Razzmatazzical Monster

'The Stand' Casting

2011-09-14T22:45:00.001-04:00

The Stand is the longest book I've read since I CHOSE to read Les Miserables in High School (it was a mistake. I totally didn't finish the book). But I did finish The Stand and I loved it! And it gave me a lot of time to get to know the characters and figure out exactly who I think they should be portrayed by. There's a new movie in the works, so maybe I can out my casting vibes and influence the producers...
Adrianne Palicki as Frannie Goldsmith

I actually haven't seen a second of her actually performing, but her image was ingrained in my head after all the Wonder Woman madness. Frannie seemed like she would be strong and sassy but also really vulnerable at times. And I guess that's Wonder Woman for me.

Will Patton as Stu Redman

Amageddon. Remember the Titans. Will Patton is my go-to, down-on-his-luck, noble Texas fellow. And I'm from Texas. I know my shit. And whoever plays Stu has to carry large chunks of the movie/series on their own, and he could totally pull it off.

Young Gil Bellows as Larry Underwood

I watched all of Ally McBeal earlier this year, and Larry reminded me so much of Billy (Gil Bellows) on that show. He fancied himself a nice and noble guy, but was actually kind of a dick. I tried to think of a younger equivalent to Bellows, but nobody really fit the bill.

Anton Yelchin as Nick Andros

Nick was one of my favorites from the book but I couldn't pin him down for awhile. Fright Night came out while I was reading the book, and at one point I caught a trailer, and I was like 'duh, he's totally Nick.' Nick is quiet (obviously), and in the regular world that makes him weak, but post-plague, his quietness seems to draw people in and gain him respect. I think Yelchin is the perfect young dude to pull that off.

Richard Dreyfuss as Glen Bateman

I'll be honest. Richard Dreyfuss is my default 'older, wise, sassy white guy' choice when it comes to casting, so I probably could've been more creative with this one. Oh well. It's Mr. Holland!

Jonah Hill as Harold Lauder

This was kind of an immediate casting. I know Jonah Hill would be too old to play a teenager at this point, but he's just got that perfect air of conceitedness and cowardice. I haven't seen some of his more serious roles yet, but I think he would do an amazing job with Harold.

Ryan Hansen as Tom Cullen

This popped in my head just as Tom was described in the book. He was blond and happy and kinda clueless, and my brain jumped right to Ryan Hansen who was so fantastic in Party Down. Tom would be a really difficult role to tackle, and I have absolutely no idea if Hansen's qualified, but in my head he was the perfect Tom right up until the end.

Lauren Hutton as Rita Blakemoor

I couldn't remember her name for the longest time, but Lauren Hutton would be a great Rita. Rita has to straddle the line of being young and sexually exciting but also old and losing her grip on reality. Women in Hollywood get cast off so easily once they hit a certain age, so whoever plays Rita has to have held her own against all the starlets.

Cicely Tyson as Mother Abagail

Mother Abagail was just a vague archetype for me for a long time, and then eventually I started being able to see her. She still never really looked like a specific person to me, so I had to do a little research to find her. And I figure Cicely Tyson would be pretty capable of fleshing her out.

Stephen McHattie as Randall Flagg

I also had a hard time seeing Flagg. He kept shifting. Then we watched Pontypool, and I highly recommend that you do likewise, and McHattie was just phenomenal. Especially his voice, and that seemed key for the Dark Man. I could hear his voice so clear in the book, and that made a lot of stuff much creepier.

Billy Bob Thornton as Lloyd Henreid

I guess Billy Bob is another default casting guy (he's also another favorite Armageddon alum). But he can be a great good guy and a great bad guy, while also masterfully playing around with the gray parts in the middle. Lloyd is too complex to just be a henchman; he needs someone who can bring him depth.

Rhys Ifans as Trashcan Man

This was another instant casting. And I'll admit that it solely comes from Ifans' look in Notting Hill. That scruffy, out-of-it, just-plain-weirdo look. But he's got a sweet dopiness to him, and with all the things that ended up happening to Trash, that sweetness made him much interesting and sympathetic.

Albert Hall as The Judge

This is another result of watching Ally McBeal. Albert Hall played an awesome and stern and wise judge, so he sort of floated on over. I feel like he'd also have a lot of fun with driving through the West in a Jeep all by himself.

Morena Baccarin as Nadine Cross

Baccarin has that strong yet fragile lady thing going on, which is defintely Nadine. I made this casting before she started moving to the dark side, but I'm quite pleased with myself when all is said and done. She and Jonah Hill could pull off some awesomely creepy sad scenes.

Anna Gunn as Dayna Jurgens

I didn't really see Dayna until she went off to Vegas, but then it made perfect sense. Between Deadwood and Breaking Bad, Gunn has that hardened lady beat down pat. She also looks formidable which would be quite necessary to make Dayna believable.

Todd Lowe as Ralph Bretner

I know Ralph is supposed to be much older, but he just seemed like Terry from True Blood: a sweet man who's not too bright, but totally has your back in a fight and loyally trusts those he respects. I didn't expect him to play such a major role in the end, but with Todd Lowe in the role, it was a nice surprise.

Sarah Hyland as Julie Lawry

Another immediate casting. I don't watch many of the 'youth' shows on TV, so maybe there's some other young actress better suited, but Hayley from Modern Family seems like she'd turn right into Julie post-plague. Those big eyes could get her into and out of a lot of trouble.

Sam Levine as The Kid

This started off as a fun casting and I was happy to have Levine and Ifans off on an adventure. And then shit got creepy. And really fucking sad. And then I sort of regretted this casting. But it happened. I can't undo my stupid brain.

Jane Lynch as Sue Stern

Lynch kinda has a cartoonish quality about her sometimes, and it makes me happy when actors like that get placed into really serious roles. It's jarring and has a tendency to make a character even more real than if a normally dramatic actor portrayed them. I also think that Jane Lynch and Anna Gunn could have a really amazing bond on screen.

Anna Paquin as Lucy Swann

Another True Blood casting, I know, but Lucy just seems like she's sweet and looking for someone to mend. I like Anna Paquin a lot as Sookie, and though she's not always written really well, I think she has enough moxie to make Lucy a little bit more interesting and feisty.

Nerd Craftiness: R2D2 Fairy Wing Edition

2011-06-15T12:15:00.002-04:00

As a side project/hobby, I've made fairy wings for several years now. They're normally pretty straight forward and just kinda fun and funky, but lately I've been wanting to converge my nerd interests with my craft interests. So I came up with the brilliant idea of nerdy fairy wings. I've got a few other ideas floating around, but the first thing to come to fruition was a set of R2D2 fairy wings.

Originally I had the idea of creating a half 3PO/half R2 set of wings, but that seemed a little too all over the place. Plus, I thought R2 wings could nicely round out a Princess Leia costume (senatorial, not slave). I had to change up my techniques since this is such a departure from my normal work, so things didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. But the end result is still pretty cool, and I know my future nerd wings will be a great success.

And though I won't divulge all my wing-making secrets, I thought I'd walk y'all through the process just for funsies.

So obviously, first, I spend hours looking at pictures of R2 and then scribbling away, trying to figure out which parts I can accurately recreate.
Then there's supply gathering-wire, fabric, paints, glitter. And then later there's more supply gathering, cause I change my mind or run out of stuff.Then I build the frames. This is a touch and important step, cause if I don't get the frames quite right, everything else is doomed.
Then I cover the frames with fabric or other stuff (in this case, I used theatrical gels to make his 'eyes').
Next, I paint all the features. This is where the look really starts to come together.
Next, I use puff paint to go over all the edges and make the details pop. I also added his little copper 'wires' and used shrink plastic to make little lenses.
The last step before mounting the wings is to glitter everything. It's tedious, and my whole house tends to get covered in glitter.
Finally, I mount the wings on a piece of wood, tie on ribbons for straps, and cover everything with faux fur. Voila!So yeah. I'm looking to re-make these and also I've got plans for C3PO wings, as well as some other stuff. I might be exhibiting at NYCC, and if so, I'm hoping to sell these sorts of wings as well as my regular stuff. As I said, I'm not 100% pleased with how these came out, but if you're interested in them, drop me a line at lavinia.wings@gmail.com and we can talk about details. Also, be sure to check out my Etsy shop for less-intense fairy wings. Radical!

Things I Want That Do Not Exist Yet: Fox Reunion Episodes

2011-03-30T12:05:00.001-04:00

So, for some reason, Fox has this ability to find fantastic new shows and murder them before they can really build up a fan base. There are tons of lists out there of all the shows that were amazing or had great potential and were prematurely canceled by Fox. It would please me greatly, and I'm sure a lot of others, if Fox would start pumping out reunion episodes for all the stories they cut short. There's a billion to choose from, but these are the four that I would most like to see.
Firefly

I suppose you could argue that Serenity was a reunion special for Firefly, but it didn't really feel that way to me. The movie was great, but it was far more of an action blockbuster/last hurrah piece that lacked the show's tone and delicate handling of little moments. I want to see the crew go another small mission (that will probably get bumbled) that's more about their interactions and relationships and less about actual plot.
Ally McBeal

I recently watched the whole series (save for most of the first season) on Hulu and I had forgotten how fun and delightful the show was. Ally actually lived through 5 seasons, so though it wasn't prematurely canceled, the ending was definitely unsatisfying. In season 4, David E. Kelley brought Robert Downey Jr. in order to boost ratings and it totally worked. He was fantastic on that show. But when he was arrested on drug charges, Fox made Kelley fire him so he was abruptly written off the show and the whole trajectory of the plot was screwed up. Season 5 was a mess. An Ally reunion would be less about making up for lost time and more about a proper story conclusion. And Robert Downey Jr returning to his role as Larry Paul, the best TV lawyer ever.
Arrested Development

Probably one of the most annoying Fox cancellations, Arrested Development actual had a great fan base. It just wasn't large enough and the show was too damn brilliant for people to jump into it willy-nilly. And of course there's been on and off talk of a movie happening, but I worry that an AD movie would lose some of the show's charm, as in the case of Serenity. These characters need a disaster fit for the small screen in order to really shine. And I just really want to know what they're all up to now.
Wonderfalls

Okay. It was a weird show. The main character talked to inanimate objects. I can kind of understand how it got canceled so fast. But it's SO FREAKIN GOOD. (Go watch it now if you haven't seen it. Go!) I think one of the main reasons I want to see more from this show, is that it did take a couple of episodes for me to really get into it, and since there were only 13 episodes released, by the time I was really invested, it was over. There was so much more story that needed to be told.

So yeah. Fox could pick a weeknight and just start pumping these things out like little TV movies. It would be glorious.

New Levels of Stupid

2011-03-02T15:21:00.002-05:00

So, 2010 was kind of a bust and a great deal of hope and expectation was placed on 2011. And though some really awesome things have happened so far this year, it seems more like we're going to be dealing with a lot of crazy and stupid. In the past couple of days I've come across a smattering of next-level-stupid bullshit. Engage:

Tennessee (love it there as I may) is trying to pass legislation that would make it a felony to participate in certain tenements of Islam. With the whole freedom of religion thing we've got going on in this country, it's highly unlikely that this will get put into law, but the fact that legislators see nothing wrong with the principles of this bill, is really frickin scary.
The Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church's rights to picket fallen soldiers' funerals. I know we've got to protect freedom of speech and all that jazz, but really? If it's illegal to yell 'Fire!' in a crowded theater, why is it okay to inflict further emotional distress on the families of the recently deceased?
In addition to republicans trying to restrict a woman's right to choose, they're also trying to make it even harder for children and the low income to get by in this world. God forbid we cut defense budgets or impose higher taxes on the mega-wealthy, but it's totally fine to cut back on education and assistance programs.
While the whole Charlie Sheen craziness is really sad yet interesting to watch unfold, there's a lot of real shit going in the world right now, and it seems really unsettling to me that so many news outlets are focused so heavily on him. I also have to think that if he is an addict and really needs help, giving him all this media attention probably is reinforcing the idea that he's invincible and could inhibit him from seeking treatment.

Maybe I'm wrong in this, or just focused too much on the negative, but it seems like we're heading into a really dark cultural and political zeitgeist. The whole oil thing isn't helping to calm my nerves either....

2010 Movie Faves

2011-01-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

Because of rising ticket prices and Netflix not getting new releases right away, I don't see a lot of movies the year they came out. So this is just a rundown of my favorite 2010 films that I've seen so far. I don't claim to say they are the 'best', they are just the ones that I enjoyed the most. Engage!
The Social Network

It's funny how when this film was first announced, everyone flipped their shit about how stupid a 'Facebook movie' would be. And now it's set to win all the Oscars ever. I came around to the idea of it when Fincher was announced as the director (as he is one of my favorites) and then, like most everyone else, when that creepy-as-hell trailer popped out, I was sold. I absolutely love it when you're not really sure how to feel about the protagonist. Is he good? Is he bad? Am I supposed to like him? In this case, I fucking loved him. I can't wait for this film to come out on DVD so I can play it over and over again and let the dialogue turn into music for my brain.
Black Swan

I've been eagerly awaiting this one for a long time. Everything I'd read about it completely piqued my interest, and I actually started getting worried that I'd overhyped myself. Nope. That was not the case. I went to see it by myself on Christmas Eve and it was one of the most enjoyable cinematic experiences I've ever had. Two other things I love in movies are genre-combinations and watching people go crazy. And this film delivers on both of those points. While on-point (hi-yo!). I've always been a sucker for dance movies (even the terrible ones like Center Stage), but with Black Swan, Aronofsky took the glitz and grandeur out of dance and broke it down to almost a torture regiment, which only makes the whole movie even creepier.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I'm a little torn on Scott Pilgrim. It was one of the movies I was most excited for in 2010, and I loved it, but at the same time I didn't. I think it ended up reading like Watchmen did, in that it basically serves as the perfect trailer for the books. Edgar Wright did a phenomenal job created this universe and making a really, superbly unique film. But unfortunately, so much of the heart and soul of the books was lost due to the condensing of the story. I really would've loved for them to have waited till O'Malley finished all the books, and then created a miniseries or two or three films in order to flesh everything out. But I know that that couldn't have happened. So I'm happy with what we got.
Inception

I know a lot of people lost their shit over Inception and hyped it up to the be most mind-blowing thing ever. I think a lot of those people don't watch a lot of non-mainstream movies. I went into seeing it expecting to understand nothing and end up completely confused. But I was wonderfully surprised to find out that everything was incredibly straight forward. Everything made perfect sense, except for a few points that required further discussion. What I loved about it was the seamless-ness and beauty with which this crazy, multi-layered story was executed. And the creepiness of the underlying Mal/Cobb plot was delightful, as were all the handsome menfolk running about.
How to Train Your Dragon

I think the name really worked against this movie, especially in terms of getting non-children to go see it. The animation was brilliant. The dragons are basically cats and dogs. The actors are hilarious. It's not your typical 'everything works out 100% fine' ending. There's so much about this movie that is amazing, and I hope more grown-ups give it a chance.
Timer

Generally when I hear a movie is about a love-crazed woman determined to find 'the one,' I run the other way. But when it factors in science-fiction and an awesome actress like Emma Caulfield, I'll totally give it a shot on a Sunday afternoon. I came across this movie on Netflix Instant Queue, and I'd never heard of it, but the user ratings were really high, so I gave it a shot, and I was super delighted. Overall, the movie is pretty simplistic and focuses on how relationships have changed and what love really means now that your 'timer' tells you when you'll meet your soulmate. I highly recommend giving it a chance.

Despicable Me

The movie is pretty straight forward and predictable, but really funny and adorable. Between Horton Hears a Who and this, I think I far prefer Steve Carell as a voice actor than a live action performer, as he is super brilliant. There's some brilliant slapstick comedy, and a lot of it stems from the wonderful little yellow minions. I know I'm a sucker for cute things, but there are some genuine hilarious moments in this movie, and it's all around a feel-good experience.
Best Worst Movie

I'd heard of this documentary, and knew it was about Troll 2, considered to be the worst movie of all time, but I didn't know much else. I thought it might be kinda sad and weird, so when I discovered it was actually really delightful, I was pleasantly surprised. I always feel really skeeved out by washed-up celebrities who bank on movies they were in 20 years ago, so to see these people embrace a movie they previously wanted nothing to do with, all because it found a cult fan base, was really amazing. There are still a few pings of awkwardness, but in general, it's great to see the cast and crew join together with the fans to celebrate the awfulness.
From all the movies I didn't see, these are the ones I most want to, and potentially could've been featured on this list:

True Grit: Growing up I hated westerns, but Deadwood, Firefly and No Country for Old Men have changed my outlook. I'm excited.
127 Hours: Danny Boyle is another of my favorite directors, and James Franco has done some pretty awesome stuff, so how could I possibly not like this?
Monsters: District 9 was one of my favorites last year, so I'm up for another stripped-down, alien invasion film. Especially one so highly recommended.
Never Let Me Go: Unfortunately I've had some stuff spoiled for me, when I wanted to go in blind, but I'm still very interested.
Easy A: This is at the top of my Netflix Queue, and it looks hilarious. I love everything Emma Stone's done so far, and the rest of the cast seems awesome.

So yeah. Hopefully this year will have some more kick-ass films. 2011!!

Seven Soldiers of Victory Casting

2010-11-05T11:25:00.001-04:00

So, Rickey's been wanting me to read this series FOREVER and I finally got around to it. I'm not big into superhero comics, but I love Grant Morrison, and though I didn't always understand Seven Soldiers, I totally dug it.

So of course as soon as I finished it, I had to cast it in my head. Plus, I can't imagine this ever making it's way to the big screen, so I'm sure my choices are safe from future disappointment.

Lauren Graham as Zatanna

I never watched Gilmore Girls, but I've every other time I've seen Lauren Graham in something, she's fantastic. She's 43, but doesn't look it at all, and she's got that gorgeous but down-to-the-earth thing going on. She's got a smartness and sassiness to her that also makes her sexy, and I think that's exactly what it would take to play Zatanna. Unfortunately a studio would just plop a Megan Fox-type actress into this role, but that would such a waste of a great character.

Thomas Sangster as Klarion the Witch Boy

I'd never even heard of Klarion before, but he turned out to be my favorite character from the series. The backstory of that plotline is amazing and creepy, and the whole puritan-witch thing is fabulous. Plus he has an orange cat, and that is something I'm very biased to. So to play him, an actor would have to be able to be mischievous and dark, but also naive and a bit overwhelmed, and look a bit creepy. So there's the kid from Love Actually and Nanny McPhee. I thought by now he'd be too old to play Klarion, but he's 20 and still looks like he did when he was a kid. So that's creepy in and of itself.

Laura Fraser as Shining Knight

I doubt most people would recognize Laura Fraser, but she was the blacksmith in A Knight's Tale and Lavinia in Julie Taymor's Titus. She's a fantastic actress who can be amazingly vulnerable and bad ass at the same time. To play a character that has fallen thousands of years through time and not make it seem cheesy could be a tough feat for any actor, but Fraser could pull it off in a heartbeat.

Donald Faison as Manhattan Guardian

For the most part, Donald Faison has really only ever done comedy, but he was great in Remember the Titans (which I will watch over and over again). And though this character deals with some dark shit, he seems to be rather joyous at heart. I think casting a serious, dark actor in this role could make this storyline too heavy and downtrodden, but someone like Faison could have fun with the role, and make this a great adventure story.

Carla Gugino as Bulleteer

Bulleteer is a great character in that she didn't ask to be a superhero. She was just a regular, albeit sexy lady minding her own business, and then BAM! metal skin. So she's still a regular person under all that. Carla Gugino has already worked her way into the nerdverse with her performances in Sin City and Watchmen, so she'd just slide right into this role. She can be tough, but vulnerable, and she's got the perfect look for it. And I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't mind watching her deck it out with some hottie teen superhero lady.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mister Miracle

Though I still don't know how to say his name, Chiwetel Ejiofor is awesome. He's been fantastic in everything I've seen him in. And this would be a really weird plotline to have to pull off. I'm still not sure if I understood it entirely. But I know it would require an amazingly talented actor who could sell every moment of crazy shit that's thrown our way, and he could totally do it.

Tom Hardy as Frankenstein

I'm super bummed that I didn't discover Tom Hardy until Inception, and there's so many movies he's been in that I'm dying to check out. And Frankenstein is a weird role. He's gotta be this superhero, but he's a monster, and he's all old-school Victorian. From what I saw in Inception, Hardy could bring this character to life, as well as give him a little style and flair. Cause you can't have boring zombie Frankenstein in Seven Soldiers. He's a badass Hellboy-esque force of nature. Plus, Tom Hardy could bring a little bit of prettiness to all that grossness.

Daryl Hannah as The Bride

This was a really interesting plot point to me. The idea that this woman was created as a bride for a monster, but didn't want that life, so she went off and did her own thing. That's such an interesting character. And the bit about her arms was super creepy. So to cast her, I was trying to think of tall, strong ladies who could hold their own against a giant zombie man, and Daryl Hannah popped right up. I probably love her the most in Steel Magnolias, but in Kill Bill, she proved that she's downright kick ass. And she could totally pull off this crazy costume.

Alan Cummings as Melmoth

Melmoth was a really interesting character to me as well, and it seemed he needed someone who has quite a bit of flair, and so Alan Cummings would fit right in. He's absolutely fabulous and fantastic at being crazy and over the top, and he can pull off creepy while being totally watchable.

Parker Posey as the Sheeda Queen

So then who better to play Melmoth's estranged wife than Parker Posey. Time and time again she's played crazy SO well. It's kind of unbelievable. Plus, this would be a reunion for her and Cummings, as they were both fantastic in Josie and the Pussycats (which if you haven't seen it, you REALLY should). This is another character that if you cast a super serious actress in this role, it could get a little dry, so Posey would bring a great light to her. It would be kinda fun to watch her get kicked to the curb.

So yeah, there are a lot more characters that could be cast, but I figured I should stick with the ones that resonated with me the most.

Nerd Craftiness!

2010-10-12T23:27:00.003-04:00

It's been like 3 months since I posted, and I didn't really realize that. But anywho, I made a lot of crafty things over the summer and I think they're pretty rad. I got into a t-shirt making kick using this foil-screen printing stuff I got at Michael's and these awesome patterns from Zombie Pumpkins (check them out!).

The one above is my rainbow Frankenstein monster, and it's definitely one of my favorites. More monsters should be rainbowized, I think.
I made this Batman shirt with just a standard Batman logo. This process of applying this foil stuff makes it go on kinda sporadically, which I think is cool, so I wanted to make it really extreme in this case. I purposefully made it fade into the center, like it was old and weathered, and I'm super happy with the results.
It's Wario! I've discovered the gold foil seems to work the best, so in trying to figure out what designs would look awesome in gold, I stumbled upon Wario.
I found the Beetlejuice snake design on Zombie Pumpkins and I totally lost my shit. I really, really wish I had a lime green foil to have made this in, but whatever. It's still totally rad.
And my Animal shirt is from now on my party shirt. For obvious and dorky reasons.
Robin hoodie! I've had a Robin 'R' patch FOREVER and I've never known what to do with it. Then a few months ago, I saw a Robin hoodie on Etsy and it was brilliant. I'd been looking for a plain red hoodie ever since, and I finally found one, so I sewed the patch on and painted my striped, and I'm totally ready to fight crime. Or take a nap.
I get on Shrinky Dink kicks every so often, and this is one of my more successful ones. I want to make a lot more of these necklaces in a variety of colors and words to match every occasion.

I've still got a ton more craft things to make, so I'd better go get on that...

Accidental Casting is Kinda Annoying

2010-07-13T12:43:00.003-04:00

So I post my various casting things on here for comics and whatnot, but I always end up doing the same thing for regular books as well. And for some reason, when I cast book characters in my head, they stick with me a lot longer than comic book castings.

I think this has to do with seeing a character and thinking of an actor that reminds me of them versus having no real image of a character and then assigning them an actor. It also takes me a lot longer to get through a book than a comic (even a whole series), so book characters live in my head a lot longer.

So what ends up happening is this actor lives in my head as this character, and no matter what I do, that's always how I see them. And the more extreme the character, the worse the effect.
I bring this up now because I've been reading a book with a very extreme character and I cast her as Lizzy Caplan in my head, and it's ruining so many things for me. The book is "Like Being Killed" by Ellen Miller, and I guess it was a big deal in the late 90's. But it's about Illyana, this very smart, semi-antisocial, slightly damaged, Jewish 20-something, who gets a new roommate, Susannah (whom I saw as Alison Pill for some reason) and she's light and fun and crafty and delightful and kinda rocks Illyana's world.
Anywho, things go bad with Susie which causes Illyana to basically goes off on this drug-fueled, S&M spattered, willed self-destruction. It's all very smartly and beautifully written, which makes it all the more powerful and haunting.

I had brought the book with me on a trip to Texas a couple of weeks ago, and because of massive flight delays, I ended up reading half of it in a day. So by the time I got home, Lizzy Caplan WAS Illyana to me, and I was right in the middle of Party Down and True Blood Season 1, both of which she was on. And it's crazy because, I swear, Lizzy Caplan's speech patterns (especially on Party Down), match this character's exactly. EXACTLY. So the whole time I'm watching her and in the back of my head I'm remembering all the terrible things I've read her go through.

Alison Pill as Susannah has so far been less terrifying, but I'm getting to a point in the book where things have changed, so I'm hoping she will be okay, or else Scott Pilgrim might be a little dampened.

There are times where I actively try to avoid this from happening, like with "Hater," which I'm very happy I didn't cast anyone in that book, both because I know the movie is coming, and also it was more disturbing than I had originally thought. I've got the sequel on order and am about to re-read it, so I really have to fight the urge now.

It's such a weird thing that goes on in my head.

Some Science and Philisophy Shit...

2010-06-10T13:57:00.004-04:00

I know no one comes here to read actual thoughts and opinions, but bear with me for a little science/philosophy/sci-fi nonsense..

I was watching a Yale university lecture on Death, and more specifically, the origins of a theorized soul. The professor was talking about how a soul is something that would be immaterial, unable to be measured, seen or felt. The argument was that, if this were the case, it could continue living on after the death of the body. This made me think about the Higgs boson particle that scientists are trying to find at CERN via the Large Hadron Collider.

The general idea behind the Higgs boson, to my understanding, is that it is smallest particle in existence, that it's literally the shit holding every atom in the universe together. Because of this, it's referred to as the 'God particle,' and it's possible that it might be immeasurable, and all the work put into finding it could be for naught. This is all really interesting to me cause I'm a huge dork and probably should've been an engineer like my dad wanted, but whatever.

Anywho, the thought I had last night was, what if the Higgs boson particle is the thing that gives us a soul? Or it is our soul? Maybe every object in the universe has a little force like this and they just function in different ways. I'm not really going to expand on that, just let it roll around in your head for awhile.

My second thought was, what if, at CERN, when they're shooting particles towards each other at a bajillion miles per second, they get a hit and find the Higgs boson? And then, by releasing it, they unleash a soul....And then it goes crazy and fucking swallows the world whole. But in a much more angry and vicious way than just a regular black hole like people are expecting.

So yeah. Those were my fancy Wednesday night thoughts.

Re-Casting: First Wives Club

2010-05-19T12:20:00.001-04:00

So Hollywood seems to have run out of ideas and is currently remaking every movie ever made. It's obnoxious when they remake a great movie and make it mediocre or even crappy, but I'm all for taking mediocre or crappy movies and making them awesome.

I recently re-watched The First Wives Club with the magic of my Netflix Instant Queue and it is so not as great as I thought it was back in middle school when I would watch it repeatedly on HBO. However, there was potential for greatness: the cast was awesome, the plot starts out pretty dark, but then it gets loaded with cheese and becomes all sappy. I think if it were to be re-made as a dark, black comedy, it could pretty awesome. Sassy, talented, older actresses taking real revenge on the husbands who screwed them over for younger women, with a little more violence and mischief--that could be hilarious!
Demi Moore as Elise Elliot

The actress in this role needs to still be sexy and viable but not as sought after as she once was, and Demi Moore would be perfect for that. She hit big in the 80's with Ghost and St. Elmo's Fire wife who's on Twitter all the time. But she's still super hot and super talented. I could definitely see her pull off getting tossed aside for a young , and stayed pretty popular throughout the 90's, but now she's more known as Ashton Kutcher'shottie and then seek revenge in a bad-ass fashion.
Elizabeth Perkins as Brenda Cushman

So this character needs to be both a loving mother and a little spitfire willing to blackmail her sleazy ex-husband. Elizabeth Perkins has played all types of roles, but the thing she is probably most known for and what I love her in is Weeds. In those first two seasons she is fantastic. She's hilarious. She's conniving but still very human and funny all at the same time. She's beautiful, but could still be dressed down and go through her 'butterfly' transformation to kick some ass at the end of the film.
Toni Collette as Annie Paradis

This is role of the nerd. The mousy one who is afraid to do anything at all. She's super neurotic and over-analyzes everything which is why Diane Keaton was such a perfect choice for the role. Toni Collette has played all sorts of roles (I think my favorite is as Brian Slade's super-fake wife in Velvet Goldmine) so I think she can do anything. She too is beautiful but not in such a striking fashion that you'd disbelieve she could be a dork. She has to be both the straight man but be able to get in a few laughs, and I believe she just one an Emmy for her role in The United States of Tara, so there you go.
Tim Roth as Bill Achtison

And now for the husbands. This is the scummy Hollywood husband who is both charming and icky at the same time. And there isn't anything Tim Roth can't do, so I think he's perfect. Plus he's handsome in an unconventional way and you could totally see some young actress trying to sleep her way through him to become famous.
Nick Offerman as Morton Cushman

I knew nothing of Nick Offerman before Parks and Rec, but now Ron Swanson is one of my favorite characters of all time. It turns out he's younger than I thought, but whatevs, I'd love to see him as a dry, money-hungry, recently turned sugar daddy. Plus for some reason, I think he and Elizabeth Perkins would have great chemistry together.
Dylan Moran as Aaron Paradis

This husband is an intellectual but not quite as nerdy as his female counterpart, but he's also just a little bit slick. Between Moran being the funniest part of Run Fatboy Run and his dry, cowardice in Shaun of the Dead, I think he'd be perfect for this role. Using psycho-analytical bullshit to comfort his wife while screwing the psychiatrist on the side, you'd hate him and love him at the same time.
Billie Piper as Shelly Stewart

This mistress has to be nouveau-riche--classy on the surface but the trashiness slips out every so often. I just got into Doctor Who and I loved Billie Piper as the sweet Rose Tyler, and I tried to watch Secret Diary of a Call Girl, but it's just too weird to watch her be all scandalous. But I think a role like this (somewhere in the middle of those two extremes) would suit her well. Kinda bitchy but still kinda sweet and funny. I could definitely believe she'd have a middle-aged man wrapped around her finger.
Leighton Meester as Phoebe LaVelle

I actually haven't seen Leighton Meester in anything except a lot of Gossip Girl commercials, but she seems to have that lolita-esque pouty thing down pat. This character needs to believably look 25 but actually be 16, and she seems to have that too (since I can't figure out how old she actually is). I could also see her striving to be like the Demi Moore character who would in turn hate her and just want her to go away.
Jessica Walter as Gunilla Garson Goldberg

This character needs to be a sassy old rich broad who's gone through multiple husbands and has no tolerance for shenanigans. And I just love Lucille Bluth and want to see Jessica Walter do more stuff stuff. So there.
Alan Tudyk as Duarto Feliz

Again, this is just another actor who I love and want to see in everything. However, his role in 28 Days as the oversexed, over the top, gay, German fellow was fantastic and I'd love to see him in more roles like that.

So yeah. Imagine all these people in a dark, comedic, revenge film. Imagine it's coming out next fall. It would be awesome, yes?

Birthday Bazinga Mix!

2010-04-01T10:38:00.000-04:00

So this weekend is my birthday!! It actually falls on Easter, which happens every few years or so, but whatevs. I can deal. Anywho, instead of having a party or shin-dig, I decided to take a trip down to Baltimore with my Rickey. I used to live there when I was like 2 or 3 (acutally the above picture may have been taken there) and my Mom tells me it was pretty cool. But the thing is, it's gonna be a total of 8 hours of driving, so in addition to comedy albums and awesome CD's, I made myself a wicked cool birthday mix! I'm pretty proud of myself:

1. Goody Two Shoes-Adam Ant
2. I Have a Dreidel-Barenaked Ladies
3. Clint Eastwood-Gorillaz
4. Ooh La La-Goldfrapp
5. Come Out and Play-Richard Cheese
6. Telephone-Lady Gaga
7. Istanbul-They Might Be Giants
8. Seven Nation Army-The White Stripes
9. Intergalactic-Beastie Boys
10. Sleigh Ride-Barenaked Ladies
11. Home-Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
12. Always-Erasure
13. Semi-Charmed Life-Third Eye Blind
14. Turning Japanese-The Vapors
15. Can't Stop-Red Hot Chili Peppers
16. Man in the Mirror-Michael Jackson
17. Slow Hands-Interpol
18. Any Way You Want It-Journey
19. Little Lion Man-Mumford & Sons
20. Drop It Like Its Hot-Snoop Dog ft. Pharrel
21. I Believe in a Thing Called Love-The Darkness

So yeah. It's rad. Drop me a line if you want me to send you the mix. I'll be partying it up in my little Honda. Word.

The Persuaders, and why advertising has doomed us all.

2010-03-04T11:30:00.001-05:00

[This is one of those posts where I talk about things that actually matter to me. No one ever seems to read them, but if you're at all paranoid about the future of our country, please, have a gander.]

So last night I watched a Frontline special called 'The Persuaders' which was about how advertising and marketing work nowadays, since we've all been super saturated with media and ads. It was really interesting, but a lot of the advertising stuff was nothing new to me; I know that advertisers spend tons of money trying to get into our heads and figure out how to make us feel like we 'belong' to a brand and therefore will spend all our money on crap we don't need. That wasn't very surprising.

What I found most interesting came toward the end of the film, when it was revealed that politicians are starting to use the same methods as advertisers. This documentary was released in 2004, I believe before Bush was re-elected, and I'd really love to see a follow up to it now, after Obama's brilliantly successful campaign in which he really did brand his administration and sell the shit out of it. But I digress...

There's this super crazy company that works for advertisers called Acxiom, and what they do is work with banks and credit card companies and all sort of other entities to gather information on each of us: what we buy, what we like, where we are in life, etc. They then sell that information to advertisers so that they can narrow-cast advertisements to us (think Minority Report with the crazy eyeball scanning thing). Apparently politicians are starting to use companies like this as well. On the one hand, this a good thing. A candidate can find the people who are more likely to vote for them and send specified messages to voters as opposed to just talking in broad strokes to everyone and not really clicking with anyone.

However, the downside to this is something that really concerns me and I think speaks volumes to our current political climate. By breaking people down into little groups, and only talking about what matters to them, you run the risk of segregating the entire nation to the point where no one can agree on anything. Here's an excerpt of the transcript that really lays this out:

STUART EWEN, Hunter College: When you start sending messages which appeal to sort of, you know, white people in pick-up trucks, and then you're also sending messages to black people in Cleveland, and it's a qualitatively different kind of message, you're really trying to stir – or you're really trying to appeal to those aspects of people which sees themselves as different from each other.

PETER SWIRE: Instead of being Americans, we're sliced into 70 demographic groups. We might be sliced into hundreds of subcategories under that. And then the worry is that we don't share anything as a people.

STUART EWEN: The result is living in a society where people, rather than having an idea of the common good, increasingly see their own personal well-being or their own community's or ethnicity's well-being as the essential issue of democracy.

The film of course ends on a message of hope and how the savvier the consumers are, the better everything will be and blah blah blah. I think people are getting smarter about buying stuff (most people anyways), but the thing that really concerns me is treating politics like advertising. People don't pay attention to the government as it is, and if some politician is able to sell themselves like an iPod even though they may be corrupt and have terrible and damaging policies, we're screwed. I really worry that people are paying less and less attention to anything but themselves, and that's not going to get us anywhere but doomed.

My Lost Hopes

2010-02-22T12:45:00.001-05:00

Okay, I know every Lost fan has his/her own wishes for what the show will address in its final episodes. But this post isn't about that kind of stuff. It's just about ridiculous, random shit that I would greatly enjoy should it happen.
Jack Shepard meets Derek Shepherd

My bubble was slightly burst on this one when I Googled both of them and discovered their last names were spelled differently, but whatever. This is something I've wanted to happen since the first season. I'm no longer a huge Grey's Anatomy fan (mainly because it sucks now), but the two of them are both doctors, with ridiculous emotional issues and they're very good at pulling off that whole handsome, distraught genius thing, and they're both on ABC shows. It's totally logical that Derek would show up on Lost as Jack's cousin whom he's always had a doctor rivalry with, or something. It would make my geek heart go pitter-patter, and I want it.More Lt. Daniels!

I know he was killed off and is now a member of the Fringe team (which I haven't watched yet, but I will!) but between 2008-2009, I watched all 5 seasons of The Wire and I was super smitten. I don't really care what else he would do on Lost, I just want some Wire representation.Lost meets Jurassic Park

This really only has to do with the fact that both productions were filmed in Hawaii, but how great would it be if a group of the survivors ran around some corner, only to run into Sam Neil and the gang running from dinosaurs? And then they're all running from dinosaurs and Hurley says something funny and some red shirt gets eaten. It would be awesome!Doctor Who Crossover!

I've recently added Doctor Who to my geek repertoire, and I think this would be less of a Lost episode, and more of a Who episode, but seeing as how he goes all over time and space, he could definitely pop up on the island. And he would get a huge kick out of all the crazy time/space issues that tend to happen. All I'd really need to be satisfied with a crossover is for Jack or New Locke or someone to go running through the jungle and pass the Tardis. It would be joyous!Back to the Future

Ever since they started jumping through time, I've been waiting for someone (most likely Hurley) to say "We need to go back. Back to the future!", but like in a totally serious way. There's still time...
More Deadwood!

So I watched the first 5 seasons of Lost without having seen any Deadwood, so I missed out on all the glorious cameos. But now that I've seen the whole series since the last season of Lost, I just want more people to show up. Maybe get in a bar fight, yell some profanity, kill folks for no reason. It all would make sense in the Lost continuity, I'm sure.Mac meets the Gang

This wish was reignited when Mac showed back up a couple episodes ago. There'd be no reason for it, but it would be a great outtake or something, but how great would it be if he's wandering through the woods trying to fix his screw up (assuming he's not dead) and runs into these 3 idiot outcasts of the Others. They'd be all "Hey man, let's get in on this" and he'd be all "NO guys, this is my thing, I need to look cool" and they'd still screw it up.More Nathan Fillion

I just love Mal, and always will. And this is probably the most likely situation to happen out of all of these.

But whatever else happens, I'm still excited and so fr enjoying this last season. Namaste!

Things that please me.

2010-02-12T11:20:00.001-05:00

In the past, my internet round-ups have focused on news and events that troubled me, but with all the ridiculous awfulness that's been happening lately, I'm trying to focus on the positive. So here's a gathering of some sites that are helping me get by.
-I've always fancied myself as a cat person, and they've always been my default favorite animal, but I've been going to the zoo alot lately and am becoming smitten with more and more types of animals. One of them is the otter (look at him!)! And I can get my fix daily at Daily Otter. If you're ever feeling a little down, scan through some pictures of otters being awesome (there are videos too!) and it'll totally perk you up.
-I just discovered this site yesterday via Twitter, but it's so awesome and cute and fun. It's 'My Milk Toof' and it's these photo comic strips where two little teeth get into wacky situations. It's precious.

-It Made My Day:

"I went through a McDonald’s drive thru and said “I can has cheeseburger?” There was a pause before I heard “Nom Nom Nom” on the other end. IMMD"

People submit short little stories of awesome things that made their day. I read it every morning. And so should you.-When I was younger, for some reason I thought Martha Stewart was the devil. That's slowly shifted and now I LOVE her. A lot of that has to do with her super awesome line of craft supplies at Michael's, but nonetheless, she's radical. And look at her taste in dogs! Smushed-face monsters and big fluffy creatures! It's a perfect combination. I want them.

-Kawaii No t: I saw this book at Barnes and Noble back in the day with these little comics strips of cute objects saying/doing ridiculous shit. I figured out it started as a webcomic and look how cute they are!

-This one is a little on the sappy side, but it's got some really nice stories. It's 'Gives Me Hope', and it's similar to It Made My Day, but it's more focused on love and joy and the kindness of strangers and all that jazz. Again, I warn you that it's sappy, but sometimes it's really, really nice.-And as always there's I Can Has Cheezburger, which if you aren't reading, you really should be.

JJ Abrams Loves his Time Warps.

2010-02-04T11:10:00.002-05:00

So is it just me or is the time warp that's going on in Lost basically the same thing that happened in the new Star Trek?

In Star Trek, everything that has happened in the show and previous movies stays the same, but Nero drives his ship through a blackhole and kills Kirk's father and destroys his ship, which creates a new timeline running alongside the original one. Nothing from the first timeline changes, the history is all still intact, but basically starting at Kirk's birth, there's a whole other reality where anything could happen. Nothing from the first timeline has any effect on this one (save for Spock slipping through the blackhole and interacting with new Kirk).
So the same thing totally happened on Lost, right? Granted, there's been a whole lost of wacky time travel going on prior to the Event, but as far as we know, that was all contained in one timeline, and characters just happened to be jumping around inside it. But then, at the end of Season 5, they set off the bomb in 1970's which seems to have split one timeline into two. The first is the one they were already a part of: Dharma folks are on the Island, they hit that pocket of energy, which means Desmond has to push the button for years, and then the plane crashes and our fun little TV show begins and craziness ensues. The second timeline seems to indicate that the bomb worked, the pocket of energy never got tapped, somehow the Island ended up under water, and the plane does not crash and the survivors are going on their merry way.

The Star Trek timelines did not affect each other except for Spock slipping through the blackhole (but he was smart enough not to do anything crazy). We've yet to see if the Lost timelines have any effect on each other (prior to the bomb going off), but I'd be really curious to see if there is a blackhole situation on Lost in which someone can slip through and have an affect on the other timeline (and though Spock is super logical and didn't mess with anything, I can't see our castaways being so smart).

Point is, I'm really excited to see how all this works out. I find time travel (especially when done well) super fascinating but also incredibly difficult to wrap my head around, which is a lot of fun for me (Primer had me working shit out in my head for days). I'm totally in for the ride.

I didn't like Avatar. Here's why.

2010-01-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

I didn't expect to like it, but I went in with an open mind. That being said, I didn't hate it, but I found it to be rather mediocre. Let's see if I can break this down constructively and concisely:

Effects
Avatar was being billed as the film to change the landscape of cinema. It was shiny and pretty, but I wasn't blown out of the water. Yes, there were moments where completely computer generated imagery seemed real (unfortunately a lot of those moments involved characters overlooking cliffs, which made me a little light-headed). At times the Na'vi did appear to really exist and be present, but for every moment I felt that way, there was another moment where it just seemed like really good CG. I think the technology that Cameron has developed will be very useful for big action films and any movie that needs a Golem or a Jar Jar, and I appreciate that. But I've heard accounts in which the audience member felt like they were completely transported to a whole new world and it didn't feel like a movie. I saw it in 3D, but it still only felt like a really big-budget action film.

Eco-biology
I understand the notion behind making the world of Pandora pretty and bad-ass and perfect; it's so the audience will be super-devastated when the idiot humans destroy it. But it was too much for me. It started okay. The animals are bigger and have more appendages than our do, there's a lot of trees, the people are 8 feet tall and blue. All good. But then nighttime rolls around, and it turns into my bedroom circa 8th grade. Did everything have to glow like an acid trip? I make fairy wings and am all over anything bright and colorful and glittery, but this was like being hit over the head with a Myspace page. The grandness of the world reminded me of how fake and imagined it was.

And I was pretty much okay with the Na'vi and how they looked and how agile and ninja-like they are, but then they had weird hair penis things? That was weird, right? Again, I understand it was really to push this idea that a humanoid species can really be in tune with mother earth, but couldn't they just like, use the force, or 'commune' with the creatures? The actual physical connection was too much for me.

Plot/Characters/Theme
So here's where I had big problems with the movie. It's Pocahontas with blue people. I know everyone's aware of that by now, and a lot of people seem to perfectly okay with it. I'm not. It pisses me off. I'm very much in favor of movies pointing out what a terrible species we've become, be it in regards to the slaughter of whomever we don't agree with/have things we want or how we're fine with systematically obliterating the ecosystem so as long we all have iPods. I am for such messages. But I also like good movies, and I think it's possible to get a message across without beating it into the audience's brain with bland storytelling. One of my favorite movies of 2009, District 9, did a really damn fine job of sending a message while telling a wonderfully heart-breaking story, plus it had effects that were kick-ass. Wall-E, another recent film, also hit home with a super strong message that, although it was the basis for the overall plot, it wasn't the direct focus of the film. So it can be done. You can make good movies with a strong message that are enjoyable to watch.

But I just didn't care while watching Avatar. I knew exactly every little thing that was going to happen and every arc that each character would endure. And that's BORING. It makes me not care. There were some great actors in this film, but the material they were working with was so uninspiring that almost everyone fell flat onscreen. The only person I really liked and wanted more from, was Giovanni Ribisi, the evil, sadistic, corporate bad-guy. I'm not saying the movie needed to break the mold from a storytelling angle, but just a little bit more depth and a little less cliche could've helped tremendously. I think Cameron should've written an outline, handed it over to some bad-ass award winning writer, and then used that as a shooting script, instead of writing it himself.

Avatar is raking in tons of money, which makes me think that maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was a super great movie and I'm just picky. But I have a sinking feeling that people are just easily entertained. They see flashy shiny things and think it's art. And I'm still really baffled by the Golden Globe win. That better not happen at Oscar time.

Y: The Last Man Casting

2010-01-11T12:03:00.002-05:00

I came into the comics reading lifestyle fairly later on than most, so the majority of the books I read were released long ago and I'm reading them in trade. Y: The Last Man was probably the first book I read in single issues during it's original run. I was hooked from the beginning, and though it faltered along the way, it ended pretty strongly and overall I still think it's a very unique and compelling story. It's also pretty much movie-ready, and though there was much hype about DJ Caruso and Shia LaBeouf teaming up for it, I'm not sure where the movie stands anymore. So, once again, I'm throwing my casting list out there. Please enjoy.

Bret Harrison as Yorick Brown

Most people probably know Bret Harrison from Reaper at this point (a show which I kinda gave up on during Season One) but I know and love him from The Loop (which Fox seemed to have systematically killed). He's very expressive and funny in his worrywart ways, and though I haven't seen him do anything dramatic, I think he's got raw talent that could be wrangled. He also has that man-boy thing going on, which I think is crucial for Yorick, and he looks like he'd definitely own a monkey.
Naomie Harris as Agent 355

I only know Naomie Harris from 28 Days Later, but I think that's more than enough. She gives an amazing performance in that film, growing from brutally tough, to familial and vulnerable. And hey, that's pretty much the route 355 takes. I could definitely buy her as the macho one, but she's also got a softness that would showcase the emotionality of that character.
Lucy Liu as Dr. Allison Mann

I've liked Lucy Liu in everything I've seen her in, starting with Ally McBeal. But it wasn't until Kill Bill that she really showed how good of an actress she is. My first thought about her was that she was almost too pretty and glamorous to realistically look like a scientist, but I'm sure that if her hair was mussed and glasses adorned, she could look the part.
Lizzy Caplan as Hero Brown

For Hero, I was trying to steer away from the bombshell-action hero type actresses that I'm sure will end up filling the role anyway. She was just a normal girl who then went all crazy after the horrific plague incident. So my bet is on Lizzy Caplan, who seems to have done a lot more than I was aware of. She was hilarious in Mean Girls, but then gave a really striking performance in Cloverfield, and that's what makes me think she could something really different and honest with this role.
Jamie King as Beth Deville

As readers, we don't meet Beth for quite some time, so for the most part, we only see her through the Yorick's eyes. I get the vibe that she's supposed to be this really pretty, sweet, girl next door type and that's why he's pining so hard for her. So I think Jamie King would be great for that. She did the idealized girl thing in Sin City, and she hasn't done much dramatic work, but she showed some range in My Bloody Valentine 3D. But mainly, she's just really pretty and sweet looking.
Elisha Cuthbert as Beth II

So this Beth needs a little more range and personality, I think, but also needs to be blonde and fun and all that. And I really like Elisha Cuthbert, mainly because of The Girl Next Door, in which she was believably sweet and cool, and then, though it wasn't much of a film, she showed some toughness in House of Wax, so I could see her surviving in the post-apocalyptic setting.
Stockard Channing as Jennifer Brown

This is one of those Battlestar Galactica-type moments where some random government lady gets bumped up to being a high ranking cabinet member. So the actress needs to be believable in both types of roles, and I think Stockard Channing would be quite awesome at that. And I can totally see her meddling in her son's life and stirring up all kinds of problems.
Amy Ryan as Ciba Weber

Again, I worry this role will be cast with some young hottie who's supposed t be Russian, and it'll probably be really odd. But I think someone like Amy Ryan would be a much better fit. She's proven to be funny, cute and a pretty awesome actress by way of The Office and The Wire. I'd totally buy her as a sassy Russian astronaut hellbent on protecting her unborn child.
Jessica Hynes as Rose Copen

This is another one of those roles that requires both tough and soft characteristics. I really like Jessica Hynes, she was totally fabulous in Spaced and even her bit role in Shaun of the Dead was spot on. Again, this is a role that will probably go to some young hottie, but I think Hynes would pull off the toughness as well as the softness in her relationship with Dr. Mann, and it would be a different and unique type of portrayal.
Belen Rueda as Alter Tse'elon

This is another actress I only know from one movie, The Orphanage, but again, her performance was really remarkable. Also, I do believe she is Spanish, but I couldn't really think of any Israeli actresses, so deal with it. Anywho, if you've seen The Orphanage, I don't think I need to say anything else, and if you haven't, go watch it right now. But the determination she showed in that film could easily be translated to militaristic drive and it would be badass.

And I didn't attempt to cast Ampersand, because, well, he's a monkey. I'm sure any monkey Hollywood can come up with would be just as good as my monkey choice.

Weekday Movie Madness: Up in the Air

2010-01-07T11:20:00.001-05:00

Okay, this post is less about the actual movie itself, and more about my experience of watching it. Let me preface this by stating that I love movies, and I love watching them in the theater. Let me also say that I was spoiled when I lived in Austin by the Alamo Drafthouse, where movie etiquette is still in effect. At the Drafthouse, children are not allowed, there is delicious food available and alcohol to drink, and if you talk, are on your cell-phone or are just plain being an ass, you will get a talking to, or even kicked out. So yeah, I'm spoiled. But as movie going gets more and more expensive I get even more frustrated when people act a damn fool at the theater.

And so begins my evening. Rickey and I decided we wanted to go see Up in the Air, and had a craving to just go in the middle of the week, as opposed to waiting till the weekend like normal. We thought it might be a better experience since it was likely that less people would be there and it might be a more chill crowd. The theater wasn't packed, but it also wasn't as empty as I had anticipated, so that was an instant bummer. As we're waiting for the movie to start, and people are still filing in, a mom with a kid who must've been only 5 or 6, strolls in and sits two rows behind us. Now, I didn't know too much about this movie going in, and though I was sure there wouldn't be large amounts of violence or nudity or craziness, I was also pretty sure it's not for children that young. I have two major problems with this: 1. Children should not be taken to movies that are inappropriate for them since they will be either be scarred for life or totally lost, and 2. It fucks things up for everybody else. I love kids. I'm all for taking kids to movies meant for them. I think it's fun and it helps them learn theater etiquette. But parents, please, don't drag them out to grown up movies. It's rude. It costs alot to see a movie nowadays and I really don't need my nice quiet dramedy ruined by your kid who is confused and bored. That's your fault, not theirs, so don't yell at the kid when you're the idiot. Go home, watch some Spongebob. This is not hard.

So anyways, the kid is kinda chattering as the movie begins, and then this older fellow sits at the end of our row. I didn't realize he'd be a problem until the first few laugh moments of the movie rolled out. Everytime something funny or interesting would happen, he'd let out a very pert and loud "Ha!" or "Heh, Heh!" like some type of ridiculous sitcom background actor. I'm sure he's a nice man, but it was a bit much.

In addition to the child and Crazypants McGee, about 7 minutes into the movie, 2 girls and a guy walk in and sit directly behind me and Rickey. As they're getting settled we hear them pull out all kinds of candy and food in loud wrappings. They proceed to eat like potheads through THE WHOLE DAMN MOVIE and their ridiculous wrapper noises ruined several scenes (at one point I looked behind me in utter disgust and caught the guy's eyes dead on and I must've shamed him for he immediately ceased his eating for a good while). The girls also chatted away with each other for quite some time, and when Anna Kendrick came on screen, one turned to the other and said "Like omigod, she was in Twilight." I don't know what the hell provoked them to go see this movie.

I was able to enjoy the movie, and then as As the climax began to build and the resolutions were rolling out, the theater was pretty lax andClooney finishes up his final monologue (and I can tell the movie is ending) the mom of the child decides its time to close up shop and starts packing all their shit away and making as much noise as possible, so the nice closing shot of silence was totally ruined. Thanks lady, you're a winner.

I really, really liked the movie and can't wait to watch it again in the peace and quiet of my own home. And I really recommend it for those of you who can watch it in a nice arthouse theater or something, where people aren't ridiculous. And the moral of the story is, until we can get our shit together enough to be able to watch a movie in public peacefully, I have no hope for our society.

2010 Movie Mamajama

2010-01-06T12:30:00.003-05:00

Hey, it's 2010! That's weird, right? Anywho, I'm a pretty big fan of movies and tend to get jazzed about upcoming releases. I didn't think there was anything all that exciting coming out this year, but after a quick Google search, I was quickly proved incorrect. So here are the movies I am most excited for in the next 12 months.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I'm a pretty big 'Scott Pilgrim' lover, and all the leaked images from this movie seem like Edgar Wright's staying really true to the series. But as much as I love Michael Cera, I'm very nervous that he's going to pull his whole neurotic weirdo schtick and blow the whole thing. But I'm trying not to focus on that. It'll be rad. I'm sure.

Alice in Wonderland

I'm an avid Tim Burton fan and have been since I was a little kid, but his movies over the past few years seem to have lost that special spark they once had. When I heard he was doing Wonderland, I was convinced it would suck. After the first trailer, I was still pretty apprehensive, but after the second trailer and the release of more artwork from the film, I'm pretty psyched. It may still suck, but it'll be fabulous and pretty in 3D.

Iron Man 2

Though I'm a big reader of comics, I don't read many traditional superhero comics, I've never read any 'Iron Man,' and very little Marvel in general. So when I fucking loved Iron Man, it was a bit of a shock. Robert Downey Jr. was phenomenal and as long as he gives the same type of energy he did in the first one, the second Iron Man will be a win, hands down.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

I haven't read any of the books, but I've watched all the movies, and they keep getting better. The first ones were cute and nice, but slowly they've gotten darker, scarier and more fantastic. I've had friends tell me everything that happens in the books, so plot-wise, nothing is a surprise, but it's so much fun to watch these crazy magic events play out on the big screen.

MacGruber

Yes, there is a MacGruber movie coming out. And yes, I'm really excited about it. The sketches on SNL aren't necessarily my favorite, but the collection of actors set to be in movie is pretty awesome and I've heard some early buzz that the movie is totally fun.

Inception

I really don't know much about Inception, and I'm trying to keep it that way. I know it's Christopher Nolan, and it has Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, and there's some crazy stuff going on, but that's all I need to know. I'm going to avoid reviews and trailers until I can just go see it for myself. I fell like it will be a good thing.

I realize the list is packed with blockbusters and fantastical stuff, but that's okay. I'm sure I'll stumble across all kinds of awesome dramas and documentaries and good for my brain kinds of things, but these are what I'm really looking forward to.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-25T14:01:00.002-05:00

Sleeper Casting

2009-12-10T12:07:00.005-05:00

I recently read Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Sleeper for the first time, and man did I love it. It's a beautifully dark noir crime story with fabulous characters that happen to have superhero-like abilities. I'm not big on traditional superhero stuff, so this was right up my alley. As I'm reading it, of course I'm thinking, 'Man, this would be a GREAT movie,' and low and behold, it's in preproduction with Tom Cruise as the lead, to which I say UGH...

So anywho, this is my take on what would be an awesome Sleeper cast.

Nathan Fillion as Holden Carver

I know that at this point it's hard to disassociate Nathan Fillion with the Whedon-verse, but dammit, let's try and maybe he can get some more awesome roles. I know Holden is supposed to be this big tough military trained operative, but he's also got a whole heck of a lot going on behind the scenes and the actor who plays him really needs to be able to master both of those aspects. I think if Fillion bulked up and got all lean looking (like he was in Saving Private Ryan) he'd have the perfect combination of toughness, sassiness, and genuineness.

Lake Bell as Miss Misery

The only thing I really know this chick from is What Happens in Vegas (which was less of a train wreck than I had anticipated) and she was pretty funny in it. I have a feeling that for Miss Misery, Hollywood's going to want a very bombshell-looking actress (like Megan Fox or Angelina Jolie), but I think Lake Bell has this great look that really works for the character. She's not super girly looking, and she has really strong features, and I always got the feeling that Misery's sexiness really came from her strength and persona, so steering towards a more unconventional look could make this character really pop on screen (you know the opposite of what Malin Ackerman did for Watchmen).

Kevin Durand as Genocide Jones

Okay, so I love me some Kevin Durand. He's always been in random stuff, but ever since his role on Lost I'm totally smitten. Genocide needs to be this big, tough, macho bad-ass, but he's totally lovable. I think as opposed to someone like Ray Stevenson (new Punisher) or Vinnie Jones, Durand has this sort of sweetness to his tough guy look, and that would make you really care for the character.

Ian Somerhalder as TAO

Yeah, it's another boy from Lost. So shoot me. But I've been a big fan of Ian since Rules of Attraction, and that character is why I think he would be fantastic as TAO. He needs to be charming, trustworthy, evil and completely manipulative all at the same time, as well as being insanely smart and bad ass. He needs to be young but have the wisdom and air of someone much older, and since Somerhalder is currently being all vampire-y, I'm sure he's had some practice at that.

Bruce Greenwood as John Lynch

So the only thing I knew this guy from was Star Trek (then on his IMDB page I learned he was also the president in National Treasure 2, which I kinda really liked) but there's something about him that totally seems like Lynch to me. He needs to have been able to gain Holden's trust while still be kinda scary and dark, which he's got this nice little face that I'm sure combined with the crazy ass scar would play great to both of those characteristics.

Paul Dano as XXX-Ray

I'm not entirely sure how old XXX-Ray is supposed to be, so this casting might be too young, but oh well. However I do know that Ray is a little dude with a special talent, and is totally nerve-wracked and anxious. Dano was a great dork in Girl Next Door and he did an amazing job in Little Miss Sunshine (I haven't seen There Will Be Blood yet. I know, I'm ashamed). But anywho, he seems to have the acting chops to go to all the dark places Ray needs to go. And he's sweet and innocent looking, which'll just make it all the more heartbreaking.

Christina Hendricks as Veronica St. James

Yeah, she was in Firefly as well, I don't care, it proves that she's already got chemistry with Nathan Fillion, which is really necessary since her role isn't ginormous. But Veronica really needs to be the opposite of Miss Misery--beautiful, soft, law-abiding, but still very strong, just in a different way. And it was my impression that she was probably a little older and more mature than Misery as well. And not to spoil anything, but Hendricks and Bell would be a lovely combination of ladies for that final scene, right?

Eric Christian Olsen as Grifter

Okay, so I'm pretty sure he's too young to be Grifter, but scruff him up and I think it will be fine. For Grifter, I know the actor is going to need to be tough and cool, but I think that he needs to be kinda funny and light at heart in order to really feel for Grifter. And I must say, I love Olsen. He's so precious. Most everything I've seen him in is really funny and goofy, but his resume seems to show potential for serious acting. I like it.

Bryan Cranston as Peter Grimm

Okay, I had a really hard time with this one, which is really why I saved it for last cause I'm pretty damn proud of it. I went through like, 6 other people before he popped in my head, and I was like, yes! He was wonderful on Malcolm in the Middle and though I've only seen the first few episodes of Breaking Bad (please don't spoil anything!), I know he totally deserves those Emmys. I can totally see him scaring the shit out of everyone but still having a flair about him that makes him lovable in a Heath-Ledger-Joker kind of way. It would be glorious.

So yeah. That's my cast. The real life cast will probably be absolutely nothing like this.

My Favorite Movies of the 00's

2009-12-07T23:59:00.016-05:00

I didn't even really think about 2009 being the end of a decade until all these 'best of' lists started floating around, and I'm still a little weirded out that the past 10 years are going to be viewed as one cohesive unit. It really doesn't feel like it should. Anywho, I was reading many of those best of movie lists and I got to thinking about all my favorite movies. I tried to make a nice little concise list, but that didn't happen. Also, I watch a lot of movies but not near as many as I'd like to, so this list is probably wildly incomplete/inaccurate. So anyways, here are my favorite 40 films from the past decade (and please note I said favorite, not best)....

28 Days Later (2002)

Across the Universe (2007)

Almost Famous (2000)

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

The Corporation (2003)

District 9 (2009)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Factory Girl (2006)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Friday Night Lights (2004)

Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

Hell House (2001)

Igby Goes Down (2002)

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Jarhead (2005)

Kill Bill Vol. 1&2 (2003-04)

Little Children (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Love Actually (2003)

Man on Fire (2004)

Mean Girls (2004)

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)

Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Oldboy (2003)

The Orphanage (2007)

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

The Rules of Attraction (2002)

Saved! (2004)

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Signs (2002)

Snatch (2000)

Super Troopers (2001)

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Wall-E (2008)

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Things I Want That Do Not Exist Yet

2009-12-07T14:41:00.001-05:00

So I love kid's music, not all of it, but the really good stuff (a lot of it is pretty grating on the ears). I've worked in three different toy stores as well as having been a camp counselor on several occasions so I've probably listened to way more children's music than most people my age. My favorite stuff though, comes from regular grown up musicians like Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants, as well as musical off-the-wall cartoon stuff like Animaniacs. So here are a few people who I would love to have record a kid's album
Eddie Izzard

I've been a huge Eddie Izzard fan since I saw his comedy special Dressed to Kill on HBO back in high school. My friends and I quoted that show for years, and still do on occasion. He has a great stage presence and his humor is very smart, which is always refreshing. And after having seen his performance of 'Benefit of Mr. Kite' in Across the Universe, I realized he totally has the potential to do more musical stuff. I think an Izzard album for kids would be fun, energetic, educational and total wacky. It would be fabulous.
Ellen Degeneres

I'm really happy that Ellen has become as successful as she has, mainly because I really enjoy her comedy (she's hilarious without having to be dirty or provocative) and I love the fact that an openly gay lady has a wildly popular daytime talk show. So yeah, I think she's great. I'm not so sure about her singing abilities, but she performed 'Shoop' by Salt n'Peppa, and that was pretty great. Plus, kids know her from Finding Nemo, so they'd already be on board.
Richard Cheese

I didn't know anything about this guy until I saw Zach Synder's remake of Dawn of the Dead which contained that fabulous cover of 'Down with the Sickness.' I then had to go out and download every song I could find by Richard Cheese and I was totally hooked. He has the ability to take songs I either don't like or find boring and make them super fun. I have a feeling that if challenged to do the same thing to traditional children's music, the results would be phenomenal.
Weezer

I'm not a huge Weezer fan or anything, but I really like the singles they put out and they seem to be a fun type of group. One of the reasons I really like the albums from Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants is they're not children's artists. It doesn't feel like they're pandering or playing simplified music; they do what they're best at, and just slightly change the sound and use fun, kid-friendly lyrics. I think Weezer would do the same thing, and it would be something that kids would love, and parents wouldn't want to rip their ears off. And really all kid's music should be that way.

So if any of you have any connections, drop some hints. Maybe we can get more fun, educational, zany tunes out there.

Why I Like Parks & Rec More Than The Office

2009-10-09T12:21:00.005-04:00

Okay, so here's how it goes. First I watched the British The Office, which I absolutely loved; then I decided to give the American The Office a chance, and at first I hated it, but as it slowly started to take a different course than the BBC version, I started liking it, but I've been feeling less and less compelled by it over the past couple of seasons. Last season, I gave Parks and Recreation a chance, and at first I wasn't sure about it, but I'm glad I kept watching because I freaking love this show now.

The thing is though, at first, Parks & Rec seemed so much like The Office that I was sure it would also fall into the path of suck, but it didn't, and I think I know why.

Stuff to consider about The Office:

-Originally the most compelling thing about the show was the super touching relationship between Jim and Pam and getting to be a part of all of those little moments. That was all well and good and really emotional, but now they've got their happy ending. Yes, the reveal of the pregnancy was really nice, and the wedding episode ended up being awesome, but it's not the same type of heart breaking, gut wrenching forbidden love that once existed between these two characters. I'm really happy that they're together, but story wise, I'm a little bored with them now.

-Michael Scott is one of the hardest characters to watch on TV. That has always been the case, but the thing is, eventually he needs to change. I know that this show is supposed to be like real life, and sometimes people who are like him never change and suck their whole life, but as a viewer there's a point where I just don't give a shit anymore. He does these things that are not only awful to watch him do, but they're starting to have a negative effect on the people around him. He's not funny, he's not likable, he's sad and pathetic, and there's only so much of that I can take.

-It used to be that Dwight was a big weirdo and Jim and Pam would mess with him, and that was really funny. But slowly it seems like everyone in the office is becoming a big weirdo, and sometimes they are funny and sometimes not so much. And why did Jim and Pam invite all of them to the wedding? They should know by now how ridiculous these people are, and I know Michael's feelings would be hurt, but IT'S YOUR DAMN WEDDING. Don't invite the painfully weird awkward guy.

So yeah. The reason these things all piss me off so much is because I saw the BBC version first, and they did their shit right.

-First off, it only lasted 2 seasons of 6 episodes each and then there was a big Christmas special at the end. So as for the relationship between Tim and Dawn (Jim and Pam), it was intense. Imagine all those tough moments to watch back in the early days of the American Office and multiply them by ten. And without ruining anything, the love story ended epically. It was amazing. I didn't need to watch them slowly build a life together, cause you could imagine all of that with the little bit of closure that you got.

-David Brent (Michael Scott) was amazingly painful. And you know what, that's okay, because I received a very limited dose of him compared to what I've gotten from Steve Carrell. And in the end, he got to have a little bit of a character arc, so he went out on a good note, as opposed to me hating him.

-And you know how the American Office is shot like a documentary? Well in the British version the show actually aired and their lives were affected accordingly. Imagine if everyone on the American version saw what was happening on those tapes. Things would be much better. Or at least more interesting. (Michael would probably be fired, I mean seriously.)

The British Office was so well done, it makes me have higher expectations for the American one. So it's kind of starting to break my heart a little bit. But I love Parks and Rec, and here's why:

-Leslie Knope is awesome. Yes, she gets herself into some pretty awkward situations, but underneath it all, she's just trying to make people happy and do the right thing. Michael Scott's awkwardness stems from his super self-centeredness. Leslie is sweet and unintentionally funny (which makes her even funnier, as opposed to Michael) and though she's often completely unaware, she still tries to make the best of a situation and sticks to her guns (which I really like the fact that she has thoughts and beliefs, as opposed to just internet-inspired quips). She's often blindly trying to make her town a better place and instead of always putting people off, her naivety actually helps inspire others.

-Everyone else on that show is fucking hilarious. If The Office has turned into 'Jim surrounded by a bunch of Michaels', Parks and Rec is 'Kind-Hearted Michael surrounded by a bunch of Jims'. Even characters who are obnoxious in theory come off totally lovable. Take Tom: he's always hitting on ladies, he wears douchebag-pink shirts and he's always looking for the easy way out. But there's just something about him that's so harmless, it makes him plain funny.

-There's nothing epic that will have the potential to become annoying (i.e. Jim and Pam's love story). We've had Anne and Andy's relationship sort of fizzle, which was sad, and now she's dating Mark, which is neat but I'm not super invested yet, so if it goes south, whatevs. And this thing between Leslie and David is SUPER cute and it makes me really happy, but again, there's no crazy buildup around it so if it doesn't work out, that's okay, and if it does and they are just together and then get married and whatever, that's great, it'll just go with the flow of the show.

Maybe ultimately the difference is, The Office (both versions) is a show about the weirdness of working in an isolated environment, and how things that are very small can become very big because of that, so there's only so much it can do before it's repetitive. But since Parks and Recreation has been set up in a whole town, it doesn't have to rely on the super tense and emotional characters, plots and moments like The Office does.

But I plan to keep watching them both, but I'm much more looking forward to what Parks and Rec has in store.

I Almost Died at Six Flags.

2009-09-22T12:25:00.003-04:00

Okay, I didn't actually almost die, but it felt like I was going to. And I will get to that story in a moment. Let me start by saying that I love Six Flags. I know I'm kind of supposed to be a grown-up at this point, but I'm not and I'm not sure that I ever will be. But I'd never been to Six Flags Great Adventure, only the ones in Texas, and I was not disappointed. The park was nice, and since we went in the middle of September, it was a nice, cool day and the park was only half full, which was a definite plus.

Though the themes in the park weren't as strong overall as I've seen in other parks, the rides more than made up for it. This ride to the left, is the Bizarro, and I'd have to say it was my favorite. I've realized that I love roller coasters, but I hate falling (take a look at the Kingda Ka, which there was no way in hell I was going to ride it) so the Bizarro was a perfect ride for me. It does take you up really high, but then rather than dropping you straight down, it kinda twists and rolls and then goes into loops. You go through mist, between two bursts of fire and around this freezing-misting-flashy thing (as pictured) and the whole time Bizzaro talks to you via speakers by the seats. We rode it twice. It was fabulous.

My next favorite ride was the Superman: Ultimate Flight, and I'm sure it was Rickey's favorite. Basically you get strapped in and then turned so that you're facing the ground, then you ride up the initial hill (I'm sure there's a technical term for it) and all the while you're just hanging, looking straight down with nothing underneath you, as you're pulled a couple hundred feet (if it hadn't been for that part, this ride would've been my favorite). It was all very intense cause your body is pulling you down and you know you're super strapped in, but it's still a little unsettling. But then as soon as the car goes over the peak and starts falling, the gravity sucks you up into your seat and you really feel like you are flying. It was bad ass. We wanted to ride it again but unfortunately we ran out of time.

There were a couple more pretty cool rides, but I'm going to skip all that and get to the terrifying stuff. The second ride of the day (and this is like 11:30 am) was the Nitro (as picutred). It was a very long, ups & downs type coaster, and it seemed pretty simple. One part in particular was too simple: the harness. As you can see in the picture, the only thing holding you in is a little lap thingy. Well, when you are taken up 22 stories, and then dropped at a 30 degree angle, that lap thingy really doesn't do the trick. You come up out of your seat, and you can feel the harness moving slightly, and I know it's safe and it's not going to spring open, but it sure didn't feel that way. Every little hill was completely terrifying and I just couldn't enjoy myself. Had there been those fun chest harnesses, I'm sure this would've been a cool ride.

Now for the almost death part. Rickey thought it would be fun to ride the little sky tram thing (as pictured) and I thought, sure, that'll be fun and nice. I think I rode one when I lived in Germany, but I don't remember. Well, we get in a car, and after we're about 20 feet off the ground it hits me-- I have a fear of open-air heights. I'm not confronted by it too often but when I am, I don't handle it well (it goes back to the whole falling thing). So I'm breathing and internally calming myself down and Rickey's all excited and looking at stuff, and I realize we're going to be fine. And then BAM! the whole track stops moving. So we're hanging there, the other track is moving fine but we're just stopped. Rickey assures me it will be fine, but as the minutes pass, and the douchebag kids passing us are making fun of us, I start freaking out. Eventually a man on the speaker tells us we'll be moving in a few minutes, but then a few minutes later he comes on again and it seems like it's going to take a long while.

After a few more minutes we start moving again, but very very slowly. And then we stop again. The first time we stopped, we were on one of the steel beams, so should something go terribly wrong we're at least hanging on something. The second time we stop, we're just out there on the line, and now we're near a car of freaked out teenage girls who won't shut up and are making me freak out even more. We hang there for a little while longer, and I'm clinging on to the center pole for dear life, but I'm trying not to show Rickey how completely terrified I am, because he's totally calm and cool and I'm positive he'll think I'm big weirdo. So eventually they get us moving again, but still very slowly, and we finally get pulled in and get off the car. And I couldn't be more relieved. I'm sure it all sounds completely stupid and irrational, and it probably is, but hanging in a little cage a hundred feet off the ground while experiencing technical difficulties, well, it was rather unsettling. We move away from the ride and Rickey asks if I'm okay, and I am, and it turns out, he was just as freaked out as I was, but he didn't want to worry me more by showing it. And it's good he did, because I would have lost my shit if I knew he was scared too.

So anyways, the other parts of the day were all fun and fabulous. We had delicious burgers, saw a super fantastic tiger show and just had solid fun all around. And as a kicker at the end of the day, we decided to try to and win something from the boardwalk. First we thought about a stuffed animal, but then realized those were stupid. And there were these superhero capes that you could win, but you can buy them for almost just as cheap. And then I saw one you couldn't buy, and you had to win: a University of Texas cape (which is where I went to school). So Rickey helped me play the basketball-shooter game, and he won it for me! It's totally rad. Six Flags=WIN.

Fables Casting Via Deadwood

2009-09-15T19:54:00.012-04:00

I'm liking Fables less and less as the series goes on, but those first few volumes were really fantastic, and they have a special place in my comic book heart. So I'd been thinking of doing a Fables casting (especially with the shifting of power over at DC, there's a chance that this will be translated to TV or film), and a couple of actors from Deadwood popped into my head for certain characters. I then thought how cool would it be if everyone from Fables was pulled from the western epic, so here, enjoy.

(There are some potential Fables and Deadwood spoilers, so read with caution.)
Molly Parker (Alma Garrett) as Snow White-Alma ended up being a really interesting character in the show, and she balanced her soft, emotional side and her want to take her future(as well as the town's) into her own hands quite nicely. She held up as one of the leads, and whoever takes on the role of Snow White is going to have to do that.
Titus Welliver(Silas Adams) as Bigby-He didn't come on until later in the show, but he ended up being one of my favorite characters. He has the perfect balance of tough, sassy and quiet that I think really defines Bigby, plus the whole brooding and handsome thing.
Timothy Olyphant(Seth Bullock) as Prince Charming-I heart Timothy Olyphant. This doesn't really need much more commentary than that. I'm sure you all feel the same way, whether or not you've seen Deadwood.
John Eriksson (William Bullock) as Boy Blue-This is kind of a cheat, because he's really the only young kid on Deadwood, but he did a great job, and he's really sweet and innocent looking, so I'm sure it would work out.
John Hawkes(Sol Star) as Flycatcher-Fly is pretty reserved and quiet and in the background for a long time, but when he has his moment to step out, it's really nice. Hawkes very much played that role on Deadwood, and though he never really got to shine in an epic fashion, he had some really great moments and showed a lot of heart.
Ian McShane(Al Swearengen) as Pinocchio-This would probably be a voice-over kind of deal, but Pinocchio is so gruff and tough, even tough he looks like a little boy and I would just love to really push that with someone like McShane. He is the best.Gale Harold (Wyatt Earp) as Jack-He was only on the show for 2 episodes, but I've loved him so ever since Queer as Folk. He very much has that 'lovable rouge' thing going on, and can win the ladies over and swindle the fellas.
Kim Dickens (Joanie Stubbs) as Rose Red-On Deadwood, Kim Dickens played a character with a heart of gold who just couldn't get her shit together. And that's totally Rose Red. Also, she and Molly Parker could definitely pass for sisters.
W. Earl Brown (Dan Dority) as Weyland Smith-I loved Dan on the show. He's a great good 'ol boy, and he's tough and protective and does what needs to be done. He'd be a great Weyland.
Jeffrey Jones (A.W. Merrick) as King Cole-I always got this vibe that King Cole knew his shit, but was just a little flighty and out of touch. Enter the fabulous Jeffrey Jones (who up until Deadwood was only Lydia's dad in my mind).
Sarah Paulson(Miss Isringhausen) as Beauty-This casting is really more about everything that I've seen Sarah Paulson in. She's really beautiful, but very talented and I've never seen anything really badass in Beauty, but Paulson could probably make it so.
Garret Dillahunt (Francis Wolcott) as Beast-I feel the same way about Beast as I do about Beauty, but Dillahunt really pulled some awesome stuff out with his portrayal of Wolcott. He's not super beefy, so physically it's not quite a perfect fit, but I don't mind that.
Meghan Glennon (Lila) as Briar Rose-She didn't have a large role on Deadwood, but she pulled everything off quite well, and Briar Rose more than anything I think needs to be soft and sweet and feminine. She could totally do that.
Alice Krige (Maddie) as Frau Totenkinder-Totenkinder is awesome and you're quite sure which side of the fence she's on. The character of Maddie was very much the same way, and Alice Krige isn't super old, but I think she could really convey that creepily awesome vagueness.
Izabella Miko (Carrie) as Cinderella- So in the series, Cinderella is this super badass spy, and though Miko's character on Deadwood was nothing like that, she did really well. Her stint was short, but she went through a great deal of emotions so I'm sure she could pull it off. Plus she's got that awesome doll-like face.
Paula Malcolmson (Trixie) as Red Riding Hood/Baba Yaga-This casting is less about the first part, and more about the second. Baba Yaga hides in the form of this sweet young girl, only later to be revealed. Trixie on the show went through all kinds of levels of stuff, so I think she can do anything.
William Sanderson (E.B.Farnum) as Bufkin-Another voice-over job, William Sanderson was epic in his loserness. He's totally a down-his-luck, drunk flying monkey to be swarmed away.
Zach Grenier (Andy Cramed) as Kay- Kay is one of my favorite characters from the series, and if you've read it, you can understand why. Zach Grenier had some really great, compelling moments as Andy, so I would love to see him embody this character. He even kinda looks like him.
Powers Boothe (Cy Tolliver) as Blue Beard-Okay, Powers Boothe played a super badass, murderous character all the while being super charming and fabulous while he was on Deadwood. He's already played Bluebeard, he just doesn't know it yet.
Kristen Bell (Flora Anderson) as Goldilocks-Another short lived character, she was really great as the cute, sweet innocent girl who was actually something quite sinister. And that's what Goldilocks is in Fables.
Brad Dourif (Doc Cochran) as Gepetto-Brad Dourif was another of my favorites on Deadwood, and I was totally unfamiliar with him up until now. But he's epically awesome. And I don't want to get too spoilery, but Gepetto needs that kind of actor. It would be glorious.

Urban Malignancy

2009-09-01T16:40:00.000-04:00

I recently read an article about the last surviving doctor who performs late-term abortions in America and I really recommend reading it. His name is Dr. Warren Hern and he seems like a really interesting person and what he's currently having to go through is quite saddening. But that's not what this post is about. In the article, there was mention of a paper Hern had written titled Urban Malignancy: Similarity in the Fractal Dimensions of Urban Morphology and Malignant Neoplasms (you can view the PDF file here, and I recommend you do because it's really interesting and I'm probably not going to do it justice). Basically the overall idea is that the way in which modern cities grow and develop is strikingly similar to the way malignant tumors and growths develop.

Here is an excerpt from the abstract that basically sums up the whole paper:

"From the point of the physician, the expanding, invasive, colonizing urban form with highly irregular borders resembles a malignant lesion. Malignant neoplasms have at least four major characteristics: rapid, uncontrolled growth; invasion and destruction of adjacent normal tissues (ecosystems); metastasis (distant colonization); and de-differentiation."

He lists these four qualities, because in order for a tissue irregularity to be deemed malignant, it must meet 2 out of 4 of them. He then spends the rest of the paper basically showing how modern cities meet all four.

He spends a long time talking about fractal geometry and about the fact that border irregularity is higher in tumors that are malignant as opposed to those that are benign. Similarly, the larger a city a grows, the more irregular the border becomes. Also, both urban communities and tissue malignancies send out satellites, suburbs or lesions respectively. Basically both urban communities and malignant tissues just grow out and out and out with no real purpose other than to just be, and if the main entity can't grow any larger, it sends out little ones to keep the growing going.

As for the de-differentiation (the simplification of cells and tissue to a simplified, unspecialized form), he mentions how once upon a time, ancient cities reflected the local culture in terms of layout and look. However, modern cities basically all look the same. There are of course minor difference, but the bigger a city gets, the more it tends to look like all the other bigger cities.

And of course, the main similarity between urban growth and malignant growth, is that it's just freaking rapid. He lists all kinds of specific examples and you can see in the photo above, how little time it takes for a city to just overwhelm an area. And here's an overall sum of the kind of growth he's talking about:

"Reflecting this is the fact that rapid urban growth has taken place in a context of unprecedented growth of the global human population, which has more than quadrupled in the century from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present-from 1.6 billion to more than 6.6 billion. The proportion of urban population, which was 220 million (13%) in 1900, has grown to 29% (732 million) in 1950, and 49% (3.2 billion) in 2005. By 2030, the 4.9 billion people living in urban agglomerations will represent 60% of the human population."

That's a lot of people in not a whole lot of time. And all of this ultimately is a metaphor, because no, urban cities are not cancers, but there are some really creepy similarities. It's hard to deny that any large city hasn't had a negative influence on the ecology surrounding it, and often even it's inhabitants. Malignant cancers grow and feed off the host until it is either treated or it kills the host. They grow and grow without stopping, until they are stopped by outside forces. What city has ever stopped growing unless it was physically stopped?

And here's the part that's somewhat unsettling:

"Death of the host organism in a cancer occurs between the 37th and 40th doubling of the cell population. The human population has doubled its numbers 32.5 times by 1999, but global energy use by human beings has doubled 36 times..."

I know I'm a massive cynic and I have a tendency to look for the bad in everything, but I'm pretty sure we're killing the planet. And I mean that in the least hippie-centric way possible.

Things That Make Me Go Hurm...

2009-08-25T14:00:00.001-04:00

I apologize if some of these are a little old, but if they seem to be, good for you for reading the news!

Apparently scientists are on their way to creating a robot with a thinking brain. What good can come of this? I don't want to exhibit paranoia based solely on science-fiction, but come on!
This seems to have received a little more press than when I first found it, but a city in California shut down a little girl's lemonade stand because she didn't have the proper permits. I'm not sure if this is just an isolated incident, but even so, really? Let the kids sell lemonade. Everything will be fine.
There's a huge plastic patch in the ocean. It seems to be made up of little pieces of plastic from trash and debris, but it's hundreds of miles long. I'd really like for the planet to get to be saved, but sometimes it seems like we've already done too much damage.
Two things about youth and sex: 1. The magazine Christian Today, has published an article about how since its tough to be abstinent until marriage, they should just marry younger. Cause that won't cause anymore problems. 2. Candie's has been doing this since I was in high school, but the whole "I'm sexy and don't need to have sex" thing, seems a little contradictory. Let's all think back to 'virgin' Britney and what a great influence she was. Just let girls be girls and stop telling them they need to be sexy. Geez.
Palin won't shut up about the Death Panels. What really worries me is she may be gaining somewhat of a following. People seem to like her. Not a lot, not yet, but if this country's relationship with our president doesn't improve over the next few years, maybe she has a shot. That's scary.
Surprise, surprise. Texting may be making kids stupid.
Also in tech news, there was recently a Twitter blackout. And if you didn't notice, everyone freaked out. Here's the thing, I'm on Twitter (@Samicorn), I get it. I'm not super into it, but I understand the appeal and often usefulness of it. But the thing is, it's really new, and it frightens me how reliant we've become on this and other technologies that are also really really new. We jump on anything that's new and cool whether or not we figure out if it's good or resilient or whatever. It's all so new, we don't know all the pitfalls. What if the Internet were to just go down for a day? Wouldn't it be epic?
The number of Americans on antidepressants has doubled in 10 years. This isn't so worrisome on its own, because I know there are people who really need these types of medications and they can really do a world of help. I worry that it's not the people who need help who are causing the rise. In all likelihood, it would seem that people either just don't want to deal or function so they take the easy way out. And ultimately this boils down to me comparing us to Orwell's 1984.
Hey guess what!? We're running out of oil! Huzzah!
There's a study that basically says if we really want to save the planet, we need to have less children. That's kind of a 'duh' statement in my opinion, but it bothers me because people aren't going to do that on their own. They'll keep living and doing without thinking, so the only way to change that would be to put a law or regulation in place, and I know in this country, that would not go over well at all.

I know I'm a bit of a pessimist. However I keep myself sane by surrounding myself with shiny things and cute creatures. So if I've depressed you at all, watch this! It fixes everything!

Preacher Casting

2009-08-21T12:20:00.003-04:00

Garth Ennis' Preacher is a fantastic series for those of you who don't know, and it's going to be made into a movie or series or something, so I recommend checking it out before that happens. But in the meantime, I'm throwing out my ideas for who should be cast. Agree? Disagree? Who would you pick?

Lucas Black as Jesse Custer

I have a feeling that the role of Jesse will be filled by a big manly movie star like Gerard Butler or someone like that. However, being from Texas and all, I know a 'good ol boy' when I see one, and ultimately that's what Jesse is (he just happens to obtain this crazy mega-power). So I pick Lucas Black. He's been acting since he was a kid, and though as an adult his roles haven't been the most impressive, he's done some pretty dark stuff over the years. He's handsome and charming and southern, so, why not?

Blake Lively as Tulip O'Hare

This was a little tough. There are a lot of grown-up actresses who would've been perfect for Tulip when they were younger, and trying to pick someone out of the new crop of actresses was difficult. I went through a few different people in mind, but then I saw a Gossip Girl promo, and though I don't watch the show, Black Lively seems to be a pretty capable actress. She also has an interesting look that Tulip needs; she's very beautiful all done up, but her facial structure is very strong and I think in the right situations, she could be fairly intimidating.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cassidy

Originally my ideas for Cassidy were much older (i.e. Steve Buscemi), mainly because of the way he's drawn and his vicious nature. But then I remembered that he's supposed to at least look about the same age as Jesse and Tulip, so I started thinking about pointy faced talented actors from that age group. I've seen (500) Days of Summer and G.I. Joe in the course of a couple of weeks, and I love me some Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's cute, very talented, and a little off-the-mark. I think as Cassidy, he could really pull off the charm and instant likability, but he's got the acting chops to go there with that character. You know what I mean.

Clint Eastwood as the Saint of Killers

Okay, so I normally try to think outside the box when I play my little casting game, and this is kind of stereotypical casting, but fuck it. He's the perfect person for this role, hands down, and I'm not even a fan of westerns (well, Deadwood is starting to change that, but whatevs).

Josh Peck as Arseface

With the obvious facial configurations of Arseface, really anybody could play him, provided they were in the approximate age range. I was really struck by Josh Peck's performance in the Wackness (I highly recommend checking that movie out) so I thought he might be a great actor for this part. He's cute, but not super-handsome to begin with, so that makes him relatable pre-Cobain incident. And assuming his role int eh Wackness wasn't a fluke, he's a pretty good actor, so maybe he could pull off acting via gibberish and slurps.

Michael Keaton as Herr Starr

Right? I love Micahel Keaton and I wish he was doing more stuff cause for me he will always be both Beetlejuice and Batman, and that's just awesome. But he's got that great face that's somehow so normal but so evil at the same time. It just really sucks that he's doing stuff like Post Grad.

Wendie Malick as Marie L'Angelle

This character in the book really freaked me out. There's just something about a scary old southern lady who's balding and totally evil. But I kept picturing Nina from Just Shoot Me (what? it's kind of funny) as this lady. I'm not sure what her acting capabilities are, but she's the person who I very distinctly visualized as this woman so I'm going with it.

Jeffrey Tambor as God

Though God really doesn't show up all that much, he does some crazy stuff, and he has to be both superior (and probably CGI'ed) and a regular man. I'm a huge Arrested Development fan and I think Jeffrey Tambor has one of the greatest voices of all time. I think for this story, which sort of turns everything on its side, he would make for a really interesting God figure.

I would totally watch this movie.

Sam and Rickey's Imminent Sway Twist

2009-08-18T10:00:00.002-04:00

So for Rickey's birthday, I bought him Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist cause it's a totally rad movie (and the version I found came with buttons!). We already had the soundtrack and it is equally rad. So I had a thought to make him a playlist of our own and I named it Sam and Rickey's Imminent Sway Twist (what? it rhymes...). Anyways, I'm pretty proud of the selection so check it out below! (I have a zip file of all the tracks, but I don't know how well it translates...)

1. I Wanna Hold Your Hand-T.V. Carpio

2. Lost Coastlines-Okkerville River

3.These Days-Nico

4. Don’t Wake Me Up-The Hush Sound

5. Coz I Love You-Slade

6. King of the Bongo-Manu Chao

7. Anyone Else But You-Moldy Peaches

8. Across the Universe-Fiona Apple

9. Don’t Falter-Mint Royale

10. Twilight Showdown-Starlight Mints

11. Blind Mary-Gnarls Barkley

12. Got You Where I Want You-The Flys

13. I am a Pirate, You are a Princess-Texas

14. Yoshimi Battles the Robots-Flaming Lips

15. Another Day-Jamie Lidell

16. Somewhere Over the Rainbow-Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

17. God Only Knows-The Beach Boys

18. The District Sleeps Alone-The Postal Service

19. Ocean Avenue-Yellowcard

Old School Hotness.

2009-08-13T14:51:00.001-04:00

Alright. For those of you who don't know, the lady pictured is Raquel Welch and she was one of the hottest ladies from back in the day (the day being the 60's and 70's). She's still totally gorgeous as a grown-up, but she was once an uber sex symbol (you know that movie One Million Years B.C.? It was the one with the girl in the fur bikini and it was totally unrealistic--well she was the girl).

Well the other day I found the picture below from a posting on Tumblr (check me out) and I've seen it before and it's really fun and sassy, but this time I noticed something...
If you look in the photo below, I've highlighted what appears to be stretch marks and maybe cellulite. (*Please note that I am in no way trying to detract from Raquel Welch's hotness, just pointing out some awesomeness that no longer happens*).
The thing is, and I doubt anyone will disagree, that she is super hot in this picture, and the presence of a couple marks of imperfection doesn't really change that. When I came across this again, it was just really refreshing to think of images of celebrities that were untouched by Photoshop.

Probably about a year ago, my Rickey and I were in a music store and there was a postcard of Marilyn Monroe on a rack and he pointed out that she had a little bit of cellulite on the back of her thighs. I said 'Yeah, so?' getting ready to defend her awesomeness, and he remarked that he just didn't realize she wasn't this totally imperfect person, like celebrities are made to look like these days.

I recently read an article that Britain is looking to create a law that would ban photoshopping on ads aimed towards kids under 16, and also require disclaimers about other ads that might have been greatly altered. I, for one, am for this. I'm a big Photoshop fan and user, so I know it has some really cool benefits, but I know that it can be used to distort the truth, which can really mess with people's heads.

I'm for stripping away the bullshit. I want to see what people look like, and not in the weird tabloid-caught-off-guard way. Let's get back to old way of doing things--lots of make-up and crazy lighting. Make it happen.

Things That Make Me Go Hurm.

2009-07-30T13:24:00.000-04:00

So, I spend a lot of time on the Internet reading various news sites and blogs and whatnot (especially lately because my job means I do nothing in the summertime). And I'm constantly running across things that freak me out or greatly disturb me, and considering the fact that I've already accepted that we as a species are doomed, these types of articles only solidify this thought. So here, I've randomly collected some things that I would like to share with you, not so much for your enjoyment but more for your daily dose of 'oh-crap-things-are-fucked-up.' Enjoy.

Fish are shrinking. Not just in numbers (which is a problem in and of its own) but also in size, which is going to create problems for us and numerous other creatures.
With the economic crisis and high unemployment rates and all, people are starting to work for free. This article points out some reasons why that's good for both businesses and workers, but it seems to me that this is the kind of thing that will throw the whole employment system out of whack.
Every week or so I find an article that basically says technology is destroying us and making us terrible people, like this one about how Twitter can make you amoral, or this one about cyberspace making the youth into sluts, or this one about how texting is causing anxiety in kids. Fun.
I was just introduced to this Tumblr blog by my friend Ryan, and it shows some very interesting parental specimen. I highly recommend clicking through it, but prepare to be somewhat perturbed.
Recently a small town in Wisconsin had a giant uproar and call for a book ban because of young adult books with sexual content (both hetero and homo) including The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I might remind you that it's 2009.
There's always been idiotic talk of Obama not being a citizen, but for some reason as of late, that story has picked up some steam and now it's all about whether or not he's a 'natural born citizen.' This isn't going to go far enough to actually kick him out of office, but it worries me that just enough people will be convinced that he's not legit, because let's face it, most people are pretty stupid.
Also on the Obama, because of this whole Gates debacle, he's having Gates and the arresting officer over for beers. Sounds totally cool to me, I'd love to have beers with the president. What worries me is the amount of coverage now being dedicated to the types of beer the men will be drinking, and whether or not they are appropriate choices. Come on people, seriously?

That's all for now, but I'm sure if I give a few more days, there will be plenty more troubling things...

Twilight at Comic Con-Yay or Nay?

2009-07-23T11:08:00.004-04:00

So Comic Con is going on as I type this, and I really wish I could be there, but I just couldn't afford to go and it sucks, but whatever. Anywho, I've been seeing several stories pop up about the presence of Twilight at SDCC and whether or not it's a good thing. I imagine that if the Twi-hards incite a riot and somebody gets maimed or killed, we can all agree that it's bad, but if they're just there being annoying and screaming, how do you decide?

After some pondering at my desk while I have nothing to do, I've come to the conclusion that it's a bad thing. And here's why:

As best I can tell, comic conventions began as a means to unite kids who were into stuff that generally made them an outsider/geek/loser/whatever. You got to meet up with all these other people who liked the same stuff you did and understood where you were coming from. And if you look at most of the content that brought people together at these gatherings, it's all very positive. Superhero books are, for the most part, basically the classic tale of good vs. evil and rooting for the good guy to win; genre TV and movies, which have played a part in the nerd collective consciousness since at least Star Trek, most often promote themes of peace and acceptance (Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Star Wars). Combine these two aspects together, and you have a group of people, who are normally outsiders, being brought together by things they love which promote good, positive ideals. So far, so good, right?

However, for good and for ill, companies have begun to catch on to the fact that there's this huge fan base with disposable income, so conventions are becoming more and more about product placement and selling people crap they don't need (you know, like everything else in this society). And so, enter the Twilight crowd. On the one hand, I hate to criticize anything that has encouraged so many young people to read. On the other hand, it seems like it's a terrible, terrible chunk of literary crap (for those of you who read the books as a guilty pleasure and understand that they're not the cream of the crop, you're fine by me). I haven't read the books, but I've seen the first movie, and had the books described to me in great detail, so I think I get the gist. And while other geek-related media tend to have overall positive themes, I'm having a hard time finding the good in Twilight. It seems to be promoting both the 'prince charming' ideal of men, which I think is really unhealthy for developing minds, as well as a very strange take on the misogynistic idea of the submissive female who just does whatever a man wants her to do and constantly needs to be rescued, which also seems not so healthy. The books also reflect individualism in that these characters make rash decisions based on their own feelings, and seem to really only care about themselves and a few others, as opposed to other pieces of geek media which often revolve around the idea of the greater good.

As a more direct comparison, let’s look at Buffy vs. Twilight (I hear people say the two have nothing in common, but shut up, they do). Buffy, which is and probably always will be a staple of geek TV, is about a young girl who has great power and can defend herself as well as having to defend many others. She does have troubled relationships, but she actually experiences them and thinks them through rather than just doing the ‘I love you so much I can’t be apart from you and now nothing else in my life matters’ deal (most of the time). She and many of the other characters as well, often make sacrifices in an effort to save all of humanity, and so even though they have their own little problems, the theme of the greater good shows up again. Buffy shows that you can have a story about vampires and love and teen troubles that exists in the geek realm, and it can be positive and uniting and not just a sci-fi themed romance novel.

So I guess my main problem is that I don’t think Twilight belongs at Comic-Con, because it’s not really a geek thing. Just because it’s about vampires and the fans have that whole ‘I’m a geek’ thing going on, doesn’t mean it fits. I’m fine with the fact that conventions are branching out to incorporate other media and products, but it seems that the only intrinsic value that this particular phenomenon has to offer is financial gain. Yes, if you have a Twilight panel at SDCC, thousands of girls are going to come and spend money to see it. And while a lot of people say that maybe these kids will be introduced to new books at the convention, which is good for both them and the retailers and creators, will they? I’m sure some fans will wonder out and find Death Note or Sandman and lose their shit and then start reading all kinds of other books, but I’d be willing to bet that most of these kids only care about the Twilight books, and nothing else will faze them from a reading standpoint until the next big phenomenon happens.

So in short, I vote no on letting Twilight into my world of geekiness. Am I wrong? Thoughts?

Brilliant But Canceled: A How To.

2009-07-01T00:04:00.015-04:00

In recent years, I've become a more avid lover of television, mainly because it keeps getting better. The problem is, most of my favorite stuff is too brilliant for this country and it tends to get very prematurely canceled. Sadly, I keep finding new shows to fall in love with, but I know that I'll never get to see them play out (I'm currently watching Deadwood and I'm somewhat leery to get to the end). So I've put together my all-star dreamteam, which is both brilliant and sure to get canceled, most likely within a season.
Jason Bateman

Best known for, and what I know him for, his awesome portrayal of the straight man on Arrested Development (and I'll only address this once; if you haven't seen it and you care anything at all about television, watch it now, dammit). But apparently he was also on this other show that got canned, The Jake Effect, and though he's landed a few movie roles (yeah Teen Wolf Too!) he's yet to blow up big time, so he's a perfect headliner for my fictitious show.
Nathan Fillion

Nathan Fillion's portrayal of Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly is one of my favorite leading man roles (I'm normally more of a sidekick lover). He's snarky and pretty and manly and awesome and really needs to be in more stuff. Drive was apparently supposed to get really good, and it probably would've made him a bigger star, but it too was yanked off the air. I think in my fictional show, he might have a slightly smaller role (below Bateman), but he's proved in both Two Guys and a Girl and Buffy that he can be just as awesome in a small role as when he's a lead.
Lee Pace

Piemaker...Sigh....Another rare leading man I love, and I'm also not normally into the lovey-dovey type characters, but he was so wonderful on Pushing Daisies (and I haven't seen the last 3 episodes and if you ruin them I will kill you!). And he was also great on Wonderfalls, which I highly recommend even though it didn't last a whole season. I have high hopes for him, but he seems a likely addition to this cast. And if you look at him, Fillion and Bateman, they could all very well be brothers. I'm sensing my fictional show will revolve around the family unit in some way...
Peter Krause

I know that he was on Six Feet Under which was a great success and it lasted forever, but apparently Sports Night was one of those super great shows that got the axe (I've never seen it) and from what I understand, his newest show Dirty Sexy Money just got cancelled (correct me if I am wrong). I just saw ads for a Parenthood TV show, but it looks like it's going to be good, so it too might not last. So anyways, I've tacked him on here. He's normally this sweet, semi-troubled Everyman, but I would love to see him be the bad guy, so he's my make-believe villain.
Nicholas Brendan

I love my Xander. I miss him. And I put him on this list because of Kitchen Confidential, which was fantastic, and I'm very pleased that Bradley Cooper is going to be such a huge star cause he totally deserves it. But anyway. Xander will be the show's quirky odd-ball guy. Even though that role tends to be filled by some nobody who then becomes a somebody, but he'll be my place-holder for now.
Judy Greer

I first remember her from Jawbreaker, which she was great in, and everything else I've ever seen her do as well. But her show cancelling record is pretty impressive: Arrested Development, Miss Guided, and Love Monkey. So she's on the list. And I think maybe it's her turn to be leading lady on a show (I know she was on that Miss Guided show, but whatever). Perhaps she can be Bateman's love interest and then all us Arrested fans can have a giggle.
Sarah Paulson

She was sweet and funny on Studio 60 and cunning and sassy on Deadwood, and for me that's a perfect range. I know she was supposed to be a hottie in The Spirit, but seeing as that bombed, I'm not sure when she'll rocket to stardom. So in the meantime, she's on my show. I'm not sure exactly what kind of role I'd like to see her in, maybe something semi-authoritative, and maybe even bordering antagonist. Maybe a love-hate kind of thing (i.e. Sam and Diane) and she'd look rather shiny next to Nathan Fillion. I'm just saying.
Portia de Rossi

Okay, maybe I've loaded this list with a little too many Arrested Devleopment people, but they're all so great and most of them can't seem to catch a break. Anyways, I've loved her since Ally McBeal, which though it lasted a long time, it did get cancelled. And apparently Nip/Tuck won't get to live out it's last season, and though I haven't seen Better Off Ted, it looks clever enough to not get renewed. So she's in too! I've seen her do cold and stern, flighty and vapid, and earth mother lesbian, so I dunno, maybe wacked out neighbor? Dowdy wife? It'll all get figured out I'm sure.

Most of these brilliant shows also have repeat cancelling producers and writers. I'm not going to go into detail about each of these guys, I'm just gonna list some of the stuff they were involved with.

Tim Minear: Wonderfalls, Firefly, Drive
Bryan Fuller: Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls
Aaron Sorkin: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Sports Night, The West Wing
Bryan Grazer: Arrested Development, Friday Night Lights, Sports Night, Miss Match

Also, the show would definitely be multi-layered, with plots spanning entire seasons and humor that might not be for everyone. It would be glorious, and it totally wouldn't last. But these are just my thoughts. And there are several people I didn't involve because they've luckily gone on to become quite successful, but who else might you add to the list?

Lady Hottness

2009-06-10T00:53:00.016-04:00

In recent years the concept of 'lady crushes' has really taken off, and it seems like Hollywood now picks up actresses with not only men in mind when in comes to admiration, but chicks as well. And I for one am very open and honest about my lady crushes. I'd have to say, though, that a lady crush is different from when a guy has a thing for an actress in that it's part 'hey she's really hot' but also 'wow, I kinda wish I was her/friends with her/whatever.' So here are my top 5 current lady crushes, and then my top 5 non-lady crushes. Enjoy!

The Ladies I Love

Isla Fisher

This lady crush is fairly new (say, last couple of years), but it may be my biggest lady crush of all time. First off, I have a thing for redheads (which probably stems from watching Anne Margaret, Pippi Longstocking, and The Little Mermaid as a kid) so she had me hooked since I first saw her in Wedding Crashers. But then on top of that, she's absolutely adorable which totally shows in Hot Rod (which my boyfriend constantly tries to get me to watch). Then she was really funny in Definitely, Maybe and Horton Hears a Who (and I haven't seen the Confessions movie, but it looks precious). So yeah, hot, adorable and funny. What more could anyone ever want?

Katee Sackhoff

I was really hesitant to watch Battlestar Galactica for the longest time, but when I finally gave in I discovered it was a really great show. And it had a kick-ass character named Starbuck who was this sassy tough broad with sometimes a heart of gold. And I loved her. She was all cute with her tomboy haircut and strong facial features and always up in peoples shit and starting fights and all that other good stuff. Her character has a really fantastic arc, and even though the show lagged in a few places, she was always strong and fun to watch. So it's probably not so much that I have a lady crush for Sackhoff, it's more for Starbuck, but I'll take what I can get.

Emma Stone

I really like Emma Stone because she seems to be what Lindsay Lohan was supposed to be. I had a huge brief lady crush on Lohan during the Mean Girls era, but then she took a quick, hard turn into yuckiness and now she's doing whatever the hell it is she's up to. But Emma has that red-haired, brown-eyed, raspy voice thing going on, and she seems to be rising to fame slowly rather than at light-speed, so maybe she'll make it out okay. I haven't seen too much of her yet, but she was fun in Superbad, she and Anna Faris were the only watchable parts of The House Bunny, and she did the whole cool girl thing well in The Rocker. I have high hopes for her.

Amanda Seyfried

She's just really cute. I love her big expressive eyeballs and pouty lips; it's a very doll-like look she has. I enjoy everything I've seen her in (even Mamma Mia which my mom made me watch) and she's always really lovable. She can do the dumb blonde thing, the fairly serious acting thing and the singing/dancing thing. I'm really excited to see what else she does.

Mary-Louise Parker

So there's two things I love about Mary-Louise Parker: she's absolutely gorgeous with her pale skin and big eyes, and she's got that vacant, blank expression that somehow conveys every emotion she ever needs. She was great in things like Fried Green Tomatoes and Boys on the Side back in the day, and now she's kicking ass on Weeds. And these pin-up style advertisements they do for that show probably have something to do with my love of her. But I could just sit and watch her do nothing.

The Ladies Who I'm Supposed to Love, but

Don't Really Do It For Me

Angelina Jolie
So, I used to love Angelina, especially during the whole Gia/Girl, Interrupted era. But then she kept popping up as these bad-ass assassin type characters, and then she broke up Brad and Jennifer and I just started losing interest. And she's starting to seem really preachy and over the top with all those kids she's collecting. Plus I literally ran into her and Brad when I was working at FAO Schwarz and she's super skinny and sick looking and it really makes my heart sad. Sigh...

Megan Fox

So, I get it, she's hot. And people keep saying she's like the new Angelina (hooray...). But there's something about her that totally turns me off. Maybe it's that she's too sexy and that's all she ever seems to be. I'm all for eye candy, but the problem is when no one acknowledges the fact the eye candy can't always act and is sometimes a hindrance, you get Jessica Alba type situations (who I'm glad seems to be laying low now). But I have a feeling Fox isn't going away anytime soon, so I guess I will have to deal.

Adriana Lima

Another girl who, yeah I know, she's super hot. But to me she seems really boring. I used to have a huge crush on Gisele Bundchen and I still kinda do on Heidi Klum, so I am appreciative of Victoria's Secret models, but this one is just blah to me. Every picture I've seen of her looks the same, yes, she's hot, but there's never been anymore to it for me. I think she's married now or something, so maybe she'll go off and have babies and they'll find some new hotness to wear lingerie.

Hayden Panettierre

Okay, so Hayden broke my heart. She was a super cute child-actor and she was in such random roles that it seemed like she'd grow up and continue that trend and be really cool and groovy. But no. This stupid show called Heroes snatched her up and permanently branded her a cheerleader. And the other roles she's taken haven't really done much to stray her away from that image. She could very well be a lovely girl, but she gives off the vibe of bitchy high school snob. Maybe she'll land some really cool role and turn everything around. But probably not.

Scarlett Johansson

I've always thought she was really pretty, but the thing is, she used to be pretty and interesting. Back in the days of Ghost World and Lost in Translation, she seemed really cool and had such promise. But then everyone found out that she was sexy and now she always seems to take these roles where she's just pouty and has big boobs. She's basically the new Marilyn, only not as fun and it's already been proven that she's much more talented than that and so it seems like a waste.

So yeah. That's that. And now for your viewing pleasure, all the other pictures of Isla Fisher that I found. (click to enlarge...)

Apocalyse Wow!

2009-05-28T21:27:00.008-04:00

So I'm convinced the world is ending, that's nothing new. But I like to have fun with the idea and look for the silver lining. Now, the world could 'end' in many different ways: plague, nuclear war, zombies, whatever. But, if it happens, what I'm hoping for is the complete obliteration of human beings save for myself and maybe a few others, and the earth in relatively good condition (think The Quiet Earth or I Am Legend minus the weird zombie creatures).

I've got this great game I play with my Rickey sometimes where we decide what we would do if this situation happens, and here are my highlights...

Step 1. Steal a diesel and head toward Austin. On the way there, fill the truck with as many generators, batteries, foods, supplies and whatnot I might find on the way there. Also, raid every book store for all the 'how-to' books on practical things (building, cooking, crafting, etc) and whatever else looks cool.

Step 2. Pick a cool place to settle in. Maybe right downtown or on the campus (it's so pretty and it'd be right next to Toy Joy! which would still be rockin post-apocalypse). I'd hit up cool furniture and housing stores as well as art galleries and museums and pimp out my place.

Step 3. Just assume that during the above steps I/we managed to get food and shelter and basic needs and stuff all under control and are now at the point of killing time. And the awesome begins:

-gather up every piece of canvas and drop of paint (especially oil) and paint like the dickens.; especially huge Pollack sized pieces that I would continue to coat until the paint was 3 inches thick. Then I'd take them and hang them in the museum so that if later when aliens drop by the planet and investigate, I too will be considered a great artist.

-create and play in my Kid Cave.

-collect couture gowns, shoes, hats, shiny jewelry and Mac cosmetics and get fabulous on a daily basis (I've loved dressing up since I was kid, and still would if people wouldn't look at me funny).

-on that same note, I would take all the money out of banks and turn it into origami and make giant wings out of it. And then adorn them with diamonds and emeralds and goodies.

-go hunting with semi-automatic weapons in departments filled with mannequins and also take a baseball bat to BMW's, Lexus' and Porsches.

-figure out the whole self-developing process of film and go to town with my Nikon.

-find a Chevelle and drive around in circles on the highway like that one commercial.

-should there be a group of us, I'd insist on organizing giant RPG versions of Zombies! and D&D and whatever else would involve us running around and attacking each other for funsies. Also elaborate games of capture the flag and life-sized Battleship and Chess. Oh and lots of paintball.

-set fire to those creepy all-houses-look-the-same subdivisions and make smores while I'm at it.

-paint huge fun murals on all the other buildings I do like.

-drop parachute action figures from the tops of high-rises. It'd be great if I could find the Ninja Turtle ones I had when I was a kid.

-plant crazy flower gardens in run down cars and little kiosks and fountains that no longer flowed.

-play Frisbee with those super skinny laptops. Or maybe not so much Frisbee, but throwing them really hard and then watching them shatter on concrete.

-organize huge parades of wind up toys and remote-controlled cars and other gadgets.

-re-learned to roller-skate and go everywhere.

So yeah. That's my plan. I'm sure there are other things I'd do but this is all for now. Bring on the apocalypse! You know you want it...

Theatrical Casting: The Breakfast Club

2009-05-20T01:12:00.014-04:00

The other day I saw some Hayden Panettiere and she just reminded me of those bitchy, preppy girls from high school, and I started thinking that there were probably little cliques in Hollywood, especially young Hollywood. Then I thought how great would it be if a bunch of random stars were stuck together in a Breakfast Club type situation, but not a movie remake (cause no one needs to remake that movie, even though I'm sure it's just a matter of time before someone does). And then I was hanging out with my friend Andy and he mentioned how he would love to see a theatrical version of The Breakfast Club, and I was like, Of Course!

So here are my thoughts on who should be cast in this fictional, let's say Off-Broadway, production...

Zac Efron as Andrew Clark

Yeah, he's not super jocky, but he did play a basketball star in all three of the High School Musical movies, so I think he can pull it off. I'm not sure about his acting chops when it comes to the breakdown scene, but if he can act as well as he can dance and sing, I think he's all set. Plus, we all know he's super dreamy and he's totally the kind of guy that you'd love to see the weird, misunderstood girl hook up with.

Hayden Panettiere as Claire Standish

I really like Hayden in Remember the Titans and Malcolm in the Middle; she was super cute! So I thought for sure she would to grow to be a spunky, cool teen star. But instead she became the icon for cheerleader perfection. Bleh. But I still think she's got some good acting stuff rolling around in her, so she seems like the perfect candidate to play the over-burdened princess who falls for the criminal.

Michael Cera as Brian Johnson

He's everyone's favorite dork, ever since Arrested Development. And unfortunately he seems to be type cast all over the place (except for Scott Pilgrim, I just don't get that). But I think he would be great in this role, because he's normally so awkward that it's really comedic, yet this nerd is more tame, more quiet and very introspective. He basically at the point of suicide and he's really not in the mood for joking. I think it would be fantastic.

Kat Dennings as Allison Reynolds

Kat Dennings just seems really cool, and all the roles I 've seen her in so far (except maybe The House Bunny) are really cool and a little different. She's also quite hot in an off-beaten path kinda way. She could totally go from grungy weird girl to preppy hottie in the course of a couple of hours.

Channing Tatum as John Bender

While Tatum might be better known for his roles in Step Up and Fighting (and soon G.I. Joe), he was really fantastic in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, so don't think I'm crazy for picking him for such an intense role. But he's got the bulk to pull of being a tough bad guy/bully, yet he's handsome enough to be lovable and let our hearts go out to him. He just needs to be scruffed up a bit and he's all set.

Alec Baldwin as Richard Vernon

Baldwin has become known as a great comedy actor thanks to his appearances on SNL, 30 Rock and random films, but back in the day he was a serious actor, so he's got the best of both worlds. The original Principal had that whole wirey, squirrely look, so Baldwin might have to lose a few pounds to really embody the role, or he might just take it some other direction and be super awesome on his own.

Chris Meloni as Carl

If you've seen Wet Hot American Summer, you totally get this and know how awesome it would be. If you haven't, go watch it now.

So yeah. Let that roll around in your head for a minute. Think about the dance sequence, and the confession scene, and the Principal stuff. How awesome would that be?

Blockbuster Blowout!

2009-05-06T00:22:00.006-04:00

I was going through Entertainment Weekly's Summer Movie Issue, and I realized that there are a lot of movies coming out that I'm pretty psyched for, so I narrowed down the list to the 10 that I would love to see in theaters. I meant to get this up sooner, but that didn't happen, so I've already seen one...Oh well.

Star Trek- I saw this over the weekend and it was fantastic! I was really hoping it would be a fun, romping good sci-fi flick and it totally was. I highly recommend checking this out in theaters if you can.

Drag Me to Hell-I love Sam Raimi. And I'm not big on the Spiderman movies. So his return to over-the-top gore and horror and goodness has gotten me very excited. And Allison Lohman has done well in everything I've seen from her, so this has to be awesome.

Up- Pixar. 3-D. What else do you need?

Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen-The first Transformers movie was very exciting despite the fact that it didn't make any sense and was highly illogical. But this one has even more robots! And they're bigger! And they beat they crap out of each other and all kinds of other stuff!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince-I don't read the books, but I really enjoy the movies. They have cute and wacky creatures, magic and everyone's British. And as they've become increasingly darker I've liked them more and more. So I'll be there, and I might even go in costume.
(these are the less 'blockbuster-y' movies that I want to check out...)

The Hangover-You all know this trailer is hilarious, so no one should hesitate to go see it. Bradley Cooper has been popping up all over the place for the past few years and everything he does is great. I'm a little iffy on the whole Mike Tyson thing, but between Andy from the office and Zack Galikfishiohojnkjiis (or whatever), I can let it slip.

Moon-This one might be hard to see as it's an independent release so I might find it somewhere in Manhattan if I'm lucky and really diligent. But it looks creepy and dark and that mixed with Sam Rockwell's inherent wackiness/lovability, it seems fantastic. It also seems like the kind of thing that will be huge post-DVD release, which is another reason I'd want to see it on the big screen.

(500) Days of Summer-I love Zooey Deschanel. She kinda plays the same character all the time, but I don't care and I will watch anything she's in. And I'm not always a sucker for romance stories, but this one looks really nice and special and different.

Funny People-The first trailer I saw made me tear up. I love all three leads, Apatow is a genius, his kids are precious and hilarious, and I keep hearing 'Oscar Buzz' about it. I can't wait.

Inglorious Basterds-It's a really late summer movie, but it counts. I'll see whatever Taratino puts out, no matter what it is. But I love Brad Pitt (not Benjamin Button Brad Pitt, but Fight Club and Ocean's 11 Brad Pitt) and I'm all for scalping Nazis...

So yeah. I'd love to see all of these in theaters. It probably won't happen, and instead I'm sure I'll get dragged to some other movies, but almost all summer blockbusters are fun to see in theaters.

I Fixed a Wicket!

2009-05-04T00:04:00.004-04:00

So I LOVE Mighty Muggs. I think they are super cute. And I LOVE Ewoks (Hurley can suck it). So it blew my mind when I walked in a comic book store and saw a Wicket Mighty Mugg. So I got it, took it home, and I realized that it wasn't quite right. It needed ears! So I gave it to them!

SEE!&

I'm very proud and really happy.

My Awesome Kid Cave

2009-05-03T23:07:00.010-04:00

So recently, my friend TJ saw the movie I Love You, Man (which is an awesome film and I highly recommend it) and he's become fixated on having his own man cave (it's a thing from the movie if you couldn't tell). Anyways, I think the idea of having a man cave is kind of lame, at least the kind like back on Home Improvement where it's a escape-your-wife-cause-she-just-doesn't-get-you type of room. And my house is already covered in toys and posters and comics so I don't see the need for a man cave (well, I don't see how Rickey would need a man cave cause we already live in one). But I got to thinking about it and I wouldn't mind having my own room where I keep all my stuff that people would think I was crazy for having and I can only let those who I deem worthy come inside.

So, I've created my own Kid Cave.

I'm a girl, so I obviously can't have a 'man cave', and I'm not a girly-girl so I can't have some weird spa-bullshit room. But I love toys and I love playing and I'm an only child so I like being alone with my stuff, cause other people just don't play right. So I need my own kick-ass room. To start off, it would be super bright and colorful with shelves of toys and fun posters and murals all over the walls. You can't tell that from my drawing above, but just imagine it. And you can see the drawing better if you click on it and pull it up in another window. I'll go over the specifics here:

~Starting with the basics: I'd of course have a TV/Entertainment center stocked with all my favorite re-watchable movies, a Wii, X-Box 360, PS3 and whatever other cool gaming thing I can find. And I'd have giant papasan chair parked in front of the whole thing (I like to call them popozao chairs as you might notice in the labeling).

~Next to that is a camera set up because I really like taking pictures of toys, especially all close-up and stuff. So I'd have little sets and lights and backdrops and it would be fantastic.

~Adjacent to that is something I want whether I ever have this room or not, and it would be all the Playmobil figures and playsets I've ever wanted. Playmobil has been my favorite toy line since I was 3 and after having worked in 3 different toy stores where it was sold, I'm an even bigger fan than I was when I was little. Some of the pieces that I must have would be the mansion (I want it sooo bad!), a castle, pirate stuff (as pictured) and the list just keeps on going...

~Behind that would be my crafting table (with a great view of the TV). There are bins all along the wall that would have all my crap: crayons, coloring books, shrink dink stuff, origami, wings making stuff and on and on.

~Next to the craft bins would be my dress-up closet. I love dress-up. Get off my back. I work at a costume company and I love Halloween and I make fairy wings and go to Ren Faire, so my dressing-up should come as a surprise to no one.

~In front of that would be a little book nook that I'd find some cool way to enclose, and then inside I've have some super awesome rug with all my stuffed animals (they're bad-ass stuffed animals like Cthulu and Ugly Dolls so it's okay) and wacky pillows and blankets. It would be for reading and drawing and playing my Nintendo DS.

~ Over in the bottom left corner, there's an extra TV up on the wall and it would be wired to the main TV so I can see whatever I'm watching from anywhere in the room.

~ The left wall would be a solid white wall where I could paint whenever I felt like it. We had one of these back when I was in theatre and it's super fun. You just paint and go and you're not trying to create an individual piece so it ends up being cathartic.

~And then of course, there would be my Lego pit, filled with all the Legos I could find. This would probably be the thing that I would actually have to let people in to play with, cause I know it would be cruel to deny any child of my generation the chance to play with that many Legos. I would have buckets of just plain Legos for regular building, but I'd also love to have stuff like the Batman and Indiana Jones Legos. It would be swell.

~Next to the awesomeness would be the most girly thing in the room. Sorry boys. But I realized while working in the doll department at FAO Schwarz, that I really still love to dress up Barbies and other dolls (here's looking at you Tonner dolls). So I think it would be cool to have shelf to display them on (maybe with those fancy dressing room lights), and a little table where all the clothes and accessories would be kept and their hair could be done and all that jazz. Ladies, if you ask nicely, I might let you in for this.

~And last but not least, would be a computer used for nothing but gaming. Specifically The Sims, Sim City, and Roller Coaster Tycoon. Those are all games that I can sit for days and play, which is why none of them are loaded on my current computer.

So yeah. That's my dream room. And if it exists when I have kids, they soooo don't get to go in, cause they'll totally mess everything up.

Umbrella Academy Casting

2009-03-18T00:12:00.024-04:00

I'm in the middle of reading the second series of The Umbrella Academy, and it's definitely the kind of book that I see being optioned into a movie in the near future. So I thought I'd throw my two cents in on who to cast before that happens. When I first heard about the book, I was very skeptical. While I enjoyed The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, the James Jean cover and seemingly gothic premise screamed god-awful emo crap. But then I was pleasantly surprised! Gabriel Ba's artwork and the Royal Tenenbaums-meets-Hellboy team with Doom Patrol-esque problems are heaven for me.

Spaceboy
James Van der Beek

I was never a fan of Dawson's Creek, but between Varsity Blues and Rules of Attraction, I'm a huge Van der Beek fan. I wish he was in more stuff, and I think he could do a great job as the cocky, heroic, know-it-all Spaceboy. He's also got a strong enough jaw line to pull off a heavy presence while still sporting the whole mostly gorilla-bodied thing.

Kraken
Josh Harnett

It seems like there's a lot of ways to cast the Kraken, what with him being the sassy rogue and all. But I think that Hartnett has just enough pretty with a little bit of edge mixed in. I love him in everything from 40 Days and 40 Nights to Luck Number Slevin. But I think it's his drug-dealing ways from The Faculty that really seals the deal for me.

Rumor
Julia Stiles

The Rumor is supposed to ooze feminine wiles, while at the same time being very smart and calculating. Stiles is hot enough to pull it off, but she also seems like she might actually be smart, which is always a plus. I also think she has enough screen presence to shine through even after she gets silenced.

Seance`
Michael Showalter

The Seance` seems like he was the kind of kid who was super-nerdy and outcast, but, because of his abilities, would've been strangely cocky. I'm not too sure about Showalter's acting chops, but he is damn funny and has some real sass, which I think is a definite necessity. Also, the Seance` has a very prominent nose, and Showalter's nose would totally fit the bill.

Number Five
Rory Culkin (?)

The main reason I didn't cast the child versions of the siblings is because as soon as you find a kid the right age with great acting skills, they're suddenly all grown up (did you know the kid from Love Actually is 19?). Anyways, for Number Five, I would go with someone who had that whole Rory Culkin in Signs thing. Or maybe Elijah Wood in The Good Son.

The Horror

Guy Pearce

We haven't really learned much about the Horror's personality, but it seems like he might be somewhat somber and brooding (you know that whole demons-live-inside-me thing). So my default go-to guy for that is Guy Pearce. He's awesome in everything he does. And he's so pretty. What could go wrong?

The White Violin
Judy Greer

I think the obvious casting for the White Violin would be Selma Blair, but I wanted to think outside the norm. And Judy Greer has always entertained me, both in dramatic and comedic roles. She's also just odd-looking enough to really embody that whole out-of-place thing, but thin and angular enough to pull off the very stylized look of the Violin.

The Monocle
Bill Nighy

Really, any thin, pointy, mad-scientist-looking old guy would work, but I love Bill Nighy. I love him in everything he does, but his role as the un-patriarchal dad in Shaun of the Dead really makes him perfect to lead this little clan of odd-balls. I would also pitch David Bowie for the role.

Dr. Pogo
Dominic West

I imagine Dr. Pogo to be British and coy, and even though West plays an American on The Wire, that stellar show made me fall in love with this brooding actor. If a talking chimp has to be my mentor, I totally want him to be McNulty.

Mrs. Hargreeves
Megan Mullally

Mom is another character who hasn't shown up a whole lot, but I imagine that she is always a super-perfect-50's-housewife with a robot twist. Mullally is mom-looking enough and she's funny and odd, which just kind of goes along with the crew. I think she would bring a little more character to the role than other candidates might.

Adventures in Dorkville.

2009-02-23T22:47:00.010-05:00

As illustrated in the image above, I used to look like a huge dork. I've discovered that this is true for a lot of people in my age group (we can all thank the 80's for that), and though a lot of people seem to hide their former fashion misgivings, I LOVE mine. When I was a kid, my mom would let me pick out my own clothes and put together my own outfits, which granted, didn't always work out so well, but at least I got to try. As I got older, I'd look back at pictures of myself, and for a long time, I was totally ashamed of looking like a damn fool, but I learned from it, and I realized what worked and what didn't.

So now that I'm a semi-grown up with a decent sense of the world, I love looking back on these pictures because it's fraking hilarious. I totally thought that I looked cool, which is great, cause I'm barely cool now. But I thought I was, and even though I had almost no friends and kids were mean to me and I got made fun of, I still did my own thing to the best of my ability. And because of all that, I really think it helped me grow.

That being said, I think ALL children should look ridiculous. Not because it's funny or mean, but because their kids. They should have fun, and be allowed to wear neon green socks with jellys or a pink tutu with a raincoat or whatever. That way, they too can appreciate the fact that once they're grown, they know how to dress and what's cool to them, rather than what their mom or the TV tells them. However, more and more I'm seeing kids that look cooler than most adults. And I'm not even talking about teenagers, I'm walking about pre-teens or "tweens," and they're looking older and cooler by the minute. What the hell? How are they ever gonna know that ridiculous awkwardness and the gratification that comes from conquering it if they all looked like they stepped right out of the Disney channel?

I'm not saying that I want kids to suffer and be dorks because I'm bitter or crazy or whatnot, but we grow and learn from our mistakes. And during that awkward pre-teen, early teen stage, we really start to develop our identities and how we fit into a group and society as a whole. So if all these kids are walking around looking like GAP Kid commercials, who will they become? When they look back on pictures of themselves looking cute and awesome at the age of 10, what will they learn? Will they learn anything? I am, as always, completely convinced that society is doomed, so having a generation of Stepford Children walking around is not helping me be any less paranoid. So all I can say to my peers is to treasure the awesome awfulness that was your childhood imagery, and please, please, whenever you have kids, let them look like a damn fool for the betterment of society.

What I've Learned from My Bloody Valentine

2009-02-19T23:37:00.013-05:00

This past weekend I got to see the new My Bloody Valentine in 3-D. And it was awesome. I saw it on Friday the 13th with my boyfriend(we would've seen Friday the 13th instead, but you know, ridiculous crowds) and I also saw it as a Valentine's semi-celebration. The theater was completely packed with all types of folks, all of whom screamed and laughed and had a great time along with us. It was a fantastic experience. And aside from it just being fun, I learned a few things, which I thought I would share.

Lesson #1: More movies should be in 3D.

Specifically horror and action type movies, but more nonetheless. This was the first live-action film I've seen in the new digital 3D, and it's totally like you're there. I saw Monster House in 3D, and while it was super awesome, it's still an animated film, so the 'being there' factor only goes so far. But having that extra dimension really adds to the scare factor, as well as the have-fun-and-yell-at-the-screen factor. I don't want to see normal dramas and comedies and whatnot in 3D, I feel like that would kinda be a waste, but how much fun would it be if the next Transformers movie were in 3D? Or Harry Potter? Or Jason vs. Freddy XII? I'm sure Hollywood is eighteen steps ahead of me, and they've planned this for every blockbuster of 2010. But I'm totally for it.

Lesson #2: Crazy=Immortal

I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, so I won't go into specifics, but upon the reveal of who the killer is, I realized that the trick to immortality is to just go bat-shit crazy and start killing everyone. It's worked for Jason, Freddy, Michael Meyers, Leatherface, and countless others (I'm still no slasher expert, but I'm assuming there are more killers that this has worked for). So if everyone were to jump on board with this plan, we could bring down all of those companies who prey on people who never want to get old, while also keeping the population in check. I think it's a pretty solid plan.

Lesson #3: Jamie Kennedy's Hair

I think it's fair to say that Jamie Kennedy is totally movie star hot as a blonde, especially in things like Kitchen Confidential and Sin City. You know, that kind of ridiculous hot that is totally not believable and never works in real-life. But apparently all she has to do is go redd-ish brunnette, and BAM! Totally normal girl-next-door-hot. It was just refreshing, because so often in slasher films, you get these young hottie actresses who get all jacked up but still look like they just walked out of the salon. However, she was able to still bring the hottness, but in a believable small town damsel in distress sort of way. I was very impressed and hope to see more from her.

Overall, it's a great movie and a lot of fun. It you can still catch it in theaters, do so. But only if it's 3D.

New York Comic Con Galore!

2009-02-10T21:50:00.008-05:00

This past weekend was the New York Comic Con and I had a blast as I always do. I've only been going to comic conventions for the past few years, but they are one of my favorite things ever. It's completely and utterly fascinating to watch the going-ons and passer-bys at these things (my fascination with cons is probably a whole other post waiting to happen). But for now, I just wanted to share my highlights of the weekend.

I really have no interest in the actual comic book aspect of cons for the most part; my main goals are to buy cute things, get sketches, and people watch like a fox. I did pretty well with all of that this year.

As for toys (pictured above), I got an awesome Ugly Doll I ce Bat action figure (which is great, cause I love the plush dolls, but they are weird shaped and take up a lot of room); I got a Munny zipper pull (cause I had just lost my other one); A Zombie Ninja button from Ninjatown (in addition to a Ninjatown demon sketch and sticker from the creator); a super awesome Igor figure from the Nightmare Before Christmas that was originally $10, but the guy gave it to me for $5 (hooray!); a mini cactus pup and a regular one from Tokidoki (I'm just buying the tiny affordable cute Tokidoki things until I can afford one of those damn bags everyone else seems to have...hurm...); and not pictured I got some really cute hairclips with skulls and an awesome vintage looking Halloween pin (like a fancy pin, not a button).

I started my very first sketchbook last year at comic con (my theme is Monsters and Creatures) and I've gotten some pretty awesome stuff so far (check the whole thing on flickr). This year some of my trophies are a really cool Jamal Igle sketch, an Eduardo Risso sketch and a Dean Yeagle sketch that I had to buy a Mandy print in order to get (the pic at the very top), but I was totally fine with that. The above image is my favorite from this con. It was the first one I got, and I had really been wanting some sort of Cthulhu and I finally got one and he's super cute! Here's a picture of me standng in line waiting to get it:
I'm the ridiculously pale looking blonde girl, if you didn't know.

Anywho, some of the other highlights for me were catching the Wizard and Toyfare panels, both of which were incredibly entertaining, as well as the Hip Hop and Comics panel hosted by my friend Matt Powell. It was really weird to hear old-school rappers talk about being geeks and reading comics as kids and being so influenced by them, but also really awesome at the same time. And of course there's just seeing the randomness that is the attendees of conventions. I'm not gonna even try to go into it. If you've ever been, you know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't please go and see for yourself. But as you can see below, even fairly normal looking folks seem a little off at comic con.

By the end of both days I was completely exhausted and my feet felt like they would fall off. But I had a rocktacular time and got to hand out with great people, and I can't wait to do it again.

Good Idea, Bad Idea

2009-02-03T01:07:00.010-05:00

With the interwebs being available at my fingertips 24/7, I often run into products that either greatly excite me, or freak me the hell out. So I thought I would share some.

Things that are awesome:

Lightsaber Umbrella

I'm all for interesting umbrellas. I really should collect more of them, especially since I now actually live in a place where it rains rather frequently. And I'm totally for umbrellas that are lighted, and I love that these are lighted from the base. I totally want to get multiples of these and have Jedi fights on rainy days.

Moss Mat

I love moss. It's the main reason I would want to live in an enchanted forest (you know, the whole barefoot princess wandering about. It would be rad). And moss is especially great when it's all moist and squishy, so keeping it in the bathroom would be perfect! The only problem is, I'm pretty sure this product is only theoretical, but I'm keeping my eye on it.

Sprint Commercials

There's a series of these, and I think only one was shown during the superbowl, but I'm very entertained by them. I don't know why.

Things that freak me out:

Bitchy Tee Shirt

I love the Little Miss and Mr. Men line of products, so crap like this pisses me off. I've always hated this self-branding of girls that perpetuates the idea that it's 'cool' to be a diva, or a bitch or a slut or whatever. How does that make you cool?

Sperm Donor Costume

Seriously? Who came up with this? I was looking for monk's robes for one of my customers and I happened upon this crap. I guess for frat boys, this is some pretty clever shit, but what chick would go for it? And therefore, what's the point? If I ever run into someone sporting this, I'm totally punching him in the nards.

Best Buy Commercials

These just annoy me. These, and those new Olive Garden commercials. They're so insincere. I've seen at least 3 of these things and they each make me want to punch the Best Buy person. And I'm sure they're nice people, but they totally come across like douchebags.

Everyone Gets a Part...(or 'A Quick Rant')

2009-02-02T10:38:00.004-05:00

My current job title is 'Costume Rental Administrator'; I work for a theatrical supply company and my main job is to make sure that high schools and colleges get the costumes they need for their shows.

My company offers really nice costumes, however, not all schools have the budget to rent from us. For instance, when I was in high school, we had almost no theatre budget because we were a football school in Texas. That didn't matter to us though, because we were super dedicated and could make anything work, and it made us better people for it.

However, I've discovered working here, that there are many schools who seem to think that they are putting on Broadway shows and therefore need to have a HUGE production. But then it comes time to do the budget and they realize it won't work. So they call me up and whine and try to get extra discounts and free shipping and blah blah blah... Of course I want to help and support the arts and give these people the best show possible, but I'm starting to get tired of it. Especially because then I receive these orders, and I discover that these huge shows are really just 15 leading characters, and then upwards of 50 ensemble characters. What this says to me, is that these schools are following the millennial idea of 'everyone gets a part', which I think is bullshit.

My age-group straddles the line of kids who were raised normally, and these new kids who are super coddled; everyone gets a part, everyone wins a trophy, there are no losers, everyone is a unique and beautiful snowflake. And it's screwing these kids up. Once upon a time, you had to audition, and if you were awesome you were in, and if you weren't, you either worked crew or joined some decorating committee for a dance. Or, even better, you realized this wasn't for you so you figured out what you were good at and ran with it. Now, no one wants to hurt anyone's feelings, so kids get to be in the play, or they get to play in the game, or whatever, and they never realize that they aren't any good. There are kids out there who I'm sure realize this and just have fun with it, but then there are those that think they will grow up to be a superstar because no one told them to go and find something more substantial to do. So now we have all these kids who want to be rich and famous and they want everything handed to them (cause it always has been) and they're sucking the life out of our culture with reality TV and YouTube and whatnot.

Basically, it just frustrates me that these directors of shows are huge vaginas, and they don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so they let everyone have a part, and then they have to provide costumes for everybody, so they come and bitch to me about it. Cowboy up people!

Things I Want That Do Not Exist Yet

2009-01-20T20:46:00.008-05:00

There are often things that I want to have that unfortunately don't exist. Some of them are probably impossible to ever have (like a fluffy immortal pink kitten or a mogwai that can't turn into a Gremlin no matter how much chicken I give it after midnight) and others are possible yet difficult to obtain. I've always been a fan of art (my mom used to drag me around to museums when I was, like, 5), but it's only been in the recent years of my developing love and knowledge of comics that I realized it is possible to have original art of my own. I'm practicing the hunt for original pieces with my rinky-dink sketchbook, but below are some of the works I'd love to maybe someday hang on my walls.

The Mad Hatter Tea Party
by James Jean

I've always been a fan of the Alice in Wonderland story and imagery, even though in more recent years, it seems like every emo/goth girl out there claims she's totally an 'Alice.' But I've tried not to let that deter my love of the original story. And specifically, I love the tea party sequence, maybe because I was a weirdo only-child who totally had whacked-out tea parties with my stuffed animals and imaginary friends. And the artist whom I would love to see re-imagine this scene would be James Jean of Fables, Umbrella Academy, and My Chemical Romance fame. I don't think anyone would argue that that wouldn't be an awesome painting. The surreal softness of his art in addition to his unique color palette, I believe, would make for a hauntingly whimsical wall-hanging.

Nighthawks
by Brian Bolland

I always loved this painting, and it probably wasn't until middle school that I found out that Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Elvis weren't supposed to be in the picture. However, I eventually came to understand the Edward Hopper was a genius and that as simplistic as this painting looks, it makes you feel so many different emotions all at once, as does most of his art. As for Brian Bolland, I think he's fantastic. I love his clean lines and stark colors, as well as his tendency to put his subjects in bold, movie poster-esque poses but still stocking their faces full of emotions. I would love to see him place the cast of Doom Patrol into Hopper's 'Nighthawks,' combining regular stoic and creepy with fantastical, anti-hero stoic and creepy.

The Last Supper
by Marc Hempel

I'm really not that big a fan of the original 'Last Supper,' but I do love the iconography of it and people's various takes on it. And the version that I want of it would be famous movie monsters and creatures and whatnot (Freddy, Jason, Wheelers, Alien, etc.). I've been trying to get my boyfriend Rickey to do this for almost a year, but he seems to think he can't (please encourage him to do so). So instead I wish Marc Hempel could do it. I'm really not familiar with any of his work other than 'The Kindly Ones' from The Sandman series, but it's my favorite of the ten volumes and I absolutely love his art. Everything is so pointy with thick outlines, almost cartoonish, yet still very powerful and emotive, and I think that a monster version of a classic religious image would totally be the right medium for his style.

Kissing on VJ Day
by Bryan Lee O'Malley

This is another image that I fell in love with when I was younger (mainly because I thought it was super cool to cover my walls in black and white images - Yes - I was/am a dork). But I still think it's a powerful image in our culture and a great photograph, as well. So the person I would pick to recreate it would be Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley. It's pretty simple. I love his style, everyone is super cute and I would like for him to make me and my Rickey all adorable-afied into this picture. I know it's a little cheesy, but that's exactly why O'Malley's awesomeness would balance it out.

So yeah. There are definitely other yet-to-be-created items that I'd want. I'm sure I will come up with more later. And feel free to make any of the above artworks happen. You know, if you can. :)