Whedonverse Round-Up

It seems alum of the Whedonverse are everywhere these days, working with old friends, doing their own projects, and welcoming new stars into the cushy fold of "I once worked with Joss Whedon, and now I always have a job."


First up is James Marsters (Spike) who I last saw doing Torchwood, the Doctor Who spinoff across the pond, and making out with John Barrowman (totally worth watching.) Reports say that he's been signed on to play an important terrorist character in Jane Espenson's Caprica, in its turn a prequel of sorts to Battlestar Galactica. Jane wrote for James for years on Buffy and is either adding a little starpower to the show, doing her buddy a solid, or really sick of the whole casting process. From what I can tell of Caprica, they don't really need any more terrorists, but hey. Marsters is to play a guy named Barnabus Greeley, so that should be fun.




Gina Torres, the intimidating Zoe from Firefly and Serenity, and Jasmine, the eerily splendid God that saved the fourth season of Angel (in more ways than one), is apparently guest starring on Gossip Girl. She will be playing Vanessa's mother, some opinionated Vermontian who actually cares about her daughter. That's the second Whedon alum to be in Gossip Girl, the first being Michelle Trachtenberg as a super-bitch (so, not Dawn at all...right?) I've always been fond of Torres, and I only just learned she's married to Lawrence Fishburne.



Emma Caulfield, the hilarious and pitch perfect Anya from Buffy, has created her own webcomic called Contropussy. Seems to be generating quite a bit of buzz. She's also been doing a bunch of movies, including the indie TiMER which I'd like to see.



A warm welcome to the whedonverse to Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica, Horatio Hornblower), a longtime favorite of mine, who is guest-starring in the season premiere of Dollhouse. In it, he marries Echo, or whoever Echo is that episode, while she investigates him for some kind of wrongdoing. Might not be the best career move, but I like the idea of him and Joss becoming friends. Who knows what could happen?




Other than those more recent news, the Buffy season 8 comic plods on, production wraps on Joss' new horror film Cabin in the Woods, Sarah Michelle Gellar screens her pilot of The Wonderful Maladys to HBO execs and prepares for labor, and David Boreanaz admits a fear of roosters. Also, the wonderful Nathan Fillion, who's excellent show Castle begins its' second season soon, visited Chicago Comic-Con and personally admired a Serenity replica made by a fan:

Summer Reading

After joyously rereading all 20 novels of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin saga this summer (and the unfinished transcript of the 21st) I had a dream that there existed a lost, unpublished book in the series. Alas, my dreams are often deep-felt wishes rather than prophesies, so my quest was stillborn and I moved on to other worlds.

As posted before, I finally read the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. martin, A Game of Thrones. I had owned the first book for about a year, collecting dust on my desk with a dozen other unread novels, but the news of HBO making a series out of these stories motivated me to finally start it. (Warning: some spoilers ahead.)

So I did, and I tore through it, and then the second, A Clash of Kings, and then the third, A Storm of Swords. I don't much care for the titles, but the first two were good. They read quickly, were full of action, and I truly cared for at least half of the characters. The third, however, fell into that familiar trap that bestselling, unfinished series fall into (think Harry Potter, Twilight.) Martin added about 500 pages to the average length, slowed down the pace to something nearly interminable, and heaped endless amounts of misery on the characters I loved.

The only surprising and skillful feat accomplished in the third, was to endear me to Ser Jamie Lannister, the child-murdering, kingslaying, incest-loving rogue. I did not expect it, and certainly resisted it, but his growing friendship with the androgynous, stubborn, loyal, female warrior Brienne of Tarth was the catalyst to a newfound respect. That and his chopped off right hand changed him remarkably, imbuing him with unexpected pain and honor. The final scene between him and his dwarf brother Tyrion was rough and emotional, and in the end frustrating as their ties of blood and affection seemed to sever for good. The book left the Lannister's half-destroyed and fractured, the will of the Gods some would say, and I'm unclear how things will progress (generally, a good sign in a fantasy series.)

My favorite character by far is Arya, the young Stark girl who has proven a survivor and a warrior, adopting several identities as she fled from enemies on her way back to her family. She's lived several lives in the course of the series so far, yet not one has brought her joy, nor reunited her with any of her (mostly all dead, now) family. Still, I feel the most eagerness when her chapters arrive.

My second favorite is Jon, the bastard of the family, who endured many unexpected plot twists himself, and has risen to a leader's status in one of the few happy developments of the book. I am also heartened that his direwolf, Ghost, returned to him at the end, as he is one of the few remaining Stark children to still have their wolf's protection and friendship. I thought Arya and Nymeria would be reunited as well, but I suppose that's an event for a later book (hopefully.)

Now I've begun A Feast for Crows, which has started very slowly and seems fated to make me plod through unenjoyable characters (the Greyjoys are boring as hell), and more and more darkness. The only boon is that I heard Arya plays a big part in this book, as only half the characters from the previous one are used (it being a sort of two-parter with the upcoming fifth.)

I only pray that some good fortune will emerge, some victories and happiness. It is a dreary thing to commit to a fantasy world and only encounter tragedy. I've never understood the writer/creators' tendency to spend hundreds of pages building and examining a character's psychology only to have them meet a bloody and perfunctory end. Yet I continue to read, so there must be something that draws me back. It's either Arya and Jon, or a stubborn need to know how things end/progress once I've invested so much time and energy into the story. Maybe I should read some Dickens instead, whose stories are no strangers to tragedy, but with the (at least personally) integral trait of having a happy ending.

There's nothing like a depressing ending to make me hate a story. (Hear me Joss.)

November Comic Solicitations

Love when these come out. DC and Marvel both preview comics and storylines that are a few months away. Not only is it a tasty cover treat, but you get some hints about how current stories are resolved and what comes next (for instance, Emma is back in white and on the team, duh, and Namor seems to be sticking around. Also Magneto is back, and Matt Fraction hasn't been fired for some reason.)

Find X-solicits here at Comic Book Resources, and DC ones here (at the same fantastic and helpful site...got any jobs left CBR?)

The DC ones look better (they're really pulling ahead these days, and not just cause of Blackest Night...not that I'm not into BN, but it feels like it's gonna go on forever, in an anticlimactic sort of way) so I've included a few covers I found most interesting.

Blackest Night #5 is noteworthy, not because we find out who's in charge of the Black Lanterns ("Nekron"? Really?) but because we see what the main cast of characters is (most likely) at this point in the series. (Huzzah for Connor and Bart!) It seems the characters who have died and returned are what scares Nekron and William Hand. But I guess we got that already with the brutal murders of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.



Hopefully Justice League of America will be less sucky come November, and this Blackest Night tie-in has promise. Dr. Light (the hero, scientist, and hard-ass chick) versus the resurrected (kinda) Dr. Light (villain, psycho). It's not just their name-battle I wanna see, it's what Kimiyo Hoshi would do to a rapist. Should be sweet.



And finally, despite having a Blackest Night: Titans miniseries, Titans itself is having another tie-in. I've never felt fully invested in Roy/Red Arrow, but the nice thing about him was his love for his daughter, born from him and a genocidal, now-dead villain named Cheshire. Of course, the dead will rise, or are rising, etc. etc. and some domestic turmoil is bound to ensue. (It's a good thing little Lian knows how to use a bow and arrow already.)



Enjoy. When it comes to comics, sometimes the anticipation and speculation is better than the real thing. (Anyone else ever get a post-Wednesday depression slump? Maybe I read them too fast. Or maybe they don't write them well enough....Mr. Fraction.)

So check out comicbookresources as often as you dare. I always find good stuff there.

Downey Jr. To Play Vampire Lestat?

According to Bloody-Disgusting, a new Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles novel is set to be scripted, filmed and released by Universal Pictures. They've even confirmed Robert Downey Jr. is in talks for the lead role of Lestat (Tom Cruise's character in Interview.)

I recall reading and watching Interview with a Vampire, and I recall not finishing and not watching Queen of the Damned, but as for the other 8 novels in the series, I've got nothing. Vampires are much less interesting when they're broody and long-winded, and not metaphors for humans to fight against.

Still, Downey has proven to be the guy to breathe life back into genres and franchises alike (though I'm very, very skeptical about this Sherlock farce coming on.) Whether or not he does the project (my advice is no, Rob) he's clearly number one in the big-little Hollywood world, so I suppose congratulations are in order.



Mostly I just can't wait for Iron Man 2.

Megan Fox is Growing on me

An inspiring public service announcement from the star of the upcoming Diablo Cody horror/comedy Jennifer's Body.







hat tip House of Eratosthenes (check out Girls in Bikinis Reading Star Wars) via Smitty from Rule 5 Sunday

Mad Men Returns Tonight

The hit show beloved by everyone from Michael Savage and Debbie Schlussel, to any and all anonymous tvguide.com writers, premieres its' third season tonight on AMC. The new episode is titled "Out of Town."


When last we saw the Ad men (and women) of Sterling Cooper and their families, the firm had been bought out, Peggy dropped some baby truth on Pete in her new corner office, Joan got raped in Don Draper's office by her doctor fiance, Betty got it on with some guy in a bar, and then came home to her shaky marriage with Don to confront their third pregnancy.


It's hard to believe when you watch the show that so much happens. Generally I'm content enjoying the outfits, the smoke, the sets, their voices (Don's voice, really) and waiting eagerly to see Peggy smack-down some male dominated paradigms.



Suffice to say, it seems to be getting better, and as we go deeper into the '60s, the size and fury of societal change is going to be hard to ignore. Makes for some interesting television.



Also on tonight, Defying Gravity, the new ABC science/fiction space drama show, with a premise eerily similar to Ron Moore's earlier summer flop on SyFy, Virtuality. The effects are sweet, the story is kind of slow, but the lovely Laura Harris (of Dead Like Me and Women's Murder Club) makes up for it, at least in my book.


And if you've been smoking crystal meth for the past 22 hours, be sure to catch True Blood on HBO, where I'm sure some women will be beaten, some sex will be had, some orgies will be forgotten and some hearts will be cut out and eaten in a souffle. You'll love it.

Canceled

Saving Grace: Not sure why TNT would cancel one of its' highest rated programs, nor one of its' best written ones, but it has. The current season will be extended, with remaining episodes to air next summer (drag it out, why don't you.)



I quite like this show, and am upset by this seemingly premature ending. Holly Hunter is fantastic and the rest of the cast are pretty stellar. Sometimes it gets a bit dark (childhood trauma, kidnappings, vicious lesbian beat downs) but its balanced by some really exceptional laugh-out-loud humor (mostly in the form of increasingly elaborate pranks the PD officers play on each other.) Otherwise the interplay between a basic cop procedural and a spiritual odyssey is masterful and engaging. And Grace Annadarko, with her instincts, her faults, her fierce loyalty, could be easily watched for five more years. The Closer keeps getting new seasons, so why not this one? Shame on you TNT, especially for sticking with Raising The Bar and other shlockfests instead of this gem.


Reno 911: Nooooo! So long running and continuously funny, I recently thought the show was immortal. Curse me for a Jonah, an ill-luck bringing cove. The show has been definitively canceled, and I'm pretty sure the season that aired this year was the last we'll get to see.

Hopefully the comedians who helm this fine farce, mostly grads of the cult famous The State, will continue to get work. After all, Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter keep getting shows, why not these blorks?


For more from these guys, check 'em out perfectly spoofing Point Break at Cinemash. (Channing Tatum doing Dirty Dancing is pretty choice too.

Rush Limbaugh to do Family Guy

At least that's what reports are saying. Not sure I believe it.

Apparently Brian (the dog) gets tired of being a liberal, decides to try something different (which is also creator Seth MacFarlane's explanation.) He starts listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio (who supposedly sings) and Karl Rove also enters the picture.


I'm not very squeamish at all when it comes to humor, or gore, or sex, or anything for that matter (product of my generation?) but many times I've found Family Guy decidedly disgusting. There are certainly things that make me laugh (usually Stewie) but mostly I see formulaic writing without much merit, just shock value (and that tendency to, every episode, use a super extended awkward pause to try and get a laugh...which just ends up seeming like a 5minute content filler.)

Still, it's one of Fox's highest rated shows (right?) so I can see Rush not backing down from the offer and taking advantage of the huge, young audience. 'Course, Rush has more listeners than any show or movie has viewers, but I bet after the episode there will be an upsurge of college kids tuning into the EIB (Excellence in Broadcasting) network. Too bad The Goode Family got cancelled, he could have given them a ratings boost.


Either way, now I've got something to call in and ask about at noon today. It's Open-Line-Friday folks, and he's gotta talk about whatever we want (I just have to get through Snerdly.)

Final Crisis Fallout

In Red Robin #3 this week, Tim Drake stands in a graveyard and tries to explain to his good friend Cassie (Wonder Girl) why he feels so different. She believes it's just the death of Batman that has him out-of-sorts, but Tim doesn't even think he's dead.

No, instead we find out, that in the gory dark crapfest that was Final Crisis, our dear sweet Robin was captured and covered with one of Darkseid's Justifier helmets. He heard the Anti-Life Equation.

I'm not sure this makes sense. Granted, Robin wasn't in Final Crisis. At all. So he could have been anywhere. And he was acting all tortured in Battle for the Cowl, but that could just be chalked up to grief for Bruce.

More importantly, in the pictures in Red Robin #3 that show him being caught, and helmet-ified, he's wearing his old Robin suit with the added cowl. He only put that cowl on after he had been pretty badly burnt, when he went to fight the new Anarky at the end of his own now-dead Robin series. And THAT fight, that whole arc, took place after Batman died, when Tim was trying to calm the gang warfare and violence that erupted in the wake of Batman's disappearance.



So it doesn't add up right? If he has the cowl on, Bruce is already dead. Bruce died at the end of Final Crisis, and Robin fought the gangs to restore control, thus putting on the cowl.

I suppose there is a small window of time here, in the very last issue of Final Crisis. But I don't like it, not one bit. Grant Morrisson already killed Batman. He had him use a gun and then fried to him a crisp. Did his depressing storyline have to directly touch Tim? Who has already had so much grief and pain? Did he need that stupid suicide-inducing equation to make him more complex, or troubled? Starfire is dealing with he same issues over in Titans, but she's going to a psychiatrist and freaking out....also we actually saw her in Final Crisis, but never Tim.

No. In my opinion, this is the first misstep in the so far stellar work of Chris Yost on this series. The kid's lost pretty much everything you can lose, and now that Blackest Night is here, he's going to have to fight and talk to his dead, homicidal, resurrected parents. Isn't that enough torture?

Andrew Klavan on William Wordsworth

Lovely, fantastic article by Andrew Klavan on Wordsworth's life, poetry, and growth from a liberal to a conservative. Read the whole thing.

"The imagination as Wordsworth conceived it was then and remains now an antidote to the misguided translation of science into moral philosophy. Though the post-Newtonian reason-worship of the poet’s time is in some ways the polar opposite of the post-Einsteinian relativity of ours, they’re both built on a single error. Both attempt to transfer the mathematical certainties of the purely material world to moral structures, allowing pseudoscientific theory to overrule the moral wisdom of free individuals and their traditions. What Wordsworth saw was that moral reality was neither subject to absolute reason, nor random and relative, but a slow processional interplay between the facts of creation and a human mind that was at once a part of that creation and its continual cocreator. In some sense, if we must have a scientific correlation, Wordsworth, along with Blake and Keats, developed an artistic anticipation of the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum physics: an idea that reality is both independently extant and a product of the human consciousness that perceives it.

Giving a new centrality to that inner human experience conferred—as Wordsworth understood—a fresh legitimacy on the Western tradition and its elevation of the individual and his liberty. The “inward eye” is not only, as Wordsworth wrote, “the bliss of solitude”; its essential role in the moral order provides a rationale for the individual’s demand for life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness because it is these that lead him, generation by generation, toward greater truth and beauty. Both sweeping utopian governance and relativistic tolerance of self-strangling cultures ultimately become equally violent and oppressive because neither can accommodate the imagination’s solitary cry of “I am—and I will be free.”

A Song of Ice and Fire

As previously promised, I am posting about the first novel in George R.R. Martin's famous series, A Game of Thrones (about to be made into an HBO series this fall) which I recently completed.

The story was fun and rather good. The writing was deft if not brilliant, and the structure of every chapter being focused on a different character, advancing the plot from all sides and never looking back, is simple and ingenious. The only problem is, I didn't like every character, and the feeling of "Oh god, this one? Alright, let's just get through it, and get on to the good stuff" is never really appreciated.

Some deaths were surprising and not entirely welcome. The details and history were rich, but not diverse or too interesting (mostly just war and long family trees) and the religion of this world was sketchy and unconvincing. Perhaps it's expanded upon in the sequels (the first one of which I've already gotten from the library, which says something in itself. Whether I get to number 3 or 4 remains to be seen.)

It's not as original or serious as the Earthsea novels. It's not as sweeping and romantic and with an infinitely diverse and convincing history as Kirith Kirin. It doesn't have the metaphors and endearing characters of The Chronicles of Narnia. Compared to these books it's kind of like a good cousin; more a beach reading novel than true literature, but engrossing all the same. And it is completely more readable than the Lord of the Rings.

There's nothing like a solid fantasy series to get yourself lost in. I recommend giving it a shot, especially since the HBO version will be here next year. (And now that I'm done, I'm very eager to see Jennifer Ehle as Lady Catelyn.) Winter is Coming.

A Superboy and Krypto Pic

I cannot wait for Adventure Comics #1, coming out tomorrow. The return of Connor Kent, and his days growing up in Smallville with his Superdog, following in Superman's footsteps.

Written by Geoff Johns and drawn by a very talented new guy, Francis Manapul, it's sure to be great. Mostly excited to see long awaited reunions with Tim Drake and Cassie.

Here's a pic to tide us all over for one more day, as posted on The Source:


Lovely, lovely. Welcome back, Connor.

Also premiering this week, the new Batgirl. Who is she? We'll know soon enough. My money's still on Stephanie Brown (Spoiler). Seems it's easier to get a cowl under Dick's Batman than Bruce's...less strict. Huntress probably would still be Batgirl if it were up to Dick (though after news of her drunken threesome, who knows?)

V is for Obama

Washington Post, that bastion of bullshit, has a rundown of news concerning the ABC network and its upcoming shows. Mainly, the November pilot/premiere of the show "V", a re-do of the 1983 miniseries, that chronicles the invasion of Earth by an alien race known as 'The Visitors.' (And yeah, that's Scott Wolf.)



Looking just at the facts, there is certainly meat for a strong article here. The aliens come to Earth in human form, apparently, and use words we respond to, words we know and want, to manipulate us into trusting them. Sound familiar? Okay I'll expand: "hope", "change", "universal healthcare".

Morena Baccarin (the lovely Inara from Firefly and Serenity) plays the aliens' ambassador, well versed in human history and politics, and in portraying her character she has tried "to embody what everybody of every nationality and need wants to see. At the same time, you have your own agenda."



The creator of the original series, Kenneth Johnson, described the show as a political thriller intended to display the rise of a fascist movement in the US. The similarities of the original to the Nazis are numerous as well, with swastika-like symbols, persecution of scientists, youth programs, and heavy-handed propaganda.

The show is premiering a year after Barack Obama's triumphant election day. It was conceived during the Bush administration, but Obama was an everpresent public figure for about the last two years. The aliens come to our world and say they can fix it, pointing out our deficiencies and offering fake hope in order to gain support. It seems to me the allegory is pretty clear.

Still, the Post writer, Lisa de Moraes, try to pass it off as a farce, accusing the showrunner of equivocating and 'lacking verve' during the press junket. She goes so far as to slip her own awkward unfunny jokes in, poking holes at him like the stalwart Obama protector she probably is, to no avail as any point her article hoped to make disappears in her own petulance. At two different times she describes the responses of the writers/producers as "Bette Davis haggling over terms with studio suits" and Mariska Hartigay's face when she's lied to by a molester on SVU. The criticism even went to comparing Obama to an alien as the height of ridiculousness as one reporter persisted in asking if they would be comfortable with the "birthers" claiming the show as their own.

In short, I wasn't really interested in this remake. (It's written by The 4400 guy and I never got into that.) But I might check it out for the political commentary, and for the Firefly alums its got (Alan Tudyk is also a star). But I sure as hell won't read anything from the Washington Post unless I absolutely have to.

God Grant Me a Good S.W.O.R.D.

Marvel has announced at Chicago Comic-Con that S.W.O.R.D., the secret intergalactic defense government organization, created entirely by Joss Whedon and John Cassady in their now historic run on Astonishing X-Men, is getting it's own series. It will feature Agent Brand (the green-haired half-alien Beast-loving leader) and Sydren (the red alien minor telepath), both of which Joss created. Joining them will be X-Men's The Beast, Brand's boyfriend, and Lockheed, who worked as Brand's secret agent in the X-Men and who, now that Kitty Pryde is Missing In Space, has nowhere else to go apparently (except the pages of Pet Avengers.)


The image they released is also drawn by John Cassady, who will be doing covers, and who does the greatest covers in the world (Astonishing, Planetary, etc.) The writer and main artist are less well-known to me, but check out their interview at CBR here. One point of interest is how they're writing Lockheed; as the "Wolverine" of the team, considering how bestial and angry he is at the loss of Kitty.

S.W.O.R.D. stands for Sentient World Observation and Response Department, the more aggressive, bigger picture, extension to S.H.I.E.L.D. and they operate in a space station in Earth's orbit called The Peak (expect some beautiful pictures of it.) As far as storylines go, I'm curious about two things really: whether or not they will deal with the whole Shi'ar/Inhumans/Kree/War of the Kings stuff going on out there, and whether, with Lockheed on board and a feeling of some responsibility (she saved the entire mission singlehandedly) they will begin the search for Kitty Pryde.

We all know she's not dead, just cheaply cliffhangered into a temporary oblivion by Whedon (who claims to love her more than anyone, and expresses it by inflicting pain and quasi-death on her. Get a new shtick man.) If neither of these stories are touched on, I might just not pick it up. Though I'd love to live in a room entirely plastered with John Cassady art.

A Special Thanks

...to that master of the web, that pundit with panache, Smitty at The Other McCain, for including me in yesterday's Rule 5 Sunday.

Superpowers That Be experienced a deluge of traffic, an avalanche of hits, and few things are more satisfying than watching that number climb.

So thanks again Smitty. Those weekend Rule Round-Ups are an inspired idea, and truly generous.

A Game of Thrones

With the news that George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels are about to made into a HBO series, I've decided to finally read the first book, A Game of Thrones, which had been sitting on my desk for about a year (bought in those ubiquitous moments of weakness listening to the advice of Amazon.com and what other books I would enjoy based on my already way-too-large purchase.)


I'm going through it at a good clip, which says something of the writing I suppose, and am about 200pages in but undecided. Counter-intuitively, since the final page count clocks in at around 700 (sheesh!) the story reads rather fast, with each chapter told from the point of view or focus of different main characters, never mired in long-winded descriptions or summaries, the many plots proceeding briskly.

However a few elements rub me the wrong way, and they mostly have to deal with the antagonists. You can discern the villains from the heroes pretty much immediately, but the extent of their cruelty is rather too much, and stomach-turning at that. Knowing you will have to follow the characters for another 500pgs makes the reading of their duplicity and spying and maneuvering and brutality wearisome, since they are very one-dimensionally evil. Not only do you long for their defeat prematurely, but they don't have even a glimmer of a redeemable quality, nothing to endear or interest you (like Dumas' shrewd Milady, for example.)

Secondly, their barbarity is not limited to wetworks, as it were, and Martin includes a sizable number of sexual scenes not for the squeamish. Earnest lovemaking, and even the occasional rape by a villain, can be expected in a fictional Medieval type of world. But they're still pretty gross and detailed. And to add to the discomfort, it seems every villain enjoys incest, which aside from being nausea inducing, is wholly unnecessary, as you already despise them and know they're the bad guys. All it does is make you wonder about the writer, who at one point is a distant, imaginative man enjoying the rich world of his creation, and who then suddenly is a very present, rather perverted, pent-up voice using his characters for some kind of catharsis. Oh, to be an editor.

I doubt HBO will include the incest in their series, but honestly I'm probably far off base. With a line-up like True Blood, Hung and that polygamy show, one can't really count on them for decency. Still, they seem to assembling a stellar cast. Sean Bean will play the part of the main good guy, Lord Eddard Stark. He's not at all what is described in the book, namely cold, thin, pale and severe, but he's a good actor so I have faith. His wife, Lady Catelyn, will be portrayed by Jennifer Ehle, the love interest of Jeremy Northam in the film of AS Byatt's Possession. I have only seen her in that one film, so I picture her as sweet and romantic, which isn't really Lady Catelyn at all. As a character, she is strong and clever, but at times rather a cruel bitch, especially to her husband's bastard son. (It's not his fault how he was born, you wench.) Peter Dinklage has a prime opportunity as the resident dwarf of the cast, Tyrion Lannister, who is wise and overlooked (as all fictional dwarfs seem to be.)

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what they make. If anything, it proves that producers have recognized the fanbase of fantasy stories as a veritable moneypit, and are looking for series that will satisfy the craving. (Might I strongly, strongly, suggest making Kirith Kirin into a movie? Best. Book. Ever.) After all, they already have made a Game of Thrones trading card game, board game, and role playing game, so I suppose it was just a matter of time.

I'll post again when I'm further along, or done, with the first book, with a more solidified opinion and a desire, or disdain, for the next two in the series. If you've already read them, please leave a comment or shoot an email if you'd like to discuss them. Happy Sunday.

Buffy Movie Posters

From heropress.net, by way of comicbycomic, comes a fictional taste of what a Buffy movie advertising campaign would look like. Very, very well done.




While the comic (series 8) drags on and continually disappoints, the Buffy love we all harbor does not diminish. These posters show not only that there are fans out there still praying every day for a return of SMG to the role, but that the deep abiding love for the characters will probably be there forever.

Take a hint, Mr. Whedon. Drop the Dollhouse and go back to what you were best at. I'm sure SMG would be up for it, if you approach her with respect (do you hate her cause she's a Republican?)

Geoff Johns

The talented Geoff Johns is everywhere these days. He resuscitated Green Lantern, relaunched Teen Titans, and re-birthed the Flash. Now his epic crossover event Blackest Night has begun, and he is basically the counterpart to Brian Michael Bendis at Marvel--that is to say, the main creative force of the DC Universe.

There is a recent interview on Comic Alliance which he tweeted was the best interview he has ever done, so I thought it was worthy of linkage. In it, he mentions his sister's death years ago in the horrible explosion of TWA Flight 800, and how it affected him (according to Wikipedia he created the character Stargirl, who shares his sister's name Courtney, around her.) He also mentions the death of Michael Turner, fantastic artist, great guy and dear friend, as another source of grief and anger, and how these personal experiences fed into the writing of Blackest Night (which is very, very much concerned with death.)

So far, I've become quite the fan of his. And I am very, very glad that he is in charge, as opposed to Grant Morrison. He seems to love to write, and we are all the beneficiaries of his obsession.

TV News

-The sci/fi cartoon Futurama, by Simpsons creator Matt Groening, is returning! Fox has brought back the show with its full, original cast (due to fan pressure).


-Paris Hilton will guest star on Supernatural, and only God knows why (or possibly the devil.)


-Victoria Beckham is replacing Paula Abdul as the third judge on American Idol, or possibly just guest-judging like she did on Project Runway (which returns this month...finally.) Perhaps it was the sitting-on-Mexicans that ended things for Paula. Regardless, it took me awhile to remember that Posh was ever anything other than a famous stylista married to the much more beautiful British Brad Pitt. (Beckham over Brad any day, by the way.)


-Jennifer Ehle (A.S. Byatt's Possession) is set to star in the TV adapatation of epic fantasy series/novel Game of Thrones by R.R. Martin. She is joined by the rugged, ubiquitous Sean Bean and numerous costars including Peter Dinklage.

Red Robin #3 Preview

My favorite hero continues his solo run in Red Robin #3, where Chris Yost carries us on Tim Drake's quest to find out what really happened to Batman. And in doing so, he flashes back to post-R.I.P./Final Crisis time, and the grief and conviction that Tim experiences when faced with the loss of his adopted father. Featuring his Titan teammate and inappropiate kiss-buddy Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl, a hero well-versed in losing loved ones (though her's is due to return this month in Adventure Comics, courtesy of Geoff Johns.


See the other preview pages here, at DC's shiny blog The Source.

And get ready for Tim's appearance in the Blackest Night: Batman miniseries. Having lost his mother and his father, in addition to Batman, and the recently un-deceased Superboy and ex-girlfriend Spoiler, he's got plenty of zombies to look out for.

A Pump Action Blast to my Heart

I'm not particularly fond of Eliza Dushku. I rather grew to love Faith, and thus I followed her, watching her crappy horror movies and thrillers, all the way to Dollhouse, which was what decided me against her (and temporarily against my hero himself, Joss.)

So when I heard she was lending her voice to a video game, I figured it was more of the same lame. But the trailer's been released and, whether or not it teases what the game actually is, it's certainly different. Take a look.

Video Games | Wet | Shot At Love Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Pretty fun. Though I really don't understand the enormous popularity of musicals. The Buffy one was fantastic, but Doctor Horrible was barely watchable, and it seems everyone's taking the idea to heart, as if it were original.

Regardless, let's keep Eliza in the role of a hardened kick-ass. She can pull it off, and really, that's about the extent of her range.

True Lies part deux?

Apparently James Cameron is directing a sequel to the 15-year-old smash hit True Lies, and, according to costar Tom Arnold, Governator Schwarzenegger is set to star. Filming begins the day after his gubernatorial seat expires.

Read the article here.

No word on Jamie Lee Curtis returning, or, for that matter, Eliza Dushku who played the couple's slightly-klepto daughter. However, Curtis is known for the respect she gives to the cult hits/franchises that made her a star (such as starring or guesting in all the Halloween sequels throughout the decades) so if Arnold's there, I'm betting she will be too.

Horror Previews

Aside from the recently released The Collector and upcoming A Perfect Getaway, as summer enters its second half and fall moves steadily closer, more and more horror movies are being advertised. Despite the recent trend of remakes, a hefty group of original horrors are appearing on the menu.


First up is Diablo Cody's follow-up to Juno, a comedic horror called Jennifer's Body. The star is Megan Fox, whose vapidity and attention rather annoys me, but after watching the trailer I am certainly willing to see it. Especially since the costar/protagonist is Amanda Seyfried, whom I will always cherish as Lilly Kane from Veronica Mars. Fox is a hot, popular girl at high school (duh) who has been possessed by a demon after a rock 'n roll group uses her in a ritual sacrifice gone bad (twist). As a result she craves human flesh apparently, and begins easily picking off the boys at high school who worship her. It's up to her plain Jane friend Needy (really?) to stop her. Release date: September 18th.





Cameron Diaz and the hunky James Marsden star in The Box, based on a Richard Matheson short story "Button, Button", (which in turn was made into a Twilight Zone episode,) in which a married couple, short on money, are given a mysterious gift, the titular box, within which there is a button. A severely scarred Frank Langella explains the choice; push the button and get a million bucks, the catch being that someone, somewhere in the world, whom they don't know, will die as a result. Release date: October 30th.









Pandorum is a space-set horror movie, about two crew members who wake up alone and with no memory, and then find they're not alone. I'm eager to know more plot lines, and a bit scared by the tension and darkness of the film, as well as being familiar with the stellar acting abilities of Ben Foster. Release date: September 18th.





Unfortunately just a direct-to-DVD release is all that's been given to the long awaited Trick 'r Treat, a series of horror vignettes set on Halloween night, starring the likes of Anna Paquin (in a red riding hood pastiche) and Brian Cox, with a little Tahmoh Penikett thrown in. By all accounts this movie is fantastic, and I have been eagerly awaiting it for well over a year. (It was made in '07.) Release date: October 27th.




Although not yet filmed and not set to come out for another year, a picture has been posted as a promo for the movie Priest. It stars Paul Bettany as, well, a priest, who has turned away from the Church to kill and pursue vampires that have stolen his niece. Sounds pretty frakkin' awesome. Release date: August 2010.


As far as TV horror goes, Dexter's newest season premieres soon, in which he juggles the joy of serial killing with the responsibility of fatherhood. I mostly watch this show because his sister (now wife in real life...weird) is the best character on the show, plus they seem to love having big name guest stars who are themselves serial killers. (This year it's John Lithgow.)


Aside from these, the sequel to Rob Zombie's Halloween remake is upcoming (check out a good interview with him here at bloody-disgusting.com), a mostly-female slasher called Sorority Row is on its way (or possibly came and went, I'm not paying attention), a remake of Nightmare on Elm Street starring Jackie Earle Haley is in the works, a genocidal virus movie Carriers, and the certainly not to be forgotten Zombieland (release date, October 9th):









The final word is reserved for The Descent 2, the sequel to the chilling and terrific all-female spelunking horror movie from the writer/director of the also solid Dog Soldiers, Neil Marshall. This movie has been pushed back on several occasions, and I have no idea when it will finally come out, but when it does, I'll be there.

X-Men Exodus

The climax of the X-Men/Dark Avengers crossover "Utopia" has been previewed on Comic Book Resources. The one-shot issue titled "Exodus" apparently features the knock-down, drag-out, long-time-coming fight between the X-Men and the Dark Avengers. (I don't see too many of the Dark X-Men in the preview, except for the strange Omega Man who's power seems to be killing other mutants unintentionally.)

A few of the match-ups seem inspired and necessary, like the offspring of Wolvie duking it out, or Hawkeye/Bullseye facing off with a death metal Archangel. Less fulfilling is seeing Northstar portrayed as a douche again, paired up with Dazzler and despite super speed not fast enough to avoid a slash from Dark Beast. Still it looks like my kinda battle scene, and even if no dialogue is added I'll be pretty happy. Only thing better is if "Exodus" translates as the team leaving San Francisco. (That city's not good for them, no, nor for anyone. Westchester misses them.)


The issue is released on September 9th, written by Matt Fraction (who will hopefully make up for what's been a rather weak, even cliched crossover so far) and superbly, beautifully, enchantingly drawn by Mike Deodato.

Marvel's Blackest Night

Most people know about the current DC supercrossover Blackest Night, that tri-yearly event of bringing together as many superheroes as possible into one storyline, and charging 4.99 an issue, that both of the major comic companies love to do. Thankfully, the current DC x-over is penned by Geoff Johns who seems, unlike Grant Morrison, more interested in bringing heroes back from the dead than killing them (although Blackest Night #1 might have already proven me wrong.)



The idea of Green Lantern power rings that cover the entire color spectrum is novel, and has been well-executed, but the final addition of a black ring that raises the dead, turning long-fallen heroes into heart-eating zombies is brilliant. A simple conceit in which an infinite amount of old stories and characters can be rehashed, in a completely new world, bringing a healthy dollop of horror into the standard good vs. evil epic showdown. (And let's be honest, horror has never been more popular, nor more rich in storytelling as a genre, as opposed to cheap scares and gratuitous sex.) It was such a rich idea, I wondered what reaction the folks at Marvel were having, whether Bendis was ordered to perform some alchemy with the foundering Darkest Reign titles.

As it often turns out, competing companies or studios come out with a similar (or exactly the same) idea at the same time (Antz and A Bug's Life anyone?). Now, as revealed at San Diego Comic Con, Marvel has their own Blackest Night in the works.

A crossover (shocker) between three X-titles (X-Force, New Mutants, and X:Men Legacy) will begin coming out in the fall. The arc is titled Necrosha (really?) and will feature the B-level psychic vampire Selene, mostly a lil' Pheonix/Rachel Grey enemy, and her lapdog Eli Bard. These two have harnessed the Transmode Virus, or possibly the Legacy Virus...well, some kind of mutant virus, and have resuscitated dead mutants and infected them with it, controlling them as one would control an army of zombies.


The X-family has had their share of horrible deaths, perhaps more than most even, and is certainly ripe for zombie-fication. For instance, the heart wrenching loss of young Doug Ramsey, which so many of his compatriots still feel, is certainly going to be played on, at least judging by this leaked picture:


The timing, however, leaves something to be desired. Blackest Night will be wrapping up around the fall, and were Necrosha to begin this summer then perhaps fans could say "Oh wow! Isn't it funny how good ideas occur to different people at the same time? It's some kind of spontaneous evolution!" Now it'll just look like plain thievery, and the only decision left to make is, as long as the story is good, do you really care?

Whatever the state of the last arc of X-Force, Chris Yost is a good writer, who has proven it in the past and even now with Red Robin. In addition, Mike Carey has done a wonderful job with X:Men Legacy, and having proved his extreme love and respect for the X-Men's past, I can only look forward to what he will do when that past confronts the present. (Read their interview with Newsarama here.)

Here's to the emotional power of intimately known zombies, whatever universe they may come from.

Dollhouse Galactica

The two shows have been linked since Dollhouse began, with Joss recruiting the hunky noble Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) to play the hunky noble and much more boring Paul Ballard. There is also the connection behind the screen, in the writers' room, as Buffy alum and close partner of Joss, Jane Espenson, became a much valued top-of-the-food-chain writer on BSG in its final years.

As commented on here before, discreetly and with much respect, Joss' nepotism is growing balls-to-the-wall outta control, the shameless infernal arrogant sod. However when it comes to actors I like, familiar faces who cult-y hits have endeared to a viewer, I can easily get over it.

For instance, it has been revealed that Jamie Bamber will be guest-starring in the new series. Don't know who that is? Allow me to refresh your memory:



Known primarily as the fighter pilot Lee Adam, call sign Apollo, on Battlestar Galactica, he is also fondly remembered as Lieutenant Archie Kennedy in the Horatio Hornblower miniseries. (And, unfortunately, the trite, PC, toxic Law and Order: UK alongside Freema Agyemen, aka Martha Jones of Doctor Who.)

Joining Bamber in Dollhouse, though not necessarily on the same episode, is Michael Hogan, another BSG vet. I'd include a picture, but Saul Tigh was rather old (especially for a cylon) and I don't want to destroy the nice lingering taste of that Bamber towel picture.


Dollhouse seems to be really piling up the guest stars. From Joss' own phone book, a few Whedon alum are expected to show up this coming year, including Alexis Denisof (Wesley on Angel and the baby daddy of Alyson Hannigan's new little rugrat.) Joss has also hinted at the possibility of Summer Glau joining the show, if possible, on at least a temporary basis. And since I'm an equal opportunity blogger, and I want R.S. McCain to link me, I'll contribute a pic, the product of an inspired photo shoot that even I can appreciate.



In short, I approve of the reusing of beauty or talent. But its bears repeating that the extended family of Whedon writers have neither, and Joss would be far more well served if he were to do the dirty work himself, writing and directing like he used to, or at least hiring some tried and true writers from the halcyon Buffy days.

TV News and Film Reviews

Doctor Who:

Aside from the already reported return of River Song (Alex Kingston) in the new series of Doctor Who which has only recently begun filming, yet another returning character and actor can be revealed. BBC announced that John Simm will be returning as the Master.



It seems like an obvious tactic, the bringing back of recent recognizable characters, meant to convince those who need convincing that Matt Smith is, in fact, the Doctor. For my own part, I am waiting for his first full episode to make any distinction, but the inevitable continuance of so many already known relationships and plot lines, while comforting, smacks a tiny bit of doubt. As in, without Tennant, Davies or even Piper, Steven Moffat is worried his own stories and completely original creations will stand up on their own, and satisfy his ravenous BBC audience.

Considering the quality of Tennant's final specials (well, the ones that have aired, at least) I don't think he needs to worry. It seems this franchise will get massive ratings no matter what kind of show they put on. But one can hope that some of the freshness, and earnest originality from the first two years will return with these old favorites.


It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

This show, which has never failed to make me guffaw or giggle, or perpetrate some other audible laughing variation, and which torments one with its fairly short seasons and even longer hiatuses (hiati? haiti?) is now coming out with a direct-to-dvd movie length feature!
The Christmas special comes out in November (17th?) and will certainly hold me over till the new series premieres (in which, apparently, the gang tackles the economy, with Charlie marketing "kitten mittens" and Dee applying for surrogacy until she has an octomom situation on her hands.) Being such renowned and natural do-gooders, I am positive the holiday movie will warm the heart...mostly by a lack of oxygen as your sides begin to split. The Friends gang was also a bunch of assholes, they just never admitted it.

(Hat tip: Forces of Geek, obviously.)



Film:


For movie reviews, be sure to check out Debbie Schlussel. She sure knows how to rip into the clunkers, which is always entertaining, but when she truly loves something it makes you that much more certain that you need to see it. (And she's not even the slightest bit squeamish when it comes to horror or sci/fi and of the other so-called lowbrow genres.) This week she tears into Funny People, and praises some foreign stuff. I'm especially fond of her for loving Drag Me To Hell, and even having Harper's Island on her amazon favorites widget.