Discovering Yourself, Always

Because of my love of Emma Shapplin's music, I had hoped for a long time to someday have her 1999 EP Discovering Yourself. But most often, the sellers on Amazon have had it for sale around $35 or $45 dollars. For four songs (one of which is a remix), that is quite a bit. Wonderful thing, however, I saw it for $10 last week; so here it is finally in my hands:

The tracks are: "Discovering Yourself," "Cuerpo Sin Alma (remix)," "Fera Ventura," and "Dolce Veneno." The first track has a music video which is on YouTube. It's an odd sort of combination of pop/rock/classical--very Emma Shapplin, then. It's also the first song (years ago) I heard her singing in English in; it's funny to realize that I couldn't understand many of the lyrics back then. But I've grown quite fond of this song for the themes that the title alone expresses: growing into yourself and deciding who you are and all that comes along with such a journey.

The "Cuerpo Sin Alma" remix is a little too disco/90's/dance for me (okay, "Discovering Yourself" has a 90's sound, too--but still). I prefer the original version--and the original, original version being "Cuor Senza Sangue" (as opposed to the Spanish version, although I do prefer the Spanish "Falta Tu Estrella" to the original "Spente Le Stelle").

I believe both of the remaining tracks are soundtrack songs, at least one from Red Planet. I could be wrong on the details. "Fera Ventura" does have something of a sci-fi sound to its classical overtones. It's an interesting song, with a chorus in English that may take a moment to distinguish as English. "Dolce Veneno" is more a straight classical song, though of course accompanied by Emma's stretching, emotional vocals. It's comparable to many of the songs on Carmine Meo.

My music library just got happier.

Little Links Go Public

Yesterday a new vlog from Keychain Productions announced what we're all been waiting for . . . merch. The true way for all of us to show our pride as fans.

Shirts, caps, pins, etc. Most of them have the Little Links phrase on them, although there are also some with Keychain Productions and Little Larry/Little Lilly. I wouldn't mind the shirt for the latter, but I chose the basic Little Links one instead. I would get them both, but you know, I don't have that much spending money, especially after putting the numbers through the currency conversion (pounds to dollars) (and adding in international shipping).

Connected to this release is a competition asking everyone to submit pictures of themselves with their merch for a chance to win something (maybe a signed DVD? or a prop? a phone call even?). So if you like Keychain's short films, head on over to keychainproductions.co.uk and click the "Links Shop" link.

And in the meantime, Little Links, take two and a half minutes and watch Little Larry again:

Virtual Caprica

Didn't I say that one of the best things about Earth 2 was VR?

Well, well, and now the concept of VR is expanded and moved into a more central position in Caprica in the form of V-world, accessed through holobands. (By the way, click the following links to view my reactions to the other shows in this franchise: Battlestar Galactica (1978), Galactica 1980, Battlestar Galactica.)

Let me go ahead and start with the terrible truth: I didn't much like this series and I don't think I'm really the audience for it, anyway (not demographically, just in the types of things I like to watch). At first I wondered how production could have okayed the intro/title sequence: it looks like a Gothic soap opera. Then I realized that the basically is that. There are family troubles, mysterious events, and betrayals. There is also a fair amount of violence--which I wasn't surprised by, but there comes a point when I wonder why I would want to watch people beating each other up and killing each other during my spare time. This is a question that the show itself asks: why do people continue going into V-world to let their worst instincts free? But if that's portrayed as negative, then how is watching the show so innocent?

I know. I know. I may be stretching things. I wouldn't look down on someone who enjoyed this show; that isn't what I'm saying. I'm just bringing up the same issue I found in The Hunger Games, where the message seemed to interfere with the very act of viewing the story.

But the V-world concept is interesting. Besides showing the dangers of relying too much on technology, it can also be a warning about fiction/fantasy in general, a statement on acknowledging the truth of reality and not ignoring your life.

(Just in case: a minor spoiler is coming.)

Initially, I was a bit confused about how this series fit into the Battlestar Galactica universe, besides the whole Caprica 58 years before the fall thing. And I'm still wondering if there are unanswered questions, things we would have learned if the series had gone on for more than one season. If Zoe becomes a Cylon who looks human, how does that fit in with what we learned at the end of the main show? I thought the original five came and gave the technology for that. Am I missing something? (Like the fact that his name is Daniel Graystone, like the Cylon who didn't survive.) Or is this series meant to be separate enough that facts don't need to be continuous between the two?

I suppose I preferred the original reboot series just because it developed into something more layered and more symbolic. Caprica had some of those elements, but in one season they couldn't develop into as much. And although Battlestar Galactica did get too "army" for me at times, Caprica got too soap opera at times.

Pauline Baynes & Tolkien

Most people recognize Pauline Baynes for illustrating The Chronicles of Narnia, but what less people know is that she also illustrated for Tolkien. In fact, I've also heard that she was his preferred illustrator. So while the little hardcover copy of Bilbo's Last Song is a slim volume, it is worth having just because it includes Pauline Baynes illustrations. Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith have done great work for Tolkien's writings, too, but there's something delightful about Pauline Baynes's style--probably not least of which is the similarity to her Narnia work.

At $12 for a poem you can read in the blink of an eye, this is probably a volume most people will pass over. But I happily got it as a sort of gift. The text is, of course, Bilbo reminiscing as he departs at the Grey Havens. So the illustrations portray both his departure and flashbacks to his time during The Hobbit. My favorites include: the trees that surround the text, the clothing the elves wear as they ride to the Havens, frog-like Gollum sitting in his boat, and the Lonely Mountain. It's a delightful collection.

I'm loving how many more books like these are in stores lately because of the movies coming back. 

The Adventures of Nerd

Nerd got a new toy today. Nerd was so happy that Nerd was probably jumping up and down while opening the package. Nerd got her anomaly detector in the mail today. Nerd is still in love with Primeval, so Nerd was very excited.

When Nerd turned the detector on and followed the beeping sound, she soon fell into awe at the sight of a shining, golden anomaly right in front of her. (And Nerd would like you to know that, no, those probably aren't even half of her books sitting against the wall there.)

Nerd has stowed away her precious detector above her desk with the rest of her Primevalbilia: part of the ARC's anomaly detector, Connor, Abby, Jenny, and an autographed Handrew photograph (which all rest above merch for The Hillywood Show).

Nerd was getting tired, but Nerd is having a good day now.

Jane and "Master"

At one point, I was doing a mental comparison of Jane Eyre's use of "master" and Jeannie's from I Dream of Jeannie. While it's sort of a slave term, neither one obeys all the commands of her "master." Jeannie uses the word ironically and as a word of endearment, sometimes almost possession. Jane uses it also as an endearment term and as a way of deriving comfort from someone stronger than herself.

But I completely overlooked another "master," most surprisingly because this time it is also accompanied by another Jane. You'll recall that the Jane of Twilight calls Aro "master" quite frequently. I think many of us are amused by Jane and Aro's relationship: it's somewhere between father/daughter and master/slave. Part of the reason for this, I'm sure, is because Jane is so young: although she has been around for many, many years she is still a child. So I think Aro has taken advantage of her youngness to gain her loyalty. Unlike Jane Eyre and Jeannie, Jane uses "master" in its fullest sense: she does not disobey Aro's orders according to her own will. His will is her will.

Be the differences as they are, I still think it is no coincidence that the character so frequently using the word "master" is named Jane.

To View the Monitor

Hey, it's happy Valentine's month February and the release of the next Keychain Productions short film all in one. Not that it's a very Valentine's film . . .

The long-awaited Monitor appears not on YouTube as usual, but on Distrify--where I was surprised to find that, for once, I had to pay to see a Keychain film. About $10 to rent a 13 minute video, too. I found myself glad that when I was at the mall this morning to buy (Aveda) shampoo, I didn't also buy a pair of leggings I saw (naturally, I had to go into a couple of stores to at least browse, if not buy anything)--so I went ahead and paid the rental fee. Not that I mind giving to Keychain, anyway. (Although I wouldn't mind if it were on iTunes instead so I could just buy it and download it.) You can see the trailer below; to watch the film, either go to keychainproductions.co.uk or watch the trailer on YouTube and click on the link in the description box.

Monitor goes back to Keychain's Blood on Benefits feel, but with color imagery not so unlike Little Lilly. Horror isn't so much my genre, but one of the things I really enjoyed in this film (and Keychain in general) was the use of color. Colors aren't coincidental and they help to tell the story. The second time I watched, I also kept reading extra things into the story--I'm not even sure whether or not I was going overboard. The childishness or disobeying rules leads to literal reintegration into a nursery, the eating of an apple echoes Eve's inability to resist and therefore the concept of curiosity, etc. The thing I'm pausing on is the color green. Doesn't it generally stand for nature, fertility, life, and such? That might tie in with the nursery idea, but I'm not sure.

I'm also intrigued by this idea of a monitor. While horror often uses the concept of being watched, this film shows watching instead. Is it the danger of what you can see or perhaps of what you see that you aren't cautious enough about? Because like many horror victims, our heroine appears in some ways innocent but also to have been capable to preventing her fate.