idealists are the cruelest monsters of them all.

In an effort to placate my writer's block I've been doing some other stuff. That other stuff probably does not (maybe) include me writing this interview with George Clooney in the March issue of the US Esquire.

I know, however, that when there's an article with George that talks about his bromance with Brad, the gay gay gay rumours, and has George reading ER FAN FICTION you all might not be inclined to believe me.

To which I say, if you like the article, it's okay if you just read it on-line and don't buy the magazine, because except for this fabulously entertaining and well-written article, the American version of Esquire is a conservative piece of misogynist tripe. The UK version is MUCH better.

(So the UK version can hire me now. Plz? I can leave tomorrow.)

So, um, yeah. If you're voting today, this is for you.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
John, Derek (vague John/Derek, maybe. Oh, the shame).
S1 spoilers, PG
Improv: burst, seedy, tequila, sequence


Under the City Lies a Heart Made of Ground


( John hacks computer systems. Derek assembles guns. )

Once a year, I whore my LJ for charity. Don’t get me wrong, I whore for charity 365 days a year* (366 this year), but once a year I make up a list of five of my favorite charities in hopes that someone might have an extra ten dollars/quid/euros/yen/galleon that they wouldn't mind parting with.


1. Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation -- Yes, every year I start off with the Pediatric AIDS charity, and with a damn good reason. There are more than a million people in the US living with HIV/AIDS right now. More than 40,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, and a good portion of those are children who are born with AIDS. This isn't about who gave what to who or what started where, this is about babies, about children, who just need your help.

2. Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation -- Live Journal fandom is a community that is predominately female. Not all, but a lot. 1 in 8 women in the US will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. In 2007, breast cancer was expected to take the lives of more that 40,000 women, but the Komen Foundation is working to decrease those numbers. They don't just do research, they fundraise, they offer lifestyle support, they want to beat this and if your $10 or $15 or $50 is that extra bit that they need to beat this disease, how awesome would that make you feel?

3. Habitat for Humanity International -- This isn't about Hurricane Katrina, or it's not just about Katrina. It's about tsunamis and earthquakes and people living in ramshackle lean-tos that could fall down any second in Africa or South America. Donating to this charity is a way of realizing how grateful you are for the roof over your head and giving that gratitude to someone else.

4. First Book -- We are media fandom. We watch TV. We read books. We surf the next. We write. We draw art. We study. We are informed. We wouldn't be any of these things without the ability to read and you can't read without books. Without books we can't develop our imaginations. Imagine not knowing about Austen. Imagine never reading Pratchett or Gaiman or any author that makes you heart race or that gives you hope for a better day. Horrible thought, isn't it? So shouldn't you make sure that doesn't happen to someone else too?

5. Planned Parenthood -- This isn’t about being pro-choice or pro-life, this is about needing a place to go if you're in trouble. This is about having a place to turn to if you can't afford healthcare and need condoms or a pap smear or if you've got a itch and you can't talk to your family GP. This is about having some control over your life. Planned Parenthood is about giving your sister or your daughter or your BFF a chance to have some control too.

And last, but not least, #6...

The Gratuitous Charity Shilling
My BFF is a grade school teacher in one of the Brooklyn public schools, and I think that pretty much speaks for itself. The US public schools are in a pretty deplorable state, and my BFF is constantly telling me stories that pretty much horrify me, and it's not about the children, it's about the horror of No Child Left Behind. It's about not being able to have story time, because teachers are required to allot every last minute for standardized testing. So, when my BFF said she wanted a Smart Board for her class, my first thought was, I'll buy you one! Because this is what teachers do now. They can't rely on the school systems to fund them, so they buy supplies on their own. And then she told me about the cost. And so I told her, go to Donors Choose, and this is where we are now. If you would like to learn more about helping to fund her project that would be awesome. If you think you might like to fund something else, I cannot urge you highly enough to at least click through the possibilities on the Donors Choose website. There are thousands of teachers out in the world, teaching the next generation, who could use your $6.99 designated beer fund to make their classes run a lot better.


*And to assure you that I'm not asking you to do anything I don't, I can proudly say that last year I donated to Donors Choose, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, One.org, Save Darfur, RAINN, Oxfam, Goodwill and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Why did I donate to all these charities? Because they say if you want the world to be a better place, you have to contribute, and even if you're only contributing $5 that's better than nothing at all.

The entries for the Someecard Challenge! have started trickling in, so this will serve as their index by fandom (A to Z). Please let me know if you've completed your card.

( Someecard Challenge Entries )

In the last 36 hours I have discovered The Tudors. I cannot begin to tell you how this has wreaked havoc on my other plans for the weekend, especially when I have to keep getting dragged out the front door. All I can do is point to my icon and say, "WTF, Y'all?!" Why didn't anybody tell me about this? (Not you, ethrosdemon, you don't count b/c we never like the same thing at the same time. )

Seriously I'm only up to 1.05, so don't spoil me, but it's got craziness everywhere, intrigue, insanity, gayness, and when did Henry Cavill get hot? He was always so thin and not beef-noodle hearty (TM ethrosdemon). I feel cheated! Of course he's gay, everybody hot is gay. Typical ;-) It also has Fiona from Burn Notice, and I don't even mind Johnathan Rhys Meyers here, even though I've always thought he was extremely dodgy and unattractive, it works here. I wonder if he hits on Henry Cavill in RL?

In related questioning, does anybody have any recommendations for good Henry VIII reading? I'm looking for more court-related and less military-based. Ideally, I'd like a book that focuses on Henry himself through the years and his relationships as opposed to a POV from the wives or kids. Also, don't recommend Antonia Fraser as I don't like her writing. ETA: Non-fictional preferred over fictional.

So far this morning I banged my knee, was spoiled for the Project Runway collections by Entertainment Weekly, oh, and this was the first e-mail I sent this morning:

Dear Lush:

I have been a customer of Lush for several years and have spent several hundreds of dollars in your store. At no time and in no place have I ever been informed that your products stain surfaces, so you can imagine my shock and horror when the Youki-Hi bath bomb that I bought from your XX store left a massive orange stain around my white bathtub. In fact, I am now confronted with a hideous orange ring that despite my liberal use of cleaning products refuses to move or fade at all.

I am exceedingly angry and displeased with your company, this product and your lack of warning that this might happen. I now plan to share my anger, not only with you, but with every person I know in urging them not to use your products.

No love,
Me

What's really great is that this isn't the only FUCK YOU WITH A BROOM! letter I'll be sending today. Hooray.

ETA: For anyone who's interested in this sort of thing (Ash) Gambit and Deadpool have been cast in the new Wolverine franchise.

Okay, people, I am looking for the following songs and albums:

Sway 'This is My Demo' (LP)
Adele '19'
Orson 'Culture Vulture' (LP)
Beyonce 'Irreplaceable'
Page France 'Chariot'
Beirut 'Scenic World'

Also, I need to talk with you. I know you people. I know how crafty you are. The new Guillemots album Red will be out in March as will the new Elbow LP The Seldom Seen Kid. The new Gnarls Barkley album The Odd Couple will be out in April. I'm not saying to do anything 'bad', but if you happen to stumble upon anything related to any of the above, well, I would love you a lot. A WHOLE LOT.

In return what do I offer you? Well, I put up a four-song zip yesterday and the latest Frankenmix is out, so how about we do that?


( The Wish For Something Better Mix )

The WGA strike is ovah on Wednesday! (pending member approval)!!

Where be your shows you are asking?! Well, the New York Times will tell you here, but if you want to go in depth about the hows and whys and wherefores, read this Variety article, which will explain a lot about the collective network thinking on why some shows will be back before the summer and others will be back in the fall.

Plz to notice the bit about Burn Notice. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, snitches! Is it summer yet? This lessens the pain about Psych being over on Friday, oh, not at all, but still.

Also, it is never too late to sign up for The Totally Unofficial Someecard Challenge!. Just saying.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE BABY ARI: VOTE, PEOPLE!!!


Honestly, I don't care who you vote for *coughBarackcough*, but just you know, get out there and vote. If you don't vote, you have no right to complain, and I know how y'all love to complain.

---

Happy Birthday, ethrosdemon. I wrote your ass epic George/Anderson yesterday, so don't be saying I don't do anything for you. In that respect, vylit I have not forgotten your birthday, I just got hijacked by George. These things happen.

---

If I was really pondering the idea of an AU where Jon, Stephen, Conan and Anderson were in a band, a la Franz Ferdinand, would anybody read that besides me? Do I care? Do I ever care?

So, this has been percolating for a while. I'd thought it was going to be shorter, but I'm not in charge when I'm around these guys. Happy early birthday, ethrosdemon. Don't say I never gave you anything.

RPF/RPS/Entourage/CRACK!
You don't have to have read Make Sure They See My Face to understand this, but it probably helps.

hackthis Productions Present:

Something to Talk About

featuring George Clooney
Ari Gold
Don Cheadle
Ryan Gosling
Shia LaBeouf
and Anderson Cooper

With Matt Damon. And some other folks.


(  Being single is not a default state. )