Ted Rabinowitz's Blog, page 27
October 19, 2013
You all saw an ST:TOS "after"-
-right here.
Here's a "before."
As before, these Star Trek photos courtesy of the Internet presence of the inimitable George Takei. In case you were wondering, the gent in the brown leisure suit is Gene Roddenberry his own self.
Here's a "before."
As before, these Star Trek photos courtesy of the Internet presence of the inimitable George Takei. In case you were wondering, the gent in the brown leisure suit is Gene Roddenberry his own self.
October 17, 2013
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Week by Week Coverage!
Well, y'all know I've been rather tepid about AoS. So far, Coulson is the only character I've found compelling, and I think they're already placing too much story burden on his thin, desk-bound shoulders. (I say "desk-bound" advisedly. Part of Coulson's charm has been that actor Clark Gregg projected this wonderful, nebbishy, bureaucratic aura that was the perfect foil to the grandiosity of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and the rest. He was the very human onion in the superman stew. Now they're trying to give him a James Bond backstory - like his liaison with the hot Peruvian agent who betrays him - and it sits uneasily on him.)
Anyway, this week's episode- "Eye-Spy"- was pretty good. It was tight, well-plotted, with some clever twists. But...it didn't go any farther in making me want to know the other characters. Until/unless the show finds a way to make that happen, it will continue to sputter.
To do that:
1. I have to be able to have faith that Coulson's motivations in recruiting this crew will become clear and make sense.
2. I will have to see something more interesting in the team than a handsome James Bond loner, a streetwise hacker grrrl, two lab geeks and a martial arts expert.
Oh...and P.S.-
Are we going to get f*****g subtitles for Fitz and Simmons? Maybe they build a translator drone so that everyone else can understand them?
Anyway, this week's episode- "Eye-Spy"- was pretty good. It was tight, well-plotted, with some clever twists. But...it didn't go any farther in making me want to know the other characters. Until/unless the show finds a way to make that happen, it will continue to sputter.
To do that:
1. I have to be able to have faith that Coulson's motivations in recruiting this crew will become clear and make sense.
2. I will have to see something more interesting in the team than a handsome James Bond loner, a streetwise hacker grrrl, two lab geeks and a martial arts expert.
Oh...and P.S.-
Are we going to get f*****g subtitles for Fitz and Simmons? Maybe they build a translator drone so that everyone else can understand them?
October 16, 2013
For All My Fellow ST:TOS Fans Out There-
Hope I look that good when I'm up there. If you're like me, you're smiling right now.
October 15, 2013
October 10, 2013
The Fans Have Turned
Remember how last week I was talking about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? And remember I was saying that Marvel and Disney/ABC knew a lot about fan service? And that this was nice, but it wouldn't save them if they put out disappointing product?
Well, I guess I'm kind of a prophet.
If you check out the forums over at io9.com, the fans have turned against Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Google "agents of shield discussion"and the top entry after the "news" search is "4 Ways to Improve 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' - Screen Rant." If you sow the wind, you'll reap the whirlwind - so you better have a windmill handy, not a straw house.
PS - One of the scariest things (for the producers) is that the fans are talking casting. That means the writing or directing is flawed, but they can't quite figure that out, so they blame the actors.
Well, I guess I'm kind of a prophet.
If you check out the forums over at io9.com, the fans have turned against Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Google "agents of shield discussion"and the top entry after the "news" search is "4 Ways to Improve 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' - Screen Rant." If you sow the wind, you'll reap the whirlwind - so you better have a windmill handy, not a straw house.
PS - One of the scariest things (for the producers) is that the fans are talking casting. That means the writing or directing is flawed, but they can't quite figure that out, so they blame the actors.
October 5, 2013
Sympathetic Magic...in the WWE
So those of us who write fantasy know that magic is the defining element. (Maybe you can write fantasy without it, but it ain't easy.) Which means that establishing how magic works in your story is crucial.
Well, to show a terrific example of sympathetic magic in the real world, watch this clip from World Wrestling Entertainment.
Yep, that's right.
Watch.
Well, to show a terrific example of sympathetic magic in the real world, watch this clip from World Wrestling Entertainment.
Yep, that's right.
Watch.
October 4, 2013
Lon Casler Bixby
So my buddy Lon is a pretty great photographer. If any of y'all are interested in his images, he's here at http://www.neoichi.com. And he's got merch here at http://society6.com/LonCaslerBixby. For those of you with books coming out this year, seriously take a look at his work. Can you say "cover art"?
October 2, 2013
Lovin' the George
Oh, my! George Takei is even better at Interwebz than he is at catchphrases.I'm officially digging him via Twitter and Facebook.
And yes, I know I'm late on the ball by years. But better late than never.
He's selling some Takei swag, too. You know what would be awesome? An official George Takei line of fencing foils.
October 1, 2013
Embraced by the Cool
When it comes to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC and Marvel clearly understand fan service. They know all the notes to hit, from appearances at Comic-Con to tweeting about Easter Eggs at the end of the credits. And thanks to Joss Whedon - both his career in general and the job he did on The Avengers - they have a huge - nay, heroic - amount of fan goodwill to play with. So, two things to think about:
1. ABC/Disney and Marvel have achieved full penetration of SF fan culture. I'm conflicted. Back in the 20th Century, fan culture was a ghetto. It was the ultimate, genuine counterculture - because it was considered "loser" culture by so many. That meant a lot of negatives, of course, but it did allow some positives to flourish: a defiance of conformity; an interest in the truly original, which is often less comfortable and attractive than what the mainstream thinks is original; a love of ideas, even when their presentation was clunky and awkward (think '70s sci fi movies...so much spandex!)
Today's fan culture is mainstream culture. It is fully engulfed, er, embraced by "cool kids," movie producers and corporate marketing executives. To some old-time fans, this is vindication: At last everyone else finally understands what we've known from the beginning! This stuff is legit and it's cool! But being embraced by the cool is like being turned by a vampire: Sure, you get immortality and broody good looks and really great lighting (at least, if you're a CW vampire). But you are different from what you were...and worse, you are under the influence of the vampire that turned you.
Go to a convention. Half of them are now "media" conventions - not only are they not about science fiction, you'll be hard-pressed to find attendees who read books for fun. You'll find costumers (excuse me, cosplayers) who are more interested in showing off their hot bodies than in the costumes themselves - the "sexy kitten Halloween costume" effect. (Not that I have anything against hot bodies, mind you. In fact- okay, let's let that critique slide. I am a visual creature. Sigh.) Their discourse isn't controlled by media corporations, but it's certainly shaped by them. Now corporations set the fan agenda, not the other way around.
2. But marketing can only go so far. Marketing is a craft, not a science. The best campaign in the world can fail without a good product behind it. I have to admit, I'm always going to hope for and expect the best from Joss Whedon. He isn't a demigod, but he's smart and funny and one of the few cinema storytellers out there who seems willing to push hard for something good. Even his failures are usually interesting. That said, the AoS pilot wasn't mind-blowing; I'm hoping that it gets better.
(N.B. Since the Alliance ABC/Disney is a litigious corporate giant, I won't post any images from AoS. You understand.)
1. ABC/Disney and Marvel have achieved full penetration of SF fan culture. I'm conflicted. Back in the 20th Century, fan culture was a ghetto. It was the ultimate, genuine counterculture - because it was considered "loser" culture by so many. That meant a lot of negatives, of course, but it did allow some positives to flourish: a defiance of conformity; an interest in the truly original, which is often less comfortable and attractive than what the mainstream thinks is original; a love of ideas, even when their presentation was clunky and awkward (think '70s sci fi movies...so much spandex!)
Today's fan culture is mainstream culture. It is fully engulfed, er, embraced by "cool kids," movie producers and corporate marketing executives. To some old-time fans, this is vindication: At last everyone else finally understands what we've known from the beginning! This stuff is legit and it's cool! But being embraced by the cool is like being turned by a vampire: Sure, you get immortality and broody good looks and really great lighting (at least, if you're a CW vampire). But you are different from what you were...and worse, you are under the influence of the vampire that turned you.
Go to a convention. Half of them are now "media" conventions - not only are they not about science fiction, you'll be hard-pressed to find attendees who read books for fun. You'll find costumers (excuse me, cosplayers) who are more interested in showing off their hot bodies than in the costumes themselves - the "sexy kitten Halloween costume" effect. (Not that I have anything against hot bodies, mind you. In fact- okay, let's let that critique slide. I am a visual creature. Sigh.) Their discourse isn't controlled by media corporations, but it's certainly shaped by them. Now corporations set the fan agenda, not the other way around.
2. But marketing can only go so far. Marketing is a craft, not a science. The best campaign in the world can fail without a good product behind it. I have to admit, I'm always going to hope for and expect the best from Joss Whedon. He isn't a demigod, but he's smart and funny and one of the few cinema storytellers out there who seems willing to push hard for something good. Even his failures are usually interesting. That said, the AoS pilot wasn't mind-blowing; I'm hoping that it gets better.
(N.B. Since the Alliance ABC/Disney is a litigious corporate giant, I won't post any images from AoS. You understand.)
September 30, 2013
The Eye of Argon!
I don't think this is a bad drawing, but the author would have liked it.Some of you young whippersnappers might not know about it. Back in 1970 (post-Flood, pre-Watergate) an eager sixteen year old fan published his first fantasy novella in an Ozark fanzine. It was bad.
Really bad.
Like, hilariously bad.
Plan 9 From Outer Space bad.
It soon achieved immortality on the SF convention circuit, where group readings became de rigeur.
You can find it here.
Why do I suggest this, besides some innocent merriment? Because it's a superb category of mistakes. Not just in using the wrong word, or the wrong punctuation, but the wrong metaphor, the wrong simile, the wrong construction, and on, and on - it's fractally wrong, wrong on every level.
If you read this and don't see the wrong, then you've a ways to go in your own writing quest, my fellow scribe.
Enjoy!
