Spontaneous Musings

Still re-reading books. But that doesn't mean I don't have stuff to talk about.

1. Books that are waiting to be read (Or stuck in your reading queue and waiting patiently for you to notice them.)

( my list of books waiting to be read )

2. The problem with long-running serials, particularly serials that have chronic writer turn-over or keep changing writers periodically, is the character arcs don't make any sense. Actually very little makes sense. You sort of have to leave your brain at the office.

I checked out the Marvel Comics Daredevil character - and got confused halfway through the history recap. It made no sense. This is why:

( Read more... )
So basically, each time a new writer took over they did to the comic book what a lot of people do when they buy a new house - they gut it, redecorate, add new rooms, knock down walls, and build a second story. So that at the end of the day, the house is unrecognizable. It works fine for houses, not so much for stories.

Reminds me of some non-canonical fanfic writers -- they take the character, rip away half the stuff, create a new world around them, and basically at the end of the day have a new character. Why they can't just come up with a new character -- well, I guess the same question could be posed about why people can't just build a new house?

This is a bit headache inducing if you are a fan of long-running pulpy serials such as action hero comic books and daytime soap operas. If you are like me, you will undoubtedly spend half of your time scratching your head in dismay, and wondering why in the hell you've put up with the story for this long. Sucker for punishment? Story-masochist? God knows...

I don't know if Doctor Who is guilty of this? I think Star Trek managed to escape it, by being more episodic in nature than serialized and with a clearly defined world and rules. Actually,most sci-fi serials don't tend to do this, mainly because they either have the same writers or strict rules. That's how Star Wars escaped the problem. Lucas kept a fairly tight reign on it and when he sold it -- the new people stuck to the rule book.

There are serials out there that don't have this problem, but for the most part they have only one or two writers or a team of writers that have stuck with it throughout. The key is having the same writers, and a rule-book/character bible. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - the Television Serial stayed more or less on track -- same writers, and only seven seasons. But when it jumped to the comics, the continuity sort of jumped out the window and did the hokey pokey. Hence the reason, I gave up on the comics. It felt too much like non-canonical fanfic written for specific fans not me.
Super-hero action comics and daytime serials can run into the same problems. This happened recently with The X-men, in which they changed writers and the new writers basically flipped the entire verse and retconned everything. As a result, I gave up on the X-men again, not for the first time.

It's not that the writers are bad, necessarily, just that they appear to have no respect for continuity and have this desire to make it their own. In some cases this is a good thing - with Daredevil, I only read the Frank Miller version and that's the one Netflix chose to base a series upon. It was the most popular, not hard to understand why since the previous character sounded a little bit like a Spiderman rip-off and is a tad dated. This is where the Netflix series could work better than the comics -- that is if they don't change writers too often and when they do, the writers choose to stick to the character bible and don't just do whatever they please.

We're nearing the end of the notorious and rather difficult January Talking Meme (remind me not try this again) - which I've aptly nicknamed - "what question can I possibly come up with that would stump shadowkat67?" I'm thinking the final two questions may come very close to winning that contest.

* [Side note: January 27:Curiouswolf - Analyze Spike's IDW comics supporting cast. This may have to wait a few weeks, because I read those comics so long ago that I can no longer remember the supporting characters well enough to analyze them. I honestly don't know if I can do this - you may have succeeded in stumping me. Where was this meme four years ago?]

cactuswatcher- January 26, if you had the ear of a major network, what one specific TV show idea would you ask them to produce?

This is admittedly not as bad as I originally thought. I remembered it being "what "ideal" TV show would you pitch" but the question is actually far easier to answer. It helps if you read the question a few times, before answering. OTOH...it should be noted that this question is limited to "one specific idea" not "eight". And...I have a lot of ideas, so narrowing it to one is dicey to say the least. That's my problem - too many ideas, too many choices, how can I possibly choose just one? And which one?

So before I provide the "one specific" idea, below are the 8 ideas that I came up with and the pitfalls for each one, which if you pay close attention have at least one thing in common, other than being ideas for television series:

( Nominations for the specific television series idea - because my problem is I have too many ideas and need to find a way of narrowing down my options )

Okay that's eight ideas, be happy I stopped at eight...and the winner is? Give up? Come on, all you have to do is read the pitfalls.

( And the winning idea or the one I'd select after examining the pitfalls of each is... )

Hmmm...Aren't you happy that I don't do this for a living? Because if I had an ear of a tv network, we'd have more musicals, fairy tales, fantasy serials and action adventure serials than we currently do. And far less horror shows, vampire shows, zombies, serial killers, medical dramas, anti-hero crime dramas, and procedurals than we currently do - which I'm beginning to get burned out on. Speaking of vampire serials? I considered doing one based on Ann Rice's Interview with a Vampire novels - which would actually be interesting, she built quite a world and mythos there. But I think we've reached the saturation point on that specific genre, don't you?

So, what specific television idea would you pitch if you had the ear of a major television network?

This is my third post for the January Talking Meme - and we'll see where this takes me.

January 10: masqthephilospher asked - I'd like to hear about "your" New York City. What your neighborhood is like, where you shop, what sorts of residences and businesses are on the blocks nearby, the feel of the neighborhood, transit, etc. What it's like living in that neighborhood, and other places you like to go in the City as a whole.

NYC believe it or not is the only place that I've deliberately chosen to live in. All the other places that I've lived, were either due to college, study, or family. But NYC I moved to without a job in place. And as of this year, it is now the place that I've lived the longest. 18 years this March. I moved here in 1996. And it has changed through the years in various ways, yet also stayed the same. We've been through a lot together, NYC and I, and as a result, I am a New Yorker, it is in my blood and in my soul. I love and hate it in equal measure. And it will take a lot to get me to move out of it. I believe the place you choose as an adult is the place from whence you came, not the place where you were born and really had no choice in.

At the moment, my New York is cold, rainy and drab and all I want to do is stay in my cozy little apartment. Perhaps that's the best place to start? The word apartment is sort of misleading, makes you think of well an apartment building. Flat may be a better word? It's an one bedroom at the top of a brownstone. Most of the buildings in my area are brownstones, the sort you might see in an old school Martin Scorsese or Woody Allen film or maybe the 1980s films Moonstruck or Do the Right Thing. And depicted in the Cosby Show. It's called a brownstone because of the color, but in reality they are all shades, or rather their entrances are, one has been painted purple, and look more like brick and mortar row townhouses. With big front stoops. There's gardens in front of each, and the streets are lined with trees. There's a huge oak tree in front of my bedroom window. And out my kitchen and living room windows - the view is a pseudo industrial landscape of transit bridges, warehouses, a bus parking lot, construction and cement plant. I can see the F and the G subways meandering their way over the viaduct bridges towards my subway station, and sometimes hear the dull rumble of the cars on the tracks. Yet amidst this rugged landscape of steel and concrete, is also a small pink house situated on top of a warehouse - below, the walls of the warehouse are painted green and blue. And there's a winding canal, called the Gowanus. This is the site of an EPA super-fund and amongst the most polluted canals in the state. Yet people canoe it in the summertime and there are apparently boat tours. Towards the far right, a church steeple, whose chimes rung out the song What Child is This this past Sunday. It's a rather large Catholic Church, Saint Mary Star of the Sea, in the overdecorated 18th century gothic style - lots of bleeding saints, and a rather graphic depiction of Christ hanging on his cross, with dark stained glass windows shining morosely on the congregants. Haven't been in it in a while, so it may have changed.

My street is residential, but if you wander a bit eastward, and over the little road bridge that crosses the canal you will run into the shiny and brand new Whole Foods store. Across the street from it are abandoned warehouses, with the following message spray-painted in big block white and black letters, at the very top of the 20 story buildings, "Protect Our Children, Say No to STOP and FRISK". Wander in the opposite direction, towards the West, you will eventually stumble upon the Transit Garden, a coop vegetable, tree and flower garden located directly opposite the subway which now lies below a 15 story luxury apartment building. Across the street from it - is the bodega that I've visited for well nigh 18 years now. It changed ownership recently and the products have changed as a result. Was owned by a Korean Family (who spoke mainly Korean) and is now owned by a Middle Eastern Family or Arabic, who speak that language. I don't go to it as often as I used to...due to my diet, even though its selection has broadened. Down the street from it is the Dona Joseph Salon, an Italian salon where I get my hair colored and cut, along with my nails manicured. Everyone speaks Italian with just a bit of English. It's expensive, so this is not done all that often. Also they have a lot of turn-over. Two doors down from it, is my laundry mat, where I've been taking my clothes for close to 15 years. They know me by name. When I broke my foot and hobbled past in a boot, the laundress, Margaret Chen, came out and asked in a halting English, how I was and if I was okay. She's from China, and speaks basic English. We gesture a lot. And beside it is another little bodega, where I used to buy chocolate and potato chips and soy milk. There's also a rather cool little shop of environmentally inspired art - with delicate origami earrings - made of colored paper in intricate little designs. Butterflies, birds, snowflakes.
( Read more... )

This is the first assignment for The January Talking Meme. If you want to try your hand at coming up with a topic for me to ramble about as opposed to my normal ramblings - sign up HERE - there are still dates available.

The lovely green_maia came up with the first question: What would be the ideal copyright law, and why?

Prior to my current gig - I was the manager of rights and permissions at a now defunct library reference publishing company (The HW Wilson Company). So I have a bit of experience in this field. Back in the 1990s, before the internet took off like a bat out of hell, I was watching two listserves, one for librarians who worried that copyright law was becoming a wee bit too stringent, and one for publishers (mainly academic journal publishers, but there were others in there too) who felt that copyright law was far too lenient.

The publisher's fear was that if someone reproduced their work - they'd lose money. And if you write or publish for a living that's a big fear. Which sort of makes sense in theory, except to the degree that you are hampering the flow of information. Taken to extremes, copyright law or intellectual property law, which is broader in its scope, could prevent the whole point of art - which is communication. If someone can't access your art or writing or article, then what was the point of writing or creating it to begin with?

Add to this another wrinkle: Part of the joy of telling stories or communicating stories to others through art is seeing what they do with them. How the other person interprets, digests, or plays with your story. If you create a law that states people are not permitted to adapt, reinterpret, play with or create new stories from your work without your express permission (meaning you have to okay whatever they decide to do and get paid for it) - you sort of chop off that communication trade-off at the knees. You may get a response - but it won't necessarily be an honest or spontaneous one.

The writer/artist's fear of someone stealing what they created and/or taking all the credit for it - thus taking away their lively hood, in effect, gets in the way of the whole reason most writers/artists did it to begin with - to share their ideas and views with others. On the other hand, it is a legitimate fear. Mrs. Fields after all took a friend's cookie recipe and made lots and lots of money off of it, leaving the friend in the lurch. Or Janet Daily copied whole sections of Nora Roberts novel Sweet Revenge - for "Notorious" and made money off of it, until a reader caught it.

Another way of looking at it, is the nervous parent who sends their kid off to kindergarten for the first time. They have created this wonderful little person, who they love to pieces, but at some point they have to let the person go - interact with other little persons and big persons, and come back an entirely different person as a result (And as time moves forward, have the opportunity to create new little persons with others.) Stories are similar - you send them out in the universe, they come back different. ( And in some cases, they create new little stories.) Once you send them out there - they are no longer just yours. But what you don't want, is for some other parent to steal your child and pass them off as their own. Anymore than a writer wants someone to steal their story and pass it off as their own.

Copyright law was originally set up to simply protect the writer or artist from someone else ripping off their work. It's become rather complicated over time, but then so has art.
I think, and I know this is a bit radical so bear with me, that the ideal copyright law would protect the artist/writer from someone ripping off their work, while at the same time permitting people to play with their work, make money off derivative works, adaptations, and new interpretations - without having to obtain the copyright holder's permission or wait until the work falls into public domain. Sort of like what people do now with Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Brontes, or Moby Dick. In short, the ability to write and publish fanfic without legal repercussions. Or for that matter to direct a movie adaptation of a play or book, without having to obtain "permission". ( Read more... )

Basically the film meme applied to television - go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_years_in_television
or here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_years_in_television#1960s

Pick the date of your birth and pick the best tv show that "premiered" for each year of your life. Just scroll to "Debuts". Note it had to premiere or "debute" that year, not happen to be on or end that year or this meme would be impossible.

Simple.

( 40 years of TV Shows - or the best that premiered each year of your life )

From rahael - five interests that she wants to expand on. Although I think the meme was five interests that you associate with the person. Either way - I think what she picked was interesting and somewhat suprising. [organizational psychology, degas, cole porter, dancing, and the 4400. - not one's I'd expect.]

organizational psychology

I'm a bit of a frustrated psychology major - have taken courses, gotten annoyed by them - too annoyed to stick with it, but find the study of psychology, human motivations, and how we interact with one another fascinating.

Organizational Psychology - is the study of how people interact within an organization or a better way of stating it is the psychology of an organization.
( Read more... )
The 4400

This sort of fits with the interest in organizational psychology. The 4400 unlike The X-Files, was about group mentality and social psychology. How organizations attempt to control people. The twist in this science-fiction serial drama - was that instead of being abducted and experimented on by aliens, the super-powered characters were abducted, experimented on, and had their physical capabilities enhanced by a human organization in the future. This organization was at war with another organization in the future. Both were using the past as a way to control their present.
( Read more... )
Dancing

I think dancing is just absolutely beautiful. It is something I keep trying to do, but lack the ability or talent. Still won't give up though. In my lifetime - I've done: ballet, modern, salsa, tango, texas-two step, country line dancing, contra-dancing, square dancing, waltz, and choreographed dance for musicals. I sucked at all of the above - because have no sense of rhythm, I confuse my left with my right, and I tend to dance to my own drummer.

At any rate - I love watching it. And I see dance as language of the body. The body talking without words.

Cole Porter

I just like his music and songs. The lyrics are witty and resonant. They are also very easy to dance to. But the wit - is at times a commentary on our culture and the silliness of our manners.

Degas

Fan of impressionist painters - specifically the French impressionists. And Degas remains a favorite - for much the same reason I enjoy dancing and cole porter - all three are about movement. Degas would sit for hours at a ballet studio and draw the dancers performing in all sorts of poses. He was fascinated with the discipline of Dance, the movement, and the passion behind it. I share that fascination.

I managed to miss all the tv show memes going about, so here are my answers to two, one I sort of added myself.

List Five Favorite/Awesome Female TV Characters and Why you Love them

1. CJ Craig- from the West Wing. Tough as nails business woman, and press secterary to the President who in the last two seasons when his chief of staff ended up having a heart attack and finally leaving for a VP nod, she became the new Chief of Staff. CJ was tough without being the stereotypical bitch so often shown on television. She put work first, family second, but was loyal to a fault, and could go to head to head with any man in the room. Comfortable in their company. If CJ was on the presidential ballot, I'd vote for her.

2. Christina Yang from Grey's Anatomy. Christina has worked her butt off. She's not girly and proud of it. Has overcome dyslexia to become a crack surgeon. Was Doctor Burke's hands when he could not operate, but did not change for him. She doesn't clean. She doesn't cook. She puts surgery first and foremost. Yet when Meredith needs a friend, she's there. Christina doesn't make friends easily, but when she does - you know she'll do anything for you.

3. Sarah Connor - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. A Mother Tiger, able to fight, and wickedly smart.

4. Kara Thrace - Starbuck - the troubled yet incredibly charismatic pilot with the million dollar smile. She's the female version of Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds. Tough talking, hating authority, a bit nuts, yet desperately loyal. Not to mention the best pilot on the fleet.

5. Buffy Summers/President Roslyn (yes a tie for fifth) - both tough female leaders, who know they may die any moment, who must make tough choices that require others getting killed. Struggling with the guilt of not being able to save everyone, and what one must do to save the world.


Five Awesome/Favorite Minority Characters on TV

1. Christina Yang (see above)
2. Hiro (the time changer/traveler) and his friend Ando. (Heros)- the friendship won me over most of all, then the growth of Hiro, who gradually evolves from innocent/full of excitement, to world-weary cynic capable of doing horrible things.
3. Sayid Jarra (Lost) - cool, resolved, and complex
4. Bailey (Grey's Anatomy) - the head resident, who juggles everything including being a mom with as much grace as possible.
5. Sharon/Athena/Boomer - BattleStar Galatica- the cylon who thought she was human and fell in love with a human.

Thought I'd do an impromptu poll to test the waters out there - see what the majority loves, hates, etc. Also it's admittedly a way to entertain distract myself at work.
[I took it first, but discovered that I screwed up on the second question. My answer should have read Cable - no premium channels - but with DVR - no didn't screw up after all.]

[Poll #1068794]

Optional questions that require a response or a meme on your own lj:

1. What Show Did you Love last year and have given up on this year?
( my response )

2. Name two Premium Cable shows you love or if you don't have Premium Cable you rent on DVD to watch when they become available and/or download?
( my response )

3. What TV Series are you in love with and have bought on DVD? (Something other than BTVS, ATS, and Firefly and more recent.)
( my response )

4. Name one - three (up to three) TV shows that you really wish people would watch or at least try on DVD if they aren't available to everyone via TV? (Try not to mention BTVS and ATS and Firefly)
( my response )

5. Name one-three (up to three) tv shows that premiered this summer that you loved?
( my response )

6. Name TV shows you hate and explain why. Which do you think should be cancelled or have passed their prime - and you'd cancel if you could??
( my response )

7. Name a TV show you would bring back from death for at least one more season and name the show on the current schedule you'd kill in order to save it?
( my response )