A Place to Crash

May Heaven Be Full of Stuffed Animals

And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days
Cuz I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days

So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again

And it’s someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we’re alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there’s 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this fight
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days

So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again

Rest in peace and love, Dr. Randy Pausch.

Tags: last lecture, randy pausch

Please, Chris Carter, I Beg Of You To Correct Your Sins

So a friend of mine just emailed me this (hope he doesn’t mind):

“You seem unusually not geeked out about the new X-Files movie on the weekend. Do you know something the rest of us don’t?”

Most people that I know these days don’t think that’s a weird thing, although they could possibly guess from the sonic screwdriver I carry in my purse most days. But he’s an over-5-year friend, and he remembers the fact that I have both a XF alien state and a Cigarette Smoking Man 12-inch signed by Chris Owens. Can I have my nerd card now?

More about the upcoming film, old episode spoilers, big-time plot speculation, and I actually criticize Gillian Anderson. Considering I have said for years that she’s the only woman I’d switch sides for without question, any day, anywhere, this is a strange development. (In related news, I hope my mom hasn’t found my blog yet) Oh, and very subtle references to the DW finale (what else do you expect?)

More »

Tags: dana scully, david duchovny, fox mulder, gillian anderson, I want to believe, movies, television, x files

A New Gig

I’ve kept quiet about this until I got a few posts up at the site, but I’m now the blogger for Mediascribbler, a TV industry blog through b5media. It’s daunting to take up the charge of blogging about an entire industry, but I’m beginning to get the hang of it.

Please, if you like TV or enjoy my writing at all, bookmarket it, stick it in your RSS reader, or follow the Twitter attached to it. I get paid by the click. Also, feel free to let me know if you think I’m off-base in anything I say. It’s very hard to self-check and self-proof.

This is not a full-time gig, so I’ll still be at the station and working hard there every day getting the news out. To me, this is a way to spend my mornings and evenings doing a job of the heart, writing about my great TV loves, along with some great TV hates and a few great TV indifferents. Most of my UK TV stuff will remain over here, for now at least. I hope this will lead to more blogs and bigger blogs, and hopefully someone will some day pay me to write full time.

If you have any info you want to send my way, both about my writing or about a TV story you’re interested in or have info about, please drop me an email. And I’d really love to talk to anyone going to ComiCon Dan Diego who is planning on going to panels there.

Tags: mediascribbler, work

‘Journey’s End’ Review and Therapy Session

Suffice it to say that if you want to remain at all unspoiled about anything Doctor Who, ever, don’t go near this. Please come back in 2-4 weeks if you’re waiting for Sci-Fi. I don’t know how you do it.

Also, a bit of strong language and defiling of the Lord’s name. Forgive me.
More »

Tags: 10, british tv, captain jack harkness, catherine tate, david tennant, doctor, doctor who, donna noble, elisabeth sladen, gwen cooper, ianto jones, john barrowman, journey's end, martha jones, rose tyler, television, torchwood

Feel Good Friday: ‘Angels’ and ‘God’, On High

I was going to not post anything today, because I am completely and utterly obsessed with tomorrow’s DW finale, and I’m trying not to put my Twitter readers through more. But the folks at Robbie Williams News reminded me that it’s the 10th anniversary of Robbie Williams doing “Angels” at Glastonbury.

For everyone who hasn’t read his quasi-autobio, “Feel”, Rob was pretty much Amy Winehouse-gone when he recorded this song, which came from a fragment Rob thought up whilst looking at a waterfall in Ireland during a major bender. Unlike Amy, Rob had great management that made him stay in rehab long enough to stick eventually. But before he appeared at Glastonbury and sang this, he was basically known for getting kicked outta his band, a la Doherty.

It’s a credit to him as a performer that he made one great performance into the career he’s achieved everywhere but the U.S. And that’s what I love about festivals, even though I don’t really go to many anymore. You get everyone who has at least a couple of monster hits and lots of the folks on their way there. Like Tori at Glastonbury in ‘98, who I’ve been listening to also. Wow, the same year. And if you’re an old-school Tori fan (Fox, Brittney, Matt…) you need to hear this. So today you get two.

Actually, watch this one too. And this. Heck, watch the whole search results.

Now I’m going to fight off the urge to learn how to make fanvids so that I won’t make a Ten/Donna fanvid for this song, who is @mikeschmid on Twitter, one of those folks I friended and admire from afar. There’s a lot of indie artists on there like that. Check out @thehighwaygirl, too.

And that’s it, unless anyone wants to hear my new theory about what’s going to happen to Donna tomorrow. No? Really?

Edit: I lied. I have to add this fanvid, because 1) it’s incredibly awesome if you’re a TW/Doc slasher (as far as I’m concerned, they should move the show to Cinemax and let them all go for it. Kidding!) 2) Who doesn’t want to watch three hot men and a TARDIS? 3) Captain Jack’s got the most prolific scorecard ever, and 4) This is secretly one of my very favorite songs ever.

It is the one and only song Pete Wentz had association with that I can listen to, and I know this is going to ruin my rock cred worse than the fact that I ADORE Miley Cyrus’ cover of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”. Okay, that’s it. I’m not sure that anyone will ever listen to me seriously about music again, ever. *wanders off to listen to The Cribs to help self-esteem*

Tags: 1998, doctor who, glastonbury, robbie williams, tori amos

Thoughts About Davros, Daleks and All Things Donna

I’m almost a week behind on Who because last week I was out of commission for most of the week. I still plan to write about “Turn Left”, but probably more as a look at the character of Donna in general. But tonight I’m finally sitting down, steeling myself for misery and watching last Saturday’s UK ep.

I’m being very kind and putting a TON of spoilers behind a cut-tag. A lot of random thoughts about “The Stolen Earth”, blatant speculation about Saturday’s finale, and pretty much the entire two series of Torchwood. Oh, and all the other shows that John Barrowman and Billie Piper are in. You lot had better be watching “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” on Showtime, right? However, I’m not as kind as you might think I would be towards Rose in the following missive. So if that offends, *shrugs*.

More »

Tags: 10, captain jack harkness, catherine tate, daleks, david tennant, davros, doctor, doctor who, donna, john barrowman, rose, Sarah Jane, torchwood, x files

Midwest Flooding: Where to Go to Build Levees

I used to live in southern Illinois and some of my best friends live in the St. Louis area. I love the area around the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. It’s a beautiful place and the people are excellent, hard-working folk. And they need our help. I’m not sure that people elsewhere realize that FEMA has now labeled the flooding in the Midwest as the third largest natural disaster in recent U.S. history, behind Katrina and 9/11. That’s HUGE.

As the flooding moves south, places north of STL are getting ready by building sandbag levees, and that work is saving towns throughout the area. I’ve been thinking of going up to help. But I had a difficult time finding anywhere online that told me where to go up there to join the work.

CNN shows the people working furiously in Lincoln County, MO, and sends you to their site to “find out how you can help”. But all of the links go to sites to donate money. I know relief organizations need more funding, but I also know that some folks (like me) prefer to donate manpower.

Finally, I found a STLtoday.com article that gave me a United Way number for the Midwest. One more call and I was told where to go if I decided to come up there tomorrow.

Hamburg, IL
Calhoun County
There are two routes into town, with a checkpoint at each where volunteers can report.
618-232-1500 (command post)
618-576-2417 (sheriff’s dept.)

Winfield, MO
Lincoln County
The command center is set up at Winfield High School
3920 E Hwy 47, Winfield, MO
Bring a shovel, sturdy shoes, gloves, and sunscreen
Also need volunteers for food preperation
Coordinator: Rev. Beverly Hardin
636-358-3776
636-566-8406 (command post)

EDIT: Just found another site with other places that are sandbagging. Click here for their info.

Obviously, the needs will be changing as the river crests in particular spots. CNN is saying the worst of the flooding will be around Hannibal, MO by Sunday. So if you do plan on going that direction to help, call the United Way at 800-427-4626 before heading out.

If anyone knows additional places that need volunteers, feel free to leave the location in comments and I’ll update this post as I can.

And if you’re too far away to travel or would rather donate money, you can go to the American Red Cross, AmeriCares, Farm Aid and other groups’ Web sites to donate by visiting CNN.com’s site here.

Tags: midwest flooding, not afraid to be servicey

We All Need Our Wellies

In a day where the news sucked, we all need a little cute. And this is such an awesome story:

Cinderella, a six-week-old saddleback pig has conquered her fear of walking in mud with the help of a pair of bespoke wellies.

After her birth, the piglet refused to join her brothers and sisters as they splashed in the muck because she suffers with mysophobia - a fear of dirt.

But now the pig has overcome her fears with a pair of green boots made of rubber - which have been created with no footwell so that her trotters slip straight in.

Former pig farmers Debbie and Andrew Keeble, who run a farm near Bedale North Yorkshire, were initially baffled by their piglets behaviour.

Debbie Keeble, 40, said: “It was the strangest thing. When the batch ventured away from their mother, Cinders just stood at the edge of her sty shaking while the others explored.

“We thought it was just that she didn’t want to leave the sty or the sow but we soon noticed if we moved them to where there wasn’t any mud, she happily left it and roamed around without any nonsense.

Her husband, Andrew, 42, added: “We scratched our heads a bit but then we thought, we wouldn’t go in the mud bare-footed, so why not try some wellies?”

When we all need to face our fears, we just have to find our own kinds of wellies.

Tags: british, cute, pig in wellies

Honoring A Legend

I didn’t know Tim Russert at all. The closest personal tie I have is that my friend Karen worked in Boston and met him once when he was hiking with his kid near Boston College. But last week if I could’ve picked one of the top five people in news who were alive I would most like to talk about the path they took to get where they are, Russert would’ve been on the list. But mostly because of how he ran the Washington bureau while raising a kid (something many career tv journalists are incapable of doing) and saving a style of classic network news show from extinction (ditto.)

I’ve said a lot about Russert on Twitter, and accidentally got into a heated debate over whether it was disrespectful to start debating whether he was actually good for the news biz or not within hours of his death.

I’ll admit I maybe took offense where none was meant. Not everyone respects the same people. But I think I’m used to the sort of Southern style of “respectin’ the dead” where you waited until after the burial to start arguing amongst yourselves who did what with the will. At least if there were fistfights, you left the funeral home and tussled at the restaurant across the street. This is old-fashioned, but we’re very passive-aggressive about stuff.

I admired Russert as a man and a father who made tough choices between career and the kid, and a journalist who united people who shared nothing in common beyond considering him to be a friend. And I think it’s those friends who immortalized him best in today’s Meet the Press.

Tags: broadcast journalism, meet the press, nbc news, television news, tim russert, tv news

Thoughts on Donna, Rose…and Hannah

Spoilers for the preview for next week’s Doctor Who and anything previous to this week, as well as the Torchwood ending and the whole of “Secret Diary of a London Call Girl”, which I iove and which everyone should watch on Showtime starting next week:

More »