ashylogic

Simon Callow, who to date has written my two favourite biographies about Orson Welles, has seen Me and Orson Welles (aka the new movie using the producton of Julius Caesar as a background and likes it, writing:

Miraculously, they’ve got Welles right, slap down the middle. The English actor Christian McKay, who bears a striking facial resemblance, and reproduces Welles’s cadences with accuracy (though pardonably he lacks some of the range and richness of what was, after all, one of the greatest voices of the 20th, or probably any other, century), succeeds where none of the many actors who have attempted to play Welles have, in that he suggests the astonishing alternation of masculine and feminine on which everyone commented. Now seductive, now abrasive, now skittish and now savage, McKay sweeps all before him, not counting the cost to himself or others, which is exactly what Welles did.

Now I'm really looking forward to the film, though it probably will take its time before being released in Germany.

On another note, and speaking of charismatic egotistic geniuses with a streak of self-loathing, here's an excellent article about Matt Fraction's run on Iron Man so far, which explains why I'm really fond of reading it, though I don't often review individual issues.

And lastly, more discoveries from the AO3, this time a Sarah Connor Chronicles story:

Blessed are your eyes because they see: James Ellison and John Henry, in the future. Firstly, I was delighted to discover a story about Ellison. Even better, a story about Ellison which doesn't pair him up with Sarah. Not that I don't like Ellison/Sarah combinations as well, but you know, the second season has involved Ellison in these fascinating relationships with Catherine Weaver and John Henry, and I can't understand why this hasn't been explored more in fanfiction. I was thrilled to find this gem.

Name 10 characters without looking at the questions, then answer for them.

Characters:

1. Abigail Brand (first Astonishing X-Men, currently Marvelverse at large)
2. Jo Grant (Doctor Who)
3. Benjamin Linus (Lost)
4. David Fisher (Six Feet Under)
5. Kai Winn (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
6. Londo Mollari (Babylon 5)
7. Henry Hellrung (The Order, Iron Man)
8. Alex Drake (Ashes to Ashes)
9. Maria LaGuerta (Dexter)
10. Owen Harper (Torchwood)


( Questions! )

A friend of mine - in the publishing business, well-read, i.e. usually well versed in spotting set-ups in fiction -, is currently marathoning The West Wing. She's in mid-season 3.

Friend: Great show. But there aren't many personal stories - love stories, I mean.
Self: There are a lot of personal stories which aren't love stories, but sure, the emphasis is on the politics. Part of what I like about it. But there are a few on-off romances, like CJ and Danny...
Friend: *snorts*
Self:...and the couple most of the audience was rooting for from the get go will get together at the end, so there's that if you absolutely have to have a long term romance.
Friend: CJ and Leo?
Self: *snorts*

Seriously, though, I didn't 'ship Josh/Donna (meaning: I didn't seek out fanfic, I wasn't actively routing for them to get together; I liked what I was given on tv, sure, but I liked their alternate love interests just as much), and I could still see the neon signs early on. Surely if there was a couple who was a safe bet to get together before the show ended, it was this one. Meanwhile - CJ and Leo? Not that I object, I'm just not clear where my friend got that one from.

Fannish5: Name five characters who would throw the best holiday gatherings.

1.) Londo Mollari, of Babylon 5. Not just because the Centauri in general and Londo in particular love to party, but because Londo actually has organizational skills if he wants to employ them (see: organizing conspiracies against heads of state, getting various representatives of the league of non-alligned worlds he previously pissed off to form an alliance). And he's got the charm and vitality to make everyone feel welcome. Lastly, we have on screen canon for this. I ask you, whose "practice of religious belief" looked like it was the most fun to attend in Parliament of Dreams?

2.) Jadzia Dax, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.. Dax loves a party, is tight with the local provider of drinks and food, and with her xenophilia is bound to pick up a rich variety of guests. Centuries of age also give her the knowledge to avoid stepping on anyone's cultural toes. Lastly, I say again, on screen evidence. Her hen night looked like it was glorious fun.

3.) Chiana, of Farscape. Much younger and more anarchic than my previous two examples, but when she wants to say thank you to people she cares about, she has given on screen evidence for her ability to organize a touching celebration (and the food that goes with it). Also, if Chiana is throwing the gathering, you can bet the romantic angst will be kept at a minimum and the fun level will be high; of course, it's not guaranteed all the food was legaly obtained, but in the Unchartered Territories, who cares?

4.) Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, of Lost. This man has proven himself able to throw a party even under adverse conditions on the proverbial desert island, and to cajole people who constantly clash to attend. He's been known to share chocolate even with messed up sociopathic masterminds. Hurley is definitely a candidate for best holiday gatherer ether!

5. Lorne, of Angel. A long time owner of a karaoke bar frequented by demons and humans alike, superb singer, all time nice guy and friend, Lorne probably could throw holiday gatherings in his sleep. (Why, he could organize merry get togethers even in a brain washed state when most of California was temporarily in the Hyperion worshipping Jasmine.) In addition to sharing the celebratory spirit and organizing skills of my previous candidates, Lorne can also provide great music for the occasion. Just be careful not to sing yourself if you don't want advice for what awaits you.
****


Speaking of Chiana,one of the many virtues of the AO3 is that one can discover stories one missed the first time around. I've always had a soft spot for the Chiana-John Crichton relationship, so I was delighted to find a long and plotty adventure starring the two of them:
Left Behind, set in season 3, with the episode Eat Me as a starting point. If you, like me, didn't know this story since ages, go and read at once!

*****

And lastly, one does not need new reasons to love Patrick Stewart, but I found his impassioned article about domestic violence very moving, and very worth reading.

All of the IJ holiday sales have ended and prices are back to normal. We will be putting Permanently Insane accounts on sale for their regular price before Christmas.

1.) My Yuletide story is off to the trusty beta. And again I am amused I ended up with the prompt for the fandom I only threw in as an afterthought. 'Twas very satisfying to write, though. No idea whether it's as easy to guess as my remix fic (which was easy if you know me; as skywaterblue put it, who else would go for a story based on one of the justly least popular DS9 episodes?). I also don't know the recipient at all, which I find in some ways easier than to write for a friend. (I'll never forget my nervoussnesss about whether or not astrogirl2 would hate Nowhere Man! The poor trusty beta who held my virtual hand won't forget, either.)

2.) Christopher Eccleston and Naoko Mori are going to play John Lennon and Yoko Ono. In a film covering the Beatles break-up years and the getting together of John and Yoko, no less. Mind you, the ages completely don't fit - I guesss Eccleston is older now than John Lennon ever got to be, let alone as he was in the late 1960s, and Naoko Mori while right for Yoko then looks younger than Eccleston when really Yoko was older. But who cares? They're both excellent actors, and I'm especially happy for Naoki Mori, who was mostly underused on Torchwood but when the show did allow her to shine really was magnificent. And hey, John Lennon plays right into Eccleston's type of roles.

3.) I already recced individual stories from this series before, but: halycon_shift has finished what amounts to a virtual season 3 of my much missed Sarah Connor Chronicles: Out on the Wire. Picks up right where s2 ended for both Sarah and John, uses the great supporting characters the show offers, and does justice to its complex themes. I'm still not over the cancellation and don't think I'll ever be, but great fanfiction like this helps somewhat.

I have turned on today's special Black Friday sale.

Until 4:00pm(EST) we will be holding a sale on Permanently Insane accounts, Permanent Extra Userpics, and Insane Userpics the prices are as follows.

Permanently Insane account - $30
Insane Userpics - $70
Permanent Extra Userpics - $5

At 4:00 today all prices on IJ will go back to their normal amounts.

... yeah, for those who, like me, have been squinting suspiciously at the Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody and delaying playing it until it trips them up?

Watch it. It sure brightens things up!

Also, TGIFF.

<3

Though I visited the US quite often, I never was there in November and thus never witnessed the event myself. So, here's what a non-American from abroad learns about Thanksgiving from the American media:

- there are hotlines with turkey recipees available; sometimes, geeky Presidents use them
- on Thanksgiving, you even have to take a vampire in; saving him from bears, however, is optional
- on Thanksgiving, we find out Tony Stark is the son of Mrs. Robinson; this makes so much sense (obscure Home for the Holidays allusion is obscure)
- rewriting history for a school play so that the pilgrims get all slaughtered makes it more fun
- the President gets to pardon a turkey (but not to decide which turkey it should be; that's for his poor press secretary to do)
- Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey would have made for a far better national symbol than the eagle anyway.

I must say, I'm with Franklin there. Every other European nation used and is still using the eagle already. Why go for a remake, America, when you can do an original? Or, as Mr. Franklin put it:

"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.

"With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country . . .

"I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."

Benjamin Franklin: part of what I love about the US. American friends, enjoy Thanksgiving (and the Birds of Courage)!

For a bit o' crack: here.

Also, ugh, so tired. I can't really cook up the will to want things.

This, too, shall pass.

Also, happy Thanksgiving day to alllll my friends over there. Have a good family/turkey/what-have-you day. And, yes, I'm very, very thankful for my friends. Always.

Also, totally did not need loud muses moving in right now. Not that I'm not enjoying them, but damn, I have work enough to do. Still, I'm almost at 45K with NaNo, and will likely break 50K tomorrow night at some point. Pretty much on time. Will probably take 3-4K more to finish the outline, and I will, too, because I really really want to write those last two chapters/pieces.

/random

<3

A friend of mine wanted the complete Whedon run of Astonishing X-Men for his birthday in two weeks, which gave me an excuse to acquire the omnibus before wrapping it up as a present. Additional material that comes with it are basically an introduction containing the X-Men backstory parts important to AXM, an interview with John Cassady, emails from Joss Whedon to Joe Quesada and Michael Marts and some sketches; nice to see/read but not a must, so if you like myself already have the individual trades, you don't have to by the omnibus for these alone. Anyway, it left me all mellow and wistful. Not only was Cassady's art the prettiest, but I really loved those arcs and the way Joss wrote every single character, both the stalwarts he inherited and the new ones he created. To this day I'm frustrated AXM didn't get more fannish attention because it was fantastic and really the best thing he did post-Chosen (and I include Firefly here).

I also got Invincible Iron Man #20 (start of a new arc, Stark Disassambled) by Matt Fraction. ( Brief spoilery thoughts. )

In other news, my Whedon/Cassady AXM love made me go back to the AXM mood theme for a while.

The local supermarket had the last two TNG movies, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis as a special cheap offer, and thus I saw them again for the first time since the cinematic release. (Because they were not exactly good, and I say that as a devoted later series of ST fan, I never made any attempt to rewatch before.)

So, how do they feel several years hence? For starters, there are worse ST movies. (Step forwards, Slow Motion Picture and Final Frontier.) However, the basic problems remained the same. Let's start with Insurrection.

( Star Trek: Insurrection )

On to the last TNG movie, object of much fannish ire.

( Star Trek: Nemesis )

Vids:

Black Narcissus is one of those classic movies which I don't exactly like but find fascinating as they disturb me gloriously in early technicolor. aycheb made a great vid about why: Riots.

Angel:

God Bless The Child: an elegic and sad portrait of Lorne by laurashapiro, and a goodbye to Andy Hallet at the same time. Oh, Lorne. It wasn't easy being green, no indeed.

On to the good news, at least if you like both Shakespeare and Patrick Stewart: his Macbeth gets filmed! I'm so looking forward to the Tennnant/Stewart Hamlet coming out this Christmas on dvd, but that production I actually had the fortune to see, whereas I didn't see the Macbeth, so imagine me squeeing over here like a banshee!

In which there are several zomg moments.

( We have a tradition here )

Transferring Heroes stories to the AO3 was upsetting. I did some choosing and picking, as I didn't want to transfer all, but this meant rereading, which meant remembering, which meant me going "Damn it, Heroes, damn it!".

You know, I've been wondering retrospectively what could have saved the show because it did have such a lot of potential. Realistically saved, which means wishing a completely different mindset on Tim Kring & Co. or completely different writers is out. And my conclusion is that the only plausible option I can see would have been if Kring had stuck to his original idea of introducing a new ensemble cast each season. This would have meant his weaknesses - good long term character development, plausible long term arcs - would not have been exposed, his strengths - origin stories, setting up interesting relationships - would have been played to, and while one season long arcs still could have included problematic choices re: storylines for pocs and/or women, the odds of this being balanced by successful storylines for same would have been higher.

On to more joyful fannish nostalgia, this one concerning Star Trek: yesterday I had tea with an actor who does a lot of dubbing work and was friends with the late G.G. Hoffman, who used to dub both Sean Connery and William Shatner. Hoffmann also supervised a lot of the dubbing for TOS back in the day. And my new accquaintance (who dubbed the occasional Klingon and other guest characters) had an anecdote about visiting Hoffmann once in the studio, finding several female visitors who were ST fangirls (well, -women, that was what struck him, as he had the usual preconceptions about who likes Sci-Fi) who while being intrigued and impressed by the whole dubbing process immediately switched to stern and merciless once the work started whenever Hoffmann made a continuity mistake. They were his continuity advisors, and the actors were all amazed by all the details the fan women knew by their hearts. And took every suggestion...

We are starting this years InsaneJournal holiday sale. From now until the end of the day Friday, November 27 we are going to be holding a sale on Self-Committed[paid] accounts and Extra Userpics.

The prices are be as follows

Self-Committed[paid]
1 Month -> $5
6 Month -> $15 $10
12 Month -> $25 $18

Extra Userpicx
6 Month -> $10 $5
12 Month -> $20 $15

Then on Friday November 27th from 8am until 4pm (Eastern US time) we will be running a very special sale on Permanently Insane accounts.

You know, I wasn't that crazy about The Claws of Axos the first time around, when it came without farting jokes and with Delgado!Master. This finale didn't live up to the two previous SJA finales; it was okay but not splendid, especially compared with Enemy of the Bane last season. (Same goes for s3 in general - it was pleasant enough but there was just one outstanding story, The Wedding of Sarah Jane, whereas season 2 had several great stories, notably Mark of the Beserker and Enemy of the Bane.) This being said, there was enough in The Gift to make me feel fuzzy about the entire gang to keep me a generally happy viewer, with only the slight disappointment this didn't live up to previous show efforts.

( Who wants to know about the life cycle of a plant? )

With the usual caveat that one woman's source of fannish annoyance may be another sentient being's source of fannish pleasure, etc.

1.) Chakotay from Star Trek: Voyager.
Why is he annoying? ( Spoilers for ST: Voyager ensue. )

2.) Lorien from Babylon 5.
Why is he annoying? ( Spoilers for Babylon 5 ensue. )

3.) William "Bill" Adama from Battlestar Galactica.
Why is he annoying? ( Spoilers for Battlestar Galactica ensue. )

4.) Galen from Crusade.
Why is he annoying? ( Spoilers for Crusade ensue. )

5.) Lila from Dexter.
Why is she annoying? ( Spoilers for Dexter ensue. )

The Companion Chronicles is a series by Big Finish in which various of the former companions get to narrate an adventure from their time with their respective Doctors, centered on them. I've previously reviewed Old Soldiers, in which the narrator is the Brigadier. This time, the Companions are Jo Grant and Sara Kingdom, from the Third and First Doctor's era respectively.

( Marc Platt: The Doll of Death )

( Simon Courier: Home Truths )