from Appellateblog, An interesting ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit:

Sharply divided en banc Tenth Circuit, by vote of 6-4, rules that a Kansas appellate court could hold defendants guilty of crime for which they were not charged, tried, or convicted.

In these consolidated appeals, one habeas corpus petitioner had been convicted of indecent liberties with a child, while the other habeas petitioner had been convicted of rape. Under Kansas law, because the victims of both crimes were close relations of the offenders, the proper criminal charge that should have been brought against both offenders was the charge of aggravated incest. On appeal in the Kansas state court system, appellate courts corrected the error themselves, changing the defendants' convictions in both instances to convictions for aggravated incest.

The majority opinion began by noting that "Petitioners-appellants Steven D. Beem and Donald H. Henson, Jr. sought habeas corpus relief in federal district court, 28 U.S.C. sec. 2254, arguing that the Kansas state courts violated their federal constitutional rights by sentencing them for aggravated incest -- a crime for which they had never been charged, tried, or convicted." By a vote of 6-4, the en banc court affirmed the federal district court's denials of these petitioners' habeas petitions.

Now, most of my legal training came from watching Perry Mason and The Practice, so reading the actual ruling is something of a headache for me to try to comprehend. I rely on the Appellateblog summarization, but, by what's provided, I agree with the lead dissenting opinion on this:

In the present case, the majority has ignored the Supreme Court's mandate in Cole. Mr. Henson was charged, tried, and convicted of rape, and Mr. Beem was charged, tried, and convicted of indecent liberties with a minor. As the Kansas Court of Appeals in these cases held (based on Carmichael), under Kansas law, both should have been charged, tried, and convicted of aggravated incest. Vacating Mr. Henson's and Mr. Beem's sentences and then sentencing them instead for aggravated incest (because their conduct also violates that statute) clearly violates Petitioners' due process rights because they were never charged, tried, nor convicted of aggravated incest. As this court previously stated, "[w]hat . . . is before us now is the fundamental due process question of whether one can be sentenced for a crime not charged and to which no plea of guilty has been entered. The answer is an unequivocal no." Von Atkinson v. Smith, 575 F.2d 819, 821 (10th Cir. 1978) (applying Cole)

I haven't been able to find anything else on this (mainly, I think, because they aren't conveniently named things like Godzilla v. Mothra. Or they may be and I missed it). I'm waiting to see if anyone picks this up and breaks it down for the Judiacially Challenged such as myself.

I'm crossing my fingers…

My Buffy season 3 DVD set should be in today.


That will be the only time I order something important from the video store. I ordered and paid for it 7 weeks ago, and I've been waiting not-so-patiently for it to arrive. You know what really sucks about that? Other video stores have had it for some time while I've had to wait.

David Greenwalt talks about the Angel season 1 DVD set and DVD sets in general. sorta. (via WHEDONesque)


Same website: Wherehouse Music Seeks Chapter 11 Protection. Setting aside the share of blame they give to illegal music downloading, the other major factor they attribute is... competition. "If it weren't for those damned competitors, we'd be doing great!" Fa la la

holy shiznit, i think i actually fixed the permalink problem on my own!

from the TVtracker daily ratings analysis:

"On Fox, the Friday news remains grim with recently relocated drama Fastlane (#4: 3.8/ 6) and the once relatively promising John Doe (#5: 3.4/ 5)."


Friday nights will kill these shows (not that either deserves to live. To put it in perspective, Firefly started around 4.1 and slid to just under 3.0).

And FOX still fucking sucks.


And Jayne is still yummy.

I cannot express how glad I am that today is Friday. Yay just doesn't cut it.

Coming to Lifetime Movie Network: "On the Edge of Innocence"

A rebellious 17-year-old manic depressive is committed to a mental hospital after she starts skipping her medication. When she becomes romantically involved with a fellow patient, her psychiatrist tries to break up the relationship, forcing the troubled teens to flee for the Mexican border, encountering trouble along the way.

Forced to flee to the border!

I love this network. I've never actually watched it, but I'm reading through a movie synopsis for March and it's hilarious. All of these women in all of these unfortunate, often bizarre circumstances. It's not all murder. Sometimes, it's women facing suspicions when long-thought-dead relatives turn up to claim inheritences, or "emotional and financial distress when a business tycoon decides to buy their property, which would sever their longtime roots in a Nova Scotia fishing community."

A quick rundown of today:

1. At around 3am, power went off at my apartment again. Repeat of Sunday (grrr), only this time, it wasn't restored until 8:40am. My alarm clock has no batteries,so I awoke when the heater and my fans kicked on. I was two hours, thirty minutes late for work. /cheer Temperature in apartment when I awoke: 40 degrees. No hot water. Makes for a grouchy Terrence.

2. Workload maintained at level of the previous 5 weeks, i.e., twice as much as normal due to #3.

3. Long ass, boring meeting this afternoon with 75 other people. Very boring and quite long ass. Topic: How to find another job. Our jobs are going away over the next several months to Pennsylvania. They originally told us that in a November meeting, but today's meeting was to let us know that the time table has been moved up. Some groups will be leaving months earlier than originally planned. My group was scheduled to go sometime around July 1. Now, we'll be leaving… around July 1. We'll find out definite date ranges next week. Also, we're not being Laid Off. We're being "Transitioned" (thank god, 'cause I'd cry if this was a lay off). And they did spend the bulk of the two hour meeting going over tips for a better resume and cover letter, and even roleplayed an example of an interview.

archiving link here: Killer Super London Fog of Black Death (via archived Max)

Mr. Pointy, a Buffy script/transcript dialogue search. My first search, for "Computers don't smell," came up empty. Misspelled words in the transcripts can cause some problems. Via WHEDONesque:

Oh hey, I forgot about that permalinks-not-working thing. I'll get right on that <snicker>

Jason and I were talking the other night about various console games, and we decided suddenly to buy a Gamecube. And six games. I haven't made my way through them yet. I've only tried a little of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, but I spent a lot of time on Hunter: the Reckoning, one of the two games for which I wanted an Xbox (the other being, of course, Buffy).

"Hunter" is based on the White Wolf pen-and-paper role playing game of the same name. I enjoy a good hack'n'slash video game, and Hunter certainly doesn't fail there. Hordes of zombies, gargoyles, and other unidentifiable undead come relentlessly. It's grand fun for up to four players.
It's a bit different from the normal hack'n'slash in that you can choose one of four "Creeds" (no, not that one), or character archetypes, that has a distinct role, with appropriate "Edges" ('supernatural' abilities, though if you're familar with the RPG you'll now why "supernatural" isn't right) to fulfill that role. Edges aren't your only weapon/defense though. Each character starts with a melee weapon (sword, axe, knives) and a ranged weapon (mostly firearms, but one has a crossbow), and there's also a variety of weapons you can pick up along the way, from shotguns to chainsaws.

The first night we played, we were up well past sunrise. It's a kick ass game, everything I'd hoped it'd be, and well worth the cash if you like that sort of game. It stays mostly true to the game on which it's based, and has a decent storyline to follow. It can be tough too. Jason and I together only made it through a few chapters (the toughest part we played so far was the part where you have to keep the little girl alive as you escort her through the cemetary to a church where her parents wait. The girl is stupid and slow. She runs for the nearest player instead of the one safest, that is, the one who's not actively engaged in serious smackdown with some walking dead. I wanted to let her die, but you can't continue without protecting her, and since I was playing the Creed: Defender, it was kind of my job to hold her hand throughout). If we restart, without the learning curve, we'd do much better and get to see much more of it. If we could get a couple of other people to play with us to fill out the party, I've no doubt that we'd own those zombie hordes.


Now that Hunter is out of the way, I wanted to add that Jason (who works evenings) has me doing the same thing for him. I'm turning on the stupid lighthouse at 6pm.

Scratch another off the wishlist: The Young Ones - Every Stoopid Episode.

Tonight's Buffy is a new episode, "Potential."

I missed it before, but now that I know about it, I'm sharing: Jean has started a TV Guide Spoiler Topic over on her forums. You can check on the TV Guide summaries for future episodes of Buffy and Angel, and talk about 'em there.

Because Hotmail is crap, I've updated my email address. If you've been using the stinky fish address, just change the domain name (see sidebar) and I'll get it.

I was able to get to my Hotmail yesterday, and I've forwarded everything to the new addy. I'm still going through and replying to everyone. Give me a wee bit o' time.

Woot! I knew I wasn't wrong about using a comma before an and. Now I can stop editing them out when I review the papers, reports, and blog entries I write, and I can feel good about it not doing it.

Hey folks, don't forget the new episode of Angel tonight.

Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons gives some "links, rankings and quotes from my reviews for the creme de la crap that blinded us in 2002."

I haven't seen some of the films he lists (The Master of Disguise and Texas Rangers) and one I hadn't even heard of (Abandon). Of the ones I have seen, for the most part, I agree with him (though I did like Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. C'mon! It's a shoot 'em up with lots of explosions. Who needs a story?). His list of "Other Notable Fizzers" contains one that amused me (Big Fat Lier) and one that really cracked me up (The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, but probably not for the reasons that the producers, studio or Steve and Terri Irwin hoped for).

Mmmm! More Seann Scott!

Four consecutive days that I can't get into my Hotmail. I thought I'd found the problem on my end and fixed it because I was able to get in. Once.

Please don't hate me because I'm not replying to you.

The title bar of this Metafilter discussion made me very happy.

In the mail this weekend, I received an envelope from Max with a tape of the two hour pilot/finale ("Serenity") of Firefly that I had missed last month (thank you sooooooo much!).

I'm completely baffled by FOX's decision not to show it as the pilot. On it's own, it's a strong episode, well written, well acted, with action, humor and drama. More importantly, it was a great pilot. Everything was set up, the back story explained so much better than the blurb just before the theme song each week, and we're introduced to the characters and see the dynamics between them as they form instead of being thrown in the middle, wondering why He behaves that way toward Her and Him, and why She said what she said. It's a credit to the writers, cast and crew that Firefly as shown was addictive, but how many more viewers would it have had had this pilot been aired as intended?

I knew that Friday night would be death to the show, and I've considered often what night it should have been scheduled. After seeing "Serenity," I'm convinced it should have been a part of the Sunday night line-up, FOX's strongest night.

So, with it is with solid conviction that again I say, FOX fucking sucks.

Images from JoBlo.com with the ever tasty Seann Scott.

In other movie news: Considering it's not due out until June, I'm starting to get way too excited about the Hulk movie.

UPN makes a huge mistake. C'mon, WB!

Eric Balfour (Jesse, in Buffy's "Welcome to the Hellmouth") will be in the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake. Here's a photo of the cast in one scene (main link here). Don't you just feel so much pity for beautiful people? No matter where they go, when they get into a group of 4 or more, serial killings always break out. It's sad really.

There's also a shot of Jessica Biel. It looks like it's from "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," but it's actually a candid photo of her reaction when her agent told her "We just found out that you're contractually obligated to continue appearing on Seventh Heaven."

I was hoping that the end of the holiday season would mean a leveling-off of work, but it seems that the (Sorta) Big Wigs at TV Guild have made some decisions that greatly increase my workload. More details on that another time (ooh! suspense!).

I wanted to spend the day analyzing last night's Buffy, but my workload wouldn't permit it, and won't for long time, I think. Coupled with some projects I have going on elsewhere, I probably won't be getting much Buffy-talk done in the near future.

Hotmail is flubbed up for me again. I get "You are not authorized" messages or "Page Not Found." I started having these problems when the company decided to upgrade my browser, so either TV Gruel or Microsoft is responsible [sound hypothesis, if I ignore the fact that it's also happening to me at home]. Seriously, I'm not ignoring anyone.

Lastly, my Buffy s3 DVDs didn't come in. I've decided to blame FOX for this, only because I haven't said in a couple of days that FOX fucking sucks (If you say "Fucking Sucks" fast enough, it sounds like FOX, you know, and for good reason).

Bonnie Hammer, president of The SciFi Channel, talks with TV Guide's Insider about the cancellation of Farscape.

I hate that Farscape has been cancelled, but to be honest, she's right about the series becoming too serialized. I'd watched more than a few episodes, and missed even more. It could be very difficult for me to follow what was going on. Still, I wish they'd give it a proper send off and wrap up. One day, I'll buy the DVD sets and will prefer that the last episode feels like an ending.

jeez, this thing made me laugh! i want that poster-sized on my wall.

Tales of the Slayer, Vol. II is now available. I still don't have the first one, book or comic book.

My little Amazon Gold Box thing includes an offer for a Norpro Stainless Steel 8-Inch Mesh Strainer. Normally $23.99, if I act within the next 60 minutes, I can get it for $12.95. I'm thinking about, though I know it'll probably end up on a shelf in the back of the cupboard, forever unused.

"Undoubtedly, the most important thing about Halloween 4 is its ending, which is probably the most creative and suprising ending ever filmed for the fourth film in a series." [source]

High praise? The next installment of the Michael Myers saga is supposed to be written by the same guy who wrote the fourth.

Edit 1/07/03: [/sigh this one has been shot down. Actress Bianca Kajlich said on her message board that it was false.]

Narfe!

Here's what we have listed in the TV Goad database regarding Buffy for January:

• Jan. 7 (tomorrow!) - "Showtime" (new ep)
• Jan. 14 - No Buffy. Some blooper clip show that'd be better suited to another night. any other night.
• Jan. 21 - "Potential" (new ep)
• Jan. 28 - "Help" (rerun) This is the Cassie episode, of which I think Sarah Kuhn missed the point.

For Angel:

• Jan 15 - "Habeas Corpus" (new ep) New night.
• Jan. 22 - "Long Day's Journey" (new ep)

Beyond that, we haven't any episode titles listed, though both shows are scheduled to air through the end of February (that could change, of course, should the need for another blooper clip show develop).

There's a link at WHEDONesque to some spoilery pics from "Potential," the new Buffy ep that will air on January 21. The site is in German, so I thought I'd take a look. I can't read the text, and how spoilery could photos be (yeah, I know they can be really spoilery. I was making excuses)?

OMG! Yeah, it's spoilery, and I was twirling in my chair, much to the amusement of my co-workers. It made me happy, DON'T LOOK! Trust me, you'll be much happier if you're suprised during that episode.

Buffy season 3 DVD set will be out tomorrow. I ordered it from the video store at which I work part-time, but it still hasn't come in. I'm worried.

Just as I did when the seasons 1 and 2 sets came out, I'll be giving my third season VHS taped-from-FX tapes to my sister. The difference this time is that I have some of the little snappy-cases from the video store, and I'm going to make some nifty little cover inserts for them. My sister won't care about that. She and my nephew just want the tapes. So, if anyone with any power over my Buffy order is reading this, please consider that, if my order doesn't come in tomorrow, it'll make my little six-years-old nephew sad. Won't you think of his happiness and insure that I'll get my Buffy s3 DVDs on time?

Nope, this color thing won't work. It is already irritating me and making my eyeballs hurt.


Hotmail had been seriously screwed up for me lately. Most of the time it won't let me in. When it does, my mail often isn't be there. I'll have to figure something out.

Kitties are gone, cute as they were. I want some suspense every time I load my blog. What color will it be now???

This probably won't last long. There are things about it I don't like. The happy colors, for one. And man oh man is that A LOT of color. Ick.

(still too lazy to work on something original. I'll just keep borrowing the work of others)

Gah, I fucking hate FOX. I read articles like this one about Firefly and I get all choked up again that it's been cancelled. [Long, full-of-profanity, anti-FOX rant omitted]

link via WHEDONesque.

Only because I should have his photo somewhere on my blog:


Which Firefly Guy is For You?
brought to you by Quizilla

So after a weekend of illness and one whole day of wellness, I was sick again on Tuesday and Wednesday. I got to spend New Year's Eve lying on the couch wrapped in a blanket (in between mad dashes to the bathroom to yak up what wasn't in my stomach), and feebly asking Jason to bring me water.

Again, I watched movies to treat my ailment (screw medication!). Prescribed DVDs for both bouts of infection:

The Importance of Being Earnest.
Signs (Shyamalan's little monster short is hilarious!).
Blue Crush (which may have been the real reason I was periodically running to the bathroom to retch).
The Good Girl.

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.

««««««« »»»»»»»

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

««««««« »»»»»»»

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.

««««««« »»»»»»»

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.

««««««« »»»»»»»

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.

««««««« »»»»»»»

[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.