2011 - If it wasn't on Facebook it didn't happen

In 2011 ...

1. Johnson County Sheriffs were enjoyed at Cville Coffee
2. Bachelorettes were WOOOOO'd
3. Slushageddon was survived
4. Fled from the Smoke Monster
5. Missions were accomplished at SDCC
6. Mazes were ... actually, I was done with the maze after 10 minutes and bush whacked my way to freedom.  With the Stage-Harveys at the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
7. Teeth were pulled.  Apparently I am a girl with a tiny mouth and ginormous teeth.
8. Sanctioned drinking during work hours
9. Animals were fended off with Creed songs
10. Nephews were born
11. Skee was balled.  We were the Knights who said SKEE!
12.  Terrenced with Ames in Fred
13. 40th birthday parties were survived
14. Dear friends visited
15. Hurricanes were hunkered
16. Cookies were exchanged

Comic-Con 2010 - Random snaps

At some point, everything starts to look sci-fi.  Do you think architects in San Diego intentionally design things to be geek bait?

Luke has three daddies.

Behold!  Bobblehead Claire with furbaby.  Clearly, this is awesome.

And I will love him and squeeze him and call him Mal.

Jayne ... the Ken-like doll they call Jayne ...

"Browncoat sold separately"

Comic-Con 2010 - #Supernatural panel

Have you ever wondered how Tatooine must feel, what with the two suns and all? Yeah, I imagine its something like this.

Don't really know how the planet feels about the cow though ...

My recap and full report from the Supernatural panel is up and live over at Tubular.  It's just like being there, only without the shortness of breath, fluttery stomach, and slight dizziness.

Did I mention that Misha waved to me?

The Smallville panel preceded Show,  and was actually really enjoyable, made even more so when a surprise guest came out on stage and took a place at the table.  Ladies and gentleman ...

John effing Schneider.

I have mad love for Bo Duke, and he was a delightful and funny addition to an already energized room.  The absolute highlight though was when he propped his drivers license up in front of him as an impromtu name tent.  The camera zoomed in on it, and he made a comment about "that's my super hero hair cut."

Executive producer Brian Peterson replied, "that's your address."  John quickly returned his license to his wallet, and said, "well, I guess I'll see you all for dinner."

Why yes, I am a national treasure, thank you for asking.

Comic-Con 2010 - Friday report

It's a trip I've wanted to make for years, and now I'm here. Wow. To say that I was overwhelmed yesterday was an understatement. This place is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mindbogglingly big it is. And the convention center looks like a frakking battlestar that broke atmo and crashed next to the bay.

I knew it was going to be a good day when I was picked up for the ride to the airport in cab #42. When I had a conversation about Dune with my San Diego shuttle driver, I knew I was home.

Photos and moments, after the jump ...

You can also follow my adventures in real time on the twitters @waxwendy, and at Tubular where I'm reporting on the tv panels.  Check out my recap of the Spartacus panel and more!

DON'T PANIC!!

It's Towel Day.

"Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is."

#LOST: This is the end, beautiful friend, "The End"

This time tomorrow - barring any electromagnetic events - I will be happily ensconced in the warm embrace of my LOST fandom.

In Houston.

I don't live in Houston.  I don't live anywhere remotely near Houston.  "But wax|wendy", you're no doubt thinking, "that's a really long way to go for a TV show, even one as awesome as LOST."  You're not wrong, but that's where my peeps are.  And they are worth the trip.

Or as our faithful leader T put it:

Is it silly to have cared this much about a television show? Probably. But it was never just about the show, as special as it was. It was about finding a group of like-minded people with whom it was a joy to share this experience that was Lost. We're not just losing a remarkable television show, we're losing a community. A nation-wide, internet-based community of fans who have become friends, bonded by this program.

I'll see you on the other side.

LOST finale tee art inspired by Wheels' concept design (not in production).

On the road: Houston

I was in Houston over the weekend for the annual crawfish boil held at the towering glass and steel monument to tee-vee that is Tubular world headquarters. But first, there was nerd business to attend to ...

  

No, not the high caliber gun show.

Comicpalooza!


I was hanging out with BabySteps Nicki, spreading the 29-95 gospel.

We were right next to the 501st booth - SQUEE!!  We could not have had a better position.  Well, maybe if we were over by the "celebrity" area.   Fair play to Nicholas Brendon for making the show, given the recent unpleasantness.  Dude was looking good.  Hot.  Season 3 Xander hot.  I do not actually have evidence to present in support of his hotness, because I was not willing to pony up the $25 necessary for a photo op. 

Friday was sparsely attended, but there were a few people who costumed up for the event.  Here we have a Ghostbuster, a Jedi, Boba Fett, and Ash from Evil Dead 2.  So we were pretty well covered in the event of a Dark Side, zombie, or ghost outbreak.

From there it was on to the main event.  Bring on the mud bugs!!!

LOST chat! LOST chat! Come play with us!

The good people at the ABC promo department promised - cross their hearts and hope to die - that QUESTIONS!  WOULD!  BE!  ANSWERED!  in last night's episode.  Was it all you were hoping for and more?  Come chat about it at Tubular - 1:00 pm Eastern, Noon Central.  All your friends will be there.

Including regular commenter BrianBlogsLost who put together this wonderful little tribute to the group.

Who?

The game's out there, and it's play or get played. That simple.

New Orleans is getting the David "The Wire" Simon treatment.  That being said:

Simon cautions that Treme will not be The Wire: New Orleans. Its seasons will not be loosely divided by subject, and the show will provide a smaller, more intimate focus on people picking up the pieces without much help. Simon went to one of the first post-Katrina second-line parades, and witnessed unbridled resiliency and a longing for home; many attendees drove in for the day from wherever they sought refuge from the storm. “The band started up and people were crying. It was like they realized, ‘Oh shit, this is what I’ve been away from,’“ he says. “They had come to do a four-hour second line, and then they got back in their cars to drive back to Baton Rouge or Atlanta or Houston.”

The chronological series will explore life in New Orleans starting three months after Katrina devastated the city.   Treme is named after, but not based in, the city’s most historically significant and musically influential neighborhood.  Through the eyes of the people that live within its signature milieu of parades, jazz funerals, brass bands, Mardi Gras Indian tribes, bars and restaurants, the show will trace the city’s collective efforts to get back on its feet. “You’re going to watch the city being rebuilt, or not being rebuilt, year by year,” Simon says. “The whole thing is thematic to what New Orleans is, to what it represents in the American psyche. It’s an affirmation of why cities matter.”

New Orleans Gets Wired: David Simon Turns His Sights on the Big Easy :: TV :: Features :: Paste

Treme: 3 Things We Know About Our Favorite New Show - Treme - Jezebel

#LOST Chat: LA X

After all the anticipation, last night's LOST premiere did not disappoint.  "It worked"!  Smokey!  Where's Christian! That actor returned!  And that one!  Juliet lives!  Oh, wait ... The Island is at the bottom of the ocean!  Alternate reality?  Lots of questions.

And how excited was I to finally see Doug the Extra's scene?  "Do you have anything to declare?  Only a murderer."  SQUEE!

We may not have answers yet, but the idle speculation and theory spinning is all part of the fun.  Come dive in with the first Tubular live chat of the season, today at 1:00 pm EST.

T has missed you too.





I know Benry, right?

LOST!LOST!LOST!LOST!LOST!LOST!

OH HAPPY DAY! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! LOST RETURNS, CALLOO CALLAY!!

I'll be wearing my muu-muu.  Will you be wearing yours?

Clips, links, and promos after the jump ---

Happy Birthday NG!

Today marks the 121st 122nd anniversary of the founding of the National Geographic Society. Originally formed to "increase and diffuse geographic knowledge", the society has expanded its mission to include "promoting the conservation of the world's cultural, historical, and natural resources."

The first issue of the iconic magazine came out in October, 1888. What my friend Nicki likes to call "the company newsletter".

I'm amazed when any business or institution can survive to make the century mark and beyond.  Especially now ... this is not the shiniest time to be in print media.

So celebrate the Society's longevity by picking up this month's National Geographic magazine.  Where else can you get a bionic limb, frolic with a clown fish, and travel from the urban sophistication of Singapore to the rugged wild coast of the Hebrides?

If you enjoy those stories, and others in the January issue, think about subscribing.  Maybe get two.  Makes a great gift.  Really.  Please.

#LOST or: I really should have flown Continental

The final celebrititastic, stalkerific installment of The Real LOST Experience or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Fangirl is up at Tubular.

Crazy mad love to T for her terrific write ups!

And my thoughts on not being in the picture at the end of the post? To paraphrase Joey "The Lips" Fagan, sure I could have been there and met a cast member, but that would have been predictable.

This way, it's poetry.

Previously: Part of the first; Part of the second

You can find my full Hawaii photo set on flickr.

#LOST Friday observed, in which the quest continues

Therese at Tubular has Part the Second up of The Real Lost Experience or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Fan Girl.

In this installment we go BAAAAAACK to the LOST beach, nearly get swept away by a rogue wave during a Sun moment, and partake of a local delicacy.

You know, I'm not really sure why the Losties are trying so hard to leave the Island. I mean, seriously? Why?

SAWYER'S TENT! SAWYER'S TENT!

Catherine is completely unfazed by the incoming wave. She is modeling H2T, and smizing behind her sunglasses.

Mmm ... shave ice. I could totally go for some shave ice right now. And a warm malasala. And some luau pork. Maybe a plate of garlic shrimp served up from a truck on the side of the road. Mmmm ...

Previously: Part One

It's #LOST Friday! It's #LOST Friday!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled feature to bring you ...

"Why yes, I did fly half-way around the world to stalk a TV show"

wax|wendy took it on the road to Oahu with Therese and Catherine from Tubular and Nicki from BabySteps. This time last week we were still basking in the glow of a 10-hour tour ( ... a 10-hour tour) while basking in the sun on Waikiki Beach. How could we have known then the mysteries and ear bugs that still awaited us ...

T has part of the first of our adventure up at Tubular - The Real LOST Experience or : How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Fan Girl.

Further reports and more pics to come!

Happy Halloween : FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!

Well sure. Spare time + basic engineering skills = CANON!!

The cannon is mostly used on weekends to attract people to Gill’s Farm Market on Route 209 in Hurley, but sometimes the guys get together at the 1,500-acre farm and blast it when nobody’s around. Just for fun.

They’ve shot pumpkins, scuba tanks and a basketball filled with corn and foam insulation. They once scattered some geese by accidentally shooting into the flock. Then there’s the time they shot a bowling ball more than a mile.

“The first time we shot a bowling ball, that’s was probably the worst thing we ever did,” Arold says. “It kept going and going and going.” -- via Neatorama

How did I not know that the World Championship Punkin Chunkin is right in my back yard? I am so going to Delaware next weekend ... Wait! What am I saying? I'm going to Hawaii next weekend! Good thing I remembered.

That's not a moon ...

Make ready, my friends, for BEHOLD! It's Air and Scare time again at the Smithsonian's Akbar and Jeff Udvar-Hazy Center.

There's something for everyone, with member of both
the 501st and the Rebel Legion in attendance.

The fun is this Saturday, October 24 from 2 - 8 pm. Admission is free, but parking is $15. To the mini-van, away!

All good things must come to an end: Guiding Light

Today is the day ... Guiding Light airs its final episode after a 72 year run. le sigh. Slide on over to Tubular, and my write up on the Paley Center's panel, We'll Always Have Springfield.

credit: The Paley Center

The Paley Center also has two clips up at their site from the evening. Two words: Reginald and Stevie. That's all I'm saying. Check 'em out.

I just can't say this enough:

I cannot say enough good things about the actors. They stayed for nearly two hours, and were to a one, unflagging in their energy and unfailing in their kindness. They gave each fan their full attention, allowed as much time as needed, signed autographs, and smiled for a million photos. And you have to understand what the scene was like - it was a full on rugby scrum. Grant Aleksander was literally backed into a corner, people 3 and 4 deep around him, but he had a smile and hug for everybody (two for my Mom, much to her delight). My mom, who is a wee little thing, had moments of being overwhelmed by the crowd, and we could at least escape when we needed to. Get some air, grab a drink at the bar or one of the delightful tuna h'orderves that were circling around. They couldn't. Nonetheless, every single actor who was there was incredibly gracious and generous with their time. So for my mom - who got autographs from, and a moment with, everybody - thank you. Thank you to the Paley Center, Ellen Wheeler, Jill, Grant, Bradley, Elizabeth, Michael, Kim, Ellen Dolan, Tina, Maeve, Kurt, Gina, Orlagh, and Frank. As James Lipton would say - it was a delight.

Philip Spaulding is my new dad

Every fan for herself!

Previously on wax|wendy: First thoughts.

Guiding Light at the Paley Center: First thoughts

ZOMG IT WAS AWESOME REVA SQUEE!!!!

Onward to Adventure! NYC with Mom

Mom retired on Friday (YAY!) and to celebrate, we hit the city.

First, the train ...


... and then some more trains. Escalators and baggage friendly turnstiles. That's all I'm saying New York.  All I'm saying.


After we settled into our hotel - big ups to the Helmsley Middletowne for the free suite upgrade, btw, we struck off for Central Park.


Where we decided to flaunt the local rules and regs

Afterwards we went in search of dinner.  In general, it's a bad idea to make a choice based purely on the fact that they have air con and you're too hot to walk any further, but we got lucky.

We ended up at Opal on 2nd Avenue.  It's a locals place with a nice afterwork crowd.  The DJ seemed a bit much for a Tuesday evening, but the duck spring rolls were well worth the price of admission.

There is no picture of the duck spring rolls because I was too busy eating them.  I eated them all up.  They were guuuud.

Tomorrow - NBC Studios, Rockefeller Center, and the real purpose of our trip ...

GUIDING LIGHT PANEL AT PALEY CENTER!!!!