Monday, December 27, 2010

Teena Marie

Just found out Teena Marie passed away yesterday.  I'm kind of in disbelief.  I think she takes the crown for WTF death this year.  Seems like every year there's one.  She wasn't even that old...She was 54.  I just read her tweets last week (Tues?).  She was tweeting the lyrics to The Dells  The Love We Had...I was tempted to tweet back to her.  [I wanted to know what prompted her to do it.  I was enjoying it, but it just struck me as kind of odd.]

I want to do a tribute to her, but I couldn't think what to play that everyone else hasn't played umpteen times already.  I've loved her music since I was a kid.  [I keep thinking of playing Deja Vu in particular.  I just want to blast it.]  

Friday, December 17, 2010

The Council of Conservative Christians and the uproar over Idris Elba being cast as Heimdall in Thor

I've been seeing stuff about this off and on all week.   It's funny, Denzel Washington was cast as Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, and I don't recall people acting a fool, but a character in Shakespeare is not a deity.   Non traditional casting seems to be more accepted in theatre, than it is in film, Hollywood in particular...I'm thinking maybe it's because no one has really knocked it out of the park yet [at least as far as having both the performance and box office to back it up].  I'd like to see someone succeed at it in my lifetime.  I know a few weeks or maybe even months ago, Toure' was having a discussion on Twitter about what Black actor would make a good James Bond.  Idris Elba's name came up [I'd be flabbergasted and really angry if it didn't.].  I would love to see that.  But again, James Bond is  another fictional character, not a deity.  And I know we're not talking Jesus, Buddha, or Muhammed here, but still... debates that have anything at all to do with religion, culture, race, and/or politics have a tendency to get very heated, very fast.  Whether it's so called intellectuals getting together [Watch a talking heads show like Face the Nation and see what I'm talking about if you don't believe me.] or it's common folk talking wherever. 

I'm glad to see debates being sparked...I wonder if this will help or hurt the box office for Thor.  I'll definitely be watching to see what happens.  I love comic books/graphic novels and have since I was a kid.  To me [and probably countless others], to have Idris Elba involved with this film is a bonus. 

Racialicious also has a blog post up about the whole Council of Conservative Citizens thing.  I'm imagining this will be debated about all the way up until it's release in May 6, 2011.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

By The Light of the Moon -Vampire Diaries Ep. 2.

Luka and Jonas Martin -- So they are in cahoots.  Luka seems like an unwilling accomplice, but we don't know to what extent.  Bonnie will be hurt and angry.  But, Luka did point out [although he said he was j/k] hiding things isn't a great way to start any type of solid relationship off.  Whether he and Bonnie become friends or something more remains to be seen. 

Bonnie--It bothers me that she didn't somehow sense that switcheroo Luka pulled.  :(  But she sensed Lucy when she was working with Katherine.  I can't figure out if this is because Bonnie is doing most of her learning by instinct and her grimoire or uneven writing or both. 

Elijah-- Was actually trending last night on Twitter, which astounded me.  [Thought sure it would've been Tyler trending, but more on him later.]  I wonder what's going to happen once Klaus finally shows, because if Elijah can't make good on his bargain with Elena all bets are off.   ILiveforTVD on Twitter asked last night if I thought that Elijah was playing Luka's dad or Elena, my response is that knowing how sneaky some of the baddies are on this show, he could be playing both of them.  I'm definitely curious to see what happens.  I just wish they [Williamson & Co] were more consistent about building and sustaining suspense. 

Jenna--I can't figure out whether she gets into the trouble she does,  because she gets left out of the loop because people are trying to "protect" her or she's just that naive about what goes on in town.  No vervain [Or does it just not work on Elijah and The Originals.  If Katherine can build up an immunity to it, I know he can.].   No nothing.   Alaric dropped the ball.  I give credit to  Sara Canning, because every actress doesn't have the capability to make you care about a character despite the potential for the character to become cannon fodder. 

Carol Lockwood -- If Sheriff Forbes knows the hidden history of the town, I find it extremely difficult to believe that Ms. Lockwood also knows something she's not telling.

 Elena -  She's stubborn and she's sneaky.  I'm beginning to think she and Katherine share more than just looks.  :)  It reinforces the whole doppleganger thing very nicely too. 

Katherine--Nina Dobrev does an excellent job inserting vulnerability into a character that at times appears to have none.  I'm just more and more amazed every week. 

Stefan--He's steadfast and it was a dream.  I'd like to say I knew it all along, but I didn't, because with this show, you never know. 

Alaric--  The drunk guy and "rescuer" bit.  I think I'd have bought that way more the other way 'round.  [Just sayin'. ]  Hopefully, after the events with Elijah, Alaric will learn to keep Jenna in the loop.  If he doesn't, I don't even want to imagine the consequences. 

Jules -- She's hardcore and she marked Damon [That can't mean anything good].  She saw right through him too, not that it was all that difficult...[more on him later]. 

Caroline aka Vampire Barbie [That was cute!]--She was steadfast [too] last night.  She stayed up until the very last second and I loved her for it.  I love her and Tyler together.  I'm afraid of what's going to happen when he finds out that she knew about what happened to Mason, etc. though. 

Tyler--I was watching a TV Guide interview with Michael Trevino shortly before BTLOTM aired.  He mentioned that Julie Plec showed him videos of women giving birth and wolves hunting/taking down their prey to help him prep.   Kudos to both her and him, because that ish worked.  The special effects people definitely deserve as shoutout too, because I don't believe I've seen anything that painful looking and believable in recent memory since AWIL.  As far as not seeing the wolf completely...I thought we caught a glimpse [wishful thinking on my part?]...I think they might be saving that...ie. the best is yet to come.  Candice Accola and Michael Trevino definitely brought it.  :)

Rose--How did we go from her pinning Damon to the car to her not being able to stay out of his bed?  What made her jump in the way when Jules came calling?  Maybe if we were shown more of her backstory I'd get it...This just seemed rushed to me and illustrates my misgivings about pairing a [seemingly] strong woman with a player/bad boy/damaged goods type [Either she gets watered down or he does, or both]...As much as everyone in the audience will never be completely satisfied, it's especially true here.   I don't mind if Rose is a little vulnerable, but it felt like this happened way too fast.  [Yes, I know we only have a certain amount of eps. in a season.]  Maybe I was expecting a bit too much?  I'd hate to think that all things considered.   

Damon-- Calling Caroline Vampire Barbie...He got downright Sawyeresque with that one.  : D
Damon's planning needs work sometimes and I think it's definitely due to his arrogance and impulsiveness.  It's definitely a good thing for him that Alaric's got his back and now Stefan's been released from the cave.  I don't think he's going to come out of all this unscathed though.  I'm just not sure what form payback for the murder of Mason is going to come in.  As I stated above, I'm also not sure Elijah is done with him yet either. 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Charlie Brown Christmas...

This time of year is always going to be hard for me regardless...The pain eases, but it never completely goes away...Last night the Charlie Brown Christmas special came on, which inevitably makes me think of my Mom.  It was one of her favorite Christmas specials.  She, my oldest niece, and sometimes my sis would watch it together. 

This was one of our favorite moments [or at least part of it]. 

Friday, December 3, 2010

Yet another WTF moment I could have done without...

I dropped some change just now...I'm stooping to get it.  This guy asks me if I have it.  I say "Yeah."  Guess what he proceeds to do?  He picks up my change and doesn't give it back to me, he puts it in his own pockets.  }:O  There were people looking on, but they said nothing. WTF???!!!! With the morning I've had, I wanted to go off on him, but I thought to myself "Why waste the energy?".  If he had the audacity to steal my own change in front of my face, he must've needed it.  I can't think of anything else that would make someone do something like that.  I would've given it to him if he'd asked, but to just take it? 

Vampire Diaries recap-The Sacrifice

Dr. Jonas Martin--  Lurking in Elena's room.  Taking her hair...[I know it was for a spell, but it was overshadowed to me by the "Let's give viewers yet another reason to hate and fear Dr. Martin" vibe I was getting.  The fact that the actor is a dark-skinned African-American doesn't help here.]

Luka--I don't want to hate him. [Especially since it's too soon to tell how much he knows about his Dad working with Elijah.]  He gets in the way of one of my favorite ships, but still...I felt badly when he had the seizures last night and he's right about Bonnie.  She does need her own variation on The Charmed Ones Power of Three.  Or she needs to pull from nature and return it somehow, like Willow learned to on Season 7 of BtVS.  

Bonnie--I love how they're making her character more 3 dimensional this year.  :) Also I enjoyed hearing Kat Graham's cover of  "Happy When It Rains".   I loved how she stood up for Luka and kept Jeremy from digging himself into an even deeper hole...Still I wish she'd give him a chance.  I think she feels a sense of loyalty to Luka since they bonded.  Someone, I can't remember who, said not to count Team Ice Cream out...I also feel like she's afraid if stuff doesn't work out between them, stuff would be forever awkward.  That's a pretty understandable fear.  At least she knows that Jeremy cares about her too.  She really does need for Cousin Lucy (or Cuzo as I call her in my head) to come back.  Either that, or she needs for Luka to give her Lesson 2, how to call power from the elements...there's another name for it, I'm sure, but at the moment it escapes me.  [Ever notice how Wicca and Vodoun both get exoticized/demonized and they're actually religions?  Yet another reason why I'm conflicted about watching this show, but that's also another blog post.]

Jeremy-- I liked that he stopped when Bonnie told him to as far as pressing his luck by bashing Luka.  That went so wrong...I felt sorry for him.  At the beginning it seemed like he was handling his biz.  I started to worry when he was slow to find the moonstone.  [All I kept thinking at the TV screen was "Run Dammit!"]

Tyler--I feel badly for him and what he's about to go through.  I love that the left the transformation, somewhat to your imagination too. 

Caroline--Smooth how she explained away, knowing about the Lockwood dungeon.  Hopefully, in time Tyler will come to see that her friendship isn't a sham.  Werewolves and the anger thing, just don't give me a good feeling as far as the truth coming out and eventually it will.  The Tyler/Caroline/Matt triangle.  More soap opera stuff, but I don't find it to be as annoying at times, as the main triangle can be. 

Matt--Wish we got to see more of him.  He's one of the only normal characters left.  I do believe they brought this up on The Televixen's podcast too.  Hopefully, the writers will take note. 

Rose--She wanted more from Damon and I wasn't quite sure how to read that...What happened to being torn up over Trevor and no emotions?  Has Damon got The Magic [Stick] or what?  I don't know what's scarier that or the Crazy Eyes.  As we could see from her speedy exit when Elijah showed up, Rose believes in self-preservation almost as much as Katherine.  :)

Elena--Her plan was noble, but how does she think that would have made everyone feel?  From the Salvatores to Aunt Jenna [Half-assed guardian that she is, she still cares]...But then with the body count rising with only Elijah...and Klaus [Who's supposed to be even badder than Elijah...That better be some awesome ish! Is all I have to say.  They've built him up too much now to disappoint us.] on the horizon.  It's not out of the question to come to the conclusion that drastic times call for drastic measures.  Something in Elena's behavior last night that reminded me a bit of Katherine...Elena was sneaky and kind of arrogrant with those bribes, wasn't she?  What would Bonnie have said about her promise to Rose? 

Katherine--It tickled me that she changed her mind about being locked in the tomb.  [She's bored.  XD lol Too fantastic.  Nina Dobrev is a blast in this role.]
Katherine looked like the cat that had gotten the cream when Stefan made his error. 

Elijah-- Ok, if you pull out all the stops with this guy, what will there be left for Klaus to wow us with?  [That double heart rip thing, brings to mind Angel's double staking in the pilot ep.]  Klaus is supposed to outDamon Damon, but I feel like Elijah is already doing that to an extent [Too much of the same thing gets old fast].  :( .  Also, it's all too obvious that Elijah isn't through with Damon and Elena yet...I get the feeling that for Damon payback's definitely going to be a bitch.

Stefan--I felt so sorry for him this ep...He acted to save somebody else in a split second without thinking of the repercussions and it definitely cost him [Hence the title].  :(   As for the previews to next week, I've read enough of the books to know there is Delena, but the way Williamson & Co. is going about getting us there feels rushed and sloppy [at least as far as this ep goes].  Next week's developments with Stefan... I feel like his behavior  is OOC, I guess it feels that way to me, because we haven't seen enough flashbacks of what Stefan was like before Elena.

Damon--There were several times last night when I thought Damon was just going to pounce on Elena last night.  The anger was just so mixed with sexual tension, it was hard to really interpret. [ Ian Somerhalder's mannerisms don't make it any easier sometimes...]  The "Throwing you over my shoulder" line didn't bother me, but the "I'll break your arm" line did.  I'm not saying turn him into a softie, but the line just disturbed me.  You claim to love this girl, put her in a sleeper hold or something, but don't break limbs.  }:(  [Maybe I've got too many issues with domestic violence, but that line just bothered me big time.  I don't care how pleasing to the eye someone is.  That kind of talk just isn't sexy to me at all. ] This time I felt like Damon was right to warn Jeremy away.  Look what it cost them. 

The Twilight nods--Slater's password is what?  Really???!!! C'mon now.  :(   And then the whole thing with Alice [They don't call 'em fangbangers on this show, but that's what she seemed like to me.]. 

A spinoff for TVD...Um until the writing becomes more even again [Hopefully this ep was a fluke as far as that's concerned, because I'd been pleased for the most part with how the season was going so far]....I don't think that's such a great idea.  Not really loving the premise either.  If you're going to use an old idea, at least put a new spin on it or shoot it from a new perspective...Don't add to the same ol' same ol' that's out there.  We've got enough of that.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

My artwork

I've finished a lily painting I was working on.  If I have to do a quick and dirty photo upload, I can use my phone, but I really don't like the quality of photos I take using my cell phone [I also don't want the resolution getting all screwed up].  I'm looking for a good digital camera...[A good digital camera will also help me sell some things on eBay, but that's a subject for another post.]  I'm also hesitant to post the painting of the lily until I get the Chinese name seal I ordered [It is a Chinese Brush Painting after all.].  I'm not sure what other subjects I'd like to do...I'm ordering more books, and I'm hoping something will come to me that's not even in the books.  Or I can combine several ideas that I've seen in different books.  I also want to be sure I'm getting the characters right...I wish there was someone I could go to who could assist that wouldn't laugh at me or turn their nose up at me wanting to do this style.  I'm thinking if I keep my eyes open, I will find that person...I'm stubborn that way.  :)

Outstanding eval...and I thought I'd be happier

I got an Outstanding in my work eval...Somehow I thought I'd be happier...I feel like I had to turn myself inside out to achieve it...I'm not saying success should come easy, but I feel like there's a happy medium.  I think a definite priority shift, change of scenery and/or both will be called for in 2011..2012.  I know it's going to come at a cost though and I'm prepared to deal with it.