LOL: The "Mercy" Demotivator

Sometimes it takes a joke to drive home a very serious point, doesn't it?

Happy Valentine's Day!

I can't help myself.  Here is a reprise of some holiday hilarity from a couple years back:

"Flowers ... chocolates ... promises you don't intend to keep ..."

Nerd Journal : Epic Filial Piety Fail

I just realized that it's my mom's birthday today and I forgot to send her a card.  Ugh.  (You know, of course, that I will now never hear the end of it, and she will use it as fresh ammunition in her maternal guilt-trip lectures.  So I am doubly screwed.)

Make It D'oh!

Nerd Journal: This One's For the Girls

For La Parisienne and California Dreamer.  Because you deserve it.  Because we're all wishing to escape in the TARDIS.  Because it stinks that we're all in different parts of the country and can't watch "Doctor Who" together.  Because we love it when the Doctor is kicking @$$ and taking names.  And because, deep down, we're all River Song.  Note River quote below too.  Enjoy, my darlings!

Couch Potato Chronicles: Midterm Grade for Series 5 Doctor Who, Updated

OK, this is really for La Parisienne, the Kamikaze Editor, and other bibliophiles. I made and added a little something demotivator-ish to the mid-series review. There's a touch of Greek, a dash of Hemingway, and a hint of Williams, ha!

(See, this is what happens when a crowd of cheerful literature enthusiasts are also sci fi fanatics.)

Oh, and I added more images too for the Cine-Sib, who complained that "there are too many words." How very .... Onion-y!

Couch Potato Chronicles: Midterm Exam for Series 5 "Doctor Who"

Alas, poor Ten! I knew him, gentle reader,
a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy hairstyles.

It's summer, and even if I have a mountain of nerd work to do, I simply can't do ONLY nerd work, because that will drive me mad.

So ... I'm launching the "Couch Potato Chronicles" tag for the blog, for me to use when I'm blogging about TV (and not just any TV, but my own TV fixations). Don't tell the Nerd Lords, mmmmkay? And summer TV this time means lots of "Doctor Who" (and World Cup soccer action -- but that doesn't start until later).

Having said all that, let's get down to business and talk about the Eleventh Doctor and the fifth season of the show.

"Bowties are cool."
But how is the SHOW?

We've reached the halfway point of the new season (or "series," in Britspeak), so it is -- in academic terms -- midterm exam time. I stumbled across this discussion, and it made me stop and think.

So how IS the new Who doing? I was enthralled by the fabulous first episode, and it did give a fresh colorful start to everything. For the briefest moment, I could imagine I was watching a brand-new and attention-grabbing sci fi show, meaning that I for that briefest moment appreciated the new Who for being itself, not for the absence of the Tenth Doctor. (You know I adore Ten, so that was a darn good achievement. Eleven having to win the trust of Amy was the perfect metaphor for him having to win the trust of the legions of Ten fans, for many of whom Ten was the ONLY Doctor.)

Going on. The stories this season have been fun (well, mostly, with some uneven patches), but now that we're at the midpoint, I'm looking back and assessing, and I just have to say, something seems to be missing. (No, not Ten! Something else.)

Then earlier today, because I'm apparently a masochist, I re-watched Tennant's finale, "The End of Time." I couldn't finish it. It was literally making me choke up all over again (that cafe scene with Wilf --!). So I went over to the DVD's Special Features instead and thought, oh, I'll just take a peep at Tennant's video diaries, since they're always funny. I had forgotten that Tennant himself choked up trying to talk about his last day filming, and then I had to stop. I turned everything off and went grocery shopping. Really.

But I'm sitting here now, on a break from reading yet another gigantic nerd-tome, and I'm thinking, Hm. So that's what's missing. Not the sobbing and heartbreak in themselves, but the real sense of emotional investment in the story and the characters.

Life's a beeyotch when you have TWO hearts to break.
IN THE RAIN.

Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) remains a cipher halfway into the season, and she seems as slippery as ever. One of my Who-fanatic friends absolutely hates Amy, and I can't say that I'm too fond of her myself. (The Cine-Sib likes her, though.) Rose Tyler and Martha Jones and Donna Noble ... so what if sometimes they seemed TOO emotional? They came across as actual people.

This time around, the character who actually seemed to grow on you a bit (i.e., Rory) ... well. Anyway. Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor is quirky and odd in all the right ways, but I can't seem to get a hold of him as a personality. There have been moments where you get a flash of his personhood, but his individuality isn't quite formed. I'll even quote him in the first episode ("I'm still cooking") to describe him even now, and we're halfway done with the season already.

Yes, I know he's a Time Lord and alien and not-human and all, but he's still a character, and you have to be able to connect in some visceral way with your character or you won't really care about what happens to him or what he does. Example: OK, I admit it, me screaming at the TV during Tennant's turn in "The Waters of Mars" -- "Don't do it! Don't you dare! Don't you dare! ... DAMMIT! Now we're all screwed!" (That was a difficult hour for me to watch, to be honest; it was like watching someone you love turn into someone you didn't know anymore. Even if it's only for a moment, it's horrifying ... and in TV terms, gorgeously riveting.) Tennant at his best, and he usually was, made you invest in his Doctor and all his joys and sorrows, triumphs and disasters. Ten could break your heart or scare you silly or drive you crazy all in the same episode (or, shoot, even in the same five minutes).

This season with Eleven saw me saying, "Oh, that's interesting. Hmmmm." The closest it's ever come to making me really invest was "Amy's Choice" making me wonder how much the Doctor actually hates himself. But even that question doesn't have quite the emotional punch that it should have.

He dreamed himself into this fugly sweater.
Somebody needs therapy, clearly.

The new Moffat Who simply hasn't gotten under my skin or into my gut the way the Davies one did. Some of the best episodes of the Ten era really made you think and feel; they pushed your buttons. They provided fodder for some great conversations among my Whovian friends and me. (Of course, some episodes were just awful. Don't even get me started on "Planet of the Dead." Boooo!) Anyway, as I've said, I like Eleven very much, but he's got a long way to go before he can enjoy the same affection that I give Ten. Still, Ten had to earn that over time with moments like this. There's plenty of time for Eleven to earn the same.

Of course, maybe I'm too demanding. Besides, maybe I'm also a sadist in terms of screenwriting. I love Joss Whedon, after all, and you remember the Joss Whedon School of Character Development, right? Torment your character and see what happens. Just watch the finale of "Buffy" season 2.

So if I had to grade the new Who season so far? A good solid B. Season premiere gets an A. The season hasn't quite followed it up, but I'm watching! And hoping. And I'm having fun, just not as much fun as I think is possible in the Whoniverse. Still, funniest moment so far: the Doctor fending off the Daleks with a Jammie Dodger cookie. Oh, and best guest star so far: Iain Glen as Father Octavian in "Flesh and Stone," whose last moments were glorious. I'm really sorry he's gone; I wanted more of him.

In the end, Eleven's off to a good start, and it's not fair to say that he's not Ten. But, I don't think anybody's going to shout at me TOO much for missing Ten, that impossible, adorable man Time Lord.

Monday Therapy: Sci Fi Fan Fun

Nerd Journal: La Parisienne and I Are A Force To Be Reckoned With

For the record, as Evil Enablers, La Parisienne and I are pretty darn good, even if we do say so ourselves! Right on the heels of me mercilessly inflicting "Doctor Who" on the Cine-Sib and forcing him to acknowledge the excellence of my beloved Doctor, I got some triumphant news from fellow Whovian La Parisienne.

This time it wasn't about "Doctor Who," but about Count Chocula, who is a famous skeptic about science fiction and who has always laughed at us for our sci-fi fixations. Or perhaps I should say "was" a skeptic. The lady announced that she had just gotten him hooked on ... yes ... "Battlestar Galactica." KUDOS!

As she then texted me, "WE RULE." We do indeed.

So, to commemorate our double victories, I give you this little visual comment that I just made:

Nerd Journal: TV Addiction Vengeance Is A Dish Best Served Cold

And as Khan did say, "It's very cold ... in SPACE." (How about in time, too?)

Remember when the Sibling played an important role in getting me addicted to "Supernatural"? Back then, I vowed vengeance. Oh, I did. To quote my own self, I said even then, "[I'm] determined to devise some kind of utterly unholy retaliation. I need some inspiration. Oh, yes. Ohhhhhh, yes."

Well, the "Supernatural" addiction has cooled off (thanks to a season that was far too short on fun and too long on windy dialogue), and I'm happily ensconced in the Whoniverse, even as the Sibling proceeded to make fun of that too. ("You David Tennant fangirl!") He seems to get a perverse kick out of seeing me, the famously cynical, sarcastic analyst of history and politics, be a fan of someone other than Shakespeare or Jane Austen or Reagan or Milton Friedman or Winston Churchill or whomever.

So I forced the Sib to sit down and actually WATCH some "Doctor Who" with Ten (Me: "OK, David Tennant may be cute, but he's also a great ACTOR." Sib: "Yeah, right, you FANGIRL.").

And I chose my episodes with care. This was the Netflix streaming playlist that I inflicted on him:

~"School Reunion," with the fun "Buffy" high school vibe AND guest star Anthony Stewart Head to piggyback on the Sibling's rabid Joss Whedon fandom. (See this too.)

~"Girl in the Fireplace." Beautiful girl (Sophia Myles) plus award-winning story and playing with history and the fragility of time. Plus one of the best scenes ever:

~The two-parter "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood." The nature of humanity, the meaning of sacrifice (not just for the Doctor, but for almost everybody).

~and, finally, the pièce de résistance, "Blink"! Gloriously creepy on the level of the fabulous "Buffy" episode "Hush." Plus, twisty-turny temporal mechanics, always sure to grab the Sib's attention.

All in all, a careful combination of action, humor, time, space, emotional registers, and narrative atmospheres.

The result? Did you ever doubt? MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, BABY.

The Sibling had to acknowledge the awesomeness of the show and of my Doctor ... as we had an entire discussion about time travel and narrative ... as he headed off to watch more episodes on his own. I'm thinking it'll be mere days before he gobbles up the entire seasons 2-4. Other episodes in the queue as the best examples of the show: "Silence in the Library," "Forest of the Dead," and "Utopia."

Oh, I'm good. (And that sounds like something the Doctor would say!)

Demotivator Commentary: UK Politics

Linguistically Loopy Humor of the Day: Censorship

You Decide: Learned Helplessness or Learned Optimism?

Forensic psychologist Dr. Helen has an interesting post. A concluding thought: can if a dog can resist the urge to give up, what kind of excuse do we have?

Hm, what would Teddy Roosevelt say? Here's an applicable TR quote:

Film Culture Commentary: Uncomfortable Age/Gender Questions and "Twilight"

I've just never understood (a) what appeal "Twilight" has for its screaming teenaged fangirls, or (b) the even creepier appeal it seems to have for some middle-aged women, some of whom are the moms of the teenyboppers.

Call them "Twilight Moms" or whatever, but there's something really disturbing about their obsession with Edward Cullen. La Parisienne and I have talked about this, and I'm now amused to see that we're not alone. Take a look at this:

Motivational Advice From Teddy Roosevelt

Perhaps the current president could use a voice from presidential history to help him make a decision about Afghanistan? Via the Art of Manliness blog (what a great name) comes this quotation from Theodore Roosevelt. Click to enlarge.

WWTRD?

Demotivator Humor with Famous Historical Figures

These are simply glorious. See these demotivator posters made with quotations from Theodore Roosevelt or Winston Churchill.

One of my favorite quotations is included -- TR's line, "The worst thing that can be taught to a man is to rely upon others and to whine over his sufferings."

Geek Fun + Political Humor of the Day: the Debt Star

I -- alas -- did not make this magnificent demotivator. I filched it from the Insta-Prof since it's much too awesome not to share! HOPECHANGE!

Demotivator Commentary: Bailouts -- Hell on Wheels!

I'm sorry.  I just can't resist.  The increasing groundswell of frustration over government bailouts of all types (such as bad mortgages, as per the now-famous Santelli rant)  has inspired my wicked sense of humor.

Also, did you need a refresher on what "moral hazard" is?  See here, but basically it means "encouraging bad behavior in the future." 

This demotivator commentary is dedicated to everybody in DC from Obama on down who has a hand in Bailout-a-palooza.  And to my Sibling, who loves him some cheesy 1980s TV series about cars.  And more cars.

Just them good ol' boys . . . Wouldn't change if they could.

(Ain't THAT just the truth?)

Demotivator Commentary: the 111th Congress, the Clowns on Capitol Hill

Feedback.

Demotivator Commentary: Happy Valentine's Day!

Have a nice day.

(and NO, I do NOT apologize for the Bon Jovi references
-- because I'm EVIL.)

Nerd Journal: Joss Whedon Is Back!

The god of my TV entertainment idolatry, Joss Whedon, is back on TV with the premiere of his new show, "Dollhouse" tonight. The Cine-Sib and I have been Whedon fans through "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Angel," "Firefly," "Serenity," and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," so we're really delighted to see a Whedon show on the air again at long last. (Plus, the Sibling is pretty excited to see Eliza Dushku back on TV too! *snicker*)

So in his honor -- and in honor to all who are fans of The Whedon -- I give you this:

Keep the faith.