Katrina, Serenity, and the Fall Schedule

So it's been a while since I've done any kind of personal update, and now is as good a time as any. Things have been kind of crazy this summer, so a lot of the things I wanted to do, never got done. Work has been rather stressful...my manager has been changing every few months, it seems...and it probably won't be letting up for a long time. And the less said about my home situation, the better. (The kids are fine, but frustrations are building from lack of any support, of any kind, from other areas, shall we say.)

Anyhow...before I move on...our hopes and prayers go out to the victims of Katrina. I have been quiet on this, because I'm sickened by the response to this tragedy on all sides. Idiotic neo-cons wondering why the poor couldn't just get up and evacuate, response by aid groups that was far less urgent than the response to the tsumani, and all these jerks who claim that the slow response was part of a racial agenda. So when it took forever to help people in Florida after Andrew, I guess that was just a mistake? Maybe the racists thought everyone in Florida is Latino. Never mind all the non-black poor people who were also affected when THE ENTIRE GULF COAST was wiped out. The politics of hate, on all sides, is the politics of rampant stupidity.

Here's a thought. How about all those people take all that negativity and redirect it towards helping the Americans (of all kinds) who all need it? How about recognizing that this was a natural event of catastrophic magnitude that would by its very nature have serious and long-term consequences on an economy and population that is so highly interconnected? Yes, I blame Bush for letting the oil prices rise so quickly with so little attempt at control, but the effects of Katrina cannot be laid at his feet alone. Nor should it be so shocking that gas prices are going up so high. I reference the TV-film "Oil Storm" from not so long ago, where this exact scenario was speculated.

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Not so long ago, something rather unexpected happened. I received an E-mail from someone working with Universal Studios. It appears that, based on my reviews for "Firefly" since its original premiere, I have been "noticed". So I was offered the chance to attend an advance screening of "Serenity" in NYC shortly before the film premieres, for the purposes of writing and posting a review.

I know other people are going to the opening night gala and all that, because they were more active in the fandom. I've always been somewhat removed from the more active side of fandom, but I'm also quite aware that when the series was airing, members of the cast and writing staff had read my reviews and sometimes commented positively. While I'm sure that there's no connection between that and this invitation (a promotional group probably just ran a search engine), I can't help but feel like this is another example of how much of a family the Browncoats online community has become.

This is also the first time that anything even remotely close to this kind of recognition has ever come my way. In a lot of respects, this is vindication. Before "Lost", my "Firefly" reviews were the most popular reviews on my site. It just feels appropriate that this is how it culminates to this point, you know? Considering how all the other aspects of my life seem to suck lately, I plan on enjoying this moment and take everything out of it that I can.

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A little while ago, some people asked me what my plans are for the 2005-2006 season. Based on the "pilot program" I initiated over the summer, there are quite a few changes, and all of them are designed to make my life a little easier. I really had a choice, as I mentioned after the 2004-2005 season, to look at what I was doing, the time I had, and decide whether or not I would continue to write reviews and be active in so many fandoms.

My solution is actually closer to what other reviewers have done: diversification. My old practice was to write something like 2000 words on every episode of a handful of series. That's all well and good, since I tend to go on and on (like this post), but it takes a lot of my free time. Besides shows like "X-Files" or "Lost", where I like to dig deeper, most shows don't warrant or demand such attention. That format also made it rather daunting to look at new shows and wonder if the time and effort would be worth it.

On the flip side, my ravings seem to be popular enough that I'm always asked to comment on other shows within the genre. With the old format, I couldn't do that. My solution was to attempt shorter reviews, about 500 words a piece, with a more personal spin. These "capsule reviews" have been well-received, and in the future, the vast majority of my reviews will be in this format. How well-received? Let me put it this way: my August 2005 traffic was equal to my January 2005 traffic, or about a 375% increase year-to-year. My summer months are typically slow, but this summer, my traffic beat the traffic from every month last fall, when "Lost" premiered. Needless to say, it was a successful reformat! (And it takes me 30 minutes or so to write 500 words, so it's a lot better in terms of time management!)

As for the three series that had in-depth reviews last season? "Lost" will continue to be my "flagship" series, and I will continue to be as in-depth with those as I was last season, around 1500 words at the most, if I can help it. "24" will remain the same because I am the featured reviwer on a fan site, and I want to be consistent. Those tend to be only about 1000 words, anyway. "Alias" will be the most affected, since I will likely scale those back a bit. I'll keep the current format, but the length will be around 750 words.

Everything else that I've added (currently 8 new series, but maybe 10 in the end) will be "capsule reviews". Because they are only 500 words on average, they are quick and to the point. More importantly, I write them for series that may or may not always capture my interest. Unlike the three "fully reviewed" series above, I am more than ready to skip episode or stop reviewing a "capsule review" series altogether, if I so desire.

So...for those who are interested...here's my 2005 Fall Season Viewing Schedule. I also indicate shows from the summer schedule that will spill over or resume in January 2006. Shows getting capsule reviews are designated with a "C"; full reviews with an "R"; wife's selections with a "W":

SUNDAY
8 PM
West Wing (C)
9 PM
Desperate Housewives (W)

MONDAY
8:30 PM
Kitchen Confidential
9 PM
Prison Break (C)/24 (R)
10 PM
Medium (C)

TUESDAY
8 PM
NCIS
9 PM
Supernatural (C)
The Amazing Race

WEDNESDAY
9 PM
Lost (R)
Ghost Hunters (C)
10 PM
Invasion (C)

THURSDAY (busy night!)
8 PM
Alias (R)
Smallville (C)
Survivor (W)
Joey (W)
9 PM
Night Stalker (C)
Reunion (C?)
The Apprentice (W)

FRIDAY
8 PM
Stargate SG-1 (C)
9 PM
Stargate: Atlantis (C)
Threshold (C)
Most Haunted (W)
10 PM
Battlestar: Galactica (C)

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As for my writing...well, it's not really going anywhere at the moment. I've been too distracted by the issues at work and all that. I would like to resume, and I constantly have it in the back of my mind, but my wife was taking classes over the summer, so she was up later and using the computer much of that time. I tend to write better in the winter months, so maybe that will help. Whatever the case, I still intend to finish it. I'm not giving it up yet, since it won't get out of my head...LOL...

My best wishes to all my friends and readers...you are always in my thoughts!