Brilliant!

After all my whining about last Sunday's LOCI season finale, I am ready to eat crow, because that was some of the sickest, most brilliant, out of nowhere shit I'd seen on television in a long time. I'm almost sad Warren Leight waited this long to impress me (though I really could have done without the flashbacks, and not because I had seen the episodes before, but because I thought they were pretty weakly inserted). Over at the VF blog, James Wolcott agrees with me (with spoilers):

The dramatic peak of Sunday night's viewing wasn't the submersive emotions dulled from rusty disuse on Mad Men (which more and more seems like a simulation exercise) but the phenomenal season-end arc climax on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, in which all of the pieces were cleared from the chess board in an Oedipal showdown between Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his mentor, played with seedy, reedy panache by John Glover, dressed in the stained white of a disreputable Southern lawyer. The psychic clash of Goren's sunken-vessel misery and Glover's glinty-eyed dementia against the bluish confines of the interrogation room elevated the series to an existential plane without losing the edge of glee that comes from actors seizing the electric moment. (I also enjoyed seeing Ilana Levine, whom I met on the set of Robert Altman's Tanner '88, in the early scenes with Goren's ravaged brother, played by Tony Goldwyn.) Taking Goren back to tainted zero (no mother, no brother, no mentor, no nemesis, and a dead serial killer for a father), It sets up the next season of Law and Order: CI beautifully upon return in November, when--in the other partnership--Jeff Goldblum's ostrich head will attempt to fill the spot vacated by Chris Noth.

I too look forward to what is now in store for season 8.

On to another obsession

Thanks to Music Wench and Google Alerts, I now have even less of an idea what is going to happen this Sunday on the LOCI season finale.

Here, I try to break it down with my filters off:

I am a little concerned about the promise of repeated shockers. One of the aspects of the past two seasons I've liked the least is the constant reveal, timed just so to keep the viewer on her toes, but mostly doing little more than not allowing me to digest what I'm being shown before a second "Huh?!?" kicks in. Plus, in one hour of TV (roughly translated into 44 minutes), there's only so much that can happen. I'm afraid this will be too reminiscent of "Purgatory," the second-half opener, which relied too heavily on deus ex machina (or just plain coincidence) to keep the dramatic tension high and resolved nothing while making little to no sense.

And yes, apparently Nicole Wallace is back. Which is a shame. I don't understand why, with everything else that's going on in Bobby's life [to recap, for those who don't know: recently dead mother after a bout with cancer and life-long battles with schizophrenia- who right before her death revealed she wasn't certain if Bobby's father was the bastard he'd known or someone even worse, drug- and gambling- addicted brother, nephew on the lam from the law (thanks to Bobby's interferance), issues within his work environment (everyone but his partner thinks he's a nutjob), and issues with his own stability (he's possibly a nutjob)]. So to bring back The Nemesis (think Moriarty to Bobby's Sherlock) seems a bit of overkill. Plus, in the episode "Great Barrier" we saw Bobby finally able to move beyond Nicole's manipulative mind-fucks, and any return she's made since then has felt false and unnecessary.

But here's the teaser that kills me:
given her murderous ways of the past, what happens with Nicole is not at all what you would imagine

OMFG, if he has sex with her, I'm going to enter his fictional universe and fucking kill him.

Other than Nicole's return (who is, uncharacteristically, going after everyone close to Bobby - which makes me want to ask her, "Really? You are some mad genius who can apparently get anyone to do anything you want them to, everyone wants to fuck you, and you, after almost 3 years still carry a vendetta against one cop? So you return to the one city with cops gunning for you, where you have a warrant out for your immediate arrest for kidnapping and the like, to settle this vendetta? How much of a genius are you?"), there is also something shocking in a box (shades of Se7en, anyone?), and everyone's a suspect for something (Please, please, baby Jesus, let it be for killing Nicole).

The article gives little else away, but promises it will be bizarre. I don't know that I'm looking forward to bizarre. I don't watch this show for the bizarre, the weird, the deluded crap that they've been trying to feed us on and off for the past 2 years. But watch it I will.

I am looking forward to John Glover's return as Declan Gage.
I am looking forward to having some loose ends tied up (one thing that was promised).
I always always look forward to seeing Vincent D'Onofrio do what he does best.

If I survive Sunday night, I will let you know what I think.

In something completely unrelated: I GOT MY SPACED DVD SET! I GOT MY SPACED DVD SET! NEENER! NEENER!
Okay I'm officially a dork. But I'm a dork for Simon Pegg. And one of the most infectiously watchable geek-love British television shows ever. Trust me when I say there has been nothing on American TV that rivals this. My affection for it goes far beyond my love of Pegg (who made it a point recently to state in his blog that he's 5'10", not 5'9", as related by IMDB, which for some reason I found adorable), and extends to each character and quirk we meet. I had to buy this set the same way I have to buy books I love instead of borrowing them. There's just something in the ownership of a thing. As if perhaps by owning the DVDs, I have some unique priviledge or knowledge - and free passes to that special club.

So I will spend my weekend leading up to possible mind-fuckability completely engrossed with Tim, Daisy, Mike, Brian, Marsha, and Twist (and Colin) in a world that exists just a slight distance out of my reach.

What else am I reading?

Over at Think Progress, we are reminded once again what an asswipe our President is. From his 2000 Inaugural address:

“A generation shaped by Vietnam must remember the lessons of Vietnam: When America uses force in the world, the cause must be just, the goal must be clear, and the victory must be overwhelming.”

New Orleanian Blake Bailey reviews Julia Reed's Katrina Memoir, The House on First Street for the NYT:

As for Reed’s Katrina experience — well, strange to say, it made me rather nostalgic for my own. (I’m reminded of what Percy said about the weird gaiety of disaster.) Like Reed and her husband, my wife and I gave a dinner party the night before evacuation, and the next day we wondered what to do with the garbage...

Is Greater Than is a pretty cool online zine. I skim most of the articles, but this one hit a very special secret place in my heart. My heart that owns 52 lipsticks, each of which is a varying shade of one color:

But there is another, hidden allure to beauty products. That allure lies in the heady world of woman to woman bonding, a social phenomenon that often takes place in the context of beauty.

And I had a really really hard time picking a favorite children's book quilt:

Every teacher and pre-service teacher enrolled in Dr. Bergeron’s undergraduate and graduate Children’s Literature courses at the University of Miami makes a child-sized quilt-top inspired by a piece of quality children’s literature. Then, Dr. B quilts their projects and the quilts are displayed at the Lowe Art Museum.

I spent my weekend lost in the world of comic books and graphic novels (yes, I read those too).

Warren Ellis is just never afraid to go there. And it doesn't really matter what there we're talking about. Sometimes I feel it's a bit too much for my - ahem! - delicate sensibilities. Okay, mostly I just find it all a bit more depraved than I really need. Planetary, however, sucked me into a story where, while I may not understand completely what is going on, I am on this journey with Elijah Snow and the rest of Planetary to uncover the secret history of the world.

Minx is a girl-friendly division of DC comics that puts out digest-sized one-shots with girl-centric themes (and is there a way I could have had more hyphenated words in the previous sentence?). The reviews have been mixed overall, but the large variety of titles available (from comics heartthrobs such as Andi Watson, and Brian Wood, and YA girlcrush Cecil Castellucci) at least attempt to guarantee there might be something for everyone. So far I've read 4 of the offerings with mixed reviews of my own. Of course, DC could possibly...maybe increase their girl readership by, I don't know, dialing down the fanboy inspired cookie-cutter female body type? However, at least DC has a female superhero in their Big Three (that would be Batman, Supes, and Wonder Woman for those who don't care enough to ask). Marvel has....[crickets].

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Aside from reading comics, I gave myself a happy by (you guessed it) buying Hot Fuzz. Oh yeah. Oh, and watching an okay LOCI wherein I finally get used to The Beard, but wonder what the wardrobe department is trying to tell us by having Bobby wear that same striped shirt week after week.

Back on Track? Or possibly not. (some LOCI thoughts)

Yes, it was fun to see Bobby acting like a little kid, all excited with the magic, reliving some happy memories of his childhood (which I've believed all along did exist). It warmed my heart to see him smile and play around with Eames (though I don't think she's completely forgiven him, and that's okay). I'm ready to bid adieu to the beard, though I think that's more because I now equate the beard with Depressed!Bobby, so whenever I see him in it, I keep waiting for him to snap. But then again, why shouldn't he be depressed? It's not as if matters are back to normal. He has his job back, and his partner is speaking to him, but his personal life is still pretty much downward bound. Add to that the moronic nature of the cases he keeps getting and who knows what'll break him?

Don't get me wrong. I'm certain in some part of his weirdly tanned soul, David Copperfield does want to kill Criss Angel/David Blaine(as the murder victim was a strange crossover of both - I suppose representing the new breed of magic they're peddling which involves less flash and more mind-fuck) as well.

I usually try to watch an episode and let it stew for awhile before putting my thoughts down, but when "Vanishing Act" ended all I could think was, so?

Usually when a person is murdered on LOCI for reasons other than pure selfishness or evil, the viewers learn to understand why this happened. We were encouraged to even feel compassion sometimes. It wasn't a time too long ago; even the reviled season six had "Silencer." But did Copperfield-lite kill Criss Blaine wannabe because he was more popular? because he broke the Magician's Code? because he got laid more? It kind of went all over the place on me. In fact, I was kind of hoping Christopher Lloyd was the killer because he was the most entertaining part of this episode. One can never go wrong with Reverend Jim Ignatowski:




Overall I didn't dislike "Vanishing Act." It just seemed unfair that it was on opposite some of my favorites on Bravo ("Acts of Contrition" and "In the Wee Small Hours"), and I had to be reminded of how good it used to be. I do believe it can be great again - there is always some hope. It carried me through season seven of The Gilmore Girls, the fourth season of Angel, and this season's lackluster post-writer's strike network TV.

Those are my thoughts for now. Scattered on this Monday morning of Doom (as all Mondays are of Doom for me). Possibly later I will have some equally unintelligent thoughts about The Dark Knight (which I loved, by the way).

ETA: Music Wench has posted her thoughts on her page (somewhat different from mine, but that's way cool). Plus, she has some lovely caps!

Well I had to say something eventually

I'm not really sad about Chris Noth leaving LOCI. He wanted to be gone; so be it. Have fun with that movie career, Chris. And yes, I do thank you for helping to keep LOCI on the air for another 3 years - the three weakest years, but whatev.

I do, however, take issue with his replacement. Not only (as Lozzie Cap has speculated) does Goldblum seem to be prime for taking on the role of "quirky detective" now that VDO's being all moody and broody, but possibly Goldblum could be the lead to take over for VDO after the eighth season. I think Lozzie has some thoughts here that are worth examining. But that is besides the point. If the writing continues to suck ass as much as it has for the past two seasons, I'm not going to be watching once Vincent leaves anyway.

But would it kill the producers to think about bringing in a strong female lead to partner with Wheeler (or whomever wants to take the musical Logan's-partner chair)? Does there always have to be this male/female partner dynamic? At one time, we didn't think so. And considering the sausage fest the Mothership was when it first started, it would be refreshing to see Dick Wolf keep taking those steps forward. Television reflects back to culture what we wish were the truth, or what we believe to be the truth. Well I wish to see some more women kicking all kinds of ass in something other than a plunging neckline (love you Marg Helgenberger, but do they paint those clothes on you?).

The eighth season will play out. And I will be surprised or annoyed. Unless, of course, the actor's strike puts yet another hold on things. Blech.

And the mystery continues...

A fifth human foot was found off a beach in Canada. This time it was a leftie (the other four were right feet). This article doesn't say whether or not the foot was also clad in running shoes. I still say...creepy.

On another note: It seems to be business as usual for LOCI's Logan/Wheeler episodes. Poor acting, shoddy scripts, and a pointless meandering plot that ended in a sort of WTF was that all about, and why do I care? denouement. Music Wench stated she was looking forward to Wheeler's return for the lighter aspect she brings to her half of the show. I say the jury's still out. I don't blame Julianne Nicholson as much as I used to. The scene where Wheeler questions a possible rape victim was quite powerful in its understated display of empathy (almost ruined by the piss-poor acting of the young woman playing the victim). But improved lead acting doesn't an entire show make. As long as the storylines continue to be muddled and lack any depth or character, I will continue to watch with a look of complete incredulity. The preview for next week's Goren/Eames didn't even excite me as it used to. I am woefully afraid for the rest of this season.

Oh, and another thing

from Amends (7.1)

Thank you, Kathryn Erbe, for not going down the Botox- and Restylane- laden road so many of your fellow actors are traipsing. It is beyond refreshing to see a woman comfortably in her thirties (I'm assuming) who is not afraid to allow her face to move and make expressions, who doesn't feel she has to plump up her lips to be more appealing, and who can smile without looking like The Joker (Meg Ryan, I'm lookin' at you!). I say I watch LOCI for D'Onofrio, but you have won me over as well.

Sometime this week I am going to watch Purgatory again and then I'll be able to process what I'm thinking about it. For the most part, I was unimpressed, but I didn't hate it. It didn't take me where I wanted to go; I felt for the most part it was literally a wrap-up episode - like those ones you see when a show is canceled and the producers don't want to leave any loose ends? Not that there weren't any loose ends, but the point of this episode was obviously to get Bobby back to Major Case, so blammo! there he is. Whatever. I am more interested in seeing he and his partner solve some crimes, a prospect made more interesting now by the increased tension between them.

Anyway, I'm not going to say anything more until I watch it again and then we'll see.
Edited to add: I just found out Ms. Erbe is 41, and she looks mighty fine.

I am immersed in layer upon layer of frustration

As part of my volunteer training, my instructors stress the importance of self-care. The kind of work I'm getting into will cause burnout in a matter of months if I don't find some way to create pockets of nurturing for my own spirit and soul. I'm not very good at that. In fact, I think it's safe to say I failed at least once before, causing my total flare-out while at mega bookstore chain (interestingly, I look back on that job with great affection, but shudder at the thought of returning specifically because I had no boundaries between Work and Life).

I do try though. After an especially intense training session on Saturday, I promised myself a Sunday of delights, starting with finishing a fabulous book and ending with the return of my not-so-secret obsession after a six month absence.

Book finished and wow, what the total wrong choice to make. I mean, it was fabulous--brilliant, even. But so so sad. Not depressing sad, but angsty, muted, as if the writing were drawn out in bleached watery color (or should I say colour, being that the novel is set in England). And given my lack of self-care abilities, I think I should have picked something a tad more chipper.

Then my show comes on and I was...unimpressed. Not that I was expecting to be blown away. Nothing this season has managed that so far. I have mentioned clearly before (see link above) that I do not like the way Leight has handled his showrunning. So I won't go into that again. It was all Bobby all the time, so I didn't leave too disappointed. I just. Wanted more.

I come to work unexpectedly upbeat, thinking this is the week I'm going to get something accomplished. So what happens? What always happens. Random time-eating monkey wrench meet the working cogs of my day.

So I stop and do what I do when I need an absolutely mindless break that is in no way connected to reality: I look for random slash.

Now don't get all grossed out on me. Hot guys having sex is scorchy. And there's a weird positive emotional component there, something having to do with seeing fictional characters who typify strong male stereotypes crawling over barriers of intimacy and trust. There have been articles written about it--academic ones, even. So I won't get into the whole shebang here.

I used to write slash in the Star Wars and Buffy fandoms. I used to read it in several others, including dueSouth, Star Trek (Kirk/Spock 4 eva!), The X-Files, and Angel. I am an OTPer, which means I lock onto a pairing as if my life depended on it and don't even tell me another pairing is better, or makes more sense thematically (really? haven't we thrown canon out the window by now?), or this gifted writer writes this pairing. I don't care. All I care about are three important things: 1) are the characters acting and talking like they do in the tv show/movie?; 2) are any major changes (ie, a girlfriend's defection to make way for the man-on-man love) well explained and believable?; and 3) is the writing good? (oh, and my unspoken 4th rule? no het sex. Period.)

Slash writers who are truly immersed in their writing and love of their shows put out stories that read like episodes of the shows themselves...with sex. Their stories are funny, raunchy, touching, action-packed, angsty, and do not shy away from emotion. Some people read romance novels, or thrillers, or repetitive SFF novels set in the same damn fantasy universe for their reality break. I read slash.

Looking for new fandoms is a challenge. Oh, they're out there. And easy to find. But that doesn't mean what you'll find is any good. There's a whole buncha crap on the internet and slash writing is no different. Writers one knows already may have a recs page, if one is lucky. Or one can go to fanfiction.net and randomly click (though it helps if you have a fandom in mind). Or you can just take your chances--as I did when I found this gem that made my whole day. It is a short and funny (and totally PG rated) post-Serenity Mal/Jayne. I think I just found my new OTP.

For anyone who may be interested here is one of my stories. It is from BtVS and is Spike/Xander. It is rated NC-17. If you'd like to know something about it, here is what Mad Poetess said when she recommended it:

Goddess D's Just Say Something: Rated NC-17. Deeply poetic fisting. No, seriously.

As Mad Poetess was one of the tops in the fandom at the time, I was pretty flattered. I don't read my stuff anymore, took my site down, am actually lucky I found that link among some relic archive sites, but there you go.

I don't write slash or fanfiction anymore because I just don't have the time. I put a lot of effort into my stories that I would rather use for real life stuff.

But I sure do like reading it still. I'm kind of on an Adam Baldwin kick lately and came across this amusing Chuck/Casey that also made me laugh and appreciate, well...anyway. It too, is NC-17. Don't say I didn't warn you. It may not be real, but it's real addictive.

I'm late finding out everything...

...mostly because I rarely touch a computer on the weekends. I sit in front of one all week. Weekends are for reading, hanging out with my husband, and watching addictively bad movies on the SciFi channel. So imagine my surprise this morning when I go to the Reel and find out Warren Leight is leaving as showrunner for LOCI.

But, unlike my fellow obsessives, I don't quite see it as a loss. Oh sure, the series's ratings increased in its move to USA, but that couldn't have been hard considering the disaster known as the sixth season (Leight's first as head script writer for the show), which had some of the weakest storylines, worst guest acting, and intelligence-insulting crap to be shown on network TV. No wonder their ratings dropped. Not that the entire season was a loss. The Goren-backed bookends Blind Spot and Endgame were brilliant in that way something mediocre is made brilliant by a talented cast. The rest of the season was a complete waste of the talent Leight was handed on a silver platter, as he attempted to salvage the floundering show by making it more a cross between the cringe-inducing CSI Miami and the last three seasons of SVU.

Gone were the days when the actual criminal intent was a part of a show titled Criminal Intent. Gone was relying on talented local acting in favor of badly used guest stars (really? did anyone really care that Fran Drescher was in an episode? or Doris Roberts? Brooke Shields? really?). Gone were the carefully nuanced scripts that balanced the sophisticated crimes against the intellect and detecting prowess of the teams. Oh no, we must RIP FROM THE HEADLINES!!! And not headlines from days of yore, but ACTUALLY YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES!!! WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY!@!! OOOH LOOK!, LIZA MINELLI! SHE CAN'T MOVE HER FACE, BUT WE'LL STILL USE HER!!! WAIT, IS THAT TOM ARNOLD?!? GAY PREACHER SCANDAL ANTI-TYPECASTING! SQUEEE!

Please.

And gone were the days when our favorite detectives actually detected, apparently because they only need to be led around by the nose from suspect to suspect until the solution was blaring across the screen in giant letters. Doesn't anyone else remember that smirk Goren would get when he know someone was telling him a big fat lie? When he would sit in that room and stare at something waiting for the pattern to emerge, chips bags and coffee cups artfully strewn about? He and Eames poring over files together? Remember when Logan episodes were - while not brilliant - actually watchable?

The only thing the sixth season brought us that kept me returning were amped up personal storylines, pulled off only by the amazing acting abilities of the core cast. That and the hope it would eventually get better. Which, in the first half of season seven, it seems to have. Detecting returned. Depths showed some research happening. Self-Made reminded us Goren sometimes does get a clue on his own. The usual crime-solving hijinks came across in Courtship. And so I look forward to the remainder of the seventh season if only because the first half showed so much improvement over last season. Because, honestly, if it hadn't, the only reason I would be watching at all anymore is this man:


PS, if you want an even longer, more intelligent sounding, and more direct post about the travesty that was season 6, read this. My favorite is when the author basically equates it with fanfiction due to the high emotional content.

Thank You, Music Wench!

This one is even longer than the one I saw! How exciting. Now you can all share in my excitement:

So Random Your Eyeballs Will Ache

I know what I'm doing right now. I'm avoiding the many Vincent D'Onofrio-obsessed and LOCI-friendly websites I usually visit because I will lose an entire day roaming through them. The new teaser trailer for the June 8th return of my favorite obsession has premiered and I'm certain teh internets is a-buzzin' with anticipation. And while, I admit, I did rewind my DVR and watch all 10 seconds of it three times (mostly for that expression on Eames's face - so perfect), I refuse to spend half a day speculating what might be's over 10 seconds. I do have work to do. Suffice it to say, I am eagerly waiting to see what happens next.

My Schott's Almanac of Miscellany informs me that when my left eye itches I am soon to expect sadness or grief. Not a good sign during insane allergy season. Though on a more positive note, right eye itching signifies imminent laughter, jollity, or the arrival of a loved one. I wonder if one cancels the other out.

I had to put down a book on purpose. I will pick it up again and sooner rather than later, but I just had to take a break for a moment. I was reading it too quickly (because I was enjoying it so much), but it was becoming quite dark. I don't mind dark undercurrents; in fact I find them necessary in most novels. But something in my current mindset won't allow me to get too deep in these rivers right now. As soon as I finish, I will post a review with more detail.

There is a new mystery developing on Canada's coasts. dismembered right feet are being found washed up on its beaches. There is much speculation, some of it plausible, but the fact that it is right feet only, and that they are still shod just give me the creeps.

Oh and...another pointless but interesting thing I learned from Mr. Schott is my preferred ink color (burgundy) was, in Edwardian times, the ink used by country squires and clergymen. I don't know if that signifies a thing. As I doubt if I would have been considered a lady of quality, it seems rational I wouldn't prefer light blue ink. Luckily, I've given up green ink - that was the ink of knaves and the insane.

OH! How could I forget...Matthew McConaughey's brother - who goes by the nickname Rooster - has a son named Miller Lyte. Yes, he named him after his favorite beer. Somebody give that man his own reality show!

When Comparing Apples to Oranges...

I went to see Iron Man last weekend and I can't stop talking about it. I mean, it's a fun superhero movie and all, but that's not what made it stick in my brain. Robert Downey, Jr. is what what is sticking in my brain. I walked into that movie with absolutely no expectations and walked out enthralled anew. My first thought was, wow. I just want to go give him a hug right now and tell him how proud I am of him. It takes a shitload of strength and determination to live on the knife-edge of disaster and pull yourself out and keep working for something you love. We see too many stories of celebutants and pretty young things falling into notoriety and never quite bringing themselves out of it. Most of these people have so little talent, even if they were to truly clean up their acts it wouldn't matter. If your entire self-image is built upon nothing more than your celebrity status, then what do you have to fight for when being a fuckup keeps you a celebrity? Robert Downey, Jr. is an actor who - I believe - loves what he does. His self-image was apparently built upon something greater and more lasting than celebrity. And he cleaned up and took whatever jobs he could until someone gave him the break he needed to get where he belongs, on theater marquees.

And there's that little thing where, in Iron Man, he portrays a character of such confidence and intelligence with such conviction, I found him...compelling. Like, if I were single and he were single, after that hug of support, we would hopefully be finding somewhere to have hot monkey sex.

When I admit this to the husband (who gracefully takes such things in stride), he asks, So your #1 has been replaced?

I'm sorry, what?

Here's the thing, Robert Downey, Jr (why do I feel I need to write out his entire name?) is a very talented actor. He's a good-looking man. He's aged well. But he's no Vincent D'Onofrio.

This isn't about sex appeal. Whether or not I find one more or less attractive is irrelevant in this case.

Vincent D'Onofrio is a more compelling actor. He inhabits his characters so fully that one believes he is Detective Robert Goren; he is Private Pyle; he is every lovable, despicable, and irascible persona he's ever portrayed. Some accuse him of over acting, but I say pshaw, because:

Robert Downey, Jr is a great actor who's been given one great character to portray and he shined in that role. Vincent D'Onofrio is a great actor who has shined in every role he's played regardless of the quality of material he's worked with. His characters literally jump off the screen and into your face. They excite you, irritate you, scare you, creep you out, and turn you on. There is no middle ground. And during that time you are in the theater or on your couch, there is no actor playing a character. There is only that character.

Few actors have this ability to fully embody a role. Male or female, there is always this recognition happening, the visibility of acting. Book reviewers frequently make reference to the transparency of an author's writing. Transparent writing brings character, setting, and emotion alive without the reader even noticing. The writing may be beautiful or evocative, but it is simply the backdrop for more important elements to come alive. I believe transparent acting is the same. I've seen many die-hard Law and Order: Criminal Intent fans admit they took awhile to get into the show because the Goren character was so irritating to them. Then, after some time he grew on them (much like an annoying friend does).

That is transparent acting. That is compelling acting. That is why, in an industry of fakers and prettyboys, Vincent D'Onofrio will always rock my world.

Nerd nerd nerd

It's the first of the month, which means I get to change my desktop wallpaper! Why does this excite me? Because I go here to get my new page. May is a tad...odd, but I like it better than April, which looked waaaay too serious. I felt like they were judging me, or something. Perhaps just my guilty subconscious. And I found some absolute fab pictures on someone's Flickr stream that were from some Criminal Intent promotional shoot (not from the US), but they weren't available for download because they were professional stills from the shoot. And then I was sad. Now I can't find them again (stupid me forgot to bookmark them). Sigh. Perhaps it's for the best. I do have to get some work done today...

Oh, and one more thing...

I miss TV.

I miss my (imaginary) friends...

So here are some pictures to keep us all going.