It's a new dawn...

It's a new day!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Went to Sydney last night for the midnight fireworks. As lovely as ever. Came back late, had a chat and a bit of bubbly. Hope your New Year's Eve was a good one and I wish you the best for 2009!

Joyeux Noel

To all my friends on LiveJournal, Merry Christmas! To good health and happy moments! Stay safe,

do.xxx

I'm gonna cut your head off... see if that works

I'm such a fangirl. I must have watched the trailer a dozen times already and it's only morning! When I heard way back that there was another X-Men movie in the works, I wasn't thrilled... that is, until I heard it would be all about Wolverine! SQUEE! You can find the trailer over at MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/x-menorigins Wolverine baby!

music meme and star trekking

Stolen from :

Put your mp3 player on shuffle, and write down the first line of the first 21 songs. Post the poem that results. The first line of the 21 song is the title.

I don't believe I went too far
Yes it's cold by the river where you lay
Jenny I read something you said about
He won the lottery when he was born
Nothing left to say
Won't you come back tomorrow?
Hear me now and don't forget
Grandfather watches the grandfather clock
Listen, hear he is inside
I can feel your fingers
Haven't seen you for quite a while
Never was a cornflake girl
Monty this seems strange to me
Got a letter from a messenger
They shot a movie once in my home town
What if I came knocking
Like a ghost
Baby, I see you've made yourself all sick again
Hey now, little speedyhead
Twelve men broke loose in Seventy-Three
I got to keep moving to stay warm 'cause I'm freezing in this room

Here's an article about the upcoming Star Trek movie I came across last week.

New Star Trek Will Be Younger, Faster, Louder

By John Scott Lewinski November 19, 2008 | 12:15:00

LOS ANGELES -- Director J.J. Abrams continued the worldwide roll-out of his new Star Trek prequel Wednesday, showing four extended preview clips to a capacity crowd of stars, executives, press, crew, studio employees and their various entourages at the Paramount Pictures studio theater.

After showing the same clips to similar gatherings in Europe and New York, Abrams faced a mixed reaction from the media and those Trekkers lucky enough to crash the viewing parties. But Wednesday's presentation attracted a friendlier group, as Trek was returning to its home dry dock for an event that had the back lot buzzing.

Beyond the congratulatory handshakes, hugs and air kisses thrown Abrams' way, the real focus of attention was the footage immaculately projected in unforgiving digital clarity for curious eyes to behold. Paramount is staking its oldest and most successful TV and movie franchise on Abrams' film, and it's not too big a reach to suggest that Star Trek is dead as a major pop-culture player if this flick tanks when it premieres in May 2009.

The verdict? While four five-minute clips do not a movie make, it's safe to say that Abrams' Trek will be younger, brighter, busier and more frenetically paced than any previous incarnation. The performances are edgier and louder, but not better. The effects are spectacular and executed on a scale never attempted by any Trek film. And, while connected to Gene Roddenberry's creation, this film is deliberately and unquestionably built in its own universe -- constructing its story on the idea that the original Star Trek time line has been destroyed and must be reconstructed as closely as possible.

What can be safely presumed after watching the preview footage? Romulan villain Nero (played by Eric Bana) has deliberately changed the past -- perhaps in an effort to purge history of that bane of all nasty aliens, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). As a result, Kirk grows up without a dad and develops into a first-class space goof. Still, he finds his way to Starfleet Academy on the encouragement of the fatherly Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood).

Kirk remains a stellar idiot, despite obvious aptitude, and runs afoul of Spock (Zachary Quinto) and everybody else except Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), who sneaks Kirk aboard the Enterprise on its maiden voyage.

If Nero is to be stopped and the Federation, the Planet Vulcan and Kirk's future are to be saved, the Romulans must be foiled and Kirk must find a way to get his butt into the center seat of the Enterprise's frozen-yogurt-shop-style bridge. Fortunately, the older, wiser Spock Classic (Leonard Nimoy) is on hand to aid Kirk and to act as our ambassador to the new time line -- as though telling us to relax and accept that change is inevitable.

As for the look of the new set design, the Enterprise exterior is close enough to the original. But the interior seems overpopulated, disorganized and hyperkinetic. The engineering department looks like the guts of a World War II battleship after being colorized by Ikea. The bridge looks like an old Mac iBook, spreading that milky white "Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse" feel everywhere. We'll have to see if anyone explains how the altered time line led Starfleet's military designers to look to 21st-century West Hollywood boutiques for their interior decor concepts.

In the end, is it Star Trek?

That depends on how you answer one question: Was Star Trek entertaining because of the exploits and interactions of characters of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and company, or did you enjoy those characters because of the veteran actors playing them?

If it's the latter, Abrams' kids can't pull off that sort of effortless chemistry and gravitas. They're too busy running around and yelling. If it's the former, Kirk is still a man of action, Spock is still brilliant and McCoy and Scotty are still effective comic relief.

Abrams' vision is as much Star Trek as your eye will let it be.

Star Trek is set for release May 8, 2009.

Catching up

Was catching up with Life on Mars (the US version) a couple of days ago and had the lovely surprise to see Dean Winters (Charley Dixon on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles).

He's Sam Tyler's dad! He was great. I mean he was a mean bastard down to the bone but, wow, it really worked. And it made it all the more heartbreaking.

I don't think I've mentioned this before but I was really laughing at the idea of the States doing a remake of [the British] Life On Mars. I was certain it would be crap and tank. But it turns out it's pretty good. They've changed things, made it NY in '73 and it works. And I think Jason O'Mara is great in it. He was the only reason I gave the show a chance, in fact, and I wasn't wrong to believe in him. His Sam Tyler is quite different from John Simm's and that's how it should be. The vulnerability remains though and it's certainly endearing.

I'm a week behind on my SCC and I only checked the file at a couple of spots and nearly fell off my chair. Damn, Derek Reese is getting more knockout handsome by the damn second. I caught some scene where he's trying to help a girl (give her medical attention or something?), and wow. I think my hormones went ape.

Got to catch up on SGA too... but we're like minus two shows to the series finale, aren't we? So I'm not really rushing to get to the end.

Alright, gotta go. RL is busy and we picked up the sis-in-law this morning so playing host will now be taking on another dimension and most of my free (what, that still exists?) time. I hope you're all doing well. Apologies for birthdays missed or delay in commenting to flist posts. I just can't help it at the mo.

What planet are you on? (er, *from*)

Your result for What Planet are You From? Test...

You are From Venus!

33% Venus

Hmm… You are from Venus? Okay, then.

Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. It is also known as our “morning star” because at sunrise you can see it in the east, and at sunset you can see it in the west, but you can’t see it at midnight. It is covered with a layer of light reflective clouds. It never appears to venture too far from the sun. I guess it likes the warmth.

Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love. She is considered to be very beautiful and is said to be the ancestor of the Roman people. Julius Ceasar went around telling people he was related to her, so if he’s your ancestor you might definitely have some claims to be a true blooded Venusuvian! (Okay, I’m not sure if that’s a real word, but I like it.)

What does this mean to you?

Well, being a child of Venus means that more than likely you are quick to act and you enjoy being free! Once you make a decision you go for it despite what anyone else might say. You probably don’t hold fast to traditions, but tend to be more trendy. You are friendly, cheerful, and social.

In love, you don’t like restrictions. You are one of those people that believe that if it could be love why wait? Sex might actually be okay on a first date if your instincts say the two of you might have a future together. You weren’t born to be a careful thinker, after all, in your world time is short and there just isn’t enough of it!

Move along, my dear Venusuvian friend. Life awaits you!

Take What Planet are You From? Test at HelloQuizzy

Just one of those meh fridays...

Hope everyone is going alright. I still haven't done my xmas cards and for that I want to kick myself. But the hedge has been trimmed (hacked, more like) and the vacuuming is done. So there.

As seen around:

Your result for The Which Lolcat Are You? Test...

Lion Warning Cat

64% Affectionate, 52% Excitable, 47% Hungry

You are the good Samaritan of the lolcat world. Protecting others from danger by shouting observations and guidance in cases of imminent threat, you believe in the well-being of everyone.



To see all possible results, checka dis.

Take The Which Lolcat Are You? Test at HelloQuizzy

RocknRolla

The inlaws babysat for us tonight so we went to the cinema and caught RocknRolla. What a gem! Loads of fun. And poor Yuri. I felt sorry for him. OneTwo and Bob... that was so funny! Gerry Butler can really pull off comedy, I think. And he's so easy on the eye.

Next will be 007's Quantum of Solace, and we'll try and get the father in law to come with us. I don't think he's seen a real movie on a big screen in thirty years. I say real movie because he and his wife took Lily to see a Thomas the Tank Engine movie last Sunday... :)

Hubby came upon this today and I cracked up. Check it out if you like someone sticking it to the man: Apple Lampooned by The Simpsons

And right now, our night sky is simply gorgeous! Have you seen the smiley face? Wonderful and unusual formation of two planets and a crescent of our moon.