An actual fandom post for the first time in forever. Blame Rob Thomas. I can't remember how to do cuts - read at your peril there are some slight spoilers for the VM movie -

A long time age we used to be friends. Trite, I know, but true. I watched the Veronica Mars movie and remembered all of the friends I associated with the show. Because VM was more than just a show to me, it was always a social event. It was my first foray into online fandom and fanfic. I started with the LoVe board where I worked on recaps of the show and finally discovered a whole VM community on Live Journal. After I finished the movie I logged into LJ for the first time in years and realized it had been so long that didn’t even know who played there anymore, which made me sad. The movie brought back so many memories. Not just the time spent online (which used to be a significant portion of my life) but also all the social gatherings I associate with VM - Group dinners at Comic Con, Austin for the screening of Donut Run, the cast signing the soundtrack at the release party they had here in town, and the Season 2 premiere party held at one of the extra’s house.

Thinking about the show and remembering all the friends I used to know also brought back so many memories of a specific time in my life. I was married when the show aired and going through a nasty divorce by the time it was over and fandom filled in the spaces in my life and in many ways got me through a really rough time in my life. All these people who were so important in my life just drifted away as the show ended and the last few weeks have been really reflective for me as I realized how much my life has changed in the last 10 years.

When the first kickstarter video came out I had a sense of nostalgia seeing Veronica, Logan, Dick and Papa Mars together again and shelled out my money like so many other fans not sure anything would come out of it. Then they blew past their goal and kept promising a better and better movie, but it didn’t really seem real until I saw the first stills from the set of Logan and Veronica together. And by that time it was also known that Piz would be in the movie forming a triangle. It is funny, I never for a moment thought that Veronica and Piz would end up together so that part seemed ham-handed, but it was handled well. I totally forgot about the sex tape, but I remembered every nuance and emotional beat of Logan and Veronica’s first kiss. I guess that puts me firmly in the team Logan camp. I guess I have a thing for obligatory psychotic jackasses.

It wasn’t until I saw the first few minute recap intro to the movie that I realized how little of the end of the series I actually remembered. Season 1 was so awesome. I was totally obsessed and remember the hours I spent online guessing who killed Lily. But I found my interest slacking in middle of Season 2 when the quality just wasn’t as good and by season 3 the wheels just came off for me. I think the show would make a great case study in the perils of trying to do a 22 episode season and how tough it is to keep momentum and quality over that period.

A couple of months ago I wasn’t even sure I would see the movie right away. I was worried it would be more season 3 than season 1 and I realized how disappointing that would be. But then the reviews started to come out and they were good and I realized I couldn’t not watch. So opening day I plunked my money down and enjoyed my first VOD experience in the comfort of my own home and it was kind of wonderful. Even as I watched alone there were the ghosts of so many people watching with me. Alexis (a_h_c) was beside me eating popcorn agreeing that Logan should only wear dress whites. Lynn (random00b) was there too, enjoying Mac’s great haircut and cheering her victory lap. rindee gave me a high five 30 minutes in, when Cliff showed up, because she remembered me plotting a few fanfics we wrote together just to make him a main character. Meg was there mourning Sherriff Lamb because she knew the actor back in the day and Grace (truemyth) and Erin (mutinousmuse) were there planning fan fic and videos they were going to work on as soon as we were done watching.

Was it a great movie? No, not really, but it was smart and proficient. The mystery was a little thin when you take a step back and I figured it out almost immediately. But as a fan I loved the whole thing. It had everything I wanted – LoVe angst, wisecracks, Mac being awesome, Cliff and of course Rico saying, ‘Who’s Your Daddy?’ It was wonderful to see everyone together again and it made me very, very happy.

It seems unbearably sad that almost immediately on the heels of the movie coming out was the news that Television Without Pity is being shut down. I discovered the website through VM and read Couch Baron’s recaps religiously. But the true height for me were Jacob’s Battlestar Galactica recaps which were magnificent. I remember completely fangirling out when I met him in Austin, more so than when I met the cast. At a time when I am already nostalgic this news came as a blow even though I have not liked the direction the site had taken in the last 5 years or so as they went to weecaps and what they did write seemed to lose a lot of their charm and snark, but it was part of my life at the same time VM was and it going away feels like I am losing a piece of my history, especially since they are not going to keep an archive of the posts. That might be the most tragic thing, so many brilliant, insightful, and downright funny reviews are just going to be gone forever.

I read that Rob Thomas is allowing people to sell their fanfic on Amazon now. I wonder how many of the writers I used to read so avidly back in the day are going to upload their stories? Of course they won’t allow pornography so that rules out 80% of the writers I knew. I mean everyone had some sex in their stories! But maybe I will stumble across some familiar names, which would be nice. I was even a part of some group fics and I wonder if they will find their way into the light of day again.

I also read that Rob wants to do another movie if this one deemed successful by the studio. I am sure the cast would be all for it and as long as the quality is there the fans would be ecstatic. This one really brought back a lot of memories. I doubt that I will have the emotional response I had to this movie with another, but as a fan I do hope to see these characters again. After all, we used to be friends and it is nice to catch up with old friends.

So to all of the people I used to be friends with (and a few that are still in my life) thanks for the fun, the laughs, the support and most importantly making me feel like I belonged to a great group who all loved the same thing. It was great fun while it lasted and I wanted you to know that you have been on my mind. Take care.

Glee!! Oh my friend, I will miss you.

I thought Joss did a good job. Especially the intercut of the "live" with the "video footage" in the mall. Cut for comments on the show that might spoil someone who has not seen it yet from Tuesday...

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Oh, and why did Fox bring back Lie to Me early just to show repeats? That sucks.

TV Guide is reporting that Hilarie Burton just had Jeffrey Dean Morgan's child.

How did that happen? I mean other than the obvious way.

Isn't she married? Wasn't he dating the woman from Weeds? Is that why she left OTH? And have they been together long enough for 10 months have passed?

I knew I was behind in what was going on outside my life, but this is ridiculous. What else am I missing?

Dollhouse got renewed?! WTF? I love Joss. I own the “Joss Whedon is my master now” t-shirt. I stalked him at two consecutive Comic-Con’s to get his autograph, but I don’t get it. Elisha Dusku is not that good an actress to carry off this show. She does fine as the ass kicking, bad girl, but ask her to get vulnerable and it all goes to crap. When you add Topher being a douche, erratic writing, Helo not being naked nearly enough and the fact that they have kind of worked themselves into a corner, why renew it now? Firefly was 100 times the show that this one is. Why Fox, why? The only way to redeem yourselves at this time is to give Amy Acker more screen time, have Helo be naked ALWAYS and bring back Wash, because he was a hoot.

They what does Fox do as an encore? They cancel Sarah Conner. Bastards! I loved that show. As much as I was meh about Dollhouse I raved about Terminator. Sure John was a wimpy sap, and the girlfriend plot dragged on way too long (RIP Ripley, I won’t miss you), but the performance that BAG turned in every week knocked my socks off, and there were some tightly written scripts. (We will have to forgive them for the Sarah goes to the sleep clinic episode, because my God, did that suck, but overall it had much better quality than the Dolls week to week.)

I guess I can take some consolation from Better off Ted getting a pick up, because I found the show charming. I’m thrilled about Chuck (even though it is only for 13 episodes). Adam Baldwin looks like he is having a great time and it is so nice to have him on my TV regularly. Plus, I love the show and always found it smart, involving TV.

I also am happy about Castle’s pick up. The first episode I didn’t think Nathan and the girl had much chemistry, but they worked that out (I mean, who couldn’t spark with Nathan? It’s not even possible) and I love his relationship with his daughter. The cast is uniformly good and even though the mysteries are paper thin, Nathan is wonderful fun to watch chew up the scenery. And rounding out the Joss alumni who had a good day, congrats to David B for a two season pick up of Bones. Wee!! Just think of the fun they will have dragging out Angela and Jack and finding ways to torment the revolving assistants. I, for one, can’t wait. However, there had better be mea culpa’s for yet another weak season finale. Christ, what a cop out.

So anyway, mostly I am happy about the new slates. I wish Terminator at least had gotten a 6 hour movie wrap up, that we could trade in Dollhouse for another season of Firefly and that my Without a Trace hangs in there. What? A girl can dream.

I was so sad to read today about Andy Hallett’s passing at 33 of heart failure. I loved him on Angel and he was so young, and so talented. RIP Lorne, you were the best sidekick a vampire with a soul ever had. I hope you are bellying up to a bar somewhere and dispensing sage advice while dressing snappily.

The sad news was tempered by reading about Aly Hannigan delivering a healthy baby girl. Congrats to Willow and Wesley. (I also love how absolutely doting he has looked in every picture with a hand on her belly. Awwww.) However, Satyana – really? What the hell ever happened to Elizabeth or Sue?

Not connected to the Whedonverse, also in the happy column was the two season pick up for FNL. YAY!!! The show had a creative resurgence this season, reminding me why I used to love it. Going to DirectTV and having the ability to let stories unfold slowly without worrying about imminent cancellation did wonders for them and I am very happy to see what happens now that they have two more years to do so. Too bad my Terminator can’t swing a deal like that. It has been awesome for the last several weeks, but each day I expect to read about its cancellation. Ditto for Chuck, sigh.

Actually this makes me think about how some shows with Whedonverse players are so entertaining and some are so meh. But I guess that is another post for another day. (Watch out Dollhouse, I’m coming for you!)

My Veronica Mars knowledge, that is.

I just totally pegged Professor Landry from the teaser for next week’s Life episode – from only his voice! He had full Kiss style makeup on and I still knew him.

And last week while flipping by Waterworld I recognized Mac as the young girl even though she had to be 12 or so.

I guess some of the characters were just more memorable than others.

I feel better now. But where is my beloved Cliff? Why can’t someone case him as the sleazy neighbor or the funny boss. He would be awesome doing anything. As long as it was sleazy, of course.

I have always liked Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I liked him on Weeds and I always thought he was rather kick ass on Supernatural. I was happy for him when he got cast in Watchman, because if the film is a hit he should be catapulted into stardom. As much as I have liked him in other things, I loved him as Denny on Grey’s Anatomy. The season finale where he died shattered me. I was completely devastated because I had become totally attached to his character.

When he came back this season, I was disappointed in his story line, but was happy to see him. In fact, last week when his character finally had a purpose I was thrilled. When he kept saying “I’m here for you”
I cried my eyes out because he was so damn good in his scenes. And then I saw him on Craig Ferguson and all that love just died. Maybe he was drunk or high, but he had this terribly annoying laugh and he was coming off as a dick. A not very likeable dick at that. I was shocked because I always imagined he’d be cool and kinda fun. Where do I go from here? How do I reconcile this knowledge with the love I felt? I tell you it’s a conundrum.

I had a similar problem with Kenneth Branagh (Who is directing a comic book movie next year names Thor – what is that all about? Does Thor quote Shakespeare?) I loved Dead Again, adored Henry V and was secretly entertained by Much Ado and Keanu Reeves’ inability to do a line read without sounding like a moron. He and Emma seemed so happy and then he dumped her for Helena Bonham Carter and her one eyebrow and I could never get past it. You would think he had left me! I was that upset. Why must my actors spoil my fantasies for me? At least Colin Farrell and George Clooney still make me love them when they are just being themselves. For that I am grateful.

I know, I really need to get a life.

Part two. I managed to not spoil myself, but I did look at the best and worst dressed pictures on a few of the sites. And I have to repeat after seeing it on two worst dressed lists, I liked Jenna's dress. She wore it very well.





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I hope the Oscars take a few hints from this telecast and lay off the endless montages. Let people get up and have their say and don't show us scenes from every movie Paul Newman ever did. Really, I miss him too, but have some restraint.

When I it was my bedtime...

Please forgive typos and screwed up names, I was typing as I was watching.
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Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and anything else I missed.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. My Christmas was extremely quiet. Charlie and I spent the morning together and then went to his sister-in-law's house. I had never met any of his family (after two years of dating!) so that was interesting in itself. However, things went smoothly. His sister's family was very warm and welcoming and his mother was also very nice. Later, Charlie said they were happy to have proof he wasn't gay. I guess when you are almost 50 and haven't brought anyone home in almost 10 years, people will wonder.

I got Charlie an iPod, it was time for him to join the 21st century, and he got me a necklace that we will be returning for something a little less...shiny. It is the thought that counts, though.

We had a few people over for New Years and otherwise we just hung out. However, the good thing to come from spending 3-4 days not leaving the house? I finally cleared both my TiVo's and actually attacked a few of the shows I had converted over to DVD. I am totally up to date on about 85% of the shows I am watching regularly. Hey, that's real progress!

So not that much to report, but I wanted to check in and wish everyone prosperity, peace and joy in the new year.