Season Four Saturdays: The Unicorn & The Wasp

(With this review, I'm returning to the no-spoiler policy. No plot points will be discussed)

Now this is much better.

"The Unicorn and the Wasp" is the kind of story that, even if I felt evil enough to spoil, I wouldn't - it's that good.

Written by Gareth Roberts, who penned last season's "The Shakespeare Code", this episode doesn't cover unfamiliar territory in Doctor Who (our example: the Davison-era Black Orchid, the last purely historical story, coming to DVD in August). What it does do is a fine balance between humor and horror, between wit and suspense - and manages to do so without compromising one or the other.

It's also a pretty tightly written episode - it doesn't feel as if too much information is crammed into forty-five minutes. It has some genuine laugh-out-loud moments, at least one moment that feels like potential foreshadowing...and Christopher Benjamin.

That's right - the man who helped the Third Doctor fight killer apes and a mad scientist at a refinery. Who also featured prominently in one of my two favorite Fourth Doctor stories. Who was also very prevalent in The Prisoner. It's worth it just for his performance, straddling the line between blustering, self-parody, and charm.

However, this semi-historical story (featuring Agatha Christie and, by extension, the circumstances surrounding her mysterious disappearance) has done something that I never expected - it's made me want to seek out and read Ms. Christie's work. There's tons of meta-commentary, in-jokes, etc...yet it all doesn't seem unrealistic, or self-consciously clever.

All in all, a great episode. Do not miss this one.

And next episode, Steven (expletive) Moffatt - my favorite new Who writer - starts a two parter.

RIP Harvey Korman

From his work on The Carol Burnett Show, to his star turn in Blazing Saddles (the first - and only - R-rated film I tricked my father into taking me to see after Mom said no), Harvey Korman made me laugh. That's the best tribute I can give.

Rest in peace.

Offered with Minimal Comment

Via fellow blogger/all around swell person Rich, here's the Minutemen picture from the upcoming Watchmen movie.

Personally, if this were done 1960s-Batman-tv-show style, I'd want a Minutemen movie.

Momwatch Is Over!

Hey, everyone,

First, a special thank you to John at Altjiranga Mitjina (or however you spell the name of his blog) for introducing me to the joys of Scribe Fire. Now, I have another way of posting to the blog...and it's kind of enjoyable. It's good to have another way to create content for the blog.

As the title indicates, Mom is home from the hospital - actually, home after calling me at 9 am, telling me to walk over and wake up my aunt in order to pick her up. I'll be giving her doctor a call, see if there are any really strong sedatives we can give her. After her surgery, she needs to get some rest...and allow her family to get some rest as well.

But enough of the snark - here are some various bullet points that don't even rank little Twitter posts:

• If you haven't already, please head on down to Comic Related - not only will you dig this month's TV Party, but in the forums you'll be able to help write a future column.
• Before all of you ask - yes, I have the new Doctor Who mid-season four trailer. However, I'm not posting it until 06/07 as part of Season Four Saturdays. Long story short - it's quite spoiler-riffic. So much that I would rather show it "in sequence" rather than disrupt those watching on The Sci-Fi Channel.
• Speaking of which, I'm watching seasons three and four of Battlestar Galactica concurrently. Although I love the lovely confusion of seeing how certain plot lines evolve...I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for everyone.
• A special shout-out to Facebook pal Warren Frey, who is co-host of the greatest Doctor Who podcast in Western Civilization. At some point, Warren, let's go beat up the hosts of Podshock for their lunch money.
• Finally, I'm thinking of taking this blog post and expanding it into an e-book. Any thoughts?

Coming soon: a review of Cloverfield. More Season Four Saturdays. Why David Hasselhoff is the greatest actor known to mankind. And a reevaluation of Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

(One of the previous items is a false item. See if you can guess which one?)

Up in the Ayre

(In the interests of full disclosure, a review copy was provided for this post)

Here's where I admit a deep, dark secret - sometimes, I'll find myself watching a rerun of The A-Team. I know, it's not the world's greatest drama, and it's irredeemably cheesy...but sometimes, I need good, old-fashioned escapist entertainment.

Remove a good amount of the cheese, and you have Ayre Force - a solid, extremely entertaining graphic novel that provides some great action movie thrills, fun dialog, and a strong wish that this would be a continuing series.

Admittedly, this is part of the Bodog empire, which encompasses poker, music, and mixed martial arts. This graphic novel is a very simple action adventure tale...and that is a compliment. The script by Adam Slutsky and Joseph Phillip Illidge contains not only your usual action movie-style wisecracks, but some interesting concepts (like an espionage agency co-sponsored by the United States and Canada). The art by Shawn Martinbrough is also good to look at...but the coloring, at times, looks off. I realize the team was trying to take an almost cinematic approach, but the coloring sometimes detracts, rather than adds, to the novel.

And the Bodog affiliation also leads to my second quibble...and this is more of a personal preference: the use of real-life people as "characters" in this novel. I realize that branding is important to a corporation, but in this case, it seems a little forced and awkward. (I've never really been a fan of media that provides fictional accounts of real people - if you're good, you're Kinky Friedman, who creates a great supporting cast that makes Friedman the detective enjoyable; if you're bad, you get Andrew Dice Clay in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. Luckily, this graphic novel lies somewhere in the middle, closer to Friedman's approach). Yes, maybe having gratuitous cameos by the Bodog "family" might be cliche...but I think it would be much more effective to have them interact with fictional "analogues" than the approach here.

However, there is one saving grace - proceeds from this book go to the Calvin Ayre Foundation, which deals with educating disadvantaged youth, environmental issues (including bear bile farming), and social development. Although it has some flaws, Ayre Force is the kind of graphic novel meant to be read on the beach....or on a plane flight...or even on a lazy afternoon.

It's the kind of book that delivers some really pure, escapist fun...and is well worth your attention.

And since it sets itself up for an inevitable sequel...when's the comic series coming out?

Recommended.

Season Four Saturdays: The Doctor's Daughter

(WARNING: Spoilers follow, with long-winded explanations as to reasons why this contains spoilers)

Personally, when I blog, I prefer not to include spoilers. Part of it is that I hate writing spoiler warnings, but quite frankly - I enjoy the challenge of being able to describe a work without needing to hit major plot points.

Unfortunately, I can't do that with "The Doctor's Daughter", because most of my quibbles hit directly on plot points . So, I have to spoil it, and I hate doing that. Even bad episodes deserve some measure of anonymity, some measure that allows for fans to make a decision for themselves. So if you do not want this episode spoiled, please feel free to move on, delete this from your feed reader, etc.

Of course, the short form is that I enjoyed this episode much better when it happened to Data...and was titled "The Offspring"....and appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Jenny, the Doctor's daughter of the title, really isn't - she's basically a glorified clone, created from the Doctor's genetic material. Yes, I am being a little fannish when I say this, but it takes away any real dramatic or emotional engagement - there's no real "punch" to the story. (Imagine an episode of My Two Dads minus Greg Evigan...on second thought, better not). There are some good scenes - some of the emotional fallout from the Last Great Time War, the implications that Time Lords are more than just biology, and Donna becoming more of a moral/humanizing element to the Doctor - but all in all, this is disappointing.

(In a way, I almost wish that Donna and/or Martha had been engaged to serve as a genetic "mother" to Jenny. It might have made for some more interesting dynamics, and some better storytelling choices. Even the departure at the end...lacks some punch)

It also has quite a few familiar - almost to the point of cliche - story beats. Let's count off the obligatory story elements that you'll see in this story:

• The Conflict/War That Makes No Sense
• The Denial That She's My Kid
• The Splitting of Companions Into Two Different Camps
• The "The Enemy Is Just Like Us" Parallel Scenes
• The Inevitable Bonding
• The Explanation That Seems to Make Sense, But Doesn't Really
• Not One, But Two Moments of Noble Self-Sacrifice
• The One Character That Still Doesn't Get It
• The "I-Won't-Kill-Because-I'm-Better-Than-You-Are" Speech
• The "She's Just Like Her Father" Moments

and so on, and so on....

Easily the most disappointing episode of Season 4.

However, next week's episode is a different story.

Feel My Skills, Donkey Donkey Donkey Donkey

Now that Mom's in relatively stable condition (and may possibly be coming home this weekend), thought I would review and comment on some key news items.

Just heard that Steven Moffatt will be taking Russell T. Davies' job in 2010.

First, congratulations...you've done a good job so far with your scripts for the show. Get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, 'cause you're going to need it. Plus, Mr. Moffatt, I have a spec script idea.

Our dearest condolences to Redhead Fangirl on her recent loss.

Also, take a quick gander at the blogroll - I've added Twitter pals Roscoe and A Comic Book Girl. Might as well spread the blog love.

And now, via Hulu, a videoclip that I've posted before, with my new personal mantra.

10 Things I Have Learned About Blogging

(A hearty shout-out to my fellow bloggers at the Chicago Bloggers Meetup! And no, it's purely coincidental that this note came up as our fearless moderator clicked in my URL. Nothing to do with Blogger's advanced posting function.)

Last week, I celebrated my fourth anniversary blogging, and a wise commenter suggested a post on the 10 things I have learned about blogging. Normally, I might do five things (based on another blog I read on a consistent basis)...but consider this two days' worth of five things in the same note. Enjoy!

1. Write About Things That Will Keep You Writing Tomorrow - Granted, writing about pop culture, comics, television, and movies may not make much sense for a community, health policy, and social service oriented person like myself...but at the end of the day, I would rather leave that stuff at the office. Blogging about them would get old very quickly. I'm interested in them...but I tend to leave work at work. I blog about stuff that keeps me blogging on a regular basis, that makes me want to continue blogging.
2. Good blogs involve a lot of "sweat equity" - If you're looking to get rich quick, blogs...aren't the best way. It takes quite a bit of time - creating and posting content, networking with other bloggers, figuring out the best approach, promoting your blog, etc. It's worth it - just be prepared for a lot of effort.
   
3. It Takes Awhile To Find Your Blogging "Voice" - If you read the first month's worth of posts on this blog, you can hear the "seeds" of how I write...but it takes awhile to really get in the groove, to find one's own perspective. Just look at the abandoned blogs versus active blogs, and you'll have some idea.
4. Data Is A Blog's Best Friend - I'm starting to play with Google Analytics, and have used Extreme Tracking and Technorati to determine how people are getting to my blog. It allows me to not only read other blogs (who may or may not refer me), but also track trends, and help me determine how to improve/maintain the blog's quality.
5. Writing Well Means Reading. A Lot. - As I'm leaving comments on other blogs (to promote the blog), I also come across a lot of cool blogs that share my interests. This is where a really good feed reader comes in - I alternate between Google Reader (for a variety of blogs that can wait) and Netvibes (to track my social networking, e-mail, and local oriented blogs). But the best way to write is to read, to actively engage my linguistic skills. And if you want free e-books, as always, I propose Librivox, which has tons of good stuff available for your review.
6. The Best Cure For Writer's Block Is to Stockpile Ideas - I make it a habit to carry around a small, pocket sized notebook and pen. When an idea hits, and I'm away from the keyboard, I write it down. Scribble a tentative outline, maybe even a blogging "schedule". This allows me to avoid the trauma that every writer fears: the blank page.
7. Proofread, proofread, proofread - This is one of my major weak points - I'm in such a rush to blog that I rarely, if ever, check for such important things as grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I guess it's time that I finally break down and invest in a copy of The Elements of Style.
8. Bloggers "Borrow" From Other Bloggers - No, I'm not suggesting that you take content from blogs and promote it as your own; that is plagiarism, which as I learned in high school is an academic crime. However, I have found tricks, widgets, memes, and other key pieces of information by reading other blogs. In addition, when I was deciding what to write about, it was reading two blogs - Something Old, Nothing New and Pop Culture Gadabout - that led me to realize "Hey, these are intelligent written blogs about what interests me...maybe this is something I can do as well." Plus, whether you're social bookmarking, using Twitter, Facebook, or Linked In...or even groups like Meetups or Netsquared, always get yourself out in the open. At best, you get a few new readers and or techniques; at worst, you meet some people and get some fresh air.
   
9. Don't Worry About the Other Side of the Fence; Water Your Own Darn Lawn - Whether it's discussing blogging platforms like Wordpress, Blogger, Moveable Type or Typepad; useful widgets, other features (like podcasts or forums), or even just content - it's easy to get hung up on what the other guy's doing well. Ask him or her how he/she does it, and do it yourself. The tools that you are most comfortable with are the ones that are best for you.
10. Behind the Monitor Lies A Human Being - Much of the reason why flaming and trolling are prevalent is that we often forget that, on the other side of the keyboard, there is a human being who deserves the same amount of respect, consideration, and dignity that we would wish for ourselves. Although, yes, it is quite tempting to get the temporary relief by using colorful, elaborate metaphors to describe former and current employers, former and current significant others, and/or fellow Internet denizens...it's always a good idea to take the high road. Online misbehavior can often lead to further complications in life, so you might want to avail yourself of the "save to drafts" option when in doubt.

Well, there's my online lecture for the day. Hope you enjoyed reading, and please - feel free to comment.

MomWatch 2008

Friday night. 7:00 pm. A virtual repeat of what happened back in October, right down to my leaving a specific temp assignment.

A call on my cell phone, garbled, but in my aunt's voice. A return call, and my aunt explains it explicitly - my mom started vomiting blood, and we needed to get to the hospital.

For those of you who are not in the know, my mother has had liver problems, including non-alcoholic cirrhosis, as a complication of diabetes. (Any cracks about my mom's drinking are cheap - my mother does not, has not, and never drank alcohol in her life). We knew going in that there would be issues - in fact, part of my aunt moving from Pontiac and I from St. Louis was because Mom would need better care. She's no invalid, but quite frankly...she could use all the help can get.

Last time, surgeons were able to put bands around the varicose veins in her esophagus to stop the bleeding. Now, however, they were going to have to go one step further, and perform what is known as the TIPS procedure. I'm no Polite Scott when it comes to explaining medical jargon - it's a relatively safe procedure, and it's "reasonable" given the state of Mom's health - but it looks good. It just means further reducing Mom's stress level (including the cousin who now considers herself an "adoptive daughter" than a niece).

But I'm letting my ragged feelings get ahead of me.

Right now, I'm doing fine - much better than during my dark night of the soul a few weeks ago. (Trust me on this). If you're reading, and are a long-term blog and/or Twitter pal - please feel free to offer up any positive thoughts, engage in your particular faith tradition's ceremonies, or just think a good thought for tomorrow morning.

But for me, no matter what happens, I'll always have this:

During aforementioned dark night of the soul (just some things that were pressing, and are now reconciled), I had asked my mother if, besides being an errand boy, if my presence was actually a benefit to her. (Yes, I admit - I was feeling sorry for myself. I let my worst feelings overwhelm me).

She told me that, yes, my being here in Chicago helped, if only because she didn't have to worry about me. That not having the added burden of wondering how I was doing 300 miles away was actually helpful for her, and allowed her to deal with other issues.

Regardless of what happens, I know I'll be all right. And also, I've queued some blog entries for the next week, so even if something posts, it doesn't necessarily mean I've "returned".

Thanks, and talk later.

EDIT - Due to various circumstances, Mom's surgery has been postponed until tomorrow. Please keep those prayers, good thoughts, and pagan rituals coming!

Tuesday Night Edit - Mom's gone through surgery like a trooper. She's asleep, and things look good. Thanks, everyone!

Season Four Saturdays: The Poison Sky

(As always, this is spoiler free. If you're looking for spoilers, you won't find them here. Now, go away, before we taunt you a second time)

And with this two-parter, Helen Raynor redeems herself slightly for last year's Daleks In Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks two-parter.

It was, in many ways, a good attempt to try to show another aspect of a classic Doctor Who monster - however, the episode's logical consistencies, the rather broad portrayals. ("I didn't know he liked musical theater" anyone?), and its reuse of themes from throughout the new series made it fall flatter than week-old soda.

Like I said last week, I cannot be objective about UNIT stories - even ones I don't like have something about them that I can appreciate. However, despite some rather clunky storytelling choices in the episode, it is quite a fulfilling end to a two-parter...maybe the best ending since first season's The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

Ok, that's pushing it, but there are several really cool things about this episode. I'm going to bullet point them here, because it would be close to impossible to discuss them without ruining the episode:

• Thankfully, an obligatory reference to Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, which serves to reinforce the point that...this ain't your father's UNIT. Quite frankly, I would love to see more General Mace/10th Doctor stories...but that's just me.
• A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment that is confirmed in the end credits.
  
• Some moments with both Donna and Martha that might seem like foreshadowing...but not in the way that you might expect. They were really good character moments.
  
• The big Sontaran/UNIT battle - hooo, boy, was I jonesing on this. I so wished that 1970s Who had these production values...and this level of scriptwriting.
  
• One of the key themes this season seems to be choices...and the Doctor seems to be gradually placed into making uncomfortable, uncharacteristic ones. Although there is a last-minute, almost obvious switch, it's...it would be good to see the Doctor come dangerously close to a bad decision.
• I hate evil boy geniuses. Can we not use that plot device ever again?
• The twist re: the Sontaran's "strategem" - it makes sense logically, but somehow, there's something in the way that it's revealed that seems hackneyed.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Dorian's take on this two-parter; like me, he's a Who fan who doesn't get obnoxious about it. (Or, in my case, "less obnoxious than most"). Fortunately, the series is going at a good clip - three excellent episodes and two fair-to-middling with no obvious clunkers (like, say, "The Long Game". Or "Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel". Or "Gridlock").

Next week, "The Doctor's Daughter". I hear it's going to crack the Internet in half.

Public Domain Drive In: Suddenly

A Presidential visit to a small town. A disgruntled veteran and his henchmen take over a family home. Hints of a conspiracy of powerful, shadowy figures to assassinate the President of the United States.

And all of this....in a seemingly real-time film from the early 1950s.

Suddenly is one of those films that is steeped in controversy - from its rumored pull from circulation due to uncomfortable similarities to the Kennedy assassination, to a colorized version that made "Ol' Blue Eyes" brown-eyed. However, in reality...it's a sharp (although somewhat clunky at points) thriller that seems extremely prescient.

So much so that I half expected Oliver Stone's name to appear in the credits.

The plot is relatively straightforward - a small-town sheriff, wooing a widowed mother of a lovable moppet, finds himself and his loved ones taken hostage by a disgrunted ex-con who was hired to assassinate the President of the United States. However, it also serves as a great meditation on violence, especially gun violence (one sequence in the movie...well, if you're comfortable with kids and guns, you'll love it). It would be easy to categorize this as noir, but the small-town setting and the rather bucolic (and some stiff) performances by the cast really dilute any real noir feeling.

And quite frankly, although Sinatra may get the accolades for his performance, Sterling Hayden owns this movie. Playing the sturdy hero could have been boring...but Hayden portrays him as a kind of Andy Taylor-meets-MacGuyver hybrid. For 1950s audiences, it must have seemed somewhat preposterous...but now, it seems rather cool.

Unfortunately, due to it being pulled from release, the movie fell into public domain...however, all that means is that, much like the Fleisher Superman Cartoons, you can get it inexpensively on DVD. However, since public domain means that anyone can distribute them...here are some resources for you to acquire your own digital copy:

Suddenly - Internet Archive

Suddenly - Torrent Downloads

Or, embedded for your viewing pleasure:

Four Years Burnin' Down the Road

Hard to believe, but I've been blogging for four years. I think we're supposed to get a medal for this, or something.

Anyway, for those of you who read, comment, or have even found yourselves here for "Doctor Who spoilers" (our new # 1 Google Search term, with "true lies strip scene" at # 2) - thanks for making it a great ride.

Oh, and be sure to head to Comic Related tomorrow for:

5 Reasons Why Doctor Who Series One is a Good Place to Start

Commenting on the review for The Sontaran Strategem, Stephen asked what stories I would recommend he rent via Netflix in order to get better acquainted with the series.

Yes, I could direct him to the DVD Guide...but I thought that this would be a great opportunity to provide five reasons why I think those new to the world of Who would enjoy Series One from 2005, featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor.

Ripping off another, better blog....here we go!

1. It's very new fan friendly, with minimal references to the past - Since the BBC had no idea how successful the relaunch would be, these 13 episodes would also work as a good, one-year season. There isn't the obnoxious referencing to the past that late DW tended to engage in, and these are episodes that tend to work well on their own. You get a thorough introduction to the Doctor Who "mythology" without worrying that you have to have seen every single
   
2. Christopher Eccleston's portrayal of the Doctor - Unlike the past, Eccleston doesn't portray the Doctor as a lovable eccentric. This is a guy who is traumatized by past events - a little more harder-edged (at one point, he rants, "I watched it happen...I made it happen". It makes, I think, for a much better, more easily accessible character than in the past.
3. His Unique Relationship With Rose - Unlike companions of the past, Rose Tyler's with the Ninth Doctor is unique in that there is a slightly humanizing quality that Rose brings. Although it is suggested that - at least with the Tenth Doctor - there is a romantic quality between them, here, it's played absolutely as someone trying to reach through to someone severely traumatized.
4. The Stories, For the Most Part, Work - Unlike the previous cliffhanger-style stories, most of the stories are well-written. (Although if you skip Aliens of London/World War 3, and possibly The Longest Game, no one will hold it against you). But you have Rose, The Unquiet Dead, Dalek, Father's Day, and The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances - half the stories sparkle, three are OK, and the above three are naff.
5. This season is already on PBS - several PBS stations, including Chicago, already have the rights to broadcast this. You might want to check your local listings - that way, you don't even have to rent them via Netflix!
   

And so, if you have any Who related questions, please feel free to drop them here.

For Mother's Day, Give Yourself...The Power of Tork!

Yes, it's Mother's Day, and it's time for you to discover the power within, the power to move towards your ultimate potential. It's time to discover....the Power of Tork!

He plays music. He answers questions. And he's way cooler than Jack Klugman.

So come, friends, and soak yourselves in...The Power of Tork!

Presented as a public service

P.S. This is what happens after I have a stressful week - I just get rather silly.

Season Four Saturdays: The Sontaran Stratagem

(Just a reminder, especially since a recent spike in referrals to this blog has been "Doctor Who spoilers" - these reviews are spoiler-free. Sorry for the inconvenience).

Unfortunately, this is not going to be an unbiased review. In fact, I cannot claim any objectivity in this regard.

I am a total UNIT fanboy. My first Doctor was Jon Pertwee - a chance enounter with Day of the Daleks as a youth led me to fall immediately in love with the UNIT era. Yes, at times it's a little campy - and despite its calendar problems, a little dated - but I love this attempt to match Who more in line with its roots in 1950s British science fiction.

But "The Sontaran Strategem"...well, I'm hoping that Barry Letts and Terrence Dicks are beaming proudly, because this is a great 21st century updating of their approach, using current concerns about global warming and environmental safety and mixing in a healthy dose of typical Who touches.

A young genius has invented a way to eliminate harmful gases from car exhaust, and has been installed on many cars throughout the world. A reporter dies under mysterious circumstances....and the Doctor and Donna find themselves in the middle of a UNIT investigation.

One of the nice things about this script is that as the viewer asks questions, the Doctor asks those same questions. It's not a dumbed down script - in fact, up until the ending cliffhanger, it actually respects the intelligence of the viewer. There's a meeting between Donna and Martha that reflects the pathos of the Rose/Sarah Jane meeting, but without any sarcasm and contempt. (In fact, at one point Martha shares a very touching little speech, encouraging Donna in a way that I'm sure Martha might have appreciated had there been the opportunity).

There's also a great initial chemistry with the new "Brigadier", Colonel Mace - there is some acknowledgment of the Doctor's past, but in essence (and this is a kind of spoiler) - the Doctor's been drafted. It is refreshing, however, that a new Doctor/UNIT story would have - and need - a great tension between the Doctor's relatively pacifist/non-violent ways and UNIT's more militaristic stance. (Although some acknowledgment of Lethbridge-Stewart may be forthcoming in the second part, "The Poison Sky")

And of course, this episode reintroduces the Sontarans - a race that, quite frankly, never really engaged me. (Like many, I found it hard to take seriously a race who looked like walking Mr. Potato Heads). But the script actually takes them seriously - yes, they're small, but they're brutal. Geared totally for war. Unafraid of death. In fact, one of the big questions of the script is inherent in the title...but that would be telling.

There are, however, two small glitches - a war chant that threatens to break out into this song, and a cliffhanger that seems, well, too logical to resolve, but that's minor.

I love UNIT. And I loved this episode.

And now, because I can, a picture of Martha Jones in a tub of goo:

Mixed Bag - The Directors Commentary

As a past - and current - participant in Lefty's Mixed Bag initiative, I often write a track-by-track commentary for each disc I create. This time, it's no different - if you're interested in a copy, please let me know. (I'll have mailed the Mixed Bag discs by now, so the participants get first crack, so to speak). The mix, "Shiny, Hardboiled and Full of Sin", was named after a Raymond Chandler quote. No overarching theme - just some good songs.

And so we go:

Intro: Harvey Birdman discusses constitutional law.

New Kind of Kick – Cramps: Lux Interior, in my opinion, is neck-and-neck with Iggy Pop as coolest - and scariest - [12 letter expletive with oedipal overtones] on the planet.

Ace of Spades – Motorhead: If your brain does not explode after listening to this track, you are one tough dude indeed. Featured on The Young Ones.

The Day the World Turned Day-Glo – X-Ray Spex: The irony of this song isn't that it's a great punk song...but the lead singer was singing her heart out, going full out...at 15 years old. If that doesn't impress you, I don't know what will.

Long Dark Twenties – Paul Bellini: Yes, the towel man from Kids in the Hall sings on this selection from the soundtrack to Brain Candy. It's kind of a cool tune.

Born in the UK – Badly Drawn Boy: It would be easy to describe this song as a British "We Didn't Start the Fire", but it's not. It's an under-three-minute gem that you'll keep playing over and over again. Thanks to mp3s, you don't even have to worry about wearing out your player or the track.

I Can’t Decide – Scissor Sisters: Ok, Dorian, Lefty, Greg, and Russell - I'm starting to warm up to the Scissor Scissors. Never mind the fact that this was featured in the final episode of Doctor Who series three. Happy now?

The Wedding of Bouncing Boy – Yoyodyne: I'm not sure if I got this from the Accordion Guy, or one of the two Legion blogs I read. But it's a great track.

She’s So Young – Pursuit of Happiness: At 20, I thought this song had nothing to do with me. At 40, I realize it has everything to do with me. Mellow, but insightful.

Chihuahua – Bow Wow Wow: The best Blondie imitation that you never heard...until now.

Bang & Blame – REM: Hey, the reggae bass beat with the brief bursts of feedback, combined with Stipe's croon-to-scream vocals? Sexiest. Song. REM. Ever. Recorded.

Sex Machine – James Brown: Lefty once asked Roger to dress up as Cornell West. I am asking Lefty to post a video of himself dancing to this song.

Humpty Dance – Digital Underground: I can relate to a lot in this song, and really love the great groove. I cannot, however, claim to have "gotten busy" in a Burger King bathroom. Those rooms are disgusting.

No Means No – Chuck D (featuring Fine Arts Militia): This is a track from a Wired CD compilation, and mixes all sorts of stuff. You can never have too much hip-hop.

The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game – Marvelettes: An interesting track - a smoking, soulful track sung by the group that did "Mr. Postman" written by Smokey Robinson. Why this wasn't a bigger hit, I have no idea.

Staring At The Rude Boys – The Ruts: From this month's Record You Should Own. Think the writers of Galaxy Quest listened to this song while writing the film?

Hypocrite – Lush: Dear Miki Berenyi - please come back. Soon. I miss you.

Mah Mah Limbo – Steve Allen: See comments to "Sex Machine" above.

What Do You Know? – Buzzcocks: The guitars are a driving dirge, the lyrics are slightly philosophical ("You only perceive what you believe"), and the horns are soulful. One of the Buzzcock's final initial singles...it's a mess, but I love it.

Daily Nightly – Monkees: From another Record You Should Own - covers similar thematic territory as the Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth", but almost done in a slightly noir style with some great moody synthesizer.

Time Has Come Today – Chambers Brothers: We started punky and are ending hippie - I love the five minute version of this song with the slightly trippy middle. (There's a three minute and twelve minute version out there). Plenty of cowbell!

Outro: So many ways to say goodbye....

Legendary Masked Rider of the Plains

(Quick update - luckily, things have settled, and thanks to all your kind thoughts. Will blog about it later this weekend, but now...)

This is going to be, alas, another post tinged with nostalgia.

Imagine that you're eight years old, watching Channel 9 on a Sunday morning. 10:00 am, Star Trek. 11:30 am, The Cisco Kid. But at 11:00 am - The Lone Ranger. Sure, they were action-adventure episodes with a child-like simplicity, but it was too corny to, say, survive any attempts at revamping, like the infamous 1981 movie.

In fact, part of why I love Dynamite Entertainment's Lone Ranger comic so much is that - quite frankly - it does for the radio and television Western what Russell T Davies did for Doctor Who - make it just a bit more grown up. And does so by really placing the character in a slightly different situation.

Yes, in the 1950s, Westerns were everywhere...but in this more jaded 21st century, we've seen Unforgiven. And some of us enjoy Deadwood. But Brett Matthews manages, in his storytelling, to do the impossible - take a morally "pure" character, put him in morally ambiguous situations, and have him be a hero. The art in this series has the right amount of grit - this is frontier life, harsh life...and it would have been easy to make the Lone Ranger more of an anti-hero, or even draw closer parallels to a similar character whose exploits were heard at WXYZ.

One of the best things about the series is that...well, it takes Tonto seriously. In the old radio and television show, Tonto's job was to basically get kidnapped and promote Native American stereotypes, not necessarily in that order. In the comic...well, he serves almost as a mentor and conscience to the Lone Ranger. In one sequence, he tells another character a story, leaving him hanging at the end because "not all stories have endings". Is it a perfect series? No, but quite frankly...no series really is perfect.

But quite frankly, Dynamite's Lone Ranger is one of those series that I would love to see translated to either television or film...and it's ok if it isn't. It's an enjoyable read, and if you're not reading it....you are really missing out on a great series.

Your Moment of Newsradio Zen

Just a Brief Note...

Everyone,

For those of you who didn't catch this on Twitter, just wanted to write a brief note...

Right now, going through a really tough time -I wish I could go into public detail; suffice it to say, things are going to be a mite bit stressful, so I'll be away from the blog for a bit.

I have taken advantage of Blogger's advance scheduling feature, so there may be an update in the next few days. (And I'll be writing another TV Party), but right now, things are downright scary for me.

And please, feel free to pray to whatever deity/deities, wish good vibes, send positive vibrations, etc, my way. I know it's only temporary, but it's still a bit hairy.

Thanks.

May's Record You Should Own

Clicking on the title should allow you to download the podcast (and I'm forgoing the player for now).

Click this link to check it out:
Mays Record You Should Own

Season Four Saturdays: Planet of the Ood

(As always, this review is spoiler-free)

Continuing on from last week's sojourn to ancient Rome, the Doctor and Donna find themselves - totally randomly (at the Doctor insists at the beginning) at the Ood-Sphere. Realizing that he had some unfinished business with the Ood, the Doctor decides to get involved....

...I have to admit that I really didn't feel like there was any unfinished business with the Ood. After all, they seemed to another unusual race, with some suggested relationship (made explicit in this episode) to a relatively obscure Who alien. In fact, there really seemed to be no rationale to bring them back other than...well, they were there.

But this is an episode that, although structurally no big surprise, actually is quite touching in many ways.

Much of it is the thought that went into why the Ood are a slave race - and the explanation for the need for those spheres that come out of their mouths. (They're not just for translation - there's an actual physiological component, but that's pushing towards spoiling the episode). Suffice it to say, the Ood are normally "not" a servile race...but a peaceful one exploited by humans.

(Or, as the Doctor points out to Donna, 42nd century Earth bears a strong resemblance to our own times....but more on that after the next paragraph)

There's a quite touching - and sad - moment when Donna is allowed access to the Ood's experience...and she finds it a little too much to bear. The Doctor, on the other hand, does not have that choice, which feeds into the themes of morality and choices present in this series...in fact, this is probably one of the first times (at least, that I can recall) where the Doctor assertively states that he felt he "owed" a race a favor, that there was a sense of obligation to his travels....

...which makes the episode glisten a little bit more, and gives it a little bit more weight. Granted, there are some obligatory twists and turns, but they actually do some as complete surprises. The 21st-century-dress-in-the-42nd-century conceit actually makes sense given the themes (unlike Davies' using 21st century reality shows 500,000 years in the future). The last ten minutes - with a twist and another piece of foreshadowing- really help elevate this episode.

It's an OK episode with some nice touches, but something tells me the best is yet to come...

Nice Follow-Up to Mediocre Countdown

Ah, I wish I had a time machine - roughly a year ago, when 52 ended, I very naively predicted:

Personally, I wish DC had held back from doing another weekly series so soon - yes, Countdown is going to be better plotted and have more coordination (a lesson learned from 52), but personally, I'm burned out from having to pick up a weekly comic. It's not that it was so horrible - I just like knowing that there's a bit of a break between issues. Giving the reader a chance to catch his/her breath is a good thing.

Although I'll be checking out the initial Countdown issues, I doubt I'm going to be into it over the long haul. But at the very least, 52 proved that it could be done.

Unfortunately, Countdown was, well, rather pointless - it seemed to serve more as an excuse to revive old franchises and do retcons (Kamandi and Omac, anyone?) than act as a "spine" for the DC Universe. Yes, it had some good spin-offs - like the Crime Society one-shot and Countdown: Arena (or, "four issues of nothing more than alternate earth versions of characters fighting each other and having fun in the process), but on the whole, Countdown seemed to start half-finished and ended...well, with a thud.

DC Universe # 0, however, acts as a transition piece from Countdown, and *gasp* seems to actually indicate what the series was counting down towards. It's a good little done-in-one story, with an obviously long-telegraphed return which has been spoiled - multiple times - on the Internet. (Meaning, I ain't gonna do it here - a person's gotta have some standards). Yes, it is composed primarily of "scenes in progress" - as well as full page ads touting upcoming arcs in Final Crisis - but on the whole, it's an OK comic and a good read.

It also, I think, really diminishes the effect that Countdown might have had...had it chose to tell a coherent story. Recently, I reread all four trade editions of 52, and although my initial criticisms are still valid, the story arcs are easily identifiable: Ralph Dibny coming to terms with his wife's death (in a roundabout way); Vic Sage handing over his heroic legacy to Renee Montoya; Booster Gold gaining some semblance of humility. However, Countdown didn't even give us that - the fact that Jason Todd hasn't moved character-wise in the past year shows that the weekly comic may only be a gimmick for DC...and doesn't bode well for Busiek and Bagley's Trinity.

I'm looking forward to Final Crisis - I just love Grant Morrison's writing - but my involvement with Countdown has been sporadic, and that's just as well. Given how well DC Universe # 0 sets the scene, it means that instead of spending about $170 for a book I didn't enjoy...I only spent 50 cents on one I did.

Recommended.

Gordon Helps You This Mother's Day!

You're probably wondering - with Mother's Day coming up, you probably want to get a heads-up. After all, all your Mother ever did was undergo intensive pain just to be sure you had a good life.

Nah, no guilt here.

I'm going to do something that I rarely - if ever - do.

I'm going to encourage you to visit the Buy THIS, Pal! Store.

That's right - whether you want to buy your mom, oh, all three seasons of Doctor Who on DVD, or purchase a past edition of the "Record You Should Own"...it's the place where you can get what you need. (Plus, it's through Amazon.com, and in full disclosure - I get a small percentage of purchases. Plus, in a few weeks, I'll be reorganizing the store, so I thought I'd get some mileage before making huge changes).

But this post is also - in all honesty - a chance for you, the blog reader, to provide some feedback. I'm thinking of opening another store through another vendor - how many of you (and you are more than welcome to contact me privately) would purchase the following:

• Coffee mugs (and I've got one bid)
• Mouse pads
• T-shirts (and I think this would be a small percentage, to be honest - it's too niche-y to warrant serious exploration)
• Other stuff, which you'll suggest

I'm thinking of having stuff with our banner, another cool related graphic, as well as what I predict will be the new catchphrase of 2006, "Duck, Dr. Wayne, duck!!!!"

And so, make Mom happy this Mother's Day with some cool items!

Coming soon to Blog THIS, Pal!: May's Record You Should Own podcast. Season 4 Saturdays with the Ood. Another visit to the Public Domain Drive In. And of course, more comic related stuff.