in the same episode.

We saw it, and Romo saw it, but no one else did. Lee actually tripped over the cat's (empty) bowl at one point and exclaimed, "don't you ever feed that thing?!" The cat had died sometime between last season's finale and this episode.

Romo keeping its corpse--and fooling himself into believing the cat was still alive--is an expression of this episode's theme, "sine qua non," which (as he explained to Admiral Adama) is latin for "without which, it cannot be." Everyone has a sine qua non -- The one indispensable ingredient in our lives without which we simply could not continue. This would be especially true for the 35,000 survivors of the colonies, New Caprica, et al.

Admiral Adama's sine qua non is, clearly, Laura Roslin.

Athena's is Hera -- which is why she reacted with terminal force when she thought Natalie might take her away.

Saul's is Ellen--Like Romo's cat, Ellen is dead, but Saul can't let her go. It's all that gets him out of bed in the morning.

This is why Lee's gift of the dog at the end was so meaningful: it gives Romo something to live for. Caprica Six's pregnancy gives Saul something to live for, as well... if he's smart enough to latch onto it, as Admiral Adama advised.

Hope that answers your question. All in all, a really impressive episode that merits repeat viewings.

Dr Who: Silence in the Library by Steven Moffat

2008-06-01T18:54:00.003-04:00

Moffat is so #$&*ing clever you want to smack him. Truly, one of the best episodes they have done... A home-run.

I was so into the ghosting scene that I didn't see what it would turn into... Skeletons in space suits--Great visual. And a communicator that repeats their final thoughts--From the same basket of tricks as "Are you my mummy?" to be sure, but still fresh and wonderfully creepy.

Is the girl the computer core? Maybe her whole "life" as a little girl is The Matrix.

And how great was Alex Kingston? Loved the "compare diaries" bit -- "Have we done Asgard?" Um, no. File for 2010, please. :)

Again, an idea Moffat has explored before -- the Doctor encountering someone who knows him but whom he doesn't yet know... but, again, still fresh and very effective.

So does she know The Doctor in *this* regeneration or not? (Is David Tennant sticking around for the Moffat era or what??) They walked the line on that one. She seems to recognize him -- but does she see *him* and not whatever body he's currently wearing? ("Let me see your eyes... You're so young.")

I'd be thrilled if she turned out to be a timelord, but I'm not sure she needs to be one. (And how can she be Romana if he hasn't met her yet?) I'm content with her as a new character... especially if she's to be a big new presence in The Doctor's life in the Moffat era... sort of his Captain Jack, and a new Rose figure -- a major love interest -- rolled into one?

Donna's death was deliciously foreshadowed. Then again, they foreshadowed Rose's death in Series 2 and failed to go through with it at crunch time. Catherine Tate has said that she is only on board for one series. I'd rather she stick around for a while, even if it's as a guest star--She's been such an reinvigorating presence for the show--But if hey won't have access to her, then I tend to think a glorious flame-out is the way to go.

Lost Season 4 Finale

2008-05-30T00:12:00.002-04:00

SPOILERS.

No time, so just a few things off the top of my head:

The phone call Kate received... Sounded like the person on the other end was speaking in reverse. I'll look forward to hearing that when some industrious young fan turns it around.

I don't think that was a visitation from Claire, just a dream. When she spoke, she spoke with Kate's voice.

I wonder if they tried to get Adewale back for a Mr Eko cameo... (Still, it was pretty effective as an empty chair.)

If we had seen into that coffin at the end of last season, I really don't think it would've been Locke in there. So I guess it's good we didn't see into that coffin at the end of last season!

Something tells me we won't be seeing much, if any, of the island until they get back... presumably at the end of next season. That'll be frustrating, given all the "bad things" that happened.

BTW, I thought Michael Emerson was seen in London, too, but he didn't appear in the scene with Sun and Widmore. Maybe he was watching... Should be interesting to see if Sun has truly joined forces with Widmore, or whether she's playing him. She certainly seemed on the up-and-up -- and she'd make a brilliant villain.

ETA: Oh, and that truly *was* "a kiss that stops time," as Cuse or Lindelof predicted. *sigh* Hope that's not the last we see of Des and Penny. (The Sawyer-Kate kiss was also pretty spectacular.)

You Go, BlindGuv!

2008-05-28T22:01:00.001-04:00

ALBANY— Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada.

In a directive issued on May 14, the governor’s legal counsel, David Nocenti, instructed the agencies that gay couples married elsewhere “should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union.”

The revisions are most likely to involve as many as 1,300 statutes and regulations in New York governing everything from joint filing of income tax returns to transferring fishing licenses between spouses.

In a videotaped message given to gay community leaders at a dinner on May 17, Mr. Paterson described the move as “a strong step toward marriage equality.” And people on both sides of the issue said it moved the state closer to fully legalizing same-sex unions in this state.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review

2008-05-22T22:25:00.006-04:00

SPOILERS

One of my friends left in disgust about 15 minutes in. Can't say I blame her. The opening sequence positively SUCKED -- The brief glimpse of the Ark couldn't begin to salvage it.

I can't quite wrap my brain around where all the love is coming from -- both here and in the plentiful good reviews. I have to disagree with Rov's assessment, too -- The biggest spliff in the world would not have made this movie watchable, though maybe that explains why Harrison Ford seemed drugged throughout, especially in the first act.

Cate Blanchett and her henchmen were entirely unmenacing, and her accent was slip sliding all over the place--I'm surprised at her!

The FBI guys were far more effective heavies in their brief minutes on camera, and Indy coming up against the Red Scare raised the tantalizing possibility that the movie would go in an entirely different direction with regard to the baddies... which of course never materialized.

Poor Karen Allen was entirely unnecessary and there was simply NO spark between her and Harrison Ford. It just wasn't there, in the chemistry OR (to be fair) in the script. The wedding scene at the end was tacked on.

I did think Shia LaBouef was terrific -- though the whole, cloying "go back to school" theme was incredibly irritating (albeit not unexpected).

Once they escape from the Reds, it's one mad rush to the end, and the various set pieces (the jungle chase, the killer ants, the waterfalls, and finally, the hidden city) were fairly diverting, though really nothing special, especially by comparison to the previous films.

A while back, my buddy Zack posted the following to the Ex Isle message board:

Please no aliens, please no aliens, please no aliens.

SOL on that one, I'm afraid. My other friend (the one who *didn't* walk out) said I looked "devastated" when the flying saucer appeared.

I'm sure I did. Shoe-horning Indiana Jones into B sci-fi movie genre conventions of the 50s was just ill-conceived. They should not have made this movie. UGH.

Ah, Sue Simmons...

2008-05-13T16:19:00.001-04:00

...you saucy wench.

Still, that's charming compared to you-know showing his true colors.

Iron Man

2008-05-04T01:47:00.006-04:00

Loved it! While the superhero "origin story" format is becoming all-too-familiar, like a subgenre of its own, this is one of the best iterations I've seen... if not *the* best.

Downey Jr and Bridges elevate it to a whole 'nother level. Also liked Gwyneth Paltrow and the decision to do Jarvis as an AI rather than a butler... That let them give Pepper a lot more presence than she would've had otherwise, and it let the "you're all I have" line ring emotinoally true. It also let them put AI Jarvis in Tony's head while he's in the suit. Very clever.

I'm especially impressed that they added not just SHIELD, but also the Avengers (Initiative) wrinkle as well. Hope everyone stayed for the after-credits bit with Samuel L. Jackson -- who is as perfectly cast for Nick Fury as Downey Jr and Bridges were for Stark and Stane.

Marvel now seems intent on launching a full-scale feature film version of its universe, and they're using a much more streamlined, organic approach to world-building than Warners, which is doing a Justice League movie that exists in a separate film universe from both the Batman and Superman tentpoles... which are themselves separate from each other... Silly rabbit: take note! This is how it should be done.

On top of Nick Fury in this movie, Downey Jr has a cameo in the new Hulk movie. My guess is we'll see Stark recruit Banner for the Avengers. An Avengers movie could follow on that basis alone--with Downey Jr and Norton--if the plot centered on resurrecting Captain America.

Battlestar 4X03: "The Ties That Bind" Review (SPOILERS)

2008-04-18T19:10:00.011-04:00

This was definitely one of the better episodes they've done. The show really benefits from more serialization akin to a show like Lost, or Moore's own season of Carnivale (Season One, aka the good season). They've set up a bunch of really interesting arcs for the season to explore and there're some satisfying developments on several fronts in this episode.

The leaast interesting of these was the introduction of a status quo on the Demetrius, the garbage scow Adama gave Starbuck to search for Earth. (Among the crew: Anders, Athena, Helo, Gaeta, Racetrack. Presuambly, Hera is with them, as well.) Necessary, but not much more than an establishing shot.

The politics, on the other hand, absolutely crackled in both the colonial and Cylon fleets. The Quorum of 12 meeting was especially well-done, if overdue. I wish they'd been focusing more on Roslin and fleet politics all along, in this quasi-West Wing fashion (or maybe it's more like a sci-fi Julius Caesar). But better late than never.

They've been teasing this season's Lee arc--let's call it the "Lee finally becomes an interesting character" arc--since he turned the gun on Col. Tigh during his father's coup attempt in Season 1, choosing civilian control over the military rather than the other way around.

And now, as the representative of Caprica to the Quorum of 12, Lee accepts the questionable patronage of former terrorist Tom Zarek as the cost of making an ambitious debut at his first meeting. He leaves no doubt that he intends to resume the interrogation of Roslin he began at Baltar's trial, carrying it into this new, far more threatening, arena. Threatening to her, that is. And to him as well, given the nature of politics, not to mention the nature of his adversary.

It feels like the series is finally acknowledging and planning to deal with the fact that Roslin is a tyrant.

Lee's remark to Zarek (that sometimes people need a "benevolent tyrant" to pull them through) seems to indicate he isn't starting out with the intent of toppling Roslin -- succeeding her, maybe, but not toppling. He came to her defense over the question of the Demetrius -- an olive branch she swatted away in suitably reptilian fashion. A very satisfying moment--for both. This should be a good fight.

It's that Titan/Olympian theme again. (Remember, all of this has happened before and all of it will happen again). The progeny rising up to consume and replace the elder generation, which is mirrored perfectly by what's playing out in the Cylon fleet. It was ... unbelievably naive (and well-observed by the writers) of Six, Three and Leoben to believe they could get Cavil & Co to agree to their demands... Unboxing D'Anna would insure that Cavil gets outvoted every time. So, obviously, he answered Six & Co's challenge with treachery and, then, full scale war.

Will Roslin now attempt to do the same to Lee... respond to his little, laregly symbolic insurrection with nuclear intensity?

And, needless to say, this week's Final Four plotline was wrenching. Tory suddenly has this ancient, icy quality to her (especially in the eyes). She's the first one who's been given the opportunity to make it real, and she knocked it out of the park. It will be interesting if they give a plot like this to each of them in turn, dealing with how their newfound stataus changes their priorities and loyalties.

(This episode was written by Michael Taylor, who just struck a deal with Ron Moore to create a 2 hour backdoor pilot movie called Virtuality for Fox.)

Activia

2008-04-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Amy Acker Enters Whedon's Dollhouse

2008-04-17T20:01:00.006-04:00

Now, *that's* some good news. Unfortunately, it's not great news, as the part is just recurring.

Acker is jus the latest Whedonverse vet to join Fox's Dollhouse project, which received a 7 episode commitment after a single meeting to pitch a possible pilot. Also on board are:

-producer/star Eliza Dushku (Faith on Buffy and Angel)
-Tim Minear, Whedon's partner on Firefly and a former showrunner on Angel (we'll forgive him for being a republican due to his increidble talent)

-Sarah Fain & Elizabeth Craft, a fantastic writing team who cut their teeth on Angel and who return to the fold after several seasons of outstanding work on The Shield (itself a consistently excellent series created by Whedonverse vet Shawn Ryan). Craft & Fain also ran Women's Murder Club for ABC this seaosn, but left or were sacked after the strike, possibly the result of an intolerable amount of network interference... Though possibly not. (I have no idea.)

Tahmoh Pennikett is not a Whedon vet, but the Battlestar Galactica co-star (he plays Helo) has also been cast (in a role James Marsters was rumored to be up for -- though that was probably just a rumor).

The first reviews of the pilot script are also trickling in. Of course, they're from rabid Whedonfans, so take 'em with a grain of salt... though I admit I expect to be "wowed" by this project. The bar is set very high. (Then again, *I* am a rabid Whedonfan.)

Papa Bear

2008-04-07T15:33:00.002-04:00

Instructions for making a homemade dart board. (Or, as close as I could come.)

Two of my favorite things...

2008-04-05T20:32:00.002-04:00

leather and musicals... (Think they don't mix? First of all: bullshit. It's just butch drag. But more to the point: hit play. Dare ya.)

He's Six!

2008-04-05T12:53:00.001-04:00

Siegel Estate Prevails in Superman Copyright Case

2008-03-29T13:34:00.001-04:00

]Source: NY Times

LOS ANGELES — Time Warner is no longer the sole proprietor of Superman.

A federal judge here on Wednesday ruled that the heirs of Jerome Siegel — who 70 years ago sold the rights to the action hero he created with Joseph Shuster to Detective Comics for $130 — were entitled to claim a share of the United States copyright to the character. The ruling left intact Time Warner’s international rights to the character, which it has long owned through its DC Comics unit.

And it reserved for trial questions over how much the company may owe the Siegel heirs for use of the character since 1999, when their ownership is deemed to have been restored. Also to be resolved is whether the heirs are entitled to payments directly from Time Warner’s film unit, Warner Brothers, which took in $200 million at the domestic box office with “Superman Returns” in 2006, or only from the DC unit’s Superman profits.

Still, the ruling threatened to complicate Warner’s plans to make more films featuring Superman, including another sequel and a planned movie based on the DC Comics’ “Justice League of America,” in which he joins Batman, Wonder Woman and other superheroes to battle evildoers.

If the ruling survives a Time Warner legal challenge, it may also open the door to a similar reversion of rights to the estate of Mr. Shuster in 2013. That would give heirs of the two creators control over use of their lucrative character until at least 2033 — and perhaps longer, if Congress once again extends copyright terms — according to Marc Toberoff, a lawyer who represents the Siegels and the Shuster estate.

“It would be very powerful,” said Mr. Toberoff, speaking by telephone on Friday. “After 2013, Time Warner couldn’t exploit any new Superman-derived works without a license from the Siegels and Shusters.”

That is, until 2033 when Superman enters the public domain.

Joss Whedon's New Musical

2008-03-16T20:28:00.004-04:00

started shooting today.

Whedon stated "During the strike I started writing a musical intended as a limited internet series, three episodes of approximately 10 minutes each." ...

Whedon described the musical as "the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he's too shy to talk to."

"Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" stars Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion ("Firefly," Serenity") as Captain Hammer, Felicia Day ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as Penny, "And a cast of Dozens!" Whedon concluded.

(If you're wondering who Felicia Day played on Buffy, the answer is: Vi, probably the least annoying of the Potential Slayers featured in the show's final season... She survived the finale, but has been very low-profile in the Season 8 comics ... if she's appeared at all.)

"Dude, I'm Dating Your Dad"

2008-03-16T18:13:00.001-04:00

"Whatever Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stranger"

2008-03-15T21:06:00.000-04:00

Indy IV Final Poster

2008-03-10T21:52:00.003-04:00

Don't fuck it up. Don't fuck it up. Don't fuck it up.

The Mayflower Monsieur

2008-03-10T21:14:00.003-04:00

I voted for Eliot Spitzer. More, I was an enthusiastic supporter of Eliot Spitzer. (I even met him once... well, saw him from a close seat, anyway... He kicked off his campaign after the convention in Buffalo with a tour of the state that ended in front of the NYC building his father grew up in, a former tenement which happens to be across the street from my former tenement.)

But I don't support him anymore. Now, I call for his resignation -- not because I care that he cheated on his wife, or that he (over)paid for sex, but because he's a goddamn fucking hypocrite of the first order.

When he was AG, I remember watching a press conference he oh-so-shamelessly called to ~~promote himself~~ announce that his office had brought down similar prostitution ring. He was so filled with righteous indignation he was practically shaking at the podium. ... Course, we now know he was likely on the receiving end of a killer blow job from a hooker concealed within the podium at the time. . . So that explains that.

*sigh*

Spitzer is no different to me now than closet case senators who try to write homophobia into the constitution while performing fellatio on strangers in airpiort men's rooms.

So, um, Spitz? Don't let the door hit you. Or--wait--do let it hit you. Repeatedly about the face and head. (Not to mention: the GROIN.)

And--it must be said: what a WASTE. He was about to preside over the Democrats retaking the state senate for the first time in 40 years... which would've done away with a mind-boggling amount of patronage-type corruption (of the sort that would inevitably infect any party in power for so long).

Will that still happen? Who knows? If it doesn't because of what Spitz did with his pee-pee, I'll be really, um, pissed.

Until today, I thought--a lot of people thought--that Spitzer would be president someday. What a f***ing waste.

On the bright side (if there is one), I like David Paterson -- Spitzer's Lt. Gov -- a lot. I wish him great success. He will be NY State's first African-American governor. (And, yes, he has endorsed Hillary Clinton.) As far as I know, Paterson will be NY State's first legally blind governor, too. (At the rally, you could really tell he was visually impaired.)

I think it's safe to say he will be NY State's most progressive governor in many decades--perhaps ever. Of course, he was once a staffer for David Dinkins, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his ability to get things done. Well, we'll see.

The Sweetest Part

2008-03-05T00:06:00.006-05:00

of tonight's primary results was not Hillary's decisive victories in Ohio (14 points) and Rhode Island (18 points), no. Or her squeeker victory in Texas.

Those were sweet, no question.

But nope. The SWEETEST part of all this is rabid neocon Hillary-hater Andrew Sullivan's despair:

I couldn't watch [Hillary's victory speech].

No, of course you couldn't. You couldn't bear to hear the truth, as Hillary put it: "Not one candidate for their party's nomination, Democrat or Republican, has gone on to win the White House without winning the Ohio primary."

Sullivan continues:

I just had a Jager shot, and hope to get drunk very soon. So this is my last post of the night.

Mmmm... I suppose the only way that could be sweeter is if he promised it was his last post ever.

Audacity

2008-03-03T21:03:00.003-05:00

I'm shocked--shocked I say--to discover POLITICS influencing a campaign for the presidency.

A memo obtained by The Associated Press suggests Obama's economic policy adviser privately told Canadian officials to look at the Democratic candidate's attack on free trade as "political positioning" rather than policy.

Obama today conceded the meeting did take place, but said the memo mischaracterized what his chief economist told the Canadians. He has yet to provide us with an explanation of just what his chief economist did say to the Canadians, or why he would even meet with them in the first place.

It should also be noted that Obama denied the meeting took place at all until the memo surfaced.

In other words: he's been caught in one big, honkin' whopper of a lie. (Let's watch the media give him a pass for it -- though, to be fair, they are paying at least *some* attention. Nothing like the conniption fits they'd be throwing if it was Hillary, but -- some attention is better than none.)

Anyway, I tend to take a dim view of any presidential candidate caught in such an incredible act of duplicity, especially one whose entire sales-pitch to the American people is that he's a different kind of politician, presumably the kind who would not spend months savaging his opponent for her (honestly, only lukewarm) support of NAFTA while quietly reassuring a foreign government not to lose too much sleep 'cause he doesn't mean a word of it.

That's audacity, all right. But it's not the audacity of hope.

My audacious (and, admittedly unrealistic) hope is that the Democrats of Texas and Ohio are paying close attention.

V: The 2nd Generation--Reviewed

2008-02-26T16:48:00.010-05:00

If you're like me, you've been waiting for a proper sequel to the 1983 NBC miniseries, V (written & directed by Ken Johnson) for the last 25 years. (Jesus, I'm old.) NBC did air a sequel mini (The FInal Battle), but by then the network and creator had parted ways and the result was... best forgotten. There was even a short-lived weekly series--again, best forgotten.

Which is exactly what Johnson has done in this new novel, adapted from his unproduced script for a new miniseries: he's utterly ignored The Final Battle and the subsequent regular series. *whew*

For the uninitiated (everyone else can skip to the blockquoted section below), V is political allegory disguised as sci-fi, inspired by the classic Arthur C Clarke novel Childhood's End and various WWII/holocaust books and movies, including "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis.

The original mini, and the new novel both carry the dedication: "To The Heroism of Resistance Fighters--Past, Present and Future--This Work Is Respectfully Dedicated."

The plot has aliens who appear to look just like us coming to earth "because we need your help" to save their planet from environmental catastrophe. In return for our help, they promise to share with us "all the fruits of our knowledge" and then leave us as they came: in peace.

In reality, they are a reptilian, fascist superpower--a sci-fi version of the Third Reich that immediately sets about doing to Earth's scientific community what the Nazis did to the Jews.

In short order, they have succeeded in conquering the whole planet without firing a shot, whereupon their real operation begins: the theft of every last drop of Earth's water, which "will take a generation." Next, tens of thousands of people start disappearing, and we realize that there is another basic shortage on the alien planet: food.

There is also a throwaway line about some humans being used as soldiers to fight in a war against their Leader's enemy, an unknown power that has defeated them before.

At the end of the mini, the human resistance leader sends a distress signal into space pleading for that unknown enemy's intervention. This is done with the understanding that it might be decades before they receive any response and longer before help arrives, if it comes at all.

Even if they do come, the resistance knows it's a gamble. There's no guarantee that the enemy of their enemy will be their friend. The 2nd Generation picks up the story 20 years later...

As a novel, V: The Second Generation is pretty bad. Johnson's prose is wooden (that's being generous). He tends to pepper the book with a lot of the same phrases and exposition over and over again—to the point of absurdity. I also noticed a certain tendency to describe his female characters (even the aliens) based on their sexual attributes.

Without actors to bring them to life, his characters tend to fall pretty flat. With the continuing characters—Julie, Donovan, Diana, et al—at least we (and Johnson) have the memory of the actor to fall back on, and that helps... The new characters don't fare as well. They are almost uniformly one-note.

The exception is Emma, the popstar/collaborator who has Diana's ear and who, in the end, does what I'm convinced Christine Walsh would have done if Johnson had remained in control of V back in the 80s: she redeems herself by giving Diana a hidden camera interview no one will ever forget. Emma being a popstar, and not a journalist, it doesn't resonate quite as well as I think it would have with Christine (who doesn't appear)--but it's still powerful. One of the best scenes in the book.

The Leader also makes quite an impression, though in such a small appearance we never really get to know her. Yes, her. Though the original mini has several references to The Leader as a "he," Johnson (for reasons unknown) retconned him into a she. Eh, whatevs. It worked.

Anyway, as bad as it is as a novel, as a story, I found V: The Second Generation immensely satisfying.

It’s not perfect—far from it—but it is undeniably superior to The Final Battle, and that's the bar it had to clear. At least, with me. We finally have the proper resolution promised--and demanded--by Johnson's original mini, as well as a very interesting way forward if he chooses to (or has the opportunity to) continue. After all this time, V: The Second Generation is quite a thrill.

So, here's a brief (haha) rundown of the plot with some further commentary/criticism....

Read the rest, if you're so inclined, here.

Bitches Get Shit Done

2008-02-24T15:33:00.005-05:00

Update: See the clip here.

Money Quote from Tina Fey: "And then what bothers me the most is when people say Hillary is a bitch. Now, let me say somethin' about that, 'cause, yeah, she is. So am I. And so is this one [indicates Amy Poehler]. And you know what? Bitches get shit done. That's why Catholic schools use nuns as teachers and not priests. Those nuns are mean old clams who sleep on cots and are allowed to hit you. At the end of the school year, you hated those bitches, but you knew the capitol of Vermont. So I'm sayin' it's not too late, Texas and Ohio: get on board! Bitch is the new black!"

(Oh, and then there was this bit: "Women today feel free to make whatever choice Oprah tells them to." I know some men who fit that bill, too. *cough*Lee*cough*)

Y: The Last Man

2008-02-20T22:25:00.003-05:00

I can't remember the last time I shed a tear over a comic book, but I shed 'em MULTIPLE times for the final issue (#60) of this brilliant, seminal series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. (I practically wept for Ampersand -- who, for the uninitiated, was our hero Yorrick Brown's faithful Capuchin monkey.)

No question: Y ranks in my personal canon of all-time best comic book series -- and especially all-time best *long-runs*. Sixty monthly issues in a row ain't nothin' to sneeze at, kids. Vaughan wrote every one, and Guerra--who never gets enough credit, IMO--drew almost every one (taking short breaks once or twice, IIRC, to catch her breath.)

I can't for the life of me understand why this is being made into a movie... This should done for TV. By HBO, preferably.

Guerra's next project is a a Dr Who mini (featuring the David Tennant Doctor). Vaughan continues to write one ongoing monthly, the not-quite-as-beloved but still-quite-fantastic Ex Machina and is also now a co-producer on Lost. Damn--He got promoted quick. And deservedly so. This guy's gonna win Emmys and maybe even Oscars before he's through. The bastard. :)

Trek Pushed To May 2009

2008-02-13T22:30:00.003-05:00

ARGH!!!!! I suppose the good thing about having to wait 5 extra months is that the studio must really like what they're seeing, 'cause they just slated it for the weekend between between Wolverine (the first solo X-Men movie) and Angels & Demons (aka, sequel to the execrable Da Vinci Code).

Guess Who Wants To Campaign for Hillary?

2008-02-01T10:44:00.000-05:00

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

New Banner

2008-01-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

How fucking cool is this? Thanks to Chas for designing it!

Hi-Def Trek Trailer

2008-01-22T20:15:00.001-05:00

can be found here.

*sigh* Geek porn of the highest order. (Second link is to an interior pic.)

Trek Trailer

2008-01-18T08:24:00.000-05:00

The first boot can be found here.

I'm sure better quality versions (and eventually the real thing) will pop up before too long.

Squeeee!!

2008-01-17T18:21:00.000-05:00

Courtesy JJ Abrams, our first glimpse of the new Starship Enterprise (an image taken from the trailer set to debut in theaters with the Abrams produced Cloverfield tomorrow). Click to embiggen.

A Science Debate in 2008

2008-01-16T17:46:00.001-05:00

Girlfriend has a good idea every once in a while. Oh, wait: wasn't her idea.

Last month a group of concerned citizens got together to take a stand for a Presidential debate focused on science. They started an online petition at sciencedebate2008.com with a list of supporters that includes 11 Nobel laureates, multiple university presidents, business leaders, politicians and more and more concerned citizens each day.

On Jan 11th they were on NPR's Science Friday. Organizer Shawn Lawrence Otto said that they are talking to a number of institutions about hosting the debate and hope to make a major announcement about that in "the next week or two."
The group is gaining momentum. The National Academy of Science as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science are on board and are in talks to host the event. If so, the debates would take place in Washington DC. This works out well for Vern Ehlers (R-Michigan) and Rush Holt (D-New Jersey) the two PhD physicists in Congress who are Co-Chairing the Science Debate 2008 effort. (I didn't even know we had PhD's in Congress.)

Please go sign the petition now. If any serious candidate for President of the United States denies evolution, or thinks that there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark ('cause the earth is only 6,000 years old), and that the fossil record is god's little joke... we goddamn well need to know it BEFORE we get into the voting booth.

Comecbacks

2008-01-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

I know, I know--I don't call, I don't write. Fuck off. (I, of course, am using the lesser-known affectionate definition of "Fuck off.")

So... I'm a Hillary fan. Always have been. Proud to say I've voted for her twice -- and immensely proud that she won re-election as New York's Junior Senator with nearly 70% of the vote in a state that, while decidedly blue, is nowhere near 70% blue.

That said, I'm liking Obama more and more. I admit it. And someday, I might be able to really get behind him--but not yet. The fact that he was in the Illinois state legislature something like two and a half years ago is a dealbreaker for me. He needs more experience on the Federal level. A lot more.

I'm totally willing to pencil him in for 2016, though, particularly if he's just spent 8 years as Veep.

Anyway, after Iowa, I found myself in full-on mourning for the Hillary campaign.

I was convinced (like everyone else, apparently, including Hillary and her team) that it was time to take her out of the oven. She was done. Her consolation prize for losing (nomination or presidency) isn't too shabby, of course: if she stays in the Senate, she'll almost certainly be Majority Leader someday.

Still, I had my heart set on the Hillary Clinton Administration.

I usually have a little New Hampshire Primary party where my political junkie friends and I parse the results and scream at the TV (and each other) til we're hoarse, very much the way (I imagine) sportsfans do during a big game...

Instead of that, I did the gayest thing I could possibly think to do. I went to see a production of The Pirates of Penzance.

I didn't want to anguish over the death of my favored candidate's presidential ambitions picosecond by picosecond. Anguish after the fact would be just fine, thanks.

So I got home from the show, I was on the phone with Chas (doing our usual post-theatre debrief), washing dishes, setting up the coffee pot for the morning, etc, etc, for almost 10 minutes before I stopped short and went, "holy shit, New Hampshire!"

Duh.

Turned on the TV, saw "Clinton 39%, Obama 32%" -- and screamed. Literally screamed. A deep, manly scream of the sort one would typically expect to hear at the Super Bowl or whatever you call it. (I don't follow basketball.)

Anyway, about 90 seconds later, my best friend (who lives below me, link NSFW) was pounding on my door, having somehow ascertained that I'd come home and seen the news. (Can't think how.)

It was right then that MSNBC called it for Hillary.

And, of course, much hilarity ensued.

But why did she win? Were the polls -- public polls, internal campaign polls, all of them -- that wrong? I don't think so. Was it the so-called Bradley Effect? God, I hope not.

DeDe Meyers--who I like and respect a lot, and who was the inspiration for CJ Cregg on my beloved West Wing (S1-4)--has bee repeating over and over today that the women of New Hampshire just had enough. She spins it thusly, and persuasively: "The women of New Hampshire declared, 'She may lose in the end, but not today, not like this.'"

I think she's right. I think it was the women, more of whom came out to vote for Hillary than for all the other candidates, regardless of party, combined. I tend to doubt that would've happened if the (largely male) punditocracy hadn't thrown themselves into dancing oh-so-gleefully on her political grave after Iowa.

"Not like this," indeed.

I also think people, and especially women, were genuinely moved by The Clip. Note, like every other clip I checked out, the one embedded below omits the question Hillary is answering, which makes it possible to spin the context, so much the better for those who want to claim it was a calculated, rather than authentic moment. (Because in addition to being a lesbian--and therefore dangerous--Hillary Clinton is also a robotron, incapable of feeling, let alone expressing genuine emotion.)

So, for the record, the question was: ""How do you do it? .... How [do] you get out the door every day?"

Here's her response:

Believe it or not, people who know Hillary Clinton personally tend to say that she is a warm, genuine, wickedly funny person (they emphasize the "wickedly funny" bit) -- which, obviously, is a far cry from the Hillary Clinton the public was at all acquainted with. At least until that clip.

We've known for years that she's brilliant; that she boasts a unique on-the-job training experience (as a first lady who was also a member of her husband's senior staff). We've also known for years that she's a toughie, a fighter with an impressive work ethic and a preternatural command of policy minutiae.

But until The Clip (which everyone even remotely connected to the world saw multiple times thanks to the newsmedia--and the net) I'm not sure she'd given any potential voter the opportunity to say, "You know, there might be a cool person under all that armor... Someone I'd enjoy hanging out with."

I don't think likability should matter the way it does (or, hell, even at all). But it does--So if that's what turned it around for Hillary in New Hampshire, so be it, but--please--people, I know it's been said before but it bears repeating: we're not electing a drinking buddy.

We're hiring someone for a job. A hard job -- hardest in the world. Many lives will be lost and saved, literally and figuratively, based on who we decide to hire.

So fuck lkability--It's nice that it's there, but let's keep our eye on the ball, as Hillary did:

I just don't want to see us fall backwards, you know? So, you know, this is very personal for me. It's not just political, it's not just public. I see what's happening, and we have to reverse it. And some people think elections are a game. They think it's like who's up or who's down. It's about our country, and it's about our kids' futures.

Madame President.

I especially appreciate the bolded part, which should be her "ten words" aka, the raison d'etre for her campaign distilled to its elemental core:

"I see what's happening, and we have to reverse it."

Amen. For all his impressive rhetorical skill, Obama hasn't been able to say it that well. He hasn't even come close.

She said it right.

So Hill's the Comecback Gal for now, but It could easily be a real knock down/drag out all the way through Super Tuesday, aaaand beeee-yond (MUA HA HA). Who knows, maybe it'll even be a real convention in August... How cool would that be? Nerve-wracking, sure, but still -- very, very cool. (Especially with no scripted TV.)

But my gut says Hillary clinched it last night, and even if Obama wins both Nevada (where he picked up an important union endorsement today) and South Carolina (where he oh-so-memorably played the bigot card usually reserved for use by Republican candidates to demonize people who look like him), I think we're gonna see a Hillary Sweep on Super Tuesday. (Hopefully I didn't just jinx it.)

Obama's appeal to independents won't matter in states where only registered party members can vote--and the party establishment seems to be pretty solidly behind Hillary. Meanwhile, the ace up his sleeve--the kids--won't matter either if they forget to show up. (Bong Hits? Guitar Hero? Bit o' both?)

On another matter entirely, Chris Matthews' bias against Hillary has gone far, far beyond his purview as a commentator (who is well within his rights to advocate for a point of view, unlike a journalist). Years ago, I respected Matthews, but it's been a long time since I could say that, and now the things that come out of his mouth where Hillary is concerned are so ... unhinged and incredibly unprofessional ... that he's crossed the line into overt misogyny. He's in good company there. Or bad. YMMV.

In just the couple of hours I watched, I saw Tom Brokaw and Keith Olberman shoot him perplexed, angry looks at least half a dozen times each -- invariably after some perfectly reasonable remark about Hillary's forked tongue.

[DanAckroyd]Tweety, you chauvanist prick.[/DanAckroyd] In the unlikely event you or your (I'm sure long-suffering) PA are googling... Seriously, man. Get help.

And on the flipside: Darrel Hammond -- please burn last night's diatribe to DVD and file it away for eventual adaption into sketch comedy gold. Assuming we ever get scripted TV back.

Fuckin AMPTP... but that is, perhaps an overly long rant for another time...

The Dark Knight Trailer

2007-12-17T00:06:00.001-05:00

interestingly...

2007-12-09T21:16:00.000-05:00

the domain name "ihatelongisland.com" is NOT taken. .net is similarly unspoken for.

Color me shocked (and perhaps inspired).

Happy Holidays, all!

James Marsters To Co-Star in New Whedon Show?

2007-11-07T20:23:00.001-05:00

Ausiello seems to think that James Marsters is gonna be the male lead.

Question: Could I please have some Buffy scoop? A girl can dream, can't she? — Jenni

Ausiello: Yes, a girl can dream. Hopefully, a girl can also push play on our video player, 'cause the latest episode of the Ausiello Report vodcast contains an answer to a question I know has been on the minds of Whedonverse disciples since last Wednesday: Might a Buffy alum, like, say, oh, James Marsters, be in contention to play Dollhouse's male lead? What are you waiting for — push play!

How d'ya like THEM apples?

How Lord of the Rings Should Have Ended

2007-11-03T14:39:00.001-04:00

Hehe.

Writers Guild of America on Strike!

2007-11-02T00:14:00.000-04:00

The Times says it's on.

Joss Whedon Returns To TV

2007-11-01T08:12:00.001-04:00

with Eliza Dushku, no less.

Dushku will star in the Whedon-penned series "Dollhouse," which has been given a seven-episode order by Fox. News came as an extra-big Halloween treat for Whedon fans, considered some of the most passionate in all of TV. ... "Dollhouse" follows a top-secret world of people programmed with different personalities, abilities and memories depending on their mission.

After each assignment -- which can be physical, romantic or even illegal -- the characters have their memories wiped clean, and are sent back to a lab (dubbed the "Dollhouse"). Show centers on Dushku's character, Echo, as she slowly begins to develop some self-awareness, which impacts her missions.

Whedon has already hammered out the basic outline for all seven segs. Barring a strike, Fox hopes to have the show in production by spring, giving the net an opportunity to be so far ahead of schedule by fall that it could potentially air a full season uninterrupted by breaks..

Squee! (This was unexpected!)

Extras Christmas Special

2007-10-31T21:14:00.000-04:00

"The Extra Special Series Finale" will air Sunday, December 16 at 9:00/8:00c.

Yep--Apparently, we're getting it here before it airs in the UK. Woo!

The 83-minute special reportedly features appearances by Clive Owen, David Tennant, Gordon Ramsay and George Michael among others.

Here's an absolutely hysterical teaser:

Fake News

2007-10-29T21:05:00.000-04:00

Is there any other kind?

The White House also rebuked the news conference and said it was unaware of the [fake] briefing beforehand.

"It is not a practice that we would employ here at the White House," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "We certainly don't condone it. OK, last question. Yes, Jeff Gannon...?"

Lost Spoiler Pics

2007-10-29T19:53:00.000-04:00

Check 'em out!

Bryan Fuller on Gay TV Characters

2007-10-24T23:39:00.000-04:00

Pushing Daisies' creator Bryan Fuller did a very interesting, albeit brief, interview in this week's issue of The Advocate. (Sorry I can't link, as the online version appears to be a pay site, but it's on newsstands now.) Not sure how widely known it is that Fuller is gay. He--admirably, IMO--refers to it as "the least interesting part of me."

I'd wondered since his Dead Like Me pilot--with its well-observed closet-case dad (who was heterosexualized after Fuller quit/was fired from the show). Wonderfalls, which I didn't much care for, also included a gay regular (also in the closet--so that's an issue he's interested in exploring).

I don't think he'd ever been identified as gay when he spoke about his disappointment over the lack of gay characters in the Trek franchise, and IIRC, he wasn't widely identified as gay when he spoke out last year over the Heroes/Thomas Dekker situation. (I seem to remember that a couple of gay blogs did, though... On Towleroad.com, commenters almost uniformly--and unfairly--blamed him for the decision to censor Dekker's coming out scene, though that was hardly his decision.)

Now that he's running his own big network primetime series, Fuller admits that he's come to a new appreciation for the dilemma faced by Tim Kring and other creators/showrunners who *want* to [i]organically[/i] include gay characters.

Turns out Olive (Kristen Chenoweth) was originally a lesbian -- until ABC (historically, the most gay friendly broadcast network) suggested that making her straight would let him do a Ned/Chuck/Olive love triangle, which would make Olive more relevant to the core action. He thought about it, and came to agree... so Olive became a hetero with a bad case of unrequited love for Ned... but Fuller was then faced with the question of where in this world he'd created to find that voice he finds so valuable, the gay voice.

You get the impression he hasn't found it yet, but at least you can believe he's honestly looking.

Pushing Daisies Gets The Back 9

2007-10-23T19:58:00.000-04:00

Pushing Daisies — has just been picked up for a full season. Multiple sources confirm that ABC has ordered nine additional episodes, for a grand total of 22.

Woo! (And hoo.)

I have friends who can't stand it--I believe "cloying" was the word--but though I admit Jim Dale's sarcastic fairy tale voice over could be dialed back a bit (especially "...9 years, 4 months, 6 days, and 4 hours old..."), I'm loving this show (the only new show this fall I can say *that* about).

An intriguing high concept is lushly rendered a la Tim Burton--The Series. The scripts are filled with alternately earnest and sarcastic charm. There's an inevitably doomed love affair (Lee Pace & Anna Friel) at its core, and a fun, live-action Scooby Doo-style take on the procedural fueling the plots.

Probably the best thing going for Daisies is its brilliant, stage-trained cast (which includes Kristen Chenoweth, Ellen Green and Swoozie Kurtz), which only got better with the recent addition of the great Raul Esparza as a recurring player (hope he gets to be a regular now).

I'm all in. (You couldn't tell?) Hope the impending writer's strike (which some studio heads apparently *want* -- to erase this otherwise abyssmal TV season) doesn't kill its momentum...

Bill Maher Kicks 9/11 Troofers Out of Studio Audience

2007-10-21T15:25:00.000-04:00

"Hey, do we have some fuckin security here, or do I have to come over and kick this guy out myself?"

LOVE IT. Hate those fuckin' idiot conspiracy theorists--They regularly fuck up my commute. You're comin' up out of Ground Zero, and there's the trench coat brigade with their megaphones. For christ's sake, as though there isn't enough REAL shit to be freaking out over without all this "Building 7" bullshit. "It was a crontrolled explosion!" Oh, *bullshit*.

We Have A Kirk (and a Pegg)

2007-10-15T19:23:00.001-04:00

Chris Pine--he of the piercing blue eyes and unknown acting ability--is now confirmed as Kirk, though not yet by Paramount. (Pine was being sought for two high-profile films. The director of the other film, Joe Carnahan, just posted to his blog that Pine won't appear in White Jazz because he "opted to 'go where no man has gone before.")

Trekmovie.com has a bit more, but has apparently crashed.

And, as everyone now knows, (my beloved) Simon Pegg (who co-created the funniest sitcom in history, Spaced) has signed-on to play Scotty.

Casting is ongoing for some supporting parts--Kirk's parents, Captain Christopher Pike (Kirk's predecessor on the Enterprise)--but the main cast is now complete.

So once again, and (I swear) for the last time (ha ha):

Kirk--Chris Pine
(Young) Spock--Zach Quinto
McCoy--Karl Urban
Uhura--Zoe Saldana
Scotty--Simon Pegg
Sulu--John Cho
Chekov--Anton Yelchin

(Old) Spock--Leonard Nimoy
Nero (the Romulan heavy)--Eric Bana

According to Trekmovie:

Pre-production on the new Star Trek feature film is in full force right now. Most of the Bad Robot team including director J.J. Abrams have moved onto the Paramount lot in the last month and according to sources their little golf carts can be seen speeding all over the place. Most design work is complete and construction has been on going since September on a number of Paramount stages, including 4, 8, 9, 14 and 15…all of which have seen past Trek productions. Stages 8 and 9 have the most Trek history, having been in almost constant use for Trek films and TV from 1978 (Phase II/TMP) through 2005 (ENT). The production is also still expected to use some stages on the Universal lot as well.

Shooting begins the first week of November, and is expected to continue through March with extensive location shooting in Southern California and a tentatively scheduled two weeks in Iceland. Budget is about $120-160 million (making this more than twice as expensive as the last Trek movie... which itself was one of the more expensive Trek movies ever made.)

The movie will be released on Christmas Day 2008.

Trek Casting Update

2007-10-10T18:53:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks back, there was much speculation that actor Mike Vogel had won the part of James T. Kirk in director JJ Abrams' big-budget Star Trek reboot, which starts shooting next month. But today's Hollywood Reporter declares that actor Chris Pine is "in discussions" to play Kirk.

Pine, 27, is third generation Hollywood. Dunno about his training, but he's been acting in TV and films for about five years. Anyway, he looks the part (see right). I expect we'll find out in the next few days if he actually has it, though the article probably wouldn't have gone to press if his people hadn't approved it. And they wouldn't have approved it if they thought it jeopardized his chances. Anyway, we'll see.

Meanwhile, they've at least settled on an actor to play the Romulan heavy: Eric Bana, who starred in Spielberg & Kushner's brilliant Munich (and Ang Lee's less-than-brilliant Hulk). An excellent choice -- far better, IMO, than Russel Crowe, who had long been rumored to be in talks for the part. (Crowe is an excellent actor, but Bana is better.)

Karl Urban (Eomer in the LOTR films) is also rumored to have been cast -- in an unknown part. (Possibly second banana to Bana's heavy?)

The cast so far: Bana as Nero (who presumably will fiddle while Romulus burns); Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto as Old Spock and Young Spock, respectively; Zoe Saldana as Uhura; Anton Yelchin as Chekov.

This leaves Scotty and Bones uncast. Paul McGillion is among those rumored to be up for Scotty. If anyone has been rumored for Bones, I haven't heard about it.

As far as plot, it's rumored to feature Romulans from the post-Next Generation era going back in time on a mission to kill James T. Kirk. Old Spock (last seen on Romulus) learns of this, and is able to warn his younger self. And much hilarity ensues. While the plot to kill Kirk ultimately fails, all this tampering with history does apparently create a new timeline (freeing Abrams, et al, to do what they want with established continuity, including big screen remakes of classic episodes).

Co-writer Roberto Orci, perhaps coincidentally, told Trekmovie.com that two of his favorite episodes are TNG's "Yesterday's Enterprise" (which features a time travel plot quite similar to the above rumor) and TOS' "Balance of Terror," which is essentially a u-boat movie in which Kirk must match wits against a cunning Romulan commander... Hmmmm. "Yesterday's Enterprise" meets "Balance of Terror." If that's not the movie they're making, I'm gonna end up wishing it was.

The Wrong Way

2007-10-09T20:36:00.000-04:00

Warning: Promo for Battlestar Season 4. There be spoilers.

Buffy #10

2007-10-07T11:29:00.000-04:00

doesn't ship til January, it's true, but Dark Horse released this description and image for the issue (written by Joss Whedon) today:

Buffy and Willow meet a demon who reveals a dim future, forcing the two to reflect on their past. Meanwhile, back in Scotland, Dawn confides in Xander the deed that led to her mysterious growth spurt.

Series creator Joss Whedon writes Buffy Season Eight #10 with veteran Buffy artist Cliff Richards serving as guest penciller.

Everybody who loved the show is following this series, right? You read it, and you absolutely believe "this is what happens next." It's not some cheezy licensed adaption. It is the show--in another medium, albeit one where they can do things like this:

The current storyline, written by Brian K Vaughan, has Faith recruited by Giles to kill a rogue slayer who is set on killing Buffy. (Kinda ironical, huh?)

Pushing Daisies

2007-10-04T23:43:00.000-04:00

Brilliant, brilliant! Perfect! The best cast, most gorgeously produced, charming, witty pilot I've seen in ages.

The worry is that they've now set the bar so high it will be impossible to meet expectations week-to-week. Certainly, this pilot cost a helluva lot more than they can spend on regular episodes (and I understand the show was going over pattern so regularly that they actually had to shut down for a bit to stop the bleeding).

I'm a Bryan Fuller fan from way back. He was the one great writer, IMO, to come out of the otherwise lamentable Star Trek Voyager. His Dead Like Me pilot was likewise a thing of beauty -- though not as good as Daisies, which re-airs on ABC tomorrow night. Everybody should make an effort to tune in.

Leave Chris Cocker Alone

2007-10-04T23:04:00.001-04:00

I'm sure I'm the last one in the world to see this, but on the off chance that I'm *not*, here you go... (Plus, there's the whole namesake thing.)

Is This The New Kirk?

2007-09-27T19:20:00.000-04:00

IESB thinks so.

They also think Paul McGillion is the front-runner for Scotty.

Indiana Jones Plot Spilled

2007-09-25T14:44:00.000-04:00

September 25, 2007 -- A BIG-mouthed extra working on the new "Indiana Jones" flick has blown his fledgling movie career to smithereens by spilling the film's major plot points.

Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas made the entire cast and crew of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" sign nondisclosure agreements. But Tyler Nelson - cast as a "dancing Russian soldier" - gave an interview to his hometown newspaper, the Edmond Sun in Oklahoma, in which he revealed that:

[censored--but do the link for the bullet points, wihch absolutely have the ring of truth]

Nelson's own big scene comes when he celebrates Indy's capture by dancing to balalaika folk music. But it's doubtful the footage of the 24-year-old actor - a professionally trained ballet dancer who studied at the Bolshoi Academy in Moscow - will make it into the final cut. Spielberg, furious Nelson blabbed, has reportedly snipped his scene.

Spielberg's spokesman, Marvin Levy, wouldn't say whether any of Nelson's spoilers are accurate, but noted: "Who knows whether that particular person will ever work in this town again?"

Ooof--Wouldn't want to be that kid...

More Mad Men

2007-09-24T16:36:00.000-04:00

in 2008. But enough about the election...

OK, sorry. That was bad (not untrue, but bad).

I refer, of course, to the best new show of 2007, AMC's Mad Men, created by Sopranos alum Matthew Weiner... Which is appropriate, 'cause Mad Men is very much the heir to The Sopranos. It's a different period (1960), and a different subject matter (creative director of a boutique ad agency, his staff and family), but the approach, and the sensibilities, and the focus on corruption, are the same.

The satirical look at the workplace, and the American faimly -- and the individual characters, taking particular interest in gender roles -- all the same.

And it's brilliant. I hope no one is missing it, but according to the ratings, the truth is closer to "no one's heard of it." That will change. In January, it will make major waves at the Golden Globes... and this time next year, in the middle of its second, 13 episode season, it will win serious Emmys.

Wait and see. Or don't wait: AMC has made all the current episodes available for free on-demand... Channel 1002 or 1004, something like that. Check it out!

Justice League Movie Rushing Into Production

2007-09-20T18:34:00.000-04:00

Variety reports today that Warners is moving ahead "aggressively" with a big screen adaption of Justice League to serve as their superhero tentpole for Summer 2009. George Miller (Mad Max, Happy Feet) will direct a script by husband & wife team Kieran & Michele Mulroney.

While Superman and Batman will lead the JLA team, neither Brandon Routh nor Christian Bale are expected to reprise their roles, which are being recast. Their respective franchises are expected to continue, however.

Yeah--*that* won't confuse people. (Bale and Batman franchise director Chris Nolan have expressed their, eh, misgivings about the Warner Brothers plan.)

Wonder Woman, Flash and Aquaman are also in the lineup (what, no Green Lantern?!). Any or all could spinoff to their own features.

Anyway, as much as I want to see a Justice League movie, I want to see it done *right*, not rushed into production as strike insurance... which is exactly what this is.

The WGA, SAG, and other showbiz unions may well go on strike next June, so all the studios are rushing projects into production now -- whether they're ready or not. I understand their position: it's better--for them--than being left with no tentpoles for Summer 2009.

But it ain't better for us. This movie's gonna suck. :(

Not Dead Yet

2007-09-19T12:11:00.000-04:00

Just resting. :)

Bcak to regular posts soon... Probably next week.

In the meantime, I stumbled across this:

3:10 To Yuma

2007-09-16T13:39:00.000-04:00

*Loved* it. What a great, great script (by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas, based on the 1957 script and the Elmore Leonard short story). They could teach that script (and I imagine someone will). A script like that could be about basket-weaving and I'd still love it.

Bale and Crowe were brilliant. Two of our finest actors on top of their game. Their twist on the traditional hero/heavy relationship is complex and compelling. The plot point 2 turning point, where Wade gets the upper hand on Evans, and is choking him only to capitulate entirely, and then *help* Evans get him to the train, was a thing of beauty. A complete 180 for Wade, but it's made absolutely inevitable by the script.

The boy, William, played Bobby on Jack & Bobby... He's grown some, huh? And he was very good.

Ben Foster (Claire's gay boyfriend Russel in the third season of Six Feet Under, and Angel in X-Men 3) was a little much -- but "a little much" was appropriate to the part. (He goes a bit overboard with the method animal stuff--Yes, we get it. You're a lion.) He clearly was in love with Wade--flashing jealousy when Wade chose to dally with the whore instead of escaping across the border with the gang.

I might just go see this again.

Iron Man

2007-09-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

Sweet Jesus, that was a great trailer. (Takes a while for the higher def trailer to download, but it's worth it.)

From the beginning, I felt like this project was getting done right. The casting alone... Robert Downey Jr was born to play Tony Stark. Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury? Equally fucking perfect. (I prefer the Ultimate Nick Fury anyway.) Jeff Bridges is Obadaiah Stane (Stark's mentor). Gwyneth Paltrow is Pepper (Tony's long-suffering exec. assistant). And Terrence Howard is Jim Rhodes.

All perfect. I am *so* there on May 2.

Jason Katims Arrives at Bionic Woman

2007-09-10T17:12:00.000-04:00

Ausiello reports that Jason Katims (who began his career at my beloved My So-Called Life and Relativity, but who also created the execrable Roswell) has agreed to replace Glen Morgan as co-showrunner at Bionic Woman.

He will split his time between BW and his current show, Friday Night Lights.