Sort Of

*blows the dust off the blog* Okay, let’s get back into this thing!

I honestly can’t remember how I came across Sort Of in the (HBO) Max app. I do know that once I did I fell in love with it. I am genderqueer and demisexual. Those are terms that I’ve only started to use in the past few years. But I’ve always found a comfort in positive queer-centered shows. Even if the queer character is different from my own experiences, there’s just something comforting about those shows for me.

Sort Of is definitely one of those shows. The main character is Sabi, a non-binary first-generation Pakistani Canadian who is trying to live their life. The series just ended, so I won’t spoil anything. But the series includes Sabi navigating cultural differences with their parents, being non-binary in a world that doesn’t always think about that gender expression, hanging out with friends, and being in a relationship with someone.

I hate being so vague, but it’s hard to talk about the show more than that without spoiling anything. I will say there’s just something so comforting about it. It’s probably because of my own struggles being genderqueer with a mom who really doesn’t get it. Then again there’s a lot about me that she doesn’t get because she doesn’t want to.

I can say that this is a wonderful series that is easily binged. The one drawback is that you need HBO or Max in order to watch it. Unless you want to buy it on Amazon. If you like a good story that centers queerness, I highly recommend Sort Of.

Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor

I know it’s been a while. Stuff happening. But here’s my thoughts on the most recent Doctor Who as I watch it, finally!

Thanks to returning something to Amazon, I was finally able to get “The Power of the Doctor.” I’m only about an hour in and I am loving it! It’s been a while since I watched Teegan or Ace, but they feel like the same people! Whoever wrote them definitely knows these companions.

I do like the past Doctors appearance. Especially how it was handled. But, and I know I’m being picky, why does it stop with Eight? They skip from One to Five with no problem. I highly doubt none of the 21st century Doctors were unavailable to have a little bit in that. I mean, I know Capaldi has said he’s not returning to the role at all. And I know Eccleston is doing the Big Finish but understandably may still have problems with the BBC. But c’mon! Tennant and Smith! Like they wouldn’t do it!

I think I’ve got a better idea of how they are able to work Tennant in as Fourteen now. I have a feeling I’m right, but we’ll see.

Wow. They even put a bullet hole in Seven’s vest. And the Master makes me very glad I didn’t go that route for my Doctor Who Fangirl. But it is nice to see they didn’t try to cram all fourteen regenerations (don’t forget the War Doctor!) into one outfit. It just doesn’t work. Trust me.

I’m really liking the use of that hologram! The Doctor has learned to trust their companions a lot more than Nine did. Not blaming Nine. But this was a great way to show how much the Doctor has grown and changed since then. Nine had a lot on his mind.

How many times does UNIT need to be rebuilt? Ha! But it is nice to see Kate carrying on the family tradition of working with multiple regenerations.

They have definitely improved the last line before regeneration. That is the best one, I think.

I am looking forward to watching that again! I’m also looking forward to the specials. I’m interested to see how this regeneration works out.

(In my best River Song impression):
Spoilers!

Star Trek: Discovery rewatch

After DragonCon, my hubby and I have been talking about Star Trek: Discovery. It made me wonder if I was remembering it correctly, so I decided to go ahead and rewatch the first two seasons. We haven’t gotten to season 3 at this point. I’m glad we haven’t because I feel better prepared for it even though I’m just starting season 2 as I type this.

Some things haven’t changed. I agree with my hubby about the difference in tech being distracting. No Star Trek, even the Kelvin universe, uses projected things way too much. The use of virtual screens and holograms to communicate is really annoying. It doesn’t fit within the established technologies. They’re even getting rid of it for Strange New Worlds. Why have it in the first place? It doesn’t fit.

I also agree that the Klingons being sooooo different than how they had been established is distracting as well. Granted, they did start to trend back toward the Klingons we know in season 2. But the differences in season 1 were a bit jarring at times.

I like the relationship that Michael and Sarek have. Sarek has always had an understanding of humans that is unique among Vulcans. His relationship with Michael would be different than his with Spock, they are different people with different experiences.

Another thing I agree with my hubby is my dislike of the focus on one character. Every other Star Trek show or film makes the bridge crew the focus of the series. With Discovery most of the bridge crew are secondary characters, many of whom I could not name if pressed because they are rarely referenced to by name. That bothers me. I know that there are always going to be secondary and tertiary characters in a series, but to have those characters as a regular part of the bridge crew just doesn’t sit well with me.

I also dislike how the plot always comes back to Michael. Even The Original Series does not focus on one character the way that Discovery does. I like Michael. I like how they have her dealing with the numerous traumas she has experienced in a believable way. I like how she has become more human since first joining the Shenzhou, considering how much time she had been spending on Vulcan. I know they wanted to have a show that was not focused on the captain, but I never felt like Star Trek did that. Yes, the captain is an important character in the plot, but even the films were not about Kirk or Picard more than their series were. It was about the crew. With Discovery it is literally about Burnham so far. Spoilers if you haven’t watched yet; highlight the gap to see. Season 1 was about her and the Klingons, both her childhood and how she started the war. Season 2 ends up being all about her mother and her relationship to Sarek, Amanda, and Spock. Yes, individual episodes of previous series focus on characters, but they spread them out across the cast. But if we learn about other characters on Discovery it tends to be the B-plot or directly related to Burnham.

Don’t get me wrong. Despite all of this, I still want to watch season 3. Every season gets better. Pike alone changes things in season 2 and I love it. I am really looking forward to see how the events of the end of season 2 change things in season 3. But it’s strange to have reservations about a Star Trek series in this way. At least with Voyager I can pinpoint that it’s simply the writing that drives me up the wall consistently. I love Picard. Granted, I am a little biased because he is my captain, but it feels right. Lower Decks is hilarious, and feels right. I am really looking forward to Strange New Worlds. In fact I’m more excited for it than new seasons of Discovery. With Discovery, I am hopeful and curious. It’s a new feeling.

Context matters!

I’ve got my video playlist of Adam Lambert’s performances on Idol and “Black or White” came on. I found myself thinking about how compared to other contestants’ performances in that episode, his was so thought out and he used the stage beautifully and how it shows how professional he already is. Just watching him perform is impressive as always, but it doesn’t necessarily show why he stood out so much on the show.

It struck me because we tend to talk about things out of the context which they are a part of. There are elements that get lost when the bigger picture is not included. I think that’s why I get defensive over Star Trek or most of 20th century Doctor Who. People complain about how “cheesy” the effects are without putting it into the context of the time and the network they are on. Compared to other shows at the time Star Trek was amazing. Yeah, Doctor Who may have gotten a little cheesy in those last couple of seasons when the BBC didn’t up the budget. But overall, it’s at least on par if not better than what many other shows were doing at the time.

We are really guilty of doing this with musicians. We’ll focus on one song here and one song there and not necessarily consider the entire album or their catalog. It’s like thinking Queen is just “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and “The Show Must Go On.” So much of the breadth and depth of their work, both across genre and storytelling, is ignored.

We need to be able to see both the trees and the forest. It’s not one or the other, but both.

Ratatouille Research Rabbit Hole!

When Ratatouille: The Musical first came to my attention, it was through Adam Lambert’s Instagram.

I figured if nothing else I’d like the parts he was in. Well, I loved the whole thing (see previous post!).

Since then I’ve done a search for articles about it. I have things bookmarked from Rolling Stone, CNN, and Variety about this! I’ve found articles about it when it existed only on TikTok! I’ve got a long private YouTube playlist with everything from CBS This Morning and Good Morning America to reaction videos about the phenomenon on TikTok and this production.

I had no intention of this happening when I decided to buy a $5 to watch this. It has definitely sucked me down a rabbit hole! At least this one is related to my dissertation. And I can simply gather information now, and write things down here, so I can come back to it when I have the time and brainpower to devote to it. Who’d’ve thought I would find a new research topic literally at the beginning of the year. I might have a presentation on this for a conference next year! Dang.

Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical

I have never seen the movie Ratatouille. It looks like a cute movie, but I never felt the need to watch it. But when Adam Lambert shared that he’d be part of a musical version of the movie, I looked into who else would be there. All I needed to see were Wayne Brady and Andre De Shields and I knew I needed to watch. When I saw that it was a fundraiser for The Actors Fund, I was even more excited.

Then I started seeing more and more about it. I found out that it is based on TikToks that fans of the movie had made to create a musical version of the film. Considering I study fandom, that made it even more amazing. I was really starting to get excited for it!

After much buffering and restarting, I finally watched it yesterday. I know the basic premise of the story, so I had the highlights. When it started with the person whose TikTok inspired this whole thing explaining its history and then saying that they wanted to take this opportunity to highlight BIPOC, women, and queer people in the industry, I got even more excited! Then it began and I was really getting into it. The music was amazing! It sounded like a full-on Broadway production. All of the performers had great video and audio, wearing some degree of costuming, and some even had props as needed! By the end I was grinning from ear to ear!

I’ve become a Glambert

Glambert:
An Adam Lambert fan. Usually bordering or crossing the line of obsession.
Derived from Adam’s last name “Lambert” and made into “Glambert” because Adam is so. Glam.

Source: Urban Dictionary: Glambert

So, yeah. I’m a Glambert. I even paid the membership fee to be a part of his official fan club. All of this since late June. Of this year. 2020.

I had heard of Adam before. Being a Queen fan, I knew that he was currently the lead singer for the band when they went on tour. But I was very skeptical that anyone could do the music justice. Freddie had such a unique voice and performing style and it’s hard to bring that to the stage in just one person. I remember hearing Paul Rogers perform a song with Queen back in the 2000s and going, “Nope!” So when Adam and Brian and Roger were on The Late Late Show with James Corden back in 2017, I remember completely agreeing with James in his little lead-up…until I heard Adam sing and watched him perform with the guys. I wasn’t convinced, but I was willing to give him a shot.

Front Man Battle w/ Queen + Adam Lambert

But I didn’t feel the need to go on YouTube and see them performing. I did look Adam up on Wikipedia and was shocked. Someone my age-ish who got their start on American Idol of all places? I had my doubts that he worked that well with Queen.

In June, the documentary The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story came to Netflix. Being a Queen fan, I immediately jumped at the chance to watch it. I also figured it would give me a good introduction to this Adam Lambert guy. I went in a Queen fan. I finished it a Queen + Adam Lambert fan interested in his solo stuff.

Queen + Adam Lambert: Live Around the World

As we are all aware, thanks to COVID-19, live entertainment has been cancelled for 2020. But this has caused some artists to get even more creative and come up with new ways of connecting with their fans and finding “replacements” for those concerts. Queen + Adam Lambert have done this and more.

I have been a fan of Queen since the mid-90s. It wasn’t until this June when the documentary The Show Must Go On came to Netflix that I became a fan of Queen + Adam Lambert (QAL). I remembered hearing a song performed by Queen + Paul Rogers back in the 2000s and was very disappointed, so I was skeptical about a former American Idol contestant my age fronting my favorite rock band. That documentary completely changed my mind! I walked away not only a QAL fan but an Adam Lambert fan (Glambert).

“The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story”

The influence of Danger Mouse

When I was a kid, I would watch Danger Mouse on USA’s Cartoon Express. I loved it! I still do.

So, the other day, I said “Crumbs, Chief!” as a joke to my hubby and it made me want to watch some again. He had bought me the box set years ago – which is awesome because it also includes Count Duckula! But due to not wanting to dig it out, I just pulled it up on CBS All-Access. It is convenient, but it doesn’t include Duckula which makes me sad.

As I was watching, I realized something. Danger Mouse is at least part of why I love British comedy so much. I was watching it at such a young age that the more adult stuff was funny too. The animation is similar to Terry Gilliam’s in Monty Python at times. The jokes are soooo British, especially the commentary during the credits. I never realized it before!

I always have said that the first British television I really remember watching was Are You Being Served? on PBS. I always managed to be around PBS stations that didn’t show Doctor Who. I loved – and still love – Are You Being Served? I remember wondering why people kept laughing at Mrs. Slocombe. She was simply talking about her cat, people! Granted, when I got older, I got those jokes, and many more.

But now I realize that title belongs to Danger Mouse! Thank goodness for it and my mom letting us watch it. I don’t know if I’d like British comedy quite as much without its early influence.

Equality and Conventions

I now have three conventions I go to yearly: Marcon in May, DragonCon in September, and BroadwayCon in January. I usually end up on a minimum of 3 panels at Marcon, sometimes more. I present at the Comics and Popular Arts Conference (CPAC) and march in the parade at DragonCon. I am one of the crowd at BroadwayCon. Yet, the conference I participate in the least is the one I spend the most on.

I’m currently reading Henry Jenkins’ Textual Poachers and the conclusion reminded me of a discussion that happened on Facebook soon after DragonCon was over. Someone had asked why DC does not have VIP badges, with goody bags and preferred seating and other perks. I, like the majority of the respondents, argued against them. It divides the community into those who can afford the badges and those who can’t. It also potentially leaves empty seats in every panel, seats that are needed for lots of people who want to be in that panel.

While reading Jenkins, I realized that DragonCon really is about the fans. It is run by fans for fans. Other conventions are not, and are more concerned with making money than making it financially accessible to as many people as possible. DragonCon is also about a community that gets together and parties and celebrates their fandom for 5 days in Atlanta every year. Not every convention has those ideals driving them.

BroadwayCon is the first convention I’ve attended where there are different types of badges. Last year was my first time going, and their second time holding the con. Even then, there were two kinds of badges: Gold and regular. Gold were the VIPs; they got preferred seating at the main stage, extra goodies, guaranteed photos and autographs, and early access to the marketplace – and thus seating for the smaller panels – on Friday. For the upcoming convention in January, they have changed things and added a third level. Now there is the General Pass, Gold Pass, and Platinum Pass. The new level is the current Gold Pass. With the Gold Pass you get: “Tote with exclusive merch and program book, 3 guaranteed autographs or photographs, Hourly shuttle between our partner hotel and the Javits Center, Priority queueing for autographs and photos, Guaranteed general admission MainStage seating, Expedited on-site check-in, Exclusive Marketplace preview Friday morning, Exclusive customer service liaison for questions before and during the event”. With the General Pass, you only get seating in the MainStage if there are seats left after the Platinum and Gold Pass people have seated. Considering the types of panels that are held on that stage, I got the Gold Pass – which is currently sold out.

That is the one part of the system that bothers me. Give people who intentionally pay more to attend more stuff and priority in lining up for things. But to say that because you don’t have a specific type of pass you can’t get a seat for the MainStage? That’s just rude. People are paying to attend the convention, all of the convention.

It probably isn’t going to be as big a deal as I am making it seem. But this is most of why I don’t want DragonCon to go this route. Back in 2013, because I was polite and patient, I ended up with a center, third or fourth row seat for a panel with Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy – Fifth and Seventh Doctors, respectively – that I wouldn’t have gotten if there were VIP badges and sectioned seating. Maybe a smaller convention like BroadwayCon, with one main programming stage can do it. But not DragonCon. It’s too big and too established as a place where all the attendees are treated equally, no matter how much you paid for your badge.