Tag Archives: Comic-Con International

Beautiful Bastard

Beautiful Bastard is not a book I ran out and bought… rather I was wandering the hall at San Diego’s Comic-Con International and someone asked if I’d like to get a free autographed book.

I devour books.  I love discovering authors I’ve never read before.  There are so many out there, so many I know I should have already read, according to my friends who also devour books, that I just love setting aside a night or two — a portion of my weekend, and getting lost in the pages of a book.

I honestly did not know what to expect from this novel.  The genre is listed as erotic romance, and I quickly figured out why.  That aspect alone is never enough to keep me reading for countless hours, to keep me from setting the book aside and returning to my own life after a few chapters.  There needs to be more content, more story, and something interesting going on.

What I found interesting in this book was two main characters who worked together as a productive team in the workplace, and yet pushed one another’s ‘I Hate You’ buttons constantly.  There was an antagonism between the characters that appeared to have been there from the moment they met, and set off a chain reaction of encounters that left them unable to say a civil word to one another.

Had they not been so good at their jobs their workplace relationship would also have been a disaster.

The character who gave the book it’s title, Bennett Ryan, is great looking, the kind of guy who fuels the dreams of the girls in the proverbial secretarial pool, and yet he can be so demanding, a perfectionist with a temper, that no one understands how Chloe Mills puts up with him.  It helps she demands just as much of herself.

From the outside looking in they seem like two people who ought to be able to respect one another, and find a way to get along — and yet he particularly is always antagonizing her and purposely trying to force her, emotionally, ten feet away, as if he is afraid she will burn him if she gets too close.  And that was where my interest came from.

I had worked with people that for the life of me I could never understand why they were always bickering.  Why they were always picking fights with one another.  They had no relationship beyond what we could see, and it was as if they were purposely trying to guarantee the other person would never get close enough to truly see and know them.

Hidden beneath the snipping and anger, are fears and complexities of emotion.  In a book that is a fast enjoyable read, two characters explore what it is to risk their heart, after avoiding it in every way imaginable, and a few most consider unimaginable.

This may not be the great American novel, but it is several good hours of light entertainment.  Two million people read it BEFORE it went into print for a reason… because there have been times when we have seen irrational behavior among perfectly rational adults and had no idea what was going on under the surface, and behind the scenes.   This novel offers one possibility.

No, I regret nothing 
Neither the good I have done, nor the bad 

The Last Ship — John Pyper-Ferguson is Tex

John Pyper-FergusonFans of John Pyper-Ferguson know him as an actor with a list of credits a mile long.  Those who can not instantly call his name to mind may take a look at his 140+ acting credits on his IMDB page and suddenly realize they are in fact familiar with his work — so why didn’t his name pop on a light bulb?  He has a knack for slipping into a character in the tradition of the proverbial character actor.

During a brief conversation today Pyper-Ferguson discussed his current television character, Tex, on TNT’s The Last Ship,  confirming what fans and regular viewers of the show already know.  Simply put, we do not yet know a lot about Tex’s past.  Time and again the word Mercenary was used to describe his character who is not a member of the United States Navy like the majority of the characters seen week in, week out, on this summer drama.  He is not a civillian scientist either.  Rather he was a guard at gitmo.  A contractor who is now something else altogether.  The writers have referred to him in a behind the scenes special as a character that represents Freedom and has a “good spirit”.

The first pages with Tex in them that Pyper-Ferguson saw, the scenes with which he read and auditioned, held the flavor of the character and after his first reading “I got it” Pyper-Ferguson said, “I understood he’s a guy who tries to lighten things up when they are dark.”  He said his initial reaction to reading the part was, “this role is mine” and anyone who has seen the show will whole-heartedly agree.

Tex is more than a light-hearted, laid back guy.  He is confident with a gun, trained to have your back and you want him there when the chips are down because you know he will defend it — but that does not quite describe the character either, in part because while we believe this man is on our side and adimires Chandler, as Pyper-Ferguson was quick to point out, “he is a lone wolf,” and as he had said earlier, “we just do not know much about his background.”  When asked right out about Tex’s loyalties, Pyper-Ferguson remarked “he’s a mercenary, he’s a survivalist, this might be the kind of world where he might potentially excel in, and the previous world with a lot more rules and regulations was a place that held him back from his own nature.”  And perhaps, that last bit is part of the charm of Tex, the fact that we are seeing a character come into his own, and rise up in a positive way, because he is using his skills to help the good guys, and in a good way.

At San Diego’s Comic-Con International Rhona Mitra remarked that “everyone needs a champion,” in reference to Eric Dane’s Captain Chandler.  Tex may not be Dr. Scott’s stand out in front of the entire ship of Navy personnel champion, but he serves an equally important and vital role in the character Dr. Scott’s life.  Pyper-Ferguson joked Tex is “hot for teacher” and the show gets a lot of mileage out of that light hearted approach between the two characters, but more than that, the lone wolf is aware of all she is doing ‘for the pack’ and is helping to keep her spirits up, to ecourage her — to brighten her dark moments, and urge her forward when she is at risk of faltering.

A good show has unique characters that serve different and necessary roles.  Characters who each have different responses to a situation, and different perspectives on problems.  Those are among the reasons I come back to The Last Ship week after week… TNT is providing good entertainment, exciting action, and a good show, with characters I look forward to seeing in a second season — even bearing in mind Pyper-Ferguson’s warning “all the characters get in a lot of jeopardy, and there are cassualties of war, and there has to be in a show like this.”

The official description of The Last Ship is:

TNT’s action-packed drama The Last Ship, stars Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy) and is executive-produced by blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay (Transformers). The Last Ship opens with a global catastrophe that nearly decimates the world’s population. Because of its positioning, the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Nathan James avoids falling victim to the devastating tragedy. But now, Captain Tom Chandler (Dane) and his crew must confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they may be among the few remaining survivors. Rhona Mitra (Strike Back) plays Rachel Scott, a strong-willed, intelligent and fearless paleomicrobiologist assigned to the ship. Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck) is XO Mike Slattery, a former homicide detective and Chandler’s second-in-command. Also starring in The Last Ship are Travis Van Winkle (Heart of Dixie), Charles Parnell (Pariah), Christina Elmore (Fruitvale Station), Sam Spruell (Snow White and The Huntsman) and Marissa Neitling (Leverage). Based on William Brinkley’s popular novel, The Last Ship comes to TNT from Bay’s Platinum Dunes and its partners, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, whose credits include the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bay, Fuller and Form have served as executive producers, along with series co-creators Hank Steinberg (Without a Trace, The Nine) and Steven Kane (The Closer), and director Jack Bender (Lost).

Watch episodes on The TNT Website to catch up, and tune in Sunday’s at 9 PM ET/PT for new episodes on TNT.

Go Navy - circa 1970s

Go Navy – circa 1970s

Klingon Art of War

Klingon Art of WarThe moment I saw The Klingon Art of War at San Diego’s Comic-Con International at the Simon and Schuster booth I knew this was a hard back book I wanted to add to my small library of Star Trek books.  While I have only had a passing interest in the variety of encyclopedias and tech books that are available, there was something about this book that instantly attracted my eye, and my mind.

The concept of a book exploring the Klingon Art of War delighted me… I found myself instantly wondering ‘how has this book not been written sooner?’  The fact that it is a quality hard back book shows it is given the respect such a book would have been given by the Klingons.

Before each precept is a beautiful piece of Star Trek / Klingon Art, and at the beginning of each “chapter” is a quote from Kahless that captures the character and spirit of the Klingons.

It is a book I look forward to delving into.  My first pass through shows that Keith R.A. DeCandido has explored the Klingon culture, and it’s warrior ways in a compelling manner, and presented it in a fun and accessible manner to fans of Klingons, and Star Trek.

Anti-Bullying Coalition at San Diego’s Comic-Con International

Jane Espenson & Brad Bell (Husbands) at the 2013 Anti-Bullying Coalition Mixer

Jane Espenson & Brad Bell (Husbands) at the 2013 Anti-Bullying Coalition Mixer

This was the second year in a row the Anti-Bullying Coalition made an appearance at San Diego’s Comic-Con International.  Last year they had a mixer for members of the media, and content makers, discussing ways we could all work together to both create content that put out messages about the negatives of bullying, the basic moral it is wrong, and how to cover stories on bullying to re-enforce the message of what a negative it is in our society.

After attending the mixer I recall talking to a friend in another country and he remarked that there had been some picking on kids and some hassling of younger kids ‘back in the day’ but now, with more and more international content coming in, the problem had increased noticeably.  It was a wake-up call to me, because I realized in that moment that we may not be putting in messages that were pro-bullying in our shows, but as we drift away from making shows with morals in every episode, and away from programming designed to teach lessons and present the rose-tinted view of how we want people to behave and our culture to be, we are no longer specifically setting the example that bullying is bad, and harming another, or hurting their feelings should make the person doing the harming feel bad.

Does that mean we need to return to the days of Leave It To Beaver programs?   I do not believe so.  But if you watch shows like Melissa and Joey, The Fosters, or some of the more provocative ABC Family shows, for instance, I at least find that while they have a lot of the drama and intensity of a lot of other shows, they also have consequences, repercussions, and they hit you where it hurts, and tug at your heart when someone is hurt — leading the audience to dislike the person doing the bullying and not wanting to ever be that person.

Chase Masterson (known by many as an actress on Deep Space Nine, and Dr Who) and author Carrie Goldman are on to something powerful here, encouraging content creators to think about subplots, and characters, who bring out the best in our society, our children, and our future.

If you are at a convention where the Anti-Bullying convention has a panel, take the time to attend.  They have great ideas for how to help kids support one another, instead of feeling like powerless bystanders.  As Chase Masterson says in their press release, “We all love superheroes, so why not be one?”

The Pop Culture Anti-Bullying Coalition brought the United Nations Association to San Diego Comic-Con, the first-ever pop culture panel event for the global organization.
“We all love superheroes — so why not be one?” asks Founder Chase Masterson. “We’re working to inspire, enlist and excite pop culture fandom to join us in strategies to end bullying. Partnering with the United Nations Association is both a natural and powerful choice, and we are honored to have them onboard.”
United Nations Association San Diego Chapter President Bettina Hausmann stated, “The painful effects of the preventable “disease” of bullying are wide spread, knowing no country borders, and deeply felt, often lasting for a lifetime. Rededicating ourselves and our efforts toward eliminating this poison in our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities is the social justice issue of the 21st century.”
“In our digitalized, media-driven society, pop culture has a constant influence on the way that both children and adults interpret the world. When kids see celebrities take action against bullying, it resonates strongly and sends the message that cruelty is not acceptable,” remarked Founder Carrie Goldman.
The Coalition’s panel, “End Bullying! Responding to Cruelty in Our Culture” was touted as one of the top ten events at Comic-Con and moderated by author Carrie Goldman (Harper Collins’ Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear). Panelists included Bettina Hausmann (President, United Nations Association, San Diego), Brad Bell (Executive Producer and Star,Husbands), author Anthony Breznican (St. Martin’s Press Brutal Youth; Senior Writer, Entertainment Weekly), Ashley Eckstein (Her Universe; Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Jane Espenson (Executive Producer,Husbands), Dr. Andrea Letamendi (The Arkham Sessions), Alice Cahn (VP Social Responsibility, Cartoon Network), Tina Malka (Associate Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League, San Diego) and Masterson(Star Trek: DS9; Doctor Who: Big Finish).
Panelists discussed strategies to overcome bullying and create witnesses and allies out of bystanders; topics included geek bullying, LGBT bullying, cyber-bullying, and analyzing how media and entertainment affect our attitudes toward bullying and aggression
.
“Cartoon Network’s STOP BULLYING:SPEAK UP Campaign is proud to support the actors, writers, and artists who use their talent to create characters and worlds that embrace diversity and acceptance,” saidCartoon Network VP Alice Cahn. “Entertainment media has an important role to play in speaking up for youth.”
“Educators and administrators are reaching out to the ADL to help them navigate the growing problem of bullying. This provides the ADL with an important opportunity to not only address these concerns, but to deepen people’s understanding about the connections among bullying, bias-motivated behavior and hate activities,” said Tina Malka, Associate Regional Director, ADL San Diego.
“I wrote a book about the tragedy of bullying in a fictional school where such harassment went overlooked and unchecked. Unfortunately, that happens in real life more often than we want to believe,” said Anthony Breznican, author of the dark coming-of-age novel BRUTAL YOUTH. “At the ‘End Bullying!’ panel Sunday, we met real people in the audience who have been scarred by that kind of torment. They only ever needed a friend, and hopefully this panel was a place where they found many. Their heartbreak definitely broke mine, but we discovered that our pieces fit together to make something that beats much stronger.”
President Hausmann concluded, “It is a human right to live lives free of hate, violence, and ignorance — the three legs of the bullying stool. The United Nations as a global body enacted in local contexts supports efforts not only regarding anti-bullying, but pro-openness, pro-understanding, and pro-empathy. It takes dedicated individuals like Chase Masterson and Carrie Goldman, who tirelessly volunteer to promote this important cause, to unite us to stand up against bullying and discrimination. We, the UNA-USA San Diego are proud to support their invaluable works with and through the Pop Culture Anti-Bullying Coalition.”