A sleepy day

[cleolinda]

You know, I was in the shower today and I had one of my Great (For Certain Values of "Great") Thoughts, and it was this: perfectionism can be a kind of cowardice. And I'm suffering from it. Because really, perfection doesn't exist, you know? I mean, if it does, it happens only in nature or accidentally; I don't know that you can achieve perfection intentionally, just because of the perverseness of the universe. Um. If that makes any sense. It probably doesn't. What I'm getting at is that--of course we need to have standards. And of course there are objective fields in which you can be "perfect," in which you are right or wrong. Math, for example. The answers on your math homework are either right, or they aren't. Your spelling is either correct, or it isn't. (Yes, I'm sure there arguments against those ideas. Work with me here.) You can choose to break rules for effect in your writing, for example, but that's a kind of perfection you're choosing not to achieve. With objective correctness, when it's right or it's wrong, you can spellcheck the thing and you know when you're done.

With perfection, you don't. Or rather, you know that you're not done. And really, you'll never be done. Which is why I think--I just realized--seeking perfection is a way of being a coward. Because that way you'll never finish, you know? You are nobly dedicating yourself to the pursuit of getting it just right, rather than exposing your imperfect work to see the light of day--rather than allowing yourself to be vulnerable. And being vulnerable is incredibly scary, or at least I find it to be so--opening yourself up to criticism and rejection and all that. And I'm having a big problem with that, in terms of finishing the annotations and the first Black Ribbon book. Obviously we have to have standards, but... I'm trying to teach myself that "good enough" is... well, good enough. Even if people hate it and give me hell for it in some worst-case scenario. Because "I did it" is worth it, at the end of the day.

Linkspam!

Dave Matthews Band saxophonist dies; In Memoriam: LeRoi Moore.

Shamed rocker Gary Glitter denied Hong Kong entry.

Hiding theft suspect crushed in trash compactor. AHHHHHHHHHH.

Newlyweds tasered and arrested twice in 48 hours.

12 Sports Cut From The Olympics.

Our Newest Monster Is a Four-Earred Kitty Cat. Aw, it's really cute!

TMZ Is Going Down -- Is Harvey Levin Killing His TMZ Baby?

New Line's Survivor Party.

John Cusack Pens Worst Celebrity Guest Blog Post Ever Written; 'NY Post' Alleges That John Cusack's Childhood is Sold, Bought, and Processed.

Ekland Slams 'Botoxed' Kidman.

Why We Deserve Better Villains — And How To Get Them. If you write anything with any kind of villain, read this.

Cartoons That’ll Scare the Kids.

Is 'Guitar Hero' saving rock 'n' roll?

How To Talk About Fall Television (That You Might Not Be Watching).

'V for Vendetta' Speech Translated into OMG Terms.

Images: Appaloosa; The Duchess; Body of Lies; Nights in Rodanthe; Transsiberian; New 'Australia' Posters and Photos (as opposed to yesterday, when we just had the posters); New Night at the Museum 2 Set Photos! (Amy Adams - The Cutest Amelia Earhart You'll Ever See!); Couple of Really Cool 'Max Payne' International Posters; Transformers 2 Posters Just "Art," Not Actual Posters; International Poster for 'Le Transporteur 3.'

Trailers and clips: 'Frost/Nixon' International Trailer is Online; First Look Behind The Scenes Of 'The Prisoner' Remake; 'W.' EPK B-Roll Footage Rolls Online (Josh Brolin's 'W' Impression: Erotically Accurate or Sub-'SNL'?); Tom Cruise 'Tropic Thunder' Scene In Bootleg-O-Vision; New 'Tokyo Gore Police' Trailer Good if You Like Totally Insane Stuff.

Memo to protesting 'Watchmen' and 'Harry Potter' fans: It just doesn't matter.

WB Responds to Fan Freakout Over 'Harry Potter' Delay, mobs are not soothed ("Warner Bros. Puts Their Disrespect for 'Harry Potter' Fans in Writing"); New BTS photos from HBP; Dan Radcliffe: Gary Oldman to Return for "Deathly Hallows'?; Daniel Radcliffe Goes ‘Intense’ For ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows’; Dan Radcliffe Starts Rehearsals for Equus, Talks Wizard Rock and More; New UK Trailer Due for "Half-Blood Prince?" Not Just Yet Says WB; "Give Light" Competition Features Pane by Jo Rowling, Stephen Fry.

The 'Dark Knight' Script Online.

It's the day after Twilight Tuesday! More visual evidence of vampire baseball (yes, that's Blond Peter Facinelli there in the middle with the scarf, looking like he wants to die); Dramatic Baseball icons; Team Bella or Team Hermione? Whose Side Are You On? (um, the side that doesn't ask dumbass questions like this?); Our ‘Twilight’ Quiz Is Looking For A Few More Good Questions; Hi, your last name is Cullen, can I marry you? I brought cake; Twihards start physically attacking people?

'Quantum of Solace' - Official Blog Report #22; New 'Quantum' Photos Hit The Web; Spielberg Missed Out On Bond Film Dream.

Is Fox Head Tom Rothman Dulling the Claws of 'Wolverine'? [Snikt Snit]; Is 'Wolverine' in Trouble?

‘Terminator Salvation’ Secrets Lie Within Film’s Title, Says McG.

Star Trek Boldly Goes Where Everyone Has Gone Before.

Elton John, James McAvoy, Emily Blunt & Star-Crossed Gnome Lovers; McAvoy, Blunt Voice 'Gnomeo and Juliet.' Good Lord, I think I've been hearing about this one since the days (2001-2003) when I was running a movie news thing on a rinkydink GeoCities site (which... actually was formatted a good deal like today's linkspam...).

Blu-ray Reveals New 'Nightmare': "When director Henry Selick's classic animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas drops on Blu-ray on Aug. 26, fans will get to see some of the movie's details for the first time, Selick told SCI FI Wire."

Robert Downey Jr. Talks About Finding Sherlock Holmes.

Fassbender is Joining 'Inglorious Bastards.' STELIOOOOOOOS!

Heinlein's Creepiest Novella Gets The I, Robot Treatment ['The Unpleasant Profession Of Jonathan Hoag']; Alex Proyas Helming 'Jonathan Hoag.'

Will Rainn Wilson go big and go home?; ‘The Rocker’ just a cover of really funny movies; Review: 'Rocker' doesn't rock.

The Return of "Wizard of Gore" -- Drugged-Out Scifi the Way It Was Meant to Be: "Meet today's most excellent mad scientist. He's calling himself a wizard, he's played by Crispin Glover (yes!) and he specializes in wowing audiences of young hipsters with his gore-soaked sideshow."

Don Mancini Updates Details on the 'Child's Play' Reboot.

We Wear These Pointy Hats Because We're, Like, Scientists [Found Footage]. Man, I do not know what I would do for the Uwe Boll Slot half the time without io9's Found Footage feature.

Comments

[la-petite-singe.livejournal.com]

Hiding theft suspect crushed in trash compactor. AHHHHHHHHHH.

THAT HAPPENED ON SVU. Did you see it?! It was so fucked up! I had that reaction too!

That Gnomeo thing sounds weird, but Emily and James? Yes plz x two. I think I might be down with it just for them.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

More visual evidence of vampire baseball

Oh, good Lord. *headdesk*

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Wasn't Elijah Wood supposed to be one of the lead voice actors in Gnomeo and Juliet?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I just keep going back to that page and laughing and closing the tab and then going back and laughing at it again. Like, all day long. And looking at Peter Facinelli and going, "What the hell, man? What did they do to you? Who thought this was a good idea?"

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

God, who knows, it's been so long. I wouldn't be surprised.

[lyrainverse.livejournal.com]

That's... kind of exactly how I am about my writing. I get really close to finishing something, then totally self-destruct, tell myself it's awful, it'll never be just perfect and then flee in terror. Because one of my deepest fears is working hard on something, showing it to someone and being told it's awful. This was really good to read, I'm just now rediscovering creativity after the creativity void of gradschool. Thanks for writing it.

[saramiskismet.livejournal.com]

GET ME OUT OF TWIFANDOM.

GET ME OUT GET ME OUT. It's starting to look like Scient-fuckin-ology.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

I think I remember that from my days of deep, deep obsession.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I looked at that photo and thought, "Damn it, Facinelli, you're a better actor than this!"

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aw, you're welcome. : )

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

You see now why I was so scared when nymag.com linked to the recaps. I kept having flashbacks to Gandalf being all like "THEY ARE COMING" in the Mines of Moria.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Tom Rothman, Jon Peters. If I ever have a tumor, I won't know which to name it.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember that he was also going to be in Thumbsucker, or am I hallucinating that?

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he was. Which is why I read the book. Then they cast Keanu Reeves, I think, and it just got all odd and there was no more Elijah.

I always thought he would have been good in a movie adaptation of Stargirl. Of course at the time I also thought I should be in it and we would fall in love forever and ever, but I was...dumb.

[oohasparklie.livejournal.com]

Newlyweds tasered and arrested twice in 48 hours.

Sounds like my kind of honeymoon. ;P

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heh, I did too. And you know, it's not even that he's playing one of the dads in this terrible movie. It's that he's playing CARLISLE SAINTED CULLEN, WTF. And nobody else in Hollywood had actual blond hair? No one? Even down through the C and D list?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I really think Elijah was going to be the younger character, though--Reeves was always going to be in it.

[edda.livejournal.com]

Perfection is for those incapable of greatness.

You? Are capable of greatness.

*makes swishily dramatic exit*

[lauri8.livejournal.com]

I think calling perfectionism a kind of cowardice is a bit harsh, but I do understand what you're saying. I often suffer from the same paralysis.

As Voltaire said, "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien."

The best (or the perfect) is the enemy of the good.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Oh, my God, yes, that HAIR. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- I swear the hairstylists on this movie spent so much time putting stupid wigs and bad haircuts on the Cullens that they didn't have time to do so much as wash Kristen Stewart's hair, if the promo photos are any indication.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

You're not helping me dump my mental baggage here!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

A form of fear, then, maybe?

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he was. I just couldn't picture Keanu Reeves as the doctor character.

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

WAH. The Tropic Thunder Tom Cruise bootleggy scene is no longer available. *sobs*

Also, Gary Glitter? Ick. Is it wrong that I'm kinda hoping that he'll be allowed entry into mainland China, after which the Chinese government will quietly "disappear" him?

[jess-d-ripper.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing that this Rosalie Cullen doesn't exist (yet) but only because if she did, she'd be the one going around bragging about marrying a Cullen. I mean this is the sort of move that could make you a BNF of such unparalleled bigness that you could start challenging SMeyer herself to slap fights. There's no way a Twilight fan would pass that up.