August 2010
Musings about Mickey
Because I’m lying in bed sick with nothing to do but watch Doctor Who right through…
Mickey’s one of those characters who I don’t feel the show—the producers, writers, whatever—did right by; he sort of got shunted aside in favour of a frankly rather predictable and tiresome Doctor/Rose romantic subplot. One aspect of the show I really like is how people on Earth start learning about the Doctor and other aliens, and how there are Doctor internet conspiracy theorists, and how Torchwood develops. It’s the background to the Doctor and Rose’s adventures—and in a lot of ways it’s more interesting than the usual alien-menace-of-the-week sort of stories. It’s on-the-ground, with a lot of different perspectives involved. It’s a lot more human..
So Mickey’s part of this whole story that we never really get to see, where he’s a mechanic by day, hacker and alien hunter by night, researching meteorites and weird news, and leading this online community of other alien-aware Earthlings. He doesn’t just sit around waiting for Rose to come back—he’s keeping busy. You don’t really get this in the show, but from the supplementary material. There were the TARDISodes (short clips, something like the BSG webisodes) and the website “Who is Doctor Who” (later “Defending the Earth”), that fill in a lot of the details. If you haven’t looked at it yet, it’s well worth poking around! Anyway, yeah…I do love Doctor Who, but it’s a pity that one of the more interesting characters, who’s also one of the very few non-white characters in the show, period, doesn’t get more screen time.
P. S. Also: both Maggie Chascarrillo and Rand Race (of Love & Rockets) are missing from the Wikipedia category of fictional mechanics. WHAT IIIIS THIIIIIIIIIS
P. P. S. Have you got a favourite overlooked character?
Indigenousfuturisms Writing Contest, $1000 Prize →
naisa.org
:
Open to Native, First Nations, Indigenous, and Aboriginal students currently enrolled part-time or full-time in any accredited university, college, or high school.
This year’s Judge: Acclaimed SF, experimental fiction, and horror writer Stephen Graham Jones (Blackfeet), author of The Fast Red Road—A Plainsong, The Bird Is Gone—A Manifesto, Ledfeather, and much more. http://www.demontheory.net/
Entrants should submit a personal statement (one paragraph) containing affiliation or descent, student status (the where, the when, the why, and the how much more), and goals for their sf writing, along with the previously unpublished writing sample.
Contest Deadline: November 1, 2010
Winner announced in DecemberSend personal statement and previously unpublished sf story (up to 4,000 words) to Professor Grace L. Dillon (Anishinaabe) as attachments :: dillong@pdx.edu. Or mail to Professor Grace L. Dillon, Native American Studies Program, Portland State University, POB 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751.
Sponsored by the Native American Studies Program, Portland State University
From "Rise of the Cybermen"
- The Doctor: And if things weren't bad enough, now there's two Mickeys!
- Ricky: [looking very angry] My name's RICKY.
the invazn →
theinvazn.wordpress.com
A super awesome Toronto-based Asian-Canadian group blog. Someone I follow (or someone someone I follow follows? linked to it but I lost who in the storm of Tumblr-catching-up-on. Whoever you are: thank you! yaaaaay!
Marvel Responds to Runaways Casting Concerns :: Racebending.com →
racebending.com
Marvel Studios has responded to Racebending.com and the Asian American community’s concerns about the casting of an Asian American actress to portray the character Nico Minoru in Runaways (2012).
A statement Racebending.com received on Thursday, August 26th read:
“Thank you for reaching out regarding your concerns over Marvel’s recent casting notice for THE RUNAWAYS. We appreciate your interest in our production and with Marvel Entertainment.
“To address your concern over casting for the role of Nico, as we do with all of our films, we intend to stay true to the legacy and story of the comic when casting these parts. Thus, our goal is to cast an Asian American actress as depicted in the comic series and the casting notice will be adjusted accordingly.
“We thank you again for your correspondence and the opportunity to clarify our process.”
Marvel Studios
On the public open casting call website for Runaways, smallfacescasting.com, the breakdown (revised on August 25th) now reads:
“Girl 1: Uniquely beautiful, nurturing but guarded
Female, Asian-American, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011The submission deadline for audition tapes has also been pushed back to September 15th to allow Asian American actors time to prepare their monologues.
Nico as depicted by her designer, Adrian Alphona
Good on you, Racebending!
“Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness — and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones we’re being brainwashed to believe.”
—Arundhati Roy (via azspot, fuckyeahradicalquotes) (via obliviousunction) (via kissestokashmir)
“I deal with stories that touch me in some way, that are connected to me. That way when I work with them, that feeling of responsibility is innate, it is assumed. I am writing science fiction, fantasy, magical realist literature based in African culture. If I do African culture wrong, I do wrong to myself. This isn’t about accuracy at this point. It is about “truth”. Two different things.”
—Nnedi Okorafor, interviewed at Omnivoracious
Don't you live in Toronto? 'Cos I'm going to Fan Expo this weekend, but my Friday's looking thin on stuff to do (9pm's the only event I'm really interested in) and I kinda want to hang out with somebody I sorta already know.
Aaah!! I TOTALLY live in Toronto. But I’m working Friday afternoon & evening. I can do stuff in the morning/lunch-ish, though, if you’re in town by then! My email’s nevi dot park at gmail dot com.
“What’re you captain of? The innuendo squad?”
—Mickey Smith to Captain Jack, “Boom Town”, Doctor Who 1x11
I just read your description of my picture and that was very sweet. [= <3
btw the shirt is a softball shirt. I played for my school a few semesters ago.
*blush*
