sundries, extra random edition

[rm]

For reasons currently unknown, HBO did not show the invocation by openly gay bishop Gene Robinson nor identify on screen or through introduction, as other groups were, The Gay Men's Chorus' in their broadcast of the inauguration concert thing yesterday. While I suspect this was editing for time / stupidity, it's entirely problematic and would like to hear from HBO on it. More here (via lonebear, with a link of where to contact.

Oh, random office blasting big band music down the hall, I LOVE YOU.

The Last Professor. Inadequate only for the other 800 indicators of the decline/decay of higher education the piece couldn't get to.

IHNIIHBT. I literally can't say anything about it, not even tonally, which is what I really want to talk about. So we're writing this thing. It is occupying brain space.

NYCC. So there's going to be a Torchwood panel, but there's no info on it yet. Anyone got some rumours or intel for me?

The whole cultural appropriation / racewank / does no one understand the how to have discourse on sensitive topics drama: this thing is such an octopus I pretty much have nothing to say, because I can't even find a logical entrance point to the current discussion.

However, deepad wrote something I thought was fantastic here. It's not just informative, it's gorgeously rendered. I grew up with half a tongue. Read it.

kalichan initiated a discussion about it here that is quite interesting, although it derails in places away from race and into the politics of gender (my fault) and genre (everyone's fault) and the very tricky notion of desire in general.

rezendi offers us a letter from Hari Kunzru, that reminds us that a writer's job is generally to not write about themselves. It's a different angle on the discussion and if combined with the rest of the discourse might make the current deteriorating state of the dialogue back to being about something other than general internet explosiveness.

Did you catch the little film Antoine Fuqua did for CNN? From MLK to Today? It's pretty great, but then I've always loved Fuqua's directorial style, even if he's made more than a few bombs.

Inauguration coverage? Making me cry. Pretty much constantly. I want to write something beautiful about it, but I've not yet come up with anything worthy.

New York is filled with weird awesome buildings and ellen_kushner used to live in one the NYT recently saw fit to write about.

I am having a bad hair day (like Ten with with bed head bad hair) that's bordering on hilarious.

Listening to Wolfsheim on repeat.

Found out how to dial Oman. Now I just have to find a good calling card for Oman, since I don't have international on my mobile.

New season of Big Love! I love this show. I love, love, love this show.

It is 31 degrees. After the weekend, this feels shockingly warm.

Comments

So we're writing this thing.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

!!!!!!!!

[blue-fjords.livejournal.com]

Hey, random person looking for updates on IHNIIHBT here. I don't know if it's okay to cut in on a completely unrelated topic from that, but I was at the concert in DC yesterday. I have no idea if they introduced the bishop before he started his prayer, but we totally could not hear him. The crowd kept chanting to turn it up. We didn't even realize he was praying until the sound kicked in for the Amen. Elmo, the pre-show entertainment, we heard fine. The bishop, not so much. And which choir was the Gay Mens' Choir? I actually missed a lot of the introductions, which were only for speakers, not singers (which caused a lot of -- "Hey, is that Jon Bon Jovi?" and "Wait, I thought Shakira had curly hair." in my section). At any rate, U2 sounded awesome, the woman in front of me wanted to have Garth Brooks' babies, Denzel Washington is an incredible public speaker, Steve Carell is not, and Obama himself was a joy to behold. It was so amazing to be surrounded by so many people united in love or excitement, take your pick, for one person and his vision.
So, sorry to interrupt, meant to just say that we couldn't hear the bishop, feel free to delete if the post's too long.
And I'm looking forward to more IHNIIHBT! :)

[rm.livejournal.com]

Hey! We're probably about a week out from posting the last part. It's going to be long and lush -- I guess those are the two things I can safely say about it, so it's taking a lot of time.

It's entirely possible HBO didn't broadcast the invocation because they had crap sound on it. Personally, I'd just like to know what happened.

Thank you for the personal experience note. I wish I could have been there.

[weirdquark]

Personally, I'd just like to know what happened.

I heard someone say that it was because there would have been 10 minutes of dead air between the invocation and everything else, so it would make more sense for HBO to start after the invocation. I don't know what information this was based on, but the person who offered this theory is in radio broadcasting.

Of course, this doesn't explain why they scheduled things this way, (possibly the invocation was much shorter than expected?) but it seems like a fairly reasonable explanation otherwise. Having to fill ten minutes of air time at the last minute can't be easy.

[blue-fjords.livejournal.com]

Hmm, it didn't seem to me that there was a lot of space between the bishop and Denzel. What really dragged was whatever Tom Hanks was doing. It went on forever. He talked, and then I think the orchestra did something cool to a montage of pictures, and this repeated several times. Only problem was that I had a hard time seeing the Jumbotron at that point and the orchestra did not get the same sound system support the actors and singers/bands received. Plus, it was cold. I'm sure it came across as deep and meaningful on TV, but it definitely lost the impact in person.

[demotu.livejournal.com]

See, if my fandom friends would go to cons in New York, instead of Atlanta, there'd actually be a vague chance I could go. It's only a 12 hour bus trip, you know, instead of two days to Atlanta. ^_^

*wishes she could afford plane tickets*

[rm.livejournal.com]

Well, if we get a last minute announcement of JB appearing (a long-standing, but not particularly well-founded rumour), get on a bus. If you're not allergic to cats you can sleep on my couch.

[demotu.livejournal.com]

I am rather allergic to cats, but I'm also excellent and Sucking It Up and taking a lot of claritin. ;) Thank you for the offer!

[rm.livejournal.com]

Well, I won't quite offer Kali's couch (because I pretend to have manners), but she doesn't have cats.

[demotu.livejournal.com]

Well, she's nice, so if I was dying at your place she might be kind enough to offre me her couch.

That isn't subtle at all, is it?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha. No.

And when you say Kali is nice. She's sort of like the faeries in Torchwood. She's nice if she likes you. And quite charming. However, she can be evil.

(and she's going to totally pout at me when she sees this).

[demotu.livejournal.com]

*brainstorms ways to suck up to kali*

Ooh. I am so bored right now and was looking for something to do SO I will go reread the last part of IHNIIHBT and have a comment-palooza. Everybody wins!

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yay. Since we're done yelling at people on the Internet for a moment (did you see, I was bored, and directed people back to that thread?)

[demotu.livejournal.com]

I did! God. I keep initiating assholes because they shat on my friends on lj. I don't think you were on bodlon's flist back then, but this is my favourite exchange ever. My advice to men trying to argue that they are not misogynists? Never respond to a comment from a woman with the following:

Okay, You win.
I am wrong.
Kiss me now you tiger.

It was... kind of priceless. I just sat there in shock for a while. Fortunately resourceress came to my rescue. :)

[rm.livejournal.com]

That was freakishly riveting.

[demotu.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it.

I still go around saying "kiss me now you tiger" at ironic intervals.

[gement.livejournal.com]

it derails in places away from race and into the politics of gender (my fault) and genre (everyone's fault) and the very tricky notion of desire in general.

Oops. I wanted to talk the principles, and I don't have the grounds to talk them re: race. I see what I did there now. Oops.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, I think no worries, as I think Kali is always happy to have the genre discussion, and that genre thing started waaaay before you got to it.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Rant what you know?

The Last Professor

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

This provided the last insight I've been looking for in trying to understand how the Victorian Era became the post-Victorian era, the one that went gibbering mad.

[better-late24.livejournal.com]

NYCC, eh? Hmmmmm, be sure to post if something is confirmed, as I am absolutely terrible about erm, knowing anything of relevance. I'm in Chicago, so it's a tiny bit do-able. I'd be thrilled if there was something semi-nearby with TW people.

[angstzeit.livejournal.com]

I think you most definitely need to see this: http://community.livejournal.com/randompictures/5417329.html.

Inauguration coverage? Making me cry.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Ib NOD CRYINK, I jid hab a code in my node!
Thabz by I neeb thib tibbshoes!