The Expanse, Season Five (Quick Comments, No Spoilers)

A few things about the first three episodes, which dropped Dec. 15 (and which self has already watched twice)

• Splitting up the characters creates great narrative drive.
• The scale of this universe is tremendous. Just the scope of the whole production, the ambition and sweep — not even Battlestar Galactica had that.
• The actor who played Erich, Jacob Mundell, is amazing. Once again, props to whoever casts this series. Can’t imagine any other actor who could play this role. They apparently found Mundell in Chicago.
• Drummer’s grief over Ashford broke me.
• Beltalowda is a thing.
• Absolutely hate Filip, he is trash. Points to the actor who plays him, Jasai Chase Owens.
• Monica Stuart, as played by Anna Hopkins, is a lot of fun to watch. Wonder why she never makes a pass at Holden, lol. Even just to worm some information out of him. She seemed pretty ruthless, in the books as well.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

from Dutch Warlord: Hunger Games/Battlestar Galactica Mash-Up

Six months after the destruction of the Twelve Districts, Viper pilot Peeta Mellark is training several rookies when they are ambushed by an enemy fighter patrol. Ordering the recruits to retreat, he engages the enemy patrol alone and destroys most of them but not before suffering critical damage to his own fighter and being dragged into a nearby moon’s gravity well.

DUN DUN DUN!

Stay tuned.

Great Days

After a long year of almost no time to watch movies, self saw three in less than a week: Star Wars (love Rey!), Sisters, and Spotlight (Is the latest trend movie titles beginning with “S”? Is that someone’s idea of practicing good feng-shui or whatever? Good-bye 2015! What a year you’ve been!). As to the latter film, she loved Mark Ruffalo’s performance. Come to think of it, there is not one single Mark Ruffalo performance that self does not love.

Tomorrow, hopefully, J-Law in Joy.

Hits on self’s latest fic topped 1,000 today. It is a great, great day.

Dutch Warlord posted a new installment of her Battlestar Galactica/Hunger Games mash-up: “Four days after the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Panem, Commander Haymitch and all that is left of humanity must avoid their Mutt pursuers, who ambush them thirty-three minutes after every successful jump.”

Story begins: “He hated clocks, always had.”

Oh, self loves Dutch Warlord. It only takes self a few minutes to figure out that the point of view is Peeta’s: “The real question was thirty-three. Why did they come every thirty-three minutes? Why not thirty-four, or fifty-four?”

“Why is it always thirty-three minutes,” he murmured.

“Your transmitter’s on, Baker,” someone growled and Peeta cringed.

(Baker as Peeta’s call sign! This post would not have room enough for all the emojis self wants to drop at this moment.)

Stay tuned.

Battlestar Galactica/ Hunger Games Crossover by Dutch War Lord is Pure Gold

Katniss call sign: Sweetheart (Assigned by Haymitch, of course. Frack, frack, frack!)

Peeta call sign: Baker

Situation: Peeta’s Viper has been shot down! Battlestar pilots need to rescue him, ASAP!

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

The New Five-O is the New Awful

Self can’t resist, simply can’t resist getting into this one hammer and tongs!

She read Heather Havrilesky’s review on Salon.com, and left a comment (Self loves Heather Havrilesky.  She’s been reading Salon.com forever because of Heather.  Right away, dear blog readers know where self is coming from.  So, don’t bother to read the rest of this post if you hate HH)

First of all, self watched the second episode of this show while she was at the San Jose Fairmont.  Waiting for Dearest Mum to wind up her fab dinner with President Noynoy and assorted party.

A few days later, while having lunch at the Burlingame Country Club with Dearest Mum and assorted aunts, one of self’s aunts proclaimed her enthusiasm for the show, and swooned over Scott Caan, saying he was the perfect rendition of his father, James.

So, self checked out a few more episodes, and —

No, Scott Caan does not look the slightest bit like James Caan.

Self left a comment (No. 15) on Heather’s review.  And, this always happens:  self leaves a comment, and suddenly there are 50 comments after hers.  This time was no exception (Perhaps self should call this blog The Kanlaon Post, or something)  There are people hating on her, hating on Heather, defending Grace Park (whose character on “Five-O” is a limp dishrag compared to what she played on “Battlestar Galactica.”  In fact, she has no character on “Five-O.”  Only a cute face and a great body)

OK, bring on the hate, Five-O lovers!

Stay tuned.

The Next “Must Watch”

“Battlestar Galactica” went bye-bye.

Self was sooo depressed.

It took her a long time to find another show that she waited for every week. But she found it with “Justified.” Now, it’s a looong wait for Season 2!

In the meantime, self finds herself watching “The Good Wife.” Self loves, just loves Julianna Margulies! And she loves to hate Mr. Big — oops, she means, that no-good two-timing husband of The Good Wife! She missed a lot of episodes because it was on at exactly the same time as “Justified.” But, “Justified” Season 1 ended weeks ago, so lately self has been giving “The Good Wife” her un-divided attention.

That is, until next week, when “Warehouse 13”, Season 2, airs! (Why is everything on Tuesday nights?)  Producers have already earned self’s undying gratitude by re-teaming (from “Firefly”) Sean Maher and Jewel Staite.  Only now, the situation is reversed, and Sean’s character is in love with Jewel’s character.  Or something to that effect.  Just watch Episode 2 of Season 2, dear blog readers.  (Of course, self understands that unless dear blog readers have either:  a.  watched the movie “Serenity” or b.  seen  episodes of “Firefly” they will have no idea what self is going on about!)

On side note: Now that Stephanie Zacharek is no longer on Salon.com, self finds herself reading more of Heather Havrilesky, the Salon.com TV critic. And — holy cow! — this woman is good!

In fact, self used to read Heather Havrilesky, then about a year ago she got side-tracked by Stephanie. And she just had no time to read two Salon.com critics regularly — Self just doesn’t know how anyone can live a regular life (i.e., read eminently worthy sites like Salon.com, watch TV, and so forth) and write a book! It’s just crazy-making! Unless, of course, one were like Jorge Luis Borges, who lived with his Mom his entire life and declined to start a family (He must have known he was destined for “greather things” — BWAH HA HAAA!)

Anyhoo, to go back to the Stephanie Zacharek/ Heather Havrilesky thing: self is now back to reading Heather Havrilesky. And she’s realized that she should never have stopped reading Heather Havrilesky.

Don’t believe self? Here’s Heather on F/X’s new comedy, “Louie” (whose launch was kinda hard to miss, since the previews aired during “Justified” — HA HA HA!):

It takes a long, long time to grow up. Just when you start to sort things out and make some progress toward maturity, inevitably someone wanders up and offers you a jello shot or a sexy control freak of a boyfriend or a couch to nap on, and before you know it you’re back at square one.

Which feels, at least to self, absolutely true.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Io9’s “Top Ten Sci Fi Disappointments of the Past Decade”

Self will enumerate io9’s choices, followed by some of her usual off-the-cuff commentary!

1. Battlestar Galactica’s final episode

No, No. And no.

2. “The Dark Knight Strikes Again” (in which Io9’s Charlie Jane Anders claims that Frank Miller reveals himself to be no

2nd Saturday of September 2008

Son called– only a week or so before fall classes start, he said he was headed south. He sounded a bit sheepish, perhaps because of all those tremulous calls self has been saddling him with, lately.

It’s all right, self wanted to tell him. If I was in your shoes, I’d head south, too.

The day was mild, crisp. Fall is here! Self catches glimpses of herself in the mirror and thinks: Wow, did you ever screw up. This new haircut of yours is 10x worse than the Prince Valiant cut of two weeks ago.

Self watched “Battlestar Galactica.” Hubby was annoyed at self’s lamentations of woe when Cally got sucked out of an airlock by evil Cylon assistant to President Roslin. OK, it was a re-play but when Cally started wacking Cylon/husband “Chief” in the face with a wrench, self started yelling, “That’s right! Wack him! Wack him!” At which point hubby became extremely — perturbed. He wanted to change the station to football. Self had no idea that her displays of emotionality were so unsettling. Imagine if he were married to Dearest Mum!

Hubby had to go to an office party. Bye-bye! Shortly after he left, self sat down at the dining room table, and looked at a play she hadn’t worked on in almost a year. Hey, self thought: This isn’t bad! She added some really crazy parts: a made-up poem in Chinese; a dialogue with a priest. After an hour she thought: Okey-dokey, better send this off before I lose my nerve. A couple of strokes of the keyboard and– done! Is self not a master of lightning decisions?

Writing is indeed a great — if not, her greatest — comfort.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers, stay tuned.