the rambling fanatic

First things, first. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone (in an unlocked post) who reached out and gave me words of encouragement during my recent health scare. Posting online and communicating about it with others was something I desperately needed. In real life I kind of wanted to keep it quiet so I didn't have an emotional outlet. I'm sorry for the lack of posts and responses lately. My absence was due to a nasty cold I had last week and it had nothing to do with the scary but now not so scary health issue. :-)


So...fannish stuff.

Do you like Yuletide? I do and sign ups are now open. You have till November 12th.
Do you like vids? I do.
Do you like small fandoms. I do.

What happens when you throw all three into a fannish pot and stir briskly? festivids pops out. It's a fannish vid exchange inspired by Yuletide for small and rarely vidded fandoms.

Today is the last day to nominate a fandom and in going over the nominations list, there is plenty to be excited about.

Samples on the movie front: American Psycho, Brief Encounter, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Clueless, Collateral, Cry Baby, Edward Scissorhands, Gattaca, Heathers, Invasion of the Body Snatcher (1956), Legend, Mulan, Se7en

Samples on the TV front: Being Human, Birds of Prey, Clarissa, Dark Shadows (1991), Deadwood, Defying Gravity, Earth 2, Forever Knight, Friday Night Lights, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Highlander: The Raven, La Femme Nikita, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Lone Gunmen, Millennium, Miracles, New Amsterdam, Northern Exposure, Nowhere Man, Popular, Quantum Leap, Roswell, Six Feet Under, Slings & Arrows, The Wire

I'm leaning towards participating in this. I did a vid for someone and it was such a positive experience. Of course it helped that a specific song was requested as well as the theme, so if the vid requests provide me with that much direction then I think I can do this.

My own list of fandom nominations are as follows:

Being Erica (awesome Canadian show)
Being Human
Blood Ties (I've never seen a vid for this)
Dark Shadows (1991) (because a vid has the potential to be awesome)
Deadwood (I've only seen one vid for this and it's beautiful)
Durham County (another awesome Canadian show)
Friday Night Lights
Homicide: Life on the Streets (I've only seen one vid and it's fantastic)
MacGyver (because a vid for this would be awesome)
Millennium (I've never seen a vid for this)
Murdoch Mysteries (and yet another Canadian show)
New Amsterdam (because I want a vid)
Quantum Leap (I've only seen one vid and it's fantastic
Roswell
And of course....wait for it....Forever Knight!

Now I know how I'm going to spend my Labor Day.

That's right folks, Forever Knight is returning to television. Chiller TV will run an all day marathon of the first 15 episodes this Labor Day.

Season 1 squee! There's so much to look forward to, even though technically I already own the DVDs.

There's a certain something that I get by watching the show live with commercials thrown in. And I adore season 1. Nick has that crazy black shirt with the white stripes. Yep, the same one the promo department thought was snazzy enough to preserve for posterity in publicity promos. Schanke had Elvis sideburns. Natalie's lipstick would match her fushia suits. LaCroix had Billy Idol hair. And hey, "Fan Kill"! Nick and LaCroix as leather wearing rock stars. "It's time to rock!"

So when's the last time we got a series marathon anyway?. I remember the Sci-Fi Channel Valentine's Day marathon that Ger hosted back in the late 90s. And then there were the Sci-Fi Channel Chain Reaction marathons they'd air around 2004.

It doesn't look like FK is joining the lineup just yet but I think it's safe to say it's definitely in the series' future. Now if only they'd give some on air promotion.

So who else is watching? You know you want to.


( version of image without ad )

Son of a ......

( spoilers and ranting )

Sometimes good things happen to good shows and it looks like Friday Night Lights is one of them. According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBC and DirecTV have agreed to continue their partnership in producing the show for two more 13 episode long seasons. The two seasons will shoot back to back. Certain cast members won't be back but producers hope to do send off arcs like they did during season 3.

I think this really one of the best ways to handle this. FNL has got to be one of the most consistently well written and well acted shows I have ever seen. Yes, they did have that rather ridiculous arc during season 2 but heck even that was carried out with more care then most other shows would have done.

Had the series ended with season 3 I would have been content. Yes, many of the characters were starting out new phases of their lives and I would have regretted not being able to see those new phases explored, but I was grateful for the episodes I did get. Many shows don't make it out of their first season and for some reason I tend to get into show that only last 3 seasons. However, with this renewal comes the opportunity to see where my favorite characters are headed as well as what new characters I'll be introduced to. I have no doubt that next two years will be phenomenal.

Now, I've recced the two following FNL vids before. They both premiered at VividCon 2008 but I can't help but rec them again. If you're at all curious about checking out FNL give these two vids a try. I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

Let the Sun Fall Down by chasarumba  and New Slang by obsessive24 

Feeling a bit icky this morning so I called in sick. However now I'm feeling better (medicine finally kicked in) so I'll be heading in after lunch.

24 was all kinds of awesome last night, especially the second hour. It's been a great season but last night really upped the stakes. Can't wait for the next episode.

"Infamous" still were finally released and they are gorgeous. They're up at K-site. This one is my favorite. I'm so getting an icon once the episode passes. I don't want in inadvertedly spoil someone. The sunlight streaming in behind Clark is amazing.
( Cut for spoilerly SV pic )

Drive by vid rec for kiki_miserychic's SGA vid Fiddle and the Drum. Stunning doesn't even begin to describe it..the song selection, the editing, the clips used. I don't even watch SGA but this vid is just so captivating that I want to know more. It's a John Shepherd character vid. Breathtaking.

So after watching that vid I'm even more tempted to set my Nick/Nat vid aside yet again in favor of a Nick vid. Not the Moby song vid but perhaps Johnny Cash or even the Mirah song but I won't. After the intenseness of Burn I need happiness and fun and that's Nick/Nat not Nick contemplating his "beast" or all the people he lost. That's a major downer.

Therefore I'm spending the rest of my morning clipping season 2 Nick/Nat cuteness. Then it's off to work.

It's hard for me to put into words how perfect I feel this show is. It is so strong on multiple levels, from the storytelling, to the acting, to the "set" dressing. Every aspect of this show leaves me speechless. The season 3 finale (or will it be the series finale?) left the people of Dillon, Texas in a wonderful place. There were moments of happiness mixed in with moments of uncertainty for our characters but it felt right. And should  NBC and DirecTV decide to grace us with a fourth season I am eager to see where the town of Dillon and Coach Taylor will be.

However the abysmal promotion NBC is running leaves me disappointed. I realize that of the four major networks NBC is in the cellar ratings wise but the way they are selling the show isn't very inspired. It's very Hallmark and feel good rather than the striking campaign DirectTV launched. If you ask me they should reuse some of that stuff. Now that may not be feasible but even the black and white still photographs of the cast that played during commercials before season 3 even began shooting was effective in its simplicity. Oh well, I just don't see NBC's strategy attracting many eyeballs, especially on a Friday night.


( Spoilery highlights )

Over the weekend I came across The Fandom Free For All that is being organized by oxoniensis  and pheebs1 . The concept behind it is brilliant. You post a wish list of any type of fanwork for yourself and in return you offer to create something off of someone else's list.

I don't know if I'm going to post anything but while perusing the list I came across a request by juniperphoenix  that caught my eye. She's asking for an X-Files fanvid that is focused on the UFO/abduction/Samantha theme and set to the tune of Sarah McLachlan's cover of "The Rainbow Connection". It's an interesting song choice and after hearing that particular rendition of it I'm struck by how perfect it is for the subject matter. It's very much a lullaby and the idea of using it juxtaposed with the imagery of the Samantha abduction arc is extremely tempting.

Over 9 seasons X-Files has had some unforgettable imagery but the thought of vidding it is daunting. The furthest I've ever gotten is setting aside a song that I feel is perfect for the Mulder and Scully dynamic. However that being said, juniperphoenix 's request seems like a great opportunity to give it a shot. Footage wise the Samantha arc is quite manageable. So manageable that I was able to rip and clip the series' Samantha scenes and some additional UFO/aliens stuff in one evening. Through it all I keep coming back to the flashback scene from "The Blessing Way" that showed the aliens in the box car being gassed to death and the flashback scene from "One Son" in which the Syndicate present a folded U.S. flag to an envoy of grays. Those scenes are visually stunning.

I haven't officially spoken up regarding my intentions to vid the request but it's something that I'll have on reserve. The deadline isn't till October 29th and I've got another fannish deadline looming that takes priority. Besides, I've only got a very loose concept for the vid. Until then I continue to play the song in a continuous loop to get the creative juices flowing.

1. I plan on seeing XF: IWTB again on Sunday. This will be my third viewing and more than likely my last. I've resorted to bribery so that this time I won't be sitting alone and because I'm dreading an empty theater. My brother is going with me and he is being showered with copious amounts of food (his metabolism is so high it's practically an X-File) and I've agreed to watch several episodes of Bleach. It's probably pushing it to think that I can get a second weekend from him.

2. As of Thursday, July 31 XF: IWTB has made $13,635,495 domestically.  It had a budget of $29 mil. My hope is that it'll clear $20 mil domestically before it finishes its run.

3. Salon has a squee worthy Scully love article.

"Today's television is not without its Scullys -- "Law & Order" ladies who crack skulls and chase bad guys in Jimmy Choos. But they all feel like tall, skinny, limp knockoffs of the original. Dana Scully was not standard television beautiful, but a diminutive pre-Raphaelite, pale of skin and red of hair, who could give equal amounts of soul to lines like "Nothing happens in contradiction to nature, just in contradiction to what we know of it" and "Well, seeing as how it's Friday, I was thinking I could get some work done on that monograph I'm writing for the penology review: 'Diminished Acetylcholine Production in Recidivist Offenders.'" A woman who, when asked by her pestering partner to examine a cadaver's head just one more time for a set of horns, can snap on her gloves and mutter "Whatever" like she really means it."

The "diminished acetylcholine" quote has long been one of my favorites. "So Scully any big plans?" Oh Scully! ::hugs::

"In an entertainment world where women are disappearing from multiplexes, where men bulk up as superheroes while women don't eat but sip pink drinks, we need to remember that there was once a very short heroine who hunted monsters and talked about Einstein, who kicked ass and questioned her faith, who went to work with a man she loved but didn't rip his shirt off over lunch, who didn't want to believe, but opened herself nonetheless to possibility. We need Scully back, even for a moment."

4. Post IWTB fic has been making several appearances and may I say that they are nothing short of beautiful. It's almost enough to make me want to save the fic to my hard drive like I used to in years gone by. To make a folder for it alongside my post col, AU, and post fill-in-the-blank fic.  I love them all! They're mostly short but they pack quite a visceral punch. The numbers aren't quite post-"The Truth" numbers but right now it's quality not quantity. I can't wait for the first longish IWTB fic to hit the net. I'm also preparing a post with some recs.

5. I received in the mail today my XF:IWTB official novelization and the soundtrack. XF has been consuming my every fannish thought right now so this is just fuel to the fire.

6. Maybe I missed this in the IWTB interview onslaught but according to this interview Gillian Anderson was apparently offered a role in last year's season of 24.

"Last year I was asked to do a season on '24,' and I considered it. I didn't know the series, but I thought it might be fun to do something that's highly respected. Logistically it didn't work out, but it was the first time I considered something, and I might again, but not something that's going to take a few years out of my life."

How incredibly awesome would that have been. I doubt the offer was for the incredibly awesome season 5 but rather for the ho hum season 6 but that would have rocked. If there's anything IWTB has done is remind me of how much I miss having Gillian on my screen on a regular basis.

7. I watched the season four finale of Doctor Who yesterday. I've got mostly mixed feelings. I'm a pretty casual viewer and the only season I've seen in its entirety is season three with Martha. I remember Donna from the first Doctor Who I saw "The Runaway Bride" and I've read positive things about her on the web but I've got no real connection to her. However I have so say that I am not at all happy with her conclusion. Is Doctor Who supposed to be tragic? Also, I've only seen about three episodes with Rose and I understand there are quite a number of Rose/Ten supporters out there. I don't really ship anyone but I was rather intrigued with Rose and the human!Doctor. On one hand it's like "Here you go shippers! This one's for you" but on the other hand he's not really the Doctor. Regardless, I wouldn't mind reading some fic on Rose and human!Doctor.

8. There's interesting discussion on forkni-l about "Curiouser and Curiouser" right now, mostly about vampires and guilt. The conversation is more about the ability of vampires to synthesize guilt but I'm more interested in the fantasy world Nick's concocted. Nick has nothing if not an active imagination i.e. the diner sequence in "Dying for Fame" and even the rock star sequences, visions of Erica in "Last Act", LaCroix offering Monica up to Nick in "Feeding the Beast", or the bringing Natalie over in "Night in Question". According to LaCroix, the fantasy world Nick was in was all his guilt. If he doesn't take care of it soon it'll manifest itself once more but with "more ferocity." What would up the ante from "Curiouser and Curiouser"? Something with the same intensity as susanmgarrett's "Knight in Hell' perhaps? I also wonder if anyone's ever written fic set in that fantasy world. It has a lot of extremely interesting avenues for exploration. Schanke as the by the book cop, Cohen as Nick's counselor, Captain Lambert risking her job and/or reprimand for a liason with a subordinate (Nick), and Janette's knowledge or not of Nick infidelity. I always thought that Janette was aware of Nick's affair but after reading forkni-l, when Janette spoke of Nick's "performance" and the Captain it could have been his work "performance" and not the extracurricular kind. I guess my mind's in the gutter.

When it comes to new TV shows I tend to have this rule. I rarely watch a series in its first outing and it isn't until a second or third season that I check out shows that had struck me as interesting and have somehow managed to make it through the network television gauntlet.

The X-Files--middle of its 5th season.
Smallville--middle of its 5th season.
Supernatural--reruns of the 1st season in preparation for season 2.
Six Feet Under--3rd season
Ally McBeal--3rd season
Roswell--2nd season
Homicide: Life on the Streets--4th season
Gilmore Girls --6th season
Veronica Mars--3rd season

Of course there are exceptions to that rule. I was there for the very beginnings of Deadwood and Rome (both on HBO), Friday Night Lights on NBC, Millennium on Fox, and this season's Damages on FX. However as a general rule and as a means of protecting myself from getting too attached to a series that probably won't even make it past their 3rd episode, I generally choose to stay away. Sure I follow the media buzz surrounding those shows that I'm interested in but I always stay a safe distance away. Pre-launch buzz doesn't always translate into ratings. Can you say Bionic Woman, because I can.

However this season I deviated from the very plan that had always worked so well for me. My theory is that the shows that appealed to me reminded me of shows that are near and dear to my heart.

I continue my search for Forever Knight vids and in the process I've come across astolat and hafital's Janette video "Hunter"  It's a strong video that explores a theme that I've been thinking a lot about lately.