Star Trek: Beautiful Misery

In celebration of Monday being Sci-Fi and Bureaucracy day we've opened up the Star Trek (2009) DVD that I got for Christmas. It reminds me that the new movie is so beautiful, so well cast, so spectacular, that it is almost, almost, almost possible to completely miss the fact that the writing is utter crap. When we saw it in the theater it wasn't until after we were outside that I realized the plot holes big enough to fly the Enterprise through. Further, they could have removed the whole thing that masquerades as "the main plot" (i.e., ditch Nero/Bana) and I would have been happier. Then we could've just followed our favorite characters around while they give each other a hard time and the biggest plot issue would have been the Kirk/Spock/Uhuru love triangle. It also would have saved me from the moment in the movie when they reveal The Red Matter and I asked myself, "Damn, is this product placement for Target branding?" Seriously, that was my first reaction. NOT the way to engage the emotions of your audience. Although it did make me crave some pretty, useless items for my home.

And the whole Sulu with a katana thing? I'm sure that George Takei rolled his eyes at that one, cool and modernistic a weapon as it may have been (wicked cool transformer katana!) it totally flew in the face of the non-stereotyping choice of a foil that George had fought for in the series. Yes, I caught the nod when 2009 Sulu says he studied fencing. But if they wanted something sturdier than a foil they should've gone with a sabre. In his own mind 1966 Sulu is more Musketeer than Samurai. It's his life, he has the right. Must we change him so much? Have we slid backwards on racial stereotyping since 1966? I often think we have.

But, all that aside, they did manage to capture a big part of what made Star Trek immortal: camaraderie and humor. Hopefully next time out they can also tap into the intelligence and social commentary aspects. Until then I will content myself with just not watching the parts I think are stupid. It's a shorter movie that way, but much more enjoyable. This unfortunately means that I have to skip the Spock Prime scenes, the Spock I love above all Spocks, but I can only hope that Leonard Nimoy will forgive me. I daresay that if I talked to him about it he would shrug and say, "Don't look at me, I didn't write the goddamn thing. If I had it would have made more sense."

Hey, Who's the New Guy?

Do you ever see something and you say to yourself, "If life had been just a little bit different, that could have been me"? That's how I feel about TrekkieGuy's website. If you have an interest in original series Star Trek, check it out. Book reviews, wav files, and other fun stuff for authentic Trekkies to enjoy.

Must Love Sehlats

If you love Classic Star Trek like I love Classic Star Trek then you must go check out this list of Star Trek's 10 Cheesiest Classic Creatures. The writing from Lore that goes along with it is delightful. My favorite line was about the Neural Parasite, "kind of like Borg without the fashion sense." I also appreciated the phrasing of the Tribble power "making Klingons edgy."

People, you wouldn't like me when I'm edgy!!!

No, Sehlats aren't on the list, but the title popped into my head as soon I started this post. I'm considering making that my new blog slogan.

I Love Movies

Searching on ye olde TTGSiMH I'm surprised by how *few* times I mention IMDB. I give them twelve bucks each month to have access to IMDBpro and my husband says that I'm the only person he knows that could need it. I research movies, tv shows, actors, screenwriters, and directors. Why? Well, because I like it. I might be prompted by a movie on tv, a question from a friend, or an ad for something that is coming out. I think that this obsession is left over from an interest in Hollywood, and especially screenwriting, in my youth.

Of course, at this point I'm not sure how much the "pro" version is getting me. Are these really things I want to know more about? Looking at the list of "in production" movies I found the following:

High School Musical 3
Status: Pre-Production
That information polluted my brain. Now I've given it to you.

Star Trek
Status: Filming
I love Star Trek. I even like Winona Ryder well enough. But anything with Winona Ryder playing Amanda Grayson can't be good. Can't. Be. Good.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Status: Post-Production
Harrison Ford is 65. To give you some perspective on that, Sean Connery was 59 when they did The Last Crusade. (Connery is only 12 years older than Ford, by the way.) It's just... Harrison Ford is 65. Shia LaBeouf is sufficiently geeky to get props from the TTGSiMH, but nothing in Transformers told me that he's an action hero. And he's certainly no Indiana Jones. And... Harrison Ford is 65.

The Dark Knight
Status: Post-Production
They sufficiently impressed us with Batman Begins that I'm sure we'll be catching this one in the theaters. But... Heath Ledger as the Joker? Really? If you pull this off, Heath, you will have proven to be a better actor than I thought you were.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Status: Filming
My interest in the movies petered out just like my interest in the books did. At this point I just look forward to seeing Hans F'ing Gruber in all of them. (Props to Kevin Smith from the Dogma extras.)

(Betcha never thought you'd see a connection between Harry Potter and Kevin Smith, huh?)

Iron Man
Status: Post-Production
My comic book fan friends are all atwitter about this one. I'm still back at 'Robert Downey, Jr. as a comic book hero? Seriously?' The one preview that we've seen actually increased my interest ('Oh, ok, maybe I can see it') and decreased my friends' interest.

Twilight
Status: Pre-production
Good news? Vampire movie! Bad news? Vampire movie. Back in our twenties we went on a quest to see ALL of the vampire movies. It was a noble quest. But like all quests it resulted in some wounds for the heroes... like seeing Wings Hauser as a vampire. That's all I can say. I CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT!

How about you? Do you love movies?

Brings a Whole New Meaning to "ForeverGeek"

The guys at ForeverGeek kinda have to go for this, don't they? It doesn't get much geekier. Or more forever-y.

Eternal Image Inc., a maker of burial caskets and urns based in Farmington Hills, has signed an agreement to create a line of “Star Trek”-branded funeral products. ~ Crain's Detroit Business

I just want to know if they are going to do Spock's casket. Because, like, that would be cool...

What Did You Do This Weekend?

Okay, that was just effing brilliant. (Except, as the first commenter pointed out, it's Star Trek, NOT Startrek. Sheesh. Some people's children.)

I'm obviously of the AE persuasion, but this weekend I've spent my time going to a Billy Joel concert last night (which was awesome) and then listening to his greatest hits album today.

Couch Potato Meme

Using this list of television shows, bold the shows that you’ve seen at least three episodes of.

24
30 Something
7th Heaven
Adam-12
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alias
Angel
Arrested Development
Battlestar Galactica
Baywatch
Beverly Hills 90210
Bonanza
Boy Meets World
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Bug Juice
Chappelle’s Show
Charlie’s Angels
Charmed
Cheers
Columbo
Commander in Chief
Coronation Street
Coupling [British version only!!!]
Cowboy Bebop
CSI (Las Vegas)
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Danny Phantom
Dawson’s Creek
Dead Like Me
Deadwood
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Designing Women
Desperate Housewives
Doctor Who
Eastenders
Entourage
ER
Everwood
Extras
Family Guy
Farscape
Father Ted
Fawlty Towers
Felicity
Firefly
Frasier
Friends
Futurama
Get Smart
Gilligan’s Island
Gilmore Girls
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Grey’s Anatomy
Gunsmoke
Hannah Montana
Happy Days
Hill Street Blues
Hogan’s Heroes
Home and Away
Home Improvement
Homicide: Life on the Street
House, M.D.
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
Inuyasha
Invader Zim
Invasion
JAG
Jackass
Joey
Keen Eddie
Little House on the Prairie
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lost
Lost in Space
Love, American Style
M*A*S*H
MacGyver
Mad About You
Malcolm in the Middle
Married… With Children
Medium
Melrose Place
Miami Vice
Mission: Impossible
Monk
Murphy Brown
My Name Is Earl
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
NCIS
Neighbours
Nip/Tuck
Northern Exposure
Numb3rs
NYPD Blue
Only Fools and Horses
Oz
Perry Mason
Pokemon
Power Rangers
Prison Break
Rescue Me
Roseanne
Roswell
Saved by the Bell
Sisters
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Scrubs
Seinfeld
Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
Smallville
So Weird
South Park
Spongebob Squarepants
Starsky and Hutch
Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
Superman
Supernatural
Surface
Taxi
Teen Titans
That 70’s Show
That’s So Raven
The 4400
The Addams Family
The Andy Griffith Show
The A-Team
The Avengers
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Bob Newhart Show [the first one with Emily and Carol]
The Bob Newhart Show [the second one with Larry, Daryl and Daryl]
The Brady Bunch
The Cosby Show
The Daily Show
The Dead Zone
The Flintstones
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Good Life
The Honeymooners
The Jetsons
The Love Boat
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Munsters
The O.C.
The Office
The Shield
The Simpsons
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Sopranos
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Twilight Zone
The Waltons
The West Wing
The Wonder Years
The X-Files
Third Watch
Three’s Company
Titus
Twin Peaks
Veronica Mars
Weeds
Whose Line is it Anyway?
Will and Grace
Wings

I found this fascinating, but watching more than three doesn't necessarily mean I LIKED it. As you can see I changed the rules a bit by changing the color on things I REALLY liked, and increasing the size on things I REALLY, REALLY liked.

Hat tip to Ally Bean at Crazy Dust In My Coffee.

I Sensed This Result

Your results:
You are Deanna Troi

You are a caring and loving individual.
You understand people's emotions and
you are able to comfort and counsel them.


Deanna Troi ............... 70%
Uhura .......................... 65%
Jean-Luc Picard ........ 55%
Geordi LaForge ......... 55%
Chekov ........................ 55%
Will Riker .................... 50%
Mr. Scott ..................... 50%
Worf ............................. 45%
Spock ........................... 42%
Beverly Crusher ......... 40%
Capt. James T. Kirk ... 40%
Redshirt ....................... 35%
Data .............................. 32%
Mr. Sulu ....................... 25%
Dr. McCoy (Bones) ..... 25%

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test

Hat tip to beancounters!

Monday 10

Playlist: All Dat Good Stuff

1. Back in the High Life Again - Steve Winwood
2. House of Tom Bombadil - Nickel Creek
3. "I'd love to stay, but the world needs my light." ~Luna (Bear in the Big Blue House)
   
4. Sister Moon - Sting
5. "I am the Terror that flaps in the night! I am the raspberry seed you can't floss out!" ~ Darkwing Duck
6. Main Street - Chris Gaines (Garth Brooks)
7. "'Scuse me while I whip this out." ~ Sheriff Bart, Blazing Saddles
8. "Security alert, all decks." ~ Star Trek
9. Avalon - Roxy Music
10. Peanut Butter & Jelly - Brian Regan (stand-up)
    

I've Been Memed

I've already done the Meme of Fours once, but when Pam tagged me she had a couple of questions on hers that weren't on the one I did before. And this also gives me a chance to make more comments.

Jobs: Want four more? I can probably do that in the mall alone. Bookstore sales for Waldenbooks, shoe sales for StrideRight, nuts and candy sales for Morrow's Nut House, and import crap sales for World Bazaar (where you got papasan chairs before Pier 1 and World Market existed). Every time I hear the BNL song Never is Enough I get a little nostalgic for "eating in a food court with the old and the bored..."

Movies I can watch over and over: Since I didn't point it out last time, I want to make this clear. Serenity, Serenity, Serenity, Serenity. I also liked Pam's choice of Dogma. That movie kicks &$@ and I love Kevin Smith (even though he has a potty mouth).

Places I've lived: Want four more? I just stuck with states last time to cover as much territory as possible. Let's look at some of my Mississippi towns of residence: Nicholson, Picayune, Hattiesburg, Diamondhead. Yes, it's like a Katrina hat trick and an extra point.

Shows I love to watch: Firefly (you can't take my show from me, I now have a dvd...), Titus (season 2 is out on dvd January 17th! and his stand-up will be on Comedy Central this weekend), Stargate SG-1 (yes, I have science fiction addiction, although I'm less enamored now that Stargate has become Fargate... bonus points if you get that joke), and Star Trek (the original series)

Places I've been on vacation: Greenbrier County West Virginia, Los Angeles, New York City, St. Augustine Florida

Websites I visit daily: mine, Google News, IMDB (pro version - what else would the girl with 400 dvds want?), dictionary.com

Favorite foods: yogurt, sushi, black bean burritos, and the mighty potato

Places I'd rather be: working for Mutant Enemy (grrr, argh!), at a cabin in the mountains working on my fiction, chillin' on a sailboat in the Caribbean mon, or anywhere my sweetie wants to be

Albums I can't live without: Just FOUR??? Oh, the humanity!! Nickel Creek's self-titled album, Brian Regan Live (yes, it's comedy, your point?), Shepherd Moons by Enya (Marble Halls was my wedding march - it was perfect for a sweet little medieval wedding), Nothing Like the Sun by Sting

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Thanks to StealthBadger I'm into the Seven Things meme.

Seven Books (or Series) That I Love
"Books, I'll read books, be they large or quite dinky! Straight from the shelves, all musty and stinky. Faulkner, O'Neill, Twain, and Saul Bellow! I think I'll curl up with a few of those fellows. Yes, I'll soon be well read, such a fab thing to be! I've allowed plenty of time, at least an hour... or three..." ~ Opus, Bloom County

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy by Douglas Adams
2. The Trixie Belden series (I read the whole series at least once a decade. Nancy Drew is for wussies.)
3. The Warhorse of Esdragon trilogy by Susan Dexter
4. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
5. God's Debris by Scott Adams
6. Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck
7. Anything by Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, G.K. Chesterton, or G.B. Shaw.
   

Seven of My Favorite Movies (or Series)

1. Serenity
2. The 13th Warrior
3. Miss Congeniality
4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
5. Star Trek I-VI
6. Star Wars III-V
7. Legally Blonde
   

Seven Things I Cannot Do (or jus' don' wanna!)

1. Be evil (even during a role playing game - ask me about the time the DM made me play an assassin...)

I'll have to get back to you because I'm just not self-limiting... Well, except apparently on this list.

Seven Things To Do Before I Die

1. Publish a book.
2. Start my own company.
   
3. Have children.
4. Build our own home.
5. Go to Ireland.
6. Spend a year or more in the Bahamas.
7. Relax.
   

Seven Things That Attract Me To... Blogging!

1. Hanging out with my peeps.
2. The ability to make my own virtual space.
3. The chance to write and think.
4. The thought that, in some small way, I'm contributing to the 21st Century pamphleteering effort.
5. Originally, Howard Dean. Joining the conversation on the election was a big deal for me.
6. Keeping up on the news.
7. Pretty colors.
   

Seven Things I Say Most Often

1. Whatever.
2. That's arguable.
3. Shyeah.
4. What a bunch of twinkie stuffing!
5. Ohhh - that's not RIGHT!
6. *Poof* Whaddya need? *Poof* Whaddya need?
7. I love you.
   

Seven Impractical Things I Think Would Be Really Cool Anyway
"Why, sometimes I've believed in as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" ~ Lewis Carroll

1. Living on Mars...
2. ...with a vacation home on the moon...
3. and Earth turned into a protected ecosystem.
4. Taking away everyone's toys until they learn how to play nice.
5. Having hundreds of pets.
6. Peace.
7. Time travel.

TAG! YOU'RE IT!
I'd like to tag this meme on:

1. Nevsky at 2+2=5
2. Shari at An Old Soul
3. Cleek
   
4. Bruce Cordell
   
5. lucretius at de rerum natura
6. sixthdoctor at lighthearted mental sewage
7. Dr. Otter at The Otter Side (to welcome him back to blogland)

You're a Cardassian! Intelligent and devious,
you're a bit of an enigma to those around you
and scientific to the core.


What Star Trek Race Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

A Few of My Favorite Things: Star Trek

When I say that I’m a big Star Trek fan I say it with a bit of hesitation because this is something with such a range of shades that you need an RGB color-picker just to figure out where you fall. For every guy on the left of me saying, “Star Trek? I liked that movie. The light sword was so freakin’ cool” (just typing that made my inner geek cringe a bit) there’s another one on my right who can quote all the lines from, well, everything. And can debate the minutia on copper-based blood and transporter technology. In Star Trek, like in life, I’m too much of a geek to be considered normal and too normal to be considered a geek. Some people at work are actually surprised by my geekiness when its vastness begins to be revealed to them.

So, back to Star Trek. How much of a fan am I? The core of my collection was passed on to me by my older brother who had the good fortune of seeing the original series on TV (I was born a year after cancellation) and he was such a fan that I consider myself to be a fan from birth. From the start I wanted to follow my charming and engaging older brother. Then my step-sister and best friend came along and we found a common bond over science fiction geekery, Star Trek chief among our obsessions. We met in 1982 which was a sort of Star Trek boom time. It was the year of Khan. Novels (some of dubious quality now that I try to reread them) were churned out almost monthly.

Things I own:

• The Original Compendium (a little the worse for wear since I actually read it repeatedly)
• Novelizations of The Original Series
• The Star Trek Logs (animated series novelizations)
• A lot of other books on this page
• My beloved Spock Bear (with cute little removable pointy ears and his own tricorder)
• Multiple Starfleet badges
• A sign that says “Captain’s Quarters, USS Enterprise”
• Three models of Enterprise NCC-1701
• Some tricorders (homemade and manufactured)
• Some phasers (homemade and manufactured)
• TOS Star Trek coffee (yes, I said coffee)
• Lots of action figures (please don’t make me count – it’s more than 10 and less than 50 with at least 10 still in their packaging)
• A red yeoman’s uniform I picked up for $5 from a costume store clearance rack
• TOS DVDs
• Vulcan ears

Things I’ve done:

• Drawn a LOT of Spock pictures
• Written my own series of Starfleet spoof short stories about a ship called the USS Bob crewed by my aforementioned brother (Captain Dave) and all my friends (many of whom have also contributed stories)
• Joined Starfleet in the 80’s (“We’re just one big happy Fleet!”)
• Tried to start my own fan club (bad, bad, bad idea – there are some WEIRD people into Star Trek and you don’t want your 13-year old hanging out with them)
• Started numerous Star Trek novels and TV series concepts with my co-writer, co-conspirator, step-sister and best friend Cmdr Tal. The winner of novels by weight fills a desk drawer since I kept all of the revisions from back in the day before computers.
• Gone to a convention (yes, only one – I’m lame)
• Emailed Wil Wheaton – and got a response!
• Pulled Leonard Nimoy’s home address off an online political donations database. No, you can’t have it.
• Wore black to The Undiscovered Country because it was supposed to be the last movie with Spock in it (all dressy, too, because I was going to see SPOCK)
• Used my USS Bob moniker as my online identity from the beginning (there was never a question because I AM Commander Sue London – First Officer, Science Officer, and All Around Fun Chick. Uh, no, I’m not Vulcan.)
• Had pictures taken of myself bouncing up and down in front of the sign at the Smithsonian saying they were going to have a Star Trek Exhibit (Yes, I looked like an idiot. No, I won't post the picture.)
• Had pictures taken of myself touring the Star Trek Exhibit when it finally arrived. Including “pulling a Spock” pose next to the Captain’s chair (stiff posture, one eyebrow raised). Also loudly discussed with myself how difficult it would be to pry open the case holding the one of the original “Trouble with Tribbles” shooting scripts (including hand written notes in the margins). My friends suppressed me.
  

Things I still plan to do… one day:

• Turn the USS Bob into an online animated series
• Go to another convention (or ten or twelve)
• Get our Star Trek series produced. If you know Majel Barrett ask her to give me a ring.

I think that answers the question of what kind of Star Trek fan I am, so the only remaining question is… why? I find the underlying ideas to be very heartening. I like the thought that in the future we will be out there exploring the stars. And although we will still be working to keep our moral compass in trying times we will somehow manage to do a bit of a better job about it than we seem to be doing now.

 Besides, Star Trek is FUN. It’s a universe I’ve lived in part-time my whole life. There’s camaraderie, idealism, and cool-looking aliens.

If you have Star Trek stories to tell, feel free to drop ‘em on me here, or go tell Eugene Roddenberry at Trek Nation. I will probably update this some more before I think it is "done," maybe adding some pictures of my collection and stuff.

(p.s. The original USS Enterprise NCC-1701 is still on display at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Store.)

Goodbye Admiral Cartwright

Another character from Star Trek has beamed up to the great beyond. Brock Peters, the man with the wonderful voice who portrayed Admiral Cartwright in Star Treks IV and VI, passed away during treatment for pancreatic cancer. I would like to take this time to not only acknowledge his incredible talent and career (perhaps you've heard of a little film called To Kill a Mockingbird?), but to acknowledge both Star Trek and actors of Mr. Peters' caliber for portraying a future where skin color will be incidental. I was so Star Trek-soaked as a child that I still have to study discrimination as a strange social phenomenon since I don't understand it.

Godspeed, Admiral Cartwright, and a torpedo salute from all of us here on the USS Bob.

His Brain is Gone!

You know what a Star Trek fanatic I am, so I couldn't help but to follow a link to Spocko's Brain.

You'll Be a Star!

What the *bleep*? How can it be Friday again?

By way of the Right Hand Thief I found out about the 90s Movie List Friday Blogging. This is going to take some concentrated effort to figure out which of my movies are from the 90s, then winnow down the list. We love movies. We own over 200 DVDs. Fortunately I can do some searching through IMDB and IMDBpro. I'm not using numbers because I can't even begin to think about priority order and I'm not even going to try to keep to 10. That would be ludicrous.

• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) - My favorite franchise, the REAL Star Trek movies, just barely made it into this decade. I dressed to the nines and went to opening night. I knew it was going to be my last real date with Spock.
  
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) - Like, what's your sitch if you don't like this movie? It's totally about cute blonde girls coming into their own. And triumphing over evil using their incredible fashion sense.
  
• Aladdin (1992) - Probably one of the defining movies for me and my husband. We can pretty much recite the whole movie.
  
• Wayne's World (1992) - Shyeah. "If you think you're going to hurl..."
  
• The Cutting Edge (1992) - "Toe pick!"
  
• Demolition Man (1993) - The first movie where I really noticed my favorite actress Sandra Bullock. And who can forget, "Mellow greetings, sir. What seems to be your boggle?"
  
• Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993) - "Fix your boobs, Blinken. You look like a bleedin' Picasso."
• Groundhog Day (1993) - This was the movie when I decided that I was going to work with Harold Ramis one day.
  
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) - I have to love any character that has THAT many pets. Reminds me of home...
  
• The Mask (1994) - Cartoonish with big band music. Anyone who remembers my obsession with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" in the 80s knew that this was a gimmee.
  
• Stargate (1994) - The best sci-fi movie of the decade in my opinion. Very interesting, original, and character driven. And yes, I now watch the show SG-1.
  
• While You Were Sleeping (1995) - My traditional Christmas movie. I watch it while I bake cookies. Yes, Sandra Bullock again.
  
• Se7en (1995) - The fight between good and evil has always intrigued me. I thought that this was an especially clever treatment. And I'll watch anything with Morgan Freeman in it.
  
• The Net (1995) - Yes, Sandra Bullock again. And paranoia. Well, it isn't paranoia if they're really after you, so let's call it conspiracy theories.
  
• Cutthroat Island (1995) - Whenever I list off my favorite "chick flicks" I always include this one and Aliens. Women who know how to kick butt. I wore out my first VHS tape and had to get another one, and I have it on DVD. I don't care what the reviews were, I really, really like this movie! "I find myself being fired upon by an entire SHIP!"
  
• Happy Gilmore (1996) - It's like watching my husband play golf....
• Men In Black (1997) - It was sci-fi, it was cool, and Tony Shalhoub was in it. Nuff said.
  
• Liar, Liar (1997) - Can you imagine how horrible YOUR day would be if the truth just kept falling out of your mouth every time you opened it? Just walking down the hall you might burst out with, 'Good God, but that's an ugly blouse!'
  
• Conspiracy Theory (1997) - Just the title hooks me in. "A good conspiracy is unprovable. I mean, if you can prove it, it means they screwed up somewhere along the line."
• The Siege (1998) - The script was written by a journalist who showed a lot of insight into our national psyche. And Tony Shalhoub was in it!
  
• Austin Powers (1997) - I actually hated this movie the first time I saw it. Then they played snips all over the DC radio stations. Then I started quoting it. Then I saw it again. Then I ended up watching it a million times. Besides, we love Seth Green. "No actually the boy is quite astute. I really am trying to kill him, but so far unsuccessfully. He's quite wily, like his old man."
• Mulan (1998) - "The flower that blooms amid adversity is the most rare and beautiful."
• The Wedding Singer (1998) - I like the movie, but for me the most exciting moment was when they started playing the song, "I Want Money". I had heard that song ONCE on the Chapel Hill college radio station in the 80s and had always wanted it for my "Money Mix" music collection. To my immense relief they put it on the soundtrack and all was happiness in my universe. Oh, and the movie is fun, too.
  
• Ever After (1998) - Dude, I, like, HAD a medieval wedding. Do I really have to explain why this is a great movie in my opinion.
  
• Practical Magic (1998) - Sandra Bullock and magic. And evil. And good. And Aiden Quinn. It's like I could have WRITTEN this movie.
  
• The Mummy (1999) - The very definition of good, rollicking fun. "You swear?" "Every damn day."
  
• 13th Warrior (1999) - The movie I have seen more than any other movie ever. I could leave it looping my whole life. It is ultimately a recasting of Beowulf. The first conversation I ever had with my husband was when he walked up to me because he noticed what I was reading. "Beowulf is my favorite epic," he said. The rest is history.
  
• The Matrix (1999) - Dude, it's like philosophy with a cool pair of Ray Bans on. Another movie that I could have written. Except I never would have cast Keanu so it probably would have failed. It needed that emotional hollowness in the middle of it so that it could be primarily cerebral.
  

Honorable Mention: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) - I was really more into the cartoon, but I do love those turtles.

(By the way, IMDB has a nice 'top rated' list for 1990-1999. If you have IMDBpro you can look at top grossers by year.)

Scotty, Beam Me Up

Being the big science fiction geek that I am I was both thrilled and chilled to read that the Star Trek replicator is one step closer.

Thrilled:

Bath University has unveiled a machine that could manufacture household objects to order in the home of the future.

Dr Adrian Bowyer, of the University's Centre for Biomimetics, said that he has adapted a fast prototype generator used in the car industry to make simple household objects.

Chilled:

The idea of self-replicating machinery was first proposed seriously by Hungarian scientist John von Neumann, who called them 'universal constructors'.

<>The idea was adapted for the concept of space flight, where a single machine would land, reproduce and move on, thus exploring the galaxy at an exponential rate.

Update 11:39pm:
This article has some pictures and an idea that might intrigue GD Frogsdong - the obsolesence of Walmart.

Random Notes

Playlist: All Dat Good Stuff

1. "Work It" - Missy Elliott
2. "It's All Been Done" - Barenaked Ladies
3. "Lieutenant! –Yes, sir! –This planet has crossed the line. Assemble the giant robot." - John Lithgow and Kristen Johnston from Third Rock From The Sun
4. "When I used to dream about this mission, the last thing I envisioned was having a Vulcan onboard who continuously sucked the air out of the room." - Scott Bakula from Star Trek: Enterprise
5. "Angel" - Simply Red
6. "White Flag" - Garth Brooks
7. "Cowboy Romance" - Natalie Merchant
8. "Mom, if you're going to reminisce, I'll be forced to call Social Services." - Daria Morgendorffer from Daria
9. "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby
10. "Never Coming Home" - Sting
    

Save Everything

You may remember that I'm a member of SaveDisney. I also believe in saving the whales, the owls, and when asked if I want a bag always demur with, "Save the Planet". I even inspired my brother once to write a song called "Don't Crush the Crustaceans". This, however, proves that I just feel the need to save things even if I don't particularly care for them.

I feel the need to support SaveEnterprise. Why? Well, I'm a Trekkie from way back. I think I've had a thing for Spock since before I could walk. I was never particularly for or against Enterprise. When it came on (oddly enough in September of 2001) I thought that it didn't suck as badly as it could have, but I also don't rush home to watch it every week. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what night it is on.

But don't take this as a measure of complete disinterest. We now live in the age of DVDs. I love "Monk". I don't watch it (except for the rare all day Monk-fest). I plan to just buy seasons worth on DVD. We really like "Carnivale", but it's impossible to keep up with. DVD. Although Star Trek DVDs are insanely expensive I assume that eventually I will own them all because, well, I'm a Trekkie. That's what we do. (All of them except Voyager. Voyager is dead to me. Speak not its name.) Heck, I'm sitting here next to my Mr. Spock Hallmark Keepsake Ornament. Since I just got it from E-Bay recently it has not been entered into the Star Trek shrine downstairs yet. I'm on the email list for the Las Vegas Hilton that has the Star Trek Experience. Can't they bank on DVD sales from me? I realize that it's a business - yadda, yadda - and they want ratings to sell advertising. But I think that the 'new' way of watching shows - TiVo, DVD, etc. means that the studios and producers should worry about creating shows that will 'last' which means *gasp* quality. And where can you find a larger cash cow than freaking Star Trek nuts? Even when we don't like something we have to have one to complete the set. (Yes, that means that at some indeterminate point in the future I may end up owning the full series of That Which Shall Not Be Named. But I will NOT put it on one of the top shelves of the shrine. I will not!)

Meanwhile, Rick Berman is going to bring us this.

That would be highly illogical...

In case I haven't explained it before my nickname is CmdrSue (Commander Sue) because when I was a kid I was way, way, way, way, way, way, WAY too much into Star Trek. Despite this I've gone on to live a fairly normal life... even if I giggle a little bit everytime someone uses the word "fascinating". But because of my addiction (the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem), I just had to share this - which I think is the funniest thing I've seen in awhile.

I know. Pity me....