Slowly getting back to productivity
It's good to know that out of three entries with any sort of political content on them, two different fights managed to break out. Aaaaaand this is why we will not be having political discussions here anymore.
... But first I'll post this, because it's stunningly stupid, and as much as I hate Fox News, Shepard Smith's reaction is for the win. "Really? ... Ralph Nader. What was that?"
By the way, in case you didn't check out the Twi-spam entry, there is in the comments the most amazing Breaking Dawn macro/animation ever created. No, it is. IT IS. You'll see it. Can't miss it.
Black Ribbon ramblings: Read over some of the most recent additions I'd written for Black Ribbon--earlier this summer--and was surprised how much I liked them. I have huge issues with some of the earliest scenes I wrote, the ones I haven't fixed yet, but some of the newer additions seem to be working out pretty well. The funny thing is that I came up with a fairly major antagonist in one of those new scenes--I've been writing on this for five years and I only just now came up with her. I've actually done a lot of that this year--come up with some fairly important characters, particularly for later books, that I can't believe in retrospect I didn't have in there the whole time. I'm afraid people are going to think I'm an incredibly sloppy writer or something, but it's like--it's like I have to gestate these things until they come out almost fully-formed (I have control issues, I think). I'm going to have so much of the series planned out in advance, in my head and my notes, that the actual writing of the books is almost an afterthought. "Oh wait! I can't actually download the story from my brain to yours!"
Yeah. I have to learn to unclench a little.
(I think part of my anxiety about Black Ribbon is that I'm trying to lay the groundwork for an eight-book series, and I'm terrified that there's something I ought to be including, some little clue or detail, that I'll wish I'd put in four books from now. [The Harry Potter series: a terrible, terrible influence.] So it's that whole self-sabotage-by-perfectionism thing going on. "I'LL JUST KEEP WORRYING THAT IT COULD BE BETTER AND THAT WAY I'LL NEVER HAVE TO FINISH.")
Anyway. On to the linkspam!
New Springsteen album in January?
Thom Yorke releases Obama celebration song.
Will Obamas get a Yankee labradoodle?; Daily Show: John Oliver Sniffs Out "The Road To The Doghouse." "SHE'S A MAVERICK" made me laugh really hard, I don't know.
Bush Dog Barney, Acting Out after Obama Win, Bites Reporter; The Bizarre History of White House Pets.
From prncssaurora: The puppycam! (Let's check in on the puppycam; Pick your favorite puppy!)
Recall the Gold: The 1988 Best Actor Oscar race.
Images: New 'Dragonball' Pic.
Trailers and clips: Must Watch: Full Trailer for Jim Carrey's Hilarious 'Yes Man'; Clive Barker's 'Book of Blood' Trailer - For True Fans Only!; Tropic Thunder's Scifi Trailer Brings Double the Baby And Double the Stiller.
trailer_spot: Australia, Monsters vs. Aliens, Cadillac Records, Dean Spanley.
Daniel Craig focuses on James Bond; Daniel Craig Brings 'Quantum' To Rome; Daniel Craig Brings 'Solace' To Germany (no word where he took "Of" to); Daniel Craig is Spain Sexy; Craig: 'We're Ready For A Black Bond'; 'I wanted to make the Bond movie I always wanted to see...'; Bond babe talks videogames; The Most Ludicrous James Bond Supervillain Plots Of All Time; Site of the Day: Rejected James Bond theme songs.
(Related: Marc Forster Remaking Korean Action Flick 'Die Bad.')
Watchmen's Sally Jupiter Sexy At Every Age. People asked why they would cast Carla Gugino as someone's aging mother. Now you know.
Downey Jr. On Howard/Cheadle: "Don't Ask Me!"
Brooding Hero Saves IMAX; When Oscar Hype Goes Wrong, Vol. MMCXLI: 'How Obama Helps Batman.' Okay, I thought maybe I was the only reader who saw that post and went "WHAT?"
Did Angelina Jolie Kill The 'Wanted' Sequel? I have to salute her if she's the one who insisted on [spoiler], because as wrenching as it was, it was right. It's also why I kind of wish they wouldn't do a sequel at all.
Mark Strong On His 'Kick-Ass' Character and How Violent It Will Be.
Antonio Banderas Readies His Canvas For Salvadore Dali Biopic; El Mariachi for Dalì. So now we've got THREE Dali movies in the pipeline? (Al Pacino as Dali, by the way, is so wrong it may circle all the way back around to right.)
Worthington to star in 'Clash of the Titans'; 'War of the Gods' and 'Clash of the Titans' Casting Begins; 'Titans' Clash with 'Gods' at Warner Bros.
‘Role Models’ Star Paul Rudd Denies ‘Ghostbusters’ Casting During Exclusive Stuffed Animal Booth Interview; The Reelist: 5 More Reasons to Love Paul Rudd; Look to 'Role Models' to laugh.
Boorman to Helm CG-Animated 'Wizard of Oz.'
Bening and Watts are 'Mother and Child.'
Exclusive: Damian Harris on 'Gardens of the Night.'
Poignancy, shock in Holocaust drama 'Boy in Striped Pajamas'; AV Club review: 'The Boy In The Striped Pajamas'; David Thewlis interview.
Interview: 'Repo! The Genetic Opera' Director Darren Lynn Bousman; AV Club review: 'Repo! The Genetic Opera'; See 'Repo! The Genetic Opera' at your own risk.
‘SNL’ Star Rachel Dratch Gets Obnoxious In ‘My Life In Ruins.’
Stallone, Statham and Li are 'The Expendables.'
Lunchtime Quiz: Christopher Walken’s Canon of Crap. Christopher Walken's crap is still better than anyone else's crap, though. Or maybe, more precisely, it's more... more... walken than anyone else's crap.
... But first I'll post this, because it's stunningly stupid, and as much as I hate Fox News, Shepard Smith's reaction is for the win. "Really? ... Ralph Nader. What was that?"
By the way, in case you didn't check out the Twi-spam entry, there is in the comments the most amazing Breaking Dawn macro/animation ever created. No, it is. IT IS. You'll see it. Can't miss it.
Black Ribbon ramblings: Read over some of the most recent additions I'd written for Black Ribbon--earlier this summer--and was surprised how much I liked them. I have huge issues with some of the earliest scenes I wrote, the ones I haven't fixed yet, but some of the newer additions seem to be working out pretty well. The funny thing is that I came up with a fairly major antagonist in one of those new scenes--I've been writing on this for five years and I only just now came up with her. I've actually done a lot of that this year--come up with some fairly important characters, particularly for later books, that I can't believe in retrospect I didn't have in there the whole time. I'm afraid people are going to think I'm an incredibly sloppy writer or something, but it's like--it's like I have to gestate these things until they come out almost fully-formed (I have control issues, I think). I'm going to have so much of the series planned out in advance, in my head and my notes, that the actual writing of the books is almost an afterthought. "Oh wait! I can't actually download the story from my brain to yours!"
Yeah. I have to learn to unclench a little.
(I think part of my anxiety about Black Ribbon is that I'm trying to lay the groundwork for an eight-book series, and I'm terrified that there's something I ought to be including, some little clue or detail, that I'll wish I'd put in four books from now. [The Harry Potter series: a terrible, terrible influence.] So it's that whole self-sabotage-by-perfectionism thing going on. "I'LL JUST KEEP WORRYING THAT IT COULD BE BETTER AND THAT WAY I'LL NEVER HAVE TO FINISH.")
Anyway. On to the linkspam!
New Springsteen album in January?
Thom Yorke releases Obama celebration song.
Will Obamas get a Yankee labradoodle?; Daily Show: John Oliver Sniffs Out "The Road To The Doghouse." "SHE'S A MAVERICK" made me laugh really hard, I don't know.
Bush Dog Barney, Acting Out after Obama Win, Bites Reporter; The Bizarre History of White House Pets.
From prncssaurora: The puppycam! (Let's check in on the puppycam; Pick your favorite puppy!)
Recall the Gold: The 1988 Best Actor Oscar race.
Images: New 'Dragonball' Pic.
Trailers and clips: Must Watch: Full Trailer for Jim Carrey's Hilarious 'Yes Man'; Clive Barker's 'Book of Blood' Trailer - For True Fans Only!; Tropic Thunder's Scifi Trailer Brings Double the Baby And Double the Stiller.
trailer_spot: Australia, Monsters vs. Aliens, Cadillac Records, Dean Spanley.
Daniel Craig focuses on James Bond; Daniel Craig Brings 'Quantum' To Rome; Daniel Craig Brings 'Solace' To Germany (no word where he took "Of" to); Daniel Craig is Spain Sexy; Craig: 'We're Ready For A Black Bond'; 'I wanted to make the Bond movie I always wanted to see...'; Bond babe talks videogames; The Most Ludicrous James Bond Supervillain Plots Of All Time; Site of the Day: Rejected James Bond theme songs.
(Related: Marc Forster Remaking Korean Action Flick 'Die Bad.')
Watchmen's Sally Jupiter Sexy At Every Age. People asked why they would cast Carla Gugino as someone's aging mother. Now you know.
Downey Jr. On Howard/Cheadle: "Don't Ask Me!"
Brooding Hero Saves IMAX; When Oscar Hype Goes Wrong, Vol. MMCXLI: 'How Obama Helps Batman.' Okay, I thought maybe I was the only reader who saw that post and went "WHAT?"
Did Angelina Jolie Kill The 'Wanted' Sequel? I have to salute her if she's the one who insisted on [spoiler], because as wrenching as it was, it was right. It's also why I kind of wish they wouldn't do a sequel at all.
Mark Strong On His 'Kick-Ass' Character and How Violent It Will Be.
Antonio Banderas Readies His Canvas For Salvadore Dali Biopic; El Mariachi for Dalì. So now we've got THREE Dali movies in the pipeline? (Al Pacino as Dali, by the way, is so wrong it may circle all the way back around to right.)
Worthington to star in 'Clash of the Titans'; 'War of the Gods' and 'Clash of the Titans' Casting Begins; 'Titans' Clash with 'Gods' at Warner Bros.
‘Role Models’ Star Paul Rudd Denies ‘Ghostbusters’ Casting During Exclusive Stuffed Animal Booth Interview; The Reelist: 5 More Reasons to Love Paul Rudd; Look to 'Role Models' to laugh.
Boorman to Helm CG-Animated 'Wizard of Oz.'
Bening and Watts are 'Mother and Child.'
Exclusive: Damian Harris on 'Gardens of the Night.'
Poignancy, shock in Holocaust drama 'Boy in Striped Pajamas'; AV Club review: 'The Boy In The Striped Pajamas'; David Thewlis interview.
Interview: 'Repo! The Genetic Opera' Director Darren Lynn Bousman; AV Club review: 'Repo! The Genetic Opera'; See 'Repo! The Genetic Opera' at your own risk.
‘SNL’ Star Rachel Dratch Gets Obnoxious In ‘My Life In Ruins.’
Stallone, Statham and Li are 'The Expendables.'
Lunchtime Quiz: Christopher Walken’s Canon of Crap. Christopher Walken's crap is still better than anyone else's crap, though. Or maybe, more precisely, it's more... more... walken than anyone else's crap.