Remember, remember, the fifth of November!

[cleolinda]

God, I'm exhausted. I wrote 2700 words on Black Ribbon today--like, actual plot-moving words--and wrote more about the Lexicon thing as well. (The new entry has a breakdown of the previous three [!], so I highly suggest a skim of that. Key phrases for today: "Why didn't you read the book we didn't send you?" and "Vast international smear campaign.") And I desk-danced to Belinda Carlisle all day, because I'm just that lame.

Also, people figured out how to make swoopy fancy rainbow text.

I was going to do a more in-depth roundup of some of the comments that came in yesterday, but, again: exhausted, so I'm simply going to direct you to two topics: Philip Pullman was quoted out of context on the "LOTR is trivial" issue (and not coming off the way he does in person), and why donating hair to Locks of Love doesn't really help anyone (and what you can do instead).

Linkspam:

Attention heroes: Colbert drops presidential bid; Colbert Vows to Fight On, Once He's Done Crying.

Copperfield Secret Document -- How to Pick Up Chicks.

Happy Birthday, Ryan and Bryan Adams! "I notice that today (Nov. 5) is the birthday of both Ryan Adams (left), who turns 33, and Bryan Adams (right), who turns 48. That must make Ryan furious."

'A Million Little Pieces' refund claimed by only 1,700.

How Not To Get Your Book Published.

Lord of the Rings origami.

Get ready for reruns: Writers on picket lines; Celebs join Hollywood writers on picket lines; Jon Stewart Reportedly Offering Two-Week Strike Fund To His Picketing Staff (or not?); How will you cope if the strike drags on?

Tim Kring has left Heroes over the strike? "Apparently the network was making him remove storylines that could not be wrapped up in the existing episodes that are now being finished. This caused wholesale rewrites of three episodes over the past week and weekend. And on the lot where 'Heroes' shoots, there was an incident at the picket line where a PA working on another show ran over the foot of one of the picketers [this one?]."

Also, dduane points out that media outlets may not be the most reliable sources for news on the writers striking against them.

Guardian Writer Wants Daniel Craig to Quit Bond. Mom? Is that you?

'Batman' no match for Hong Kong's pollution; Heath Ledger on The Joker; A new Joker doll at Tonner. It's not Heath Ledger, but it ain't bad.

''Juno'' makes ex-stripper an A-lister.

Anthony Hopkins On Flying In The ‘Slipstream,’ Going ‘Psycho’ And Why New Age Hippies Don’t Make Sense; Anthony Hopkins Talks About Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Man, the blonde starlets are going to be lining up for the old-time movie-star roles in this one.

Neil Gaiman shuffles along on the Beowulf junket. "I think my favourite bit was the way Ray Winstone, answering questions, always refers to me and Roger Avary as 'The Boys,' as if we're a couple of writing hardcases who will come over to your house and beat you up with our typewriters." Hopkins, meanwhile, "is always one room behind," and Angelina Jolie handles personal questions from reporters "with grace and aplomb."

Gyllenhaal and Biel Get Nailed.

Christensen to Star in Beast of Bataan.

Sony to Release Peter Jackson's District 9.

I wish could be sleeps tiem now.

Comments

[glass-radical.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to write for nanowrimo, and every time I write an opening sentence, I delete it in self-loathing. *sigh*

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I'm not even really doing it for Nano, which may help psychologically. Just try to relax and make it not count. Write a dozen opening sentences in a row (and count them all in your word count). Just stay loose and be open to anything that comes, even if it's lame, because that's what first drafts are for.

[glass-radical.livejournal.com]

thank you for the advice. :)

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

You say that and opening sentences pop into my head. Then I beat them with sticks because I'm not doing NaNo.

Argh.

[christwise.livejournal.com]

That swoopy fancy rainbow text looks like a rainbow Golden Gate Bridge. Which, I would say, is quite appropriate.

[sapphires13.livejournal.com]

I had a dream once where the girl I had a crush on gave me a rainbow bracelet, which I later draped over a model of the Golden Gate bridge. When I woke up, I was like "Damn, that was the gayest dream ever!"

[lyricalnights.livejournal.com]

Re: the writer of Juno- her book about her year as a stripper, Candy Girl, is hysterical and full of win. Recommended!

[eruvadhril.livejournal.com]

The LotR origami is awesome.

[last-archangel.livejournal.com]

*nods in agreement* It's actually scaring me, how good it is.

[misslucyjane]

That's so disappointing about Locks of Love. My nieces donated to that.

[shusu.livejournal.com]

thedailyshow reports a retraction (http://community.livejournal.com/thedailyshow/1606975.html).

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

HOLY FUCK.

I just went to the RDR publishing site, y'know, just for kicks, and it turns out they're IN MY HOMETOWN in Muskegon. Like, less than a few blocks away, right by McGraft Park. O.O

Oddly, the company uses a 510 area code--based in California. (Again, O.O)

Goddamn, this just got a whooooole lot more interesting for me.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heeeeeee. Well, if you drive by and suddenly the office parking lot is completely empty and tumbleweed is blowing in and out of the vacant building, let us know...

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

Oh, you bet I'm driving by there tomorrow. I won't go in and harass anyone, but it'll be enough to stand on their lawn and gape at The Little Publishing Company That Could Have Its Ass Kicked By Invincible Lawyers Of Doom before JKR has it tac-nuked from space.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

Nukes? Much too messy. She's more likely to use her Google Earth-guided laser cannon... or good ol' Project THOR.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

I finally got The Golden Compass while at Borders for a book talk today. Hooray! I'm excited.

Also, I have a secret to tell you. :)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

What what what? You have my email! Spill it!

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Man, I'm so easy. Heh.

[lovefromgirl.livejournal.com]

Went back, reread V/15M. After a good year of watching Olbermann, I finally get the falafel thing. :-)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heeeeee, yay. That's the joke that no one ever gets. : )

[falco-conlon.livejournal.com]

Ooohh my god, that interview made me want to see Juno so. bad. She's brilliant!!

[adoresixtyfour.livejournal.com]

She's brilliant!!

Always has been. Always will be.

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

Did you do the recordings of those Hallowe'en stories in the end?

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I'm clearly pathetic. I don't get what's so bad about the unsolicited book summary. Sounds just like all the other thrillers to me--if its crime is that it's merely formulaic, well, whatever.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, that's the problem--she sent something completely formulaic to "almost every agent and editor currently working in book publishing" even though she says up front that she knows they don't like it when people do that. The summary isn't really the point--the formula-ness is kind of the icing on the cake at that point. The real problem is the etiquette involved--it's not that she didn't know better; she even says up front she's not supposed to do it.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! See, I really know little about this. Even though the few times I've sent something for submission I was deathly rigid about following the guidelines!

[raven-feathers.livejournal.com]

i find it really disturbing that so many people donate to locks of love without reading their FAQs or even, apparently, looking at their website. all the information in the link that one commenter left is clearly stated on the LoL site. when one of my then eight year old daughters was getting her long hair cut anyway and wanted to donate it, we talked about who was potentially benefiting (kids with alopecia, not cancer [and it bugs me that people are getting their panties in a twist over this, because LoL states very clearly who their target beneficiaries are and it's not kids with cancer]) and the good possibility that her hair wouldn't be chosen, but that the hair might be sold to help fund LoL. it's all there on the site! if people are just now learning this stuff, i can only blame them for not thoroughly researching the organization.

i don't think there's anything wrong with donating if you go in with all the facts. it may or may not do a whole lot of good, but for those who are getting cut anyway, it's an easy donation to make, affiliated hair salons do the cut for free, and you can hope that your donation did make a difference somewhere down the line.

just my 2 cents. i am, btw, in no way affiliated with this organization. ;)

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

I'm always trying to tell people Locks of Love is a scam and getting OMG WHY DO YOU HATE KIDS WITH CANCER!!1! in return. Sigh. And it's not just that the hair doesn't get donated and doesn't go to cancer patients; but until recently they didn't even meet the federal requirements for charity, and they had to be forced into disclosing that the hair goes to kids with alopecia, not cancer. They were perfectly happy misleading people into thinking they were donating hair to people with cancer.

Seriously, people: if you want to help cancer patients, donate even $10 a year. Volunteer your time in a cancer ward. Put yourself on the registry for bone marrow donation. They need those things more than they need your hair.

[skulkings.livejournal.com]

Locks of Love?

Yes, Locks of Love sell off excess or unusable hair that is given to them... and they don't hide the fact. Any charity would sell of goods that have been donated to them that they won't use. If the money is going back into the program, not into someone's pocket. SOMEONE has to pay to make the wigs, after all. It's probably supporting the low income end of that sliding wig-fee. High quality wigs are expensive productions.

And "people" are constantly being harrassed? Who exactly? Members of the organization? Other people on the street?

This is like that charge those lying asses at PETA put around that Make A Wish was creating bear hunts for sick kids. All total bull it turns out. Make-A-Wish doesn't allow the use of guns in any wishes it grants and never have, but Make A Wish is still fighting PETA's rumors years later.

How's this for rumor making. Want to bet it's a rumor put around by another hair cutting charity?

[auriatetsukai.livejournal.com]

TIM LEAVING HEROES!? God, why don't you just cancel the show?!

And crap at that LoL thing. I donated three years ago, and I suppose it's my own fault for not reading up enough before doing it. But next time, I'll just volunteer. Thanks for that. ^^b

[kookaburra1701.livejournal.com]

Wow. David Copperfield is fucking skeezy. I mean, at least other acts are smart enough to not WRITE OUT THEIR ENTIRE STRATEGY FOR PICKING UP CHICKS. Geez!

[melina-agape.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm a frequent reader of your journal, and your linkspams have brought many things to my attention, including cat macros and that hilarious website that features them. So, this morning I saw these (http://iconzicons.livejournal.com/193811.html#cutid1) and had a giggle fit. Thought you might be interested in them! Cheers.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Here's why I donate to LoL: Free haircut. Beat that.

In all seriousness, I can't help but think most of the criticism of LoL comes from longhairs and people who are just confused about what the charity does and what kind of hair they can use. (The dude who donated his dreadlocks is a good example.) It is a shame that people with long hair are sometimes harrassed for not cutting it - boy do I remember when people would ask me to cut it!

But on the other hand, that's sort of a problem that I have with longhairs, because when you invest so much time and effort into growing your hair long, it becomes way too important to you. I was hair-obsessed when I had long hair. I was always comparing the length to everyone else's and cried bloody-murder when anyone tried to cut it. I'm glad I got a trim, in the end, and if people need LoL as an excuse to cut it, whatever.

[quizzicalsphinx.livejournal.com]

Something for your link-spam:

I can has wedding? (http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2007/11/say-yes.html)

And the reply. (http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2007/11/and-the-answer-.html)