The Cult of Lincoln

Monday, May 29, 2006



Renata: Of course you can skip merrily into the sunset with us! What is your mutant superpower?

In random fandom news, House season 2 is available for pre-order,! The release date is August 22nd, the same day as Veronica Mars. This is getting to be a habit for you two, isn't it? Are we going to have to separate you?

Someone on wtf_inc reminded me of the cracked-out UK Lost promo. The revelation that it was directed by David LaChapelle makes so much sense.

And only like, two of you will get this, but it amused me too much not to post it. It's my sig graphic for the new McAnally's forums. I kept giggling like a loon throughout the entire process of making it!



And on a related note, I'm SO GLAD that The Dresden Files doesn't have ship nicknames. "Harry/Karrin" looks and sounds too much like "Hari Kari" to not be exploited by vengeful Harry/Susan shippers. Maybe that's why I always refer to the ship as "Harry/Murphy."

Priscilla said at 2:11 PM

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Oh my stars and garters, look at the background of this shot of Jayne from "The Message." Clearly, the passengers and crew of Serenity are ALL X-MEN. They can be in my alternate-movie, too, with all the toast they desire.

Which randomly reminds me of this hilarious X3 Preview. No more spoilery than the trailer.

Priscilla said at 12:23 AM

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Saturday, May 27, 2006



X3. So painfullly bad, but I loved every minute of it. As someone on McAnally's said, Ratner looks like he went to the George Lucas school of "replace plotline and meaningful dialogue with SFX," and I agree. If you just let yourself laugh at the sheer ridiculousness, you'll have a great time. Otherwise, you'll probably be disappointed. Well, I don't think anyone can truly be disappointed. The special effects were pretty awesome. Really, really, really, really awesome, in fact. Though I do feel slightly gypped that I didn't get the "Snakes on a Plane" trailer. Also, the ads for The Omen remind me that Good Omens desperately needs to be made into a movie.

Anyway, MORAL OF THE STORY: JUST LET JOSS WRITE THE SCRIPT. Especially if you're going to take your A-Plot from the X-Men comic he wrote! And speaking of borrowing elements, if you want to know why I couldn't stop giggling whenever Juggernaut came onscreen, watch this video (NOTE: not appropriate for ANYONE).

I went with my parents and Marcelina. I should always see movies with Marcelina, even if our giggling one day gets us evicted from the theatre.

[Magneto is thwarted by the absence of any metal on the soldiers]
Marcelina: They need to have someone that controls plastic!
Me: That's just what I was thinking! Plasteto!
Marcelina: Yes!
Me: And Dorito! TOASTITO!
Together: And she controls TOAST!

This is officially my mutant superpower. And Nightcrawler and I can merrily skip away into the sunset (since Little Miss "I won an Oscar" is too good to be shipped with him) and have our own movie. And lots of toast, grilled to perfection, with delicious strawberry jam. And then Sawyer on Lost suddenly begins manifesting mutant powers, his eyes turn black and red, and he starts carrying around a DHARMA-brand deck of cards. And he can be in our movie, too, because Scott and Jean are boring and Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Toastito are awesome.

Kitty can come, too. And Toad can be brought back to life from the first movie, because we love Ray Park. And Sir Ian is welcome to chill with us. I'll make him delicious toast and he can make me exotic and unique jewelry. Then we can go get frosty chocolate milkshakes, manifested from nothingness by Sausaleto, the mutant that controls chocolate (named for "Sausalito", the Nantucket-brand cookies with milk chocolate and macadamia nut), which makes him even more attractive to women than Wolverine. Because honestly, what's sexier? Razor-sharp adamantium claws or an endless supply of chocolate? He can be played by the Willy Wonka of your preference, or Johnny Depp in "Chocolat." Mmm, I know who I'd choose.

Wow, I love how this review includes 2% actual commentary on the film and 98% me making bad puns, fangirling, and drooling over chocolate. Rather like my Lost season finale post. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way! :D

Priscilla said at 11:13 PM

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Thursday, May 25, 2006





Happy May 25th to two of my favourite fandoms! (No lilac for me, I'm in the "Um... you weren't there." camp)

Priscilla said at 1:34 PM

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Wednesday, May 24, 2006



(Totally unofficial) Transformers CGI test, linked from Odella.

Huh. The Lost season finale was really, really lame. After the first hour, I looked at the clock and thought, "I have to sit through another hour of this?" Only the final 30 minutes were worth watching. After being spoiled rotten by Veronica Mars and House, my final finale of the TV season was a snoozefest. I couldn't even get excited about the Charlie/Claire smooch, because Charlie is back to being cagey and deliberately obtuse. It's one thing when he's lying about drug use. It's another thing when he's lying when he has NO REASON WHATSOEVER TO. And that penultimate scene, where we see the two guys in the Antarctic? I thought that was a commercial, making fun of Lost. I thought it was going to be for a telephone company or something. THAT was how bad this episode was. Yay for Desmond, Boo for everything else. Though I hope the ending means that we'll be seeing less of Jack and Kate next season.

NEXT SEASON, we will meet The Newbies, who were brought to the island in a freak jetski crash, courtesy of Locke's stubborn stupidity! They will nearly all be up at the right of the Bell Curve in physical attractiveness, except for a few token ugly and/or old people so it doesn't look too contrived. They will represent a wide variety of cultures and economic backgrounds (Laotian cosmonaut, Iranian freshwater pearl diver, The Only Gay Eskimo In His Tribe, The Guy in the Big Chicken Suit, a Mormon telemarketer, and Jerry Lewis), but they will only speak Esperanto. Fortunately, Jin speaks Esperanto! They will communicate through Jin, then through Sun, to the rest of the Lostaways, and end up with a lot of "What? You think the Udders gargles Narnia?" misunderstandings. They will mostly be Series 3 Action Figures.

LIBBY will return undead and have a hot zombie love triangle with DESMOND, who perished in the Great Film Overexposure, and HURLEY, who threw himself (messily) on a sharpened piece of fuselage to preserve his honor when the popular Others didn't want him for the big Island dodgeball game.

ROUSSEAU will start hanging out at The Beach in hopes of cashing in on the Lostaway's snack food stores. When they refuse to share on account of her being crazy, she starts whining about humans' natural tendency towards compassion and harping about the necessity of a social contract. LOCKE, also a zombie, calls for rebellion, convinced his zombie rights are not being protected. The undead ghost of the Marshall will smack him over the head with a tabula rasa, or maybe just the backgammon board.

JACK and KATE will be eaten by polar bears, much to the delight of ME. SAWYER will find love at the bottom of a vat of chocolate pudding. WALT will be replaced, without comment, by a volleyball nicknamed "Robert Sean Leonard", because they needed an excuse to have him not on the show another twenty-some episodes. THE BIG FOUR-TOED STATUE will be revealed to be of the four-fingered brother of Count Tyrone Rugen, six-fingered man of The Princess Bride.

MR. EKO will fall in love with NARCISSA MALFOY, making a joke that people will only understand if they are as big a mythology geek as I am. CHARLIE and AARON will destroy Isengard. SAYID, JIN, SUN, and the IRANIAN FRESHWATER PEARL DIVER will destroy AMERICA. CLAIRE will helpfully point out that Jin and Sun are from South Korea, whereupon COLIN POWELL will smite her with EKO's JESUS STICK and 8500 LITERS OF ANTHRAX.

I will be watching House and Veronica Mars.

Priscilla said at 3:08 PM

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Tuesday, May 23, 2006





Bush, Cheney, and Doctor Gregory House: America's Superheroes. (caps from here)

House finale spoilers!

So tonight's House? GUH. That episode was made of awesome. Awesome and a lot of gore. I had to cover my eyes in certain parts. It's nice that House's subconscious is so... vivid. Though I wonder how the slashers will spin it, with House punching Wilson and undressing Cameron (House = KINKY. Maybe that's what the slashers will play with all summer?). Ah, fandom! And ah, the writers, poking fun at a much older canon! Moriarty? Hee!

The stuff about his leg was perplexing. It's one thing for there to be no pain, but it's totally different for him to be able to walk, even in a hallucination. Isn't there still a fairly huge section of muscle missing? Anyway, I would love to see where the writers would take his character if the pain indeed went away. Ooh, the character development potential! I was getting a bit annoyed with season 2, how the only "escalation" taking place was House being even more of an ass than before. Let's rock House's foundations a bit, shall we?

Priscilla said at 11:01 PM

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I got a new chair! It is super-duper comfy and seems conducive to proper spine posture! *wiggles*

In other news (Thanks to Tealin for the link), part one of the audio drama of Mort is on BBC7, up until Saturday. How timely! "The young lad Mortimer needs an apprenticeship. The question is, will anybody employ him?" Will anyone, indeed. *glances at phone*

Also, check out the cast list for Hogfather! What a treat to see Tony Robinson (Baldrick on Blackadder) in the ranks! And I don't remember Constable Visit being in the book, but I'm certainly not complaining. And Nobby! Bwee!

Priscilla said at 5:34 PM

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BOOYEAH!

Supernatural gumshoe on Sci Fi slate

Blackthorne plays Chicago detective with wizardly powers

By JOHN DEMPSEY

The Sci Fi Channel has engineered an 11-episode commitment to "The Dresden Files," a contemporary supernatural detective series from Lionsgate TV and Nicolas Cage's Saturn Films.

"We shot the two-hour pilot to make sure that we could successfully mix the mediums of a noir detective franchise with fantastical elements," said Mark Stern, exec VP of original programming for Sci Fi Channel.

Paul Blackthorne ("24," "Deadwood") plays Harry Dresden, a Chicago-based private eye with wizardly powers. Detectives consult him about crimes that look as though they were committed by miscreants with extraordinary abilities.

Shot in Toronto, "Dresden Files" should cost about $1.7 million per episode, pricey for a scripted cable original but cheaper than Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica."

Stern said Sci Fi's goal with "Dresden" and another contemporary greenlit series, "Eureka," is "to broaden the network's reach and appeal to viewers who might gravitate to speculative fiction but might not be hardcore science-fiction fans."

Sci Fi plans to premiere "Dresden" in January. David Carson directed the pilot, whose title character comes from a series of bestselling books by Jim Butcher. The writers of the pilot, Hans Beimler and Robert Wolfe, will serve as executive producers of the series, along with Cage, Norm Golightly and Morgan Gendel.

Priscilla said at 1:34 PM

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Monday, May 22, 2006



Serenity, MST3K'd. UTTERLY HILARIOUS.

From Keef: X-Files 2? Keen! And it's to be MOTW, not Mytharc, so it won't matter that I stopped watching halfway through the 6th season!

Via Lifehacker: How to Screenprint Posters and Shirts

Too much free time + balloons = this.

Whedon pens Buffy season 8 comic. Due in October.

Once More, With Shipping

Man Dressed As Horror Movie Character Stabs Homeless Man

I'm sure I've linked to this before, but it's worth seeing again. Aussie group Tripod performs "Make You Happy Tonight"

Priscilla said at 10:37 PM

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Dear Aleve,

You are supposed to be a painkiller. Kill my pain already!

Stupid ovaries.

No love,
Priscilla

Priscilla said at 12:28 PM

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I saw The DaVinci Code with my parents and a bunch of their friends last night. I don't know what the reviewers are smoking, because I enjoyed it. It was all ridiculously contrived, but still entertaining. I never got around to reading the book, so I don't know what the original tone was like or what was changed, but I'm not sure what else could have been done to make the film more "exciting", the aspect many of the reviewers complained it lacked. It was a little overlong, but not King Kong overlong. Also, it was such a breath of fresh air to have our duo NOT HOOK UP AT THE END. Though it did bug me that Sophie didn't figure *anything* out, aside from that second anagram. Though she gets mad props for her rockin' reverse driving skills.

Also: I want to attend Robert's lecture at the beginning of the film! And Sir Ian, as always, is awesome.

Priscilla said at 10:06 AM

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Sunday, May 21, 2006



An Inconvenient Truth comes out in Dallas on June 2nd. Find out here when and where it's showing near you.

Priscilla said at 3:41 PM

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Doctor Who! Hee, Beth figured it out! I'd been under the impression that Lumic looked familiar, but the feeling wasn't strong enough to trigger my Must-Remember-Where-I-Have-Seen-This-Man 'dar. Not like seeing Ainsley Hayes on CSI last night. Anyway, it was enough to trigger Beth's! Lumic was played by the guy that played Barty Crouch Sr. in Goblet of Fire, a perfect complement to David Tennant's Barty Junior. Mmmm, it's fandomcestuous!

Anyway, even though the entire fandom called the ending, I still loved this episode. I adored the Doctor's "Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people" speech, and as Alanna pointed out, the color was beautiful.


And now, a meme! Ganked from Indy: Top three favorite film soundtracks. GO!

1. Lord of the Rings: RotK (if I had to choose one)
2. Mulan
3. Mirrormask

Then Yellow Submarine, Moulin Rouge, Pirates of the Caribbean, RENT (though I prefer the OBCR), Phantom of the Opera (again, I prefer the original)... the list goes on! What about you guys?

Priscilla said at 10:49 AM

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Saturday, May 20, 2006



Some random person on LJ had mood "awaiting Snuffy brilliance." What is "Snuffy?" Is that like Spike/Buffy/a ninja?

Excuse me while I giggle uncontrollably.

(Oh, and the above link goes to a couple new clips from Studio 60. Just FYI.)

Priscilla said at 10:36 PM

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Joined LibraryThing, after it was plugged by Renata.

From Jane Espenson's blog, yet another brilliant trailer remix: 10 Things I Hate About Commandments

From Keith: An old man gets down with his bad self... and more!

Ramesh Ponnuru (pwned) on The Daily Show

ShaveEverywhere.com

From... Moony, was it? Male Blood Elf Napoleon Dynamite Dance

Reason 7 trillion, 455 million, 846 thousand, 7 hundred and 28 that Henry Selick is AWESOME.


Quote of the day, from Jane Espenson: "See, that's the thing. There is an exception to every joke-writer's "Thou Shalt Not." If you find a really clever way to do it, feel free to break the rule! Just like a real commandment!"

Priscilla said at 3:16 PM

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Friday, May 19, 2006



AAARGH. Apparently, the article I was referencing last night was WRONG, and Veronica Mars and House are still opposite each other Tuesdays at 9/8C. I hope the VM viewing parties will be back next year at Gregory House (*snerks*), so I can watch both.

Oh well. At least VM will have Gilmore Girls as a lead in, rather than America's Next Top Model, and VM will probably do better in the ratings against House than it would have against American Idol.

Priscilla said at 10:54 AM

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In the words of House, "Read less. More TV."

YESSSSSSS. Tuesdays at 8, Veronica Mars! Tuesdays at 9, House!

EDIT: AAAARG. They're putting VM up against American Idol? Do they have a deathwish?

Lost will be interesting, though. Quoth the Detroit Free Press:
No pesky, frustrating "Lost" repeats next season. After airing seven fall episodes, "Lost" takes a break while ABC tries out the new drama series "Day Break." And then "Lost" returns in late January or early February to finish off an all first-run third season.
Also, Grey's Anatomy is moving to Thursdays, so my friends and I are going to have to find a new Sunday night show to follow. Or maybe I'll just record it and we can all watch it on Sundays regardless. If they don't kill off my friend's brother, maybe I'll look into Desperate Housewives.

Does anyone know if Sci-Fi is ever going to catch up with the BBC, and if they're going to start airing new episodes of Doctor Who in America, possibly within a few days of airing in the UK? Is that in the cards, or not so much?

Anyway, here's hoping for The Dresden Files in 2007! (And speaking of fantasy protagonists that are much cooler than you or I could ever be, Aysha drew Vimes! And Moist! Hurrah!)

And unrelated to television but still in the realm of fandom, Neil mentioned in his blog that They Might Be Giants are writing songs for Coraline. SQUEE!!!

Priscilla said at 12:24 AM

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OH MY DEAR GRAVY, THE COLBERT REPORT. I need that screencap of House as Wonder Woman, and I need it now. Hey, maybe if Morgan Freeman turns down the part, Hugh Laurie might be willing to take on the role...

(And he mentioned the bear eating the monkey! This makes the second TV personality in two days who has read my recent blog postings, then travelled back in time to have the content influence their show!)

Priscilla said at 12:05 AM

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Thursday, May 18, 2006



LotR Truth or Dare -- linked from Peg

Shatner raps Shakespeare -- also from Peg!

California endorses gay history in school texts. A national survey conducted last year by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network reported that 75 percent of homosexual students frequently overheard derogatory remarks at school. Advocates of the bill say more positive role models could reduce high suicide rates among gay and lesbian students.

Serenity is IMDB's Movie of the Day! A critical yet ultimately positive review.

24 episodes to be offered on MySpace, iTunes style.

Common-sense medical advice for obnoxious, insulting, and frankly offensive reasons. Whoever came up with the term "pre-pregant" can bite me.

Fox's Fall Schedule: House is back on Tuesdays at 9 EST!

Priscilla said at 11:24 AM

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Lost. I watched it with my mom and aunt, neither of whom had seen a single episode. It was kind of hilarious, trying to explain two seasons' worth of backstory during each commercial break. The following is RIDDLED WITH SPOILERS, so tread carefully.


Charlie/Claire! Aww, JJ Abrams must have read my blog post in which I griped about all my OTPs getting the boot to the head, then travelled back in time several weeks in order to add those adorable moments! YAY for Charlie making the right call re: the statues, YAY for him choosing a spot in which the statues are unlikely to end up washed up on the beach again, YAY for finding a constructive way to help Claire and Turniphead without making yourself look like a deranged stalker maniac!

Other Things:
AWW at Sawyer's confession to Jack
YAY for Sayid being the only person on the island not foaming at the mouth with stupidity
WAH at Hurley's eugooglogy
WTF for the Others' demands not including the offing of A-L. If Michael came up with that on his own, rather than the situation being a desperate father doing whatever is asked of him to get his son back? I wash my hands of him.

Desmond coming soon!

Priscilla said at 9:37 AM

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Wednesday, May 17, 2006



Net Neutrality, Explained By Ninjas

The entire "Ask a Ninja" website is hilarious. Check it out!

Priscilla said at 11:59 PM

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Bears killed and ate a monkey in a Dutch zoo in front of horrified visitors, witnesses and the zoo said Monday.

I wonder if this will be on the Colbert Report.

Priscilla said at 1:15 PM

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Tuesday, May 16, 2006



I just updated my list of Things That Are Brilliant with a ridiculously huge number of links! Four months' worth, in fact.

Priscilla said at 11:11 PM

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It's official! Veronica Mars is getting a third season of 22 episodes! *does a merry dance and ignores the addendum of "depending on ratings, may be reduced to 13"*

I just hope they don't put it up against Lost or House again!

Priscilla said at 6:21 PM

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Monday, May 15, 2006




Priscilla said at 11:05 PM

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I just applied to Laika, the studio that's making Coraline. I'm a few days past the internship deadline (May 10th), but I just heard of the company today, and I figured it was worth a shot. Fingers, toes, and even eyes are crossed! Henry Selick. Neil Gaiman. *happy gurgle*

Priscilla said at 2:14 PM

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Sunday, May 14, 2006



Doctor Who. I need to find an excuse to use the phrase "How will you do that from BEYOND THE GRAVE?"

Also, tux + glasses = oh, Doctor! They're doing this deliberately, aren't they?

Priscilla said at 9:09 AM

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Saturday, May 13, 2006



Ashley: Um... the interviewer knew it was Joss from the start. He was playing along. :D

Stephanie: Both were pietas. Season Two has a plethora of pietas. Why would you say Season 2 does not have a plethora of pietas when you do not know what a plethora is?

Ko: Mac/Cassidy was the thwarted OTP. Like Charlie/Claire, (Blankety-Blank) /(Blankety-Blank-Bleep), and to a much lesser extent, Harry/Murphy. And Wash/Zoe! And Neville/Luna! Some cruel force is methodically kicking my OTPs to the curb! Booooo to thwarted OTPs! Anyway, VM Season 2 is out on DVD August 22nd. (Here's a better shot of the DVD artwork, and here's a list of the contents)


Anyway, I will now recount the events of the past week, which has been chok full of awesome! Except for Saturday, which was chok full of psycho. You'll probably want to skip over Saturday (as well as Thursday and Friday) entirely.

SATURDAY (the 6th):

I struggled with my demo reel up into the wee hours of the morning. I kept trying to render out a DVD-quality file, only to have AfterEffects run into errors in the last few seconds of a half hour-long render. Then it stopped letting me save even the smallest files, or infinitesimally small changes to existing files. Around 5AM, I realized that I had exceeded my 2 gig quota on the Fine Arts server, and they had suspended write access. I deleted some big files that hadn't rendered properly and had write access instantly restored, then saw that it would be unlikely that I would be able to render anything out at top quality, as my demo reel required a gig and a half of source material. I don't understand what changed since last year quota-wise, as Little Old Lady Land used over 5 gigs of source material! Animation is CRAZY.

I left around 5:30, fed up and without a high-quality file. I packed desperately, pausing at 7 for the promised Eggs Benedict at Philly Diner, and finished my boxes-to-be-stored around 10. I spent the rest of the time from then until 1 packing my bags-to-take-with-me, attempting to find a printer to print out shipping labels for my boxes-of-books-to-ship-home only to find out that they were asking $60 for a box I could ship for $20 at the place across the street, and running around the campus like a chicken with its head cut off looking for packing tape, which was not to be found ANYWHERE.

At 1, I headed back over to the animation lab to see if my last attempt at rendering had worked (it didn't) and to burn all my source files and low-quality renders to DVD. On the way, I got a text message from CollegeBoxes, saying that they would be there to pick up my stuff at 1:30. 1:30 was the time I was planning to give up, get someone to dormsit my boxes, and head off to New York, but I figured it couldn't hurt to wait a little bit longer. I was back in my room by 1:25, taping stuff up obsessively, as the only tape I was able to find was pretty sketchy. Then I just chilled in my room, waiting for them to call me.

Around 3, I got fed up waiting and went downstairs to get a wheeled box-thing so that I could transport all my bags and book-boxes downstairs. I realized that my bags were insanely heavy, and that there would be no way I could carry all three of them through the train system to New York. I also found that the elevator lobby and the fight to get an elevator resembled the hordes of people clammoring to get a lifeboat on the Titanic. Yay.

CollegeBoxes finally called around 3:30, and a guy came up to pick up my boxes around 3:45. Then we were off! I checked out and wheeled my cart across the street at great peril to my life, and from then on it was smooth sailing. The employees were prompt and helpful, and the ground rates were inexpensive enough that I was able to ship the two heavier bags, so that I wouldn't have to carry them with me. I hopped a taxi to 30th Street Station and got a ticket for a train leaving for New York in five minutes. My timing ROCKS.

I got a sandwich from the food cart, as I hadn't eaten since 7AM, then catnapped on the train. I arrived at the hotel with just enough time to eat a cookie and unwind a few minutes, then Mom and I were off to Sweeney Todd!

The show was extraordinary. The cast was riveting, the score was highly memorable, and the set and lighting design were deliciously innovative. Yet in spite of all this, I had difficulty even keeping my eyes open in the second act. Thirty-plus hours without sleep and several days of non-stop stress (did I talk about my CSE exam or my Independent Study final project on Friday? I didn't? Well then!) were taking their toll. I managed to get through the show without nodding off and immediately collapsed in bed.


BTW, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY (the 4th and 5th):

I'd been working all week on my Independent Study project using Macromedia Director, the most hated of software. Director wasn't functioning properly on my computer: it would open and I could write code and debug and such, but it wasn't displaying animation correctly. I spend most of Thursday packing and studying for my CSE final Friday morning, then in the late afternoon, I headed for the Fishbowl lab on the other side of campus (a 15-minute walk).

I was nearly all the way there when I realized I didn't have my DVD that had all the tutorial examples, which I would need to reference, so I walked back to the dorm. I did a bit more packing, then walked back to the fishbowl, only to find that I had forgotten to click the "Attach" button on the email I sent myself, so I didn't have my project. Gmail had been down for several hours that day, so I was relying on Penn Webmail, which operates differently. So I walked back to the dorm, sent the files properly, watched Smallville to soothe my annoyance, and went back to the lab, grabbing dinner on the way. When I ran my project on one of the lab computers, only a small portion of the animation was working. Joy. I decreed "screw it!" and went back to the dorm to study for my CSE final. I emailed Norm, my Independent Study advisor, and asked him if we could delay my presentation to 4 or 4:30, instead of at 3, giving me a bit of extra time.

I knew I'd need a decent night's sleep in order to do well on my exam, so I went to sleep at midnight and woke up around 6. I crammed like a madwoman until the exam at 9. I think I did well. As it turns out, I did indeed! Just a couple points below the mean, which is jim-dandy as far as I'm concerned.

At 11, I headed over to Amy's office to unload a bit, when I ran into Professor Mintz, the professor I'm TAing for in the Fall. He told me he needed to give me my course pack. "It says 592, but it's really 260," he explained. HUGE rush of relief on my part. I had thought I was going to be sole TA for a graduate level course, and that I would have to lead a Recitation and everything. Not a fun prospect for one's first TAing opportunity. "THANK GOD!" I exclaimed, clasping my hands above my head and imploring the heavens. "I thought I was TAing the graduate version!"

Of course, it quickly became evident that I had misunderstood him, and that I was still slated for the graduate version. And my reaction must have somehow given him the impression that I had Unspoken Issues about TAing his course. I can't imagine how. :D He asked me to his office to discuss it. I really didn't have time, but I conceded 15 minutes. We eventually decided that it would be optimal to have me as a sort of co-TA. I would attend the class, help out with grading, answer questions on the Newsgroup, and maybe hold office hours. Still a large responsibility, but 1) I wouldn't be alone, and 2) I wouldn't have to hold recitation! We haven't decided if it will be for the grad or undergrad version, but either way, I'm happy.

I grabbed lunch and returned to the lab to work and eat, finally convinced that I had everything I needed. Then every computer I tried in the lab refused to acknowledge my DVD's presence. It just showed up as blank. This was a cause of much tearing of hair and rending of garments, as this DVD contained everything I'd done for school since 11th grade. It was the only place I had the Maya files for "Little Old Lady Land" or my Jabberwock or Imperial Walker or Nightmare Before Christmas scene. It was the only place I had the original Photoshop files for my Sandman project or my stuff from AP Art. It was the only place I had my old papers. In other words, it was pretty freakin' important.

I returned to my dorm, trying not to cry. To my overwhelming relief, it worked fine on my laptop. I immediately copied all the files to my computer and burned a backup DVD. Then I emailed myself all the tutorial files and burned them to a CD, because Murphy's Law clearly was out to get me.

I was now 1:00. I returned to the lab and saw that Norm had emailed me back, saying that he wouldn't be able to come to work today and that I should arrange a time with Jan of the HMS lab to present my project. I emailed Jan about what time would be most convenient, then banged my head against the keyboard for an hour, trying to figure out why the tutorial animation was working but mine wasn't. I finally got the animation working around 2. By 4:30, when I met with Jan, I had accomplished quite a bit! Much more than I could have dreamed I might accomplish in such a short timeframe. There were a couple features that weren't working properly, but I was still pleased as punch.

Jan was joined by Amy, my advisor and candidate for the most awesome person in the universe. It turned out that the reason Norm couldn't be in that day was because his son was getting a heart transplant (!!!!!!). Apparently he had been on the waiting list for ages. My presentation went as well as could be expected, then I went back to my dorm to do some more major packing. I headed over to the animation lab at 10 to start my demo reel. And that's that.


SUNDAY (5/7):

I slept in. Later, we saw The Color Purple, which was absolutely wonderful and exceptionally moving. That evening, we did a bit of shopping, and I got some adorable 3/4 length pants, shorts, and a really cute top. We visited St. Patrick's Cathedral and took a lot of pictures. I only used up half a roll, so it'll be a while before I post them.


MONDAY (5/8):

We went to the Met, which was crazy keen. We saw the Munch exhibit, which was jaw-drop-worthy. It was a side of Munch I'd never seen. I just associated him with The Scream and similarly-styled paintings, but that was only a narrow sliver of his full body of work. While at the Met, we also saw a printmaking show, a photography show, and a collection of art by Iraqi and Iranian women. I also got some really cute shoes.


TUESDAY (5/9):

We went gallery-mad! We went to the Frick Collection to see a selection of Goya's later works, then saw the Permanent Collection, which was astounding. Then we went to the Dahesh Gallery and saw their Permanent Collection and their show on Illustration in the late 1800s-early 1900s. The show was excellent, but some of the works they had in their permanent collection were extraordinary. Zounds. Then we went to the newly-reinovated Morgan Library to check out the illuminated manuscripts, ancient artifacts, and famous literary and musical manuscripts. They had original works by Beethoven and Mozart and Bach and Wagner on one side of the room, then Jane Austen and Willa Cather and Johnathan Swift and Edgar Allen Poe and the three Bronte sisters on the other side. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! It was mindboggling.

Then we flew home.


MORE RECENTLY:

Friday, my Aunt Shere came to visit! I hadn't seen her in years, so it was such a treat to reconnect. We both got in our Mexican food fix, and she and my parents discussed geneaology. More claims that I am a distant cousin of Winston Churchill and Princess Di! (Yeah, pull the other one.) We shared art work, and she gave me a Flash 8 tutorial! I'm definitely going to have to learn Flash. Then she gave me and my mom detailed horoscope readings, which were AWESOME.

And now it is Mother's Day! I would like to take this opportunity to state that my mother is the single most fantastic, wonderful, loving mother in the entire universe, and this is not up for debate.

I LOVE YOU, MOM!

Now we're off to brunch at Lawry's. Exceptionally posh and crazy delicious. Three cheers for Mommy Dearest!

Priscilla said at 11:52 AM

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Friday, May 12, 2006



I just sent my application off to Diiiiiiiisney! *does a little dance*

Priscilla said at 1:09 PM

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Wednesday, May 10, 2006



Whee! Zeyen and Nazia is finally up in the Screening Room at the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival website! We won first place in Undergrad, doncha know. :D Now you can see my beautiful end credits sequence and the Rooftop Scene I directed while on painkillers!

Also, while you're there, check out "The Nothing Scare"--it's hilarious. Also, "Coincidence" and "Ou Est-Tu Waldo" are really fun (though the latter is three or four times longer than necessary).

Priscilla said at 6:24 PM

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Veronica Mars. My GOD, that was amazing. I'm still reeling.

Random thoughts:

Mr. Underhill!

That graduation was TINY.

WHY OH WHY do my fandoms insist on spinkicking my OTPs in the face? First The Dresden Files, now VM?

Does the C.W. shoutout mean what I think it means?

Me = sobbing mess, even though Rational Me knew they'd never do it. Though I did burst out laughing at the Pieta. Why has no one else on my flist picked up on the reference? Anyway, Veronica as Jesus? Really not so much. For those unfamiliar with one of my favourite sculptures, click here for Michaelangelo's, here for Rob Thomas'. Obvious spoiler warning, and apologies for my inability to take screencaps. I have to literally take a digital photograph of my laptop.

Priscilla said at 10:46 AM

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Entertainment news from the industry, via AnimationFlash.

On the "please tell me you're kidding" front:
After dropping out as director of the adaptation of Philip Pullman's sci-fi novel THE GOLDEN COMPASS, AMERICAN PIE director Chris Weitz is again taking the helm of the film as Anand Tucker (SHOPGIRL) steps down, reports VARIETY. Weitz stepped down from the first installment in the HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy due to his concern with never having dealt with daunting technical effects challenges. New Line states that Tucker has left the project due to "differences in creative direction."

The film is still set to lens this fall in the U.K. and hit theaters in November 2007.

The story revolves around Lyra, a girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend, encountering armored bears, witches and other fantastical characters in the process.

"Though I'm disappointed that New Line and Anand didn't end up seeing eye to eye, when I was told the job of directing THE GOLDEN COMPASS was open, there was just no way that I could pass it up," Weitz said. "I feel very confident in the creativity and expertise of the technical crew that is assembling to take on this challenge."

Scholastic Ent., which published Pullman's trilogy in the U.K., and Weitz's
Depth of Field are producing. Exec producers are sibling Paul Weitz and
Andrew Miano.
On the "shouldn't you be working on Torchwood?" front:
Jetix Europe has teamed with Park Ent. and the DOCTOR WHO creative team of Bob Baker and Paul Tams to develop K-9 ADVENTURES, a 26 x30 comedy/fantasy series featuring Doctor Who's famous robot dog. The show will employ state of the art CGI animation mixed with live-action, to give K-9 a sleek new look for the series that is set in space.

Baker was a writer and Tams a designer and illustrator for the classic DOCTOR WHO series. Baker, whose writing credits include the Oscar-winning WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE WRONG TROUSERS and WALLACE AND GROMIT: A CLOSE SHAVE, co-created K-9 as the Doctor's robotic canine companion with then co-writer Dave Martin. Baker and Tams have formed K-9 Films.

The original K-9 made a guest appearance in the third episode of the new series of DOCTOR WHO with David Tennant, entitled "School Reunion," which aired last week on BBC1.

Michael Lekes, svp, programming, Jetix Europe, said, "K-9 ADVENTURES is an incredibly exciting project for Jetix. It's set to be an excellent pace fantasy/adventure series that we are sure will be immensely popular with Jetix viewers, particularly in the U.K., following the recent revival and widespread popularity of DOCTOR WHO."

"I am absolutely delighted to be giving K-9 a new lease of life and a new look for his own series on Jetix, and it's thrilling to be able to offer younger DOCTOR WHO fans the chance to get to know K-9," said K-9 ADVENTURES co-creator Baker, of for K-9 Films. "I believe they will love the 21st century K-9 as much as past generations did when he appeared in DOCTOR WHO.

"We feel that K-9 holds a very special place in the hearts of all DOCTOR WHO fans and we are thrilled to be working with Bob, Paul and everyone at Jetix on the development and production of the series," added Jim Howell, chief exec of Park Ent.

Priscilla said at 9:15 AM

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Monday, May 08, 2006



I just posted my Demo Reel in my LJ. Check it out!

Priscilla said at 10:02 AM

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Saturday, May 06, 2006



My demo reel is awesome. And as of 4AM, I can barely even feel the sleep deprivation! I just have to render everything, then PACK like a crazy person, then maybe take a nap on the train to New York. Then take another nap when I get to the hotel. Then sleep that night, after we get back from our show. Then change my name to Rip Van Winkle and sleep a further twenty years.

What is it about me and spending all night in the Animation lab the last day of the school year? Last year, I was in the lab until 1:30. I got two hours of sleep before leaving at 4 for a 6:00 plane flight. And this year, given the amount of stuff that needs to get done, I wonder if I'm going to get any sleep at all. The low-res Internet version (because all must share in the pretty) should finish in a few minutes, then I'll start the 2-hour high-quality render and skip out to find sustenance and do some packing.

Oh, man. The only place open will be the Philly Diner. This will be the first time I've gone there since the shooting at 3AM over the Christmas holidays. Boo, I've worked too hard these past few weeks to die!

Priscilla said at 4:18 AM

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Thursday, May 04, 2006



W00t! Firefly wins Prime Time TV Hits Bracketology! A close 2nd place finish became a massive win over House, after significant voting fraud was uncovered. "Everybody lies," quoth Doctor Snark. So true!

GeekWeek vs. Joss Whedon

In Michelle Rodriguez's stint on Good Morning America, there's a clipped headline that states "[....] may allow Catholics to use condoms to prevent spread of AIDS." I googled it and found this:
The leader of Scotland's largest Catholic congregation yesterday backed the use of condoms by Aids patients to prevent them infecting their spouses. But Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, added that such a position was not a support for contraception. Catholic Church doctrine is against the use of condoms, but Pope Benedict XVI is believed to be on the verge of sanctioning a change.
Cool.

They Are Made Out of Meat

Priscilla said at 8:46 PM

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Priscilla said at 11:06 AM

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It looks like Amazon is having a TV on DVD sale! Wonderfalls is only $19.97 (half-price!) right now. It's a clever and uproariously funny show, rivaling Firefly for my all-time favourite, and it's a minimal time committment, as it only lasted 13 episodes.

Also, Veronica Mars season 1 is down to $29.96, so now is a great time to jump on the bandwagon, before someone on LJ accidentally spoils you for the end of season 2! Then Firefly is 24.96, so you could always pick up an additional set to lend out to your friends, as everyone on my flist has seen Firefly, yes? Otherwise, there will be Words.

Related: The Saturn Award winners are in! Summer Glau (River, Serenity) wins best supporting film actress, Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars wins best TV actress. Peej wins Best Director, Narnia wins Best Costumes and Best Makeup, and Kong wins Best Special Effects. I refuse to comment on Backstroke of the West winning Best Sci-Fi Film, because that's just a load of WHA???.

Of course, George Lucas got major points in my book when he decided to release the original, unaltered trilogy on DVD! Coming September 12th, Han shoots first, Jabba first appears in Jedi, and Annakin's hed is no longer pastede on! I knew there was a reason I hadn't bought the Special Edition DVD yet and instead coveted my parents' ancient VHS box set. Thanks to Heidi for the link. My day is made!

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU.

Priscilla said at 9:48 AM

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Wednesday, May 03, 2006



House. Foreman is unspeakable, Cameron rocks, and Steve McQueen lives to fight another day! Also House's new ball-and-cane trick is awesome.

Veronica Mars. Re: Woody, I CALLED IT. MacBeav are adorable, as is Weevil (who, according to his mugshot, is 6'? Hah! Also, Will and I decree that Mac and Veronica so need to be roommates at Hearst next year. As for the trial results, dude, this surprises people? If there was any semblance of criminal justice, it wouldn't be Neptune. And the "We love Aaron Echolls, Aaron Echolls is innocent!" banners crack me up. Now they just need a Dove Lady!

Lost. HOLY --BLEEP--!!!! Well, that certainly blew episode conventions out of the water. Sure, (blankety)'s story was more-or-less resolved, but (blankety-blank) didn't even get an episode. How is (blankety-blank-bleep) going to find out about (blankety-blank)'s past?

Priscilla said at 10:05 PM

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The second half of the big two-parter House episode is on in ten minutes. Why did my body choose now to cash in on last night's sleep debt? I was up past 5 working on my Digital Figure Modeling final project, and subsequently got 4 hours of sleep, and therefore I should deserve to revel in fandom this evening. Stupid body. *grabs chocolate*

Priscilla said at 7:53 PM

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Veronica Mars season 2 on DVD August 15th! And please make that "The release date is tied to the season 3 premiere on the CW" be more than just wishful thinking...

Priscilla said at 7:48 PM

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Huh. Cool. They're remastering The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. Originally I misread the article summary, thinking they were redoing the entire movie in CG, and I thought I was going to hurt someone, but no! Sure, 3D glasses hurt my brain, but it'll be a treat to see my much-beloved film on the big screen again.

P.S. Firefox's new "restore session" feature = Love.

Priscilla said at 6:47 PM

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Now that my Digital Figure Modeling final crit is out of the way, I'm in the mood to share some dorkyness.

Have I ever mentioned Milton Goldthwait in my blog? At the beginning of the school year, when Ko and I were testing our new answering machine, I loosely co-opted the character of Milton Goldthwait Foxtrot, but rather than making overtures to Paige, he attempted to woo my roommate. He subsequently metamorphosed into a prominent fixture in our geekier conversations, and often maintained a running commentary during Ko's nightly phone calls to her real boyfriend. As Ko moved out yesterday, I decided I needed to preserve the dorkishness for future generations. Check out the messages he left on our machine over the course of the year!

Transcript:

First Message: Hi, my name is Milton Goldthwait, and I first glimpsed Terra Gearhart's radiant visage in my Poli Science class, and I wondered if you would go out with me?

Second Message: Terra! My autumn flower! My ripe plum blossom! (?) of my heart! You have not returned my call. Tell me, my darling, what could prevent you from answering? It is I, [Morton] Goldthwait! Are you ill? Have you been kidnapped? Is it drug lords or pirates or--God forbid--Republicans? My heart grows heavy with each passing minute. Speak again, bright angel!

Third Message: Terra, it is I, Milton Goldthwait again. You have not returned my call! Are you playing hard-to-get or something? You rend my heart to pieces with your coy games! Phone me, Terra my sweet! Allow me to bask in the melodious sound of your voice. Do not deny the depth and passion of our true love!


I really need a boyfriend.

Priscilla said at 9:40 AM

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Tuesday, May 02, 2006



Why is it that I compulsively save after every sentence I write in Word, but I go hours without saving in Maya? Maya is much more likely to crash than Word.

Answer: Because I have the IQ of a grapefruit.
Hours of work lost just now: 2.

Priscilla said at 3:52 PM

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Here's a better link for the PotC II trailer! Haha, looks like fun!

Priscilla said at 1:05 PM

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Happy Proven Guilty day! Hope you all had a lovely May Day and didnd't get in a plane crash or your ship didn't sink, unlike MINE, which is taking on water! Stupid Proven Guilty elevator scene. *dons tinhat and steadfastly waves Harry/Murphy shipper flag*

It's sad when your Harmonian roommate suggests you're being silly.

Anyway, here's yesterday's linkmine:

My nominee for Most Useless Person in the Universe: Marissa Leigh.

For a link with the same initials, but which is infinitely more awesome: Mario Live! Ganked from Beth.

"Thank You, Stephen Colbert" -- how delightful is this outpouring of Stephen!love on my flist? Delightfully delightful.

Stephen on 60 Minutes

New Mac Ads: John Hodgman is a PC.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2 Full Trailer -- an unbelievably slow download. But the fifteen seconds I've downloaded in the last hour look pretty cool.

New Frankenmix Prompts, hurrah!

Priscilla said at 10:07 AM

2 comments


Monday, May 01, 2006



I'm currently in the library's new Digital Media lab, which is too cool for words. Final Cut Pro, the Adobe Creative Suite, and more RAM than you can shake a stick at. I'm in heaven. Or at least I will be when I'm working on one of the actual lab computers, rather than my own laptop. The DMDer running the lab right now is helping me get a handle on the software I'm using for my independent study project.

I feel like I'm somehow infecting the pristine Mac environment, bringing my Dell in to the room. Like a hobo or bindlestiff, waltzing into a hospital cleanroom and coughing wetly on the patient. It's all so shiny and white here! Also, because I'm surrounded by Macs, the screensavers are really pretty and really distracting.

AND THE BOY JUST WALKED IN AND HE'S GOING TO BE RUNNING THE LAB FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND SITTING NEXT TO ME, AND I CLOSED BLOGGER SO HE WOULDN'T SEE AND JUST NOW OPENED IT AGAIN AN HOUR LATER WHILE HE WENT TO HELP ONE OF THE STUDENTS, AND WE'VE BEEN CHATTING AND ALL IS LOVELY AND YAY!

And while we were both working, I think he's been watching me. I glanced at his laptop screen, distracted by *his* screensaver (curse all Macs!), and he immediately remarked on it. I don't think I even turned my head, just my eyes! Oh, if only he wasn't so cagey and mixed-signal-y when I propositioned him for coffee or food in the past, and if only I had more than 5 days left in Philly this semester! Ah well. I more or less gave up a few weeks ago, so it's no big deal, but still. La!

Priscilla said at 4:58 PM

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Linked from Croupier, Berkeley on iTunesU. You can download podcasts of course lectures and events for free! I just found a course on digital image processing that looks cool, and I look forward to my exams being over so that I can start listening.

I hope more universities follow Berkeley's lead. It's such a thrill to see this new technology being used for education as well as entertainment.

Priscilla said at 11:09 AM

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All content © 2000-2005 Priscilla Spencer unless otherwise noted.
Title cartoon by Bruce Eric Kaplan, used without permission.

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