C. L. Norman

It’s fall preview time and I, like so many others, am fully caught up in that frenzy and DVR-ing/watching season premieres of old favorites and series premieres of new shows that have drawn my interest. Last night, one such show was Ringer on The CW. <Spoilers Ahead; Reader Beware>

The Bad

• Almost every reveal in the pilot was given away or hinted at in the previews—everything that is except the pregnancy. That will be a hard one to fake for very long.
• The special effects were distractingly bad. The lighting in the two scenes with the twins (the one in the apartment and the one on the boat) looked very unnaturally even. I am not a big critic of special effects but I found it distracting to the action. The Vampire Diaries (Elena/Katherine) and The Lying Game (Sutton/Emma) have done a better job.
• I felt no connection to any of the characters yet. They all have so many secrets and past lives that we don’t know about yet that I don’t have a clear favorite to root for or worry about what trouble he/she has gotten into.

The Good

• Sarah Michelle Geller. Need I say more? I also really like Kristoffer Polaha. So bonus!
• There are a lot of directions they can take with the set up they have and so a lot of hope for its future. There are so many breadcrumbs in the forest, any path is a possibility still.
• Starting at the end and catching us up. I don’t know the technical term for it but I am referring to the trick of starting at the climax of the episode and then rewinding and showing us how the characters got to that point. I’m a big fan of that technique. Even though I knew right away that it was Bridget running around in the construction site, I wasn’t sure whose life was in danger until she shouted the line “You’ve got the wrong girl!” At that point I knew that the assailant was after Siobhan and Bridget was unlucky enough to be caught in the wrong shoes.
• And of course now we have a body to deal with at the end of the show. This immediately amps up the stakes. If Bridget tells the police, she risks being exposed as the witness they are searching for. If she pulls in any of Siobhan’s so-called friends or family to help, it will lead to a feeding frenzy of blackmail and coercion. It’s possibly she could bring in her sponsor, I don’t see any immediate drawbacks to that but just because I don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Bridget may have to do the body-dumping solo.

My Conclusion

I’ll give the show another couple episodes. It could get much better. Ringer has a lot of potential.

What did you think of Ringer?

        

Ten years ago I was excited that a new Superman TV show was going to be airing on the CW. I set aside the time and parked myself in front of the television and when that first scene rolled out my cheeks hurt I was smiling so much. Tonight, Smallville comes to an end and I think my cheeks will be wet with tears. I’ll miss all the friends I’ve made in that little town in Kansas where a meteor shower fell and changed the world.

Superman has to be my all-time favorite superhero. But he isn’t a bad boy?  you ask. Well that’s right. I never claimed to be consistent. Superman, to me, is the prince of the superhero world. I adored him when I first saw Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel with the family in the living room years ago. The image of him saving Lois was so romantic and dramatic and. . . well, . . . heroic. I loved it. I also watched Lois & Clark when that came out. Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher as the super couple were funny and endearing and cool.

Then came Smallville and I fell in love all over again with the Superman story.

I’ll miss you, Blur. But first I will be watching you tonight and rooting for you to have that happily ever after with your princess. (I know. Sappy, right?)

        

• Water cooking in the sun on a concrete sidewalk smells like my childhood.

• Annie and Auggie need to begin a romantic subplot on Covert Affairs. Their chemistry is my favorite part of the show so far.

• Writing outlines is hard. I usually am a seat-of-my-pants-type writer. A challenge/assignment for my writing group has us writing an outline for a novel due next Thursday and my brain keeps resisting it. I will do it!

• Abbie on NCIS is cool.

• Having my oldest child out of the country for the Fringe Festival makes me feel old. The first faint feelings of empty next syndrome are stirring in my heart.

• Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara is a great book. My one complaint with it had to do with the part just before the ending. Something about the way it was written made me feel almost like things went into slow motion. Can’t wait to hear more of Kaylin’s adventures.

• As Lie The Dead by Kelly Meding kept up the pace of the first book. Coming back from the dead never was so cool.

• Step Up 3D was a good movie but gratuitous 3D effects are annoying.

• Visiting amusement parks on a Saturday in August is not as fun as it may sound.

• And finally, keep your eye on the blankie. If you don’t, your son will make you go to extraordinary means to get it back.

        

Last night, Covert Affairs premiered on USA; and I had to watch it. In fact, when my husband saw the commercial for it he commented “I know what you will be watching Tuesday night.”; that is how ‘right’ this show is for me.

Annie Walker as played by Piper Perabo is a delight. She is funny; awkward in new situations; and a master deceiver, even on her first job. Annie hasn’t even completed her CIA training when she is pulled in for a job which sounded a little forced at first. However, by the end, it is revealed that using her had a secret second purpose, a plot within a plot. And I love those.

Auggie Anderson, the blind tech specialist played by Christopher Gorham, is a fascinating character as well. He has humor and confidence; leading Annie through the hurdles of her first day on the job with finesse that is fun to watch. Right now he is set up as the new best friend but I am hoping that there is a bit of a romance subplot in his future. The chemistry between the two characters works for me.

An obstacle to that romance appears in the form of the mysterious ex from Annie’s past. She met him in Sri Lanka and he disappeared one night leaving a cryptic note. Ben Mercer, played by Eion Bailey (I remember him from Dawson’s Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will be coming back. Count on it. And when he does, sparks will fly; and I don’t mean just the romantic ones.

There was a lot of potential in the pilot for this series and I found myself setting my DVR to record this series, upgrading it from record this episode after the first ten minutes.

        

Hi, guys. Another week, another post.

Reading

Daemon’s Mark by Caitlin Kittredge. The fifth in the Nocturne City series and another heroine shapeshifter. Luna Wilder is the main character in these books and she heads up the Supernatural Crimes Section of the police department. In this book, (despite the mistake on the cover blurb) Luna gets caught up in an investigation into a Russian sex slave ring. Young supernatural women are going missing and Luna is compelled to help them. An ex makes an appearance and her new boyfriend asks a question complicating Luna’s already full plate. This book is one I could not put down, and why would I even try? It is that good.

Revenant by Phaedra Weldon. Mental note: Ask Zoe Martinique how she keeps track of all her mental notes. Zoe Martinique started off this series as a plain old investigator who just happened to have the little talent of being able to go Out of Body (OOB) and spy on people incorporeally. Handy trick that. By this time, as a result of a connection with a certain Vin Diesal look-alike from the Abysmal plane, she is now Wraith. Wraith with a capital W, complete with scary black wings and killer bunny slippers on her feet. Irreverent and funny, Zoe’s friends are being threatened by a series of attacks on Revenants AKA vampires (but not the kind you’ve been reading about) and is off to save them. By the way, you can blame Zoe for my Sunday post being posted on Monday morning.

TV

Lie to Me. Cal is back in business, rooting out the liars and having fun doing it. In the season opener, Cal is after a serial killer. Everyone else doesn’t see it, but Cal pushes forward and proves himself right, again. Doctor Johnny Fever saw a UFO and his career was saved. Ok, so maybe it was the actor, Howard Hesseman, playing a professor who saw the UFO and as everyone thought he was crazy his career was in jeopardy. This show is one of my favorites. The team dynamic, the irreverent Cal, and the “who-done-it” aspects of this show hit all the right notes with me and I am happy it is back for the summer.

Good Guys. I’m on the fence about this new series. On one hand it is a cop and partner show. Two partners who are completely different are out there solving crimes. On the other hand it is a tongue-in-cheek spoof of a cop show, poking fun at the genre with a lot of strange, but funny, flashbacks.  ”I finally figured out how to use the computer machine.”–Dan Stark as he wedges the laptop into the car to hold down the accelerator.

Stargate SG-U. Wow. Season finale and it won’t be coming back until October. I think there were tears in my eyes when I knew how long it would be before I FOUND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO EVERYONE! The season finale has the potential for new faces (and another faction) to be added to the Destiny. It also has the potential for several favorites to be leaving. I am loving this show and I am going to be counting the days until the next season starts.

Writing

You might think with all this reading and watching of the TV, I didn’t have time to write. You would be wrong. While my word count might not be that impressive, I did make progress on my current story. I am also seeing the path I want to start down with the next scene or two which is always nice. The path is fog shrouded and murky, and I think I hear some creepy music playing, but there is some excitement down there I can’t wait to explore.

Movies

Karate Kid. I told you that I wanted to see this movie and so I took the family with me to celebrate the kids’ last day of school. I really enjoyed it. There was enough of a balance between the familiar and new, that everyone could have fun with this movie. Jaden Smith has a lot of his dad in him (or at least a lot of what his dad shows on the screen) and Jackie Chan is, as always, awesome. Fun, fresh, and most importantly, this movie teaches kids to do their chores and respect their elders. You should see it.

How was your week? Any summer plans you are jumping into already?

        

Happy Sunday, folks. I had some sad, sad news today. Our cafe no longer carries the dark cherry syrup for my hot chocolate. I nearly sobbed at the news and regular hot chocolate doesn’t taste nearly as good. Alas, this is a pain I must bear alone. And now on with my week.

Writing

A little of this and a little of that. I didn’t quite write every day this week but I came close and some days were better than others. If you haven’t seen it, I wrote and posted a short story, Initiation, for #fridayflash. I had a lot of fun writing it and yes, I know it seems like the beginning of something much longer. I’ve been hearing that a lot lately with regards to my short stories. It is why I am trying so desperately to learn to write a novel. I have more to say just don’t have the skills and discipline yet to say it all.

Speaking of novels and writing, writing group was this week. We always have a 20 minute sharing time in the middle of the meeting. This week one of our member shared some ideas on outlining. One of the things she shared is an article on the Snowflake Method. I had, of course, heard of this method before but had never pursued it. After reading through the materials she handed out, I am going to give it a go and try it out. Other outlining methods haven’t worked out for me and this one might not either but I haven’t given up on finding a method that works for me. So I will try this one.

On TV

Watching Bones this week made me smile. The nod to Nightmare on Elm Street was very well done. Robert Englund was just the right amount of creepy to remind us of Freddy Krueger and yet be a fun childhood friend to Brennan.

Around the Web

Alan Rinzler posts a fun and informative bit on Shelf Wars. Even though I work in a bookstore I learned a little something from his article.

Discovered a new blog, Magical Words, that is for new writers. Several writers I admire and am a fan of post the entries on it.

In case I wasn’t sure I read this blog post You Might Be A Writer If . . . and yup, I’m a writer.

How did your week go? Discover any goodies you’d like to share with me?

        

I adore the TV show Bones. All the characters and how they relate to each other is fascinating, and the science and who-done-it parts are highly entertaining. Last night’s 100th episode took us back to the beginning when all those relationships were forming. To a time when Angela didn’t have a fancy computer to work her magic on. To a time when Hodgins and Zack first worked an expirament together. To a time when Booth and Brennan hadn’t developed a working partnership and were free to admit an attraction to each other.

Spoilers ahead, be warned.

As was advertised in the trailer, we got to see what we’ve been waiting for. Booth declaring his love for Brennan followed by a kiss. The romantic in my soul wanted Brennan to fall into his arms and nestle there for a minute before she broke away. The character didn’t even take that minute before she pushed away and declared her fear of hurting Booth. The moment was so full of tension and pain and it was nearly perfect for this stage in their relationship.

Then Booth says that he has to move on though, find that someone he can be with for forty, fifty years. It felt like we had been given something and then had it taken away. I suspect that Booth said that to save face, to comfort Brennan in the face of her decision, and maybe it had a grain of truth in it.

Even though they walked off arm in arm, outwardly in the same place they started, inwardly I think they are both changed. Booth doesn’t have his feelings bottled up inside behind a wall of fear anymore and Brennan expressed her fears to Booth. The next several episodes should see some interesting things develop.

At the very least I can’t wait to hear what the team says when they hear what’s happened.

        

Walking home alone last night I had the vivid sensation that someone was following me in the dark through my quiet neighborhood. Phantom footsteps echoed on the sidewalks. Shadows reached for me from hedges and rose bushes along my path. I even imagined I heard an audience screaming at me, “Look out behind you!”

All of this resulted from watching similar scenes over and over again in movies and television shows.

Years ago a bank near where I worked was robbed and the only clue the FBI had led them straight to our store. I remember standing at the counter waiting to ring up the next customer. The next person in line was a gentleman in suit who got out his wallet and flipped it open showing me his FBI ID.

Something happened to my hearing as phatom bullets started flying and I worked out where I would take cover from the violence that would soon follow. My heartbeat sped up and my breathing altered slightly as my imagination put me through a shoot out in the space of a few seconds.

When the events finished playing out in my head (ending up with me wounded and of course selflessly administering first aid to another wounded customer) I came back to actual events and had to tell the agent that I couldn’t help him with his question and directed him to the assistant manager.

Again this was the result of too much TV.

Driving down the road alone at night, I can see the specter of a person running into the road in the rain and freezing in the headlights. A police car barrelling down the highway with lights on becomes involved in a car chase with a lot of explosions and cars crashing in its wake. Folks waiting in line at the bank have guns in their bags/pockets and are waiting for the opportunity to take hostages and rob the bank.

These are the things that run through my imagination as I go through life. All as a result of watching TV. That’s right. I blame my paranoia on TV.

What things do you imagine as a result of watching TV?

        

This year I was really excited to watch the Oscars. I had missed them last year and I wanted desparately to see them this time around. The strangest thing about it all is that I didn’t see any of the 10 movies nominated for Oscars this year. Because of that I didn’t care a whole lot about who actually won the Oscars. If you are interested in seeing the winners list go here.

Here are the highlights that I enjoyed about this lavish tribute to the movies.

• The fairytale like dresses. I love the fancy ballgowns. This year they were more traditional–flowing skirts, fitted tops, shimmering and sparkling fabrics–the way I like them. Of course the dresses always look better against the neat, black tuxes. I always think of princesses and princes when I see people dressed up in that way.
• Tribute to John Hughes. Matthew Broderick, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Cryer, and Macauley Culkin all together on one stage was a trip back in time to my teen years. It was wonderful to see the montage of some of my favorite films. I have an urge to break out my John Hughes collection of DVDs and rewatch them.
• The Horror Segment. I am not a horror fan but my brother use to make me watch them to “toughen me up.” I had fun playing “guess the movie” with no answer sheet so, of course, I got all of them right.
• The Intro Song with Neil Patrick Harris. The fun and pageantry of that opening number reminds me of the theater scene in the original Annie movie. Full of pomp and fun and pointing out everything that makes folks go to the movies. I watchted it with a grin stretched across my face and wished it went on longer.
• And the Oscar goes to… That moment when the presenter says those 5 little words and everyone in the Kodak Theater holds their breath in anticipation. That moment when the family sitting around the TV shouts out their guess for the winner. It is the moment the whole 3+ hour long show is all about.

Did you watch the Oscars? What parts did you enjoy the most? Did your favorite movie/actor/director of 2009 win any awards?

        

Reading

This week Kim Harrison‘s Black Magic Sanction was released. The last couple books in the Hollows series were slightly disatisfying for me. Not because of the writing but because I hoped certain things would happen that didn’t or vice versa. I enjoyed this book in all ways. The plot, the characters, the pacing; I stayed up late to finish it, flipping pages and holding my breath to see how Rachel would get out of her current predicament. I cried and laughed and had a blast. I fell in love again with the Hollows series.

Rivers of Ink

The local writing event to connect readers and writers is having its second go-round this October and our first planning meeting occurred this week. It is so fun and challenging to share ideas for this event everyone is so passionate about. There is a lot of anticipation that this event go even better than the last one. I personally am trying to build my writing cred between now and October (when the conference is) so that I am better prepared to sit in on a panel or two.

On TV

I’ve finally watched the episode of Heroes stored on my DVR and found that it was the Season 4 finale. It explained why my trusty DVR hadn’t recorded any more episodes since. I enjoyed seeing Hiro teleport a whole crowd of ‘specials’ away from Samual, watching Tracy flow in and rescue Noah and Claire, but my most favorite part was watching Sylar save Emma and say “I am a hero.” Sylar is awesome to observe. The part I was most disappointed with is the lack of Suresh. I’ve always had a soft spot for that character and Season 4 is very Suresh-lite and the final episode lacks him altogether. I hope he comes back for Season 5.

I watched last week’s episode of Smallville as well. As I am also currently re-watching old episodes of Stargate SG-1, the episode was rather trippy. Trippy because the villain of the episode, Conspiracy, is played by JR Bourne who played Martouf in Stargate SG-1, a good guy. He did a good job playing the psycho Frankenstein’s monster type but I kept expected a plot twist that would turn him into a misunderstood good guy.

Writing

I’m working on some maps for a new story. If I can figure out how to scan it into the computer, maybe I will post one or two later this week. I have also been building some background and story elements for this story. I am excited for it. The idea behind it has been percolating in my mind for years and I am hoping to get the story down over the next few months.

RIP Boner

Actor Andrew Koenig AKA Richard “Boner” Stabone of Growing Pains passed away this week. His character was always good for a laugh and as Mike Seaver’s best friend, the couple made a fun team. It is like another piece of my childhood slipping away. My heart goes out to his family.

How was your week? Anything interesting happen?