Marvel and Disney: Strange Bedfellows

A big announcement was made today; Marvel Entertainment is set to be purchased by the Walt Disney Company for a reported 4 billion dollars, stock and the rights to about 5 000 characters (insert low impressed whistle here). The full details have yet to be revealed but the entertainment world is abuzz. Many of Marvel's characters are currently owned by other movie companies, like Spider-Man at Sony, Iron Man at Paramount or the X-Men at Fox. How will that be addressed? Hopefully all will be revealed when and if the deal goes through.

As someone who grew up with both Disney and Marvel comics I find myself scratching my head at this turn of events. Disney and Marvel...business partners? The company that gave us so many princess movies and the family friendly faces of Hannah Montana and Suite Life is going to own a comic book legacy that for the past seventy odd years has given us scantily clad superheroes, sometimes in very adult situations? This doesn't add up for me.

Some reporters watching this, like Marc Bernardin at EW.com, are hopeful that this deal will help Marvel branch out a bit from superheroes and try other forms of comics and graphic novels. Perhaps I'm being pessimistic but I worry that the opposite could happen; that Disney may end up being more restrictive of what Marvel can do. The Mouse House, in all it's power and glory, sometimes has a tendency to make everything family friendly. But occasionally I like my comics gritty; DC's Vertigo line is one of my favorites (and it's definitely not for kids).

It's still really early, so we'll have to see how this progresses. Just yesterday though I was at the Marvel booth at Fan Expo. Now Marvel might go through a pretty drastic change. For good or ill? Time will tell.

Fan Expo 2009 - Day 2 (I came, I saw, I conquered)

I saw Bruce Campbell.

I spoke with Bruce Campbell!

I got Bruce Campbell's autograph!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

But let's back up a little first.

Yes, today was the second and last day of my first ever Fan Expo experience, and it was just as memorable and eventful as Friday night.

Well, not right away. The first part of my day was spent waiting in line. After packing up my things, putting on my Victorian shirt and Spike heart necklace and slicking my hair back with styling cream that turned my normally brown locks pink, I had arrived in Toronto at about 10:30am, and was at the south building of the Convention Center at about quarter to 11...to find a nice long line just to get into the show room. A half hour later I was finally inside, and immediately went to the celebrity autograph section to get a sense of the line up for the first autograph session of the day with Mr. Campbell. I got there just as the guys running the booth were explaining to other convention goers that the tickets had been sold out, but once hearing that I had a ticket they ushered me to the line up off to the side. At first glance the line didn't seem so long; but then I realized it continued behind the curtain and snaked all along the wall. So I got on the end of it, determined to wait it out (hey, this is why God invented video iPods). Nearly two hours I waited as the line slowly snaked it's way around. While we waited the volunteers at the Expo wrote down our names on post-it notes to put on the items we want signed (the woman behind me had an action figure from Army of Darkness that was maybe a foot tall; I don't know how anyone could sign that) and gave us some guidelines; no personalization's, no pictures, etc. But then we were back out from behind the curtain, and the man of the hour was in view.

Now, for those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Campbell's work, he's been in movies and television (currently he's in the TV show Burn Notice) and he's written two books. But his biggest claim to fame is starring in the Evil Dead trilogy, directed by Sam Raimi. I love those movies, and I've been a big fan of Mr. Campbell ever since. I was not alone; from what I hear he was one of if not the most popular celebrities there that weekend, with the event organizers adding another block of tickets while we were all in that first line. And I was fine right up until only maybe four people were ahead of me. That was when the nerves started to hit, but also a lot of excitement. I had my book ready, one of his, entitled Make Love* The Bruce Campbell Way, a novel about him trying to make it in an A-list movie (it's very funny, I'd definitely recommend it). And finally it was my turn to go up. And you know what? He was totally cool. Well, the first Evil Dead movie came out the year I was born, so you gotta think he's been doing this kind of thing for a long time. The first thing he said to me was "Hi there sweetheart", and when he saw what I had for him to sign he complimented me on my choice of books. He chatted me up as he signed it, asking what I did for a living, and I rambled something about being a librarian and reading stories to kids. He asked if I get a big crowd for that sort of thing, and I replied that we get a fair size. He said he's glad libraries are still around, and I said yeah, thank God for that (or something silly; like I said I was nervous). He handed back my book, said "Thanks dear", I thanked him very much and moved off to the side. It was all of twenty seconds, if that, and as I moved away I had a moment of Holy cow, did I really just do that? I stopped to look at my signature on the inside title page of my book. It is indeed there, written in blue. Again, EEEEEEEEEEEEE! And I knew that anything after that would just be gravy.

Still, by that point it was 1:30pm, and there was so much more to do! After refuelling with a slice of pepperoni pizza I wandered around the convention, looking at the wares of the vendors, helping myself to free comics and goodies at the booths for DC, Marvel, etc., checking out the gaming stations. The TVs that aired Big Bang Theory on Friday were now showing Supernatural. So much to see. But I kept an eye on the time, because there was one more thing I wanted to participate in; a panel discussion on vampires in fact and fiction (no surprise there).

I had to leave the show room and go up a floor to get to the room holding the discussion. It was about 10 to 3, and there was a line. Seeing how small the room was from an open door I had a moment of panic; would they be able to fit us all in? Fortunately, I managed to get a chair way off to the side. Unfortunately, from where I was sitting I could barely see the table with our panelists. There were five women seated up there, one of whom was an editor for Rue Morgue magazine, and she was the one who led the discussion. The four panelists consisted of Elizabeth Miller, a former professor and an expert in vampire literature; Nancy Kilpatrick, who wrote the Power of the Blood series; Karen Dales, who wrote Angels of Death; and Karen Armstrong, who wrote Bitten. (I could not see Ms. Armstrong at all from where I was sitting. Only when she leaned forward could I catch a glimpse of her.)

Despite my visual problems it was a very interesting discussion. The authors had different ideas on what makes a vampire a vampire, like whether or not to focus on the horror aspect of it or the fantasy. Many points were brought up that I hadn't considered before, like the vampire being the only acceptable portrayal of the alpha male or alpha female in fiction, or that some publishers argue that when a democrat is president then vampires are popular, whereas if a republican is president werewolves are in. Many of these writers were not big on the romanticizing of vampires, like in Twilight ("Sparkle Vampires"). Their argument was why bother making Edward a vampire if you're going to take the bite out of him? (Hear Hear) I was very impressed with Ms. Miller in particular; I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who knows as much about vampire fiction, and particularly about Dracula, than her. She shed light on a few pieces of information I didn't know, like how Dracula didn't really become famous until the 1920s, long after Stoker had died, and that Stoker definitely did not base Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, only borrowing the name. I may have to read her book.

When the floor was opened for questions most people asked the authors what they thought of different versions of the vampire story from books or TV shows. We actually went over the time limit, and another event organizer had to kick us out.

I spent another hour back in the show room, taking one last look around. So many people were in costume (anime characters, a few Princess Leia's, a few Disney princesses, super heroes, a Doctor Who, a Halo soldier, a Pikachu, etc.) Looking at t-shirts my pick for the best slogan was "And then Buffy staked Edward. The End." So many cool things, but eventually, perhaps inevitably, my stamina had worn down. So a little after 5 I took one last look and then left the show room, making the slow accent to the surface and natural light, to rejoin the real world and all the Jonas Brothers fans roaming the streets of Toronto just as I was leaving.

So now I'm back home; the pink has been washed out of my hair, the glitter and mascara taken off my eyes, and I'm sipping on my can of Slurm as I type. My signed book is resting in my Expo bag, and I have shown it to everyone who will look.

All in all, it was an awesome day, and an awesome experience. I will be back next year. Maybe I can get the whole weekend off.

Was anyone else working the Expo this weekend? Have you ever been to a convention like this? Feel free to post your thoughts. Oh, and here's a couple more shots.

Fan Expo 2009 - Day 1

And so it has happened, at long last...my first sci fi convention.

But not just sci fi. Oh no, that would be too easy and too...generic for Fan Expo, the largest convention of it's kind in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Not only sci fi, but also (hold onto your hats) horror, comics, manga and even gaming. In other words; total sensory overload.

I'd been looking forward to this for weeks. I'd never even heard about it before, and for the life of me I can't imagine why, until a colleague mentioned it one unassuming day at work. And I realized quickly that this is one of those things that I just couldn't put off to next year; I had to see it, be a part of it, asap. So tonight I and my roommate Andrea, who I wouldn't describe as a sci fi, horror, comic, manga or gaming geek but who was curious about the experience, hopped the subway to the Toronto Convention Center.

Once we found the right building, got our tickets in order and I got my deluxe pass badge, we found the main hall...and as soon as I set foot inside I couldn't stop myself from saying "Wow" out loud. There was just so much to see, far too much to describe here, but if you can envision vendors everywhere selling everything from comics to collectibles to t-shirts to DVDs to trading cards, as well as promotional booths for game demos, movie studios, and even a big display area for Tron: Legacy of all things, you'll start to get the idea.

I gotta admit when I first got to the main hall I wondered if I was in a little over my head. All I could see at first was manga and gaming, neither of which I'm too familiar with. But after a quick look at the show program we realized we were just in the wrong spot. The other genres were further on down. Once I found horror, comics and sci fi I was like "Oh yeah, all is right with the world", and the rest of the night was smooth sailing. Andrea got a Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital t-shirt (all House fans should get that reference, and if not then shame on you). I got my picture taken with True Blood vampires (I think I look pretty bad ass), scored a Supernatural tattoo, saw so many people walking around in costume I lost track of all the different characters and I got to see celebrities like Lou Ferrigno, Emma Caulfield, Beau Bridges, Linda Hamilton and Mary McDonnell in person! We were even able to take a break and watch Big Bang Theory, which they were screening in the Warner Brothers section on several television screens. Not bad for one evening.

I'll be going back on Sunday, and I'm hoping to look around some more, participate in a panel discussion and/or demonstration and generally get my geek on. My main goal however will be to get Bruce Campbell's autograph! I've already picked up the ticket tonight, and apparently they've been selling like hot cakes. (Though when I told the guy behind the counter that I already had something for Mr. Campbell to sign he asked point blank, trying to be funny, "It's not your boob is it?" A class act all the way. Andrea informed him that I had to leave something to the imagination.)

People, a giant leap has been made in my pop culture identity. Now I can officially say that I've been to a convention. Check that off the list.

Keep your eyes open for my post on Day 2. In the mean time take a look at the pictures I've included here; more to follow.

"That's weird. It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone."

You know, I almost don't even need to write this post.

'Cause really, what could I possibly say about this that hasn't been said already?

But I'll say it anyway, just because it makes me happy and it's my blog. The Twilight Zone rocks! (And I'm talking about the original 1959-1964 series, not the two revivals that I'd never even heard of until just tonight when I did some research.)

Even if you've never seen an episode, Rod Serling's pivotal sci fi masterpiece has been referenced and imitated ceaselessly ever since it first aired fifty years ago. You've very likely seen something from The Simpsons (as in many of their Treehouse of Horror stories), Family Guy, Saturday Night Live, etc. that's been lifted from Twilight. Shows like The Outer Limits are direct decedents of Mr. Serling's new-strange-tale-per-week formula. Books, film, radio, etc. have all entered the twilight zone. There's even an amusement park ride at Disney World, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (which I got to revisit last February, and it still left me a quivering mess after I got off it).

When this show is good, it is really good. Thanks to DVDs at my library I've been watching so many episodes I haven't seen yet, many of which have rattled me to the point that I don't watch the show after dark anymore. I recently read that Mr. Serling wanted to use more social commentary in his work with television, to have his own shows to express his political views, but the censors back then were not keen on the idea. So he ended up disguising those view points as sci fi tall tales; pretty sneaky, but boy did it work. Many episodes leave you feeling jarred and unsettled, not only initially but also if you really stop and think about them. While Mr. Serling and company's stories reflect the issues of the early 1960s like nuclear war, many of their themes can be relevant to today's concerns, like terrorism, paranoia and global disasters. And not only did the stories of The Twilight Zone usually mean something, but they also dealt with so many facets of the sci fi genre.

Episodes like "Time enough at last" and "Two" took a look at different scenarios when the worst has happened (in those cases nuclear apocalypse). "Third from the sun" and "The Invaders" used new twists on outer space alien stories. "The Fever" dealt with the subject of addiction. "The Shelter" and "The Monsters are due on Maple Street" illustrated that humankind can destroy itself far better than any outside force ever could. Other episodes covered death, time travel, space travel, the future, robots and a plethora of sci fi subjects. Episodes like "Eye of the Beholder" had awesome twist endings, while episodes like "Nightmare at 20 000 feet", "To Serve Man" and "It's a Good Life" just scared the crap out of you.

And let's not forget the guest stars, actors and actresses who ended up on Twilight before going on to greater fame. Cloris Leachman, William Shatner, Carol Burnett, Robert Redford, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds and many others all had early career performances on Twilight episodes. Other actors had late career performances on the show, like Mickey Rooney and Buster Keaton. That's a lot of star power.

Truly, this is TV at it's very best; entertaining and thought provoking. Emmy winning and critically acclaimed, Twilight Zone still packs a wallop after all these years, and the name has become synonymous with the idea of stepping into an alternate reality, or just having weird things happen to you. It's opening music and Serling's beginning and ending narration are instantly recognizable. It's earned it's place in pop culture time and again.

There, for what it's worth, I have sung it's praises yet again. Now go watch it and see what I mean. (Oh, and bonus points to whoever guesses where the quote that is the title of this post comes from.)

Book Review: The Graveyard Book

Recently (after having to return it to the library part way through and because it takes me so long to read a novel) I finally finished Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. Huge! I have read the entire Sandman chronicles, Coraline, Marvel 1602, A Study in Emerald (a great short story with a twist, which you can find here), as well as various picture books and short stories. And Graveyard does not disappoint, though admittedly the premise sounds a little macabre.

The story centers around a boy called Nobody Owens, who, believe it or not, is raised in a graveyard by the ghosts and other creatures of the night who inhabit it. The reader follows Bod on several instances throughout his unusual life leading up to a very dramatic climax.

Now for someone like me, who doesn't mind stepping into the slightly darker side of fantasy (see my recent posts on vampires), I found this premise very intriguing and I felt that Gaiman pulled it off well, keeping everything in that fantasy world but still believable. For those who may balk, I think that you'll find the characters endearing enough and the plot interesting enough to look past the setting. Plus, as Mr. Gaiman said in a recent interview, the whole point of the book is that life is worth living, and I got that sense as I was reading through it. And I had to keep myself from crying at the end.

My verdict: An excellent read, but it'll depend on what your tastes are

Quick Update: EW corrects it's Vampire list (sort of)

A few days ago I posted a complaint about Entertainment Weekly's list of the 20 Greatest Vampires and the unforgivable absence of my favorite, Spike. Well, apparently other EW readers agreed with me and wrote in (which is what I should really do if I'm going to complain like this). The August 21/28 issue just came out and includes a short list of the vampires that didn't make the cut but readers thought should have, and Spike is on there. Yay! Other vamps that readers felt got the short end of the stick included Blacula, Frank Langella's Dracula, Barnabas Collins, Count Vladimir Dracula from Love at First Bite, and Mick St. John. It's a small gesture of contrition on EW's part, but I'll take it.

By the way, still haven't seen True Blood, but I now have a poster of Eric set as my laptop's wallpaper. He's doing the finger pyramid of evil contemplation. I really need help.

Glee is coming! Can it live up to the hype?

With September just around the corner and my summer programs wrapping up at the library (finally!) my thoughts have turned to what's coming up in the fall as far as movies and television are concerned. Like the autumn harvest, the fall season also brings with it a new crop of TV shows vying for Nielsen ratings and your viewing pleasure. One show that has already caught my attention, thanks to a special sneak peak at the pilot episode back in May, is Fox's Glee, and chances are you've heard of it too, thanks to an aggressive ad campaign and early positive buzz. Created by Ryan Murphy, who brought us such gems as Nip/Tuck and Popular, Glee brings us into the world of a high school glee club in Ohio, and the teachers and students who make up the club, as well as the teachers and students who look down on it (I don't ever recall hearing about a glee club when I was in high school, so I'm guessing this is an American thing, but correct me if I'm wrong).

When I saw the preview in May there was a lot of stuff going on in my living room with my room mates plus sound problems on that particular station, so I missed a lot of what was happening on screen. Regardless though, I took notice right away. My eyes even welled up during the final scene. This episode was funny, poignant and above all else musical! Not many shows out there pull off that kind of combination. Plus, how could I hate something that stars one of my favorite actresses Jane Lynch as the evil cheerleading coach Sue? Can't do it.

So I was pretty bummed when the trailer for the rest of the season aired after the pilot and declared the return of Glee in September. September? I and my room mate realized we'd have to wait over three months to see more! Not cool. But I have waited patiently, and bought the single for their version of "Don't Stop Believing" from iTunes. But lately I've realized that all I've heard this summer is how Glee is going to be the hit show of the fall. Commercials have been running consistently, it's been announced that two, count 'em, two soundtrack albums will be released in time for Christmas, the cast has been doing press tours; I mean, only one episode has aired. It's pretty brassy to make such bold declarations of an entire series after just one episode. Some shows have been cancelled after one episode (Osbournes:Reloaded and Emily's Reasons Why Not to name just a couple). Take it from someone who has fallen in love with so many TV shows only to have them cancelled on me after too short a run (RIP Pushing Daisies, Keen Eddie, Brimstone, Life on Mars, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Firefly, etc.), the television industry can be a fickle you-know-what, as well as television audiences.

So just tonight I re-watched the pilot episode of Glee, which is available on globaltv.com. Honestly, to me, it was even better that second time, now that I could watch it without distraction, and I still welled up at the last scene. What hits me the hardest about this show is the message that you need to do what makes you happy and you need to be involved in what you're passionate about, no matter what other people expect of you or what other people think of you. That's a message that often gets lost in the shuffle of economic troubles and the general sense that you're not good enough if your life doesn't meet a certain standard. If this show can continue with this message while still delivering great story lines, lots of laughs and kick-ass musical numbers, then we'll have something really special on the fall schedule this year. And hopefully audiences will embrace it as well.

Besides, I've already decided that Will should leave his wife Terri and get together with Emma the guidance counsellor. Take a look at the pilot episode and see if you agree. Glee returns to Fox and Global September 9th.

Plenty of love for the Undead, but what about Spike?

Imagine my excitement when my August 7th issue of Entertainment Weekly was waiting for me in my mailbox after a tough day at the library. Right on the cover, up top, in big bold white type was the word "Vampires". Eeeeh! (I shrieked excitedly, hoping the neighbours didn't hear) Not only did this issue discuss the most current vampire craze with interviews from popular vampire writers, there was also a list of their choices of the the 20 Greatest Vampires of All Time! Happiness...overload...

I've been a fan of bloodsuckers for...well, forever. They've always been my favorite movie/book/TV show monster with their effortless sexuality, rich mythology and bad-boy-hiding-tortured-soul archetype. And boy howdy are they hot at the moment. With the Twilight series still discussed ad nauseum (I still take requests for it at the reference desk), the show True Blood heating up HBO and more vampire projects coming out of the woodwork the undead have staked a firm claim in pop culture right now.

So as happy as I was to see this issue, there was one colossal error that I must address. Their list of the 20 greatest vamps was really good, with mentions going out to some obvious picks like Edward Cullen and Dracula (four different film versions of him actually), newer selections like Bill and Eric from True Blood (which I haven't seen yet, but there's much debate over which of the two is hotter, and I gotta go with Eric right now) and others both famous and more obscure. Their pick of Lestat from The Vampire Chronicles as number one surprised me, but I decided their reasoning was sound.

But there was, to me, one gaping absence from the list. No Spike. No Spike? Spike, one of my favorite reasons to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then the last season of Angel did not make the list at all? Angel was number 7, but no Spike? Come on! Not only was he gorgeous with his bleach blond hair, cocky sneer, British accent and trademark black duster he was one of the most complex and fully rounded characters on the show. Who else can you name, vampire or otherwise, who could go from timid poet to punk bad ass, from big bad to comic relief, from villain to hero, soulless killer to soulful lover, all within the run of the series and still stay believable and remain a fan favorite? Not many, that's for sure.

Ah well, you can't win them all. Maybe he was number 21. But I've said my peace, and we can all move on. That's one big reason to have a blog in the first place. Any favorite vampires you hoped made the list? And does anyone agree with me that Spike deserved more love?

My ipod Top 10

There is no way I can properly emphasize how much I love my ipod Nano. Seriously, it cannot be done. Over 1400 songs, music videos, TV shows, audio books, podcasts, it's green color, the special Harry Potter engraving on the back my mom and dad put on it when they gave it to me for Christmas last year. Love it. It's completely me.

A while back I read an article by Stephen King about the most played songs on his ipod. Out of sheer curiosity I decided to check my listings last night and see which songs got the most play, and I was surprised by the results. So in case anyone is looking for new music suggestions, here are the top 10 most played songs on my ipod.

1. "Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne: At a whopping 58 plays and counting this is the clear winner. To me, it provides a jolt that just makes you want to march out onto a stage in front of thousands of people. (See the video on YouTube here.)

2. "Fruit Machine" by the Ting Tings: A fun, quirky number with a thumping base line, funky keyboards and a great guitar solo. What more could you want?

3. "Jingle Jangle" by the Archies: The kind of song you play on a sunny day when you're just feeling happy with the world (though I recently found out that the 'female' parts on the chorus were actually sung by the male lead singer. Wouldn't have ever known.) You can find the original 1969 cartoon music video here.

4. "Girlfriend" by the Darkness: A joyful burst of a song. I dare you to put it on and not start running and dancing all over the place like a crazy person. Speaking of crazy, how about Justin Hawkins' vocals? He hits high notes I can't and I'm a girl! (Click here for the video)

5. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by the Pet Shop Boys: A very catchy, moody, effortlessly cool number. British New Wave at it's finest.

6. "We Are Happy Landfill" by Gorillaz: Not many people know this track, as it was not featured on this virtual band's two studio albums but on their D-Sides. This song is what happens when you mix hard driving rock with circus sound effects (trust me, it's so much cooler than it sounds. Listen to it here and see)

7. "Weeping" by Josh Groban featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo: One of the main reasons I play this one so often is because I try to sing along to it while I'm practicing, which is very hard to do. Heartbreaking and powerful, beautifully sung by Groban et al.

8. "Ramalama (Bang Bang)" by Roisin Murphy: I saw a choreographed zombie dance to this song on a recent episode of So You Think You Can Dance? and I've been playing it almost nonstop ever since. One of the best drum beats I've ever heard. See the original SYTYCD performance from season 2 here.

9. "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" by Scissor Sisters: This has been a favorite of mine since grad school. You can check it out here. For a song about not dancing it is just so danceable. Plus Elton John provides the piano! Awesome.

10. "From the Stars" by White Lies: The White Lies music has been heavily influenced by big- sounding 80s bands like ABC (one of my all time favorites). This particular track lays a sad story over sweeping violins and hard driving guitars. Very haunting. Give it a listen here.

So a fairly eclectic mix here, but still all me.

If you have an ipod or an MP3 player I'd suggest taking a look at your most played songs. You may be surprised by the results. Feel free to post your findings here in the comment section. I'd love to see what makes your lists.

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock (yeah, you read that right)

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

Yes, that's right: Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock! (try saying it three times fast)

I realized I had to include a posting on this, in case anyone hasn't heard about it yet. It came up a while back on Big Bang Theory, and it's a complicated but hilarious take on the go-to method for solving conflicts. The game's rules can be found on the left, or you can click here for a clip from the show about it (then go nuts with an unsuspecting victim).

Rest in Peace John Hughes

Film director John Hughes, who brought us such classics as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off has passed away this week at just 59.

I'm still working my way through Mr. Hughes' films. So far, of his high school movies, I've only seen Ferris and Pretty in Pink, but the humor, intelligence and pathos of Mr. Hughes' work struck me to the point that both movies now sit on my DVD shelf. Growing up I've also watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles (a hilarious and touching odd-couple), Beethoven (great big dog), Home Alone (still a childhood favorite) and 101 Dalmations (the live-action version; great fun). I have yet to get through all of the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, but Christmas Vacation is one of my absolute favorite holiday films. I've been meaning to see The Breakfast Club for some time now, but considering how highly regarded it is for both teens of the 80s and teens today it will be a film worth seeing. Readers, what John Hughes movies have you seen, and are you able to name a favorite?

Mr. Hughes, you will be missed. Thanks for making movies people of any age and any era can watch and relate to.

Idol's back in January, but will I be there?

Well, it's official. Paula Abdul is leaving American Idol.

The announcement was made yesterday, and honestly I'm not sure how I feel about it. Though Paula was my least favorite judge (at least until Kara DioGuardi came on), and if anyone had to leave I'm glad it wasn't Simon, she at least offered some positivity to the show, and she was one of the cornerstones that has been there from the beginning. I'm afraid it's just one more nail in the coffin of what was once one of my favorite reality shows.

I didn't start watching Idol until season 5, but I was surprised by how quickly I was hooked. Not just hooked, but spending a couple of days with a knot in my chest as I waited to see if my favorite was going home. While that intense infatuation has since wained, I have been a loyal viewer over the last three seasons. But mounting disappointments and confusion over the shows direction has really put a dent in my viewing pleasure. Even before Paula's announcement, I was considering not tuning in for season nine.

Let me give you a brief history of my Idol love affair.

Seasons 1-4: Didn't tune in. Heard about it, know who the winners are but didn't watch it at all. Wasn't interested.

Season 5: Decided to give it a chance, and was almost instantly a loyal viewer. This is still my favorite season, and the most successful season for the show to date. A great top 12 (though at times you really wanted to smack Kelli Pickler upside her head), but the final showdown between Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee was a nail-biter for me, not just because Taylor was my favorite from the get-go, but because it was an interesting observation of music industry politics. Who would win; the pretty songstress who looked and sounded like almost every other pretty songstress out there right now, or the grey-haired blues man who was, gasp, a little unique? I think America made the right choice on May 24th, 06, and Taylor is still my favorite contestant ever.

Season 6: A good season, but not one I found particularly captivating. I can barely remember who the finalists were. Two big let-downs though. First was the horror that was Sanjaya Malakar, who for some unfathomable reason made it to 7th place. Then my favorite for that season, Melinda Doolittle, went home in third place. What the heck? So we were down to Blake Lewis, a beat boxing dude with a lot of character, and Jordin Sparks, a sweet girl who was once again like almost every other singing girl out there. Jordin won.

Season 7: The good; the introduction of musical instruments to the performances.
The bad; Kristy Lee Cook butchering Lennon/McCartney week by turning "Eight Days a Week" into a hoedown.
The good; Syesha Mercado making it to third place, despite the judges constant attempts to label her "Broadway"
The bad; Amanda Overmeyer trying to carve a place for female rockers everywhere, and deservedly placing 11th
The really good; David Cook, my favorite for that season, winning the title and becoming the first rocker to win American Idol

Each season had it's ups and downs, but by and large it was good times all around.

Then season 8 came along...and so did the changes.

First, they added Kara DioGuardi to the judges panel, even though they did not need a fourth judge and as far as I know nobody asked for one. Though Kara was likable enough she proceeded to offer nothing of value to the critiques of the contestants, and then she helped write the God-awful winner's single "No Boundaries" (all of the winner's singles have been bad, but I can usually tolerate them and often download them. Not this time.)

Second, they completely overhaul the semi-finals, increasing the number to 36 contestants instead of 24, and asking Americans to choose their favorites after only one performance each. And then the judges wild card picks during the final week completely second-guessed America's choices (and the judges gave me a heart attack when they almost let Tatiana Del Toro into the top 12, that shrill, shrieking, hysterical, drama-queen. What were they thinking?)

Third, the top 12 became the top 13. What?

Fourth, the "Judges Save" was introduced, the option for judges to, at least up to the top 5 and only once, veto America's vote and save an outgoing contestant. While this was much touted, it was not used until week 6, and was used on Matt Giraud, who you knew was not going to win, so why use it at all?

But the real travesty, the real reason this season struck such a sour chord with me, had to do with the final week, when the winner was crowned. Despite the unnecessary changes and the general sense of manipulation and cynicism you got from the show, there was one bright spot, one reason that kept me watching; Adam Lambert. The glam rocker was someone you'd never seen before on Idol, someone with looks, charm, originality with his music, and singing skills that could blow the roof off the place all rolled into one. Everyone was talking about him. He was the face I saw on all the magazines. He was the breath of fresh air Idol really needed. Then the finale aired, we all waited with anticipation and...he lost.

Kris Allen won. Kris Allen won? Don't get me wrong, I think he's a fine musician and he had some great moments this season. But you stand him next to Adam Lambert and he's as boring as dry toast. How did he win? There's a lot of theories, like some phone company teaching Allen fans to speed text or that America wasn't ready for a gay Idol winner. I don't know. All I know is that the one guy who had everyone watching didn't even win.

Am I being bitter? Am I acting like a scorned lover? Am I asking too much of a TV show? Perhaps. But I'm really wondering if I can go through with all of this again next year. I'll have to see how I feel in January. Maybe my hurt will have passed by then and I'll be missing the old Idol charm. Though without Paula, much of the magic will be lost anyway. Maybe I should give Canadian Idol a try instead.

Anyway, there's my rant. Boy, that was a long one. What do you guys think? Will you still be watching or has the love gone for you too? Do you think Paula will be missed?

My profile picture and what it has to do with Mad Men

Some of you may be wondering about my profile picture. Am I some kind of artist on the side? I wish. My latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (see their link on the left) provided a tip on a neat feature found on AMC's website for their show Mad Men, which in turn led to that little retro number you see on my screen.
I confess I have yet to see Mad Men. It has been highly praised by critics and the Emmys, but last I checked this drama about advertising execs in the 60s was still trying to find it's audience, and I'm still trying to find where it airs in Canada. But, given the chance to redesign myself as a classy 60s woman, as the show's website allows you to do, I jumped at it
The game is very easy to use, but because it gives you so many options to choose from to create your new look it also requires a lot of thought. First you have to decide of you're a "suit" or a "skirt" (not overly PC, but true to the time period). Then you select a body and skin type; trying to stick close to myself I went with pale skin and with the medium body shape. The thin body shape was way too thin and real women have curves, gosh darn it! You're then able to choose your hair color and style, your eyes, your nose (not too many flattering options in that category I must admit), your eyebrows and your mouth (cigarette optional). The best part was choosing the clothes and accessories, all great classic styles. What to wear, what to wear? I ended up choosing the fiery red dress with black gloves, pearls and a doughnut (What? I like doughnuts!). Finish off by choosing a background and then you can download your creation as a picture or as wallpaper.
It's a great feature, and I totally recommend it. You never know, you may be a closeted advertising exec from another decade. As EW says, you'll be 50% cooler. Go try it at amctv.com.

And so it begins... A small manifest destiny

A couple of things to know about me and why I decided to do this; I love to write, I love pop culture, and I love hearing what other people think about pop culture. What better way to combine it all than on my very own blog?
I am a total and utter geek; yes I admit it, and with pride. But it's sometimes hard to find an outlet for all of this geekiness. When I hear of a new show debuting that I'm excited about, or a movie coming out that I'm counting down the days until it opens, or I've seen a great doc about an awesome band, what to do? Now I know. Hopefully this blog will become an outlet for my excitement, my irritation, my fascination...really, for one of my true passions in life, and I hope all of you will become as excited as I am.
I'm a pretty sporadic writer, so I hope to show some discipline and write regularly, but we'll see. As I've said with my fan fiction profile (and no, I'm not revealing my author name, I need to keep some secrets), I won't ever put something online unless I'm sure it's good enough to be there, so that promise I pass on to you.
Anyway, now that that's said and done and we all understand each other, what's in entertainment news this week...?