But clearly I will never get around to it unless I do them in lists form.

So far, OTW and Google are tied for bringing the April Fools funny!

I never posted about any of the LJ drama that's been going on, but I basically agree with this: Why Fandom Won't Leave LJ Until LJ Collapses. I don't think fandom will ever have the picture-perfect content-focused social network we dream of, but I'm reasonably confident that something new and shiny will come along that we will repurpose, just as we've repurposed LJ.

I also had a great discussion with almightychrissy and thermopylae_h about why LJ sucks for fandom and how it could be better. But I'm not naive enough to think we'll get most or any of the features I really really really wish we had. As people have pointed out, LJ *is* the MySpace of Russia, and all you have to do to get a sense of where LJ is headed is have a look at www.livejournal.ru. But even though I really do think fandom's future is elsewhere, my future, for the time being, is definitely here. I'm not going anywhere!

wee_warrior and futuresoon cast the Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell movie. Cillian Murphy as the Raven King? BRILLIANT. Chiwetel Ejiofor would be a perfect Stephen Black, and I adore the idea of Ian Holm as Mr. Norrell. Jude Law is a pretty decent choice for The Gentleman, since he can do charming, childish and menacing in equal measure. And, ha, this is kind of embarrassing, but Jonathan Strange in my head is totally Eric Stoltz. Does Eric Stoltz even act anymore?

them0rgue made a convincing post about why Lily and Bart should totally get married, at least for a little while. I know my journal has hardly been friendly towards Rufus and Lily's epically star-crossed love, but I really do believe that Lily/Bart creates a wealth of conflict and interesting new relationships. Rufus and Lily puts the kibosh on Dan/Serena and resolves more conflict than it would create. Vote Lily/Bart!

Have you seen the promotional photos for the next Gossip Girl episode? My thoughts basically boil down to BITCHES AIN'T SHIT. Bring on Blair Waldorf Strikes Back is all I'm saying.

What is up with all of these TV starlets releasing albums!? Don't they know that is only for movie stars? First we find out that Ed Westwick is in an appropriately named British rock band, then we find out that Thomas Dekker has been posting fansongs about his character to MySpace, and now ONTD has got ahold of a leaked demo from Leighton Meester's upcoming album. CONSIDER MY MIND BLOWN.

Tags: fandom, gossip girl, livejournal, movies, seasonal

1. I saw August Rush this weekend, and it was an exceedingly melodramatic and silly piece of fluff. But the kid genius's ability to hear music in everything, along with the soundtrack's use of urban sounds, reminded me of a composer I studied in a music class I took for humanities credit. He sampled everyday sounds from the city (car doors slamming, people yelling, sirens, etc.) and used them in his compositions. Does anybody know who I'm talking about? I believe he was fairly well-known.

2. I enjoyed taking everyone's shipping polls, but I had some difficulty deciding which ships I actually ship. To me, shipping is a verb. I remember this one time when carla_scribbles told a friend that the Lee/Kara shipper she had on her f'list wasn't too crazy, and I was all like: "Are you talking about me?!" Because I had never considered myself a Lee/Kara shipper! ( Ever since then, I have felt confused about the semantics of shipping. )

3. ( Figure Skating! )

4. OTW is open for membership. I have joined. I think it's an interesting and worthwhile project, and I hope it will be successful.

5. ( Haiku meme! ) Here's my favorite...

Haiku2 for caitiedidit
his stop gap girlfriend was super ridiculous and obstructiony
@ aboutmylife.netadvogato.orgblogger.comblogs.gnome.orgblogspot.comdeadjournal.comgreatestjournal.cominsanejournal.comlivejournal.commyspace.comspaces.msn.com
Created by Grahame

Wildfire broke some cardinal rules of TV According To Caitlin last night. ( Bad Show! )

On a more cheerful fannish front... whoo! They are going to make a fourth Bourne movie! I was excited when I heard the news, but I am also a little nervous. As much as I'd like to see more, the third movie ended so perfectly! This is one of the catch twenty-twos of being a fan!

P.S. There seems to be a lot of sickness going around the f'list. I hope everyone feels better soon!

I was supposed to go see the Hannah Montana concert (at the movies; I'm pretty sure you have to kill someone to get tickets to the real deal) last night with two of my sisters, but I gave up my ticket so one of Kierra's little friends could tag along instead. I was real broken up about it, obviously.

Instead, I went to see 27 Dresses with my mom. I thought it was pretty lame. I mean, you expect romantic comedies to be lame, but it had very few redeeming qualities. Katie Heigl and James Marsden are both cute and talented, and they did what they could, but it was not enough to make this memorable. At least it wasn't totally offensive? It was even vaguely empowering in a half-assed kind of way. So that's something.

And all I have to say about the Super Bowl is El Oh El. (I am sorry for theblackrainbow, though.) But, hey, wasn't Paula Abdul supposed to perform? Did I make that up in my head? OH, and didn't it totally look like Jordin Sparks lip-synced her way through the national anthem? That is so wrong!

( House )

Why is Psych suddenly out of nowhere shipping Juliet/Lassiter? I thought it was just my imagination last week, but it was SO blatant in the newest episode. And not just in a partnersy way! He knows what her hair smells like, and he doesn't (as in totally does) think she's hot? That is canonical shipping! I thought this show shipped Shawn/Juliet? Stop confusing me, show!

Also, PBS is airing the new Northanger Abbey tonight! It's fluffier and less eventful than Austen's other books -- it's basically about a young woman whose penchant for imagining that her life is like the gothic romances she loves to read gets her into a bit of trouble -- but it's still interesting to think about. I actually think the JABC movie had the best take on the book. It was Austen's first, so it makes perfect sense that she chose to write about novels -- about what makes a heroine a heroine, about what makes a story good or bad, about whether or not novels are worthwhile. She was working out her issues, her questions, and even her fears -- was writing novels really what she should be doing? See, this is why all that crap about how The Author Is Dead is no fun at all. Context rules! And so does this movie! I totally recommend it.

I'm marathoning LOTR with my sisters right now, and it's kind of crazy how something I used to think was pretty decent now seems like it sucks so hard. Like, seriously, how does Aragorn know half of the shit he knows? He is like a one-man forensics team. He is SO ANNOYING. And so are all the stupid, perfect elves. And most of the baddies are so completely, flatly evil that the central conflict of the movie is waaay underwhelming. For me, the only interesting things are the unlikely heroes (the hobbitses, Gollum, Eowyn, Boromir) and the political discord in Gondor and Rohan.

( Gossip Girl - Book #6 )

ETA: JKR answers more questions about Harry Poter. Nothing particularly interesting, but she does say that Harry and Hermione are at the ministry while Ron is with George at WWW, so I guess the thing about Harry and Ron being badass aurors together is shot for real. Originally, I was a little disappointed, but I'm quite fond of the idea of George and Ron being close and working together. Maybe Ron did it to lend a hand at first and ended up liking it so much that he stayed forever!

Two more fabulous episodes from my two favorite new shows! Josh Schwartz basically owns me this season.

( Chuck vs. The Nemesis )

( Gossip Girl - Blair Waldorf Must Pie! )

So it turns out Jack's trick with the overturned boat was all SMOKE, MIRRORZ AND LIEZ. Even with 500 pounds of extra weight strapped to the boat to hold it down, two men *still* couldn't hold a boat filled with air under the water. But like Candice says, maybe the laws of physics don't apply to Cap'n Jack Sparrow.

1. Almost every time I watch Pirates of the Caribbean, I end up having a conversation about whether or not Jack and Will's stunt with the overturned boat would have worked. Anyone who has ever owned pool toys knows that trying to drag a noodle or a boogie board (or anything intended to float) underwater is very tough to do, and it seems like it would be impossible to hold an air-filled boat under the water, unless you were in possession of super human strength. I'd thought maybe the weight of a wooden boat would help keep it submerged, but I've never been convinced that it was actually possible. IT BOTHERS ME, OKAY. So I was thrilled to see that Mythbusters is doing an episode on PotC during which they will put this trick to the test. Wednesday at 9:00!

2. I feel very strongly that if you are in a band and your band fails at enunciation, then you have an OBLIGATION to print your lyrics in the liner notes. If your label won't spring for more than four pages, or if you are a pretentious asshat who prefers cryptic artwork or elaborate photo shoots, then you should at least have the courtesy to post your lyrics at your website. In an obvious place and labeled properly! I do not want to have to poke all over your stupid webspace to find them because you are too creative to have an intuitive site. GOD. Why do I even buy music?

3. One of my sisters loves the Jonas Brothers, and it is not who you would think. Little Miss Ten Whole Years actually calls them the Bogus Brothers -- and she claims to have made that up herself which, frankly, makes me proud. Heather is the fan, and she has been inflicting them on the rest of us all weekend. Surprisingly, I think they are kind of cute and do not mind them at all. I keep catching myself humming "Hold On."

4. I did manage to see Enchanted, so go me. It was so overwhelmingly sweet that I sort of felt as if I should go eat a lemon or seventy afterwards, but it was a fun time at the movies. It is very much a homage to the Disney Princess classics, so if you like those I would definitely recommend it.

5. I watched some of the Planet Earth encore with my sister tonight and got a little weepy during several parts. We have such a beautiful planet, you guys! But I am kinda disappointed with Fearless Earth. It is very... melodramatic.

6. I find it difficult to comprehend that Japan is going to kill 50 Humpback Whales from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Can you imagine going into a restaurant and being all like, "I WILL HAVE THE HUMPBACK WHALE. MEDIUM RARE, PLZ." You must have to be a SERIOUS DOUCHEBAG. I assume it is a conspicuously expensive meal, which makes it even grosser. According to this article linked by gelxgel, the Japanese government is actually spending millions of dollars to promote the consumption of whale meat, which has waned in popularity over the past few decades. How messed up is that! I also read that whale (and dolphin) meat is particularly high in mercury and other toxins. So it makes even less sense to me than it did before. JAPAN MUST BE STOPPED, YOU GUYS. Somebody call Hayden Panettiere!

7. Blake Lively is awesome in this clip from The View. She addresses a rumor that she and Leighton aren't getting along, and instead of just denying it, she points out how sexist the rumor is and that none of her male costars have had to deal with articles speculating about their professional relationships. FTW!

8. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE SEC, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. Tennessee won in their fourth overtime, which was hard to stomach since it means that Georgia's season is basically over, aside from whichever probably awesome bowl game we will get. And watching the LSU/Arkansas game was SO CRAZY. On the one hand, Arkansas winning was a fun upset, and I do enjoy seeing grown men cry. But LSU is >>> OSU and Kansas and probably Missouri, so it is sad that they will not get to play for the championship. But that is always the way! The SEC eats its own and then watches other teams play for the glory. (Admittedly, we were not as fantastic as usual this year, but neither was anyone else, so.)

9. I am really, really hoping the the WGA strike will end this week. Talks resume today, and everyone sounds hopeful, so fingers crossed. In the meantime, go watch the best video to come out of the strike so far: hungVP158 gives us the AMPTP's perspective on the issues. God, I miss The Colbert Report.

1. My sisters and I watched High School Musical 2 again this weekend, and OH MY GOD. It is a boundless source of entertainment. "Bet On It" is my favorite song, but the dance number just gets funnier and funnier the more times I watch it. It is so completely melodramatic and hilarious. We are talking Eye of the Tiger degrees of lameness. Oh, Zac Effron! THANK YOU FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL GIFT.

And I didn't notice this the first time, but I am pretty sure that Mr. Evans's many attempts to make Ryan wear all of his his fabulous hats straight are supposed to be a nudge-nudge-wink-wink joke about his 100% canonical gayness. I am totally the last to realize this, aren't I?!

2. We also all went to see Stardust, which I had already seen twice. (!!!) It was every bit as cute as I remembered. If you haven't seen it yet, you should definitely go. It is greatness!

3. It is common knowledge that I consider my littlest sister to be made completely of awesome. I try to save some of the cuter notes she writes, and here we have an apology to my mom. (Kierra got sent to bed early for talking back; Mom found the note when she went upstairs to wake her up the next morning.) The second is a note to me and Heather. Kierra was acting a little funny, and when we asked her why, she said it was too sad to say and that she'd write it down instead. She wrote the note and gave it to Heather. Cute, but kind of morbid for someone who is only TEN WHOLE YEARS old, though.

         

4. In music news, I am reallyreallyreally hoping that Kanye's new CD will leak sometime soon. But in the meantime, I am enjoying the new Eisley album. Still no summer album.

Okay, so Perfume: The Story of a Murderer was... It was like...

I'm pretty sure there aren't any words. I am utterly flummoxed.



I think Alan Rickman and I feel the same way about this movie. And yes, that is a massive orgy going on in the background. ( Spoiler )

P.S. Although, holy crap, Rachel Hurd-Wood (Wendy from the new Peter Pan) grew up, and she is absolutely gorgeous.

Michael Moore's Sicko, a documentary about healthcare, is now streaming for free on Google Video. You can watch it here. ETA: It's working again!

To me the really damning part was the bit about how the HMOs and the pharmaceutical industry have corrupted our government. And it's not just those industries, either. Special interests have bought our government away from us piece by fucking piece, and they don't even care enough to pretend they haven't.

It's insane that in the richest country in the world, we have a system that devalues preventive healthcare. My family pays increasingly exorbitant amounts of money for insurance every month, and our provider would not pay for my mother to have a routine surgical procedure that her doctor wanted her to have to rule out the possibility of cancer. (They said she was too young, and they only agreed to the procedure after her symptoms got worse.) My cousin was born with an incredibly rare birth defect. She's been in and out of hospitals for the past three years, and the doctors have been rushing her through dozens of surgeries and procedures because they need to do all of the work they can on her before she turns eighteen. When she turns eighteen, she'll be released from the state's child healthcare program, which she was put on after my uncle's insurance wouldn't pay. (Then she'll have to wait two years until she can apply for coverage because of her "pre-existing condition.")

Anyway. If any of my friends from England, Canada or France (or anywhere else there's national healthcare) watch Sicko, I'd really appreciate your take on whether or not your country's systems were misrepresented. (It all seemed way too idyllic.)

ETA: Here's an interesting discussion about national healthcare in England, Canada, and France. And here's a good debunking of the prevailing myths about Canada's healthcare by a Canadian who lives and works in America.

1. A couple weeks ago, I heard that Hollywood is making a Teen Titans movie. I was all like WOOHOO, because I have pure, unadulterated love for Cartoon Network's Teen Titans. I have desperately missed Cyborg and Beast Boy and Raven and Robin/Starfire (OTP OF MY SOUL!) since it went off the air. But today I found out that someone from Smallville and Battlestar Galactica is writing/producing. And Superman Returns is the tone he is going for.

Smallville + Battlestar Galactica + Superman Returns = OBVIOUSLY GOING TO SUCK!

OH, LIFE. YOU ARE SO UNFAIR.

ETA: I checked this dude's IMDB profile hoping that maybe he was from first season BSG. No dice! He motherfrakking wrote "Black Market," I SHIT YOU NOT.

2. Also of the suck? The WB sold the publishing rights for Veronica Mars to DC Comics, meaning that there will be comics instead of books. Sigh.

3. Not quite so of the suck? Nancy Drew. (Disclaimer: I own the entire yellow and blue Nancy Drew series. I read all of the Nancy Drew Files, many of the Nancy Drew Notebooks and nearly all of the Nancy Drew On Campus books. I totally ship Nancy/Frank Hardy.) It is definitely not fabulous or anything, ( but I still enjoyed it. )

4. Remember how last summer I bitched about that S.O.S. song, because it would come on the radio and I would get all excited thinking "Tainted Love" was going to play, but it was actually just Rihanna? Sampling is one thing, but she basically sang a new song over the old song! It was weird.

Anyway, I freaking love her "Umbrella" song, so I was listening to her whole CD, and there's this one song on there, and I was like I KNOW THIS SONG, but I couldn't think of what it was with Rihanna's lyrics in the way. Anyway, I finally placed it, and she did it again! She's going to work her way through all of the awesome 80s songs! But I'll let you see if recognize it on your own.

Title: Don't Pay the Ferryman
Fandom: PotC
Characters: James Norrington, Will Turner
Warnings: Spoilers for At World's End
Summary: 284 word post-ep ficlet about what I wish the after-the-credits scene had actually been.

( whatever he'd supposed of the afterlife, this certainly wasn't it )

OMG, I WROTE FIC! IT HAS BEEN YEARS AND YEARS!

From the IMDb's Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Trivia page:

They started filming without a finished script.

YOU DON'T SAY. I wonder if that could possibly have had something to do with NOTHING MAKING ANY FRAKKING SENSE WHATSOEVER. *smites*

I really enjoyed this Salon article about the Phoenix Rising convention, but I actually have a couple comments to make about it, including a defense of the Sirius/Remus shipper comments the author "bristled at." Yes, you read that right. I am defending Sirius/Remus shippers from accusations of Tonks bashing.

( I KNOW, CRAZY! )

However, I adored her summation of the big Snape debate, and I really wish there was a podcast of that. (Also, this reminds me that jasminelily never made her big post about why Snape should totally be evil!) I also really loved the bits about the teenaged architet-prodigy who gave the "Hogwarts: A History" presentation based on blueprints of Hogwarts she's been working on since she was in fourth grade. Really, it sounds like it was an awesome, geeky time.

Also, I was thinking a little more about the Spiderman 3, and I know it's stupid to nitpick a movie that was terrible in big, huge, glaringly obvious ways, but isn't Peter in super-duper advanced science classes at this point? Why on earth would Gwen Stacey be in his class if "science wasn't her best subject," as he told Mary Jane? Gwen is supposed to be a biochemistry major, after all! Gwen's modeling career? Also weird. I think Bryce Dallas-Howard is gorgeous, but she definitely doesn't have a model's body; I couldn't help but think how enormous she looked next to Kirsten Dunst. Gwen was supposed to have been a former beauty-queen, but there's kind of a big difference between that and modeling in New York. The changes all seemed nonsensical, unnecessary and weird.

Yeah, I know. You're looking at this entry all like PETER CHOREOGRAPHED A SONG AND DANCE NUMBER TO GET BACK AT HIS EX, AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT BACKSTORY? I know, I know, I know. But I had high hopes for Gwen Stacey.

Little Miss Nine Whole Years is about to become Little Miss Ten Whole Years, so I took her out for a pre-birthday sisters'-afternoon-out type of thing. And we ended our evening at the movies, watching Spiderman 3. Her choice, obviously.

WHAT WAS THAT?! Peter Parker stole Peter Petrelli's emo-bangs and started randomly dancing around everywhere! There were lots of seriously terrible and crazy things about the film, but Peter Petrelli Parker emoing and dancing his way across a New York montage was simultaneously the funniest and most horrifying thing I have ever seen at the movies. And what the hell was up with Harry suddenly having an Alfred for a butler?!?! What kind of crack was everyone involved in this smoking? I do not even know what to say about this movie.

I am going to see Shrek the Third tomorrow, and it had better be good halfway decent or else.

ETA: But then she stuck this on my computer (she knows me well!), so it was all worth it times ten billion!

I'm still depressed about Pirates 3 sucking, and I really wish I could unsee it. But it has brought up an interesting conflict between canon and pseudocanon, and I have a question! (And I'd really like your input; it's not something that only people who have seen POTC3 or are fans of the POTC movies can answer.)

( Here there be SPOILERZ! )

This is perhaps the most extreme example of pseudocanon I've ever experienced.

Kelly graduated today. CRAZY. Like all highschool graduation ceremonies, it was unironically lame.

And I saw Pirates. And let me just say that I loveloveloved the second movie, and I went into this one *really* wanting to like it. ( But it was just not good at all. )

I am depressed. This was supposed to be The Movie for me this summer, and I don't think I want to see it even once more.

I had high hopes for Disturbia, which was hyped up to me by various RL people. And the beginning was really, really great. Shia is really great.

( Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was so subpar. )

The premise was established brilliantly, and the idea was good. Shia was great, as usual. But overall, this was a huge disappointment to me, because it could have been so fantastic. Not a great start to my summer movie season.