Are We Looking at Peak Sherlock? onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Are We Looking at Peak Sherlock?

S

...and should we be concerned?

So I guess Sherlock Holmes is an archetype that currently has the zeitgeist by the throat. An extraordinarily gifted (usually intellectually) man who is also incomprehensible/abrasive/alien in some way (rarely a woman - Bones is the only example that comes to mind) paired with a more ordinary but warmer or generally more socially/emotionally capable partner (occasionally, team). Together, they solve crime!

Granted, there's plenty of other tropes and characters out there that are still about and constantly getting remade and recycled - Three Musketeers, Arthurian Legends, fairytales, superheroes - but Holmes in particular seems to me to be more omnipresent and more under-the-skin, so to speak. He's been updated, deconstructed, reimagined, subverted, taken to extremes and then taken to other extremes in a way that I don't think I see quite as much of with any other iconic character.

The question is, are we going to be done at some point? Will we move on? Will there be less Sherlock Holmes? Are we going to be facing shortages and should we be taking steps to reduce consumption? Who is going to step in to fill his shoes as the guy (or gal) that has a dozen expensive fanfics dominating the pop-culture landscape?

(FYI, my vote, if I had one, would be on Robin Hood. Or maybe Don Quixote.)

S

S

S

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Are We Looking at Peak Sherlock?

​Bitten may feature the lamest werewolves in entertainment history onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com ​Bitten may feature the lamest werewolves in entertainment history

First of all, let me say Bitten episode 2 was much better than the premiere. It came packed with all the interesting info and questions that the first episode completely failed to mention, set up the stakes, and gave us a glimpse of what being a werewolf is like in this universe. As it turns out, it's a lot of paperwork.

What I'm trying to say is that, now the plot has finally begun, I find myself questioning the basic premise of the show's setting — but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me recap the episode, since it's mainly just an info dump on Elena and her family:

• Jeremy — The leader. He has daddy issues, in that his dad hated him. But, it's also obvious that his issues translated into trying to care for his family, as opposed to seeking another father figure for himself. Indeed, he wants Elena back for this reason.

• Clay — Jeremy's (adopted?) brother. The bad boy who dated Elena, is still obsessed with Elena, follows her around everywhere (ostensibly for her safety), and has some kind of hold on Elena, even though he's creepy and douchy.

• Antonio — Jeremy's second-hand man and group chef. He seems pretty reasonable.

• Nick — Antonio's son and the wacky member of the family, who's happy either challenging Elena to a fight or jumping into her bed shirtless to wake her up. I'm pretty sure the show meant this to be wacky, but it comes off as super, super creepy.

• Pete — A former roadie turned into a slacker werewolf, although he also seems like an all right dude. He's loyal to Jeremy because when Pete accidentally transformed into a wolf in front of a girl and had to kill her, he was going to be executed by the Alpha — presumably the High Poobah of all Werewolves — until Jeremy stepped in.

• Logan — The psychologist we saw in the first episode, and Elena's pal. He's good-natured and has nothing to do this episode except show up at the house.

And here's what we learn about Elena: Apparently she first came to Stonehaven as Clay's girlfriend, got bitten, survived — possibly the first female to ever do so — and started working for Jeremy. A year ago, she was sent to stop a man named Jose Carter from exposing the clan by selling a werewolf arm he'd managed to acquire. Jose won't sell it at any price (so why did he even meet with her?) and Elena is forced to kill him.

This makes Elena sad, even though it's Werewolf Law that she had to kill him if there was no other choice, and the guy was kind of a dick anyways. She's sad because she felt she lost her humanity in that moment, which is clearly important enough to her that she immediately fled to Toronto to try to pretend to be a full human as much as she could. Obviously, the family knows werewolves shouldn't kill people (e.g., Pete) unless it's the only way to save the pack, so they have a hard time comprehending why any werewolf would be so upset about killing this asshole.

But therein lies my — I don't want to say problem with Bitten, because I'm not sure it is one yet — my confusion. This is a show about a werewolf who doesn't like to kill people at all. Okay, Elena's trying to contain the monster inside her; that's standard tragic monster operating procedure. The problem is that none of the other werewolves seem to be monsters. They're all really upset when someone murders people near their house. They express no desire to kill anyone or anything — not even the Mutt, really — which makes it look like Elena's murder problem is her problem, not a werewolf problem. It's hard to get too invested in Elena struggling between two worlds when she's the only werewolf apparently having these issues.

If that were all, I wouldn't mind, but the whole werewolf society is strange, man. So werewolves either adhere to the Pack, or they're loners and called Mutts and regarded with suspicion if not outright hostility? That seems kind of were-racist. Isn't Elena a Mutt, seeing as she abandoned her family to go live alone among the humans? (I imagine the show has an answer for this, but I'm going to avoid researching the books while I do these recaps, because I want to see how the show handles it).

And even that would be cool if it weren't for the fact that Jeremy keeps a shit-ton of files on all the Mutts in the basement of Stonehaven. Not only is this super Big Brother, this is the first time I've ever seen a show about werewolves who keep paperwork. Jeremy tells Elena all her old research is in the basement, just as she left it. She pours over files to see if she can guess who the Mutt who killed the girl is… instead, of, you know, turning into a wolf and going hunting.

There is a reason for this, in that there are hunters about and Jeremy wants to wait a day until Logan arrives and the whole family is together. So they wait, and when Logan arrives, they wait some more until night comes. Elena eventually finds a shanty shack where the Mutt/killer lives (he's gone for the moment) but once they find it, she, Clay and Nick all immediately head back to Stonehaven to figure out what to do next, as opposed to just catching the dude.

To be fair, even the show realizes this is a terrible idea, because the next morning, a new body is found right outside the Stonehaven grounds — that of a little boy. The hunt is officially on, both for the killer and any wolves unfortunate enough to be seen by the increasing numbers of hunters. Hopefully Elena has something in her files about how to deal with this.

Assorted Musings:

• I get the feeling there's a lot of Axe body spray being used in the Stonehaven household.

• The first thing Elena does when she hits the Werewolf Hall of Records is start picking up scrolls — specifically, the Scroll of Exposition, which explains how werewolves are made, followed by the Scroll of Sexist Exposition, which explains there are no female werewolves because women are too weak to survive the bite and transformation process. And holy crap was that voiceover ridiculous.

• Why is there a cage in the basement if nobody turns into an actual werewolf, they can turn into wolves whenever they want and they stay perfectly lucid? Is it for prisoners? Why keep them among all the files?!

• Syfy should really just follow its bliss and let Bitten be the first non-pay cable show to feature nudity. You can't really do a show that's about sex and werewolves justice if you can't ever show the sex. Besides, the first cable station to take this risk will hit a ratings goldmine — and nowadays, I really doubt many advertisers would pull out.

• I can't tell you how disappointed I am Bitten uses the word Mutts to describe rogue werewolves and not "wereholes" or "asswolves."

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com ​Bitten may feature the lamest werewolves in entertainment history

I am a Mad Scientist: Using Real Science to Help Write Science Fiction onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com I am a Mad Scientist: Using Real Science to Help Write Science Fiction

S

I am an actual, real-life "mad scientist." Don't believe me? In the past five years, my scientific expertise has helped create a horde of engineered monsters rampaging their way across a secret island research base, an evolutionary off-shoot of humanity that feeds on the weak of San Francisco, and a ever-adapting intelligent disease that violently "bioforms" the human body while the host watches in horror. So, yeah, I consider myself a mad scientist even though all of those things are works of imagination.

I'm a career applied molecular biology researcher that provides sound science consultation to cutting-edge, hard-science fiction author Scott Sigler. My main goal is to help make his visions of the weird, fantastic, and terror as accurate and plausible as possible.

A little bit about my background. I earned my bachelors in Microbiology, dabbled in Philosophy, and ultimately completed my Ph.D. in Developmental and Cell Biology where I studied TGF-ß signaling in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies as they are commonly known). I generated countless strains of modified flies all in pursuit of understanding the role of three secreted ligands in fly embryogenesis (a fancy term for how a single cell turns into an adult). Why study those little critters? Someday this research will undoubtedly contribute to new treatments for those with a variety of illness that result in defects in these types of cell signaling pathways.

I'm also an entrepreneur who co-founded a biotech company (http://ift.tt/1eQdHXQ) that helps create better shrimp foodstock. So with all that education and real-world biological engineering, why consult for science consulting for fiction authors? Simple: because I like it, and because — if given the opportunity — I can help make stories better.

As do most scientists, I enjoy a healthy dose of fantasy and sci-fi but I have a hard time losing myself in the story if the story is plagued with scientific misrepresentations, misinformation, and information that so grossly missed the mark I wonder if the errors were intentional (I'm looking at you, RED PLANET, saying DNA consists of A, T, G, and P? There's only four letters in DNA, and you got 25% of them wrong).

I hate to break people's bubbles, but no, aliens won't look like Spock. We won't be sexually compatible. All aliens in the galaxy won't be of similar technological advancement. Yes, there is gravity on the moon. No, using humans as batteries for machines does not make sense. Things that get exposed to radioactivity don't spontaneously grow in size. There are many more examples, but I'm already getting depressed, so let's move on.

Scientifically accurate storytelling is hard. Few creative individuals take the time to work out the details. You see, science fiction that operates in the universe we actually live in not only feels true, it also feels honest. If the creator is playing in my world that I know, experience, and study every day, I can become truly immersed and enjoy that world. Waving the wand of "Quantum Mechanics" or "it's nanotech!" can make for a fun story, but it strains the concept of "science" fiction when misused.

Knowledge of and use of science reveals amazing revelations, curiosities, and unexpected truths that can enrich and guide story telling. Therefore, whenever I find a bit of science fiction that rings true to me it is a rare cherished event. This is my story of how I came to meet and work with Scott Sigler.

As a technology fan I was an early adopter of Podcasts. Scott Sigler pioneered the phenomenon of audiobooks in a podcast format with the release of EARTHCORE in 2005. I was smack in the middle of my graduate studies at the time, but got sucked in anyway. His fiction stayed true to science. I won't go into detail to avoid spoiling the story, but some of the "creatures" in the novel had some very interesting implications from a biology point of view. Scott's website listed his email: on a whim, I asked about his science in the novel. Surprisingly, he responded the next day. Huh, an author that actually responded to my inquiry and he actually had logical responses to my questions.

It was exciting to a) meet an author that clearly worked hard to get the science right as often as he could, and b), was open to discussing — and correcting, when possible — the science within that work. So, I offered my help: I told Scott to feel free to contact me with any questions. Little did I know that this would set off a firestorm of emails that continues to rage to this day.

I didn't really expect him to take me up on the offer, so it surprised me when he sent me a copy of his manuscript for ANCESTOR with the note: "Any scientific errors, just let me know."

In ANCESTOR, the characters try to create a herd animal with human-compatible organs in an effort to solve the organ donor shortage that kills thousands of people every year. We could save lives if we had enough hearts, lungs, etc., but we don't and those lives are lost. Scott's plot involved a cogent hypothesis that, with sufficient information, you could essentially rewind the clocks of evolution to create the ancestor of all mammals (which overcomes several significant problems for xenotransplantation, an important goal, but if you want to get into that just read the book). Scott almost had the science right, but made minor errors or slight misrepresentations how molecular biologists work with or refer to various scientific concepts.

So there I was, helping improve the fiction that I loved. I was rewarded by hearing the characters in these stories parrot back snippets of my emails. All of this from simply emailing an author? Quite a thrill.

My involvement grew to a new level with Scott's INFECTED series, which finishes up with the novel PANDEMIC (out Jan. 21 from Crown Publishing). He pulled me in on the project very early to help build some of the fundamental aspects of the story. It was an honor, a thrill, and a headache mixed together and stir fried. Email after email rolled by where I would spend countless hours explaining and re-explaining scientific concepts. I often was needed to provide options. Scott: "I need something that does this to make the story work." Me: "Here are five possible explanations that make sense scientifically, choose one."

Before you write this series off as just another ham-handed attempt at a doomsday story, I will tell you that there is nothing like this tale — the "infection" in question is complex, realistic, and delves into not only genetic restructuring, but smart materials and biological Von Neumann devices. Crazy stuff, but completely plausible, and that's what makes it such a riveting — and terrifying — read.

Working with Scott opened up a world of consulting opportunities. I'm registered with the Science and Entertainment Exchange (http://ift.tt/19zMzgT) and I have worked closely with five creative professionals on more than fifteen projects spanning art, novels and screenplays. The pure adrenaline of seeing your ideas on the page of a Best Sellers list, becoming an evil possessed scientist in a story, or your name in the back of a book sitting on the shelf of a local bookstore doesn't fade.

I've come a long way from a wide-eyed graduate student merely geeking out on a scientifically literate author. I now manage and direct research at an independent clinical research and diagnostics laboratory where I work with the cutting edge bioscience technology akin to the "God Machine" from Scott's novel ANCESTOR. I also own and operate my own aquaculture biotechnology company, that shares its name sake with the fictional company in that novel, that in 2013 was awarded a grant from the USDA to provide next generation solutions for our planet's food needs.

You see, working with the authors isn't only about making the world a bit more scientifically literate, or even making fiction that I enjoy a bit more accurate. The creativity, enthusiasm, and optimism from the creative like Scott has significantly impacted my life and helped inspire my work. I now see that the sky is the limit and that I can write my own story, here, now, in the real world, all around us.

Not bad for a mad scientist. Now where did I put that vial of magic nanotech stuff … ?

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com I am a Mad Scientist: Using Real Science to Help Write Science Fiction

Barbarella TV series finds a home on Amazon onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Barbarella TV series finds a home on Amazon

S

Heady director of Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn has found a home for his rebooted Barbarella TV series. But will it still have the Excessive Machine?

Deadline broke the news that Refn's sexy remake of the 1968 movie (which originally starred Jane Fonda) will premiere on Amazon Studios. But even though Refn is working as executive producer, the series itself is still on the hunt for a showrunner.

As of right now, Amazon has only ordered up a pilot, and if they like what they see they will take it to series. No word on whether Refn will direct the premiere episode, but we hope he does.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Barbarella TV series finds a home on Amazon

An interactive map of every plane in the air right now onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com An interactive map of every plane in the air right now

To celebrate the anniversary of 100-years of commercial flight travel, The Guardian has created a lovely interactive map that shows the flight paths and times of all the planes currently in the air.

In 1914, the rather charmingly titled St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line began offering commercial passengers the opportunity to take a flight. Passengers were charged $400 (just a little over $9,000 today), the only route available was a 29-mile hop across from Tampa Bay, and the trip took about 20 minutes. They were in business only three months and only transported 1200 passengers in total.

Today, The Guardian says that at any given moment there are over half a million people in the air and they've mapped out the flight patterns that criss-cross the world (as seen in this screenshot). Go check out the full interactive map, complete with times and flightpaths, by clicking here.

S

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com An interactive map of every plane in the air right now

The Lawyer and the Scientist Who Predicted the Atomic Bomb in 1915 onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com The Lawyer and the Scientist Who Predicted the Atomic Bomb in 1915

S

H.G. Wells has long been given credit for inventing the idea of the atomic bomb. He not only described it in his 1914 novel, The World Set Free, but also coined the name. But there was a far more obscure novel, published that same year, which should really be credited with the most realistic prediction of what the Bomb would be like.

While Wells certainly got the basic idea right, he radically underestimated the effects of an unbridled nuclear reaction. And what he described would hardly be recognizable as an atomic explosion today. The explosive force, he thought, would be no greater than that of a conventional high explosive. The main difference was, according to Wells, that an atomic explosion simply wouldn'tstop. It would just keep on exploding pretty much forever.

A far more accurate picture of an atomic blast appeared in an obscure story serialized the same year in Saturday Evening Post (November 14-November 18) and published as a book in 1915.

The Man Who Rocked the Earth was written by an unusual team of authors. One was Arthur Train, the creator of a series of wildly popular detective and mystery novels. As a lawyer-turned-mystery author, Train's popularity can be compared to that of, say, John Grisham today. In his autobiography, My Day in Court (1939), he wrote: "I enjoy the dubious distinction of being known among lawyers as a writer, and among writers as a lawyer." Members of both professions, he goodhumoredly lamented, treated him with condescension. Although Train's best-known work is about lawyer-detective Ephraim Tutt, he also wrote some of the first books about true crime in America, non-mystery novels and...two books of science fiction (the other, a sequel to The Man Who Rocked the Earth, is no less remarkable and worthy of an article of its own).

In creating the latter he turned for help to a pre-eminent scientists of his day, Robert Woods. Hardly a household word today, he was a scientist whose researches in many areas are still important, especially his work in optics and spectroscopy. In 1897, he became the first to observe field emission; that is, charged particles being emitted from a conductor in an electric field. This phenomenon is now used in the field emission microscope for studying atomic structure. He developed a colorphotography process, as well as both infrared and ultraviolet photography. He invented the frosted glass light bulb and the Vienna method of detecting forged documents. He was apparently also the first person ever to show animated films.

He brought a level of scientific imagination and verisimilitude to the two novels he collaborated on with Train that was unique for the time they were written.

S

In their story, a mad scientist named Pax demonstrates his power by detonating a nuclear device in the Atlas Mountains of Africa. A gunboat attempts to shoot down his flying machine, when...

S

"...everything happened at once. Mohammed described afterward to a gaping multitude of dirty villagers, while he sat enthroned upon his daughter's threshold, how the star-ship had sailed across the face of the moon and come to a standstill above the mountains, with its beam of yellow light pointing directly downward so that the coast could be seen bright as day from Sf ax to Cabes. He saw, he said, genii climbing up and down on the beam. Be that as it may, he swears upon the Beard of the Prophet that a second ray of light—of a lavender colour, like the eye of a long-dead mullet—flashed down alongside the yellow beam. Instantly the earth blew up like a cannon—up into the air, a thousand miles up. It was as light as noonday. Deafened by titanic concussions he fell half dead. The sea boiled and gave off thick clouds of steam through which flashed dazzling discharges of lightning accompanied by a thundering, grinding sound like a million mills. The ocean heaved spasmodically and the air shook with a rending, ripping noise, as if Nature were bent upon destroying her own handiwork. The glare was so dazzling that sight was impossible. The falukah was tossed this way and that, as if caught in a simoon, and he was rolled hither and yon in the company of Chud, Abdullah, and the headless mullet.

"This earsplitting racket continued, he says, with­out interruption for two days. Abdullah says it was several hours; the official report of the Fiala gives it as six minutes. And then it began to rain in torrents until he was almost drowned. A great wind arose and lashed the ocean, and a whirlpool seized the falukah and whirled it round and round. Darkness descended upon the earth, and in the general mess Mohammed hit his head a terrific blow against the mast. He was sure it was but a matter of seconds before they would be dashed to pieces by the waves. The falukah spun like a marine top with a swift sideways motion. Something was dragging them along, sucking them in. The Fiala went careening by, her fighting masts hanging in shreds. The air was full of falling rocks, trees, splinters, and thick clouds of dust that turned the water yellow in the lightning flashes. The mast went crashing over and a lemon tree descended to take its place. Great streams of lava poured down out of the air, and masses of opaque matter plunged into the sea all about the falukah. Scalding mud, stones, hail, fell upon the deck."

S

The authors go on to detail the widespread effects of the explosion. One result was a breech in the mountains, allowing the Mediterranean to flood the Sahara.

(It might be worth mentioning that the illustrations accompanying the story were the first depictions of a nuclear explosion—including the first in color.)

Unlike Wells who mumbled about oxidizing an imaginary element called "Carolinium," Train and Wood explicitly used uranium, which they had release its energy instantaneously. The resulting atomic blast itself was devastating enough, but Train and Wood trumped Wells totally in describing the physical aftereffects of the explosion: "Reaching Syfax [the survivors on the boat] reported their adventures and offered prayers in gratitude for their extraordinary escape; but five days later all three began to suffer excruciating torment from internal burns, the skin upon their heads and bodies began to peel off, and they died in agony within the week."

So, almost exactly 100 years ago, a lawyer and a scientist managed to describe in meticulous detail not only a nuclear explosion but the lingering aftereffects of fallout and radiation poisoning.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com The Lawyer and the Scientist Who Predicted the Atomic Bomb in 1915

All of these outbreaks could have been prevented with vaccines onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com All of these outbreaks could have been prevented with vaccines

S

Vaccines are something most of us take for granted, but as these maps compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations show, we're still a long way from ensuring everyone's safe from some of the world's most dreaded — and preventable — diseases.

The CFR is a nonpartisan think tank that's been tracking news mentions of various outbreaks since the fall of 2008. Its new interactive map visually plots global outbreaks of measles, mumps, whooping cough, polio, rubella, and other diseases that are easily preventable by inexpensive and effective vaccines. The map is meant to promote awareness of a global health problem that is easily preventable.

The maps can be sorted by year and geographic location. The larger the circle, the more widespread the infection. Each illness is identified by color:

Let's zoom in a bit. This first map shows North America from 2008 to 2014.

S

Measles and whooping cough appear to be the main culprits in North America; it's fairly obvious there's been a resurgence in in the last few years. This is what the disease landscape looked like just five years ago in 2009:

S

Yikes. You'll want to show these maps to your anti-vaxxer friends.

The World Health Organization's data on whooping cough, or pertussis, appears to need updating:

Estimates from WHO suggest that, in 2008, about 16 million cases of pertussis occurred worldwide, 95% of which were in developing countries, and that about 195 000 children died from the disease...In 2008, about 82% of all infants worldwide received 3 doses of pertussis vaccine. WHO estimates that, in 2008, global vaccination against pertussis averted about 687 000 deaths.

As these maps show, measles is a serious health problem. According to WHO:

Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available. In 2011, there were 158 000 measles deaths globally – about 430 deaths every day or 18 deaths every hour. More than 95% of measles deaths occur in low-income countries with weak health infrastructures. Measles vaccination resulted in a 71% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2011 worldwide. In 2011, about 84% of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 72% in 2000.

Other parts of the world look like this (2008-2014):

S

Measles and polio are prominent in Africa, with mumps an issue in Egypt. Owing to the civil war in Syria and the disruption of health care, polio is making a comeback.

S

Australia and New Zealand are not immune to the problem.

S

Again, measles is a problem elsewhere in the world. And it looks like rubella is an issue in Japan.

S

Whoa, Europe looks surprisingly bad with a little bit of everything.

Related: Polio makes a comeback in Syria

[h/t Business Insider]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com All of these outbreaks could have been prevented with vaccines

​Are long hours the new status symbol? onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com ​Are long hours the new status symbol?

80 years ago, long working hours seemed to be on the decline, with ideas like the six-hour work day being floated. Now, that trend has reversed — and so has the way we think about them.

The New Yorker has a look at the way long working hours have become more accepted, and even sometimes a point of pride:

Thirty years ago, the best-paid workers in the U.S. were much less likely to work long days than low-paid workers were. By 2006, the best paid were twice as likely to work long hours as the poorly paid, and the trend seems to be accelerating. A 2008 Harvard Business School survey of a thousand professionals found that ninety-four per cent worked fifty hours or more a week, and almost half worked in excess of sixty-five hours a week. Overwork has become a credential of prosperity.

Of course, the trend towards overwork is not limited to just the best-paid workers; McDonald's, for instance, infamously advised their full-time staff to pick up a second job. But the trend could be bad news across the board:

The perplexing thing about the cult of overwork is that, as we've known for a while, long hours diminish both productivity and quality. Among industrial workers, overtime raises the rate of mistakes and safety mishaps; likewise, for knowledge workers fatigue and sleep-deprivation make it hard to perform at a high cognitive level. As Solomon put it, past a certain point overworked people become "less efficient and less effective." And the effects are cumulative. The bankers Michel studied started to break down in their fourth year on the job. They suffered from depression, anxiety, and immune-system problems, and performance reviews showed that their creativity and judgment declined.

So, what do you think? Are longer hours encouraged in your workplace? Should they be? Give us your take in the comments.

Image: 1940s lathe operator / Howard R Hollem.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com ​Are long hours the new status symbol?

Damian lives in DC's next direct-to-DVD movie, Son of Batman onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Damian lives in DC's next direct-to-DVD movie, Son of Batman

Mainly because he hadn't died yet. DC;'s next animated movie is an adaptation of Grant Morrison's 2006 Batman & Son comics, which introduces Bruce's League of Assassins-trained kid to the DCU, and has Batman facing one of his most dangerous adversaries: parenting.

Huh. I have no idea why DC decided to follow up its New 52 universe-creating Justice League: War feature with this — other than a desire to release anything with Batman in the title, obviously — but it does look pretty good. Damian sounds less precociously badass than I imagined in my mind, but I can handle it. Especially if this is a set-up so DC can reveal movies based on Morrison's Batman and Robin run later this year.

Here's the voice cast, courtesy of ToyNewsI:

The voice cast for this one includes Jason O'Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne who also did the voice for Batman in Justice League: War. Stuart Allan will voice Batman's son Damian. Morena Baccarin will voice Talia who is Damian's mother. Giancarlo Esposito will voice Ra's Al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins and Talia's father. David McCallum will voice Alfred Pennyworth, Xander Berkeley will voice Kirk Langstrom Man-Bat) and Thomas Gibson will voice the character Deathstroke.

Son of Batman will come out later spring, apparently.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Damian lives in DC's next direct-to-DVD movie, Son of Batman

We've Cast NBC's Live Peter Pan Musical for Your Hate-Watching Pleasure onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com We've Cast NBC's Live Peter Pan Musical for Your Hate-Watching Pleasure

Last year NBC unleashed a hate-watching miracle upon the masses in the form of a terribly acted and horribly performed Live Sound of Music production starring Carrie Underwood and Vampire Bill from True Blood. Next up? Peter Pan, and we've already lined up the perfect famous/non-famous cast.

Robert Greenblatt of NBC recently announced [via Collider] that NBC's next live musical victim would be Peter Pan.

Next December 4th, we will broadcast a new live production of the Broadway musical Peter Pan. NBC has a history with the show, which even I didn't know. In 1955, the Broadway production, which was doing great business, closed in order for the whole cast to do a live broadcast of it on NBC from a studio in Manhattan, and it was in color, which was a novelty back then. 65 million people tuned in. It was so successful that, a year later, NBC did another live production with the same cast. And then in 1960, they did it again, this time starring Mia Farrow. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will be back producing again for us, and we'll be announcing a cast as soon as we get it. Get ready for flying children and some kind of state-of-the-art light technology for little Tinker Bell.

The 1955 production starring Mary Martin as the boy who never grew up is perhaps one of our favorite, completely mad translations of this fairy tales. And with that production in mind (which you can watch in the included video) we've already cast the whole thing for NBC. You're welcome.

Here is our proposed cast for NBC's all live Peter Pan musical:

Selena Gomez as Peter Pan.

Lea Michele as Wendy.

Jaden Smith as John Darling.

Kellan Lutz as Michael Darling.

Ashlee Simpson as Tiger Lily.

Joey Fatone as Captain Hook/Mr. Darling (for continuity's sake we'll keep this double casting the same.)

Blake Shelton as Nana.

BOOM.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com We've Cast NBC's Live Peter Pan Musical for Your Hate-Watching Pleasure

Brand New Hints for Avatar 2, Avengers 2 and Amazing Spider-Man 3! onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Brand New Hints for Avatar 2, Avengers 2 and Amazing Spider-Man 3!

There's another crazy Star Wars casting rumor, involving Dame Judi Dench! Could Mary Jane be recast for Amazing Spider-Man 3? NBC's added major castmembers to its Rosemary's Baby series and greenlit a Oz-based show. Plus, the executive producers preview Once Upon a Time's return. Spoilers now!

Star Wars

Here's yet another casting rumor: Dame Judi Dench is supposedly in line to play Mon Mothma, a senator who helped found the Rebel Alliance. There's no confirmation, obviously, and nothing that indicates whether this is just some casting talk or anything more. But given that the sequels will be filming in the U.K., there's at least a slight possibility that she might be up for it. [Big Shiny Robot]

---

Amazing Spider-Man 3

Yes, already. So Shailene Woodley was supposed to play Mary Jane in Amazing Spider-Man 2, but her scenes were cut from the final film. Following that, the prevailing consensus was that Mary Jane would be in Amazing Spider-Man 3. But it seems like, should that be the case, Sony may have to recast Mary Jane, since Woodley thinks production on the Divergent sequels may make her appearing in Amazing Spider-Man 2 impossible. She told MTV:

I don't know anything, but seeing as how they picked up the next two Divergent films, I don't know how I would keep my sanity with two big action films in one year.

She did qualify that with "anything's possible," though. But it does seem like she won't be in it. [Slashfilm]

---

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Mark Ruffalo's opinion on the next Avengers script seems to line up with Scarlett Johansson's: humor and darkness. He told MTV:

I would say that it's better, it's cooler, it's more awesomer. It's a little bit darker, but also really has Joss Whedon's incredible witty and sly sense of humor.

He also added that he, as Bruce Banner, will get to do some "great stuff." [Coming Soon]

---

Avatar Sequels

Zoe Saldana confirmed that she's known for a while that she'd be returning for the sequels, since she was told to reserve the time. Saldana told MTV that the scripts aren't done yet, but James Cameron has told her what the stories are. And it sounds like they'll be pretty emotionally intense this time around:

I went down to the studio that they've been setting up for the past three years. It was wonderful. Jim took us and gave us a tour of all the reference pictures, telling us the stories. I haven't been able to read the scripts. They're still working on them. We kind of get choked up. [Cameron] gets emotional telling us about the story. I get emotional hearing about it, so I'm looking forward to it.

[Coming Soon]

---

Transformers 4: Age of Extinction

Turns out that the fourth Transformers movie filmed a week's worth of footage in Utah last May. They filmed there and left before anyone noticed, and who knows if that was intentional or if it was just some inconsequential desert scenes they needed. [Transformers Live Action Movie Blog]

---

The LEGO Movie

Here's another TV spot. [via Coming Soon]

---

Once Upon a Time

There's a bunch of stuff going on when the show returns for the second half of season 3. Executive producers Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz said that the two of the questions viewers should expect to have answered quickly are how and when Hook showed up on Emma's doorstep. They also confirmed that Regina and Robin Hood's relationship is going to come up:

Horowitz: They have a connection that we hinted at and talked about earlier this season. Their stories are going to intersect.

Kitsis: We set something up for a reason. We're really going to explore what that meant and what happens when these two people meet. We're going to see what happens when Regina has a second chance at love.

The two also listed a bunch of new and returning characters we'll be seeing:

Horowitz: We have a whole bunch of fun people popping up, but it's in service of focusing on the core group of characters and the problem that you saw outlined in the winter finale.

Kitsis: We're still going to get to see Tink (Rose McIver) again and Ariel (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and some of the people we met in the first half of the season as well. Lumiere (Henri Lubatti) is one of our favorite characters. He's really fun and interesting.

Horowitz: It's a slightly different take than what you might expect from the movie. Alas, Jerry Orbach is not with us so we couldn't bring him aboard to do it, but we have a take on the character that we think is fun. It's fun to see him interact with Belle (Emilie de Ravin).

Kitsis: With Rapunzel (Alexandra Metz), it's princes and damsels in towers.

More at the link. [TV Guide]

Kitsis and Horowitz also spoke with TV Line about the second half of season 3, with Kitsis saying that there is a "very good reason" that Neal didn't join Emma and Henry in amnesiac bliss in New York. And, despite it being erased, the show will return to Storybrooke somehow. We may also be seeing an unusual end to the love triangle. In the real world, Emma's not going to be easily charmed by Hook. But she's also lost the good memories of Neal. Says Kitsis:

In Emma's current mind. the last time she saw Neal, that guy f—-ing let her go to jail. She doesn't have the benefit of re-meeting him in New York.

The show's also come up with it's very own backstory for the Wicked Witch, which isn't based on Wicked or anything like that. Even though Rumpelstiltskin seemed to sacrifice himself, there's still more to the Belle/Rumple story, according to Horowitz:

There's plenty of story we have in mind for Belle, that we hope the audience likes. Emilie [de Ravin] is fantastic, doing some of her best work that we've ever seen.

[TV Line]

Jamie Chung's on Believe right now, but she's open to returning to Once Upon a Time as Mulan, saying:

Are you kidding me? I think it would be really disappointing to leave the audience with this giant question mark. I would go back in a heartbeat.

. . . I am committed to [Believe], but I don't think that door is shut. So I am hoping there is something we could do to answer those questions.

Chung also firmly comes down on the side of Mulan loving Aurora and not Phillip:

It's a sense of camaraderie. She had gone on this journey and she's forever been searching for Princess Aurora and finally they find Aurora and she's left out in the cold. And then Phillip disappears and it;s her journey with Aurora finding Philip. So I think she's been able to develop a really deep relationship with both characters and I think ultimately her heart was with Aurora.

[E! Online]

---

Rosemary's Baby

The latest based-on-a-movie TV show has added two more cast members: Jason Isaacs (Awake) and Patrick J. Adams (Suits). Adams will play the husband to Zoe Saldana's Rosemary, with the young couple moving into an apartment "with a history" in Paris. Isaacs has been cast as coven leader Roman Castevet, played by Sidney Blackmer in the 1968 film. [TV Line]

---

Supernatural

Following last week's split, Jared Padalecki says that getting the brothers back together will take "something big." He also previewed how they'll be dealing with the fallout:

They're handling it as you expect them to. Sam kind of goes introverted and Dean goes forward. Sam is more the kind of guy that thinks something out and says, 'Well, you know, this is where you messed up [and] this is why I'm upset.'… It's nice dichotomy to catch on camera and, hopefully, Jensen [Ackles] and I get a chance to do a good job with it.

He also said that the wear and tear on Sam following Gadreel's time in his body is more "emotional" than anything else. Finally, mark your calendars: episode 20 will launch the spinoff featuring Chicago hunters and monster cultures. [TV Line]

---

Emerald City

NBC has given the green light to ten episodes of a modern retelling of Frank L. Baum's Oz books. The show will have a 20-something Dorothy finding herself in the middle of the war for control of Oz. [Coming Soon]

---

Almost Human

Former MMA fighter Gina Carano (Fast and Furious 6) will be guest-starring in episode nine. Here's a promo showing her in action. [Fighters Only]

---

Bitten

Greyston Holt, who plays Colton Danvers, said that the show will be exploring Colton and Elena's history:

I bit her for reasons that, you know, you will find out as the season progresses. They were good reasons and I have good intentions.

Executive producer JB Sugar said that one his favorite upcoming scenes is related to that history:

One of my favorite scenes is the scene that actually takes us to the moment where Elena is bitten into the pack and the circumstances that led to it. The performances are just fantastic and that whole episode. And it features some of the best and most effective CGI shots we've built. And you get to really see Clay in his full wolf form. And it's just beautiful.

Sugar also said that they've worked very hard to establish Elena's life in Toronto, so that viewers would understand Elena's dilemma as she's torn between that and the wolf world. [TV Equals]

---

Teen Wolf

Here's a video interview with Tyler Posey, Dylan O'Brien and Crystal Reed. Watch it to hear how Kira's going to effect a huge part of this season, what's in store for newly-aware-of-the-supernatural Sheriff Stiliniski, and the relationships of Allison and Scott. [Buddy TV]

---

The Leftovers

Here's a photo from the pilot of The Leftovers. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Charlie Jane Anders and Emily Stamm

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Brand New Hints for Avatar 2, Avengers 2 and Amazing Spider-Man 3!

Papercraft Ghettoblaster-Candybox onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Papercraft Ghettoblaster-Candybox

Le Corbusiers Grand Confort Chair remixed with Euro Pallets

Ich liebe Echo Systems Europaletten-Remix von Le Corbusiers klassischen Grand Confort-Sessel. Würde ich mir definitiv viel eher in meine Bude stellen, als das Original und billiger ist das ganz sicher auch noch – beziehungsweise, das […]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Papercraft Ghettoblaster-Candybox

Don’t click on a something that says „A Jar full of Dentures“ and then complain because you saw a a Jar full of Dentures. onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Don’t click on a something that says „A Jar full of Dentures“ and then complain because you saw a a Jar full of Dentures.

Justin Hunter: „There’s an underground market for used dentures“. (via Neatorama)

Vorher auf Nerdcore:

Don’t click on a something that says „Don’t click on a something that says ‘A Bathtub full of brains’“

Don’t click on a something that says „A Bucket full of Cow Eyes“

Don’t click on a something that says „A Bucket full of Teeth“ and then complain because you saw a a Bucket full of Teeth.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Don’t click on a something that says „A Jar full of Dentures“ and then complain because you saw a a Jar full of Dentures.

Sex with Google Glass onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Sex with Google Glass

Sex with Google Glass ist angeblich eine App, mit der man während des Begattungsvorgangs in einem Live-Videofeed die Perspektive des Partners einnehmen kann, genderswapped Live-Porn sozusagen. Die App zeichnet wohl auch während der Kopulation einen DIY-Amateur-Porno auf, wahlweise auch mit „Any Angle“-Perspektive über’s iPhone, der nach fünf Stunden vom Server gelöscht wird. Außerdem hat die App angeblich Features wie einen Stellungsberater („ok glass ‘give me ideas’“, New School Kamasutra quasi) und ‘nen Boomshakalaka-Walkman („ok glass ‘play Marvin Gaye’“). Nach dem ersten Google Glass-Porn ist das nur konsequent.

(Und weil der Zufall eben macht, was ein Zufall eben so macht, ist mir quasi zeitgleich die Genderflip-App The Machine To Be Each Other für’s Oculus Rift durch den Feedreader gerutscht.)

Having sex with Google Glass on brings a completely new perspective. Experience sex like never before. Simply swipe to a new perspective. And enjoy the new view. When you connect your phone, you can even see what it’s like from any angle.

We want to change the way people experience things. We love using design and strategy to disrupt at scale. So when we asked ourselves the question “How can we make sex more awesome with Google Glass?” We came up with “Sex with Glass”.This project was created at a Wearable Tech Hackathon in London.

Sex With Google Glass (via Chris)

Vorher auf Nerdcore:

First Google Glass Porn-Trailer

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Sex with Google Glass

A very rare moment of Sir Alec Guinness not crapping on Star Wars onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com A very rare moment of Sir Alec Guinness not crapping on Star Wars

Harrison Ford has often been grumpy when asked Star Wars, but compared to Alec Guinness, he might as well have been signing headshots on the con circuit. Alex Guinness hated the movies both before and after he starred in it, but in this 1977 interview he has nothing but praise — faint praise — for the film.

The footage comes from Parkinson, the long-running and mega-popular British talk show hosted by Michael Parkinson, and features Guinness making less-than-bold proclamations such as he "liked" the movie, and he "had to go on turning the page" of the script. But he also says Star Wars has "a marvelous, healthy innocence," is "wonderful to look at," and has "sort of a wonderful freshness to it."

Of course, he also manages to get a few semi-subtle digs in, both regarding the movie's simplicity, his disdain for the film's dialogue, and his refusal to give a shit about the story, evidenced by his inability to even try to explain what's going on in the movie clip Parkinson airs. Still, this is all effusive praise compared to things he said about Star Wars when he wasn't required to help to promote the film.

[Via Cinetropolis]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com A very rare moment of Sir Alec Guinness not crapping on Star Wars

Puppets add harmony (and silliness) to Chris Hadfield's "Space Oddity" onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Puppets add harmony (and silliness) to Chris Hadfield's "Space Oddity"

When Chris Hadfield sang his cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" aboard the International Space Station, he didn't have any puppets with him. The folks at Glove and Boots have remedied that oversight with this spoof video.

Mario and Fafa, the puppet stars of the Glove and Boots web series, sing along with Hadfield in a video that's part goofiness, part harmony, and mostly pays tribute to the marvelous things that Hadfield showed us while he was in space.

[via Col. Chris Hadfield]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Puppets add harmony (and silliness) to Chris Hadfield's "Space Oddity"

Hild and the rise of the skeptical fantasy novel onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Hild and the rise of the skeptical fantasy novel

S

Nicola Griffith's latest book Hild has all the ingredients of a fantasy novel, including a medieval setting and a main character with powers that seem supernatural. And yet it's also a brilliantly-researched work of historical fiction. Call it skeptical fantasy, or an epic that treats magic as politically-charged superstition rather than an otherworldly power.

Griffith is known for science fiction novels like Ammonite and the Nebula-winning Slow River, as well as a series of popular crime novels that begin with The Blue Place. In Hild, she's taken on a fascinating subject: St. Hilda, a British noblewoman who lived during the 600s CE and witnessed the rise of Christianity on the island that would one day be called Britain. In her later life, Hild (as she would have been known to contemporaries) became a famous abbess at Whitby, whose advice was sought by political and religious leaders. But we know almost nothing about her early life and young adulthood, before she became a nun. And that is the part of her life that Griffith explores.

By exploring the England of warring tribes where Hild came of age, Griffith is able to evoke a world so different from our own that it's almost alien. Though many of the place names are the same as they are today, the political geography was not. Hild is born into a pagan culture where she speaks a dialect called British (later she learns Anglisc and some Irish). Her father is the lord of his region, and is constantly brokering peace, trade, and warfare with his neighbors. In this world, kings need daughters as much as sons. A son can inherit the kingdom, but a king's daughter is a "peaceweaver" who can seal alliances between two kingdoms through marriage.

This is a world where women have power, but it's limited. When Hild's father dies, her mother has to figure out a way to make herself useful in the court of Hild's uncle, King Edwin — both for her own sake, and for little Hild and her sister. She does that by using her status as "seer," a kind of supernatural witch figure who advises the king based on visions. Her main vision, she tells the king, is that Hild is the most powerful seer ever born, and will help Edwin conquer many kingdoms. Early in the novel, it's not clear whether Hild and her mother actually have uncanny powers, but as the story develops we realize that the answer is far more interesting than a simple "yes" or "no."

S

As Hild grows up, she becomes keen observer of human character and a savvy political strategist. Though at first her insights feel almost like visions, she quickly realizes that they are the result of figuring out what people at court are trying to get from one another — and, on a broader scale, what the likely political future of Britain might be. She views the arrival of Christianity the same way she views the arrival of people representing Irish tribes. They are political powers, part of the great pattern of relationships that stretch from the British Isles all the way to Rome.

Indeed, Hild's "conversion" to Catholicism, in Griffith's telling of the story, has nothing to do with God at all. Hild realizes that priests are the only people who are literate, and figures out that the ability to send written letters between kingdoms is a revolutionary innovation. Being able to exchange written notes allows her to anticipate which sides her fellow nobles will choose in battle — and, perhaps more importantly, allow her kingdom to participate long-distance trade. So she allies herself with the Church, because its representatives are in a position to aid her court economically and strategically.

Hild's supposed supernatural power and holiness are just the outward trappings of her political savvy. As I said earlier, this is a fantasy novel that is skeptical about the fantastic. But that skepticism becomes part of the joy of reading this book, which demystifies historical developments without robbing them of the magic that people would have seen at the time they unfolded.

One of the greatest aspects of the book is simply the raw, epic fun of following the adventures of a fierce young woman who can fight battles alongside the men because she's so tall and strong. Hild slaughters enemies, she takes a beautiful and troubled lover, and she discovers the wonders of friendship with her "gemaecce" Begu. (During this period in history, it was common for noblewomen to name one close woman friend as a gemaecce, a kind of formalized BFF who would always stay by her side.) There are terrific war scenes, which are equal parts horrifying and exhilarating. But Griffith also brings to life the world of medieval women, struggling to survive battles with childbirth while constantly questing to make their kingdoms' farms productive.

Perhaps Hild's greatest superpower, other than her Sherlock-like ability to read people, is moving between the world of men and women. She alone can do that. Griffith seems to suggest that this ability to move between worlds is part of what allows Hild to thrive at a time when the world of pagan tribal homesteads was transitioning into a world of Christianized, international commerce.

By the time you've finished this engaging, absorbing novel, you'll feel like you understand the political machinery moving beneath the hide of history. And the great St. Hilda will have come to life in your mind, not as a blessed Saint, but as a real human being with decidedly secular talents. This is one of the truly great novels of the past year. Griffith will seduce you with her lush, fantasy-epic prose, and keep you mesmerized with her well-wrought tale of politics in an age of superstition.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Hild and the rise of the skeptical fantasy novel

Syfy is ready to roll the dice on more ambitious dramas onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Syfy is ready to roll the dice on more ambitious dramas

S

Adweek has an interview with Bill McGoldrick, who joined Syfy as executive VP after Mark Stern's departure in November, and he suggests the channel is looking for "good adult stories" in the science fiction genre.

Syfy's prime-time demographic deliveries dropped 11 percent in 2013, and Defiance was moderately successful but not the major hit Syfy hoped for. McGoldrick says he's been trying to recruit more high-profile talent, along the lines of Ron Moore, who signed on to Helix as one of the show's producers:

I'm definitely out there pounding on everybody's door who has a name in the genre... And we're open to people who aren't necessarily associated with the genre but have a great idea.

And McGoldrick is making all the right noises about wanting to find the next Sopranos, Walking Dead or Game of Thrones for Syfy. "You can tell good adult stories in the genre," he tells Adweek. "The pitches I'm hearing … people are approaching [us] as seriously as they would HBO."

The good news? Syfy's ad rates would apparently go up if it were being perceived as the home of more intense drama, rather than its current focus on what Adweek calls "a mixed bag of WWE (Friday Night Smackdown), reality (FaceOff, Ghost Hunters) and its signature original films (Sharknado)." So there's a financial incentive to make stuff happen. Fingers crossed! [Adweek]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Syfy is ready to roll the dice on more ambitious dramas

How the novelizations of your favorite TV and movies get made onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com How the novelizations of your favorite TV and movies get made

How novels turn into TV and movies is pretty well understood, but just how do stories make that reverse leap from our screens to the page? And could your novel, that one you have patiently gathering digital dust on your hard drive, be next?

Well, probably not. io9-commenter, and author of the novelizations for Man of Steel, The Dark Knight, Underworld, Buffy, Star Trek, and Farscape, Greg Cox explains:

Media Tie-In Writing 101: No, you cannot just write your novel and then somehow pay the licensor for the privilege—although this is a VERY common misconception. (Just a few months ago, a fan at a convention how much I paid CBS to be able write Trek novels—and I've gotten this question a lot.)

Here's how it works: The Publisher does a deal with the Licensor to publish SPACE VIXENS novels, based on the popular movie/TV show/comic book/computer game. The Publisher then hires freelance authors to write the books on a work-for-hire basis. The Studio must approve all outlines in advance and has final approval over the ms. as well. In short, the writer is a hired contractor. The Publisher pays the Licensor for the rights to publish the book and pays the writer to the write it.

In other words, you cannot write a 400-page SPIDER-MAN novel on spec and then arrange to get it published somehow. That's not how it works.

I harp on this only because it breaks my heart when people keep asking me how to get their tie-in books published—after they've already written the darn thing!

Okay, noted. But, once the contract is in hand, just how much latitude on the plot does the author have? At lot of it depends on what is still going on with the original series:

Regarding the reset button, a lot does depend on whether the original series is still a going concern or not. You have a lot more latitude when it comes to writing for a cancelled series than when writing for one that is still on the air.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com How the novelizations of your favorite TV and movies get made

Sundance 2014 Roundup: Which New Indie Movie Will Rock Your Theater? onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Sundance 2014 Roundup: Which New Indie Movie Will Rock Your Theater?

S

In years past, the Sundance festival has helped to break the movies that we've wound up falling in love with. Movies like Robot & Frank and Upstream Color. So with this year's Sundance in full swing, which movies are you going to be hearing more about? We've rounded up some early reviews.

Top image: Cooties.

S

Young Ones

No, it's not a movie based on the British sitcom about weird bohemian young people — it's a Western directed by Gwyneth Paltrow's brother Jake, set in a terrible, drought-stricken future. Starring Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Shannon plays a man with a disabled wife (who walks with an exoskeleton), who buys a robot to replace his dead donkey and then discovers his daughter's boyfriend has betrayed him.

The verdict: Hollywood Reporter seems to speak for a lot of critics, calling the movie "ponderous, self-important and thematically narrow," plus a "lethargically-paced, dehydrated update of There Will Be Blood." Variety says it gets "bogged down" and its futuristic trappings don't rescue its thinly drawn characters. Collider says almost everything in the movie works perfectly, but it still leaves you cold because it's not about anything. Indiewire says it wants to be an epic tale but falls short. The New York Post calls it "disappointing and dull." HitFix calls it "inert" and says it "never quite finds the happy medium between B-movie splatter and literary elevation." But for a dissenting view, Tim Grierson writes in Screen Daily that Young Ones is "distinctive" and praises its stark story that builds to a "stunningly simple payoff," and appreciates its lack of political message or heavy-handed symbolism. Everyone agrees the cinematography is lovely and Shannon and Hoult turn in great performances

S

.

Dinosaur 13

A documentary about the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever found, and the researchers who had to battle to keep their find after the U.S. government swooped in and tried to accuse them of stealing it. Basically, a gripping David-vs-Goliath story with dinosaur bones.

The verdict: Variety calls it "gripping" and praises this story of "the little guy being screwed by big government." Hollywood Reporter finds it fascinating, but worries the "byzantine" legal battles will turn off some audiences. They also worry it's too slanted in favor of the little guy, something that also bothers Indiewire. Badass Digest also worries the film doesn't delve enough into the gray areas raised by this dinosaur find, and finds it too reliant on talking heads and goofy recreations. Slashfilm warns the film feels "long and unfocused." Film School Rejects has a similar complaint that this film "strays from the meat and emotion of its story," and can't quite make the naturally compelling underdog story work. Ion Cinema is even harsher: "the film's victims begin to grate in their despair... due to an over emphasis of personal misery and a lack of narrative focus." So maybe, expect to see an edited version hit cinemas and CNN later this year or next.

S

I Origins

Mike Cahill scored a lot of buzz in 2011 with Another Earth, the indie movie about a parallel Earth that appears in our sky. Now he's back with the story of a molecular biologist who studies the eye, to prove that humans evolved without any need for Intelligent Design, and has a fling with a supermodel whose face is covered up except for his eyes. Years later, the biologist has a son, and discovers an uneasy secret that reopens the "science versus God" debate.

The verdict: Tim Grierson with Screen Daily praises the "engaging and unpredictable" storytelling and says this film has a stronger focus and clearer philosophical exploration than Another Earth did. Collider also likes the strong emotion in the story and the fact that it juggles so many different ideas but still manages an "emotionally powerful conclusion." Hollywood Reporter also praises the balance of emotional and intellectual elements, and also loves the "tactile, glowing Terrence Malick-like visuals." Indiewire says the faith-vs-science themes are sometimes too "on the nose," but says the movie overcomes its shortcomings to become "an intelligent and ambitious adult drama" in the vein of a young Christopher Nolan or Danny Boyle. But then there are a couple of dissenting views — Variety feels that the movie tries too hard to impress you by dragging out its spooky reveals, while glossing over huge plot holes. "The film amounts to a lousy sort of magic show, schematically pulling strings to prove its own points," Variety adds. And Hitfix agrees with Variety, saying the film telegraphs its ending an hour ahead of time and then spins through slow-motion plot mechanics to get there.

S

The Voices

Marjane Satrapi (Chicken With Plums) directs this film in which Ryan Reynolds is a murderer who hears his cat and dog speaking to him and giving him advice.

The verdict: Indiewire says this movie doesn't have much to say, but it's always hilarious, and you never stop sympathizing with Reynolds even after he does terrible things. The Hollywood Reporter says the mix of horror and black comedy is a risky one which pays off because Satrapi and writer Michael R. Perry find the right tone for the material. Screen Daily praises Reynolds' performance as a guy who "never quite recognizes how demented he is" who just happens to find that killing gets easier the more you do it. US Magazine doesn't like the film as much, saying it falls short and "appeals to the movie mavens in Park City, Utah — but in the mainstream, it's destined for cult classic status at best."

S

Cooties

Elijah Wood is a struggling novelist who goes to work as a substitute teacher at his old school, where he tries to romance an old flame (Alison Pill) before discovering she's already dating the boorish P.E. teacher (Rainn Wilson). Oh, and some of the kids have eaten tainted chicken nuggets and are turning into face-eating zombies... and it's spreading.

The verdict: Hollywood Reporter compares it to Zombieland and praises the "well-paced and very funny" zom-com.Indiewire agrees, calling it a "solid midnight movie, where the laughs outnumber the body count tenfold." Hitfix calls the film "tremendous fun" but also says it gives the proper amount of weight to the moment when the teachers have to start fighting back against the zombie kids. Screen Daily warns that it loses a lot of its bite in the last act, but is a solid zombie comedy before then. Says Film School Rejects, "Cooties is horror comedy done right. It's laugh out loud funny but never shies away from the gory, violent bits involving adults and children. See it with a child you love." The one dissenting opinion comes from Fangoria, which complains the film's satire never has any bite and it never manages to deliver "true carnage."

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Sundance 2014 Roundup: Which New Indie Movie Will Rock Your Theater?