Vampire Diaries: 'Blood Brothers'...a brotherhood that will never end

I know I am posting this recap much later than I always do, but this episode really threw me for a loop. It took me so long to actually process all the information the writers gave us in this episode. So let me first say this...WOW.

There is a reason that some of my favorite episodes of the season are those with flashbacks. And this is the one I've been looking forward to all season! How did Damon and Stefan die? And whoosh! The writers of this series were never ones to waste time. Now, as a lover of the books, I was slightly disappointed that Damon and Stefan did not in fact kill each other, but were shot trying to save Katherine. I thought it diminished quite a lot of what I believed the hate relationship was between them. However, my disappointment was mended when we find out that it was Daddy Salvatore that pulled the trigger.

Really? He killed his own sons. Not only does it confirm the feelings that Damon has had against his father all along, but it completely destroyed Stefan. Even led him to wish for his father's demise. Which indeed came, from the mouth of his own "good" son. For the first time, Stefan felt the betrayal against his father that Damon as always felt. Stefan loved and respected his father. And being the person he drink from to complete his change made the irony and Stefan's guilt all the greater.

I'm sure I'm not the only person that always assumed that it was Damon that completed the transformation into a vampire first. But to find that Damon was the one ready to die without Katherine at his side is beyond shocking. "They killed her, Stefan. She's gone." It's hard to believe a crying Damon. Or a Damon that truly does love someone. But in his way, Damon did truly love Katherine, especially after finding that Katherine never did have to compel him. Perhaps this is why I watched in horror as Stefan forced him to feed on human blood to complete his transformation into a vampire. Stefan to Damon: "You can turn that off too, you don't have to feel that pain anymore. I won't let you die." Damon: "No, I can't." All the while forcing Damon towards the girl he brought for him. It was as if we saw the Damon that can care and love turn into the Damon that hates change right before our eyes. I have never felt so much sympathy for Damon before. even if he has always been my favorite character.

I agree with one of my good twitter pals @IHeartTVD when she said Friday night that Stefan was being selfish, just like Katherine. He discovered a whole other life and wanted someone to share it with. And in forcing Damon to become a vampire, the weight of Stefan's guilt began.

Now being locked in the dungeon in the boardinghouse in the middle of intervention staged by Damon and Elena, Stefan cannot let go of the guilt that has been building up for 145 years. He has a habit of taking all the responsibility on his shoulders so no one else has to. Including the demons and guilt of his brother. Elena does all she can to make him drink animal blood, but he refuses. Because of the weight of his guilt, he is ready to die. Stefan: "I don't want to survive. I'm sorry Elena, no more. After what I've done it has to end. I just want it over." Stefan is no longer able to live with what he has done. Elena, refusing to take no as an answer, gives him an ultimatum: To stay in the cell and die, or put his ring back on and come to her upstairs, and she leaves the cell.

As a viewer that can sometimes be annoyed by Elena's control freak attitude, I was very happy with her in this episode. Although she knew none of this was okay, she knew Stefan still had the strength to walk away from this. She didn't make it okay, but she refused to let him blame himself for a monster that he can't control.

Damon and Alaric team up once again to track down a clue to Isobel. Alaric: "Can we not kill anyone tonight, please?" Damon: "You just brought me along for my company?" In a couple of my favorite scenes in the episode, Damon and Alaric raid a house that ends up being the residence of one of the tomb vampires whom Uncle John has been helping. Killing him easily, Alaric confesses that he his done spending his life trying to find Isobel, when he only ever comes to dead ends. In the scene that follows, Damon and Alaric have not only found something in common, but tease and poke each other like they've been friends for years. They have both been abandoned by the woman they loved. Although these are the last two that you would ever see as friends, they have reluctantly come together under similar circumstances because they are a great team. Could it get any better than this? (Ha!)

Upon Damon's return to the boardinghouse, Elena is instantly defensive, blaming Damon's taunting of his little brother for Stefan's demise. Damon doesn't take to kindly to her accusation and blames her for not hearing the rest of their story. When demanding to hear it, Elena is almost horrified to find out the truth of how they turned into vampires. And then, she finds Stefan's cell empty.

Fleeing to the quarry where his and Damon's lives changed forever, Stefan plans to let the sun rise and his life end. But not before reliving the last moments with his brother before Damon changed. After waking as a vampire, Damon doesn't plan to live eternity with his brother as Stefan wished, but instead, plans to making him suffer for eternity. Damon: "You got what you wanted. You and me for all eternity. But hear this, brother. I will make it an eternity of misery for you." Emily never wanted them to turn and share in Katherine's curse. One that is even more so for Stefan. Even after changing into a vampire, Stefan's heart is pure, and that will now remain his curse for eternity.

Elena finds him at the quarry, and has brought his ring with her. In a tone of understanding that I have never heard from her before, Elena proves that their guilt is much the same. Elena: "are actions are what sets things in motion. But we have to live with that." Even though Stefan doesn't want to hear it, he has no choice but to listen. "Please, don't make this all okay. It hurts me, knowing what I've done." Drinking human blood takes his pain away. That's why he changes, and that's why he knows he is dangerous. That's why he wants to die. Stefan doesn't want the monster inside him to be an excuse to get out of the misery he believes he deserves. However, Elena is able to convince him that he is strong and that he can fight his urges as he has done for 145 years. He doesn't have to let himself be a monster. That he can stand up from this and move forward. And although I don't think Stefan agrees with her, he decides to trust in her trust of him, and takes his ring back.

Damon, as snarky as ever, decides to rejoice in the "good" brother's return. Damon: "No, thank you. Stefan. You're back on Bambi blood and I'm the big bad-ass brother again. All is right in the world."Although we know Damon cares about Stefan, Damon makes sure he knows that that's not all he feels towards his brother. "You're not allowed to feel my guilt." Stefan has spent so much time running behind Damon and cleaning up his messes, that Damon makes sure his little brother knows he's had enough and that his feelings towards Stefan still haven't changed. "I hated you and I still do. Because she turned you. It was just supposed to be me, Stefan. Just me."

Even after everything that has happened, Damon still hates Stefan because Katherine chose him too. And if the TV series does stay true to the book, Katherine loved Stefan best. And not only will that be something that Damon holds against him forever, but also the fact that Stefan also has Elena. Whether what Damon said is true or not, I'm not sure everything will go back to the way it was. Too much has happened between the brothers this season. Not matter how much Damon tries to hide it, he does care what happens to Stefan and Elena. And no matter how hard Stefan tries not to, he will always be there to get Damon out of whatever mess he finds himself in. They may hate each other for one reason or another, but somehow, no matter what moves they make, their brotherhood never changes. They will never leave eachother's side again.

And as for the cliffhanger we always know is coming...considering the name of next week's episode, I'm pretty sure we all knew Isobel was going waltz in during the last few seconds.

As a side note, next week is the CW's Tweet Week. Nina Dobrev will be tweeting between 8-9pm ET and Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec will be tweeting for both the East Coast and the West Coast as we all watch the new episode of "The Vampire Diaries" next week.

San Diego makes a move to keep Comic Con...

We all know that San Diego Convention Center's contract with Comic Con runs out in 2012. One of the major discussions between attendees the last few years has been where will we be going in 2013? Las Vegas? Los Angeles? Anahiem? Somewhere else?

Honestly, I don't want it to leave San Diego. It's obvious that the Convention Center is not big enough anymore, as crazy as that is to say, because the place is damn huge! But last year the Convention attracted 126,000 attendees. And this year, all passes are already sold out. 4-Day passes sold out before the end of the year in 2009, which is a first. The waitlist already has 400 people on it. More people come every year. So San Diego has two choices, go bigger or lose it.

The city made a move to keep the convention through 2015 early this month. The Port of San Diego agreed to a deal that will cost $753 million to extend the Convention Center to support the new mass of attendees. When looking at the size of the extension they plan to build, my eyes bulged. That would definitely do the trick to ease the crowded hallsways of the Convention. Now, obviously, building this extension will take some time. It actually would not be avalible until 2015. But, the keep the organizers of Comic Con in San Diego until then, they are offering $500,000 in hotel tax revenue.

It would cover the convention from 2011 to 2015, when the new extension of the Convention Center would be avalible. Apparently a decision is to be made in a few weeks. But with the cities of Los Angeles and Anahiem also bidding to the organizers, it's clear the next few weeks will be very interesting.

Me, I'm hoping it stays in San Diego. That city was born to host this event. Nothing else would ever be the same.

For more information go to these links:

http://www.collider.com/2010/04/28/san-diego-hopes-to-improve-chances-of-keeping-comic-con-by-offering-500000-in-hotel-tax-revenue/

http://www.collider.com/2010/04/04/san-diego-to-build-753-million-expansion-to-convention-center-in-a-bid-to-keep-comic-con/

Oh, and all you Comic Con fans will love this website. Planning on attending Comic Con 91 in 2061? Remember to book your hotel early!!!

http://www.blueshiftworld.com/BlueshiftTravelHtTML/comic-con_1_ready.html

Seriously, visit that website....you won't regret it!!

'Vampire Diaries': Three Episodes left..so, what's gonna happen?

As I said in my review last week of "Miss Mystic Falls", I knew I would have to do a whole separate post of my predictions for the rest of the season. With only three more episodes left, there is so much left to be said. And after I a lot of discussion on Twitter, BlogTalkRadio, Skype and Fan Forum with many TVD ("The Vampire Diaries") friends, I believe I am ready to organize them into coherent sentences. So let's start with this week's episode "Blood Brothers"....


This is an episode I have been waiting for all season. As a fan of the books, I was always interested when Stefan went into the story of his and Damon's past, and the story between them and Katherine and how exactly they turned into vampires. This being the third episode that will involve flashbacks, I think we will hopefully and finally see exactly how they died. To become a vampire you must exchange blood, die, drink human blood, and then that's it. You're officially a member of the Undead Club. Now seeing as Damon and Stefan are vampires, we know that they had Katherine's blood in their system when they died. But how exactly did they die? I'm hoping the show stays true to the books in that respect. I want to see Damon and Stefan kill each other. I want to see an epic sword fight between two brothers. Demented as that may seem, that is the scene I am expecting in this episode. What else can we expect from "Blood Brothers"?

We know that Damon is telling Elena the rest of the story about Stefan, and how he changed the first time he tasted human blood. But I am also wondering if we will see any of this invention of Johnathan Gilbert's that Pearl gave Damon last week in these flashbacks....Oh, and it just happens to be something Uncle John is looking for. Why? Honestly, I have no idea.

Moving on to "Isobel"...


The synopsis reveals that Isobel, Elena's birth mother, Alaric's dead wife, now vampire thanks to Damon, returns to Mystic Falls to find Johnathan Gilbert's invention, that Damon now has possession of. She demands a meeting with Elena and makes it clear that she will stop at nothing to get that invention. I really want to know what that damn thing is, and I can't even begin to guess! But whatever she wants it for, Isobel goes to Damon to get it, and obviously, as seen in the picture above, he doesn't like her fishing for information. And why exactly does Isobel want to see Elena?


She probably just wants information that Elena has on this invention. And when Elena obviously has questions, Isobel leaves more of them unanswered than not. And why do Damon, Stefan and Bonnie have to team up to help Elena with this problem?? Maybe because Isobel is bringing a whole new gang of vampires to town? Some of us were informed from a member of the TVD Twitter Family who was there during the filming of "Isobel", that at the moment of the picture above, there are more vampires behind Elena that we can't see, that came with Isobel.

I once again, can't even imagine what the hell this damn invention is. But the fact that it is dire enough of a situation for Bonnie to team up with Damon and Stefan, the two vampires that she blames for Gram's death, is extreme. Bonnie said to Elena in last week's episode, that she would not make Elena choose between their friendship and her love for Stefan. But that doesn't mean that Bonnie will ever forgive the Salvatore brothers. Now, two episodes later, she is teamed up with them to work her magic? It can only mean things are getting serious...

Now...on to the big show...the season finale "Founder's Day".


Mystic Falls celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the town with a parade in authentic Civil War dress. The CW only just released the stills for "Founder's Day" two days ago, and we spent hours and hours talking about the clues. The first thing I got excited about was the picture above. Already surprised that Bonnie would team up with Damon and Stefan so quickly after returning to Mystic Falls, now it seems at the parade, she has some type of confrontation with Damon.

Whatever this argument is about. It's clear that Bonnie is pissed, and Damon seems to be explaining or defending himself about something. Some of us have wondered if he is asking for her assistance for something. But would he dare do that after Grams died the last time she helped him? The old Damon would definitely have the audacity to ask her for help, but with this new Damon emerging...would he have the guts? My inner shipper had a fangirl squee! moment seeing these pictures, because I absolutely love this pair.

Jeremy looks pissed too...don't you think? So, Jeremy knows about the vampires. He has snooped into Elena's diary, and he still wants Anna to turn him. We have all spent a lot of time guessing who the two deaths we know to expect by the end of the season will be. But this picture right here, and Jeremy sticking his neck into Elena's problems...I think Jeremy's death seals the deal. He is going to die. Most don't think so because Steven McQueen, the actor that portrays him, revealed that he is safe for Season 2. But we are forgetting that death doesn't mean an end. Not in this show. I honestly do think that Jeremy is going to be turned into a vampire. By who is the real question. I can only guess, and none of them will be good.

What would Jeremy's turn mean for the Gilberts? Elena would be devastated for sure, and that would definitely only create a higher and thicker wall between her and Stefan. And what about Jenna? If indeed this does happen, there is no way they can keep the truth from Jenna any longer. Not with Uncle John back in town and her growing relationship with Alaric. It's like the whole town knows but her. That would be a little unrealistic.

Now for one of the ultimate question on all our minds? Will there be a love triangle?

As much as it pains me to say it, what else can that possibly look like to you? I know these three have a very close and interesting bond, but when it comes down to it, Elena does not belong with Damon. Now, I still have to read the second book of "The Return" series, and as I am told, Elena gets closer to Damon. So perhaps I am wrong when I say that she doesn't belong with him. But in terms of the TV show, she doesn't. What is between Damon and Elena is not a romance, but an understanding deeper than that she can share with Stefan. As weird as it may sound, Damon and Elena think alike. She knows what he is going through, as he does her. In a way, Stefan can not share in that.

But can that really be a basis for a love triangle? I don't think so. Honestly, I don't think Elena could ever keep up with Damon. He needs someone with a little more spunk. Elena does not have spunk.

And finally, the BIGBIGBIG question...what is going to be the cliffhanger?

I have been calling it since we found out that Katherine wasn't in the tomb. And I am as sure as I was then that the very last scene of the finale will be Katherine strolling into Mystic Falls. I am not sure anything else can shock us enough to make us all go crazy this summer.

Who wants to bet me that I'm right??

Worst character job on television

After watching the debacle that was "24" this week I came to a sad conclusion.

Something bad has almost always happened to the President of the United States on that show.

Seriously. Like either they are evil or something happens to them personally. I realize that trying to apply real life logic to a show like "24" is crazy, but I like a little bit of realism.

Let's look at the history of presidents on "24:"

David Palmer (still my personal favorite) - A couple of assassination attempts, blackmailed into not running for another term and then killed.

John Keeler - Had a hand in blackmailing Palmer, then was in a plane crash on Air Force One and in a coma. Out of action.

Charles Logan - Wow, where to start... helped come up with the assassination of Palmer and Michelle Dessler. And plenty of other stuff too. Evil to the core.

Hal Gardner - The one clean guy, maybe only because his presidency was never shown on air.

Wayne Palmer - Shown as weak and then brain injury put him in a coma and out of comission.

Noah Daniels - Conspired to authorize detention centers in America was Islamic Americans. Tried to hide a staff member's involvement in an assassination attempt. Almost started World War III. Tried to "steal" the presidency. He was sleeping with a spy. And pardoned President Logan.

Allison Taylor - Got manipulated by Logan in covering up the Russian's involvement in the assassination of Hassan. And ordered the torture of Dana Walsh. And worst of all? Wouldn't listen to Jack Bauer.

Worst job to have in the "24" universe.

New episode up...

Vampire Diaries: "Miss Mystic Falls" ...Stefan loses it!

There have been many intense episodes in this series before...but nothing like this. I literally couldn't sit still. I was close to pacing during the commercials. While Stefan was losing it, I was losing it!

I guess there is no better place to start than at the beginning. Let's get this straight. Damon is no idiot, and Stefan is a bad liar. When Stefan drove he lovely classic car to school (a car that I want!), we knew something was up. It's not like Stefan to show off. That's Damon's job. So when he opened the truck, revealing bags of human blood...that should have been no surprise either. But the fact that he tries to play it off that he's fine when he's clearly not...well, like I said, Damon is not an idiot.

Damon follows Stefan to his secret blood stash, that is in a fridge in the basement, and catches him in the act. "Well, well. He's a liar and a thief." Damon has a right to be pissed. Stefan can lie, that's fine, even if he is bad at it...but stealing blood from a hospital and making it obvious to Uncle John who already knows the Salvatores are vampires...yeah, not cool! It's clear that Stefan is not in his right mind. That instead of getting control of his blood lust, it is controlling him. It's important to understand that Stefan is sick. It's an addiction that is controlling all his decisions and responses. Stefan has spent almost his entire existence as a vampire not consuming human blood. Yes, Damon drinks human blood, but he has also had PLENTY of time to train himself and control his urges. "...he's spent all this time fighting it, when he should have been learning how to control it. Now it's controlling him." Damon doesn't let human blood change who he is. At this point, Stefan can't help it.

Because of the Sheriff's suggestion, Damon has been stuck with Uncle John to deal with this new blood stealer. However, that is not Uncle John's plan at all, since he already knows who is doing it. Inviting himself into the boardinghouse, it seems this is all part of Uncle John's plan of trying to intimidate Damon and find an invention of John Gilbert, that was stolen by Pearl before she was trapped in the tomb. Damon of course, is not buying into it. "I'll severe your hand, pull your ring off and I'll kill you too. Do you understand that?" Damon isn't scared of Uncle John one bit, and he makes sure John knows it. Me vampire, you human. Get it? I don't know about you, but John looked a little scared to me. Current score: Uncle John 1, Damon 1.


Amidst all the drama-rama with Stefan, Mystic Falls is about to host their Miss Mystic Falls pageant, of which Elena, Caroline and other girls from the high school are contestants. Also, Bonnie returns after grieving over the death of Grams, and she's not happy at all. Obviously, she blames Stefan and Damon for the death of Grams, and is not afraid to let them know it. Many fans were angry that Grams died, but I think it was necessary. Bonnie has returned a more mature teenager, and witch. She has taken the legacy of the Bennett witches in her hands and accepted the calling. And considering what happens at the end of this episode, she has learned to control her powers. GO BONNIE!

Let me just say, that in the last few episodes, Damon has surprised the hell out of me. He has gone through so much transformation over the season, and his choices continue to shock me. If anyone ever doubted that Damon has redeeming qualities, you can't doubt it now. Especially through the last few episodes, it's clear that Damon is not evil, or even the bad brother. He has saved Elena, Stefan and many others many times through the season. Yes, he has killed as well, and done many things just to further his plan of helping Katherine escape the tomb, which she didn't end up being in. He is not evil, but a victim of Katherine's obsessions. The more decisions that he makes that protect Stefan and Elena, that becomes clearer. Everything that he did in this episode, he did to protect Stefan. To a certain extent, Damon and Stefan still hate each other. But they are also brothers. They are all they have, and they know it. That is why they have done all they have done for each other.

Before the Miss Mystic Falls Ball begins, Damon makes sure that Elena knows Stefan is still drinking blood. This is where, I believe, we get the first hints that Damon somewhat blames himself for Stefan's addiction. He's been taunting Stefan all season that he is not a real vampire. And now that he finally partaken in that vampire craving, he can't let it go, and can't control it like Damon. Stefan walks in, interrupting their conversation and Damon leaves them to fight it out, which they do. Stefan continues to insist that it is no big deal, but Elena isn't buying it.

Stefan storms out, furious, dragging one of the other contestants with him while Damon is left to escort Elena in the traditional dance (of which I let myself squee a few times!) This is where all hell breaks loose!

Stefan drags the now compulsed-girl out to the parking lot and continues to stage a HUGE insanity break, full of pacing, babbling, growling and screaming. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched it. Honestly, I have been wanting Stefan to lose it, and deep down, I knew that something like this was going to happen...but this is so far beyond what I expected.

Through rantings of "I didn't want her to find out", "I'm the good brother" and "I'm not sad. I'm freaking hungry" to "I want to rip into your skin", "If I do this there is no going back" and "I need you to be afraid of me. I need you to run like hell", I was going crazy in my seat. What else could be more shocking or heartbreaking than watching Stefan, the brother that has always made the right choice and has always been in control, convince himself to attack this girl. But even after a taste, his craving wasn't satisfied. He wanted her to run and be terrified. So she did, and he finally let the monster out, and chased her.

This is how Damon, Elena and Bonnie found them. Damon, pushing Elena behind him, tries to calm Stefan down. However, Stefan throws him across the clearing and continues to step after him to finish the job. If it wasn't for Bonnie's Jedi mind trick (which I was STOKED about), Stefan would have killed him. There was no doubt. There was murder on his face. Whatever Bonnie did, it set Stefan straight and he woke from his "blood lust". That's when I started crying. The shock and grief on Stefan's face when he realized what he had done, and as he looks back and forth between Damon and Elena, and as Damon tells him, "It's okay...Stefan..." It was something about the way Damon said his name why I started crying.

It truly was heartbreaking. But even more so, the conversation between Stefan and Elena afterward, made that grief even worse. Elena was insistent that everything was okay, but it's clear, that it's not. Stefan goes off on her, telling her that this is who he is. "The blood brings out what's inside of me. And if you don't think that, you're an idiot." But the guilt that Elena feels for making him taste human blood for the first time in over a century, she knows that all of this is her fault. And when Stefan hugs her, beginning to sob, Elena pulls out a vervain dart, and stabs him.

Damon and Elena put him the a cell in the dungeon, the very same one that Stefan trapped Damon in at the beginning of the season, and they begin their intervention. Cold turkey is the only way Stefan is going to get away from this addiction.

How exactly is Stefan going to react to this...I guess we will find out next week.

PREDICTIONS: Honestly, there are way too many right now, I'll have to write them in a whole other blog...expect it this weekend.

Comic-Con predictions

With Comic-Con a short three months away, the team gathered at Inscaped HQ to come up with a few predictions on what fans can expect at the big show.


Stephanie's predictions:

• DC will announce its full slate of movies including a few casting announcements
• Warner Bros. will go "Harry Potter" crazy, giving "The Deathly Hallows" a huge push
• "Green Lantern" footage will be premiered
• Trailer premieres for "Paranormal Activity 2," "The Green Hornet" and "Red Dawn."
• Disney will have a huge "Tron: Legacy" presence, especially on the exhibit hall floor
• Disney will also heavily promote "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
• Joss Whedon will preview the anticipated and highly secretive "Cabin in the Woods" and will also maybe talk about his plans for "The Avengers"
• "Castle" will make its Comic-Con debut with a first time panel
• "White Collar" and "In Plain Sight" could also make first time appearances

Candace's predictions:

• 3D Panels in Hall H (considering how well it went last year!)
• Season 2 preview of "The Vampire Diaries"
• "A Game of Thrones Panel" and footage
• "Green Hornet" panel, maybe some footage
• "Tron: Legacy" panel, new footage
• "Conan" panel and footage "The Hobbit" announcements
• Summit Entertainment's TV series "Push"
• Zach Snyder's next Titanic
• "Avengers" announcements

Tim's predictions:

• Major DC Comics movie announcement
• "Scott Pilgrim" stuff
• "Resident Evil Afterlife"
• Next big Marvel/DC event books
• "Thor" footage
• "Star Trek" sequel
• "Spider-Man" reboot casting
• Disney/Marvel announcement(s)
• "Captain America" (at least a photo of costume)
• "Batman" sequel announcement

'Kick-Ass:' the ultimate geek movie

Now, I have to admit....I never got around to reading the comic book series, published by Marvel and written by Mark Millar. But, I do have to say, if the film is anywhere close to the story of the comics, I know I will enjoy them. "Kick-Ass" picks up where the great and legendary geek films like "Galaxy Quest", "Fanboys", and "Spaceballs" leaves off. We have had films where nerds use their nerd knowledge to save the world from aliens, a group of fans who will be the world premiere of "Star Wars" no matter the cost, and even a simple yet classic comedy of the day in the life of a nerd.

But never, have we had a film where those very nerds play the superheroes. And how classically genius a story like this is. This is the ultimate dream of every nerd like me, that immerses themselves in the stories of ordinary people put in extraordinary circumstances and become heroes. We are just people that read everyday, attend the same conventions every year that become more like family reunions every year, that daydream of being Jedi, Vipor pilots, and being Batman's new sidekick. "Kick-Ass" is this world realized.

I haven't had this much fun watching a movie since "Pineapple Express". And even though I was in a crowd full of comic books fans, science fiction readers, and fantasy experts, I still at times found that I was the only one laughing in the the theater at certain jokes. "Kick-Ass" is full of homages to so many different comics, movies and TV shows that they are too many to count in this blog. And for all these reasons, I have no choice but to name "Kick-Ass" the ultimate geek film.

High school student Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who spends his days being mugged while walking home from a comic book cafe, decides that the world needs a superhero. After creating a secret identity and dressing up in a green and yellow wet suit, Dave makes a failed attempt at being a hero he knows the world needs. When a stab in the gut and a violent collision with a car leaves many of his nerve endings damaged and numbed, Dave is able to rescue a man being chased by a group of bullies trying to beat him to death. His rescue is caught on film by a young witness and streamed onto YouTube. And of course, as we net surfers know, after a million hits on YouTube, you're an instant star.

The city, and the world is caught up in Kick-Ass mayhem, that spawns more masked heroes. Damon Macready (Nicholas Cage) is an ex-cop who was framed by mob boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) and put into prison. After his wife died in childbirth with his daughter Mindy(Chloe Moretz), she is put under the care of Damon's old partner. Once out of prison, Damon decides on a path of vengeance and trains his daughter for the cause. When Kick-Ass takes over the news, Damon and Mindy decide a new approach to taking down D'Amico's operation. Creating secret identities of their own, Big Daddy and Hit Girl save Kick-Ass from a beating by drug dealers and agree to come to his aide whenever he needs help.

Once again surviving a brush from death, Dave decides to quit his path as a superhero, realizing he is not cut out for the duty after meeting the real thing: Big Daddy and Hit Girl. However, that doesn't last long. D'Amico agrees to let his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), yet another glorified comic lover, go undercover as masked superhero Red Mist to lure Kick-Ass, Big Daddy, and Hit Girl into a trap. Dave is caught up in middle of a revenge plot that he has no idea how to stay out of.

Although there are plenty of laughs and some of the best action I have seen in years, the story is not all fun and games. It would not be a true homage to comic book superheroes if it did not explore the questions of humanity, the dynamics of the family, love and what it truly means to be a hero.

I remember how much of a hit "Kick-Ass" was at Comic-Con 2009, and I'm sure the new most popular costumes this year, will be that of green wetsuits, black leather and purple wigs at Comic-Con 2010. Including myself, dressing up as your very own Hit Girl.

Oh, and who wants to guess what year we will see the panel for "Kick-Ass 2"???

Season finale schedule, mark your calendars

Michael Ausiello over at Entertainment Weekly has posted a list of season finale dates and times. A few notables include:

ABC:

• "Castle" Monday May 17 at 10 p.m.
• "FlashForward" Thursday May 27 at 8 p.m.
• "Lost" Sunday May 23 at 9 p.m.

NBC:

• "Chuck" Monday May 24 8 p.m.
• "Community" Thursday May 20 at 8 p.m.
• "Law & Order" Monday May 24 at 10 p.m.
• "Law & Order: SVU" Wednesday May 19 at 10 p.m.

CBS:

• "The Amazing Race" Sunday May 9 at 8 p.m.
• "How I Met Your Mother" Monday May 24 at 8 p.m.
• "NCIS" Tuesday May 25 at 8 p.m.
• "NCIS: Los Angeles" Tuesday May 25 at 9 p.m.

The CW and FOX:

• "Smallville" Friday May 14 at 8 p.m.
• "The Vampire Diaries" Thursday May 13 at 8 p.m.
• "24" Monday May 24 at 8 p.m.
• "American Idol" Wednesday May 26 at 8 p.m.
• "Bones" Thursday May 20 at 8 p.m.
• "Fringe" Thursday May 20 at 9 p.m.
• "Glee" Tuesday June 8 at 9 p.m.

The Doctor returns and all is right with the universe

A couple weeks ago at WonderCon the fifth season premiere (or 31st depending on how long you've been watching) of "Doctor Who" was previewed and it was fantastic.

On Saturday night the show premiered on BBC America, so I can finally talk about all the new doctor's greatness.

Newcomer Matt Smith plays the eleventh doctor with just the right blend of madness, arrogance and danger. I thought it would be impossible for die hard fans to accept anyone after the immensely popular David Tennant. However, Smith instantly reeled viewers back into the doctor's world by keeping some of the charm that made Tennant so successful.

It helps that Steven Moffat has taken over the showrunning reins from Russell T. Davies. Moffat was the writer of some of "Doctor Who's" best episodes, so fans were immediately on board with putting him in charge.

The new season picks up where "The End of Time" left off with the Doctor in post regeneration mode. Because of the spectacular nature of his regeneration, the Doctor must wait for the TARDIS to rebuild itself.

It is during this time that he meets young Amelia Pond, a Scottish girl with a mysterious crack in her wall.

Through an unfortunate misstep in time the Doctor doesn't return to see Amelia in the five minutes he promises, but 12 years later. That crack allowed an alien prisoner to escape and the Doctor must save the world in 20 minutes with no TARDIS or sonic screwdriver.

Karen Gillan is the grown up Amy and in the tradition of the Doctor's best companions is smart and feisty, however, she doesn't completely trust him yet so she doesn't have the hero worship that other companions have had.

I've also watched the next two episodes and Smith really becomes the Doctor in episode two "The Beast Below."

I know a lot of fans were concerned about how the show would fare without Tennant, but, rest assured Moffat and Smith have maintained everything that's great about the show and added enough new elements to keep the "Doctor Who" universe happy.

LOST updates...Boone returns!!

This is going to be a REALLY short post...

With me and being addicted to twitter...of course I would come across this LOL

So....I follow Ian Somerhalder on twitter. And of course, he played Boone on "LOST". Since Boone's death, we have seen him in numerous flashback scenes. Of course this series being in it's final season, we expected to see flashbacks scenes of many characters who are long dead.

Aware of Ian being in Hawaii this weekend because of this tweets, I speculated it was because of "LOST". And with his latest tweet....he has made it official:

@iansomerhalder:

LOST- the end of an era- last time tonight to ever be on camera for this incredible piece of story telling.

So "LOST" fans, expect at least one more Boone flashback before the series is done!!

Follow Ian Somerhalder on twitter: twitter.com/iansomerhalder
And you can follow me on twitter: twitter.com/candacetwilson

New episode up...

Vampire Diaries: "Under Control" Stefan is hungry and Damon gets served!

Wow. Whoa. Damn. And um...Holy Crap.

That basically wraps up everything I have to say about tonight's episode! Oh, and...welcome to the fandom David Anders!!

David Anders is certainly no stranger to fandom, most recently being part of the "Heroes" phenomenon. However, he has now officially entered the world of vampires, and nothing else can quite compare. Anders is an amazingly talented actor, and when he walked into the story as John Gilbert, Elena and Jeremy's Uncle, it created a mind blowing turning point in the story.

But...let's begin where "Let the Right One In" left us off with it's OMG moment: Stefan drinking from a human blood bag like it was a Capri-Sun. The episode starts off in the same place, Stefan is struggling against a dangerous addiction, and hasn't been to school in a few days, trying to work the human blood out of his system. But there is rehab, and then there is living with Damon, who is clearly enjoying Stefan's struggle and basically wears an "I told you so" face the whole episode. Although we know from last episode that Damon cares what happens to Stefan, it's clear he doesn't care that Stefan is getting hooked to human blood. Obviously, why would he? Damon has been on human blood for 150 years and sees no qualms in it. But he has always had better control over his powers and temptations as a vampire than Stefan. I believe his nonchalant care of this matter may bite him where it hurts in the next episode.

Then there is Matt and Jeremy, and how they are dealing with the discovery of Vicki's body and her death. Both have found a deeper bond and common ground with Tyler, at least for a while. As the town gets ready for the Founder's Day Gala, is seems that the only way the town can cope, whether from a blood addiction, isolation, death daughter, dead girlfriend, dead sister, or girl issues...is with the comfort of alcohol. Is it just me, or was the whole town getting drunk? It made me want to pour myself a few.

When the town's favorite son returns, Uncle John, it's like he never left, and immediately takes control of the Town Council...a small circle of the town's most powerful people that know about the vampires and Damon has had wrapped around his little finger for most of the season. He has done all he can to make sure the Council does not find out about him or his brother. Has even gone as far as not killing any longer to make that happen...but now, the Salvatores are in danger.

Uncle John arrives, and we are thrown for a loop about how much he truly does know about the vampires and the history of the town. In this episode, the audience finds a companionship with Damon that we have never had before. Together, we are clueless. And that makes us both angry.

When Uncle John confronts Damon at the Gala, what we were given, was unexpected. Straight off, Uncle John is down to business, not willing to play games. I know you're a vampire, and I know you're controlling the Council. That ends now. Now you have to worry about whether I'm going to tell them about you or not?....So what is Damon's reaction to this...what we always expect from him. "Yeah well, you know I could rip your throat out before anyone could notice." "Yeah." "Right, okay." Although he tries to walk away, he just can't resist. So he breaks Uncle John's neck and throws him off the second story. Hmm.

But is that the end of Uncle John...now that would be so unlike the writers. Oh no, he re-enters the Gala, much to Damon's shock and dismay. As a very drunk Stefan continues to struggle with his blood temptations by constantly consuming alcohol, dancing (YES, dancing) and almost attacking Matt's mother, Damon takes sides with his new ally, Alaric. As Uncle John leaves the Gala, Alaric and Damon follow, intent on some answers, and Uncle John as all to eager to answer them.

Not only does he know Isobel, but he got his precious ring from her, just like Alaric did that protects them from dying. How, we still don't know, but at this point, who really cares? And who was it that sent Isobel to Damon to be turned into a vampire? "Guilty." Uncle John. Who knows about the tomb and all the vampires? Uncle John. Who knows more about the town than Damon and Stefan? Uncle John. Who knows about Katherine Pierce? Uncle John. And who plans on destroying the Salvatores? Oh yeah, Uncle John....hmm....did I miss anything?

Oh....yeah, Jeremy is insistent that Vicki didn't die of a drug overdose, even though Elena is doing everything she can to convince him otherwise. And he knows it. So what does he do, goes to the only place he thinks he can find the truth. He reads Elena's diary. (Yes! Bad little brother!) For him, the pieces begin coming together...maybe a little too soon for him to truly understand it all. The more he finds, the more danger he is in.

And as Damon drinks his worries away at how they are going to stop Uncle John from revealing their secrets, Stefan trudges in after he wanted to attack a jerk in the parking lot of the Gala. Yeah, he's not doing so good, and Damon is beginning to see that. But being Damon, he leaves a glass of blood out for his dear little brother....who drinks it willingly. No, Stefan doesn't have this under control.

PREDICTIONS: ...honestly....who the hell knows??? The writers have done such a great job of turning this story upside down and inside out that anything could happen.

But I do know this. Uncle John makes Damon look like a little fairy. And there's nobody that can do that better than David Anders. Damon is pissed that he's playing catch up and someone just may be a better mastermind than him...and he has no idea what to do about it. He already tried killing the man, what else can he do? That's Stefan's job. Buy hey, Stefan has better things to do...like struggle through this new addiction of his.

So what is going to happen next week in Mystic Falls....hell, it's a crap shoot.

The home entertainment war is about over

Last week I actually walked into a Blockbuster video.

Yeah, shocking.

I was there to look at Playstation 3 games (super expensive) to rent when I overheard an interesting conversation.

The employee behind the register was telling a customer how bad business was and how Blockbuster is basically going out of business.

What do I care, I have Netflix.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Blockbuster had already made a deal with Warner Bros. for a 28 day exclusive right to any new release. That means that Netflix won't get "The Blind Side" until its been on Blockbuster rental shelves for a month.

Now it's being reported that Blockbuster made a deal with Fox and Sony that mirrors the Warner Bros. deal.

The whole thing confuses the heck out of me.

OK, I am going to try to explain my frustration with a sports reference.

Say Netflix are the Lakers and Blockbuster are the New Jersey Nets (Currently the worst team in the NBA). Why would anyone make any sort of exclusive deal with the Nets that alienates Lakers' fans?

I have emptied my Netflix queue. Why should I bother when I can't get new releases for a month?

Fan Fiction Chapter 2: Types of Fan Fiction

Believe it or not, there are different types of fan fiction, and like everyone else, I had to learn the difference by simply immersing myself into all kinds of stories. It is the diversity of fan fiction that is one of the things that really gives it brilliance. And I have found over many years of being both a reader and writer, that each author has their specialty. Now, let us begin.

The One-Shot

In the world of Fan Fiction, this is the equivalent of a short story. Only a single chapter long, one-shots can be anywhere from a few hundred words to a few thousand. Normally, it includes only a few characters from the original story, generally focusing on the choices or actions of a single character rather than a large event that requires many chapters to tell. One-shots are used as "reaction stories", at least, that's what I like to call them. They take place after a big event in the storyline, and focus on how a character is reacting to that event. This is not always the case, but for most one-shots, this is the type of story it is. For example, some of the best one-shots I have read for "Stargate: Atlantis" take place after the storyline of the episode "Sunday" from Season 3. All of the one-shots focus on how the characters are dealing with the death of Dr. Beckett, most of them from either John or Rodney's point of view.

The Original Character (OC)

The name of this type of fanfic could be confusing. An original character story actually focuses on an OC created by the fanfic author, not an original character in the fandom. This is the most popular type of fan fiction. Most stories you will find will be of this variety. Authors will create a character of their own creation and pretty much throw them into the story, and most likely, events will change and the story will be altered because of the presence of that one person. Now, because these stories are the most you will come across in fan fiction, it is also where we run into the problems with fan fiction. When it comes to OC stories, there are the good ones and the terribly bad ones, usually with nothing in the gray area in between. The good and well written stories remain to good stories, where as the bad and terribly written original character stories fall into a different category entirely....these are called Mary Sues.

The Mary Sue

These are the fanfics you want to stay away from. There are basically the stories that give fan fiction a bad name. I like to call these the "wannabe OCs" for a couple different reasons: 1. the author is trying to be a good writer and 2. the author is just writing themselves into the story. That is the essence of what a Mary Sue is: the author is writing themselves into the story. This is why we, the talented authors of Fan Fiction, call this kind of character a Mary Sue. Basically, they are a cookie cutter character based on the author with no flaws, plenty of superpowers, some sort of "dark past" and they always get the guy (or girl) in the end. They are sorry excuses for stories.

Telling the difference between an OC and a Mary Sue

99% of the time, when trolling for a fanfic story to read, you can tell whether it's going to be a true OC story or a Mary Sue by simply reading the synopsis. You want to look out for certain kind of plot lines and character adjectives to be able to tell the difference. For an example, I will troll through from Harry Potter fan fiction and find a good OC and a Mary Sue.

Can you tell the difference: (I changed character names so the authors won't get pissed)

1. Jamie Donnelly has an awful life; and it's just about to get worse. The Slytherins think it's funny to poke fun at her as they know EVERYTHING that goes on, and the boy she loves makes out with every other girl but her. How will it turn out?

2. “We all love to keep secrets, it has the appeal of making one feel infinitely important.” But can we keep them? Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa & Lucius/OC.

It's obvious that #1 is the Mary Sue, and #2 is the good OC. I have actually read the entirety of the #2 story, and it's fantastic. Where as I would have no interest to read #1. Which one would you read? I think we all feel the pull towards #2 instead of #1. There is something about that peek of dialogue rather than the description of a character that has been abused all her life and finally finds true love. Which one appeals more to you?

That is how you can learn to tell what a story has to offer through the couple sentence synopsis.

The Alternate Universe (AU)

The AU is a particularly fun variety of fan fiction. It is a story that uses all the regular characters of a fandom, but places them in a world we, as the reader, are not used to seeing them in. Or, it can simply be a completely different situation of events. There are many different ways a story can be an AU. But to qualify, the story must put the characters in a situation that we are not used to seeing them in. To help you understand this, I will give you three examples of the most popular types of AUs.

1. a Backwards World AU: going back to Harry Potter, this story is a great example of a backwards situation. What the author did was change one little detail of the Harry Potter story, which changes EVERYTHING. In a world where Voldemort controls Azkban, Harry's parents are still alive, Lupin is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Dumbledore the Minister of Magic all because Sirius became the Potter's Secret Keeper and refused to tell Voldemort where they were hiding. This definitely qualifies as an AU. This being another story that I have personally read, it is one of the best fanfics out there:

"Promises UnBroken" by Robin4
Sirius Black remained the Secret Keeper and everything he feared came to pass. Ten years later, James and Lily live, Harry attends Hogwarts, and Voldemort remains…yet the world is different and nothing is as it seems. AU.

2. a All Human AU: For scifi/fantasy fandoms that have different races, monsters, vampires, werewolves, and many other things, there is a popular type of AU where an author makes all the characters human and places them in our regular world, in regular situations and All American love stories. No matter how "lame" and typical this kind of story can seem, I have read a large number of good ones. Here is one of the best from Twilight fan fiction:

"The Red Line" by WinndSinger
Edward is an exotic male dancer. Bella is a college student studying psychology and needs a subject to do her thesis on. Bella pays Edward to belong to her for 2 weeks so she can study him. Things soon get very interesting between them. AU.

3. Fanfiction University: This type of AU was made popular by fanfic author Camilla Sandman back in 2002 when she wrote the first Fanfic University fic and spawned a craze for them all over fandom. In a story that is a brilliant parody and satire story, her character, Miss Cam, rounds together all the Lord of the Rings fanfic authors for training. Only once their training is complete, can they write official LOTR fan fiction. I have read many of these stories and they are HILARIOUS. But here is the original:

"The Official FanFiction University of Middle Earth" by Camilla Sandman
The fic that spawned miniBalrogs, Elrond's Naturally Nine, the Morgoth/Sauron feud, Urple, the WitchWall and finally, Gimli got the girl. AU


The Fall in or out of the Verse

This is another particularly fun type of fan fiction to read and write, but, you have to be careful. These types of fanfics can easily become Mary Sues. However, they are ridiculously fun none the less, and sometimes, extremely genius. This is a story where someone from our world falls into the story, or someone from the story falls into our world. Yup, exactly what it sounds like. I'm pretty sure you don't need any examples to understand this one, but for the hell of it, here you go:

1. "Raining Dreams" by Amaya Rayne: We all dream of falling into Middle-earth, but what when Middle-earth falls on you? Expect the unexpected!

2. "From Earth to Star Wars" by Meagan and Sasha: What if someone from Earth traveled to the Star Wars Galaxy to discover she was Force Sensitive and met Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Drabble

The drabble story is very similar to the one-shot, but can be a little different. It is either shorter than the one-shot with only a couple hundred words or less, or you can run into the term "series of drabbles" or "series of one-shots". It will be multi-chapter story that is basically just a group of short drabbles or one-shots. One of the best examples I can use is from the Stargate: Atlantis fandom. A author did a one-shot/drabble for every episode of the SGA series which includes an original character:

"Snacks" by moms2398
Series of episode tags that involve Atlantis' Food Services Chief. NOW COMPLETE TO FINALE!

The Crossover

I'm fairly sure that this kind of fanfic is self explanatory. Yes, it is a story that involves 2 or more different fandoms coming together into one story. It has become a steadily more popular over the years after this uprising of young adult fantasy. Although there are many crossovers that leave me scratching my head, many can be a very fun read. Here is an example for you. A Vampire Diaries and Twilight crossover:

"Comatose" by Luna Shade
After Edward left her, Bella is saved by her old friend Lexi and the two go to Mystic Falls for Stefan's birthday. But what happens when Bella meets Elena and Jeremy Gilbert? And why are the Cullens in Mystic Falls?


There is it boys and girls. All the different types of fan fiction laid out for you so just maybe, the chaos that can be fan fiction fandoms, can be easier to understand. Perhaps I should have done Chapter 3 first, because it may make this chapter easier to read. LOL. Chapter 3: The Language of Fan Fiction will be up this weekend.

Random pop culture musings

Since the video version of "Inscaped" won't have a news segment attached this week, we'll be updating this site will news and television thoughts until next week.

At first it was thought to be a slow week. Coachella is this week and everyone is occupied with that, there is no room for anything else.

Then Monday happened.

Conan O'Brien announced he was taking his "Tonight Show" to TBS! Yeah, the comedy channel that plays "Office" repeats and has the George Lopez show.

It's being reported everywhere that Conan will take the 11 p.m. slot and Lopez will follow at midnight. That gives him a good half hour lead in time before Leno or Letterman starts.

Some people might say "TBS? What?" but it makes a lot of sense when you logically think about it. On network television there are a ton of restrictions. On cable? You can get away with a lot more. There is more freedom, which is exactly what Conan needs after getting worked over by NBC.

OK, so we had to do a Conan writeup then.

Then 9 p.m. happened and "24" probably had its most shocking and amazing episode in years.

The first "what the heck, yell out loud moment" came when Chloe O'Brian got promoted to the head of CTU! My jaw was stuck on the floor for a good two to three minutes.

Then we find out the Russians are the real bad guys of this season!

Then Jack finally lets Renee Walker know how he feels and gets some!

Former President Logan returns! (And that scene between Logan and Taylor was masterful)

Jack's happiness doesn't last long as Renee is shot and killed by a Russian hitman!

There are six episodes left until the series finale and the only thing I could say when the hour ended was "Oh, man s**t just got real!"

Jack knows that a Russian is involved somehow, when he puts all the pieces together... let's just say that Jack's death count might hit that 300 mark before these six episodes are up.

Oh, and Reed Diamond is just playing Logan's assistant? Yeah right. He's too good of an actor and plays a great villain to be in such a role.

And then just minutes ago, Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Joss Whedon is in final negotiations to direct the giant "The Avengers" movie!

I yelped when I read this.

My inner geek started crying!

Having someone who truly understands comics and heroes making such a film is the best possible choice. I was really expecting some sort of announcement at Comic-Con. Maybe that's when the "official" announcement will happen.

Credit is due where credit is due though. IESB.net (where one of my friends does movie reviews) was the first to report that Whedon was in consideration (one of many names).

Winter is Coming to Comic-Con

That's right....if you are one of the many fans of fantasy author George R. R. Martin and his series "A Song of Ice and Fire", get ready to enter the realms of the Seven Kingdoms at Comic-Con this summer. When "A Game of Thrones" was finally bought by HBO last summer, and casting was completed last fall, fans of the series have been buzzing on the internet ever since.

Now, four and a half months into filming, we are all wondering when we will see the first trailer for the series that will premiere next spring.

In Martin's blog, he announced last week that HBO is planning something big to promote "A Game of Thrones" at Comic-Con this summer. That is the earliest we can expect the first footage. And per usual, Comic-Con attendees are the first to see it....well, I'm sure many of us wouldn't have it any other way.

Perhaps this is the show we will get to see on Preview Night? We'll see...

Martin posted in his blog this morning that HBO hired expert language creator David J. Peterson to create the Dothraki language for the series. Producer D.B. Wiess said of his work so far, "The language he’s devised is phenomenal. It captures the essence of the Dothraki, and brings another level of richness to their world."

Being a huge fan of the Dothraki from the books, I certainly expect a lot from HBO in creating this nomadic culture, especially since Jason Momoa has been cast to play Khal Drogo. I'm hopeful though. HBO isn't one to half ass anything. When they decide to create something, they create it like no one else can. I'm pretty sure "Band of Brothers," "Rome," "Deadwood," "The Pacific" and "Carnivale" are proof of that.

Now that the first full season has been greenlit by HBO, the series creators can now finish casting for the rest of the roles needed, including the recasting for Catelyn and Daenerys. Jennier Ehle has been replaced by Michelle Fairley as Catelyn, and casting for Daenerys is still ongoing.

Although there has been no more official casting news, there have been fan and creator suggestions for the final large roles of Sam, Littlefinger and Tywin Lannister. Two big names begin rumored for the role of Tywin are Patrick Stewart and Bill Nighy. Personally, if Stewart can connect with his nasty side, he just could be a perfect fit for Tywin. For Littlefinger, it has been rumored that the role was suggested to Kevin McKidd and James Callis. However, with "Grey's Anatomy" and the "Rome" movie in his schedule, McKidd's chances are slim. As for Callis, knowing the kind of slippery characters he can portray, like Dr. Balter on "Battlestar Galactica," he might be a fantastic choice for Littlefinger.

It will most likely be closer to June until the official news is released on the final casting decisions.

Finally, he released a few photographs of Maisie Williams Arya Stark, holding Needle which was given to her by Martin himself. I think she looks great!

And for those of who are are loyal readers of the novel series, Martin has released that he is in the final steps to completing book five of the series "A Dance with Dragons." Seeing as it's been almost five years since "A Feast for Crows," I guess another year or two before release isn't really that bad. I'm sure we can find something to sate our appetites until then...

Visit http://winter-is-coming.net/ for more news.

New episode up...

Fan Fiction Chapter 1: An Intro to the Artistry

I've had plans to write a post about fan fiction since being invited to join this blog. Now, knowing I can talk about fan fiction for days, I decided to create a series of posts about fan fiction, because that's how long it will take for me to cover the entire topic. Now, let's begin with what exactly fan fiction is...

If you look up the definition of fan fiction it states: a fictional account written by a fan of a show, movie, book, or video game to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored via the originating medium.

That is more or less true. In reality, there are many different types of fan fiction. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Fan fiction starts out with an idea. For example, as an audience member, sometimes, we don't like the fact that a certain character dies at the end. Then, we get to thinking how that movie could change if that character didn't die. Then maybe, we add a character of our own, which changes the story even more. This is how a fan fiction story is born. For someone who has been addicted to fan fiction for many, many years now, its hard for me to watch a movie or TV show, or read a book without automatically coming up with an idea for a fanfic. For example, this is one of my fan fiction stories for "Stargate: Atlantis" I'm in the middle of...

The Runner Chronicles: Echoes of Blood and Fire
Part 1. Captured during the culling of Sateda, soldier Shay Vallon is made a runner. After seven years, will she be able to accept the death of her world and find peace in the City of the Ancestors, as she learns to live all over again?

This story is the kind where I change the events by adding a character of my own creation.

Though many would not share my opinion, there is a certain artistry to writing good fan fiction. In my many years of reading fan fiction, I have come across many great authors. Writers that are as good as many published authors out there today. Although they may be few and far in between, they are out there. A fan fiction author has to have the talent to capture the world they are writing the same way the original writers were able to. Not have characters make choices that they wouldn't have made in the original story. A good fan fiction is just as entertaining as first story, even if it does add new characters.

A fan fiction has all the same elements that a regular story does. Plot, character, theme, and a beginning, middle and end. So, to make a good fan fiction, an fanfic author has to create all the same elements as any other writer. And like the rest of literary world, there are good fan fiction stories, and there are bad ones. And sometimes, it is very hard to weed out the good ones from all the terribly bad.

Personally, I believe there is something amazingly genius about fan fiction. And surprisingly, I give writing fan fiction a good part of the credit to making me a better writer. It's like practice. I experiment with what works and what doesn't when it comes to character, structure and theme. And there are a couple instances where I have used a character I created in a fan fiction in one of my true original stories.

Now, I'm not the person that you want writing definitions. But I do have to say that the definition I found for fan fiction needs a lot of work. There are so many aspects of what fan fiction truly is, and the brilliance that can be found in its artistry, that it is impossible to explain in a single sentence.

This is as basic of an introduction to fan fiction that I can offer. To most, it will make more sense once I get into the different types of fan fiction that exist...which I will explain in episode 2 of this blog series.

'Vampire Diaries: Let the Right One In'...Bloody Hell...

Honestly, my mind is still reeling from tonight's new episode, and I have no idea where to begin except by saying this...

Oh. My. Gosh.

In the New York Post, Nina Dobrev, who plays Elena, reported about tonight's episode: "This episode is very pivotal – something will happen that has not happened in the past to one specific character and it’s going to change, jolt and affect everyone in some way. It’s kind of shocking and will be interesting for the audience to see where it goes from there because after tonight, it gets really crazy."

I think this was an understandment. There are cliffhangers, and then there are cliffhangers. The writing staff of "The Vampire Diaries" have really perfected the talent to mesmerize the audience, and shock us at each commercial break, and each episode end.

The episode begins in the Salvatore Manor, with Damon, Stefan and Elena discussing what to do with the Pearl's vampire brood. Angry at Damon for making a deal to help Pearl, the great interaction between him and Elena in this episode begins from the very beginning. Little did they know, Frederick and his follower's of Pearl's vamp gang, were making their own plans. When Stefan goes out to hunt in a HUGE storm, he doesn't come back, having been ambushed by Frederick, against Pearl's orders.

This is where the surprises begin. It is in fact Damon that realizes something has happened to Stefan. He frantically calls Elena (six times), before getting fed up and showing up at her house. There is no doubt that for the first time we know Damon cares about Stefan and is willing to face a full house of vampires to save him. And in one fantastic character scene after another in this episode, Damon's reaction to seeing Stefan tortured when he shows up at tomb vamp house and can't enter because he hasn't been invited, is gut wrenching. The choices that Damon makes in this episode are so unlike him. We have never seen him behave this way before. For the first time, he makes selfless choices. For the first time, he is the hero. He has redeeming qualities after all.

Damon is determined to save Stefan. But with him unable to enter, and Elena human, there is only one person they can turn to. Convincing Alaric to help them is no easy task, especially with Damon standing behind Elena's shoulder: who in fact killed him two episodes ago and only survived because of his "magic" ring his dead wife gave him, who Damon killed and turned into a vampire. Yeah...he has his reasons for not helping. But Damon, being the great liar that he is, convinces Alaric that Pearl knows where his now vamp wife is, who also happens to be Elena's birth mother. Yes, I know...just becomes more and more of an interwoven net of complication.

With Alaric in on the teamwork, he and Damon come up with a plan. Alaric is the only one that can get inside until Damon can re-compulse the still human homeowner. However, Elena refuses to stay behind. In a great scene between Damon and Elena, Alaric watches as they debate where she will be when they attack. Beginning the conversation as the typical mocking and sarcastic Damon, Elena and the rest of us are taken by surprise when for once, he becomes serious. "I can't protect you, Elena! I don't know how many vampires are in there...that's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in, and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety. Or, this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from, including Stefan. I know, I get it. I understand." ....Damon just continues to surprise us with his choices. Not only has he chose selflessly to save Stefan, but is also now determined to protect Elena as well.

Meanwhile, Stefan is being tortured by vervain injections, deep cuts, and being stabbed with wooden stakes. Alaric is able to get in the tomb vamp house, faking a broke down car. I know, classic...however, he is able to get Damon in through the back door after he (Damon) snaps the neck of the human owner. I know, just when we begin to have hope for him, he finds someway to be is typical careless self. Then there's Elena, the idiot that she is, who decides to go in after Stefan despite Damon's protests.

I have to say, what follows, is a fantastic sequence that has graduated this episode to be my favorite beside "Children of the Damned". Damon and Alaric take care of the vampires in the house while Elena tries to get Stefan to the car. That however, doesn't go so well. Frederick goes after them while the other vampires keep the other two busy at the house. But Elena is human and Stefan is weak. There is only one way to beat Frederick...and here is it...the OMG moment of the episode.

...Stefan is forced to drink Elena's blood if they are to survive. But here's the kicker...he hasn't feed on human blood in as far as we know, over a century. There's no knowing what affect it could have on him.

Stefan kills Frederick and Pearl arrives back at the house, horrified at what her brood has done. Damon and Alaric are free to go, but not before Damon gets his licks in. "If I had a good side, not a way to get on it."

And of course, comes the typical "Vampire Diaries" cliffhanger. Damon walks into Stefan's room to find him frantically feeding on human blood....DUN DUN DUN...

What a fine episode for the actors. Great performances by Paul Weasley (Stefan), Nina Dobrev (Elena) and Ian Somerhalder (Damon).

PREDICTIONS:

Even though this episode has brought the teams of Damon and Elena and Damon and Alaric together by circumstance, this storyline serves as another huge turning point and I have a feeling, this will not be the last time we see these teams working together. With Stefan's new addiction to human blood, I think it's easy to say that this is what will be wedged between him and Elena's relationship, and will open a new one between her and Damon. It may not be a love story...yet. But one of understanding. Damon will be the only person Elena can go to during Stefan's new transformation. And what will that lead to?? I'm assuming we will find out in the finale. A possible arrival of Katherine?

And when it comes to Damon and Alaric...in Damon's own words, they were pretty "bad ass". This will not be the last that we see of them. They do after all, make a pretty good team, no matter how much they hate each other. And I'm sure all of this will once again, lead up to a crazy event on Founder's Day in the season finale. Maybe the arrival of Isobel??

Favorite Episode Quote:

Damon: (to Elena) "I can't protect you, Elena! I don't know how many vampires are in there...that's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in, and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety. Or, this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from, including Stefan. I know, I get it. I understand."

As they are getting surrounded by vampires...
Damon: "How many of those vervain darts you have left?"
Alaric: "One."
Damon: "Not gonna be enough."

'Stargate: Universe' episode 'Space'...and it's a snackerjack surprise

As a long time "Stargate" fan, I have been less than impressed with the first half of the freshman season of "Stargate: Universe."

It left me wondering why "Stargate: Atlantis" was cancelled when we were getting into some of its best stories and episodes. But, I kept watching, waiting for the moment when the show finally captures me. And that moment finally happened in "Space", the first episode of the second half.

One thing that "Stargate: Universe" has not lacked in is acting. With high profile actors like Ming Na, Robert Carlyle, and Lou Diamond Phillips, along with plenty of cameos by Stargate veterans Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson, the acting has been fabulous. It's the story and intensity levels that having been leaving me blank. Though there have been a few episodes with shining character moments, the story did not get exciting until "Space".

Within the first five minutes of this episode, is the introduction to a new story arch. Colonel Young uses the communication stones so he can report to his superiors on Earth...the only thing is, its not someone on Earth that he exchanges minds with. Suddenly, we find ourselves on an unfamiliar ship and then BAM...Hello, aliens. Finally, the writers understand that we like HOLY CRAP moments before the title credits.

In the aftermath of seeing this alien (which is very different looking from any other aliens that have been on Stargate), many people on the ship suspect that Colonel Young is losing it. After leaving Dr. Rush stranded on a planet left for dead in "Justice", he has become slightly unstable. But, when an alien ship arrives beside the Destiny before the second commercial break, the crew realizes with a terrifying clarity, Colonel Young wasn't imagining it at all. With the arrival of this ship, the audience can finally put together that its these people/things, whoever they are, are who we saw at the end of "Air Part 3" detaching from the Destiny in one of their smaller ships.

Now the audience, along with the crew realize the aliens may have be keeping tabs on them all along. And the fact that they have access to ancient technology, being able to interfere with the communication stones and sending them a message that simply says "Surrender", is not at all comforting. And finally, we have our first space battle on "Stargate: Universe," which does not disappoint. Having not perfected the weapons system on Destiny yet, and having only one shuttle with limited weapons power, the outlook of the battle is foreboding. It also gives a couple really great character moments between Eli and Colonel Young. In the absence of Dr. Rush, Colonel Young relies on Eli to be his main scientist. However, Eli has been working with ancient technology for as long as they have been on the Destiny and has nowhere near the capacity of understanding of the Destiny that Dr. Rush had. Which leads to Eli telling Colonel Young this very thing: "Maybe you should have thought of that before you got rid of Rush."

However, the alien ship backs off after they are able to take a prisoner, Chloe, which begins at the third commercial break. Now, they have only one way to rescue her: Colonel Young uses the communication stones again. But it's not Chloe that he finds, but Dr. Rush. Rescuing him from what looks like a science lab, Rush is able to rescue Chloe and get them of the ship before the alien ship retreats into FTL (Faster Than Light).

Now, with Dr. Rush back in business, Colonel Young has to worry about the truth of his disappearance getting out. However, with Rush being the one that tried to frame Colonel Young for murder in "Justice", Rush and Young decide on a truce. But, knowing, or rather not knowing Rush, I find that highly unlikely. Which in one of the last scenes of the episodes, we find true.

Rush meets with Wray in the greenhouse, and it is revealed they have been in cahoots all along to get rid of Colonel Young. It was Young that was supposed to get stranded on that planet, not Rush. But with him back, they can start again. And with the arrival of the aliens, this will lead to either an advantage or disadvantage to Rush's plan. He deducts that the aliens don't want their death, but rather, the Destiny.

With the lovely montage at the end of the episode, something that has become a regular occurance on Stargate: Universe, we see Eli showing Kino footage to Colonel Young of Wray and a few others debating how to get the military out of the way so a civilian can run the ship. And with Rush being Wray's secret weapon...

...There's no knowing what will happen next.

I'm extremely happy that the writers have finally realized how to structure a character driven show. This is definitely the finest episode so far in the series.