A word about Digital Fare

I use this blog to write commentary and observations about topics in the media, but I tend to update inconsistently.  If you want a more regular flow of posts, please check out my tumblr.  I consider it a purer form of what a site called Digital Fare should be: a collection of various media items I find across the internet, posted for your entertainment and/or curiosity, with little or no commentary from me.  The point is to have a constant stream of media rather than constantly writing about it.  And it is a constant and heavy stream.  I've been on tumblr since September and I have 213 posts; 64 of which are from December.

You can see the latest things I've posted on tumblr under "Recent Tumbles" in the sidebar here.  There's an RSS feed you can subscribe to, and if you're on tumblr, you can follow me.

Basically, when I'm not here, I'm on tumblr, and I do spend more time over there.

Rewind Girl

Yesterday I watched Part 1 of "End of Time," the new Doctor Who episode.  I realized that when I watch things on my computer or DVDs on TV, I'm incapable of not pressing the rewind button while I watch. 

Moreso with TV shows than with movies, I'll rewind a bit to hear a line again or to watch an actor's expression change.  Rewind just a few seconds and re-watch, sometimes even a third time.

I thought I did it only when I watched Greatest American Hero or How I Met Your Mother.  It's easy to rewind for dialogue or a joke.  But no, I do it more often than I thought, and Doctor Who is far too incredible to watch simply once.

That's why it takes me an hour and a half to watch an hour-long episode.

A New Karate Kid

Today I saw the trailer on /Film for the new Karate Kid movie.  It keeps the same basic plot as The Karate Kid, but the characters are different.  I've complained about remakes before, but at least this looks okay so far. Kids today haven't seen the original The Karate Kid, so they can have a story for their generation, even if it doesn't look to be as great a movie.  Jackie Chan is in it as the Mr. Miyagi figure, so that's cool.

I'll probably watch it when it's on TV...or whatever the next Hulu is.

Superhero cover

If you browse through my posts on this blog, you'll notice that I've written a lot about superheroes.  That's because I love all the aspects of superhero stories so much- the super powers, yeah, but also the character study/development, the take on morality, and the commentary on our world.

Lately, I've been thinking about a superhero having an alter ego as a taxi driver. Superman is Clark Kent at the Daily Planet so he can keep up with breaking news and help as he's able. The downside is Clark has to do all the work a reporter does first to earn a living and second to keep his position at the Daily Planet so he can stay close to the news. I see pros and cons for my taxi driver scenario as well.

Pros

• can listen to police radio as he cruises around the city
• has a valid alibi--taxis can show up pretty much anywhere at any time
• personal transportation (significantly more important if his superpower has nothing to do with transportation)

Cons

• conflict of interests - What does he do if he hears a call he wants to respond to while he has a passenger in the car?
• rush hour
• use gas money for patrolling/cruising
• difficult to maintain a reputation as a reliable cabbie

I have no idea what sort of hero he'd be or what abilities he'd have.  I've been thinking about the practicality of alter egos only.  I think there are fun possibilities for a taxi driver by day, a superhero by...well, day or night.  Maybe some day I'll play around with the idea.

And there's a glance at the randomness that passes through my mind.  If you want to suggest a topic for me to blog about, ask me a question, or contact me for some other reason, you can do so at formspring.me.

Assigned seats in movie theaters

My hometown's movie theaters do not have assigned seats, but I recently went to a movie theater that printed your seat assignment on your ticket.  If it were a system that lets you choose your seat when you buy your ticket, that might be okay, but I don't like automatically assigned seats.

The movie theater I went to assigns seats systematically--you don't get to choose where you want to sit.  The first person to purchase a ticket for the screening gets the center seat in the center row and then seat assignments fan out from there, filling the theater from the center out.

I can see how that system provides an incentive to get there early to get a good seat. People will buy their tickets as early as possible to get those good seats because if they're late, they'll have to sit in the fringe seats.

That system isn't horrible, but I'd rather not have assigned seats.  While it might be fair that the earlier you buy your ticket, the better seat you should have, there's a nice level playing field in buying your ticket and then filling seats on a first come, first serve basis.  I'm regularly in the movie theater 20 minutes before the movie starts, and even earlier if I think it's going to be busy.  I go early so I can have a better pick of seating, but I also don't mind spending the extra time there.  I don't mind the previews, or even the pre-previews they show now, and my friends and I can always fill that time with conversation.

Walking into a movie theater, popcorn in hand, and looking up at the available seats is part of the experience of going.   It's not as much fun stepping up the aisles, moving directly to your assigned seat.

Media junkie

Today I watched 2 episodes of How I Met Your Mother, 1 episode of Greatest American Hero, 1 episode of Batman Beyond, and a bunch of YouTube videos.  I'm still playing catch up with HIMYM.  GAH continues to amuse and entertain me in the good-hearted ways TV can.  I thought I had seen every episode of BB, but apparently not.

I made 5 posts on my tumblr and wrote my 700th tweet (which was uneventful because I stink at realizing when I reach benchmarks).

It was all very wonderful.

formspring.me

Formspring started a new free service, formspring.me, that allows people to send you comments, questions, or any other text.  They can send it anonymously or leave their contact info.  You can reply on formspring.me and/or integrate your answers onto Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger, and Facebook.  It's easy; it's simple.

Feel free to contact me on formspring.me here.  You can send questions, get in touch, or suggest topics for me to write about.  If you'd like me to respond to you personally, please include a way for me to do that.

Chartjackers single on Monday

Chartjackers is a project to get an internet-made single to the top of the UK music charts in time for Children in Need in December.  The effort is led by four YouTubers: Charlie, Alex, Johnny, and Jimmy.  Nine weeks ago, they started by asking viewers on YouTube to submit lyrics for a cheesy love song.  Then came the melody, vocalists, album artwork, music video, and promotion.  The guys have made YouTube videos along the way and BBC Switch has kept track of the Chartjackers with weekly TV episodes of their work. 

All that time and effort is for this Monday, November 9th, when the single "I've Got Nothing" goes for sale internationally on iTunes.  Only purchases in the UK count towards sliding the single up the music charts, but all the money from all the downloads goes directly to charity. 

This may be the first time an internet community produces a chart-topping single, and anyone in the world can get involved.  Starting this Monday, search iTunes for "I've Got Nothing" by the Chartjackers and download the song.  The money goes straight to Children and Need and your effort could help make internet and music history.

Roswell Costumes

Last week, io9 posted a gallery of characters in costume. They featured costumes from Buffy, E.T., The Office, Supernatural, and even Gargoyles. It’s a good list that spans decades of TV shows and movies, animated and live action, sci-fi and not, so I was surprised when I got to the end of the post and saw nothing from Roswell. Most of the main cast dressed up in the pilot episode, and a few of the costumes had a clever significance. To make up for io9’s lack of Roswell goodness, here are Alex, Liz, and Max in costume. I didn’t realize the full connections on my own (especially about Ripley)—I read about them in Crash Into Me years ago. So I have an excellent memory for this sort of stuff. That’s why I’m a media student.

This one’s easy. Alex (played by Colin Hanks) dressed up as an astronaut. It’s a nice shout-out to Apollo 13 which starred Tom Hanks (his father), Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon. Alex doesn’t know about the aliens at this point, so it’s fitting that his costume is space—but not alien—related.

Liz dressed like Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) from Alien: Resurrection. It’s fitting because like Ripley, Liz is brought back to life by aliens. After a fight breaks out in the Crashdown, Liz is shot in the stomach and Max heals her, saving her life. Ripley’s DNA was mixed with alien DNA and later in Roswell, we find out the Liz also changed on a biological level when Max healed her.

Max dressed to look like an MIB agent. An alien MIB agent, oh the irony. The first time I saw the pilot, I thought the best part about the costume was that Max looked completely normal at the festival when everyone around him was dressed like space creatures. The alien looks human; the humans look alien. I love the complete reversal. Max prefers the hide-in-plain-sight strategy throughout the series and his choice of costume in the pilot certainly follows that idea.

The costumes are one of the many reasons I believe Roswell has the best pilot episode of any TV series I’ve seen. Maybe some day I’ll post my other reasons.

Images are from Screencap Paradise.

Remakes and Sequels

The Movie Blog posted an article today that the Terminator rights are for sale.

One of the readers left the following comment:

Why do people latch onto franchises that should have died ten years ago? Maybe it’s time to create new icons, instead of just reinventing old ones. Is Hollywood just that lazy now. No new Terminator or Pirates of the Caribbean. WHO CARES! Nightmare on Elm street and Friday the thirteen we’re better when I was a kid. Leave nostalgia alone.

Also why do we absolutely need trilogies. Why not have stand alone’s. Why make a franchise out of every movie. They will get your money anyways, so why not get some entertaining value in something new?

We have the responsibility to ask for better product, not rehashes of old used stock.

I fully and completely agree. Hollywood needs to come up with new ideas for movies. Some films based on past work are really good (last summer's Star Trek), but that's still using old ideas as a crutch.

Omegle Conversations

Tonight on Omegle I:

• spoke with the singer of All Seeing Love
• pretended to be a Kryptonian in an alternate universe. I spoke to a Zyrogonian. We discussed how we patched into Earth's internet.
• introduced someone to Nerdfighteria.
• quoted the first half of All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter and the other person filled in the rest.
  
• spoke to a rover on Jupiter about his journey and loneliness. He asked me which house and year I was in at Hogwarts (Ravenclaw, 7th).
• talked about dimensions in the universe with an artist.
• quoted song lyrics that were oddly relevant to the other person.
• explained the basic premise of Paper Towns.
  

Losing Faith in Hollwood

Where are the original ideas? So many recent movies are based on a book or a cartoon or an action figure. I don't want to see another remake or another sequel. I want to see films that were written to be films. I'll even take "inspired by a true story" or "based on true events." I'm tired of seeing recycled stories. I even feel sad now when I find out a movie was based on something else when I thought it was an original idea.

I've written about this before. I'm not saying we shouldn't have remakes and sequels, but they shouldn't be the majority of what's in theaters. There are a limited number of plots and character types, but there are infinite ways of mixing elements and telling a story. We need to see more of those ways.

Health Care in the U.S.

The other day I was thinking that if the U.S. implemented a public health care system, more people could start their own businesses and work independently without worrying about health insurance. Then John Green posted a video today where he talks about how public insurance can help economic growth.

Go watch.

A Disney Childhood

Disney bought Marvel last week. Several sites reported the news, including io9. My thoughts went to the horrible possibility that the Jonas Brothers could guest star in the next Iron Man film. Could Disney de-claw Wolverine? Commenters across the internet had similar thoughts about how Disney might influence the portrayals of Marvel characters. The current movie deals concerning Marvel characters are staying intact, though, so Disney can't touch current projects. Even so, I doubt Disney would interfere with Marvel too much. Marvel is plenty successful on its own.

My concern is not about Marvel/Disney mash-ups. It's about control over children's media.

Disney already has a firm grip on the girls' demographic, ages 5-13 or so. The princesses are still popular and Disney's influence sky-rocketed with the additions of High School Musical, Hanna Montana, and the Jonas Brothers.

Disney lacks the same kind of access to the same demographic for boys, and that's why it bought Marvel. In ten years, the current contracts and holds on Marvel characters will expire and then Disney will have full access to children's media for girls and for boys. Disney will be a huge creator and distributor of comics, cartoons, live action shows, movies, action figures, toys, video games, and clothing for children and young teens. Bigger than it is now. All under one empire.

I don't want Disney to have a monopoly on childhood. I don't think anyone should. Children should have access to media from various creators and the freedom to choose what they want to watch or buy, but media mergers condense that access. Even ten years ago, I had a dozen TV shows to choose from on Saturday mornings. The media doesn't offer that many options anymore.

Growing media empires mean less ideas and less diverse content. Less creativity to stir children's imagination. More of the same re-hashed characters and plots that are perfect to watch in a daze, zombie-like.

I don't want the primary option for kids in the future to be Disney. I want to see kids get excited about the next Pixar film.

Oh, wait.

The mark of an excellent film

I have a confession to make. I have never seen Fight Club in its entirety. I know "The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club" but I had never seen any of the film until tonight.

I flipped through channels and stopped when I saw Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in an airplane scene. I had to stop and see what it was. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were in the same frame--it had to be good.

I started watching at the airport scene and somewhere between there and when Pitt dictates the rules, I knew I was watching Fight Club. Norton's narration wasn't about fighting yet. Nothing on screen referenced any of my sparse knowledge about the movie, but I knew without a doubt what I was watching.

That's the mark of an excellent film--when you know nearly nothing about the movie, miss the beginning, and still know what you're watching before the plot gets going (without looking it up on IMDB or waiting for the name to pop up in the corner of the screen). This works mostly with older films. They leave a strong enough impression that you recognize them before seeing them. I watched the first bar scene and thought, "This must be Fight Club." Just like that.

I promise I will watch Fight Club start to finish at some point. I need to watch more Edward Norton films in general.

An observation: I knew the twist in the movie before it was revealed. (I won't spoil it in case there's anyone else in the world besides me who hasn't seen Fight Club.) The same thing happened when I watched A Beautiful Mind for the first time and somehow I don't think knowing the twist before it comes into play diminishes either film.

One really great thing about TV is that you can accidentally watch movies. I don't know how many times I flipped channels and came across something that looked interesting and ended up enjoying a movie I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise. It's the only way we have to catch a film by chance.

The hiatus didn't stick

My original reason for putting this blog on hiatus until December was that I needed to focus on other things over the next few months. I'm spending a semester abroad so updating sites really shouldn't be high on my list of priorities. I thought it best to put Digital Fare on hold for a little while.

That would have worked. I've gone long stretches of time without blogging. The problem is, I still come across things I want to blog about and a voluntary hiatus shouldn't stop me from writing them here.

So I'll blog when I blog. Please don't expect regular updates.

Hiatus

This blog will be on hiatus until December. Thanks for reading and see you later this year!

The Best of Half-Blood Prince

Minor spoilers for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the film).

The Harry Potter books are way too long and detailed to be adapted adequately to film. Even Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with a running time of 2 hours and 33 minutes can't cram in all the important parts of the book. That's understandable. Stories based on books must be told differently on screen. Even though Half-Blood Prince has gaps that can be explained only by knowing the book, it shows one thing very, very well: Harry and Hermione's relationship.

Throughout the series, Harry and Hermione are best friends and always supportive of each other. Where Ron sometimes gets lost in himself or in the events around him, Harry always keeps an eye out for Hermione. In Half-Blood Prince, Harry likes Ginny but can't be with her for fear of Ron's reaction. Hermione likes Ron but he runs around with Lavender and pays little attention to Hermione for most of the film. Harry is the only one who is aware of Hermione's trouble, as Hermione is the only one aware of Harry's.

We see Hermione's disgust with Lavender every time she leaves a room abruptly or snaps at Ron for being so oblivious. Hermione gets upset, storms off, or cries. When Harry sees Dean Thomas with Ginny, he doesn't show an outward reaction. Maybe his facial expression changes or maybe he turns away, but that's it.

Until the scene where Hermione sits on the hallway stairs and cries.

Harry comes to comfort her and Hermione asks him what it feels like when he sees Ginny with Dean. Harry doesn't answer right away, but a moment later when Hermione cries into his shoulder, he says, "It feels like this."

Harry and Hermione's friendship is of the purest form, totally platonic. The books depict the same relationship, but it comes across stronger on screen. We can read that Harry and Hermione support each other, but the film does a better job of showing their compassion and sympathy.

Makes me wonder why some fangirls wanted Harry and Hermione to date and miss out on this perfect friendship.

DFTBA Records knows how to use the internet

DFTBA Records is an independent music label created by Alan Lastufka and Hank Green to promote and sell music by YouTubers. All of the artists on the label have strong followings on YouTube and are talented musicians who need a way to distribute their work.

Promotions, sales, song previews, and news updates are all online for DFTBA Records. They have no need for TV spots or other traditional advertisements, and the incredible thing is that they've been really successful so far. So Jokes hit #22 on the Billboard "Hits of the Web" chart in May 2009. Chameleon Circuit sold 1,000 copies in one week. Two hundred DFTBA t-shirts sold out in less than a day.

The key to their success is how they use the internet to promote their work. The artists make YouTube videos to talk about and share their music. DFTBA Radio Hour offers commentary and plays DFTBA Records music in podcast form every Wednesday night. Alan utilizes Twitter to give updates on albums and projects. There's a wiki. There's a street team. There are competitions. There's a blog. DFTBA Records is all over the web in text, video, and audio formats to reach and interact with its audience.

I don't watch much TV anymore, I don't read magazines often, and I rarely listen to the radio. The best way to get my attention is on the internet, and I bet that's the same for a lot of teens and young adults out there. DFTBA Records has a solid grip on how to stay in touch with fans and sell music online. That's more than can be said of music labels that depend solely on a company site and iTunes for an internet presence.

Speedy Gonzales

I saw a boy at work, maybe 4 or 5 years old, who was wearing a t-shirt with Speedy Gonzales on the front. I don't see many kids wearing clothes with older cartoon characters, so I thought it was pretty cool he was wearing it. Then I realized the boy was really young, too young to have watched Speedy Gonzales. To him, the character isn't the fast, Spanish-speaking mouse that ran around our Saturday morning television screens. The boy probably thinks it's just a cartoon mouse with a huge hat. I bet he can name the current characters on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon but not many (if any) from Looney Toons.

Back to BlogSpot

I'm going to change the domain name back to BlogSpot (http://digitalfare.blogspot.com), so if there are any regular readers out there, please be prepared to update your bookmarks. The RSS feed won't be affected.

I've also thought about making this site less formal and more of a blog, a place where I can write out my thoughts. The topics will still be media-related, but the posts will hopefully read more like a conversation/thinking out loud than a news article or review. More personal.

Can Buffy be our Doctor?

TV Overmind posted an open letter to Joss Whedon that discusses the potential of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to be the "legacy" program in the U.S. that Doctor Who is in Britain. I love Doctor Who and Buffy, and I'm not opposed to anything Joss Whedon does, so let's take a look at what would and wouldn't work if Buffy were a continuing series.

The Doctor regenerates after he's mortally injured, and a new slayer is called after the current slayer dies. In both series, it's easy to switch out the main actor and use someone else. You're not replacing Darrin Stevens--it's a logical progression in the show. The Doctor's personality is slightly different with each regeneration and each slayer could take a different approach to her responsibilities. The Doctor can go anywhere in space and time to have his adventures. Slayers could be from anywhere on Earth, so there's the possibility of dealing with mythology and lore from various countries, and that’s pretty cool. The Doctor has different companions and he meets new people. Likewise, the slayer can have a new watcher, her own set of friends.

Where it falls apart

The Doctor, despite his regenerations, is the same character. Same man, new everything. He keeps his memories, his knowledge…the core being of the Doctor. The Slayer, however, would be a completely new person after the previous one died. She would need to discover who she is, go through training, and learn about vampires and the other baddies all over again because she’s a different person and new to slaying. It could get repetitive.

The Doctor’s character is a progression over time. Experiences that he has change him, and he retains everything he knows with each regeneration. Every Slayer, though, would be a different approach to the same type of character. You can have a Slayer that’s with it, wants to fight evil and does a good job most of the time (like Buffy). You can have the spunky, aggressive, violent Slayer we saw with Faith. You could have a timid Slayer, one who doesn’t want the job. You can have a Slayer that’s a mix of what we’ve already seen. My point is, how many times can you re-hash the Slayer? Every time there’s a new one, you need a different approach, something that’s new and creates a new character that make sense in the fictional world we're dealing with. Can you sustain something like that for very long? I think after a few Slayers, they’ll be too many similarities to care about the new one. Here's another girl who fights evil just like the dozen before her. Yay.

Every new Slayer would practically be a new show. New cast, new place, new problems. Doctor Who has those new things too with each regeneration, but the core character of the Doctor and his TARDIS keep everything together. The audience has something to hold on to while everything else changes. In a Slayer franchise, that constant thing would be the Slayer’s responsibilities, fighting evil, and I’m not sure that’s enough continuity between Slayers to keep the show captivating.

I’d love more Buffy or a similar show about a Slayer, but I don’t think it can hold up as a continuing program the way Doctor Who has. A collection of mini-series about vampire slayers, though? Yes, please. (Whedon being the one to do it would be amazing, but he’s pretty busy at the moment. Sigh.)

YouTube Filler

Since I've been home from college, I noticed that I don't watch YouTube videos as often. I check my subscriptions during the week, but I don't watch new videos the day they're up anymore. I know why.

When I'm at school, my day is structured and if I have a few spare minutes before leaving my dorm, I'll watch a video or two on YouTube. I don't want to sit down to work on anything substantial for 5 minutes, so I go to YouTube to fill the time. That means that I check YouTube a few times throughout the day and watch videos very soon after they're posted.

Since I've been home, though, my days aren't so structured. Going to work and a few other commitments are really the only set things in my schedule, so when I'm around the house, one thing I do simply flows into the next. I don't have spare minutes throughout the day becuase I don't have a schedule that locks me into certain things at certain times.

The result is that I still check my YouTube subscriptions often, but I don't necessarily watch videos right away. I let a few build up and then spend 15 minutes or a half hour to catch up at once. YouTube becomes its own activity instead of filling in blank spaces throughout the day.

I thought it was interesting that I spend my time differently during the school year and during the summer. Do you have a similar experience?

BEDA Lesson

Today is the last day of BEDA. Blogging all month made me realize I actually do have time to write everyday. I waste time or I decide I don't feel like writing, so I don't bother. BEDA made me realize, though, that I can make time to write. It's a matter of thinking about something to write and then sitting down to write it. Just requires some focus. I'm happy I found out about BEDA a few days before it started so I could set a personal goal to see it through 30 consecutive days on the ning.

I've tried setting goals to write everyday before. I keep a hand-written journal, and there are stretches where I don't miss a day for a week or two but never more than that. I end up forgetting to write, or I don't have a block of time to sit down, think, and write. BEDA forced me to make time, though. The fact that I was posting online and that I knew a few people would be reading kept me accountable and motivated to keep on going. Some days I was really tired, actually didn't have time to write much, or didn't have something to write about but I still wrote a paragraph or two.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in BEDA, thank you to those of you who have read my blog, and thank you to Maureen Johnson for sharing such an awesome idea with us.

(By they way, I haven't read any of Maureen's books, so I'm going to visit the bookstore when I'm back home. Any suggestions for what I should read first?)

The image at the top of this post is by barunpatro on stock.xchng. It's been sitting on my desktop for a while and I've been waiting for an opportunity to use it. The end of BEDA is fitting.

Heroes: I Am Sylar

****Spoilers for last night's episode, I Am Sylar.****

I love Heroes, but in all honesty, seasons 2 and 3 are nowhere near the awesomeness that was season 1. Season 2 was messed up by the writers' strike, to be fair, but season 3 hasn't done much to redeem the series. Season 3 is just stagnant in my opinion. New episode every week, but not much has actually changed. Nathan messed up and is still messing up. People with special abilities are still being hunted by a secret sect of a government agency. Sylar continues to kill people to take their powers. Hiro and Ando are on their own random missions. Angela is still lying to her sons. The whole season drags on at a snail's pace and I don't even know if the writers know where they're heading. There's some interesting stuff, yeah, but it's mixed in with so many other things that don't matter very much. The characters keep taking action that takes them nowhere.

Peter and Sylar are the only characters I still find interesting. I like Peter because he's the unwavering hero. No matter what, he wants to do the right thing. Powers or not, support or on his own. He knows Nathan messed up big time and Peter wants to make things right. Peter is the most noble character and the fact that he always wants to do the right thing makes him predictable. I like him because he's consistent and actually cares about others enough to do what he can to help, but he doesn't do much that surprises me.

I like Sylar because he's hard to figure out. Sometimes he'll help others---even save other people---but most of the time he's just evil. He'll kill people for his own reasons, and he switches back and forth, sometimes in the same episode, between being good and evil based on his motivations and interests. I like that because it keeps me on my feet. I pay attention to what he's doing and why, and the character is still surprising.

Sylar wasn't in last week's episode very much, but last night the episode was primarily about him. Sylar killed a shape shifter a few episodes back and acquired his ability. Sylar has morphed into government agents, Danko, Noah Bennet, and others and now his identity is slipping. The shape shifting is glitching, and that's weird because as far as I remember, Sylar doesn't make mistakes with powers he takes. He sees how they work, learns how to use them, and that's it. He can always use them without hesitation or error. Except he morphed in his sleep. His eye didn't change back to brown. If he's having problems with his abilities, I take that to mean there's something wrong with Sylar--mentally, emotionally. (And okay, we know he has issues, serial killer and all. I mean he has something new that's wrong.)

About halfway through the episode, Sylar got a hold of the clothes his mother was wearing when he murdered her (connection all the way back to season 1!) and then could morph into her. Why he would want to become his own mother is weird enough, but what's weirder is he started having conversations with himself. He morphed into his mother, spoke as her, then morphed back to himself and responded. It was so creepy! We finally see how messed up he is, and it's heart-wrenching to see him break down.

Sylar is always cool and collected, motivated and calculating. He doesn't falter, and it's weird to see him weak, to actually see that he's broken. As messed up as he is, I found myself hoping he would get better, that he would find a way to overcome his issues so he could go back to being Sylar...and that technically means I want him to be Ruthless, Intense, Bad Guy again. Isn't that messed up on my part? But I think that's the point. We're supposed to be rooting for Sylar.

Micah met up with Sylar last night and Sylar helped him get away from Danko and the government agents. Micah wants to help Sylar because he's the only chance people with abilities have at fixing the mess Nathan Petrelli made. Micah understands that, and it's true. Sylar is the most powerful person in the show right now, especially since Peter has been limited to one power at a time. Sylar's the bad guy, but he's the in the best position to save the good guys.

I'm really interested to see how that's going to play out. Sylar doesn't have any motivation that I see for helping Nathan and Noah stop the hunters after people with abilities. (Although Sylar might want to go after Danko...) Sylar can go around on his own and kill people, take their abilities. He has no interest in saving them. He doesn't owe any of them anything. If Sylar does end up helping them, I wonder why he'll do it.

11:58 p.m. Close one! Phew.

Watching ThemTube on YouTube

Brief note...ThemTube refers to any commercial media, the stuff you see in movie theaters and on TV. I didn't come up with the term but read it in the YouTube guide by Alan Lastufka and Michael W. Dean.

If you've visited YouTube in the last two days, you may have noticed the Show tab at the top of the page nestled between Videos and Channels.YouTube added commercial content this week in an attempt to attract advertisers and actually make money of the site.

YouTube hosts a lot of videos and Google needs to be able to pay the bills for it, so it only makes sense that YouTube makes changes to make money. I checked out the shows and movies YouTube has added so far, and there are some things I'm interested in watching. (I'm watching the pilot episode of Astro Boy right now, just out of curiosity.) I'm happy that YouTube will host copyrighted content legally now, but I feel a little weird about watching TV shows and movies on the site (in their entirety and legally there, that is). I don't go to YouTube to watch commercial stuff. The majority of the videos I watch are user-generated vlogs and sketches. That's the purpose of YouTube, to watch what regular people are making, what you are making.

The coolest thing about YouTube is that everyone has an equal chance at exposure. Anyone's video can be featured, anyone's video can show up as a related video alongside other videos. There are users who are more popular, who have more subscribers, yeah, but their content is just like anyone else's on YouTube. There were no separations. Reports have been floating around, though, that YouTube's redesign will separate commercial content and user-generated content in search results (and maybe in related videos too? I'm not sure).

I'll continue to watch the people I'm subscribed to because I love their videos, but it'll be harder for them to reach new viewers if the redesign will create those separations. It's pretty sad considering this is all happening because of advertisers' interests.

(And is the added commercial content available outside the U.S.?)

Not another remake, not another sequel

This post was inspired (instigated?) by a post I saw this morning on The Movie Blog about a Little Shop of Horrors remake.

I don't have anything against Little Shop of Horrors but what bugs me is the amount of remakes and sequels that Hollywood keeps churning out. I know that they make money and that they're popular, but what happened to original stories?

A lot of the movies that come out now are adaptations from some other media (novels, comic books), remakes, or sequels. While many of those movies are good, I miss movies that were made to be movies. What happened to the likes of The Breakfast Club, The Goonies, and Back to the Future? Hollywood isn't coming up with new stuff so much anymore. It's like some screenwriters don't have to write anymore -- they just have to able to turn an existing story into a script.

Off the top of my head, these are the most recent movies I saw in theaters: The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Watchmen. They're all based on something else, but they're still great movies. My point is, I'm not saying that movies based off something, sequels, and remakes are bad. I just notice that there seem to be less movies written specifically for the screen lately.

I was interested to see how many of the most recent movies were new ideas, so I made a list based on box office numbers and opening movies at Rotten Tomatoes. I looked only at U.S. releases.

The top 10 at the box office this week:

Hannah Montana: The Movie -- based on a TV show
Fast & Furious -- fourth movie in a series
Monster vs Aliens -- new (Dreamworks is good with new stories. Pixar is better.)
Observe and Report -- new
Knowing -- new
I Love You, Man -- new
The Haunting in Connecticut -- based on a true story
Dragonball: Evolution -- based on Japanese manga
Adventureland -- new
Duplicity -- new (reminds me of Mr. and Mrs. Smith but I'll count it as new)

6/10 new idea movies = 60%

The movies opening this week:

17 Again -- technically new, but similar to 13 Going On 30 and Big (not counting it as a new idea)
Crank: High Voltage -- sequel to Crank (2006)
State of Play -- film adaptation of a British TV series by the same name
American Violet -- based on true events
Is Anybody There? -- new
Goodbye Solo -- new
Sleep Dealer -- new

3/7 new idea movies = 43%

Overall new idea movies: 9/17 = 53%

My list isn't representative or scientific, but just based on the movies from last week and this week, roughly half of them are new ideas for movies and the rest are adaptations, based on true stories, or sequels. That makes me sad, like the movie industry is slowly giving up on originality.

Cross-posted on the ning.

Goes ding when there's stuff

"This is my timey wimey detector. Goes ding when there's stuff." - The Doctor, Blink

There was a Doctor Who marathon on Sci Fi channel on Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. I didn't know it was on until I read Elayne's blog and then I caught the last episode in the marathon, Blink.

First of all, who runs a marathon from 8 a.m to 4 p.m on a Friday? If it's a Friday during the school year, I'm in class. If it's a Friday when I have off (...like Good Friday), I sleep in and/or don't watch TV until later in the day. So moral of the story, I would watch most of an eight-hour marathon of Doctor Who if it was at a decent time. As it was, I caught the last hour. That was great because Blink is one of my favorite episodes, and I would argue one of the best in the new series. I would have liked to watch more of the marathon, though.

Doctor Who doesn't play on the Sci Fi channel nearly enough, and I have no idea why that is. I'd think the longest running sci-fi show would have a regular time slot on the Sci Fi channel. Something more substantial than a marathon every once in a while. I'd love to see episodes from the old series. I'd love to re-watch the new series.

I'm not picky, just a fan who wants all the Doctor Who she can get...Oh, and since it's Suggestion Saturday, if you haven't seen Doctor Who, I recommend you check it out.

Cross-posted on the ning.

The Pretender and Dollhouse

Dollhouse is Joss Whedon's new show on Fox. Eliza Dusku stars as Echo, a programmable person who has a different role every episode. The series has come into its own, but the first few episodes reminded me of The Pretender.

The Pretender was a series that aired from 1996 to 2000. The voice-over in the opening credits is the best explanation I can offer for what the show was about:

There are Pretenders among us. Geniuses with the ability to become anyone they want to be. In 1963, a corporation known as the Centre isolated a young Pretender named Jarod, and exploited his genius for their research.

Then one day, their Pretender ran away....

In every episode, Jarod takes on various occupations--doctor, lawyer, detective, teacher, pilot--to help people while he evades people from the Centre and tracks down his family.

The Pretender and Dollhouse follow different characters and have different premises, but their episodes have similar structures. Secret organizations whose control is slipping. Lead characters who take on new roles to solve a problem. The cool thing for the viewer is seeing these characters doing something different every week. The difference is, Jarod keeps his personality.

Jarod grew up in the Centre so even though he's socially awkward, his personality is intact. He knows who he is and he knows what he's doing. Echo, however, has her mind wiped after every engagement. She's a blank slate programmed with a new personality for each task. It was difficult watching her at first because she had no character growth. How could she, when there's always a reset button pressed after she's done for the day? The first few episodes of Dollhouse were mediocre because Echo's character didn't change. She was stuck in a repetitive cycle.

But now Echo is retaining pieces of personalities when she shouldn't be able to, and that's what makes Dollhouse interesting. It's funny in a way, because Joss Whedon has said in various interviews how he doesn't like "reset television" where characters do not change from episode to episode (see here, here, and here) but Echo is the ultimate character in reset television. She can't change because of past experiences because she can't remember them...but in a classic Whedon twist, she's starting to. The character who doesn't have a personality suddenly has memories of what she's done and what's happened to her. It's no coincidence her name is Echo.

Cross-posted on the ning.

Superman vs. Clark Kent

I know what you're thinking after reading the title. What do you mean Superman VS Clark Kent? Everyone knows they're the same person unless you mean something like Bizarro or that scene in Superman III where Clark and Superman actually DID split in two...

I mean the distinction between the persona of Superman and the persona of Clark Kent. Superman is cool because he's the first comic book hero. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have many of the other superheroes in pop culture. He's the best example of an ideal hero--a person with solid morals who helps people just because he can. Superman is arguably the most important superhero but that doesn't mean he's the most interesting. We know he can't get hurt unless there's Kryptonite around, so it's hard to build suspense. It's hard to care about a character who doesn't actually sacrifice or risk anything by going into dangerous situations to save people.

Superman isn't very interesting because he's so powerful. Clark Kent, though, fascinates me.

No matter what, Clark Kent is an outsider. He has loving parents who consider him their own son, but his superpowers set him apart from everyone else on the planet. He has to keep his true origins a secret, and when he develops his powers, he has to hide them. Clark Kent constantly has to hold back, and he has to put up a front that he's a normal, ordinary person (unless he's in his Superman suit). I love watching how a person deals with that, and that's infinitely more interesting than Superman's track record of saving lives.

So when someone asks me who my favorite superhero is, I say Superman but I actually mean Clark Kent (and you can't have one without the other). Maybe I should just say Spiderman from now on so I don't have to deal with remarks like, "But Superman's so lame because he's so strong!" I understand that, and it's not why I like the character...but I'm off on a tangent.

My interest in Clark Kent was the primary reason I fell in love with Smallville. I loved the series because the premise was Clark Kent in high school. (It also helped that the series was well done--good cast, smart direction, the budget for awesome visual and special effects.) Smallville was about Clark growing up, figuring out who he is, and having a normal life despite his alien origins. Superman wasn't part of the story yet. For the first four seasons, the show focused on Clark most of the time, and it was great. We saw him make mistakes, but we also saw the inklings of a hero emerge. No television series had explored Clark Kent as a teenager, and the fact that Smallville was highest-rated series in a long time on the WB was proof that people were tuning in and enjoying it.

Somewhere along the line, the writers lost sight of what made the show incredible. For me, that point was the 100th episode when Jonathan died. Martha and Jonathan Kent were an important part of the show. They were the only people who knew Clark's secret so they were the only ones he could go to for guidance and advice. For a while, the Kent family was the best portrayal of a TV family. That ended in the 100th episode, and Martha isn't even on the show anymore. I stopped watching Smallville regularly after that, and I tune in every now and then (because old habits die hard), but the show's just not the same anymore.

I'm not saying the show isn't good anymore. Smallville got renewed for a ninth season, so it still has a strong audience. It's just not the same show it was when it started. I know the show has gained a lot of viewers over the years, but I think they lost fans along the way too because of the changes they've made.

Cross-posted on the ning.

Sliced Bread 2

I mentioned in the Maureen Johnson forums that I'll do Suggestion Saturdays during BEDA. I'll pick a web site, movie, game, TV show, or movie I like. Tell you why I like it and why you might too.

This week's Suggestion: Sliced Bread 2

Sliced Bread 2 is a blog written from the perspective of Dennis, personal assistant to a superhero named Greyghost. Not a sidekick, not a partner, but an assistant. As in office assistant. As in secretary, researcher, and gofer. The blog is a completed story in journal form that chronicles Dennis's search for a new job in a new city that takes him to a unique position as Greyghost's helper.

The blog is well-written, the characters have depth, and it's funny. If you're into superhero stories--especially fresh takes on superhero stories--definitely check it out. I've read it through twice. :)

One week on Twitter

Tonight at 1:21 a.m. marks exactly one week that I've been on Twitter. Now if you've read a lot of my posts here, you probably know I've written why I wasn't on Twitter. The first post was about how I didn't think Twitter was useful to me. The second post was a list of how people can use Twitter as a tool for various things and how I managed to do the same things without it. So what happened?

In all honesty, I was bored. I tend to try something new when I'm bored, and last week that was Twitter. I signed up as digitalfare and followed people I subscribe to on YouTube and a few sites I often read. My Tweets so far have been about things I might blog about, except I don't want to write a whole post so it's just a quick remark on Twitter. You can see my most recent Tweets in the sidebar to the right.

I check my RSS feeds, Digg, and Delicious bookmarks, and now Twitter is another way for me to get information. The 140-character limit allows me to determine at a glance if something interests me or if I'll continue skimming the stream.

I found out about BEDA on Twitter, actually, and now I'm blogging every day of April. I haven't mentioned yet that part of BEDA is to promote Maureen Johnson's book, Suite Scarlett, that comes out in paperback May 1. You can check it out at Amazon here. I haven't read any of her books yet, so that might be where I start.

Justice League Spinoff?

I would have written today's BEDA entry earlier, but I wanted to watch Smallville first to see if the episode would pick up after last week's incredible ending. Green Arrow met Chloe at the Isis Foundation. She sat down in front of a bank of computers, linked up with the future Justice League members, and then said, "Watchtower is officially online." It was so cool I got chills.

Tonight's episode had nothing to do with that, so turns out I didn't have to wait to blog about it. But anyway...

Rodney over at The Movie Blog posted about the Watchtower scene yesterday (you can see the clip there) with some speculation about a possible spinoff series. Fans of the show know there's going to be a major death at the end of this season. I've always thought Chloe would die at some point in the series, and as the show progressed, I was always anxious to see if she would make it to the next season. Rodney's predication is that Chloe will fake her death so she can leave her life in Smallville/Metropolis behind and join the Justice League as Watchtower in a spinoff show.

Chloe is my favorite character on Smallville and it would be sad to see her leave, but I would absolutely LOVE a live-action Justice League series. Justin Hartley is awesome as Green Arrow on Smallville, and it'd be incredible to see him head up the Justice League with Chloe in a new series.

If the CW made smart decisions, it would start a Justice League series this fall and pair it with Smallville. Build its audience from Smallville viewers so when Smallville ends, those viewers will still have a reason to watch the CW.

The show be action- and character-driven, and I can only hope it wouldn't be a teen soap opera. Superhero movies are the current trend in Hollywood, but the Justice League movie is stagnant in the planning stages. Maybe a TV series is the way to go.

Would you watch a live action show about the Justice League?

Cross-posted on the ning.

Blog Every Day April (BEDA)

Maureen Johnson, a YA author, came up with Blog Every Day April (or BEDA) to write a blog post every day this month. The idea floated around the internet, a bunch of people (including me) heard about it on Twitter, and now we're joining her. Vlog Every Day April (VEDA) is the same but with video blogs. Maureen set up a ning so people who are participating can keep track of everyone's posts.

March was a busy month for me, and April probably will be too, but I'm going to participate. I need to manage my time a little better, so this will give me something consistent I have to do each day of April (weekends too!).

I blog about media-related things here, and that will not change for the month of April. Feel free to leave topic suggestions in the comments. I'll probably write on different topics, so if it's media-related I'll post here and cross post to my page on the ning. When I don't write about the media, I'll post just on the ning.

This should be a lot of fun. Happy BEDA!

Oh, and in case you haven't seen it, new trailer for the Easter Doctor Who special!

Dollhouse – Man on the Street

If you haven’t heard of Dollhouse yet, it’s Joss Whedon’s new show on TV. The basic premise is this: the Dollhouse is a secret organization that offers programmable people (whose own personalities were erased) for various tasks---perfect dates, assassins, undercover agents, whatever else---at very high prices so only the very rich and very connected have access to them. The programmable people, the dolls, live in the Dollhouse and spend their days exercising, painting, meditating, and relaxing. When not programmed with a specific personality for a client, the dolls are blank slates, essentially clueless and harmless. No personality.

The main doll is Echo (played by Eliza Dusku, Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer), so the episodes generally follow Echo and the clients who pay for her. The concept of the series is a good set up to explore ethical and moral issues, and there are enough unanswered questions and uncertainties about the Dollhouse to keep viewers intrigued. It’s a Whedon show, so expectations are high, but the first 5 episodes were mediocre at best. They had Whedon qualities, yeah. Quirky characters, off-beat humor, actions scenes, sci-fi elements, and snappy dialogue, but those qualities didn’t blend together very well.

Until episode 6, Man on the Street.

This is the first episode Joss Whedon wrote himself, and it shows. We get action, we get humor, we get one of the best fight sequences on TV in a long time. The dolls have some substance to them despite their supposed blank states. We have subplots that are all interesting in themselves, neatly and logically connected by Echo. The episode is entertaining while staying smart. It answers a few questions, throws in a few twists, and poses a few new questions.

This is the show Whedon fans have been waiting for, the show that stirred so much hype around the web for months before it premiered. Hopefully the upcoming episodes will stay at Man of the Street’s high caliber.

Here come the spoilers…

Besides Echo, the character I’ve been most interested in is Agent Paul Ballard. He is sure the Dollhouse exists, but he needs to find solid proof. Like the audience, Ballard wants to know who’s in charge of the Dollhouse, what its true purpose is, and how it acquires people to be dolls. Ballard has a photo of Echo when she was Caroline, her own personality. We don’t know why Caroline wanted to become a doll, and Ballard is obsessed with finding out what happened to her.

I thought Mellie, Paul’s neighbor, was just that—the girl next door. Someone to talk to Paul, someone to nurse his injuries, but Man on the Street completely changed that in revealing that Mellie is a doll. What an incredible twist! I thought she was dead for sure when Hearn (the corrupt Handler) stormed into the apartment, but then Adelle activated Mellie over the phone! Great scene, but now I’m sad for Paul because he’s in love with a doll and not a real person.

Ballard’s fight scene with Echo in the restaurant kitchen was cool, and then we found out a mole in the Dollhouse sent a message to Ballard that he can’t take the Dollhouse down on his own, and he can’t do it while he’s working for the FBI. My bet’s on Ivy, Topher’s assistant, to be the mole. She seems to understand how the imprinted personalities work, so maybe she had a chance to modify Echo’s imprint while Topher was distracted.

I’m finally excited to watch Dollhouse, instead of watching it just because Joss Whedon is behind it. Dollhouse airs Friday nights at 9 on Fox.

I watch(ed) [the] Watchmen

I saw Watchmen two weeks ago, and I'm not going to review it because (1) if you're interested in the movie, you've likely read about it already* and (2) I just want to write briefly about something I noticed.

I read the graphic novel last year and while I thought that it was bloody, violent and gory, I didn't realize how much until I saw those scenes played out on screen. In the graphic novel, Rorschach breaks fingers as he interrogates people and I think little of it, but hearing each finger snap in the movie theater made my cringe every time.

The movie follows the novel pretty closely, but the violence on screen had a bigger impact on me than the violence on the page.

*If you want to read a good review of Watchmen (and by good I mean thorough), check out the one at The Movie Blog.

New Terminator Salvation Trailer

The Movie Blog posted about the new trailer online for Terminator Salvation.

It looks so good--so very, very good. I still heard a hint of the Batman voice, but I'm definitely excited for this film.

I love the Terminator movies (even though the third wasn't as good), but I wasn't sure about a fourth movie in the franchise. I'm still not sure about Christian Bale. He's an incredible actor--I just don't know if he's right for John Connor.

But we get more of the storyline in this trailer, and it sounds incredible. Nice to see Terminator Salvation won't just be about visual effects and explosions.

Rubik's TouchCube

Techno Source came up with a touchscreen Rubik's cube. Same size, same concept, but it doesn't rotate. It's a cube you hold in your hand and swipe your finger along the rows to turn the sides or rotate faces. The colored lights realign themselves and it makes horribly annoying noise. Check out the video.

This is in no way an improvement on the Rubik's Cube. It's digital, lights up, and requires batteries. Woohoo.

Oh, it can save your progress so you can solve it in multiple sittings...but so does any previous, non-digital Rubik's Cube.

Totally unnecessary and not an improvement on the original. I'll stick with mine that actually turns and twists.

Via Gizmodo

Neil Patrick Harris as the Flash?

Rumors are circulating that Neil Patrick Harris might play the Flash in the upcoming DC movie. Other actors rumored for the role are Scott Porter and Ryan Reynolds.

I haven't seen Porter or Reynolds in anything, but I love Neil Patrick Harris. He's hilarious on How I Met Your Mother, and he showcased his talent as Dr. Horrible in Joss Whedon's summer internet sensation, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Harris is excellent with comedy (that helps -- Flash tends to be light-hearted), and he has the look. I didn't know this, but he voiced the Flash in a Justice League animated movie.

I'm a fan of the genre, so I have no problem with Hollywood making superhero movies. I don't know very much about the Flash, so I'm looking forward to a full-length film.

DC is taking a darker perspective comic book movies because Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were so successful. The Man of Steel is supposed to be a darker version of Superman, for example. A bright movie about the Flash will be a nice balance, comparable to Iron Man in the Marvel universe.


Via The Movie Blog and Screen Rant

Fast & Furious

A trailer for Fast & Furious played during the Superbowl, and my first thought was that the new movie shared the same title as the first movie in the franchise. I checked out IMDB and turns out I was wrong.

The Fast and the Furious came out in 2001.
2 Fast 2 Furious -- 2003
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift -- 2006
Fast & Furious -- set to be in theaters April 3, 2009

So compared to the first movie, the fourth movie omitted the two "the"s and changed "and" to an ampersand, &.

That's not confusing at all.

It doesn't even matter because everyone's going to call it the new Fast and Furious movie. They could have put in a little effort, though, to give the movie its own title.

Living Without Twitter

Earlier this month, I wrote a post about why I don't need Twitter.

Everything I wrote in that post is still true for me, but as I looked through popular bookmarks on Delicious yesterday, I started thinking of ways I might use Twitter. I came across a collection of social bookmark icon sets and Mashable's post about Blogger widgets, many of which were Twitter-themed. I considered incorporating Twitter into this blog and posting interesting links I found throughout the day. Hypothetical Tweets floated around my mind.

Then I thought about how I don't need to get involved in another web service, that I stopped using StumbleUpon and hardly Digg anything anymore. I remembered I don't even update my Facebook status that much. Currently it says something about not having anything to write as my status.

Leo at Zen Habits posted How to Get Things Done with Twitter today. I know the post is for people who already use Twitter a lot. It's not meant to convince people start Tweeting, but I still read the post looking for a reason to start.

I realized most of the tips and uses listed in Leo's post I already have covered.

My version of his list:

1. Reminders. Post It notes, a comment in my planner, or a calendar event in my cell phone.

2. To-do list. I use to-do gadgets in iGoogle and NetVibes, and I keep paper to-do lists. I used Remember the Milk for a while too.

3. Calendar. Regular paper planner. I take it with me everywhere (which is handy, being a college student) and write down assignments, meetings, and anything else I need to keep track of.

4. Delegate. I don't have to delegate many things, but e-mail works for me when I do.

5. Follow up. E-mail again. Phone call if necessary.

6. Accountability with goals. Not something I really need, but I could use Facebook for it. Use my status, write notes, or write on friends' walls.

7. Get info or ideas quickly. I think this would be the most useful for Twitter if you had a good network. I'm limited to people I know or browsing the internet for ideas and info.

8. Do real work. I know people write poetry and even stories on Twitter, but the 140 character limit would frustrate me. If I want to write something, I'll open Word or pull out a notebook and write it down. No limits, no formats to worry about.

I've never used Twitter, so I can't speak from experience but it seems like it would be a huge distraction for me. That's why I stopped using StumbleUpon. I wasted too much time on it. Same with Digg. I don't even sign onto instant messenger anymore when I have work to do because I find it's too much of a distraction.

Social networking is a great way to get up to date information, stay connected, and find people with similar interests. There is a breaking point, though, where social media cuts into your other work and hinders your productivity. Twitter would push me to that breaking point.

Social bookmarking: Diigo and Delicious

I started using social bookmarking last year after using Bookmarks in Firefox became messy and inefficient. I set up folders and subfolders but I was bookmarking so many sites--to read later on or for future use--that it became impossible to go back and find the sites I saved. Firefox 3 has a tagging feature for bookmarks, but I thought if I was going to go through all of my bookmarks and tag them, I might as well use a social bookmarking service so I could organize my bookmarks and also access them from any internet connection.

I came across Delicious early on. It’s a popular service and probably one of the oldest. It’s simple, dependable, and easy to use. Delicious integrates nicely with Firefox (just three small buttons next to the address bar). You can pull up a sidebar with your bookmarks or you can access your bookmarks through www.delicious.com. I also like keyboard shortcuts and the ability to keep individual bookmarks private.

I was happy using Delicious and some months later, I stumbled across Diigo. Diigo is similar to Delicious but it has more of a social aspect. You can leave comments and sticky notes on sites that other Diigo users can see. You can highlight text on sites so you can reference the important parts later. That's handy for research. The service emphasizes social networking with groups and friends. There’s social networking in Delicious, but it’s more prominent in Diigo.

The downside to Diigo is that you have to install a whole toolbar if you want to integrate it with your browser. I didn’t see an immediate way the added features in Diigo would be beneficial to me, but I tried it out anyway.

I imported my Delicious bookmarks into Diigo easily enough. All my tags carried over. The bookmarking aspect of Diigo is exactly the same as Delicious, so I didn’t need to figure out anything new to use Diigo.

I used Diigo for a month and a half and then switched back to Delicious. Why? For starters, I was using Diigo exactly the way I used Delicious. I wasn’t leaving sticky notes on any sites, and I wasn’t highlighting any text. I didn't use the social aspect of Diigo because I had no use for it. So I updated my Delicious bookmarks and uninstalled the Diigo toolbar.

The only thing I miss about Diigo is the hot bookmarks list. I do think it’s better set up than the Popular and Recent bookmark lists in Delicious. Anyone can see Diigo’s hot bookmarks, though, without using the service. (Same goes for the Popular and Recent lists in Delicious. You don’t have to use it to see them.)

Delicious is all I need in a bookmarking service, so that’s why I went back to it. What are your thoughts on social bookmarking? Which service do you use?

Watchmen still set for March 9

FOX and Warner Brothers agreed on a settlement and Watchmen will still be released on March 9, as planned.

Check it out on The Movie Blog.

Lex might come back to Smallville

Here's the second post in a row about a show I no longer watch.

The Movie Blog posted today that Michael Rosenbaum might return to Smallville if there's a season 9.

I loved Michael Rosenbaum's portrayal of Lex Luthor up to the point where he obsessed over Lana. Lex could come back to Smallville for an episode or two, but like The Move Blog, I want to see Michael Rosenbaum in something else--preferably movies. He did an incredible job with Lex. Time to move on.

Smallville Season 9?

The Movie Blog posted yesterday that Smallville may have a ninth season. And this is the first thing I thought:

Really?

I haven't regularly watched Smallville since the 100th episode in season 5, and I haven't seen any of season 8 so I can't comment on what the show is like now. I do know, however, that the CW struggled last year to get Alison Mack (who plays Chloe) to sign on for another year, and Tom Welling (who plays Clark Kent) has had a few complaints about the direction of the show over the last few seasons.

Hopefully they have fresh ideas for season 9 and I'm sure there's plenty of money to make.

If I were in charge of Smallville, I would have made it a four-season series. One year for each year of high school. The season finale would have been Clark throwing the crystal in the Arctic to form the Fortress of Solitude (exactly how season 4 ended).

The show is going beyond high school now (has been for 4 years), and I think they should have changed the name or made a spin-off series. It's not about the town of Smallville anymore and that's why the series was unique and interesting in the first place.

Man of Steel News

Man of Steel is the title of the Superman reboot, and the Movie Blog posted an update about it today.

Kevin Spacey wants to be in the movie, but Lex Luthor won't be the main villain. I'm happy to hear the WB is looking for a different villain to face Superman. I like Lex, but he's overdone.

Lex was in Superman I and II, and I liked him in both films. He was less of a threat in II because Zod, Ursa, and Non came to Earth, but Lex was still involved. I think that's the kind of role Kevin Spacey should have in Man of Steel--be there and have a connection to the main threat, but not be the major villain.

Brainiac is my choice for the next villain Superman has to face. I want someone who is actually a threat to Superman, someone Superman actually has to fight.

Not something like taking a few punches and throwing a Kryptonite land mass into space.

I liked Superman Returns in general, though, and I hope Brandon Routh can don the red cape in Man of Steel.

You can see the Movie Blog's post here.

Twitter: I still don't get it

On average, I read (or at least skim) 2-3 articles or blog posts about Twitter every week thanks to Delicious.com's popular bookmarks page. I don't have a Twitter account, but I'm waiting for a convincing reason to start Tweeting.

I do prefer textual communication, but here's the thing. I use Facebook and e-mail most of the time. (I should say I don't use my phone a whole lot either because I have access to a computer throughout the day. I can hop online to send or respond to messages easily.) That works for me because I can leave a message for someone when I have the time to, and they can reply when they get a chance. We can communicate without being available at the same time. Twitter works like that too, sending and receiving Tweets without you necessarily being at a computer or with your cell phone.

But my point is, if I'm functioning fine, why would I add Twitter? I don't know anyone on Twitter that I can't contact some other way. It's a great way to keep up with people and interests, yeah, but I'm not sure that's enough to make me sign up. I'm not sure that's enough motivation for me to get involved.

I've visited quite a few Twitter pages of bloggers and YouTubers. I can see how Twitter is useful for many people. I'm just talking about me, personally, though, or anyone else who doesn't see a need to use Twitter.

I just read this article and it's well-written, but still...

Readers, I'd like to hear from you. If you're on Twitter:

• How long have you been (actively) using Twitter?
• What do you use it for? (Talking to people, sending links, posting information...)
• What benefits have you seen from your Twitter use?
• Any down sides? (time you spend on Twitter, for example)

Feel free to answer any or all of the questions. Post a comment below or write a blog entry/record a vlog in response and leave a link in the comments.

Have you heard of Lymabean?

I didn't know about it until a few days ago.

Lymabean looks like what Facebook should still be: a social network for college students where you can write to each other as well as share interests, pertenient information, photos, and videos.

Based on the video tour on the site, Lymabean looks like it has an intuitive design and you can customize a few things. I like that you can read and write reviews of local businesses and restaurants as well as check out job listings in the area.

No sign of irritating applications. I'm tempted to try it out.