Pimping My Stuff: Meanwhile on Marvel.com

I spent several soul-searching minutes at the subway stop today debating in my mind whether it would make me more of a jerk to, instead of providing a true original content post tonight I did a Pimping My Stuff job with my recent work on Marvel.com or less of one since at least I'd be giving y'all something. It's a conundrum that will likely plague ethics scholars for years to come, but because I'm too exhausted to tell you why I'm digging the new Adventure Comics or describe at length the hidden appeal of Fatal Attractions, I'm afraid the best I can do is share with you that which has sapped my will to babble about comics during non-billable hours for this night at least.

But seriously, it's been a slobberknocker of a last couple weeks at the day job, but mostly because a lot of stuff myself and my colleagues have been trying to set in motion for some time is all coming together, so it's a good kind of slobberknocker (more of a "Stone Cold" Steve Austin match than a Godwinns one). As always, I'm proud of what we're pulling off and think we're always raising the bar on what a "corporate comics site" can do, so indulge me a moment or two...

Fear Files
I wanted to do something regularly leading up to and through Fear Itself that differentiated itself from the usual stream of teaser interviews and art reveals (though both are great). Something a bit more cerebral. So I borrowed a page from my buddy Tim Stevens' Psych Ward column and approached a couple dozen creators with the same question: "What does [insert character you write] fear?" From there, we go back and forth over e-mail getting in the head of the hero or villain in question in ways we didn't necessarily predict or expect. I don't go in having done any preparation (my proven method for success!) and they don't know what's coming. The hope is we maybe touch on stuff that's important to Fear Itself in the end, but I find the journey and what we learn along the way in many instances more interesting. So far I've covered Speedball with Christos Gage, Loki with Kieron Gillen and Iron Man with Matt Fraction; on tap for tomorrow is Spider-Girl with Paul Tobin. It's a bit different, a bit cerebral and gives me an excuse to talk about the nuances and ticks of comics characters with some brilliant creators, so hopefully readers are getting as much out of the deal as I am.

Age of X Assessment
Ok, this one's a bit more traditional, but it gives me a chance to talk with Mike Carey on the regular about a storyline I'm very much digging thus far (and I've read ahead), so I'm digging it, and again, hopefully others are too. One of the neat things about Age of X is that like Age of Apocalypse back in the day, it dropped you smack in the middle of a re-imagined world without much of a road map, which is what we try to provide in part when we do these "post-game" interviews for each chapter. I get the sense Mike has given a lot of thought to tons of stuff that took place "off-panel," so I think he enjoys filling in the blanks nearly as much as fans probably enjoy getting them filled in. We've hit the prologue and first chapter to date with chapter two on its way tomorrow (and we try to debut art for upcoming chapters as we go).

What The--?! Episode 18
Here's a little What The behind the scenes tidbit for you: Our February episode was originally going to be a Captain America-centric idea we'll likely still use down the line, but then John Cerilli reminded us it was the month of the Oscars and that we did a pretty good spoof last year that got a lot of views, so maybe try that again; we were happy to oblige. Myself, Alex Kropinak and Jesse Falcon yapped on a conference call (Alex moved back to PA so we're fancy now) for about a half hour about potential "targets" before settling on True Grit, 127 Hours and Black Swan, but there were at various points an Inception bit where Deadpool sees us making the episode and something involving Black Bolt and The King's Speech on the table, among other ideas. This was a true group effort as far as writing, but kudos go to Jesse in particular, who locked down the first draft on a train ride to Providence. My major contributions beyond the initial brainstorming (where I'll totally lay claim to coming up with the Red Hulk take off of Black Swan) was renaming True Grit as Legitimate Moxie and throwing in the Iron Monger and Green Goblin jokes that nobody got. This was maybe the best voice cast we ever had, particularly Alejandro Arbona in a superb performance as The Leader, and Alex crushed it as always. This is honestly one of my favorite episodes we've done to date. But the law of averages, we're due for a stinker. Enjoy episode 19!

A Marvel Black History Lesson
For as long as I've been at Marvel, we've always done something to commemorate Black History Month, but this year I wanted to do something a bit more robust and thought out. I liked the idea of doing an oral history of sorts of black characters at Marvel, but came up with it too late in the game to track down as many sources as I'd need to make it really sing (maybe next year). I told Ryan Penagos my problem and he suggested a straight up history piece could be really good provided we had the right guy or girl writing it; then he recommended David Brothers and I slapped my forehead and wondered why I hadn't thought of that (hence another reason that Ryan is my boss). For my money, David is the guy when it comes to talking about race and comics, not to mention just a generally fine writer to both (and a nice fella I've also come to learn). He brought a lot of enthusiasm to the table and the idea to look for connections between what was going on at Marvel and what was going on with society. I did end up tracking down a good handful of quotes to supplement David's piece and the result was a two-part retrospective I'm marking down as a nice little accomplishment for us; hopefully we'll have David back soon doing more stuff for us.

Iconic
Speaking of very special guest writers... It wasn't that long ago that Ryan turned to me (as he often does) and said "We need to do more Icon coverage." Good point (again: boss). There are some pretty big ticket dudes working on Icon titles and they've generally got some incredible insights to share about their process, particularly when it comes to their creator owned work; this was certainly a resource we were not appropriately tapping. However, not just any standard Q&A column was going to do here. We needed an approach that would give the interview subjects a chance to really share and open up and an interviewer who would ask questions beyond the norm; it was all about getting the right person for the job, but I never imagined we'd get Tom Spurgeon. When it comes to comics journalism, Spurge is a legit legend with a well-earned reputation and respect from just about everybody--I'd be totally intimidated to edit him if he weren't such a sweetheart (ok, I was still pretty intimidated--don't judge me, Tom!). Sean T. Collins provided the hookup and even though we're only part one of the first interview with Matt Fraction deep thus far, I'm feeling like we've got something real special on our hands.

Year of the X-Men Liveblogs
Last but not least, every day this week, we're hosting liveblogs on Marvel.com covering press calls with the teams on some of the X-Men titles as well as Senior Editor Nick Lowe. They're crazy hectic, but a lot of fun. So far we've announced my buddies Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning on New Mutants and talked to Rick Remender about taking X-Force to the Age of Apocalypse. Three more to go, so if you've got the time, come join us!

Sorry we've been so busy

Apologies to all our little CKTers as we know the offerings here have been a bit sparse of late. We're all entering or in the midst of extraordinarily busy/exciting/busy professional periods, so unfortunately we've had a bit less time for blogging the last little bit. Things are getting somewhat back to normal or will be in the coming weeks/months, so hopefully we'll be back in full force sooner rather than later, but until then, thanks for bearing with us and please enjoy this 2009 panel of Adam-X from Uncanny X-Men by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson as we hope his return will coincide with our own (that reminds me to tweet Kieron Gillen...)

We Go Together Like...

Yesterday was one of those days where spring was in the air and you could just smell it. So I decided to lace up my sneakers on my feet and I went for my very first official outside run since old man winter made a visit way back in November. It was everything
I wanted it to be. It felt awesome to get that feeling again, that one that comes after a long run, that you can do anything, literally! A nice chill was still in the air and I even came across a family of deer out for a stroll. It was magical.

After I got back from my run (high on endorphins I might add), I posted on my Facebook wall that I'm an endorphin junkie! You can "like" my Facebook page here. I am dangerously close to reaching 10,000 "likes". You can help me out by liking the page and suggesting it to your friends. Thanks.

My specific running shoe of choice is the Mizuno Wave® Nirvana® 6. They are like jelly to my feet's peanut butter and my life is just a slice of bread when I am out running. And for some reason that song by the Ying Yang Twins about peanut butter and jelly was going round and round in my coconut while I was out running. Along with all the cool tunes on my ipod. Somethings are just meant to go together. It's just like me and my working out... I am the apple and the work out is the pie.

I like using these sayings of what goes together. Here are some other fun ones:

• like cheese and crackers
• like ham and cheese
• like chips and salsa
• like love and marriage
• like ying and  yang
• like bees and  honey
• like wine and cheese
• like black and white
• Melissa Leo and the "F"  Bomb

or these...

• like fish and chips
• like spaghetti and  meatballs
• like song and dance
• like salt and pepper
• like bacon and eggs
• like green eggs and ham
• like gin and tonic
• like mashed potatoes and gravy
• like strawberries and cream
• like pen and paper
• like chips and dip
• like peas and carrots
• like meat and potatoes
• like rice and beans
• like sweet and sour
• like sugar and spice
• like hot and spicy
• like you and me
• like hot and dry
• Charlie Sheen and stupidity

There are so many. What can you think of that goes together??

But sigh, not all things in the Greek Girl's life goes so well together. Somethings are like oil and vinegar... much like my business relationship with my manager Mr. Bricks. He is the thorn to my rose - just sayin'.

Blessing,

Ava

xox

Ultraman for Adam

25 pcs choc moist + buttercream
Thanks Yus & it's for her nephew.....

The Other Oscars

This Oscar is a grouch, lives in a  garbage can and doesn't have a nose.

This Oscar is a Golden Boy, lives in a mansion and has a mean left hook.

This Oscar is a slob, lives in an apartment and wore a New York Yankees baseball cap.

This Oscar is a top fashion designer, lives in a NYC Penthouse and has a new awesome Spring Collection.

This Oscar wrote a crap load of Broadway Musicals, died in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and won two Academy Awards.

Honestly, I think the name Oscar is kinda silly sounding and I am wondering if perhaps my manager Mr. Bricks' first name is Oscar.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Ava Wants To Start A Rumor

It’s time for another Saturday Morning Cartoon from the Greek Blonde Girl.  I hope you enjoy watching the ego inflated Ava the Diva once again put her manager Mr. Bricks in his place.

NOTE: No real talent mangers were hurt during the making of this cartoon.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Abaya chic

Abaya again....

Time for shopping. Abaya has always been my passion, so let me me share with you new gorgeous and chic abayat i bought a couple weeks ago.

reduction price. Worth to buy.

special offer for regular customer

I have been spending hundreds of ringgit on abayat. And now, i am thinking to have my own online abaya business. Why not? May my dream comes true, inshallah :).

***********

A woman modestly dressed is as a pearl in its shell.

Sayonara, Smallville: "Masquerade"

Incredible but true: This year, The CW's "Smallville" embarks on its tenth and final season, making it not just the longest-running Superman TV show ever but the longest-running comic book TV show ever produced. Bananas, right?

We've been off as it's been off, but to celebrate its final year, we're teaming up our collective powers of dumb DCU trivia, long experience watching and writing about the show and general obsession with serial TV to bring you "Sayonara, Smallville" – a semi-regular feature where we'll review the most notable episodes of the season whenever we can. Everyone is invited to play along.


Kiel: On to the most recent episode...Bryan! Q! Miller!

Ben: Yeah! And he didn't disappoint! Desaad! And...other stuff! I'm trying to recall what you missed in the first ten minutes. Where did you come in?

Kiel: I don't know for sure. Chloe and Ollie were already on the trail of Desaad, so I'm assuming I missed some murders for sure and I hear I missed something about Clark's photo getting taken?


Ben: Ok...Episode opened with Lois bitching at Clark over the phone because he's not there to help with wedding planning, then she sees that he's on the face of Big Ben because some camera caught him and now every network is video streaming him, but fortunately nobody gets his face.

Kiel: OK...that makes more sense than what played in my mind on that score.

Ben: She then cautions him about the fact that he's not only a journalist on the frontlines of the super hero stuff, but also doesn't really make much of an effort to hide the fact that he's a super stud and sooner or later somebody is going to put two and two together. Meanwhile, Chloe meets Ollie at a fancy dinner joint where he is undercover because he can't go out in public since everybody knows Oliver Queen is Green Arrow. And as a result, they can't get a table, but when a Mr. and Mrs. Jones no show, the swipe their reservation. Then they're eating and the waitress comes over with Mrs. Jones on the phone, assuming Ollie is out with a mistress (Chloe) and Mrs. Jones screams a bit over the phone before getting murdered by Desaad.

Side note: There's a bit in the open of the club scene where it's all first person camera view with people's jaws dropping and head swiveling, the implication being that somebody super hot has entered and gotten everybody's attention...and it's Chloe.


Kiel: HAHAHA! How did you respond to that turn, Ben?

Ben: Hey man, Alison Mack is cute...but c'mon. She's the attainable cute nerdy girl, not the room-silencing bombshell, which is perfectly fine. Anyways, Ollie and Chloe figure out something is wrong and try to investigate by stealing the Jones' limo, but then get kidnapped by guys who turn out to be the FBI, as the "couple" was really a pair of FBI agents investigating Desaad who went missing. Were you watching at this point where Ollie and Chloe discover this after kicking the FBI team's collective ass?

Kiel: YES! It was such a strange moment to come in on, but I will say this...my first impression was that the whole set up of them getting "Date Nighted" seemed a little crazy, but I thought they pulled it off. If your number 1 complaint against the two of them is that the love for her thing is forced on Ollie's part and bland on her part, I think the two of them proved you a little wrong here. They were crackling in this one, and the dialogue was cute by any standard.

Ben: I think this was Alison Mack's best episode in years. And yes, I felt their chemistry particularly in the final scene bought back a lot of my annoyance over how the relationship has been handled over the past season or so. For one, whether he intended to or not--I choose to believe he did--Bryan Q. Miller actually addressed the whole "This Chloe is nothing like the Chloe we started out with" thing and that made me feel better about it to some degree. And I'll buy the idea that part of why I couldn't invest in them fully was because Chloe wasn't either, and her reasoning was sound and defined the character in a much more flattering light for me.


So yes, Bryan Q. Miller is a miracle worker: He made me tolerate Chloe (for a week).

Kiel: For a week. It should be noted. But yeah, that plot thread was really strong throughout. When Chloe gets captured and they cut to her hanging with her toes just off the ground, it hit me like whoa. Again, Desaad remains the New God whose been pulled off the best in this whole run.

Ben: Strangle he's not that much like the comics Desaad, but again, I think that's generally a formula for success on Smallville: Focus on keeping the character's most key traits and fitting them into Smallville rather than trying to get them to match the comics exactly even though it's a different ballgame. Desaad's defining traits are his sadism and loyalty to Darkseid, both of which were kept intact despite him being British and smooth as opposed to a creepy old crone. It's similar to how they didn't try to make Granny Goodness an Ed Asner-voiced joke because it just wouldn't have played right on live prime time TV.

Kiel: I love Asner Granny though, I should note. But I take your point totally.

Ben: I do too! But it wouldn't work here.


Kiel: The one slip up I felt in that thread was a really unfortunate case of Smallville's explaininess cutting in.

Ben: Oh I think I know where you're going here...And I was just about to go there myself.

Kiel: After the Clark disappeared, I got that it was the different sins coming temp her. And I was totally down for seeing them show up, but Chloe's total ability to call them in advance and know so much about herself rang false and got preachy. It reminded me of a Star Trek episode I watched recently in a bad way.

Ben: Yep. Bingo. I mean, aside from me not having watched that episode of Star Trek recently I'd presume...

Kiel: Unless you're in the middle of DS9 Season 3!

Ben: Smallville does have a tendency to talk down to their audience in that way and it can be annoying. It was the Icarus metaphor deal all over again. Just let the viewers piece it together. As I refuse to lay any blame at Bryan Q. Miller's feet, I choose to believe that was an edit from somebody else.

Kiel: It seems like that style of writing is a top down concern, for sure.


Ben: Let's circle back to the Desaad/Chloe/Ollie stuff, but also take a moment to tackle the running Clark/Lois "You need a fucking disguise" subplot. I loved it. Again, as with Super Chloe, it was Smallville/BQM addressing something *everybody* complains about head-on and handling ti nicely, I thought

Kiel: See, I want to watch that whole part again. I got the broad strokes, but I felt like I wasn't paying enough attention. I couldn't tell if Welling nailed the acting nerdy bit as much as I'd have liked him to. I really like him as a leading man in general, but his range needs a little more playfulness in it at times.

Ben: Moreso than Super Chloe, really, since people have been questioning how the fuck people aren't supposed to know that ultra handsome and confident Tom Welling Clark is Superman at day's end. He didn't pull off the acting nerdy part quite yet, but that's the beauty of it: He didn't need to and doesn't need to by the end of the series the way they set it up. Lois has to totally argue all episode that he needs the nerdy Clark secret ID and he's still not onboard until events conspire all around him to convince him otherwise. So the idea that he knows he needs to do it, but doesn't really want to and thus is easing his way in totally gives him carte blanche to suck at it at this early stage in the game.

Unlike the Clark/Superman we know, this guy has already made it to Metropolis, bagged Lois and aged to adulthood without ever really having to hide how awesome he is, so the idea that it's going to be a huge adjustment for him and not an easy transition worked for me at least Although the Planet guy no longer fearing Clark at the end because he is now wearing glasses despite the fact nothing else has changed was a nice wink.

Kiel: Yeah, it was comical in the right way. I almost kind of went, "Why in the fuck is this even here?" but like the ass hole coffee guy scene in Miller's last episode, it was just a kind of wink at the audience, and an appreciated one.


I think my one big problem with the whole VRA plot was that it took itself way too seriously.

Ben: That was certainly a big part of the problem. The bit at the crime scene with the guy basically playing the audience and screaming at Clark "We all know you're The Blur! It is fucking obvious!" and then getting saved with the cheesy CGI was also playful in the right way, I thought. I think at the end of the day you just need to kind of accept that Tom Welling's Clark Kent is not the guy we know from the comics. He's similar, but he's not as much of a paragon of virtue and can be a bit of an asshole with an ego. He's a character on a prime time soap first and a super hero second.

Kiel: Yeah, the one thing that kicks me out of this show every time though is that name. For some reason, The Blur just doesn't do it for me. Even though I know all the names that I do accept on the show are stupider, it never seems to fit the world right to me.

Ben: I think it was actually easier to swallow when everybody else didn't already have their proper super hero names and were all just going by their real names. But now that we actually have Green Arrow, Supergirl and Aquaman as opposed to Ollie, Kara and A.C., it stands out that we don't also have Superman.

Kiel: Yeah, I'm falling more and more into the "just get there" camp, but if they keep up the cuteness with the last bits falling into place, I think I can swing it.


Kiel: Though before we shift to cuteness there is the question of the episode's end.

Ben: Quite the game changer. And not one I was really expecting.

Kiel: I knew that it was coming from the second we cut to Ollie beating up motherfucker in the alley, but I thought this was just understated enough to work

Ben: Yes, as soon as he was beating up Desaad I had a feeling, but before this episode I would never have pegged Ollie as being the guy they'd need to watch out for going over to the (forgive me) dark side. It makes sense though. Dude killed Lex Luthor.

Kiel: Yeah, and just like last week's flip on Lionel showed, the show is really proving that they'll make you guess to see how the finale works out. The lines are going to be drawn in all sorts of crazy directions, and I hope that'll make it exciting.

Ben: Ollie being a wild card makes for some interesting potential to be sure. He's the one guy Clark has thought he could trust through it all, so that's going to sting, of course. And it also makes me believe even more Chloe probably ain't coming out of the finale alive. But I see Green Arrow as being more of a herald for Darkseid, not his vessel

Kiel: For sure.

Ben: I feel like we're going to see him and Lionel as the lackeys and Lex coming back to team with Clark against them.

Kiel: I just think that once big man is here, the battle lines will literally get drawn through the cast.

Ben: Yes. And it will be awesome...I hope.

Kiel: I watched Shawshank last week...hope is a powerful thing!

Ben: Haha!


Ben: Hey, random question: Since the VRA is dead, does that mean the Suicide Squad basically has no further reason to exist? Are they done? Or is Chloe more likely just holding them in reserve as cannon fodder until the final fight.

Kiel: That's a great question. I can't imagine they're just going to abandon them hat out of hand, but who knows? They definitely aren't showing up next week!

Ben: What's on tap for next week, Kiel?

Kiel: Oh man...did you not see the preview? I can't even spoil it for you, bro. You'll have to see to believe. But I will paste it at the bottom of this post this week to pump you up.Non-spoiler: Jami watched this week with me, and when the preview came on, she turned to me and straigh up said, "You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Ben: I think I did somehow miss it. Is it the one in Vegas?

Kiel: YES! It looks SOOOOOOOOOO ridic! I was wondering when the groaner comedy episode of the final season was going to show up, and now I know for sure in my heart.

Ben: I've read about that one. I am excited! Swinging from a quality BQM episode to a ridiculous campy one is Smallville gold!

Kiel: It's going to be something, I'll give it that.

Ben: Thought that just came to me: Adrianne Palicki should really show up before the season ends so they can bridge the gap of how she went from being fake Kara to the villain of "Mercy Reef" to Wonder Woman. IT ALL NEEDS TO FIT. AND THEY NEED TO TELL US WHAT STATE METROPOLIS IS IN. OK, I'm done.


Kiel: Here are two questions of seriousness on that fake joke bit though: 1 - Did they even call Kristen Kreuk about coming back for an ep? 2 - I can't believe they didn't once try to squeeze Bruce Wayne in here. I wonder if they still got shot down on that.

Ben: 1-I'm sure they did and I'm pretty sure she said no for reasons that will be forever beyond me. 2-I've got to believe they were denied legal clearance. It has to be a rights issue. I'm sure they wanted to. Millar and Gough have said as much.

Kiel: With the "Creation of DC Entertainment" you'd think this shit would be getting easier, but maybe not. This was our best closest chance to seeing a live action World's Finest. We won't get another for 20 year if ever. Bleh.

Ben: I think DCE probably came about too late in the game to untangle the ball of yarn that is DC merchandising rights in time for the end of this show. Maybe they'll appear together on Wonder Woman or on Raven--coming next fall to The CW. Hopefully featuring the Famous Jett Jackson in a recurring role.

Kiel: Oh God, I don't think I can handle any serious thought around David Kelly's Wonder Woman right now...I'm...I'm perplexed by that entire endeavor. No other word to describe it.

Ben: My mother is excited for it, which isn't necessarily a good sign.

White,black & silver theme hantaran cake

When Sri SMS me requesting white,black & silver theme colour spontaneously this idea has popped up in my mind.....

Thanks Sri for trusting me ....

Comment from Sri thru SMS:

"Salam nurul..juz to tell the design on the cake mmg classic la,ramai yg terpegun with the details on the flower...good job and tq!!!"

saya senyum sampai ke telinga. ... :) thanks Sri

Ava the Greek Predicts the Oscar

Ok, I'm Ava the Greek and not Jimmy the Greek. I have put all of the crap about all of the movies that I watched in 2010 and crammed it into my Greek little noggin and now I would like to present my 2011 Oscar predictions.

Drum roll please.

Actor in a Leading Role

James Franco - 127 Hours

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale - The Fighter.   First, this is a movie about boxing... Hello...that's my favorite  kind of movie ! Remember my blog about my love affair with the Rocky Movies?  (Also I loved Cinderella Man) ... now as for his acting performance - insane. Christian is hands down one of the best actors of our lifetime. He always transforms himself into these outrageous characters. Who cares if he is cocky as some say, because  seriously the dude has a lot going on in his coconut and is insanely talented. If he does not win he will go down with actors who were robbed of the Oscar in my Greek noggin/ Another great Oscar robbery was Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line. and Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises. Two acting performances that were just so brilliant for the transformation into the characters that they will live on forever in my mind.

Actress in a Leading Role

Who I want to win: Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone - It was an incredible performance.  Who I think will win: Natalie Portman for Black Swan since she is the darling this year. I was not that impressed with this film. I think they took the A - bus on the story. It had way too much sexual content in it... they could have shown the struggle and conflict within a dancer and all of her problems without going all college freshmen fantasy on it. Really, I know I'm no Steven Spielberg, but it's just my two cents. She's a great actor and all, but I think she has done better work - just sayin'.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Melissa Leo - The Fighter.  Seriously have you seen how gorgeous this woman is in real life? She morphed into a worn haggard old-looking mother way beyond her years. The accent was spot on and she must win this. If not, she goes down with actors I previously mentioned who were robbed, period and I might just have to throw a sneaker through my television set.

Animated Feature Film

I honestly havent seen so it's not right for me to comment, but from the trailers and clips I have seen of them... How to train your Dragon, it has an animal in it, so I  have to pick it. I am sure that is how many members of the Academy cast their votes anyway.

Art Direction

Inception.  This is a groundbreaking piece of artwork and truly beautiful film making.

Cinematography

Inception.  Mostly for same reasons as above.  The film is simply gorgeous photography... A  total work of art.

Costume Design

Kings Speech or True Grit, both are period pieces and tougher to dress 'em up.

Directing

Hmm this is tough. I'm torn... The Fighter - since I love all boxing movies. But it is a true story and I love a good comeback - any story where the human spirit to overcome wins out, that is for me. And, they did an amazing job on this film. but.... if it does not win, I want the Social Network. This film was brilliant and really captured the essence of FB and how it has changed all of our lives. Hang on..gotta go change my status update...

OK, I'm back now...

Music (Original Score)

This is easy... Social Network - amazing.  Hands down!!

Music (Original Song)

Okay I cant believe I'm saying this because normally I am not a fan of actors who decide.... oops I think I wanna  be a singer now. But I do love her as an actor - and she does a decent job on this movie. But the writing - really pulls at the heartstrings. So after all that, I'm picking "Coming Home" from Country Strong - Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey.

Best Picture

The fighter.  Obviously for the same reasons about this movie I listed above. I love a good comeback, it's about fighting, and it is a true story... the acting was superb and the main reason I think it will win Best Picture is that my manager Mr. Bricks wasn't in it!!

Visual Effects

Hereafter or Inception - both amazing visually and simply spectacular visual effects and gorgeous works of film art.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Social Network. This film did an incredible job of documenting how Facebook has changed almost everyone's life. Well written. I had read the book  "The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal" and I was anxious to see the movie and how it was adapted.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

The Fighter.  It's a true story...  it was awesome in every aspect you can measure.. and like I have said a bazillion times already, it is about boxing (again, my favorite  type of movie) and it is about a good comeback. you just cant beat that!!! Am I repeating myself?

OK, there are a few other categories like sound editing and short films live action, short films animated, etc that I did not go out on a limb and make a prediction about because well, quite frankly I just don't care who wins in those categories.

And for those of you have asked if I am going to be at the ceremony, the answer is sadly, no not this year. If Mr. Bricks hasn't gotten me a record deal yet, I really had no faith he was going to get me on the red carpet for the Oscars. So you can just sit back pop some popcorn and watch them at home like I will be doing.

But next year -- that's a whole other story, baby!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Sayonara, Smallville: "Beacon"

Incredible but true: This year, The CW's "Smallville" embarks on its tenth and final season, making it not just the longest-running Superman TV show ever but the longest-running comic book TV show ever produced. Bananas, right?

We've been off as it's been off, but to celebrate its final year, we're teaming up our collective powers of dumb DCU trivia, long experience watching and writing about the show and general obsession with serial TV to bring you "Sayonara, Smallville" – a semi-regular feature where we'll review the most notable episodes of the season whenever we can. Everyone is invited to play along.


Kiel: anyway...let's get down to business: Two episodes enter. One episode leaves!

Ben: Yes yes, once more into the Smallville breach!

Kiel: yeah, LUTHOR! To return to our most frequent discussion punching bag, I think that if the VRA stuff isn't officially dead after this one, I am officially the uncle of a monkey

Ben: Haha...When I cottoned to the gist that it was going to be yet another VRA-centric ep, I didn't so much wince as visibly sigh an "Oh, Kiel..." But yes, I agree this HAS to put a bow on it. I wonder if it was originally intended to be a subplot all season and just took on a life of its own so they had to kill it or if this was what was always planned.

Kiel: If only they'd call me back on my interview requests, we'd know for sure! It's funny though, I didn't HATE all the VRA stuff this episode. It was still the worst stuff in the episode, but I felt it was a good enough tool to bring forward a lot of elements I like. For example: I liked most of the stuff with Martha EXCEPT for that speech


Ben: Martha is a great character, but I could do without Senator Martha Kent. I prefer her as Clark's loving ma doling out sage folksy advice, not doing so and then jumping in her helicopter back to Washington. It's a bit like what I was talking about last week with Chloe as far as trying to cram a character into a spot she doesn't fit in just so she can keep up with the evolving scope of the show. She works fine as Ma Kent, not so much as Senator (Ma) Kent

Kiel: Yeah, and it opens up so many plot questions too...isn't she supposed to technically live at the farm to hold that senate seat? Has no intrepid reporter ever looked into this?

Ben: Hmm, well put. She certainly has to at the very least be out of touch with her constituents if she only comes to Kansas once a year and spends her entire time there getting shot at and whatnot. Then again, perhaps that answers the question of why she doesn't come back to Kansas more often.

Although are we sure Metropolis is even in Kansas? We could be heading down a rabbithole of Smallvillian geo-political exploration we're ill-prepared for here...

Kiel: I'm PRETTY sure that they've said Metropolis is in the state. It was in the first years when they were there all the time.

Ben: Certainly "Smallville" adds a new layer of confusion to the already confusing atlas of the DC Universe. Tangent I don't want to get too lost on: Is Smallville one of the 52 universes in the DC multiverse? If it's not, it should be.


Kiel: When I was a kid, my brother always told me Gotham was in Jersey and Metropolis in New York. Who knows why? And until Didio tells me different, it TOTALLY counts as a world.

Ben: I've always accepted the "Metropolis is NYC during the day, Gotham is NYC at night" logic. We need to find an unclassified universe and stick a flagpole in it for Smallville.

Kiel: To figure out what's not taken, your punishment is having to read Countdown Arena

Ben: (Also: Star City=Seattle, Gateway City=San Fran, Hub City= Chicago--geography is fun!)

Kiel: St. Roche is New Orleans! Keystone/Central are the Twin Cities

Ben: But either Keystone or Central is also somehow Detroit since it's the auto capital of the DCU
And I have no idea where Midway City is

Kiel: Opal City is also a total mystery. I think of it as like Charlotte.

Ben: Opal City is the cooler part of San Francisco. Or it's Portland. I dunno.

Kiel: HA!

Ben: There is no DCU Boston. Boston is the DCU Boston. And Bludhaven is Stamford, Connecticut. ANYWAY...


Kiel: Oh I know what I Was going to say! Still, aside from the being a mom stuff she brings to the show, I actually was surprised how much I enjoyed Martha and Lionel this episode. I mean, he was obviously the star attraction here, but I got more genuine sparks out of their scene than any other pairing.

Ben: Oh yeah, those two definitely have chemistry and always have. I think Lionel tends to bring the best out in everybody, but Martha in particular. Two scenes in this episode made me think the folks at Smallville kinda want to have their cake and eat it too as far as Lionel being back, i.e. he's obviously not the original but they want him to fill the emotional spot of the original for viewers. First was when he was interacting with Martha. Second we'll get to.

Kiel: I mean, the thing I liked about this episode as a whole was that it kind of got a lot of ground covered for the main cast and the big plotlines. Even if it wasn't the best episode, it wasn't a wasted one, you know?

Ben: True. And it wasn't the best episode. But it wasn't actively bad. It was just somewhat there and moved the pieces around. And as you said, it had the heavy lifting task of doing away with the VRA once and for all.

Kiel: Yeah...there was that thread, the final good use of Martha, the turn in Alexander's story and Lionel's reestablishing himself as in control of the company and the Planet and shit. Oh and a little totally forgetable Lois and Chloe business...that was really fucking useless, man.


Ben: That was really just to set up the YouTube video stuff and give Chloe the requisite terrible puns in Alison Mack's renegotiated contract though. "I will only come back if I get to use alliteration at least three times a scene!"

Kiel: And it draaaaaaaagged so much! Like, every time they'd bring up the "Perry White made pamphlets" thread, I was just shouting "Then maybe you should make a fucking blog, Lois!" And then when they made the extremely slow turn towards the video shit, I couldn't believe how bad the clips were. Did they actively ask fans to make up fake videos? Was there a contest I missed?

Ben: There was indeed! That was a real contest. Those were real Smallville fans. So as awful as some were, I actually have to give the show credit as that's a pretty neat way to say "Thanks for keeping us on the air for a decade"
Kiel: Yeah, as I watched it I thought to myself, "this is excusable if these people are real, but if they got paid for this shit, these people are criminals."

Ben: Yep, they were legit. The guys over at Comics Alliance didn't have this information and I laugh at them for this! They may be timely, but we are accurate!

Kiel: I think it's more that you are accurate and I am drunk. But still...Standards, Ben.

Ben: I was not far off from saying we should submit a video. I feel like I could somehow lose my job if I appeared on "Smallville" though.


Kiel: But yeah, what did you think of the Luthor thread in general?

Ben: I think once again in this episode we see why characters like Kara and Martha are back for one episode guest shots and Lionel has been woven into the tapestry of the final season in a bigger role. He is certainly one of the best additions to DC lore Smallville has mde (if not THE best). It's tough to follow his motivations though. Does he really want to do right by Lex after screwing it up? Does he have an alterior motive? Does he even know? The one thing I would like to see out of him is a more assured confident longterm plan, but I guess if you build him up too much you risk relegating the Apokolips crowd a bit, so you need to keep him a little offbase.

Kiel: I kept asking myself if I should view this Lionel different as the one we had for years, but I don't know if they're really interested in defining the differences. And yeah, there's a lot of wheel-spinning going on here as when this was written I think Rosenbaum hadn't signed on for sure.

Ben: I don't think they're interested in defining the differences, because, as I mentioned, I think they wanted Lionel back for the last season, and this was the cheat to get him. And by that I mean they want the original Lionel, not just a close cousin. You notice he acted far more like the original here than he did in the mirror world episode.

Kiel: Sure, thought I think the one real commonality you can bring between the two is that, unlike Alexander claimed when he said Lionel always ultimately picked Clark, I think the common thread in all Lionels is that they look out for #1 first and foremost. If the kid would have figured a way to make himself more important to the old man, shit wouldn't need to get crazy, but I'm not sure they've even got a defined personality for the kid either

Ben: I agree with you that, knowing what we know now, this episode probably got made in the heart of the Rosenbaum negotiations, so defining Alexander became a tricky tightrope. For the record, I no longer think Alexander is going to age into Lex. I think the real Lex is still out there now.

Kiel: Agreed. And as it should be.

Ben: Yes.


Kiel: But I'm not sure I care much about the kid as it is.

Ben: Well you read the spoilers about him obviously...

Kiel: Yeah, the much spoiled Connor Kent shit coming in a week or two I think has the risk of turning more fan service in joke than good story

Ben: I actually thought the actor who played Alexander this go around (whose name I don't know but totally nailed him as being a High School Musical alum purely from seeing posters for that shit) did a nice job playing a confused sociopath, but it's going to be tough to transition that into Superboy in a couple weeks. Of course between the comics, the Young Justice cartoon and now here, Superboy is much closer to being a square-jawed angst ball than the fun original character he was a decade and a half ago anyways...but that's another ratn for maybe another time.

Kiel: I totally didn't realize it was High School Musical dude! I'll have to tell Lynn Phegley.

Ben: Let her know. It's an exciting connection. He also played young Lex previously in an episode that flashed back to him and Ollie in prep school. I think all the younger Lex actors this season have been used in previous seasons as well, actually, which is a nice touch.

Kiel: Oh God! I remember doing that episode at the Wizard chats we'd host!

Ben: Haha, I do NOT.

Kiel: That's the one that really broke my spirit on the show for a while. It was AWFUL.


Ben: So where does Lionel go from here? He's got his company back, but he lost his son (again), he's nowhere near gaining Clark if that was a goal...and his mansion got blown up (which was the other "They wanted us to think of this as the original Lionel" moment for me)! That actually hit me by the way. Far more than losing The Talon. Luthor Mansion was a big deal.

Kiel: Yeah, another big set destruction. I wonder if they'll choose to fuck up the farm in the end. But as for Lionel, I see him continuing to push Tess and Ollie out. That set where he and Ollie sparred tonight will show up again, I'd wager.

Ben: I don't think we'll lose the farm. Superman always needs somewhere to come home to. It will be interesting to see which side Lionel ends up on when the ultimate good vs evil showdown goes down, since I do sense he'll be sticking around through then. I liked Tess' moment at the end too, even if it did make Clark look like a total d-bag for telling Alexander to trust her.

Kiel: Yeah, now that we know for sure that all the VRA stuff is gone and both Luthor's will be back, the fun of seeing how this all unfolds should increase exponentially. And yeah! Tess was solid. I wish they'd find a way to involve her in every episode rather than every fourth one.


Ben: Yeah. I enjoyed that Lionel refuses to call her Tess and will only call her Lutessa. They are determined to legitimize that ridiculous name.

Kiel: Well, he was the one who came up with it!

Ben: Touche.

Kiel: But I think that's it in terms of the episode standing out...otherwise kind of boilerplate "Smallville."

Ben: Ultimately, like you said, this wasn't the best episode, but it did a nice job both clearing the table and then setting it up again, both of which were very necessary. I'll end it with how James Marsters described working with Ma Kent to me when I interviewed him: "Annette O'Toole: Still hot, dude. Still hot."

Kiel: As a dude who looks way younger than he is, he should know.