Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 422
May 2, 2014
May 2, 2014: Places you may want to avoid! Cast your vote for our July Book of the Month Club read!
I’m enjoying reading your comments on yesterday’s entry (My Top 5 Never-Before-Visited Vacation Destinations!) both for the travel recommendations AND critiques. Don’t be shy or fearful of offending. I’d love to learn about your those negative experiences as well. After all, not every city is for everyone. For instance, I’ve only been to New Orleans, San Francisco, and Hawaii once, but had a tremendous time on all three occasions and would go back to any of them in a heartbeat. Paris, on the other hand, probably not. I’ve visited twice for business and, while it’s architecturally beautiful and home to some marvelous restaurants, I found its locals somewhat…let’s go with “rude” and leave it at that. It’s bizarre because I’ve met French nationals on my travels, even here in Vancouver, and they’ve all been nothing short of wonderful: friendly, spirited, helpful. Interestingly enough, when they hear about my Paris experience, they invariably inform me that Paris is very different from the rest of the country and then insist that, the next time, I should visit southern France .
So, do tell. What are some of the places you WOULDN’T pay a return visit? Details, please.
Alright all you voracious readers. It’s that time again. Time to vote for the July Book of the Month. The nominees are…
December Park by Ronald Malfi
In the quiet suburb of Harting Farms, the weekly crime blotter usually consists of graffiti or the occasional bout of mailbox baseball. But in the fall of 1993, children begin vanishing and one is found dead. Newspapers call him the Piper because he has come to take the children away. But there are darker names for him, too . . .
Vowing to stop the Piper’s reign of terror, five boys take up the search. Their teenage pledge turns into a journey of self-discovery . . . and a journey into the darkness of their own hometown. On the twilit streets of Harting Farms, everyone is a suspect. And any of the boys might be the Piper’s next victim.
Defenders by Will McIntosh
The invaders came to claim earth as their own, overwhelming us with superior weapons and the ability to read our minds like open books.
Our only chance for survival was to engineer a new race of perfect soldiers to combat them. Seventeen feet tall, knowing and loving nothing but war, their minds closed to the aliens.
But these saviors could never be our servants. And what is down cannot be undone.
American Woman by Robert Pobi
New York City is experiencing a seemingly interminable heat wave. NYPD homicide detective Alexandra “Hemi” Hemingway has just learned she’s pregnant when she catches a disturbing case: the murder of a child. No suspects emerge. Then another child is killed. He looks amazingly like the first child, and his parents, like the first pair, are profoundly wealthy. Then another, same parameters. In the midst of the carnage, Hemi questions the wisdom of bringing a child into such a world. The detectives stumble on a thin lead: the mothers of the murdered children all used an exclusive, extraordinarily expensive fertility clinic.
White Fire by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Special Agent Pendergast arrives at an exclusive Colorado ski resort to rescue his protégée, Corrie Swanson, from serious trouble with the law. His sudden appearance coincides with the first attack of a murderous arsonist who–with brutal precision–begins burning down multimillion-dollar mansions with the families locked inside. After springing Corrie from jail, Pendergast learns she made a discovery while examining the bones of several miners who were killed 150 years earlier by a rogue grizzly bear. Her finding is so astonishing that it, even more than the arsonist, threatens the resort’s very existence.
Drawn deeper into the investigation, Pendergast uncovers a mysterious connection between the dead miners and a fabled, long-lost Sherlock Holmes story–one that might just offer the key to the modern day killings as well.
Now, with the ski resort snowed in and under savage attack–and Corrie’s life suddenly in grave danger–Pendergast must solve the enigma of the past before the town of the present goes up in flames.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2014 edited by Kij Johnson
This year’s Nebula winners, and expected contributors, are Kim Stanley Robinson, Nancy Kress, Andy Duncan, and Aliette de Bodard, with E.C. Myers winning the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book.
***
Putting together this list was a lot tougher than you’d think. I went through the several hundred titles released in May, eliminated hardcovers, crappy/cheesy covers, continuing instalments in an ongoing series, tie-ins, reprints, vampires, werewolves, zombies and, in the end, those books that failed to capture my interest and, in the end, came up with less than a dozen potential reads (!). But some very interesting candidates.
By the way, publishers take note. It’s not necessary to tell us it’s a novel (ie. Bloodgrave: A Novel or Goldfish of the Blue Apocalypse: A Novel). I know it’s a novel. If it was a collection of short stories, it would say so. Alternately, if it was packaged food or a bicycle or hiking boots, chances are still pretty good I’d be able to tell the difference.
Still, I’m sure it happens. Be honest now. Who hasn’t, at some point in their lives, made the embarrassing mistake of visiting their local bookstore to pick up this:
But brought home this instead:
Come on. Let’s see a show of hands.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. So, in hindsight, maybe it’s a good thing that publishers are taking the time to point out the seemingly obvious. I mean, thank goodness they did otherwise a simple trip to your local bookshop may well result in an embarrassingly erroneous purchase, criminal charges, or worse! Please, take note.
This:
NOT this:
And this:
NOT this guy:
Whereas February was a great reading month, full of surprises, April was peppered with disappointments. But I’ll elaborate on those in a dedicated entry.
Oh, and that reminds me: Finish up reading The Rich and the Dead, our May Book of the Month Club pick, and get ready for Monday’s discussion.
I’m going to have plenty to say on this one.
May 1, 2014
May 1, 2014: My Top 5 Never-Before-Visited Vacation Destinations!
Tokyo, Montreal, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Whenever I travel, it’s usually to one of these four cities. But I’ve been thinking. Maybe it’s time for something different. Not Hawaii or Hong Kong or New Orleans or San Francisco – all places I’ve already visited. I’m talking about somewhere I’ve never been before. Somewhere brand new to discover. I’m thinking…
Savannah, Georgia
I actually started researching Savannah for a pilot I was co-writing and the more I learned about this sultry southern city, the greater my desire to visit. I’ve always had an affinity for things southern, from sports teams to food, so this trip is long overdue. It also helps that I have some reliable guides in my buddy Jeff and his wife Barb who head down annually.
Madrid, Spain
Ever since we watched a Food Network show called From Spain with Love, a series that took viewers on a tour of the city’s culinary hot spots, Madrid (and Barcelona) has been on the top of my (and Akemi’s) list of Places to Go.
New York, New York
Okay, technically I have been to New York – but it was a business trip that lasted less than a day so I’m not counting it. As far as foodie cities go, this one’s at the top of the list.
Tuscany, Italy
I’d like to follow a friend’s lead: gather a bunch of friends and rent a villa. Hire a chef to cook for you or simply take a ride into town for some of the local fresh produce you can bring back and cook yourself.
Charleston, South Carolina
Warm, beautiful, great food, and, by all accounts, “insanely nice” locals.
So. what makes your list?
Tagged: Barcelonia, Charleston, Georgia, Italy, Madrid, New York, Savannah, South Carolina, Spain, travel, Tuscany
April 30, 2014
April 30, 2014: Conspicuous Consumption! Richie Rich sticks it to the little guy!
If I had to pick one comic book that I considered “the weirdest” growing up, it would have to be Richie Rich. The title character was described as “the poor little rich boy” but I never found anything remotely poor about him, either literally or figuratively. I suppose, one could make the argument that deep beneath the surface, Richie was a troubled soul. In the end, all the riches in the world couldn’t buy him the one thing he desired most: true friendship. Of course, in retrospect, making friends probably wouldn’t have been so hard if he hadn’t been such a dick.
I can just imagine him in his best Crocodile Dundee: “Haha. That’s not a car. THIS is a car.” Then reverses over the kid’s toy. And quite possibly his little hand.
How much does it cost to ship in an endangered tortoise from the Galapagos Islands? And then stud its shell with precious gems?
DON’T try this at Dodger home games.
Nothing says “destitute and starved for affection” like a kid taking an old soup can for a walk. But Richie looks pretty happy. Happier still when he later fires a full broadside at the enemy ship.
It’s like: “Dayamn, my top is so brilliant, I need sunglasses to play with it.”
Structurally unsound, impractical, and energy deficient, but the new President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council has to represent.
Yeah, I’m just going to look the other way while you finish grading my test.
100′s are aerodynamically superior to 50′s and 20′s.
Money doesn’t actually grow on trees. It grows on stalks so, technically, your parents weren’t lying to you.
This is actually a great idea. Next time you break a window, it’s automatically paid for.
If only golf courses came with shops that allowed you to purchase golf-related items like golf balls – or hire non-chatty caddies. “Yo, Overalls. I’m putting over here!”
Which all results in this. Sad but not surprising.
Tagged: Comic Books, Comics, Richie Rich
April 29, 2014
April 28, 2014
April 28, 2014: A Trip Down Memory (Lois) Lane! Comicdom’s Most Dated – the awesome, the atrocious, and the quaintly antiquated!
“They sure don’t make ‘em like they used” goes the old adage, and nowhere is this more evident than in the ever-evolving world of comic books. From Superman battling nazis to Spiderman meeting President Obama, comics have a rich tradition of embracing history and reflecting social and cultural norms. What was perfectly acceptable ten, maybe twenty years ago is now often viewed with an even mix of horror and amusement. “What were they thinking?”we ask. But before we get all smug and self-important, let’s remember that ten, twenty years ago, readers were saying the same thing. And ten, twenty years from now, they’ll probably look back on us and marvel over OUR ridiculous conceits and misguided earnestness. So adorably/annoyingly politically correct. It’s a wonder they ever got anything done!
With that in mind, allow me to present Comicdom’s Most Dated Covers: A Trip Down Lois Memory Lane. We’ve come a long way, baby!
Note to Lex Luthor: If you can’t get your hands on kryptonite, have Lois bake up a batch of her home made muffins.
Lois teams up with the villainous…Pat Boone?! Some 40 years later, Pat shows up at the American Music Awards in leather and sporting a dog collar. Prescient?
This guy carries around jumbo jets without breaking a sweat. How much weight DID she gain?!
Super catfight!
First Pat Boone, now Perry Como. Throw in Paul Anka and you’ve got the Triumvirate of Evil, 1960′s version.
“I’m ashamed of my physical deformity so I’ll just wear this lead-lined safe on my head so that people don’t stare.”
I’m going to guess: actual biological father.
Easy there, Aquaman. Keep yer underoos on. Until it’s your turn.
Seems a tad overly-elaborate – but I’m sure it all makes perfect sense in the book.
In this case, the actual story couldn’t possibly do justice to the kinky version we’re all imagining in our heads.
Sorry, Lois. You made your deathbed. Now lie in it.
Wow. She is REALLY desperate to get married.
Following in the proud tradition of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man.
Hey, do you mind if I borrow your child for this undercover investigation I’m doing?
Tagged: Comic Books, Comics, dated comic book covers, Lois Lane, old comic book covers
April 27, 2014
April 26, 2014: May under-the-radar releases to look forward to! Or not!
BLOOD GLACIER
Release Date: May 2, 2014
What it’s about: A bleeding glacier infects and mutates the local wildlife. Chaos ensues.
What it’s got working for it: In the spirit of Alien…
What’s it’s got going against it: …comes a movie that looks like a cheap rip-off of Alien.
*
WALK OF SHAME
Release Date: May 2, 2014
What it’s about: Following a one night stand, a reporter, stranded in downtown L.A., has eight hours to make a job interview. Hilarity (?) ensues.
What it’s got working for it: The premise has potential.
What’s it’s got going against it: Alas, the red band trailer isn’t any funnier than the official trailer.
*
CHEF
Release Date: May 9, 2014
What it’s about: A chef quits his job and opens a food truck.
What it’s got working for it: Being a foodie, I’m intrigued.
What’s it’s got going against it: Non-foodies may find it of lesser interest.
*
THE DOUBLE
Release Date: May 9, 2014
What it’s about: Meek, milk-mannered Simon has his life turned upside-down by a charismatic and boisterous new co-worker – who happens to be his double.
What it’s got working for it: The trailer looks delightfully weird and creepy.
What’s it’s got going against it: Maybe a little too weird.
*
FED UP
Release Date: May 9, 2014
What it’s about: An expose of the food industry.
What it’s got working for it: This movie could save your life!
What’s it’s got going against it: Or just depress the heck out of you and leave you feeling powerless.
*
COLD IN JULY
Release Date: May 23, 2014
What it’s about: A man is hounded by the father of the burglar he killed. But there may be more going on then either of them initially assumed.
What it’s got working for it: Michael C. Hall is great and the trailer looks pretty damn good.
What’s it’s got going against it: Hmmm. At this point, not much. Some poor early reviews could change that but, for now…
*
FILTH
Release Date: May 30, 2014
What it’s about: A corrupt and opportunistic cop will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
What it’s got working for it: Looks mighty crazy.
What’s it’s got going against it: Crazy good AND possibly crazy bad.
Tagged: Blood Glacier, Chef, Cold in July, Fed Up, Filth, The Double, Walk of Shame
April 26, 2014
April 25, 2014: May movie releases to look forward to! Or not!
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2
Release Date: May 2, 2014
What it’s about: Spiderman takes on Electro and…Voltron?
What it’s got working for it: The visual effects looks pretty good. And it’s always great to see a new super villain on the big screen.
What’s it’s got going against it: Not loving the updated Electro. Also, the first movie felt like an unnecessary reboot. Can the sequel move beyond the “been here, scene that” vibe of the first?
***
LEGENDS OF OZ: DOROTHY’S RETURN
Release Date: May 9, 2014
What it’s about: Dorothy returns to Oz to save her old friends from the villainous Jester.
What it’s got working for it: Some impressive voice talent.
What’s it’s got going against it: The trailer looks…fine. There’s the suggestion she teams up with new friends to rescue the old ones from the Jester. Does this mean she won’t be doing any actual adventuring with the old gang? :(
***
NEIGHBORS
Release Date: May 9, 2014
What it’s about: A young couple with a newborn live next door to a frat.
What it’s got working for it: The airbag gag at the end holds promise.
What’s it’s got going against it: The juvenile premise may not be for everyone.
***
GODZILLA
Release Date: May 16, 2014
What it’s about: A giant lizard causes all sorts of trouble.
What it’s got working for it: It looks pretty damn impressive.
What’s it’s got going against it: The last Godzilla movie showed promise to and look at how that one turned out. No, don’t look. Just take my word for it.
***
BLENDED
Release Date: May 23, 2014
What it’s about: Two single parents agree to never meet again following a disastrous blind date – only to run into each other, and their respective kids, at an African resort.
What it’s got working for it: Sure, it’s an Adam Sandler romcom, but so was The Wedding Singer?
What’s it’s got going against it: And so were every other Adam Sandler romcom. Also, cloying kids. Also, the trailer looks terrible.
***
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
Release Date: May 23, 2014
What it’s about: Past and present converge as the X-Men must team up with younger versions of themselves to save the future.
What it’s got working for it: The Days of Future Past storyline was one of the greatest X-Men comic book arcs.
What’s it’s got going against it: This doesn’t sound anything like the original storyline.
***
A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST
Release Date: May 30, 2014
What it’s about: A cowardly sheep farmer must find his courage in the old west.
What it’s got working for it: Well, it’s written by Seth MacFarlane who created Family Guy.
What’s it’s got going against it: It stars Seth MacFarlane who hosted the Oscars that one time.
***
MALEFICENT
Release Date: May 30, 2014
What it’s about: The witch from Sleeping Beauty, who may not have been so wicked after all.
What it’s got working for it: It’s interesting that Disney is jumping on the anti-hero bandwagon.
What’s it’s got going against it: Do I really care about Maleficent and her story? Not so much.
Tagged: A Million Ways to Die in the West, Blended, Godzilla, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, Maleficent, Neighbors, The Amazing Spiderman 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past
April 25, 2014
April 25, 2014: Customer Service Hell! The Flipside!
Whoever coined the term “The customer is always right” probably never worked retail a day in his life. Setting aside my bad customer service experiences for the moment, let me be frank: The customer is NOT always right. A lot of the time, the customer is wrong and/or downright rude about it. Take today, for instance, when I was shopping at Safeway for canned pumpkin (it keeps the dogs regular). I was in the checkout line, standing behind a woman in early sixties. As the cashier rung up the sale, the woman snapped: “Bagels are supposed to be two forty-nine! Why aren’t they two forty-nine?!” The young cashier pointed out that she had, in fact, charged her two forty-nine for bagels. Rather than apologize or even acknowledge the fact she was in error, the customer quietly redirected her attention to the contents of her purse. Awkward. I turned around and started chatting with Akemi when I heard an outraged: “Excuse me!”. I turned back, wondering what was up. It seemed I was standing too close to the credit card reader. I stepped over and, after throwing me a baleful glare, Ms. Crankypants proceeded to swipe her card. As she finished up her payment, the cashier scanned my purchases. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched my fellow customer eyeing her bill with a frown. Then: “Hey! Why wasn’t I given air miles?” The cashier politely informed her that she received a $10 dollar coupon toward her next visit. She could have the coupon or the air miles but, unfortunately, not both. “I don’t want this!”said the customer, throwing the coupon back at her. “I want air miles.” The cashier apologized, told the customer she would make the change, and rang me through. I thanked the cashier with a: “You’re very kind.” And then throwing a look to the woman beside me: “And infinitely patient.” Ms. Crankpants stared back at me, outraged, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. And, while she was doing her goldfish imitation, I picked up my nine-pack of canned pumpkin and left.
Coincidentally, just this morning I came across this article (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-restaurants-band-together-to-stop-gift-certificate-scam-1.2617222) about a woman in Calgary who was calling up local restaurants to complain about poor service in order to score free meal coupons. Word got out. In one instant, she and her husband enjoyed a free meal – but then raised a huge stink because they weren’t comped their drinks as well. Finally, Teatro Restaurant (https://www.facebook.com/TeatroRestaurant?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline) decided to confront her. On camera.
Her response to being caught out is priceless. She’s sympathetic, shocked, and very disappointed.
So, do tell. I want to hear stories from the other side of the battlefield. Regale me with your “worst customer” experience.
Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve done a mailbag:
MFB writes: “About Delete: I saw “Delete” last year and liked it but I’ve always wondered why it wasn’t on your site under “Stuff I’ve worked on”. Is the reason that it was rewritten by Tim Phillips and barely resembles what you wrote?”
Answer: Never watched the finished product. If I do, and like it, I may well put it on the list. As for Tim Phillips, he was the music composer on the production. Paul and I wrote the script for the mini-series.
MFB also writes: “Anyway, I thought the premise was intriguing and it was decent except for some of the directing, cinematographic and special effect choices. Not that they were bad, just awkward and weird. But as a writer on this one I suppose you don’t have control over that type of stuff like you would have on “Stargate” as a writer/producer.”
Answer: Paul and I were only writers. We didn’t produce so had no say in prep, production, post, or any creative decision made after we delivered the script. Again, never saw the finished product.
MFB also writes: “About “Atlantis” in general: I’ve always wondered how the Atlantis crew interact with the Ancient consoles in the control room and I don’t remember an explanation for that. Are the displays holographic or something like that? I know it’s not practical for filming purposes to have stripped down LCDs like the one in the back of the control room in front of the actors, but I’ve always wondered.”
Answer: Hmmm. Not sure to what you’re referring to exactly? What we would affectionately refer to as “the pianos” that Chuck would work behind? In most instances, McKay (and the science team) would use a universal USB (literally, universal) to hook up Earth tech (ie. their laptops) to alien consoles.
Sparrow_hawk writes: “Regarding the George RR Martin Song of Ice and Fire books: The most recent two books were supposed to be one book. He had too much stuff to publish in just one book and it was split into two.”
Answer: If true (which would imply he had an enormous chunk of the second book already written when he published the first), then it’s mind-boggling that there was a six year gap between their publication dates.
whoviantrish writes: “Sushi for dogs? Mine would love that!”
Answer: How about bento-style dinner for dogs? Check it out.
Today’s entry is dedicated to whovian. Condolences on your uncle’s passing.
April 24, 2014
April 24, 2014: Completing our Stargate: Atlantis re-watch with…Enemy at the Gate!
So, I finished re-reading A Feast For Crows today and have A Dance with Dragons sitting on my night table. I’ve been holding off on reading it because I want the story fresh(ish) in my mind for when I eventually sit down to read the sixth book in the series, The Winds of Winter. Of course, there’s no telling when that sixth instalment will come out. Given the fact that the fifth book was released six years after the fourth (coincidentally, mere months after the premiere of the HBO series), I may want to wait just a tad longer. Alternately, I could opt for a more leisurely reading pace. At one page a day, it should take me a little under three years to complete A Dance with Dragons – which sounds about right. By my calculations, The Winds of Winter should hit bookshelves by the summer of 2018. And the seventh and final book, A Dream of Spring, not longer after in the spring of 2027.
Hey, check out what Akemi made for the dogs today…
Yep. Sushi. For them. And for us…
Completing our Stargate: Atlantis re-watch with…Enemy at the Gate!
I loved the last ten minutes of this episode. The previous thirty…a little bumpy. As usual, my opinion doesn’t really matter. Let’s find out what Akemi thought…
Surprisingly (or not) she felt pretty much the same way. ZPM’s, super hive, travel between galaxies, wormhole drive…yadayadayada. I caught her surreptitiously checking out Angry Birds on her cell phone at one point. However, the episode did draw her attention long enough for her to offer the following running commentary…
Das! She’s joined the fan club. On Todd: “He’s become so lovable!” And: “he looks less pale! More healthy!” Yep, he’s clearly been taking care of himself. Although: “He need to wash his hair.”
When Todd is imprisoned and given a change of clothes: “Why new outfit? Looks like cosplay.”
On the other hand, when Teyla appears in her leather ensemble: “Finally, a nice outfit for Teyla! Remember that rainbow top?” The latter a reference to the final scene in 38 Minutes.
When Ronon is killed: “Oh my gosh!”
And then when he is revived: “Nobody ever die.” Technically, he DID!
At various points throughout this episode’s spectacular visual effects sequences: “Beautiful!”
Overall however: “I felt a little too long. I prefer SGU’s ending. This is a happier ending though. Yeah, I guess so. Too good to be true.”
And on the series in general: “Even though I like SGA characters too, I like SGU more. But I like Todd even though when he smile he’s creepy, all teeth and gums. And he always pokerface.”
And: “It’s funny the fact that it’s other planets and everyone speaks English, but not Chinese or Japanese.”
April 23, 2014
April 23, 2014: News of note! Continuing our Stargate Atlantis re-watch with…Vegas!
An update to a story I brought you last week concerning that french bulldog stolen from a local Vancouver tattoo shop – and it was all caught on camera. A happy ending as the dog was finally reunited with its rightful owner:
Apparently the theft was the result of an ownership dispute over the dog (although, according to the police, the victim of the theft was the legal owner). The fact that Chloe the bulldog was found “roaming a residential neighbourhood” speaks volumes about who had the dog’s best interests at heart.
In other news, someone brought this to my attention: http://www.policymic.com/articles/88221/it-s-almost-impossible-to-choose-the-most-racist-moment-of-avril-lavigne-s-new-video
I was prepared to be outraged. I sat down alongside Akemi (who is Japanese by the way) and hit play. After watching the video, Akemi asked: “Why they say this is racist?”. Hmmm. Good question. It’s a terrible song. A terrible video even. But racist? Judge for yourself:
http://jezebel.com/avril-lavignes-new-video-is-a-monstrosity-1566182297
It looks like a subdued takeoff on almost every KPop and Jpop music video I’ve seen. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu anyone? http://youtu.be/UoK8DaJRDaM
I had a half dozen of my Japanese friends take a look at the video. Their responses ranged from amusement to delight to genuine bewilderment at the fact that it was deemed racist.
My favorite response comment to the policymic article comes from a Japanese poster who writes: “Hmm… A white man, who obviously never seen a single J-Pop video, deciding what is racist to a Japanese woman. Seems legit. It would seem a Harvard graduate would know to do a little bit of research before writing about something he knows nothing about.”
Uh oh. Time to invest in a hard hat. http://phys.org/news/2014-04-astronauts-reveal-sobering-asteroid-impacts.html
File this one under “Yeah, don’t even bother”. “Dr. Jensen says that a trip to the gym for 30 minutes or an hour may not be enough to combat all the time spent sitting.”
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/04/22/is-sitting-for-long-hours-at-work-the-new-smoking/
IO9 is asking: “What’s your favorite comedy episode of a dramatic t.v. show?” - http://io9.com/whats-your-favorite-comedy-episode-of-a-dramatic-tv-sho-1566582826/all. Both 200 and Window of Opportunity get some love in the comments section. Your thoughts?
Continuing our Stargate: Atlantis re-watch with…Vegas!
Well, this just goes to show: you never know. Akemi loved Robert Cooper’s previous script to screen epics, Malice and Time, so I figured this one would be a slam dunk. Alas, no. She was completely bewildered throughout and, despite my many attempts to explain the concept of alternate realities to her, she never got on board.
After the CSI-like tease: “Why am I watching detective show?”
After Ivon Bartok’s cameo at the dice table: “Why Ivon’s scene so small?”
She wasn’t a fan of the feature wraith (“Not so cute.”) but she was quite happy to see Todd again (“I like Todd the wraith. Like seeing old friend again.”).
She did appreciate the AU versions of Rodney and Radek: “McKay looked so nice. So did Zelenka!”
Cons: “I didn’t like the music. I didn’t like the fact I couldn’t follow. I didn’t like to fast cut and choppy.”
Overall: “I guess I like more geeky stuff than action slash country-cowboy t.v. show.”
And finally: “Rob’s episodes always so confusing. No consideration for second language people.” Yeah! What’s up with that, Rob?!
Joseph Mallozzi's Blog
- Joseph Mallozzi's profile
- 39 followers
