Thanksgeeking Part 1

It being November and less than two weeks until Thanksgiving I thought it appropriate that this post feature a holiday I have dubbed THANKSGEEKING. Yes it might be a bit cheesy but that's how I roll. 

Thankgeeking is about everything geek that we are thankful for. The good times, the bad times, the magic and thrills. It's about everything geek we couldn't live without.

For starters we have this. Its awesomeness can not be explained in words.

That is followed closely by this image of Captain Reynolds and Rupert Giles. Aw, aren't they cute?

 
If you can't tell where this is going, let me show you.

I am thankful, so VERY thankful, for the brilliance that is Joss Whedon. When he dies, his brain should be bronzed and put on display for the world to Marvel at. See what I did there. ;)    And can I just say, no one writes crazy folk like Joss.

Joss has brought us: 
Firefly
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel
The Avengers movies
Agents of Shield
Dr Horrible Sing-a-Long Blog
Much Ado About Nothing and many more wonders

Here's another awesomeness crossover: Barney Stintson and Captain Reynolds come together as Dr Horrible and Captain Hammer. I honestly don't know how they fit so much awesome in one film.

FIREFLY. It may have only lasted 14 episodes but it was 14 episodes of pure genius that was miraculously followed by a full length film named after the best smuggling ship in the verse, SERENITY. There is also a video game in the works!







I am thankful for Nathan Fillion. Oh Captain my Captain! He is hilarious, kind, generous (check out his yearly birthday Charity Water fundraiser) and did I mention ruggedly handsome? By the way, he was my Captain before he was your Castle. He's a geek that all geeks are jealous of. Add on mounds of talent and you've got a Geek God.

On a more personal note, Nathan Fillion's work in Firefly, particularly Shindig, has helped me through the pain and general crappyness of dealing with cancer. Laughter really is the best medicine.....that is unless your drugged up on prescription meds cause those things are freakin' awesome.

Now this one is an oldie but a goody - Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis. SG1 is my favorite but thanks to the genius and hilarity of Dr Rodney McKay, Stargate Atlantis is a close second. (Don't don't even waste your time with Stargate Universe. It doesn't even deserve the Stargate name.)




 












Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a terrific show I saw for the first time a couple months ago (expect for a few select Spike eps). I don't know why it took me so long before I watched it. Love it. I binge watched all seven seasons in about 4 days. After recouping some of the sleep I lost from my Buffython, I watched it all again. Hehe. I'm such a dork.

 

I will definitely be watching Pangs this Thanksgeeking. (Season 4 Episode 8) Such a perfect twist on a Thanksgiving themed episode. (I love that they left the arrow in the doll.)

Not only am I thankful that great show exists but I'm also thankful for it introducing me to two of my now favorite actors, Anthony Stewart Head (Giles) and James Marsters (Spike). To say that Anthony Head is a talented actor would be an understatement. Oh and did I mention that he can sing? Yes, really sing. Not one of those crappy "I'm a actor who thinks I can sing" things. 

I couldn't get a good video of Anthony singing "Behind Blue Eyes" on Buffy but I did find this other one of him singing on Buffy. For a recent and equally good version of "Behind Blue Eyes" check out Anthony's new album Staring at the Sun. (I just noticed that the videos are not appearing when viewing this page from a mobile device. I don't know why but I will try to get that fixed.)

 

Speaking of Anthony Head, if you haven't seen it, which is probable since it's kind of a lesser known film, watch Repo: The Genetic Opera. It's a horror musical. I know it sounds like a weird mix but it is SO good. There is a wide variety of music and it just works. And don't let "horror" scare you away. When I first heard about it I was hesitant because I do not like horror, gore or anything scary. This was nothing like I expected. It is definitely not for younger audiences but it is a very creative film. You won't be able to get the songs out of your head!


Thus ends Part 1 of What I'm Thankful For this Thanksgeeking.


Check out Part 2 here. 

Dominion Review - Episode 3 "Broken Places"

Review time again! This time I'll be reviewing the latest episode of Dominion to air, in the UK, Broken Places. This unique scifi show aired in the USA several months ago and can be watched online or using the Syfy app. Yay!

Side Note: Am I the only one who is still bugged by the change from "SciFi" to "Syfy"? I know it happened a long time ago but why?! Why would you change that? There was no need and it's stupid. Ok. Rant done.

For any unlucky souls that haven't heard of Dominion yet, let me give you the 411. This TV show is based on the movie Legion. The show is set 25 years after the events of the movie. A massive war

took place between angels and humans. A couple archangels have taken up residence on Earth. There is Gabriel, the bad guy, and Michael, the good guy. Now before you go and get all up in arms about the black and white terms I used, let me just say this is how they were written. Of course, more lies beneath the surface.



Michael helps the humans and is currently training the Chosen One. They live in what used to be Las Vegas. They've hence shortened the name to Vega. OK I think that's enough background. If you want more, go watch the previous 2 episodes.

I watched Dominion tonight, in the US, while it was airing in the UK. The cast live Tweeted and it was a blast. Some of their tweets will be included in the review. Check out the bottom of the page for links to their Twitter accounts.


Recap
William is sort of Gabriel's right hand man, at least in Vega. The episode starts with a meeting between the two in a dingy desert diner. (Say that three times fast.)

Clarie's father, General Riesen, is sleeping with an eight ball.

Alex is freaking out about being the Chosen One and is running away. (Way to be an adult, dude.) Michael later convinces him to stay by taking him to his childhood home. Michael tells him how his mother died protecting him and, with tears running down his surprisingly unchanging face, promises to do everything in his power to keep Alex safe.

Senator David Whele is making backroom deals with Arika from Helena for use of their air force. Anthony Head and Shivani Ghai have great chemistry. I incredibly enjoy their scenes together.

David doesn't believe in Michael. They come to heads in an awesome scene, during a senate meeting, when David insinuates that Michael is a traitor. This results in a hilarious statement later from David to Becca Thorn "Did you miss the part where he [Michael] threatened to murder me to today?"  *snicker* *smirk*  This snarkiness is followed by David blackmailing Becca by threatening to out her relationship with Michael. This begs the question, how does David ALWAYS have the dirt on everyone? 

General Riesen finally tells Claire that he is sick. Her father's declining health and his unethical treatment of Vega's citizens prompts Claire to make a rash decision: agreeing to marry William.  
William has a major thing for Claire but is oblivious to her feelings for Alex. A fact that David, William's father, points out rudely and implies that even his lion has more guts than William. William does get a jab in, however, before leaving to attend to "church business".

Arika gets a surprise package from her wife, the leader of Helena. It's the body of her sister. David sees this as an opportunity to regain the power in their "relationship". Arika, being one who likes having the upper hand, says she will start a coup in Helena if David lets her stay. She claims to have many loyalists amongst the top officials in Helena. It's always a power-play with these two.

Michael and Alex get a surprise visit by one of Gabriel's head angels. Alex comes away practically unharmed.

Michael gets a sword to the gut and a piece of it as a souvenir. Alex takes him back to Vega for medical attention.

When Gabriel finds out that the red angel attacked his brother, Michael, he retaliates by killing the angel's girl. No one messes with his brother. Oh and apparently, Gabriel has some mad trumpet skills.

We discover that not only is William working with Gabriel but he is the leader of his church in Vega. This church is very much on the down-low and would be fatal to anyone caught being a part of it. William leads an initiation of a new member, which involves breaking ribs, and we see a whole new side to this character. There's a lot more to him than meets the eye.

A Bit more Detail
My first thought of the first scene was "Dear lord Gabriel has a nice butt!" Thank you cameraman. Haha. And excellent wardrobe choice with those leather pants. We haven't seen a whole lot of Gabriel up until now so it was cool getting to see him more, especially outside of his mountain fortress.

Seeing Gabriel with William was a bit of a shock. I mean, we knew they were in cahoots but it still took me off guard. Maybe it was just the strange meet, in a dinner in the middle of nowhere, ordering pudding. Gabriel knows his pudding so don't try to fool him! 


David is threatening to out Becca's sexy relationship with Michael, saying it will make her an outcast. I don't get why sleeping with Michael makes someone an outcast. The citizens practically worship him and call him Savior. I understand if she was sleeping with a regular eight ball but this is their freaking savior. I love the scene either way. Anthony Head is terrific as David.

Every single scene with David Whele is intense, even when he's just talking about lions. And speaking of that lion scene (with William). Wow. He makes the natural animal matting process super creepy, especially with that smile. *shivers*

David Whele's character is very interesting. Look at the scene in which he is talking to Arika as he helps her wash her dead sister's body. He starts off with a harsh "In Vega we burn our dead. When in Rome" and tosses her matches. But then helps wash the body. He does this even before Arika becomes useful again.

Arika says he is cruel and responses with "Only to those that outlive their usefulness." Once Arika says she will start a coup, David calmly, and sweetly, says he will arrange for her sister's body to be "transported to the ocean". This clearly means a great deal to Arika. Again with the contradicting actions. This brings to mind one of Anthony Head's lines from Rocky Horror "Sometimes a mental mind f*** can be nice."

David is complex. Many people say he doesn't think he's bad. He's just doing what he has to. I honestly can't tell. There are times he does or says something and I'm like "There's no way he can't see how bad that is!" I think David started off with good intentions but at some point doing what needs to be done for the good of the people turned into doing what needs to be done to keep his power. I don't know if David thinks he's a bad guy or not. Maybe he does think he's bad but thinks it's ok because it's for the good of Vega. But then we'd have to anyalize if David's moves are really for the good of Vega or if he justifies his actions by saying what's good for him is good for Vega. *headache starts* Ugh. Like I said, he's complex.
 
When Arika and David are sharing a drink while discussing David's lion, Arika says he cages wild animals because he enjoys controlling powerful and dangerous things. David says he saved the lion and kept it's species from becoming extinct. David thinks he is doing good but I think it's more than that. I think he does enjoy the power he has over the lion. It's all about power with David.


Fun Fact: Do you know what Anthony Head was really drinking?

Someone on Twitter suggested that David should sing sometime in the series. Some may say this would be totally out of character but I think, if done correctly, could absolutely work. I can see him now. David standing in a dark room softly singing to himself in a deep voice as he stands over the bodies of people he just killed. Perhaps he's wiping clean a knife or pouring gasoline on the bodies. (A knife doesn't seem his style but you do what you gotta do.) It would be creepy as hell and would not only be in character but could also be used to move forward his character. It could be used to show how the stresses of governing Vega, all the backroom deals, family issues, etc are affecting him. How he's slowing loosing his mind. I've already seen the entire first season so this really makes sense to me. You'll see what I'm talking about.

Side Note: OMG those eyes! Green with a speck of gold in one eye. Wow.

William is another interesting guy. In the first two episodes I found him incredibly annoying. He was my least favorite character. He was so spineless and wimpy. I kept yelling at the TV for him to grow a backbone. He seemed sort of false too but, at the time, I couldn't put my finger on why. Well, now we know why! When I saw him breaking that dude's ribs I couldn't believe who I was watching. Either William is a terrific actor or he has an impressive split personality disorder. This was NOT the same person! Outwardly, he seems spineless but in the shadows he's a bad-ass villain-in-training! 

And what's up with those creepy blindfolds? Blindfold = odd. Blindfold with eyes = creepy. Add those to the unsettling baby sculptures, and vampire like eight ball angels and this show is just creeptastic. Bravo. 

I love the relationship between Gabriel and Michael. It's real. Complex. They are on opposite sides and yet still care about the other. Gabriel flips out that his solider attacks Michael. He's a typical brother, no one can hurt his brother but him. I think anyone with siblings can relate to their relationship.

 
I realized something during this episode that I can't believe I never noticed before: The Archangels have British accents but everyone else has American accents. So the celestial beings are British and the lowly Earthlings are American. Hhhhmmm I wonder what the writers could possibly be saying with that. *smirk*

No matter how many times I watch Dominion, it always shocks me to hear Anthony Head speaking in an American accent. It's hard to believe it's really him talking, his accent is so convincing. It's like watching him speak but hearing an American dubbing it. 
I didn't even know the rest of the cast was British until I watched an interview. Well done everyone!

Interesting comparison between TV shows in the UK and US. A normal US show has 20+ episodes per season. In the UK, a normal season has only 6-8 episodes. I don't know how it's normally like for UK shows but in the US, it usually takes 6 or so episodes in the first season for it to really catch it's footing. It takes awhile to figure out their characters and get a feel for the show. 

With that and the shortened seasons in mind, it's especially impressive that Dominion is so good at only it's third episode. I tip my hat to the writers. Well done. And the acting was spot on. I can't wait to see what's next.


Tune in Thursday at 10pm in the UK for Episode 4 The Flood.

 

Twitter
David Whele - @AnthonySHead
Arika - @ShivaniGhai
Gabriel - @CarlBeukes
Michael - @MrTomWisdom
Claire - @Roxanne_Mckee
Alex -  @MrChrisEgan
William - @LukeAllenGale

@DominionSyfy
@Dominion_UK
@SyfyUK

Review Happiness

Hey everyone! I am SO excited at the response I've gotten from my first post; a review of Anthony Head's album Staring at the Sun. I've gotten lots of page views and best of all Anthony read AND liked my review!!! He even tweeted me a couple times thanking me for it. I was shocked...and ecstatic!

I am a night owl and on Saturday that really paid off for me. As I finished posting the blog, around 3am here in the USA, it was early morning in the wonderful land of the Brits. Anthony was probably sipping his coffee as he scrolled through his Twitter. It was then that I sent a tweet to him, informing him that I wrote a review, in case he wanted to check it out. I didn't think he'd see my tweet let alone read my review. Well, about ten minutes later I get a tweet from Anthony thanking me for the review. Check it out below.

As you can see, he actually read my review! I don't know if he read the whole thing since it is quite long but he at least read the first part. I squealed! Yes, I was fangirling all over the place. LOL.

Shortly after that tweet, he sent another, this time not linking to my Twitter but it has been Favorited 19 times and re-tweeted 4 times so I feel pretty good about that. 

I don't think I could have asked for a better result. And I am so happy he liked the review. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my first post here and go listen to his album. You will NOT be disappointed. (I'm listening to it, again, as I write this.)

Stay tuned for more geeky fun!

Anthony Head - Staring at the Sun - Album Review

Intro:

Hey y’all! I’m super excited for this blog. It’s something I’ve thought about for a while to help express all my pent up geekiness. I thought it only fitting for my first post to be about a person I consider a geek/scifi icon. After all he played the best, stuffiest, British Watcher in the world (not to mention many other fabulous roles). That’s right, I’m talking about Anthony Stewart Head. Now there are a TON of things I could say about this extremely talented and versatile actor (which I will, in future posts) but today I’m going to be reviewing his newest album that was released in September. I had too many thoughts and praises to tweet them all (Anthony is very active on Twitter) so I decided to finally create this blog in order to say all I needed/wanted to say. If I’m lucky, maybe this will get back to Anthony and he will read this. Oh my gosh I would die! He has responded to two of my tweets and I was floating on air all day. I’m not some crazy person but I admire him and love all his work so when little ‘ol me gets a tweet, I geek out.

Side note: Is it just me or does it feel weird calling a celeb, or anyone you don’t know, by their first name? I feel “Mr Head” is too formal but “Anthony” is too casual. I know some people call him “Tony” but I believe that’s only close friends and family. Gggrrrr. I think I’ll stick with Anthony and hope, if he reads this, he won’t have a problem with it.

Anyway, his album, Staring at the Sun, came out in September and only recently become available on iTunes. The CD is still only available on his website and comes from the UK so US people be prepared to pay extra bucks for the shipping and money exchange rate. If you’re broke, like me, you can listen to his entire CD for FREE on Spotify. (Don’t worry guys. I’ll post links to everything.) Since I can’t afford it yet and have been dropping not-so-subtle hints to my parents as to what my Christmas present should be, I am reviewing based on my listening on Spotify.

At the top is an overall review. Below that I have given my opinions and notes about each song. (If you don’t want to read the whole thing at least check out the review for The Way you Look Tonight.) Enjoy, post your thoughts in the comments and check out his CD! (Links are at the very bottom of the page.)

Overall opinion:

This CD is a mix of covers and original songs. I think it’s a good mix. The overall feel is very mellow, due to the beautiful piano and Anthony’s smooth voice. There aren’t any songs you can really jam out too but it is very relaxing. I have been listening to it when stressed or at night before bed. If you’ve seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer then you already know he can sing. Remember that awesome acoustic version of Behind Blue Eyes* he sang in season four? Well he has included it in this CD and amped it up a bit. (See below for more)

There is one beautifully sung acoustic version of Highway, Highway as a “hidden track” after The Way you Look Tonight so keep listening. It may be my favorite of the album. I wish there had been more songs like this one. Just simple, pure. Just Anthony and his guitar. The acoustic Highway has a nice intimate feel and would love to have more of that.

Anthony’s musical choices are brilliant. He knows exactly when to pause, where to crescendo, where to add emotion, when to use a low voice and when to go higher. Even his instrument choices were spot on.

Anthony has always been good with using emotions in his songs to really bring them to life**.  This is a hard thing to do properly. Anthony makes it look easy. I wanted to cry during Behind Blue Eyes, got shivers at the end of Under My Skin and swooned at The Way you Look Tonight. (See below for more)

There is no denying Anthony Head has a beautiful voice, speaking or singing, and I wish he would have pushed himself vocally a little more. Would like to have heard more long, loud notes; really showing where he can go. I understand, however, that it wouldn’t have fit well with the feel he was going for. (I feel one of the best songs to show off his vocal ability is Legal Assassin from Repo: The Genetic Opera.) I still very much enjoyed his soothing voice.

I found the album on Spotify three or four days ago and have listened to it, on repeat, since then. I now know just about all the words to every song and find myself humming it as I go about my daily activities.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed it immensely. (I almost never give 5 stars to anything, FYI.) I definitely will, and have, recommend this album to my friends.

Oh and this CD also gets the stamp of approval from my Little One. She may only be 6 but when it comes to music she knows exactly what she likes and doesn’t and she has no problem telling you she doesn’t like it. When I asked her if she liked it her exact response was “I love it. I love it. I want some more of it!”

*Season 4, episode 18 “Where the Wild Things Are”, 30:25 in. Yep. I am that detail oriented.

** Watch his Rocky Horror performance and Repo: The Genetic Opera. This is why he is my favorite of all the Frank n Furters in Rocky Horror. I felt like Tim Curry was just singing words. When Anthony sang, it was a performance. Frank was a real person with real emotions. You could feel it. (links below)

Opinions of Each Song:

1.  World so Cold

I first heard this on Anthony’s website, before it was available elsewhere. I think this was a good pick to represent his album. This is one of the few songs I do not listen to at bedtime. The tempo makes it too fast when I am going for slow and relaxing. Anthony has also made his own notes about this song on his website.

2. Another Hero Died Tonight

This one is sad. I envisioned a military tribute video. Love the guitar. I really like what he does to “dry” when singing “my mouth is dry”. Anthony holds a nice, long note about three minutes in that’s terrific.

3.  Behind Blue Eyes

Talk about using emotion in a song! You can really feel his pain, especially about three minutes in, so basically the end of the song. I wanted to cry. Expressing those emotions with only your voice and getting others to feel it is a difficult task that Anthony nailed. Perhaps it’s because of his skills as an actor.

I was disappointed it wasn’t acoustic like in Buffy but I love this version too. One of my favorite songs on the album.

4.  Staring at the Sun

This song is an example of knowing what octave to use. He sings very high and it works. About halfway through it starts to fade out and then comes back with a pump of energy. Perfect.

5.  Winter Wind

Really like this one. I find myself humming/singing this one a lot. Hey ho! The subtle maraca is great. I didn’t notice it at first but it really adds something.

6.  Under My Skin

I don’t know if this was planned or not, but this song was a bit creepy. Mostly, it was the last line of the song. It made me shiver, the way he says “skin”, the perfectly timed drums, and how his voice is very low and gravelly. Loved it. I like how he takes a well-known classic, adds his twist and yet keeps the charm of the original.

At two minutes in, I can’t tell if that is whistling or an instrument. I’m pretty sure it’s whistling. If it is, I wonder if that’s Anthony whistling. I would think so.

7.  Knock me Down

I can’t get this one out of my head. It’s very catchy. I don’t know what to say. I just really like it. Apparently, Anthony wrote the music for this one. Read about it on his website. Dang, he is one talented guy. Is there anything he can’t do?

8.  Highway, Highway

This is a beautiful song. Piano and voice flow together flawlessly. I love to close my eyes and just get wrapped up in it.

9.   Don’t Mess with Magic

When I first heard this I immediately thought of Giles and Willow. I envisioned Giles lecturing Willow on the dangers of magic. Telling her “You might think you stand a chance. Try to fight it, that you can win the powers of darkness to your side”. Didn’t Giles say almost exactly that in Buffy?  Heck, I could quote every line in this song and it would be applicable to the Giles and Willow relationship, especially in season 6.

10.   The Way you Look Tonight (and hidden tracks – Acoustic Highway, Highway)

This song is a classic and Anthony doesn’t disappoint. The first thing to pop into my head when hearing this was a vision of Anthony tenderly holding his partner, Sarah, as they dance around their kitchen. All the while, Anthony is lovingly singing this song into her ear. You can feel that love. Yet another great example of how he can inject emotions into his singing.

If you listen very carefully, at about 1:45 Anthony chuckles when saying “and that laugh that wrinkles your nose”. Brilliant.

In my top three of the album.

A terrific surprise awaits anyone who sticks around after the song ends. Approximately, 35 seconds after the song, an acoustic version of Highway, Highway comes on. I can not express how much I love it. It feels raw and intimate.  I found myself cheering along with the others when it ended, even before I knew there was cheering.

But wait, there’s more! That’s right. More. Roughly two minutes after Highway ends (10:25) we get an interesting clip of animal noises. There are birds, sheep and another one that I can’t put my finger on. I assume this is at Anthony and Sarah’s farm in the UK (Tilley Farm). Cool little listen.

Links:

Anthonyheadmusic.com – Download album or buy the CD. USA folks will end up paying about $23 for the CD because of shipping and exchange rates. Check out Anthony’s Track Notes.

Amazon MP3 – This is only $8.99  http://www.amazon.com/Staring-at-Sun-Anthony-Head/dp/B00OV3HPDW/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415434314&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=anthoyn+head

iTunes – Search for “Anthony Head”. Do not use his middle name. When I did that I could only find his first CD Music for Elevators and Repo: The Genetic Opera soundtrack. By the way, Repo is SO worth it. If you haven’t seen it yet, do it now. Right now. Put down your bowl of Cocoa Puffs and get on YouTube. You can get most of the movie, in clips, on there. Or buy it from Amazon for $6.

Amazon Repo DVD - http://www.amazon.com/Repo-Genetic-Opera-Paul-Sorvino/dp/B001MT7ZEW/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1415435210&sr=1-1&keywords=repo+genetic+opera

Legal Assassin (From Repo) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9He9WlFDXqw&index=3&list=PL_0385mRacTiguaBr-oLXjVBtA1FjoIEl

Rocky Horror Live show – Unfortunately the quality is bad but it’s the only show I can find with Anthony. He’s still great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2GiDWLQFt4&list=FLznXkuCoyadG20f2CGa0WjA&index=1

Rocky Horror Tribute Show – Someone clipped Anthony’s parts out so you don’t have to watch the show. Possibly my favorite performance of his Sweet Transvestite. Skip to about a minute in.

Tilley Farm – http://www.tilleyfarm.co.uk/  - This is Anthony and Sarah’s farm. Sarah Fisher does a lot of work with animals, seems to be mostly horses and dogs. She uses TTouch. Very interesting stuff. Sarah gives classes. They do great things for many animals. Definitely worth checking out. If you are viewing this on a mobile device, not all the pages work. For example, I am unable to see the drop-down menu on the Tilley Farm tab.

Fun Fact: The horse, pasture, and house shown in the beginning of season 7 of Buffy are Anthony’s. It’s his farm.

Cool to be Kind – http://www.cooltobekind.org.uk/  - Anthony started this “to help promote, encourage and acknowledge acts of kindness to animals.” As the website says “Cool to be Kind was launched on January 1st 2014 for the sole purpose of promoting the message that it is Cool to be Kind to animals.” Wrist bands and tote bags are available for sale to help spread the word.