Looking for the Silver Lining

Wow, I’ve been iracible lately.

Now is the time for me to look for the silver lining and be a little Pollyanna-ish.

1)  Though Shojo Beat is gone, I’m personally pleased that I delayed renewing my subscription.  I don’t care much for Shonen Jump.

2) Dollhouse has been renewed and there are a couple of episodes from season one to look forward to on the DVD release.

3) New Haruhi Suzumiya episodes are airing in Japan.

4) Watching “My Name is Earl”  – season one

5) Reading Cracked.com, Lolcats, Fail Blog, and Engrish.

Ah, I’m feeling better.

Shojo Beat – no more

Official word that Shojo Beat is ceasing publication July 2009.

Shit.

American Idol Season 8

I’ve never watched American Idol before season 8 and I never will again.

See, I had been reluctant to watch it because reality shows are simply not my favorite TV genre. They are generally too fake.

Plus, Idol is a cheesy show, everyone knows that whether they’ve seen it or not.

At the beginning, I prevaricated about it.

“What this?  I was just flipping channels.”

“No, I can’t do that on Tuesday evening.”

“Or on Wednesday.”

“Well I can, if it’s before 8/7c.”

But, American Idol is entertaining, especially the beginning with so many unique personalities and so much yowling.

No doubt Ryan Seacrest wrestles demons we have no inkling of.

Furthermore, Simon Cowell is hardly the vicious beast his reputation would have him be.

The program prompts a few questions…

Is the manipulation of the contest usually this blatant or is it just this time around?

Why are the Ford ads so bad?

Why is the show running longer with fewer contestants?

Why were there so many wretched guest singers on the elimination episodes?  Especially the disco week.  *shudders*

Why does the USA get Kris Allen and the UK get Susan Boyle?  Not fair.

Next year, I’ll be skipping the time-sucking, padded, meaningless, non-contest.

Mostly because I wish Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert had quit the whole, dreary thing already.  I want to listen to their debut albums now!

Science Fiction Movies Watched Chronologically

So, I’m starting a new theme for my movie watching, like my horror movies, and the mysteries, and the biographies. I’m still not done with the biopics – ugh.

This time, it’s science fiction films in chronological order.

This was a tricky list to compile. For years, I had shunned horror movies and so had some catching up to do, and mysteries are just not my favorite genre. But I like science fiction so I was forced to throw a few B movies and a few obscure movies on the list. I have a list of alternates in case some of these become unavailable or my fellow viewers and I change our minds.

At any rate, I’ve had Aelita on my movie wish list for ages and now it’s at the top of the list. I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve also started but not finished THX 1138, so that’s going to be good.

The movies I have seen before: Westworld; Alien Nation; Thirteenth Floor; and Interstella 5555. We all like Westworld (up with killer robots!). My companions hadn’t seen the others which I liked and want to see again.

The movies I had not heard of before: The Man in the White Suit; Dr. Renault’s Secret; Fortress; Koi…Gil Maya.

It was suggested watching movie pairs such as, The Time Machine (1960 & 2002) , The Planet of the Apes (1968 & 2001, and War of the Worlds (1953 & 2005). But they were mostly vetoed. I think nobody could bear to sit through the remakes.  ….I have seen the 2002 Time Machine.

This theme is going to be fun and feels just right for summer.

for kisses played

Image via Wikipedia

My love and I for kisses played:
She would keep stakes — I was content;
But when I won, she would be paid;
This made me ask her what she meant.

“Pray, since I see,” quoth she, “your wrangling vein,
Take your own kisses; give me mine again.”

William Strode

(1602-1644)

The Sensational She-Hulk

Image via Wikipedia

As I stated before, my sister started collecting Sensational She-Hulk comics in the 1990s.  I read them with her and even bought a few issues to shorten the waiting time between issues.  Eventually, we read the entire run of 60 comics.

I don’t know the original She-Hulk.  The covers on the early issues make her seem much less civilized than the She-Hulk we knew.

The artist that developed the premise and tone for the “sensational” series was John Byrne – I liked his art because it’s uncluttered.  I like uncluttered a lot.

Apparently, Byrne is considered to be suspect in portraying women.  I don’t remember anything weird or unpleasant with her comics though something might be there.  Nevertheless, I’m working on memory, and that memory says She-Hulk was  fun.

Another artist on the series was Bryan Hitch whose art I enjoyed even more than Byrne’s.

In the sensational series, She-Hulk stays in one form: she is permanently strong and green. She has no secret identity. I like all these things about the series.

She delighted in her looks and abilities and was a good sport no matter what silly adventure she found herself in.  She knew that she was in a comic book and sometimes took advantage of it.  The most memorable of these times was when she tore out of the regular page and ran across an advertisement to sneak up on the enemy.

Occasionally, there was a satirical issue on media licensing or religious oppressiveness.  Mostly, her adventures were kinda wacky with her being nearly married off to the Mole Man or facing off against a Yeti-like monster guy.  My favorite story had her investigating a crime with Santa Claus.

I’m not sure why I feel fonder of her than of Wonder Woman but it may be in part that she lacks the gravitas that I associate with Wonder Woman’s character.  She is indomitable of spirit. She is reassuringly down-to-earth when encountering strange events but also exotic in her stature and green skin.

Recently, my brother pointed out that she had a 2004 comics series.  He was disappointed that I wasn’t interested.  One reason is that I don’t buy uncollected comics any more and the other is I don’t want to read a different approach to her character.  I don’t think I’d like to see her in a movie either.

I was reading her when I was in college which was a busy and sometimes stressful experience.  Perhaps I felt that her good-humored approach to solving problems (not to mentioned smashing them!) was what I longed to be able to mimic.     Although I don’t have much interest in her now, I still have a soft spot for Shulkie.

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• Megan Fox Rumored As She-Hulk (cinemablend.com)  the author of this article unequivocally states that only loser guys like She-Hulk.

Superheroes

In my excitement over the release over X-Men the Animated series, I starting think about my favorite superheroes.  I’m not a serious fan of them but I have liked them a lot.

I’ve read some of the early superhero comics – and it’s refreshing to see their early incarnations.  Superman was kind of sarcastic in the early stories, Lois Lane was hard boiled (and had no time for a wimpy reporter).  The situations that he got into were more real – domestic violence and hostages – than some of his later adventures.

Wonder Woman was rather ugly in her earliest version but she was defender of women trapped in bad situations.  I liked her urging women to leave stifling or abusive situations.

Spider-Man is adorable in the first issues of his comic book.  He’s funny, pitiable and has a raw, youthful enthusiasm that’s thoroughly appealing.

Fantastic Four’s earliest adventures reminded of the adventures of Sindbad.  I especially enjoyed the story in which they became pirates. There was also an emphasis on the use of their powers in daily life and a bit about the psychological effect of their magic powers on them.

The 1990s was the time that I was really into superheroes.  There was Batman the Animated Series with its impressive opening theme and its adult sensibility;  there was X-Men the Animated Series with its poignant Dark Phoenix Saga.  My sister collected Sensational She-Hulk whom we both adored.  Other friends collected The Tick, which is still my favorite superhero parody.

Nowadays, I only see superheroes in the movies.  I liked Toby Maguire in the Spider-Man movies.  I enjoyed Batman Begins cause I’ve liked Christian Bale for a long time but I haven’t yet seen the sequel.

I’m feeling nostalgic about these superheroes and I thought I’d post a series about my favorite characters and stories.

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Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse “Echoes”

Image via Wikipedia

This is the Dollhouse’s Band Candy episode in which everyone loses their inhibitions temporarily.

College students on Freemont Campus are having psychotic episodes due the release of a experimental psychotropic drug. The Dollhouse sends out teams to help the affected.

The opening sequence with the college student and the flies was highly disturbing.  There is an unnerving amount of physical pain on this show.

What is it with Echo and motorcycles?

I was surprised that Agent Ballard and Mellie weren’t on the run.  Apparently Agent Wrong-Page is convinced that he’s not in danger from the Dollhouse.  Silly, silly man.

Poor Mellie.  She deserves a better personality implant than the one they gave her and she deserves better than Agent Wrong-Page and his Laura-like fixation on Echo.

Echo – well, we get a lot of Echo’s history to chew on in this episode.  I feel churlish for saying this but Caroline was annoying and Echo is definitely a personality upgrade.   I didn’t feel much sympathy for her friends either.

I did like the guy she befriends this time, Sam (Mehcad Brooks).  He seemed capable and smart.

Boyd only gets a little screen time but he makes the most of it.  Don’t die, Boyd!

Victor gets to be a character that has some authority and slickness as the NSA agent.  I was very pleased because he plays too many characters who barely have it together.

As with Echo, we get a sneak peek at Victor’s past, and I’d like to learn more.  Poor Sierra had to relive the episode Man on the Street.

Topher was even more twitchy and hyper-articulate than ever; I did like his “drawer of inappropriate starches.”

De Witt was not particularly revealing of herself when the band candy drug affected her.  Dominic, however, was hilarious.  I suddenly have a modicum of sympathy for the wretched character.

Not a bad episode.  I didn’t feel much emotional connection with the characters but it was entertaining.

episode 1 GHOSTS

episode 2 THE TARGET

episode 3 STAGE FRIGHT

episode 4 GRAY HOUR

episode 5 TRUE BELIEVER

episode 6 MAN ON THE STREET

episode 7 ECHOES

episode 8 NEEDS

episode 9 A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE

episode 10 HAUNTED

episode 11 BRIAR ROSE

episode 12 OMEGA

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• Dollhouse (1.7) – “Echoes” (popsyndicate.com)

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse “Man on the Street”

Image by H Dickins via Flickr

The big episode wasn’t that big.

Agent Ballard finally sees Echo in the flesh, the man on the street speculates about the Actives, but the real horror lies hidden within the Dollhouse.

The documentary comments weren’t that hard-hitting I didn’t think.  Ballard’s heart to heart talk with someone who can tell him about the dollhouse was a wee bit dull. The mystery surrounding who’s been abusing Sierra was riveting.  It was horrible and believable and nothing good will come of it.

Sierra is my favorite of the actives and I really am dismayed at what happened.

Ha! I knew Mellie was an active: nobody could be that needy, spineless, brain-dead and sweet.  And wow.  Who was she was before?  In a side note, it is pleasant to see that Ballard has noticed Mellie’s puppyish pursuit of him.  I thought perhaps his libido had been extracted.

And Echo was surprising, and not just to Agent Ballard.

Hi-lite for speculation: it’s Topher’s assistant Ivy (Liza Lapira) who’s monkeying with the active’s brains. That’s what I think.

This is not as good as the hype but I’m emotionally involved now and the mystery is pretty intense.  I don’t feel that the world of the Dollhouse has fallen apart as other viewers have suggested.  It’s just widened a little.

An interview with Sierra (Dichen Lachman)

episode 1 GHOSTS

episode 2 THE TARGET

episode 3 STAGE FRIGHT

episode 4 GRAY HOUR

episode 5 TRUE BELIEVER

episode 6 MAN ON THE STREET

episode 7 ECHOES

episode 8 NEEDS

episode 9 A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE

episode 10 HAUNTED

episode 11 BRIAR ROSE

episode 12 OMEGA

8 Firefox Extensions

I enjoy reading people’s lists of helpful firefox add-ons. Here are some that I have found useful.

1) Colorful Tabs. Makes your tabs different colors. Can assign colors to certain sites.
Pro:  It’s attractive. Plain tabs look too bare to me now.
Con:  I  don’t know how useful this one is.
Firefox add-on.

2) Cooliris. image search  & display that is very fluid.  Saves or emails images.
Pro: Pretty, pretty.  Quick and easy way to browse through bunches of images.  Don’t have to download every image you see that you like.
Con:  Sometimes it won’t load, can be triggered just by mousing over an image.  I’d like to choose the color and size of the returns.
Firefox add-on.

3) Dictionary.  Looks up words in a new window.  I prefer the status bar to the right click but both work well.
Pro:  Easy to use.
Con:  Be nice to have a thesaurus too.
Firefox add-on.

4) Reminder Fox. Dates and to do list in popup or alarm box.
Pro:  It’s simple.  I use it for bills and library books, mostly.
Con: Can’t think of any.
Firefox add-on.

5) Scrapbook.  Saves text & images from websites and emails. Adds notes, highlights.  I haven’t even really figured out all the stuff it can do.
Pro: It’s the best clipping tool I’ve found. I adore it and use it constantly.
Con: You can’t access it online.
Firefox add-on.

6) Scribefire.  blog editor.
Pro: Very helpful for link blogging, adds links, images, Youtube videos.  I like that it will save your post as a draft.
Con:  Sometimes awkward moving from one function to another.
Firefox add-on.

7) Share Video.  Posts videos to your blog.
Pro:  Works with almost any video you see. Very easy to use.
Con: Manipulating the videos in your collection is awkward.
Firefox add-on.

8 ) Zemanta.  Contextual  blogging.  Can pull up images, other posts, and  references from Wikipedia and other places.  It also suggests tags which is useful.  I like how it chooses which blogs, etc that it searches for relevant posts.
Pro: Helpful in finding links that fit your topics.
Con: The post suggestions can be way off target.
Firefox add-on.