Major nerd alert!

Long ago, I wrote a post about one of the best television shows ever, Firefly. You may or may not have gone out and bought it (you should have). And then you may or may not have seen the feature film, Serenity (you should have). And then, to curb your desire for more, you may or may not have read the comic series, hoping for more answers to some of the questions that never got answered (you should have if you're as nerdy as me, but otherwise I'll let this one slide).

But after doing all these things, you were still left with questions, right? Questions like what the heck is in that syringe of Inara's, anyway? What was on the Shepherd's identity card? How many flavors of protein can there really be? What are the rules to that crazy space basketball game? And were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?

Well, Dark Horse Comics' newest installment, Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale, won't answer all of those questions, but---actually, it won't answer any of those questions. But it will give you the background of one of the series' most intriguing and mysterious characters, Shepherd Book.

You can read the whole thing in about ten minutes, and once you do, I suggest you read it again, backwards, because it's written in little chunks that take you backward in time bit by bit, until you find yourself face to face with little pre-pubescent Book. (Aww, isn't he cute?) Some of the story is familiar. Some of it is weird. Some of it is sad. And some of it might make you go, "Wait, what??" But in the end, you'll know more about Shepherd Book than you did before. That's a guarantee.

Whether you'll be satisfied with what you learn or not is not for me to say. When I received this little gem on Christmas day, I read it, then my sister, then my mom, and then my dad. We all had different reactions to it, some of us liking it, some of us not so much. But now we know...at least some of it!

So if you're curious (and what nerd isn't?), I recommend you pick this up for your own nerdy collection. Now let's hope they make one about Inara, because I really do want to know about that syringe! After I learn about protein, of course.

Aaaand we're back.

So it's been 21 months. So sue me.

(Please don't sue me.)

Without further ado, let's hop right on in.

Today, I finally saw Inception. I know, it's about time, right? Pretty sure I'm the last person in the whole entire universe to see this movie. So all of you who have fallen victim to my endlessly annoying shrieks of "Don't talk about that! Don't say anything! I haven't seen it yet!!!" can rest easy. You can talk about it now. You can say things. I've seen it.

However, I blame you all for my general underwhelmed-ness. This is not to say I didn't like it (all of you who think I didn't like The Sixth Sense because I figured it out right away, I'm looking at you). I did like it. But it was over-hyped for me. The way you all talk about it, it's like this movie is completely revolutionary. It will do for entertainment what sliced bread did for sandwiches, what microwaves did for popcorn, what an inflatable David Hasselhoff did for my video collection (don't ask). And yeah, it was pretty good. But it wasn't that good.

It's not like the ideas being explored here are new. Anyone seen What Dreams May Come or The Cell? Both creepy. Both not about what Inception is about. But both exploring similar themes and ideas. This isn't new territory for Hollywood.

Inception is well made, and for the first time in, well, ever, I can say that I didn't hate Leonardo DiCaprio. (See that? I even wrote his name correctly! For those of you who know me well, that alone is proof!) And it is interesting, and it does raise some interesting questions. But it didn't blow my mind. I don't feel the need to see it again and again for endless analysis. Frankly, I don't think there's that much to analyze. It was a fun popcorn movie for an afternoon. And anyone who's seen my video collection knows that I love my popcorn movies. I'm just sayin', y'all oversold it. So knock it off, in case there's someone else out there who still hasn't seen it. They'll like it more without knowing what you think.

Woe, Woe Unto the Blog

Yes, I have been neglecting this blog. Neglecting it like it's a red-headed stepchild. Neglecting it like the limp, greyish-green broccoli on the side of my plate. Neglecting it like my homework.

And I gotta be honest, I'm probably not going to un-neglect it any time soon. I'm very sorry.

But here's the good news (?): I'm not going to delete it. I thought about it---thought about it long and hard (and then realized that thinking about it constituted a breach of my neglectful behavior and promptly stopped)---but I've decided to let it hang out cyberspace for a bit longer. Hopefully, one day I'll get back to it. In fact, I promise to do so one day. Just not one day soon. I'd say that some time after June 7 is a good bet.

So, you know, keep checking. Because eventually I'll resume my snarkastic reviewing ways and tell you what you should like and dislike. Until then, I must stop neglecting those other things. Except the broccoli. That's just nasty.

Meh.

I like young adult fiction in general. It tends to be lightweight and easy to read, and it's usually pretty entertaining to boot.

Scott Westerfeld's Ugliesmeets two of those criteria: it's lightweight and easy to read. But it's not so much with the entertaining.

Oh, it starts off well enough. Tally, the main character, lives in a post-apocalyptic future where everything is just peachy. People learned from the mistakes of the "Rusties," the generations of the past that cut down too many trees and used too much raw material to build cities and basically robbed the land blind. So we've got the Environmental Message coming through loud and clear.

Then there's also the fact that in this society, your life is divided into neat little stages: you are born and grow up with your parents as a "Littlie" in the suburbs until age 12, at which point you become an "Ugly" and are shipped off to Uglyville. When you turn 16, you receive an operation that turns you into a "Pretty," and you get to party all day every day in New Pretty Town. As you age, you'll have another operation when you are a "Middle Pretty" and choose a career, and eventually, when you're really old, you'll become a "Crumbly" and move to Crumblyville. It's just the way it's done, and everyone's happy with it.

Almost everyone, of course. There has to be some drama, right? The central question is, then, why do we have to look/act/think/be like everyone else? What about our individual faces/thoughts/bodies/actions? So then we've got the Everyone Is Beautiful In Their Own Way Message (also known as the I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, And Doggone It, People Like Me Message).

Both of these messages are fine, really. But my goodness, could they be any more obvious? I think not. Even for the teen set, for whom this book is intended, I think it's a bit overly didactic.

I could forgive that, though, if it reached any kind of conclusion. It doesn't. It's the cheapest way ever to get people to read your sequels: don't end. At all. No kidding---by the time this book "ends"--and I use that term very loosely--not one single complication that has been brought up throughout the story has been resolved. Not. One. This made me feel like all 425 pages had been The Longest Setup Ever for the next book, and I think that's a cheap trick.

In the end, I just didn't care enough about anyone to make me want to continue--and I'd had enough Very Important Messages. Maybe you'll feel differently.

Shameless self-promotion

I know, I know. No post forever and then this? Shameless self-promotion? Disgusting!

It's true, and I apologize. But I'll continue with the shamelessness anyway.

Not long ago, I wrote this post about the University of Utah Singers, so I don't need to go into all that background again. Instead, I'll get right to it and explain that Carol of Joy is our newest album--the first one I am on!--and I'm very excited about it.

This is a Christmas CD and features every kind of carol you can imagine, from the traditional "Ding Dong, Merrily on High" to the show choir-esque "Need a Little Christmas" to the ward choir-y "Were You There" to the brand new (and beautiful) title track "Carol of Joy." I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet and believe me, I'm a staunch believer in no Christmas music until after that November holiday. But I also think it's stupid to buy new Christmas albums and give them on Christmas day, because then you don't get all the joy of listening to them leading up to Christmas.

So yes, I want to sell you this CD. I want you to buy it. I want you to buy multiple copies (*grin*), because as I stated in that other post, I do get credit toward helping me pay for tour. But I'm also all about full disclosure, so let me tell you the down sides of this album.

"Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" is absolutely the weakest cut on this album. The balance is ridiculously bad, and some high soprano (whose name shall not be mentioned on this blog, EVER) took it as a personal challenge to make the last note, uh, shall we say, featured. It's a pity, because the arrangement is really quite stunning. The Rutter carol "Mary's Lullaby" features that same soprano when she refuses to breathe with the rest of the choir. Yeah. "What Sweeter Music Can We Bring?" is also not...great. And there are some (legitimate) solo moments on "'Round the Glory Manger" that I don't particularly care for.

But that's, what, four tracks out of 23? Those are some pretty good odds that you'll find more to like here than dislike. "Sing We Now of Christmas" is my absolute favorite, and "El Rorro" is pretty good, too. And the words to "In Silent Night" are really, really nice.

Overall, I think it's worth having, and I'm not just sayin' that. So if you'd like to buy one, or two, or five hundred, let me know! You can order via the link above (where there is also a special sale going on--all three U of U Singers Christmas albums for $35)--if you do this, be sure to list my name as your referral--or you can order directly through me.

Happy (early) holidays, and Merry (early) Christmas, and thus ends this edition of Shameless Self-Promotion.

P.S. You can listen to a few samples here.

*swoon*

In the spirit of unfairly compartmentalizing people, allow me to tell you that you will fit into one of the following categories. In order of most to least shameful:

1. You have never even heard of Brian Stokes Mitchell.

2. You hadn't heard of him until recently, because, say, you went to a Tabernacle Choir concert where he was performing, and now you really like him.

3. You knew who he was years ago and have been singing his praises forever.

I refuse to admit the existence of a fourth category (which, incidentally, would be the most shameful of all, and would therefore be labeled as zero): you don't like Brian Stokes Mitchell. For shame.

If you are in category one, you most certainly need to get yourself into category two, and work your way into category three. Even if you're in category three, you might only know him because of his Broadway work (Ragtime, Kiss Me, Kate, Man of La Mancha...I could go on). And his Broadway work is fantastic. But you really need to check out his debut solo CD.

Almost all of the songs on this CD are indeed showtunes, but they're performed as if they're all jazz tunes. "Something's Coming," from West Side Story, is a fusion of Spanish dance and jazz--I defy you to listen and not tap your feet. I don't really care for Sondheim as a general rule, but I could listen to Brian Stokes Mitchell sing "Being Alive" forever. And my favorite tune on the album isn't a showtune at all: "Life is Sweet" is the peppiest, swingy-est, scatty-est jazz number ever, and you'll have to push "repeat." It's that good.

Brian Stokes Mitchell can sing anything, I swear. His voice is amazingly rich and so very expressive. (Hence the reason that the paring of him and Audra McDonald in Ragtime is so great--but that's for another post.) It will make you all melty inside. Even if you think you don't like jazz or showtunes, this album will change your mind. Do yourself a huge favor and pick it up. Because you can't have mine. It's autographed! Swoon, indeed.

Music to Be Busy By

Whew! It's been a crazy month (and it ain't over yet)--hence the complete dearth of posts. I've been spending very little time at home and quite a bit of time in my car, where this CD has been living.

I'll be up front with you: I sing with the University of Utah Singers. You may think this fact makes me a little biased. (It probably does.) But I did not belong to the group when they recorded A Jubilant Song, so you have to believe me when I tell you that this CD is fantastic.

This entirely acappella CD was recorded shortly after the Singers won the grand prize in what amounts to the World Series of choral singing. (Nerd heaven!) They were at the top of their game, and if they sound a little vocally tired in a few tracks, we can hardly blame them---it was the very end of a month-long tour during which they sang around 40 pieces with pretty severe regularity. But these little hiccups are so rare that you probably won't even notice them as you revel in the absolutely gorgeous sounds on this album.

Since the music on this CD ranges from the incredibly difficult (like "Rytmus" and "Psalm 96") to the astoundingly beautiful (like "Pilgrims' Hymn") to folk songs and spirituals (Moses Hogan makes an appearance) to the super eclectic (like Asian folk music), I am not ashamed to use the cliche saying that there really is something for everyone here.

You can listen to samples at the link above, and purchase from that site as well. And a shameless plug for me: should you decide to buy that CD (or any of the other six currently available, or the new Christmas CD being released at the end of October, please mention my name. We're going on tour in the spring and I get $10 of every $15 sale deposited directly to my tour account. Hooray for fundraising!

I promise, though, even if I didn't get money off the sale, I'd recommend this album. It's really, really good. Now, if you'll pardon me, I think I have to go drive somewhere...