Death of a vid

[icepixie]

I had the idea for this great Oliver-centric Slings & Arrows vid, done to Whitacre's "Sleep." I thought it would be perfect for Oliver, because the composition originally used the text of Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" (which is about death), only copyright interfered and Whitacre got a friend to write a new text for it, all about going to sleep. (Spoiler: Also a metaphor for death.) There is even inclusion of "what dreams may come," so of course it would be perfect for Oliver!

Except for the part where Oliver's tragi-comic story is a little heavy on the "comic" for that music. "Death by pig truck" just doesn't work with "slow, dramatic choral piece." I put some pieces on the timeline and most just didn't work...although some of them did. I have a nice little section at the end I'm rather fond of.

Anyway, let this be a lesson: Not only does the canon have to make sense with the story you're using the music to tell, but the tone has to match. (Unless you're intentionally going for funny, but that's a whole other .mov file of fish.)

*

Assorted other things from the past couple days:

- Yesterday I watched The American President, which is a romantic comedy written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Rob Reiner. It is...exactly what you would expect from that combination. Quite good, although IMO the romance part got shortchanged for the benefit of the political story. Anyway, I mention this because wow, Michael Douglas looks and sounds (especially sounds) a hell of a lot like Bruce Boxleitner, and his President Shepherd is basically whom John Sheridan would be if he were president of the US instead of the ISA. BB fans (*glances at nhpw and kungfuwaynewho*), you might enjoy this film.

- There is going to be a new Muppet movie! Trailer. Sadly, it also stars Amy Adams, whom I have never warmed to, but MUPPETS!

- I watched the season premiere of Rizzoli & Isles mostly on a whim, and...hey, the show kind of got good! Or maybe I was just so overwhelmed by all the subtext that I didn't notice the giant plot holes I remembered from last time I watched the show. I think every scene Jane and Maura shared contained at least one innuendo, with bonus cute bits (like Maura spit-cleaning Jane's uniform tie!) when the innuendo wasn't enough.

Comments

[spockette.livejournal.com]

What episodes of season 1 Rizzoli & Isles did you see? Some of them were definitely pretty crappy, but I find the gaping plot-holes become invisible if you just focus on the Epic Gay between Jane & Maura. Also, I like to watch the show imagining that lysachan's Jane/Maura hypotheses are canon, because it makes the show make a lot more sense. I quote:

Hypothesis 1: Jane is so obviously gay/bisexual, but is either too scared to admit it (even to herself), or she's simply the most oblivious person on the planet.

Hypothesis 2: Maura is completely besotted with Jane - and she's aware of it. That is why she keeps throwing men at Jane & making obvious comments, to make the other woman realise that penis = not the right option.

Hypothesis 3: Despite her infatuation, Maura still dates men, either to make Jane jealous, or for the heck of it until the detective comes to her senses.

Hypothesis 4: The het is there just to create a smoke screen so that the rest of the episode wouldn't look so darn gay.

I liked the first episode of this season, although I could have done without the Men Of The Week. Although I am constantly amused at how Angie fails to have chemistry with every.single.guy they set her up with. I think the episode was better because pretty much the entire crime plot was wrapped up in less than ten minutes, and the rest was just Jane & Maura being cute. lysachan has some great subtexty recaps (http://lysachan.livejournal.com/tag/tv%3A%20rizzoli%20%26%20isles), as does Dorothy Snarker over on AfterEllen (http://www.afterellen.com/Tv/recaps/rizzoli-and-isles-subtext-recap-ten).

Anyway, if you're interested I have a bunch of fic recs for you that I meant to give you ages ago, if you still want?

Despite all Janet Tamaro's media comments that it's "not a gay show", they are clearly putting in the subtext on purpose - have you seen the speed dating promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeVVZEX8g7M), or the gayest promo ever (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOXFsT-0qJk)? I mean, really. My mother has noticed the subtext (and has since refused to watch thanks to her ridiculous homophobia - seriously, one day, I am going to tell my mother I'm a lesbian and watch her head explode) and if my mother notices, they have to be pretty damn gay.

[icepixie]

I watched the first two, after which I gave up on the show, but semi-recently I watched the lesbian bar episode, which was much better (read: so subtexty I could ignore any gaping plot holes).

Haha, I like those hypotheses as well!

although I could have done without the Men Of The Week

Are there any episodes without Men of the Week? Though compared to the ones from the second episode of S1 (which was what turned me off the show at first; seriously, how do you have a show with two women as the leads and not pass the damn Bechdel Test?), this week's men were incredibly easy to ignore.

Although I am constantly amused at how Angie fails to have chemistry with every.single.guy they set her up with.

Heh. Maybe because you know they're always going to be one episode wonders? I never thought any of the one-episode romances in, say, the Treks had any chemistry with the regulars they were with.

Anyway, if you're interested I have a bunch of fic recs for you that I meant to give you ages ago, if you still want?

Oooooh, yes, please!!

I have indeed seen those promos, and Janet Tamaro doth protest entirely too much. I think you're the third person with a relative who doesn't watch the show but has seen a few minutes and instantly come to the conclusion that Jane and Maura are either together or being set up to be together.

[spockette.livejournal.com]

Firstly, a vid rec - Skinny Genes (http://charmax.livejournal.com/132855.html) by charmax.

Now, the fic recs:
The More Things Change (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6945975/1/The_More_Things_Change) by spoowriter. Tracing Jane's recovery from her physical injuries & Maura from her emotional ones after the end of last season.
When Maura Isles Made It Rain (http://archiveofourown.org/works/219700) by harper_m. Jane goes undercover as a stripper/lesbian prostitute, Maura goes along as her john.
The Seduction of Jane Rizzoli (http://lears-daughter.livejournal.com/43919.html) by lears_daughter, in which Maura attempts to woo Jane.
Oh, It's Love (http://archiveofourown.org/works/112186) by lears_daughter. Jane Rizzoli isn’t a lesbian. She simply happens to be in a loving and committed relationship with a woman.
Conclusions (http://jane-maura-ff.livejournal.com/67276.html?style=mine) by ainsleyaisling. Jane's family is disappointed in Jane. Jane jumps to conclusions as to why.
Untitled (http://snuffnyc.livejournal.com/415022.html) by snuffnyc. Also, Interference (http://snuffnyc.livejournal.com/427525.html) also by snuffnyc.

Are there any episodes without Men of the Week?

Indeed there are. Boston Strangler Redux was actually the worst episode they've done so far. 01x03, Sympathy For The Devil had Joe Grant (although he left at the end), but it also had Jane's mother setting her up on a blind-date with him, and Jane taking one look, and immediately leaving for Maura's with wine and flowers, oh and Maura & Jane spending the night together again.

01x04, She Works Hard For The Money had no men of the week, just Harvard students becoming prostitutes to pay their tuition and Maura looking at Jane like she's completely in love with her.

01x05 had Jane & Maura fighting over money/class and still managing to be ridiculously subtexty. It had Maura's ex-boyfriend, Zach from Saved By The Bell, but she only spends time with him to prove to Jane that she's got her back.

01x07 had Jane & Maura running a marathon together and their first on-screen hug, and no men as far as I can recall.

01x08 had Agent Dean returning and once again being slightly creepy and having no chemistry with Jane, but it also has Maura spending the night with Jane again, Jane teaching Maura how to shoot her gun and hand-holding.

01x09, had no men, just Jane freaking out when Maura's kidnapped, Jane & Maura holding hands(and Frankie showing up and looking completely unsurprised to see Maura once again spending the night in Jane's apartment), and lots of gratuitous touching.

01x10 also featured no men, but had plot holes you could drive a truck through (apparently, nobody in the entire police department has a cell phone?) and lots of Jane/Maura gayzing at each other.

[icepixie]

Oooh, thanks for all this! I haven't read almost any of them. I did discover snuffnyc's fic a little while back, and love it.

I think I've actually seen most of the shippy scenes you mention in clips on YouTube, but it sounds like I might have to stick the DVDs in my Netflix queue. I can always do something else while the boring plot- and men-related bits are on. ;)

[singer-shaper.livejournal.com]

The American President is one of my favorite movies, and ITA about Michael Douglas sounding like BB. If you close your eyes and just listen to him talk, you almost can't tell the difference.

[icepixie]

If you close your eyes and just listen to him talk, you almost can't tell the difference.

I know! I was actually looking away from the screen when he first started talking, and I'm pretty sure I gave myself whiplash with the way my head snapped around to see what Boxleitner was doing in this movie.

[kungfuwaynewho.livejournal.com]

LOL I hate The American President, mostly because I cannot stand Annette Bening, and I'm not a fan of Sorkin. I've never though of Michael Douglas being similar to BB, though; next time I'm watching one of his movies that isn't TAP, I'll look out for it.

[icepixie]

I've never though of Michael Douglas being similar to BB, though; next time I'm watching one of his movies that isn't TAP, I'll look out for it.

It might have been heightened because the character was so, so similar to Sheridan. But yeah, definitely the voice is very similar.

[livii.livejournal.com]

I only heard of Rizzoli & Isles last week, and I was quite put out that no one mentioned it to me before. Two ostensibly straight women who are very gay for each other while solving crimes? Relevant to my interests!! That said, I haven't gone and looked for episodes yet, but I have been rather busy.

[spockette.livejournal.com]

For obtaining Rizzoli & Isles episodes, there's an LJ download community that might be useful. (edited because I just noticed this was an unlocked post, if you didn't get an email notification with the original link, I can PM you the community name if you're interested).

[livii.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I did get it! I also found them in a different LJ comm I belong to as well, but if I end up liking it, doesn't look like anyone was adding this season's episodes, so your comm will be very useful. Thank you!

[icepixie]

FWIW, the first two episodes are...awful, but it does get better. They do seem intent on informing the audience that Jane and Maura are STRAIGHT, TOTALLY STRAIGHT, DID I MENTION THEY'RE STRAIGHT?, but since a.) none of the guys ever last, and b.) they do a lot of things with each other that I definitely don't do with my friends, it really just looks like both of them are in denial.

[rensong.livejournal.com]

Wohoo, Muppets! I hope there are enough fans left from our generation (lots of whom have kids, so hurray for hopefully double exposure!) to give the movie the ratings it deserves!

[icepixie]

I just hope it's a decent movie...