Month: September 2006

A heads up from Mysdirection informs me of this wonderful prank performance created by the Improv Everywhere team. Their latest mission was to have a team member act lost at the Yankee stadium during a game. He kept appearing but just couldn’t hear his mates yelling and waving at him. This continued for a while until whole sections where waving and screaming to help Rob get back to his seat. They describe the event and have pics and videos at the mission page. Lots of fun. 🙂

Ah geez, it is fun saying that: Get Outta My Face! But really, it is the name of a project, a very exciting project that has been started by five teens in Central Oregon. They are sick of big company advertisements that prescribe correct dietary behaviour with “lame” motivations like “eat THIS on the new food pyramid” or “turn off the TV, go play outside”. So, what have they done? Made a big goal that utilises digital technology and the Internet. They want to collect 10,000+ commercials made by kids for kids. The idea is that kids know how to motivate each other better than the big companies. Here is some of their blurb:

“Get Outta My Face” is an independent film project built on stories of real kids making a difference in today’s “fat culture.” Big marketing thinks it has the corner on what “sells” – wrong!
We (and you) can use our talent and energy to add more fitness, more activity, informed choices about food, beverages and lifestyle to the little kids who are getting hammered by TV and other ads. Junk food, sugar and fatty snacks, sodas – even “healthy” drinks that are loaded with calories and addictive high fructose corn syrup. Do they think we can be snowed forever?

NO! If you are funny, creative, have a story or commerical idea – make a 30-90 second film and send it in.  

Go for it kids! I hope advertisers who are guilty of writing such motivations hear about it. In truth though, it isn’t just the advertisers who are guilty, there are many institutions who believe speaking down to people is a motivational device! What the advertising industry does have in its favour though is the reliance on people. So, here’s hoping for more change.

So, Get Outta My Face! and check out their easier to read community page.

Sourced from Diablogue

As with all conjured universes that have a premature ending or unpopulated grid, the Whedonverse, specifically Firefly and Serenity verse, has been persisted by fans. There are some wonderful fanfics such as the fan-made TV-series Into the Black and the live-action paromage (what I call a parody that is a homage) Mosquito. More recently there is also a documentary: Done the Impossible. It is described on the website as follows:

The story of the rise and fall and rebirth of the cult TV show “Firefly,” as told from the perspective of the fans who helped save it.

The creators of FireflyMovie.com (a.k.a. SerenityMovie.net) have teamed with with a group of creative professionals / Firefly fans to tell our story, the fan’s story – the story of the Browncoats. This professional quality production, shot in high-definition, will be released on DVD soon.

Firefly has grown beyond just the genius of Joss Whedon — just as he intended it to. In many ways the words Firefly and Browncoat have come to symbolize a sense of community, family, and believing that the impossible can be accomplished. These concepts are at the very heart of Firefly and of its fans.

In this documentary, the fans explain what inspired them to become passionate about Firefly, to help save Firefly, attend shindigs, participate in message boards, donate to charities, and become Serenity extras. They talk about the many ways that Firefly has affected their lives. Cast and crew also share humorous and insightful experiences with the fans.

The creators of “Done the Impossible” are passionate about charity and using Firefly as a vehicle to effect positive change. As such, a percentage of the DVD proceeds will be donated to Joss Whedon’s favorite charity, Equality Now.

For those in Second Life you can now venture into the Serenity ship and even inhabit your favourite browncoat. Rik blogs about two: one by Fenix Eldritch and another by Abby Dawson. And for academic browncoats, there is also a conference:

Special CFP:  Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity (Whedonverses), Science Fiction and Fantasy Area, SW/TX PCA/ACA (11/15/06; 2/14-17/07)

The 28th Annual Meeting of the SW/TX PCA/ACA, February 14-17, 2007,  The Hyatt Regency Conference Hotel, Albuquerque, NM.
 
The SW/TX PCA/ACA annual conference represents one of the nation’s largest gatherings of interdisciplinary scholars.  The Science Fiction and Fantasy Area is one of the largest areas at the SW/TX PCA/ACA and has had especially fine presentations.  There have been multiple successful panels on the work of Joss Whedon (seven in 2006).  The Area Chairs of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area again would like to invite paper and panel proposals on the special topic of Joss Whedon’s work, including Buffy: TVS, Angel, Firefly, and Serenity. 
We especially encourage presentations on:
* masculinity
* socioeconomic class
* sexuality
* race
* Firefly’s transformation into Serenity All Whedonverse topics will be considered, however.

Please send (preferably electronic) queries, 250 word paper proposals, and 500 word panel proposals to

Alyson Buckman, PhD
California State University, Sacramento
abuckman@csus.edu

Include full contact info (name, institutional affiliation if any, snail mail address, and e-mail) for all participants, working titles for proposals, as well as current curriculum vitae.

Deadline for proposal submissions:  November 15, 2006.  The registration deadline is December 31, 2006. All participants must register by that date or will not be permitted to present or appear in the program.

For more details on the conference, please visit the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture/American Culture Association:  http://www.h-net.org/~swpca/.  For more information on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area, please visit:  http://www.geocities.com/pcascifi/index.html.  Whedonverse proposals should be submitted solely to the address above (abuckman@csus.edu).