Moving Pictures

[laliandra]

Hey guys!

I am just so pleased it's the weekend and there is so much cool stuff going on, offline and online, that I am basically a giant happy ball of Lal as I sit here in my pjs (they have pink sheep on them, if you were wondering), eating dried mango.

So I thought I would share some of the things that have been taking me happy places in the last few days, in exciting video form!

There's been a lot of discussion recently about women characters in fiction and in fandom (bookshop and sarahtales have some pretty damn fabulous and fascinating posts on the subject) going on recently. And obviously as a girl with a vested interest in both of those things, it's something that I've been thinking about a lot. I'm sort of umming and ahhing about making a post about My Thinky Thoughts on reading girls and writing girls and all that, but I don't know if I would just be shouting down a hole and/or preaching to the choir. But anyway, there is a festival called halfamoon going on that is fairly awesome, and one of the things that has come out of it is this vid. It's celebration of women in sci-fi and fantasy, of women being brilliant in every way possible. It's pretty much everything I wanted to say, and it's just beautiful and beautifully made.

It makes me feel like I could do anything, you know?


Another thing that is making so very happy is, actually, a TV show. I don't know if it shows, but the thing I love best in the world is books. I can hear your "DUH"ing from here. But I am also exceptionally fond of televsion programmes. Even lots of really bad ones. But sometimes, once in a while, I fall in love with a show like it's a book. I know this sounds weird, but bear with me.

And this show is called WHITE COLLAR. You guys, I cannot even. Everyone in the world should watch this show. All the cool kids are doing it!

White Collar is a show about a con man and an FBI agent and together they fight crime. No wait, they actually fight crime! Neal, master forger, is working for Peter of the White Collar crimes Division, who caught him and put him in jail twice, under probation. Neal has to wear a tracking anklet, neither of them should really trust the other, they are very different people, but they make a Pretty Awesome Team. So far, so mismatched buddy police procedural, I hear you say. BUT WAIT.

What White Collar is also is smart, funny and totally character driven. And said characters are smart, funny (noticing a pattern), wonderfully acted and utterly believable, and 100% adorable. It subverts your expectations, delivers quality acting and has New York City looking so good I want to move there tomorrow.

What White Collar is to me is the equivalent of having a box of puppies delivered to me every week.

Everyone in the show is adorable and I want to hug them. EVERYONE. Neal, who is a charming, I mean unbelievably charming, brilliantly smart conman who wears hats and waistcoats and believes in love and beautiful things and has some Trust Issues but wants to trust Peter. Peter, who is a practical, deceptively brilliant, FBI agent who believes in justice and really likes smart (that is a direct quote, btw). El. who is a funny, sensible events planner who is married to Peter and likes to engage in adorable banter with him and basically keeps the boys from tripping over their tangled relationship and myriad issues. There is also Moz, Neal's friend who is played by <3Stanford Blatch<3 from Sex and the City<3 and who is a hilarious, non people person, conspiracy theorist forger/unassuming criminal genius. The rest of Neal and Peter's team! So adorable and witty! June, Neal's landlady who knows he is a criminal and doesn't care!

A box of puppies, you guys. Did I mention they are all seriously pretty. I mean Matt Bomer - Neal and also Bryce from <3Chuck<3 - is an insanely attractive man, but Tim Dekay has this crazy ninja hotness that blindsides you and frankly the cast as a whole is pretty damn fine. The show is very prettily shot as well.

Furthermore, everyone has SO MUCH CHEMISTRY it is ridiculous. I really believe that Peter and El have this real, really good marriage. Neal and Peter have some of the best bicker-banter I've ever seen (and yes, I've seen Sherlock Holmes). Oh, just watch this video. It's very well made and the song choice is marvellous.

And then go watch White Collar! As I said to shiningartifact when persuading her flailing at her until she agreed to watch it, I feel confident that everyone will love this show. Unless they do not like hot people being clever and adorable in great clothes. And there are only 11 episodes to catch up on!

Aaaand finally. The Winter Olympics starts today! WOO! I mean, as a country we lack the necessary climate and mind set for most of these sports, but I love the Olympics and most importantly, this means there will be ICE SKATING ON TV. I lovelovelove ice skating, y'all. I used to have a Torvill and Dean poster and tee shirt and a video and OMG ICE SKATING. It is the most camp and ridiculous thing to ever call itself a sport. I cannot love it more.

I feel the whole thing is summed up by America's Johnny Weir's routine to Poker Face. No. Really.

It's like Adam Lambert took up figureskating. Or had an insanely talented sparkly ice baby with Lady Gaga... It's so unapologetic and celebratory and wonderful. You do kind of have to ignore the commentators a little, but still. Love.


And that's everything I can think of for now! Come chat, I have about a billion things to say about, well, everything I've mentioned here and you guys are always my happy place.

Comments

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

That was the plan! Share the luh.

YAAAAAAY I did not know you watched White Collar! Woo! I am totally on the side of the OT3. I don't think I have ever had one before and now, 2 on one year! Anyway, they are so impossibly adorable. Vital Signs, Isi, VITAL SIGNS. With the SINGING and the BADGE. OMG. I think it's brilliant that El gets included so much, because, well, oviously Neal and Peter are just begging to be slashed, but she is so amazing in her own right - let's discuss how she gets to have all sorts of rare stuff for a female character, especially one who is not ostensiably a main character, namely, a job that she is cearly awesome at, with her own staff, friends, interests, a kickass wardrobe, her own motivations. I mean, it does not pass the Bechedel(?) test but that would be kind of hard seeing as it's from a male POV. And I love her and Peter and their real life marriage! They mock each other but trust each other and LOVE EACH OTHER.

Anyway. I love El. Can you tell?!

What was the thing that bothered you, btw?

And yes, it's been really cool to sit back and watch all these really in depth debates going on. And sometimes I've been angry with people, and sometimes I've been impressed. I just liked the general, not universal but anyway, reaction of, yes, we must do better. And this is how we are going to do it. We have a PLAN. And yes, I have been looking at myself and thinking, huh, you have written a lot about boys in the last year. Huh. But then I remember that out of fic, my story passes the test in it's first scene, where 3 girls talk public transport, dinner and lying to officers of the law...

ISN'T HE THOUGH? He is like, crazy talented (he does quads! And triple triple combos! And did you see those SPINS)

THat whole thing just makes me SO happy I cannot even. I spent most of my day off just watching his videos on youtube and gleeing.

Oh, another thing that is making happy today is the Kradison concert! :D! brimtoast was there! I am a seething mass of jealousy...

[altogetherisi.livejournal.com]

Oh I adore White Collar, its just so fun! And, y'know, all these other things too, but its the overarching fun-ness that really brings it all together. I haven't really posted about anything fannish much recently... But yeah, I was particularly gripped by the first one after the hiatus just in case the writers did something terrible. But they didn't! They did exactly what I had hoped (and hopefully predicted... somewhere) they would do! Which just reinforced my love. So much. NEAL IS SO ADORABLE, that badge and his worried face and his ruthlessness being completely stripped away with the cereal sheriff badge omg. And, it does help that he is inhumanly beautiful. God. And, Peter and El's marriage is just, simply, perfect. Entirely real and unshakeable in a way that relationship just aren't shown to be all that often. Totally complementary and both strong characters and just LOVE.

The one thing that had bothered me and made me sad was, in the pilot, there was an awesome lesbian agent character? And she never came back, and I think there was a canon reason like she worked at a different agency or something, but I worried it was the show/network losing a lovely lesbian (and of colour, too) and replacing her with Lauren, the straight female FBI agent? Who I have nothing against of course. But yeah, that made me a bit sad. But! The awesome lesbian is now apparently coming back! And will feature more in the second series! Hurrah! SEE, THIS SHOW IS PRACTICALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.

Both my original projects pass the Bechdel test! Yay! (Er, not all my fic does...) Not in the first scene though, for either of them, you win there. Although, I guess if the reader could actually hear the conversation my MC is kinda failing at spying on in the opening chapter that would push it over. I think though, considering Imlie is ensemble and Shades has two girls and one guy MC, I would have to fail rather drastically if they didn't pass. And/or they would be incredibly boring books.

I have now watched an awful lot of him on YouTube. And read a lot about him. What can I say, I am a product of fandom, and so I now love him. Rather a lot. Because he rocks. I mean - aromatherapy candles?! Audrey Hepburn posters?! AND THE SHEER TALENT. Breath-taking. Also, his body :P Boy is fiiiiiine. And fierce.

OMG KRADISON CONCERT!!! brim was there?! God, I am so jealous. Adam is coming to the UK soon! Even though I feel all sorts of uncomfortable about it, and DNW to be associated with BSC Glamberts, I did give my email to that weird publicity lady in case there were any events I could make it to. *sigh* My life, what is it.

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Yesyes, so much fun! I actually started watching it just after the hiatus so I only had about a week or so to wait and find out what happened. I loved what they did there! It's something they do so well on WC, I think, they set up these situations that look like 100 other TV situations and then resolve in a really unexpected and very ~sensible way. I want Peter and El's marriage SO BAD, omg. I love that you can totally see that Neal is just this great big pile of love and vulnerability under all that COOL and INSANE BEAUTY. Oh Matt Bomer. Good job on both your face and your amazing acting.

Ok, so the rest of this comment will have to wait because I have to go out in 10 minutes but don't want to risk losing it. Anyway, I'll go see Adam with you and we can mock the Glamberts together/protect each other from them!

<3

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

I actually only saw the pilot quite recently and I was like, "Ooo, now I see why everyone was upset that she disappeared." Apparently the actress signed up to another show in the mean time, according to the writers. But she is coming back, yay! "We don't ask and we don't care" :D:D:D

So much of my fic of late is male POV that none of it qualifies, bacially. *shameface* Though in my GB one a whole group of people talk amongst themselves about all sorts of things, but I know that I am stretching. Must do better, self. And yaaaaay, I like to hear about other people's writing, how cool. And you would be suprised at how often girl POV books fail. It's kind of upsetting. But I would expect nothing less of an awesome lady such as yourself.

That is exactly what I did too! Fandom has trained us well. Did you know that someone once wrote an article called "Is Johnny Weir too gay for ice dancing?"

...

The irony must be so huge that they just couldn't see it, like the wood for th trees or something. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. But he is amazing! And hilarious! And wears Chanel tee shirts with penguins on and pretends that he is talking about spinning clockwise instead of anticlockise when he talks about being who you were born to be and expressing yourself. <3_<3

I KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. I could DIE of the jealous.

Sorry about our lives?