Work work work.
(Warning: subtle Firefly reference. Dorky banter may follow.)
Reader Interactions
69Comments
Comments are closed.
Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
We are aware of all internet traditions.
You can’t love your country only when you win.
A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals
This blog will pay for itself.
if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.
Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?
“Squeaker” McCarthy
Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.
When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.
Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.
Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?
The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.
Impressively dumb. Congratulations.
Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.
“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”
Usually wrong but never in doubt
When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.
Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.
Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.
If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.
Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.
You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.
Technically true, but collectively nonsense
An almost top 10,000 blog!
guyermo
firefly reference? I saw blazing saddles
jg
worky work busy bee!!!
BTW I finally saw all the Firefly episodes. Cool show, wish it was still on. And even though you don’t need to see the show before the movie it sure helps.
Krista
Finally got to see Firefly, actually. Not bad, not bad at all. Loved the episode where this town worshipped Jayne as their legendary hero. My heart will always belong to BSG, but yeah…Firefly’s pretty cool.
Punchy
Fixed.
Edmund Dantes
The Movie never happened. You hear me? It never ever happened. They killed two of the best characters. It never happened.
scarshapedstar
I think that’s a Warcraft reference.
jenniebee
what you want?
Jake
Liz Cheney has written a thoughtful and original column about the war.
j-
p.s. Did I mention today is Opposite Day?
Pb
Best. Episode. Evar.
My love for me / ain’t hard to explain / The hero of Canton / the man they call… me…
Incidentally, while we’re dorkily bantering, did anyone see The Dresden Files on Sunday? I thought it was pretty good, and at least somewhat close to the spirit of the books. Let’s see if they can keep it up…
Krista
Heh. Reminds me of that South Park episode where Jesus and Santa were doing a Christmas show in Vegas, and singing medlies of various xmas songs. Picture South Park Jesus, singing, “Round yon virgin, mother and me!” while snapping his fingers, and you’ll roughly get the idea. Of course, Santa ran out of songs, ’cause there are much fewer secular xmas songs, so he started singing “Rio” by Duran Duran.
It was delightful.
Andrew
[dork alert]
Coincidentally, I watched the DVD commentary on the 2hr Firefly pilot yesterday. Amusing, and worth listening to. You learn quite a bit about the cinematography from Joss Whedon, and Nathan Fillion cracks wise about the ugly twins Gina Torres and Morena Baccarin.
Not as funny as the Arrested Development commentary where they try to call Jeffery Tambor, but hey…
Punchy
Fixed.
Zifnab
You ga me?
Say hello to my little friend.
For Ai… er… I mean Nerzul.
For the last time, I’m a Dreadlord, not a Drug Lord.
pharniel
i think dresden was ok, but I really liked BSG
more importantly new stargate soon…i fiend…
dresden needs to get more pulpy though, to really get ti going, but at least they were on formula..every noir detectie get’s tortured at least once an episode. it’s a rule or something.
Punchy
Can me, PPGAZ, Kris, and Darrell (!) all have a designated “no game crap” threadpost each day? If I wanted to speak and read Nerd, I’d visit the baseball card buy/sell store in town.
Krista
It’s an open thread…I don’t think we’re allowed to tell the gamers to not threadjack.
Zifnab
Join the army they said.
See the world they said.
I’d rather be sailing.
Perry Como
Realms are back up. Lvl 54 here I come!
/me loves working freelance
David
Pb: Not yet, but I’m working on “acquiring” it. I managed to be at the house of another fan of the books when it aired, but she doesn’t get Sci-Fi, so we watched Doctor Who instead. Did the plot have anything to do with any of the books in particular?
Tsulagi
Firefly was excellent. Sucked it only lasted one season.
BSG is pretty good, but the Cylons are no Borg. Of course the biggest draw in SNG was Seven of Nine. Oh to have heard her tell me “Resistance is futile.”
CaseyL
Sure, that’d be any guys response to Gina Torres dragging them off for some clothes-ripping :)
And the more I think about it, the more I agree: the movie Never Happened. Not only did it kill off some of the best characters, it did away with the series’ charm and zaniness altogether.
Bombadil
Mork, mork, mork.
Muppets reference.
David
Bork, bork, bork, you mean? Mork, Mork, Mork would be Robin Williams.
I think the biggest disappointment in Serenity was the animosity between Simon and Mal. Just didn’t seem true to either character. On the other hand, the (not complete) lack of silliness was fine – it was a fairly serious situation, and it’s not like they went totally straight-faced (“Can we start with the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a 90-pound girl? Because that’s never getting old.”).
TenguPhule
“I aim to misbehave.”
Krista
I always thought it was “bork, bork, bork”.
I loved the Swedish Chef, but have to tell you, if I had a stupid amount of money to spend, I’d build a balcony in my living room, and would have replicas of Statler & Waldorf up there. They were great.
Pb
David,
Not really, although they did get into Dresden’s back story somewhat, and that was fairly consistent with the books.
David
Good enough. Can’t expect every episode to come straight from the books anyway, or it’d be a short series (not to mention that Storm Front’s slated for a few months down the line, and it’d be weird to put another book ahead of that), but I was curious.
Bombadil
OK, “bork, bork, bork” it is, by acclamation.
Always sounded more morkish to me, but whatever.
chopper
busy, busy, busy.
Punchy
Kris, I give you the best of both worlds. Watch the whole thing, cuz the money line is at the very end (clear mouth of any food and drink first).
Here it is
Decided FenceSitter
I was fairly disappointed with Dresden Files simply because the plot was slow and had no energy, and there was no wit, only gloom.
Also, on a purely geekery where in the hell was the magic in a show about a wizard? We get one piss-poor ward, and a deus-ex-machina device, and that’s it? From a mage who self-describes himself as making up in power what he lacks in subtlety?
*Sigh*
Krista
Thanks, Punchy! I’ll check it out at home (where my computer actually has speakers…)
TenguPhule
“I must have done good to get Wife Soup.”
SeesThroughIt
I freely admit that I’ve cribbed a lot of my writing style when it comes to commentary about entertainment from those two characters. I absolutely loved them when I was a kid and always wanted to be able to sit back and crack jokes at whatever was being presented to me. It’s a very enviable lifestyle.
dlw
“Fairly Disappointed”? I was horrified. The books are fully of snarky, witty banter. There was none of that in the show. I was hoping for much, much better.
Sometimes things don’t translate well from one medium to the next, but I’m not sure they really tried. I can’t believe the writer of this ep has ever read the books.
I’m not a purist, I didn’t mind when they change things: Harry apparently lives at his office, the “Blue Beetle” is a Jeep, Bob is less skull and more ghost. All that I could live with but Murphy was gutted and replaced with some other creature (maybe she was possessed for this ep). Bob was nearly servile. The dialog was flat. And Harry’s Uncle is still alive??? WTF!
And did I mention that it completely lacked the wit of the books? It’s a shame, I had envisioned what some of the writers of Buffy, Angel, Firefly or even West Wing might have done with it.
I might give it one more shot. Maybe. If the Watching-Paint-Dry Channel has re-runs.
TenguPhule
Another kick in Darrell’s pants
Money shot:
Few doubt that Iran is seeking to extend its influence in Iraq. But the groups in Iraq that have received the most Iranian support are not those that have led attacks against U.S. forces. Instead, they are nominal U.S. allies.
gus
TenguPhule, the beauty of the liberal press lie is he can just deny it’s true, unless it’s published by the Moonie Times or ClownHall.
gus
Oh, and I don’t even know what Firefly is, but I know dorky banter when I see it.
Cyrus
Only two things come from Texas. And I’ve got horns.
Damn, though, I can’t believe I forgot about the Dresden Files premiere. I had made a note a week or two ago, but I had to work Sunday, and maybe we could have done it earlier in the day but late was when we got together two weeks ago… well, with any luck I’ll be able to download it before next Sunday. Though it sounds like I didn’t miss much.
RSA
I’ve never read the books, and I found the show reasonably engaging. I’ll watch it again.
rachel
That one was a great episode, but my favorite Jayne moment is when he got the hat his mom sent him.
moonbiter
“I just feel such a fool.”
“Yeah… All those years of priest trainin’ and you git taken out by one bounty hunter.”
Perry Como
Wow. I just figured out what Darrell does for a living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MRWqlf_8M8
HyperIon
well, i didn’t know what “The Wire” or “Battlestar Galactica” were when i started reading this blog, but i checked them out and was impressed.
so last week i rented Firefly season 1 disc 1. i saw nothing special. it WAS dorky (and pedestrian IMO.) very run of the mill sci-fi. oh, well.
but i can’t wait until this season’s BSG hits the video store.
OT but…in seattle COMCAST charges $13 for the lowest cable service. then the next level costs $53. to me this seems a rather large upgrade price. (finally i just couldn’t justify $40/month to get SciFi/TNT/A&E/ComedyCentral plus much other crap that i never watch.)
so i was wondering if this pricing is typical of other cable markets?
jenniebee
Nah, they best Jayne is where you find out that he named his favorite gun “Vera.”
Pb
dlw,
No? And incidentally, they mentioned that he wasn’t in one of the funnier lines, early in the show. Also, I discount anyone who compares The Dresden Files negatively to Buffy–which was a horrible show. Yes, I’m judging it on the strength of one episdode from the first season that I saw (just like anyone judging the one episode of Dresden currently is). One Buffy fan gave it a 9.4 and said it was one of the best episodes of the season. The plot? A demon gets scanned into a computer, I shit you not. It starts out terrible, and just gets worse.
Decided FenceSitter
Note: Bob believes Uncle is dead. This was a big reveal that many viewers seemed to have missed. Bad writing.
Dialogue? Flat. Bad Writing.
Plot? Slow and flat. Bad Writing.
Appearance changes I could live with. So the Jeep works better, it’s still an old (Korean-era) vehicle that Harry’s wizardry won’t FUBAR too much. So what if he’s running around with a hockey stick instead of a staff. I’m cool with that.
Okay no I’m not quite, but I’ll live.
But for me, it is the banter, the dialogue that makes the Dresden files leap off the page, the characterization of the characters that made me become such a rabid devourer.
I’m going to give it more, but generally you want to put your best foot forward, and isn’t like they weren’t playing fast and loose with this, this was the third episode they shot. Which means an executive/producer somewhere saw the first five episodes and said, “THIS, THIS is what we should lead with.”
At least the Train Job had more action in it. That at least makes some sense to lead off with. I disagree, but I can at least comprehend why someone might want that.
This? This I don’t get.
dlw32
Yes, there were some bad Buffy plots, but the dialog was always pretty sharp. And certainly the Buffy dialog was on the whole better than Dresden (the show, not the book).
The Train Job (Firefly) might not have been the “best foot forward” but considering that the suits at FOX (we hates them, we hates them forever) nixed the original pilot and gave Joss only a weekend to write a new pilot, it’s pretty damn good.
***SPOILER for Dresden Files (sorry for the earlier lack of warning)***
Yes, Bob does say that Harry “self-defensed” his uncle to death. But, when Harry blows up the church to get the skinwalker, they cut to a limo where presumably the skinwalker’s boss is waiting for the kid. Who steps out? Harry’s uncle. GRRRRRRRRRRR.
rachel
Meh. Lots of people name their belongings, but how many guys will proudly wear a butt-ugly hat because his mom made it for him? It was sweet.
jg
The Cardinals now have Whisenhunt and Grimm from the Steelers (is LaBeau available?). Is there a chance now that they don’t suck next year? Should make for an interesting game when Pittsburgh comes to town next year.
David
Yeah, but it wasn’t the name that made that scene so good – it was the (unspoken, which was even funnier) offer of a trade – Vera for…Saffron? I think it was Saffron then.
dreggas
BWAHAHAHAHAHA
Pb
dlw32,
D’oh! I’ll have to check that out, then. On the plus side, if he is still alive, then maybe Morgan & co. will lay off? Wishful thinking, I know….
Regarding the dialogue, it wasn’t great, but I don’t think it was horrible, either–it was more subtle, though, and a lot of what’s really funny in the books involves a lot more inner monologue, which they didn’t really have in the show.
Pb
dlw,
Ok, so since SciFi has the entire episode online, I was able to check it out–was pretty sure that what you were talking about had been a flashback of some sort, but upon further inspection, it looks like it wasn’t! So, yeah, strange things are afoot at the Circle K.
tBone
Never would have guessed there were so many Dresden nerds here. I thought the first episode was mediocre, but I’ll give it a chance. They managed not to completely ruin it so they’ve already exceeded my expectations.
On a related note, has anyone read Butcher’s Codex Alera books? Normally I can’t stand the sword and sorcery genre, but I really like the Dresden novels and I couldn’t find anything else that looked interesting in the bookstore one day, so I picked up “Furies of Calderon.” And then put off reading it for more than a year, afraid that it would be just another shitty fantasy novel.
Finally forced myself to start reading it over Christmas, and I’m now finishing up the third book in the series. There’s nothing earth-shatteringly original about the books and the main character is a Mary Sue, but I was completely sucked in.
dlw32
Not sure that’s a plus. The great thing about Morgan is he provides an antagonist for Harry that’s not a black hat. I swear if they make Morgan a sidekick, that will absolutely be the end of the series for me.
It’s also why I like the book Murphy vs the series Murphy. Murphy gets in his way as much as helps. I’m having a hard time seeing this Murphy arresting Harry.
But I guess I need to give it one more shot. But it’s got to be a lot better.
Pb
tBone,
Yes, they’re pretty good. Then again, I like that kind of stuff.
Man, I’ll have to get that–I’ve read the first two. Jim Butcher is the man. Incidentally, I’m currently reading some short stories by Niven (Draco’s Tavern) which are pretty entertaining yet thoughtful as well. I read the latest R.A. Salvatore book (there’s yer fantasy, yaar!). I couldn’t manage to read Crashing The Gate, really, but then again, there wasn’t much in there I didn’t already know from reading Daily Kos in the first place. Oh, and I’m currently reading The Authoritarians, bit by bit as it dribbles out–great stuff, if you’re a wonkish dork like me who wonders about these things.
As for finding other stuff to read, well, on the sci-fi side of things, I heartily recommend anything and everything by James P. Hogan, even if I haven’t read it yet–for example, I occasionally have the urge to quote bits of Voyage from Yesteryear that are relevant today, and it was published in 1982! And on the fantasy side, everything by Roger Zelazny.
Pb
dlw32,
This Murphy will surely get in his way–especially in the next episode, I hear. But there’s another reason for that, so we’ll see. Anyhow, it’s a TV show made for the SciFi channel–I didn’t go in with high expectations, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed. But of course there’s always that potential for them to really mess things up…
tBone
Masochist.
Next up on my reading pile (concurrent with Black Hawk Down, which I’m finally getting around to reading) is You Suck, by Chrisopher Moore. If you like Douglas Adams or Pratchett or Hiaasen, give him a try. Really funny stuff.
Jess
I wish I had more “work” to do these days!
David
Well, I watched the episode, and I rather liked it. Not nearly as witty as the novels, but the core plot wouldn’t be out of place in a Butcher book. My main gripe is with the directing; it’s Sci-Fi, so I know the production values were low, but there wasn’t much of an attempt to establish atmosphere in many of the scenes, especially the gorier stuff. Toward the beginning, the police acted like they were looking at an end table, not a skinned human corpse.
On the other hand, I liked their take on Bob – close enough to the spirit-in-a-skull concept to fill the same role and be a similar character, but having him just be a voice and some twinkling eye sockets would kill his characterization in a visual medium, especially with the budget issues.
dlw
btw, according to this reviewer the show’s creator didn’t plan for this to be the pilot (shades of Firefly?) so it may very well not be the show’s best foot forward.
Can anyone explain why a network would be idiotic enough to let suits decide which ep should be the pilot for a show? Bizarre.
David
Moreover: why would the network commission a two-hour pilot, then have it cut to an hour for airing (which is apparently the case with the Storm Front episode)? How does that make sense?
tBone
Looking for logic in the decisions of a network executive is a trail of tears, my friend.
TenguPhule
Portable Military Energy Weapons are here at last.
Is that roasted bullshit I smell?
130 degree heat not painful my *ASS*!
dreggas
Oh…My…God
scs
Love the BJ open threads. My preferred topic for tonight?
Vomit.
Why is it that everytime I turn on the TV there is a nice close-up shot of someone vomiting? They always have to highlight those on the promos for the reality shows, and they show them when you least expect them. I think that is gross and should be outlawed. First of all, I hate vomitting. I hardly ever do it because I have a strong stomach and I don’t drink to excess. I not only do not do it, but I hate to see it even more. And second of all, why is this allowed on general TV? We don’t show close-ups of people taking craps or urinating, why is it then considered so “cool” to show vomitting? I think the FCC needs to get involved.
scs
Another thing I was thinking about… I was watching all the crime shows about the Missouri boys recently and how tips are so important and it got me to thinking about a roommate I once had years ago briefly who I was convinced was a serial killer. I remembered he had about a half dozen framed black and white pictures on his bedroom wall of what looked like full body x-rays of a human skeleton, all kind of posed in weird positions. He said he took those pictures himself. He seemed really proud of them.
I didn’t really think about it at the time, but now that I was thinking about it again, I was wondering just how DID he get take those pictures? Where does anyone get access to a full body X-ray machine? And who would pose for such a thing? I would imagine a hospital, but do they even do full body x-rays? I wouldn’t think they are just old x-ray pics he got because a hospital wouldn’t take them with people on their sides all scrunched up. And how would anyone not a doctor get access to the machines to take them? Does anyone have any ideas?
scs
Here’s anpother thought for the open threads even though I’m sure no one will read it as it will flip soon.
Why is it, that everytime there’s an animal attack, all the pundits get on TV and tell us “ohhh don’t worry, these attacks are EXTREMELY rare” and in effect, don’t really worry about it. Well I’m sorry but that is crap. How likely are you to get in a critical car crash in your life? Not that likely either, but everytime you get in that car, you are supposed to wear a seatbelt. How likely are you to get AIDS in this country? Not really that likely either – but you are supposed to wear condoms and get tested every year. It’s called – taking precautions.
So how likely are you to get attacked by a mountain lion or a shark or a stingray. Not that likely. But you don’t see me trailing water in the deep sea in shark infested waters or hiking it in California mountain trails by myself or petting stingrays. Although dangers from those things are not likely, there is a risk – so why take it if you don’t have to. Because if things go wrong- you end up dead. And if I did do those things, I would take precautions. For instance I would carry a large hunting knife with me in the woods if I knew there were mountian lions around.
Honestly, I think it’s PETA gone wild that they are cramming this media whitewash down our throats trying to make it look like all animals are our friends and they are just really misunderstood, poor creatures. I’m sorry but many animals want to eat us – not be our friends They want to have us for lunch- literally. Let’s get real here.