Changing Gears for Now

Seeing as how my internet connection comes and goes and I have to reboot the entire machine and recycle the modem to get it back up when it does, I've been working on the site.

Someone surreptitiously admonished me yesterday for advertising; one of these gamer/Web -types who "doesn't believe" in advertising online, nor HTML advancements I'll add (by his own admission; that's not a criticism). Of course, he didn't specifically call me out - just in case you didn't know, I can handle my own, so it's not extremely wise to do so - but he just made the point. I'm about to make a whole slew of points in a guest-spot over to Pligg.com next week about that sort of outlook, and much more.

Just so you know, the difference between my way of thinking and others' is simple:

I create content, not just index it, scrape it, or point to it. There's no reason in the world - that I can think of or have ever heard - that I should not be compensated for my work. What really bugs me about hardline flat-earthers such as this (well, his opinion is one of a hardline flat-earther's, he may well be a progressive, intelligent man... just not on this issue) is that they don't seem to think the same way about large corporations and the like. Why is it okay for Google to index my information and show ads and sponsored posts and garner hits and so on - basically, make money off my content - but it's somehow "selling-out" or "polluting the Web" for me to do the same? I'm not sure any of these flat-earthers ever really thought it that far through, because the best answer I've ever gotten is the limp, "Well, they're a corporation" - as in, we "expect that" of a corporation - as in, I (as the individual) should have more integrity than to desire compensation and should just let "The Corporation" do whatever they want with my work and make money they don't really deserve.

Like I say, I'll be really getting into it next week over to Pligg.com, but I've spent all day working on a single picture, which is only one component of the larger design of a single page within a department on the website. And I hope to be compensated for that work and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But I still can't get online steadily and may not be back to business as usual until Monday.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Scrye Foresees Own Ending

The April 2009 issue will be the last for collectible card-gaming (CCG) magazine, Scrye. Rising printing costs, and diminished subscriber and advertising bases were cited as the reasons. Founded in 1993, Scrye was considered the authority on the CCG hobby and industry, providing current prices for cards of such games as Magic. In recent years, Scrye added collectibles miniatures games to its subjects. The Rundown is honestly surprised it lasted 15 years; that's honestly about 10 years longer than I would have predicted at the onset.

Analysts note Scrye's folding puts the exclamation point on CCG's sentence, but add the recession is hitting the magazine industry in general quite hard.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Zenescope Announces Early 2009 Releases

The publisher known for successfully re-inventing classic stories and fairy tales has announced three new original titles scheduled for early 2009.

First up on Zenescope's slate for a March release is the supernatural series, SALEM'S DAUGHTER. The comic follows two main characters: Anna Williams, a young outcast with extraordinary powers she is just beginning to realize; and Braden Cole, a gunslinger looking for redemption. The two team up to help strangers dealing with supernatural and terrifying occurrences.

Zenescope VP and series writer Ralph Tedesco (GRIMM FAIRY TALES, SE7EN) describes the comic as "X-FILES meets BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, set in the late 1800s. This series will put a brand new spin on American folklore and mythologies such as the Leeds Devil, the Headless Horseman, famous hauntings, werewolves, demons - the list goes on. At the same time, we're giving readers a new, stylistic vision of 19^th-Century, East coast America."

The second title, set for an April release, is the five-issue sci-fi mini-series, STINGERS. The comic tells the story of Brian Hawkins, an Atlantic City bounty hunter fed up with the world and everyone in it. As Hawkins tracks his latest bail-jumpers to a small New Jersey town, he learns that insect-like creatures are injecting alien DNA into local residents to begin a colonization. Now Hawkins must decide to get out or fight to save humanity.

"We love this project." says Zenescope President, and series co-writer, Joe Brusha, "It's going to be one of the best sci-fi comics to come out in a while - and I know that's a bold statement. But if you love movies like ALIENS, THE THING, and PREDATOR, then you have to pick up this series."

The final new release, entitled NO QUARTER, is debuting its #0 preview issue at New York Comic Con in February, with issue #1 scheduled for an early June release. The series is being written by best-selling author and pirate expert, Pat Croce, with writing partner Adam Slutsky.

"NO QUARTER is a hardcore pirate series unlike anything you have seen. It's not the same old cliche of overly-romanticized pirate adventures that's been done and overdone; this series is brutal and hardcore - with just the right mix of violence, drama and brutality. Pat loves to say it's BRAVEHEART and GLADIATOR done with pirates," Ralph Tedesco explains.

The epic storyline follows the life of Charlie Drake, a young man who finds that his bloodline is anything but ordinary, and sets out to find a new life. In the process, he becomes a legend.

More information on these new titles can be found at www.zenescope.com. The Zenescope crew, along with Pat Croce, will be appearing at New York Comic Con booth #1421 February 6-8^th.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Ultimatum #2 Second-Printing Variant

ULTIMATUM #2 (of 5) SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (DEC088076)
Written by JEPH LOEB
Pencils & Cover by DAVID FINCH
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—2/12/09, On-Sale—3/4/09

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dear Dr. Drew: Drug Addiction is Not a Disease

Dr. Drew Pinski has had a lot of education; I have had none - well, none in his arena (a single course does not a doctor make). However, I was a practicing musician for years (we barely got beyond the "practicing"), I have been involved in the Arts my entire life, and I have known more than my fair share of drug users. Drug addiction is not a disease; drug addiction is a lifestyle choice.

Before you yawn or furrow your little brow, take a look at Sober House. A single viewing of any of the first three episodes proves what I am saying. That these people all have problems is unquestionable, but drug addiction is not their problem - it is their solution. Every, last one of them, time and again tonight, said things like, "He was so in his 'addiction'," and "He couldn't think straight because he was so bad in his 'addiction' today," and so on and so forth - and it's all just an excuse!

Every one of these people suffered some serious psychological trauma, some suffered physical trauma, and that trauma is the problem; they use drugs to handle those problems. I understand people become mentally and physically addicted to substances - that's proven - however, Dr. Drew has shot himself in the foot by televising his hippy-dippy, as-many-chances-as-you-"need" approach to rehabilitation because now everyone can see that it does not work.

We already know Slim Shifty or whatever his name is is about to take-off for three days because this was filmed in the summer and it was all over the tabloids. Early clips mentioned he'd had a heart attack, but that has yet to come up. Steven Adler was arrested on the show last night (also in the papers when it happened) and the last two whole episodes were about his selfishness and Dr. Drew's permissiveness allowed it. I mean, the guy even got the first two entire episodes dedicated to him; all the others surely must have realized the way to get more airtime was to go on and relapse while the cameras were on (even if they didn't consciously think that way - you know, because they were so deep in their addiction)! He's already been arrested again, gone through another rehab, and is now in yet another one - if he fails it, he's going to prison... where he most likely belongs. I take that back - Steven Adler belongs in a maximum security rehabilitation center for a year or two. Unfortunately, there are none.

At least we don't have to put-up with Jeff Conaway anymore!

Seriously though, for whom has Dr. Drew Pinski's approach worked? Jessica Sierra went to prison; Steven Adler's right behind her; Shifty-Eyed Binzer (or whatever) is on his third season and apparently has a heart attack somewhere down the line; Mary Carey left and the first thing she did was get boob implants; Jeff Conaway is back On Dope (though he can just stay there)... I mean, Dr. Drew is either fooling himself or he's a real jerk; either he needs to pull his head out of his ass and realize his approach to drug addiction as a disease only excuses these junkies' selfishness, or he already realizes this and he's just raking in the dough at their expense.

Whatever the case may be, drug addiction is not a disease, it's a diseased person's attempt at self-medication. And if you want to get sober, the only way to do it is to do it. Whose idea was it to put a Sober House in the middle of LA's club district, anyway!?

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Technical Update

The tech who visited this morning said I need a new modem. It should arrive either Monday or Tuesday. I am focusing on other projects in the meantime, as the whole computer locks-up whenever the network fails and I have to do a cold reboot.

I will post, it will just be spotty.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Invincible Iron Man #9 Second-Printing Variant

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (DEC088027)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Pencils & Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA
Rated A …$2.99
FOC—1/29/09, On-Sale—2/18/09

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Bluewater Brings Readers More for Their Money - 22 Pages More!

Starting in February, Bluewater is adding a bonus 22-page flipbook to some of its titles. The original $3.99 cover price will stay the same, but consumers will enjoy 48-pages of content. Bluewater is also adding bonus material to their other titles.

Listed below are the titles with the FREE bonus book:

1) 10^th Muse 800 #1 comes with a FREE Judo Girl/Venus #1
2) Judo Girl/Venus #1 comes with a FREE 10^th Muse 800 #1
3) Wrath of the Titans: Cyclops comes with a FREE Pit and the Pendulum
4) Pit and the Pendulum comes with a FREE Wrath of the Titans: Cyclops
5) Missile to the Moon #1 comes with a FREE Imaginaries #2
6) Imaginaries #2 comes with a FREE Missile to the Moon #1

Plan 9 From Outer Space... Strikes Again will have 28-pages of sequential content. The Vincent Price Presents series will not only have 4-page back-up stories, but pin-ups as well. In each issue, the comic comes with an intro and outro featuring Vincent Price, on top of the 22-page story. Making sure not to confuse anyone, Bluewater made special covers for the backs of the flipbooks; the original covers, UPC codes & order codes remain the same.

"It is rare that you will find one of our books with only 22 pages. We want to do more than just put in a pin-up to take up space. For example with the Ray Harryhausen titles, we showcased some of Harryhausen’s original artwork.

"With the economy the way it is, we realize that $3.99 is a lot to spend on a 22-page comic book," continues Bluewater Productions Publisher, Darren G. Davis. "I buy comics every week and I see how expensive they have become. With that in mind, we are making sure that people who buy our books get the most for their money."

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

War Machine #1 Second-Print Variant

WAR MACHINE #1 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (DEC088028)
Written by GREG PAK
Pencils & Cover by LEONARDO MANCO
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—1/29/09, On-Sale—2/18/09

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Snow Day

Yep: The Weirding got frozen-out today. Apparently, there is an exposed fiber cable somewhere in/around Kentucky. Traffic is being rerouted through - you guessed it - the router which The Weirding uses. Which means intermittent connectivity.

There is little more frustrating than intermittent connectivity. Unlike no connectivity, you can get online - even do most things - until you suddenly can't. Intermittent connectivity is your junior-high girlfriend - unless you went with a slut: French kissing is okay some of the times but you never know which ones, and once in a while, you catch some boob. But attempts to go any further result in tears and cries of, "Why!? Why!?" And sometimes, she'd get upset, too.

I started three different posts today, only to lose everything I was doing. I called a half-dozen times - and it takes a good 2-3 minutes to get through the damned menus before you even get put on-hold - only to be told "call times may exceed half an hour"! But I finally got a good dude who agreed that I was getting "severe" drag. He became particularly concerned when he tried pinging the router, so he escalated the ticket, but told me it may well be tomorrow before I see a real improvement.

Things appear to be surfing okay now, if still slow, but I've already lost the day. I have a guest spot to finish (which turned out to be much larger than I expected) and the site to keep me busy, so depending on how things go, I may have one or two more things for you throughout the late evening; otherwise, I hope I'll see you tomorrow!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Connectivity Issues

We are suffering connectivity issues today due to the weather. My DSL company hires American kids, which I tend to support - unless they're brain-dead morons reading the "steps." I've been experiencing this since around 5-6am and called to ask if there were any outages (of course not) or a backbone was down. Having done literally everything I can from this end, I was hoping they could flash the modem (I don't know if they do that with DSL modems). This punk had me recycle the modem, telling me he was flashing it while it was unplugged.

The company is TDS.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

RIP: Kim Manners

The X-Files and Supernatural director, Kim Manners, died last night of lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. He was 59. "Everyone at Supernatural is walking around in a daze," creator, Eric Kripke said in a statement released earlier today.

Manners began his career in TV back in the 1970s, but it was with The X-Files that he made an impression, garnering an impressive four Emmy nominations from the 52 episodes he directed. He helped launch Supernatural - the best show on TV - in 2005 and directed many of its most memorable episodes to-date, including the season finales.

Kim Manners worked on many classic TV shows, including Charlie's Angels, 21 Jump Street, Star Trek: TNG - even Baywatch. He was 59.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

30 Faces of Jason

Seven of the actors who have portrayed Jason Voorhees throughout his many-storied career will assemble for the first time for the release of the special edition DVD, His Name was Jason. Warrington Gillette, Ari Lehmen, Richard Brooker, Ted White, C.J. Graham, and Kane Hodder will join upcoming Jason, Derek Mears - along with many more former cast and crew - at Burbank's Dark Delicacies bookstore next Wednesday, February 3^rd. The newest installment, a remake of the original, hits theaters... Friday the 13^th.

His Name was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13^th chronicles the 30 years of Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13^th franchise with over 100 interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and clips from the movies which launched the hockey masked killer into pop-culture and film history.

No photos will be allowed during the event. Swim at your own risk.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Day One for NBC

NBC has greenlighted a post-apocalyptic drama entitled Day One. Day One, from Heroes writer-producer, Jesse Alexander, follows the travails of a group who survived a massive global event as they struggle to rebuild society and find out what happened. Jericho Day One is not the only futuristic sci-fi drama debuting in 2009.

ABC is bringing back the classic V, in which mouse-eating aliens have invaded the planet. The actual creator of the original V franchise, Kenneth Johnson, is not involved in this project; he is holding-out for a full-featured adaptation of V and will not compromise. 4400 co-creator, Scott Peters, is the new shepherd of the project. He said they will not rehash the old series' plot and themes, but would remain true to the spirit of the original. It will open with the invasion, center on a homeland security official and her son, and several storylines will unfold simultaneously. Let's just hope they handle that as well as the original series did and not as, say, Heroes has...

ABC also ordered the pilot for Flash Forward, in which everyone in the world blacks-out for two minutes and 17 seconds and has a disturbing vision of the future. Flash Forward is written by Batman Begins scribe, David Goyer, along with Brannon Braga, who has written for numerous Star Trek series, as well as 24. It will be executive produced by Vince Gerardis and Ralph M. Vicinanza (who own the book rights), who recently brought us Jumper.

2009 is shaping-up to be a good year for sci-fi on the major networks. Be sure to tune-in for these series' cancellations!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Go in Style

In this day and age of computer... everything, we sometimes forget the value of past technologies. Many of us agree that things like CGI and those T-shirts you can make on your printer look cheap, but when we think of alternatives, we usually think along the lines of "get a better printer." But real quality can be found in low-tech alternatives like custom embroidered clothing.

I've always loved Clutch's emblem/logo because it literally embodies the band, their style, and the music: no-nonsense, no-frills, straight-up hard rock. That embroidered logo says it all. Is your business of the grass-roots type? Is it a "ground-up" kind of structure? Would a thin and highly-detailed laser print really capture the essence of what you stand for and the quality you bring?

Of course, Threadsmith also offers great products for personalized gifts, should you want those.

The X-Men and Fantastic Four Are No More

ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #60 (DEC082344)
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #60 WHITE VARIANT (DEC082345)
Written by JOE POKASKI
Penciled by TYLER KIRKHAM
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
White Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Rated A …$3.99
FOC—1/29/09, On-Sale—2/18/09

ULTIMATE X-MEN #100 (DEC082346)
ULTIMATE X-MEN #100 WHITE VARIANT (DEC082347)
Written by ARON E. COLEITE
Penciled by MARK BROOKS
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
White Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—1/29/09, On-Sale—2/18/09

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

El Zombo Hits El Screeno de Silver

Hollywood, CA. Jan. 26 - Death Ray Films and Maya Entertainment team up to bring the acclaimed Dark Horse comic book El Zombo Fantasma to the big screen.

El Zombo Fantasma, published by Dark Horse Comics in 2005 and created by David Wilkins and Kevin Munroe, will be produced under the Death Ray Films banner recently formed by Chris Patton, Kevin Munroe and Robert Sanchez, currently in production on War Monkeys.

The story follows the mysterious murder of the world's most notorious Mexican wrestler who bargains his way out of an eternity of fiery damnation by returning to Los Angeles to play guardian angel to a troublesome teen, Belisa Montoya. He soon discovers that the teen is not what she seems and that their fates have been intertwined for centuries.

Death Ray Films and Maya Entertainment will bring tales of the undead masked wrestler to multiple mediums, starting with the live action feature, and followed by a new animated series.

Kevin Munroe will write and direct, with Chris Patton and Robert Sanchez producing. Wilkins and Munroe will co-produce. Mike Richardson will executive produce for Dark Horse Entertainment. Jose Martinez and Kellvin Chavez will produce along with Academy Award nominee, Moctesuma Esparza, who will executive produce for Maya Entertainment.

"Zombo started years ago as just a geeky idea between two friends who worked at the same video game company," says Munroe. "But Dave and I always knew that the property had a broader appeal than just its publishing roots, and we'll finally see it reach an entirely new audience. I'm thrilled to be a part of creating this new breed of superhero for the big screen."

"As a Cuban-American in this industry, I see El Zombo as a unique property that will not only showcase Latinos but appeal to all audiences. It has action, romance, redemption and wrestling - it's a Latin Hellboy," says Robert Sanchez. "It's the prefect date movie!"

"El Zombo is an extremely cool superhero and it's tremendous, pile-driving fun," says Kellvin Chavez. "As a fan of wrestling, I used to watch 'Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata' - one of the most famous Mexican free wrestlers - so I was excited by this project.”

"We are excited to work with Death Ray and Dark Horse on El Zombo, as it furthers our goal of bringing Latino themes and Latino talent to the commercial market," says Jose Martinez Jr. for Maya. "We plan to blow this out in a big way so that everyone can enjoy this awesome idea."

DEATH RAY FILMS is an entertainment production company founded by comic book & film industry veterans Chris Patton, Robert Sanchez and Kevin Munroe. The trio's diverse backgrounds and extensive experience in all forms of media include: film, TV, Internet, comics and video games. And when combined, they form a giant robot.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dallas Home Security

The OddBlog recently carried a story about a party in the Dallas area where someone shot himself in the head... and the witnesses promptly went to a movie to "calm down." Now, I'm not saying this is indicative of people in and around Dallas (though I would argue it may be indicative of the Net Gen or whatever you want to call them), but it is a major metropolitan area with many outlying suburbs; crime is very real. And according to the Home Security Dallas website, many of the home break-ins which occur in and around the area are actually not in high crime areas, so you really need to consider installing some sort of security to protect your home, possessions, and (of course) your family.

When it comes to home security Dallas is not necessarily a location prone to home invasions or break-ins. That's why many people think, since they live in a nice area, have attentive neighbors, and so forth, they probably do not need to worry with such measures. However, while such things diminish the chances of a break-in, they certainly aren't the only protection you need. Violent criminals aside, many are quite devious; we have all heard the stories of thieves with moving vans or repair trucks who manage to avoid the watchful eyes of neighbors, who have no reason to think anything is actually amiss. They can spend an hour or so at your home and clean you out without anyone ever thinking twice!

Dallas Home Security can handle all of your home security needs. Follow any of the links above to check out their site and learn more, then call and talk with a representative. Don't fall victim to burglary or worse when you have the information you need to protect your home and family.

Ms. Marvel vs. Carol Danvers

It’s the beginning of the end for Carol Danvers (AKA Ms. Marvel), as she comes face to face with the Dark Avengers - and her destiny as Ms. Marvel becomes Dark Ms. Marvel with issue #38! It all begins in this week’s Ms. Marvel #35, from the fan favorite team of writer Brian Reed and artist Patrick Olliffe, as Carol encounters Captain Marvel’s replacement - Noh-Varr, better known as Marvel Boy! As Carol’s past catches up with her and she meets Norman Osborn’s new Ms. Marvel (AKA the villainous Moonstone), two Ms. Marvels will clash... and Carol Danvers will fall!
















© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dark Avengers #1 Second-Print Variant

This second-printing variant cover of Dark Avengers #1 will be in color. The second-printing will be available February 25^th. Dark Avengers #1 sold-out at the distribution level, so copies may still be available at your local retail outlets.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Michael George Case to Go Before Supreme Court?

While Michael George's recent conviction was overturned by a Circuit Court judge for lack of evidence, overreaching prosecutors are now seeking to have the case reviewed by the Supreme Court. George attended court in a wheelchair, barely able to stand on his own; he has lost over 50 lbs. in recent months, as his health declines. His attorneys insist this is due to stress over the continuing case.

The Rundown has intentionally stayed away from this case for several reasons. First of all, there is only circumstantial evidence of Michael George's involvement in the crime. Secondly, District Attorneys throughout America - specifically in the so-called "red states" - have increasingly become a serious threat to innocent citizens' freedom and health, and their actions should always be questioned. Lastly, there have been so many twists and turns in this particular case that it would be too much work to follow; many major news outlets have picked it up so you can follow it elsewhere, and get better coverage to boot.

I have no idea if Michael George killed his wife or had anything to do with her murder, but I have every idea that the prosecuting attorneys have found a meal ticket in this case; regardless of the fact that they have no real evidence to support their theory that Michael George murdered his wife, they've found widespread media fame in their pursuit, and that's what they're really after - "justice" is always an afterthought with these horrible "people."

OTOH, the evidence they do have - circumstantial though it is - paints an ugly picture of what appears to be a very self-centered, self-serving man. Of course, there's no law against being an asshole (if there were, every prosecuting DA in the land would be in jail - which is where they should be, anyway), so that alone does not prove George is guilty of killing his wife.

Still, I am staying away from this case. While I wish Michael George the best because I alone can maintain a presumption of innocence, I admonish him for his behavior. If he did kill his wife, then every Georgia official who originally investigated this case should be charged with obstruction; if he didn't, then I figure he's getting his comeuppance for a lifetime of selfishness - the evidence which has been presented has certainly convinced me that Michael George is that much - and while I hope justice is one day truly served on behalf of the deceased, I hope he spends the rest of his misbegotten life trying to make amends across the board.

Another hearing is scheduled for February 12^th; the case is on-hold while the Supreme Court decides whether or not to get involved. Georgia is the same state which tried to convict a comic book store owner on felony charges for distributing "pornographic materials" to minors and has vowed to continue fighting it as a misdemeanor after losing; they're a bunch of backward hicks on a misguided "mission from God."

The time for these "cowboys" is done, and the rest of the world agrees. It's time to grow up, America.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Peter Griffin Fears Cartman

Britney Spears offered to lend her voice to a retaliatory episode of Family Guy, but creator, Seth McFarlane, declined and scrapped the idea. South Park recently took on both - Family Guy in the Cartoon Wars series, and Spears in the Britney's New Look episode.

McFarlane had planned a retaliatory episode, but said he didn't want to start an on-air war with Matt and Trey. "That would do more harm than good. [It] would take too much work." Well, and you wouldn't win.

Seth McFarlane was recently named the smartest man in television.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Marvel Comics On-Sale 01-28-09

Here you go, True Believers, your weekly Rundown of Marvel Comics hitting newsstands tomorrow, Wednesday, January 28^th, 2009:

Comics On-Sale:
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583 OBAMA 3RD PRINTING VARIANT
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: EXTRA! #2
AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #21 (DR)
CAPTAIN AMERICA #46
CAPTAIN AMERICA #46 70TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
DAREDEVIL #115
DARK TOWER: TREACHERY #5
DARK TOWER: TREACHERY #5 ACUNA VARIANT
DARK TOWER: TREACHERY #5 LEE SKETCH VARIANT
ENDER'S SHADOW: BATTLE SCHOOL #2
FANTASTIC FOUR #563
GHOST RIDER: DANNY KETCH #4
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #125
MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #44
MARVEL PREVIEWS #66
MARVELS: EYE OF THE CAMERA #3
MARVELS: EYE OF THE CAMERA #3 BLACK AND WHITE VARIANT
MS. MARVEL #35 (DR)
NEW AVENGERS #49 (DR)
NOVA #21
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE #6
RUNAWAYS #6
SHE-HULK #37
SKAAR: SON OF HULK #7
SKAAR: SON OF HULK #7 SILVER SURFER VARIANT
SOLEIL: SCOURGE OF THE GODS #1
SOLEIL: SCOURGE OF THE GODS #1 VARIANT
THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS #5
THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS #5 PERKINS VARIANT
THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS #5 SKETCH VARIANT
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #130
WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #11
X-FORCE #11
X-MEN: WORLDS APART #4
YOUNG X-MEN #10

Collections On-Sale:
CRIMINAL VOL. 4: BAD NIGHT TPB
MARVEL 1985 PREMIERE HC
MARVEL 1985 PREMIERE HC VARIANT
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: DAREDEVIL VOL. 5 HC
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: DAREDEVIL VOL. 5 HC VARIANT
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 3 HC
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 3 HC VARIANT
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AVENGERS VOL. 2 HC
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AVENGERS VOL. 2 HC VARIANT
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 1 HC
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 1 HC VARIANT
NEW AVENGERS VOL. 3 HC
NEW AVENGERS VOL. 3 HC VARIANT
SECRET INVASION: FANTASTIC FOUR TPB
SPIDER-GIRL VOL. 10: SEASON OF THE SERPENT DIGEST
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL. 21: WAR OF THE SYMBIOTES TPB
ULTIMATUM: MARCH ON ULTIMATUM PREMIERE HC
X-MEN: ORIGINAL SIN PREMIERE HC

*DR = Dark Reign tie-in

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Bundle and Save with AT&T

These days, more and more people have Internet and digital TV. Though a bill was recently passed which pushes the digital switchover back about four months, sooner or later, we are going to be a digital TV nation. With all of the HD TVs and other features digital TV offers, most of us made the switch a long time ago. Of course, price is a factor.

But seeing as how so many of us already need phone, Internet, and TV, packages which bundle these features into one price have become more popular, and now the one name most trust over all others when it comes to phone services is getting in on the game. ATT Bundles bring you all three services, starting at just $37.95/month!

While there are ATT Satellite TV Deals to take advantage of on their own, and you are bound to get more stations once you make the switchover, you can save up to $150 a month - per month! - by bundling your services. $37.95 is at least half of what most people pay for their cellphone services each month, and that includes your TV and Internet! And high-speed Internet is literally like a new world; it is absolutely nothing like dial-up.

ATT Phone Deals are available separately as well, but why bother? Many people have cellphones and rarely use their landlines - in fact, a recent survey found most younger people didn't even bother with landlines, though that's something I do not recommend.

Long story short, you will likely pay less for all three services through AT&T than you do for any one of them right now. So what are you waiting for? Follow any of the links provided above to learn more about this exciting new offer!

Savage Dragon Commemorative Edition

Despite three sold out printings, recent renewed demand for SAVAGE DRAGON's nomination of President Barack Obama has resulted in a fourth and final commemorative edition!

"While we sold out some time ago, we've been receiving an awful lot of letters from fans and retailers alike demanding another printing," Erik Larsen said. "This fourth - and definitely final, I might add - printing commemorates the very first time a superhero has openly nominated a real-life candidate for Presidential office. It's been flattering to receive such attention and I hope everyone who's bought a copy sticks around for the rest of the series, especially #145's relaunch!"

When originally announced, SAVAGE DRAGON's nomination took the press by storm, being the first comic to be featured so highly for its Barack Obama appearance, with stories ranging from The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Yahoo!, Radar Magazine, and comic mainstays like Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, and iFanboy. The issue featured both a cover and interior endorsement of the then Democratic candidate and is followed up by February's SAVAGE DRAGON #145, the new beginning for the series in which Dragon returns to the Chicago police force and Chicago's other favorite adopted son, President Barack Obama, is there to greet him!

SAVAGE DRAGON #137 FOURTH PRINTING, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.50, will be in stores to coincide with SAVAGE DRAGON #145 (Obama Cover: DEC082233 & Regular Cover: DEC082232 ) on February, 25^th, 2009.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The Downside to Semi-Success

It is far from accurate to say, after some 10 years, I am finally a "success," but with the recent traffic both The Rundown and The Weirding have seen, I find it fair to say there has been a small surge of interest, as late. And that is not without its downside.

Last week, I had a 22-hour day followed by an 18-hour day. I have not been eating very well, as I have not taken the time to actually cook anything, and I haven't showered since the weekend... That's not "TMI," that's the reality I'm facing!

I was asked to guest on a popular blog, am putting together a contest so I can share some swag with all y'all this Spring, am trying to keep up with the other blogs, and try to finish the original content for the site while simultaneously tweaking what's already in place. And keep up with the quickly sinking ship what is my personal financial position! Further, having learned that the template we have in place here may be hurting our standing in the search engines (due to coding errors - it was ported from a WordPress template), and wanting to take advantage of Blogger's new "gadgets" feature, it look like I'm going to have to spend some time dealing with all of that, as well.

I'm also thinking of changing the name. Just for the record, we had this name since at least 2003 and most of the rundown domains (which were already taken) started appearing only after we became a (very) modest hit back in 2006 or so. Still, it wasn't like I put a whole lot of thought into the whole thing; when I first started "blogging," I used bulleted lists to "rundown" stuff I found interesting - that consisted of basically every entry up to a certain point, when I did a full review or rant of some kind and gravitated away from that format. Unlike the talentless, cutthroat businessmen who scavenge the Web, I'm not about fighting over "keywords" and crap like that, but no matter what I change the name to - regardless of how original - it will soon be seized-upon by (butt)pirates and squatters, so it's not a major priority. Never has been and that's why I "settled" on this one.

Always remember the original Rundown has two things you will find almost nowhere else online: originality and talent. So what's in a name?

I sincerely wish I could afford to hire someone else or knew some tech-savvy someone who was as passionate about Nerdery as I am - and is reliable. Unfortunately, there is only me to handle all of these things, and I only have so much time. This is not just a lamentation; I'm saying you're just going to have to deal with things being kinda slow for the time-being. If anyone would like to guest blog, please contact me and we'll get you setup with an account. Thanks!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Mickey Rourke at Wrestlemania

Mickey Roarke said, "I think maybe I'm gonna do Wrestlemania in Houston. I had some dialogue with Vince McMahon, Rick Flair, Roddy Piper, and all the rest of them, and they've been really supportive. The nicest thing has been the whole wrestling community embracing us. The movie was about their world."

Roarke made his Hollywood comeback in 2008 with the new movie, The Wrestler, having been nominated for a best actor Oscar.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

While You Wait...

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

It Will be a Late Night Round

Busy day here to Casa de Dogs. I have things to get out to you, including the full review of Studio 407's Hybrid, but I have been so busy the early part of today that I simply haven't been able to do anything. And the neighbor has been pestering the living shit out of me to use the computer...

It will be another round o' late-night posting, I'm afraid.

Still no Chuck or Heroes, though I'm pretty sure both return next week. You can get quality programming over on... well... Oh! At 8:00, HBO is playing last night's Flight of the Conchords, followed by Jumper. That song on last night's show rocked so hard, I can't wait for it to hit the Web!

You know what? Why worry? The Rundown will have posts starting shortly.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

CSI Actor Fells Real-Life Criminal

C.S.I. actor, Gerald McCullouch, stopped a potential mugger from nabbing his laptop on the subway. According to reports, mugger attempted to grab McCullouch's laptop, but the actor punched him. The would-be thief then pulled a kitchen knife from a plastic bag. Other passengers fled, but McCullouch says he faced the guy who tried to stab him (his leather jacket apparently saved him, as the blade was so long it basically glanced off him).

The train stopped and passengers disembarked, leaving investigator Bobby Dawson alone with the robber. Luckily though, the train stopped at a midway point, where police boarded and ended the situation.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

I Don't Care About the Oscars

Some of you might have thought I was staying awake the other night in anticipation of the Academy Awards nominations. The truth is that I wasn't even aware they were being made that night until I wrote about The Razzies.

Like I've said here and elsewhere in the past, the Academy Awards aren't what they used to be and they simply no longer appeal to me. I don't get to see new releases and I didn't bother to whenever I had the chance; I pay too much for cable and a month's subscription to HBO costs the same as seeing a single movie in the theater (hell, less)! I can wait the six months to a year to see it on TV. Plus I can smoke while watching it.

The whole thing goes on for far too long - largely because they insist on those insipid musical numbers. I realize there is a category for Best Song, but unless a musical is actually in the running, why not just play a clip of the song the way they do for all the other nominations?

I have an idea - now just go with me here: they could show clips of the songs up for nomination and then maybe invite the people who actually wrote and/or performed the frigging things to perform them - if the song was an actual hit. You with me here? And if there isn't one, then just forgo the musical number nonsense entirely! Then those actors might have the time to thank everyone on their list.

And that's another thing:

"You like me, you really like me!" Nuff said, you know?

These trollish, little people and their self-important thank you lists... "This is such a surprise - I really didn't expect this! I didn't even write anything... let me think.." STOP.

Stop right there and stfu: you are an actress, not a frigging orator.

Fewer than 1000 people in the entire world are recording your big moment (and the number diminishes dramatically once you subtract your friends and family), so you might want to take a minute beforehand to actually write something. You all go on about how much you had to do to "prepare" for that role where Will Ferrell farts in your pretty, vapid, little face, so you might want to prepare for the offhand chance that this actually does become Your Big Night. And if it doesn't, then consider it an exercise in humility - most of you chicks could use a little.

There are few moments more awkward than when the verbose actor admonishes the musicians trying to play him off (excepting every appearance by douchebag extraordinaire, Sean Penn), so let's avoid them entirely, shall we? If an actor goes on longer than he should, shoot him. Shoot him in the fucking head. Hell, if you even suspect they're going to go past the allotted time, shoot 'em in the dressing room. What's one less actor, more or less?

I can all but guarantee you'll only have to do this a couple times, and the rest of them will fall in line. They won't shush the orchestra after the first three or four kills - they'll stiffen like a board in sheer, mortal terror the moment they hear the first notes! Mix a little reality TV with our self-aggrandizement, shall we? Talk about acting; they can take that little moment of fear and add it to their "stock" - use it in that big Adam Sandler supporting-role gig; they'll never have to ask for direction on the "act surprised" bit ever again.

And none of this celebrity sniper, "We got the guy from the grassy knoll" bullshit; have a guy with a pistol waiting in the wings. Easy-peezy, simple-pimple. "Just one more, just one more - I'd like to thank my dog, Simpleton. You are my heart an..." BANG! Shut up.

And, Oh - My - GOD: do not - I repeat, not - let any of them "banter." Ever.

Actors at the Academy Awards can't improvise - that's how they got nominated! These are all the "classically-trained" buttholes whose claim to fame is knowing what "iambic pentameter" is. The ones who take roles because they find them "challenging" and adopt retarded kids so they can study them for their next performance; Scientologists. These aren't talented people - these are affluential worker bees doing a job - and they have enough trouble just reading from a teleprompter. So please, for the love of GOD, do not have them "banter." Instead of writing "improvise" or "interact" on the prompt, just write, "HAVE AWKWARD MOMENT." Heck, just leave the screen blank. Either way, we're all going to have an awkward moment.

So, in summation... you know, eff the Oscars. Right in their little, bald head.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The Baroness Has Real Boobs

A widely-circulated Web report said Sienna Miller was forced to wear "things that looked like chicken fillets" to enhance her female... ness in the upcoming G.I. Joe flick. Sienna Miller's hotter than a $3 Mexican pistol in an Arizona pawnshop, so... you know, just putting that out there. Still, director, Stephen Sommers, was reported to have told her "I like girls with big boobs." So does The Rundown, so... again, just getting that out of the way.

However, Sommers denies the claim: "I would NEVER say that to an actress. I guess the costume department gave her a tight fitting bra, but no one gave her rubber breasts or whatever. It is 100% Sienna Miller." I would put 100% of my... you know, just - let's move on.

Miller is fine as hell, but also known to be a little... "actressy." If you're into such things (as The Rundown most certainly is), you could see 100% of little Miss Miller's boobs - sans chicken fillets - after she was caught cavorting with a married man. She sued the papers which took (and ran) the pictures, but they're still out there. Whether or not the whole thing is true is debatable, but - again - Miller's good looks are indisputable.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Manga Collection Site

As regular readers know, The Rundown rarely covers much manga/anime. I was really into Japanimation in all its many forms when I was a kid, and I freely credit it for the influence it had on my drawing style, but I think it appeals more to younger viewers. Those younger viewers are now in their late teens and early 20s though, so I don't want to leave them out!

Check out AnimeA. It's updated daily with chapters from all the best manga, such as Bleach, Love-Ru, Naruto Manga, and much more. If you can't find something you like, contact them and they'll see what they can do. If you have something you think other members will dig, add it to their collection!

And enjoy!

Dethklok: Bloodrocuted

(It isn't like this is hard to find or anything, I've just been jamming on it all day and wanted to share.)

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The Watchmen Deal

Of course you've already heard about this, as I was away when it happened and basically every website in existence carried the story (which is why it took me to now to dig it up), but Watchmen will be released March 6^th, as planned. While neither side is detailing the settlement, Fox apparently relinquished all rights to Warner Bros. for a lump-sum and percentage of the box office.

The fault lay with Watchmen producer, Larry Gordon, who had entered a series of deals with Fox in the 1990s. When Fox decided to sit on Watchmen, Gordon went to Warners, who made the movie for about $130 million. However, Fox still had some rights to the project - and not just according to a judge; Warners admitted being aware of Fox' holdings before moving forward with production.

Fox intends to pursue Gordon for the legal costs of settling this matter, but Fox knew better than to drag this out any longer. Things may have been looking good for them, but if they had delayed the Watchmen release, they would have been huge losers, no matter what - the fanboy backlash would have haunted them forever. Seeing as how Fox is a big player in the superhero movie business, that is the last thing anyone wanted.

While one can take a lot from Watchmen (the original series), this entire thing might never have come up, had the project gone forward as originally pitched. If you wonder why so many of the characters look slightly familiar, it isn't because they were originally developed to satirize or suggest existing characters; Alan Moore pitched the project for characters DC had acquired from recently defunct Charlton Comics but created original characters at the behest of editor, Dick Giordano (because the story would have permanently altered so many, making them useless for future projects). Had Moore pitched Watchmen just a few years later, it may well have been an Elseworlds story featuring characters we're all familiar with today. Interesting, as Watchmen takes place in an alternate timeline - but the Elseworlds concept was not established at the time.

While many consider Watchmen the best contemporary sequential art has to offer, I heartily disagree. While I enjoyed the series/book and enjoy Moore's work in general, I find him overrated. That's nothing against Moore, as he seems (in many ways) to agree. He wants nothing to do with Hollywood in general, so while I've heard only great things about the film and hope it too lives up to the hype, I stand by what I've always said: it's a lot of hype. The best piece of sequential art work came out that same year, though: it is Elektra: Assassin. Miller's groundbreaking The Dark Knight Returns was also released in 1986.

You can learn a lot more about the Watchmen and the project from Diamond.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Today

Today has been a weird one. I didn't get much sleep last night and a friend wanted to use the computer while I tried to nap, except she wouldn't shut up while she did it. No sleep later, a neighbor comes up with a computer problem - like a major computer problem. I try everything I know to do on the surface before breaking-down and reformatting the entire thing. After reinstalling a fresh copy of XP, I settle on it needing a new video adapter.

Luckily, he gives me a copy of Office 2003 - he didn't even know what it was! I have been installing add-ons and utilities to Vista Mail for weeks now (it's the subject of an upcoming post on The Cyberculturalist, in fact) but with the sheer volume of mail I get these days, it simply wasn't up to the task and I have been looking into alternatives for months now. I started installing and updating it around 2-3:00 this afternoon...

And that's the easy part; now I have to figure the damned thing out! Not to mention that it's been downloading e-mail on a single account for about the last 45 minutes! I forgot I had it set to leave mail on the server because I was always between computers and nothing would network with Vista. I had to add an account just to get in the damned thing and am about to import from Vista Mail (which will hopefully create all my folders and move the items in the right ones, otherwise I've got over 2000 e-mails to go through - in my personal account, alone!).

It's just part of the whole thing, I'm afraid. I know it takes time away from being here, but Fridays have become our slow day. Saturdays usually crawl, too (I'll probably be around, though). Late Sunday nights tend to generate a slow boom and I could have sworn I recently saw an article on how Sunday was becoming the big blogging night - the night most everyone spends catching-up on their blog reading... of course I can't find it now. Though it takes time away from working, it saves tons of time once it gets done - it's all about the bigger picture of productivity, baby. I didn't get many PRs today anyway, so maybe everyone was laying low.

Watch The Cyberculturalist in coming weeks for more on computing productivity, as I'm going to detail a lot of what I go through to whip things into shape. However, installing and learning Office is probably going to be the biggest (and only real) step I need to take.

I will probably get a late start on tomorrow too, because I desperately need a few hours of sleep! And I don't know that I'm done for tonight, but I have a whole lot to do behind the scenes.

Please check out the Dark Conspiracy @ The Weirding and let me know what you think. While you're there, go ahead and Stumble Upon it, like so many others did this week. Thanks again to everyone! I just wish more people had taken the time to explore past the index page - it's pretty and all, but there's already so much online, and seeing as how the inactive links outnumber the active ones by about 4:1, you know there's more to come.

Just so you know, the boost of confidence really makes a difference. I strive to bring quality content and information to the Web, but it's easy to get lost in the minutiae and convince myself I'm working when I'm really just spinning wheels; the surge of traffic, the comments (even the nasty or negative ones), the incoming links and mentions - all these things are truly appreciated and compel me to get off my butt and get... on... back on my butt and do some real work.

Ah, it started off well...

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Andy Diggle Talks Thunderbolts

There are a bunch of fresh faces on the cover of the sold-out Thunderbolts #128. Wondering who they are? What their role is?

Well you’re in luck True Believer, because we’ve got a brand new episode of the Mighty Marvel Podcast for you that will explain it all! Fan favorite host (and Marvel Senior Art Director) Jeff Suter sits down with new Thunderbolts writer, Andy Diggle, and they chat about Norman’s all new black ops team and how they fit into DARK REIGN. Diggle talks about the team’s members, new and old, giving fans the scoops they demanded - including a teaser about the upcoming crossover with Deadpool! You’ve heard about this series from fans and critics everywhere—now you can hear about it from the man behind it all!

THUNDERBOLTS #128 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (DEC088026)
Written by ANDY DIGGLE
Penciled by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE
Cover by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—1/29/09, On-Sale—2/18/09

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Um... As to My Lack of Success

Since yesterday, Dark Conspiracy @ The Weirding has gotten somewhere around 1500 hits. At least 1489 of those have gone straight to 404 because someone Stumbled the site back when it was on another server, which automatically changed all letters to lowercase!

I'm working on it, guys. And I apologize. But I've been trying to figure out the high bounce rate for the last two days, thanks to the fact that Stumble Upon sends me directly to an ad, asking me to setup a campaign; I had to get into about 10 different programs before I finally figured out it had the wrong URL.

I redirected it, which completely hosed the system. I then had to fix that, but now it's just... hosed.

I'm working on it, though!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Sex & the City Sequel Cemented

"Not all the contracts are signed, but everyone is on board," an insider told Us magazine. Yes, it appears Carrie Bradshaw and the girls are headed back to the silver screen. The article went on to note all of the starlets were getting raises - and couldn't help itself when it reminded readers that Kim Cattrall had delayed the first flick for years, due to Sarah Jessica Parker's "much higher paycheck." Mrraow!

While Warner Bros. "could not be reached for comment," The Rundown feels confident in agreeing the movie is a go. Sex & the City was a whole lot of fun in the beginning and had its ups and downs along the way, but by the final season, it was little more than a Gossip Girl for the 30-something spinster "30, flirty, and thriving" single gal. Sex & the City: The Movie made enough money to fill a walk-in closet, so I can't imagine any reason Sex & the City: The Sequel won't make it past the boardroom.

Cattrall publicly announced the sequel's greenlight a couple months back, saying shooting would begin in the summer, but Sarah Jessica Parker publicly admonished her with a snide, "...all the deals are not yet done." Parker has a new HBO series in the works, The Washingtonienne, which promises to be a lot like Sex & the City, only in DC and with younger chicks. Parker is producing.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Platinum Grit Hits the Page

22 January 2009 (Berkeley, CA) - For years, webcomics fans the world over have thrilled to Trudy Cooper and Danny Murphy's science fiction romp, PLATINUM GRIT, and now Image Comics' Shadowline brings it to print!

"PLATINUM GRIT being published by Shadowline is a dream come true for me," Shadowline Editor Kristen Simon said. "I've been a fan of the webcomic for many years now and was thrilled when we were able to bring it over to Shadowline's website as well. Publisher Jim Valentino enjoyed it so much, he agreed we needed to print the collections! Fellow fans of PLATINUM GRIT are going to be very happy with this edition."

PLATINUM GRIT VOL. 1 collects the first five chapters of the hit webcomics series, in which the fearless Nils and the timid (but still surprisingly together) Jeremy take on the Zodiac (they win), Jer's insane Scottish relatives (they sort of win), a 1940s private dick (they draw when poor light stops play), and two sets of alien matchmakers (they... almost).

PLATINUM GRIT VOL. 1 (JAN092411), a 184-page B&W tradepaperback for $14.99, will be in-stores March 11^th, 2009.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye Revealed

In the aftermath of the critically-acclaimed Dark Avengers #1, fans of the Marvel Universe know that Norman Osborn’s new team of Avengers have some dark secrets - which lead to shocking new revelations this April in the pages of Ms Marvel #38 and Dark Reign: Hawkeye #1.

Marvel is pleased to reveal these previously classified solicits and cover art:

DARK REIGN: HAWKEYE #1 (of 5)
Written by ANDY DIGGLE
Penciled by TOM RANEY
Cover by CLINT LANGLEY

From the pages of DARK AVENGERS—Bullseye cuts loose! The media knows him only as Hawkeye - but we know he’s really the psychopath named Bullseye! How does the world’s deadliest assassin fit in with Norman Osborn’s hand-picked team of public "do-gooders"? What’s his agenda, and how does it instantly jeopardize the entire Avengers' legacy? And how long can the most ruthless killer ever to walk the Earth be kept on a leash? The one-two punch of writer Andy Diggle (THUNDERBOLTS) and artist Tom Raney (SECRET INVASION: INHUMANS) deliver a haymaker with the solo mini-series that puts the innocent right in the angry archer’s crosshairs!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory $3.99

MS. MARVEL #38
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by PATRICK OLLIFFE
Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
Wolverine Art Appreciation Variant by PAOLO RIVERA

FROM THE PAGES OF DARK AVENGERS! Now it can be revealed. After the fall of Carol Danvers, the villainous Moonstone has now taken up the mantle of the world’s greatest super-heroine. And don’t worry... she’s gonna save the hell out of you.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

BSG Had a Freaky Friday

While the Sci-Fi Channel is said to have been pleased with Battlestar Galactica's season 4.5 premiere Friday, it was probably none too happy to learn Disney's upteenth re-airing of Freaky Friday (starring Lindsay Lohan, trainwreck du jour) beat it in the ratings... Freaky Friday drew 2.8 million viewers to BSG's 2.1, although Battlestar Galactica did win-out among men.

A recent article by Joel Ryan explained why shows like BSG aren't kept, even though they are actually quite popular: they're TiVo hits. And TiVo hits don't fare as well with advertisers as do those what score high on-air (as they're broadcast) because advertisers already know their commercials get the big ol' FF. This means they pay less, which means the show draws less revenue, therefore costing the network more to produce.

I'm not talking down to you by breaking it down like that; I want to make the point because it helps answer the question "Is Sci-Fi Evil?" Maybe I'm looking at the channel through rose-colored, multi-view goggles with onboard LED readout, but it could be just this side of possible that at least one Sci-Fi Channel executive is actually looking out for us hardcore fans by watering down the network. By drawing more viewers with mediocre - and even outright utter - shit, Sci-Fi can funnel those profits into the shows we sci-fi fans actually want to watch. While I'm no BSG fan, Eureka has consistently made my top 10 list since its premiere - weak follow-up seasons notwithstanding - and its recent (and very visible) deodorant tie-in has led many to believe the show is suffering.

Still, Sci-Fi needs to rein it in a bit - do we really need another Ghost Hunters spin-off (though I must admit, Ghost Hunters: College Edition intrigues me, as it may be the first "meta"-reality show)? Then there are the BSG movies already in the works and the new spin-off prequel, Caprica. And then there's Stargate - Sci-Fi's answer to the CSI, Law & Order, and Starbucks franchises (francheese?).

Science-fiction is quite possibly the most fertile genre of all the genres, yet Sci-Fi Channel executives are ever true to their nature: they find something that almost works and they wear it the hell out! With all of the recent sci-fi failures that would be right up their alley, thinking outside the cable box doesn't really seem all that hard; Sci-Fi could have picked up Jericho or Moonlight - just to name the CBS shows - and probably saved at least a shilling or two on production costs. And those few pennies could have gone toward keeping those shows with a solid fanbase afloat, even when advertisers pulled anchor.

Things are changing rapidly... except the TV industry.

Ryan's article ends by noting all the networks lost big to... football! But there are at least a few closet sci-fi fans amongst the jocks. Of course regular series will get TiVoed and the live game will get watched, the question is for the advertisers and industry to answer: how to advertise to TiVo viewers?

I can think of at least a dozen ways, right off the top of my head.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dark Knight Draws Eight Oscar Noms

While most of the coverage you're going to read about The Dark Knight and Oscar nominations takes the negative bead, The Rundown wants to remind everyone that superhero movies are always "snubbed" by the Academy Awards. The Dark Knight's eight nominations are something to be lauded, even if it failed to nab a Best Picture nod!

And yes, Heath Ledger did get a posthumous nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

As usual, the nominations came with few surprises and much outrage as the peanut gallery always explodes over their favorite(s) failing to be nominated. But come on now, did people really expect Wall-E to get a Best Picture notice? Really? Did you? Really? Well, it did get a nomination for Best Animated, which it is sure to win, so take solace.

However, I understand people being upset that The Dark Knight missed-out in both Best Picture and Director - as well as Writer. After all, it's second only to Titanic as far as returns go and its re-release tonight (technically tomorrow, though I'm pretty sure there are going to be midnight showings across the country) is probably going to change that. Still, when has the popularity of a film ever mattered when it came Oscar time? Ever?

Those people are sheltered housewives and industry insiders who take great pride in digging-up the most obscure Art-house nonsense they can find to parade before the unwashed masses - their way of showing us what "real" filmmaking is. And while we can lament it and argue about it until we're blue in the face, it certainly isn't new.

I will say this much, though: Best Picture still does not mean Best Drama and I cannot think of a single time in the entire history of the Academy Awards when a comedy has been nominated (though there certainly wasn't one worthy of such accolades this year). If I am wrong, so be it, but I'd love to know when it was, what the film was, and how it fared overall.

And no, I don't have time to "look it up."

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Clooney Returns to ER

The wait is over and the matter is finally settled: George Clooney will return for an episode of ER - possibly the finale. Some sources say NBC extended the series by three episodes specifically in hopes of luring Clooney back for one more appearance as Dr. Doug Ross. ER has run for an astounding 15 years, though it has limped along for at least the past five.

While no one is confirming the reports, it is said that Clooney will be filming his scenes today and tomorrow. ER's finale airs April 2^nd.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009