(no subject)

1. While scrolling through LJ, I found out that apparently a popular Buffy fan had died, but wait, no, they actually faked their death, no, wait, it may have been a hoax by someone else who hacked into their account. (To my considerable relief - I have no clue who they are. I looked it up and nope, never heard of them. Didn't know they existed until now. This is hardly surprising. If you weren't active between 2002-2004, not on the BC&S, TeaattheFord, or ATPOBTVS, or Whedonesque, and never visited my lj blog or interacted directly with me - I probably never heard of you. No offense, but there it is. Also, since I rarely read fanfic that did not focus on Spike or Spuffy, it's unlikely I read you. And I haven't read any fanfic since 2010, except for those posted to my flist/correspondence list, which were drabbles. It's also highly unlikely you've heard of me. I rather like the low-profile. Being a big fan name was never my aspiration in life and when it happened, albeit briefly, I found to be rather awkward and at times cringe-inducing. You have all these people who think they "know you" when in reality they just know your persona or of you, and you don't know them at all. Far more trouble than it's worth. Fame is overrated.)

What boggles my mind is that people actually do this? (The whole faking death thing, not aspiring to be a Big Fan Name. People like fame - or we wouldn't have reality show contestants.) Apparently it does happen quite a bit? (The Faking Death Thing) Fascinating and disturbing. I can sort of see why - the need for external validation or a grab for attention? (OR you are on the run for your life and have no choice - wait real life isn't a fictional movie or spy series, is it? ) I know people create false identities or sockpuppets on the net, sometimes as a joke, sometimes as performance art and sometimes to play ...but faking their own death is taking it a step too far, (well unless they are just a sockpuppet or troll, then it's a just a relief). Also it gives that whole Mark Twain quote reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated a rather dark twist. While seemingly comical, and I admittedly have a rather dark sense of humor, having recently lost an online friend, who was far from "famous" or "popular" but meant the world to me, I find this whole faking death thing to be more than a wee bit offensive and cruel. Too many people online have passed away...many of them on my flist.

At any rate, the people or persons who do this really don't deserve to be acknowledged any further, do they?

Here's the ones who deserve memorials or further acknowledgment, even though few knew them and to my knowledge they died with little fanfair or outpourings of grief, nor would they have asked for such things. They were quiet and incredibly kind folks:

embers_log - who created beautiful fan-art, and was a devoted whedon, Buffy, and Firefly fan. She told no one online of her sudden illness, and we found out months after the fact - when a friend posted news of her death on her lj and on her FB page.

AtpoLittlebit - lovely woman, who died of cancer, and heavy contributor on the ATPO Board. Also, never mentioned her struggle with cancer online. We found out through a friend.

Collinwood - who died way back in 2003 or 2004. Her husband told us in her blog.


2. If you haven't already seen them, I highly recommend:

* Agent Carter (TV series) - rather deft noir series that mocks and satirizes the noir action genre.
* How to Train Your Dragon 2 - which deserved the Golden Globe. It's that rare sequel that is actually in some respects better than the first one.

Loved this little film. The twist is rather wonderful and the animation better than usual. If you adore dragons, rent it. If not, it may make you love dragons.

3. Apparently Fox News thinks Birmingham is a Muslim Only city ....and ahem, forgot that the world is smaller now and there are actually people living in Birmingham and have been there who can call them on it. Dear Fox? You might want to fire that internet blogger you've been using for fact checking. Just saying.

4. The Good Wife continues to be an on-point political and legal satire. This week they did an episode on racial protests. They weren't satirizing the protests, they were satirizing the white politicians reactions to the protests and to race, and how they manipulate it to their own advantage. I haven't seen anything done that deftly and realistically on tv since The WIRE. The Good Wife increasingly reminds me of the quality writing that I saw in The WIRE.

Of course it had to put up disclaimers - stating that the episode was filmed prior to the judgement in Ferguson and the activities in NY. The episode focused on the political campaign. And by the end of it, I began to wonder if the series was headed for yet another "reboot". The thing I love about the Good Wife is it continues to do the exact opposite of television formula. Or defies expectations. It's amongst the few television serials that I cannot predict.

5. Galavant - somewhat better than last week's effort. Although the less time spent with the King and his lady-love, the better. The promos describe it as Monty Python's Spamalot meets the Princess Bride by way of Once Upon a Time. Unfortunately it has more Once Upon a Time, and less of Princess Bride and Spamalot. I like OUAT, but it's writing is a bit on the lame/campy side of the fence. It lacks edge. As a co-worker stated - the ditties remind one of college ditties and if feels very amateurish considering the writing talent involved.

That said, I did laugh a few times. I found the bit about a landlocked pirate ship, and pirates who were too busy arguing amongst themselves to figure out how to get said ship back into the water - amusing.