Despite my earlier misgivings, I've been gradually warming up to Justice League Unlimited on Cartoon Network. Tonight's episode managed to win me over completely. Now, I don't want to be one of those guys who worships at the altar of writer Paul Dini--though I guess I am--but this is easily the most fun episode of Justice League (of either series) I can recall seeing. I mean, there have been other good episodes, but this is the first one that felt like it remembered to pull the stick out of its ass and have a good time with the concept, instead of telling a deadly-serious straight-faced episode, or an out-and-out wacky comedy half hour. No, this had wit and style and a good, suspenseful superhero story with some surprising twists. And it had Zatanna, one of my favorite superhero characters of all time (due to be revived/revamped by superstar writer Grant Morrison in a miniseries next year). And finally, the series gets points for developing romantic sparks between Wonder Woman and Batman, instead of the more obvious Wonder Woman/Superman route that the comics always toy with.

Which just means that next week will probably feel that much more disappointing...

So I ended up going out for an expensive-but-worth-it dinner at the Artistes Steakhouse at Paris Las Vegas with my brother last night. When we got there at around 7:30 or so, we were concerned that we--particularly he, wearing his shorts--were underdressed, but they sat us in the "casual" section. By the time we left around 9:30, the place was full of people dressed like him, obviously tourists. So much for class. At least he had the courtesy to be concerned.

He also told me that he had been at a small casino the other night and seen a man starting a fight with his wife. Nobody else was doing anything, so he stepped in and stopped it. Once again, I am amazed at the family I come from.

I've been watching this new show on Cartoon Network, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and it's nice, but I'm not sure I'm going to stick with it. I think I'm into it more for the design than the stories. The main character, Blue, is a completely selfish little brat, and while it is sort of funny to watch him get his comeuppance each time, I don't know how long that's going to continue to be interesting. We'll see.

And I'm a little disappointed, because I haven't gotten my comics from two weeks ago yet. The post office has a history of losing my mail--two packages and one magazine for sure, and quite possibly more--so whenever something doesn't turn up in a timely manner, I get anxious.

Going to probably go watch Seabiscuit, unless I get bored and watch a superhero TV show on DVD.

NEWSARAMA - BRUBAKER: ON LEAVING CATWOMAN

Since I really enjoy Ed Brubaker's work on Catwoman, this is disappointing. However, since he says he was feeling less enthusiastic about writing the book at this point, and a sense of burnout, I guess I'm happier that he's leaving before that starts to really show in the writing. And, depending on who the new writer is, it might mean one less comic for me to buy in the future, which is always something to consider. (Although, apparently, Scott Morse is writing three issues before the new, as yet unnamed, writer comes on board, so I'll be getting those, at least.)

Having trouble blogging by email (thanks so much, Blogger, for the innovation; thou giveth tech, and thou taketh away). Pain in the butt. Anyway...

Penelope did come home yesterday evening after all. I picked her up on my lunch break. As it happens, I got a cat health magazine in the mail yesterday with an article about pet insurance. Did some checking online today, and it looks like it would run me about $300 a year to buy her health insurance. I've already paid more in the past week, so this will definitely be something we'll be doing. (Although it'll be weird to explain the whole insurance thing to future cat-sitters.)

Finally saw Johnny English, thanks to hi-def HBO. Not a bad movie, but it should have been way funnier. Between this and the Mr Bean movie, it's as if they felt compelled to rein the humor in. It's like watching one of the weaker Jackie Chan American movies, like The Tuxedo or The Medallion, where they can't quite figure out just what the hell they're trying to do, so they take a relatively straight concept and shoehorn a comedy character into it, instead of going all the way. Comedy pussies.

Tonight, planning on watching my hi-def recording of Open Range, the Kevin Costner Western. I love my DVR, but hi-def recordings eat up a huge amount of space, so I'm planning on watching the movies that I currently have stored this weekend (that would be the aforementioned Costner movie, and Seabiscuit; apparently, it's horse weekend). As it happens, I have an extra day off this week, because I had planned on taking a trip to Disneyland, but Penelope's illness has pretty much sidelined that. As it also happens, my brother is in town, so I get to see him, so that's cool. And I can get caught up a little on some of the DVDs I've gotten recently.

Speaking of which, Warner Home Video announced that they're releasing the second set of Batman: The Animated Series and the first set of Superman: The Animated Series. According to TVShowsonDVD.com, the Superman set will only be two disks, with the first 18 episodes. I guess they're afraid it might not be as huge a seller as the Batman ones or something (because the Batman ones are four disk sets with 28 episodes). Frustrating, because it always allows for the possibility that they won't release future sets with the rest of the episodes. I love getting TV shows on DVD, but if I'm going to buy a series, I want to buy all of the series, not just parts of it. (Thank you, Touchstone Home Video, for only releasing the first season of Once and Again on DVD, you bastards.)

Going to go watch my horse movie now.

Penelope is back at the vet's, having blood and urine drawn. Apparently, her bladder was too small to draw urine this morning, and between them giving her fluids and my work schedule, she's probably going to have to spend the night again. So, once again, not happy. She seems perkier the last few days, and the vet says she doesn't feel as full of poop, but I'm not finding anything in her litter box, and that's worrisome. So, we'll see. And while it's not like this is all consuming...

Actually, you know what? It pretty much is all-consuming, without being crippling. I mean, I still work, I still do stuff around the house, all that, but being concerned about her health is very much on my mind. And not having her at home doesn't help at all.

I did watch last night's episode of the Amazing Race. As predicted, the twins' scatterbrainedness cost them big time. They lucked out, since this was a non-elimination round, but now they have no money and have to survive on their wits. These would be the same wits that compelled them to doubt their own abilities and follow another team on the wrong route last night, instead of following the route flags that they had seen. Meanwhile, Colin and Christie got themselves into trouble--almost arrested, in fact--by Colin being a selfish bastard, and they still came in second. Proof, once again, that nice guys really do finish last. I should hate the values that this reinforces... Actually, I do hate the values that this reinforces, which is why I'm glad the twins and the moms are still in the race, but I know in my heart that the nice-guy teams are the ones most likely to be eliminated next. I can only hope that Chip & Kim manage to hold out until the end, because they seem like a decent mix of humanity and brains.

More than a little bothered by the fact that Penelope still isn't pooping on a regular basis, so this will be short:

I'm not eager to see Aliens vs Predator, much as I love both series individually, because it just sounds like it falls short of what it could be. From interviews I've read with the director, and from friends who have seen the movie, it's more than a little ways into the film before we even see the Aliens and Predators. The director, Paul WS Anderson, claims that this is an homage to the original films, which built suspense by keeping the threats hidden for the longest time. Well, that's fine, but this isn't the original movies, this is the fifth Aliens movie and the third Predator one, and it's called Aliens vs Predator for a reason. If I'm going to pay my money for a movie called Aliens vs Predator, there are pretty much just three things I want: Aliens, Predators, and them fighting. I don't want to see the human drama; that would be Under the Tuscan Sun With Aliens and Predators or Lost in Alien/Predator Translation. I don't want to see the critters held back for the sake of some bullshit attempt at suspense, either. Says Aliens vs Predator on the freaking poster; are we supposed to be shocked when it turns out to be them lurking in the shadows? I want what it says on the box, and from what I'm hearing, I'm not going to be getting that. And I'm not interested in paying my money in hopes that my misgivings turn out to be wrong, because that's never happened in a theater.

And it's set in a pyramid or ancient temple or something, which is Hollywood for low budget. Might as well set it inside a warehouse. If I'm supposed to be excited about Aliens and Predators fighting it out on Earth, I want to see them on the streets of New York City and Los Angeles, and on the Vegas Strip. What's the point of setting it on Earth if the part of Earth will be played by the walls of a soundstage?

And I'd still see this before I'd see Anacondas...

I was just asked, "Have you seen some kids yesterday?" Well, I didn't work yesterday, but the odds are, being that I work in a children's library, I probably would have seen some kids.

Penelope came home yesterday morning. Apparently, the fluids the vet gave Penelope Friday were enough to get her pooping (the vet's words, not mine). The vet also described her as more "spunky" yesterday morning, which was probably just her being polite. Penelope is many things, but tolerant of strangers and new situations are not really among them. She was sent home with some medicine, which I have to give to her twice a day. It's a liquid, so I feed it to her with a syringe, which is just a blast. Done it twice so far. The first time went pretty smoothly. This morning, there was a bit of a chase, and I had to stop her from spitting it back up all over the carpet. And, Penelope being Penelope, it's just going to get harder and harder over the course of the week. Still, if this is what it takes to get her better, this is what I have to do.

Watched a couple of movies yesterday. One was Under the Tuscan Sun; just how gay is that? Actually, since part of the motivation was looking at really pretty Diane Lane, I shouldn't say that, except it is the complete woman's movie. Which is fine, except that's not me, and I'm not sure I took much away from it besides an impression of Tuscany as a really beautiful place, and Diane Lane as a really beautiful woman. Still, sometimes that's enough. I want to say it's very Peter Mayle, except that I've never actually read anything by him.

And last night, I finally saw Spy Kids 3, and that wasn't anywhere near as good as Under the Tuscan Sun. Understand, I really liked the first two Spy Kids movies, and this one was just stupid. The first two were these clever, entertaining, James Bond meets Willy Wonka hybrid things that showed a tremendous amount of imagination on the part of writer/director Robert Rodriguez. They also focused on the family relationships between the characters, giving the movies a soul beneath all the weirdness. This one wasn't about the family, it was about one of the kids. By sticking Juni (the Spy Kid) into a video game, it felt almost as if Rodriguez were more interested in showcasing his special effects studio, rather than coming up with a story which then justified using the special effects. (You know you've got problems when the worst part of a movie isn't Sylvester Stallone's acting...) Very disappointing.

I'm a little out of sorts today. Penelope (my cat, for those of you keeping score at home) is spending the night at the vet. Nothing too serious--she's constipated, apparently--but as you might imagine, just seeing enough of a behaviour change to warrant my taking her to the vet in the first place was pretty upsetting to me. Having her stay overnight... The house just feels completely empty when she isn't here. Hopefully, things will get moving overnight, and she'll be able to come home tomorrow. We'll see.

Also, yesterday was the going away party for a librarian friend of mine. (This would be professional friend, rather than social friend, but still...) This is a woman I have a lot of respect and admiration for, who served as something as a role model for me. Twice in recent memory, I was feeling pretty frustrated at work, and talking to her managed to get me through that. I should look at her leaving as a positive thing--it's not one less librarian I know here, it's one more library branch manager I know in Oregon, and it increases the circle of my professional contacts, blah blah blah--but it isn't the same. But that's all selfishness, really. It's sad for me that she's leaving Las Vegas, but it's to be the branch manager of a library in Oregon, which is a great career move for her, and they're really lucky to have her. And I'm lucky for the chance to get to know her, so I am grateful for that.

Watched Lost in Translation last night. Like Punch Drunk Love, I can see this being the sort of movie that people would either love or hate. It stars an actor--Bill Murray--who brings so much baggage just by being in a movie, it's rare to hear it judged on its own merits. This one, for example, always seems to be described as the change of pace Murray film, or his art-house movie, or whatever. Me, I loved it. I'm not a big fan of the traditional relationship movie, but I do enjoy these sorts of brief encounter films, (see also Before Sunrise; not sure the sequel to that one even turned up in local theaters). It is nice to see Murray playing a different sort of role, and he does a great job. Which is no surprise; being a fine comic actor means you have to be a fine actor, and it's not really his fault that he rarely gets a chance to play anything else.

And it should come as no surprise that I'm completely in love with Scarlett Johanssen at this point. (Heck, I bought Perfect Score, for crying out loud.) We can only hope, with the delays, she'll still be in Mission: Impossible 3.

I was also impressed with the use of Tokyo as a character. Just like with shows like Boomtown and movies like Heat, there should be a reason for setting a story in a particular city. You shouldn't just be able to say it's LA and shoot everything in Toronto or New Zealand and get away with it. And if a story is going to be set in a specific city, then the story needs to justify why it chose this setting, and not some other one. With Lost in Translation, the characters needed to be in a foreign environment, one that is flashy and high-tech and somewhat impersonal, in order to draw them together to make the personal connection that forms the core of the movie.

And I don't feel like writing any more, because I just stepped away from the computer and walked down the upstairs hall. Out of habit, my eyes automatically glanced to all the places Penelope usually sleeps, and when I realized what I was doing, I remembered that she wasn't there, and won't be here all night. And that's pretty upsetting. This will actually be the first time in a number of years that I've been in my own home at night without her, and I'm not happy about that at all. And I'm doubly not happy because she's out for health-related reasons. So I'm going to stop writing now.

According to http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2004/08/18/13741.shtml, Alias star Jennifer Garner is single again.  Apparently, she and costar Michael Vartan, who plays her love interest on the show, have split up.  Which is really, really surprising, because whenever I hear that two people who play lovers on a TV series or movie have become a couple in real life, I know it must be honest to goodness true love, and not them getting their emotions at all confused with playing lovers all day at work.

 

Please.  It's called acting, kids.

 

I call dibs.

 

And on last night's episode of The Amazing Race, cousins bitchy Mirna and little person Charla were eliminated.  Charla gave a heartwarming speech about how little people have to work twice or three times as hard to prove that they are capable, and you could see that host Phil was about to bust out crying.  To be honest, I didn't particularly want to see them win--Mirna is too much of a bitch, to be honest--but they had personality.  The remaining teams... they're just not as much fun to watch.  Still in the lead are Colin and Christie, the "dating couple," who are probably yuppie scum.  They stand the best chance at winning, but I just don't like them.  Also still in the race are Brandon and Nicole, the Christian "Dating Models."  That pretty much says it all.  There's supposed to be some sort of blow up for each of those teams next week, according to the previews.  Also still in the running: Chip & Kim (married parents from LA), Karli and Kami (the clueless twins), and the Bowling Moms, whose names escape me.  As the field narrows, my guess is the next team to go will be the twins, who seem to have managed on good luck, and by not being quite as hapless as the other teams that have been eliminated to date.  The Bowling Moms are also going to need to sharpen up their skills to stay in the running.  No, I suspect it's going to come down to Colin & Christie vs Chip & Kim.  Though I could be wrong...

Oh, and I wanted to see Thunderbirds on Saturday, and it's already out of the theaters.

Poop.

I mean, I didn't think it was going to be great. I just wanted to see the ships zipping around on the big screen. And now I won't be able to, and I'm so bummed, I don't really want to see anything else, either.

Screw 'em. I'll buy the DVD. Won't be the same, but at least I'll be contributing to making that a success.

I mean, freaking Catwoman is still in theaters, for Grudd's sake.

So here was a weird phenomenon last night: I had to go out to pick up my pill refill, and decided to grab something to eat. There's a gas station near the pharmacy, with a quickee-stop type market and a Jack in the Box attached. So first I went into the store to buy a Yoo-hoo, which costs 99 cents. I give the clerk a dollar, she takes it, puts it in the drawer, and shuts it. And that's it. So I ask for my change, because even though it's just a penny, she owed it to me, and she says, "Oh, did you want it?" Like it's her decision, her call to make or something! So, of course, I said yes, and she opened the drawer and gave it to me. (And if she hadn't just assumed that I didn't want the penny, I probably would have dropped it in the "leave a penny" dish. But since she didn't even do me the courtesy of asking, of course I wanted it. Because giving customers back their change isn't, in fact, a freaking option.)

So then I go into the restaurant and order a burger, which costs $3.21. So I give the woman a five dollar bill, and she rings it up as $5.21, and gives me two dollars back. So I point this out to her, and she is convinced that I gave her 21 cents. Which I didn't, and I tell her so. So she takes one of the dollars and gives me 80 cents back. So now I'm up a penny. And I'm thinking that maybe I need to be paying for stuff with exact change, because clearly, this is something people are having trouble with.

Change! It's the new "Would you like a box for that?"

And I just read that the new Alias DVD set, the forthcoming third season, is going to have a seven-minute animated featurette. Which is quite cool, but also quite weird. It's like everything gets some sort of animated companion any more: Riddick, Van Helsing, and now Alias.

BBC - Cult Television - Sapphire and Steel: "Big Finish announce the new Sapphire and Steel.
Steel will be played by David Warner and Sapphire by Susannah Harker in a new series of Sapphire and Steel audio dramas."

Okay, let's go to the map... I like the original Sapphire & Steel TV series. I like just about everything Big Finish produces. And I pretty much fell in love with Susannah Harker at a Doctor Who convention last February. (Yes, I was at a Doctor Who convention. Don't judge me.) So this is all good.

BBC - Cult Television - Hitchhiker's audios: "BBC Audiobooks have announced plans to release the new audio adaptations of the final three Hitchhiker's books on CD and cassette.
The new production of Life, the Universe and Everything has been recorded by Above the Title Productions Ltd, and reunites most of the original radio cast. The series will air from Tuesday 21st September at 6.30pm on Radio 4, with the CD and cassette versions released on 28th October."

Between this, and the new movie next year, I'm set. (Particularly if they don't screw up the movie. Again, I had to wade through years of Lord of the Rings hype. Now the rest of the world can put up with me being enthusiastic about the return of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who.)

Zap2it - TV news - 'Schmos' Make Peace with Faux-Reality Fame

Watched the season finale last night. It was a little heartbreaking, because it was clear by the end that Tim (the "schmo") had gotten a little more emotionally attached to "Piper" (the bachelorette) than had perhaps been intended, and the ultimate reveal would only lead to some hurt feelings. But mixing in real people, seeing their genuine reactions, is what makes this show better than just a scripted parody of reality shows. It keeps things human, and that's why I kept coming back. And why I'd come back for a third season, if they make one.

Sci Fi Wire -- The News Service of the Sci Fi Channel: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel creator Joss Whedon told SCI FI Wire that he's ready to return to the Buffyverse with television films once he receives a green light from The WB, home of Angel, or another network. 'We haven't really heard anything,' Whedon said in an interview. 'Obviously, there's been a regime change at The WB. The fans are interested. I'm interested. I don't think either [Buffy star] Sarah [Michelle Gellar] or [Angel star] David [Boreanaz] would want to do it. But I think there's about 10 other characters I could name who would be totally worthy of movies. And I'm just waiting for somebody to say yea or nay.'"

Okay, I don't want to seem all populist here, and it's not like I don't like the other characters, but even I'm not particularly interested in Buffy or Angel TV movies that aren't about Buffy or Angel. And if I'm not, why would a network be interested in producing them?

Yahoo! News - Cruise Halts 'Mission,' at 'War' with Spielberg

So this is how it all shakes out: Tom Cruise is making War of the Worlds with Steven Spielberg, and then Mission: Impossible 3 with JJ Abrams. And I loved Minority Report (the last movie Cruise made with Spielberg) and my fondness for all things JJ Abrams is the stuff of epic poetry. So... cool.

Have determined to finish writing stuff for the NLA presentation today, plus watch some of the movies I've DVRed over the past week, in order that I may go see Thunderbirds tomorrow with a clear conscience. (Chances of this happening are slim; I've already paused last week's Foyle's War twice in the first ten minutes. Still, we live in hope.)

Started two new books in the last couple of days. One is the last Judge Dredd paperback I'd received: Black Atlantic. So far, so good. About as deep as the comic strip, but it's small and light. That's the take-with-me-to-read-while-I-wait-for-things book. The other is Charles de Lint's Medicine Road, illustrated by Charles Vess. It's de Lint's usual stuff, mixing magic and the real world seamlessly, although instead of his usual urban setting of Newford, this one is set in and around Tucson, AZ. Lots of familiar sights described therein, and he's obviously in love with the place. (Hey, I thought it was pretty, too, but after a year, I was ready to move on.)

Somewhat embarrassingly, I forgot I was supposed to work today (don't normally work on Saturday, and between the Utah thing and the NLA thing, changes to my schedule had just slipped my mind). So, for the first time in forever, I got a phone call at home asking if I was coming in to work. Ah, well... Got the PowerPoint part of the NLA presentation done, so that's out of the way. Still need to actually write up what I'm going to say for two or three parts, but I've got the next two days off (again, something I had forgotten), so I have time.

Tonight's episode of Justice League Unlimited was an improvement over last week's. Considering it focused on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and was based on a classic Superman story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, it would have been incredible if they had screwed it up, to be honest. Since this is one that could easily have fit into the earlier Justice League format, it's tough to count this in "the new series is great" column. And is it possible that the opening music is actually growing OFF me? Unlike the majestic opening theme of the previous Justice League series, this one sounds like some mid-80s rock power ballad, and grates just a little bit. (Also, while I like the idea of showcasing characters featured in the episode in the opening sequence, I worry a little about spoilers. I mean, I knew from reading the original story, plus from being a complete nerd, that this particular episode's villain was Mongul. If I hadn't, it still wouldn't have been much of a surprise, since he shows up in almost half the clips they used in the opening montage...)

Went to get my hair cut today, and a mother was waiting with her two young (under 10) boys. She had been waiting and waiting, and finally told the Supercuts woman that she was going to go next door to get her nails done (I guess she had coinciding appointments) and would come back. The Supercuts woman told her that her sons would be up in just a few minutes, and that she could just leave them there. And from what I could tell as I went back to get my own hair cut, she was going to do just that.

Now, honestly, what is going through these people's heads? This woman is seriously entertaining the idea of just leaving her two kids alone in Supercuts while she goes somewhere else entirely? The woman at Supercuts is willing to just take responsibility for this woman's kids? No wonder kids get left alone in cars in 100+ degree heat here all the time... Geez. This is the kind of thing makes me want to just scream.

(Fortunately, it appeared as I was leaving that the woman did decide to keep her kids with her, or Supercuts wised up and told her they had to stay with her, or whatever, because they weren't waiting alone. I saw them walking back and forth between the haircut place and the nails place, so they were probably checking to see if it was their turn, which is still questionable, but at least she didn't just leave them to be babysat by Supercuts. Or Sittercuts. Whatever.)

Yahoo! News - Raver on Duty as Gal Pal for Fox's '24'

Okay, so I'm thinking that I now know at least one character who won't survive the season-ending cliffhanger shoot-out that Third Watch ended on last year...