Will Write For Feedback

For those who don't read metafandom....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:15:28 GMT

traveller has yet another how to write fanfic post, which has some good points (and some bad ones) but IMO is mostly notable for the link, deep in the comments, to David Foster Wallace's article Tense Present. Nominally a review of a usage guide, it really uses that as a jumping-off point for an entertaining discussion of usage rules, who gets to make them, and why they matter. The article's a few years old now, but no less worthwhile for it.

Go read it for the phrase "barrel of drugged trout," if nothing else.

January can't get here fast enough

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:46:01 GMT

New Burn Notice eps start Thursday, January 21st on USA.

Squeesqueesqueesqueesquee....

Middle-squee!

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:09:57 GMT

The only thing more fun that watching The Middleman has been watching the housemate get, if possible, more hooked on it than I am. As if the show itself wasn't enough fun, the in-jokes are keeping us glued to the screen.

Speaking of which, does anyone know of a really thorough listing of all the pop-culture references, by episode? Because if there isn't one, I may have to create it.

Musings on the Death of an Actor

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:49:58 GMT

I'm not normally much affected by the death of someone I don't know personally, but Edward Woodward's passing jarred me. He wasn't in any of my formative fandoms -- The Equalizer and Callan were latter-day obsessions -- but I realized on thinking about it that he was something of a fixture in my general fannish experience. It seems he was always around in something, and he could always be relied upon for an enjoyable performance. Not that he didn't appear in some pretty dire productions (Heck, I bought a copy of Bloodsuckers for that man. What's worse, I watched it.), but he was always good.

So, the housemate and I have been having our own casual sort of Edward Woodward film festival over the past couple weeks. What better way to memorialize a man who provided so much excellent material for it?

Spoilers for:

Codename: Kyril is a fun little spy romp, if by "fun" you mean unnecessarily complex, with questionable character motivations and a good thirty minutes of explanation apparently left on the cutting room floor. No matter; Woodward is in fine form as the elegant and utterly ruthless Royston. This was very much Equalizer era, and fans may take a while to see Woodward in a tux as anyone other than Robert McCall. It's worth the effort, though. Woodward's slick performance in the violent climactic scene is terrific (though didn't anyone wonder about the hole in his jacket pocket?), and his reaction to the news that he got the wrong Russian killed is classic subtle-obvious EW.

'Breaker' Morant - one of Woodward's most famous roles, and justly so, although his portrayal of the multi-faceted title character was almost overshadowed by Jack Thompson as the unprepared and underqualified defense lawyer who nonetheless presents a case that would probably have gotten his clients off in a fair trial. Woodward's ability to go from surface calm to exploding rage and back again is well showcased here. His rendition of the final lines, laden with cynicism and emotion without going over the top, was enough to make me look up Harry Morant's poetry.

"Dead Drop" is one of my top favorite episodes of The Equalizer. It's got the whole gang, with Woodward's McCall as ringmaster of his own personal spy circus. It's got Woodward and Robert Lansing playing off each other, always a delight. It's got dramatic tension and little comic touches, and Woodward projecting dangerous as only he could. Good stuff.

The Wicker Man - the cult classic that's often described as a horror movie, but despite the presence of Christopher Lee, really isn't. It's an odd film, one that could easily have descended to B-movie triteness with a less skilled actor than Woodward carrying the main action. Fortunately, it does have Woodward both to carry off the stick-up-ass Sgt. Howie, somehow making him likeable despite his arrogant, prudish close-mindedness, and to deliver the final, desperate moments with equal measures authoritarianism and abject terror.

Over My Dead Body was an under-appreciated little detective show, offering a rare showcase for Woodward's considerable comedic abilities. You've got to love a show with exchanges like: "How do you lose a tail?" "Evolve?" As retired police analyst turned novelist Maxwell Beckett, Woodward was simultaneously approachable and enigmatic, projecting pathos and silliness with equal skill. Before this show, I hadn't appreciated how just plain funny the man could be; in truth, he was as good at humour as he was at drama. Oh, yeah, and he could sing, too.

The season 3 opener of Callan just keeps getting better the more I watch it. On shiny DVD, especially, because all Woodward's little subtleties come through so nicely. This one's got it all: eyes and expression, voice (there's just a hint of subservient quaver that gradually fades throughout the episode), brilliant body language when he switches from machine-like precision at regular targets to horrified revulsion at figures. Watching Callan slowly get his edge back is just a delight.

Classic acting by a class act, all around.

Fandom recursion, and a rec

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:10:57 GMT

penknife's charming little SGA ficlet "Reality Show" (which you should go read, now) got me to thinking not just that Sheppard & Carter's worldviews were, yes, informed by Star Trek, but how.

What Sheppard took away from Star Trek: If you're friendly, well-meaning, and have a nice smile, the universe will take you at your intentions, and not look too harshly at your results.

What Carter took away from Star Trek: There is no such thing as a technological impossibility, only technology that we haven't quite figured out yet.

Thoughts? Other characters?

R.I.P. EW

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:51:44 GMT

Edward Woodward passed away yesterday at age 79.

I'll confess, I kind of wondered when we'd be hearing this news. Still sad, though. The man had an impressive and versatile body of work, including some of my favorite series ever.

Oddly enough, I was just watching Callan on DVD (a belated birthday present) this afternoon. With clear copies, it's even more obvious why Woodward won awards for the role. A fitting tribute if anything is.

More random info-comm, cool

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:38:55 GMT

It seems Dreamwidth has a comm for writers to post all that extra research they looked up but can't actually shoehorn into their fiction. Hey, otterwort, have you seen this?

Shiny want want

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:25:56 GMT

OMG OMG OMG! Set 2 of Callan (season 4, by the looks of it) is coming out on DVD in January. I haven't even gotten set 1 yet. Want.

Looks like The Sandbaggers and Farscape are getting re-issued. The former in some kind of couple-eps-per arrangement; the latter, in reasonably-priced season sets, and a complete set that's priced at approximately what one season cost last time out. I'm not even going to go into the shrink-wrap status of certain parts of my collection; I'm just pleased that pimping the show to new converts will no longer require handing them a winning lottery ticket first.

No sign of season 2 of The Equalizer, though. Anybody know what the deal is there?

All right, already.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:31:07 GMT

Winamp continues, as it has for the past week or so, to play an inordinately high percentage of songs from the NI?Y writing mix when supposedly on random shuffle through the whole music collection. Perhaps I should take the hint.

Better late than...

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:00:42 GMT

I finally got around to posting "Blending In" over at Teaspoon. No idea why I didn't do it when I put it up here, nor why it took me so long to correct that omission once I realized it, but it's taken care of now. (On further investigation, I probably didn't put it on Teaspoon because I didn't have an account there at the time. Oh.)

Once the mods have given it their thumbs-up (ETA: they have), head on over and tell me what a warped puppy I am, eh?

Not dead....

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:44:27 GMT

I seem to have fallen off the grid lately, at least in this part of the LJ world. I suspect my f-list is at skip=eleventy-billion, and let's face it, there's no way I'm going to get caught up. If you've posted/seen something in the last month or so that you think I should know about, please comment here.

The thing is, it seems I can either keep up with the outside world (be that news, LJ-fandom, or whatever), or I can write. There simply isn't enough time and enough me in the day to do both. And I want to keep up, but I want the novel more.

Some vaguely fannish thoughts:

I managed to miss the Amazon sale on season 5 of House, and now feel very stupid that I'll have to pay twice as much for it. I may simply leave it for my birthday. No spoilers, please.

Friends have now shown me the first couple eps of The Middleman. OMG. A live-action comic book of distilled essence of fannish crack. I must have it.

The Novel-In-N-Years progresses. Or regresses, as I'm doing chapter 2-7 revisions based on writing-group feedback, but I think it's necessary to get the foundation solidified before moving on to the bits that will be supported by it. I'm actually kind of excited about some of the revisions, or would be if I weren't nearly asleep on my keyboard.

Oh, and the library managed to come up with both the Mitchell/Munro books I requested. I don't claim he's the best writer ever or anything like that, but for some reason I find his books highly compelling. I'm keeping Death and Bright Water in another room when I'm supposed to be working on anything else, lest it sneakily leap into my hands and open itself in front of my eyes. As books do, you know.

See what happens when you don't get your calcium?

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:05:51 GMT

YogurtWatch is updated.

That was... interesting. And the winter half-season opener is going to be... very interesting.

And now, I think I'll go eat some yogurt.

Any flavour you like

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:24:52 GMT

YogurtWatch is updated.

End of episode: Waaaaaaaah! I was expecting it to end with Fiona decking Michael in return for that smack. I'm sure Michael would have preferred that. Several times over.

Looks like Fi's in the next episode, though. Because the show-runners aren't, you know, stupid.

Either this show's making me paranoid (redundant), or they've got really good actors & directors. Is Natalie evil? Is she evil? Is she... yes! She's evil! I wondered early on, but they kept me wondering right up until the last minute.

Madeline the secret agent -- shades of Mrs. Pollifax! Now, there's a mother-son bonding ritual for you: bingo surveillance.

I do love what they're doing with Strickler, that deep queasy feeling everybody seems to have about Michael working with him -- including Michael. My theory: Wouldn't it be an interesting twist if he turns out to be part of Carla's organization? What better way to get Michael Westen to work for you than to convince him he's working for somebody else?

And in real-world news, USA has announced that Burn Notice is renewed for a fourth season. Cue happy dance!

Psst! Hey, internets! Wanna waste a few minutes?

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:44:57 GMT

Seriously, people, get over here and vote for Fiona. 1:3 against Veronica Mars? What is wrong with the universe?!?

Teyla and Carter could use some love, too, from the looks of it.

Yogurt: The Next Generation

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:00:18 GMT

YogurtWatch is updated.

And thank you, USA commercial, for worrying me all week. I thought that looked like a squib, and I didn't really think they'd be dumb enough to kill Fiona, but shows have inexplicably lost their minds before. Not that I'm overly invested, or anything. ;-P

But unfortunate advertising choices aside, that was a darned fine episode. I want to go re-watch it about a dozen times, even though the end scene made my stomach hurt.

The gift that keeps on culturing

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:02:56 GMT

YogurtWatch is updated.

And now we know that Michael eats approximately three yogurts a day. Or at least goes through three yogurts a day; Fiona seems to have a spoon in hand fairly often, too. One hopes he's getting some fiber in the rest of his diet.

I was pleasantly impressed with how they managed to get into the "chased through the swamp" scenario; I was afraid from the commercials that they were going to do the lame old "enemy gives our hero a pseudo-fighting chance" thing. I should have known better; this show hasn't yet handed us anything that felt like they filmed a rough draft.

I could go on here about Madeline Westen the ace interrogator, but... there just aren't words. One does see where Michael gets it from!

Stealth yogurt!

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:12:50 GMT

The dryer's still broken, but at least the laundromat wasn't too bad, so I was able to find time to watch last night's ep properly. YogurtWatch is updated.

That was a sneaky yogurt ref. If yogurt ref it in fact was, but I'm running with it.

In my world-view, there are few things more attractive than a man with really, really good aim. You can imagine how much I enjoyed the firing range scene. Oh, my.

I'm sure TPTB cast Michael Weston for his extremely talented acting, not for his name. But y'know, I'll bet the name didn't hurt.

And then there's that end scene. The trouble with getting someone like Michael to talk about his feelings is that, when he does, he really does. Poor Fi -- not that she shouldn't have seen it coming, but still, ouch.

Argh.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:33:02 GMT

YogurtWatch is delayed due to a small domestic crisis. Sorry, folks. Should have an update ready by tonight.

Maybe the cops scared off the yogurt?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:51:35 GMT

YogurtWatch is updated.

In my continuing adoration of this show, let me just note Michael's brief but intense look of distaste when Tommy tells him to hold the gun wrong. Oh, show, I do love your accuracy.

Also loved both restaurant scenes with Michael and Fiona. That relationship is many things, but never uncomplicated.

Bookended by yogurt

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:41:16 GMT

YogurtWatch is updated.

Another fine episode. I do appreciate Fiona's approach to home remodeling.

For those who don't read metafandom:

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:36:54 GMT

The Different Types of Critiquers by elissacruz. An excellent list of the various types of critiquers, with their flaws and merits. Seriously, I think I'm going to keep a printout of this handy for discussions with my writing group.

The counting of the yogurts

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:31:32 GMT

YogurtWatch is updated.

And now we know how many yogurts Michael has in his frig.

It says something, either about me or this show, that the two overwhelmingly most romantic moments in the entire show both involve Michael and Fiona exchanging deadly weapons. I ♥ ♥ ♥ those two so very much.

There was yogurt. They must like me.

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:36:16 GMT

New Burn Notice! I continue to love this show with unbounded delight.

Yep, I was right, this season is going to be the Michael Westen shooting gallery, as everybody who couldn't go after him before takes their shot. I did not expect the scene with him surrendering to the cops, though. That was... disturbing, in an awesome way. And for those who wondered why the Miami cops weren't already Michael's close personal friends, they politely made it explicit canon that somebody has been keeping him out of the system. I loved Sam explaining that Michael was better off in jail, at least until his mom calmed down.

And what have we learned from tonight's episode?

1. Never set Michael Westen up to be the fall guy, unless you can shoot him first and do it after he's dead.

2. Anybody who eats something that Sam wouldn't touch is clearly not to be trusted. Beer mixed into yogurt? Just shoot him now.

Speaking of beer, the scene at the end with all three of them swigging beer in unison deserves some kind of Award For Iconic Moment. Oh, show.

YogurtWatch is updated.

My, it's noisy in here.

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:36:00 GMT

My characters are pestering me to hurry up and write the next several chapters of the NIAY right now. They're being really quite insistent about it. I've no idea why; if they think their lives are going to get any easier as the novel progresses, they obviously haven't been paying attention.

MediaWest in review

Fri, 29 May 2009 17:38:34 GMT

So, this is now several days post-con. Hey, by MediaWest*Con standards, this is timely.

The con got off to a slow start this year. It felt like attendance was down; I don't know the actual membership count, but there seemed to be fewer decorated doors and less general chaos. The housemate & I were a bit down as well, due to otterwort and coffeerainbows having to cancel due to illness and an outbreak of Life. We did thoroughly enjoy the luxury of each having a queen-sized hotel bed to ourselves, but we would've gladly traded the space for the company.

However, it was good to see other folks, and do the usual con things. Shopping was shopped; I picked up a couple of old zines I've been on the lookout for, and assorted what-nots. The biggest-ticket single item was actually a 16 gig flash drive at OfficeMax, ridiculously on sale, and not technically a con expense.

Art-wise, I behaved fairly well. I snagged a print in the dealers' room of some unpronounceable crystals, and two Nicole Pellegrini watercolors from the art show, an abstract/surreal piece called "Pathways" and a lovely cool alien landscape which could actually stay on the wall when we put the house up for sale. I love her work; being not full of pretty men (hey, it's MediaWest*Con) it doesn't tend to sell well, which I think is a shame, but on the other hand, lack of competition means I can actually afford to buy it.

The hotel was still pretty rough; I suspect they're finding two problems for every one they start to fix, as one does. The pool was closed. The fifth floor was a construction zone, which doubtless contributed to the perception of it being a smaller than usual con. The other guest rooms haven't had much if any work done. Hopefully next year they'll have everything all spiffy for us.

The hotel staff was great, though. The newer ones seemed a bit bewildered at first, but they got into it pretty quickly, and the old hands were having a ball. R the restaurant guy has moved to another restaurant, but was hanging out with the FOE and said he's going to get a regular membership next year.

I went to some panels:

Friday:

Writing: I don't think that word means what you think it means.... - Probably quite useful to those who genuinely needed help with sound-alike or misused words, but not all that entertaining to someone who just came for the show. Left halfway through.

Refugee from a Dead Fandom - A decent discussion of trying to kindle enthusiasm for your pet fandom that everyone else has forgotten about or never discovered. Got dragged off course a bit by discussions of how to get source material, but still interesting. LJs, fanfic archives, and room parties are all good ideas, but I think the real answer is mind-control rays.

Lie To Me general discussion - I mainly went to show support for a friend who was on the panel, but really it was a pleasant, if small, gathering of folks who just enjoy the show. I now desperately want someone to write a LTM/House crossover.

I missed most of the panel on dispersing old videotape and other out-of-date tech due to feeding the cats; when I stuck my head in briefly, it seemed they were past the informative portion of the panel.

Saturday:

It's Not Easy Being Gen - the obligatory gen panel. Sadly, it got bogged down in discussing labels/warnings, and defining "gen" versus "slash". Would have worked better if there'd been a prerequisite panel where they hammered out definitions, and then could have gotten on with how to promote gen-fic. Still, it stayed reasonably friendly.

Burn Notice general discussion - Woot! Our fandom is full of sane people. How nice. A lovely group chat on why this show is made of awesome.

Sunday:

Decline of the printed zine - I had an unprecedented experience at this panel; I found myself wishing I was having the discussion on-line, rather than in person. At least then, I would have been able to "hear" everyone. A lot of good points were being made -- mostly on top of each other. The mod tried, she really, really did, but this was just not a group that was going to wait to be called on, or for someone else to finish. I left two-thirds of the way through.

Moonlight general discussion - Oh, wait, the panel grid says it was about the show finding new fans via SciFi repeats. That gives you a hint of how well it stayed on topic. Very little of the discussion was about the show in question, but it was at least entertaining.

Monday:

Doctor Who: Favourite episodes you want on DVD - A fine excuse to sit around and enthuse about cool bits in classic Who stories. Which we did, all six of us including the one panelist. Small but fun.

Wow, that's eight panels. I think that's some kind of record for me.

I only stayed for a bit of the art auction; as the need to sit on my hands grew, I decided the better part of valor involved going up to the room.

I have totally fallen in love with having a laptop with wireless capability, even if the hotel's wireless was only slightly faster than home's dial-up connection. signeh had me pull up Susan Boyle's initial performance on Britain's Got Talent; holy crap, if you have not heard this, go listen to it now. Seriously, I'll wait.

signeh and I talked writing whenever we could fit it in. It was good to have a nice, long natter or two. If only we could have had the whole group together....