Pop Culture Musings..

1. ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Sequel Series With Sarah Michelle Gellar Returning Nears Hulu Pilot Order

Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman [writers behind the television series Poker Face] are writing the pilot, with Oscar winner Chloé Zhao [director of Nomadland and The Eternals] attached to direct.

From the Variety article: ( excerpt )

Gist? Gellar is recurring not the star, it will focus on a new slayer, and the only folks from the original series returning besides Gellar are all the executive producers (who are also the copy-right holders) - The Kuzuis, Dolly Parton, and Gail Berman.

I wouldn't get that excited. It's just a pilot for Hulu and it has a lot of competition out there now.

The last attempt at this was with Whedon executive producing in 2018, but that died a long time ago.

2. Fourth Wing apparently has a television series being adapted on Amazon Prime. (Not at all surprised - it lends itself to one. I was thinking that while listening to the audio book, that this is tailor made for a series. It's basically Vampire Academy or Hogwarts but with Dragons.] Fourth Wing on Amazon Update. Alas, no cast is in place and it's still in development. I'll probably forget about its existence by the time it reaches the screen, although I don't really see myself watching it? Wrong demographic for this sort of thing.

It's apparently very popular with the TikTok users or BookTok? I wouldn't know I've never been on TikTock and prefer to remain oblivious to it. I had to draw the line somewhere? I drew it at TikTok. No one I really know well is on it either - so it's not an issue.

Personally? I wish they'd do a series based on The Sparrow novels, or Anne McCaffrey's books, or the Dresden books, or even Illona Andrews books, but alas, they never will. Instead it's these shallow YA Fantasy books, with horrific world-building, that give fantasy a bad name.

3. Wicked

Wales: Have you seen Wicked?
Me: The movie or the musical? I've seen the musical in theaters way back in 2010 with the Aunties.
Wales: the movie?
ME: No.

Wales: No? Any reason?
Me: Not really, just haven't gotten around to it yet. Waiting for it to come down in price on streaming.
Wales: I want to see it.
Me: Do you know what it is about? Have you seen a trailer? I mean, it's a movie musical adapted from a fantasy novel by Gregory MacGuire based on the Wizard of Oz, told from the Wicked Witches point of view. You hate fantasy, musicals, and the Wizard of Oz. I've read the book and seen the musical (was underwhelmed and disappointed by both) but still want to see it - because I love musicals, fantasy and the Wizard of Oz. But I think you'd hate it.
Wales: What? I plan on seeing it. I look forward to it. But I can see on streaming, I guess. [Because I've kind of made it clear that I'm not masochistic enough to see it with her.]
Me: Okay. It's streaming for free on Peacock. Or you can rent it for 19.99 on Amazon Prime.

Backing up a bit?
( Read more... )

She's going to hate Wicked. She hated Barbie. She wanted to see Barbie, was looking forward to it - saw it, and complained all the way through it.
She only wants to see it - because she thinks it is feminist. SMH.

Honestly, she drives me nuts. I rec films to her - she ignores me. The one she wants to see - I'd love to see, but I know her well enough to know I'd rather poke my eyes out than see it with her.

Wednesday Book Meme...

Finished Reading

Rules of Redemption (Firebird #1) by T.A. White - this was rec'd to me by the Illona Andrews fandom. And it's the last time I get recs from that board. It's a science fiction romance. The main character is a touch on the whiny side and a Mary Sue (in that she is almost too special?) The world-building is non-existent. And the romance doesn't quite work - much much older man and younger woman trope.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - a lovely little novella about how the little things chip away at one's conscience, and what one might do about it. It's a book that haunts you long after you've read it. Billy Furlong, a coal delivery man, on one of his holiday runs around Christmas time, sees something that he can't unsee. Now, what is he to do about it?

X-men #10 (2024-) by Jed Mckay and Ryan Stegman - one of the better issues of the series. Shows how good dialogue can further plot, action and character along with decent art. The leader of the X-men meets with the Government Agency that wants him and his kind dead. During the meeting - he basically explains and shows the government agent why killing him or threatening him is a really bad idea, and it's much better to keep him alive. There's subtle political satire in there as well.

Iron and Magic by Illona Andrews - audio book. I read the book version, was unimpressed, but the audio book is fun. Steve West is an excellent narrator (and it's all about the narrator). One of the better narrators. Can do multiple voices, and has a sexy velvet voice for the lead. It's a dark urban fantasy romance, where the writer works hard to redeem a nasty villain from the Kate Daniels series - and kind of accomplishes it, and kind of doesn't? Of course it's only the first book in a two book series. (Independently published, not through a publishing company).

Reading Now

Station Eternity Midsolar Murders Book 1 by Muir Lafferty - this is the first in a series apparently. It's a science fiction mystery novel that takes place in 2033 on an alien space station. Mallory Viridian has escaped to an alien space station to avoid humanity. Why? People have an annoying tendency to drop dead around her - and she keeps solving their murders much to the chagrin of actual detectives and police enforcement, who have even investigated her for the crimes because she's always coincidentally in the vicinity. So she's retreated to an alien station that only has three humans on board - Mallory, Adrian (the ambassador),and Xan(ex-military). The world-building is excellent, and aliens are innovative. One of them is a wasp hive mind, another are rocks. The writing is clean - and compelling. So far so good. And while there's a romance, it's subdued, and the obstacle is the protagonist has people die around her. Right now? She's desperately trying to find a way to keep more humans from coming on board - to protect the humans, not herself. And they are coming.

The Master and the Margarita by by Mikhail Bulgakov (Author), Christopher Conn Askew (Illustrator), Richard Pevear (Translator), Larissa Volokhonsky (Translator), Boris Fishman (Foreword) This is the 50th Anniversary Edition. I picked it up for the cover and the intent to give to Wales, then decided to read it myself. It's Russian political and metaphysical satire, and appears to - at the moment at least - be making fiendish fun of atheism. (Keep in mind that this book was written during the Soviet regime, where religion for the most part was outlawed, and everyone had to be an atheist - since they didn't want any religion to compete with the State.)
I'm hoping this translation will work for me. I am finding some of it a bit stilted in places. (I really wish I knew Russian, make life easier with the super and my next door neighbors, not to mention half the building, but alas, no.) It is well-written.

Fourth Wing (Empyrean Book 1) by Rebecca Yarros - this is on audio, and I got it with a credit. I am most likely not the demographic for this. It's readable, just annoying. And I'm listening to it on audio - so I can ignore a lot of the annoying bits. (I fast-forwarded through the kissing scene. I was listening to it during lunch time at work - and got tired of rolling my eyes.) It's not a turn on for me to listen to two twenty year olds kissing. Also, the lead talks about how much she misses sex - and I'm thinking, "you are what 20???" Also, hello, masturbation. It's a whole late safer and easier. The writing is kind of...juvenile. But, I want to know what her power is - so I'm hanging in there. Also on it's audio - so much easier to click through. Another thing? There's bits in here that feel lifted out of Dragon-Riders of Pern? The whole bonding with the dragons and if the dragons are mated, the riders become mated too bit - is directly from McCaffrey. I've not seen it in any other Dragon book, just McCaffrey. And it was problematic in McCaffrey's books. Although it does kind of make me want to re-read the McCaffrey novels, mainly because they had better world-building and were much better written.

Upcoming

I never really know? I'm moody. I have this month's The New Yorker to read.
(In print form! Also being the New Yorker - the print is actually large enough that I can read it.)

Let's see...I may do "Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Mass" on audiobook.

Also, flirting with The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff which my brother gave me for Christmas one year.

And possibly...whatever I can find in my kindle. I have a lot of books in my kindle, not helped by the digital copies of comic books that also end up in it.

Oh, almost forgot? Capital & Ideology: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Thomas Piketty, Claire Alet and Benjamin Adam -Author and illustrator Claire Alet and Benjamin Adam adapt renowned economist Thomas Piketty’s Capital and Ideology in an accessible and richly illustrated graphic novel formatMore than just a faithful graphic novel adaptation of Thomas Piketty’s Capital and Ideology, Claire Alet and Benjamin Adam make the original work’s ideas more accessible through the addition of a family saga.