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.

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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.

««««««« »»»»»»»

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?
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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!)