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The First Evil
User: [info]asta77
Name: The First Evil
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Asta's Journal
Evil Incarnate and Satan's Hellspawn
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Since I don't have a website, all my fic in one place.

Battlestar Galactica

Time and Space - Lee/Laura
Sway - Lee/Laura
Unrealized Reality - Lee/Laura
Impulse - Lee/Helo
Certainty - Ellen and Zarek

Horatio Hornblower

Merry Christmas, Mr. Hornblower - Archie/Horatio
Comfort - Archie/Horatio

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If nothing else, this got me to dust off the cobwebs and write some meta again.

Torchwood: Children of Earth - Part 5 )

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I'm sensing something BIG happened in Part 4 of Children of Earth. I'm tempted to click on cut tags, but am trying to remain strong. It's not like I really care, but my curiosity kills most of the time. I had hoped to watch last night, but there was IMing, then Burn Notice (And, for the record, you DO NOT have to go to the state capital to get copies of incorporation documents. They can be FedEx'd to you overnight. Apparently, the writers are too busy coming up with ways to break into a building to do simple fact checking.), and then I fell asleep at 10:00. The late nights this week caught up to me. On the plus side, I can watch Parts 4 and 5 back-to-back tonight.

One thing about CoE:Part 3 )

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In an attempt to mend fences with [info]beccatoria who is blaming me on multiple internet fronts for *supposedly* talking her into watching Torchwood again and unleashing her inner Welsh rage, I felt I should probably say something about Children of Earth. In addition to spoilers, there shall be mocking, just to warn you.

Torchwood: Children of Earth - Parts 1 & 2 )

And in convention news that made me go WTF? do a double take, Ioan Gruffudd will be appearing at Big Apple Comic Con October 16th-18th in New York City. I'm not aware of Ioan doing cons previously, but he might have appeared at Comic Con prior to one of the Fantastic Four films being released. But he has nothing FF or comic book related coming out according to imdb. So this just seems so random and weird. He does have a baby on the way, maybe he's looking to make some extra cash. If by some miracle Jamie were to appear at this con, FYI, I'll be in New York in October. ;p

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The last time I updated was June 7th. This may be a record for me. I'm trying to put my finger on why I'm not posting. Is my life that boring? Well, yes, it is, but that's nothing new. There's no new Battlestar to discuss, which has always been a prominent feature of my LJ. But, I still have Caprica to watch and a podcast to listen to and some half formed meta. I do feel Twitter is partially to blame. I never thought Twitter and I would be a fit. I'm so wordy! And only 140 characters? It's inconceivable! Apparently, I'm more adaptable than I thought.

I did start a post on Monday, but the topic of said post has had me on a YouTube and downloading binge since the weekend, sucking up most of my free time, and thus I haven't gotten around to finishing my thoughts. And this renewed passion of mine deals with something I haven't thought much about in twenty years and probably all of two people will care what I have to say on the subject. If anyone can guess what I'm talking about from that incredibly vague description there's a virtual cookie in it for you. (Accept for [info]beccatoria, who is already privy to my insanity. ;)

In order to dip my tow back in the meta waters, I have a few thoughts about Virtuality. [info]prolix_allie has a great discussion going on on her LJ about my main problem with the pilot. Cut for spoilers. )

For my fellow Farscape fans, in case you haven't heard, the rumored Farscape panel at Comic Con is a go! Ben, Claudia, Brian Henson, and Rockne will be there. I was curious as to why there might be a panel since there is currently no series and the webisodes are still in development. Well, soon after the panel announcement came news of the entire series being released on DVD! Thank you A&E Home Entertainment!

Speaking of cons, Dragon Con is only 64 days away! It seems like it was just October and I was making my room reservation...which I reconfirmed yesterday. I'm already seeing posts about get togethers. I'd love to meet up with whoever I can, though logistics can be a nightmare when dealing with four host hotels and 40,000 people. I'll be arriving Thursday and leaving Monday and you should be able to find me standing in lines for Star Trek, Stargate, and BSG panels.

And for those interested in how the most recent Star Trek film changed from script to screen, check out Star Trek - What You Missed Most of the cuts I agree with, but I really would have liked to see more of Nero's backstory. His missing scenes would have helped to explain a lot.

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Current Mood: apathetic

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Yes, once again, it's been awhile since I've posted to LJ. Well, my LJ. I have been posting to [info]bamber_news. And there is Twitter. And email. So, I have not been non-communicative. Basically, work frustration + some family drama has meant by the time I get home and start to relax I really don't have the energy to or feel at all motivated to post. But, I have some links I've wanted a share and my Battlestar Galactica love is renewed. It never left, but I've spoken of my frustrations with fandom and the break I took was a really good thing. Having new footage to enjoy also helps. The 4.5 deleted scenes for those that haven't seen them yet. And [info]beccatoria recapped what was cut as well. Because she did such an awesome job, I'm not doing my own recapping this time.

For the first time, I did not watch the deleted scenes and feel extremely disappointed that something wasn't included in the aired version of an episode. The majority of the cuts were minor as compared to entire scenes or subplots that have been eliminated in prior seasons. With a few exceptions, what was cut would not have added anything or changed anything we saw on screen. Many of the deleted scenes were merely longer versions of what we saw, with a few lines trimmed, likely for time.

There are a few scenes I'd like to comment on. Cut for potential spoilers. )

There's also an edited flashback scene between Lee and Kara in 'Daybreak' that I want to talk about, but I'm saving that for some Lee meta I'm working on. :)

Links!

For another spin on Battlestar, How Neanderthals Met a Grisly Fate: Devoured by Humans. I couldn't resist!

NBC Universal has sealed a new licensing deal with Hallmark Cards that includes the use of the company's film and TV content. If you are thinking you'll be receiving Lee Adama birthday cards from me in the future, you're right.

Have you heard about Bing? No, not Crosby, Microsoft's latest attempt to take on Google. I'm not a fan of the main page. Why do they think I want to see pictures taken in Europe? And I find the main/news search results not as good as Google. However, I will give it the edge in image searches. They put all results on one page that you can scroll rather through and zoom in.

BBC America in HD! Comcast doesn't have it listed as coming up on the new channel lineup they just mailed out. Bastards.

Hulu is set for September launch in the UK. ITV will be a content partner. I'm hoping that agreement will eventually extend to the U.S. and we'll get Law & Order: UK.

Via johnaugust.com, Writer's Guild Event with 'Trek' writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Some interesting background on what did end up in Star Trek and why Nero's story ended up on the editing room floor.

Now back to my Twitter conversation/mocking of the Tony Award nominees wwith [info]writteninstars and [info]dragonfly0303.

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I just finished Season 3 of Stargate, at work. I don't have an Ipod so, instead, I listen to shows while I'm working. I had listened to some Season 1 and Season 2 episodes, but it wasn't until Hulu debuted the third season last week that I managed to make my way through (most of) a season. Yesterday, as I realized I only had a few episodes left and was lamenting that fact, I had a flashback to how I became hooked on the series. Damn you Season 3 with your improved writing, character development, team bonding, mythology and world building!

I was also was reminded how much the last Indiana Jones film ripped off the 'Crystal Skull' episode. And that the Replicators have been around longer than I recalled. And Jack used to look really good in a black tee shirt.

The BSG actors can't resist the pull of SciFi/SyFy it seems. James Callis's craptastic (TV Squad's word! Though, I'll likely agree. ;) SciFi Saturday film Book of Beasts airs tomorrow night. And Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, and Mark Sheppard will all be appearing at various times on Warehouse 13.

According to After Elton, the upcoming Season 4.5 and Complete Series BSG boxed sets will not include the 'Face of the Enemy' webisodes. WTF NBCU? After Elton could not get a straight answer as to why they are omitted.

A reminder that ABC begins airing the final three episodes of Pushing Daisies beginning tomorrow night at 10:00 est. Having seen the episodes ;), I can confirm that the series does have closure, albeit through a post production, tacked on ending. While I feel another hour of or two would have provided a truly satisfying end to the series, I commend Bryan Fuller for tying up as many loose ends as he could as best he could.

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Still no Jamie. Why are you torturing me Jamie? WHY???

But, Michael Trucco fans, start celebrating!

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I realized I hadn't boasted in a week which may lead some people to worry I'm lying in a ditch. I've just had a lot of stuff going on and not much brain power or energy left to post at night. Even this weekend, which was relatively relaxing, I couldn't motivate myself to say (or type) anything. I do have a list of things I want to post about and hopefully will feel motivated to tackle it soon and I've been keeping up with my Flist because I'm paranoid about missing something big in your lives. I think I finally just reached the point where I feel I need to decide what I want to do with my journal and how much time I want to devote to it now that BSG is over and there will be no season 3 of TSCC, a show I thought would fill the BSG void. Maybe V will be really good. ::crosses fingers::

And because everyone - Ok, two people on my Flist - are doing it, the favorite couples meme going around.

Name your 10 absolutely favorite couples (het/slash/canon/fanon) and ask people to see what trends they notice about your couples. Try to pick different fandoms.

1) Lee/Laura - Battlestar Galactica
2) Buffy/Spike - Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
3) John/Aeryn - Farscape
4) Mulder/Scully - The X-Files
5) Horatio/Archie - Horatio Hornblower
6) Nick/Nora - The Thin Man
7) Sydney/Vaughn - Alias
8) Mason/Julia - Santa Barbara
9) Beecher/Keller - Oz
10) Lee/Amanda - Scarecrow & Mrs King (a blast from the past!)

I could probably add more couples, which surprises me, but I'll keep it to ten.

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'Leverage' coming to DVD on July 14th. The commentaries could potentially be very entertaining.

And Dean Devlin is sharing pictures from the TNT Upfronts:

Share photos on twitter with Twitpic


There is another photo of the cast, but it's very blurry.

I'll hopefully have some Glee thoughts to share later. If you watched on FOX last night, you saw a butchered version of the pilot which runs about eleven minutes longer. So, if you were confused my any plot points or characterizations it is likely because entire establishing scenes were excised.

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While FOX has and Dollhouse and TSCC have been the talk of the day, ABC has been solidifying their fall lineup. I already had heard V with Alan Tudyk and Morena Baccarin had been picked up, though it looks like for thirteen episodes rather than the six I had originally read about. And considering Amy Acker is in Happy Town, I'm thinking she'll be helping Dollhouse with their cost cutting. But here was the surprising (to me) news:

Continuing its trend of green lighting quirky, high-concept shows, ABC is moving ahead with 'V', a revamp of the 1980s sci-fi series/miniseries, and Eastwick, a character-centric drama based on the John Updike novel and the Jack Nicholson movie, 'The Witches of Eastwick'. Actor Paul Gross will play the Nicholson role on Eastwick.

Current Mood: surprised

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FOX Unveils Fall Schedule

Not a shock, but given they renewed the lower rated 'Dollhouse', I thought there might be a miracle. Sigh.

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Chuck has been renewed! I've been feeling fairly confidant that it would be the past couple weeks, but it's official. Of course, Chuck didn't get the 13 episode pick up without some concessions or, more precisely, cost cutting. Expect series regulars to be bumped down to recurring status. And two writers may be out of work. While I do feel bad for any cast member forced to take a pay cut, it did occur to me that not every series regular appeared in every episode last season and, on occasion, I wondered why certain characters were in an episode.

In case you hadn't heard, Dollhouse was picked up for 13 episodes. I'll let others be excited about that. </i>Bones</i> was renewed for two seasons. I'd be more excited about that if it weren't for the uneven season the show just had (cases of the week were fine, characterizations were WTF?) and a one of the worst finales of any show I've ever seen. Still no official word on House (see comments about Bones), but I can't imagine FOX not renewing their top rated scripted series. And there are reports that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been canceled, but the guys who actually make the show have yet to receive any word on that. (ETA: There is am unconfirmed rumor that TSCC will be getting a 13 episode pick up.)

And over on ABC, Castle will have a second season. WOO! Nathan tweeted he can't recall the last time he was on a show that had a second season. ;) Scrubs will back, in some form. Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke have agreed to come back for six episodes.

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Stargate SG1: 'Children of the Gods: The Final Cut'

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in. Yeah, I'll be buying it.

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So, Twitter is down for about an hour for maintenance at the same time the hamsters that power LJ decide to go on a smoke break which leaves me thinking, "OMG, I'm cut off from all my friends!" Granted I had nothing to say at that moment and there is this thing called email, but for a few seconds it really hit me how important the various networking sites are to my life.

While I've been trying to avoid the media frenzy surrounding Ms. California, I feel compelled to share Jon Stewart's thoughts since he says what I've been thinking so much better than I could. Plus, he's a *little* funnier than me.

Cut for potentially NWS image used for You Tube vid )

Current Mood: relieved

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Life seems to be rather boring at the moment, so I shall just share some links of possible interest.

Battlestar Galactica

[info]bsg_bigbang is hosting a BSG Big Bang Challenge. I had never heard of such a challenge before, but it sounds intriguing:

The objective: write a piece of fiction that is at least twenty thousand words, set in the Battlestar Galactica universe. It can be any kind of plot, any (or no) pairing. Gen, het, slash, it doesn't matter. Once your piece of fiction is complete, you'll be matched with an artist or vidder who will take your story and produce art for it. The end result is what many people are looking for: longer fan fiction stories set in the BSG universe!

Signups begin tomorrow. I can't commit to writing a fic, but being an artist or cheerleader is a wee bit tempting.

A brave and ambitious soul has decided to right some of the wrongs of Season 4.5 and has created Battlestar Redactica, fan edited alternatives to the mutiny arc and the final episodes of the series, up to but not including the finale. I've watched some of it and it's intriguing and very ell done. And I will always support less of Bill Adama and his emo. ;) Before watching, you may want to check out comments regarding some streaming issues.

Star Trek

Cinematical discusses how the film fails the Bechdel test. (You may like this, [info]no_detective. ;)

And the Huffington Post laments Trek's gender problem along with a mention of BSG.

I have to admit, the lack of female characters, in general, didn't bother me as much as it perhaps should have. Since it's a prequel/reboot and Star Trek was such a male dominated series, I cut the film some slack. Yes, Uhura was, at times, shown to be a sex object, but that was from Kirk's POV and he's strongly depicted as a stubborn, cocky, arrogant, womanizing ass. Or is that just my take on him? ;)

Also mitigating the lack of strong female characters, for me, is the lack of strong male characters. When the men succeed if the film, it's the result of luck, often dumb luck, rather than intellect.

ETA. ComicMix has a really long breakdown of how the new 'Star Trek' reflects previously established continuity. The article helped clarify a few things for me.

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I admit, I didn't pay attention to details in the early episodes of Leverage as the show found it's footing and I'm sure I missed some things, but was there ever a mention that Parker has "a mild form of Asperger's syndrome"? I was watching this behind the scenes video on YouTube and was surprised when I heard Dean Devlin (the executive producer and director) mention it. I'm tempted to tweet him about it, but, before I embarrass myself, I thought I'd see if anyone recalls this being addressed in the series. It certainly explains some things beyond her just being odd and crazy.

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For my Canadian friends in and around Toronto who happen to be Claudia Black fans - I know there are a couple of you - Claudia will be appearing at Polaris, July 10 and 11. She was just added this weekend. Perhaps some other of her costars might join her there yet. :)

Oh, and Michael Hogan is also a guest if anyone needs further enticement to go.

Current Mood: working

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I just got back from seeing Star Trek. I have to admit, it was much, much, much better than I expected. JJ Abrams reimagined without destroying what had come before. And while he could likely helm a sequel with success, he needs to backoff after that. Alias and Lost have shown us what can happen when he stays involved with a franchise for too long.

On to the spoilers... )

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The Office: Cafe Disco )

The best thing about tonight's Bones? The star of another FOX show.

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