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!