In the immortal words of George Carlin – where would you put it? And in the words of Jay Brannan… “Should you experience a sudden drop in emotional well-being, Its probably because you’ve encountered a reality basedfeeling also know as turbulence and it’s nothing to be worried about.
Brannan built his music career by performing songs in his studio apartment and posting them on Youtube and on his personal web site. In March 2007, Brannan provided four of his songs for sale on Myspace. These were followed by his first EP “Unmastered” and his first full length album Goddamned, produced by Will Golden, released on iTunes July 1, 2008.
The power of a well executed viral internet marketing campaign is truly amazing. I find stories like his inspiring, and his music isn’t bad either. In fact he is sweet, infectious and charming…
Posted in Comics, SFW on 04/02/2009 08:33 pm by fanboi
From Left to right… Looks like Guardian – but wearing an Omega symbol (could it be the Collective, who has started wearing the Guardian suit after absorbing the mutant energy displaced when Scarlet With said “No more mutants?”), The White Queen in black leather, Cloak & Dagger, Professor X, Daken, Mimic and Namor. Interesting line-up.
Emma and Norman’s deal was that she would keep mutants quiet and off the table and he’d stay out of their business, and something’s happened to upset that cart of apples
UPDATE: Apparently this is the cover to Uncanny X-Men #513 and NOT a new title. It is the start of a summer cross-over called Dark Avengers/X-Men: Utopia.
Posted in TV Shows on 04/02/2009 06:54 pm by fanboi
But don’t let that put you off it. Really.
Now I am certainly no biblical scholar, but its amazing what you can pick up online. I had heard that Kings was based (not sure how loosely – thus far its sticking pretty close to its source material in one way or another) on the story of King David (also the David of …and Goliath), and the lead boy is oh-so cute Aussie Christopher Egan as David Shepard, so I thought I would give it a tumble. I’m glad I did. Combining ancient Court intrigue with a modern setting makes for juicy prime-time drama.
Kings is set in the nation of Gilboa, which technologically and culturally resembles the present-day United States; the government, however, is an absolute monarchy. Gilboa is ruled by King Silas Benjamin, who originally formed the kingdom two decades prior from three warring countries. He believes his power to be divine, often citing a day when a swarm of butterflies landed on his head in the form of “a living crown.” All is not well for Silas: his policies and actions are being manipulated by his queen’s brother, William Cross, who holds substantial control over the royal treasury; his heir, Prince Jack, is secretly homosexual, which could undermine the royal family; and Silas himself is secretly seeing a mistress, whom he had apparently left in order to marry Queen Rose for political gain.
Events of the series are set into motion when young David Shepherd, a Gilboan soldier in a war against the kingdom of Gath, single-handedly rescues a group of captive soldiers from behind enemy lines. One of these captives is Prince Jack, and David becomes an instant star in national media, much to the chagrin of the prince. King Silas brings David into the capital city of Shiloh, where he is promoted to captain and thrust into the position of military liaison to the media. He soon finds himself in the midst of royal court politics, currently with little awareness of the forces acting behind them; he also develops feelings for Silas’ daughter, Princess Michelle, which she seems to reciprocate. In the pilot episode, he too experiences the “crown” of butterflies, after Silas is told that God no longer supports his reign, implying David to be the divine choice for the next king in line. Silas witnesses this event, and is plainly troubled by it.
Although far from religious, I spent a semester in high school (non-denominational private school) studying The Bible as in Literature and it gave me an appreciation for the stories within. Parts of the bible are a great read if you can get past the arcane speech and remember it’s JUST a book. Here are the first 3 episodes via hulu.
After the first episode I was hankering for a map of Gilboa and someone got right on that wish and provided a whole website full of news etc. for the nation of Gilboa and its shiny new capitol Shiloh.
I’m not sure if they will speak to the much discussed closeness of the relationship between the King’s son Jack (who from the beginning of the series you would think will be a great foe of David, but according to the biblical tale, he “loves” David, recognizes him as the true king and helps him take his father’s throne) played by Sebastian Stan (who you might recognize as one the the supernatural supermodels of The Covenant) and David but they did “out” Price Jack when his boyfriend shows up and says I love you and earlier in the episode we learned that his father is aware of his proclivities. Prince Jack was NOT nice to the man who loves him, having him thrown out so no one might see and connect them. Starting out as a preening, pompous, egotistical, self-centered, self-loathing brat gives Prince Jack nowhere to go but up. I hope the friendship between David and the Prince is central to this show and with his honesty and strength of character, Davis helps Jack to become a better man.
I fear Kings may go the way of other surprisingly smart series’ like Studio 60 and Sports Night, but I will enjoy the rise until the fall. The cast also includes Ian McShane as King Silas and Susanna Thompson as Queen Rose (some of you may recognize her as Judith from Book of Daniel).
