Friday Frivolity

My newest internet friend, Music Wench, has excellent taste in music. Occasionally she shares her love on her blog. I have pretty decent, if quite eclectic taste in music. I also have no shame. The following is not a good song at all. But it brings me joy nonetheless:



This video brings up some existential questions:
How does one play sax like that?
If I had been at that beach side concert, would I too have been headbanging?
Do all vampires have such crappy taste in music? or just those in California?
Kiefer Sutherland, hotter as David or Jack Bauer?

Nothing more than some great pictures I've come across this week.

Stolen from I Can Haz... and PopSecret.

Humans. Good.

CPIII - MVP

In his final weeks, Brian told his family that he knew he was going to heaven and that he wanted to meet Jesus wearing his Chris Paul jersey....

... [Hornets owner George] Shinn and his wife hoped to attend the funeral with Paul and his parents. But the team will be on road at the time, so that isn't possible, Shinn said. The family plans to bury Brian in his favorite jersey, as he requested.

Yes. We are the future of my family. Be very afraid.

From Thanksgiving last year. Pictured are (l to r): My brother, Cousin Maria, Cousin Roger are standing; Alex, the Husband, Cousin Stacy, and me with Nicky on my lap seated (the kids are my brother's). I am reminded of how blessed I am every time I look at this.

Here are the matriarchs of our brood, my mom (right, white hair) and her sister, Dina (Stacy and Maria's mom)

Boast all you want, but I know the truth: you should all be jealous you weren't born into my family.

Sigh

...really?...

If anyone's interested, I'll pontificate on this in the comments after I battle the whirlwind that just ate my soul.

Okay, never mind. I can't NOT speak here.

Jane Eyre is one of my absolute favorite novels from my young adult years. It opened my eyes and heart to so much more than just good literature (to which I had already been introduced). I have already written (albeit briefly) about my love of this novel, so I won't go into the details here. This is about the movie, anyway, not the book.

I have no issue with the hollywoodization of novels. The industry feels it is so sadly lacking in fresh story ideas, it seems. So if my choices are to see Rush Hour 25: Gridlock! or and adaptation of a great novel, I think my choice is clear. I also understand that what makes great written stories don't necessarily make great movies, and therefore changes must be made, things cut, subtle plot points turned into frying pans to beat the viewer's heads in. But good screenwriters and thoughtful directors make choices that translate the story faithfully despite any changes.

The first of these thoughtful choices is in your lead actors. Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen were strong choices in what could have been a disastrous turn of a brilliant novel. And while Gwyneth Paltrow usually bugs me a little (and breaks rule #1), she embodied her character to an honorable enough degree to not ruin her title movie. But a bad choice in lead actor can ruin even the most amiable adaptation.

1. When your novel is set in England, please please please employ British actors.

They do exist, you know. Very talented, those Brits. One might even say they've held an acting tradition that supersedes ours by, oh, a couple centuries? Ellen Page is as cute as a button, but I feel I'm pointing out the painfully obvious by stating she is NOT BRITISH! If one was doing a Clueless-like adaptation, then I could understand, but a straight-up retelling? Did you learn nothing from Jena Malone (a fine actor by her own right, but by far the weakest link, along with fellow American Donald Sutherland, in the recent P&P)?

2. When part of the appeal, hell, one of the main aspects, of your protagonist is that she is not beautiful, do not cast someone beautiful and plain her down for the part.

The world is filled with mightily talented actors who happen to not look like Charlize Theron. Or Ellen Page. Some of them might even be British. And keep in mind that Rochester is no looker, either. And older than Jane by far. I can't fucking wait to see who they cast.

3. It's really okay to cut out parts of the novel to fit into the delegated screen time, but make those cuts judiciously, keeping in mind the arc of the story. And there had better be a damn good reason for changing actual plot points.

No one, other than me and a few die-hard Austen fans have seen the brilliant Persuasion. I recommend for everyone a study of a fine fine novel which was in turn adapted into a fine fine movie. This was made easier by the fact that Persuasion-the novel is very short. It can be read in a day. Eyre, on the other hand, is not only not short, it is full of layers and story arcs that traverse Jane's whole brief life. The importance her childhood plays in decisions she makes later in life cannot be ignored, or glossed over, or covered in 10 minutes of screen time. And anyone who watched the disastrous Scarlet Letter doesn't need me to go any further on the whole changing plot points thing.

I feel a caveat is needed here: I will probably go see this version, as I have seen every other. I will go with trepidation. I will be ready to enjoy it in spite of..., and I will attempt to take what I can from it without letting it discourage me completely. Then I will bitch about the hollywoodization of favorite novels and watch this adaptation, which (while cheating a little because it is a miniseries) is the best of the bunch - sexy and smart with a great cast.

What do you do when you're stressed out?

I rearrange my books. There is something soothing in that element of control over one of the most important aspects of my self. And there is a tactile therapy to it, as I get the chance to touch those objects and with that, the sense memory of what each volume means to me comes alive in my memory.

My favorite Librarian Avenger does the same, but with different results:

I fuss and swap and graze over my books, looking for the right system.And through this, somehow, I describe myself to myself. Whatever is going on in my head benefits from the organization I’m doing with my hands.

I externalize this stuff because it’s easier than neurosurgery and cheaper than therapy.

Behold my books. They are arranged by priority, then color.

I arrange mine by subject, then author, though not alphabetically. I have a type of hand-eye memory that allows me to shelve something and remember where it is forever until I move it. Certain shelves are mini altars to my writing gods. And I am constantly running out of room.

Destiny and the Reluctant Heroine

I just finished reading Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr, and now I'm one of those freakish book ladies who want to run around to everyone and thrust it into their hands and say, "You simply must read this book!" Unfortunately, I no longer work for mega bookstore chain and therefore don't have the opportunity to do so. This makes me sad. Because, really, unless you are someone dead set against reading smart urban fantasy with excellent writing, you will enjoy this book.

I notice an ongoing theme in the urban fantasy genre that I appreciate wholly: that of the smart female protagonist. In a world dominated by male heroes in both our fantasy (Harry Potter, LoTR, Heroes, most comic books written by men) and "reality" (anything else, most specifically crime shows which may contain strong female characters, but always have a male in the lead - CSI, Without a Trace, Law & Order, I'm lookin' at you!), I have long been one of those pop culture fans waiting for producers to get it - that women can lead the way and viewers will follow. There is a reason The Closer is the #1 cable drama on TV, people. And while I appreciate things are much much better than they used to be, I do get tired of watching the female lead play second fiddle to her charismatic, brilliant male lead co-star (even when that charismatic co-star is someone I admire greatly!).

The same trend has been weaving its way through the young adult publishing industry. In the past few years, an uproar has been raised about the sad state of boys and their reading habits. Apparently, boys don't read. Actually, they do read, just not what the book industry wants them to. So to pull these "reluctant readers" away from their video game guides, the Internet, comics books, and manga, the publishing industry is greenlighting books hoping to pull them to novels. And of course, these novels must feature a male protagonist. The guiding philosophy here is that girls will read books about boys wherein boys won't read books about girls. So instead of addressing why we've created a society in which boys won't read books with female lead characters, publishers are churning out mass produced formulaic crap. And any girl who wishes to read new fantasy or adventure will finish her Kiki Strike and dutifully pick up the newest Artemis Fowl for lack of anything else. And the world can retain its balance of power with a new generation of young women expecting young men to always be the charismatic brilliant hero of the tale.

Enter into this arena a cache of amazing and dedicated writers who think this is a load of crap. From Charles de Lint to Holly Black, to Emma Bull and many others (most listed under the original Urban Fantasy entry), contemporary young adult fantasy writers have figured out what most of us have known all along, male and female readers want and need to see women in the lead. And while, sadly, the entertainment industry has only Joss Whedon doing the same for movies and TV, at least he is doing so while flying his feminist freak flag proudly.

I have noticed a beautiful and realistic trend in these offerings that you don't normally see in your male-dominated counterparts, reluctance. Not so much out of fear (though that may play a part), but because these young women have plans for their lives and truly don't want some destiny laid upon them by The Powers That Be to interfere. One of my favorite aspects of most of these novels is the creative ways in which our heroines fight to keep their lives as normal as possible - high school, friends, boyfriends, college. These young women have goals for themselves that don't always involve drinking fairy wine at an endless faire and dancing their newly immortal lives away. And in the case of Aislinn, our protagonist from Wicked Lovely, these future plans are so important as to be the crux upon which helping is even considered. And that, I believe is as important as having a female lead at all. If your heroine is going to give up her mortal life to save fairy-verse and not even bother to secure her own growth and future, she may as well marry the proverbial prince and live happily ever after in Disney-esque security.

If you haven't delved into the world of which I speak, I heartily recommend the Holly Black Trilogy (Tithe, Valiant, Ironside), Emma Bull's War for the Oaks (a tad dated, but still a new classic), de Lint's Jack of Kinrowan, and the book that started this whole blog.

PS, Also watched the King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters this weekend. Please please please do yourself a favor and see this movie. In the wake of a movie-going year in which we've had to endure countless hours of how cruel, empty, and hopeless the world truly is, seeing the absolute decency of (real human being and not movie character) Steve Wiebe in his quest to become the best at something- in spite of the oddly menacing strong arm tactics of his cult of personality obsessed adversaries- will fill you with joy and hope. I kid you not.

Totally Frivolous

Beard. Beard. Beard!

Another reason to hate Disney

To be completely honest, I never thought too much about Disney until my stint as a kids bookseller. Then it seemed to be everywhere, the childhood version of Scientology, gleefully brainwashing our under-12 set with homogeneous crap pre-packaged for any white slightly talented kid who can be programmed to perform the same song over and over again.

Parents love Disney and its conglomerate because they see it as "safe," meaning primarily, "I can leave my kid in front of the TV with it on and I won't have to explain what sex is to them once." Oh, for fuck's sake! This world is not wholesome. It is precarious and frightening and just because your kid has zombified in front of endless hours of That's So Raven! doesn't mean they have any understanding whatsoever of who people of color in this country are and what their lives are like. And what-oh-what do you do when your Disney teen stars get pregnant? Pray they get married (because of course there is no other option for pregnant teenagers in Disneyverse!). Just because you feel you are providing a safe place for your kids from this big scary world by letting them watch High School Musical countless times doesn't mean you are securing a happier kid. Because most of what Disney does is sell their crap to your kids. That whole channel is about nothing but having a rapt audience of future Disney consumers who watch nothing but commercials for Disney products aimed directly at them. Oh, and..they're hypocrites. Just like everyone else.

I would rather have my 10 year-old watch countless hours of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and have those tough discussions that may make us both squirm then have to deprogram my kid from some sugar-coated false utopia that masks rampant consumerist ideals.

That is my rant, and I'm sticking to it.
(oh, and, sorry big brother, I know you're pro-Disney, but this is part of what makes our family so uniquely wonderful, no?)

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...