Ah, the joys of hitting post too soon

[cleolinda]

So, I mentioned a while back that I reread The Golden Compass, so today I decided to pick up The Subtle Knife again--I just remember neither of the other two books being as great as the first one, and maybe that's because the narrative is less focused (instead of centering on Lyra, it now follows several different characters) and there's less of Lyra's own world, which is pure undiluted awesome. I was hoping that The Part That Makes Me Really Mad wasn't until The Amber Spyglass, but no--it's the chapter I stopped at this afternoon when I went upstairs to check my email: "Alamo Gulch." NICE ALLUSION THERE, PULLMAN.

Meanwhile, mostly been writing (and reading, obviously), although I do seem to have kind of a weird earache now. Fascinating.

LiveJournal creator leaves as Six Apart fails to spin. "Word is that Brad Fitzpatrick, the founder of LiveJournal and chief architect of Six Apart, is leaving the troubled blog-software company. And the fact that you're hearing about from a gossip blog rather than the transparency-loving company is itself a sign of how deep the problems run." Uh-oh. Furthermore: "The only reason that Six Apart management hasn't announced it, the source adds, is that they can't figure out how to spin it. Here, let me help, guys! It's bad. And Fitzpatrick's departure is just the tip of Six Apart's reality-denying iceberg."

From stormyskies: "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind posting this link in your next round of linkspam? My aunt was diagnosed with leukemia about six months ago. She really depended on the Leukemia and Lymphona Society for information and so she wants to raise money for them as a way to thank them for all of the information and support they've given her and our family. Each member of the family has a donation page, and that one's mine. We all have a personal goal of $100, which I would love to hit. If anyone could spare even a dollar to the cause, I would be forever grateful. Thanks in advance."



Mia Farrow offers her freedom for Darfur rebel.

Four priceless paintings stolen in brazen French museum heist.

Bad Thai cops to endure Hello Kitty shame.

Boy feels "ripped off" by cougar attack.

Teen survives 6-story fall with scrapes.

Lohan: "I Just Want To Be Nominated For An Award For All The Work I've Done." Note the past tense: the work she's already done.

‘Ultimatum’ is ‘Bourne’ to earn $70 million; Matt Damon pulls no punches over violence; Damon gets best box-office return on salary; The Top 5 Jason-Bourne-Improvised Weapons. Also, Sister Girl gives the movie two thumbs up.

A second Cloverfield trailer in front of Stardust ? DAMMIT! We didn't get any trailers at all at the preview!

Cutting Into Wolverine.

Two Villains in Superman: Man of Steel. What, only two? Ask Spider-Man 4, I'm sure they could spare you some.

Heroes Has New Villains.

Tom Hanks to Star in 'Fahrenheit 451'?

Scans: Clive Owen interview in Details. With pictures. Oh, the hardboiled, hate-sexy pictures.

New Set Photos Of Daniel Radcliffe from 'My Boy Jack.'

Official Jumper Site Online. This is the movie adaptation of the Steven Gould novel, by the way.

New Art for 'The Other Boleyn Girl' with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.

Behind the Scenes Photos of Keira Knightley's 'Atonement.'

How Close is 'Becoming Jane' to Historical Fact?.

New 'World of Warcraft' Movie Details.

Ridley Scott on Bringing "Monopoly" to Theaters. Yes, the board game. He's serious, y'all. Really serious. No, really. Really.

New pics of the POTC Tonner dolls (scroll down). I... really dislike the Elizabeth. The dress isn't a good match, the facial likeness is unusually off-target for a Tonner... We Are Displeased. On the other hand, my wallet is vastly relieved.

Comments

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

What was it that made you mad about that chapter?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't read it, but: the death of a character I loved.

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

I thought that's what you meant, but I didn't want to assume. Yeah, that sucked.

[lyrainverse.livejournal.com]

Man, I KNOW. I was just going to comment about that. I'm really meh on Subtle Knife in general, but man alive did that chapter make me cry.

[paradise-loved.livejournal.com]

wait. sorry. what is the part that makes you really mad? i have a general idea, but i was uber-confused when i read this.

(is it about lee?)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Shhhhhhhh!

[paradise-loved.livejournal.com]

ah yikes okay. i know what you're referring to then.

btw! my mother had to purchase something that was strictly on amazon uk and when she asked if i needed anything from them - the moment i had been waiting for, haha! your book should be arriving at my house within the week and i am so excited! xD

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aww, yay! Hope you enjoy it!

[kestrel127.livejournal.com]

Re: 6A... All I have to say about that cannot be said in polite company.

[poinsley.livejournal.com]

I agree about the Elizabeth doll. It doesn't look like Keira at all.

I can't get the link to the art heist to work for some reason.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Sorry, should be fixed now.

[pseudoblu.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the Sideshow Collectables figures? Jack (http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=6341&source=upsell), Sao Feng (http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=6342&affiliate=michaelcrawford), Elizabeth (http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=6344&source=upsell) (only one picture so far)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Oh shit! I have their Anna Valerious, and she's fantastic. I wish they had a full-figure shot of the Keira.

[creatrix]

Brad weighing in on the article:
http://brad.livejournal.com/2334177.html

[squeakyinuears.livejournal.com]

Have you seen this page (http://community.livejournal.com/innocence_jihad/159327.html)? It comes complete with links, lists, explanations, and updates on the whole recent LJ debacle.

[kateshort.livejournal.com]

More importantly, have you seen this:

US Code -- TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 71 > § 1466A. Obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00001466---A000-.html).

Here's the part that people don't get, and that *I* didn't get until I read that same link of the US Code above:

Child *pornography* has to be photographic images of an actual child. That obviously isn't the case for any fan-fiction ever, and that obviously isn't the case for any fan-created artwork (unless we've all been missing some photographs somewhere of naked 15-year-olds playing [not-]dress-up as Harry Potter characters).

Child *obscenity*, which is what burr86 and barakb25 were actually referring to when they talked about "obscenity laws," has to do with visual depictions that appear to be of persons under 18 years of age (ie, drawings, sculptures, etc.), and there's no requirement that the images be of an actual child or even an actual person.

If it looks like the person in the image could be under 18, and the image is graphically sexual in nature, well... expect a banhammer.

In the previous "more clarifications" lj_biz entry (http://community.livejournal.com/lj_biz/241428.html), they clarified two things:

1) Some people have noted a Supreme Court case from a couple of years ago striking computer-generated images from the definition of child pornography and asked whether, as a result, drawings of children in sexual situations can be considered illegal. The answer is, yes, in some cases. Congress reacted to the Supreme Court's decision in that case by changing the obscenity laws to put back what the Supreme Court struck down from the child pornography laws. Those obscenity laws are still on the books today and still being enforced. As a result, our policy prohibits obscene images of minors in graphic sexual contexts. <-- This is the part that I, and others, apparently skimmed over. This part deals with the artwork that includes images where it isn't 1000% clear that everyone involved is over 18.

2) Over the years, we've looked at thousands of reported journals and communities, and we rarely have come across a case of creative fiction or fanfic text that warrants review. If the content is similar in tone, context, feel, and level of explicitness to something that could be found on the shelves of a national chain bookstores, we'll take that into consideration as well. <-- This is the part about written material, which lots of people, including myself, took as an indication that the same rules were being applied to all fan works. Nope! This only refers to the *written* stuff. Which, yes, can still get you the banhammer, but since you have the context of characterization and plot (excepting some PWPs) and the ability to write the characters as being at least 18 years old, it's a little easier to avoid the potential bannination.

[cleolinda -- if you haven't already posted a link to a similar explanation, and to the US Code on child obscenity in visual works, I'd love it if you did so in another entry. You have a wide audience, and I think that they might benefit from seeing the link to the US Code. I know it certainly changed my mind about how LJ was dealing with certain things... I know that synecdochic posted about it in her entry at http://synecdochic.livejournal.com/147625.html but I can't remember if you'd linked to that or not...]

[rhyana.livejournal.com]

If this law had been in place, the movie "Kids" would never have been made.

[kateshort.livejournal.com]

Well, I haven't seen it, but I'm not so sure I agree.

A movie, unlike a static image, generally has a plot. Even if it's a documentary, there's something more to it. It's not just one image or one scene, but it's a collection of images and words and music and the like that are put together and meant to be experienced in a certain order.

In reading the descriptions, I'd say that it probably meets the condition of having enough social and/or artistic merit to overcome any graphic sexual content. It apparently isn't just a series of images of persons under the age of 18 having sex.

If you've seen it, tell me this-- does the movie Kids actually *show* any of these underaged kids having sexual relations with each other? Or does it merely describe and allude to them?

Because there's a difference between:

* saying that they had sex,
* saying that they had sex and describing it verbally in great detail,
* showing them having sex under covers or in dim lighting, and
* showing them having sex in full light with a close-up of one giving oral sex to the other or of one pounding his penis into the other's vagina.

[rhyana.livejournal.com]

The movie shows, in one scene, a couple on a bed; in another, a boy going through the motions of raping a girl who is passed out from drugs. While there is no penis shot, there is more than obvious thrusting. That was the main point of the controversy when the movie came out: there were explicit sex scenes, including a deflowering, with actors who may have been of age but looked like they were twelve.

I'm also wondering, because the magazine came out around the same time as the movie, if the Ambercrombie & Fitch Quarterly magazine, which depicted young men and women (again of age but they looked younger than they actually were) nude or seminude to sell clothing, had a hand in the law as well.

[riari.livejournal.com]

You know, that makes sense! I like your explanation. It finally made sense to me. They should just post this right after the more clarifications post. Thank you.

[rosetapestry.livejournal.com]

I saw the Bourne movie yesterday and heartily enjoyed it. It wasn't over-promoted ahead of time, and it was a solid action movie. With bonus points for Matt Damon.

[shusu.livejournal.com]

Cleo, did you mayhaps entirely miss the wank?

http://firefox.org/news/articles/555/1/Livejournal-Employee-Publicly-Mocks-Fandom/Page1.html

http://elke-tanzer.livejournal.com/791662.html
http://liz-marcs.livejournal.com/283323.html

Apologies if someone's posted these, my computer's not behaving.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

No, I was following it all on Fandom Wank--haven't posted about it, though, I guess.

[newsong.livejournal.com]

Shockingly, I have never read "Stardust" or anything else by Gaiman that I know of. I guess I'd better get a move on so I can see the movie after? Because it looks GOOD.

Also, I was truly interested in almost all the linkspam today. Yay.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

No! No! Movie first, book after! I've found that usually helps with the whole "It wasn't as good as the book!" problem. No, it wasn't, but you won't know that until later!

[newsong.livejournal.com]

Heh, I'll take that under advisement. I'm generally happy with books and movies on seperate planes from each other.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I just got The Golden Compass from the library! I'm excited and worried, since people don't seem to like the last book.

Official Jumper Site Online. This is the movie adaptation of the Steven Gould novel, by the way.
OH MY GOD.

This is one of my favorite books, you see. Like, I think I love it all the more because it was one of those book I just sort of found in the library one day. No one told me to read it. I just thought it looked interesting and I read it. You know, when you're young and a voracious reader and you'll read anything.

But the movie that they appear to be making bears little to no resemblance to the book I love. I'm serious. About the only thing that the site gets right is that Davy is a boy who can "jump" and to "jump" means to teleport. Everything else is completely off the wall and isn't even something the sequel would support. And, honestly, it sounds like a supercool movie, and if they're really making the movie the site is promoting (which, according to the "Synopsis," seems to be the case), I wish they wouldn't have written it over my book. I'm so baffled and confused and dismayed. Why would they change, like, the ENTIRE PLOT?

[quenbolyn.livejournal.com]

Hmm, am I the only one who thinks the Tonner/Elizabeth doll vaaaaaguely resembles Uma Thurman?

[aelfsciene.livejournal.com]

Not at all; it totally pinged Uma more than Kiera for me, too.

[derangeddarling.livejournal.com]

*cracks up*

omg, I love your icon. ^.^

[arayuldaiel.livejournal.com]

Oh shit, that chapter is in Subtle Knife? I always trick myself into thinking it's in the last one, too. I guess that just means I'm going to sob in the movies when they come out sooner rather than later. Sigh.

We got the trailer for Elizabeth: The Golden Age when I saw Hairspray (again) today! That, plus the trailer for Golden Compass, had me squeeing in my seat for the entire previews.

[bardintraining.livejournal.com]

*facepalm* @ Cougar Kid.

How in the heck did that even make it beyond local news?

*reconsiders camping out in backyard just the same because it IS cougar country*

[anonymisty.livejournal.com]

...so today I decided to pick up The Subtle Knife again--

I work in a middle school library. Last year, the librarian was trying to help a seventh-grader find a book, with no luck. She said, "Misty, you read fantasy - maybe you know this book Samantha wants?"

"What's it called?" I asked, ever helpful.

"The Subtitle Knife."

I managed to find the book, check it out to her and wait until she was gone before I burst into hysterical giggles.

[mokeyhokey.livejournal.com]

I can't decide if the World of Warcraft movie is the lamest idea ever (because come on) or awesome (in the sense that a computer game has become such a phenomenon that it can spawn a movie). I don't play it but I know from friends who do that it has a whole storyline and stuff... it's just bizarre, is all.

Re: His Dark Materials, I tend to agree with a fair amount of the ideas that Pullman ended up shoving into the series towards the end, but the ham-fisted way that he wrote them kind of ruins things. I mean, who wants to feel like they're being lectured reading a fantasy novel? I do love Will beyond all reason, though.

[neveth.livejournal.com]

I am of two minds about a WoW movie as well. On the one hand, there's enough backstory and plot to make a movie, easy. But on the same hand, there is a LOT of backstory and it may be too much for a movie.

They will, however, make movies out of anything, it seems.

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Ripped Off Boy is not feeling half as bad as the poor Cougar. Why do us humans insist on punishing predatory animals for accidents involving humans intruding into the predator's territory? Poor thing...

[rahrahmah.livejournal.com]

I don't want to start anything, but I'm just going to say that it's not a "punishment" so much as a "lets not let kids get eaten by this".

BUT!! What I really came in here to say is: what the heck is going on in your icon??

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

Hey,

True, but then again, Cougars are Endangered and People aren't so surely there's some non-fatal solution that would make everyone happy...

Icon- that would be Snoopy Reporter Lady getting her comeuppance from the Satanic Raven in DAMIEN: OMEN 2 *g*

[derangeddarling.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that Wolverine sounds good....*sigh*

DanRad is so cute in suspenders! *giggles*

I need to read The Other Boleyn Girl before it comes out. I loved The Queen's Fool, but I got so bored with The Virgin's Lover that I didn't even finish it... I sort of love Scarlett, though.

Atonement and Becoming Jane both intrigue me, though I haven't read either of the books they are based on (or any of Jane Austen's actual work.) I didn't like whatever it was by McEwan that I did read, but I don't remember what it was...Hmmm....

The Tonner dolls....I can't afford such expensive dolls! But I really want the Jack Sparrow and some of the HP ones we've seen before. And no, that Elizabeth doesn't look a thing like Kiera. If you had just linked the image without telling us who it was, I wouldn't have been able to guess. (Coronation Barbie?)

Meep.

[blinkliz.livejournal.com]

I'm not half of the avid LJ-er I once was, but that Brad Fitz news scares the crap out of me.

Also: You know you love animals a little too much when you read a story about a poor, unsuspecting little boy who was viciously attacked by a cougar, and all you can think is "THEY KILLED THE DAMN COUGAR?!" :(

(And I so need my hands on that second trailer. Perhaps Paramount hasn't gotten to YouTube yet??)

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

Ridley Scott?? Okay, now I'm intrigued.

Top *this*, Jason Bourne

[laughingacademy.livejournal.com]

Pencil removed from woman's head after 55 years (http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL0620229420070806)

Re: Top *this*, Jason Bourne

[lo0o0ony-lauren.livejournal.com]

Wtf. Isn't that... an episode of The Simpsons? Where Homer gets it taken out and then put back?

Possibly the oogiest case of life imitating art that I've ever read.

[lily-handmaiden.livejournal.com]

I feel like such a Jane Austen traitor, knowing that I'm going to go see Becoming Jane and I'm probably going to like it despite all of its Made Up-ness, because it looks cute.

That said, I think this nicely sums up the problems that Jane Austen fans have with the film in a very coherent way, without falling into a Rant of Hate:

http://www.austenblog.com/archives/2007/08/06/an-unusually-snark-free-review-of-becoming-jane/

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

Capsule review for the third Bourne movie: A solid and enjoyable movie, much like the previous two installments, which does a reasonably good job of tidying up the storyline.

This, of course, makes it unlike several of the other third-installment films we've seen over the last couple of years. (*cough*arachnid*cough*)

[tragical-mirth.livejournal.com]

cleojones keeps telling me about stuff in your journal, so I have just friended you to save her the time, lol. Friend back or ignore as you see fit. Happy trails!

'k I'm very slow.

[xander77.livejournal.com]

Waaaaay back when DH came out, I mentioned "this fic I read once that predicted the most of the plot in a hilarious manner". Having stumbled upon it years after the fact, I had to share, because....

http://occlumency.sycophanthex.com/viewstory.php?sid=4032

[londonsparrow.livejournal.com]

Recently through discussion of the Golden Compass movie, I found out that my friend had somehow started reading the trilogy with The Subtle Knife, and she totally thought Will was the main character. I had to tell her that it's really Lyra's story, and also that where she's from is pure undiluted awesome, like you said. I may actually have to quote you the next time I describe it.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

We Are Displeased. On the other hand, my wallet is vastly relieved.

Completely concur with that!

The Other Boleyn Girl will, I expect, be gorgeous visually. Also, dear old Henry VIII wishes he looked like the actors who've been giving him the dramatic treatment lately. Wow.