its never time to move on….

What is there to say about Firefly Vodka other than this ain’t your Grandma’s sweet tea.

I don’t exactly remember where I was when I first tasted it but as soon as this wonderful spirit passed my lips I was instantly transformed into a believer. It’s a classic case of “It’s so easy even a Caveman could do it!” [ (c) GEICO ], one of those ideas that is so simple and so amazing you wonder why YOU never thought of it yourself. 

My personal history with tea is probably similar to every other Southerner: I was born and then shortly there after I started drinking tea and by tea I mean sweet tea. In the South “tea” means “sweet tea”. Apparently it doesn’t mean that up north (as I learned on a trip to Baltimore a couple years ago–YUCK!). In college, my friend Rob Brown used to make GALLONS of this stuff we called Charleston Tea and by gallons I mean trash cans full. Literally TRASH CANS. We’d go to Lowes and buy a huge plastic trash can and fill that sucker to the brim. It was a HBCU version of a keg party. Good times, good times.

Charleston Tea is a concoction of freshly brewed tea, squeezed lemons, and a myriad of different alcohols that when mixed correctly tasted just like–sweet tea with lemon. All this alcohol to make it taste like nothing’s in it. Go figure.

Firefly vodka is the opposite of our Charleston Tea. It taste like sweet tea but there is NO mistaking whether or not there is alcohol in this drink. And it’s this radical pairing of our region’s staple beverage with the kick of a Brazilian soccer team that has taken Firefly from just “some drink” to cult status in less than two full years of its inception. If you haven’t tried any do yourself a favor and get a bottle. I like to mix 1 half Firefly with a little  less than 1 half water and keep it moving although a Drunken Arnie Palmer is a treat in the summer time. Plus with a total of 6 unique flavors the mixing potential is, dare I say, limitless. It will the best $25 you’ve spent on a bottle of anything in your life.

Mum was so excited about her first grandchild coming.  Eugene and I were, too.  We would like a large family – I’ve been brought up with a large family and I want to carry on the tradition.  Eugene is an only child and he would have loved brothers and sisters.

Mum was understandably anxious when I went into labour.  She’d had difficult labours and had known several people suffer very serious complications during birth.  Thankfully now we have a hospital here my labour was comparably smooth.  I won’t deny that it was painful and frightening, but I had my husband and mother there, I had doctors beside me.  I know how privileged I am compared to those of my mother’s generation.

Our first child, Ilari, was born healthy.  She is a delight to everyone in the family, and I hope in time she will be joined by brothers and sisters.

Ilari is so calm, so young, so innocent, so peaceful.  It’s a blessing that she hasn’t been aware of the things that have been going on around her – for as this family was celebrating its newest member, so it was also devastated.

She had to grow up into the next stage of her life with just her father.  The rest of us had another responsibility.

At 91, my uncle Davros passed away.  Everyone was devastated.  He was the youngest of my mum’s siblings, yet he was the first to go.  My cousin Hirogen is just a teenager, same as my brother was when our father died.  My father’s loss devastated all of us, but it hit Gaius particularly badly and I can only hope Hirogen comes through this without too much of a burden on her young shoulders.  She idolised Davros – we all did.  He was such a lovely, warm, generous man.  He gave so much to our family, so much to this town.

Gloria was utterly heartbroken.  She and Davros had been close since they were at school and they adored each other.  To lose her sweetheart and see her daughter bereft was a burden she could hardly bear.  Mum, Castrovalva and Byzanitum were equally cut up, and felt it unjust that their little brother was taken before them, but they had to be strong for Gloria and Hirogen.

I had been planning to ask Gloria to leave soon.  I didn’t want a thief living under my roof, and now Hirogen was a teenager, I’d been thinking she could cope with the upheaval of a move.  But now Davros is dead, it changes everything.  How can I throw my aunt and cousin out to fend for themselves when they are so vulnerable?  We all need each other at a time like this.  There is so much that has happened to us lately that has wounded us… so much that I can barely bring myself to write.

My dear sweet baby, my little Ilari.  She is growing up to be a gorgeous little girl, with no idea of the pain that is all around her.  We are trying to be strong for her – and she gives us reason to look ahead, reason not to let grief overwhelm us.

Mum found great comfort in spending time with her granddaughter.  She doted on Ilari and was always the first to change her nappy or give her a bottle.

Hirogen, too, is very protective of Ilari.  Being able to help out with the smallest member of the family has helped her to have a focus in her sorrow.  She is a good girl, Hirogen.  She works hard at school, she helps around the house and she dreams of being a writer of some kind.  I only hope there is opportunity enough in this town to enable her to fulfil her dream.

But Davros’s death was not the worst of it.  The following day, we received word that both Castrovalva and Byzantium had also passed on.  They too, were good people.  Both of them were great painters, and Byzantium really established great things at the school, even setting up a small library.  Cas was one of the most dedicated members of the artists’ colony, and had helped younger artists and creative people thrive, encouraging them to nurture their talents despite the threat of the Altos.  They were so special to us all.

We buried them in the family graveyard.  It was too unfair that we had to go there so soon after Davros’s passing.  It was too much for all of us.  Hirogen couldn’t cope and stayed at home while we made the journey to the place we didn’t want to go.

It was as if there was nothing left for mum.  That night, she went to join them.

My mother, Chaotica Lazarus, was a strong woman.  She was a legendary athlete who helped our town discover the pleasures of exercise and activity.  She raised four of us, ran our household and did our grandfather, Alf Lazarus proud.  She was 96.

Mum’s death, so soon after the deaths of Davros, Cas and Byzantium, has driven us all to the brink.  Gloria is terrified.  She is the only member of our family left from her generation and she feels as though her time is up, too.  Though she is a number of years younger than the others were, she keeps saying she doesn’t feel strong enough to keep fighting the Altos.  Her drive and determination seem to have gone, her fire seems to have burned out.  I don’t know how to encourage her for the best – I don’t want her to be a thief, but nor do I want her to lose a sense of purpose in life.

Echo has been pouring her soul into her music.  She composed a beautiful but heartbreaking piece in honour of our fallen family.  We were in pieces when she played it to us.  Our cousins, Shana and Ramon have been grieving just as much as us.  They keep talking about how we need to mark the achievements of our parents’ generation.  I hope we can come up with a memorial that does them justice.

Ezri is devastated, but she is trying to pour her grief into her work.  She is exercising fervently and is more determined than ever to bring down the Altos because it’s what mum and the others would have wanted.  Whilst I know that’s true, I also know they would want her to find some space to grieve and recover.  I am so afraid she won’t give herself time.

Gaius has been hit incredibly hard.  Dad’s death turned him into an angry young man, and in recent times it’s only really been Mum who’d been able to connect with him.  He was the apple of her eye and she encouraged him to follow his heart.  Even when I’ve doubted him, when I’ve been suspicious of his activities or motives, Mum has always been there for him.  She has always been his most fervent supporter.  I genuinely think he feels lost right now, as if he has no direction, no way, no compass.

And here am I.  I am the head of a household full of grief.  I am the mother of a small child who needs me.  I am a police officer with a demanding task to protect my town.  And I feel so alone, so small, so vulnerable.

My mother, my aunts and uncle were good people, bold people.  They always knew the right thing to do, and they were all successful at whatever they set their minds to.  They have set a high standard.  I only hope they have somehow instilled something of themselves in me so that I can honour their memory.

Because of them, our town is a healthier, stronger place than it ever was.  They will never be forgotten.

All the longuers of yesterday somehow overwhelmed what should have been the day’s notable good news: my proposal for the 2010 SC4: The Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses has been accepted!

What is my proposed paper? For several years, students in my Freshman Comp 2 classes have been analyzing Buffy 7.16 “Storyteller” as part of a unit on metafiction. For many of them, it’s also their introduction to the show. So I’ll be discussing how that has worked out.

The literature anthology that has included this “metafiction” unit goes into a new edition next year, cutting the unit and most of the stories in it, so Spring 2010 is probably the last semester I’ll be using “Storyteller.” However, I’ll probably find a place for another Whedon show episode from Firefly and/or Buffy.

Because we can’t wait for Comicon in January, Here’s a little eye candy from artist Adam Hughes who will be in attendance!

mmhmm, electric hawk!

..how we miss thee serenity

meow..

double meow

]]> http://dannyisntheremrstorrance.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/its-flus-day-tuesday/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:16:12 +0000 xymarla http://dannyisntheremrstorrance.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/its-flus-day-tuesday/

And as such, I am not feeling very newsy. Here’s what little scoop I could be arsed to gather. 

Joss is a vanguard!

This article is all about how Joseph Gordon-Levitt is amazing. And I can get behind that.

Find Iron-Man 2 scoop and a new pic of His Holy Hotness here. 

The Howling is back.

That’s all you get! Sleepytimes for Marla!

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse, will be honored with the Vanguard Award at the 21st Annual PGA Awards ceremony January 24 at the Hollywood Palladium according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Congratulations, Mr. Whedon, and have I mentioned I’m heartbroken over the cancellation of Dollhouse.

Source Joss Whedon to Receive Vanguard Award – ShockTillYouDrop.com

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Sci-fi is all the rage these days. Made a sneaky comeback (or not) with Star Trek: NextGen and grew in popularity during the 90s until today. However, it is, by enlarge, on the soft side of the scale (downright mushy if you ask me). In the beginning (somewhere in the middle of of the 19th century) science fiction was truly speculative  fiction. New scientific discoveries accelerated the pace of technological advancement. They in turn opened up a universe of possibilities for adventure in far away places, like Venus, Mars, or the moons of Saturn. When man managed to reach earth orbit, hard science fiction became popular and distinct from the softer fluff of pulp fiction, which came to be known as space opera (as in soap opera).

The authors like Arthur C. Clarke took a hard look at the science in front of them and extrapolated entire universes bound by the laws of physics.  Overtime the science became a straight jacket to story telling and confined sci-fi to a sub-class of hardcore fans. Meanwhile franchises like Start Trek and Star Wars (who turned the concept of space opera upside down) went the other way and opened up the genre to millions of fans worldwide. Yet even after they encouraged a new generation of scientist and technologist to go farther in their fields, they still scratched their heads, “But that doesn’t work that way!“

Hollywood sci-fi has gotten so fluffy that all it takes to call something sci-fi is for the producers to declare,  “X IN SPACE” or “Y IN THE FUTURE“. Now not all shows or movies trend that way (recent SW and ST movies not withstanding). A few examples show that you can have a enough science to spice up your narrative without being strap down to a table for a extended session of electroshock therapy at the hands of astrophysicist screaming “THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!”

Examples include: Firefly (no sound in space, not FTL), BSG/B5 (Newtonian Physics which makes for some cool space dogfights) and a few others (feel free to insert your own examples). By adding a few bits of real science you can break the mold and make your show cool again. Doesn’t mean you have to jettison all the softer parts (artificial gravity, FTL, space dogfights),  especially if you need them to make the story work for you. Just be careful that you keep it consistent and don’t abuse the applied phlebotinum.

In other words, you can still use science to wow your audience without pretending you care for the actual science.

By way of example, look at this short video. If that is not a gorgeous sight perfect for any sci-fi (or even fantasy) story, I don’t know what is:

Well, as you’ll no doubt have noticed, I missed Saturday this week! Why? That’s a good question.

Here’s the answer: I spent the entire afternoon watching Firefly (you know, that brilliant Joss Whedon series about space cowboys?) for the first time. Yes, yes, I know — I should have done this a long time ago, but I was misguided and ill-informed, I swear it! And, well, it’s really better late than never, right? Forgive me, Shepherd, for I have sinned.

Let there be no doubt that I have righted this egregious wrong, and that I have been converted to a Firefly-loving fool. Ain’t that just shiny?

Oh, and I went as far as to get my hands on a copy of Serenity and watched it as well. Beside being completely wowed by the whole thing, I am just as appalled as fans were when the show was cancelled, I’m just a few years late. The cast is so strong and the characters so well developed and enjoyable to watch. It’s about space cowboys, for God’s sake! How could you not fall completely in love with a show about space cowboys?! I did, and I don’t even generally like things set in space, or in the future. A friend of mine peaked my interest in the show with the point that one shouldn’t stay away from the show because it was considered science fiction — it’s a lot more than that. He was totally right, by the way. This show’s first classification should be (and is, I believe) Western. If you took the characters out of space and plonked them smack dab in the middle of the Wild West, they wouldn’t seem out of place.

Of course, part of what drew me to Firefly in the first place was Nathan Fillion. Since I’m a big fan of Castle, I started looking for other things that he was in that I could take in. Of course, the thing he’s best known for is Firefly, so that was the obvious choice. The interesting thing about Fillion as Capt. Mal is that I feel like he works harder and ultimately does better in the space cowboy boots in some respects. This is likely a result of a couple of things, the most important being that the character development in Firefly is so well done. While watching, though there are some characters that don’t get as much air time as others when it comes to their backgrounds and such, I felt as though each of them really got the chance to contribute something to the show. It’s so important when working with an ensemble cast that everyone gets their chance to be seen and heard in some unique way, and I think Firefly does that better than most shows I’ve seen. Out of the shows that I’ve watched closely, CSI (the original, Las Vegas) has a cast that reminds me a bit of the dynamic I found in Firefly: the surroundings are different, but the characters have a distinct role to play, and they all bring different personalities and expertise to the table.

I could say a whole lot more about Firefly, but I won’t. I will, however, make a point to say:

1. I love the alternate “swear words” thing, goframmit!
2. Inara is one of the most beautiful women in this, or any, galaxy.
3. Asiatic style and language mixed with Western sensibilities ftw.
4. I want my own spaceship, now.
5. I want a new season! Holy moly, do I ever!

On an ending note: can someone find me the people responsible for putting an end to this show? Seriously. They should be made to fall on their own swords.

 Hooray! My second eShort, “Assassins,” went up at www.echelonpress.com. This time around, the short story is classified as an “Adventure” tale even though it is set in the future on a planet far, far away. And more than a science fiction adventure, this story could be classified as a Space Western!

Hmm. Does this mean I have a stagecoach rattling along a prairie trail? No, but I do have a bus driven by a reluctant hero rattling down that same prairie trail (only it’s on Konur Prime instead of in South Dakota or Kansas). Does that mean there’s a chase scene? Yes, and the get-away horse is a big-rig truck. Does that mean there’s a damsel in distress? Yes, she’s a failed genetically altered ”experiment” who is running for her life from an assassin with her pet singing opossum. There’s even a saloon and gambling establishment run by a red-headed woman. And I took the cover photo in Colorado at Garden of the Gods that stands in for The Canyons on Konur Prime.

A little more about Space Westerns. These stories take advantage of the character-types, challenges, and situations typically found in traditional westerns — only they take place in the future on frontier planets or “along the trail” between planets.  A recent example of a Space Western is the television series, “Firefly,” and its movie offspring, “Serenity.” But the spirit of the Space Western was really rejuvenated years ago by movies like ”Star Wars,” “Alien,” and the ”Star Treks.” For those interested in learning more about the genre, read the informative article on the subject by N.E. Lilly at www.spacewesterns.com While you’re there, you can check out a story of mine, “For the Good of the Settlement” (Archive story #25) or look at my comments about the genre in an article on writers published during the 1st year of the magazine’s existence.

Whether “Assassins” is called an adventure, science fiction tale, or space western — it’s a fun read. If you’re a writer — why not try and write one? And a note to you readers, ”Assassins” has a gun fight by the train tracks at the story’s end between the good guys and the bad guys! (But I’m not telling you who wins).

Where did all of the fireflies go? Generations of families have spent countless evenings spotting and catching little glowing bugs in our backyard. After the sun would set, seemingly hundreds of flashing lights would come out and float around outside. But, many are finding fewer of these flashes, and it is not yet clear what is causing an apparent decline in firefly populations.

Researchers from the Museum of Science, Boston, Tufts University, and Fitchburg State College are enlisting citizen scientists from all over the country to help map out and study firefly habitats to determine what environmental factors affect their geographic distribution and behavior during the summer. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to experience real amateur research and contribute to an important nation-wide study of the evolution of habitats in our country.

The tasks involved in this project are relatively easy, and will consume only a few minutes each week in the evenings… of course, more time may be spent to collect more valuable data. The project features an easy-to-use on line data journal, and provides updated maps of habitat observations across the country. For each data collection session, a few simple questions need to be answered from ten minutes of observations in your backyard … a time that will prove to be a relaxing respite after a long day at work or a fun time to bond with the children.

Several environmental factors are being explored in this study to find out more about what general influences firefly activity. In particular, they are looking at how different types of lawn care activities might affect the habitat, outdoor and street lighting during the evening and night-time, foliage coverage, farmland, and water sources.

Firefly Watch also includes a nice educational overview about fireflies… or lightning bugs (they’re really flashing beetles!)… including how to identify different types, gender, and why and how the little buggies having flashing bums. This is yet another perfect opportunity to learn about science in nature with your family, and then go out and experience the science directly in your own backyard. Certainly, this is a way for younger students (and those newly-inspired adults!) to realize a deeper understanding and appreciation for nature. In addition, if time is spent first with children to “book learn” about fireflies and then directly experience firefly behavior in the “real world,” a further realization and connection between learning and experiencing the real thing can be developed. And, this skill is certainly important to have as they continue with their future education experiences in the classroom.

Register for free on line right away, so that you may collect as much data as possible this summer. Then, additional data collection will open up next summer so that firefly habitat trends year-to-year may developed. Recall your childhood memories, make new memories with your kids, and do real amateur research this summer with Firefly Watch.

Jewel Staite as Dr. Jennifer Keller on Stargate Atlantis. Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel

No matter what the job, it is never easy on someone when he or she comes in to fill the void left by a departed colleague. That was certainly true for Dr. Jennifer Keller when she, much to her surprise, was promoted to Atlantis’ chief medical officer after Dr. Carson Beckett unexpectedly died while saving a patient’s life. It was a position that she neither wanted nor felt especially qualified for, but Dr. Elizabeth Weir saw potential in Keller, and she was not mistaken. The physician has since proven to herself and her colleagues that she is more than up to the task at hand. Naturally, it took time for Keller to settle into her new role in the Pegasus Galaxy, and the same is true for the actress who plays her, Stargate Atlantis‘ Jewel Staite.

“When I first started on the show [in season three's First Strike], I didn’t have a clear understanding of who Keller was; I don’t think anyone did,” recalls Staite. “It was more or less a case of, ‘OK, here’s the part, we begin shooting tomorrow.’ So I just started from the ground up insofar as building a character. A lot of it was about taking the material for what it was and going with that, but it was always important for me to play Keller as real as possible. She’s a city girl in this bizarre world, and she had to get used to it in a hurry. My character also felt that she had to prove herself because she knew she was replacing someone who had the whole thing under his belt. She doesn’t quite have that yet. Keller is still a little insecure, and what I liked is that they [the show's producers] weren’t afraid to play that with her. Not everybody has to be a hero, and I liked that Keller wasn’t. She was a normal girl stuck in a place she didn’t understand.

“As the seasons passed and time went on, Keller definitely became more confident and more capable of dealing with these crazy, dire and dear situations. She gained some new skills in season five and became more aware of as well as felt more comfortable in her surroundings. At the same time, she’s still vulnerable and isn’t a heroic type of girl. When necessary, Keller steps up to the plate, but that’s not her first choice. She would much rather have someone there to protect her, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. I think Keller is still a strong female, but she’s not going to be the person who fights the Wraith if she doesnt absolutely have to, and that’s OK.”

Not the most comfortable of positions for poor Dr. Keller in "The Seed." Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel

Jennifer Keller had no choice but to put on a brave face early on at the start of Atlantis‘ fifth season when, in The Seed, an alien pathogen is found in her blood and Wraith tendrils begin growing out of her torso. “My initial reaction to that script was, ‘What did I do? Why are they [the producers] so angry with me?’” jokes Staite. “I was nervous, I won’t lie. It’s generally a thing here on-set about being in prosthetics – no one really likes it. It’s usually pretty uncomfortable and requires lots of early calls and long days, but they assured me that they were going to do it in such a way that it would be comfortable for me.

“Basically, it was me lying in bed and underneath a cage-like contraption,” continues the actress. “They would open the cage, I’d slip inside, they would then close the cage and put a Wraith tentacle ‘blanket’ over the top. So it wasn’t too bad to get into and out of, but then I had these face pieces that were actually part of the blanket that they would pull up and glue to my neck. Once those were on, I was there for the day, and my hands were underneath the cage, so it was this weird way of working because there was nowhere I could go. I would watch the crew running around setting up the cameras, lighting, etc., and then we could shoot a scene. As soon as we cut, they’d be busy setting up the next shot, and I just laid there watching them go off in a flurry. It was a way of observing the [filming] process that I’d never really experienced before on this show.

“Needles to say I didn’t drink a lot of fluids on the job that week because going to the bathroom was a challenge. I mean, I could do it, but it took about 15 minutes to get out of the cage, so I thought, ‘You know what, I’m just going to lay off the water and hope for the best,’ and it became very Zen-like. Of course, poor Dr. Keller was completely powerless, alone and frightened, you know? As for me, I was just so relaxed that I would doze off and catch myself starting to fall asleep in-between takes,” she chuckles. “So it was an interesting week for sure.”

Dr. Keller is ready for action! Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel

Among the more challenging season five Atlantis episodes for Staite to have worked on is Tracker, in which Dr. Keller is kidnapped by a Runner named Kiryk (Mike Dopud) while off-world on an errand of mercy with Dr. McKay (David Hewlett) and Ronon (Jason Momoa). “This was another of those episodes written by [executive producer] Carl Binder, and I don’t know what the deal is, but he enjoys having Keller tied up and dragged through the woods,” jokes the actress. “No, seriously, I worked with an excellent guest-star, Mike Dopud. He’s a stuntman, but he’s an amazing actor as well and a terrific person to be around. It was just me and Mike in the woods for two weeks. Keller does a major switch in this episode and she does something that surprises the viewer.

“One of the most memorable season five episodes for me is The Shrine. It’s beautifully written, very touching and definitely different from the other stories I’ve done. It’s a team episode that shows the humanity in all the characters as opposed to giant space battles and that kind of stuff. The story focuses on who these people are and is a huge tear-jerker. When I read the script, I cried. It was great for all of us and allowed us to really stretch ourselves that little bit more as actors.”

In year four’s Quarantine, Atlantis goes into lockdown as a result of a computer glitch and traps our heroes in various parts of the city. Ronon and Dr. Keller end up in the infirmary and, for a moment, it looks as if there might be a bit of romance in the air. However, it is the geeky and egotistical Rodney McKay that ultimately gets the girl, which, in Staite’s eyes, makes sense.

Dr. Keller attempts to save Dr. McKay's (David Hewlett) life in "The Shrine." Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel

“I think it was the most logical outcome,” she notes. “McKay and Keller started out as friends and she seems to mellow him out a lot and tolerates him much better than the other characters. I think, too, that my character finds his whining, crankiness and all that stuff funny, and Jennifer is charmed by Rodney and vice versa. They’re both scaredy cats and want more than anything to be in a safe spot. The two of them are also slightly dorky, but incredibly smart as well and, again, feel like they constantly have to prove themselves.

“So they have a number of things in common, and in season five their relationship developed into something stronger. David and I have the same sense of humor and way of working. So it’s easy to be around him and I think the show’s writers saw that and thought, ‘OK,’ and decided to go that [romantic] route with the two of them, which I was super happy about.”

Long before joining the Atlantis cast, Staite had acquired plenty of Sci-Fi/Fantasy experience playing such TV roles as Catalina in Space Cases and Kaylee Frye in Firefly. The actress’ fans will also know that prior to being cast as Dr. Keller, she booked the part of a young female Wraith named Ellia in the second season Atlantis episode Instinct. She had no idea that this job would lead to a regular spot on the series.

Staite as Ellia in "Instinct." Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel

“I thought the [Instinct] character was so special and really wanted to do it,” says Staite. “[Director/producer] Andy Mikita and the guys tell me that when I walked into the audition room they were like, ‘That’s Kaylee from Firefly. What’s she doing here?’ It wasn’t anything unusual for me, though. I’m more than willing to audition to prove what I can, hopefully, do in a role.

“Luckily they gave me the job and I loved working on the series. I told them that I’d be happy to come back and they said, ‘We won’t forget you. One day we’ll write something new for you.’ Lo and behold, a year later they offered me a fulltime role on the show, no prosthetics required – at least for the first episode. I was like, ‘That sounds great.’ So it just kind of fell into my lap and I couldn’t have been happier,” smiles the actress.

Last fall, the Atlantis cast and crew wrapped production on what became the show’s fifth and final season. The script for a made-for-DVD movie has been written, but filming dates are still pending. In the meantime, Staite can be seen in the upcoming Syfy Channel movie Mothman, and is also slated to begin work on a horror film, P5ych. From out-of-this-world roles to more down-to-Earth ones, the actress enjoys nothing more than creating gaps between each character that she plays.

Dr. Keller and Dr. McKay share an especially tense moment. Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel

“For me, it’s really important to do projects that are as different as can be from the last one I did,” she says. “And while sometimes they may be in the same genre, it’s still important to have the character challenge me and to show other aspects of what I can do as an actress. When I succeed in doing that, that’s what makes this job especially rewarding.

“It’s nice to have viewers watch me in a show and say, ‘I love what you’re doing.’ It was hard for me when I first started Atlantis; I knew what was going to happen, and it did. So whenever I hear people say positive things about Keller it makes me feel good because she’s a part of me and I love her a great deal and protect her very much.”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all photos copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Firefly Pleasure Pearl Vibrator

On sale only $17.98

Fly along the path of ecstasy with this thrilling wild firefly. The soft, penis-shaped head gyrates and twirls, while the pleasure pearls spin and let the vibrating wings tickle and excite your clitoris. The different sensations can be enjoyed together or separately – simply adjust the dial and control the speed and fun. Either way, you’ll be hopping with joy! Slide the power control and let this pearl vibrator go to work! You control the speed of vibration as the wings of the firefly frantically tickle your clitoris! Now slide and adjust the rotation speed as the shaft rotates and the magic pearls circulate deep inside, sending you into a thrilling, pulsating climax. 7.5 Inches x 1.5 inches. Multi-Speed, Twisting with Vibrating Wings. Reversible Button for More Excitement.

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My sister Echo has been playing music for most of her life.  She’s part of a growing arts scene in Riverview, one that is beginning to thrive despite the Alto threat.  So popular are the performances they put on at the makeshift arts centre that the mob have been powerless to stop them.  The artists from the artists’ colony have helped provide drapes, costumes, posters and make-up for the concerts the local musicians put on.  It has kept some of them out of the Altos’ firing line: they are simply too popular with the people.  The Altos know there is increasing unrest about their activities and were they to cause enough unrest, it’s possible people could overthrow their regime.

Echo always loved our grandad’s stories about music and arts in the before times.  He talked about things called theatre and films, where people would tell stories and they’d act and move and dress up, and people would pay to watch and be entertained… it sounds rather fantastical, but Echo loved it.  She and some of her friends have dreams of creating their own shows one day, and Echo has started composing the music already.

They are planning a small show to open in a few months.  I couldn’t be prouder of my big sister, yet also sad – it is time for her to move on and spend time with others who share her dream.

Seeing Echo achieve her heart’s desire has enabled me to make some big decisions.  I love Eugene, and I asked him to marry me.  I was thrilled when he accepted.  We had a long, frank discussion about my aunt Gloria and Eugene and I came to an agreement about what we would ask her to do.

Eugene also decided to leave the police force.  Echo has inspired him, too.  He has always dreamed of playing music and the arts centre are starting to employ a small number of musicians.  My sister recommended him and so he’s started working there.  He is so excited by the possibilities it opens up to him.

I am so fortunate to have someone to share my life with; to share this responsibility with.  Sometimes I wonder if running this household and carrying on the good work my grandfather began is too big a task for me.  I want so much to honour him and my mother, to honour all those who have gone before us, but I have never known if I was up to it.  Now I know that I will be OK – I have a partner by my side who I trust completely, and who trusts my judgement.  He has given me the confidence in myself to make decisions about our future.

Eugene is also a great cook, which comes as a relief.  Dad used to do all the cooking and since he died, we have been existing on burnt hot dogs much of the time – Eugene makes them just right every time.  I miss dad so much, but Eugene cooks hot dogs almost as well as he did, and tasting them helps me remember him, and smile.

I had a long talk to Gloria when I discovered she was thieving.  She and I both want the same thing: to see the reign of the Alto mob come to an end, but I can’t condone her actions.  As a police officer, it would compromise me too much.  However, I can’t throw her out whilst Hirogen is so young.  It would be unfair to expect Gloria and Davros to start afresh when my cousin is still so young and vulnerable.  We decided she would stay here until Hirogen was a little older, and she wouldn’t talk about her activities with the rest of the family.  I can’t pretend I am happy to have a thief under my roof, and I know if work found out about it, it could cost me my job – and could possibly cost my sister Ezri hers, too.  I just hope Gloria is careful.

I have been concerned about my little brother Gaius for a while, but it is so hard to talk to him.  He keeps shutting down and becomng surly if I ask him anything about his activities.  This can’t go on – this is my home and he needs to treat it, to treat this family, with respect.

Yet mum dotes on him.  He is her youngest, her baby.  She is so proud of the rest of us, and I know that if she was to discover Gaius was keeping secrets, potentially dangerous secrets, she would be heartbroken.

Whilst there is trouble here, there is also great celebration.  Ezri is working undercover and enjoying it a great deal.  I feel nervous every time I know she is on an assignment.  With her skin tone she stands out, only a small percentage of the population here have the same affliction, and the Altos have spies everywhere.  Like our aunt Cas, though, she seems to live a charmed life; dodging danger when others in the same position have encountered assault, beatings or worse.

Since Echo and her friends began performing at the arts centre, a real mood has shifted here in Riverview.  People are making things for each other, indulging creativity in ways we hadn’t known before, or hadn’t dared try.  Several of Echo’s friends make an income from making clothing – this is a new indulgence; we have always had to make do with hand-me-downs from the survivors; but they have found ways to convert old fabrics into something new and beautiful.  There are even a few people who cut and style hair.  Apparently one of the survivors was something called a ‘hairdresser’ in the before time and had shared the skill with her descendants, and now people are feeling braver, the skill is spreading.

Another thing that has changed is that people want to celebrate more.  One of Cas’s friends has taken up baking cakes and the Altos have given up trying to monitor people’s gatherings at home, so we decided to hold our very first party to celebrate Hirogen’s birthday.

We invited the whole family, and it was so wonderful to have everyone together.  Mum seemed so overwhelmed that we were all here and were all safe.

I looked at them all and realised how fortunate I am to have been brought up in this family.  So many families here have been torn apart by sickness, by fire, by people being beaten by the Altos, or by people joining the Alto mob.  There is a lot here that could damage a person’s soul, could render them hard or damaged for life.  I know my own father was scarred deeply by the things he went through here, and there are people hurt far worse than he was.  My family are strong people, good people and we have stayed united.  That’s so rare in this town, and I hold it so dearly.

Hirogen decided that what she wanted for her birthday was a haircut and some new clothes, so we asked some favours of the people in town who could help…

She was so pleased with her new look: she is such a beautiful girl.  Davros and Gloria both had tears in their eyes when they saw their little girl all grown up and becoming so confident in herself.

There is also another cause for celebration.  Eugene and I are expecting our first child.

The first person we told was Echo.  I wanted her to be able to celebrate with us as we have been celebrating with her.  My sister has brought so much life and joy to Riverview – I am confident that the things she and her friends have done for this place will change it for ever.

Listen to the episode HERE.

Joss Whedon’s Firefly was probably the best sci-fi television show ever. To be cancelled after half a season. By Fox (those bastards). It might have proved to be the best sci-fi show ever, period, if it’d been picked up by another network but it wasn’t. All we got was 14 episodes and a movie (Serenity). Fans of the show were heartbroken.

I wasn’t one of the heartbroken. I was part of the problem. I never watched Firefly when it was on the air because it was a huge nerd hurdle for me. Not because it was sci-fi but because I had no idea it was sci-fi. I heard the words “Joss Whedon” and “Firefly” and assumed it was another Buffy spin-off like Angel, but maybe about Willow or some other wiccan lesbians. Though I loved Buffy, I didn’t care for Angel, so I never checked out Firefly. And not many other people did either.

Then, after it was cancelled, I heard it was really good. One of the best TV shows ever. My ears pricked up. Then I heard it was “space cowboys” and my ears pricked back down. Cowboys are a huge hurdle for me. I like the odd western (usually starting a young Clint Eastwood) but generally I don’t care for the genre. It’s why it took me so long to watch the excellent Deadwood. Perhaps it’s because I don’t like modern-day cowboy culture and thereby associate ”westerns” with redneck douchebags. And I don’t care for the music. Such as the Firefly theme:

Then it was explained to me that the show isn’t so much about space cowboys as space outlaws and once again my ears were pricked. So a couple of years ago, several years after it was cancelled, I finally sat down to tackle Firefly.

I wasn’t disappointed. True, I wasn’t hooked from the first episode, but by the third I couldn’t stop watching if I tried. The show’s strength is that it’s blessed with probably the best ensemble cast ever assembled. Where other classic ensembles (TNG, Buffy) took a good three or four seasons to hit their stride, the cast of Firefly hit the ground running. The chemistry couldn’t have been improved in a laboratory. Check out the gag reel at the bottom of this post. It’s hard to believe these people were practically strangers.

Though there is certainly an outlaw/western feel to the show, it’s all the aspects of westerns I enjoy. They’re more dust-bowl pirates than cowboys. In a way it’s like Pirates of the Caribbean set on the Millenium Falcon instead of the Black Pearl. If it’d been sold to me that way, I’d have been watching from day one.

Instead the show was pitched as “nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things.” Um. Okay. That’s cool and all, but it’s sounds like Waiting for Godot staged on Discovery One. This show isn’t that at all. Perhaps the exact opposite. It’s an adventure-comedy of the highest grade. And well worth the hurdle.

So finally we got some more information Dale!  Now why all of us Whedon-ites love our Wash, you know that while he was a leaf on the wind, watch him soar…  He’s a leaf on rake, and we watched him get impaled…  Twice really, if you think about.  Once in Serenity, and then again in the premiere of my officially favorite show of the new Fall season.  I know that I have said that Flash Forward was the best show so far, but I have found that they aren’t consistently bringin’ it every week.  However, V delivers!  With a bang! 

At first I was resistant to the fact the writers have announced so early that the V’s are a reptilian race, but they are still busting out surprises every week.  The Fifth Column is incredibly exciting!  How long exactly have they been walking among us?  Has it just been the last 20 years?  Do they have cloaking capabilities, and that is why Ronald Reagan couldn’t find him with all of our satellites in space??   What is most fun is trying to figure out who may or may not be the secret V’s.

Personally, I think that Erica’s son Tyler is a hybrid.  I think that his large friend, Brandon is a V.  I think that is why he is always pressuring young Tyler into becoming a Peace Ambassador, having him graffiti the streets, etc.  I am also interested in finding out if the old priest is a V.  He seems so comfortable with the idea of people devoting themselves the visitors, instead of the church.  But I doubt that Ryan’s fiancée is a V, I’m sure that he would be able to sense that with his reptilian senses…

But what exactly is going on with Anna and The Bliss?  Are they drugging us and the other V’s?  What is The Bliss?  It was obvious that the woman whose husband died had completely changed her perspective on the visitors…  But why??  I just hope that they don’t drag it out like Lost, I need answers quicker nowadays!

 What did YOU think of this week’s episode?  What do YOU hope happens next week?

Comment below?

Eines der besten Fanvids aller Zeiten, über eine der besten Serien – Firefly. Eine Mischung aus Western, Weltraum und ..öhmm.. Buffy. Eigentlich ohne richtige Spoiler.

Despite my best efforts to not sink into lethargy and dribble away my better-spent time watching television, I can never seem to pry myself away from the glittering glisten of a shiny new season box set.  And thus, I’ve frittered away countless days watching season after season, series after series, pining for the quell to a confounding cliffhanger or unanswered quandary.  But alas and alack, not all of those questions could be answered.  Nay, many of my favorite shows are among those that have lived and died in the 2000s, and so – ah, yes – they shall be chronicled in list form.

10.  The Tick (2001-2002)
This quirky brainchild of a half-baked show, spawned from the cult comic book created by cartoonist Ben Edlund (and, inversely, a short-lived animated version), garnered less than a few rave reviews from the critics.  However, a dutiful crew of bandies have kept the legend alive, making sure that a blue body-suited Patrick Warburton (perhaps better known in the Seinfeld universe as Puddy the face-painter) made it to DVD.

09.  Wonderfalls (2004-2005)
The wonderfully pretense-free Wonderfalls operated on its own oddities, condoning the likes of apathetic twenty-somethings in less-than-turbulent times.  Protagonist Jaye – a likably dispicable underacheiver with a penchant for talking to inatimate objects – somehow begs the audience to cheer for her through her trials and tribulations of mediocrity.  Think Dead Like Me’s George Lass with a bit more wit and it’s clear to see why it’s a tragedy that this little engine that didn’t feel like it never stuck.

08.  Coupling (2000-2004)
It’s no wonder creator Stephen Moffat employed his own wife in order to write this hilariously uncomfortable British romp of a sitcom, nor is it a surprise; Coupling thrives off the chemistry of its quirky components – why, couples, of course.  It’s Ross-and-Rachel riddled with sexcapades and stickiness, all topped off with quick writing, dry wit and a hideous laugh track.  Perhaps America just wasn’t ready.

07.  Firefly (2002-2003)
Take Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, and experimental spaghetti sci-fi and throw them into a kettle-drum of a spaceship.  Add a few felonies and that Whedon whimsy to the mix and you’ve got a cult classic that never deserved (though, understandably got) the axe.  At least those fine folks in following managed to snag a DVD release, complete with four never-aired episodes the ‘verse just couldn’t do without.

06.  Undeclared (2001-2002)
It’s surprising to learn that two – yes, TWO! – of Judd Apatow’s star-studded series perished before season two renewal, perhaps because, well, no one was actually a star just yet.  After the untimely demise of the exorbitantly clever, bleak, and nostalgic Freak and Geeks in 1999, Apatow employed the help of a few familiar faces and chronicled the lives of many an awkard college freshman in the incredibly enjoyable and under-appreciated Undeclared.

05. Extras (2005-2007)
Ricky Gervais’s cringe-fest chronicling the pathetic happenings of hapless movie extras made us all appreciate a bit of unadulturated dry humor. Juxtapose Extras‘ brilliance with the tongue-in-cheek laugh-track-ridden show-within-a-show our protagonist unwittingly creates, and you’ve got a hideously hilarious gem (riddled with the likes of many a self-effacing celeb).

04.  Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
Say what you will about the apparent chick-fest that is Gilmore, but don’t you dare glare at those gleaming smiles and frothy-colored DVD cases and judge this series by its cover.  Truly, not many more shows pack the heft, heart, and hilarity this one so earnestly offered up before we sadly had to bid adieu to our favorite dysfunctional family (that somehow, seemed to function just fine).

03.  Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Daisies didn’t deserve to go.  However, cancellation upset was no stranger to the talent behind this lush and lovely dramedy, as former Wonderfalls alum – Bryan Fuller and Lee Pace – bled their hearts into this little ditty as well.  But it’s condolence enough to have those two fateful seasons archived in bursting, blooming box sets, as this ever-resting series is a simple joy to obsessively rewatch.

02.  Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
There are no casual BSG fans. Nay; to know Galactica is to love it, and to love it is to live it.  There’s nothing about this show that doesn’t catch you and keep you, love you and leave you.  Alright, so I’m being ridiculously dramatic, but it’s perhaps warranted – and this not-so-guilty-pleasure has its cultish following clamouring for more.  So if you can swing the ridiculous overpricing of the multiple half-season DVDs, you might just understand what everybody’s frakking about.

01.  Arrested Development (2003-2006)
I don’t mean to be bold, but there are few things that will ever be able to stack up to the likes of AD. From the lunacy to the brilliance, the quirky to the questionable, the innuendos that stretched the seasons to the incessant pop-culture references, nothing can compare to the odd integrity of it all.  And perhaps that’s exactly the way it should be.  Rest in peace, Bluths, if you can.

My cousin Hirogen is such a beautiful little girl.  She’s very intelligent and extremely creative.  She’s always writing little stories and telling us the gossip from around town.  Davros and Gloria dote on her, and they’re such loving parents that I almost feel duplicitous for what I’m feeling about Gloria right now.

The other evening I saw her rushing off in a hurry – I was shocked to see what she was wearing.  She’d been trying to hide from me and Ezri, but I’d come down for a late night exercise session.  I know that outfit.  I have to apprehend a lot of criminals in my job, and many of them wear the black and white stripes.  It’s almost a badge of honour for them.

I was so angry at her.  She’s my aunt and I want to respect her, but this is MY house, and I’m a police officer.  I couldn’t believe she would so something so risky as work for the Alto mob, especially in this house with two police officers – and sher has a young daughter, too!  What about being a good role model for Hirogen?  I started yelling at her and she hushed me.

She told me she wasn’t working for the Alto mob – she hates them as much as I do.  She revealed she was one of a small band of independents who are working as thieves to undermine the mob’s influence.

I was astounded.  We have caught a couple of independent thieves recently, but they were just small-time crooks with little about them other than a will to cause havoc.  Whatever the motivations, theft is theft.  How could my own aunt be part of that?

Gloria said she’d always felt compelled to steal since she was a child, but had never done so – then she heard of some small-time thieves who were undermining the Altos by muscling in on their territory, and she saw this as a way to indulge her desires and also help see off the mob scourge.  She told me she never kept anything she stole and always left it behind at the places she visited – she was only doing it to satisfy an urge and to put the wind up Lutricia Alto and her cronies.

She begged me not to tell anyone else in the shelter.  I know it would kill my mother, devastate Hirogen and Davros and give Ezri real heartache – but what about me?  I now have a huge dilemma.  I can’t approve of her actions, yet she is really adamant about breaking the stranglehold the Alto mob have, and it’s not as if we’ve been able to stem their tide.  What if she’s right and some small-time criminals can do what we as the police have so far failed to do and break the Alto mob’s grip on this town?  I just don’t know what to do.  She is my aunt, she has a young daughter, I can’t turn her in – but I have a duty to the law.  How can I justify harbouring a criminal under my roof?

Knowing Gloria wasn’t really a personal trainer has made me question my brother, Gaius.  Is he doing the same thing as Gloria, out night after night, sneaking into people’s shelters, rummaging through their things, causing distress?  Gloria claims he isn’t her accomplice but other than that, she argues that it’s up to Gaius to tell me about his activities.

As soon as I learned about Gloria, I took Gaius aside to ask what was going on with him.  He just looked straight through me and said he knew what he was doing and he wouldn’t put us in any danger.  He won’t tell me anything about his actions, and I just don’t know what to do.

Since Dad died, he has been so sullen, so cut off – it’s as if he’s angry at the world.  He misses Dad, we all do, but he’s the youngest and it hit him hardest.  All he seems to do is work out and go out to ‘train’.  He won’t tell me what he is doing, and I can’t throw my younger brother out for mere suspicion, can I?  But something is wrong, and I have a very bad feeling about what he’s getting himself into…

When my mother asked me to take on the running of the household, I never envisaged it would be so difficult.  Fortunately, though, it is not all trauma.  My partner at work, Eugene, has been a godsend.  We get on so well – he has a real love for music like my sister Echo and his dearest desire is one day to be able to do that for a living rather than work in the police.  I think he’ll be great – but then, I’m biased.

Working together has brought us incredibly close – we are falling for each other in a big way.  I look at him and I can see my future; can see a partnership that I want to endure.  I long to marry him – but I am being held back by my fear that he will find out about Gloria and maybe even uncover what Gaius is up to.

My career and my relationship could be in jeopardy because of my family… and yet the last thing I want to do is put my family in danger.  I wish I knew what to do next.

Morena Baccarin has really hit the big time in the new television re-make of the 1983 science fiction series called “V”which recently premiered on ABC.   

The premise of the show for those of you who may not have seen the show is about a race of aliens who suddenly visit earth in 29 gigantic spaceships claiming to come in peace…their tagline is.…”We are of peace. Always.”  (Yeah, right!)

Morena Baccarin, a 30 year-old Brazilian born New Yorker, who has starred in a variety of programs such as Firefly and Serenity as “Inara” and a Stargate SG-1 alum, as “Adria” is now playing “Anna,” the supreme commander of the alien race currently hovering over all the major cities of the planet earth.  

Sporting a brand new haircut, remnicient of Audrey Hepburn and Halle Berry and probably being blessed by every hair salon across the country, “V” has done wonders for ABC ratings with 14.3 million viewers among adults 18-49 on the night of the premiere, on November 3, 2009, easily the best numbers for any new show this season.

 “V” will air in two parts, with four episodes before the holidays, and the remainder in 2010 right after the Olympics are over.  During this hiatus, you can catch Morena Baccarin in the upcoming big screen drama “Stolen Lives,” alongside Josh Lucas and “Mad Men’s” John Hamm.

 Watch “V” on Tuesday nights at 8 pm on ABC

For more information about the show visit:  

IMDB.com

 TV Guide Interview

Sources:

Various

Reviewed by Alicia Glass

Studio: ABC’s V

Age: 14+

Review Rating: 8

 A remake of a wildly popular 80’s Sci-Fi show, V features a race of aliens come to earth known as the Visitor’s, or V’s, who slowly infiltrate everything on Earth to reveal a diabolical plot against the humans.

 The good news is, if you’re a fan of the original series, the remade series will blow your mind. The alien ships have had a CGI makeover, as we all knew they would. Morena Baccarin of Firefly and Stargate SG-1 fame gives a wonderfully icy performance as Anna, leader of the V’s, and I would guess equivalent to the classic Diana. The thrust-upon leader of the Resistance is still a blond female, but oh yeah baby, this time she’s an FBI agent who kicks serious ass. Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost fame portrays her. There is still exciting tightrope tension between a leading world reporter and the V commanders, but of course Scott Wolf is remarkably different from the gruff and capable reporter turned resistance fighter of the original series, played by Marc Singer. We still have the iconic black guy in the resistance, but this time, he’s a V who’s apparently a soldier of some kind who turned coat and decided to aid the humans after all. There is, so far, a lot more about the V’s themselves, the wars they apparently fought eachother with and the defecting of various military style outfits. Which leads me to an interesting question: if a visiting alien race is showing empathy and compassion towards the atrocities they themselves committed on us humans, is it called showing humanity, or alien-ity?

 There is bad news, unfortunately. For those of us who are fans of the original show, well. This new show of course doesn’t have Robert Englund as a V human sympathizer. And yes, the Mike Donovan equivalent of this show, the reporter that ignites a firestorm against the V’s, is so far a complete wuss as far as physical fighting goes. Those of us who’ve seen both the classic and this new show are likely to enjoy this new one for it’s sheer improvement value if nothing else. However, for anyone raised in the United States with a healthy interest in the Sci-Fi genre, this new V has as yet to distinguish itself from other giants like Battlestar Galactica. If it’s all been done before, then this new V will have to work much more hard and be much more vigilant if it doesn’t want to simply fade out, head hung in shame, as with most remakes these days. It hasn’t happened, yet! Let us pray (or prey) that it doesn’t.

Whether V stands for Victory or Visitor, watch the show and make your choice!

Check out a Trailer

A new version  of the British Standard for sustainable events, BS8901 has been praised for a new simpler format and a continued committment to sustainability principles, but the Managing Director of Seventeen Events, one of the original six companies which trialled the Standard before it was published said that although he welcomes the new version, he feels that it may prove too expensive for some organisations to afford. Andrew Williams told Main Event magazine (www.themaineventmagazine.co.uk) that “I think the amount of money the BSI are charging for the standard is out of synch with current economic conditions” adding ”at £138 + VAT many smaller organisations will be put off from buying BS8901, especially when many will have paid for the earlier version that has now been withdrawn.  I think it would be a gesture of goodwill if BSI were to offer some kind of discount, at least to companies who had already purchased BS8901.” Andrew added that to show his company’s committment to the new version, his company was  offering an hours free consultancy to any organisation, supplier or venue who needs an update on the Standard.

In other news, it was nice to see that Firefly Solar has won the Supplier of the Year Award at the 2009 Event Awards with MD Andy Mead saying “we are extremely pleased to have recived recognition for our hard workover the past two years and are glad the events industry is welcoming new companies and embracing evolving technologies like ours.    

http://www.seventeenevents.co.uk/news/help-with-the-new-version-of-bs8901/

www.fireflysolar.co.uk and info@fireflysolar.co.uk

Say, have you people ever heard of that awesome television series: Firefly? You have? Good for you. Did you hear about the truly revolutionary Film based on the TV Series called “Serenity”? You have? Well Okay then. Finally, do you people think Firefly-Serenity was promoted enough? As if, in this point in time, F-S was so underpromoted that the whole franchise really didn’t get the chance it deserved?

If you believe in that crap, then you’re reading the wrong blog post.

The whole F-S cycle is the most overrated excuse for a franchise that has ever been concieved. I avoided the whole thing just based on the hype alone. Then, when I got a chance to watch the whole Firefly series on Hulu, I found out the hard way what a big pile of excrement this thing really was.

My points of contention with the franchise:

1. The Never-ending puke river of Nihilism that permeates the series
2. The Vacuous Backstory
3. The Fake “Realism”
   

First off, the Nihilism. Really? Nihilism? Did I just say that this franchise was nihilistic? You better believe that this franchise is nihilistic. The people behind F-S really go that extra mile to deliver that cheap shot to the cojones type of nihilism I’ve come to despise in things outside of F-S. F-S wears it’s nihilism on it’s sleeve, tattoos it’s chest with it, and drops it’s pants and moons you with it every step of the way.

That nihilism extends to the characters of the franchise also. I’m talking about The Protagonists here. These people are impossible to root for even as Anti-Heroes. Oh Sure, these people engage in light-hearted banter that makes them tolerable for awhile. But on the things that count, these guys are detestable vermin no sane person would want at their side.

As for the Alliance, they really never get enough screen time to evoke any impressions beyond superficial ones, which leads us to the next issue….

F-S has no real backstory! There, I’ve said it. I feel that a great weight has been lifted off of me now that I’ve come to terms with the fact that no back story actually exists for F-S. It would actually violate the creators’ hard-line stance on nihilism to have a backstory of any substance. Oh yeah, there’s the whole “Alliance vs Independents” thing. But that’s only a pretext for this series, NOT A REAL STORY.

The Alliance doesn’t work as a fictional entity because they are depicted in two contradictory ways:

1. As a monolithic “Evil Empire”
2. As a bunch of hapless dipsticks that are convenient victims for Reavers and more mundane forms of piracy.
   

The mention of Alliance personnel as “Hapless dipsticks that are convenient victims for Reavers” sets up my final point: The Fake “Realism”

Ah Yes, if there’s anything that can raise my hackles beyond the Nihilism and Zero-Story content of Firefly-Serenity, it’s the whole attitude towards “telling it like it is”-style arrogance of the show’s creators and it’s fans.

Ok, I’m up for another round of that neverending, stupid debate on “Realism in Science Fiction”. Actually, I’m not. Not because I’m against realism per se, but because I’ll get bogged down in the stupid postmoderism of the show’s creators and fans.

What I’m going to to is to cite 2 examples of the stupidity of this series where it utterly fails by any standard of realism

First example, In the Jaynestown episode, We have a character that is introduced as an archenemy of Jayne Cobb, Stitch Hessian. We first see this character when he is released from a POW-style sweatbox AFTER FOUR YEARS.

He is healthy, whole, and ready to kick ass right out of the box without any kind of REHABILITATION OR MEDICAL CARE WHATSOEVER.

Even by sci-fi standards, this is unforgivably stupid. Boxes like the one Stitch was in are DESIGNED TO BREAK PEOPLE. But by some miracle, the detestable planetary overlord managed to care for a man(who tried to rob him!) in less than ideal conditions. There’s not even any cheap MacGuffin-Medicine included in the plotline to deal with all of this. This story was written by morons, for morons.

Even by postmodern standards, a hellhole POW-style sweatbox does not work wonders for ones’ health. The Firefly series is full of stupid stuff like this.

Now that I’ve handled the physical reality that F-S operates under, it’s time to confront the bogus behavior and fake backstory of Firefly.

Bushwacked is an episode that features two very different antagonists to the Serenity crew. The Reavers and the Alliance. There is only one actual Reaver depicted in the episode. How a person becomes a Reaver is subject to debate(at least, until they introduced that stupid retcon in the Serenity movie which I have not seen, but read about).

Retcons aside, The role the alliance plays here is that of “bunch of victims for the newly minted Reaver”. The F-S franchise has trouble deciding if the alliance constitutes “an Evil Empire” or “a bunch a victims” because of the grossly nihilistic attitudes of the F-S productions.

Yes, here we go with the nihilism again. But in this circumstance, it backfires. There is less exposition given to the creation of the Reavers than there is to the creatures in a third-rate zombie movie. The Firefly-Serenity series is so nihilistic that the very idea of storytelling is an exercise in pointless stupidity.

All that’s left here, when you look carefully at it, is a stupid “Vietnam Trip-wire Veteran” story combined with the imagery of the Hellraiser movies.

It fails to entertain, or enlighten, or anything else positive. Nor was it ever intended to.

Ok, so you’re asking: “What was it intended for?” Here’s your answer: To intimidate, to humiliate, and to keep you off balance.

Apparently, you people in the audience out there are a bunch of grain-fed Sheeple who need to get kicked in the ass at every opportunity. Yes, the creators of the Firefly series and the Serenity movie have total contempt for their audience. In this episode, they throw around blood and guts in a vain effort to get people to take them and the show seriously.

Now that I’ve covered all of that unreality, it’s time to confront the heavy-handed moralizing that also constitutes the “realism” of the F-S franchise.

In the closing minutes of the “Jaynestown” episode, we’re treated to a conversation between Mal Reynolds and Jayne Cobb:

Jayne Cobb: Don’t make no sense… What, Why the hell that muther have to go and do that for Mal? jumping in front of that shotgun blast. Hell, there weren’t a one of them that understood what happened out there, that(sic) probably sticking that statue right back up.

Mal Reynolds: Most like(ly)

JC: I don’t know why it eats at me so

MR: It’s my estimation that every man who ever got a statue made of him was one kind sumbitch or another. It ain’t about you Jayne, it’s about what they need.

JC: Don’t make no sense.

This exchange is so out-of-character with the previous behavior of the characters that it sticks out like a sore thumb. They really don’t seem like the type of people who would be concerned about the fate of a bunch of strangers. In the final analysis, this scene was contrived to make a cheap, nihilistic point about how all people who get statues made in their likeness are total bastards. WHICH FLAT-OUT CONTRADICTS JAYNE COBB’S INTROSPECTION AT THE END OF THIS EPISODE.

How did a Nihilistic, Brain-dead, cheap-shot infested series like Firefly ever get a huge fanbase? I used to think that the “Fans” were mere astroturfers. However, the truth is more vile than even I could have imagined.

What I am about to suggest is so bizarre, that even I have trouble believing it. But it rings true

James Randi(AKA The Amazing Randi) wrote on page 99 of his 1989 book: The Faith Healers

(Joseph)Barnhart suggested a scenario that I have come to accept–though with some difficulty–because it satisfies all the evidence and it has been confirmed by my subsequent investigations.

He contends that the faith-healing service functions as a significant drama for those who attend. This explains their willingness to believe what others see as obvious delusions. He says we cannot divide the participants into “audience” and “Performers.” The entire auditoriium becomes a huge stage, with both the preachers and the believers taking part in the drama. A careful observer notices that almost everything in the drama leads up to the climax, the long-anticipated healing scene. It is a ritual of major magical importance to the participants.

Barnhart points out that the afflicted person wants to get close to this magic. By pretending–earnestly–and by refusing to entertain any doubt, on his or her part or on behalf of another, the subject maintains and reinforces the myth that all of the actors have agreed to believe in, for their own reasons. The faith-healing service is a sort of mutually accepted morality play that is participated in without doubt or hesitation, for fear of breaking the spell.

The above gimmick is used in other fields besides faith-healing. While the average Firefly-Serenity “fan” believes themselves superior to your average inbred faith-healer, they engage in exactly the same techniques and attitude depicted in the Randi book excerpt.

Stripped of all religious-healing influences, The Fake Audience Trick consists of:

• A general “reality is made by FAKING SHIT REALLY HARD” attitude.
• Shouting down any criticism.
• Presenting yourself as more: Serious, Hardcore, Spiritual, Moral , Ect. than anyone else.
• Presenting the subject matter as more :Serious, Hardcore, Spiritual, Moral, Ect. than anything else in the field.
• hanging on the the absurd belief that something positive can come from all of this stupidity.
  

This is the foundation of all religion, politics, publicly-traded companies, pyramid schemes, marketing, and Firefly-Serenity Fandom.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention an important part of the trick:

• Make up excuses (or scapegoats) to explain away your failures.(Which there will be a lot of)

Firefly Fans have as their scapegoat-excuse: “Firefly-Serenity wasn’t promoted enough”. This is inaccurate. Firefly(and Serenity) was promoted, stoked up, hyped, and finally shoved in the face of a public that didn’t want anything to do with it.

More than one person has commented on the messed-up, retarded, abrasive and painful nature of witnessing Firefly fandom. Outlaw Vern commented on Firefly fandom in his review of the Serenity movie:

I consider myself a brave man but more than once I found myself eyeing the fire exit. I was planning my escape and it wouldn’t have been a daring one like in the movie, it would’ve been more like when Old Dirty Bastard fled the hospital without checking out.

Inside the theater was worse. There was a singalong of a folk song about the characters. There was people trying to talk in space cowboy talk.

Ho boy, this isn’t like Trek or Wars fandom. This is entirely different. They seem to be trying too hard. Vern has encountered some weirdos in his time.(See his Chaos(2005) DVD review). But he seemed genuinely scared at the Serenity viewing.

This all seems like a Viral Marketing project that mutated into a cult.(Think “Xenu” but without the laughs)

How did all of this come about? I’ve got a pretty good idea, but you’ll have to take my notions about nihilism and the 1990s-2000s seriously to understand it.

To understand Firefly fandom you have to go back to the 1990s, The Nihilistic Nineties. Did I mention that I hated the 1990s?(and to a lesser extent, the 2000s). If I didn’t, let me state right here: I HATED THE 1990S. I hate the 90s so much, I won’t bother to explain why. Instead, I’ll let Greg Stacy, of the OC Weekly, articulate his attitude toward the 1990s, which happens to coincide with mine:

Besides, that’s a time most of us are happy to forget. Who the hell gets nostalgic for the LA riots, grunge or O.J. hysteria? It was one of the most volatile yet paradoxically least interesting times in our nation’s history. I remember long nights searching the radio for anything listenable; eventually I’d grow so bored with the rap and metal I’d end up stuck with Art Bell’s loony conspiracy theories. It’s an experience (GTA)San Andreas re-creates with depressing accuracy, right down to a so-so Art Bell parody.

–Pop! Culture
Getting lost on the streets of San Andreas, December 23, 2004

That rhetorical question about “Who the hell gets nostalgic for the LA riots, grunge or O.J. hysteria?” has to be answered here. Since this is a blog post about Firefly-Serenity and its fans, the answer should be obvious. F-S fans are vile, nihilistic types who think that the planet Earth reached cultural Satori in the period between The LA Riots and the publication of the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk in 1996.

But the influence nowadays on F-S fandom isn’t so much “Tyler Durden” anymore but “The Joker from the movie The Dark Knight (2008)”. Just like The Joker only wanted to burn the world, so do the F-S fans want to burn the very idea of fandom. Having failed in their putrid efforts to astroturf the success of the whole Firefly-Serenity cycle, they are going to make lots of noise and burn the internet with their behavior.

Worse, these clowns manage to get the whole F-S franchise attention it doesn’t really deserve.

But let’s get back to the substance of the Firefly series and the Serenity movie. Oh that’s right, THERE IS NO SUBSTANCE IN THE F-S FRANCHISE.

Ironically, The Evil Megacorporation depicted in the Alien Movies has a sunnier take on humanity than the protagonists of Firefly. The white-hot nihilism of the 1990s has turned into the cold ashes of the 2Ks. With the approach of the new decade, I’m going to do everything I can to burn the nihilists. I’m going it alone, and no hypester is going to have any fun in the future. Most importantly, “Hardcore” is going to be the joke of the 2010s.