I don’t know how many people here read Ryan Sohmer’s edgy/adult-ish webcomic “Least I Could Do,” but it’s been one of my daily reads since I was introduced to it by my friend Harris O’Malley (aka Dr. Nerdlove). Also, after discovering the Vlogbrothers and posting about their very first webseries “Brotherhood 2.0,” I became a huge fan of theirs as well.
Back in 2007, the Vlogbrothers and their audience came up with the concept of the “evil baby orphanage,” which was their solution to the “If you could go back in time to kill Hitler as a baby, would you do it?” question. They thought that the more ideal situation would be to time-travel to when the most evil humans in history were children, take them away from the circumstances in which they became evil, and raise them in an orphanage to be good and responsible citizens. This idea caught on so well with the Nerdfighter community that with the Vlogbrothers’ blessing, an indie game company called Wyrd Miniatures was able to successfully Kick and start a card game.
“Zufruh” answers the question: What happens when you take the most evil men and women in history and place them in a daycare as toddlers?
It’s a strip I’m doing with Anna-Maria Jung, and I decided to do something a little fun with it, and put it up on Patreon. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Patreon is a subscription based system that lets you pay as little as a buck a month, giving you access to the comics as we produce them.
How much we update, if we create this at all, is up to you. If not, it goes back into the vault.
I liked the concept of the “Evil Baby Orphanage/Daycare” as a thought experiment from the Vlogbrothers, and I liked it enough as a card game to back the Kickstarter. However, judging from the sample comic above (which was the thumbnail image you get if you paste Sohmer’s Patreon link into Facebook), I’m not sure if I like it as a webcomic. (Or at least a webcomic written by Ryan Sohmer.) I’d have to see more before I decide if I’d add it into my blogroll, but I don’t think I’d become a Patreon of his in order to do so.
The video on his Patreon site—though slickly produced—has even less information:
Other questions I have are “Why is it called ‘Zuhfruh’?” and “Why did you decide to include the gay pride logo into yours if one of the main characters was known in his adult incarnation for sending thousands of gays and lesbians to concentration camps?”
Way back when I was a wee geekling, a series of books helped shape the notion in my head that I wanted to come to New York City and be a writer/publisher. One of them, a romance novel by Judith Krantz, was about the magazine publishing industry and a mythical new magazine called B&B which promised to its female readers that it would never condescend to them, never make them feel worthless (as much of the beauty and fashion industry does), always makes them laugh, and always have the right hangover medication ready when needed.
When Sassy magazine founder and wunderkind Jane Pratt and several of her other now-unemployed writers and editors founded Jane magazine in 1997, I was both elated and angry that she did so, because it felt as if Pratt had reached into my mind and stole the idea I had to bring B&B into the real world. Jane was a great and well-written magazine, which is why it came as such a shock to so many when publisher Conde Nast pulled the plug on the publication in July 2007, two years after Pratt “either quit or was forced out.”
Now, Jane Pratt never really went away. According to her Wikipedia page, Pratt had a child, miscarried two children, and is doing a call-in talk show on Sirius XM Radio Fridays at 6 pm Eastern. But you can’t keep a good publisher down, and yesterday, Pratt made her Internet publishing debut with xoJane.com.
And I should be totally ecstatic about that, right? Except, I’m not.
To get it out of the way, the fact that Pratt has been able to be the founder of three publishing ventures (so far) within one lifetime while I’m working on my first has left me with a feeling that comes very close to being described as “sour grapes.” I can’t deny that Pratt was smart and savvy in her early 20s, choosing a Communications major and being able to get an internship at Rolling Stone. In contrast, I chose to major in English so that I could learn more about how to write and understand different genres of literature. My post-collegiate career consisted working a regular part-time job booking reservations and travel packages for the Disneyland Resort in California in order to pay off some debts that I incurred during my first serious relationship.
But pushing aside those feelings, I have a few serious concerns and reservations about Pratt’s new venture, the source of which can be found at the very bottom of every page:
xoJane.com is where women go when they are being selfish, and where their selfishness is applauded.
A perfect example of this philosophy can be found in Pratt’s first editorial, a blog entry which was originally written in November 2009 but published for the public for the first time on Monday. In it, she describes what she overheard when eavesdropping on two receptionists in a high-priced salon:
[Karen the receptionist] said so many nice things about how the writers in Sassy and Jane seemed like real people with unique voices and points of view. How political and outspoken and opinionated we were. Then she started to say that another difference was that I’d put lots of pictures of the staff in the magazine and that we would be involved in every story ourselves. And it was around that time that I got a feeling in my stomach that I’ve had before: flee because I am about to hear something that I really don’t want to hear (other times I’ve been surprisingly eviscerated behind my back). But I stayed, as I always do, and then heard this:
KAREN: “She just looks soooo much older.”
Other (potentially clueless) receptionist: “How old do you think she is?”
KAREN: “She must be mid to late forties.” (I’m 46.)
Other: “Really??!? She looks sooooo much older than that! I would’ve guessed 60’s.”
KAREN: “Well, partly I think it’s because she was 28 or something when she started Sassy (I was tempted to yell out “24! I was 24!”, but didn’t). So it is shocking to see her with so many wrinkles and just looking like an older lady.” This is when I walked down the rest of the stairs, though they were just getting started, already crying and hands shaking, so I don’t know exactly everything they said after that but that was plenty.
Being upset about someone saying you look older than you really are isn’t terrible, nor is it selfish. I’m luckier than Pratt in that because my parents are from the Philippines, I may still end up looking like I’m in my 30s when I’m 46, thanks to the aging process of Asian women. However, as some of the first commenters to the article pointed out, it was a bit rude of her to mention the employee by name because (if she hasn’t left the salon already) she could be fired.
That is not to say that there isn’t great stuff being posted at xoJane.com. While she took a misstep on the “Thrones” piece, McCombs knocked it out of the park when she detailed how she had a conversation with a man who raped her in her teens and had contacted her on Facebook. More pieces like that could tip the scale back into the “Jane Pratt is a publishing genius” column.
Ultimately, it’s just too early to tell what, if any, impact Pratt and her 20-something editors will have on an already crowded blogosphere. Until then, I’ll just bide my time and hope that by the time I’m ready to make my own move, there will be enough audience left for me.
From l to r: Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust, and Rutledge Wood hope you'll enjoy the U.S. version of "Top Gear"
Thanks to some technical difficulties which were not present when we conducted our tech test about 1.5 hours before its premiere last night at 10:00 pm, we were unable to produce the audio for the live commentary between myself and Kara Dennison as we watched the first episode of the U.S. version of “Top Gear.”
Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with our fingers, and so just in the nick of time, we hied ourselves over to Google Chat to record our thoughts about the first episode of “Top Gear U.S.A.” on the History Channel:
10:05 PM Kara: Okay, here we go. Right … things I’m noticing to start. TrishaLynn: And already I’ve got problems with this as well. You go first 🙂
10:07 PM Kara: One, their set is similar but smaller; two, they’re giving the same sort of talk as the original hosts do; three, they’re working on getting a similar level of cinematography going. Kara: It looks like re: the ‘Challenges’ they’ve got the right idea. TrishaLynn: The addition of the missile detection system system to this kind of challenge is a nice touch. And that Tanner Foust is cute, though. Kara: I’m gonna say right now … I’m not coming in intending to hate this. Just skeptical. One thing I will say about the hosts is you can tell it’s gonna be a bit ’til they’re comfortable with each other. On the set, they looked like they were still working on how to talk to each other and the camera at the same time. TrishaLynn: “We’re the only two dudes riding in a red convertible together right now” = That’s cute. I appreciate that they’re doing this in a live city. Kara: Now, this sponsor message actually has to do with something I was talking with my family about over dinner. One of the reasons Jay Leno turned down the show. TrishaLynn: Go forth and expound! Kara: The Beeb gets its money via taxpayers; American TV via commercials. I think there’s a legitimate concern that this sort of thing could keep them from getting too critical of certain cars for fear of losing possible sponsors. That’s really gonna depend a lot on how ballsy the hosts and producers are. If they’re smart they’ll avoid running commercials from c…… oh, wait, the first ad out of the gate was for Mercedez-Benz.
10:15 PM TrishaLynn: What I love about original TG is that they do have the autonomy to say, “Screw you” if/when the auto manufacturers don’t comply. Like in the drive from San Francisco, Calif. to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Dodge didn’t want to provide a Challenger, so they just went out and bought one
10:16 PM Kara: For the record, there are other international Top Gears: Australia and Russia. So we aren’t the first. “We are going straight to hell, my friend.” “Just turn left here on Blasphemy Blvd.” Okay, that got a giggle. TrishaLynn: I recall that there are other versions of Top Gear out there. And how are those guys doing on their shows? Still tops in their country? Do they have the same kind of sponsorship issues? And speeding in a cemetery? Not sure if even Jeremy Clarkson would do that. Kara: Not sure about Russia, but the Australia one does have a fair following as I understand it. Not sure about their finances. Richard Hammond might do it, with that chasing him. Aaaand, there’s Ride of the Valkyries. Was wondering when they’d do that.
10:19 PM TrishaLynn: I recall reading somewhere that of the bloggers who got to see the first three eps, it appeared as if some of these were totally staged. Which would make sense with the cemetery run and the fact that we didn’t see any other car on the road while they did their thing. Kara: I see a banner in the back, and that did look like the Stig. They say they’ll have their own masked racer. Hopefully they won’t call him the Stig.
A lot of people accuse the original of being staged, and I think they admitted to the caravan fire … the rest, I think people just sort of stand back and let them be at this point so there’s no need to stage them. TrishaLynn: Yay for their “Stig” reveal…? Kara: … Oops. TrishaLynn: Heh. I do like how they show where he is on the track during these power laps. Kara: That is nice, yes. TrishaLynn: Their straight is nice. Nice bit of a drift round that last corner Kara: Not bad.
10:23 PM TrishaLynn: So far, we like their improvement on how they broadcast the power laps. Kara: Yes. That’s good from a technical standpoint. People who’ve been watching for a while (or have played Gran Turismo) know the TG track already, but I like having an overhead of the new track.
10:24 PM TrishaLynn: And the improv’ed banter between the hosts could use work, but it’s good that they like each other. See, here’s my thing about TG UK and the BBC. The thing that works is that these guys were somewhat already known as presenters so seeing these guys talk about cars was good. I’m speaking of Clarkson, Hammond, and James May. Each of these guys are almost totally unknown. Kara: Yeah. Though Hammond auditioned for TG.
10:26 PM TrishaLynn: Ah, see this is why I’m glad I have you as my TG historian 🙂 Kara: He’d been doing sparse work before then as a radio personality. Clarkson and May were both on the old format. Clarkson from 88-00, May in ’99 TrishaLynn: Hmm. Okay, I understand that. So do you think Leno would have been a better co-host?
10:27 PM Kara: I think it’s important for the hosts to have both a ‘presence’ and the geekery to go with it. Oh God. They’re using a Suzuki for the ‘Big Star, Small Car’ segment.
10:28 PM TrishaLynn: “You’re gonna wear a helmet”? Heh….
10:29 PM Kara: These three look like they’re gonna be more of the ‘frat guy’ sort with each other. Will be interesting. TrishaLynn: First guest is Buzz Aldrin. “You had a 51 Chevy?” “They weren’t that expensive in those days”. I like how they’re showing the pictures of the cars they owned.
10:31 PM Kara: Adam Ferrara is a far less aggressive interviewer than Clarkson, but that’s sort of like saying someone is less intimidating than Andre the Giant, so… TrishaLynn: Ah… gearbox problems. So it’s not just a right-hand drive thing. Kara: Absolutely not. Buzz Aldrin officially the fastest lap TG USA has had on their show.
10:33 PM TrishaLynn: Officially since he’s the first guest on their track. 🙂 Kara: So far, yes, I like the overhead of the track and the actual visual aids for the cars in the interview segment, like you said. I wonder if any of that will be taken into account for the UK show.
10:35 PM TrishaLynn: I don’t know. But it’s a good change.
10:36 PM Kara: I don’t think they’ll bother with the former, since most people watching know the hell out of their track. I’d sort of like the latter since, despite the fact that I enjoy looking at shiny cars, I cannot recall how most look offhand. TrishaLynn: But back to Leno… who else do you think would be a good co-host for this show instead of these guys? Personally, I would like to have seen Adam Carolla and/or Jimmy Kimmel. Because of how awesome “The Man Show” was. Kara: I think Adam Carolla was an early choice. Sadly, I am not as well-versed in what American sorts are car geeks. And I do think that’s important. Being one, or being willing to learn. TrishaLynn: Nice fun cinematography here. Kara: For those playing the home game, bullfighting with a Lamborghini.
10:38 PM TrishaLynn: Nice trivia bit there. Re: Names of Lamborghini cars versus bulls.
10:39 PM Kara: I know I got quiet, I’m just drooling over the pretty supercars. Kara: “It’s like being aroused at gunpoint.” TrishaLynn: Talk about being inappropriate… and ballsy Kara: Their talk is a lot more straightforward, I think. In original TG, you get Clarkson coming in talking about cars being fueled by diced lions … TrishaLynn: For a second there, I was thinking that the tone was entirely too fawning and not critical enough. But the metaphors are what make Clarkson’s car films so fun to watch! Kara: Oh, they absolutely are. At the same time I’m glad they’re not trying to cast themselves in those three roles. Like, “Okay, you’ll be our Hammond” or some such. TrishaLynn: Yes. I’m glad of that as well. But this means that Tanner Foust (who is a stunt driver) is also a bit of a pussy because he’s the one who wore a helmet when they took the Suzuki for a spin and the other guys did not.
10:43 PM Kara: I think of the three, Rutledge Wood seems to be most grounded (at least for now) in the spirit of the show.
10:44 PM TrishaLynn: Rutledge also feels like he’s the most “good ol’ boy” Kara: The sensibility is very different. There’s this sort of ‘OH WOW CARS’ aspect to them.
10:45 PM TrishaLynn: Nice callback to the original metaphor. Kara: At the 45 minute mark, my main impression: I feel equally informed but far less ‘drawn in.’
10:46 PM TrishaLynn: How much is that because … DRAG RACE! Kara: The upcoming drag race might help. And here’s a preview for next episode… TrishaLynn: Teaching a blind man to drift? AWESOME.
10:47 PM Kara: They certainly seem to be getting similar amounts of leeway to the original. TrishaLynn: Meaning? Getting or giving? Kara: If they can put a blind man behind the wheel, even in a controlled environment. And I’m talking safety-wise. So, okay, no one involved in production is particularly inhibited. TrishaLynn: It’s safer for them to be critical of Lambos because they’re not sponsoring this episode.
10:49 PM Kara: True. TrishaLynn: But yes, I do feel awesomely informed. And I think the problem we’re having is that because we are expecting or comparing the new show to the UK show, we’ve got problems with the beats. YEAH, DRAG RACE!
10:51 PM Kara: I’m gonna say, though, the people behind the UK show are why I started (and kept) watching. TrishaLynn: I agree with you on that. Kara: I DO like drag races, though. TrishaLynn: Me, too. Wait… they’re not racing each other? I am less excited about this now. Kara: This is individual times.
10:52 PM TrishaLynn: I like how Tanner can tell by the sound how he’s shifting. And I am totally forgetting the third guy’s name.
10:53 PM Kara: Adam? Or Rutledge? TrishaLynn: Which goes to show how forgettable he is right now. Yes, Adam. Kara: Given the fact that BBC America is running TG far closer to its initial airdate and releasing things (from series 10 onward) on DVD, I don’t think this is necessarily an attempt to oust/replace the original. Which I think is a lot of people’s major concern. TrishaLynn: I agree with you on that. Kara: And now we’re putting the comedian in the car. I trust the other two far more and am not entirely sure why he is here. “That shaking is near death.” But yeah … original TG is heavily pirated to the point that they actually worked it into their marketing this past series. TrishaLynn: Did they? Kara: “Back with episodes you’ve never seen before … Unless you’re a filthy Internet pirate!!!” TrishaLynn: Heh! Kara: I am a little unnerved by the fact that their Stig banner is animated. It keeps catching me unawares.
10:58 PM TrishaLynn: It is? Kara: Yeah, he’ll move every once in a while. TrishaLynn: I think I like their dynamic a bit. Chicane sounds too similar to Chicago. I love how the two regular guys (Rutledge and Adam) love busting on the professional driver. “It was so fast it changed colors!” Kara: Yeah, they found their punching bag pretty quick. John Deere sports car. Ohhh dear. Or is that “Ohhhh, Deere.” TrishaLynn: I would love to see that happen. Them turning a John Deere tractor into a super car or a racing car. That’s a great challenge idea.
11:01 PM TrishaLynn: Final thoughts? Kara: Final thoughts … interesting guys (though Adam feels a little forgettable, I like Tanner and Rutledge), like some of the technical things they’ve done differently, I like that they’re starting out at least somewhat fearless, but there’s one thing that keeps nagging at me. Which is … why?
11:02 PM TrishaLynn: Why remake TG for the U.S.? Then you should also ask why did they do it for Australia and Russia. Kara: I do. TrishaLynn: Hah!
11:03 PM Kara: I understand that the auto industry is very different in different areas of the world. TrishaLynn: In comments I’ve seen on other articles, people have said that they once thought the U.S. version of “The Office” would be terrible, and it actually wasn’t.
11:04 PM Kara: I can’t get behind the US or UK version of “The Office,” but I think that’s just because I can’t get behind office humor in the first place. I do know it’s done rather well, and even people leery of remakes like it. TrishaLynn: “Sanford and Son” was also based on a British TV show.
11:05 PM Kara: Sadly, the good remakes are so few and far between. When they’re good, they’re amazing. When they’re bad … TrishaLynn: And if we’re asking why does a franchise allow itself to be remade for a different country, I think the answer is so that it can be more easily understood in the target country. What I don’t think people who are proponents for localization understand is that what makes it popular in the foreign country is that it is different from what they’re used to. Kara: TG has a very British sensibility to it. A lot of the things we remake over here thrive on that sensibility, and I think things like “The Office” weren’t so reliant at their core on that. And that’s how you can tell if something’s gonna fly or not. TrishaLynn: I remember when I was working at a media database company and was working on Geneon’s DVD releases of eps from a Japanese car show. They were just subtitled, but reading the synopses of these shows were just so interesting to me. And I can imagine a show like that celebrating the Japanese car culture and just Japanese culture in its own way and if I could remember what those DVDs were called, I’d watch the shite out of them. Kara: Sounds actually like something I need to start looking for, as well. The idea is interesting. When I was first sat down to watch TG, it wasn’t “Here’s a car show,” it was “Here’s three crazy middle-aged British guys doing a car show.” Nothing to say the TG producers can’t expand their media empire. I think it’s just going to attract a different demographic entirely. TrishaLynn: I totally agree with you. Thinking about who this show is for, it’s not for the original TG fan. Kara: Thing is, it’s really hard to tell who they think it’s for. TrishaLynn: Explain? Kara: I’m not sure I can because I’m still turning over all the elements in my brain … best I can describe it… On the surface it’s very much like the original. It’s going with the format Clarkson pitched to the BBC in 2002. They even shoot it the same. But it’s hard to tell if that’s meant to attract people who like the original, or if it’s just transposing a formula that works to a different audience. TrishaLynn: Hmm. Interesting thought. Kara: Like … have they put out this shiny thing for me or for someone else? BBC aren’t dumb. Usually. TrishaLynn: And who knows, maybe once these guys get into a groove, we’ll like them more? Kara: Maybe.
11:16 PM TrishaLynn: Because has the U.S. ever put out a show about cars that has lasted long? Maybe that’s what they’re trying to do? Kara: Maybe. The original TG — by which I mean the original format going back to ’77 — stuck around for a good long while. I’m not sure we have an equivalent in U.S. car shows.
11:17 PM TrishaLynn: You know, for having such a car culture in so many parts of this country, we haven’t had any TV shows about cars. Which aren’t about the cars themselves. “Speed Racer” does not count. 1) Because it was orignally Japanese and 2) Because it’s about drivers. Kara: I know someone who could put us right if we’re wrong, but sadly he is unavailable. I’m sure we’ll hear in the comments if there’s one we’re missing.
11:18 PM TrishaLynn: “M.A.S.K.” doesn’t count. “Transformers” doesn’t count. Kara: Aw. TrishaLynn: Well they transform into “not cars”! They don’t count.
11:19 PM Kara: TG in the UK actually has a competitor — “Fifth Gear” — so they’re still ahead. TrishaLynn: (Although “M.A.S.K.” was a hella awesome show). We do have magazines about cars. So why hasn’t Car & Driver done their own show? Kara: Excellent question. TrishaLynn: And the Japanese show I mentioned was also done magazine format. Kara: That was the original TG format. It was just one person doing car news and reviews. Well, initially one. TrishaLynn: Because why mess with a format that works? Kara: Well, back before ’02 it was much more straightforward. TrishaLynn: So I’ve heard. Kara: Very basic news, reviews, occasionally an outing to a car show. TrishaLynn: I can see why that format won’t work anymore. Kara: Clarkson’s the one who started stirring that up in ’88.Because he came in and … er … was himself … and the ratings went through the roof. TrishaLynn: And the Japanese show was based on a magazine, that’s what I meant by its format. But it had crazy-awesome stuff like we see in Clarkson’s re-imagining. Kara: Yeah, the spectacle.
11:22 PM TrishaLynn: Yes, the spectacle. Kara: And how just straight-up ludicrous some of it is. And by “some,” I mean most.
11:23 PM Kara: So the questions become: Can we do that here? 2. If we can’t, should we bother, or should we just do our car show and let the boys on the home front keep blowing up caravans for themselves? I don’t think the existence of a US version really threatens the livelihood of the UK one in any way. Which sounds obvious, but I think that can be a knee-jerk reaction. Especially considering a lot of UK-to-US remakes really DO muck things up by way of international distribution. TrishaLynn: I think the success of this show will eventually rely on several things happening: 1) That people will enjoy watching the three hosts have fun with cars. 2) That they will find their own “new thing” which will differentiate their TG from the original TG. 3) That they can and will have the balls to call an American car rubbish.
11:26 PM Kara: 3 is a big one. TrishaLynn: 4) That Americans can accept that it’s okay to enjoy and love cars but to still be responsible about the environment at the same time.
11:27 PM Kara: I do note that there’s not been a marketing push to attract fans of the original.
11:30 PM Kara: And yeah … there are people out there who just plain aren’t Anglophiles. The opposite, in fact. TrishaLynn: Those people are kinda weird. 🙂 Kara: Ha!
11:31 PM TrishaLynn: So in other words…. reserving judgment? Cautiously okay? Kara: I’m trying very hard to. TrishaLynn: Giving them a shot? Kara: While reminding myself that I am not their target audience. TrishaLynn: Noted. Kara: I’m gonna do my three-episode rule here, I think. TrishaLynn: Alright… back in a week then? And this time we’ll try to actually coordinate audio again?
11:32 PM Kara: That’d be pretty cool.
Tune in next week, and we hope to have the technical difficulties with an audio commentary ironed out by then.
Adam Ferrara: A comedian and actor, his biggest credit to date is starring as Chief Nelson on “Rescue Me.”
Tanner Foust: A stunt driver whose credits include two of the The Fast and the Furious movies, he’s also a rally driver and has competed in the X Games.
Rutledge Wood: He’s the dark horse of the trio, having no major mainstream screen credits to his name, other than appearing on SPEED in a show called “NASCAR Smarts.” This show is so off the radar it doesn’t have its own Wikipedia page.
Now, I’m not the most car-obsessed person in the world and I love original-flavor “Top Gear.” I also loved “Initial D” when I first saw it. And yet something really bothers me about the approach they’re taking in the trailer.
Lemme backtrack a second: German race car driver Sabine Schmitz has been featured on the original “Top Gear” several times; the most recent appearance was in 2008 when she and her two “D Motor” co-presenters took on the lads in a series of crazy races, one of which involved the removal of a prosthetic arm.
The thing I noticed about the German team was that Schmitz seemed to have the most personality and charisma out of the three (and I am willing to concede that perhaps I like her a lot because she’s a female racer). However, all three were pretty fun to watch during the double-decker race because they were as aggressive and crazy as Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May.
These three guys? I don’t get a sense of that kind of craziness, and that’s what keeps people watching “Top Gear.”
But, [Tanner Foust] rocks because he wears his heart on his sleeve. While riding shotgun in a Lamborghini with him around the Las Vegas Convention Center, I told him that fan-boys of the UK series were rooting for this version of “Top Gear” to fail. His first response was viscerally physical. His jaw set, his eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses and he gripped the steering wheel more tightly. For a split second I had a vision of him letting go of the steering wheel and lunging at my neck. Then he explained just how much the concept of Top Gear meant to him.
It was at that moment that I realized he looked so hurt by the comment because the guy’s just like us — a fan-boy.
Anyway, this is going into my DVR, and if all things go right, you may even be able to either read or hear a commentary of the show between me and our U.K. TV expert Kara Dennison.
“Top Gear USA” premieres on the History Channel on Sunday, November 21 at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central and will likely repeat.
If you’re a fan of British author Neil Gaiman’s former monthly comics series Sandman and have always wanted to see a live-action version, then The Hollywood Reporter has news for you.
Over at their Heat Vision blog, reporters Borys Kit and James Hibberd broke the exclusive news that Warner Bros. TV is “in the midst of acquiring television rights from sister company DC Entertainment and in talks with several writer-producers about adapting the 1990s comic. At the top of the list is Eric Kripke, creator of the CW’s horror-tinged ‘Supernatural.'”
That howl you heard around 6 pm Pacific, by the way? Was the wailing and gnashing of teeth of many a mature female comics fan who knows and loves both Sandman and “Supernatural” and knows exactly how Kripke could possibly fuck it all up.
The bit of good news from the blog that all fans are holding onto lies in these two sentences from Kit and Hibberd:
[Neil Gaiman] is not involved in the new developments, though since it is early in the process, that may change. In fact, securing Gaiman will prove key for the project to go forward.
Gaiman, who is currently in the U.K. taking care of business related to his upcoming “Doctor Who” episode, didn’t comment on his Twitter account when the news broke here in the U.S. because he was on a Skype call to the Melbourne Writer Fest in Australia as one of their events. (Damn, don’t you love technology, these days?)
If you’re a fan of British author Neil Gaiman’s former monthly comics series Sandman and have always wanted to see a live-action version, then The Hollywood Reporter has news for you.