This Week in "WTF?!"
Feb. 7th, 2009 10:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
morrigirl1) Far be it from me to pass judgment on anyone whose recreational activities include smoking a little weed now and then. And far be it from me to lecture anyone on the responsibilities of celebrity. I can't begrudge Michael Phelps a toke or two, nor can I lambaste him for setting a "bad example" for the many kids who look up to him. What I CAN let loose on him for is the incredible STUPIDITY of allowing himself to be PHOTOGRAPHED smoking up! Even a five year old knows you're only guilty if you get caught, and Phelps is guilty as shit!
2) Last night, Ruckus.com shut down without warning or preamble. I loved Ruckus! It allowed me to download songs I love by artists I don't so I didn't have to go out and by the entire album! No more Spearhead! No more of The Jets. No Taylor Dayne. I'm wounded, but somehow I know my heart will go on.
3) I knew if I looked hard enough I'd eventually find an erotica writer I liked. Her name is Megan Hart, and her books actually contain *gasp* plots and character development! She does have her own formula. All her books stick to the same outline of events, and all of her heroines do battle the same emotional road blocks, but the sex isn't pointless. Every sex scene in her novels serves a distinct purpose in moving the plot along and that's what I like about them. That and she actually knows how to write.
4) When the Twilight movie was released, I awrote a big long rant about how annoying the whole phenomenon was, but I deleted it because it was just too bitchy. In it, I listed the reasons why I will never stoop so low as to actually read the damn things, and the number one reason was because I already have an all time favorite young adult vampire series, The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith.
This tetralogy, published in 1991, follows the story of pretty, popular Elena Gilbert, her clique of supernaturally gifted friends, and the sudden arrival of two smashingly gorgeous vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, in their small Virginia town of Fell's Church. There is action, adventure, and, of course, romance. Smith went on to write three other very popular trilogies, one duology, and a ten book series called The Night World. All were good, (with the exception of Night World which was too formulaic for my tastes), but The Vampire Diaries remained my favorite. I just loved all the characters, loved Smith's writing and loved her ability to weave such an intriguing tale.
Not long after the publication of the first book in The Secret Circle trilogy, Smith's follow-up to The Vampire Diaries, I wrote her a fan letter. I didn't hear back for months, but when her reply arrived, not only was it personal, (she answered every question I'd asked and made specific comment on the content of my letter), but she included a signed copy of the second Secret Circle book as an apology for taking so long to write back. Of course, I had to write her a thank you letter, and from there a correspondence was born.
Lisa and I kept up our correspondence for about two years. She knew I was an aspiring writer so we talked about writing. She sent my Christmas cards. I knew I wasn't the only reader she corresponded with. During months when she was too busy to answer each piece of individual mail she'd send out a general newsletter. Our correspondence petered out in 1994. I was outgrowing YA fiction, and Lisa was falling on hard times.
None of her readership knew just how hard. All we knew was that the letters stopped, as did her literary output. Two books short of completing The Night World series she just...quit writing. For fifteen years none of her fans, now full grown women in their late twenties and early thirties, knew what had happened. We didn't know why she left the series unfinished or what was preventing her from releasing any new material. It wasn't until last year, when Lisa finally set up a personal website, that all the fans who'd spent half their lives trolling the internet for information found out why she stopped writing. Her fifteen years away from writing were spent becoming acquainted with death. She spent that time taking care of her mother and then her brother-in-law, both of whom were diagnosed with cancer. Her mother passed after an extended battle, her brother-in-law went into remission and eventually recovered. Lisa was so upset, and so busy providing physical and emotional support ot her family, she couldn't write. Though I was sorry to read about her hardships, I was glad to finally know what happened to her.
Not only did she post the whole story in excruciating detail on her website, but she also announced she was going to start publishing again, beginning with a fifth book in The Vampire Diaries series. That book, Nightfall, comes out in hardback this coming Tuesday. Since it has been seventeen years since I read the first four books and don't honestly remember all of them, I know if I want to read Nightfall I'm going to have to re-read the rest of the series. This is a frightening thought. I am terrified of re-reading any of the YA books I loved for fear of discovering that they actually suck and I was just too young to know any better. This fear is compounded by the fact that ever since the first book in the Twilight series was released it has been compared, and knocked for being very similar, to The Vampire Diaries. Even so, I picked up book 1 this evening and began reading.
So far, I've only gotten up to page 48 and here are my observations:
A) Elena is kind of a bitch. She's blond, beautiful, popular, and always gets what she wants. She rules her high school and she knows it. I can only speculate that the reason her arrogance didn't turn me off as a twelve year old was because I wanted to be her so badly. I wanted to be pretty and popular. At that age I didn't know who I was or what I respected. Now, as a twenty-nine year old, I find Elena annoying. She is not someone I sympathize with, not even when her confidence is shaken by Stefan's determination to ignore her. (Yeah, I know, it's sounding more like Twilight by the second. Just remember, Lisa did it first.) If memory serves, however, Elena's character evolves as the books go on, her snotty behavior giving way to a genuine concern for others in something of a Buffy Summers as portrayed by Kristy Swanson sort of way.
B) I knew there was a reason I loved Elena's best friend Meredith. She's dry as hell. After just two sentences of dialogue it is clear that Meredith is the brains and the wit of her clique. She's popular, but she's laid back, and unlike Elena, never seems to care what anyone thinks of her. She is who she is and makes no excuses for it. I can see why, as a twelve year old, I totally identified with her and why she still appeals to me.
But none of this explains the inclusion of this item on my list of "WTF?!" I had to give you the background before I gave you the actual fucked-upedness. In an attempt to cash in on the Twilight craze, CW is developing a pilot based on The Vampire Diaries.
Oh, the problems I have with this, let me count the many:
a) I'm afraid the writers really WILL turn it into a small screen version of Twilight. I'm afraid they will destroy the female characters who, despite their faults, are all very pro-active and aggressive, turning them all into Bella Swans. If that should happen I will swear vengeance.
b) The books are seventeen years old. Not only has the CW's target audience never read them, but they've never even heard of them. It'll be hard to generate interest in a show that is perceived as being a knock-off.
c) All the actors who would have, could have, should have been cast had this show been made in the early nineties are all too old to play the parts now. Having no faith in this generations batch of teen actors I'm afraid the show will be just as mis-cast as it will be mis-written.
Though...I WILL watch it if it gets picked up, even if it's just so I can bitch and moan about it, and write Lisa asking her why she let them butcher her books.
5) While ruminating on vampires, I realized that there is a huge difference in the way male and female vampires are portrayed in films, television, and books. Male vampires are always very alpha male, broody, yet sensitive types. They may be dangerous, but they are also sexy, lovable, and sympathetic. Female vampires, on the other hand, are just evil. They are not portrayed sympathetically. Usually they are antagonists who have no redeeming qualities. Some one needs to change that.
6) I haven't seen Greg in three weeks. That's because his company is developing some new software and, with an extended deadline of mid-March, he's had to work every weekend since the New Year and will continue to do so until they finish the project. Until last night I hadn't spoken to him in about a week and a half. We just kept missing each other. I'd call him and get his voicemail, he'd call back and get mine. Then he stopped calling me back and I started getting worried. Plagued by the memory of Other Mike's abrupt departure, and John's wheedling about being too busy to see me, I was afraid I was facing another inconsiderate and unexplained break-up. It was the first time in the almost three years we've been together that I felt our relationship was in peril. So, Wednesday I called Greg up all weepy and crying, got his voicemaill, and left a message saying I was feeling insecure and REALLY needed him to call me back. Much to my relief he called back twice. Unfortunately, I missed both calls. But, he left me messages saying he was sorry he hadn't called, he was just exhausted and on a fucked up sleeping schedule, and would try to make more of an effort to talk to me. When we finally got a hold of each other last night he reiterated that. I wasn't looking for an apology, I just needed to know he wasn't dumping me. And, he's not. In fact, he's working late tonight so he can come out and visit me tomorrow. That illustrates one of the many reasons I adore Greg and what makes him stand out among my plethora of exes: I say "I need you" and he says "I'm there."
2) Last night, Ruckus.com shut down without warning or preamble. I loved Ruckus! It allowed me to download songs I love by artists I don't so I didn't have to go out and by the entire album! No more Spearhead! No more of The Jets. No Taylor Dayne. I'm wounded, but somehow I know my heart will go on.
3) I knew if I looked hard enough I'd eventually find an erotica writer I liked. Her name is Megan Hart, and her books actually contain *gasp* plots and character development! She does have her own formula. All her books stick to the same outline of events, and all of her heroines do battle the same emotional road blocks, but the sex isn't pointless. Every sex scene in her novels serves a distinct purpose in moving the plot along and that's what I like about them. That and she actually knows how to write.
4) When the Twilight movie was released, I awrote a big long rant about how annoying the whole phenomenon was, but I deleted it because it was just too bitchy. In it, I listed the reasons why I will never stoop so low as to actually read the damn things, and the number one reason was because I already have an all time favorite young adult vampire series, The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith.
This tetralogy, published in 1991, follows the story of pretty, popular Elena Gilbert, her clique of supernaturally gifted friends, and the sudden arrival of two smashingly gorgeous vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, in their small Virginia town of Fell's Church. There is action, adventure, and, of course, romance. Smith went on to write three other very popular trilogies, one duology, and a ten book series called The Night World. All were good, (with the exception of Night World which was too formulaic for my tastes), but The Vampire Diaries remained my favorite. I just loved all the characters, loved Smith's writing and loved her ability to weave such an intriguing tale.
Not long after the publication of the first book in The Secret Circle trilogy, Smith's follow-up to The Vampire Diaries, I wrote her a fan letter. I didn't hear back for months, but when her reply arrived, not only was it personal, (she answered every question I'd asked and made specific comment on the content of my letter), but she included a signed copy of the second Secret Circle book as an apology for taking so long to write back. Of course, I had to write her a thank you letter, and from there a correspondence was born.
Lisa and I kept up our correspondence for about two years. She knew I was an aspiring writer so we talked about writing. She sent my Christmas cards. I knew I wasn't the only reader she corresponded with. During months when she was too busy to answer each piece of individual mail she'd send out a general newsletter. Our correspondence petered out in 1994. I was outgrowing YA fiction, and Lisa was falling on hard times.
None of her readership knew just how hard. All we knew was that the letters stopped, as did her literary output. Two books short of completing The Night World series she just...quit writing. For fifteen years none of her fans, now full grown women in their late twenties and early thirties, knew what had happened. We didn't know why she left the series unfinished or what was preventing her from releasing any new material. It wasn't until last year, when Lisa finally set up a personal website, that all the fans who'd spent half their lives trolling the internet for information found out why she stopped writing. Her fifteen years away from writing were spent becoming acquainted with death. She spent that time taking care of her mother and then her brother-in-law, both of whom were diagnosed with cancer. Her mother passed after an extended battle, her brother-in-law went into remission and eventually recovered. Lisa was so upset, and so busy providing physical and emotional support ot her family, she couldn't write. Though I was sorry to read about her hardships, I was glad to finally know what happened to her.
Not only did she post the whole story in excruciating detail on her website, but she also announced she was going to start publishing again, beginning with a fifth book in The Vampire Diaries series. That book, Nightfall, comes out in hardback this coming Tuesday. Since it has been seventeen years since I read the first four books and don't honestly remember all of them, I know if I want to read Nightfall I'm going to have to re-read the rest of the series. This is a frightening thought. I am terrified of re-reading any of the YA books I loved for fear of discovering that they actually suck and I was just too young to know any better. This fear is compounded by the fact that ever since the first book in the Twilight series was released it has been compared, and knocked for being very similar, to The Vampire Diaries. Even so, I picked up book 1 this evening and began reading.
So far, I've only gotten up to page 48 and here are my observations:
A) Elena is kind of a bitch. She's blond, beautiful, popular, and always gets what she wants. She rules her high school and she knows it. I can only speculate that the reason her arrogance didn't turn me off as a twelve year old was because I wanted to be her so badly. I wanted to be pretty and popular. At that age I didn't know who I was or what I respected. Now, as a twenty-nine year old, I find Elena annoying. She is not someone I sympathize with, not even when her confidence is shaken by Stefan's determination to ignore her. (Yeah, I know, it's sounding more like Twilight by the second. Just remember, Lisa did it first.) If memory serves, however, Elena's character evolves as the books go on, her snotty behavior giving way to a genuine concern for others in something of a Buffy Summers as portrayed by Kristy Swanson sort of way.
B) I knew there was a reason I loved Elena's best friend Meredith. She's dry as hell. After just two sentences of dialogue it is clear that Meredith is the brains and the wit of her clique. She's popular, but she's laid back, and unlike Elena, never seems to care what anyone thinks of her. She is who she is and makes no excuses for it. I can see why, as a twelve year old, I totally identified with her and why she still appeals to me.
But none of this explains the inclusion of this item on my list of "WTF?!" I had to give you the background before I gave you the actual fucked-upedness. In an attempt to cash in on the Twilight craze, CW is developing a pilot based on The Vampire Diaries.
Oh, the problems I have with this, let me count the many:
a) I'm afraid the writers really WILL turn it into a small screen version of Twilight. I'm afraid they will destroy the female characters who, despite their faults, are all very pro-active and aggressive, turning them all into Bella Swans. If that should happen I will swear vengeance.
b) The books are seventeen years old. Not only has the CW's target audience never read them, but they've never even heard of them. It'll be hard to generate interest in a show that is perceived as being a knock-off.
c) All the actors who would have, could have, should have been cast had this show been made in the early nineties are all too old to play the parts now. Having no faith in this generations batch of teen actors I'm afraid the show will be just as mis-cast as it will be mis-written.
Though...I WILL watch it if it gets picked up, even if it's just so I can bitch and moan about it, and write Lisa asking her why she let them butcher her books.
5) While ruminating on vampires, I realized that there is a huge difference in the way male and female vampires are portrayed in films, television, and books. Male vampires are always very alpha male, broody, yet sensitive types. They may be dangerous, but they are also sexy, lovable, and sympathetic. Female vampires, on the other hand, are just evil. They are not portrayed sympathetically. Usually they are antagonists who have no redeeming qualities. Some one needs to change that.
6) I haven't seen Greg in three weeks. That's because his company is developing some new software and, with an extended deadline of mid-March, he's had to work every weekend since the New Year and will continue to do so until they finish the project. Until last night I hadn't spoken to him in about a week and a half. We just kept missing each other. I'd call him and get his voicemail, he'd call back and get mine. Then he stopped calling me back and I started getting worried. Plagued by the memory of Other Mike's abrupt departure, and John's wheedling about being too busy to see me, I was afraid I was facing another inconsiderate and unexplained break-up. It was the first time in the almost three years we've been together that I felt our relationship was in peril. So, Wednesday I called Greg up all weepy and crying, got his voicemaill, and left a message saying I was feeling insecure and REALLY needed him to call me back. Much to my relief he called back twice. Unfortunately, I missed both calls. But, he left me messages saying he was sorry he hadn't called, he was just exhausted and on a fucked up sleeping schedule, and would try to make more of an effort to talk to me. When we finally got a hold of each other last night he reiterated that. I wasn't looking for an apology, I just needed to know he wasn't dumping me. And, he's not. In fact, he's working late tonight so he can come out and visit me tomorrow. That illustrates one of the many reasons I adore Greg and what makes him stand out among my plethora of exes: I say "I need you" and he says "I'm there."
