Woke up, thought all was fine and dandy, made it to work - and dizziness hit. ( TMI health update or ack Vertigo ack )

***

Television and books

1. Watched more of Newman/Woodward doc last night - it does go into their political activities (both were liberal political activists), and into their films - and family dynamics. I'm loving the documentary - because it's not just about Newman/Woodward, but about filmmaking, and how to put a documentary together. The process geek in me - is in heaven.

Takeaway quote: When Camus read the story of Sisphysus, he said, Ah, this is a happy man, he knows his job and is satisfied in it.

Which never really occurred to me, or Ethan Hawk for that matter.

2. "The Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins" - is a historical rom-com/mystery hybrid, which I think is the Victorian period?
Checks - yes, 1865 (I honestly can't remember when the Victorian Period started, and well, Vertigo issues - so if you know, feel free to fact check.)

The teaser is below. But right now, it appears to be female friendship? We have a newspaper columnist/publisher hooking up with a cookbook author to co-author a column about murders - currently the Commandment Murders. And they decide to investigate murders through their column. Apparently the Inspector investigating the murders in none too pleased (seriously, why would he be?). Much chaos ensues.

( Amazon blurb )

So far it's easier to read than Spinning Silver or Remarkably Bright Creatures - mainly because it is in third person and the point of view is rather clear. And there's, voila, dialogue.

3. Buffy S4 Rewatch - Superstar - sigh, there's a trope in sci-fantasy, where a Marty Stu or Mary Sue secondary character gets center stage. It's targeted towards a certain portion of the audience, which is NOT me. But, it is admittedly very popular - as evidenced by how often its done. I've never enjoyed it - I feel like it takes me away from the action, characters and story, to spend time with the author's stand-in or the author's idea of an audience stand-in (which isn't me). To give Espenson, who wrote the episode, credit - she kind of parodies/satirizes the trope? And makes fun of it. (Not my sense of humor - but I give her marks for detail, even if it's a touch too on the nose.) And she does manage to further each characters arc and relationship along the way.
( cut for length and spoilers for the few out there who never saw this and still want to )

4. Buffy Sequel - Chloe Zhao - the director, and executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale - has officially stated it is a sequel, and she fully plans on bringing back the original characters.

Go HERE

And.. HERE

"Zhao is offering some additional insights on the project and the importance of bringing in original series and new viewers, while sharing how much the original series meant to her during an interview with Variety's Awards Circuit podcast to discuss her film, Hamnet.

"It is not a reboot. It's a sequel. You can never replace these characters. I would never allow that," Zhao made clear regarding the sequel series. "And Sarah's [Michelle Gellar] back. I love my cast, the new cast. We will bring back OG characters for sure. And it is a show that bridges two generations — it's not just about the kids. I think the fandom is so important to us. We want the fandom to see themselves mirrored in the original fandom. And of course, we want new fans to join, and it's very much about both generations."

In previous interviews, Gellar has shared how Zhao's pitch for the new series and the impact that the original series had on her (and could still have on new generations) was a significant factor in her decision to return to the franchise. During the podcast, Zhao revealed how she reacted to the series finale, "Chosen" (S07E22), which aired on May 20, 2003.

"I watched religiously. I was at Mount Holyoke. We would all gather — I think it was every Thursday or Tuesday — and we would watch, because you only get one episode and you're waiting a week. It's such a ritual. I remember the last episode finishing, and we sat there; everyone was crying, and we were all holding hands. I remember looking at the screen, tears streaming down my eyes, and I said, 'Good luck to you, Buffy Summers, good luck to you.' Seeing Sarah in real life was probably one of the most stressful moments of my life."

There is something to be said for fans writing and directing the sequel? [Because often the fans of a show - watch it closer than the creator does, and notice things the creator doesn't.] But isn't it still just published fanfic, and the only reason it got this far is the fan in question has some clout and knows the right people? Also, at the end of the day - we're getting this group of fans take on the series or perspective, which may vary significantly from our own? Since we all see things so differently?

Then again, who am I to complain? I watch a daytime soap and read comic books - also watch Doctor Who off and on, not to mention Star Wars sequels and Star Trek - and that's, well, also fanfic in a way? With varying perspectives on the same thing? At the end of the day aren't all continuations by new writers a kind of fanfic? They are in a way playing with someone else's toys but in their sandbox?

Ponders. Is it fanfic or isn't it? And what exactly is fanfic? [See? This is what happens when Vertigo eats my brain? I ponder existential questions about Fanfic.]

I grabbed it from dirtygreatknife.

The rules: bold the ones you've read, italicize the ones you tried but couldn't finish, and underline the ones you loved. (I changed it from intend to read to couldn't finish, because intent changes on a daily basis).
( 100 Books )

I've read a lot of them, can't remember half of them. And many I was assigned to read in school.

1. Watched part of the Public Theater's presentation of Shakespeare's Twelth Night that premiered at the new theater in Central Park, this summer.
Didn't see it - for two reasons: 1) there were lines at all locations at 4 am in the morning and 2) no time. Also, I've seen Twelth Night about five times? And I'm not crazy about it. It's among Shakespeare's famous comedies, although I like "As You Like It", "Much Ado About Nothing", and "Midsummer Night's Dream" more.

It aired on Great Performances around 9pm, and will most likely be re-aired at some point, also on PBS Passport.
( brief review )

2. Fall is creeping along in NYC - we're experiencing a late fall. There are still green leaves and yellow leaves on many of the trees outside my window for example, there are still flowers about, and red leaves. It's pretty actually. It's normally not until after Thanksgiving that the leaves are gone, and snow arrives.

Struggling with blood sugar issues and balance issues today for some reason. I feel just a little off or dizzy.

3. Angel and Buffy Rewatch

I've completed the four episode Faith Arc now that arcs through Buffy S4 episode This Year's Girl/Who are You to Angel S1 episodes FivebyFive/Sancturary.

The Angel episodes are better - but that's mainly because Angel S1 has a better arc than Buffy S4, and there's no Adam. Also, Faith works better with Angel and Wes than Giles and Buffy, partly because Angel and Wes are trying to redeem themselves, while Giles and Buffy aren't.

The best of the four episodes is actually the last one, which is co-written by Tim Minear and Whedon, and unlike Whedon, Minear gets the whole redemption angle. Whedon struggles with it and slips into Daddy Issues or Mommy Issues. Minear doesn't. So in Angel, we get a little less of that - although it is readily apparent in Five by Five, which isn't Minear's episode, but written by Jim Kouff and possibly Jeanine Renshaw. The difference between the two episodes in regards to writing - is night and day.
( Read more... )

4. Finished reading Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik finally - and, the writing style didn't work for me. I liked the story and characters well enough, jus got bogged down by the writing style (which I've discussed in previous posts). Too many first person point of views.

Moving on to The Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem.