Plotlines photos on Flickr

50 years, 50 famous cars by The Think Tank

From Knight Rider to Ghostbusters, many films and TV series are known for their iconic vehicles as much as for their plotlines and characters.

Artist Scott Park and website Jalopnik have teamed up to showcase the best fifty cars in film and TV over the past fifty years in a nifty short video.

The cars featured include the famous Mini from The Italian Job (1969), the sleek and imposing Batmobile from Tim Burton's Batman (1989), and the Gigahorse from last year's Mad Max: Fury Road.

Watch the video below and tell us which car is your favourite - or which others should have been included.

The House Of The Wind by Titania Hardie / Witch Hill by Marion Zimmer Bradley by Eye8Pudding

House of the Wind -- "San Francisco, 2007. Madeline Moretti is grieving her fiancÉ’s death. Nothing brings her joy anymore, and Maddie’s grandmother, a fiery Italian, sends her to Tuscany to heal. Here, Maddie is immersed in the mystery of a ruined villa. Destroyed centuries ago in a legendary storm on the Eve of St. Agnes, it has been known ever since as the Casa al Vento—the House of the Wind.

Tuscany, 1347. Mia hasn’t spoken since her mother’s death and lives in silence with her beloved aunt. One dark night, a couple seeks refuge in their villa. Used to welcoming passing pilgrims, Mia is entranced by the young bride’s radiance and compassion but is mystified by her reluctance to reveal even her name. Where has she come from, and why must her presence be a secret?

As each searches for a way to step into her future, both Mia and Maddie will be haunted by the myth of the young woman who walked unscathed from the ruins of the House of the Wind" -- from www.amazon.com

This was a very good book...I loved the setting and the evolution of the dual plotlines.

However, the ending was a little bit of a letdown...I think the story could have

used a slightly better and more put together conclusion.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Witch Hill -- "Sara Latimer's last relative has died. Heartbroken and feeling totally alone, Sara moves to the family home she had just inherited, Witch Hill, only to find that she is shunned by most of her neighbors.

Finally Matthew Hay, one of her only allies, explains that Sara's aunt was a powerful, evil witch and that the townspeople fear that Sara is following in her footsteps. Matthew and his ladylove, Tabitha, are also witches, and they too believe that Sara has her aunt's powers-and that she is ready to be possessed by her aunt's waiting spirit.

Sara crumbles under the steady onslaught of Matthew and Tabitha's evil. For a time, her love for Brian Standish keeps her sane, but at last Sara is lost in a maelstrom of dark power and sex magick.

As a Champion of Light, Colin MacLaren cannot allow Sara to be destroyed by Matthew Hay. Even at the risk of his own soul, he will save Sara." -- from www.amazon.com

Pretty much the same type of book as Dark Satanic. Underdeveloped characters and

a frankly silly plot that stretched even my willing suspension of disbelief.

The House Of The Wind -- Started: Oct. 11, 2012 Finished: Oct. 18, 2012

Witch Hill -- Started: Oct. 18, 2012 Finished: Oct. 30, 2012

25 Book Challenge 2012 Books #67 & #68

AVATAR WRESTLING FEDERATION SMACKTACULAR! by DC Antonelli by Chantal Harvey

Come on, come all and compete in the first ever AVATAR WRESTLING FEDERATION SMACKTACULAR! Good guys, bad guys and all characters in between earn bragging rights at this "spectacle of excess" unparalleled in any life and not possible in real life!

Join us!

Join avatars from communities from all over Second Life to come together for a festival of absurd creative competition and over-the-top artistic performance and entertainment.

What is this?

Think a cross between Sumo, Pokemon matches, Yu-Gi-Oh duels and the most outrageous Mexican style TV wrestling ever staged in any life! Yep, that's what the AWF SMACKTACULAR is all about.

Remember Andre the Giant? Bo Bo Brazil? Mexican Wrestling Lucha Libre? Now multiply this by the power of the virtual world and imagine the most out-of-control event possible!!!

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Mexican Wrestling:

Mexican wrestling in similar in many ways to the form of wrestling that inspired it -- American professional wrestling. Both forms are full of colorful characters and outlandish storylines, and the rules in both forms are very flexible and loosely enforced. In fact, lucha libre translates to "free fighting." As with American wrestling, people often say that Mexican wrestling is "fake." In some respects, this is true. The winners of most matches are pre-determined, in order to move along pre-planned soap opera style plotlines. The wrestlers are usually acting out parts -- they don't really hate each other. On the other hand, if you've ever seen Rey Mysterio, Jr. perform a Huracán rana, you know that there is nothing fake about the athleticism and training required to pull off the most impressive lucha libre moves.

entertainment.howstuffworks.com/mexican-wrestling.htm

Here's what French thinker Roland Barthes has to say about wrestling:

"The virtue of all-in wrestling is that it is the spectacle of excess. Here we find a grandiloquence which must have been that of ancient theatres. And in fact wrestling is an open-air spectacle, for what makes the circus or the arena what they are is not the sky (a romantic value suited rather to fashionable occasions), it is the drenching and vertical quality of the flood of light. Even hidden in the most squalid Parisian halls, wrestling partakes of the nature of the great solar spectacles, Greek drama and bullfights: in both, a light without shadow generates an emotion without reserve. "

www.tcnj.edu/~miranda/classes/theory_practice/barthes_wre...

Syrka Preview by jasmine J

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Syrka is from a separate plotline from Eko (and the others). Eko is from the Shadowrun plot, and Sykra is from a post-apocalyptic world. She's specifically a zombie trader, and a runner. I'm having a HUGE problem with this plot's dolls, however, because Ghoulia is the skintone I want for the zombie secondary character to Syrka and, well, Ghoulia dolls are nearly impossible to find on shelves -.-;;

But I really wanted Syrka finished because she was such an amazing design in my head, but mostly I'm just ridiculously proud of her "Amanda Fucking Palmer Eyebrows" - Stephanie is too talented for her own good...

Better pictures will come later, depending on the weather.

2016 Branson Trip by Kurt Ockelmann

Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park is located between Branson and Branson West off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. The park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson's vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm. Silver Dollar City's operating season runs from mid-March until late December, with the park closed during the months of January and February. Silver Dollar City is owned by the Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns, operates or partners in 25 properties in 10 states and includes the nearby water park, White Water; water excursion and theatre, the Showboat Branson Belle; water and land tour attraction Ride the Ducks. The park gained much public notice when the Clampett family of CBS-TV's The Beverly Hillbillies decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City (treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park) to start off the 1969-1970 season. The plotline involved Granny (Irene Ryan) attempting to find a husband for Elly May (Donna Douglas) back in the hills, while Jed (Buddy Ebsen) socialized with hotel clerk Shorty Kellems (Shug Fisher). They visited the blacksmith Shad Heller, soapmaker Granny Ethel Huffman, and woodcarver Peter Engler, and Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) was seen in the Ozark woods. The Hillbillies were from the area surrounding Silver Dollar City and Branson, and references to Jim Owens and his White River float trip business and some Missouri mountain locations were made throughout the show's nine-year run. Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were eventually shot in the park. 7/23/16

Tipping the Velvet by Andrew Mudd

I found this completely random and rather funny. If you know anything

about the plotline behind Tipping the Velvet, you may find it

funny, too. The position, that is.

Goldfish by Greg Dunlap

A traditional part of the haft-seen. The film buffs in my midst may recall that the collection of a nice goldfish for a haft-seen formed the plotline of Jafar Panahi's wonderful film The White Balloon.

So That's How They Do It by Darla Krusee

Many consider me no fun. I don't like pranks, Halloween costumes, or role playing, and I really don't like haunted houses. Along those lines, I'm also not a fan of illusions or magic, but, eh, for someone like Siegfried & Roy in an extravagant Vegas style show, I might make an exception.

Then there's Gob Bluth. HIS magic show, I would definitely pay to see.

While marathoning 'Arrested Development' the past couple days, I've been reminded what a dorky wannabe Gob is.

And, how much I absolutely adore that show.

A plotline in one episode has Gob and a rival dimwitted magician fighting over the 'legs' of the saw-the-lady-in-half trick. While explaining the spat to Michael, he explains the actual trick. A young boy in the audience overhears the explanation and says, 'So that's how they do it', just about the same time I thought to myself…

So, that's how they do it.

Not that I've ever believed anyone has ever sawed a lady in half, but thanks to Arrested Development and giving it ten seconds of thought, I now know how silly some 'magic' really is.

Except for pulling a quarter out of someone's ear. That's gotta be legit. Right?

Image is from Arrested Development via Watch Instantly on Netflix.

Everyone in my "Momoko" gang.. by dolljunk

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Okay, since my silly parodies are over for awhile, i guess i should put up a little bio for each of these guys and how they fit into my seriously plotline.

Drake Reed: age 25 in backstory. current age: 42.

Editor of a newspaper that covers political affairs and such. famous author of fantasy novels and such. short tempered but strong moraled.

Maia Cygnet-Anderson: aged 19 in backstory. current age: 36.

Broadway performer, famous for portraying a mute avariel and can be a bit prissy. she can be nice but a bit dramatic and vain at times. Friends with Kiryna as she has one of kiryna's kidneys.

Trudence Gardener nee Hart: aged 26 in back story. Currently Deceased.

Royal Heir to the country Modeerf. Loves to paint and is a lover of art. She can be most stubborn when she needs to be but is sweet and is more empathetic than most.

Cadel Gardener: Aged 28 in back story. currently 45.

Rampantly Bisexual, he is a bibliophile and will read almost anything and be able to remember important plot points. Despite being amorous, he holds the ones he loves close to his heart.

Fionix "Fio" Reed: aged 23. Currently decreased.

Born prematurely, he is usually seen with the capacity of a child by his friends and family, despite having an IQ of 223. Loves music, but he can't sing really high or really low notes and cannot play any instrument. carts around his bear as a security item.

Kiryna Thorn nee Reed: aged 20 in backstory. Currently 37.

Kindergarten teacher, she loves working with children and has a perky outlook on life. She may seem soft, but can toughen up when need be it.

Noah Thorn: Aged 20. Currently 37.

Photographer, he met Kiryna in college, when they were both poor, working a couple jobs to survive the world.

Used to be an underwear model, he can seem naive at times, but is really sweet.

27/3 coin of the Roman Republic 230BC with Hercules, Pegasus and Herculean club, and College of Augustales Herculaneum with frescos of myths of Hercules by Andrew McCabe

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The College of Augustales in a town such as Herculaneum were appointed by the emperor Augustus. under advice from the town councillors or Decurions, from amongst freedmen i.e. ex-slaves to attend the rites of the Lares associated with the meeting of ways at that town, the municipal equivalent of the household Lares. After the time of Augustus no doubt their focus switched to attending to the rites of the god Augustus thus mirroring the activities of the Imperial priesthood of the Augustales at Rome. Decurions were required to be free-born and thus barred to ex-slaves. Thus Augustales provided an honoured means by which richer freedmen could attend to civic duties, with the associated expenses that always implied whether for entertainments, support for the needy, or town infrastructure improvements. Herculaneum was a small town of some thousands, perhaps its Augustales might have numbered a hundred or so and constituted a middle-class cadre rather above the plebs despite not being free born. Their pictured college building is quite splendidly decorated, and that decoration focusses on the myths of Hercules, from whom the town was named, in the frescos to left and right. Hercules was a mortal demi-god, son of Jupiter and Alcmene, the granddaughter of the legendary Perseus, founder of Mycaenae. Elsewhere on this webpage I describe his tangles with centaur and wife Deianira that led to his ultimate death. The very first silver coin struck at Rome in 269BC, as referred to by Pliny, has as its type Hercules and the Wolf and Twins. The coin shown above is the first struck-bronze bearing Hercules, around 230BC, with his club and Pegasus on the reverse. Sadly in Greek mythology Hercules and Pegasus don't cross paths, but Disney fixed that in the movie Hercules, where Pegasus is created by Zeus out of a cloud and keeps Hercules company at all times. A comparison of plotlines shows Disney pulled its punches, stepping back from Deianira's nastiness and other such soft-soaping. Oddly, in the stakes for children's education the original myths perhaps did a better job of moralising, showing the bad side of life and the consequences of poor-decision making.

Suzanna Leigh-The Lost Continent-1968 by Morbius19

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youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

Details & Behind-the-Scenes from Rashayla Marie Brown in Collaboration with Jamila Raegan: The MPA for MPA by Recess

Each year movies or TV shows are released featuring minoritized characters in entirely predictable and depressing plotlines, often under the guise of “uplifting” a trans or POC character. However, given that they are made in the context of a white supremacist, hetero-patriarchal culture of Hollywood, this media generally relies upon a three-act structure,following a “hero’s journey” character development arc. When a minority subject is involved, they are often submitted to various forms of violence to ratchet up the drama including: imprisonment, murder, pseudo-pornographic portrayals of sexual violence, or self-sacrifice to allow the main protagonist to further their quest.

As an intervention into this mainstream culture that exploits Black and queer pain, Rashayla Marie Brown (RMB) proposes The Motion Picture Association for Maintaining Personal Ambivalence. Along with collaborator Jamila Raegan, RMB will fashion the Session gallery into an independent filmmaking space where underrepresented audiences can alter the traumatic endings of movies they want to love, but cannot bear to witness. Using the aesthetics of a 1950’s writers’ room and photographic studio replete with carefully curated props, The MPA for MPA offers local filmmakers, activists, artists, and the public a chance to convene for cinematic ideation conversations that lead to the co-creation of storyboards and photographic images through the lens of Black Femme Aesthetics.

2016 Branson Trip by Kurt Ockelmann

Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park is located between Branson and Branson West off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. The park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson's vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm. Silver Dollar City's operating season runs from mid-March until late December, with the park closed during the months of January and February. Silver Dollar City is owned by the Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns, operates or partners in 25 properties in 10 states and includes the nearby water park, White Water; water excursion and theatre, the Showboat Branson Belle; water and land tour attraction Ride the Ducks. The park gained much public notice when the Clampett family of CBS-TV's The Beverly Hillbillies decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City (treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park) to start off the 1969-1970 season. The plotline involved Granny (Irene Ryan) attempting to find a husband for Elly May (Donna Douglas) back in the hills, while Jed (Buddy Ebsen) socialized with hotel clerk Shorty Kellems (Shug Fisher). They visited the blacksmith Shad Heller, soapmaker Granny Ethel Huffman, and woodcarver Peter Engler, and Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) was seen in the Ozark woods. The Hillbillies were from the area surrounding Silver Dollar City and Branson, and references to Jim Owens and his White River float trip business and some Missouri mountain locations were made throughout the show's nine-year run. Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were eventually shot in the park. 7/23/16

AWF - art performance - DC Antonelli by Chantal Harvey

Come on, come all and compete in the first ever AVATAR WRESTLING FEDERATION SMACKTACULAR! Good guys, bad guys and all characters in between earn bragging rights at this "spectacle of excess" unparalleled in any life and not possible in real life!

Join us!

Join avatars from communities from all over Second Life to come together for a festival of absurd creative competition and over-the-top artistic performance and entertainment.

What is this?

Think a cross between Sumo, Pokemon matches, Yu-Gi-Oh duels and the most outrageous Mexican style TV wrestling ever staged in any life! Yep, that's what the AWF SMACKTACULAR is all about.

Remember Andre the Giant? Bo Bo Brazil? Mexican Wrestling Lucha Libre? Now multiply this by the power of the virtual world and imagine the most out-of-control event possible!!!

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Mexican Wrestling:

Mexican wrestling in similar in many ways to the form of wrestling that inspired it -- American professional wrestling. Both forms are full of colorful characters and outlandish storylines, and the rules in both forms are very flexible and loosely enforced. In fact, lucha libre translates to "free fighting." As with American wrestling, people often say that Mexican wrestling is "fake." In some respects, this is true. The winners of most matches are pre-determined, in order to move along pre-planned soap opera style plotlines. The wrestlers are usually acting out parts -- they don't really hate each other. On the other hand, if you've ever seen Rey Mysterio, Jr. perform a Huracán rana, you know that there is nothing fake about the athleticism and training required to pull off the most impressive lucha libre moves.

entertainment.howstuffworks.com/mexican-wrestling.htm

Here's what French thinker Roland Barthes has to say about wrestling:

"The virtue of all-in wrestling is that it is the spectacle of excess. Here we find a grandiloquence which must have been that of ancient theatres. And in fact wrestling is an open-air spectacle, for what makes the circus or the arena what they are is not the sky (a romantic value suited rather to fashionable occasions), it is the drenching and vertical quality of the flood of light. Even hidden in the most squalid Parisian halls, wrestling partakes of the nature of the great solar spectacles, Greek drama and bullfights: in both, a light without shadow generates an emotion without reserve. "

www.tcnj.edu/~miranda/classes/theory_practice/barthes_wre...

Vancouver's 80th Annual Polar Bear Swim: Balloon-Man by Susan Gittins

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This guy kept inflating giant balloons and attaching them to his head (clear, pink to match his bikini, red and this blue one, which looks like it IS his head!), only to lose them as they shot off into the sky. He reminds me of a Fringe plotline here.

WAXY. has amazing pictures of him from this year and last on his Flickr photostream. Check it out @ www.flickr.com/photos/waxypoetic/sets/72157623117595516/

Apologize for the fogginess of this shot, but the spectators and cameras got almost as wet as the Polar Bear swimmers. What a downpour.

Follow me on Twitter @susangittins

Batman: The Killing Joke; Hitman; Justice League by Michael Vance1

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Suspended Animation Classic #428

Originally published March 2, 1997 (#9)

(Dates are approximate)

Hitman; Justice League; Batman: The Killing Joke

By Dr. Jon Suter

Several reprinted DC comics have arrived in bookstores, but not all are of recent vintage. DC’s “Hitman” is a curious blend of crime, horror, and science fiction. The title character first appeared as a victim of alien invaders in the 1993 plotline “Bloodlines” and resurfaced in his own series and the Batman series “Contagion”.

There are obvious similarities to Marvel’s character, Punisher, but Tommy Monaghan has powers never known to Punisher; Monaghan operates in the gangster-haunted alleys of Gotham City, but also deals with walking corpses, Etrigan the Demon, and other bizarre characters.

Garth Ennis and John McCrea make this odd mixture work surprisingly well although the violence is often graphic.

The “Contagion” chapter is reprinted out of sequence, and does not appear in the “Contagion” paperback reviewed here recently. Hitman made an appearance in DC’s “Justice League” #5.

Less violent than Hitman is “Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare”, a reprint of a mini-series in which the Justice League of America, a superhero team, is reformed. This incarnation is very close to the Schwartz-Fox-Sekowsky creative team version of the JLA of 1960.

The villain first appears to be Dr. Destiny, but writers Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza manage a few surprises. I personally find the art rather weak; the lack of detail may appeal to some, but the JLA needs a more dynamic quality.

The best part of the story is that dealing with the superhero, Martian Manhunter.

The best of the trio is the surprisingly durable “Batman: The Killing Joke”. This graphic novel first appeared in 1988. Alan Moore’s script and Brian Bolland’s art combine for one of the best character analyses of the Joker I have ever seen.

The Joker’s wanton crippling of Barbara “Batgirl” Gordon and the assault on her father’s sanity always struck me as more reprehensible and better told than the Joker’s later murder of Robin.

The miracle is that this book still sells for $3.95 while the others described sell for $9.95 and $8.95 respectively.

Virtualized by wirehead

I accidentally overexposed KC in this shot but it works well with the plotline of the play and makes her look a little Bladerunner 2049 (although I never actually saw Bladerunner 2049, LOL)

maxepunk and kc_hyperbland in THE SUPER SECRET SOCIETY: A PLAYABLE PLAY at tabardtheatre. There's still a show tonight and tomorrow!

Photo Story 11 by em`lia

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*Officers approaching*

This was a silly little photo story we played out on Siama's visit. Not much of a plotline or character development. LOL

“Explosions in the Sky” an American post-rock band Members Chris Hrasky , Michael James and Jaey Gajera whoop it up together at the Pre Party of Johnnie Walker - The Journey 2015. Twitter.com/JaeyGajeraIndia Instagram.com/JaeyGajera Twitter.com/TeamJaey by Jaey Gajera

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“Explosions in the Sky” an American post-rock band Members Chris Hrasky , Michael James and Jaey Gajera whoop it up together at the Pre Party of Johnnie Walker - The Journey 2015.

Twitter.com/JaeyGajeraIndia

Instagram.com/JaeyGajera

Twitter.com/TeamJaey

‪#‎ExplosionsInTheSky‬ ‪#‎JohnnieWalker‬ ‪#‎TheJourney‬ ‪#‎KeepWalking ‬‪#‎ChrisHrasky‬ ‪#‎MichaelJames‬ ‪#‎International‬ ‪#‎MunafRayani‬ ‪#‎MarkSmith‬ ‪#‎Hollywood‬ ‪#‎Austin‬ ‪#‎Texas‬ ‪#‎JohnnieWalkerTheJourney‬ ‪#‎JaeyGajera‬ ‪#‎GiorgioMoroder‬ ‪#‎Tycho‬ ‪#‎Leo‬‪ #‎ListenToMeMarlon‬

The Odd Day. by Lazarus Lowenstark

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Lowenstark’s Log: 02-15-XX

Another freakishly bizarre day in Midian. I swear, living in this place is like living in a sci-fi action comedy drama series on a high-dollar network. The special effects are good, but sometimes the plotlines get a little crazy.

The oddness started after Mass, when I agreed to help Elise and Guin train Sayuri (another Sayuri, this one an orphan) in some combat skills. Seemed harmless enough, until the very beginning when I was trapped in every nerds wet dream: Getting assaulted by two badass, mid-drift exposing, super hot mega ninja babes with knives. I’m getting old, and slow, and I almost got cut up for it. For her part, Sayuri has some good instincts.. she’s going to prove to be a skilled fighter one day.

The oddness continued when I invited Alric over. See, based on a few context clues in our past, I figured he may have the same mutation as Yuri did. To let him know I knew, I used some dry-ice fog, red lighting, and of course, Vincent Price’s famous “rap” from the end of Michael Jackson’s Thriller:

"Darkness falls across the land

The midnite hour is close at hand

Creatures crawl in search of blood

To terrorize yawls neighbourhood

And whosoever shall be found

Without the soul for getting down

Must stand and face the hounds of hell

And rot inside a corpses shell

The foulest stench is in the air

The funk of forty thousand years

And grizzy ghouls from every tomb

Are closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay alive

Your body starts to shiver

For no mere mortal can resist

The evil of the thriller.."

Though he seemed angry and annoyed, Fallon laughed so hard her water broke. Naturally, Alric and I put aside our conversation about what my little gag meant, and dealt with that – thanks to an appearance by Dia and Bianca. (I almost fainted, and then almost hurled. Would’ve been complete to have Garth Algar there with a little Dixie cup: “if you’re going to spew – spew in this!”) And now Alric is the proud father of a set of twins. Among, I’m sure, hundreds of other children he has elsewhere.

Then Bianca got a message that the UAC had a mother pinned down in the street. I showed up to provide cover, but by that time, they’d been intimidated away. I was extremely annoyed they weren’t simply executed in the streets. We really need to start teaching them that wearing that uniform is certain death on our island. I escorted this mother home, and then went home. I needed sleep.

PLOTLINE PET - another story completed by ChatGPT and read by Chaz by Charity Jerwield

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My American pal Suze joins me to consider, with examples, the merits of AI in storytelling (just about competent), lyric writing (appalling) and musical arrangement (often brilliant).

Also on YouTube at youtu.be/Up6mERlrpUI

Tribute to LeelaSh by Jeannie.H

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LeelaSh has lots of fabulous baking and crafty photos in her stream, but when I saw her Daleks painting, I had to tribute it.

We haven't really watched the Matt Smith Doctor Who episodes; not because of him, but because we think the plotlines have become too contrived. We watched it on Christmas Day, but hadn't realised it was the third part of a three part storyline - which explained a lot! It was good to see Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and I do hope he does a Doctor/ Malcolm Tucker sketch for Comic Relief :)

I wish I wish with all my heart... by pete

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Jessie's favorite TV show right now is DragonTales. It's a very cute show. I like it myself actually. Anyways, I found out several weeks ago that DragonTales Live was coming to our area. I just had to get tickets. I knew Jessie would love it. So I bought 3 tickets, and we would buy a ticket for Sydney to have her sit on Jane's lap when we got to the event.

Well the show was this past Saturday. Of course we had no idea at the time that Sydney would get sick and wind up in the hospital. As I was at home taking care of Jessie while Jane was at the hospital with Sydney, I was contemplating not going to the show. But the tickets were non-refundable. And I had paid a little extra to get good seats(10th row back). And with Jane's urging, we went on our own....just the two of us.

I had been hyping up the event to Jessie for weeks. So on the morning of, she was pretty excited. The drive out to Riverside, where the even was held, was not too bad. Only took us 30 minutes. When we got there, we found our seats. And when the show started, I could see the look of excitement on Jessie's face. That was worth the price of admission right there. Thoughout the show, Jessie kept rambling on about how much she likes the show. Half way through the show, they had an intermission. Once that started, Jessie said to me, "But Daddy, I don't want to go home. I want to watch more." :) She didn't realize we were only half way through.

Anyways, it was a really cute and fun show. The plotline was fun. The characters and costumes were great. And the sets were just amazing. I'm really glad we decided to go. Jessie had a blast.

Upcoming shows that we might take her to include Sesame Street Live and Cinderalla Live.

Critters by Dharma

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The Critters film series, from New Line Cinema (which is owned by Warner Bros.), comprises four movies that combine elements of horror, science fiction and comedy. The first film, called simply Critters, was released in 1986 and received "two thumbs up" from Siskel and Ebert.

Although widely believed to have been made to cash in on the success of the similarly themed Gremlins (which was also owned by Warner Bros.),[1][2][3] director Stephen Herek has refuted this in interviews, pointing out that the first Critters script was written by Domonic Muir long before Gremlins went into production and subsequently underwent rewrites to reduce the apparent similarities between the two films.[4] In any case, the basic plotline of the first film - mysterious strangers arrive in small town to repel marauding invaders - is more like a classic Western narrative.

Cool Toys Pic of the day - Unbound by rosefirerising

Unbound:

unbound.co.uk/

@Unbounders:

twitter.com/unbounders

Author David Brin posted this to his Facebook stream yesterday. How

appropriate to discover this marvelous resource via a well-known

author! David posts the most wonderful things to his Facebook page,

and if you don't follow him, I highly recommend doing so.

Unbound is a crowdsourcing tool. I'm a big fan of crowdsourcing.

Remember Hilary Clinton's concept, "It takes a village to raise a

child"? That is the basic idea — that it takes a village to do pretty

much anything worthwhile, and that the village may include a broader

range of people than we traditionally expect, and in roles that may

surprise some. Crowdsourced science (also known as citizen science)

gives a way for the general public to assist in generating, gathering,

organizing, and analysing data for various science projects. Unbound,

in part, creates a space to crowdsource funding for authors to write

books.

I remember back in grad school writing an entry for a scholarship

award contest, a one page essay. Mine was on the origins of copyright,

and let me tell you that writing a one-page essay on copyright was

quite possible the most difficult piece of writing I ever attempted.

The gist of it was that the original purpose of copyright was to:

a) provide incentives, rewards, and protections for those wonderful

creative people who do what the rest of can't but need;

b) to do so primarily in a form that fosters relationships between the

creative person and the audience who appreciates their works; and

c) with the primary purpose being to encourage the creative person to

KEEP BEING CREATIVE (as a benefit to society at large).

Well, copyright legislation has been co-opted, and no longer does what

it was intended to do, instead feeding the middleman instead of either

the creative person or the consumer of creative words and goods. In

response to the breakdown in copyright law and the resulting gaps

where it was originally functioning, we've seen a number of

alternatives arise, from shareware to open access and open source,

along with Creative Commons licensing and more. Unbound is another

entry into that chasm where copyright used to be.

Historically, for an author to write a book they either had to be a

person with a fair amount of leisure, or received donations from a

sponsor. The sponsor would often provide influence or shape to the

creative work, or would be honored in it, either through a thinly

veiled plotline hinting at their achievements, or by name or

characterization. Once publishers moved into prominence, royalty

advances became more typical, or grants from foundations or the

government specifically intended to support creative works that were

unlikely to generate commercial profit.

With more and more authors moving outside of commercial publishing to

make their works available, and taking advantage of print on demand

services, the role for publishers is changing quite a bit. Authors

have the choice of starting off independently (indie publishing, so to

speak) and then seeing if a large publisher is interested in picking

up on option after they see how it sells. I've bought Kindle books on

Amazon, and seen the author dialog with the readers and go back and

change things. Then I get the option of whether I want the new version

or the one I already read.

I've seen authors soliciting funding supporton Kickstarter for writing

a book, as well as composers

and game

designers and a wide variety of creative endeavors — even a comicbook!

Unbound is similar, but focusing specifically on writers and writing.

So here's the story, direct from the folks at Unbound.

"We think authors and readers should decide which books get published.

On the Unbound site, authors pitch their ideas directly to you. If you

like what you read, you can pledge your support to help make the book

happen. Everyone who supports an author before they reach 100% of the

funding target gets their name printed in every edition of that book.

All levels include a digital version and immediate access to the

author's shed while they write the book, and supporters of projects

that don't reach their target receive a full refund."

What, and who, do you want to be reading?

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic by Bernt Rostad

The back label of the Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale from Stone Brewing Co.

The Vertical Epic is a series that Stone started back in 2002, as can be seen on the side of the white sticker. The beers so far have been released on 02.02.02, 03.03.03, 04.04.04, 05.05.05, 06.06.06, 07.07.07 and 08.08.08. There are four more to come, which will be released on 09.09.09, 10.10.10, 11.11.11 and 12.12.12.

These bottle-conditioned ales are specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12, 2012. At that time, Stone informs us, enjoy them in a "vertical" tasting. Each one unique to it's year of release. Each with its own "twist & turn" in the plotline. Each one released one year, one month and one day from the previous year's edition.

2016 Branson Trip by Kurt Ockelmann

Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park is located between Branson and Branson West off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. The park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson's vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm. Silver Dollar City's operating season runs from mid-March until late December, with the park closed during the months of January and February. Silver Dollar City is owned by the Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns, operates or partners in 25 properties in 10 states and includes the nearby water park, White Water; water excursion and theatre, the Showboat Branson Belle; water and land tour attraction Ride the Ducks. The park gained much public notice when the Clampett family of CBS-TV's The Beverly Hillbillies decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City (treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park) to start off the 1969-1970 season. The plotline involved Granny (Irene Ryan) attempting to find a husband for Elly May (Donna Douglas) back in the hills, while Jed (Buddy Ebsen) socialized with hotel clerk Shorty Kellems (Shug Fisher). They visited the blacksmith Shad Heller, soapmaker Granny Ethel Huffman, and woodcarver Peter Engler, and Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) was seen in the Ozark woods. The Hillbillies were from the area surrounding Silver Dollar City and Branson, and references to Jim Owens and his White River float trip business and some Missouri mountain locations were made throughout the show's nine-year run. Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were eventually shot in the park. 7/23/16

Molten Tremere by Glenn Moyer

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just fooling around with some texturing on basic symbols, there's a gehenna plotline in my Larp right now...seems appropriate!

Buster Crabbe in "Mars Attacks the World" Lot (Universal, 1938). Photo (8" X 10"). by Morbius19

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ2HUfD0QSw&feature=share&amp...

Universal, 15 Chapters, 1938. Starring Larry “Buster” Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton, Frank Shannon, Beatrice Roberts, Richard Alexander, Donald Kerr, C. Montague Shaw, Wheeler Oakman.

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars picks up almost exactly where Flash Gordon left off, with our courageous trio of interplanetary adventurers–Flash Gordon (Larry “Buster” Crabbe), Dale Arden (Jean Rogers), and Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon)–returning to Earth from the planet Mongo. They are greeted to a royal welcome, since their voyage has saved the Earth from being destroyed by the late Emperor Ming of Mongo. Zarkov, however, attempts to curb the Earthlings’ ebullience by cautioning them that the defeat and death of Ming does not mean that their planet is free from other threats of extraterrestrial invasion. As usual, Zarkov is correct; shortly after his warning speech, the Martian Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts) begins an operation designed to siphon off the “nitron” (aka nitrogen) in the Earth’s atmosphere. Azura’s primary goal is to create nitron-powered weapons with which to wage a war against her mortal foes, the Clay People of Mars. She’s indifferent to the devastating effect that it will have on the Earth, while her chief adviser and military consultant regards the destruction of Earth as the main attraction of the plan. That adviser is none other than Ming (Charles Middleton), still very much alive and longing for revenge on Flash and Zarkov for toppling him from his throne and driving him into exile on Mars.

As the Earth begins to experience catastrophic floods and storms, due to the effects of Azura’s “Nitron Lamp,” Zarkov, Flash, and Dale launch another interplanetary trip to discover the cause of the catastrophes, which Zarkov has determined are due to a beam that emanates from outer space. They discover an unexpected stowaway aboard after takeoff–reporter “Happy” Hapgood (Donald Kerr), who had set out to track down Zarkov and get his opinion of the world-wide disasters. Not long after arriving on Mars, our quartet of Earth adventurers find themselves embroiled in the war between Azura and the Clay People. The latter are one-time rivals of the Queen, who have been transformed into living clay by Azura’s magical powers and banished to underground caverns from whence they carry on a guerilla war against Azura’s forces. The Clay People’s king enlists the aid of Flash and his party, as both of them want to stop Azura’s nitron-collecting plans, and, with additional aid from Prince Barin (Richard Alexander)–who arrives on Mars to try to convince the Martians to expel Ming–Flash and his party pit themselves against Azura’s magic, Ming’s machinations, Ming’s savage allies the Forest People, and many other hazards, in their quest to save the Earth.

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars is fully as good as the first Flash Gordon serial, although its strengths are in slightly different areas. While Trip to Mars doesn’t measure up to Flash Gordon when it comes to colorful characters and fantastic monsters, its focused plotline surpasses the episodic story of the earlier serial. In Flash Gordon, the protagonists merely responded to the perpetual perils that were hurled at them by Ming, King Vultan, and King Kala, while Ming’s own plans for destroying the Earth were largely abandoned after the first chapter in favor of his attempts to marry Dale and destroy Flash. In Trip to Mars, Flash, Dale, and Zarkov initiate events instead of just coping with them, and Ming’s new grand design drives the plot far more strongly than his earlier one, giving the good guys a clear-cut objective (the destruction of the Nitron Lamp) beyond simple escape from Mongo.

While Trip to Mars has no characters to rival Flash Gordon’s King Vultan and no bizarre beasts like the Orangopoid or the Fire Dragon, it still has excellent other-worldly atmosphere. The sets are not as varied and intricate as in the first serial, but still surpass the backdrops of almost any other chapterplay. Especially striking are Ming’s “powerhouse,” with its laboratory equipment and its disintegration room, Azura’s massive palace with its unique architectural design (particularly the futuristic pocket doors), the Clay People’s eerie caves, and the wonderfully-designed realm of the Forest People, with its twisted trees, climbing vines, hidden tunnels amid tree roots, and treehouse-like observation platforms.

In addition to the big sets, there are dozens of other major and minor props and special effects that make Trips to Mars memorably atmospheric; there’s the the Martians’ flying capes, the Martian televiewer screens (which are cleverly incorporated into the recap sequences at the beginning of each chapter), the Clay People’s vapor-healing chamber, and the bridge of light that connects Azura’s rocket tower to the rest of her palace and is powered by a simple switch like any Earthling lamp (the scene where Flash and Zarkov are first forced to cross the unsafe-looking thing is quite funny), to name but a few. I also appreciate the fact that Azura’s spaceship squadrons–her “stratosleds”–are designed differently than any of the ships in the first Flash Gordon serial; one would expect the aerial fleets of differing planets to differ in appearance. Another neat touch of internal consistency is the use of three completely different forms of salute by the three principal Martian races–Queen Azura’s subjects, the Clay People, and the Forest People.

The serial’s screenplay maintains good continuity with the previous Flash outing, despite being the work of a completely different team of writers–Ray Trampe, Norman S. Hall, Wyndham Gittens, and Herbert Dalmas. The new writing team avoids any of the clunky lines that occasionally crept into Flash Gordon’s dialogue exchanges; they also, despite having to resort to a few flashbacks to the first serial for padding purposes, manage to make their plot fit its fifteen-chapter length quite nicely. The major plot thread of the heroes’ attempts to destroy Ming and Azura’s Nitron Lamp is skillfully interwoven with several subplots–the Clay People’s efforts to regain their natural shape, the attempts by both Flash and Ming to get hold of the Black Sapphire of Kalu (a talisman that can neutralize Azura’s magic), and Ming’s plot to undermine Azura and seize the Martian throne.

Trip to Mars’ script wisely spreads its plot developments over the course of the serial, instead of introducing all its ideas in the first chapter and letting them tread water until the final one: the Clay People aren’t introduced till the second chapter or the Forest People until the sixth, while Prince Barin first arrives in Chapter Seven. The Nitron Lamp is destroyed in Chapter Nine and rebuilt over the course of the following chapters until it must be destroyed again at the climax, and one of the principal villains is killed off in Chapter Thirteen.

The cliffhangers aren’t quite as varied as in the first Flash serial, due to the lack of the various monsters that frequently attacked Flash for chapter-ending purposes in the earlier outing. However, writers still manage to avoid excessive repetition; for instance, while there are three chapter endings involving stratosled crashes, each one is set up differently–the first has Flash crashing a stratosled into another stratosled to stop it from bombing Dale and Happy, the second has a stratosled crashing on top of Flash and Zarkov, and the third has Flash and the pilots of a ’sled grapping for the controls as it soars towards yet another crash. There’s also an excellent cliffhanger in which Flash, Dale, Happy, and Zarkov are surrounded by an ever-narrowing ring of fire in the Forest People’s kingdom, and a memorably unusual one that has a hypnotized Dale stabbing an unsuspecting Flash in the back.

Though Trip to Mars has no swordfights or wrestling matches corresponding to those in Flash Gordon, it still features a nice variety of action scenes–including stratosled dogfights, fights among the vines and treetops of the Forest Kingdom, and chases through Azura’s big palace; the palace sequence in Chapter Five, which has the nimble Flash vaulting through windows to avoid the guards, is a particular standout. Directors Ford Beebe (a Universal serial veteran) and Robert Hill (a talented director who rarely escaped from low-budget independent serials and B-films) do a fine job of orchestrating these action scenes, assisted by stuntmen Eddie Parker (doubling Buster Crabbe), George DeNormand, Tom Steele, Bud Wolfe, and Jerry Frank. All of the aforementioned stuntmen, except Parker, also pop up in minor acting roles.

The performances in Trip to Mars are all first-rate; the returning actors from the first serial are all just as good as they were in Flash Gordon, while the new major players fit in smoothly. Buster Crabbe’s Flash is just as tough, chipper, athletic, and likable as in the first serial–and a good deal more wise and resourceful than before, improvising strategy and coming up with plans in tough situations instead of just trying to batter his way out. Frank Shannon’s Zarkov, as consequence of Flash’s new-found intelligence, has a reduced part, not guiding the good guys’ actions as he did in the first serial; he still functions as the scientific brains of the group, though, and is still as intense, serious, and sincere as before.

Jean Rogers, with her long blonde hair bobbed and dyed brown to better match the comic-strip version of Dale Arden (she’s also dressed in less arresting fashion), isn’t as stunning as in Flash Gordon, but is still a warm, welcome, and lovely presence. Her part here is smaller than in the first serial, though, since Ming is not romantically interested in her this time out (Ming, though no gentleman, evidently prefers blondes). Richard Alexander’s Prince Barin is a lot more self-assured when it comes to delivering dialogue this time around (helped, no doubt, by the absence of any overly high-flown lines), while his convincingly royal bearing and his commanding size are as effective as before.

Charles Middleton’s Ming is even more entertainingly sinister here than he was in Flash Gordon, getting a good deal more screen time and given a more devilish appearance by a notably forked beard. Though still given opportunities to break into tyrannical and bloodthirsty rages (particularly in his insane rant in the final chapter), Middleton spends much of the serial displaying duplicity and sly subtlety instead, since his Ming must pretend to friendship with Azura even while plotting against her. Middleton carries off this slightly more multi-faceted version of Ming masterfully, winning a few laughs with his crafty cynicism while remaining thoroughly sinister and hateful.

Beatrice Roberts does a fine job as Queen Azura, eschewing the sneering, aggressive demeanor of other serial villainesses for a regal, dignified manner (with a wryly humorous undercurrent) that contrasts interestingly with her often cruel behavior. Her Azura comes off as selfish and ruthless, but not an abusive tyrant like Ming. Donald Kerr as reporter Happy Hapgood, the other principal new character, is as controversial among fans as most other serial comedy-relief characters are. Speaking for myself, though, I found him quite likable and entertaining; he provides an amusingly commonplace point-of-view towards the fantastic world of Mars and is never obtrusive, gratingly stupid, or obnoxious. Additionally, his character is allowed to be quite heroic and helpful when the chips are down, a far cry from one-dimensional cowardly “comic” pests like Sonny Ray in Perils of Pauline or Lee Ford in SOS Coast Guard.

Wheeler Oakman is very good as Tarnak, Ming’s wily lab assistant and co-conspirator against Azura. C. Montague Shaw, concealed under heavy makeup for most of the serial, conveys an impressive air of ruined dignity as the King of the Clay People and manages to seem both sinister and sympathetic at different times. Usual hero Kane Richmond brings appropriate depth of characterization to his key role as a Martian pilot, who proves instrumental in helping Flash overthrow Ming in the later chapters. Anthony Warde has a small part as Toran, king of the Forest People, but extracts as much snarling nastiness as possible from the role. Future director Thomas Carr is his second-in-command, Kenne Duncan is the officer in charge of Azura’s airdrome, Lane Chandler and Jack Mulhall both appear as pilots of her Death Squadron, and Warner Richmond has a small role as one of Ming’s palace cohorts.

Hooper Atchley and James Blaine pop up as self-important Earth scientists, propounding ingenious and inaccurate theories as to the causes of the damage brought about by the Nitron Lamp, while Edwin Stanley is the general presiding over a council comprised of these two and additional savants. Louis Merrill (a radio actor who played character roles in several feature films) has a brief but memorable turn as the blunt and slightly uncouth Dr. Metz, who alone among the scientists has the humility to admit that Zarkov is the only one capable of unravelling the riddle of the disasters. Merrill’s characterization is so vivid that one wishes the actor had taken a larger part in this chapterplay or in other serials.

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars is a nearly ideal sequel, in that it manages to preserve the basic strengths of its predecessor while deviating from it in some areas and improving on it in others. It’s also a nearly ideal serial, independent of its relation to the earlier Flash Gordon; it balances good acting, atmosphere, action, and plotting in such fine style that it would still be a notable achievement if it were the sole entry in the Flash Gordon series.

Flash, Dale, and Dr. Zarkov return from their former space adventures only to find that their enemy, Ming the Merciless of planet Mongo, has a new weapon: a deadly ray that crosses space to wreak havoc on earth. Earth's only hope is for our heroes to take off again and stop the ray at its source on Mars, where they (and a stowaway) familiar to sci-fi serial fans as Happy Hapgood the space traveling reporter). Must battle Ming's ally, Queen Azura, who turns her enemies into lumpish clay people.With the aid of the Clay People and Prince Barin, Flash and his friends are triumphant in destroying the ray and putting an end to the scheme of Ming the Merciless. Can they survive 15 chapters of deadly perils? Find out next week...

The Deadly Ray From Mars was an edited version of the 1938 Universal serial "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" that was released to TV in a syndication package in 1966.

Mars Attacks the World was the feature version of the 1938 serial titled Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars. aka "Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars" - USA (TV title)

Mars Attacks the World is the feature compilation version of the serial Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, while Rocket Ship is the the feature compilation of the serial Flash Gordon.

Jean Rogers as Dale Arden

Charles Middelton as Emperor Ming

Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkov

Beatrice Roberts as Queen Azura

Richard Alexander as Prince Barin

Montague Shaw as The Clay King

Donald Kerr as Happy Hapgood the space traveling reporter.

The title of this serial was originally going to be "Flash Gordon and the Witch Queen of Mongo." It was changed so that Universal could save money by shooting the outdoor scenes on the back lot and not have to build costly sets, and by reusing the set for Emperor Ming's palace.

In the stock footage from Flash Gordon, shown in this film, as Flash is telling The Clay People about his previous encounter with Emperor Ming, Ming is bald and Dale Arden has blond hair. In this sequel, Ming has "pasted on" hair and Dale is a brunette. It has been reported that Jean Rogers (Dale Arden) had many other film roles pending at that time (1938) which had called for her to portray a brunette.

King Features Syndicate released the 3 Flash Gordon serials as well as "Buck Rogers," Red Barry", "Ace Drummond" and other comic strip cliffhangers to US TV in 1951. Because the television show Flash Gordon, starring Steve Holland as Flash, was in syndication in late 1953, the three Universal Pictures Flash Gordon theatrical serials were retitled for TV broadcast. Flash Gordon became "Space Soldiers", Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars became "Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars", and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe became "Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe". To this day both the 3 original "Flash Gordon" serial titles and the 3 "Space Soldiers" titles are used.

Chapter Titles:

1. New Worlds To Conquer

2. The Living Dead

3. Queen of Magic

4. Ancient Enemies

5. The Boomerang

6. Treemen of Mars

7. Prisoner of Monga

8. Black Sapphire of Kalu

9. Symbol of Death

10. Incense of Forgetfulness

11. Human Bait

12. Ming the Merciless

13. Miracle of Magic

14. Beasts at Bay

15. An Eyes For An Eye

Alan Tudyk and Jewel Staite by Horse N. Buggy

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We were treated to some of the ideas that Alan constantly put in front of Joss for possible plotlines:

* The crew has to do a job that requires them to go through a wormhole. However, this particular wormhole, or maybe all wormholes, physically changes you after you've gone through it. Normally people take that into account and plan to have "recovery time." But the nature of this job is such that they have to get it done quickly and can't wait to recover. So they bungle through the job with their "alterations." The only alteration I remember him mentioning was that Nathan's butt would swell up to 5 times its normal size.

* Another idea centered on them having to supply these wild, unbelievably ferocious dogs to a really nasty ring of illegal dog fighters. They had to collect these dogs from the side of a planet that never rotated around to see its sun. The crew figured that the best way to capture these dogs was with a trap that was covered in pheromones. Except, uh-oh, during the job, Jayne drops the pheromones and now the whole crew is covered in them. After all the hijinks of getting the wild dogs into the cargo hold of the ship, the payoff of the episode is that River tames the dogs before they can deliver them to the scary bad dudes.

* The last one made no sense coming from Alan, the actor. He wanted to do an episode completely in Chinese. It is a well-established fact among the cast that Alan was by-far the worst when it came to learning his Chinese lines. I can't imagine him being able to get through this episode except as the character who sits on the ship waiting to rescue everyone else who doesn't have to communicate with the chinese-only speaking people on the planet.

Deborah Hosking by Mattress Factory

Memento (Hong Kong)

Projected digitized Super 8 footage, paper lantern

2011

Artist statement:

Asia is rife with spirits. The evil ones are of course the best known but ancestors, too, are ubiquitous and must be respected. Country to country, no one doubts this; the only point of departure is how best to handle them. They have operas; they serve them tea, oranges and rice; they burn incense to discourage them and paper money to keep them comfortable in the afterlife.

I lived in the village of Yung Shue Wan, on an outlying island of Hong Kong, for the better part of 8 years. There were no cars on the island but there were tiny fishing boats in the harbour. My apartment was urban, in its way, above a noodle shop on the noisy, narrow, concrete Main Street. Less a street than a glorified sidewalk, the pageant of life that passed below my balconies rivaled any city.

There is no big picture, no single story of Hong Kong in the years before the Handover. Local movies about the city were often shot via mirrors and through windows, close up yet distant. Stories are often vague, not quite coherent – change was too fast for sharp focus or linear plotlines. We’re left with just an impression.

I return to Hong Kong and Yung Shue Wan nearly every night in my dreams. Memories fade but the impressions are vivid and insistent. Memento is, as its name suggests, a faded souvenir of a colourful time, part fevered dream, part wistful memory.

Bio:

Deborah Hosking has lived, worked and exhibited in New York, Hong Kong, Paris, Los Angeles and, since 2005, Pittsburgh. Initially a painter and mixed media artist, she now works primarily in digital photography and video. She has awards to her credit in each medium, and a number of her photographs are currently included in an exhibition in the American Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic. Deborah served as production designer for the short films The Specials and Lightweight, which she also co-wrote. She holds a BFA from Carnegie-Mellon and an MFA in Film & Digital Media from Chatham University.

Jean Grey as the Black Queen by Bren Jay

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Bought at a convention I don't recall what year, except that it was right around that time of the X-Men plotline when Jean became the Black Queen in the Hellfire Club.

Molten Salubri by Glenn Moyer

just fooling around with some texturing on basic symbols, there's a gehenna plotline in my Larp right now...seems appropriate!

waiting to open the mystery box called 2009.. by Ananya Rubayat

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another new year,another hodgepodge,

some recaps,some new plotlines,

some broken ties,some lost treasures,

sunny smiley faces ,sad rainy days.

some inspirations,some lost dreams,

some new beginnings,some bemused ends,

some new hopes,something new..

happy new year everyone..

Collectibles in the Classroom by Sideshow Collectibles

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How cool would it have been to have a comic book club in junior high school - a real club with after school meetings and school sponsorship?! Well, 6th grade teacher Todd Hutcheson in La Quinta, California, is making that dream reality for some very lucky kids, but its not all just fun and games and geeking-out over their favorite characters or plotlines. These kids are learning the serious side of comics, what it means to be a hero and how comic stories aren’t as far as one might think from what’s really going on in the world. They’re turning their passions into real knowledge and seeing that comics are an important part of pop culture. When we heard from Mr. Hutcheson and the club, we thought they might enjoy a few classroom collectibles to help fuel the fire of their young minds, and, well, they like them. Take a look at these snap-shots from a recent club meeting!

Buster Crabbe in "Mars Attacks the World" Lot (Universal, 1938). Photo (8" X 10"). by Morbius19

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