I found out today that the next two days are paid holidays for us here at TV Git. Woot! I need more days off.

Speaking of illness:


Take the Affliction Test Today!

I was ill Friday and all weekend. To aid in my recovery, I watched a whole lot of movies so I wouldn't have to get out of bed. I finally got around to seeing "Reign of Fire." I liked the dragons. Did I miss the part where they explained where the female dragons came from?

Certified Bah Humbugger here to say, uh, "Bah! Humbug!" I hate holidays (except for the Get the Day Off part), and the whole "Christmas Spirit" that some people seem to think means being total assholes for no reason.

Still, as much as I dislike Christmas, FOX sucks a whole lot more.

And here's what Tim Minear had to say about final days of filming on Firefly.

I am such a bad fanboy. I forgot to turn off the VCR when I went to work Friday evening, so the timer didn't kick in, and I didn't record Firefly. From what everyone is writing about it, I missed something great.


FOX still sucks.

By the way, we received our annual holiday email from Mr. Rupert Murdoch, and in it (the whole thing really had nothing to do with the holidays. It was more of a year-end recap of Newscorp's performance and a lot of Rah! Rah! about next year), Mr. Murdoch hails Joe Millionaire as "innovative." That's right! Joe Millionaire is innovative! Is it any wonder that FOX Broadcasting Company had a disappointing year?

if you read the Buffy review i linked to yesterday and were spoiled about something happening in the future, i apology a gazillion times. i didn't read that far down, and now i've ruined something for some people.

Review [dead link] (with spoilers, for this episode AND FUTURE EPISODES) of "Bring On the Night," last night's Buffy.

gah, i'm stupid. i apologize to everyone who was spoiled about the future episode stuff.

New Buffy tonight! Wooooo hooooo! I haven't been this excited on a Tuesday since the last one with a new Buffy.

Anyone watch John Doe? I tried to get into it (I liked the first few episodes), but it seemed really formulaic, so I quit watching. Is it any better now?

One more thing. If you liked Firefly, write to Fox and tell them how they suck, but don't say it like that. Also, if your of a mind, write UPN and WB and be suggest/ask/beg shamelessly that they pick up Firefly.

Fox sucks.

TVGuide (our database, which will reflect changes much more quickly than the Online guide) is still listing tonight's Joss-directed episode, and the 2 hour not-yet-shown pilot episode for Dec 20th. Because they suck, though, there's a chance Fox will pull the episode in favor of more of their stupid "When crustaceans attack!" or "America's Funniest Traffic Fatalities." Fastlane takes Firefly's spot in January (which I think was already announced, sparking the rumors that Firefly would be getting a new/better/any timeslot).

Firefly cancelled. A post on the official Firefly boards says Joss may shop the show around to other networks.

Fox sucks.

I'm too sad to continue today.

Potato Help.

One of my favorite Supreme Court cases was decided on this day, 108 years ago: Plumley v. Massachusetts.

I want.

What the hell(mouth)? Fray #s 7 and 8 are scheduled for April and May 2003 release now? What happened to it being this month?

Colorado Wal-Mart resells toys donated for Toys For Tots drive.

"[Drive organizer Susan] Kraich said she complained to store management, but was told the store would only replace the items she knew for a fact were in the box."

I am a major humbugger. The Grinch and I had a lot in common (before he went all nicey-nice), but even I am shaking my head at that store's manager.

Woo hoo! The Young Ones on DVD!

I cannot explain why this comic cracks me up so much.

You know that little pop-up with the little kitten waving its paw? It's annoying, and not solely because it is a pop-up.

Nick Brendon's film Demon Island will be released on DVD on January 28.

If you haven't seen Psycho Beach Party, also with Nick Brendon, you should. If wonderfully goofy.

Some Buffy stuff:

The TV Quid database lists a new episode of Buffy airing on December 17th, meaning we get a happy interruption to the winter reruns. That is, of course, if the editor person (or his/her source) didn't make a mistake, which would really suck because it'll be in the online listings tomorrow.

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an excerpt from The Buffy Script Book: Once More, With Feeling.

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TV Gal's 10 Best Characters on Television lists Spike and Wesley.

Holidays suck.

Stupid holiday. Too much work over the next few days.

If you didn't watch Buffy last night, you missed another great episode. There was SO MUCH.

Back on Monday.

Angel moving to Wednesday? Wow, the WB made such a big deal about moving it and Charmed to Sunday.

It'll be taking the place of Birds of Prey, which has been cancelled.

Wowzers, "Sleeper" was a great episode. Megakudos to James Marsters for another great performance.

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In Buffy action figure news, the Riley Finn figure (which I'm hoping will have Amazing Nekkidness Action) that was supposed to be released with Phase 4 has been postponed to Phase 5. Phase 4 will now have a new Anya with Tara and an updated Willow.

The next release will have Riley with D’Hoffryn, Adam and Giles as a Fyarl demon.

Second set of Angel figures will be Wesley, Darla and Lorne. Lorne! No home is complete without a Lorne action figure displayed. But just so Lorne doesn't feel like an oddball, I recommend picking up a D'Hoffryn and Giles-as-Fyarl-demon.

The link also mentions that Angel season 1 will be released here in the US on February 11, the first time I've seen a date attached. Hooray! I'll finally be able to experience Doyle.

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From an interview with Fabian Nicieza at the Dark Horse comics Buffy Zone: "I'd LOVE to see Buffy vs. Predator. I'd also love to see Buffy and Batman."

Are there a lot of undead in Gotham? Would Batman end up in Sunnydale somehow? That could be fun. Batman whips out some very expensive, very complex gizmo to battle a vamp. Buffy uses a pencil. Batman would be so pissed.

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[link = spoilery] Fray #7 is scheduled for release on December 4. Fray #8 (the conclusion) is set for December 26 release.

Thanks to wonderful Jean, I get to see the Buffythat I missed last week. Hooray! She made a copy of the episode for me.

My second, part-time job is in a video store. I used this week's movies allowance to see films I've never seen but keep meaning to:

Twelve Angry Men, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire.

It is so difficult to watch A Streetcar… without cutting up, especially with lines and songs from The Simpsons' "Oh, Streetcar!"

I felt that I needed to bring home some classics and Oscar® Winners to balance out the four PS2 games I brought home last week ("Deus Ex: Conspiracy," by the way, is a kick ass game).

I watched Ice Age last night. What a horrible movie. I was sad the entire time for the little squirrel-like beastie with the acorn.

The moral of that movie: Don't bother trying. Someone or something will always screw everything up for you.

"Things You May Never Hear Me Say Ever Again" for $200, Alex.

I'm glad I get ESPN.

That's Max Kellerman of Friday Night Fights and Around the Horn.

From a weekly Amber Benson e-digest thingie I'm subscribed to:

The Blank Theatre is doing a staged reading of "Albert Hall," a play written by Miss Amber Benson,
on Monday, November 25th at 8 PM. It is located at 2nd Stage Theatre, 6500 Santa Monica Blvd -
between Highland and Cahuenga in Hollywood, California.

They ask for a 8 dollar donation. The money goes to support The Blank and The Young Playwrights
Festival. You can make reservations by calling (323) 661-9827.

I've taken on a second job for a while to support my DVD set habit, so I was unable to be home to watch Buffy last night (it was the only Tuesday evening I'll ever have to work. My supervisor understood completely when I explained to her that I couldn't miss Buffy). I set the VCR, and confirmed that everything was correct, but somehow ended up with an hour of NickToons. No Buffy for me. I cried myself to sleep.

Last night's Angel was great, right up until that final scene. Blech. But how friggin' hot was Wesley-with-guns? Yum! Usually, I don't care for guns in my television, but if Wes want to take a glock after some demons while looking all scruffy scrumptious, I say go for it.

Jason and I watched Juwanna Mann last night. Miguel A. Nuñez, Jr. has some suprisingly womanly-shaped legs. Whodda thunk it?

Sometimes, when you first hear of something, you just groan and roll your eyes. Then, months or years later, something makes you think of it again, you're dumbstruck at how anyone could think it was a good idea.

So now I ask, what the fruk were they thinking when they decided to give Emeril a sit-com?

Saturday night, I discovered that there's a relatively new Asian food place in Tulsa, in the neighborhood I moved out of two years ago. That alone would be enough to make me a happy Terrence, but this one delivers! Hooray! I no longer need to leave the house when I want lo mein. The place, by the way, is called "Asian Food Delivery." Bless their simplicity. We don't need another Golden/Jade/Happy Dragon/Lotus Palace.

Also Saturday night, while leaving the Asian Food Delivery place (had to get a menu), I steppped off of the curb and halfway into a hole in the parking lot. Thusly, I twisted my ankle rather viciously.

For some reason, whenever I'm in a lot of physical pain, I laugh. Jason always thinks it's funny whenever I bonk my noggin on the cupboard door or knock my shin against something. My minor injuries amuse him. So, as I was hopping around the parking lot outside of Asian Food Delivery, laughing uncontrollably, Jason started laughing too. I tried to shout "Quit laughing at me, you @%&$!," but it just made him laugh more.

After the laugh fest subsides, I ended up couch-bound at home with an ankle swollen to twice its normal size and a boyfriend who kept giggling at me all night long. I did, however, also have some General Tsao's chicken.

I also had a copy of the Ethan Hawk Hamlet on DVD, which I'd never seen before. I don't think I've ever winced so much during any performance of any of Shakespeare's work. I mean, it was still "Hamlet," so the story and the lines made me happy, and updated setting was interesting, but some of the people who appeared in that film should not be doing Shakespeare. Ever. I'm not sad that I watched it, nor do I think it was a waste of time, but I kind of wish I'd gone with Henry V.

aarrhhh! for the first time, my job function here at TV Snide required me to see Buffy listings, and one of them had a description for next week's episode with a HUGE SPOILER in it! I may as well not even watch next week. I already know what's going to happen. bastard!

Tulsa Army Recruitment highest in the U.S.

Recruiters credit a surge in patriotism along with the benefits package the military offers as the reason for the increase.


I think they're discounting the effect of a sour economy on recruitment.

Mystery of the Six Feet Tall Red Penguin solved!

It turns out that the management of the apartment complex in which I live isn't as freaky as I thought. The penguin is part of some fundraiser thing. The money raised was (is?) to help build a new penguin habitat at the Tulsa Zoo.


On the matter of penguins, have you been to Penguin Place lately?

this is a strange report about Missing Penguins Found. I'm guessing they aren't talking about real penguins. It's weird though, because I went home for lunch yesterday and there was a six-feet-tall red penguin in front my apartment complex. I thought it was just more weirdness on the part of the Apartment management, but now I'm not so sure.

a couple of election hoorays:

Oklahoma Bans Cockfighting. See, we're not completely redneck.

Henry defeats Largent. I found out yesterday that Largent lives in the neighborhood behind my apartment. I'm gonna drive by everyday, point and channel Nelson. "Ha ha!"

How great was Buffy last night? Fun, with some darkness. How's that for Year One?

Buffy + Rocket Launcher = Comedy Gold. Who knew she kept the thing?

Hooray for Xander and Spike working together. Hooray for Spike getting out of the basement. Hooray for Spike all around!

hey, this isn't the Starz i get with my cable.

FOX's 'Firefly' Keeps the Lights On, includes a tasty photo of tasty Jayne. Tasty.

In other Firefly news, I'm starting to like Spacewhore Inara. I've been indifferent about her, but it feels like the actress is beginning to loosen up and fit into the character. Yay her!

In other Whedon news, I'm going into tomorrow night's Buffy completely blind. I didn't watch the rerun last week, so I didn't get to see the what's happening this week. I'm kind of excited.

Tomorrow is election day. Vote for me for every possible office. Write my name in. Make me your Overlord! or stay home, 'cause we don't want you interacting with the world if you're not voting for me.

As serious as I am about the above (and I am. Vote for me), if you're eligible to vote in Oklahoma, please, for the love of Foghorn Leghorn, vote to ban cockfighting in this state. I'm all for barbarism and gore, but cockfighting is horribly cruel, and those who participate and promote such events should be forced into rings or pits to fight to the death with razor blades.

(And remember, vote Terrence for every office! I promise to rule with an iron fist, oppressing everyone equally)

The SCI FI Channel announced that it has signed a two-picture film deal with genre favorite Bruce Campbell.

What
lesser-known Simpsons character are you?

Brought to you by the good folks at sacwriters.com.

seriously, wow! Wesley, with a lot of Grrr! thrown in.

Some Angel season 4 cast photos. There are some good ones of Wesley. It has struck me again that it's weird (in a "Wow!" way) to compare current Wesley with his first appearance, which is fresh in my mind because FX showed "Bad Girls" last night. Again, wow!

I'm not going to link to the article because I don't want to tempt anyone with spoilers, so I'll just summarize the now-no-longer-a-spoiler-because-it's-not-going-to-happen-after-all.

Negotiations fell through between 20th Century Fox and a particular actor who was to have a role on Buffy this season. I'm very sad about this, as I was looking forward to it. I'm not going to reveal who The Actor is in the hope that things will work out, but if not, I'll mention it again at the end of the season.

The now-no-longer-a-spoiler-because-it's-not-going-to-happen-after-all was one of the last two spoilers of which I had knowledge (trying hard to stay spoiler-free!), but the article I mentioned above contained another minor spoiler, so I'm still at two. Anyone who doesn't mind spoilers and wants to read the article can email me.

you need a cute kitty mousepad.

Lesbian Kung Fu Kitties.

ho hum, been hunting for houses. we have few non-negotiable criteria for potential new residences. 1) Cannot be cramped. 2) Must permit small indoor pets. 3) Minimum of 2 baths.

you'd think it'd be fairly easy to find something that matched, especially in a market with occupancy at an 8 year low, but nope, nothing out there yet.


daily innanities should return soon.

hooray for Friday. Friday is a good day.

but not as good as next Friday. next Friday is good in the way that people will be giving me gifts and buying lunch and dinner for me.

won't you be one of those people who'll buy me something? pleeease buy me something! i like gifts, and I like people who buy me gifts! really, i do. i'll stop talking bad about you behind your back, i'll stop selling your email address to spammers, i'll stop calling members of your family at 3 a.m. and hanging up on them, and i promise that i'll stop pretending to be you when i send threatening email to members of Congress and the President. scout's honor.

Breathtaking. It's like somebody slaughtered an Abercrombe and Fitch catalogue. - D'Hoffryn, commenting on a dozen dead frat boys.

Last night's Buffy, "Selfless" was both fun and sad. Fun with the peeks into Anya's past, including OMWF Revisited; sad in Anya's lonliness and confusion about who, if anyone, she is now.

All summer long, ME said that this season would be lighter than last, a return to Buffy: Season One. I think a lot of people expected it to be mostly good times and happy, triumphant endings (or "Oh, the high school's back. More high school stories!"). So far, there has been some of that, but it's been thoroughly mixed with dealing with the consequences of last season.

That's a good thing. I wouldn't want for Willow to be completely over Tara's death, the flaying of Warren or almost destroying the world. I don't want Spike and Buffy to be over Spike's attempted rape of Buffy. I don't want Buffy to get off scot-free for being so dead last season, even if it's understandable. I don't want Anya to take up Vengeance Demoning again without four years of regained humanity and her near-marriage to Xander having some effect on her conscience and heart. I don't want Dawn to be completely absolved of her incredible self-centeredness, uncompassionate behavior toward her dealing-with-resurrection sister, and general rebelliousness. (In)Actions have consequences, and sometimes those consequences last a long time.

The first season wasn't about high school. High school was the setting and the spark for Buffy and co.'s adventures, but a lot of what the first season was about was the gang beginning to establish who they were, getting to know each other and how they fit in together. The seventh season will be doing the same.

Things have changed, not only the changes that go along with moving into adulthood, but as a consequence of the last few years, particularly the last two. The gang is working on discovering who they are in the post-Joyce-Giles-Tara-Resurrection Sunnydale, they have to rediscover how they relate to each other (by dealing, finally, with lies and things overlooked in past seasons) and how or whether they can be a gang again. Last season was "Growing Up." This season is "Growing Pains." There's been a lot of pain lately, and this season is going to take care of it. If this is indeed the last season, this will be the way to end it, with their friendships smoothed out and reestablished (even if there's a big Apocalypse that kills everyone) and the Scoobies going on in a world without us watching.

I have to get to Carly Simon's house, or I'll never know if that song was about me!



Which Animaniacs Character are You?

You don't like to show your true self. This is somewhat understandable, considering that when you do, people often try to kill you! Instead of being open and honest, you tend to wear "masks," disguising the "real you" from almost everyone. You sometimes give yourself away to others whom you feel are also outsiders, though. Inevitably, someone will realize you've been deceitful, and then it's time to move on again. You don't like to admit it, but in some ways you are a giant chicken.

I'm talking cartoons, so why not?

My Favorite Cartoons
In order of favoriteness

Animaniacs

Scooby Doo (all incarnations except A Pup Named Scooby Doo).

Tiny Toon Adventures

Duck Tales

Darkwing Duck

Batman: the Animated Series

Pinky and the Brain (and "Is The Brain Really Orson Welles?")

Rocko's Modern Life (FAQ)

Inspector Gadget

Dungeons & Dragons

"I think the hallmark of Warner Bros. cartoons is a certain kind of sarcasm and sly humor," said Steve Bernstein, a Warner Bros. composer who worked with Mr. Stone. "You know, if there was a bucket of glue on the screen, the music was 'The Old Gray Mare Just Ain't What She Used to Be.' Carl Stalling created that language, and Richard was a master at speaking it."

Stone was widely considered the modern-day successor to Carl Stalling, the legendary composer who wrote hundreds of wacky musical scores for such Warner Bros. classics as "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" from the late 1930s to the 1950s.

When watching cartoons, I was much more aware of the animation than the music, so I never gave a thought to the composer or musical director. Now, after reading about Richard Stone, I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't notice. He composed the theme or scored episodes (or did both) for a few of my favorite cartoons of the 90s. He worked on Tiny Toon Adventures, my high school favorite, before moving to Animaniacs, my all time favorite. His theme songs are some of the catchiest, and certainly the most memorable for me. It was his theme that got me watching Tasmania, and it was, without a doubt, the music the got me hooked on Animaniacs (I still sing songs from the show, probably much more often than is healthy in someone approaching 30).

I couldn't find much on Stone online. Other than a mention in credits, most information consists of his obituarty (he died in 1999). Here is the IMDb entry.

woot. photo of Lady Deathstrike.
this is the second time I posted this. the first one got lost. if anyone sees it wandering around, please tell it to come home immediately.

and yummy Wolverine.

hehe. funny Foxtrot.

the new logo for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

i'm a bit disappointed with the extras on the Spiderman dvd. guess i'll have to wait to get the Extra Special Very Cool Super Pretty Fabulous Limited Director's Cut edition whenever they decided to release it (probably next year, conveniently just before Christmas).

"People like you a lot - but they wouldn't want to see you working with sub-atomic particles."

I'm a FIREFLY SAD GEEZER (test here)


I am also a MANIC ACADEMIC Buffy FANATIC. (test here)

[via whedonesque]

Blood, Text and Fears, the international academic conference devoted to Buffy. I hope some of these theses and transcripts of lectures are posted online or published.

RollingStone.com review (heh) of Once More, With Feeling.

the director of The Ring talks about the film with Scifi Wire.

"Gore Verbinski, who directed the upcoming supernatural horror film The Ring, told SCI FI Wire that he made changes to the hit 1998 Japanese film on which it is based in order to make the English-language version more accessible to American audiences."

Translation: Had to dumb it down and make it simpler for the simple American masses, who thought Beavis and Butthead were clever.

I hate when someone in my department has a birthday. The Boss gathers us together and says, "Come on, we have to sing." Today's birthday girl even said that she doesn't want anyone singing to her, but even that doesn't deter The Boss. "I'll start. Happy Birthday to you…" I slither quietly into a corner where he can't see if I'm singing or not. I notice most of my co-workers trying to do the same. It ends up with him singing, a few of co-workers mumbling along with him, and one I'm sure was just saying "Wuuuuuuuuh."

davisdvd has some details on the two-disc re-release of X-Men. something about anamorphic and 5.1 and some other stuff I don't understand, but the part that made me wet my knickers is that "Actors Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan and Hugh Jackman all join [Director Bryan] Singer on the commentary track." Patrick Stewart. Sir Ian. Together. Based on interviews I've seen with those two and various former cast-mates, that commentary will probably make me wet my knickers all over again.

also, from the same website, Buffy season 3 dvds are set for release on January 7 next year. I may have known that already, but if I did, I forgot, so it was a good thing to see (again?).

some thoughts on last night's Buffy.

hehe. Turner Classic Movies' Theme of the Month for November: Every Great Western (Except Shane).

dunno why it cracks me up so much.

How much time must pass since my last cigarette before I'm considered an ex-smoker?

A little over a month ago, rather than trying yet again either to go cold turkey or gradually step down the number of cigarettes I had each day, I joined a smoking cessation program offered through Indian Health Services. It sounds all programish, but really, it was just two meetings of a Marine medical guy (he never said he was a doctor) lecturing. The first was an "educational" Dangers of Smoking thing, physiological reactions to smoking, and also discussed Brain Things (the role of neurochemicals in addiction). The second was to discuss the aids we were being given to help us stop smoking, and was much more educational than the first.We were given patches (that I never used) and Zyban.

On the fourth day of the Zyban, I suddenly dropped from a pack a day to one cigarette a day. At that rate, it took me a week to finish off the pack, and I haven't had a cigarette since. It took a few more days before I stopped having periodic cravings, which were easy to ignore if I did something, anything else. After that, I needed another week to break myself of old habits (like reaching for a cigarette while "medding" during Everquest, after reading a particularly thought-provoking article online, in restaraunts while waiting for the food to arrive). Since then, I've no desire to smoke and no cravings of any kind, even when I'm around other people who are smoking. It seems that the program was successful for me. Yippee.

(The Zyban has had other effects, all positive, though I'm still mulling over what they mean exactly in light of the Brain Things discussed in the second meeting. I'm thinking I should speak with a physician to find out if I may be… a little off, but until then, I'm going to enjoy being my old, fidgitey self again)

Anyway, I'm not saying things like "It's been one week, 4 days since I last had a cigarette." I've lost track of how many days it's been. I don't think about how much money I'm saving, how my clothes don't reek of smoke, or that, Hey! I'm not coughing up icky, phlegmy stuff anymore! I no longer think about Not Smoking, and that's what makes me an ex-smoker.

So I'm going to go celebrate with lots of booze and cocaine.

"Any time anybody is randomly shooting, randomly killing, randomly taking life, it's cold-blooded murder."

our President is a friggin' genius. the article also has a "Quickvote" with which i'm quite put off: "Is the D.C.-area shooter acting alone or with accomplices?" should a news organization be encouraging speculation?

Last night, I dreamed I was stuck on an island of mad monkeys who had organized themselves and slaughtered a village of hobbits. I was trying to escape from the island, but it was surrounded by some sort of plexiglass-like barrier. The only exit in the barrier was a large wooden dock that was heavily guarded by armed monkeys. They weren't armed with firearms. They used rotting fruit as their weapons. I awoke before I escaped (if I escaped). It wasn't a frightening dream, but those were some mean little monkeys.

Past Week's Movie Recap:

The Rules of Attraction [Cinema] — Wow! Who knew Dawson could look so hot? It was worth the matinee ticket price (yeah, I'm a cheap bastard). I'd see it again. Claire Kramer was in it, but I can't remember if she had any lines.

The Swan Princess — OK, let me get this straight. The Princess is kidnapped by a "large animal," her father and his captain fail to mention that the "large animal" was a man who did some flashy pyrotechnics to become a "large animal" (thus making him a sorcerer, or some such, but no one has a word for it, I guess), and the Prince decides to save her, but (as one of the songs states) practices using his bow for days before setting off to rescue her? Oh, and the frog is French? I see.

The Count of Monte Cristo [DVD] — not bad. I've never read book, so I can't compare the two, but I enjoyed the movie. Prison beatings are always fun. I was a little disappointed that there weren't more swords, but the sword fight at the end was good. That, the fun and frisky revenge angle, and Guy Pierce make up for the lack of swords.

Scotland, PA. [DVD] — I liked this film, a lot. It was quirky, and I spent much of the film either pointing at the sceen and saying "Ooh! I remember that!" or with a happy little grin "Ah! Clever little adaptation there" (I got all happy because it's been a long while since I last read MacBeth. I blocked most of high school out of my memory, so remembering happy things from that period makes me happy). As an aside, does any one else think that one day we'll read about Maura Tierney losing it and going all Michael Douglas-in-Falling Down? Look at her closely in Newsradio, E.R. and now Scotland, PA. It's like there's something there behind her eyes, something almost at the point of "I've had enough, and I'm taking as many people with me as I possibly can!" She's probably start with her old castmates. Joe Rogan, watch out!

This week's installment of
Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss:

Boss: I don't understand this part in this email you sent me. What do you mean?

Me: Um, I guess I could have worded it differently… I meant [Blah blah blah blah].

Boss: Hold on. I'm still not following.

Me: Well, how about this: [Blah blah blah].

Boss: Furrowed brow, quiet look of 'Uh...." on his face

Me: OK, I'll try this again a little differently, but I don't think I can dumb it down any more than that.

Discovered a new game this weekend: Earth & Beyond. It was actually one that Jason (that'd be the Boyfriend) picked as an alternative to Everquest (which he doesn't play anymore).

It's an interesting little game, an online RPG galaxy in which your character belongs to one of six professions and flies around the galaxy doing whatever your job is. I chose play a Tradesman, so I get to fly trade missions and make things. I've already made a nice little sum of money (I think it's nice, judging by what I've seen some items auctioned for. I'm not completely certain about how developed the economy is on my chosen server though). Mostly, I just like flying the little ship around.

Speaking of, you get to "customize" your ship, though most of the customization is in choosing the colors of different parts of your ship. The choices for the actual form of your ship are limited (three sections of ship with three choices each for the Tradesman). The same applies to customizing your character, though there are more parts to customize on your character and more options for each part.

I like that I have options for how my character and ship look, but the customization is completely cosmetic. My ship's stats start out exactly the same as every other Tradesman's, though I am able to improve different components of my ship through gameplay. Overall, I thought the character creation was a little tedious, devoting way too much time to something that doesn't affect gameplay at all. I could have just hit the Random button and let the computer take care of all that, but this was my avatar! I couldn't allow my representative to be thrown together all willy nilly.

The user interface isn't complex, which is nice. I'm not sure if I found it so easy to use because of my experience with online RPG interfaces, or if the UI is intuitive. It's mouse-based, though you can set up the keyboard to take care of most actions. There is a tutorial available with each new character that will take you through the basics, and the first time you do something or are in a situation not covered in the tutorial (like targeting another player or docking in a spacestation), you get text and sound to teach you.

Combat at low levels gets repetitive. 1) Target MOB 2) Push the "Fire" button. 3) Repeat step 2 until MOB is destroyed. If it's that simple, I'd prefer to be able to automate the firing to free me up for to prepare and use one of the special abilities of my ship. Simple combat bores me. I'm hoping that it's a bit more complex at higher levels, requiring a little strategy.

All in all, it seems to be a good game. I played up to level 13 in a few hours, completely explored four sectors, made lots of money, and got my butt kicked a couple of times by some hostile space creatures. It no replacement for Everquest (who could give up a lizardman who animates the dead and siphons the life from others?), but it should be a nice alternative when I feel like a change of setting.

the National Museum of Natural History's Plant of the Week: Zingiber mioga, or ginger.

Birds of Prey wasn't showing up on my interactive guide last night, and I couldn't remember when it was supposed to air. I missed it. Damn every one of those TV Goat people to hell!

"What makes our opponents useful is that they allow us to believe that without them we would be able to realize our goals."

-- Jean Rostand, Journal d’un Charactere (1931), quoted from Laird Wilcox, ed., "The Degeneration of Belief"

i keep forgetting to mention that best mate Brian drove down with his entourage last weekend so they could go to the fair (that's the reason he gives, but i know better. his birthday was yesterday, and the fair excuse was the only way he was going to be able to get the gifts from all of us).

Brian and Co. went to the fair Friday night to see Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. afterward, they hung out with her in her suite, along with, as he says, 10,000 lesbians.

on Saturday, Brian and Co. and several members of my family went. the only reason i go to the fair is for the corn dogs and to cruise, but the first corn dog i bought was one of those corn dogs with the cheese in it. it ruined my palate for corn dogs for the remainder of the evening, which left only the cruising. that's not quite as much fun when you're there with your boyfriend.

instead, the boyfriend and i played a rousing game of Spot the Mullet. i quickly ran out of fingers and toes to keep score on.

on our way into the fair, there were a couple of people standing outside protesting (i think). they were wearing signs that read, "Dancing chimps are not education!" and such. as we passed by, i read the sign aloud, then said excitedly, "Oh my god! They have dancing chimps here. We have to go see them!"

on the way out, as we waited at the corner to cross the street, there was a man handing out pamphlets and shouting about God and repenting and smiting. he kept trying to shove a pamphlet in my hand, and i kept pulling back. he said, "If you had God in your heart, you'd have a smile on your face." i said, "You're not smiling." he began shouting about smiting again.

there's more to tell, but my eyeballs hurt, and really, it just wasn't all that exciting. i'm just sad that i didn't get to indulge in tasty corn dogs.

DreamWatch magazine has an article on Jeph Loeb's departure from the Buffy animated series to become a consulting producer for Smallville. Unfortunately, DreamWatch doesn't seem to update their website very often (their big splash is for issue #84. i'm referring to an article in #96).

the important part of the article is:

Joss Whedon reports that Loeb's departure just preceded final approval on the Buffy cartoon. The series' creator explains, "The process took so long to put the package together, it just came together on Friday [14 June], and he got an offer, a big deal over at Warner Brothers, and he had to move on."

Plans for the entirety of Buffy's cast to voice their cartoon characters have fallen through. "We have almost the entire cast signed on to do the voices," says Whedon, but he confesses, "Sarah [Michelle Gellar] and David [Boreanaz] are about the only cast members that can't be in it.

Describing the show, Whedon says, "Think of it as Buffy: Year One. We're going back to high school and telling the stories that we didn't get to tell back then."

so, to summarize: Buffy-animated did get final approval; SMG won't be participating (which we already knew). DB won't be either (which was still up in the air, as far as I knew. also, because it's going back to the time of the first season, also means no Spike). oh yeah. Jeff Loeb is now over at Smallville.

a review of the Angel season opener: Everyone! Out of the Water!

a review of this week's Buffy: You Can Kind of Go Home Again

from Dark Horizons: "

Variety reports that Warner Bros. will produce a live-action English-language remake of the Japanese 1988 anime classic feature [Akira]. Director Stephen Norrington ("Blade", "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") will reteam with "League" screenwriter James Robinson to pen the script whilst Jon Peters will produce. This remake will follow the original story of a futuristic motorbike gang leader who must rescue his younger brother from his involvement in a secret government project."

Shrek: The Musical. if Disney can turn everything they've ever filmed into stage musicals, why can't Dreamworks, eh?

yes, i know i exaggerate a lot

Please, someone explain to me what is meant when a game is said to have "gone gold." Games go gold before release, so it's not like a "gold record" thing indicating sales.

We watched "Scooby Doo" last night (on VHS, because they didn't have the DVDs yet, the bastards). After the feature came the music videos (blech) and the alternate/deleted scenes.

There was an alternate title sequence that I think they should have used. It was the Scooby Gang, cartoon version, doing various things like searching around and running from baddies from the series. It ends with Daphne being captured by the ghost guy who runs to the toy factory, which slides from animated to live action, and the movie starts as it did in the theatrical release. It's no big deal, and nothing spectacular, but I liked it better than the one that was used. Not that I matter, but this is my blog, and if you don't like that I liked the alternate title sequence, then you can bite me.

tonight is Buffy night. hooray!

FX tonight is "Some Assembly Required" and "School Hard," the first Spike and Dru episode.

i've decided that Washington Irving was a terrible thing to happen to American history.

the worst thing about that stupid "Funniest Joke in the World" is that it has been forwarded to me four times today.

Firefly's ratings improved last week. hooray! prostitutes throwing down is cool.

I've been looking for a new place to live lately, and the search has become a bit more urgent now that the kitchen has been invaded by ants. I've been spending a lot of time on the search, which, I believe, caused to me to dream last night of finding that the place I wanted was all "13 Ghosts"-ey. Normally, of course, I wouldn't have anything to do with a house haunted by violently homicidal spectres, but the ghosties had kidnapped my would-be landlord's child. For some reason, I decided I'd find the kid, with the help of a bunch of people I didn't know. It all turned out to be a bloodbath, of course, and I somehow ended up in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" house. I think this means I'm stressing a little much over this house-hunt, or that I'm gonna end up in a house where a lot of people die.

Later in the night, I dreamed of vampires and dead kittens, which made me really sad. The vampires only hurt people if a person discovered that it was the vampires behind the kitten attacks. They were kind of lame, as vampires go. It took me and (of all people for my adled brain to conjure) Peter DeLuise very little time to dust the vampires, thus saving thousands of kittens.

ack! i stumbled up some Jean Grey rapes Nightcrawler 'erotic' fiction (i'm not gonna link to it. i was looking for updates of what was going on in the X-Universe. really). the author says "This story was inspired by the fact that Jean Grey is a slut, so I decided to make her act like one."

I know Jean had that little triangle thing with Scott and Wolverine, but that doesn't make her a slut, does it?

looky at this! little information more than the OMWF soundtrack insert, at least now we have a price. it's been added to my wishlist. "will be published in November 2002" is the key phrase though (and hey! <one ton anvil with the word 'Hint' engraved in the side begins to fall> it'll be published right around the time i'll be celebrating my birthday!).

though i don't know why i haven't mentioned anything about getting my copy, if you haven't picked up the OMWF soundtrack, you should. heck, Joss' liner notes make it worth the price*.

do i need to give you reasons to buy it? nah, you already know why, so if you haven't already done it, go get NOW!


* that may be a slight exaggeration. don't hold me to it, buy really, they are some of the best liner notes i've ever read.

sorry, Louisiana. I asked for it.

a thunk-provoking analysis of "Beneath You," last night's episode of Buffy. it focuses on Buffy & Spike (mainly Spike) and the last scene (with transcript of that scene).

not Buffy related (though I may give it some thought and find a way to make it Buffy related): Should the 17th Amendment be repealed?

some of the points in the first half of "Buffy's Angels" I take issue with as being oversimplified. the second half, the half that deals with Spike, is much better.

The WB says that the premiere of Birds of Prey will run an extra 10 minutes.

sometimes, when i'm home alone, i like to take all my plush animals and set them about the room, then perform scenes from stage and film while pretending they're my co-stars.

according to MovieHole (take it for what it's worth):

Val Kilmer will be playing the role of John Holmes in Wonderland (i'm anxious to see if Val can measure up).

little Eddie Furlong won the lead for The Crow : Wicked Prayer.

"Mad Max 4" has been given the go ahead.

a couple of photos from the The Music Man television movie.

hooray! more new Buffy tonight!


update: all right, anyone who was worried about quality this season can now officially go f*** themselves. JM was incredible as a loon. he and SMG were perfect in that final scene.

watched this weekend:

Brotherhood of the Wolf. death, betrayal, swords, the supernatural, kick-ass fight scenes. excellent just for these bits alone, i reeeaaallly liked this one. French with subtitles, i swear they were calling him Prozac throughout the film.

The Devil's Backbone. death, betrayal, the supernatural, and scandal. no swords, but there is a good fight scene. i liked the sets and the way the film looked visually as a whole. Spanish with subtitles, this film is a good way to brush up on your foreign language profanity skills. One recap and review (meaning it be spoilery).

also watched the most recent installment in a series of comedy films: Jason X. no sudden make-you-jump scares, no suspense. lots of gore. the characters kindly set themselves up at the beginning of the film to let you know which would die. the android kicking ass was cool, and Jason killing the holo-camper-babes cracked me up, the rest of it is fairly forgettable. mostly. the scene in which the Thawed Chick went back, jeopardizing her life, and lives of Tech Geek and Valient Space Rescuer/Deus Ex Machina Candidate for rescue the head of Tech Geek's sexbot? kind of pissed me off. at the point, i began cheering for Mr. Voorhees. expectedly disappointing, i yearn for the time when Jason wasn't so much the invulnerable, immortal killing machine, and was just the creepy, waterlogged kid who returned from his aquatic grave to avenge his mother (and himself, i suppose).

How Big of a Buffy Fan Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
swiped link from Jean, who swiped it from elsewhere

this result cracked me up though:

Joss talks about the OMWF soundtrack [contains SPOILER in last (two?) paragraph(s)];

Amazon.com says the Buffy season three DVD set will be available January 7. (yippie!)

"New Line Cinema will premiere the new trailer for its upcoming sequel film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on America Online at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 30. The trailer will then move to the official Web site. Two Towers opens Dec. 18." [source: SciFi Wire sidebar]


i don't understand this. is this supposed to be some sort of "bonus" AOL gives it's customers? "Join AOL and get exclusive looks at movie trailers a few minutes before they're available to the general public!" will people be bragging about it? "I got to see LotR:T^3 trailer five minutes before you did!"

<chime> You've got Lame!

my employer will be passing out pledge cards for the Tulsa Area United Way. reading the accompanying email, it occurs to me that every year, they say the same thing: the United Way needs your assistance more than ever!

if year after year it's always a more than ever! thing, doesn't that mean that world keep getting worse and worse? who needs a Doomsday Clock? there's the perfect Hell In a Handbasket Indicator.

for the record, i already knew the world was going to shit:

Moviehole reports that an insider at Paramount Pictures has confirmed that John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are indeed in talks to reprise their roles of Danny and Sandy for an update of "Grease". The story follows all the original film's stars who'll we'll be catching up with years later and finding out what's going on in their lives post high school. Stockard Channing is apparently going to reprise Rizzo. Randal Kleiser, the original director, is rumoured to be handling the new one.

Fun With Referrals (or, Skip This Post):

wtf? i mean, i know why it comes here. i just don't understand the search.

also listed in the results is this, which feels like (because it is like) you walked in on the middle of a conversation, but is interesting nonetheless.

hooray! i've been useful to someone!

kinky or in need of therapy?

oh look! my employer Posts Early Loss of $954 Million.

All this finance stuff tends to go over my head a little. Anyone want to read up on this then let me know if I'll still have a job come year end?

a quick five-question Q&A with James B. South, associate professor of philosophy at Marquette University: Buffy has more to teach than just killing vampires


i should do better with attribution. this link and the one immediately above are from Slayage.com, which is a great source for BtVS (and other Joss creations, plus any news about the cast and crew of the shows) related news. they're kind enough to put a (SPOILERS) notice with each link that needs it.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Theologian of the Year.

an interesting read with some good points and interpretations here, though at times it felt a little like the fict-facts were being a little manipulated to make a point or to stay within the thesis.

woot! a second full night of good solid sleep! a guy could get used to this.

i could have figured it out on my own (really, i could have. two hands, one foot) if i'd given any thought to it: ST:TNG debuted 15 years ago.

updated 2:45pm - planned on talking about Buffy here. some Buffy talk would be nice. i've been trying all day to get the time to talk about it. bah! whenever i get a little bit of freetime, something else comes up and i'm stuck sitting here keeping all my thoughts to myself. i will cross my fingers and hope for it.

a list of Firefly reviews, including an unfavorable one from someone who is now on my list of people to flog soundly 'round the shoulders and head.

this is Banned Books Week. go out and ban some books today!

Farscape: Animated Series: Looks like the show will live on in one way, in an official press release by ADV Films they confirmed 26 episodes of an animated version is in active production

anything good on tv tonight?

yeah, you know there is! Buffy is back, starting tonight! woo hoo! the long, horrible, rerun-hell summer is over!

everyone watch tonight, 'cause we're gonna have lots to talk about tomorrow.

on the subject of ratings, Firefly, Fox and such, my two posts over at Whedonesque involve a little more research. why clutter my blog when i can use someone else's and just link to it?

obligatory =) to indicate that i am not serious about that. please do not ban me from Whedonesque!

Enterprise's premiere ratings lukewarm.

i don't really buy into ratings (much as i don't buy into polls. come on! you called 750 people out 3.5 million?). the ratings game is a scam, but unfortunately one that can cause the cancellation of a beloved program. not that i worry that cancellation will happen to Enterprise. Voyager stayed on the air with lukewarm ratings (because lukewarm = very good for UPN).

however, Firefly pulled a 4.1 according to Zap2it, even lower than Enterprise (TVtracker says a 4.9, which would tie Enterprise). Fox is cancellation happy, and the 8pm Friday timeslot is like Death to any show anyway. though Firefly won its timeslot among adults 18 - 49, i fear for the crew of Serenity.

Nu Shortcuts in School R 2 Much 4 Teachers.

i say "flunk 'em."

a quick scan of Dark Horizons today is sequel miasma:

Legally Blonde 2. The Mothman Lives. Police Academy...Yet Again. Three Men and a Baby 3. Bad Boys 2. Bridget Jones' Diary 2. Hellraiser VII: Deader. Star Trek: Nemesis. The Amazing Spider-Man.

guess which ones i'm sobbing "why, god, why!" about.

Firefly debuts tonight on Fox.

so, the series debut of the new The Twilight Zone. i'm a little indifferent towards it. both of the two stories they had were too expected. i'm certain that the teasers for the show gave away most of the goods on the second story (the Death retires one), and its Final Twist didn't have the punch i think they wanted. on the sunny side, i do think there's some real potential behind it. the stories were good ideas that probably suffered from the half-hour per story format.

um, duh. i work at TV Guide. i can actually look up when those programs premiere on WGN this season:

all on October 6 (all times CDT):

Mutant X at 6pm
Andromeda at 7pm.
Adventure Inc. at 8pm.

not much in the way of interesting television or film news today. that could be a good thing though.


today, though, is a big day: it's the first of the premiere days for shows i'll watch this season (not counting 7th Heaven's premiere on Monday. i don't watch that for entertainment so much as using it as a way to build myself into a frothing mass of indignation). this seems like a good time to recap this season's important premieres:

tonight (being Wednesday, September 18 and all):

Enterprise kicks off its second season with "Shockwave pt 2" (7pm CDT on UPN). i missed many of the first season's eps, but i hope that i haven't missed too many that i'm lost.

following Enterprise is the debut of the remake of "The Twilight Zone" (8pm CDT on UPN), hosted by Forest Whitaker. originally, i thought he was an unusual choice. he doesn't exude the same kind of menace that Rod Serling did, but after seeing some of the teasers, i've decided Forest's shaven head, wonky eye and slightly pointed ears make him look a little like hellhounds in Buffy (thus, he's a creepy-looking fellow). it just may work.


on Friday, Sept 20, we have the debut of Firefly, the next thought-child of Joss Whedon to hit the boob tube (7pm CDT on Fox). i'm looking forward to seeing Joss' take on the space western comedic drama genre.

next up is (the big one) September 24th: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (7pm on UPN)! don't need to say why i'll watch. check any other day's posts and you'll see.

i'll probably also take a look at Smallville again (8pm CDT on WB). the first two episodes were shown again earlier this week, and i remembered that, Hey! i do like that show! i don't remember why i didn't watch it last season. only problem could be that it's opposite the debut season of UPN's new Buffy companion, Haunted (i want to give it a look), then in late October, against Fox's second season of 24. Tuesdays are a busy night, and a very strong argument in favor of multiple televisions, VCRs and TiVo.

the week of September 30th sees the season premieres of two syndicated shows, Andromeda and Mutant X (you have to check your local listings for these. me, i watch 'em on WGN). both are shows i watch occasionally, usually the infrequent times i actually watch television on the weekend, and both are decent. Andromeda is actually pretty good, but i'm kind of getting lost on the metaplot (because i don't watch it each week).

from the eps that i do catch, Mutant X seems to be getting its tv legs. i thought the show simplifies its theme and plots too much, reducing it to little more than flashy effects, pretty characters, and sometimes predictibility. the second season is supposed to begin with the team learning more control over their respective abilities, a maturation of sorts, so i'm hopeful the show itself will mature, dealing less with Good Guys vs. Bad Guys of the Week and more with the personal struggles these mutant go through, not only in controlling and mastering their abilities, but also conflicts they face by being mutant freaks in the first place.

the week of Sept 30 is also the week of the series premiere of the syndicated program Adventure Inc. i haven't heard much about it, other than starring the Aliens hottie Michael Biehn. that alone is reason to watch. i have a feeling this show will have the same quality as Relic Hunter, which i also enjoy, but this one has Michael Biehn. anyway, i'm kind of hoping this goes beyond Relic Hunter and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in the feel of the pulp fiction action worlds. i sort of envision it to be something like White Wolf's game Adventure! i'll probably be disappointed in that aspect, but still, it has Michael Biehn.

lastly (until late Oct./early Nov., anyway) on October 6th, Angel debuts its fourth season (WB Sundays, at 8pm). Cordelia. Lorne. some Wesley/Gunn action. what's not to love?

the only news worth passing along today is the Buffy Yearbook Special available today.

this won't mean anything to most people. if not, please ignore it and look for an informative or fascinating post. let me know if you find one of those here. i will delete it immediately.

anyway:

it finally clicked for me. i now understand how to quad-kite! did a bang up job of it for a few hours last night. snow bunnies will never be safe from me now!

another brief review of the Buffy Xbox game.

i realize that there are financial and PR benefits (are those one and the same?) to this, but i still think it's a cool thing to do.

summary: WHSL, a St Louis area station affiliated with the Home Shopping Network is set to become a UPN affiliate on April first next year. KPLR, a primary WB affiliate, had been broadcasting Buffy and other UPN shows as a secondary UPN affiliate (dual affiliation for UPN and WB is common). KPLR decided that it's schedule was too crowded with both network's shows and local professional sports broadcasts, and opted not to continue showing UPN programing this season*, leaving the area UPN-free through most of this season (there's even more history of UPN bouncing around in the St. Louis area, at the end of the linked article).

WHSL stepped up and worked out a deal with HSN (who stands to lose money) and UPN to broadcast two hours of this season's UPN programming a week, Buffy and Enterprise. the only downside to the deal (though still in the Upside column over all, i think) is that the WHSL won't be broadcasting them until Friday of each week.

* (through my corporate overlord, i have been seeing a lot of stations dropping to single affiliation lately. i've also noticed that UPN is picking up more affiliates, with WB remaining about the same).

someone on this Save Farscape board says that TV Guide is to have an article in next week's print edition about their efforts to save the show.

woo hoo!

i should not let the boyfriend talk me into drinking when i have to work the next morning.

Two-headed turtle found in Florida , and they released it into the gulf! this thing is a mutant. it could grow to gargantuan size and eat cruise liners and Cuba. have we forgotten about the Godzilla movies?

Kim Hunter, Dr. Zira in the original Planet of the Apes films as well as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, died yesterday. the link also contains a biographic and filmographic overview.

Five reasons Buffy gets snubbed by the Emmys

if anyone's interested, tomorrow's Buffy ep on FX will be "This Year's Girl," the fourth season return of Faith.

oh boy! i've just been informed that Rupert Murdoch himself "will be transmitting a letter directly" to me "to express his sentiments [about today]"

blech

uh, i didn't mean the booby photo. i meant the one up top.

an interview with Stephanie Romanov. there's also a magazine on the stands at Blockbuster that has interviews with Stephanie Romanov, David Boreanaz, and (i'm kinda-sorta-mostly certain) Sarah Michelle Gellar also. i don' t remember the name of the magazine nor had a chance to read the interviews (i was in a hurry).

and really, she looks good in the photo in the link above.

transcript of a Dallas Morning News article, 'Buffy' creator brings new meaning to prolific (yeah, yeah, another 'Joss is doing a lot!' article. i have to have something to hold me through the next 15 days).

Sci Fi Wire's blurb on the end of Farscape.

it seems that the Sci Fi Channel has decided not to pick up Farscape for a fifth season. if you don't like that, and want to do something about it that doesn't involve leaving your computer, try this Save Farscape website.

we here at TV Squid have received two hundred or so emails about it so far, many demanding or begging that we not cancel it. which we have nothing to do with, of course (except for those Big Cheeses who are members of the Stonecutters, i'd wager).

the cubical of the woman who goes through all that email is not too far from mine. she's been waving me over, "Look at this one!" and "You HAVE to see this!" truly, there are some morons out there.

if you want to save Farscape, write someone who can actually do something about it. don't email us. we're just laughing at you (and possibly putting you on a list of your email addresses to have some fun with, but i can't confirm that).

the Xbox Buffy game continues to receive good reveiws('Buffy' game is worth sinking your teeth into).

TrekWeb says the first season Star Trek: Deep Space Nine may be released as early as late February of next year. although there's been no official word on the release dates of the DS9 dvds, it's expected to be similiar to ST:TNG's All-Seven-Seasons-In-One-Year.

i know this is a (relatively) long way off and could change at any time between now and then, but according to the information we have, Toon Disney will be airing the entire Gargoyles series in large blocks from 3pm to midnight on October 28 through 30, with the final block on October 31 running from 3pm to 3am.

for anyone keeping track of such things, my Hotspam box is too overwhelming, averaging 150 piece of junk mail a day (i have good reason to keep the box. otherwise i'd abandon it like a litter of puppies). i'm changing it to the "exclusive" setting to allow only those on my contact list to get through (we'll see if that works. i upped the filter setting before and all of the junk mail started going to my inbox).

if you've been in regular contact with me, you'll be on the list. if not, all is not lost. you may still benefit from my juvenile sense of humor and incoherently incomplete thoughts wisdom by using the new address listed on the left sidebar.

you'll still be able to get regular Buffy-obsessed spewings and my Marc Blucas and Jeff Corwin lustings (egad! Marc and Jeff together! /drool) right here.

da Bossman just came over and gave me a "Buffy Lives" temporary tattoo. i'm a happy terrence. now i gotta think of the perfect time and place to wear it.

i rarely visit my own blog from home, but i did last night and noticed some... aesthetic issues in Netscape. if i was a more motivated person, i'd work on fixing it, but i'm not. sorry for the ugliness, folks.

start getting prepared now, folks. we only have three weeks until new season of Buffy! summer has flown by!

a tiny bit of Buffy comics news, accompanied by the cover art for Buffy #53, a really good rendering of Angel (head down, i think, to downplay the height of his hair and make sure it all fits on the cover).

(totally off-topic, i kept misspelling the word 'height' as 'heighth.' i knew it didn't look right, so i looked it up at dictionary.com. it seems that i keep trying to spell the word the way that i pronounce it. i've never noticed if others pronounce it differently. anyone care to dash off a quick note and let me know how they pronounce it?)

and some more grrr! from Dark Horizons:

Those wondering about the pseudo-cameo from 'Gambit' [in X2] can now find out more by checking out Stunts Canada where Banana Republic model-looking stuntman James Bamford has confirmed on his resume that he's scored the role. Thanks to 'Tyler Durden'.

some photos from the filming of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Max Ryan as Dante. grrrr!

i really want some boots like his (last pic).

Tim Burton to direct Batman: the Musical.

i'm sad. that probably means no plastic nipple-suits and no homoeroticism.


on a less homoerotic front, here's the new Romulan Warbird from Star Trek: Nemesis.

Buffy Casualties: Dead and Loving It! (may contain a casting spoiler).

this would be a better article if they'd gone through and listed every regular and guest star that had died over the course of the series. i'd like to know what Robia La Morte is up to.

commentary on "Real Me," "Fool For Love," "I Was Made to Love You," and "The Body."

see what's on the Region 2 Buffy season 5 DVDs that is being released in October and wish the British still ruled the world.

the company that owns my apartment building has decided to build a ramp from the handicapped-accessible parking to the building. it has taken a crew of six men four days to build the concrete ramp. during that time, they've had three equipment trucks, a trailor and a big monstrosity-machine taking up eight parking spaces, in addition to the four handicapped-accessible spaces and the two regular spaces bookending them that they've closed off.

speaking as someone whose father and grandfather were/are masons, carpenters, and worked extensively with concrete, and as someone who spent way too many summers in junior high and high school working on their crews, the ramp should have buildable by a one- or two-man crew, and it should have taken no more than two days to build it.

all this so i can bitch about having to park across the street last night because there were no parking spaces at my apartment.

samples from the "Once More, With Feeling" soundtrack, including the bonus tracks.

didn't think before clicking on the track from "The Gift." duh. it's the Buffy-death track. had to close the window quickly before i started sobbing.

i went into this thread knowing there'd be quotes and one-liners, but really, the first post takes it. no need to read beyond it.

Eliza Dushku is scheduled to appear on CBS' The Late Show With David Letterman tomorrow (Aug 27) night.

review of the Buffy Xbox game.

the boyfriend doesn't believe the Xbox will be around long, so he's resisting my demand to buy one. he says there aren't enough games available for it. i counter with 'But the Buffy game is the only one i'm gonna get anyway.' somehow, it's not convincing him.

The Parents Television Council rated UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer the worst show in prime time for graphic violence and sex and an element of the occult.

all reasons i watch the show.

“It appears that the networks are finally starting to listen to the collective voice of parents who want to sit down with their children and enjoy high quality, family-friendly programming in prime-time.”

to this i say, seek out the shows you wanna watch with your rugrats and stop expecting networks to show only what you want to see. hell, turn on PAX or Fox Family. they have networks for people like you.

and stop referring to any part of Prime Time as "Family Hour." if you're really so concerned about spending a quality hour with your children, i don't think that staring at the television is the way to go.

“The PTC’s Best/Worst rankings clearly show that the networks have a long way to go before parents can be assured that their children will not be bombarded with filth during prime-time”

kill your tv. or turn it off. or parent your children and keep an eye on their viewing habits.

by the way, 7th Heaven should not be considered good family programming. everytime i see more than five minutes of it, i fly into a near-murderous, ranting-at-the-television rage. if you don't want your children doing the same, demand that the show be cancelled before we end up with children gunning down their families.

Rounder Records has posted the track list for the OWWF soundtrack.

for those of us into such things (and i am), here's the press release for the Buffy roleplaying game. it'll include a guide to Buffyspeak! as any good non-rules-lawyering-bastard geek gamer will do, i'll end up adapting the rules to bring the Buffyverse together with the World of Darkness's Vampire: the Masquerade. i wanna see Buffy taking out [warning: Gamespeak ahead] some Methuselahs and eventually go up against an Antedeluvian.

woo hoo! Governor Frank has added the Cockfighting Ban question to the November ballot. we finally get to vote to make this barbaric act illegal!

i shouldn't get too excited though. the electorate of Oklahoma has consistently disappointed me in elections.

i do, however, finally have a reason to give Frank a thumbs up. go go, Frank!

hrmph

"You have found the RYO Corporate Home Page. Welcome. Please view the next three pages as well as they are irrevocably linked. You would be a wise person indeed to follow this suggestion. "

"The RYO Lodge was a 2200 acre facility offering guided hunting and fishing, as well as a world class enema spa and pizzeria. Norm's Famous All You Can Eat No Crap Chitlin Pizza was a traditional favorite among the guests"

Hamfest.

Understand every word with English translations projected above the stage!

i've never been, so i'm wondering, is that something commonly done at the Opera?

The One Ring staffer Arathorn got confirmation direct from Tim Minear himself, who told us exclusively that Sean Astin is a lock in this season's schedule to direct an episode of Angel.

also, from Wolfram and Hart to Enron: Christian Kane can't stay away from monolithic, demon-controlled companies to another (probably explaining the reason he works in Hollywood).

Buffy stuff:

press release on the "Once More, With Feeling" soundtrack.

Misrepresentations, Misunderstandings, Slurs and Allegations. a rebuttal to three editorials accusing Joss and ME of being bad people for killing Tara (yeah, the whining is still going on).

from the season seven premiere (supposedly), two photos. i just really like the way first one looks (the 'vibe' of the interaction between the characters, who i won't name to prevent anyone from crying "You didn't warn me about spoilers!") (i'm a little gun shy about that now, aren't i?).

copied from Dark Horizons : In truly disturbing news, Fangoria has filed a detailed story about how it appears Kane Hodder may in fact be out of this movie as Jason Voorhees is "re-invented" and possibly taken over by "Halloween: Resurrection's" Brad Loree, the actor who played the Shape (fueling rumors that they needed to fill a "Canadian" top-liner cast quota). Apparently, the characters are being re-designed by Bill Terezakis of WTC Productions who did the effects work for "Final Destination 2" and "Willard," two other recent New Line projects. Jason Voorhees is being re-invented to a point where they're looking for an actor "who can emote pain and anguish over the loss of a loved one."

that *is* what i look for in preternatural serial killers.


another tidbit from Dark Horizons:

The Hollywood Reporter indicates USA Network plans to remake the 70's series "The Bionic Woman."

is that a good or a bad thing?

if you're not watching Rocko's Modern Life, you should be. last night, Nick showed the ep with "Zanzibar" (the musical Recycling episode) and "Fatal Contraption" (a dialogue-less tale of a Wallaby and his new appliance) both right up there in quality with Animaniacs musicals ["Dot's Entertainment," (with the song "Cats of Phantom Boulevard") and "Les Miseranimals" (the whole fucking thing was great)].

murder is wrong, no doubt about it, but why isn't it acceptable to send hordes of ninjas after people?

New York Times link. registration required: News Corp. Posts a Loss, Mostly in Gemstar Mess. no wondering the company is laying off everyone and screwing us on our raises.

He-Man.org has posted the -one- -two- -three- commercials that Cartoon Network is running for the new He-Man animated movie/new series pilot. the movie will be broadcast tomorrow at 3pm CDT, then rebroadcast Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 9am (both CDT).

[via Dark Horizons]

Babylon 5 DVDs tentatively scheduled to released April '03 (season 2) and Noveber '03 (season 3).

new guy at work = dreamy, furry-chested, goofy lopsided smile = new workplace crush

from Dark Horizons: According to Fangoria, this long-delayed Nicholas Brendon/Jamie Pressly-starring horror film about a demonic pinata (which originally was entitled "Pinata: Survival Island") will be released regionally in theaters starting August 30th.

demonic piñata. why didn't i think of that? damn, i hope this movie plays somewhere around here.

so, what do you think about (movie) Storm's new hairdo?

you can personalize and send Jeff Corwin e-cards! i'm sending them all to myself (especially the strangely appealing 'Lying on the ground with a big snake wrapped around him' one).

"Got adventure on your mind? Click here to win an appearance on Animal Planet with Jeff Corwin and drive home in a new 2002 Suzuki Aerio SX!" it's the Win a Date with Jeff contest! you can enter daily (and i will), and as an added bonus you can also win a year of free cable from your local provider. free cable and an evening (or ten minutes and a handshake) on the <enter biome of choice> with Jeff? this is what being an American is about!

anyone have some extra cash laying around that they'd like to send me? there's a house i reeeeally want, but it's about $1900/month more than i could possibly afford.

"Whedon also said the long-awaited soundtrack for "Once More With Feeling," last fall's all-musical episode, will be out by Sept. 24, the day "Buffy" begins its seventh season on UPN. "

hooray! finally, i've seen a second source saying OMWF soundtrack is coming soon! from this article, which has many spoilers, mostly casting but some plot, mostly for Buffy and some for Angel.

i've been avoiding Buffydom this summer (except when my sister or nephew come over and want to watch it, but that's been all season two). it's a way to pass through the way-too-long rerun season without scouring the internet for spoilers, but i kind of slipped last week and watched Doppelgangland on FX. now i'm all excited again. forty-four days left!

failing to conquer earth militarily, the Collective has decided to take a more democratic approach.

Buffy Xbox game street date bumped back up to August 19. i want i want i want i want

not that i meant anything at all disparaging to the people who call New Orleans home. i'm sure you're not all pirates, drunks and/or whores.

New Orleans!
Home of pirates, drunks and whores
New Orleans!
Tacky, overpriced souvenir stores
If you want to go to hell, you should take a trip
To the Sodom and Gomorrah of the Mississip'
New Orleans!
Stinking, rotten, vomiting, vile
New Orleans!
Putrid, brackish, maggotty, foul
New Orleans!
Crummy, lousy, rancid and rank
New Orleans!

because i can't get the season two DVDs yet, i'm listening to my 'Songs In the Key of Springfield,' which reminded me that my sister is planning a return trip to New Orleans sometime soon. she says she loves the city for what amounts to its historicity, but with the attributes listed above, who wouldn't love it?

Court upholds man's use of eagle feathers for religious practices.

an interesting part of the article: Government attorneys have said the demand for eagle feathers exceeds the government's supply in a repository in the Denver area.

a Fort Knox for eagle feathers!

dreamed last night of frogs in my apartment. it started with just a few, but more kept appearing. somehow, i knew that, once all the frogs had appeared and taken predetermined locations, something momentous would happen.

it didn't happen though. instead, i woke up. i went out to find the boyfriend, who was still up watching a movie. though awake, i could still see the frogs but the boyfriend didn't know what i was talking about when i asked him where they'd all come from.

i'm hypothesizing that the frogs were somehow magical in nature and usually invisible, but that i, due to some previously unknown invisible-magical-frog birthright, was able to see them.

i'd like anyone to try to disprove this.

should i be worried that there were only 49 messages in my Hotmail spambox this morning when there are usually 150 or more every other morning?

Seth Green has recorded a commentary track (with Joss and Marti) for the Buffy season four DVD set.

also, Amber Benson, with a little on Tara's death, a little about her film Chance, and a passing mention of work on The Enforcers (also with Andy Hallett and James Marsters).

Ricardo Montalban speaks on his role as Khan for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

as Max has pointed out, The Simpsons - The Complete Second Season will be out tomorrow. i received a Friendly Reminder Call from the DVD store yesterday (while i was standing in their store, coincidentally). it'd have been better if they'd called me last week. i'd forgotten that it was coming out, so i spent every extra dollar i had on various gifts for the boyfriend. i'll have to wait a week or so before i get to pick up my copy.

humorous porn title of the day: Panty Hoes: Nylon Nymphos

watched The New Guy last night.

movie: silly, but not silly enough to watch again.

best part: she's great at playing the 'tough grrl,' and Eliza Dushku is getting better at playing the soft side of her roles.

the boyfriend brought home the Fellowship of the Rings dvd last week, but didn't tell me until Saturday. i didn't get to watch it.

his birthday was yesterday, and the entire weekend was taken up with various birthday events planned by family and some birthday shenanigans by his friends. all that, together with copious quantities of alchohol, left me nearly exhausted. i turned in a little early last night and actually slept the entire night through, something i rarely do.

hold up a sec.

overall, this is, of course, a good thing. it's a little preposterous to think that a kid creating a painting of himself killing the police officer who cited him would be a threat.

"Without question, it was intemperate and demonstrated extremely poor judgment," presiding Justice Arthur Scotland wrote in his opinion. what's wrong with teens today, being all intemperate and demonstrating extremely poor judgement? when i was a teen (and the same applies to my parents' and grandparents' generations. heck, i'm pretty sure it goes all the way back into antiquity) we never excercised poor judgement.

anyway, i don't care about Justices stating the obvious, but i do think this part is interesting

"The appeals court dismissed a finding by Butte County Superior Court Judge Ann Rutherford that the teenager had made a terrorist threat against MacPhail "

what, in the mind of Judge Rutherford, distinguished the painting as a terrorist threat and not just a plain, everyday kind of threat (well, i guess "terrorist threats" are kind of everyday things now)?

glad to see that our law enforcement officials are keeping these horrible, dangerous criminals off the street.

yet another article on the evils of Tara's death (and i don't mean 'evils' as in murder. it's 'evils' as in Joss-has-fallen-into-the-evil-and-death-lesbian-cliche). nothing in the article is original, and, in fact, seems to be nothing more than a rewrite of any of the previous articles, only this one came two months after all the others. the author seems to think that he's the only one who's said any of this ("plot turns as fitting into what I will label the "dead/evil lesbian cliché." yeah, because no one else has thought to label it that), and also, he irritates the hell out of me with the "it doesn't take a PhD" line, because, ya know, he's Rodger Streitmatter, Ph.D. and this whole cliche concept is so simple that even we who aren't as educated should recognize it.

while i'm linking to TV Guide Magazine, i'll also link to their truncated online version of the print article 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time. i thumbed through an archive copy of the magazine (i won't get my copy until today. i think we just get the left overs) and the small part of me that's not a half-wit is wondering what criteria they used to select these particular toons. Arthur? Bobby Hill?? Josie and the friggin' Pussycats??? but no Darkwing Duck? neither of the Warner brothers or their sister? bah!

and please, Beavis and Butt-head? feh.

i've been so disconnected from television during the last month or two that i didn't even know The Rerun Show existed. i'll have to take a look tonight.