Early Wednesday evening, still coughing.

[cleolinda]

Must... get better... for pirates. Must... get better.

(I am keeping myself religiously unspoiled for the movie, aside from a couple of minor things I accidentally stumbled across, so there will be no reviews or clips posted here until after Friday. IF YOU SPOIL ME, I CUT YOU. I'm weird that way--I'm a complete spoiler whore unless I actually want to see the movie.)

You know the Georgia wildfires are bad when you can smell them from Alabama. I actually kept the dogs inside this morning until the worst of it had passed.

Direct downloads of the Golden Compass trailer! And in case you missed them, Stelmaria and Pan.

Okay, so I've seen a few eps of Heroes, couldn't really get into it, but once I heard that they seemed to be borrowing a major theme from Watchmen (which might seriously screw the upcoming movie over, because there's going to be a bunch of non-comics readers going, "Dude, they totally ripped off Heroes"), I thought, okay, I'll watch the finale and see where they go with this. I've kind of kept up with developments anyway, as my mother always has to tell me the storylines on her favorite shows whether I want to hear about them or not, and I try to keep a modly eye on most of the Snarkfest TV threads anyway. So, you know, okay. Here's what I want to know: after NBC saturated the very air we breathe with SAVE THE CHEERLEADER, SAVE THE WORLD!!! for all those months, what did the cheerleader actually have to do with anything? Because as far as I could tell, her purpose was to stand there and wibble. And Peter, as EW puts it, has every power in the world, and all he can think to do is punch Sylar a few times and wait for someone else to think of some way to take both of them out.

As far as the storyline goes, however, Watchmen has nothing to worry about. And I mean that in the nicest, most literal way possible. (Side note: Keanu Reeves and Jude Law Offered 'Watchmen' Roles, Source Says. Keanu as Dr. Manhattan is so wonderfully cracked-out that I have to go with it.)

(I don't know, though. A lot of y'all have been complaining about Lost and insisting that Heroes is so much better, and... I just don't see it. I can see why Heroes might initially be more satisfying, because they had a single-season-long story arc; in the final episode, as far as I know, they pretty much answered the questions they had posed so far. Whatever the next season(s) are about, they'll basically be starting over with a new story. I mean, I know the Sylar-down-the-manhole thing was kind of ambiguous, and they set up this new Boogeyman character, but it's not like Lost where the season finale ends and it's like, FOUR-TOED STATUE WHAAAAT?? So I can understand why the Heroes method is more satisfying for a lot of people. All I know is that Lost used to blow my mind on a near-weekly basis, and after floundering a bit this season, they're back on track as of the Ben, He Crazy episode, and I like that. I know that Lost adds like three new questions in for every one that it answers, but I love that the storyline seems to unfold exponentially--in season one, it was primarily "What's that smoky thing in the jungle?," and now it's like, "The Others aren't the real Dharma people? What the hell is Jacob? What happened to Annie? Why do dead people keep showing up on the island? Why does Nestor Carbonell not age? Is he wearing eyeliner, or not? Are the Lostaways dead? Seriously, didn't the producers promise us they weren't all dead? Whose side is Juliet really on? Are we ever going to hash this Jack-Kate-Sawyer thing out and be done with it? What IS the smoky thing? FOUR-TOED STATUUUUUUUE??" It just gets crazier and crazier, and I love that.)

---

FanLib exposed: FanLib's parent company is pitching FanLib to the industry as "the new, turnkey entertainment marketing service" with, among other things, "[a] restrictive player's terms-of-service [to protect] your rights and property." Furthermore, "FANLIB TECHNOLOGIES (a division of My2Centences LLC) develops, markets and manages innovative social software and web services that unleash the creativity of the worldwide public and generate remarkable value for businesses." Keep in mind that FanLib was marketing itself to the public as "dedicated to promoting and celebrating fan creativity." Uh-huh.

More at telesilla's journal: As dragonkal puts it, "Any last shred of hope I had about these guys being clueless but sincere is now utterly gone. These bastards are playing both sides against the middle, hoping to make as much as they can before they disappear and let both sides collide."

And finally, an apt summation from a comment at Making Light: "If fanfic writers are living in and fixing up buildings that theoretically belong to other people, FanLib's the guy who shows up to try to collect the rent, even though he doesn't own the buildings and hasn't done any of the fix-up work."

---

From many, many people: Joss Whedon rages about misogyny and injustice.

Smithsonian toned down exhibit on Arctic "for fear of angering Congress and the Bush administration." " 'It just became tooth-pulling to get solid science out without toning it down,' said Sullivan, who resigned last fall after 16 years at the museum. He said he left after higher-ups tried to reassign him."

CAN I PLZ HAS SHINY DEVICE? It's the cat to the left that makes it, I think.

What does Prince smell like? Sex, duh. Possibly with a top note of purple.

Another version of the Stardust poster. "The Fairy Tale That Won't Behave" is the closest thing I've seen to an accurate tagline yet, so...

"There ain't no party like a Pirates party": " 'I have never experienced anything quite like this before,'' marveled franchise newcomer Chow Yun-Fat at Saturday's premiere for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which raised $3 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 'No one warned me how crazy this would be, although I'm not sure I would have believed them if they tried. There are people on stilts and live animals and people dressed up like pirates that Jerry [Bruckheimer] didn't even have to pay.' " A side note: Geoffrey Rush is quoted as saying, "I am not as good-looking as Johnny or Orlando, so I need a gimmick if I'm to have any chance of getting my picture in the papers." So he brought the monkey, as previously mentioned. Guess what picture has run with every single report of this story?

Johnny Depp in his own words: "I mean, we've entered the arena where Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol are Snoopy-dancing in the nude." I think this would be a very deep thought if I had any idea what it meant.

("Wearing bullet bras, garters, the whole shebang [for Ed Wood] has given me newfound respect for women and profound respect for transvestites.")

From the EW cover story: "When reports that Richards claimed to have snorted his father's ashes hit the news earlier this year, you can imagine the panic at Disney. But Verbinski laughs it off: ''It's Keith Richards! Of course he snorted his dad! I mean, I don't know if he did or he didn't, but does it matter? If his dad didn't have a problem with it, I certainly don't.' ''

More from EW on Gore Verbinski:

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Orlando Bloom Hoping To Grow Out Of Elf And Pirate Roles, Perhaps Play Dancing Cat On London Stage.

"Tons of New Pirates 3 , Ocean's 13 & Stardust Pics!" A direct Stardust gallery is linked at Neil Gaiman's blog.

From Lady V: Robert Rodriguez to direct the remake of Barbarella.

Shrek 4: The Origin Story. Sigh.

OscarWatch at its new home, now that AMPAS made them drop the word "Oscar."

'Dancing' Draws Bigger Ratings Than 'Idol.' O snap.

Queen Elizabeth honors TV's crankiest doctor.

Baron Cohen quietly shooting new movie about people making asses of selves.

Myers is Mitty.

Jay Roach To Direct Comedic Version of 'Vertigo.' I'm trying really hard not to go into Automatic Hatred Mode.

Sam Neill Joins Ethan Hawke's Vampire Pic 'Daybreakers.' Something about this headline makes me very, very sad.

Wait, there's two movies about Coco Chanel? Ah, Noah's Ark Syndrome strikes again.v

Eric Idle Not Happy About 'Shrek 3' Coconut Joke.

Christopher Lee Cut From Sweeney Todd. Awww, Darth Saruman can't ever get a break, y'all.

A Message From The Joker: A trailer (?) this December?

First Look:The new ''Flash Gordon.''

"Moarrrrrrr french people," or Eva Green, Daniel Craig, and Dakota Blue Richards at Cannes.

Bond 22 Director Tapped? Please, God, Marc Forster and not Tony Scott. I mean, Tony Scott is okay, but sometimes too much is enough.

And now, pancakes for dinner before Lost.

Comments

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

I think the point of "Save The Cheerleader, Save The World" was that if Sylar had killed Claire, then he would be very difficult to kill/injure by Hiro, making a BIG difference in the fight between he and Peter.

[jasminelily.livejournal.com]

The season finale of Heroes was one of the more disappointing episodes of the season, I thought (and I've loved the show). The arc has been much better than Lost's arcs (even in Lost's first season, because it was less throwing out crazy questions and more giving crazy answers, if that makes sense), but the finale was a little underwhelming. (And it was more about making sure that the bad guy didn't absorb the cheerleader's power, rather than anything to do with her.)

[kalliopeia.livejournal.com]

Agree completely about Heroes, and this is from someone who hasn't missed an episode and loved almost every minute of it. The finale was a huge let down for me. And Lost is just (IMO) the best show on tv right now. For my money, Heroes even as fun as it is, can't compete. Lost has better writing, better acting, better storylines, better characters, even in its weirdness it always makes its own kind of sense.

But then again I'm still baffled as to why no one can say "I love Heroes, it's a great show!" without adding "It's soooooooo much better than Lost! Lost sucks!"

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

My memories of Flash Gordon are the Filmation animated ones from the late 70's/early 80's, my first experience in thinking a cartoon character was hot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Aura).

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

Never having watched Lost, I'll just say I love Heroes.
And the season finale was full of the "meh" as far as I'm concerned.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

That, and it was Claire who finally broke Angela's hold on Nathan and convinced him to sacrifice himself* for the sake of the world.

*although I have a sneakin' suspicion he isn't really dead

[laerwen.livejournal.com]

Regarding Eric Idle: It makes me genuinely sad if someone from Python takes themselves this seriously. I never thought they'd be capable of that. :(

[artemis-archer.livejournal.com]

iawtc. i really love heroes and lost but the heroes finale wasn't as good as i expected it to be. i still really liked it but considering that peter and sylar both have a crum load of powers each they should have had a kick ass showdown.

and i'm actually okay with not having questions answered. i mean, with lost they sometimes take too long to answer things but i still love a new mystery and having cliffhangers over the summer. i was hoping heroes would give us something more than just hiro going back in time, especially since i don't think most of the fans are *that* concerned about peter and nathan because it'd be crazy for them to get rid of those two characters. i think they tried too hard to answer everything for us but really i think most people like to be left wondering sometimes.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

But then again I'm still baffled as to why no one can say "I love Heroes, it's a great show!" without adding "It's soooooooo much better than Lost! Lost sucks!"

That's the part I can't quite understand.

Heroes vs. Lost

[corkdorkdan.livejournal.com]

As far as the Cheerleader bit, they explained a few episodes back (an episode that was set in the future), that the connections between all of the characters was very complex, but that moment where the Cheerleader (Claire) dies was a highly significant piece. So it was less about Claire needing to kill Sylar, and more about how killing Claire caused a chain of events that led to Sylar's victory (and the explosion). In the finale they revealed that Claire's role was to finally convince her father (Nathan the flying man) to do what's right. So saving her had two purposes... one, Sylar did not gain her ability to regenerate (which would have rendered the sword wound useless) and two, she convinced Nathan to save the city by flying away with Peter.

As far as the Heroes "bandwagon" as I call it, I've come to the conclusion that it's just the normal mob-mentality that most popular things go through. Whenever a TV show or movie or whatever gets a runaway success, there's always a pendulum swing the other way, when the hero must fall, or the successful must fail, and so on. Maybe it's caused by people who missed the boat the first time, or are resentful of its success, but it just happens. I've seen so many columnists and random wankers in the Lost community and even news reporters who will go off on how Lost sucks, and there are no answers, and the series is doomed, the ratings are tanking, and blah blah blah, and many times it's obvious that they haven't watched the show in 6 months. And then suddenly it's renewed for 3 more seasons. I think it's just people feeding on the mob mentality of identifying a flaw (there were a few missteps this season) and then just beating a dead horse. And Heroes was definitely geared towards the same type of audience and rode that wave of success. Personally, I think they're both great shows and see no reason to choose since they're on different nights!

[angelene.livejournal.com]

Others have already answered the question about the cheerleader and how, by saving her, the world could be saved also -- ie. Sylar, having failed at taking her power, wasn't able to quickly regenerate after Hiro stabbed him. As for Peter... yeah, he's outrageously powerful -- or, rather, he would be, if he had any one inch of control over his powers. (Otherwise he would've just taken it upon himself and flown away from Kirby Plaza, as soon as Sylar'd been dealt with, no?). It takes him long enough to adjust to them, and some more to use them fruitfully and purposefully. Plus, more often than not, he overdoses -- and how many Heroes were in Kirby Plaza that night? Sylar alone accounts for a few, heh.

Having said that and being a fan of both Heroes and Lost, I'm quite befuddled when people make the comparison -- it's like comparing potatoes to strawberries. They're just different, and one can appreciate either, neither or both. I, uh, guess.

Am I the only one who was completely unimpressed with the four-toed statue?

Re: Heroes vs. Lost

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

they explained a few episodes back (an episode that was set in the future), that the connections between all of the characters was very complex, but that moment where the Cheerleader (Claire) dies was a highly significant piece

Except for one major thing. Future Hiro had faulty data!

All those interconnections and strings - but the part where Nathan was really dead and being impersonated by Sylar. As that was a nexus of several characters, it is very possible that this skewed the whole caboodle in the wrong direction!

[chocolat-violet.livejournal.com]

I think Eric Idle missed the memo talking about the coconuts.

Either way, I saw the gag and right in the theatre I said, "YAYCOCONUTZ! GO MONTY PYTHON!"

[elisa0984.livejournal.com]

I'm rather hoping that it was sarcasm gone astray. It just seems incredibly bizarre for him to be up in arms and nothing from the other members.

Re: Heroes vs. Lost

[corkdorkdan.livejournal.com]

Heh, very true. Plus I don't see why Claire (or anyone) couldn't just knock Peter in the head, or shoot him, or he couldn't fly himself away but you know, whatever :-)

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

But did you get the Heroes gag? ;)

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I think it's just that Lost has become immensely frustrating to people for the reasons you outlined, so they're taking advantage of the difference between Heroes and Lost to play up what they don't like about the latter. If they really thought Lost sucked, they wouldn't watch it.

[laerwen.livejournal.com]

That's what my sense is telling me. They have a way of being completely deadpan about stuff that you'd never expect them to say, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was later revealed to be the case. :D

[meandstuff.livejournal.com]

Especially since the coconut gag has been used in other movies as well - Kenneth Brannagh's 'Much Ado About Nothing' is the only one I can recall at the moment.

[enshanam.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

I was seriously looking forward to Christopher Lee in Sweeney Todd. Hopefully something-or-other will be put together for the DVD. Maybe Lee reading the lyrics in his Saruman voice? Now that would be awesome...

[scornedsaint.livejournal.com]

One thing I like about Heroes is all the different storylines and characters and how they overlapped and eventually came together. I know Lost has that too, but it seems like that's strictly in flashbacks, and there's not a lot of ramifications. Okay, so Jack and Claire are related, but will anyone ever figure it out? There's really no purpose to it, whereas in Heroes it was fun to see how the relationships built.

The comic book-ness of the show is fun too. It's a show that's not afraid to be geeky, which is great to see on TV (outside of the UK, that is. I don't think anyone on the Doctor Who staff is pretending not to be a nerd).

But I have definitely been loving Lost this season. It got...creepy again, and that's one of the things it was definitely missing last season. There's a whole "no one is safe" vibe, which is fun (not for the characters, obviously, but it's great for us).

(And if you ask me, Nestor Carbonell is not wearing eyeliner, but it is merely an effect of his magic not-aging-ness.)

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

You know, I mod both heroes-tv and lost-tv.

God KNOWS, I love Lost :D

I think of it this way - Heroes is like the Short Attention Span Theater version. Instant gratification. SO NOT as deep or cracked out.

Lost is the one you're in for the long haul. Literally :D

I ♥ Lost, really. It makes me cry. Heroes has yet to do that.

Besides, it mindfucks me!

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

That's my thing. I still enjoy both shows, but the questions-to-answers ratio in Heroes really highlights why my love for Lost is so frequently phrased, "My God, I love this show, but..."

I hasten to add, though, that that sword cuts both ways. I frequently cite Ben as the kind of creepy awesomeness that I really wish Sylar was able to pull off (although he improved by leaps and bounds in the last three or four episodes).

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

You know - I just realized - most of the mods of lost-tv and heroes-tv are the same people. Why can WE reconcile it so well? *grin*

(obviously, the answer is that we're the sane, smart fans!) ;)

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

I <3 Joss Whedon.