Mind Sieve 1/7/13

Wheeeeee!
What? I'm way overworked. Something has to snap. Heh heh heh.

Lots of new TV shows starting this week and next. Here's some of the previews!

Zero Hour - Nazis, conspiracy, clocks! I'm in. :) 2/13/13!

Defiance - from SyFy (probably using Eureka's budget - hee!) - should be fun! (But have to wait till APRIL! Wahhh)

NBC is going to have Hannibal The Beginning - set years before Silence of the Lambs. This could be good! (No previews yet. Found pic at TV.Com NBC has a spot at their site here. Couldn't find a start date. Grrrr.

Continuum - cops, time travel, fish out of water, future, woot! Starts 1/14/13

The Following - I wasn't sure about this one until I saw this. Will NOT be for younger viewers. Definitely. I do like the Edgar Allan Poe angle. *shiver*

The Americans - cold war, sleeper spies, internal conflicts - oh yeah! Starts 1/30/13

From YA Authors You've Never Heard of 7 Weird Things to Start Your New Year. You've got to go take a look. From the super cute to the super creepy. Heh heh.

Google + Communities: What Marketers Need to Know from Social Media Examiner. Lots of info and how to use them, so good info for us writerly types as well.

Facebook Nearby: This Week On Social Media from Social Media Examiner. (Info on FB and other new stuff)

From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Writer Resolutions for 2013 (And Beyond). Amen, Brother Beard!

Writing Tip # 2 - Writing is Pain, Learn to Take a Hit from Kristen Lamb. Booyah!

See you next time. Have fun!

Mind Sieve 12/31/12

Greetings!
Tonight we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new. I may be sleeping through it. Head colds care note for such things. :P Today's post may be shorter than usual. Let's see how far I get. Heh heh

The Twelve Awkward Days of Christmas by the Miskreant Puppets (Suggestive so may not be appropriate for kids - but oh so funny! "And a weasel in a bikini...")

The Cello Song (Bach is back with 7 more Cellos) from The Piano Guys. Wonderful expanded rendition.

Dr Who 'The Snowmen' Christmas Special 2012 - Behind the Scenes (If you haven't watched it yet, you should probably NOT watch this.) :)

Turbo Trailer - coming from Dreamworks. Looks adorable!

The Place Beyond the Pines - I know it sounds like a horror flick, but it's a crime drama. Could be interesting.

EPIC Official Trailer - I am totally in on this one.

Yeah, I'm quitting here...Have an awesome New Years!

TV Shows This Season - The FLAT syndrome

The DVR has been totally full lately. We've watched a bunch of new shows this season as well as welcome back returning favorites. And as happens every time, there are many we miss checking out entirely. Way too much out there!

This year though, something weird happened. A lot of the new shows we started watching though filled with good sounding premises and loads of actors and actresses I love just came across totally FLAT!

It really surprised me. Mostly we figured it was just a problem with the first episode or something so we watched more. Still the same! Just can't put my finger on it. This week we took several shows off the DVR record list as hubby had had enough. (He has a lower tolerance than I do!)

Here are the ones we tried and have let go and the ones we're keeping - in no certain order.

Undercovers: Love JJ Abrams. Love love Gerald McRaney in this (he does snark so well!). The premise sounded good. Ex-CIA agents now married getting called back into the fold. Has an undercurrent of 'not all is as it seems' running through it. Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (love her hair in the recent Mentalist!!!!) have good chemistry. The ex partner in the CIA to the two of them, Leo, played by Carter McIntyre is a hoot! The locations are fab. Love that they actually have people who really speak these foreign languages with correct accents. Yet...yet... Something just doesn't quit jell. Can't put my finger on it. Maybe they're trying too hard to be serious and light at the same time.

Also doesn't help that occasionally liberties are taken with reality/plot just to make things fit. Those are always a big turn off. (Can't help it! Inner editor will not be denied!) It is gone from the DVR list... :(

No Ordinary Family: Again a show with people I've enjoyed before. Julie Benz! (Angel, Dexter) Michael Chikliz! Stephen Collins! (Star Trek!) Several story lines and problems. Peeps with powers! Big conspiracy. Moral choices to be made. Have loved specific segments and the lawyer turned sidekick with the lair is a lot of fun. Yet again when it all is combined it comes out so FLAT. Took this one off the list as well. :(

Lonestar: This one only got one episode. The premise as shown was just too depressing - lifelong conman pushed to get deeper by his father, who is in love with both of his wives and thinks he can juggle the mess that is coming. No one was going to win here. Getting vested in anyone was too dangerous! We ran away. Off the list is went. (And hubby had been so excited about this one!)

The Event: LOST wanna be. The whole 'aliens' thing is interesting. And they've definitely done a couple of very surprising twists so far. Been great to see Jason Ritter (Joan of Arcadia) again and Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls) and many others. The show takes flashbacks a bit too far though. Frequency has been insane. Though it's mellowed out in the last episode or two. Still has my interest but it is losing hubby fast. I am fearing the old 'let's change this character from who they normally are for this one episode so we can make the plot fit' syndrome. I think they've coming dangerously close to that cop out once or twice, and that's always a MAJOR turn off for me. Still in DVR for now...

The Defenders: Had to see this just because of who's in it! Had to see them interact - Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell (Sliders). And what a blast they are! Defense lawyers with quirky lives and walking the line between respectable and shameless with gooey good hearts in the center. Plus it's set in Vegas! Sin City! This one has been delivering. Interesting cases too. A keeper!

Boardwalk Empire: Strong series for mature audiences only. Deals with a fascinating period of time - prohibition. Mainly follows the travails of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the corrupt treasurer for Atlantic City, as well as that of several people around him. The best part is all the info and small touches about that period of time. Clothes, slang, attitudes. Totally fascinating. And they throw in some historical figures and their possible origins as lovely carrots too, like Al Capone. Keeping this one too.

$#*! My Dad Says: William Shatner! He was so much fun in Boston Legal we had to check this one out. Unfortunately it is on super crowded Thursday so we've only been able to catch a couple of episodes when something else has not played for a holiday hiatus. It's pretty cute. Jonathan Sadowski, Nicole Sullivan, and Will Sasso are also a lot of fun. Will be watching this one when the DVR allows. :)

Nikita: Dollhouse meets Alias. Nothing flat about this series. Started out with a bang and hasn't much slowed down. This is the one we've been most pumped about out of everything new this season. Maggie Q as Nikita is both angsty and super bad! Shane West and Lyndsy Fonseca and all the other actors and actresses have loads of presence and complex characters. Multiple layers and lots of intrigue. Definite keeper for us!

Hm, I think that might about be it for new stuff we caught for the fall. What shows have you liked and will be keeping and which ones will you not? Let's compare!

TV Series Review - Phineas & Ferb

(Through my time of woe with surgery, I did visit some old friends and discovered new ones. This is one of the new ones!)

Phineas and Ferb

Staring: Vincent Martella, Thomas Sangster, Ashley Tisdale, Dan Povenmire, Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh, Dee Bradley Baker, Caroline Rhea, Alyson Stoner, Mitchell Musso, Maulik Pancholy, and more!

Premise: It's summer and Phineas and Ferb are trying to make the most of it and entertain themselves and their friends, while their older sister Candace is involved in teenage angst, pursuing her one true love, and also trying to bust her brothers and getting her parents to see that they're always up to incredible antics. Beneath all this are the adventures of their pet, Perry the Platipus (or Agent P), who is working with a secret organization to protect the Tri State Area from the evil machinations of Dr. Doofenschmirtz! Let the fun begin!

Review: Back when Disney first advertised this show it didn't grab me. Bad marketing perhaps? For this show is just too much fun to be missed! And it must be watched more than once before you see the evil genius behind it. Kid shows can be formulaic and these guys grabbed that fact and took it to the far edges of the universe then ran wild with it! Its very formulaic format is its greatest charm and you learn to anticipate certain bits and have even more fun when the creators then turn them upside down. It's also a multi layered show with two to three plots running and always somehow intersecting. Let me try to explain...

Everyday Phineas and Ferb come up with something to do that day (building rockets, running a rodeo, helping a friend with a science project). Each day their older sister Candace finds out about what they're working on and tries to get their Mom to come see it so they can be "busted". Perry, the pet platypus, has a secret identity. As Agent P, he daily gets a call from his superior Major Monogram and sent after Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz to stop whatever evil plot the doctor is concocting that day. And somehow, by the end of the episode, Doofenschmirtz is thwarted and all evidence of what the brothers were up to disappears before Candace can get a parental unit to see it. (Mind you, Phineas and Ferb are aware of how their efforts seem to just disappear once they're done, but they don't worry about it as it keeps them from having to do cleanup. (Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!) Heh heh).

The creators bust buns. Imagine having to be fresh with the same formula time after time? But they are. Better yet, they are SF fans too. So all sorts of SF/Fantasy bits from movies and shows will make appearances. Fantastic Journey, Star Wars, Lords of the Ring, The Time Machine, Godzilla, and more. (Being a big geek of the genres this is AWESOME as far as I am concerned!)

The music is fantastic on this show as well. Kids get exposed to a huge variation of music genres in the show: Disco, Country, Musicals, Jazz, Rap, Jamaican, Blues, JPop, Indian, Alternative, and more. It's a great way to expose kids to the different music styles so they don't get in a rut. The lyrics on these songs are a hoot too! My favorites are Agent P's theme (including the one that goes 'Perry, Perry the Teenage Girl' - you have to see the episode to understand. Heh heh. Body Swap) and "BUSTED" followed closely by "There's a Squirrel in My Pants" (Don't ask! Must be seen to be believed! lol).

Even better, several of the characters have theme music. Candace's is a variation on the Wicked Witch theme from Wizard of Oz. Perry's (Agent P's) is very reminiscent of 60's Spy themes (think Secret Agent Man) (and one bit they do which is totally awesome is every once in a while when Agent P is slowed by a ray or is shown old or who knows what, the theme slows or speeds up to keep pace with that reality (love it!)). Phineas and Ferb have a 'we're building' theme. And Dr. Doofenshmirtz has a very preppy, upbeat theme (almost bubbly!) which will change with his location. Normally it is "Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated" for his main building, but the vocals will change if he's in a dirigible, suburban home, warehouse, underwater hideout, etc. Too cute!

Oh, and the end credits must always be watched! They will either expand on a song, recap it, have a new song (Perry the Teenage Girl!), or actually have added scenes/story for the episode.

Everything about this show screams 'labor of love'. Which just makes me love it all the more.

Phrases or recurring items to look for in each episode:

"What are we going to do today?"
"Where's Perry?" (Near beginning)
"There you are Perry." (Towards the end)
"Whatcha doing?" (Isabela can get very testy if anyone but her gets to say this! Heh)
"Curse you, Perry the Platypus!"
"-inator" (All of Dr D's inventions have 'inator' in the name. Everything sounds more evil with 'inator' as part of the name, right? Hubby wants a N8TR license plate like the Evil Invention Prize Belt.
"Take over/destroy/change the whole of the Tri-State Area!" Doofenshmirtz is very local in his thinking regarding his evil plots. :P
Floating Baby Head (No, I have NO idea what that's about. But it keeps showing up!)
Talking Zebra who calls Candace Kevin when she thinks she's dreaming.
Wife complaining to Husband about a failed venture or not doing something, then plop, invention of the day solves his issue and makes her look stupid. heh.

And yes! They have a soundtrack out! And it is the BOMB! (I want more! I want the themes for the others! (They do give us Agent P! Yes!) Come on Disney, give me!) Heh.

If you love fun, if you love summer, songs, wit, invention, adventure, you will love this show! (I'm hoping they will one day tell us Ferb's full first name (I am voting for Ferbisher - very British and what not.):P

Rating: 5 out of 5!

ABC's Marketing Genius

Since marketing is a part of the duties of an author, I like to keep my eyes open for what other people are doing even in other venues.

This particular marketing tactic of using multi outlets is something ABC has done before. In 2004, when Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital came out, they got with Hyperion books and put out a tie-in book called The Journals of Eleanor Druse: My Investigation of the Kingdom Hospital Incident. It was a great way for fans of the mini series to get a little more juice out of it, to give the experience another level and get more information.

Well, the same type of multi media experience for fans is being repeated again with ABC's new show Castle, staring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, but in some ways it is at a whole new level.

Castle is about a mystery writer named Richard Castle who through his huge stack of contacts gets permission to follow after Lieutenant Kate Beckett as she goes about her work in solving murders in New York City. Castle is an incorrigible free spirit to Beckett's very strict no nonsense personality, but does add a different point of view and knowledge base, so the team dynamic actually works (all to Beckett's chagrin) and more crimes are getting solved than would have without him. Meanwhile, Castle is using Beckett as the inspiration for new set of books.

So comes to life the character of Nikki Heat, who he will be using in his new series, the first of which will be entitled, Heat Wave.

In the show, we see Castle start and finish the book, as well as actually get it published. It has a cover, it has a dedication to Beckett, they talk of passages in the book. And here is where the beautiful part comes in - Hyperion actually printed a 'real' book called Heat Wave written by Richard Castle for viewers to buy!

The front and back cover is the same. The back cover has a picture of Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle for the author. And then, to sweeten the deal, they went a few paces further, which so totally makes the fantasy weave in with the show and bring the audience in.

The dedication of the 'real' book is the same as the one talked about on the show. There are actually passages in the book that are of things Castle learned during several of the cases in the episodes, or even things he brought to the table to help the police. (The discussion on all the varied names for a 'perp' for instance. Castle's acquaintance with an art thief he'd befriended on research for another book. Other little things like this.)

Better yet was the mention on the show (as Beckett is trying to read the new book - as she is a fan of Castle's - though this is something she would like him not to remember and is sneaking around to read the thing) of the 'hot' scene on page 103. Which in the 'real' book, is exactly where the romance heats up.

As a fan of the show, these ins and outs just tickled the heck out of me and shot my enjoyment of the series and the book by multiples. In New York they even did book signings with Nathan Fillion playing his character to sign books!

(As for the book itself, it's pretty good! On a personal level I wished they had not made it so close to the show (a reporter has tacked himself on to Heat's team to get the inside scoop on crime solving), but the mystery itself and all the awesome tie-in bits made it a total treat.)

This is a wonderful example of how to grab and give a treat to your fan base. That's some marketing ABC. Kudos to you!

The Writing is the Thing - But Where has it Gone? TV Commentary

I've been wanting to rant, err, write about this for a while but held back due to that old adage "If you can't say something nice..." Yet I realized that sometimes, the only way to fix something or have others become aware of it is to say something, even if it is not nice.

First off though, I'd like to say this - writing for TV is HARD! Not something to be taken on on a whim. I've no experience doing it myself, but have heard from enough from those who do to understand it can be a thankless and often frustrating job. Mandates are handed down by suits who care nothing for plot, integrity, or the vision. So it could be that this issue I'm about to present might not even be their doing but the influence of things they can't control. I don't know. But whichever it is, I feel the need to point it out in the hopes that someone can perhaps shine a light on those responsible and maybe fix it...

Hope springs eternal!

I watch a lot of TV. I didn't use to as about 5 to 10 years ago there wasn't all that much to watch. But there's been a lot of stuff to interest me lately. Yet there have been some shows that I loved at first that going into second or later seasons, things change, almost abruptly sometimes, and it's no longer the show I liked.

It is TV, so there's always a level of suspension of disbelief. And that's fine, I can handle it. What I can't handle is when suddenly characters behave in ways they never have before for mere plot convenience, when stated facts for the universe are suddenly ignored, but worse, when the audience suddenly is treated like they are too stupid to understand things (especially if its a SF or Fantasy show) and believe they can get away with whatever...

"Avatar the Last Airbender" was a gorgeous, beautifully written, intelligent show about a boy suddenly having to carry the burden of needing to save the world. He had helpers and tragic enemies and I was enjoying the heck out of it. Episodes 2.10 and 2.11 ruined the show for me. Built as Big Production Can't Be Missed episodes, they were actually slaps in the face. Here are these kids trying to save the world, but suddenly it's okay to steal from a non-human who took them in an cared for them and destroy the objects he's been set to guard for hundreds of years. And there wasn't one qualm of guilt on any of them. Worse, Apa gets stolen, and though there's no proof the bison has been hurt, and this not being the first time his friend has been taken or has disappeared, Ang goes into a maddened murderous RAGE! Excuse me? Bison disappears every three episodes people! Maddened Rage? When Zuko doesn't learn his lesson for the umpteenth time and realizes how he is being used, that was it for me. See ya!

"Battlestar Galactica" I was desperate to like. Had loved the show back in the 70's even saw the movie at the theater with the giant sursurround speakers making the whole place vibrate! Richard Hatch had been trying to bring the sucker back forever. Two hour movie had to hold back the horror as the imagination of those involved obviously didn't go far (20th Century Earth with some plastic to the ties - please!) probably budgetary. Nuclear weapons, no really? And sorry, the battlestar would have been destroyed in that major battle. Look up info on nukes and radiation people! The science was abysmal! And aside from pretending to sort of keep some of the names and traditions from the original, it wasn't. But it had some social plots of interest and a funky take on Cylons, so I have it a whirl. They lost me when suddenly Apollo started being the changing character of plot convenience. BLEAH. See ya! Wouldn't want to be ya!

More recently my trouble has been with "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" cartoons. First season was a lot of fun! Second season has taken a turn that has been pissing me off pretty much every episode. And there was no need for it! It's as if the writers/suits took a drug to make them forget what the Force is capable of aside from holding a lightsaber and moving things with their minds. Worse, is things like episode 2.7 stating FACTS about zombie activating worms used by the queen, then in 2.8 using said worms in ways totally contradictory to FACTS given in 2.7!!! What the???? They've been doing this type of thing all through season 2! I have no idea what's happened over there. Come on guys!!!!

Ah, but here's the one that really hurts. Here's the one that makes me ache and despair. (Yes, I am a drama queen. Get over it. :P) I've been obsessed with "Supernatural" since not long into season 2. "Supernatural" is actually my first obsession EVER. For four years they've been giving me yummy goodness, every department of this show so on board it screams from the screen. Yes, not all the episodes have been perfect. They've had a misfire or two a season, but even those had things to make me not care and 90% plus were awesome more than making up for it. I don't expect perfection, no matter what I sound like. I know things happen. Then we hit season 5...

8 out of 10 episodes so far this season have been abysmal in the writing department. I've no idea what's happened, but I hope they get a clue soon, despite 30% of people in a survey saying it is the BEST season ever. (Are we watching the same show????) It's like every cheesy TV trick ever used is now making it into all the season 5 episodes. Monsters not being taken care of and conveniently forgotten about as if things were resolved (Poker Witch 5.7, 3rd Killer Ghost Boy 5.9). Ridiculous amounts of time being glossed over by how the events are shown (ghost boys attack Sam and Dean minutes (like 5 if they're lucky ep 5.9) after fanboys go off to dig graves - digging graves (which they needed to do 3 and only did 2) take more than five minutes to unearth!!!!

Episode 5.2 Sam kills a couple of teenagers having been led to believe they are demon possessed yet the demon knife did not do its usual loud and bright light show and Sam never noticed! Please people, he's been killing demons with this things for 2 plus years! I think he'd notice that it didn't do the usual! Even if he did not understand why not, and was being tempted by what he thought was demon blood, he should have noticed!

Episode 5.5 This one REALLY made me angry. Suits - we're NOT stupid!!!! First victim we see die and they show all the a typical signs of a ghost having done the murder. Boys never even use the EMF reader on the car. And though they themselves did not see the cold temps and other ghost signs, kept assuming it was ghosts. These guys are experts, they don't assume! Worse, it turns out it is not a ghost but a god. Uhm sorry ya'll but the gods don't have the same signs as ghosts! And if one did, it should remain consistent, which it didn't!!!! Then lets have people be unconscious and remain standing up for filming convenience, why don't we. Hello????

Would point out more but it's just too depressing...

What's truly sad is that all the other aspects of the show have been spot on. Direction, props, sets, the awesome acting. Yet it's like the writers are burned out, being sabotaged, or who knows what. And there are plenty of other shows out there that have remained consistently good overall throughout their runs! So it can be done!

Please guys, this is probably the last season, the one where all the things you've been building up for four years are finally culminating. Don't blow this! *cry* Don't let my first obsession ever be in vein! (And you know it's bad cause I do not want them renewed for a season 6.)

Okay, I'm done. Sending good karma SPN's way hoping second half is back on track. Don't make me beg ya'll!

FlashForward Book and TV Series

Thanks to Tor Books I won a copy of the novel FlashForward through a contest on Twitter. I’ve also been watching the series on TV (actually on the ABC site as Thursday nights have way too much on at the same time! I’m a week behind everyone else to boot! Hopefully nothing happened this past week that was too important. Heh heh).

I thought it might be fun to discuss the book and also do a comparison to the TV show.

The novel is by Robert J Sawyer and has won the Aurora Award for Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

I’m not entirely sure how to categorize the novel. It is definitely science fiction, but seems to tread the line into Hard SF, though the emotional and social aspects might not make it seem that way.

On a personal level, I had a lot of fun with this book because it was like an evening of discussions in an old gaming group. The book ends up covering two of the most discussed and still debated topics in science in the past and still today.

But before I get to that, let’s do a quick “what is it about?” bit. The FlashForward novel deals with an ‘event’ where everyone in the world loses consciousness for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. When they came back to themselves and the pieces start getting put together, people realize that they viewed events 20 years in the future. The book follows the fallout from the FlashForward, and how these visions have impacted several key individuals who believe they might just be the cause of the event in the first place.

So two main topics discussed by individuals, which also throw in actual current scientific theories, are:

1)How time works – is it static, can the future be changed, are all moments in time ‘now’, freewill vs. predestination. (People can go hours and hours on this one! Been there, done that! Lol)

2)And the power of the observer. Does the consciousness of a scientist doing an experiment actually affect the experiment’s result? (Another big topic button in the gaming group! Lol.) This also leads to discussions on humanity and its consciousness as a whole and what effect it might have on our universe.

Much brain fodder to chew on.

There’s also the emotional questions that tie back to these two issues as our principals have seen futures they both do not like. I loved that Mr. Sawyer brings in stories from the Old World into it, tales and fables of the ancient Greeks, as they felt and dealt with some of the issues brought up by this event. And of course all the repercussions of people/countries knowing what has been seen in this future and how they decide to deal or not deal with what was seen.

Mr. Sawyer takes us through all of that. As a writer, I was especially thrilled to see where he saw the future of bookstores going. Hopefully some of them will take the hint and push in that direction. Heh heh. I think it would be cool and we’re headed in that way anyway.

I also learned some stuff, too. Somehow I had missed hearing about Brown Holes before. So I found the topic totally fascinating. And in a total clash of coincidence, I had a friend tell me about Felicia Day’s “Behind The Scenes: When Galaxies Collide” and had just watched it Thursday morning right before I got to the part of the book that mentioned the phenomenon as well. (Video is a lot of fun by the way, and quite educational to boot! Go Felicia!)

The book was definitely an interesting read on many levels and I enthusiastically give it a 4 out of 5 stars!

Now for fun, let’s do a comparison to the TV series.

****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED*****

In the book, the ‘event’ occurs on 4/21/09 and gives (those who get one) a FlashForward glimpse of the year 2030 lasting for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. The TV series has the ‘event’ happen in 2009 for six months later showing them a glimpse of 4/29/10.

A neat split about the visions between the two versions is that in Mr. Sawyer’s book, those catching a glimpse had no context of what their future selves were feeling, while in the TV version, those who piggy backed into their futures knew the emotional states of their other selves thus getting additional clues from their feelings at those times. Both sets had no control over their future bodies, and only saw and heard whatever their other selves were paying attention to or where around at the time.

The principals of the book are located in Geneva at CERN, a scientific center housing a Large Hadron Collider. The TV series has our principals centered in LA.
Interestingly, Lloyd Simcoe, a main character in the book and physicist, who also is inadvertently responsible for the ‘event’, is played in the series again as a catalyst, but seemingly a knowing one. In the book the FlashForward occurred due to a number of circumstances coming together in a focal point, which produced the event – a miraculous happenstance not foreseen by anyone. But in the TV series, it is an actual feat that has been done on purpose! And not for the first time!
With the new twist, Agent Mark Benford is introduced, so we have a spear for the action adventure we expect from our TV offerings. His wife’s FlashForward actually very much resembles the one had by Simcoe in the book. (Or so it seems!) Shoe on the other foot type of thing. So it tickled me a lot because in the TV show Simcoe is the one having the affair there as well.

Another cute twist sits with Agent Demetri Noh. In the TV show he becomes the duplicate for Lloyd Simcoe’s scientific partner Theo Procopides. Theo, like, Demetri, also had no FlashForward vision and also comes to find out that he was murdered, with three gun shots to the chest. Unlike the FBI agent, he has no idea why anyone would ever want to murder him. Theo has a brother, Dimitri, who takes matters into his own hands to force others to find out if the future is changeable or not, so could be possible Agent Noh’s first name might be another indirect plug at the book with Demetri/Dimitri. (That or I’m just reaching!)

Agent Benford has a young daughter, and Simcoe’s fiancé had one at the time of the event as well. Except Michiko’s daughter was one of the casualties of the event, while Benford’s daughter lives.

Mosaic exists in both places for the same purpose, but one was created and maintained by the CERN folks and the other by the FBI.

I’m very much looking to see how the show explains the event to compare against how Mr. Sawyer set his up.

Reading the book has definitely enhanced the TV show for me. Giving me more angles to look at things and comparing how the TV writers and the SF author do different takes on the same concept. Should be a blast to see how it all continues to develop! Looking forward to it!

People of Note

2007 - The Year of the Fire Pig has been incredibly chaotic just as predicted. There's been good and bad all over. One of the good things, though, has been my exposure to the works of an incredible amount of awesome actors and screen writers. I've watched more amazing episodes and acting than I have ever been exposed to before. (There have been some bombs, but I'm going to ignore those...told you there'd been good and bad this year! heh)

I figured this time out I would mention some of these in the hopes of getting them and theirs a little more exposure out in the world. (Okay, so they don't really need MY help. But it is fun talking about them.) :P

Thanks to a serendipitous conversation at Lazy Dragon Con I got to discover an incredible screen writer and two of his awesome shows, plus a plethora of amazing actors. And all of them from British TV! The screen writer's name is Steven Moffat He's done several episodes for the new Dr. Who (1 per season - "Blink" being the latest one shown in the states - and it was an all new kind of creepy) and is the driving force behind this summer's coolest Paranormal show called "Jekyll". (You can catch it on BBC America), which is about an ancestor of Hyde/Jekyll. He also did four seasons of a very funny show called "Coupling". (My hubby, who doesn't normally like British stuff, especially their comedies, adores this show!) Coupling basically follows three men and three women and their interlaced lives. Lots of truly creative things in this one, and the science fiction references that get thrown in out of nowhere on occasion are awesome. Like when Steve talks about the 3 main uses for a couch - #3 is a place to hide behind during Dalek attack. ROFL. Mr. Moffat does comedy and drama extremely well. Definitely a master of his craft!

From both Jekyll and Coupling you can view the work of actress Gina Bellman. When seeing her in Jekyll she is good, but you don't realize how good until you see her as Jane in Coupling. The difference between the two is so amazing that it is as if she too were Jekyll and Hyde! Which brings us to James Nesbitt, a northern Irish actor, who with very little physical change or makeup (like almost none), changes from mild mannered Dr. Jackman to the very powerful and disturbing Hyde. The transformation has to be seen to be believed. An utterly spectacular performance.

Heck, everyone in Coupling was awesome. The timing, the weird stuff they'd pull. I definitely recommend it and Jekyll! Way too much fun!

Oh and by the way, the helper for Dr. Jackman in Jekyll, is the very woman who is about to be Jamie Summers in this years remake of the Bionic Woman! (I told you I am a coincidence magnet!) Her name is Michelle Ryan. Liked her very much in Jekyll, so I think she will be a lot of fun as Jamie in the Bionic Woman as well.

Other screen writers I am definitely enjoying are Sera Gamble, Eric Kripke, John Shiban, Raelle Tucker, Ben Englund, and all the other writers in Supernatural (You knew I had to go there eventually, right?) Sera Gamble is responsible for tons of my utter favorite episodes, especially the one that took me over the edge - "Bloodlust". "Heart" just took my breath away - it's also one of the episodes I've heard is most responsible for winning converts from the female population - heh. John Shiban did the super impacting Croatoan (also one of the meanest cliffhanger episodes EVER!) Raelle Tucker will be loved forever for the episode "What is and What Should Never Be", which was also a great acting vehicle for Jensen Ackles! Ben Englund has a sick sense of humor which was a blast in "Hollywood Babylon". I swear this show has one of the best teams out there. I think only Boston Legal's team comes close!

And while you have heard me wax poetic on the virtues of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, through Supernatural I have also discovered the amazing talents of Jim Beaver! In another series of coincidences, I've seen the man in several shows this very year, and the more I see of him, the more I am impressed! He played an FBI boss in the movie "Next" (Really weird seeing him dolled up compared to the other roles he's played! He turns out rather nice!), a prospect miner in "Deadwood", and an old Vet in the now canceled series "John from Cincinnati" (which has one episode that would make any weirdness he's had to face in Supernatural totally mild in comparison! lol!). He is one of those supporting actors that brings so much to his role, but in such a quiet, underhanded way you barely notice, yet without him, the atmosphere wouldn't be there - his is the sealing touch. (Not sure how to explains this exactly.) And his performance as Bobby in the episode "All Hell Breaks Loose pt2" shows his excellent range. I was very happy to hear he will definitely be a returning recurring character this new season. Go, Jim!

Another supporting actor that has very much impressed me is Garret Dillahunt. He played Dr. Michael Smith in "John from Cincinnati" but also played two very different characters in "Deadwood" - Jack McCall and then Francis Wolcott. They were like night and day. Very nice work.

I can't wait to see what new actors and writers I will discover in the blooming new season! Am I ever glad for my Tivo! heh

Happy Watching!

TV's HIdden Components

I was watching some episodes of the Second Season of Dark Angel about a week ago when something struck me. While Jessica Alba, Michael Weatherly, and Jensen Ackles (YES! YES! *ahem*) are very good actors, it was still obvious as I watched why this season was its last.

A successful show has to have multiple components that jive and end becoming more when brought together. Also add in a little luck, a decent time slot (so it can be discovered), and hopefully minimal executive meddling.

Components going into the show would be the actors, the special effects crew, the filming crew, the support staff, the creator, the music (one ignored a lot), and the writers. If any one or two of these components have issues or don't mesh well with the others, what is filmed can turn out adequate or sub par, even if the other pieces are outstanding.

Of all these, probably the most critical are the actors and the writers. You can have the best actors in the world, but if the story bites, they won't be able to carry it. Inversely, you can have the greatest story ever, but if the actors can't bring it to life, it will come across as stale and boring.

Yet it seems like fans forget that shows are more than just the faces they see on the screen. That the very success of the series they love so much, is dependent on more than just those they can physically see.

Let's take Dark Angel's second season as an example of what can go wrong. The main character, Max, escapes Manticore and tries to go back to the life she had before the final showdown in season one. Unbeknown to her, she has been infected with a DNA specific virus which will attack Eyes Only when she comes into physical contact with him. She does, and he almost dies. Since they are the love couple of the show, this throws in a nice angsty dynamic for the writers to play with. Introduced into this season are Alec, another bio-engineered warrior like Max, whose morals tend to play on the loose side of life, and Joshua, one of the first successful DNA cross experiments.

While Jessica and Michael do very well with the brooding and downhearted expressions as they search fruitlessly for a cure for the virus, and Alec throws in some spice just by his general quirkiness and sex appeal, the stories that their efforts are put into, do not live up to the talents being evidenced. Several new side characters come across as caricatures rather than people to be taken seriously as threats, and tend to suck away from the show rather than add to it. The Halloween episode looks to have been intended to be comedic, but falls pretty much flat - in a society such as the one they live in, the comedic element takes away rather than adds. Then throw in some convenient hackneyed plots so we get the bio-engineered freak of the week, and no matter how much talent oozes from the main actors, nothing can save this. Which was a total pity, as the world, most of the character, the angst venues, and several plot threads had a lot of potential.

Luckily there are a lot of shows, Sci-fi and other, that do end up getting all the right ingredients together to where they sing to the audience. Firefly was one (doomed by those execs! Stay out of things!!!). The writing was crisp, the actors awesome, and there was a rapport between them and those they worked with on set that came through every episode. Boston Legal is much the same, and they take you from the ludicrous to dead weeping serious. Supernatural has top notch actors, incredibly sneaky and evil writers who beneath a monster of the week venue weave threads for season long plots almost to where you do not see them until the bigger plot hits, very good special effects, and one added thing this show does squeeze out to awesome effect is the music! 80's rock thrown in for effect and topic, giving an added layer of depth to the stories, something you just don't see much of in TV land.

Back to my roots - For the love of Writing

With my recent obsession with the TV Show Supernatural, my *ahem* current project got shoved to the side as an undeniable need to write some fan fiction came over me.

My roots go back to fan fiction. My first 100 to 200K words were fan fiction after I wrote the novel that shall not be named. Fan fiction, and the wonderful input of some very well versed fans, was where I cut my teeth on this whole writing thing. Where I had epiphanies, and gained understanding. Everything I am as a writer sprang from there first. And while I still dabble in it once a year or so to that first fan fic love Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, it wasn't something I had ever planned to pursue again. I was trying to make a name for myself out in the "get paid for your writing" world, right?

I tried to fight it. I really did! I had some short stories that needed work. I was slowly but surely plodding forward on my latest fantasy novel. The last thing I needed was to be distracted by other things! Soon, however, I realized there was no putting it off. The Muse was on a roll and it would not be DENIED! Luckily for me, work had been a little slow, or I would have truly been in trouble. :P

So I tried to be somewhat good by splitting my time and make myself work on the possible money generating projects before giving in to the Muse's demands and working on the Supernatural bit. But it got harder and harder. The darn fic even absconded with the research material I was amassing for a possible short story idea and decided to use it for its own. I was doomed and I knew it. Pretty soon the ideas were slamming me so hard I was skipping scenes all over the place just trying to get the bits down so I could go back later and connect them. (This is NOT my usual mode of operandi, so it was freaking me out a little.)

I did toy with the idea of trying to see if I could get a contract for a TV tie-in book (still thinking about that making money thing), but after contacting one of the people who is doing one, I found out that that market is pretty much a "the editor knows me and assigns the work" type thing. So no go. But it was information I didn't have before. Even more strange, the tie-in books were contracted by DC (who is also doing the comic - which you do NOT want to ask me about - grrrr) through a book publisher, not the CW directly. But I digress...

So anyway, 25K words later, the first draft was done. Phew. I figured I could breathe again, get back to business. WRONG. Another idea hit that wants to be worked on NOW. heck I haven't even had the first one beta read and edited for the 3rd/4th time! So off again I go. Then it hit me...

I was smoking and having a total BLAST! Why did I ever fight against this in the first place? Yeah, I would have to use a pen name (too many contradictory things out there on how fan fic can help/hurt your career). And yeah, it's for no pay. But darn it, I was in the ZONE! I was working the craft! And not only that, there's a huge amount of fans of the show out there looking for good fiction to tie them over between seasons and episodes, and I could deliver. So not only could I have a ball writing the thing, I could possibly give someone else enjoyment for taking the trouble to read it. -- And so came my latest epiphany (hey, those of us who are a little slow tend to get these a lot when the bulb and electricity finally connect - it's a thing.) :P -- or perhaps it was a bit more like remembering -- This was why I got into writing in the first place! For the pure enjoyment of doing and sharing, entertaining others, whether I got paid for it or not.

Writing, and enjoying it, for writing's sake. What a concept! I was home again.

BOOYAH! Baby, let the Muse roll!

Tags: Fan Fiction; Gloria Oliver; Roots

The Dark side of Fandom or A Fan's Responsibility

This topic has been on my mind for several weeks. Been fighting with how to broach it and haven't had much success figuring out the best way. So I figured I'd just jump in with both feet and see where it took me.

Before I became a published author, I was fan. Still am a fan. Will probably always be a fan of something or other till the end of my days. Being a fan is an exilirating thing. Full of posibilities, excitement, drama, and agnst. Depending on how deeply something touches your heart, it can even make dreary days pass faster, giving you something to look forward to seeing or hearing when you get off work.

In our generation, the possibilities have never been so ripe for fandom. Shows, books, music, movies can touch people in the millions. All those people can then share with you the same thrill for the particular thing. The internet and email have opened up the virtual world so that no matter where you live, you can find people who love the same things as you. In mere moments, you can share news, gossip, rumors, ideas on your favorite episodes, actors, authors, plots. You can share homemade videos from clippings made from the shows, buy goods related to people or things, and have them sent to your very door in days.

Fan sites and news sites will have intimate details of every aspect of an author, model, actor's life all just a few keystrokes away.

So at what point is enough, enough? From talking to other authors, from hearing stories at or about conventions, there is a very dark side to fandom. A side that crosses the line from enjoyment and information of shows, books, actors, authors to invasion and madness.

Celebrities are expected, heck anymore, required, to have face time with their fans. Interaction with those who enjoy their work or product creates a feeling of closeness between all parties, and is normally a celebrity's way to give back to those who have supported them in their endeavors and at times even ways to get new supporters. It can be a healthy and mutually beneficial experience. They respect you for your patronage, you respect them for their work. But then things can also get ugly.

This may seem like something inane and rather obvious to state but...celebrities are people too! They have feelings, desires, frustrations, family. They covet time alone, want other to respect their space, want moments of peace and quiet. Heck, we all do! Yet respecting or even realizing they want and deserve these most common of things at times goes out the window.

To some, because a person is a celebrity, they suddenly aren't people anymore. They have become things -- property. As if the normal rules that are used for getting along and with everyone around you no longer apply - when nothing could be farther from the truth!

You're an actor or author and you go to a convention. People ask you if you'll take a photo with them, and doing your bit, you say sure. So far so good. But then as the individual poses for the picture, the fan reaches behind them and squeezes their bum! Goodness! While the fan has just received the thrill of a lifetime, what about the poor celebrity? If you were the fan and someone asked to take a picture with you, you'd scream bloody murder if they took such a liberty on your own behind. So then why are there fans that can't see they shouldn't do these things to others?

And what of people, who, due to the demands of fans and the fact money is a factor, will go out there and pursue celebrities when they aren't working, when they're trying to live their lives and invade their privacy so they can spill to the hungry masses every detail of all they see and do?

Stephen King was forced to buy the van of the man who ran him over just so it wouldn't be placed on eBay and bid on! The man was HIT, almost KILLED by this vehicle. Is buying it as a fan any real way to actually show you admire the author's work? How could anyone believe he would ever want you to do that? And that he would be happy about it?

Then there are the cases of stalking. Of fans telling others they are dating celebrity so and so, or married to them in secret, starting rumors and who knows what else. Some even seem to enjoy causing turbulence for the person they supposedly admire, bad mouthing them on the internet or in public. They don't even know the PERSON behind the character or writing they seemingly like. Yet it is as if they feel they OWN them.

As fans we must learn where the line is and not cross it. Let's respect them, respect their space, and who they actually are -- people. Just like you and me. :P

Tags: Fandom; Gloria Oliver; Responsibility

A Fangirl's Day Out - Casa Mañana's "A Few Good Men"

Earlier this year, once I realized I had an "obsession" with the CW's Supernatural, I joined a Yahoo group. On the very first day, they posted news that had my fangirl heart racing. The main actors in Superntarual are Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Both are Texas boys! Booyah! One from San Antonio and the other from Richardson, my own backyard. Well, the news the group had to share was the fact that Casa Mañana, a small theater in the Fort Worth area, was putting on the play "A Few Good Men" and was staring Texan actors who made it big -- mainly Lou Diamond Phillips and Jensen Ackles!!! The play would run from 6/5 to 6/10/07.

Now, like I have stated before, I've never had an obsession before. I've had stuff I liked, stuff I've been excited about, but NEVER like this. The day I found out about Jensen Ackles playing here and that I would have the chance to see his work live, I was pretty much a total freak. I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd had a heart attack. I was basically emailing and telling anyone I could get my hands on about this. Heck, I even did a post to my main blog! lol. (This whole obsession thing really bothers me! I keep thinking I am insane. Yet everyone tells me people do this all the time. I am too old for this! lol!) I survived the day and after a week or so, I was able to put it in the back burner and not worry about it at all! I was even good, and despite reports of people who saw the play before me (booked it on the last day at 2pm to better fit hubby's schedule - since he was nice enough to go with me. :P) and kept myself mostly calm.

I was only a semi-basket case (was working really hard to restrain myself) on Sunday 6/10 as maps flew everywhere, the clothes I planned to wear turned out to be stained, my bladder was doing me no favors (TMI?), and who knows what else. (Last time I'd gone to a show we didn't know how to get to, which was for the Kodo Drummers years ago, we got so lost we only made it to the show in time to see the encore! Never again!)


Ticketmaster did not give me much choice (like NONE! Don't plan to go that route ever again) when I got my tickets, giving me what it called best seats. (Their systems definition on what is "best" seems a little off) I ended up with hubbins at Section 4, Row C, seats 7 and 8. They were both the best and worst seats ever! Let me explain.

Section 4 is by the stage but off to the right side so not great. But I was also only 3 rows from the edge of the stage - awesome. The stage itself was at different heights in different areas. So while I could see everything on the right very well (heck even better than well in a few cases!), anything on the far left, like several of the prisoner meetings and apartment meeting scenes I had a table in my way or a chair or the guy in front of me or the stage itself so I either saw little to nothing or had to contort to see. Not complaining though, the stuff I saw on my side more than made up for it! Jensen and later Lou were like 5 feet from me more times than I can count. And I got super lucky during the trial as even though Jensen was third in on the table, he pushed his chair back enough I had an unobstructed profile view of him and could watch the prosecutor at work and Jensen's reactions to his examinations at the same time. Also got the added treat that the prosecutor's table was on my side, so when Jensen's character upstaged him at the trial on a point, I got to hear the actor's cuss (done too low for anyone else but a nice touch for the character and probably the actor was doing it for flavor) as he shoves the papers into his briefcase in frustration. Plus I got to see Jensen's back, side, front, the back of the neck (which like a geisha's slightly exposed neck did for samurai, it did something to me! Don't ask, I don't understand....), the crease of his white uniform running down his leg, tons of detail - so I can't complain!

The play was AWESOME! Jensen was beyond awesome, but everyone else was also fantastic. This play had a huge amount of dialog, and a lot of it was technical at that, and unlike TV and movies, no second takes. Stage acting is a whole different ballgame from film. Yet they all pulled it off marvelously. And some of the other actors I had seen before! Ayal Miodovnik (Lt Jack Ross) has been on Sex in the City and As the World Turns (I have never watched either but maybe commercials or something because he was very familiar), also Ben Rauch (Lt Sam Weinberg) was in ED, shows on Comedy Central, and Sprint and Burger King commercials. So many seasoned actors from Texas came in for this one, which was a total treat. (Took pics of the theater and program book if you want more details http://s86.photobucket.com/albums/k95/gloriaoliver/A%20Few%20Good%20Men/ )

Weird stuff - On many scenes I could not see Ben Rauch (Sam), and the character of Kaffee (Jensen) teases him a lot, and every time he said "Sam" I kept thinking of the character "Sam" (played by Jared Padalecki in Supernatural) since I could not see the other actor! Now the whole "Sam" and "Jo" thing was weird enough, (Jo being a recurring character in season 2 but also the name of the female lead in the play) but there ended up being MORE! This was Kaffee's 40th case - we were just discussing the # 40 on a review of the episode Phantom Traveler plus I had just seen the episode last week myself - 40 minute flights, 40 days and nights, a number associated with death - and this was a murder case. As if that were not enough, Kaffee hates FLYING!!!!! I thought I was going to fall out of my chair when that came up! Just like Dean!(The chara Jensen plays in Supernatural.) Weird coincidences I am sure. (Or just my over active mind.) lol.

The stage production did some neat stuff too. Major kudos to the stage staff as they had to come on stage in the dark most of the time and move chairs and desks around. A big part of the set was two tall guard towers connected by a huge fence and barb wire. 15 minutes before the show started, two guys in marine uniforms with M-16's climbed into the towers and started a guard tower routine of looking out each direction for a minute or two as if they were on actual guard duty. Did the same thing at intermission. It was such a nice touch!!!! Then they added in a cricket track in the background (at least I hope it was a sound track! lol!) and that added even more to the atmosphere. Loved how Santiago's letters and the Major's final letter were all done on stage by the actual actor with a light on them alone. The theater is small in size so everything was very personal, almost intimate. During the bows, most of the actors only faced the front of the theater, but Jensen made sure to look in all three main directions so everyone got a look and Lou Diamond Phillips bodily moved himself to each side. Sweet!

Had tears in my eyes three different times (Yes, I am a weeper!) and I think a half sniffle from me got the fan girls behind me going. Heh heh heh. But I had come prepared with tissues so all was good. lol. (I played wall flower like I usually do, and got to overhear several conversations while at the theater. Bunches of people there were fans of the show and had come in from out of state just to see it! Some bought tickets for multiple showings! Not cheap tickets either. Dang!!!!)

My husband put up with me through all this mess so kudos to him too! The lunatic even suggested during lunch that I could buy tickets for the 7 o'clock too if I wanted. I told him he was MAD! (This was before I learned others actually did it!) But thanks for the thought. Heck he even volunteered to turn back around after we left the parking lot and we saw the awning in the back of the theater and the people waiting there. I told him no. Figured with only 2 hours between shows no one might bother to go outside. (What I don't know I missed won't hurt me?) Besides, I am big believer in not invading people's privacy or space - having been on both sides of the fence (and heard horror stories from compatriots) and how some people suddenly act like actors are their property instead of a person who has feelings and deserves space and privacy, I figured I would not add to the mess. I think I will definitely keep my hubby for another 25 years. lol. (I think he's actually glad I have an obsession now. He's had several over the years in low key ways, but this is my first so he now knows he has something over me if I say anything on his! lol!)

So, I had a GREAT time! I am hoping Casa Mañana does the same type of thing next year!



Gloria Oliver
www.gloriaoliver.com
Unveiling the Fantastic




Tags: Casa Mañana; Gloria Oliver; A Few Good Men; Lou Diamond Phillips; Jensen Ackles; Supernatural

Jensen Ackles in Dallas! A Few Good Men at Casa Mañana

I thought it would behoove me to spread the good news. Jensen Ackles, the actor who portrays Dean Winchester in the CW's show Supernatural, will be at the Casa Mañana theater June 5th through 10th with Lou Diamond Phillips! They both will be staring in the play "A Few Good Men". Saying I am psyched is an understatement. Heh.


Tags: Jensen Ackles; Dallas; Casa Mañana; Supernatural

Guilty Pleasure - Supernatural

Though the TV show Supernatural is now on it's second season, it has been only recently that I have come to realize it's become a guilty pleasure.

I rarely watch movies or episodes of TV shows more than once straight away, so if I do, it really means it impacted me in some way. Heck if I watch something again in the same year, then you know you have something. :P Anyway, I started watching Supernatural with Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles when the show began last year. Was pretty excited when I saw Jensen was in it as he had impressed me with his acting in Smallville the season before or so. I like his character here even better!

The premise is this - two brothers are reunited after 2 plus years when their father turns up missing. What you find out as they go along is that they are not a normal family. 22 years before, when Dean was 4 and Sam was 6 months, a dark figure invaded their home and though he spent some time with baby Sam, he ends up killing the mother when she shows up in the room and gets in the way. Ever since her death, the father has been training himself and his sons to hunt the evil hiding in the dark and also to try to find information on what killed his wife. So after being raised in rather unconventional means, Sam left to go to college, having a huge fight with his father, who did not want him to leave, and basically was told that if he left never to return. Well, now Dean has shown up saying their father was out on a hunt and has not returned. He wants Sam to help him find him.

Due to matters I won't give away, Sam and Dean stay together after the first episode to continue their search for their missing father.

Though the show is in the monster of the week formula, what I love about it is the high acting skills of those present, and the underlying plot they have already set for the season and those to follow. Season 2 has REALLY turned up the stakes and angst, and we are currently waiting for 1/11 for the revelation we've been waiting for a while regarding Sam.

There is a big dynamic being used by the show, revealing facts and tidbits in increments and even bringing things back to haunt the characters themselves. Case in point would be in ep 1 when Sam brings up the fact that their mother is dead and nothing will bring her back, to which Dean reacts rather explosively. Close to the end of season 1 Dean tells Sam that as someone told him once before nothing will bring their Mom or Jessica back, to which Sam reacts explosively. :P This back and forth switching is something they do when least expected and rather well at that! (They do the same with humor.)

The actors are truly amazing, especially Jensen and Jared. With but a look, you can tell what they are thinking. Totally amazing, and keeps you on your toes, because otherwise you might miss something. :P

I've gone and watched what episodes for season 2 I kept on the Tivo several times (I wallow in angst!) and now got my hands on the Season 1 DVD's and watched the whole thing over. Oh the seeds they have been planting all this time!!!! And the character interplay between the mains and some of the recurring charas are awesome. Yes, I have it very very bad.

So if you have time, go rent season 1 and pay attention. They are being quite subtle in many respects, but it all builds over time. Great characters, great situations, good creepy atmosphere, plenty of twits, and loads of fun!!!

when they returned to Lawrence, his feeling over the spiritual And one thing I discovered....(SPOILER!!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON"T WANT TO KNOW!) Sam's gifts... Aside from the visions, which are always somehow related to the demon or those he's touched, he exhibits powers that are always the same as or an immunity to those shown by others. On the episode where they return to Lawrence, Sam's spiritual sensing/connectivity heavily increased after contact with the psychic. On the episode when they met another family like theirs, where the mother was killed when the baby was but 6 months old, they meet a telekinetic, which Sam, later in the episode is able to use as well. Season 2, they meet the man who can command people with his voice, Sam proves totally immune. In the Croatoan ep, again Sam proves immune, this time to the demon virus. I believe Sam is the effect the demon has touched so many children for. Possibly so that Sam can either use the powers of or prove immune to the powers of something the demon can't reach. Which could be the plot lead for season 3. Heh.

Now all I need is to find out what John Winchester told Dean at the hospital about Sam, and see if other suspicions of mine are valid. Must know! Yes, like I said before, I have it bad....

Doctor Who - School Reunion

Doctor Who - School Reunion

I was quite thrilled when I heard Doctor Who was coming back with a new BBC series a couple of years ago. And I have immensely enjoyed watching them on the Sci-Fi Channel. Last night I watched the episode called School Reunion. What a blast from the past!

Not only did this episode guest star Anthony Head, from Buffy fame, but also brought back two characters from the original series - Sarah Jane Smith, and K-9! What fun! We even had the original K-9 voice.

As I watched the episode, I got hit with a super wave of nostalgia, especially when K-9 entered the scene. By the end I was almost blubbering. lol.

If you have not checked out the new series - DO IT! Both doctors so far have been utter blasts! Loads of Sci-Fi fun for all!

Boston Legal

Boston Legal - TV

I first caught this show during its second season when Michael J Fox guest starred on three episodes. (We hadn't seen Michael on TV for some time since his disease had progressed and made it difficult to pursue an acting career, so we wanted to see how he was doing, having been a fan for years.) We knew it was a layer show, and my husband not being one for legal dramas, we'd never checked it out before.

After seeing two of the three episodes we were hooked! This show is a total hoot! We got bit so hard, we went and ordered 1st season on DVD! This show is on one level serious as a heart attack, on another totally frivolous and funny. And sometimes, weirdly, both at once.

Premise: We follow in the daily labors of the law firm of Crane, Poole, & Schmidt. Crane, now in his 70's, was a during his heyday a major force to be reckoned with. Never lost a case. Now, Denny Crane (William Shatner) suffers from the beginnings of Alzheimer's and utter boredom. He is an over the top, sexist, extreme Republican, but he's totally upfront with all of it. The owners of the firm keep an eye on him for cause to expel him before he can ruin the reputation of the film. Alan Shore (James Spader) is the outlaw of the firm, taking on cases to help the week, yet at times taking roads that would not be considered reputable. A man of many levels, he is somewhat self destructive, and driven by many passions. Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) is one of the other main partners and gets brought in to try to restrain Denny from his more flamboyant efforts.

The people dynamics in this show are phenomenal! The strange friendship between Denny and Alan. Denny's obsession with anything female and especially Shirley. The legal maneuverings and seriousness of many of the cases. You will literally laugh and cry. The rest of the cast members, especially for second season are wonderful as well!

The one hidden fact about Boston Legal is how many of the actors coming in as guests or as main characters come from Star Trek or Sci-Fi films!!! William Shatner of course well know for his role as Captain James T Kirk in the original series. James Spader was Dr Daniel Jackson in the film Stargate and played in several other Sci-fi films. Candice Bergen was the voice of SAL9000 in the Sci-fi epic 2010. Rene Auberjonois (Paul Lewiston - stiff shirt and the one who makes the firm run as a unit in the background) was Odo in Deep Space Nine. Michael J Fox was from the Back to the Future Films. A regular judge seen often on the show, Armin Shimerman was Quark from Deep Space 9. Henry Gibson, another regular judge, also guest stared in DS9 and many other Sci-Fi/Fantasy shows. And this past week Ethan Phillips, Nelix from Star Trek Voyager, guest stared. It is a total schmorgasborg of Sci-Fi/Fantasy talent! I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!! lol