Chinese New Year

It is the weekend of Chinese New Year, which means two things:

1. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, beccatoria! I am so glad that, on this weekend in 2009, you came to the train station to meet a stranger and then didn't even let me get all the way back home with you before you changed every thought I had ever had about Donna Noble.

2. HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR, f-list! This is a fairly new holiday for me (I only really found out the details of it in 2009), but I still have one great story about it (no, seriously, it's a great story. It involves not being paid, singing karaoke, getting strep throat, being prescribed a bunch of unrecognizable medications, buying the last train ticket in the ENTIRE COUNTRY, going home with strangers, talking about Battlestar Galactica for 14 straight hours, breaking out in the most fluorescent red, crown to sole rash, take-out pizza that comes tied up with a bow and a daring escape from Asia, written up in two parts). Needless to say, for a holiday that's about family and going home...I certainly managed all the bells and whistles. ;)

Also, apparently it's the Year of the Dragon, which makes me TERRIFICALLY EXCITED, for various reasons.

But seriously: Happy Chinese New Year. It's the holiday that reminds me of my f-list, because you were the ones that got me through. Reconcile. Forget grudges. Wish peace and happiness to everyone. I certainly wish them to you. *hugs*

Festivids Rec List (The Fandoms I've Seen)

I've finished my first pass through this year's festivids, which basically means I've watched all the vids for fandoms I'm familiar with, and have made up a list of the ones I love and why I love them. Hopefully, in poking around other people's rec lists, I'll get some "new" stuff too!

First up is Jailbreak, a brilliantly edited Star Wars vid detailing the criminal tendencies of our favourite rebels. This vid is basically the opposite of the Mary Poppins one I squeed about yesterday (short clips and quick cuts), but the editing is similarly flawless, and we all know how I feel about explosions in time with the music. I completely failed to mention this in my comment on the vid, but the ESB portion of the edit is just AMAZING for about a hundred reasons (several of which are kissing). Also, there's a wonderfully executed musical joke at the beginning. I absolutely adore this vid.

Next we have Eye of the Tiger, for A Knight's Tale. To quote the festividder, "A Knight's Tale is both 20 years too late and nearly 700 years too early to be a 1980s sports movie. That doesn't stop it from trying." This vid is tone perfect for the movie...and absolutely adorable on all fronts.

a message for you manages to capture everything that made me cry during Big Fish and reduce me to tears is less than two minutes. The music selection is very Elfman-esque, which only makes it better, and the clips served as a perfect sample, reminding me of how beautifully shot the movie was.

I still haven't watched much Eureka, but I'm pretty sure (Fargo) For the First Time captures the spirit of the show. ;)

Festivids: Because where else are you going to get a fanvid for The Great Mouse Detective?

Emily/Nolan(/Destruction) kind of snuck up on me...just like Revenge did. Besides, what's a vidding challenge without Ke$ha? Blow is fast and reckless and a little bit uncomfortable, just like the show.

And, last but certainly not least, the vid for Mulan. Ain't No Other Man takes all of my favourite Mulan moments and sets them to a song with about ten different meanings. Plus, timed lightning! And you know how I feel about that. Mostly, though, I got the impression that the vidder likes Mulan for exactly the same reasons I do, and made the vid I would love to make, which is always awesome to find randomly. ;)

+++

Oh, and if you like Star Wars, I really recommend Star Wars Uncut, before it gets pulled down. Basically, it's A New Hope as remade by fans in 15 second increments. It sounds a bit hokey, but the end result is a shot by shot reproduction of the movie, using a wide variety of media, as made by people who really love Star Wars. My favourite parts are the people who sing along with the sound track, and the sheer number of times Leia is played by a little girl. ;)

SOPA and PIPA (and their continuing threat) explained

Snagged from rosewildeirish.

Thank goodness for TED talks! Cohesive, coherent co...um, well, brilliant.

Also, wrt the proposed Black March thing that made the rounds? It's not a good idea. penknife explains why.