Defendere Vivos A Mortuis

There are many zombie combat guides currently in circulation but there's only one that will actually help you fight and defeat a zombie and that's Roger Ma's The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead.



As Muse mentioned in our holiday gift guide, this book is a must read for those of you invested in honing your zombie combat skills. Ma's book is not just some cute, flimsy manual; it's a legitimate guide to helping you kick some undead ass.

The Zombie Combat Manual prepares you for every type of zombie confrontation--with a complete analysis of how to fight every type of zombie in every type of situation. The guide gives readers a breakdown of zombie misconceptions, best weapons and combat techniques, and even shares firsthand zombie encounters and combat reports.

Let's face it, the end is nigh and we all need to be prepared for the inevitable. So get yourself a copy of Roger Ma's The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead and also check out the Zombie Combat Club website for more info and tips.

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All Things Fangirl Holiday Gift Guide 2010

Oops. Christmas is in a week. HOORAY FOR EXPEDITED SHIPPING!

This year's list is a mix of things I want, things I own, things I've already bought for my friends, and things I've seen on other gift guides that made me squee. So if you're stuck in your search for the perfect geeky gift for your fannish friends, look no further - we've got you covered.

Extra Lives by Tom Bissell

A must for any video game fan in your life, Extra Lives manages to alleviate any guilt one may feel dedicating hours upon hours to killing zombies, marrying NPCs & assassinating some Creed (just go with it). The book makes a clear & concise argument that video games are not only art, but are capable of telling stories more personally & profoundly than any other art form can. I read the book in three days, but it could have been one if I hadn't purposefully stopped myself. I couldn't recommend it more highly! Buy it here, $15

Time Traveler's Calendar

This calendar takes 95 time travel occurrences and places them on a single timeline. Watch thousands of years of time travel take place over the course of 12 months!

Includes favorites such as Back to the Future, Terminator, Lost and Chrono Trigger!

Yeah, that's a must own. And I own one. Buy one for yourself here, $20. Hat Tip: Slashfilm

Pride & Prejudice Fleece Sweatshirt

I AM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS. I want this so bad. Like, beyond all wanting of anything. It's my favorite style of sweatshirt for one of my favorite books/love stories of all time. I ache with desire for this sweatshirt. ACHE. Buy it for me, or well, people you know in actual life, here - $42 (42! the meaning of life! it's a sign!). The fine folks that make this sweatshirt, Out of Print, make A LOT of awesome shirts & sweatshirts, all featuring "iconic & out of print" book covers. I highly encourage browsing their catalog!

Cinders At Home Cooking Clothes

A delightful Etsy shop featuring aprons, pot holders, and more made from classic geeky bedsheets & the like. My personal favorite was a Star Wars New Hope sweetheart apron that sold today...fingers crossed it's because someone bought it for me...that's TOTALLY plausible, right? But if you know someone who cooks and is fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mario, Zelda, etc. this is the Etsy shop for you. Click here to check out her goods - $16-$39

Sweet 80s Movie Print Set

If you are a fan of Retowhale on Etsy (we were all about her director coasters in last year's gift guide), you may want to check out her 80s Movie Print Set. The artwork is also available on coasters, but not in time for Christmas, I'm afraid. But if you are interested in her prints, she can get them to you by the 23rd if you order today, the 17th! Other available prints include Rushmore, Pulp Fiction & The Royal Tenenbauns. Click here to buy one - $24.

 80s Filmography Shirt

A different kind of tribute to the films of the 80s, this time on a t-shirt, minimalist in style, and focusing on a broader range of genres. For your friend who identifies with being a geek, or at least film geek, but hasn't yet taken the step toward wearing it proudly, this shirt is a grade a geek garb gateway drug. What did I just type. I'm actually not even sure I can name all the movies on there, which means it's even cooler than I am. You should buy it. Here. $20. Hat Tip: Io9

Comic Wallets

Super cool shop that creates wallets out of comic book pages. Right now they have wallets made from 8 Marvel titles, 11 DC titles, plus Simpsons, Star Wars, Walking Dead, Scott Pilgrim, Transformers and more. The perfect gift for any comic lover whose wallet may be looking a little worn down. Buy them here, $10-$30.

Little Otsu Anything

Discovered the Little Otsu site thanks to the Tribeca Film Festival's Gift Guide and I absolutely adore everything they make - to do lists, planners, film notebooks, and so on. They're inexpensive, quirky, unique & practical. A great gift for the Type A geeks in your life. Check out all their items here - $10-$16

Game of Thrones/Walking Dead/Hunger Games/Green Lantern/Powers

We all have those friends that love to be up to date on whatever the next big Geek thing will be. Surprise that friend with not only your generosity, but your knowledge of both them & the geek world around you by tapping into the zeitgist with one of the books listed above. Game of Thrones for the fantasy film/tv lovers, Walking Dead for anyone watching it (so, everyone), Hunger Games for the sci fi film fans, Green Lantern TPBs, (the Geoff Johns era, staring with Secret Origin & Rebirth), for the superhero movie lovers, and if you REALLY want to be ahead of the game, some Powers books, for fans of either superheros or crime/mystery who don't even know yet how much they are going to love the forthcoming FX show. $10-$20, anywhere, just give em a google.

Eco Friendly Tote Bags

Celebrities, art, landmarks, subway stops, pets - the list of images printed on these tote bags goes on and on and on - 175 pages worth of on and on in fact, so if you're super stuck, this is the place to go. The Anderson Cooper bag featured above happened to crack me up, but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of this sites' offerings. Click here to browse - $18.

Arclight Gift Card

Obviously this requires that the recepient live in Los Angeles, but for a film lover who isn't a journalist (and thusly on every screening list) - what's better than free movies at the best movie theater chain in the country? I mean, you know, I'll take one at least. Buy em here - $5-$200.

Lost Encyclopedia

We all have those friends who love Lost and will continue to love Lost, questionable final season or not (for the record, I loved it), for the rest of ever. This comprehensive encyclopedia is a wonderful addition to any Lost lovers collection and can maybe even help clear up any lingering questions...? I own it. I love it. Buy it here - $25.

Lego Hogwarts Set

A perfect gift for that geek couple in your life, with kid or without. If anyone says they don't like legos, they aren't a real person. Or a real geek. Or a human. Whatever, it's nonsense, is my point. This amazingly awesome I want it set is a great project for couples or roommates to work on while sipping on hot chocolate during the holiday season. Or while sipping on whiskey turning whenever. It's expensive, but it's LEGO HOGWARTS. Buy it here - $150.

Character Clinks

This gift would be geared towards your geek friends who happen also to be big into the wine scene and/or hosting events. The Clinks Etsy shop has plenty of fun wine (and beer!) clinks to make sure no one loses track of their drinks at a party. My favorite part of the Mad Men set is the inclusion of Dick Whitman. Loltown. Other sets include James Bond, Star Wars, and The Beatles. To check out the complete collection, head here - $17-$34

Zombie Combat Manual

I mean, you gotta be prepared right? If watching The Walking Dead is starting to make you question your ability to survive a zombie outbreak (please let their never be a zombie outbreak), pick up this book and get a learnin'. Buy it on Amazon - $11

Comic Location Art Prints

Wow. Gorgeous, right? I want this. I want this on my wall! But I can't put something like this on a wish list OR buy it for myself...I need to hope someone randomly comes across it and decides to get it for me. Such is the case with all decorative wall hangings I suppose. But man oh man do I love this. The artist, Justin Van Genderen, also made prints for Metropolis, New York & Neo Tokyo. See them all here. $18.

Back to the Future Card Game

For the film geek who is ALSO a board game nerd. Like me. Citadels is my jam. So Citadels + Back to the Future = let's DO this thing. Buy it here. $16

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15 Year Old Muse Predicts The Oscars

Was just looking through my old files for the Fan Fiction I wrote in middle school and stumbled across this Oscar article I wrote for my school newspaper when I was 15. It was in regards to the 73rd Annual Academy Awards, for the films released in 2000 - telecast airing in March of 2001. Below I have reprinted the article.

It's equal parts cringe-worthy (you can tell I read A LOT of Oscar articles and think I know what I'm talking about) and insightful for a 15 year old (shhhh, it is, sort of). My personal top five seems to consist of Wonder Boys, Almost Famous, Quills, Requiem for a Dream & Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. ... How did Crouching Tiger make my top 5? Interesting. And I REALLY loved Kate Hudson in Almost Famous. In retrospect however, that may be her only great performance, so I'm glad she lost the Oscar.

Read on if you dare!

Well, everyone, it’s that time of year again! On February 13th at 5:00 AM the Oscar race officially began, showcasing some of the most original and entertaining movies we’ve seen in a long time. This years nominations run the gamut in variety, from serious, involving movies about matters of life and death to action-filled, sometimes mystical movies that took us back to another time and place. It’s been forever since an Oscar race was this diverse, and even more odd is the fact that in no categories, excluding Best Actress, is there a shoe-in. With almost every critic disagreeing with each other, this year will prove to be incredibly unpredictable, at times surprising, and just maybe, historic.
Some of the nominations alone have made history. The sweet fable, “Chocolat” surprised everyone by managing to nab a nomination for best picture thanks to Miramax’s aggressive early campaign, yet “Cast Away” and “Almost Famous”, both backed by the very powerful Dreamworks, were snubbed in that category. Another interesting fact, making history this year, is director, Steven Soderbergh not only being nominated twice in the best director category but having both of his films be nominated for best picture. But, the biggest news of all this year is the fact that a foreign film garnered 10 nominations, 2 away from having the most. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, a Taiwanese film entirely in subtitles is nominated in such prestigious categories as Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. If it wins best film of the year, it will be the first time ever a foreign film has received such an honor. But, will it win? Many people across the country are now debating over what film will take top honors and what actors will walk away with shiny new Oscars. Here are my predictions and thoughts on the Oscar race this year: What will win, what should win, and what shouldn’t even be nominated.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Stephan Gaghan – “Traffic”
Wang Hui Ling, James Schamus and Tsai Kuo Junh – “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
Ethan Coen and Joel Coen – “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Steve Kloves – “Wonder Boys”
Robert Nelson Jacobs – “Chocolat”
Can I just say, if you haven’t seen “Wonder Boys”, please, please, go see it. Such a good movie with such a good script, it’s just too bad it won’t be winning this category. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, another movie with an exceptional script will be robbed as well, I’m afraid. I’m pretty sure that this award will go to Stephan Gaghan for adapting “Traffic”, a 6 hour mini-series, into a 2 and a half hour movie. He won the Golden Globe and seems to be the favorite in this category. With all the other wonderful scripts nominated though, here’s hoping it’ll end up going to one of them.
Who Should Win: Steve Kloves, “Wonder Boys”
Who Will Win: Stephan Gaghan, “Traffic”

Best Original Screenplay
Cameron Crowe – “Almost Famous”
David Franzoni, John Logan and Willian Nicholson – “Gladiator”
Susannah Grant – “Erin Brockovich”
Kenneth Lonergan – “You Can Count On Me”
Lee Hall – “Billy Elliot”
In this category, I am torn between “Erin Brockovich” and “Almost Famous” the most. Both were very well written, perfect blends of drama and comedy. Ultimately, I’m pulling for “Almost Famous”, but I’m not sure if the Academy feels the same way. I actually have this sick feeling in my stomach, worrying that they might give it to “Gladiator”, a movie not made at all by the screenplay, but rather the directing, budget, and scope. I enjoyed the movie, I did, but the screenplay was not it’s strong point. It does not deserve to win. It didn’t even deserve to get the nomination. “You Can Count On Me” has a good script, but it’s not my favorite. Same goes for “Billy Elliot”, but with a bit more affection.
Who Should Win: Cameron Crowe, “Almost Famous”
Who Win Will: Cameron Crowe, “Almost Famous”

Best Supporting Actress
Kate Hudson – “Almost Famous”
Judi Dench – “Chocolat”
Frances McDormand – “Almost Famous”
Julie Walters – “Billy Elliot”
Marcia Gay Harden – “Pollock”
Although great performances all around, my personal favorite this year is Kate Hudson and I’m fairly certain that the academy feels the same way, but unlike the Best Actress category, this win isn’t completely in the bag. Judi Dench is a great actress and loved by the Academy, as is Frances McDormand. Still, here’s hoping that Hudson gets it.
Who Should Win: Kate Hudson
Who Will Win: Kate Hudson

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro – “Traffic”
Jeff Bridges – “The Contender”
Willem Dafoe – “Shadow of the Vampire”
Albert Finney – “Erin Brockovich”
Joaquin Phoenix – Gladiator
For me, personally, this is absolutely the toughest category. Willem Dafoe, Albert Finney and Joaquin Pheonix all put on great performances. The two that stand out the most for me are Dafoe, who so completely looked and acted like Nosferatu, it was scary, and Phoenix, whose portrayal of an insane roman emperor was mesmerizing. Finney, who has been acting for years and years and never won, put on a great performance in “Erin Brockovich”, and if he won, I know I would be happy, because even though it wasn’t the best performance of the year, it’s been a long time…he deserves one. In this category though, I think it will go to Benicio Del Toro. There is tremendous buzz surrounding him right now, especially after winning the Golden Globe. Though his performance was very good, it wasn’t the best, so if he does win it will be quite disappointing considering he has the rest of his life to put on even greater performances whereas someone like Albert Finney has already been waiting his whole life.
Who Should Win: Albert Finney
Who Will Win: Benicio Del Toro
Who I Want to Win: Joaquin Pheonix

Best Actress
Julia Roberts – “Erin Brockovich”
Joan Allen – “The Contender”
Juliette Binoche – “Chocolate”
Ellen Burstyn – “Requiem for a Dream”
Laura Linney – “You Can Count on Me”
I think this year most everyone would agree that Julia Roberts put on an amazing performance. True, it was fantastic…but it wasn’t the best. I might be a minority here, saying this, but I think the best actress this year was Oscar winner, Ellen Burstyn, in “Requiem for a Dream”. Her performance was breathtaking. I don’t think I’ve ever been so moved or so astounded by someone’s ability to act. Because of all the buzz though, Julia should still win or it would be the biggest upset in the history of the Oscars.
Who Should Win: Julia Roberts
Who Will Win: Julia Roberts
Who I Want to Win: Ellen Burstyn

Best Actor
Tom Hanks – “Cast Away”
Javier Bardem – “Before Night Falls”
Russell Crowe – “Gladiator”
Ed Harris – “Pollock”
Geoffrey Rush – “Quills”
Even though Geoffrey Rush, Ed Harris, and Javier Bardem gave us wonderful performances, for some reason the race has been cut down to Russell Crowe and Tom Hanks. I wouldn’t mind if Crowe won, he gave the role his all, but I definitely don’t want Hanks to win. “Cast Away” was not that great of a movie and though Hank’s performance was good, he’s already got two Oscars. But I’m thinking that maybe where that issue is concerned the academy agrees. Since my favorite performance, Michael Douglas in “Wonder Boys” wasn’t nominated, I will throw my support to Russell Crowe.
Who Should Win: Michael Douglas, but then he would have to be nominated…
Who Will Win: Russell Crowe

Best Director
Ang Lee – “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
Ridley Scott – “Gladiator”
Steven Soderbergh – “Erin Brockovich”
Steven Soderbergh – “Traffic”
Stephan Dalory – “Billy Elliot”
Sadly, some speculate that Stephan Soderbergh will cancel himself out, ruining his chances to win for the movie that should win for best direction, “Traffic”. Under these circumstances, keeping in mind that Ridley Scott, albeit respected, is not a well-liked man, Ang Lee just might get the Oscar. Not that that’s completely a bad thing though.
Who Should Win: Steven Soderbergh, “Traffic”
Who Will Win: Ang Lee, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”

Best Picture
“Gladiator”
“Traffic”
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
“Erin Brokovich”
“Chocolat”
This year, unlike most years, the Best Picture race is the most unpredictable. I’ll just try to guess based on decisions the Academy has made in previous years. I think this one will go to “Gladiator”. As for my pick, well, I’d say either “Traffic” because of the political impact and strong message or “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, because it’s the only one nominated that is on my own personal top 5 list. The other 4 on my list, “Wonder Boys”, “Almost Famous”, “Quills”, and “Requiem for a Dream”, were all snubbed in this category. Any of those deserved the nomination over “Chocolat”, which although sweet, isn’t even close to being the best picture of 2001.
What Should Win: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Traffic
What Will Win: Gladiator
What I Want to Win: Requiem for A Dream, but that’s not exactly possible

The Oscars air, Sunday, March 25.

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Television Scene of the Week

Last week brought us many great scenes as we had a lot of great television episodes flying around. Fringe blew minds and started a movement to get people caught up on the show before it returns in January, Walking Dead ended its first season and Community let Alison Brie & Don Glover shine while simultaneously referencing the shit out of Farscape of all things. We also saw the premiere of Top Chef: All Stars, possibly the greatest reality competition program to ever grace the small screen, and 90210's first and far from last gay kiss between Trevor Donovan's Teddy and the ADORBZ Kyle Riabko as I don't know his character's name. But which one is the winner?

It came down to either this or the Lori/Shane in the Library scene from Walking Dead. Don't watch if you aren't caught up on Fringe. AND ALSO PLEASE CATCH UP ON FRINGE. I've said it once, I'll say it again. Note: This is not a scene that seems exceptional out of context. Subtext is EVERYTHING in this clip and it had me sobbing my face off.

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Multimedia Jigsaw Puzzle? Yes plz.

So since I'm backing roughly 872 projects on Kickstarter right now, I get a lot of info from them pretty constantly, but today's newsletter stood out. One of the featured projects is something referred to as a multimedia jigsaw puzzle...I obviously had to investigate. And here's what I uncovered.

Jau Kenworthy & Rob Allmand, two Brits? living in Texas, got together to create a multiplatform mystery that involves music, a novella, an audio book, and online components, taking the idea of a "mystery book" to a whole new level.

From the Kickstarter,

Howard Glitch is an alchemical story told through 3 different mediums as:

THE WORD [Book]
THE SOUND [Music E.P.] &
THE SIGHT [Visual Artwork]....

Each piece of media tells the story from a radically different perception, ultimately opening it up in a way that lets you decide WHAT THE HELL ACTUALLY HAPPENED INSIDE THAT SHUTTLEBUS???


₪₪₪ THE PLOT ₪₪₪

A group of unfortunate passengers are trapped on a spaceshuttle flight that is headed for a fatal destination.. The only person with the power to turn the shuttle around, is Howard The Decider, who has fallen asleep at the wheel, miles away in the safety of his space station. But not all of the passengers believe that this event is happening by accident, nor without purpose, and so what unfolds is a tense drama of survival and shifting perceptions, that also introduces the themes of existentialism, alchemy, quantum mechanics, and the power of the human spirit to create hope in a chronically hopeless space…

Interesting, no?

Watch this video to get more of an idea

I don't know these guys in any way, but this project has certainly piqued my interest - so much so that I'm considering donating 30 bucks so I can get a physical copy of the finished product. If this seems cool to you, I encourage you to donate as well! A lot of the time projects like this depend on complete strangers stumbling across them and deciding to help out.

Click here to head to the actual Kickstarter page if you feel compelled to help out!

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It's Coming True. AHH, IT'S COMING TRUE!!!!

When I reached the end of Red Dead Redemption earlier this year, three things happened.

A. I cried like a baby. Like a tiny tiny baby who was really really hungry. If you played for 48 hours, then reached the part I'm talking about, you would have cried like a tiny hungry baby too.

B. I decided that no other video game of 2010 could possibly come close in gameplay, involvement, emotional attachment, storytelling, mechanics, gorgeousness etc etc

C. I realized it's biggest competition would be a game I simply didn't have the time to play right then - Mass Effect 2. I realized I either had to play ME2 to understand why it would win or just hope everyone loves Red Dead as much as I do.

Well, G4 has begun this "Video Game Battle" and when I clicked on the link today, you guessed it, Red Dead Redemption was up against Mass Effect fucking 2. And what's winning? Yeah. Not Red Dead.

Here's the thing. Granted, I haven't played ME2 and I hear it is this great, immersive RPG and Tom Bissell argues brilliantly in Extra Lives that the first Mass Effect game is a perfect example of how video games are indeed art, and that's all great, but I think had Red Dead come out while Bissell was still writing Extra Lives, it would be cited as being of the same caliber. Seriously. Red Dead proved to me that as wonderful as movies are, as involving as television is, there are some things ONLY a video game can do. Bioshock played with this notion during its infamous twist and Red Dead really brings it home. Its ending is not only brilliant, fascinating, a wonderful use of video games to tell a story effectively, but it's heart wrenching. HEART WRENCHING. It's I need five minutes to go cry in the bathroom effective, you guys. For weeks my dad would ask me "Have you gotten there yet?" and I would respond "Shhh, no! I'm going for 100% and don't want to know that there is any 'thing' to get to!" He kept telling me "Trust me, you don't know what's coming." And I didn't. It was nothing I could guess. I was advised to look it up by people on Twitter, to be prepared, but I didn't and I wasn't and I sobbed my face off. Face. Off.

So a. If you argue that video games aren't art, you're wrong, b. If you haven't played Red Dead Redemption, play it c. If you own ME2, let me borrow it and d. BE A GOOD PERSON AND VOTE FOR RED DEAD REDEMPTION RIGHT HERE CLICK HERE NOW. Oh and E. I'm playing the shit out of Fable 3, but it doesn't come close to Red Dead. Let's not pretend it does.

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Best Scene of The Week [Television]

And the winner is...

This scene, from the penultimate episode of Walking Dead's first season, had two in my viewing party of five in face-hurting, chest-heaving tears. Best zombie awakening ever. If you haven't seen this episode, drop everything and go catch up.

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Disney Movie Countdown WEEE!

Saw @GirlHack tweet that she's seen 45/50 Disney movies and I immediately thought I HAD to know what my count was. NUMBERS! COUNTING! DISNEY!

Watch the video below and see how many you can name off the top of your head. I could sadly only name 40. And how many have I seen? List after the clip.



Key
Movie's I've seen = Red, Bold
Movies I didn't know were Disney = Bold

1. Snow White

2. Pinocchio

3. Fantasia

4. Dumbo

5. Bambi 

6. Saludos Amigoes

7. The Three Caballeros

8. Make Mine Music

9. Fun and Fancy Free

10. Melody Time

11. The Adventures of Ichobad & Mr Toad

12. Cinderella

13. Alice in Wonderland

14. Peter Pan

15. Lady & The Tramp 

16. Sleeping Beauty

17. 101 Dalmations

18. The Sword in the Stone (Favorite)

19. Jungle Book

20. The Aristocats (Favorite)

21. Robin Hood

22. Winnie the Pooh

23. The Rescuers

24. The Fox and the Hound

25. The Black Cauldron

26. The Great Mouse Detective (Favorite)

27. Oliver & Company (Favorite)

28. Little Mermaid (Favorite)

29. The Rescuers Down Under

30. Beauty & The Beast (Favorite)

31. Aladdin (Favorite)

32. Lion King (Favorite)

33. Pocahontas

34. Hunchback of Notre Dame

35. Hercules (omg Meg's song)

36. Mulan

37. Tarzan

38. Fantasia 2000

39. Dinosaur
40. The Emperor's New Groove
41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
42. Lilo & Stich

43. Treasure Planet

44. Brother Bear
45. Home on the Range
46. Chicken Little

47. Meet The Robinsons

48. Bolt

49. Princess & The Frog (Favorite)

50. Tangled

So there ya have it! I've seen 40/50. 41 as soon as I see Tangled. Lilo & Sitch and Emperor's New Groove can be on my list, but those nebulous wait these are Disney animated movies?! ones? Not so much. Sorry, Brother Bear. Maybe when I have kids, we'll go in order and I'll check you out then.

So how did you stack up?

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Found in Translation: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

 [East Coast]

Spoilers spoilers blah blah blah.

Watching the Lincoln Square IMAX fill up that rapidly at 3:30 in the morning was a little startling, but not as startling as how much I loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part one!). Anyone who will listen probably knows of my general disdain bordering on loathing for the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban, and on paper, it's for many of the same tactics and decision Yates employed for Deathy Hallows. The results, however, are drastically different.

Some personal framework, here: I think Order of the Phoenix was the last good Harry Potter book. I found Half-Blood Prince to be draggy and largely uninteresting, stifling with the teenage love plots and what felt, for the first time, like a really tedious school year at Hogwarts. The Deathly Hallows I found to be an immense disappointment, from the endless camping trip of doom to the MacGuffins upon MacGuffins, a rankling line of artifacts and characters who had never so much as been foreshadowed suddenly becoming integral to the plot and progression of the story. It felt cheap and unwieldy to me, and the epilogue was just insult to injury. I walked away from the franchise feeling very let down.

However, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet and Fire, and Order of the Pheonix would always be there. The trio at their sharpest, the glimpses of a wizarding world past at their most tantalizing. So it was all right. Damned if I didn't loathe the third movie though, and this is because I felt style ran rough-shod over story. Curaon made a decision to completely excise the pieces of that book that a) made pieces of the story as a seven-book-whole make sense and b) created an emotional bridge between the past and both Harry and the audience. I was horrifically angry that at the end of the movie. If you hadn't read the books, you walked away without knowing who Moony, Padfoot and Prongs were. It was not difficult to find a place to divulge that information. There were opportunities aplenty. They were all exchanged for Lupin waxing loquacious about Lily's virtues;  the boys eating candy that caused them to make animal noises; yet another 'this is where we do a sweeping virtual shot of the school grounds using a magical creature's POV' sequence. By shaving seconds off of the plethora of atmosphere/world-building shots devoid of story, they could have easily inserted one to three minutes of Lupin having ANY OF THE CONVERSATIONS FROM THE BOOK with Harry. Hell, ROLL THEM ALL INTO ONE. And then we would know who the Marauders were and why they mattered, and why Harry's patronus is a stag. Harry doesn't even know why his patronus is a stag. This willful dismissal of easily-addressed details drives me crazy because of the far-reaching effects of their exclusion.

Cuaron "stream lined" it into a "coming of age" story. Well, the entire series is a coming of age story, so how much streamlining did we need to do? The worst part is, the things left out of the third movie can never be revisited, because the books get bigger and more complex. There's no room for that information. What a terrible waste.

So Deathly Hallows comes along. The decision to make it into two films was clearly the correct one, not just from the point of view of We'll All Be Rich Forever, but from a storytelling one. Brava. Now even cleaving the story in twain, we are left with an absolutely ridiculous amount of information to put on screen, largely because the books are not only tying up all the loose ends of the cast of thousands Rowling has given us, but because she introduces a whole new thousand-member-strong cast. It's like 42nd Street with magic, it's insane. Then the director is saddled with giving the extent characters their due and screentime, which is difficult enough in, say, Goblet of Fire. Yet Yates manages, despite having to streamline the hell out of what was a sprawling, often tedious and not infrequently convoluted story.

So far, I much prefer Deathly Hallows the movie to Deathly Hallows the book. The feeling of a world on the edge, of a constant rippling danger, unease and melancholy is palpable. The magic is beautiful. The locations are believable. The people are idiosyncratic and interesting and the characters are so full and easy to connect to- and almost no vital details are sacrificed. I can't even think of one off-hand.  What I'm saying is, this movie has atmosphere out the ass and yet still tells the damn story, considerably more expeditiously than the novel. Everything that annoyed me about the book is gone, and everything I enjoyed has been succinctly and stylishly committed to screen. And the scenes he added in serve a purpose! The Harry-Hermione dance sequence shows us how desperate their spirits are, how close they are to each other, that their love is platonic and that at the end, things aren't right without their third. Unlike all the conversations with Lupin in PoA which were filled with banal advice and no real information or foreshadowing and didn't further the story, the totally new content in Deathly Hallows 2.0 does all of these things. Brava, Yates.

The director has stated that he wants the second half of the story to have a very different feel and a return to the fantasy adventure of the earlier ones, which is of course the perfect way for the movies to end. All I can really hope for is a Gellert/Albus makeout scene, since JK dropped that bomb on us. That awesome gaytastic bomb. Don't let me down, Yates. You haven't, yet.

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Happy Birthday!

We're two years old!

Yaaaaaaaay!

If we aren't updating enough, you can get your fangirl fix on Cineboobs. 

And loquaciousmuse has moved her simple photo/video/audio posts that used to be here, over to loquaciousmuse.tumblr.com. 

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Wash, Rinse, Repeat: A Fable III Rant

If there’s one statement that perfectly sums up my love-hate relationship with Fable III it’s: Peter Molyneux needs to shut the fuck up.

Extreme? Perhaps a tad. But so are Molyneux’s claims about what Fable III achieves in comparison to what the end result was. Contrary to what he’d have you believe, Fable III is not the be-all, end-all in RPG morality-sims — as if that were a genre to begin with, but hey, we have KotOR 1 and 2, don’t we? In fact, it’s a travesty of lost opportunities, redundancies, and tedium. Part of me would like to imagine an awkward silence in a bar as the graphics team and gameplay team warily eye each other, someone very quietly reaching towards a bottle of beer to slam against a nearby stool. Point being: this game is too pretty for what it is.

Fable III is gorgeous in comparison to Fable II, and Theresa knows the load times are a lot better, but the actually gameplay is some of the most repetitive gameplay to have existed. And I say this as someone who happily played one-fourth of a Pokemon game last year and liked it. Battles are easily won — shoot, shoot, shoot, spell, spell, hit — with the same enemies to defeat over and over again. No, seriously, I’d like another wolf, balverine — are you fucking kidding me, LionHead? — and tiny little hobbe with steampunk jetpacks to shoot at, please. The last 1,200 simply weren’t enough. As for the relationships, well, the sex is certainly more entertaining but getting laid and even just becoming friends seems to take forever with everyone and their mother asking for you to deliver, fetch, or find something for them. As this point, I’m the fucking queen and some asshole maid in the castle is asking me to deliver a letter for her if I’m to get into her pants. Honestly? First edict should have been to found some sort of national postal service. Fuuuuck meeee.

If you can get past all of that, which is um, 80 percent of the game, you are treated to interesting little sidequest diversions every so often. The problem is that Fable III seems to be a game in love with its own writing. Tired of what that tertiary character, who isn’t even important, has to say? Well, fuck you, he has two more minutes of lines. Nowhere is this more apparent than the meta D&D/RPG mocking sidequest in which magicians criticize the decision to make you talk to every NPC within their game within the game — and yet you still are stuck talking to cardboard cutouts for uncomfortably long durations. It’s not that the writing is bad — it’s actually quite good, quite sharp, and very well-acted — but I didn’t buy Fable III to listen to a book on tape or watch a movie; I bought it so that I could pretend to be a badass warrior magician woman — even though I admittedly am one in real life.

Good stuff? Well, the weapons that grow and mutate to reflect how you play and live your Fable-III life are quite awesome, though I think it’s rather mean that my sword now has a “venemous glow” because of two STDs that I picked up from my wife. Also, and slightly off-topic, why did my white child from my white husband and white character suddenly become black when he became a toddler? I still love him, but my Theresa, it makes a person ask questions when she returns home from a war and her child is an entirely different race. And even more off-topic, why do my two adopted children now hate me after I put them in an awesome house with the best manny ever? Whatever. Back to the orphanage.

It seems that I’ve somehow wondered from the point in this half-assed, impromptu review, and that’s exactly how you’ll feel about the plot — ZING! While Fable II was rich with lore, Fable III is rich with the grocery lists of what it takes to be a king/queen and hero. In between repairing each and every one of your properties so that your renters won’t withhold payments, and completing your 20th fetch quests to win the love of a random NPC, you’ll begin to wonder what Fable III did to the “R” in the “RPG.”

It shot it in the face behind the Sandgoose and buried it deep in a dig spot.

Cross-posted at I Went There.

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Will AMC Save the Comic Book Movie?

For years, my go-to cry at the mention of a comic book being licensed for film adaptation was "Take it HBO, for the love of God".   The movies we're given are frequently so watered down or compromised or stripped of what makes a property great and loaded up with what producers think makes a property sell that the finished product is almost unrecognizeable as whatever comic it started out as. This is especially prevalent in the super hero genre. Now with the rough beast that is the Marvel Film Universe slouching inexorably toward The Avengers, a lot of people are feeling that comic book movies are about to suffer a bit of a backlash, or perhaps a Roman style collapse. Too much, too much, too much, and not enough dedication from the studio behind it to invest the money and give the artistic leeway that could make sure the movies are great.

That said, super heroics work well on the big screen, and frequently the stories fit happily into three readily filmable acts. Just as often, the third one fails dramatically, but that's not the source material's fault so much as its handling and the trappings of telling the story of a hero, especially an origin story. Super heroes do not the comic book industry make, however not entirely, and of the wealth of material out there to be mined, the best of it is long-form storytelling that belongs in a long-form medium.

Neil Gaiman's Sandman belongs on HBO or Showtime, I believe that fervently. It needs the kind of money and freedom to be not merely graphic, but just truly bizarre. A Dream of a Thousand Cats belongs on HBO. It just does. Similarly, an adpatation of Bill Willingham's Fables, I would prefer to see on HBO where the violence and fantasy get to be played out with equal splendor. Certainly no traditional network, NBC or ABS or even something 'edgier' like FX would be equipped to create, promote and broadcast these stories.

Then AMC happened. AMC used to play crappy movies that none of the major networks or special channels wanted to play. Then things got weird. Between Mad Men and Breaking Bad, in the past four years AMC has become the new name in avante garde tv. Telling stories that should be nigh impossible to tell, let alone sell, with grace, heart and unflinching boldness. When AMC announced The Walking Dead, I could scarcely contain my excitement. I haven't even read The Walking Dead, though I'll be starting very soon, and I knew in my gut it was going to be badass. This is because AMC has managed to do something that I don't think any other network has- they don't seem to give a damn. It's not like the channel could become less relevant than it initially was. They have nothing to lose by being ballsy and creative and believing in their properties, nothing. It's a beautiful thing.

So now word comes down the pike that Letterier, so fond of citing how he used to be making his 'little French films',  is talking to NewLine about taking over Y: The Last Man.  Let me be frank: I would be happy as a clam if this project would just die in its crib. There has not been a single name associated with Y as a filmic entity that I thought "yeah, that's awesome" since the rumors started, years ago. Not ONE. If Y: The Last Man and Cowboy Bebop NEVER make it to the big screen in live action form, I will die feeling like there are at least two pure, good things left in the world. But if it has to happen...

Let it happen on AMC. Let Y go to a channel that believes in long-form storytelling, and character. I haven't watched all of Breaking Bad, but I have seen every episode of Mad Men at least twice, and I have now seen both episodes of The Walking Dead in excess of three times. Each. Because apparently I'm the only person on the UES who knows how to use a DVR. But you know what? I'm happy to have you come over to my place and watch it, because it's so. Good. If Y: The Last Man has a home in the world of film, that home is on AMC, without question. The question of direction then becomes happily secondary- the person who counts is the show runner, and you have a stable of directors, people who don't need to be household names or have a CGI monstrosity under their belt to be considered for a 'comic book movie'.  The multiple directors factor works particularly well for Y given the hugely diverse nature of the storylines and the places those stories take you.

If they could hold off on this happening for a year or two while I get my SAG card and move to Canada where they will doubtless be filming it, though, that would be great. Thanks.

So after having some pretty intense Y-on-AMC daydreams, it ocurred to me that AMC, while probably not looking to fill this specific a niche, really could be the last, best bastion of comic book adaptations. Things that I would have decried as unfilmable or too sprawling or too anythign for the big screen or network tv could fit beautifully on AMC.  Like Powers. That's what AMC is missing, a good ol' fashioned cop show, right?

No two shows on AMC feel the same, except they all have a curious gravity to them. They are so intensely cinematic, and surprising- by far the best shows on television are, at this moment, on AMC.

...This is all my opinion, that's a given, right? I mean, my love for Supernatural knows no bounds,  and I will argue that South Park gets better with each new season, but from a stance of storytelling and quality, I can't think of anything that's on par with Mad Men. And, God in heaven, is it Sunday yet? Momma needs her zombies.

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Not Your Average Harley Quinn Costume - A Guide

I've gotten a lot of questions about how I made my Harley Quinn costumes this Halloween, so I figured I'd make a handy guide for all you ladies out there eager to cosplay as the wonderful Ms Quinzel without being subjected to an ill fitting body suit. I decided to model my look after a combination of classic Harley & the Harley from Arkham City, the forthcoming sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum. Here's a look.

And here is how my costumes turned out (I did two takes for reasons I'll go into later)

The guide after the jump!



Step One: Order a Harley Quinn Ill Fitting Bodysuit here
Yes, you can pay a shit ton of money for a Harley bodysuit that DOES fit, but we're trying to keep the cost under 8 billion dollars, while getting to be a little creative as well. This $40-$65 (find it on sale! I got it for around $40) costume looks like utter shit in a hilarious way. Saggy AND tight at the same time, it's just a disaster. But essential for this particular costume guide. If this is too much moneys and you can sew, just get some simple, cheap, stretchy red & black fabric.

Step Two: Cut Harley Quinn Ill Fitting Bodysuit into three sections - legs, mid section and arms (seen below with a vest I own). Like so:

This is where I cut exactly at the mid-section (See right. Thanks @Desperatefans). Make sure the zipper is BELOW where you cut, it should remain a part of the pants. Keep in mind, if you accidentally zip the zipper all the way up, it will fall off. Like mine did. Luckily the pants never came apart, though I did safety pin it at the top, just in case,  thinking that would somehow help things. See below. Do away with the head-piece, the mask and the collar.

Step Three: Find a long red tank/lingerie/etc - As long as it's long, tight and red or black, but red is best. Because the pant has NOTHING to keep it up, I recommend using a long tank top, or in my case, long lingerie I already owned, to help secure it. This is why something tight is best. The length will also help obscure your ass if the zipper DOES split apart. Again, thankfully mine never did, but I was glad to have the coverage just in case. Here's a shot of the lingerie I used, taken from a bizarre angle that makes the bottom half look ginormous. I recommend having the chest part go a little higher than mine. As you can see in costume #2, you couldn't see the red sneak up over the corset as you could see in costume #1 over the vest. This piece is from Victoria's Secret, about $30, purchased years ago.

Step Four: Find Black Vest or Black Corset/How To Use the Mid-Section

Now, Harley definitely has a red corset in Arkham City, but black corsets are cheaper, easier to find, more wearable and there's a better chance you already have one in your closet. Same with a cropped black vest w/ buttons. IF you in fact have a red corset, then use a black tank top or lingerie for the underneath part. For costume #1, I used an old cropped black vest I had. This particular one was from H&M, so it was pretty cheap. Note: By the shoulders are the garter straps I sewed onto the vest to hold the arms of the costume up.

Now going the black vest route means that entirely too much of the solid red tank/lingerie is showing. So take the mid section and wrap it around your waist thru hip area. Find a black scarf or sash and pull it through the arm holes to tie in back. Like so:

Depending on how long the scarf/sash is, either tie it in a bow there or wrap it up & around your waist, then back around and into a bow as I did - this helps keep the top part of the mid section secure under the vest, for a more streamlined look. Now, the problem with this method - the Vest Method - is threefold. 

One - The arms did not stay up. The garter straps were a great idea in theory, but the tops of the arms kept falling forward throughout the entire evening.

Two - The mid-section is decidedly NOT secure. I had to constantly pull the mid section down or it would start curling up into the belt. The vest also didn't really hold anything in, it just pushed up, so my chest was kind of falling all over the place

Three - The costume looks very messy from the side & back. I put a sash through arm holes for goodness sakes, it was gonna look weird.

This is the cheaper, more hodgepodge method, which definitely works, especially for photos where you are standing still, and can be modified to fit what you already own, but it's not perfect when you are actually on the move. But to keep it on the cheap side, play around with the idea of the Vest Method and see if you can make it work for you. 

For costume #2 I fixed this problem by buying a corset. This one was $60 from Frederick's of Hollywood. I don't mind paying good money for a good corset. Hopefully if you are reading this in the hopes of cos-playing, you already own a black corset. The zipper and belts help add to the Arkham City look, so I was very pleased to find this one. 

If you use the Corset Method, you no longer have to wrap the mid section around you! We don't want it covering up the belts. Instead, turn it around and use it as a bolero. Keeps the color scheme going and helps keep your chest under wraps a bit more.

Although I sewed some garter straps onto the arms, when I attached them to my corset, under the bolero, they still wouldn't stay in place, so I said goodbye to the arms for costume #2. 

Step Five - Find a Black Belt. I got mine for 2.50 at Buffalo Exchange in Los Angeles.

Step Six - Cut the Fingertips Off Of the Gloves. Simple, just use scissors, snip snip, done. 

Step Seven - Paint Your Nails Red & Black. Try on the gloves. Make sure your nails are black with the red glove and red with the black glove. Same with your feet - red with the black shoe covering, black with the red shoe covering. Note: The white frills below the gloves were kept deliberately to show a clear connection to classic Harley. If you want to go more in the direction of Arkham City Harley, replace those with black, spikey bracelets and underneath the bracelet is where you should sew the glove to the arm, to create more of a long glove look.

Step Eight: The Leather Choker. I had one I made already from my Silk Spectre costume. I used it for costume #1, but did not use it for costume #2. Depends on your taste. To make it, buy some leather from a fabric store, measure your neck, cut a strip, fold the strip over inside out, sew one side together, flip it over. Just sew in a button and cut a button hole and you're done!

Step Nine: Buy Colored Hair Spray in Red & Black. This is to spray the tips of your blond hair. Also buy blond spray if your hair is not blond. Cause guys. Harley is BLOND. Also use the red spray to color the buckle of your black belt. These sprays run $5-$7.50 at a Halloween store

Step Ten: Buy The Makeup. For costume #1, standard Halloween store white cream make-up and a sponge. ($5)

For costume #2, white powder and a powder puff. ($3)

Colorless powder (to set) ($4)

Black cream makeup ($4.50)

Eyeshadow brush (depends, hopefully you have one already!)

Black eyeshadow ($4)

Black lipstick or gloss (depends. but cheap.)

If you have trouble finding things, Namie's in LA probably has it. Or a Halloween store. Ben Nye is always the preferable brand.

Sidebar: Vest Method Step: Sew the garter straps on. Sew them onto the vest and fasten them to as much of the top of the sleeves as possible (maybe fold the top of the sleeves into a triangle that then gets fastened in the garter straps.)  

Step Eleven: Assemble the Outfit. Put the pants on, the top oh which should hit just below your waist area. Then put the tank/lingerie on. 

For costume #1, take the mid-section and tie it around your waist with a scarf or sash. Then put the vest on and button it up. Make sure the vest is over the top of the mid-section. Take the remaining scarf/sash and bring it back around, wrapping around your waist. Bring it back to your back and tie in a small, neat bow. Then put the sleeves on and fasten the tops to the garter straps on the vest. Put the belt on just above your hips.

For costume #2, but the corset on over the tank/lingerie. Then put the mid-section on as a bolero. Take the belt and put it right below your corset.

For either costume, put on secure open toed shoes and cover them with the shoe covers. Make it so your toes just barely peak out. After you do your hair and makeup (see below), put the gloves on, then the white thingies or black spikey things around your wrists.

Step Twelve: Hair & Makeup. For costume #1, I tried using the white cream make-up, but I ended up hating how it looked on my face. For costume #2, I instead got some Ben Nye white powder (around $3) from Namie's in the valley (of LA) and used a powder puff to pale myself up. Always remember to wear primer first to help protect your skin! Set your white base with colorless powder, which you can find at a Halloween store or Namies. Then use a black cream and a sponge (Ben Nye from Namie's) to cover your lids and continue til it meets your eyebrows. Then use it to just get right under your eye. Then use an eyeshadow brush with a black eyeshadow to help shape the cream so it's neat. Harley's makeup isn't as messy as The Joker's. Use a black lipstick and/or black gloss on your lips. Voila! Thanks to Jenna Busch for telling me how to do this! For your hair, put it up into pigtails (aim for above your ears), then have someone spray the tips of your hair with the black on one side, red on one side. Once your hair and makeup are complete. put the gloves on (see above)

Step Thirteen: Fun Additions. I used my Arkham Asylum pin to show off Harley's irreverence. If you don't have someone going as the Joker with you, try carrying around a Joker action figure or wearing a temporary Joker tattoo on your arm. And don't forget to say "Mista J" with a high pitched New York accent as often as possible.

Now, I spent about $130 on this costume, between the Harley bodysuit, the corset & the makeup/spray. Take out the corset and you've got $70, which is a bit more accurate for you cos-players out there who no doubt already own pieces that would work. If you own the make up as well, then your cost is really only the Harley bodysuit to base your new costume on. If you know how to sew, your only expense may very well be red & black fabric. So there *are* ways to keep costs down here. 

Hopefully this guide will help you figure out your own take on Harley! If you do attempt your own, please take photos and link me! 

My costumes, once again

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The Greatest Last Minute Halloween Costume In The History Of Ever

You've probably been seeing a ton of last minute geeky costume ideas all over the internet (my particular favorite post is over on Io9)

But I recently heard of a costume idea that might possibly be the best idea ever.

It's Arthur from Inception. And here's how you do it.

-One striped, long sleeved button up
-Brown vest
-Brown tie
-Brown suit pants
-Brown hair, slicked back
-A backpack (right?)
-A few blow up dolls
-Helium
-Rope/thick string

I think you see why this is awesome of the awesome. Due to how expensive and time consuming blow up dolls and helium are, I will not be seeing this costume in the flesh this weekend, but if YOU pull it off, please take some photos and send them to me! I promise you'll win at least one costume contest this weekend if you can rock this shit.

You can credit this idea to @csharp7.

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Oh, Sam, Poor Sam, Satan's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad

Don't read this if you're not caught up on Supernatural.

As I readied myself for work this morning, an early episode of Supernatural played in the background. In 'Something Wicked', the Winchester boys find themselves up against a shtriga, a kind of vampire witch that steals the lives from children while they sleep and can only be killed while it is feeding. This is the second time Dean has encountered the monster, the first having been when it attacked Sam, on Dean's watch, when they were small children.

After the sthriga attacks the younger of a pair of brothers who live at the motel the Winchesters are staying at, Dean comes to the conclusion that it will return to attack the elder. Sam, with all the glistening-eyed puppy dog enthusiasm of his early-years self, asserts that they must immediately remove the boy from the motel and the encumbent danger. Dean disagrees. The following exchange is had:

Sam: Then you wanna use the kid as bait? Are you nuts? No! Forget it, that's out of the question!

Dean: It's not outta the question Sam, it's the only way. If this thing disappears, it could be years before we get another chance.

Sam: Michael's a kid, and I'm not gonna dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook!

The emotional punch of the episode comes from the fact that Dean blames himself for the monster attacking Sam and then escaping when they were but wee, but after watching the subsequent five seasons up to last week's deliciously titled 'Live Free or Twihard' (just more proof that the Supernatural writers have their fingers dug deeply into the pulses of their fans and popular genre culture), it was Sam that put my little fangirl heart through the wringer.

In last week's Supernatural, Sam's 'Came Back Wrong'ness reached a new level of disturbed. Seeing his brother be attacked by a vampire, Sam stops to watch. He watches as the vampire opens his ow vein and holds it to Dean's mouth. eventually he yells stop and moves to intervene, but not before we see this:

Which begs a few questions, the first and more glaring being WHAT THE %@#, SAM?

@%#&#$^%! Are you @#$! serious?! What is your childhood trauma   damage problem THIS time, Apocolypse Boy, goddamn?!

We're faced with a dilemma. Yes, Sam has been One Cold Bastard since he came back and yes, the distance between the brothers has been palpable, uncomfortable for both them and the audience. But the expression on Sam's face up there- look at it again, LOOK- implies something is much more wrong than previously anticipated.

When I had the chance to interview the cast at San Diego, Jared Padalecki assured us he was coming back as Sam, not a monster in a Sam suit, but my question now is, to what degree is he Sam? The expression on his face leads me to think that maybe Sam is sharing headspace, and oh hosanna what a clustercuss of fun that would be, if true. An infinitely more troubling consideration, of course, is: What if that's all Sam?

What if spending so long in hell has quite simply bled the humanity out of him? He does the 'right thing' by hunting, protecting people by thinning the heard of predators, but in the first six episodes of this season we have seen Sam:

• Use a baby as bait.
• Use his brother as bait.
• Let a young boy undergo excruciatingly painful, invasive Angel surgery.
• Let his brother get turned into an undead monster so as to use him to infiltrate a vampire nest, a combination of letting Dean undergo excruciatingly painful, invasive transformation for the purpose of becoming bait.

 Freaking God, Sam, go crawl back into your devil pit.

In a further twist, Evil Pappy Campbell even balked at Sam's behavior, putting his shady ass one rung lower on the 'I kind of hate you' list than Sam's is right now.  Through my annoyance and flabbergasted exasperation, however, is a genuine sadness for the loss of Sam. I loved Sam's character, even when he was a giant moron. As thick and blinded as he could be, as out of control as his anger could get, he still mostly did things out of a sense of what was right, what was best. He tried, with a universe worth of odds stacked against him.  This cold, lying facsimile of Sam is so far the most disturbing spectre haunting the season. Now that Dean is aware that the problems run deep, that Sam may not, in the most fundamental ways, be Sam anymore, though it have nothing, I fear, to do with possession, I hope the season really takes off so that by episode ten I have my boys back and we can get to Edlund's Irish murder horse.

So, what is it? What do you guys think is wrong with Sam?

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In defense of Kings of Leon

I love the new Kings of Leon album Come Around Sundown. I love it because it sounds almost exactly like their last album Only By The Night. Except their last album was better. I think that's partly due to it being so different than their previous efforts. Still, and despite reading some well-argued lukewarm reviews from critics, I think the new album is great too. And while I do agree that Come Around Sundown is less impressionable than their last effort, I question the sincerity of old school Kings of Leon fans who are currently losing interest in the band.

If you disliked Only By The Night, you'll dislike Come Around Sundown. And to that I can only ask: why? What's wrong with a band evolving and polishing their sound? What's wrong with a band discovering and sticking with a style that works for them? Don't confuse well-produced with over-produced. Don't confuse popularity with selling out. Yes, Kings of Leon is a famous American rock band now. DEAL WITH IT.

I'm ecstatic that a talented rock band can be heard on our radio stations and also do well overseas. Yes, I do have fairly mainstream taste. It's no secret...just take a look at all my music posts! But I try to stay open to all sounds. I especially try to stay open to any direction a band that I love moves toward or decides to stick with (I'll also be the first to criticize if that direction sucks). So if Kings of Leon wants to continue making accessible, polished, country-influenced rock music, then I'm thrilled to listen! If you're not into their sound anymore, that's fair. Taste is taste. Opinions are opinions. Music is subjective. But don't diss their new album (or their last album) because you only dig obscure, indie rock and can't handle listing a famous band as one of your favorite artists.

With that said, for those of you who did love Only By The Night, and don't mind two consecutive albums being similar, I highly recommend Come Around Sundown. I especially love these tracks: The End, The Face, and The Immortals. But the whole album is solid. You can currently download it for $7.99 on the Kings of Leon website here.

Also, they'll be on SNL tonight! So catch their performance!

Oh! Just one last important comment: Caleb Followill's voice is still gut-wrenchingly sexy. I want to have sex with it so badly. Not even him, just his singing voice. Yeah, I wanna be his microphone.

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