Was out of town to Tallahassee again this weekend, so I've got a few pages to scroll back through on the flist, as well as catching up with everything else online in my various fandoms.  

And I just haven't had any goof-off time at work at all any more, so my posting and commenting is showing serious neglect.  I'm actually sacrificing time here at work (okay, procrastinating) just to do this, but the job is driving me batshit, so I just needed a break.

Other flisters have already posted or linked this, but I also wanted a reference her for my own, after I read the O&A with Kristen Bell and Hayden Panettiere at TV Guide online this morning. It pertains to tonight's Heroes episode - 2.09 - "Cautionary Tales" - but also diverges into some cuteness too funny to pass up.  I never was ga-ga over the then-jailbait Hayden that so many fanboys seemed to be during season one. She just seemed to be a decent person, and was sweet enough when I met her - and I find her much cooler just by association with Kristen.  KBell's influence can only be a good thing. Link to the page is HERE, and a c/p of the text under the cut:


Also found another personal-info-related meme of minor interest, snagged from amaleka_crone, who got it from candlewaxdreams:


In addition, I guess it should be taken as good news that the studios and network honchos have agreed to come back to the negotiating table this weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday. It doesn't guarantee a damn thing, of course, as far as ending the WGA strike is concerned - nothing may actually be achieved yet - but at least it's a step in the right direction.  

And mainly because I wanted a singular grouping of links to Joss-talk (the man can be hilarious in his ranting and snarking), I wanted to highlight that Joss Whedon has been pretty active with his own commentary and blogging over at Whedonesque the last couple of weeks, with his own updates HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, with commentary in a few others (may need to be registered to view - not sure). He's also linked the the United Hollywood page several times, and informed fans that the "Pencils 2 Media Moguls" campaign could be massive.  All the information on this is at the UH support page, HERE.  I went and donated a few boxes of #2s, just because this is something that really matters for the future of network television entertainment, and anything that can impress upon the studios and network executives that the fans actually do give a shit about the content being produced, I'm all for it.  

Lastly, I'll also include what has also been mentioned elsewhere that Ronald D. Moore has posted a blurb about Battlestar Galactica production being wrapped indefinitely, found HERE. Episode 13 of season four just completed filming, and that's all they've got scripts for.  Until the WGA gets a new deal, the planned-ending for the series in those final 7 episodes remains unshot.  NBC-Universal, which produces the show and owns Sci-Fi Channel, has already sent out suspension/termination letters to cast members now that production is in limbo - a scan of which is HERE.  Also, a c/p of the text from Moore's blog under the cut (formatting got a little wonky again - apologies):


God, talk about angst.  I want the writers to get their fair deal as much as anyone, but the mass devastation being wrought upon the TV landscape is slowly starting to mount and show in the production stoppages.  Fucking networks.  Greedy sonsabitches.





Kristen Bell is awesome.

Dollhouse. 

That's the title, so far, according to an exclusive news flash from Michael Ausiello at TV Guide, for a new hour-long weekly offering from Joss and his Mutant Enemy production team - possibly to arrive on the schedule as early as next spring.

The best part is, Eliza Dushku will star and Tim Minear's probably also on board as producer!

Kick-muthafrakkin'-ass! 

The (big) potential downside is that the development deal is with FOX - the network with a history of screwing over both Joss and Tim (royally). But Joss says he's always had a good working relationship with 20th Century Fox Television (the production company behind all three of his former shows), and he and Eliza are optimistic about the FOX network's support - they've ordered at least 7 episodes, when he only had a pilot concept.

The link to the TV Guide news is HERE, but I' m gonna c/p the Ausiello article with a brief blurb about the show's wildly intriguing concept (and with Joss and Eliza quotage!) under a cut:

*Edited Edited Edited Edited*

This post is just a quickie, and mainly just for houses7177, since I told her I'd keep her informed. She's probably not immediately interested, being otherwise "indisposed" with the surprise return of her honey, but at least I'm spreading the comic-fandom diligently. ;)

The release date actually snuck up on me, and today is the day for the first collection of issues from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season Eight. I'll go ahead and throw in the official Dark Horse page HERE. *The release date has been updated/changed to Oct. 31st*

This trade paperback is comprised of the first five issues - all written by the Joss-man himself - the arc of which is titled "The Long Way Home".  It also has all new cover art by the amazing Jo Chen, which I'm placing a link to:

The Long Way Home

And that's really all I've got right now, since work is totally kicking my ass.  

Oh - and a super-big *HUG* for _cinjudes_, since she could probably use one.

Oh, and lastly - just a shout that Monday's promo at the end of Heroes was THE best Heroes promo in the history of the show. The reasons are obvious. That is all.





Kristen Bell is awesome.

Well, whaddya know - a non KB-oriented entry.  Woot!  \o/

But seriously - I've been meaning to post on this for several days, just haven't gotten around to it (lazy and/or otherwise occupied).

Mainly, I just wanted a place to toot Jo Chen's horn (no, not that way - minds out of the gutter, people), regarding her outstanding work on the ongoing issues of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8.  I believe I posted a bit on this late last year, but for those who may have been under a pop-culture rock the last 6 months or so, this is the comic book continuation of the TV show canon established by the end of season seven, the storylines of which are being overseen and "executive produced" by creator Joss Whedon. He's even writing many of the issues himself, including the already established five-issue first arc "The Long Way Home".

Georges Jeanty has been the penciller/illustrator of all the issues, while Jo Chen is the artist who has been tapped by Joss to illustrate covers for every monthly issue (so far, and continuing indefinitely).  Jeanty does fine work, and has drawn the variant covers for each issue, but his interpretations are more typical of comic-style caricatures, with only a passing real resemblance to the TV characters at certain times. To me, Jo Chen's work is where the awe comes in. She's been able to capture a real likeness in the characters to the actors who portrayed them, while still giving them her own artistic personality.  And since she doesn't have to illustrate the script of each issue, her covers give a nice one-shot image that is at once intriguing and epic in scope and feel.  

The second arc of season eight, "No Future for You" is beginning this month, with an emphasis on Faith and her own drama.  It's being written by Brian K. Vaughan,  with pencilling and covers still done by Jeanty and Chen, respectively.  That said, covers for the next few issues have also been pre-released, so I'm going to try and link images here for issues 1-9, as well as the collected trade paperbacks for each mini-arc, because they are all stellar.  The links are direct to images, but I'll still put it all under a cut to shorten f-lists just a bit:


To top that off, I've been emailing Jo back and forth the last few weeks, after I saw a message on her MySpace page that she had some limited edition art for sale - mainly, giclees of some of these covers.  Needless to say I jumped on asking her what was available, and that I would be interested for sure.  I just got what I ordered from her in the mail on Saturday, and may post a separate entry for actual snapshots of the items.  But included in the group were numbered and autographed giclees of covers for issues 2, 3, and 6 (I already have two lithographs of the #1 cover - one signed by Jo, and another signed by her and Joss).  In addition, she sent me two never-for-sale promo posters - a mini 11" x 17" promo from the New York Comic Con of the TPB #1 cover, and a 22" x 34" promo from ComiCon in San Diego of the issue #2 cover (Buffy and Xander - my 'ship!).  

I already have frames for the giclees, and will try to get the other two framed ASAP.  Again, perhaps more pictures of those to follow later.

And issue #6 comes out today - to be at my comic shop tomorrow, due to Labor Day delay.  I'll be there.



 

Kristen Bell is awesome.