Merlin (*head desk*), True Blood (*whee!*) and Leaves

[paragraphs]

EDIT: Ohmygosh this is hilarious, and damn well done: http://community.livejournal.com/lolobama/134382.html?view=1700078#t1700078

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back to post...

I watched the last Merlin last night. This is a BBC Wales production, and...as such, and as I've thought throughout watching this, I have to say...WHY???

There are some fun things about the show. Pretty. VERY pretty, and that was one reason why I wanted to watch it. And a curiosity as well as I've always loved Merlin the Real (well, you know know what I mean). But I knew from the get-go that whoever wrote this seriously effed with history in such a way that could never be forgiven.

I mean. Um, c'mon guys--Guenivere IS NOT A SERVANT!!!!!! I think that disturbed me pretty much more than anything (and there are ALOT of 'anythings') and I've never been able to wrap my head around it. Every time she comes on screen, I scratch my head. WHY WHY WHY, oh writers, DID YOU DO THAT TO HER????

Not to mention that Merlin and Arthur are the same age. There is only one reason to do that--the slash effect. Of course. The writers WANTED people to slash their bois, so they made them close in age...of course of course OF COURSE! I love slash, hell yeah, but this just was so deliberate...I firmly believe it was on purpose. Especially as lovely as the boy playing Arthur is. Oh yeah, Prince and Servant(!!), oh vay! LOL. (And I am not panning anyone that slashes them, hell no...I love slashy people, and frankly these two would be extraordinarily fun to play with.)

This show is coming to the U.S. 'as is' -- will not be remade for an American audience as was Life on Mars for instance. I am really not sure how I feel about this. Yes, it is a pretty show and the CGI is amazing (especially when Merlin talks with the poor dragon, or fought the hippogryff--THAT was BRILLIANT). But...the f'cking around with history (okay yes yes I know Arthur and Merlin are legends based sorta kinda on real people...but there IS a canon to them, and this is one instance where I am very much in favor of canon-compliance) really makes me shake my head. Sigh. I guess, like the Robin Hood show I hear about, we're supposed to go-with-the-flow, and I did to an extent, but...

This is NOT Merlin, this is NOT Arthur, this is definitely NOT Guenivere as I loved them when I was a kid.

Sigh.


TRUE BLOOD.

This show on the other hand...okay there are so many things right about this show. First, I am all lofty and elevated because I know the original author of the series, had the fun (she is SO like Sookie) of talking with her in Austin at Bouchercon eons ago about 'this little vampire mystery' she had just sold. My copy of the first book does have "A Southern Vampire Mystery" on the cover. They reprinted them later, and now they are in fantasy...at least in my bookstore.

In any case, if you get a hankerin' for some good Southern vampire and shapeshifter fun, and like Anna Paquin (who IS Sookie, grin), and have a sense of humor, grin...I just have to recommend this highly. Am so thrilled that Charlaine Harris has done so well with this--nominated for two Golden Globes, to boot!

And...get the books. I've not read all of them myself, but get the books. They're hellacious fun, and Bill the vampire? Yeah. Give me him over Sparkly Edward any day.

And now, for Leaves. It is cold. It is windy. I have a yard full of leaves, and I am sick of sitting around being dull, so I am going to go outside for the next hour and work on my yard.

Anthony will be here this afternoon, and we're going to enjoy a day of writing fun, a nice dinner (hmmm...where to take him that has cute hot flirty waiters...hmmm...) and conversation. The only thing that could make it better is of course if Nick was here in person. He'll be with us in spirit though! I'll be working on Wolfhunter today. Why? I dunno...just want to.

And, I got Word. It bites, but the son and I and Nick now that he killed his computer with a fiery death need it. Got it with my Christmas bonus (amazing how many taxes are ripped from bonuses).

AND I GOT A RAISE!!! (this is huge, as BNSF put a hold on theirs...we got one anyway. For all my griping about B&W, I really really can't gripe about one thing...they do plan ahead, and there have been no layoffs, no cutbacks, and we got raises and bonuses...right now? That is a splendid thing).

Laters!

C


Leaves, ugh.

Comments

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Ohhh we may be consulting you alot, kiddo! I want dungeons!

[la-localfreak.livejournal.com]

lol :) well the Whitby Dungeons aren't called that (i got muddled there with The Dracula Experience, which is equally cool) but there's the york dungeons (also there's some in London and Edinburgh) which are like historical-adventure things where you go and be spooked by all sorts of cool stuff. :) It's great fun. In the York Ones I got hunted by a Vampire hunter, coughed on by a plague victim, and sentenced to death by a biased judge! (If you do go to york there's also the Yorvik Viking Centre, which is interesting, and they do ghost walks and stuff I recall. And, of course, there's The Shambles where St Margaret Clitheroe was before she was brutally martyred)

Real dungeons? Well, London's full of 'em, but Powis Castle in Wales definitely has them (most do, really), Mum insists that Warwick Castle not only had dungeons but they were set up as dungeons (this might be the one I want and saw the dints in the stone where prisoners had been chained up and banged their heads back against the rock over the years- they all blur a bit for me, what was in what place!)

lol. Really wherever you pick to go there'll be bits of blood and gore and history about the place ^^ I still have photos and stuff for previous trips to Whitby and the surrounding area, Somerset (and thus Glastonbury). The Whitby-area stuff is on my blog (http://localfreak.deadjournal.com/2006/09/22/) I don't think I did the same for Glastonbury area but if you want any info I can look through my photos to jog my memory.

Whilst you're in London I do reccomend a trip to the Globe Theatre, btw, and the tour- it's really gorgeous.

If you're passing the Welsh border Hay on Wye is THE BIGGEST BOOK-PLACE in the world. Seriously. Streets surrounded in second-hand bookshops, it's a bibliophile's dream. Along that border there's also Shrewsbury (ever seen any Cadfael based on the books by Ellis Peter's? The Abbey is where they filmed it and where the books are set. I went when I was 11 but it was very cool even then) and then there's Ludlow and Hereford both of which kind of ooze history (although there are Phil Rickman books set in both places, and Glastonbury which, while based in fact, do mean that the tingle down my spine might have something to do with his supernatural murder-mysteries).

lol. But yes. Feel free to pick my brains, what little there is there ;).

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Of course i know it doesn't cheer you guys any, but I am very happy about the changing exchange-rate. Last time I zipped through there, 10 pounds cost me 20 bucks...yikes! Now it 'only' costs me 1.48 to get 1 pound. Woo. LOL.

Hmmm...although...the way to be smart about this is exchange dollars to euros then euros to pounds, since, well... Yeah, definitely.

I wonder if there will be less Brits in Florida over the coming months?

I cannot wait. We haven't set the trip into stone yet, but it is so cheap to fly from Hamburg to London it is unthinkable not to. The plan from there is to get to Cardiff...this is Nick's trip and that is where he wants to go. We anticipate having to rent a car (me driving) so this should be, uh, interesting. A bit scary too... But we have a bed and breakfast where a friend has stayed in mind, and from there? Who knows! Grin.

I just know we won't have enough time. Sigh.

[la-localfreak.livejournal.com]

i know it doesn't cheer you guys any, but I am very happy about the changing exchange-rate.

Well, not usually but my uncle always brings us back something good when he's over to Seattle on his business trips.

I'm sure you'll managed fine with the driving (says me, who is only a learner-driver. Lol.) and it does sound like a cool adventure. I've never been to Scotland much (except Edinburgh, but that was on the Make Poverty History march at the G8 summit, I didn't get to see much of the actual city) but the architecture is meant to be quite superb (I'm a sucker for Victorian-Gothic. Or gargoyles.) But of course Cardiff is Dr Who land, now, isn't it? ;) lol. So I can definitely see why Nick'd want to go there! I suppose wherever else you go depends on what route you take but I really hope you have a great time when you come!!!!

[la-localfreak.livejournal.com]

Er. Duh. I..don't know why I had a moment typing as if Cardiff was in Scotland. I am, in fact, daft as a brush it seems.

*shame*

Mum will NEVER LET ME LIVE THIS DOWN.