Daily Pilots Post

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

Last day!

Today, as sort of a change of pace, let's play Pimp My Fandom. Here's how it works:

There's this great tv show/film/book/comic/expressionist artist/zoo/piece of music/ancient martial art/brand of tea that you're wild about. This post is your opportunity to share that with a community of people who, at the very least, share your taste in BSG pairings! It's that easy. Post in with whatever is in your life right now making it more awesome. If it's in some way connected with BSG, cool. If it isn't, ALSO COOL. What should we be reading/watching/listening to/eating/doing?

Comments

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

The list of things I find awesome is huge, so I'll try to keep it to the things that I really really love.

Law & Order|UK: Jamie Bamber as adorable British cop. The decription of his character from this series's press release is "the charming DS Matt Devlin, JAMIE BAMBER (Battlestar Galactica, The Last Detective, Ultimate Force) whose approach to policing is part seduction part force." Freema Agyeman of Doctor Who is also in it. Second series starts in Britain on Sept. 9

Queen & Country: A series of comic books and novels by Greg Rucka. They're pretty dark, but very well-written, about an operative of the British Secret Service named Tara Chace. Who, I think, strongly resembles another badass blonde whose name rhymes with hers. My brief description of Chace: "Street smart, tough, good looking, rule breaking, self-abusive blonde with severe issues with her mother, drinks to excess, smokes, fucks around, loves to paint but not little art pieces, giant wall-sized splattering pieces where the paint gets all over her, sniper, best at what she does, involved with a younger man who dies and leaves her with an extra ton of emotional baggage. In love with her CO the whole time, even during the affair with the younger man." Sound like anyone you know?

Other things I'd recommend: Warehouse 13 on Syfy, Leverage on TNT, White Collar on USA, Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, the Black Jewels novels by Anne Bishop, faerie tale anthologies edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, Soulless by Gail Carriger, anything by Shakespeare, going to see shows at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, following @bergopolis on Twitter, Harry & David Moose Munch especially the Milk Chocolate Mint Chip, copper wire jewelry, British comedy albums of the late 60s... The list goes on and on...

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

There are many random things that give me joy! :)

Buster Keaton's silent films and shorts. He is simply astonishing. If you think you might want to try watching him sometime, I would recommend "The Cameraman" or "Seven Chances" or "Sherlock Jr." There's a wonderful reviewer, Igenlode Wordsmith, who has posted lovely comments about almost all of his movies and shorts here (http://uk.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=17884208), and they are a good guide to what you might enjoy. If you care to see a clip to decide if you might like him, you can try this scene from Spite Marriage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npHGPN19CC8&feature=related), in which he attempts to put his drunk wife to bed, but her balletic noodliness necessitates increasingly desperate contortions on his part. The music track is annoying for about the first fifteen seconds but then it quiets down and just lets the scene play.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I love them - they are so articulate and sharp and atmospheric, and Watson is my hero. If you'd like to give one of the short stories a try, I'd recommend The Musgrave Ritual (http://sherlockholmes.wikia.com/wiki/Story_Text:_The_Adventure_of_the_Musgrave_Ritual) for sheer fun. It's not the best mystery, but it's a treasure hunt, and it's awesome. The Jeremy Brett TV version is delightful, too.

Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance as performed by Kevin Kline and company. This is my favorite musical of all time, it just makes me bounce with overflowing goodwill!

"Fit as a Fiddle" and "Moses Supposes" from the movie Singin' in the Rain. A close second in the 'favorite musicals' category -- this is a fantastic dancing musical, and the closest I've ever seen to a living cartoon.

The enchanting children's film The Black Stallion, so full of silence and beauty.

Elizabeth Marie Pope's two young adult novels. The American Revolution romance/ghost story The Sherwood Ring, so full of snark and elegance, and its counterpart The Perilous Gard, an Elizabethan tale of mystery and dread.

The poem Insensibility (http://www.poemtree.com/poems/Insensibility.htm) by World War One poet Wilfred Owen. His other poems are more famous, but this is the one that speaks to me.

Sting's album "Songs From the Labyrinth," which is a rendition of the 16th century ballads of English composer John Dowland, along with brief extracts from his journals. It's really beautiful. Clear or Cloudy reminds me of Kara: "Her trust, her doubt / like rain and heat in skies / gently thundering / she's lightning to mine eyes."

And, in conclusion, the Muppet Ode to Joy (http://www.youtube.com/user/MuppetsStudio#p/u/9/VnT7pT6zCcA).

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

Oh, dude, Elizabeth Marie Pope too! I loooooove those books! I always wished she'd written more.

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

For those two or three BSG fans who haven't read them yet, the three books that comprise "The Hunger Games" trilogy. Also, GRR Martin's giant unfinished fantasy series and Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond books. I'm not sure that the latter have much in common with BSG other than great characters and a bleak sensibility.

For films - The Lives of Others, The Lord of the Rings and the Three Colors trilogy are things I keep coming back to.

[skieswideopen]

Oh, I loved The Perilous Gard! Hmm, I wonder if it's possible to still hunt down a copy...

[koolaidmom11.livejournal.com]

I am also a fan of G.R.R. Martins Game of Thrones and can't wait until HBO shows it. I'm a huge fan of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. My kids and I spend an inordinate amount of time casting these books for a miniseries.

Books that I love are Atlas Shrugged and a must read, The Phantom Tollbooth

[stripes13.livejournal.com]

I'll second Leverage. It's such a fun show. The most recent episode had me out of breath I was laughing so hard.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Heh. Do I even need to say The Hunger Games series? Thrace_Adama and myself even created a comm (good_hunting_hq) dedicated to the similarities we saw between it and BSG and our beloved pilots.

I am also loving Huge on ABC Family. What a unique and well written little drama. I love all the characters! It's what Glee sorta wants to be and what FNL already does so well. There's a conversion post here (http://taragel.livejournal.com/139683.html#cutid1). I don't know that it's much like BSG, except that it's a really good show in the way that BSG S1 was a really good show. Oh and Gina Torres is in it, which may appeal to BSG/Sci-Fi loving peeps.

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

Holmes! I've loved those since I was a kid. I have the whole set up on my bookshelf! I couldn't possibly pick a favorite, though The Adventure of the Red-Headed League has been on my mind recently, because it's part of a Kara Thrace story. (Weird, I know.)

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

High five for The Phantom Tollbooth! One of my all-time favorite books. I still read it at least once a year.

[koolaidmom11.livejournal.com]

My daughter once used the "doldrums" in a student council speech of how she would use her time. Love that book. Glad that we have something in common...I'm actually going to write on the doldrums schedule in my blog!

[koolaidmom11.livejournal.com]

What is this Hunger Games that everybody is always mentioning?

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Wow, yes, The Lives of Others just hits straight to the gut, doesn't it? I'm a long-time fan of "Les Miserables," both the musical and the book, and I'm always drawn to different iterations of the Javert story and character.

And LotR is one of my oldest loves. My uncle used to read those books aloud to us, and they have never lost their magic. I actually associate the Grey Havens with the BSG finale (don't kill me! I know the finale was botched while the Grey Havens were beautifully realized, but I've always sensed something similar in the underlying sentiment):

"I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done."

"So I thought too, once. But I have been too deeply hurt. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so when things are in danger: someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them. But you are my heir: all that I had and might have had I leave to you."

** meep **

But, yes, full of love for these. May I ask who your favorite LotR character is? Mine are Gandalf, Frodo, and Faramir, which makes me fairly predictable, I suppose :)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

I will never judge you for loving Harry Potter, I do too! I've written more stories about Snape than about any other fictional character :) I hope you enjoy the re-read. Azkaban is so fun!

And if you're enjoying Kate Winslet, I would recommend "Sense & Sensibility," she's quite lovely in that one :)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

They had one at my local library! Hope is not lost! :)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

I love them all, too. I discovered them when I was about eleven and there's been no turning back.

Wait, there's a Kara story involving the Red-Headed League? How has this happened without my knowledge?

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. I could write the better part of a treatise on Things I Find Awesome, but here's a short list that hopefully (fingers crossed) fits in this comment box:

01. Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Can't. Stop. Reading. I haven't loved a book series this much since HP, and there are just really no words for how much I love Vetinari. There's no actual connection to BSG (insert Big Lebowski quote here: well, there isn't a literal connection, Dude), but as I read the series I keep casting BSG people in my mind, often with complete disregard of the character descriptions, which I've never done before. So I suppose it is an example of how much BSG has permeated my brain, lol.

02. The debut album (This is Somewhere) from Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. Haven't checked out the new one yet, but I'm sure it's fabulous, and they're coming back to my hometown in October to play one last small venue show there, and I figure that's totally worth a short road trip. BSG connection: Uh, I want to do the world's saddest K/L vid to Apologies? And Kara gen vids to...uh, all the rest of the songs on the album.

03. Sara Bareilles and her fabulous new album, Kaleidoscope Heart, which gets released SOON SOON SOON OMG. And I'm going to see her IN OCTOBER OMG FLAIL.

04. Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! New season SOOOOOOOON!!!! With special guest stars Linda Hamilton and THE OLD SPICE GUY. \o/ \o/ \o/

05. Bones! Because I'm a sucker for the "Will they? Won't they? WHY AREN'T THEY?" thing, apparently. *_*

06. Speaking of Will they/Won't they, I'll always love The X-Files.

07. HP. Never been in the fandom, no desire to be, but I'll love those books forever.

08. Horatio Hornblower! With Jamie's little face! I don't know how the rest of the boat doesn't see that Archie/Horatio is as much of a ship as the Indy. ;)

09. Thanks to taragel and her conversion post, I'm digging Huge right now, too.

10. I'll always love old school Trek. I love how they recycle plotlines and have thinly veiled homages to democracy. I love how Kirk has a girl on every planet. I love Uhura and her Space Harp of Win. I love Spock. I love McCoy forever and ever. Oh, and "I, Mudd," is the best crack that ever cracked, y'all.

11. Star Wars, nothing but Staaaaaaaaaaar Wars! First love of my sci-fi heart. The blasters! The lightsabers! The SHIPS, y'all. (A-wing♥) I would LOVE to see the look on Kara's face when she saw the array of flying machines that the SW 'verse could offer her.

Um, various and sundry things: The West Wing, Shakespeare, Castle, various Anne McCaffrey novels that I will sheepishly admit to having read and loved as a kid, T.S. Eliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay, shoes, and baking. (Yes, I fangirl shoes and food. It's true.)

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

It's part of my massive seven-universe crossover story that still isn't finished because Big Bang is kicking my ass right now. The working title is actually The Adventure of the Red-Headed League, or, Kara Thrace Gives the Universe the Finger, lol.

Edited for comment fail! That sentence had an end when I hit submit, I SWEAR.

[antismiles.livejournal.com]

Horatio Hornblower! With Jamie's little face! I don't know how the rest of the boat doesn't see that Archie/Horatio is as much of a ship as the Indy. ;)

HAHA, SO TRUE. It's so obvious! :D

[swamp-ariadne.livejournal.com]

1. Movie was not mentioned, but I will mention it because there's a parallel here that cannot be denied. INCEPTION. I think I've seen it more than threes times, watched every special and interview ever made by Leo and Ellen. All because damn it Dom Cobb is a male Kara Thrace. Both are warriors (one of the mind and the other in "real" life), both are out-of-the-box thinkers, both are broken yet still the best at what they do, and BOTH OF THEM ARE HUNG UP ON DEAD PEOPLE (Mal and Zach). Does Dom have his Lee parallel? In my mind he does (but the Inception fandom won't accept it)... It's Ariadne, or there'll be a Sam parallel too (which I'm not looking forward to) if ever a sequel ever gets made. Because of this movie, Leo just upped his geek cred and now I actually want to see Shutter Island and the Departed.
2. Game of Thrones. mentioned by several above. yes love it to bits. Also love Ursula K Le Guin, Orson Scott Card and Terry Pratchett. Titles: Left Hand of Darkness, Earthsea quadrilogy, Ender and Bean Stories, and Discworld. Oooh before I forget, Kazuo Ishiguro.
3. Gossip Girl - please don't judge me! Veronica Mars (to make up for the former).
4. Basketball - because we know what Pyramid is based on.

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

I know, right?! The Duchess and the Devil is basically just a tribute to their Love. I mean c'mon, Horatio pretty much tells Archie that he can't live without him. While clutching his hand and leaning over Archie on the bed. HELLO, UST, my old friend. XD

[amaliak.livejournal.com]

LO: UK FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[amaliak.livejournal.com]

I haven't read HG yet. I know I'm made of fail. I feel so left out...one day I will read them, I promise....

cheers.
--Lex

[ddt73.livejournal.com]

"The Hunger Games"?

Over the summer I've been watching reruns of Supernatural, Medium and Ghost Whisperer.

Guess I'm on a ghost/demon kick lately lol.

[amaliak.livejournal.com]

THIS. 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 (!!!)

SHOES. OMG, shoes. They are my weakness. And costume jewelry. I have a whole post dedicated to it. Hee.

cheers.
--Lex