Fandom Lounge

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:04:02 GMT

So, as I'm sure most of you has heard by now, Yahoo has acquired Tumblr for $1 Bil.

There's relatively little wank about it so far on my dashboard, but I hear there are a lot of mixed reactions. John Darnielle's post is one of the more sane and well-thought out.

Thoughts? Predictions? Betting pools, drinking games and popcorn?

Is it the 6A fiasco all over again? Are veterans of LJ coming out of the woodwork?

This again?

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:08:46 GMT

This BS again? COME ON. No. Just NO. Bad writer, no cookie. I can't even with this stuff anymore.

And I am one of the last hold-outs on the planet to not have a facebook* account so I can't sign in and tell the writer, but...

GUESS WHAT. Women like Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. They like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Dragonlance, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. They like The Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy, Dragon Age, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Halo, and Gears of War. They like Stargate, and Doctor Who, and Firefly, and Farscape.

They also like NCIS and CSI and Castle and White Collar and The Walking Dead and Sex and the City and the Sopranos and American Idol and The Voice and Jeopardy and comic books and cooking and hockey and gymnastics and cats and dogs and...

Women just like STUFF. Okay? Women are half of the bloody population and they--WE--like a diverse range of interests and every now and then, because I do prefer Game of Thrones to Sex and the City, I feel like it's just this big hand-wavey "pfft, you DON'T EXIST".

Because seriously, if I don't exist, why do I have to pay taxes?

*I am honestly, truly, TRULY, getting really unhappy with all of these websites that only give you an option to sign in with your facebook account. My name on the internet is not "Real Name". It's ashinae. I know the internets aren't TRULY anonymous, but... I miss those days. Plus my real name is dumb.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 5 hits west this fall as Dual Destinies

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:38:56 GMT

Ace Attorney 5 is scheduled to appear in North America and Europe this autumn, now under the new legal name of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies.

Capcom says it's releasing the 3DS game in the west digitally (on the eShop).

Edit: Capcom's SVP Christian Svensson explains:

“Sorry guys, but a physical release is not in the cards.

Historically it’s been tough to attract long term retail support for Ace Attorney titles. With the release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies we wanted as many people as possible to be able to enjoy the game for as long as possible. With that in mind we have opted for a digital-only release via the Nintendo 3DS eShop.

I understand that this decision may upset fans who wanted to have a physical version of the title to add to their collection but we believe this direction is the best to take.

We will be confirming details on the price point in the not-so-distant future which I hope will also shed more light on the strategy at play here.”

Check out the first English-language trailer at that link, too.

There should be a "your ass is draggin'" joke here.

Wed, 08 May 2013 02:26:02 GMT

The trailer for the film adaptation of Ender's Game has been released. Yes, a real film, from a studio! With actors! And a director, a script, and what looks like an impressive special effects budget. I was unaware of this, because OSC has long since departed the realm of relevancy, but after over a decade of development hell, Lionsgate has activated the ansible. Behold: Slate's review of the trailer, along with the clip itself. The film is set to hit theaters November 1st.

No major spoilers in the clip, but don't read the final paragraph (the third after the video) if all you want to know is the premise. The trailer shows most of the major characters, including Mazer Rackham, and teases combat (along with the uniforms), while the younger actors all have about ten years on their canon age (which either brings them closer to how you imagined them or is totally unacceptable) -- so prepare to have your version of how Battle School looked RUINED FOREVER. (Post-Inception, I'm sure at least one reviewer will call the combat scenes derivative, while all I saw while watching Inception was "THE ENEMY'S GATE IS DOWN.")

OSC is co-producing the movie, so if you'd prefer not to give the man your money, wait for it to arrive on Netflix or the equivalent. And, yes, this is the studio behind The Hunger Games and, post-acquistion, Twilight, which can mean only one thing: Ender vs. Sparklypoo.

"R.I.P. Ray Harryhausen"

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:40:53 GMT

Cross-posted to deathwatch .

Link, complete with a video compilation of the creatures and images he created.

Special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, whose work influenced filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson and George Lucas, died today in London. He was 92. His family announced the death via The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation Facebook page. The Oscar and BAFTA award winner was known as the master of stop-motion animation on such films as 1963′s Jason And The Argonauts, for which he’s remembered for his extraordinary animation of seven sword-fighting skeletons. In 2003, Harryhausen wrote: “Each of the model skeletons was about eight to 10 inches high, and six of the seven were made for the sequence. The remaining one was a veteran from The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad, slightly repainted to match the new members of the family. When all the skeletons have manifested themselves to Jason and his men, they are commanded by Acetes to ‘Kill, kill, kill them all,’ and we hear an unearthly scream. What follows is a sequence of which I am very proud. I had three men fighting seven skeletons, and each skeleton had five appendages to move in each separate frame of film. This meant at least 35 animation movements, each synchronised to the actors’ movements. Some days I was producing less than one second of screen time; in the end the whole sequence took a record four and a half months.”

Harryhausen’s fascination with animated models began in the early 1930s after watching Willis O’Brien’s creations in King Kong with his childhood friend, the late Ray Bradbury. He began his lifelong adventure in filmmaking with his own home movies that featured his first attempts at model animation. His genius was in bringing his models to life, becoming characters in their own right. His other major works include Mighty Joe Young (1949), It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955), 20 Million Miles To Earth (1957), Mysterious Island (1961), One Million Years B.C. (1966), The Valley Of Gwangi, (1969), The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1973), Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger (1974) and Clash Of The Titans (1981).

I personally didn't see any of the films with which he was involved until my college years, but when I did, it was quite easy for me to fall in love with them, and to recognize his enormous contribution to the world of visual effects. My personal favorite has always been The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, followed by Mysterious Island.

Leonard Nimoy vs. Zachary Quinto

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:39:23 GMT

Old Spock vs. New Spock in the best car commercial ever.

It's worth it to sit through the whole thing.

As one of the comments says, would only have been more perfect with an Old Kirk/New Kirk cameo. "'Scuse us, can we play through?"

Two Star Trek sets being restored by fans

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:20:35 GMT

First, the Enterprise-D bridge set is being restored. Space.com has the story in Refurbished 'Star Trek' Bridge Aims To Beam To San Diego.

Calling all wannabe space captains: The starship Enterprise bridge from television's "Star Trek" may open to the public in the next year. After lying in a studio backyard for years, a display version of the bridge from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is slowly being refurbished by a group called New Starship.

Space.com has a video up on their YouTube channel.

Star Trek TNG Bridge Restoration Called For In Kickstarter Campaign | Video

The original Enterprise-D's bridge was blown up in Star Trek: Generations, but in the late 1990's a duplicate was made by Paramount. Its parts was taken off the scrap heap and there is hope to create it into an interactive experience.

Tested.com has more in an interview with Huddleston.

Restoring the Star Trek: The Next Generation Enterprise Bridge

We meet the organizers of the Enterprise-D restoration project and learn about their plans to reconstruct a complete starship bridge set from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Turns out, the pieces of this bridge were just left out to waste away in the Paramount Studio lot for years before being discovered and salvaged.

Find out more about the project at: http://www.newstarship.com

Space.com also posted about an attempt to reconstruct the Galileo shuttlecraft from The Original Series.

Original 'Star Trek' Galileo Shuttlecraft Restored by Loving Fans

NEW YORK — Two "Star Trek" fans are boldly attempting what many have tried (and failed) to do before: breathing new life into a beloved TV shuttlecraft.

Space.com also has a video up on their YouTube channel.

Original Star Trek Galileo Spacecraft - Where Is It Today? | Video

The TV prop builder, Gene Winfield, 'beams' back to the time of construction to recount the backstory of the ship. It is currently being restored, more info about the project can be found at www.galileorestoration.com.

I have more, including embeds of all three videos, up at Crazy Eddie's Motie News as Rescuing the Star Trek past.

Let's Get Academic

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:08:32 GMT

A friend of mine is giving a talk Saturday on Mary Sues; in preparing, she's trying to determine the extent to which very popular fandoms focus on female characters. She's gone through AO3's top list (all the big ones are slash-focused), but she's lost with several of the big FFN fandoms (she can't figure out from FFN's available information what the most prominent relationships are.

The fandoms are Naruto, Inuyasha, and Glee. She wants to know, are these very young-skewing fandoms, and are they mostly slash or het?

(I'm pretty confident Glee is slash, but want to get an experienced viewpoint first...)

Bad news, everyone.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:36:16 GMT

Futurama to end seven season run on September 4th.

Comedy Central has decided not to renew Futurama, which means that the 31st-century-set animated comedy will end its 140-episode run on Sept. 4. The final 13 episodes, which represent the second half of season 7, begin airing on June 19 at 10 p.m.

...The news did not come as a shock to executive producer David X. Cohen and creator Matt Groening, who had thought their space explorations were ending three previous times (after the Fox run, after the four movies, and after Comedy Central’s first 26-episode order). “I felt like we were already in the bonus round on these last couple of seasons, so I can’t say I was devastated by the news,” Cohen tells EW. “It was what I had expected two years earlier. At this point I keep a suitcase by my office door so I can be cancelled at a moment’s notice.”

Comedy Central’s EVP of Programming Dave Bernath views the network’s decision as “the natural end” to the show’s improbable comeback. “That’s a helluva run that few shows achieve, and especially given the fact that it came back to life, it’s really an amazing story,” he says. “I’m more thankful and feel a sense of gratitude toward the whole process — and that we found a way to keep going for 52 more episodes — than I really am even thinking about the ending. It’s a blessing that it came back and lasted so long.”

The producers say that they are exploring options for a new home for the show, but there are no serious talks at this point. “We’ve been in this situation before and it’s tempting when you’re doing episodes that are as good or better than anything you’ve ever done to continue doing it,” Groening tells EW. “We’re catching our breath and seeing what the fans have to say. The experience of this show has been so much fun from the very beginning to now — everybody is so happy to work on this show — that it’d be a shame if we all went our separate ways… We would love to continue. We have many more stories to tell. But if we don’t, this is a really great way to go out… I think these episodes are the best ones we’ve ever done.”

...Somehow we’ll see Bender shout “Bite My Shiny, Revived Metal Ass!” down the road, right? “Perhaps Futurama will return in another form, on the Internet, or as a puppet show in the park,” says Groening. “Or maybe as a puppet show in the park on the Internet.” Deadpans Cohen: “As I said three times before, this is definitely the absolute end of the show. I don’t know why nobody believes me when I say that.”

Earthbound coming to Virtual Console... on the Wii U

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:34:58 GMT

The cult classic Super Nintendo RPG Earthbound is coming to the Virtual Console on the Wii U in North America and Europe.

Launched in Japan as Mother 2, a North American release seemed unlikely due to rumoured licencing issues, but it would appear that Nintendo has overcome those problems.

The game was already released on Japan's Wii U Virtual Console for 30 cents as part of a special promotion. North America got Ballon Fight.

Greatest TV Romance Contest by EW

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:20:55 GMT

The finalists are... Rose and the Doctor, and Kurt/Blaine from Glee.

There's still time to vote, though Klaine's currently winning. Aaand you can vote more than once. (Something they're wanking mildly about in the comments; barely enough for a mention, and no way to check their ages, so no reports.)

Unico update

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 07:39:45 GMT

Unico has been released and is available at Akadot Retail and at Amazon later in the month.

City of Bones Trailer

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:17:47 GMT

This is the newest trailer for Cassandra Clare's City of Bones coming out this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHlwRsl2uFk

Interesting to see someone who used to be in fandom get her own movie. Anyone else in fandom ever become successful?

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:28:40 GMT

To coincide with the upcoming second The Hobbit movie, ThinkGeek is now offering a glorious Eye of Sauron desk lamp.

And among other new products... Death Star Trench Toss, a cuddly Minecraft Creeper body pillow, and an Alien Chestburster In A Can.

In other words, APRIL FOOLS. :)

What other jokes have you seen around the web today?

:(

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:18:34 GMT

Richard Griffith (Uncle Vernon from the Potter series, among many, many other roles) died today at age 65 after complication following heart surgery.

RIP Mr. Griffith.

Filk fans, looky!

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 23:41:10 GMT

A sample from Julia Eklar's upcoming album Horsetamer

http://prometheus-music.com/audio/Going%20Back.mp3

Veronica Mars Movie

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 03:10:39 GMT

'Veronica Mars' Movie Reaches $2 Million Goal!

I didn't actually watch this show, but I didn't see this news in any of the communities I follow here. As far as I can tell from the article, fans financed a low-budget Veronica Mars movie through Kickstarter. (Warner Brothers agreed to finance the marketing and distribution.)

I wonder if this will become a trend among fans mourning their favorite shows...

Apollo Justice is back for Ace Attorney 5

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:12:44 GMT

The hero of Ace Attorney 4 will make a return for the game’s 3DS sequel (though Phoenix Wright will return to star in the game), according to these scans from the latest issue of Famitsu.

There are minor spoilers for Apollo's appearance in the game and the opening case at the link in case you're trying to avoid things like that.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" author EL James publishing writing how-to guide

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:15:43 GMT

The author of "Fifty Shades of Grey," the fastest-selling book of all time, is publishing a writing guide for aspiring authors. E.L. James and Vintage Books are releasing "Fifty Shades of Grey: Inner Goddess (A Journal)."

It's a leather journal that includes writing and professional advice from James, along with lined pages for writers to employ her strategies with their own ideas. It will also include a foreword from James, excerpts from "Fifty Shades of Grey," and even her own personal writing playlist.

"As E L James traveled and met with her readers, there was a great curiosity about how she got started writing," says Vintage publisher Anne Messitte. "Her personal story as a writer is inspirational to many women, and journaling has been an important part of her creative process from the start."

"Fifty Shades of Grey: Inner Goddess (A Journal)" will be available on May 1.

Dancing with the Stars season 16 cast

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 07:22:14 GMT

I don't know how much interest there is in the next U.S. season of Dancing with the Stars, but the next season's cast has been released, and here it is:

Obligatory gold medalist: ice skater Dorothy Hamill
Emergency backup gold medalist: gymnast Aly Raisman
Obligatory football player: Jacoby Jones of the Ravens
Obligatory Disney actress: Zendaya
Obligatory reality "star": Lisa Vanderpump
And also:
Comedian Andy Dick
Comedian D. L. Hughley
Soap Opera actor Ingo Rademacher
Singer and American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler
Boxing champion Victor Ortiz
Singer Wynonna Judd

I've heard of seven of them, which is probably a record.

"Doctor Who Fan Lindalee Rose Interviews Martha Jones. All Together Now: Awwwwww."

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:15:43 GMT

Courtesy of "The Mary Sue":

Last week our favorite Doctor Who reviewer, the four-year-old Lindalee Rose, put in an appearance at fan con Gallifrey One, where she interviewed Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) about the TARDIS’ amenities and told a rather good knock-knock joke. If you can watch this without cooing at least once, you’re a more stoic person than I. For an extra dose of adorability, a pic of Lindalee and Freeman is after the jump.

Given that Martha is one of my favorite companions, and Freema is one of my favorite Who actors, sharing this one with you guys was pretty much a no-brainer.

Buzzfeed on Tumblr posts hijacked by fandoms

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:51:38 GMT

Link
Sorry not sorry. Some people on Tumblr try to post serious things, or hipster things. But resistance is futile; all posts will be assimilated.

Among the fandoms: Doctor Who, Sherlock, Avengers, My Little Pony, and Spongebob Squarepants.

"Star Wars fans can learn the ways of the Jedi at lightsaber class"

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:27:32 GMT

Link (including video).

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of San Francisco Star Wars fans who want to travel to a galaxy not that far away have created a combat choreography class for Jedis-in-training with their weapon of choice: the lightsaber.

At a recent class, Alain Bloch, the self-proclaimed Jedi Master at Golden Gate Knights, demonstrated a slicing technique. He has a background in martial arts and stage combat.

"Always be mindful of the presence!" he said, donning a Luke Skywalker outfit and a green lightsaber.

With Star Wars movie music coursing through the dance studio, his disciples clutch their neon-glowing lightsabers.

These self-proclaimed "Star Wars geeks" slice and parry as they follow Bloch's lead, and get a little exercise, too.

People in a recent class in the city's South of Market district, including a couple on a date, said they embraced their quirkiness and had even converted some of the skeptical into the "Jedi order."

"At first they giggle because they think it's a little silly. Then they're like, actually that's kind of cool," said Julio Reyes, a student. "Then they start asking more questions."

Not all Jedis-in-training are rooting for the good guys. Some came to embrace "the dark side of the force."

"I just love Vader, period," said the Darth Vader-clad student Gary Ripper. "Just his voice, the way he moved, the power of him. I just liked the powerfulness of him."

The Apocalypse that never ends.

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 03:51:24 GMT

Supernatural is getting renewed for a ninth season.

But why.

Misha Collins has a comment or two. I'd watch that.

Thanks to artimusdin for the Twitter links.

Glee Stuff That Isn't About Shipping

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:10:26 GMT

I heard about this last week, but this article is only a week old.

Jonathan Coulton Explains How Glee Ripped Off His Cover Song — And Why He’s Not Alone

Fans of indie musician Jonathan Coulton were incensed last week when an alleged Glee version of “Baby Got Back” surfaced on the internet that seemed to shamelessly rip off Coulton’s distinctive arrangement of the 1992 Sir Mix-A-Lot song. Last night, that cover version was confirmed as an official Glee track when it appeared on the mid-season premiere of the Fox show, and is currently for sale on iTunes.

Article on Wired.com, and the rest is behind a cut.

Fox’s hard-nosed, corporate disregard for the work of an independent musician seems ironic particularly in the context of Glee, a television show whose core themes have so often revolved around the plight — and triumph — of the underdog. “If this were an episode of Glee I would win. The way they’re behaving is so antithetical to the message of their show,” Coulton told Wired.

“It’s a little frustrating. Whether or not they’re in the right legally, it doesn’t seem like the best way to handle it. If you’re going to claim that you’re giving an artist exposure and they should be grateful — there’s a right way to do that. Contact them ahead of time. Say this is great, we’re going to talk about it on our blog and tell all our fans that they should be fans of yours. We’re going to put a credit in the show. That doesn’t cost them anything. It’s a show with something like a $3.5 million budget for each episode, but there are still so many free things they could have done to engender goodwill.”

Coulton said that while his lawyers have been looking into the copyright issue, it seems unlikely that he will have any legal recourse. ”It seems that because of the compulsory license I purchased when I made a cover of this song, the arrangement itself is not protected under copyright, although it’s the darkest gray of the gray areas [of the law]… While there may be some weird offshoot of the law, it doesn’t seem like something where a little guy could sue to get any satisfaction.”

After the “Sadie Hawkins” episode aired, Coulton posted a tweet that read “I am pretty angry,” and elaborated further on his blog:

Well, they aired it, seemingly unchanged. And it’s now for sale in the US iTunes store. They also got in touch with my peeps to basically say that they’re within their legal rights to do this, and that I should be happy for the exposure (even though they do not credit me, and have not even publicly acknowledged that it’s my version – so you know, it’s kind of SECRET exposure). While they appear not to be legally obligated to do any of these things, they did not apologize, offer to credit me, or offer to pay me, and indicated that this was their general policy in regards to covers of covers. It does not appear that I have a copyright claim, but I’m still investigating the possibility (which I consider likely) that they used some or all of my audio.

After the track first leaked, Coulton asked audio-savvy fans on Twitter to analyze the similarities between the two tracks, speculating that portions of his actual recording may have been lifted for the Glee version, particularly the hand claps and a duck quack sound he had substituted for an expletive. At least one fan, Paul Potts, conducted an in-depth analysis of both files during the duck quack, and while he says it was hard to prove definitively using only the compressed Fox audio, the waveforms appear remarkably similar.

“I’ve thought a lot about what satisfaction I can possibly get out of this situation and I’m not sure yet what the answer is,” said Coulton. “I’m still looking into what I consider to be a very real possibility that they used the audio tracks… That would be a pretty cut and dry violation. You can’t just use somebody’s audio without their permission. If they did, there’s not much question that they’re violated my copyright, as I understand the law. There’s still a chapter yet to come.”

Coulton’s willingness to speak up and enlist the support of his online audience also prompted other artists to come forward, claiming that their song arrangements had been lifted wholesale by Glee for songs aired on the show and sold for profit on iTunes.

DJ Earworm, a.k.a. the San Francisco-based mashup artist Jordan Roseman, pointed out that a 2012 Glee cover of R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” similarly appeared to be lifted from his arrangement of the song, as did singer/songwriter Greg Laswell, who told The Hollywood Reporter in 2011 that his version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” also appeared to have been used without permission on the Fox show.

“Of the Glee version, I think they have enough talent over there that they shouldn’t need to go rummaging through other artists’ work,” said Laswell at THR. “Public acknowledgement of their note-for-note rendition would have gone a long way.”

“It does seems to be kind of a pattern,” said Coulton. “It doesn’t seem like it could possibly be a mistake you would make if you had that legal team… They decided it was a legal risk they feel comfortable taking.”

At the very least, he suggested, they could offer to pay artists whose arrangements they use the same amount of money they would otherwise pay a musical arranger. “If they opened with that, I’m sure a lot of artists would jump at the chance.”

Still, Coulton says he isn’t interested in financial compensation so much as he is a conversation about the way Fox treats the artists whose musical arrangements they use and profit from.

“The most frustrating thing is the completely silent nature of their approach to this ‘exposure bonus’ for me. The thing I would wish for most is a frank and open and public discussion with them about what they have done, what they believe they have done and what their actual policy is on this kind of thing. And I don’t know if I’m going to get that,” said Coulton.

When asked for comment on the issue, Fox representatives did not respond.