"What is Wrong with Women?"

That's the angry question that writer/director/all around genius Joss Whedon asks in his brilliant rant about the stoning of a young woman in Iraq.

I posted about it on Wyrdstuff, so go there to read my full post. You can link to Joss's website, Whedonesque, from there.

Whedon mulls how this stoning reflects not only on attitudes in Iraq, but how women are seen in general in all societies. He's pessimistic, but determined to try and make a difference. You can go here, if you feel the same kind of determination.

Best. News. Ever.

A very dear friend of mine just left a message on my voicemail that has me over the moon...

As of today she has hit the five-years free of cancer mark!

She got the full body scan, yada yada. And not a spot of cancer. Not a spot for five years, which means she can stop with the scanning and the worrying. The odds of her getting cancer again at this point are so small, she's now once again just like the rest of us.

HURRAY!

It's difficult to describe the swell of relief and happiness this news brings. I'm not only delighted for her, I'm thrilled for those of us who are her family -- thrilled that we're gonna have her around for a good long time.

By the way - the photo above is of the sunset at the north pole. A suitably beautiful, moving image to celebrate with.

"Once"

Saw a terrific little movie this weekend called Once. It's a low budget musical of sorts, shot in Dublin. It stars two wonderful actors you've never heard of, and is romantic in a way you don't often see in more Hollywood films.

Our hero, an unnamed Irishman in his thirties, works by day in his father's "Hoover Repair" shop. But whenever he's able, he plays for the crowds in the center of Dublin on the streets, singing passionately personal songs on his guitar. One day, a cute immigrant from the Czech Republic stops by and asks some perceptive questions about his songs. Soon they are harmonizing like old friends on his songs. Both are in difficult places in their romantic life, and they struggle with their feelings for each other in heartfelt song and amusing, sweet exchanges.

This is the sort of musical where the music doesn't feel imposed or unreal at any moment. Both actors are relatively untrained and unknown, but they have a lovely instinctive style that works beautifully. The movie doesn't go quite where you'd expect, but once you get there, it feels completely right. I'm not much of a sucker for romantic films - most Hollywood stuff is too sappy for me. But this little gem works on every level. It's out only in selected cities, but keep your eyes peeled...

TV this Fall - Geek Heaven

My latest post on Wyrdstuff gives a lengthy list of cool sounding new shows that geeks like me will like. You know the stuff - full of sci fi and fantasy elements.

You can read the full post here.

The only one I know will stink is Moonlight, formerly known as Twilight, which I read before it shot. The script was marginal (a handsome good vampire becomes a private eye - Angel and Blood Ties anyone?) and I've since heard it's getting revamped (so to speak) and nobody knows what to do with it. So nevermind on that one.

But do keep Pushing Daisies in mind when you watch TV this fall. The script was brilliant, and I've heard the show itself is fabulous.

Pick Up Time

It's time to pick up pilots in TV Land. The networks are announcing their slates for fall, dropping some old series and picking up some new ones.

I posted on Wyrdstuff about the best pilot script I read this season, Pushing Daisies, written by Bryan Fuller, creator of Dead Like Me, and co-executive producer of Heroes. The actual post is here.

Most folks in the biz are in New York this week, partying and gaping at the stars of the shows as the networks blast the airwaves with publicity about how this fall will be their best season ever. One famous TV series creator was observed by dozens at the Peninsula hotel, yelling at his actress/singer (former?) girlfriend. It's a madhouse of ego, hype, and hysteria. Good times!

What is Your Daemon?

If you loved the book The Golden Compass, you'll enjoy their website at www.goldencompassmovie.com. There you can take a short quiz (click on the image above) to find out what your daemon is - that's the animal representation of your spirit that manifests into one shape after puberty. Daemons talk and are linked via an invisible thread to their human counterpart. They're one of author Philip Pullman's most amazing concepts in his award winning trilogy called His Dark Materials.

My daemon turned out to be Aesop, the ocelot. I'm gonna keep him!

Take the quiz! Better yet, read the book. It's usually in Young Adult or Teen sections of bookstores, but it's got a lot of very grown up things on its mind.

LA Festival of Books

Dude! Life is busy right now. I have had scarcely a moment to vacuum and do laundry, let along post stuff here.

However, I'm not too busy to attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which will be on the UCLA campus this Saturday and Sunday. It's a madhouse of books, art, talks, panels, fresh food, and lots of people, all on the lovely UCLA campus in Westwood. This year they've got everyone from Kareen Abdul Jabar to Julie Andrews to Jim Lehrer.... to Joseph Wambaugh, James Ellroy, Ray Bradbury, Lee Iacocca, and Frank McCourt.

The Fest is free, but parking is not, so figure on $8 to park. Last year I ended up spending a lot more when I got a lithograph of an illustration by Garth Williams (one of my childhood faves) from "Cricket in Tims Square.

So LA denizens - go! I'll try to report back. More info here:

http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

And here:

http://www.calendarlive.com/books/la-wk-festival26apr26,0,267803.story?coll=cl-books-features

Happy reading!

Santa Anita Derby

Ventured off to Santa Anita to watch the ponies run. For $5 general admission, it's hard to beat the spectacle of beautiful horses ripping down a track at 40 mph. As you can see from my fabulous (if I do say so myself) photo above, King of the Roxy was in the lead in the Derby as they neared the finish line. But longshot Tiago came roaring up behind him to win the day.

Santa Anita is a beautiful track. Because it was Derby day, it was packed with all sorts of people, from hardened old-timers to families with babies. My only complaint was that the food was terrible and difficult to find. Long lines just to get a Diet Coke led to thirst problems and interfered with betting.

Had trouble fitting everyone in to this photo because I brought my wonderful telephoto lens (thanks, Randy!) so I could capture the faraway action on the track. Valerie peeks in on the left, then Mike, Kim, and Maria at the top right.

Maria did a better job of getting us all in the frame. Me, Val, Mike, and Kim. Valerie had a great run of picking winners, and this was her first time at the track. Beginner's luck, gosh darn it.

So It Goes

Farewell to a terrific writer and an even better human being. Kurt Vonnegut died last night of injuries from a fall at the age of 84.

His own words serve as a better epitaph than I could conjur. As the New York Times said, his philosophy may best be summed up by these words from his 1965 novel, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine:

“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’ ”

As a writer, I find the advice below, which he wrote about how to write short stories, of great value:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut.

More Dating Tips

Yes, more delicious, juicy dating tips! Single? Take note! Married? Smugly remind yourself how great it is NOT to be dating.

The same caveat applies as to my previous dating tips post - I'm a woman who dates men, so this advice is slanted in that direction. But with a little imagination, you can apply some of these tips to women.

1. Don't lovingly describe another woman's breasts and nipples during a first date. In fact, it's best to avoid the word "nipples" entirely. No, you are not showing me how sensual you are. You're being an insensitive bonehead. How would you like it if I babbled on and on about another man's fabulous penis?

Yes, this happened to me. If it hadn't, giving this advice would never have occurred to me.

2. If you're interested in someone at work, do not secretly hover behind them as they read their email. You'll be caught, and you'll seem creepy. If caught, do not then say "I didn't mean to read your email over your shoulder." I know that what you really didn't mean to do was get caught doing it. In addition, do not then use the information thus gleaned to start a conversation with the object of your interest. As in, "I didn't mean to snoop, but I couldn't help seeing you were reading an email from the University of Chicago alumni association. I grew up in Chicago!"

3. Men, open the door for your female date. Yes, feminists like this. It's considerate. Take any opportunity to show thoughtfulness.

4. Men, walk your date to her car at the end of the date.

5. Men, if you're lucky enough to have spent some intimate time with a woman in your apartment and she decides to leave after the festivities are over, haul your ass into some pants and walk her out to her car. Do not blink at her sleepily from your door, wave at her vaguely, then slam it shut and double lock it, leaving her in the dark to find her way past vagrants through puddles and rain, to a cold car. If you wish to have a follow up date with her, try to be as considerate and thoughtful as possible.

6. In that vein, as you wish her goodbye from her car, ask her to call you when she gets home "To be sure you get home safely." This is not required, but I highly recommend it. She'll call you when she gets home, you'll have another few minutes of sweet conversation, and you'll have endeared yourself to her for all eternity.

Don't Play With Fire, Knuckleheads!

Apparently a bunch of teenagers playing with fireworks are the idiotic arsonists who set the Hollywood Hills ablaze today, not far from where I work. This photo was taken using my phone camera from my boss's office window. That's the Warner Bros. water tower hovering above the rest of the studio lot, soundstages, offices, and smoke.

Fortunately, our heroic firefighters have the thing under control, but as I speak, my office's normally antiseptic air smells like smoke. Ash falls from the sky. Traffic snarls. Asthmatics wheeze. Small animals die in the brush thanks to some clueless kids.

Just the usual apocalyptic fun here in Los Angeles.

Wyrdstuff Wobbles to Its Feet

A new production company has launched - Wyrd Productions, and they've got a blog that covers everything in the world of sci fi, fantasy, horror, comics, and games. Http://wyrdstuff.com. They're still working out the technical kinks, but it's looking pretty good already.

Full disclosure: I post for them under the mysterious name "Nina." And the company was started up by a group of my friends, all talented filmmakers. With many updates every day, it's chock full of interesting info on all things Wyrd.

New (Creative) Job

I can't blog too much about my work, but I did want to post that I started a new job yesterday. I'm now working in development at Horizon Scripted Television, which develops and runs shows for second tier cable. (For you non-TV types, that means networks like FX, TNT, Lifetime, Sci-Fi)

Can't discuss details. Wouldn't want to endanger my fabulous new gig by giving away secrets! But it's exciting to be back in the midst of a creative swirl of energy. I felt this way when I worked with the writers on "Married... With Children." Scripts everywhere, writers and directors coming in for meetings, agents schmoozing...

Ah Hollywood. So fabulous. So annoying. So creative. So insane.

Dating Tips

I've been out on a few dates lately, and I have some tips for success.

I'm going to try not to make this gender specific, so I didn't title this post Dating Tips for Men. Much of this will apply to both sexes. But, because I'm a woman and have dated a few very nice men recently who seem clueless about a few dating basics, this may have a bit of a slant. C'est la vie.

1. Don't talk about your ex. In particular, don't talk about her for 45 minutes, mentioning frequently how "passionate" your relationship was, how you wanted to marry her and blend your families, and how you only broke up a month ago. After all that don't tell me you're over her and ready to move on. I know better, and I've already moved on.

2. Don't ask your date "Why are you still single?" in an accusatory tone. This makes your date defensive and prone to say things like "Well, you're single too." In particular, don't follow up with a tale about how everyone who is single at your age has must have major issues or they wouldn't still be single. Would rather go on a date with a married woman?

3. Don't practically force your date to valet park when she'd rather find free street parking. In particular, don't tell her that you'll pay for valet parking and then not pay for it. Also, don't "get a ride" to your car from the valet in your date's car just so you can get her in the car alone and make a move on her, especially after you haven't paid for the valet. Your date saw through your ploy from the beginning and caved because you were just so transparent. Also, if you are a man and get in a woman's car at the end of the first date, she is going to pretend to be nice until you get out and shut the door, no matter what she thinks of you, just in case you turn psycho.

4. A date should be fun. Don't spend fifteen minutes bitching about how crowded and horrible a location is. Don't get morose about the horrific state of the world. Repeat this to yourself - dating should be fun! Your attitude has everything to do with it.

5. Don't call your date early the next morning, telling her how amazing the date was after she dodged your kiss and ran off at high speed the night before. Wait at least until the afternoon or evening to call. That way you seem only hapless rather than desperate.

6. Listen. Interrupt the monologue on your amazing accomplishments with occasional questions for your date. Actually pay attention to what she is saying. Share information rather than lecturing.

7. Don't email headless, shirtless photos of yourself to your date before you've met her. Or even right after you've met her. Save that for later. If there is a later.

8. Don't text your date every five seconds as you are on your way to the date. Don't text other dates during your date. Don't answer your phone. In fact, turn off the phone. If you can't because you are expecting a call, explain this to your date so she is prepared. If you must take a call, keep it quick, apologize the way you wish politicians would when they're caught, and don't do it again.

9. Relax. There are a lot of fish in the sea.

What Book Are You?

So I took a test online that determines what book you are. Apparently, I'm Huckleberry Finn. But my straw hat is shaped like a cowboy hat, gosh darn it.

You're Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!

by Mark Twain

With an affinity for floating down the river, you see things in black
and white. The world is strange and new to you and the more you learn about it, the less
it makes sense. You probably speak with an accent and others have a hard time
understanding you and an even harder time taking you seriously. Nevertheless, your
adventurous spirit is admirable. You really like straw hats.

Try it!
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Stacy Zink - Artist in the News

Fiber artist, weaver extraodinaire, and smart cookie - that's Stacy Zink, who, as I mentioned a few posts ago, is currently in Baltimore at the "grandaddy" of crafts shows to show her gorgeous, handmade designs to wholesalers and retailers alike.

The local Baltimore news station featured Stacy heavily in a recent broadcast of the show. You can catch a glimpse of her poise and her sense a humor, as well as learn how she makes her scarves, shawls, and ponchos so exquisite. Check out this clip.

Stacy's one who is truly living the creative life here in Los Angeles. But make no mistake, she works twice as hard as most people I know. The odds are against you in this town, but Stacy's proof that it's possible.

Wearable Art

My friend and fashion maven Stacy Zink has new photos of her weaving artistry up on her site.

Click here.

The stuff is gorgeous. She's off now to the big, prestigious Baltimore Crafts Show to hopefully sell out.

Fresh Yarn from Valerie

Okay, it's another Christmas story, but my friend Valerie had her memoir/story "The Christmas Secrets" published online in December in a magazine called Fresh Yarn. It's intimate, candid, horrifying, and funny. But that's Valerie.

Click here.

Great Short Short Story

"Christmas" by Tao Lin. Check it out at Monkey Bicycle:

http://www.monkeybicycle.net/archive/Lin/christmas.html

A Whale of a Valentine

This year the Japanese government aims to hunt more than 1,000 whales in the Southern Ocean whales sanctuary. And once again, Greenpeace will be there to defend the whales. Last year Greenpeace saved 82 whales by confronting the whale hunters on the sea. Eight hundred whales still lost their lives. Ninety percent of the female whales killed in the Southern Ocean last year were either pregnant or nursing.

This Valentine's Day, make your love count. Save a whale. You may not be able to be on the boat that gets between the whales and the Japanese harpoons, but you can help. Greenpeace makes it easy with online actions that involve just a few minutes of your time and involve typing a few words and clicking "send." Go to http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/.

(And check out the kindergarten skills I used to combine an icon of myself with Greenpeace's latest poster/message to Japan, above. Pretty rickety, ey?)

My valentine this year is to the whales, and to the Japanese who oppose whaling. Greenpeace is reaching out to them, and you can too. Kiss someone you love, then go forth and make a difference. Happy Valentine's Day.