six blocks east of mars

A Very Cool Start to the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:34:00 +0000

I'm not sure there can be a better start to 2012 than this.

I found out right before I went to bed last night that the table of contents was announced for the Corrupts Absolutely? anthology, and it includes me, Ed Erdelac (we went to high school together), and Wayne Helge (we also went to high school together). That totally made my night. The three of us have been wanting to get in the same anthology for awhile now.

The anthology also has a short story by Tim Marquitz (I'm in a dark horror anthology with him slated to come out later this year), and is edited by Lincoln Crisler, that real life G.I. Joe who is editing the aforementioned dark horror anthology (he'll also contribute a novella to the anthology.)

Oh yeah. The Corrupts Absolutely? anthology also has a short story by Cat Rambo. Yes, that Cat Rambo.

Happy New Year indeed.

Table of Contents:
Tim Marquitz — Retribution
Weston Ochse — Hollywood Villainy
William Todd Rose — Mental Man
Jeremy Hepler — The Real Church
A.S. Fox — Ozymandias Revisited
Jason M. Tucker — Enlightened by Sin
Jeff Strand — The Origin of Slashy
Edward M. Erdelac — Conviction
Kris Ashton — Threshold
A.D. Spencer — Oily
Joe McKinney — Hero
Wayne Ligon — Pride
Malon Edwards — G-Child
Jason Gehlert — Static
Karina Fabian — Illusion
Warren Stockholm — Past Imperfect: A Scorpion Story
Anthony Laffan — Sabre
Lee Mather — Crooked
Trisha J. Woodridge — Fixed
Cat Rambo — Acquainted With the Night
Wayne Helge — Gone Rogue
Andrew Bourelle — Max and Rose

Tell It Like It Is

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:24:00 +0000

I've been invited by Lincoln Crisler to submit a novella for a dark speculative fiction anthology he's planning with a publication date of June 2012. Lincoln will also contribute a novella of his own, and novellas from Ed Erdelac and Tim Marquitz will round out the anthology.

Lincoln recently accepted a superhero short story of mine for his Corrupts Absolutely? anthology, which is how I know him. He may not remember this, but I also submitted short stories to an anthology of his a couple of years ago.

Tim and I "met" recently, and he writes dark fantasy, which is not surprising, considering the company he keeps (Both Ed and Lincoln have dark bents to their fiction and tastes). Recently, Tim featured an author spotlight on me on his blog (much appreciated Tim!), which is a bit tripped out considering there's not much to spotlight. That will change soon, though.

Ed and I went to high school together, and we were even in the same homeroom for two and a half years or so. I knew back then Ed liked to write and that he was into speculative fiction (though we didn't call it that at the time), but we didn't reconnect until a couple of years ago through a mutual high school friend (Wayne) who also writes spec fic. Ed is a much more prolific and established writer than I am (as is Lincoln and Tim), so I'm honoured to be invited to contribute to this anthology.

One of the cool things about the novella I'm writing is I'm having a lot of fun with it so far. I'm fleshing out the alternate Chicago steampunk world I've built in Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery, known as New City. My goal is to make the novella different, unique and entertaining, while seamlessly weaving into the story Chicago culture that I grew up with, as well as cultural elements Chicagoans can recognize today.

Putting all of that into a steampunk setting is a difficult challenge, but a fun one since I love challenges. So on a whim, I came up with this for my main character, Bijou, last night:

“My name is Bijou--”
(tell it tell it)
“--and I’m on the line--”
(tell it tell it)
“--but I’m not scared--”
(tell it tell it)
“--because I’m so fine!”
(tell it tell it)
“And you know what?”
(what)
“And you know what?”
(what)
“You can kiss my butt!”

For those of you who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, you probably remember that. For those who didn't, that's one of those cheerleader chants girls did to tell people how fine they were or how cool Sagittariuses are. Straight old school. So old school, that I can hardly find any reference of the chant online.

And while it may not seem so from the excerpt above, my story is dark urban fantasy, which makes Bijou's little "Tell It" chant a bit more disturbing. Eleven-year-old Bijou says the chant to someone she meets in a supernatural darkness that cloaks New City, and--.

Well, you're just going have to read the novella when the anthology comes out next year to find out what happens next.

Tell Me What's Wrong With My Story

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:17:00 +0000

I'd meant to post about this awhile ago, but I've found it to be very much true: not only does talking to my wife about my stories make them better, but she is my best beta reader and critic.

Actually, she's my only beta reader and critic.

I know, I know; you shouldn't let friends and loved ones read your work because they can't give you an honest, objective opinion. But my wife is able to do exactly that. She says it's because she doesn't really like science fiction.

Yes, I know; that doesn't make much sense, either. Why allow someone who doesn't like the genre you write to look at your work? Because my wife truly is honest and objective.

Let me clarify something, first. My wife likes science fiction, fantasy and most of speculative fiction's nuances--in movie form. She's a bit of a literary snob (I love you!), but if the spec fic short story or novel is written with a literary bent, she can bring herself to enjoy it.

I started out writing literary fiction. While I really didn't know what I was doing way back when, my prose does have a bit of a literary feel to it these days. So when I give my wife a draft of a story to read, she's not entirely put off by it.

And when she's finished with it, the first thing I say to her is: "Tell me what's wrong with my story." She always does. No punches pulled. Just straightforward, loving honesty.

You can't ask for more than that. Especially when it helps sell stories.

If I Could Only Buy A Little More Time

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:27:00 +0000

I'm a bit frowny when it comes to time travel stories and movies (Robert Heinlein is an exception). But stories and movies with time as a commodity? I'm all over them.

Like white on rice. Like flies on sh-,er, like Justin Timberlake on Soup There It Is.

Speaking of JT, check out the trailer below for "In Time," due to come out this October. I dig me some Justin Timberlake.

Yeah, I said it. What?!

In Time

Damn It Feels Good to Be Published

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Big Pulp has now gone live with its fall issue, which includes my short story, "Built for the Kill." It's not a long story at all, but it is, of course, an interesting one. Here's the blurb:

Bad ass genetically modified bodyguard Ruck has met his match during an assassination attempt on his client by the People Against the Transformation of Humans at Winter Convocation for the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

It's a mouthful, but a lot of bad-assery takes place.

Warning for strong language and violence.

Currently Reading: Wake

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:17:00 +0000

Book: Wake

Author: Robert J. Sawyer

Best line so far:Timbaland has nothing on me.

Context: Shoshana Glick, a grad student who works with apes, has just been asked by her boss to edit a slick video complete with music soundtrack of their resident chimpanzee painting from memory.

Makes you wonder if RJS has had Timbaland in his IPod playlist. That would be a playlist to see.

You Write Like a Girl

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:51:00 +0000

Maybe I'm naive, but I don't make my science fiction/speculative fiction choices based on the author's gender. A good book is a good book.

Some people do, though. Just ask Linda Nagata.

I don't understand how a person can go into a bookstore, look at the author's name on the cover, and think: 'Nope. She's a woman. Inferior writing inside.'

As if every man who has written a book has won awards for each book written.

Now, I admit I judge a book by its cover. It's hard not to. Book publishers put a lot of time and effort into cover art for a reason.

But I don't judge a book by its author's gender. That just doesn't make sense.

Damn It Feels Good to Be Published

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 02:21:00 +0000

If you like your punk steamed, browned and goddess-flavoured, then this is the story for you.

Also, feel free to check out the rest of Expanded Horizons July issue.There's some good reading to be had.

Old School Simple

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:27:00 +0000

It's been far too long since my last post. No more long stretches. For real this time.

About a week ago, I finished a short short/flash fiction piece just under 1,000 words. I let my wife read it and she had a lot of good criticism for it. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but my wife is probably my harshest critic, which is a good thing for my writing. She tells it like it is, and almost always her advice and suggestions make my writing and stories better.

One of the comments my wife had about this newest story was that it felt smooth and easy as she read it. The plot and story itself didn't feel like it unfolded with a struggle, which meant (she guessed) that it didn't seem like it was a struggle for me to write (she was right). Ultimately, she said it didn't feel like a story I over-thought. And she's right.

For the first time in a long time, I set out to write a simple and straight-forward story. I'd even go as far as to call it old school. There's nothing new and different about this story's premise: near-future Earth with very limited water resources.

Now, what really should be interesting is to see how it's received as I send it out.

Acceptance

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:45:00 +0000

It's been far too long since I've last posted, but it's for good reason.

First, I've moved to Canada, more specifically the Greater Toronto Area. Officially, I'm now a permanent resident of the Great White North. I've been here almost a year, but the change in scenery alone hasn't kept me from spending more time just east of mars.

I also have a new job, which has been a fun but intense learning curve for me. I've been working now for five months, which is a very good thing, but working also hampers my writing. Another good thing about my current personal and professional situation is that I'm forced to ruminate for longer periods on my ideas for stories, and that allows me to develop more intricate and complex writing. At least, I hope it does.

Even if it doesn't, my current writing style has recently allowed me to write a story very much unlike my previous work. "Standing in Line at the End of the World," my newest short story, is a steampunk/new weird urban fantasy with yo' mama jokes, a couple of beautiful goddesses, monstrous jellyfish and an end-of-the-world scenario on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Expanded Horizons liked it so much they bought it. I'll post a link when it goes live next month. Hopefully, you'll like it too.

Published: Cornrows and Dill Pickles

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Expanded Horizons just went live with their November issue, which includes my short story "Cornrows and Dill Pickles."

Have a read and let me know what you think.

Acceptance

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:07:00 +0000

Two years ago, I would have been hard pressed to write an urban fantasy short story that included faeries of all things. Back then, writing fantasy was the furthest thing from my mind, and faeries were something only to be seen in Disney movies.

I was weaned on cyberpunk. Much of my writing is Gibson-inspired, as an editor kindly told me nearly three years ago, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. But lately, I've been moving away from writing straight post-cyberpunk stories and started incorporating fantasy elements. See "Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery" and "Cornrows and Dill Pickles," to be published next month, also by Expanded Horizons.

I used to think that I could never write fantasy. My excuses were it has too many moving parts; it's too epic for my writing style; the scope is too large for me. But then I wrote "Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery," and I said to myself, "I can do this. I can write fantasy on my own terms."

I'm not ready to create my own Middle Earth yet, and I'm not sure I even want to go that fantasy route. But I like writing urban fantasy. It suits my writing style. It challenges my creativity. It allows me to be unique with speculative fiction in ways I have yet to see out there.

Best of all, it allows me to diversify my writing. And there's nothing wrong with that. Right?

2010 SLF Gulliver Travel Grant Winner Chosen

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 03:07:00 +0000

This year was the first year I judged the Speculative Literature Foundation Gulliver Travel Research Grant in its entirety. I wasn't alone in the judging process, though; N.K. Jemisin and Joanne Merriam helped make the overall experience an enjoyable one.

Forty-three applicants later, we had our winner, but it was a tough choice. I know we say that every year with our two grants, the Gulliver Travel grant and the Older Writers grant, but it's true. We get some very good writing samples to judge.

In the end, we awarded the grant to Joel Arnold. Read more about him and the grant in the press release after the jump:

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES GULLIVER TRAVEL GRANT WINNER

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION PO Box 1693, Dubuque, IA 52004-1693

info@speculativeliterature.org - http://www.speculativeliterature.org/

For Immediate Release: October 12, 2010

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES GULLIVER TRAVEL GRANT WINNER

The Speculative Literature Foundation is delighted to announce that its 2010 Gulliver Travel Research Grant has been awarded to author Joel Arnold. The $800 grant will be used to help Arnold to travel to Wyoming and Montana to research his Native American steampunk novel, "Coyote Steam".

One of the judges said of his writing sample: "This story had uncomfortable subject matter – racism, bodily mutilation, and painful legacies. It took effort to get through it...I thought I knew where Arnold was going...but then he went somewhere entirely different and resolved the story in a way that was both powerful and poignant. Days later, I was still thinking about it."

Arnold's stories have appeared in Pseudopod, Chizine, and Weird Tales, among others, and he has published several short story collections and three novels.

This year there were many excellent entries. Four Honourable Mentions were given:

Rob Davies
Nalo Hopkinson
Kate Milford
Michael Swanwick

The Gulliver Travel Research Grant is awarded to assist a writer of speculative fiction in his or her research. As in previous years, the 2010 grant of $800 is to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other expenses relating to the research for a project of speculative fiction.

The grant is awarded by a committee of Speculative Literature Foundation members on the basis of interest and merit.

The grant is named after Gulliver, a character in the 1726 story "Gulliver's Travels" written by Jonathan Swift. The story represents one of the earliest examples of fantasy travel.

Applications for the 2011 Gulliver Travel Research Grant will open on July 1, 2011.

----------------

PR Contact: press@speculativeliterature.org

The Speculative Literature Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of readers, writers, editors and publishers in the speculative literature community.

"Speculative literature" is a catch-all term meant to inclusively span the breadth of fantastic literature, encompassing literature ranging from hard and soft science fiction to epic fantasy to ghost stories to folk and fairy tales to slipstream to magical realism to modern mythmaking -- any literature containing a fabulist or speculative element.

More information about the Speculative Literature Foundation is available from its web site (http://www.speculativeliterature.org/) or by writing to info@speculativeliterature.org.

No Ordinary Q*bert

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:34:00 +0000

ChiklisThingHulk with his Not So Ordinary Family

Last night, my wife walked into the family room while I was watching No Ordinary Family and saw ChiklisThingHulk coming in for a landing.

"He can fly?" she asked. She had yet to see an episode of the show.

"No," I answered. "He can jump like Kuber--"

"He can jump like Q*bert?"

And then we both just lost it. Couldn't stop laughing for the next ten minutes.

What I'd meant to say was, "He can jump like the Hulk." But seeing the horrible
ChiklisThingHulk special effects when he leaps tall buildings and crushes the earth for fun, combined with my wife thinking he can fly, put Superman on the brain too.

Obviously, I'd tapped into the collective unconscious stream of information holding the undeniable truth that if Superman and the Hulk had a baby it would be Q*bert.

You know you want to laugh. My wife and I thought it was funny.

Genesis: A Black Science Fiction Anthology

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:32:00 +0000

Black Science Fiction Society anthology

The Black Science Fiction Society has just released its first collection of speculative fiction, titled Genesis: An Anthology of Black Science Fiction Book I.

Contributors include Charles R. Saunders (arguably the creator of the Sword and Soul sub-genre), Milton Davis (an adept of Sword and Soul), Carole McDonnell (known for her spiritual fantasy fiction), Dazjae Zoem (known for her multicultural fabulism, steampunk, and Black Fae speculative fiction), Edward Uzzl e, (known for his Afro-futuristic speculative fiction and comics), myself, and many more.

I have yet to receive my contributor copies of the anthology, but they're in transit and should arrive any day now. Once I get them, I plan on sharing my thoughts about each piece as I read through the anthology.

Feel free to take a look at excerpts from the anthology here, and if you feel so inclined, you can purchase the anthology here.

My Writing (Part 1?)

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:11:00 +0000

My current WIP is two-thirds finished and will be longer than any spec fic story I've written by about 3,000 words. Placing it should be interesting. Also interesting is that each third is narrated in first-person by a female character, something I've never done before.

The other day, Nalo Hopkinson posted on her Facebook page that she was cannibalizing some existing scenes for her novel and "macgyvering" it into shape. That's a good way to describe my WIP. Fun stuff that leaves me feeling powerful and smart, but frustrating as well.

On an entirely different note, I find that I get my best writing ideas when I'm shaving (both my face and head). It's been that way for a few years now. I'm not sure why, but if I knew, I'd definitely try to create situations where those synapses are firing twenty-four seven.

I'm sure that's impossible, though. But it sounds like a good idea for a cool story.

SLF Older Writers Grant Winner Chosen

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Thu, 27 May 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Many of you probably don't know this, but I am the Grant Administrator for the Speculative Literature Foundation's Older Writers Grant. Each year, SLF awards $750 to a writer who is fifty years or older and at the start of his or her professional writing career. A few days ago, I chose the winner for the grant. I won't reveal the winner here (yet), since SLF hasn't officially made the announcement, but the winner and all applicants for the grant have been notified. I sent my last email to the 95th applicant a few hours ago. Notifying the applicants took about two days. This is my third year as Grant Administrator, so I have a good system in place now. And you definitely need a system when you have 90-plus personalized emails to send out. Yeah, you read that right. I give each applicant a personalized response based on their submitted piece. As a writer, I'd want the same. It's a time-consuming process--I make sure to take notes as I read each piece, since the application period is three months--but I think it's worth it. Which brings me to what I get out of all of this. The best part about being Grant Administrator, other than giving a deserving writer $750, is when an applicant thanks me for the personalized response and tells me they will apply again next year. Sure, I get a few emails of frustration and anger. But it's good to know I'm doing something right when people thank me for not giving them money. So, you're welcome. And, by the way, thank you all for applying, and for your kind words as well.

Three Things Lost

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:40:00 +0000

One: Everybody is trying to come up with unique, cute names for the Man In Black. Here's my contribution: the Locke Flesh Monster (ba-dump bump). Two: When Widmore zapped Desmond with electromagnetic energy in that little shack during the "Happily Ever After" episode this season (Season 6), did he somehow send him back through time to Jacob's cabin and the exact moment Ben was (supposedly) taking Locke to meet Jacob during "The Man Behind the Curtain" episode, (Season 3)? Was it really Desmond Locke heard from the empty chair pleading 'Help me'? I know the chairs in the shack and cabin were different, but didn't Desmond scream out help me as he was being zapped? Three: Did Ben turning the Frozen Donkey Wheel sink the island? Is that how it got underwater? When he turned the wheel, didn't we see a ripple effect with a bloop sound that was meant to give us an impression of the island had just been submerged? Or am I totally off/imagining here?

Published: Polluto Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:09:00 +0000

I wanted to wait until I got my contributor's copy to post this (so I could include a pic of the cover I'd taken myself), but my short story, "Johnny Fatlip Meets Lucy Pearl in: Undersea Grand Larceny," has been published in issue 6 of Polluto Magazine. More info about the issue, themed Identity Theft and the Octopus Kid, can be found here. If you decide to pick up a copy, let me know what you think. By far, it was most fun story for me to write. It is also the most crass, most ridiculous and most way out there story (in an acid trip kind of way) I've ever written. And no, I've never done acid.

Frak That, Man

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:20:00 +0000

How many fraks did this week's episode of Caprica drop? Full disclosure: I've watched less than one complete episode of Battlestar Galactica, but I'm really liking what I've seen of Caprica so far--even if I don't quite know what the frak is going on.

Published: Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:42:00 +0000

When you get the chance, please check out my short story "Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery" here in the double February issue of Expanded Horizons Magazine. It is my first steampunk story and the first story I've written with traditional fantasy elements. This was a very fun story to write because I really let my creativity and imagination run free. I think I need to do that more. Feel free to let me know what you think about the story. Also, if you have time, poke around Expanded Horizons a bit. Dash is amassing a diverse collection of stories from a diverse collection of writers within those virtual pages that I truly don't think you can find anywhere else. One of those stories, Night Out by Eliza Victoria, really stayed with me after reading it. Good stuff there.

Two Soon-to-Be Published Stories

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Happy New Year. It's been awhile since I've been here. It seems like every other post I've been saying that. I truly will post more often this year, and not just say it. As I tell my son and daughter, "Don't say you will--do it." That being said (and done?), I have two stories that will be published in the coming months. "Bijoux LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery" will be published next month at Expanded Horizons. This story is a first for me--actually, two firsts. It's the first story I've written with obvious fantasy elements, and it's my first ever steampunk story. Thanks goes to Lady Purple Zoe of Ultraviolet Underground Magazine for creative impetus and inspiration. "Johnny Fatlip Meets Lucy Pearl in: Undersea Grand Larceny" will be published soon by Polluto Magazine, and is the second story I've sold them. This is all I'm going to say about it: tripped out with a capital T. More to come.

Hello? Mrs. Pommelhorse? I'd like to get down now.

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:23:00 +0000

It's been awhile. I'm still here. I'm still writing. Slowly, but surely. Working on a story now. Very different from what I usually write. People will either really like it or really hate it. I'm enjoying writing it, though. I'm also stressing over writing it. But I stress over every story I write. I'm still here. Hello?

Heroes - Fallen

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:27:00 +0000

It's no secret that Heroes is faltering and has been faltering for some time. There are a few theories out there as to why, including a sophomore slump, convoluted storylines, bad writers, bad writing, and cleaving too much to comic book tropes. That last theory is my own. One of the main reasons I once found Heroes so appealing was its subtle -nonchalant even- approach to its subject matter. In its first year, Heroes was a comic book trying not to be a comic book. It was almost as if creator Tim Kring sneaked that major element past NBC: NBC suits: So, Heroes is a television show that's really a comic book, right? Tim Kring: Comic book? Pshaw! Heroes isn't a comic book. It's a television show about ordinary people who just happen to have extraordinary abilities. But Heroes got away from that and jumped the shark with New York being devastated by a nuclear explosion. The writers then followed that up by making everyone lose their powers, only to have them suddenly regain them. Make up your minds, writers. Anyway, since the new season has started, I've tried to watch Heroes, but I just haven't been able to get through an entire episode. Actually, I haven't been able to watch more than ten minutes, including tonight's episode. I won't spoil much (since I didn't watch much), but the writing was very weak tonight. There was a particular scene where Hiro, who is running a Heroes-for-Hire organization, responds to a co-worker's call for help. The co-worker, Tadashi, has humiliated himself at a party and is preparing to leap to his death off a building because he has lost face. Hiro arrives at the top of the building and seems somewhat confused; he believes he has prevented this scenario in an alternate timeline. Tadashi assures Hiro that humiliation was not averted, says good bye, and leaps. It's here I turn the channel. Why? Because at no time does Hiro attempt to convince Tadashi not to jump, that he has much to live for. You'd think that's why Tadashi places the call; he wants to be convinced not to take his life, he wants to be saved by a hero. Now, while that would have been very cliched writing given the cliched situation, I think it would have made the scene at least somewhat believable. Instead, we get Tadashi as a plot device to further whatever storyline the writers are pursuing with Hiro. For me, the entire scene was implausible and fell flat. Unfortunately, however, this season of Heroes so far is just the same.

Flash Forward or Lost 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (six blocks east of mars) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:20:00 +0000

I saw the premiere episode of Flash Forward last night. Actually, I half-watched, but I saw enough to get the gist of what was going on. And I must say, I liked what I saw. I'm very much surprised to see Joseph Fiennes on network television. Truthfully, I thought that in itself might not bode well for the show. This is not to say that Joseph Fiennes is not a good actor, because he is. But there's a reason why big screen actors stay away from the small screen. Their agents. I was gmail chatting with a friend last night and she said she was pleased to see that "Harold" was part of the cast. So am I. John Cho is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors. Actually, both he and Kumar (Kal Penn). Both are showing their versatility in ways that I can't help but respect their craft. Just one thing I did notice, though: John Cho seemed to be overacting just a tad in his opening scene with Joseph Fiennes. Other than that he was badass fierce and cool as hell. Very happy to see Penny Widmore (better known as Sonya Walger), too. You Lost fans know who I'm talking about. I don't know what it is about her lips, but if I ever meet her in person, I'm just going to run my fingers over her lips. I don't want to kiss them; I just want to stroke them with the tips of my fingers, as if I were blind and they were Braille. Anyway, speaking of Lost, Flash Forward is trying to be Lost's little brother. Which isn't a bad thing. Unless your big brother is the star QB homecoming king valedictorian in a small town where the most important night of the week is Friday night because that's when the football games are played. Which Lost isn't quite that, but almost. I'm not going to give anything away (at least now) about Flash Forward, other than Dominic Monaghan is slated to appear in future episodes and Alex Kingston (ER) and her lovely accent appeared last night (and hopefully often in the future), but if you're like me and you don't mind spoilers, check out the Wikipedia entry for the Flash Forward novel, which the series is based on. Then go buy it. I am. Oh yeah, one last thing. It was also nice to see The Famous Jett Jackson (yeah, I watched Nickelodeon back in the day) and Courtney B. Vance. Should be interesting to see if they explore any sort of relationship between The Famous Jett Jackson and Alex Kingston, though, since they shared flash forwards. Talk about May December relationship. But the good kind. For both involved, if you ask me. One last thing for real now: I really liked the subtle humor of the show with Courtney B. Vance recounting the "meeting" he saw in his "flash forward." Talk about doing some business.