Occupation: Girl--home of OMGWTFPOLARBEAR

[cleolinda]

I went to see Narnia. Again. I cried. Again. During the first three scenes. Again.

So yesterday was Sister Girl's birthday, and after about three days of riding the drama llama, I think she managed to have a fairly good one. What did she get? Drama pajamas. And other things, but she mostly got a really cute stripy Robe of Many Colors and a set of pajamas. I gave her as many of the Vosges chocolates that she had asked for as I could afford--small boxes of the Aztec truffles, the Exotic truffles, and the rare seasonal Volcano Honey truffles--and honestly, I think those were her favorite, of all her presents. Particularly the Volcano Honey. She split one with me--I'm not much for honey, so I didn't want more than that--and considering that I'm 1) not much for dark chocolate and 2) again, not much for honey, it was pretty good.

Meanwhile, Sister Girl had had three ("Three. Or four. Or three. It was three. Three. Three. Three. Four? Three") truffles today, she is truffle-drunk on a truffle high. She is tweaking, she is so high--she is stimming, she is so high. We just went to Arby's because she wanted to split some potato bites and I said hell, I like milkshakes, I'll go, and we almost didn't make it back alive. Why? The woman gave us ranch salad dressing instead of ranch dip. Sister Girl discovers this at the intersection. "OH, WE'RE MAKING A U-TURN," she says. And just at this moment, her phone rings and it's her best friend, who saves us from both a U-turn and a confrontation of Sonic proportions ("And I was like, 'Bitch, I'ma throw [Cleo's] milkshake on you!'" "HEY!"). And she nearly hit a car while rounding the cul-de-sac to get back to our driveway. So I go to bed tonight, deeply grateful for cheddar and bacon-stuffed potato wedges to be alive.


King Kong heroine addict icons:



They're all ready reporting that King Kong is underperforming at $50 million for the weekend. Now, considering that this was posted before I went to the movies tonight, and I clearly hadn't given them my money yet, and I clearly wasn't the only person who went... how do they know who made what? I mean, I know, estimates. I'm asking rhetorically.

Stupid, stupid battles rage in U.S. over holidays.

So let's say you write about pop culture, as many of us on LJ do, and you coin a phrase that becomes wildly popular--so popular that a lot of people hear it without knowing you came up with it, or that anyone in particular came up with it. Do you try to protect your rights to that phrase, or do you just give it to the ether and let people do what they will? And what if that ether is really, really cute?

From Saturday Night Live: "Lazy Sunday."  We want the Chronic!

Angry Star Wars fan heckles Hayden Christensen; Christensen, much like the Empire, strikes back.

The spirit of Halloween at Christmas, or "How to scare all small children for a square mile."

Broken-hearted donor leaves diamond ring in car.

The seven films in consideration for the Visual Effects Oscar: Batman Begins; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; King Kong; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; War of the Worlds.

The comments of a year's ten worst movies list turns contentious.

This is not the smoothest way to end an entry ever, but we shopped the hell out of Brookwood earlier today and I am tired. Night!

Comments

[stepliana.livejournal.com]

(WHAT) cles of narnia

[live-in-morocco.livejournal.com]

...can i steal your icon? i have one extra slot on my new-and-improved userpics. and i think that sketch was one of the best things to come out of SNL in the past few years or so. hilarious. (it took me a few minutes to figure out how to spell 'hilarious'. god, i'm tired.)

[thunderphoenix.livejournal.com]

I thought that it was doing around 65 million. Oh, well. Saw it again today with my folks. And I cried again. -_-

[22by7.livejournal.com]

i can't stop thinking about, speculating/fantasising about that diamond ring case. it's the sort of thing that happens in surreal short stories. it's random and beautiful and makes me go emo.

[koritsimou.livejournal.com]

Y'all, the ring link broke my heart.

[bluekermit.livejournal.com]

Yeah... *chuif*... *smile* humanity will prevail, y'all!

[msilverstar]

You can't own a pop culture phrase, the meme is bigger than you are. What you can do is ride the wave. Write amusing PUBLIC posts about how it's spreading far and wide, link to all the places you find it, revel in its popularity. Link your name and the phrase together so you get the benefit -- it may be intangible but it's real ;-)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Write amusing PUBLIC posts about how it's spreading far and wide, link to all the places you find it, revel in its popularity. Link your name and the phrase together so you get the benefit -- it may be intangible but it's real

Done and done. ; )

[mouseykins1.livejournal.com]

....IT IS EVERYONE'S BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK!
Mine is tomorrow, hahahaha.
And Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt, and Katie Holmes all have birthdays today.
This is all very strange, because absolutely NO ONE at my school has a December birthday, yet the internet world is filled with them.

[sapphires13.livejournal.com]

You know, I can't help but smile everytime I see your icon. May I post it in userpicks? And if so, is it takeable (with credit to the maker, of course)?

[arpeggiodreams.livejournal.com]

Christmas: Sears is being annoying, and has giant "Merry Christmas" signs EVERYWHERE. I complained about them, and I got told that it was a company-wide decision, and basically to suck it.

So, a customer came in the other day, and proceeds to chat me up: "Ya know, I like that you guys have those big Merry Christmas signs up on the door. All this politically correct "Happy Holidays" bullshit annoys the hell out of me, ya know?"

"I'm Jewish, sir. And it offends me."

"oh." Then he took his reciept and left.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee!

I personally cannot understand why "Happy Holidays" is so frickin' offensive to the MERRY CHRISTMAS OR DEATH people. THERE ARE HOLIDAYS, AND THEY ARE HAPPY. STFU.

[bardintraining.livejournal.com]

I think your sister just proved that the fast-food-injustice outbursts are hereditary.
Which means you're next... O_o
Perhaps everyone should just eat in for the next few years and those who work at restaurants should quit and close up shop for safety's sake.
Although poor Cleo always seems to be the victim riding shotgun in these situations...

[edda.livejournal.com]

I still haven't seen Narnia due to financial asshattery. Am going to see it Wednesday if I have to KILL people to do it.

Am glad Sister Girl got Vosges, mostly becuase you tasted them and I wondered what those honey things were like. (I want their ice cream, too. DAMN.)

You probably can't hang on to that phrase, just because of the very nature of pop culture and the internet. I would still try to clutch it jealously to my bosom, because I am a jealous bosom-clutching type, but...think of it as your gift to the world. (Although you might go post a link to your Cafe Press store, because the money goes to charity.)

I swear to God the whole Christmas/holidays thing makes me want to beat myself in the head with a 2 x 4 until I pass out. And hopefully not wake up until January. I think I'm just going to start wishing a Happy Early Chinese New Year to everybody.

Thanks, btw, for posting Intern Lady's website. She said she got a ton of hits. YAY!

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I swear to God the whole Christmas/holidays thing makes me want to beat myself in the head with a 2 x 4 until I pass out. And hopefully not wake up until January. I think I'm just going to start wishing a Happy Early Chinese New Year to everybody.

Hee! Word.

[rebel-waltz.livejournal.com]

Red Eye wasn't so bad that it should be on a list of the 10 worst movies of the year.

[thunderphoenix.livejournal.com]

Neither was Fantastic Four.

[malenky-devil.livejournal.com]

About the catch-phrase thing, as someone who has had this happen to her on the boards, I tend to ride the wave. Though any time someone mentions "Hogwart's Resident Man-Ho" or the Smush!Death, I get a little feeling of pride..and of course the urge to blurt out "I said it first!" but I learn to bite my tongue.

[galaxianomiko.livejournal.com]

Those beginning scenes pack quite a punch, don't they? Not so much for the rest of the movie, though.

[gryphonmage.livejournal.com]

Clearly, I'm going against the grain here, but I would try to hang on to my phrase. Your parodies are a real source of income and promotion for you, and letting someone else use them, however well meant, could backfire. eventually, the question of "who said it first" is bound to come up. The DevArt person said it had come up when they had thought about using it as a swing tag on a product. If they had tried to copyright that phrase, that could maybe be...bad for everyone? Like if they did copyright it and then you sold the shirts? I don't know enough about this.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I keep being curious as to whether people know where the phrase originated, or whether they just have no idea and it's one of those things they Heard on the Internet.

[megmatthews20.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to say (in response to your icons) that I just saw King Kong yesterday, and Naomi totally owned the show. I love Adrien, but Naomi stole the scene even when she was big ape's barbie.

If the little kid behind us hadn't been giving a running commentary, and making up a Kong diddy along the lines of "King Kong, Kong, he's an ape, Kong, I'm bored, Kong" I probably would have cried at the end based solely on Naomi's amazing ability to act convincingly off of doomed CGI. Yay for Serkis!

That's my 2 cents.

cheers

[dewyeyed.livejournal.com]

I'd let people do what they will. :)

[zrath.livejournal.com]

"Golly, King Kong only took in $50 millions for the weekend" said the Internet movie news.
I checked my watch. It was 11am on Sunday. Weekend wasn't over yet.
Damn stupid psychic box office experts!!

Merry Christmas!!

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

Actually, the deviantART person does acknowledge you in the comments - don't know if the comment was up last night. She says she reads your LJ, so she might well see this post.

In general - I think just go with it. You know, and we know, that it was your idea - and it might make you look look a bit nasty if you start yelling at everyone who uses the word without credit. I agree with the person who suggested a Wikipedia entry (& you might consider urbandictionary.com too); the info will be there for anyone who actually wants to know. I'd say let it go - you have invented a word, which is beyond cool, but if it takes off it will end up in the public domain, as it were, and it won't look good if you try to fight it.

Now, if the other person had tried to copyright the phrase for her swing tags - that would be a different story, as you are already marketing polarbear merchandise.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

In general - I think just go with it. You know, and we know, that it was your idea - and it might make you look look a bit nasty if you start yelling at everyone who uses the word without credit. I agree with the person who suggested a Wikipedia entry (& you might consider urbandictionary.com too); the info will be there for anyone who actually wants to know. I'd say let it go - you have invented a word, which is beyond cool, but if it takes off it will end up in the public domain, as it were, and it won't look good if you try to fight it.

See, exactly. That's kind of why I wanted to post that bit in the entry--as a philosophical dilemma. Because I feel like shit trying to go around and be like STOP USING MY THING!, but the two times I've wanted to do it, it was in the context of people possibly making money off it.

[azzy23.livejournal.com]

hey lady, sorry to be off topic... I've looked in 3 bookstores here, and haven't been able to find zee book.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Uh-oh. Where are you?

[basedonthebook.livejournal.com]

That phrase has been central in a great many Christmas gifts among my friends. And songs. And spin-off songs. It's pretty awesome. We always give you credit, but it's spreading quickly...one day, you can tell your grandchildren that you coined "omgwtfpolarbear." They won't believe you, course, but you have proof. And the satisfaction of knowing you started a popculture craze.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I'm not dumb enough to think I can contain it (see also: O RLY), but it does bother me when people start trying to make money off it, you know?

[bluinkalchemist.livejournal.com]

*looks at the 10 Worst of 2005 list...*

*replaces Fantastic Four and Kingdom of Heaven with House of Wax and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo*

[modpixie.livejournal.com]

i really don't want to get into it with the 10-worst list guy. there's not enough time in the world. but the fact that he put the weather man in his top ten? says something. (not to mention the list of also-rans.) this is not to say that the weather man is a bad movie, it's just not top-10-worthy.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

The real fun at that link is in the comments--don't worry, people have already beat you to it. : )

[wmetoile.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I especially like the Kong!Classic icon. It's lovely. (Full disclosure that's quite embarrassing for a film journalist: I only saw the 1933 Kong for the first time in October. And friggin' loved it, cheesy "Say . . . you know, I love you!" dialogue and all.)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee. I confess, I asked for the DVD for Christmas.

[squee1123.livejournal.com]

my sister and i will go see Narnia when she gets home...we'll both cry as well...

[lily-handmaiden.livejournal.com]

I also came very near to crying at the first scenes of the Narnia movie. I've been crying a lot at movies lately (my mom and I cried together at Goblet of Fire). This is bad, because I always get mocked mercilessly afterwards.

[--kali--.livejournal.com]

How can they tell it's underperforming. Pah. Most cinema's won't have final totals for weekend takings until at least lunchtime today.