Title: Sea-Changed
Song/Artist: "Full Fathom Five," by Hem, feat. Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway
Length: 1:30
Summary: The theater is where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Notes: For![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
raven's ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fandom_stocking. With thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gamesiplay.
( Embed under the cut )
Download from Mediafire (19 MB Quicktime file
Song/Artist: "Full Fathom Five," by Hem, feat. Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway
Length: 1:30
Summary: The theater is where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Notes: For
raven's fandom_stocking. With thanks to gamesiplay.( Embed under the cut )
Download from Mediafire (19 MB Quicktime file
Fandom_Stocking Roundup
Jan. 7th, 2011 09:03 pmFandom stockings have been revealed! Yay! I received some lovely graphics and recs for poetry and books which look interesting indeed.
I volunteered as a pinch-hitter (pinch-stuffer?) and thus ended up doing more than I thought I would for this fest; specifically, I wrote twelve fics and made one vid. Here's everything I wrote/vidded, with links to the AO3 because it's simpler than chasing down comment threads, especially for those that are broken into multiple comments. (Unless otherwise stated, these are 1,000ish words or fewer. All are, at most, PG.)
Babylon 5
And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall forperverseparagon – Londo's life is full of mazes now.
If Equal Affection Cannot Be forrivendellrose – Five poems Marcus Cole knows by heart. One-sided Ivanova/Marcus.
Soldiers forbessemerprocess – In which Susan Ivanova and Olivia Dunham meet in a bar. Angsty and apocalyptic. Crossover with Fringe.
Castle
...In an Elevator fordebirlfan – Castle and Beckett, stuck in an elevator. UST.
Murder Most Kindergarten forsoobunny – Five-year-old Alexis writes a story. It gives her father cause to worry.
Corner Gas
Baby, Baby forlivii – Someone leaves a baby on the steps of the Dog River Police Station. Chaos ensues. Everyone appears, but it's Karen- and Davis-centric. (3,000 words; also at LJ.)
Doctor Who
Second Star to the Right forjenavira – Eight, Charley, and a low-gravity planet.
Follow the Fleet
Side by Side foridharao – Sherry and Bake are having a trying Christmas, but they make the most of it.
Fringe
Soldiers forbessemerprocess – In which Susan Ivanova and Olivia Dunham meet in a bar. Angsty and apocalyptic. Crossover with Babylon 5.
Northern Exposure
I Feel the Sky Tumbling Down foroxoniensis – An alternate explanation for Maggie's vertigo in "I Feel the Earth Move." Joel/Maggie, Ruth-Anne.
The Reality of Experience forjuniperphoenix – Roslyn and Cicely share a life lived through books.
Slings & Arrows
All in a Day's Work forwiliqueen – An all-too-typical day for Anna Conroy.
Sea-Changed (vid) forloneraven – A vid about Geoffrey, the theater, and even Oliver. Set to "Full Fathom Five," by Hem, feat. Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway. 1:30 long, 19 MB Quicktime file.
X-Files
The Heart of Saturday Night forruuger – "John Doggett requires a cautious, quiet approach, like sneaking up on a bird or squirrel to take its picture." Doggett/Reyes UST.
I volunteered as a pinch-hitter (pinch-stuffer?) and thus ended up doing more than I thought I would for this fest; specifically, I wrote twelve fics and made one vid. Here's everything I wrote/vidded, with links to the AO3 because it's simpler than chasing down comment threads, especially for those that are broken into multiple comments. (Unless otherwise stated, these are 1,000ish words or fewer. All are, at most, PG.)
Babylon 5
And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall for
perverseparagon – Londo's life is full of mazes now.If Equal Affection Cannot Be for
rivendellrose – Five poems Marcus Cole knows by heart. One-sided Ivanova/Marcus.Soldiers for
bessemerprocess – In which Susan Ivanova and Olivia Dunham meet in a bar. Angsty and apocalyptic. Crossover with Fringe.Castle
...In an Elevator for
debirlfan – Castle and Beckett, stuck in an elevator. UST.Murder Most Kindergarten for
soobunny – Five-year-old Alexis writes a story. It gives her father cause to worry.Corner Gas
Baby, Baby for
livii – Someone leaves a baby on the steps of the Dog River Police Station. Chaos ensues. Everyone appears, but it's Karen- and Davis-centric. (3,000 words; also at LJ.)Doctor Who
Second Star to the Right for
jenavira – Eight, Charley, and a low-gravity planet.Follow the Fleet
Side by Side for
idharao – Sherry and Bake are having a trying Christmas, but they make the most of it.Fringe
Soldiers for
bessemerprocess – In which Susan Ivanova and Olivia Dunham meet in a bar. Angsty and apocalyptic. Crossover with Babylon 5.Northern Exposure
I Feel the Sky Tumbling Down for
oxoniensis – An alternate explanation for Maggie's vertigo in "I Feel the Earth Move." Joel/Maggie, Ruth-Anne.The Reality of Experience for
juniperphoenix – Roslyn and Cicely share a life lived through books.Slings & Arrows
All in a Day's Work for
wiliqueen – An all-too-typical day for Anna Conroy.Sea-Changed (vid) for
loneraven – A vid about Geoffrey, the theater, and even Oliver. Set to "Full Fathom Five," by Hem, feat. Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway. 1:30 long, 19 MB Quicktime file.X-Files
The Heart of Saturday Night for
ruuger – "John Doggett requires a cautious, quiet approach, like sneaking up on a bird or squirrel to take its picture." Doggett/Reyes UST.Title: To Give Life a Shape
Rating: R, purely because Geoffrey's mouth is, you know, less than clean.
Pairings/Characters: Fraser/Thatcher, Geoffrey/Ellen (sorta), Oliver, Anna. Mostly, it is a Geoffrey story.
Word Count: 5,000
Summary: Fraser and Thatcher attend one of the New Burbage Festival's corporate workshops, where Geoffrey, because he finds them amusing, attempts to yank their chains by casting them in precisely the two roles they don't want to play. Awkwardness ensues, musings on life and art are pronounced, and all is well ended.
Notes: This takes place in a timewarped universe in which a day several weeks after "Red, White or Blue" coincides with one sometime around episode five of the first season of S&A (Darren is gone, but Claire is still around). The title is part of a quotation from The Rehearsal, by Jean Anouilh: "The object of art is to give life a shape."
Thanks: About a million of them torowdycamels, without whom this would be but a pale shadow of itself.
( 'How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?' she asked, completely deadpan. 'The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art'—she didn't give the impression that she thought this was much of a problem—'if any of my kinsmen find thee here.' )
Rating: R, purely because Geoffrey's mouth is, you know, less than clean.
Pairings/Characters: Fraser/Thatcher, Geoffrey/Ellen (sorta), Oliver, Anna. Mostly, it is a Geoffrey story.
Word Count: 5,000
Summary: Fraser and Thatcher attend one of the New Burbage Festival's corporate workshops, where Geoffrey, because he finds them amusing, attempts to yank their chains by casting them in precisely the two roles they don't want to play. Awkwardness ensues, musings on life and art are pronounced, and all is well ended.
Notes: This takes place in a timewarped universe in which a day several weeks after "Red, White or Blue" coincides with one sometime around episode five of the first season of S&A (Darren is gone, but Claire is still around). The title is part of a quotation from The Rehearsal, by Jean Anouilh: "The object of art is to give life a shape."
Thanks: About a million of them to
rowdycamels, without whom this would be but a pale shadow of itself.( 'How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?' she asked, completely deadpan. 'The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art'—she didn't give the impression that she thought this was much of a problem—'if any of my kinsmen find thee here.' )
One last S&A thought before bed
Dec. 28th, 2010 01:20 amOkay, I feel really dense, but I was just watching the scene in 1x3 where Geoffrey and Terry are in the bar (research!), and...was Terry supposed to be attracted to Geoffrey? Because the, "Life cannot compete with that." / "I can't compete with that," exchange seriously makes me wonder.
For further, er, research, I ended up spending a few hours tonight watching S1 episodes of due South. Man, I'd forgotten how gorgeously that show was shot, and how even more gorgeously it was edited. I think car chases are pretty much the most boring thing in the world to watch, but the one from "Gift of the Wheelman," with the Sarah McLachlan song, "Steaming," in the background, is just riveting. It's so, so well put-together. (That whole episode is really a gem. Bob shows up! Fraser gets some excellent speeches! The plot is touching without being saccharine!)
For further, er, research, I ended up spending a few hours tonight watching S1 episodes of due South. Man, I'd forgotten how gorgeously that show was shot, and how even more gorgeously it was edited. I think car chases are pretty much the most boring thing in the world to watch, but the one from "Gift of the Wheelman," with the Sarah McLachlan song, "Steaming," in the background, is just riveting. It's so, so well put-together. (That whole episode is really a gem. Bob shows up! Fraser gets some excellent speeches! The plot is touching without being saccharine!)
Invaders from Canada
Dec. 27th, 2010 06:51 pmSo in the course of writing this dS/S&A crossover, Geoffrey Tennant has kind of moved into my head. This has, if nothing else, done some very interesting things to my vocabulary. If I had a sainted aunt, I would be apologizing right now.
At any rate, I am very much enjoying writing him (cf. 4,500+ words in under 48 hours, which is huge for me, OMG), and kind of sad that I'm nearing the end of the first draft of the fic. I have about four, maybe six paragraphs to go, because Ellen decided she wanted to be involved in this one as well.
Because I am narcissistic enough to think others will find said fic as hilarious as I do, a snippet:
( Don't you think that, for example, the scene in Much Ado About Nothing where Claudio, Leonato, and Don Pedro trick Benedick into believing Beatrice loves him, while admittedly not the most moral way of going about things, shows a remarkable facility for working together to make and carry out a plan of action? )
At any rate, I am very much enjoying writing him (cf. 4,500+ words in under 48 hours, which is huge for me, OMG), and kind of sad that I'm nearing the end of the first draft of the fic. I have about four, maybe six paragraphs to go, because Ellen decided she wanted to be involved in this one as well.
Because I am narcissistic enough to think others will find said fic as hilarious as I do, a snippet:
( Don't you think that, for example, the scene in Much Ado About Nothing where Claudio, Leonato, and Don Pedro trick Benedick into believing Beatrice loves him, while admittedly not the most moral way of going about things, shows a remarkable facility for working together to make and carry out a plan of action? )
Title: Blushing Pilgrims
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1370
Timeline: Between S2 and S3 for due South, and pre-canon for Slings & Arrows.
Pairings: Fraser/Thatcher, Geoffrey/Ellen
Summary: Meg Thatcher is not a fan of Romeo and Juliet. However, on a trip to New Burbage with Constable Fraser, she finds a few reasons to reevaluate her opinion.
( She is not going to cry. She is far too old, and anyway, it's more of a cliché than she can bear, crying at the end of Romeo and Juliet. )
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1370
Timeline: Between S2 and S3 for due South, and pre-canon for Slings & Arrows.
Pairings: Fraser/Thatcher, Geoffrey/Ellen
Summary: Meg Thatcher is not a fan of Romeo and Juliet. However, on a trip to New Burbage with Constable Fraser, she finds a few reasons to reevaluate her opinion.
( She is not going to cry. She is far too old, and anyway, it's more of a cliché than she can bear, crying at the end of Romeo and Juliet. )
Assorted Canadian media
Dec. 22nd, 2010 01:12 amI finished my Slings & Arrows rewatch today. I am such a sap, but even though it's my third time through, I cried when ( spoiler. )
I also started on that dS/S&A crossover that I'm still pretty sure is a terrible idea, and as, uh, preparation, I watched a couple dS episodes today. Thatcher's character gets screwed, especially in the later seasons, but...okay, something about her and Fraser just bypasses all the logic channels in my brain and makes me squee uncontrollably. They are SO. CUTE. *squeak* The eggs! The kiss on top of the train! Semaphoring compliments! *falls over*
I also started on that dS/S&A crossover that I'm still pretty sure is a terrible idea, and as, uh, preparation, I watched a couple dS episodes today. Thatcher's character gets screwed, especially in the later seasons, but...okay, something about her and Fraser just bypasses all the logic channels in my brain and makes me squee uncontrollably. They are SO. CUTE. *squeak* The eggs! The kiss on top of the train! Semaphoring compliments! *falls over*
Truncated Music Recs post
Dec. 18th, 2010 08:21 pmInvolving only one band: Clandestine, a Celtic outfit from Texas. I heard "Babylon" on an internet radio station I used to listen to several years ago, and made a recording of part of it. Never could find a way to buy it. Only recently did I think to look for it on Grooveshark, and lo! There it was!
I want to vid this song rather badly, but I don't know what I would vid it to. B5 seems rather too obvious. Slings & Arrows* has some potential, but...no, I don't quite think so. It needs something a bit more childishly earnest. Like LOTR, only not so epic. Ooooh, maybe the movie of Stardust! They do use the Babylon candle, and this song is based around that "How many miles to Babylon?" rhyme...
Anyway, another song by Clandestine that's good: "Peggy," in which...well, just listen, it's pretty great. :D
In other news, I read Howl's Moving Castle for the first time the other day, and...how was this not a huge part of my childhood? That was great! I saw the animated movie a few years ago, and it was good, but the book was even better. Plus there was SURPRISE!WALES. I hastily requested the sequels from the library yesterday.
* I've been rewatching the entire series this week, and am about to start on S3. GOD, that show is so good! It might be the most perfectly-done little gem of a series I've ever seen.rivendellrose, have you seen it? I think you'd love it.
I want to vid this song rather badly, but I don't know what I would vid it to. B5 seems rather too obvious. Slings & Arrows* has some potential, but...no, I don't quite think so. It needs something a bit more childishly earnest. Like LOTR, only not so epic. Ooooh, maybe the movie of Stardust! They do use the Babylon candle, and this song is based around that "How many miles to Babylon?" rhyme...
Anyway, another song by Clandestine that's good: "Peggy," in which...well, just listen, it's pretty great. :D
In other news, I read Howl's Moving Castle for the first time the other day, and...how was this not a huge part of my childhood? That was great! I saw the animated movie a few years ago, and it was good, but the book was even better. Plus there was SURPRISE!WALES. I hastily requested the sequels from the library yesterday.
* I've been rewatching the entire series this week, and am about to start on S3. GOD, that show is so good! It might be the most perfectly-done little gem of a series I've ever seen.
rivendellrose, have you seen it? I think you'd love it.Current temperature: 76F
Mar. 12th, 2007 05:39 pmFwah. It is officially shorts weather, at least in the sun. Maybe not so much in the shade. Hoo-rah.
(Of course, this means that my skin has now decided to itch because it's hot and humid, rather than because it's cold and dry. Skin? Could you give me a week or so to transition, maybe?)
So...guess what arrived in the mail today! If you said Due South Season Three(/Four), you win...an imaginary prize! Treat yourself to a stuffed beaver. Or possibly you may wish to treat yourself to defriending me if you're sick and tired of my dS babble. I assure you that it will continue.
On a related tangent (and to make some reference to my icon), I rewatched all of Slings & Arrows Season Three last night. I dunno...that season, you just can't not marathon it. It's got this incredible drive to it, I guess because Charles is ( spoiler ). Or maybe it's just that William Hutt and Paul Gross are so intense together that you can't look away.
Man, this is one of only two or three shows where you can pop in most any episode, and I'll be content to watch all the way through when I've seen it before. That never happens.
(Of course, this means that my skin has now decided to itch because it's hot and humid, rather than because it's cold and dry. Skin? Could you give me a week or so to transition, maybe?)
So...guess what arrived in the mail today! If you said Due South Season Three(/Four), you win...an imaginary prize! Treat yourself to a stuffed beaver. Or possibly you may wish to treat yourself to defriending me if you're sick and tired of my dS babble. I assure you that it will continue.
On a related tangent (and to make some reference to my icon), I rewatched all of Slings & Arrows Season Three last night. I dunno...that season, you just can't not marathon it. It's got this incredible drive to it, I guess because Charles is ( spoiler ). Or maybe it's just that William Hutt and Paul Gross are so intense together that you can't look away.
Man, this is one of only two or three shows where you can pop in most any episode, and I'll be content to watch all the way through when I've seen it before. That never happens.
I meant to write this without spoilers.
Jan. 30th, 2007 01:34 amI treated myself to a rewatch of S&A 2x05 and 2x06 after the exhaustion that was choir. All three seasons have amazing finales, and I don't know that I could pick a favorite out of them. But I think 2x06 has my favorite scene: Ellen and Geoffrey in the wings, watching Romeo and Juliet and talking about what losers they are. Geoffrey's "I think it's painfully accurate" line punches me in the gut every time.
(And I hate that play, but this frigging works, and wouldn't work without it.)
I think it might be the funniest episode they did. ( Spoilers, of course. )
Hmmm. Anna is talking to me now. I must admit I really want to get inside her head and poke around. A sad, sick part of me still wants to write a tiny little Richard/Anna ficlet (set before season three, thank you very much), and I may just give in. It would have a really silly title that includes the words "bureauocracy" or "paperwork." Yes, Kate, that paperwork. Hee.
Ellen is also demanding I pay attention to her. She wants me to write about how her relationship with her sister improves and she becomes a model aunt after the events of 3x06. I am currently laughing myself silly imagining that.
(And I hate that play, but this frigging works, and wouldn't work without it.)
I think it might be the funniest episode they did. ( Spoilers, of course. )
Hmmm. Anna is talking to me now. I must admit I really want to get inside her head and poke around. A sad, sick part of me still wants to write a tiny little Richard/Anna ficlet (set before season three, thank you very much), and I may just give in. It would have a really silly title that includes the words "bureauocracy" or "paperwork." Yes, Kate, that paperwork. Hee.
Ellen is also demanding I pay attention to her. She wants me to write about how her relationship with her sister improves and she becomes a model aunt after the events of 3x06. I am currently laughing myself silly imagining that.
Got myself a Slings & Arrows icon
Jan. 27th, 2007 11:27 pmI rewatched season one of S&A tonight. ( And it was eye-opening. )
You know, I don't think I've pushed this show hard enough on my poor flist. Y'all! I know at least half, and probably closer to three-quarters, of you would love it if you saw it; seasons one and two are out on DVD now, and season three is airing in various places now. Basically, if you are/were an English major, a Shakespeare fan, a theatre geek, or just an admirer of really well-written TV (with a good does of schadenfreude), you should get your hands on this series.
You know, I don't think I've pushed this show hard enough on my poor flist. Y'all! I know at least half, and probably closer to three-quarters, of you would love it if you saw it; seasons one and two are out on DVD now, and season three is airing in various places now. Basically, if you are/were an English major, a Shakespeare fan, a theatre geek, or just an admirer of really well-written TV (with a good does of schadenfreude), you should get your hands on this series.
Still need an S&A icon...
Jan. 27th, 2007 12:19 amSo, um, I think one is not meant to marathon season three of Slings and Arrows. ( And here's why. )
So, I think I need to watch the whole series again to really get all the jokes and connections and allusions. I might bring myself to reread King Lear before watching season three again, even. I read it junior year; you'd think it would still be fresh(ish) in my mind, but it's all gone. I recognized none of the dialogue that was being recited.
Or maybe I'll just be lazy. You never know.
So, I think I need to watch the whole series again to really get all the jokes and connections and allusions. I might bring myself to reread King Lear before watching season three again, even. I read it junior year; you'd think it would still be fresh(ish) in my mind, but it's all gone. I recognized none of the dialogue that was being recited.
Or maybe I'll just be lazy. You never know.
(no subject)
Jan. 23rd, 2007 10:21 pmIn the Canadian TV industry, the six degrees game needs to be shortened to two degrees, or at most three.
I used to be a big fan of Forever Knight, which was about vampires before Buffy made it cool. You know how in my last post on Slings and Arrows, I mused on how Paul Gross reminds me a bit of Geraint Wyn Davies? Imagine my surprise when I begin to watch season two and find ( spoilers through 2x03 )
Hmmm. I need an S&A icon. I should get on that...
ETA: Finished the season. (It's not hard, they're only six episodes long.) Everything's going to go straight to hell in 3x01, isn't it? Awwww.
I used to be a big fan of Forever Knight, which was about vampires before Buffy made it cool. You know how in my last post on Slings and Arrows, I mused on how Paul Gross reminds me a bit of Geraint Wyn Davies? Imagine my surprise when I begin to watch season two and find ( spoilers through 2x03 )
Hmmm. I need an S&A icon. I should get on that...
ETA: Finished the season. (It's not hard, they're only six episodes long.) Everything's going to go straight to hell in 3x01, isn't it? Awwww.
I watched...um...let's just say I watched a lot of TV today. I walked into the downtown library at twelve, and at twelve forty-five, I walked out with the majority of the first and second seasons of Moonlighting under my arm (naturally, they didn't have the first of the six discs).
Shut up, reruns of this show were part of my formative years. Well, part of my sixteenth and seventeenth years, anyway. That's formative enough.
Anyway, I watched two discs' worth. "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" is so, so good. Not quite as good as "Atomic Shakespeare," but way up there. Although the biggest laugh out of the episodes I watched today was four people, two of them men, in identical black dresses, with identical black veils, chasing each other around a hotel restaurant with guns, and finally sliding to a halt in a puddle of soap suds. YAY SLAPSTICK.
I also watched three more episodes of Slings and Arrows. They have mini-cliffhangers at the end, because they are evil, and so of course I have to see what happens next. Ohmygod, that is such a good show. I'm trying with some success to convince myself that I should save the sixth and final episode of the first season for tomorrow. Probably in order to do that, I should turn off the computer...
Shut up, reruns of this show were part of my formative years. Well, part of my sixteenth and seventeenth years, anyway. That's formative enough.
Anyway, I watched two discs' worth. "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" is so, so good. Not quite as good as "Atomic Shakespeare," but way up there. Although the biggest laugh out of the episodes I watched today was four people, two of them men, in identical black dresses, with identical black veils, chasing each other around a hotel restaurant with guns, and finally sliding to a halt in a puddle of soap suds. YAY SLAPSTICK.
I also watched three more episodes of Slings and Arrows. They have mini-cliffhangers at the end, because they are evil, and so of course I have to see what happens next. Ohmygod, that is such a good show. I'm trying with some success to convince myself that I should save the sixth and final episode of the first season for tomorrow. Probably in order to do that, I should turn off the computer...
More TV excitement!
Jan. 6th, 2007 12:19 amI do believe I've found the spackle for the NX-shaped hole in my life.
Slings and Arrows not only has quirky characters and extensive reference to classical dramatic works, but it also has a very well-developed sense of the absurd, and actors who are excellent at deadpan delivery and reactions. Plus, there's just the right amount of magical realism. At the end of the first episode, ( spoiler )
Oh, I could get to love this show.
Paul Gross reminds me considerably of a cross between Geraint Wyn Davies (aka Nick Knight) and Jared Padalecki. More of Wyn Davies, though. They both seem to have that same intense, focused look about them. Perhaps it comes from playing a Canadian law enforcer on TV for several years.
(Speaking of Canadians...they all have such cute accents! *channels Sam, although without the irony inherent in Amanda Tapping's oh-so-Canadian-accented self squeeing over Rodney's pronunciation of "sorry"*)
I think the Nigerian security guard is my favorite character so far. He won me over with the following exchange:
Oliver: "There's not one moment of truth in this whole production."
Neil(?): "Truth can be a very dangerous thing. Before I left Nigeria, I directed a production of Ken Saro-Wiwa's The Wheel, which was perhaps too openly critical of the Abasha [sp?] regime."
Oliver: "How did it go over?"
Neil: "Well, the soldiers came and burned our sets and beat the actors with sticks."
Oliver: "...Thanks for the perspective."
*
I've also watched an episode and a half of Gilmore Girls now. I'm...withholding judgement until I see more, I think. I'll look into borrowing season one from the library (not that their discs ever play on my player, but maybe these haven't been used too badly). So far there's a liiiittle too much focus on the high school end of things, and like I've been saying in comments to some people over here, I find the pace and too too perfect snark of the dialogue a bit unrealistic. They're often going so fast that there's no time to put any inflection into the words they're saying. It lacks...sincerity. Or something.
However, this isn't a problem at all between Luke and Lorelai, for some reason. I think they must slow down a bit. Or perhaps the overwhelming UST between them makes up for any problems with the dialogue feeling too scripted.
*
In a final media-related note, I finished my three-day odyssey through China Mieville's Perdido Street Station today. It's certainly an accomplishment. It reminded me of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but only in the sense that it didn't get going until page 350 (of 700), and yet I couldn't put it down. I think it was the intricacy of the world Mieville created; it's kind of a mixture of Blade Runner and Pullman's His Dark Materials, with some extra Secret Adventures of Jules Verne for that steampunky edge. Sort of...scientific magic, with an evil government looming over everything.
The plot, once it got going, was rollicking and good fun, although I missed the attention to detail of the city and world with which he opened the book. The ending blared out "Sequel coming soon to a bookstore near you!", but I suppose I can't blame him; there's enough possibility in New Crobuzon for several more books. (He may have written one or two already; this is the first book I've read by him, although I think he has three or four more out now.)
The book was obviously written by a guy in his early or mid-twenties. Believe me, after college writing classes, I have experience with this. The excess attention on sex and drugs, and the unfortunate tendency to describe things in terms of fecal matter, are dead giveaways. There was also a bit too much of the main character thinking Very Stridently About Taking a Stand On Things that I wish someone had caught before publication, but that's personal preference, I suppose. It was just...I could hear the horns in the soundtrack, you know?
Also, the guy swallowed a dictionary before writing this. I'm all about new words, but using long words for the sake of using long words irritates me. And the words "pugnacious" and "febrile" should not appear twenty times each in a 700-page book.
But that said, I love this approach to fantasy; less magic, fewer elves, more crazy steampunk science and wild creatures like the vampiric moths. Mieville's a bit like a younger Gaiman, and that can only be a good thing. I'll be looking for his other books.
Slings and Arrows not only has quirky characters and extensive reference to classical dramatic works, but it also has a very well-developed sense of the absurd, and actors who are excellent at deadpan delivery and reactions. Plus, there's just the right amount of magical realism. At the end of the first episode, ( spoiler )
Oh, I could get to love this show.
Paul Gross reminds me considerably of a cross between Geraint Wyn Davies (aka Nick Knight) and Jared Padalecki. More of Wyn Davies, though. They both seem to have that same intense, focused look about them. Perhaps it comes from playing a Canadian law enforcer on TV for several years.
(Speaking of Canadians...they all have such cute accents! *channels Sam, although without the irony inherent in Amanda Tapping's oh-so-Canadian-accented self squeeing over Rodney's pronunciation of "sorry"*)
I think the Nigerian security guard is my favorite character so far. He won me over with the following exchange:
Oliver: "There's not one moment of truth in this whole production."
Neil(?): "Truth can be a very dangerous thing. Before I left Nigeria, I directed a production of Ken Saro-Wiwa's The Wheel, which was perhaps too openly critical of the Abasha [sp?] regime."
Oliver: "How did it go over?"
Neil: "Well, the soldiers came and burned our sets and beat the actors with sticks."
Oliver: "...Thanks for the perspective."
*
I've also watched an episode and a half of Gilmore Girls now. I'm...withholding judgement until I see more, I think. I'll look into borrowing season one from the library (not that their discs ever play on my player, but maybe these haven't been used too badly). So far there's a liiiittle too much focus on the high school end of things, and like I've been saying in comments to some people over here, I find the pace and too too perfect snark of the dialogue a bit unrealistic. They're often going so fast that there's no time to put any inflection into the words they're saying. It lacks...sincerity. Or something.
However, this isn't a problem at all between Luke and Lorelai, for some reason. I think they must slow down a bit. Or perhaps the overwhelming UST between them makes up for any problems with the dialogue feeling too scripted.
*
In a final media-related note, I finished my three-day odyssey through China Mieville's Perdido Street Station today. It's certainly an accomplishment. It reminded me of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but only in the sense that it didn't get going until page 350 (of 700), and yet I couldn't put it down. I think it was the intricacy of the world Mieville created; it's kind of a mixture of Blade Runner and Pullman's His Dark Materials, with some extra Secret Adventures of Jules Verne for that steampunky edge. Sort of...scientific magic, with an evil government looming over everything.
The plot, once it got going, was rollicking and good fun, although I missed the attention to detail of the city and world with which he opened the book. The ending blared out "Sequel coming soon to a bookstore near you!", but I suppose I can't blame him; there's enough possibility in New Crobuzon for several more books. (He may have written one or two already; this is the first book I've read by him, although I think he has three or four more out now.)
The book was obviously written by a guy in his early or mid-twenties. Believe me, after college writing classes, I have experience with this. The excess attention on sex and drugs, and the unfortunate tendency to describe things in terms of fecal matter, are dead giveaways. There was also a bit too much of the main character thinking Very Stridently About Taking a Stand On Things that I wish someone had caught before publication, but that's personal preference, I suppose. It was just...I could hear the horns in the soundtrack, you know?
Also, the guy swallowed a dictionary before writing this. I'm all about new words, but using long words for the sake of using long words irritates me. And the words "pugnacious" and "febrile" should not appear twenty times each in a 700-page book.
But that said, I love this approach to fantasy; less magic, fewer elves, more crazy steampunk science and wild creatures like the vampiric moths. Mieville's a bit like a younger Gaiman, and that can only be a good thing. I'll be looking for his other books.
