Please Help

I know this is completely off topic but....

"As some of you may have already heard, two U.S. journalists were arrested in North Korea. I met one of the reporters, Laura Ling, only a few months ago.
Laura is a news reporter for Current TV. Her sister is journalist Lisa Ling (of Oprah Winfrey's show and The View).
On March 17, Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested for alleged, unspecified "hostile acts" after reportedly crossing the border into North Korean territory from China. The families have stated that the reporters did not embark on their trip with intentions of entering North Korean territory (see video below). An associate of the two reporters says they were in the area to report on a piece regarding North Korean refugees. Reporters Without Borders claims: "It is by no means clear that Ling and Lee were arrested on North Korean territory." (see link to their press release below)
Laura and Euna are scheduled for trial by the North Korean government this week, on June 4th. If convicted, the women could end up in one of North Korea's notorious labor camps.
Some analysts believe this arrest plays a role as a "bargaining chip" in the bigger picture of an ongoing North Korean / American nuclear weapon debate. The U.S. government does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, where the women are being held.
Laura and Euna's families are struggling to spread word about their situation. The more world focus there is on the subject, the more pressure there will be on the North Korean government to treat these two young women with care--and hopefully return them safely to their families.
There are a few ways for you to help.
Firstly, a candlelight vigil will be happening on June 3rd. You can find out how to join that movement by going here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60755553149&ref=ts. U.S. vigil locations are on this page.
Another option: I am asking for the help of our fans all around the world--particularly those in Eastern Europe, China, and South Korea-- to spread the word and post messages of support and hope for these two young people--and make sure to let the community on the above Facebook page know you've posted. Their families beg for your help. The more positive noise you can make for them, the more helpful you will be."
- Mike Shinoda at http://tinyurl.com/kj5nct

I know I just copied and pasted from another website but this is one of the fastest ways I can think of to spread the word. If you live in the States and can attent a candle light vigil please do so and if, like me, you live outside of the US visit the facebook group to find out how you can help. Also visit http://tinyurl.com/kj5nct for more information.

Screenwriting

Seriously. Save the cheerleader. Save the world. Lucy, you've got some `splaining to do. That's what she said. Live long and prosper/Beam me up Scotty. They're more than meets the eye. Why so serious?




Whether it be Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, I Love Lucy, The Office, Star Trek, Transformers or The Dark Knight television and movies almost always have that one line that will stick with viewers even after the show or movie is over. You hear most in everyday conversation, or see them plastered over t-shirts and other memorabilia. Even after shows become popular many viewers will start to talk like the characters (see The O.C. and swarms of people talking like they're from the Valley). That's not the actors, it's not the directors; it's the writers.





Pre writers strike nobody gave much credit to the writers. I know I didn't, the most I cared about was the actors. The writers are responsible for making you laugh (or cry), making you talk like your favourite characters, creating the characters and let's face it, they're even responsible for portraying what "real" life looks like on The Hills. This was painstakingly obvious with the aftermath from the November 5, 2007 to February 12, 2008 strike, when there was nothing on but mind-numbing reality television.



Personally, I watch around 11-12 hours of prime time TV a week (during the normal TV season). These past two weeks I've been re watching Season One of Chuck and Seasons One & Two of Heroes. Many shows hit what is known as the "sophomore slump" (many artists also get this) where if a show has a really good first season then the second season seems impossible to live up to. I don't think Chuck was subject to this, if anything Season Two was better. It's unfortunate, though, that the first season was during the writers strike and the show lost many viewers because of this. I personally feel as if it's the best written show on television. Out of all the shows I watch I've never seen a show blur the lines of comedy and drama as well as Chuck has managed to do. One of the best examples of this is Chuck Versus the Nemesis. In this episode, Chuck's old college roommate (Bryce; who got him kicked out of Stanford and whom was presumed dead) returns and it's all crazy spy stuff ... But in between we go back to the Buy More and they're preparing for the most notorious shopping day of the year, Black Friday. Normally preparing for Black Friday would be crazy; but when paired with the idiots that work there it is pure comedic genius. Not to mention, their "safety word" is pineapple and yes, it gets used for a "gas leak". One of the other gems in that episode is Bryce asking Chuck if he's wearing a Kevlar vest, in Klingon :)

Movie wise I haven't seen anything lately that screamed "good writing". Even my favourite movies aren't that well written (all well directed and acted though). That either means that movies aren't that good today, or I haven't seen very many new movies

Graphic Novels

Even I'm old enough to remember back to when comic books were just for nerds. Now they seem to be all the rage. This past weekend I went to http://www.cartoonkingdom.ca/ in Windsor; that place is now my new favourite store ever. The store was packed with Batman, Watchman, Superman, Wonderwoman, Spiderman and even Transformers paraphernalia, among many others. They also had a large collection of comic books and I was really tempted I honestly can tell you that five years ago I would have thought that store was completely stupid. Why? At 11 I should have thought that store was amazing, and at 16 I probably shouldn't. But I do. And why is that? Because graphic novels are on their way to taking over pop culture today.

The biggest film of 2008 was without a doubt The Dark Knight. The equally amazing follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins made a mere $1,001,921,825 and won 2 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor (which I believe is a first for a comic book movie). Since the overwhelming success of The Dark Knight we can expect many more comic book based movies to come out. In the first half of the year alone we've already had the blockbusters Watchmen and X-Men Origins: Wolverine and there's even been an animated Wonderwoman film. The only problem I found with the sucess of The Dark Knight is that many people, including those that I saw the movie with in theatres, had/have no idea that it's a sequal.

Superman has his own show, Smallville. There have been many Batman shows. Spiderman has his cartoon. Yet Heroes has captured the hearts of millions (including yours truly) with it's many allusions to comic books. First off, and most noticeably, the show is about "ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities". Secondly, throughout Season 1 the adorably cute Hiro Nakamura travels around the US following his "destiny" as it appears in the 9th Wonders comic, which is drawn by future-painting-druggie Isaac Mendez. What is probably most notable and coolest is that they don't really have seasons, they have "volumes". Every episode chapter ends with "to be continued...." and plays out like a comic book. And of course there's a villain, or many to be exact. There is even a Heroes Graphic Novel which was amazing art by comic book artist Tim Sale. The point is, Heroes is one of the most popular shows on television and it is completely based on the comic book format.

Even LIGHTS, an amazing Juno Award winning up-and-coming artist has her own comic book. Albeit it's only ten pages but it's drawn entirely by her and her music videos have a very evident super hero feel.

In short: comic books aren't just for nerds anymore.

An Update and Sarah Dessen

I finished Handle With Care a while back but felt the need to let it sink in before I told you what I thought about it. I've felt completely different about a book having waited a few days (I actually liked Breaking Dawn when I first read it. After 24 hours, not so much). At first I didn't like the ending of Handle With Care, the person I was hoping would win the trial didn't win (you'll have to read the book to find out who wins for yourself). Then I realized that if that was the only reason I didn't like the book then I actually did like it. Not my favourite but still really good.

Now for this week's blog. Yesterday was my best friend's birthday so to celebrate this blog is about a mutually favourite author Sarah Dessen. She has eight books out already (That Summer, Someone Like You, Keeping the Moon/Last Chance, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, Lock and Key and Along for the Ride which will be released next month. I've read all but Dreamland and I've loved all of them. As a warning though they are definitely chick lit yet if you're not completely girly you'll still like them. One of my favourite things about the books is the recurring characters and locations. There is a list here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Dessen) under trivia. They're a good read and depending on how quickly you read they don't take a lot of time to finish them.

In 2003 That Summer and Someone Like You were combined to make the movie How to Deal. Not the best movie, then again I don't like watching chick flicks, just reading them. Trailer here: http://movies.about.com/cs/trailers/v/howtodealtrail.htm

There's not really much I can say to do her novels justice and to be honest what with all taking place in the same town and having many of the same characters they've all blended together in my head :)

Check out her official site here http://www.sarahdessen.com/ or follow her on twitter http://twitter.com/sarahdessen

My apologies that these past two weeks have really only been girly books, next week I'm thinking maybe the most celebrated graphic novel of all time Watchmen by Alan Moore.

Jodi Picoult

I'll just start off by saying I've only had the pleasure of reading 2.75 of her books. I've read Nineteen Minutes, My Sister's Keeper, and I am currently 3/4 of the way through Handle With Care. Each novel is captivating and addicting, make sure you have a lot of time before you sit down and read one of her books.

Nineteen Minutes is by far my favourite of her books. It is one every teenager coming into high school should read. It's about what happens when bullying is taken to the point where a student feels that the only way it will stop is to bring a gun into the school and shoot the people that bullied him and those that just stood by. It is really an eye opener for all the kids that don't pay attention during bullying assemblies; it shows the worst-case scenario and hopefully it will scare more kids into being nicer. It's a sad time when realize that the saying we had as kids "sticks & stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is something we make up to make ourselves feel better after being teased and holds no truth.

My Sister's Keeper truly had me conflicted and talking about it for days after I finished. I am a strong believer in stem cell research and organ donation, but in this novel Picoult dares to ask if it is morally and ethically right to bring a child into the world for the sole purpose of saving another. In this novel a young girl sues her parents for medical emancipation and the rights to her own body. I can't say much about My Sister's Keeper without giving away key plot points or simply just copying and pasting what's written on the back of the book. I will tell you though that the ending is incredibly sad, don't make the same mistake I did in thinking that it's all hype and don't read the ending in public, I did that too. Check out the trailer for the film version coming out June 26, 2009: http://www.apple.com/trailers/newline/mysisterskeeper/




Handle With Care is really good (so far). It's about a young girl with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which is also known as Brittle Bone Disease, and the effects it has on her and her family. Things start to go down hill after a bad trip to Disney World and the mother files a wrongful birth lawsuit and inadvertently sues her best friend in the process. It's hard to form a complete opinion about a book when you haven't finished but I'll let you know later ;)

One thing I really like about Jodi Picoult's novels is that they are told from first person perspective of different people. It's really interesting because you get to experience what each character is feeling through their own words.

Picoult has fifteen bestselling books under her belt, one of which is about to be released in film form, and based on the ones I've read I'd say she deserves it.