Buffy Versus Edward

You must immediately go read this post from Slate's XX, and watch the re-mix video of what happens when Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer met Edward from Twilight:

http://www.doublex.com/blog/xxfactor/when-buffy-met-edward

More excitement about Miyazaki

I'm more excited than a grown woman should be: I just got tickets to see a screening on Ponyo, Hayao Miyazaki's new movie, and then, the next night, two tickets to see Miyazaki himself give a lecture in Berkeley! I moved to California six months ago and just knew it would pay off! Yay!

The bad news is, Comic Con in San Diego looks to be sold out, so unless anyone has secret ways to get me in, it looks like I won't be going to that.

Shows that get renewed, shows that don't

Really crossing my fingers that Chuck gets renewed. Dollhouse I think was lucky to have a full half-season. Heroes will be back (hopefully with better writing!) and Reaper is cancelled. It's hard getting attached to these genre-type shows, knowing they could be cancelled at any minute.

Heroines and Their Shoes

Felicity Shoulders has some very sensible comments on sensible shoes on action heroines on television. These also apply equally to female comic book superheroes, who are always fighting evil in a thong...
http://faerye.net/post/comfortable-shoes
This is a subject dear to my heart as I recently broke two bones in my foot. Practical footwear would have been a plus in my accident. But no - it was strappy sandals for me that day!

Heroes, Lost...Andy Richter

So, Bryan Fuller is back at Heroes, and it shows. The newest episode, "Cold Snap," had his trademark whimsical visual details as well as above-average (at least for Heroes) dialogue. A terrific ending for a terrible character (Tracy, not Daphne.) Loved the bits with Angela!

Lost has gone downhill ever since Sawyer got together with Juliet. Blech and double-blech! And the show's depiction of Sayid was disappointing - I was really hoping they were moving him towards a redemptive end.

Andy Richter Controls the Universe is not, technically, a sci-fi show...but it does have technical writers! And likable managers of technical writers, much like me in a previous corporate career. At least I hope I was likable. And one of the guys who worked for me did look a lot like Andy Richter...
Anyway, it's out on DVD - do yourself a favor and buy it. No, they're not paying me to say this.

Dollhouse's "game-changing" episode was all right - but still left me feeling a little "meh." Plus, I could see all the "suprises" coming from a mile away. Notice though, I still haven't stopped watching...

Review of Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder

I got ahold of Futurama's Into the Wild Green Yonder yesterday, and have to say I was fairly pleased with this outing of the series - in fact, I think it's the best of the four. Characters were written true to the essentials of each character, the Fry and Leela relationship was addressed satisfactorily, the inside jokes were there but not overly obvious or irritating.
Evolutionary factors were both the villain and hero of these four episodes - the evolutionary forces that caused less robust species to go extinct were labelled "dark ones" and the forces to preserve evolutionary diversity - somewhat mysterious - were the "encyclopods." A strange premise, making personifications of evolutionary theory good or evil.
The best extra was the "making of" documentary, in which...well, let's just say Lauren Tom features heavily, and it's pretty hilarious. You can also watch Matt Groening bounce around at zero G!
It never reached the greatness of the original four seasons, but at no time did I look away in disgust or get so bored I stopped watching (as happened with the three previous movies,) and the ending has some emotional resonance.
Billy West has said there is a possibility than Futurama might have new episodes on Fox, a la the resurrection of Family Guy.

Reasons to Watch Heroes

An amusing and compelling list of reasons to start watching Heroes again on Television without Pity. My favorite reason was "They just generally suck less." Right on!