after a month long hiatus, Joss Whedon's Fray #4 comes out this week. yay!

Buffy's all i can talk about apparently. i just talked another co-worker into leaving early tonight and watching Buffy. yay!

or, by Blogger time, five hours, twenty-seven minutes.

five hours, thirty minutes.

Zap2it has some Buffy related clips. some are interviews with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters or Joss Whedon, other's are clips from tonight's season premiere (if you don't want to be spoiled, don't watch them. you can always come back after the show airs, right?). [via Dark Horizons]

tonight's the night. nine hours to go for all-new Buffy!

tonight on syndiBuffy: The Pack. Angel will be on at 8pm CDT on WB.

tomorrow: season 6 premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at 7pm. that's only a little more than 25 hours away right now. yay!

congrats, Jean!

i'm corndogiliciously happy about the fair, and i was trying to be positive about the last three days of having houseguests from out of town, but i have to bitch about one of them: one of the two females was so friggin' full of bullshit that i'm still angry. she and i were having a discussion about various military-type things (since i am an expert on such matters) and she said something about Vietnam. i disagreed with her, and she starts shouting "I know what I'm talking about! I was in the army and I have top level clearance!" this is where i had to drop out of the conversation.

this just-turned-20 year old girl expected me to believe that she had top level clearance in the army? she expected me to believe that she was even *in* the army? she expected me to believe that, even though she'd said earlier that she was just a reservist? she expected me to believe that, even if she actually had top level clearance, that she'd just blurt out sensitive information solely to support her contention that the US should slaughter all one billion Muslims?

livid doesn't begin to describe how i felt at that moment. but enough of that. it's not like that was the only thing she did that pissed me off.

her second night in my apartment, she demanded that i give up my bed to her. apparently, extending the courtesy of shelter wasn't enough, and (for some reason) she thought i'd actually give up my bed to her when a) VSG was also staying the weekend with me and b) my best mate Brian and his boyfriend Tim, with whom she was tagging along from St Louis, were there also. they'd have had first dibs anyway (if i'd been willing to give up my bed, which i wasn't. i always sleep on the futon at their house). then: at 3am, she called a guy that she'd met at the fair only 6 hours before and gave him an invitation and directions to my apartment while i was asleep. if there is any offense for which i'd be willing to go all Freddy Kruger on someone's ass, giving a stranger entry to my home with neither my knowledge or permission is it. i wouldn't let most of the people i know into my apartment. why would i have allowed her to bring some rough-trade looking, trash talking, effin' stranger into my apartment? that goes beyond rude. that goes into the "Given the Opportunity, I Will Destroy You" catagory.

ok. i'm done.

the new Angel season 3 cast photo is out, this time including Fred.

Realplayer interviews with Joss about the Giles series and the musical episode (old clips, i think. bloody BBC didn't bother with putting a date on the clips). still interesting if you haven't seen them.

i like this idea: Who Would You Kill on [insert television show]?

it's corndog time! last weekend was opening weekend for the Tulsa State Fair. though it's basically the same thing every year, i go year after year for the corndogs. i never ride any rides (most suck anyway) or buy any of the trinkets (most suck anyway). it's only for the corndogs. entertainment options include LFO, who was there yesterday (bloody hell, i missed 'em) and the local band Shamrock (i've seen them play before. pretty good). have i mentioned the corndogs? they're well worth the price.

i'm taking half a day off, so i won't have the time to write that Enterprise review that i wanted. instead, here's a short one: less V'ulvan B'abe nipples, more hunky guys in spandex. more "oh! how cute! they don't even have tractor beams yet!" less sanctimonious Vulcans ("You must learn to objectify other cultures!" vs. "You haven't embraced our logic and become like us! You are not ready!" pointy-eared bitch). boo theme song. yay title sequence. yay Captain Beckett [did anyone giggle hysterically when the Capt was beamed off the Suliban ship and reappeared on the Enterprise and looked around a bit confusedly, just like he'd just Leaped (Lept?)?]! should i complain that Broken Bow, Oklahoma doesn't really look all that flat?

other things: syndiBuffy! "Teacher's Pet." i'd like to see more of the ClawVamp, but that's off topic. not a bad episode. starting to see more of the Giles-to-come, though he is still a bit too stodgy. the one thing about Buffy that irritates me about early Buffy is that she hasn't quite completely dropped the Valley Girl thing, and Valley Girls are worthy of nothing but loathing. thankfully, SMG really gets comfortable with the character quickly, so the VG thing fades away soon enough. Xander and Willow have the buddy chemistry going, and Bitchgod Cordelia was beautiful to behold in her all too brief glory. did anyone else think that Buglady resembled Jenny Calendar a bit?

oh sad week. one of the best story and character driven games, Wraith: the Oblivion, is dead. White Wolf has decided not to print any more.

the coffee tastes funny. someone's been brewing hazelnut-raspberry or something, and now every pot of regular nasty-tasting coffee has that terrible flavor in it. it seems that no amount of creamer of sugar substitute will cover it. yuck.

too much work to do today. didn't get to review Enterprise (i know you've been holding your breath for it). i'll try to get it written tomorrow. in the meantime, if you're really interested in seeing what others thought, there are a bajillion forums talking about it right now, though i'll bet most of the conversation is about V'ulcan B'abes nipples.

got to get home. tonight is the first of the syndiBuffies i haven't seen before. yay!

from the BBC's Dr. Who news: "The Master" has been named as the international criminal behind the theft of an Enigma machine from Bletchley Park.
[via feeling listless]

here's a review for "Heartthrob" (Monday night's Angel ep).

aww yeah!

"The Encore cable network has commissioned a feature-length documentary chronicling the history of kung-fu movies, from the silent films produced in Shanghai in the 1920s to the recent Matrix and Mission: Impossible II, Variety reported." [from SciFi Wire]

now they only need a documentary on the history of swords in film and i could die a happy man.

trying to decide on the perfect gift to give on the Anniversary of the Crowning of Queen Elizabeth I? here's a suggestion:

on 1/15 (finally!) Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans will be rewarded for their patience. After much delays, Fox unleashes Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Complete First Season. Presented in full frame with English and French 2.0 surround tracks, extras include a full length audio commentary on "Welcome to Hellmouth" by Joss Whedon, three "Joss Whedon Talks" interviews on six episodes ("Welcome To Hellmouth," "The Harvest," "Witch," "Never Kill A Boy On the First Date," "Angel" and "Puppet Show"), an additional interview with Whedon and actor David Boreanaz, a Buffy trailer, the original pilot script, a photo gallery, biographies and DVD-ROM weblinks. Retail is $39.95 for the three-disc set. [source: DVD File]

let's hope this one sticks (buy it for me, and i'll love you forever).

movie channels are showing Silence of the Lambs back-to-back with Hannibal, and i'm asking the important questions: who'd win in a fight, Jodie Foster-as-Clarice Starling or Julianne Moore-as-Clarice Starling?

answer: Jodie would soooo kick Julianne's ass. anyone disagree?

it's been 4 months since the season 5 finale of Buffy. i've been patiently waiting for the beginning of season six, and i've had no trouble with it. i'm not the type who asks to open one on Christmas eve. i don't even have the urge to know early. but now that we're within 6 days of the season 6 premiere of Buffy, i can't stand it. whenever i see an advertisement for it, i get all glassy eyed and googly and i hop up and down a lot, point and whisper "Buffy..." i don't know how i'm going to handle the next few days (especially when, everytime i see the advertisements, i catch a glimpse of a scene that looks like the Scoobies are at the airport, saying goodbye to Giles. i think 'no! he can't leave before she comes back! someone stop him!').

time to head home for some more syndiBuffy, followed by Enterprise.

after that, i get to go meet VSG's mom. joy of joys.

when did they change over from just patting each other on the ass? maybe i should start watching baseball again.

ok, i was a little premature in question VSG's devotion to Buffy. i let him hang out at my place today, so i stopped by at lunch and caught him watching the season three Buffy box set. he said he'd already finished all the others, he was on "Graduation Day part one" when i walked in.

i'm liking this dude.

Video Store Guy called me Monday night after Angel (i'd already warned not to bother calling before 9pm) and invited me over. "Bring some of your Buffy tapes," he said. "I'd better find out what your obsession is all about." i took the B/A Chronicles with me. we watched some, but he didn't seem particularly impressed.

yesterday evening, he came over. after dinner, he asked "You recorded Buffy tonight, right? Let's watch it." i explained that last night's ep was actually the second part of the two part pilot. "OK, cool. We'll watch both."

after "The Harvest" ended, i looked over at him. he didn't seem too keen. i thought i should explain that, while not bad episodes, you can tell they're the kick-off for the series and that it gets progressively better. i also began having these flashbacks to Mikey, who didn't care for the supernatural aspects of the show, and thought i should tell VSG that, as the show progresses, the supernatural becomes the backdrop, not the focus of the show, and that it's considered a supernatural *drama* for a reason.

i was about to explain when he turned to me and asked "Do you have any more?"

i sat silently for a moment before i laughed "dude, i've got the first, second, and third season boxed sets, most of the fifth season, plus a scattering of downloaded episodes on the computer. You wanna watch Buffy all night, we can watch Buffy all night."

"Oh. Well, let's watch the newer ones then, the fifth season."

so we did. we watched seven episodes, stopping only when i, bleary-eyed, said that i had to get some sleep. he was still ready for more. i thought he was just humoring me (in a this-is-what-he-likes-so-i'll-say-i-like-it-too kind of way), but he was asking questions: What happened to Oz? Why's Giles not the librarian anymore? When did Buffy's mom find out? Isn't that the blue one that Willow was looking for? So why aren't Spike and Dru together? When did Buffy get a sister? and on and on and on. and on. i'm still not sure if he's getting hooked or just really perceptive, but he seemed to be genuinely interested in the answers. it looks like i may have a Buffy buddy to watch with.

ya know, i expected to get negative emails concerning what i implied about SC Justice Scalia, but i didn't. instead, i get a couple calling me many bad names because i said Rehnquist is actually dead.

i'm sorry folks, but he is dead. if you can get a peek under his robes, you'll see that they have a tube coming out of his backside to relieve any pressure from the build up of decomposition gases. it wouldn't do to have the Chief Justice bloat up and explode during oral arguments.

this template i've been using lately is evil. i tried to adjust the size of the text, and nothing happened. i tried using the <b> tags in my posts, and they're ignored. not good. maybe i should have used that avocado template i liked so much.

ok, so now that i have a little time (i.e., i'm goofing off again), it's time to write a little about Angel: [may be SPOILERS ahead!]

i was very pleased with this episode. except for a couple of minor things (Wesley's hair during his first scene: what the hell was that?!?), it was, all in all, a worthy episode. i had two big concerns about this episode (and this season, by extension): first, would Buffy's death be ignored or glossed over? second, how is Fred going to fit into the group?

i was happy with the way they handled the aftershocks of Buffy's death. Angel had to go away for a while, and just returned at the beginning of this episode. Wesley, Gunn and Cordelia made mention of it a few times through the episode, and Cordy showed and expressed a great deal of concern for how Angel was dealing with it. it wasn't mentioned off-handedly, and i think it was VERY appropriate (and maybe some hints for future developments?) for Angel and Cordy to be the ones discussing how it affected Angel, especially after the things James said to Angel about (paraphrased) 'you didn't love her, because, had you, you wouldn't be able to live.' handled very well, i think.

Fred is going to take longer to decide upon. it was right that she be reclusive during Angel's absence. she hid out alone for so long on Pylea, Angel was the one who rescued her and took her away from her Cave of Solitude, and she's a couple of digits short of making a collect call. it was good that she not be out interacting with the Cordy, Wes and Gunn, but it still hasn't answered any of the questions about how she's going to fit in with the others. in fact, at the end of the episode, Angel and Co. walked out, on their way to whereever, and no one gave a thought to "Hey, are we sure Fred's going to be ok here alone in a place where an enemy had just invaded and attacked?" we'll have to give her some more time, but i do agree with Jean: she's got to get rid of that annoying accent.

other little things about the episode that i liked: Angel jumping out of the dorm window to do some roof top hopping, hopping, hopping in pursuit of the baddies; Dennis hasn't been forgotten! Cordy's post-vision breakdowns are still getting worse, though she's trying to keep the others from seeing it; the Host singing!

things that bugged me: the shakey camera thing during fight scenes, along with that strange edit-at-the-moment-the-blow-lands during the James/Angel fight scene. both of them irritated me. i hope they don't become regular parts of the show.

good quotes: Cordy, after receiving a pendant from Angel-- "Look how it brings out my breasts!"
Cordy-- "I'm Cordelia. I don't think. I know."

memorable lines that cracked me up but weren't meant the way i took them: Gunn to Angel - "Thanks for the head, bro."

fight scenes: Angel vs. Demon Monks was ok, but the Angel vs James fight was pretty kick ass. James turned out to be a tougher opponent than he looked, and i liked the way he snatched the Cordelia-tossed stake out of the air and took to Angel with it. too bad James died spontaneously.

WTF?? scenes: Darla. is. pregnant.

it's the return of "On This Day In US Supreme Court History"!

on this day in 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as an associate justice.

on this day in 1986, Antonin Scalia was commissioned as associate justice (soon after completion of his semi-autobiographical novel, which was later turned into a popular Scorsese movie staring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci).

on this day in 1986, William Rehnquist died. within minutes, he was propped in his chair by a group of law clerks and commissioned as Chief Justice. due to his extreme advanced age at the time of his death, he is technically considered a well preserved mummy. he still sits in his chair to this day, dead, and held up by a combination of dow rods and a complex weaving of bent and twisted wire coat hangers.

for more "On This Day in SCOTUS History," try the Oyez Project.

it's time for me to go save my state from it's own shortsightedness. i'm off to vote (as if my vote weighed more than another's).

until i get the chance to talk about Angel, why not go read a review of "Welcome to the Hellmouth," the first (and last night's) episode of syndi-Buffy.

have i mentioned that my now-not-so-new boss is a hot little muscly man with closely cropped hair and a penchant for tight Levis?

it can be really distracting sometimes.

everyone *did* watch Angel last night, right? i'll talk about it a bit later (busy morning at work). if you need to know a little know, head over to Jean's for a taste (beware: spoilers)

want to see some trailers for Lord of the Rings?

good lord! the only way this could be scarier is for it to be a clown instead.
[things that shouldn't exist found by Stuff and Stuff]

this found there too.

oops. Angel airs at 8pm. i've corrected the earlier post.

coolness: Angel will air in widescreen this season.

coolness buried within coolness: "The network and New Line Cinema also confirmed an earlier report that a new trailer for the first of Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings films would debut during the [premiere] episode."
[again, via SciFi Wire]

there's an online petition asking that Aaliyah's role not be recast and that the scenes she'd filmed already not be cut and reshot. sounds great, unless there are more scenes with her character that haven't been shot yet. what should the director do? corpses just aren't very animated ('cept in voodoo country) and can be difficult to work with.
[via SciFi Wire]

everyone (in the US) remember: the season premiere of Angel is tonight on the WB at 8pm CDT. tune in for the further adventures of Joss' answer to Batman.

and syndicated Buffy begins at 6pm on FX (the Buffy movie started at 4:00).

i saw The Mummy Returns this weekend with Video Store Guy. i figured out why they gave it that title. i didn't know the shaven headed guy was back. i thought the whole thing featured the Rock, and i kind of expected a Smackdown feel to the movie, but i'm glad for Imhotep. i thought he was nice.

i'd had many people tell me that this sequel was better than the first. the only reason it was better is the swords. the swordplay can make or break an otherwise dull and predictable movie. ooh! and the chick fights too! those were cool.

anyone ever have the desire to watch Nosferatu in surround sound?

Click here for my petition to end discrimination against gays giving their sperm to spermbanks. — from the very last line of Mathieu's Diary.

we all have to have our Causes, i suppose (except me. i'm too apathetic. don't care about anything. eh). i'm not interested in promoting the Cause so much as wanting to thank Closetboy for posting the link. grrrr! something to put me in a good mood this morning.

fuckwit is my new favorite word. it's fun to say, and i think it's appropriate that the first person i get to call 'a fuckwit' is myself. i had the opportunity today to speak to my brother. i haven't talked to him in four years, because he lives with my father, and my father doesn't want his only remaining son talking to the faggots.

anyway, today, at my nephew's soccer game, as i'm saying goodbye to my nephews, my father and brother are standing there, just a few feet away. my sisters tell me that our father has really mellowed out during that last couple of years, and i guess he has a little, considering that his only reaction was to take a step away and turn his back to me, both ignoring me (which is really the same way he interacted with me when he was still talking to me) and appearing to give silent assent allowing me to talk to my brother.

so, i turn to my brother, who, at one time, followed me everywhere because he thought his big brother was the coolest thing in the world, the little boy who begged for years for my old Transformers toys, the boy who, when i left for college, would sleep with my hand-puppet green dragon named Spike because he missed me, this little boy who is now fifteen and resembles me far more than i'd like (shattering the hopes i had that his father is not my father), i turned to him today, took a deep breath, and said "Hi." that was all. i stood there, with years and years of things to say, and i couldn't pick out just one thing to talk about. so we stood quietly for a moment, before my father (er- his father) decided it was time for them to go, and i watched him leave while thinking 'fuckwit!Terrence' and hoping that, by the next opportunity, i'll have improved my conversational skills beyond the salutation.

because the truck was dripping ectoplasmic ooze while Sigourney Weaver, clad only in plastic wrap and a toothbrush, writhed lewdly on the big extendo-ladder and sung the love theme from "Ice Castles".

heh. inebriation-thought is strange.

TVGuide Online interview with Gonzo the Great.

Landover Baptist Church's report on Enterprise.

Mikey brought over a large bottle of rum last night. i was worried about coming to work with a hangover. i should have been worried about coming to work with no sleep and without being completely sober. ugh.

i watched Son of the Beach for the first time last night (what? i was watching FX for the Buffy commercials). fucking hilarious! until i watched the second episode. it bit. i'm leaning toward a belief that the first episode i saw was a fluke.

today will be a long day.

excitement is building. the next few weeks are going to be very good for television viewing (all times are Central Daylight Time):

Monday 9/24
syndicated Buffy premieres on FX at 6pm (each episode will replay the following weekday at 3pm). check out the FX Buffy site. not bad.
Angel premieres on WB at 8pm. on it's new night. following 7th Heaven.

Wednesday 9/26
Enterprise premieres on UPN at 7pm with a two hour debut.

Tuesday 10/02
do i even need to say it? if you don't know, you're a worthless monkeyfuck. season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer premieres on UPN at 7pm with a two hour debut. in case you missed the first hundred times i said it: WATCH IT.

Wednesday 10/03
Special Unit 2 premieres it's second season on UPN at 8pm, following Enterprise. i don't know why, but i have a soft spot for this show. i'm looking forward to the new season.

Tuesday 10/09
Roswell premieres on UPN at 8pm, following Buffy. i had trouble getting into this show last season, but now i know i just caught a couple of the less-than-great episodes. i'm ready to give it another try.

Tuesday 10/16
Smallville premieres on WB at 8pm. this is where i run into a little trouble. it's opposite Roswell. i can watch one and tape the other if i'm home, but what happens when i can't be home? may need another VCR.

if you don't like the idea for "Thirteen Days, Seven Nights, 15 Minutes," maybe you'd prefer "Erin Brockovich Must Die" in which a spunky and scantily clad law clerk faces off against ex-cop Jet Li in the courtroom but when outside it, romances him secretly, much to the disappointment of her three children and boss who battle nightly against the kung fu forces of Jet Li's law firm. it ends badly when all must undergo hysterectomies because they were unaware of the hexavalent chromium used in the ink of their legal briefs.

or maybe "Crouching What's Up, Tiger Lily, Hidden Dragon?" Woody Allen and Michelle Yeoh battle to the death in a film in which the soundtrack has been replaced entirely with a dying Chow Yun-Fat eulogizing himself. subtitles by Jade Fox. (hey, a "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story" would have waaaay too much kung fu. make your teeth hurt).

bless Max for mentioning that the last issue of the Oz miniseries is out. i was in the comic/gaming store yesterday (buying Kithbook: Eshu) but forgot to check the comics (and hey, if you love me, you'll buy me this).

also, it's time for me to get excited about upcoming BTVS comic books because of the one-shot upcoming Lost and Found "in which we check up on the kids immediately after Buffy's death," Tales of the Slayer (which i've described before), should be released just after my birthday, and Fray will be back next month (speaking of TOTS, i'd like to see some Tales of Kendra or something. i like her).

coolness is Buffy comics online.

this is kinda cute. this is just funny.

from Sci Fi Wire: Michelle Trachtenberg, who plays little sister Dawn on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told TV Guide Online that creator Joss Whedon has approached her about starring in another Buffy spinoff series.

keep reading. not quite what they make it out to be.

"I've been asked if a spinoff or a continuation [of the show] would be of interest to me, and pretty much it is," she reveals.

here's the TVGuide Online report.

and have some fun with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer matchmaker game.

would anyone see a film called "Thirteen Days, Seven Nights, 15 Minutes" in which David Schwimmer is President John Kennedy and Anne Heche is planewrecked on the tropical island Cuba with Robert De Niro during one of the tensest photographer murder sprees in US history?

no?

heh. Oxycontin turns users gay. it's *exactly* how it happened to me.
[linked swiped from Comatose]

although this didn't originate there, i'm linking to the post on Where is my mind? because it's where i found it, and i'm feeling too lazy to attempt looking for the original. i'm also a little unsure about the suitability title, but, eh, i didn't write it, so i don't get to name it.

Why I will not rally around the president.

i shared the email mentioned in the last post because i thought it could be a humorous thing, but really, i can't tell you how much my head aches to think that the company has hired, as our PR manager, the guy who was responsible for promoting the XFL. i know it's unfair to judge him on that when he actually has much more experience (with MLB, MLS, and the NFL, along with "Soccer Digest Magazine") and because the XFL did have a big media blitz (i don't know how good the ads were since i instinctively ignore anything football related). i'm too pessimistic, and the recent lack of job security is influencing the horrible sinking feeling i have about this company.

from an email from a Senior VP:

"Please join me in welcoming Ben ... to the team as PR Manager..." "Ben comes to TV Guide from the XFL where he served as Director of Corporate Communications."

if it'd been me, i don't think i'd have listed XFL on my resume, unless i could think of some way to phrase it that'd put a positive spin on it... like this:

"Having the experience of growing a new brand as well as handling fallout from a downturn in business has made Ben an agile communications professional."

sounds much better than 'i was in charge of promoting the XFL. didn't really do well at that.' i'd like to think that he's here to help us turn things around, but with circulation falling and a round of lay offs every month, i'm worried they're more interested in his experience with a failing enterprise than his ability to get things going.

a discussion of Buffy vs. Dark Angel.

in a really good mood this morning for some reason. i'm singing. singing at work. singing "Broadway Baby" at work. singing "Broadway Baby" at work and not caring that co-workers can hear me. singing "Broadway Baby" at work and not caring that co-workers can hear me and are asking me to stop. bite me, co-workers.

an old friend from my Hell-Mart days was in town last night. haven't seen him in a couple of years. it was nice. sometimes, when you haven't seen someone in a long time, you forget how important they are to you. now i'm reminded.

had dinner with Old Friend and Video Store Guy. VSG seemed a little nervous, and didn't talk much. not until his second margarita. the lush.

am i the only one who's been getting an email like this every friggin' day?

10:30 EASTERN TIME.... 9:30 Central, 8:30 Mountain, 7:30 Pacific

I just heard on the radio that the U.S. has asked that everyone step out on their lawns tonight at 10:30 Eastern time (9:30 Central, 8:30 Mountain, 7:30 Pacific) and light a candle. They will be taking a satellite picture of the U.S. and posting it on the news tomorrow morning. Please pass this on to as many people as possible.

how many of these stupid sat photos do people think they want? "I guess the one they took yesterday didn't turn out so good, so we have to do it again." geez, every single day this goes round and round.

Experts warn of 'black wave' that could sweep universe and end life.

can't do anything about it, so why worry?

can anyone confirm that Victor Wong (Egg Shen in "Big Trouble in Little China") has died?

this is not a holy crusade. we are not the forces of good. they are not the forces of evil. why are we talking about this in terms of who is right (or righteous) and who's not instead of talking about it solely as 'you hurt us, so now we'll hurt you (and those around you)(oh yeah, and anyone who gets in the way too),' which is all it is.

what he said.

ok, people are dissing the theme to Angel. i like the theme. none should dare disagree with me on this.

in case you haven't been paying attention to my obsessions, we now have one week until syndicated Buffy premieres on FX, beginning, appropriately, at the beginning of season one with "Welcome to the Hellmouth" (and just before that, the film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" with Kristy Swanson, Dylon McKay, Pee-wee Herman and Deputy Dewey will be shown. you don't need to see the movie version to get into the series. the series makes a couple of brief references to a couple of things from the movie, mainly to explain why Buffy is now in Sunnydale, but otherwise, no previous experience required).

if you're like me, and you missed the first few seasons of BTVS, here's your chance to make it up. if you've never watched before, you can start at the beginning (but, whatever you do, DON'T miss the season 6 premiere on UPN on October 2).

yesterday, i saw Pat Robertson standing on a street corner holding a sign. ok, maybe it's possible it was someone who looks a lot like him, but wasn't. anyway, Pat Robertson was holding a sign, and i drove by slowly expecting to read something like "You're Going To Hell" or maybe "Jesus Loves You." instead it said "Free Car Wash."

i'm not certain what to make of that.

Dark Horizons reports:

Shows being pulled or delayed is one thing, but now certain pro-censorship advocate groups are sensing the frenzy and pushing their own agendas past the point of good reason. Requests are apparently being sent in to video stores to pull films like "Die Hard", "Deep Impact", "Independence Day", "Armageddon" and the "Earthquake in New York" mini-series from their shelves and getting cable/regular TV networks to never show them again. There's also two films still out in theatres with a continuity flaw - both "Final Fantasy" and "AI" features scenes and shots with the towers in them - as both films are set in the future this seems out of context.

Vanity Fair has some good photos of the characters of the Harry Potter movie. if you get a chance, thumb through it and take a look (but for sod's sake, don't buy it).

also, there's an article concerning the Pope's rush to canonize Mother Teresa, who apparently wasn't the nice little old lady everyone seems to think. as a non-Catholic (and non-Christian), i really don't care one way or the other if people start invoking her name when they want something, or if they celebrate a Feast Day in her honor. it was an interesting read for someone who's planning on being canonized one day.

Eleni has something to say about the recent spate of harassment and attacks on Muslim and Arab people.

favorite quote today:

"what a hypocrite. he [Jerry Falwell] totally lied about his own remarks. i can't wait to go to hell so i can kick his ass."

my mom asked me last night, "Have you donated blood yet?" she didn't know that i'm not allowed to do so, even if i do like being punctured by needles. bloody Red Cross.

also last night, my nephew had his second soccer game. before the game started, the only thing anyone talked about was this week's events. the game started. everyone cheered the kids (and cheered their chosen star just a little louder), forgetting for an hour that anything terrible had happened. afterward, talked turned to praise of the kids and calls for ice cream.

i've decided that the opposite of destructive explosions is a group of 5 year olds running around a field chasing a ball in a game they barely understand.

always the voices of reason.
[via akafrankgreen]

hey now, we didn't harbor him. he was, more or less, just passing through.

miss the Groosalugg? read a DragonCon chat with Mark Lutz and check out that photo. grrrr!

or maybe you prefer the demonic visage of the Host. his photo gets a double grrrr! (the second photo, silly).

although this provided the office with a brief distraction from much greater tragedies, ET says it's not true.

it's a little bizarre that piece of bad news actually provides respite.

Did you know that Pat Robertson can leg-press 600 pounds! How does he do it?

Pat Robertson's Age-Defying Shake!

a woman threatened a DJ at a local radio station this morning because he refused to agree that we're 'training terrorists' at Spartan School of Aeronautics here in Tulsa by allowing the A-Rabs to attend.

my first thought yesterday, when i heard something about terrorists and a tower at WTC collapsing, was 'wtf?' my second thought was something along this line. i worry less about another terrorist attack or war than i worry about what we'll trade away to gain an illusory feeling of security.

i really wish Dan Rather, et.al. would stop speculating on who and why. they did this when the Murrah Federal Building was bombed in OKC, and they were wrong.

i really wish they'd stop putting "experts" on the air. i don't think these experts know what they're talking about.

i really wish the people around me would stop proposing the complete annihilation of [insert group/ethnicity/nationality being blamed]. i'm sure that the other people around me who are members of whichever particular group/ethnicity/nationality are neither comfortable nor thrilled with such proposals.

i really wish our leader didn't look and sound so panicked. it's not confidence inspiring.

my five year old nephew had his first soccer game on saturday. he scored a goal and had two almost-goals. i'm certain he'll end up being a goalie since he can't keep his hands off the ball.

it was really a nice experience to watch the game. the parents of both teams cheered and praised all of the kids. there was no unpleasantness from the spectators, sidelines or players. i'm guessing they save all that for later in the season.

bloody hell. someone's listening to that damned hamster dance song.

and on the subject of controversial books, a school board member in North Charleston, SC visits two high school libraries and checks out and keeps Catcher In the Rye to prevent "great damage to the minds of young people." i like the idea of sending replacement copies to the high schools (though i'm sure they'll buy their own with the fee they get from the guy). i think i'll do the same with some local high schools just to make sure they have copies. and i'll send a couple of copies of To Kill A Mockingbird to the Muskogee high school library. yay! i'm getting activist-ey! [link via Metafilter]

i'm sure it's a temporary condition. i'll return to my apathetic state soon.

hmm. contrast this and this

i showed up at work Friday to find that our network was down again. tech and supervisors were panicked, but the boss offered us the chance to take the day off. i bit. yay for three-day weekends!

after calling in outside help, they blamed everything on a virus. yay for viri that shut us down! if that's all it takes, i think i'll spend my free time at work hunting for viri and infecting as many computers as possible.

spent a lot of time with Video Store Guy this weekend. his sarcasm and my bitter anger at the world seem to complement each other well. the only bumps we've encountered so far are that he didn't care for Dude, Where's My Car? and he hates vegetables. i'm not sure which is worse, but i think i can deal with both.

if you haven't seen the new Buffy promos, you can start downloading from here. the big one("Without Buffy") is well worth the time to download. 'course, it only took me 15 seconds to download it, but i'd say the same if it'd taken an hour.
[link from Jean]

the building's power cut out today. the phones and network went down. i've never seen so many tech people running so quickly before. hilarious! they were running in and out of glass-walled rooms and darkened closets. they'd group together in huge numbers for a few seconds, then scatter. there was much moaning and 'oh shit!'ing. the boss came around and told everyone to go to lunch for 90 minutes. everyone but the techs cheered. as i left the parking lot, fire engines came screaming in. there was no fire, and no one's sure of why TFD showed up, but it was grand fun for us anyway.

Joss Whedon; The Onion Interview.
don't miss the rest here.
[blessed be Jean for the link]

and for those who waited impatiently for it (which, i guess, may only be me), Redcricket has a new camtoon.

cool.

Thurmond, Helms, and now, Gramm. i'm a little worried that the GOP has something going on.

UPN Rolls Out Buffy Blitz. i'd probably cause an accident if i was driving down the road and saw a Buffy billboard.

from the Daily News article mentioned in the link above: "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon wrapped up the series last spring with a cliffhanger episode that left viewers unsure whether the heroine was alive or dead.

that's wrong, of course. we knew she was quite dead.

see some more Buffy tv ads at the UPN site (click on the Buffy button, then start mouseover-ing candles).

and Buffy Fans Want Crossovers (petition here)

just because the title cracks me up: Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (synopsis and cover).

"I've been thinking about changing my major from Home Economics to Feminist Studies, but I wasn't sure if you had any feminist cooking classes."

it's not the cannibal women so much as the Avocado Jungle of Death. we need more place names like that (Death Valley is so boring. someone should spice it up).

good gravy, i didn't need to have this image in my mind.

some wizard gave me courage this weekend.
last night was a pleasant evening of good conversation and mucho smoochies with Video Store Guy (yes, i know i've never mentioned him here before. no, i never tell you anything. lighten up, mom) .

already spitting into the face of whomever it is that decided you're not supposed to do it after Labor Day, today, i wear white.

i tried. i really did.

i'm supposed to stay at work until 7pm tonight, but i can't focus on anything. i don't think it's the holiday. i've been extremely manic for the last couple of days, and i don't want to be at work. so i'm not. most people have already left, so no one will notice anyway.

i'm disconnecting completely for the next three days. no computer, therefore no updates, no email. later, gators.

there really isn't much you can add that the title doesn't already say: The Day My Bum Went Psycho.
[attacking ass monsters sponsored by Comatoseblog]

UPN cast photos for Buffy and Roswell. is curly-haired Spike here to stay?