Post by Akbar Le Grey on Mar 2, 2008 16:18:24 GMT -5
March 2nd – March 9th.
Editor-in-Chief: Akbar Le Grey.
Contributors: Sixteen, Libitina, J., tim, JTB, PJ., Shelly, Dismay.
Published by 667er Publications, ltd.
A subsidiary of the 667er Group.
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Fight, fight, fight![/u]
Teenagers across the nation are getting excited about Super Smash Brothers Brawl, but 667 is having its own little brawl—between members Dante and Willis. Out of the blue, an unprovoked Kyle declared that if he flicked Dante's ears, his nose would start to bleed. This statement could be found in the thread “If Tragedy and Fancy were encaged.” Some 667ers thought otherwise, stating that Dante could whup anyone's ass to next Tuesday. (Not a direct quote.)
Inspired by this statement of Wildean wit, Willis wrote a story called Bante's Birthday Bash. No disclaimer was put that stated any resemblance to any persons living or dead was purely coincidental; therefore, it could only be assumed that the resemblances were not coincidental. The story went on to show the character Bante in a degradingly, infantile light. For example, the story stated “Unfortunately for Bante, his day was only going to get worse. During serious discussions about politics time, he accidentally started crying. During talk about how you don’t have friends and you consider everybody an associate time, he actually took a nap!” It ended with the fictional Bante humiliated--”Now all his associates, and his enemies, knew that he was actually a one year old baby.”
The story opened to rave reviews, with The 667er's very own editor saying, “It made me life despite myself.” No word on what that means, but other reviews were positive. The author has this to say “i wrote a completely fictional story that he thought was about him, and i got banned 2 weeks for it.” Was his banning just? After all, there was no disclaimer. These kinds of issues have plagued the 667 Judicial System for ages.
Trying despite all odds[/u]
Meanwhile, the 667ers have decided to give back to Daniel Handler by asking themselves questions and answering them for his birthday. However, the questions were slimmer pickings than usual—another sign of 667's sad but inevitable decline. The birthday went almost forgotten until member “violet” remembered it. The lucky winners are Misery, Bsam, Dante, Songbird, Gigi, Antenora, Dellagatta, Libitina, Shruti, Sixteen, J and Tragedy. The questions have already been sent to Daniel Handler and we are all eagerly awaiting his response.
- J.
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Tim here and you guess it right is here to tell you about my most happiest thing that is cowboys even though of course I still liek mudkips. They do not ride cows you silly goose because cows do not fast enough and probably is not very smart. They ride horses which are his faithful friends in deed. I learned about cowboys by watching a movie with my dad it is called magnificents seven. There is only one problem my mom does not watch it with us because she says this is just a silly nonsense and violent bad things to be done in it. My mom said why the devil are you let tim watch this rubbish and my dad says relax it is all in good fun and yes it was a fun movie to be fun indeed. but I will not tell you what happens in the movie because that is cheating mister! I think cowboys are like superheroes like some kind of superhero except that they are regular people. I think that to be a cowboy will be adventursome but only one problem is that I cannot have horse. My mom will never let me and besides my dad says cowboys are not real any more like dinosaurs they are not exist anymore that is to bad. even that they are not here cowboys are still my most happiest things. Yeehaw ride one cowboys or if you are a girl cowgirls! i want to ride a horse all night and all day!
-TIM.
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Hello to all.
My name is JTB, and, as some of you have probably noticed, I've returned at long last. It's been a struggle, really, to get back on top of things. I've been so busy lately I don't know where to begin to start to tell you about the beginning of my business. Tricky stuff, eh?
I tell you now, it is really, astonishingly brilliant to be back. The last time I checked up here was about a week before Christmas. I wanted to come back then, but it wasn't the right time in my gut, so it wasn't the right time at all. But I did come back, but read on and you'll find out the whole story.
I came back now because it is the beginning of March, of Spring, when the dull doldrums between the Winter season and Spring season set in, so everybody would notice. It's been quiet lately, and my return was a long-expected plan finally realized. Sorry if I'm not being too modest.
It is great seeing you all again since Winter '06. I haven't PM'd nearly as many of you all as I had liked to by this time, but, as I said, I'm pretty busy.
The reason I'm writing this is because Akbar and I were getting to talk again in PMs, and he asked if I wanted to do an article about my return and my first impressions of the return. I was very happy to agree.
My first impression is: change. Some older members are still here, I am very happy to notice, and some new ones are posting a lot here, and that's good too. I remember ADR, and how that travesty of an administration made some members leave, and some members permanently stay. Things have definitely changed since then, neither for the worse or for the best. Just difference. And this puzzles me: I thought BSam or somebody posted a long time ago about how we'd reached the 5,000 member mark, but now we're down to 4,900-something mark? Maybe we deleted all the crazy Nasty Newcomers and Reptile Researchers around here. It sure does make a difference, doesn't it?
By the way, where did Dupin ever get to? I haven't seen him in a while.
That was an A.D.D. moment...
But now on to that "I came back in Winter '07” deal:
So I was looking through M.M. today, and I saw a thread that instantly struck me: "The Artful Logic Thread". I literally laughed out loud. I really wanted to wait til later to tell you this, but if you're wondering, yes, I was Artful Logic. I came back in a blaze of glory and disappeared, just to get the feel of 667 again. But, as I said before, it wasn't the right time in my gut to come back as JTB. But I wanted to come back before Christmas, so I did it as Art.
Fun stuff, huh?
It's gonna be exciting stuff coming back here, I can't wait.
No matter what members come and go, no matter what threads are posted, what sections open up, what unfortunate book series ends, no matter who becomes administrator of this board, and no matter who finally killed ADR, 667 is and always be a little slice of heart.
Well, I thank you so much for your time and I thank you for reading this and the 667er. Akbar appreciates it, I appreciate it, and I bet 667 herself does too.
Thanks.
- JTB.
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Libitina and
Libitina: Hello, 667, and welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us, Jay.
Jay Leno: Oh, it's a pleasure! I know how much some of you gals like me, so it's no problem to show up for a little while.
Libitina: Uh, actually, that was a joke. They were making fun of the Colbert fangirls.
Jay Leno: Oh. Well. That's a little embarrassing.
Libitina: Which brings us to our first tip: You know what happens when you assume something. It make an--well, you know the rest.
Jay Leno: Zing!
Libitina: Went the strings of my heart!
Jay Leno: What?
Libitina: Before your time, Mr. Leno.
Jay Leno: Hey, why don't we jazz this up about. How about we get some live animals and drunken celebrities?
Libitina: Yeah, no, that's not how we roll. Next tip: Trigonometry is something you will never ever ever ever use.
Jay Leno: She's not kidding, folks. You think I know how many radians my desk will turn in thirteen minutes? Psh, no.
Libitina: Er, yeah. Tip: You'll also never use matrices.
Jay Leno: The Matrix, coming to a theater near you soon. Don't miss it! Please welcome our next guest...
Libitina: Shut it, there are no more guests. It's only you.
Jay Leno: Hey Kevin, what d'ya think about this one? You're so bald and vegetarian.
Libitina: Kevin's not here! It's supposed to be a one-person show, just my brain and me. You are more than enough of a guest.
Jay Leno: You know, I should have taken that awards show gig instead.
Libitina: Tip: If you are Jay Leno and have a choice between hosting an awards show and being a guest in my column, choose the awards.
Jay Leno: *racy joke*
Libitina: Tip: Use nice language. People don't like listening to bad things.
Jay Leno: Was that directed at me?
Libitina: No, I was going to say that anyway.
Jay Leno: Yeah, you know what? I am way too famous for this. Leno out.
Libitina: Okay. Fine. A few more tips for the good people of 667: Keep doing Triangle Eyes's rice thing. We're almost done, kind of. Also, if you see any good brains around, could you let me know? Thanks. Farewell until next week.
- Libitina.
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Movie: There Will Be Blood
Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood is a bloody epic movie. Trust me. I watched it. For one, it’s almost three hours long. In addition, the movie spans about 3 decades. And, well, it’s just a terrific movie.
Loosely adapted from the 1930 book Oil!, by Upton Sinclair, There Will Be Blood is a sprawling tale of greed, oil, blood and religion. Set at the turn of the 19th century in dusty Southern California, this movie follows the rise of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) from a simple silver miner to one of the richest and most powerful oil magnates of the era.
The prologue of the movie, which is presented in near silence, shows us Daniel’s humble beginnings – a dirty figure digging alone in the darkness of a deep mineshaft. The miner climbs a ladder, a rung breaks, and he falls, breaking his leg, but finds a rich vein of silver in the process. Through sheer bloody mindedness, the miner crawls out of the shaft, through the dust and the dirt, towards the nearest town. But he goes not to a doctor, instead heading straight to a registry office, in order to register his claim of the silver. Using the proceeds, he start his own oil company. We witness the death of one of Daniel’s workers, and see how Daniel subsequently adopts the man’s orphaned child. His motives for doing this are a mystery; the 14 minute prologue features absolutely no dialogue.
The movie jumps forward 11 years, into the main part of the tale. Daniel, now a rich oil magnate, hears of a possible oil well underneath a dusty town known as Little Boston. He sets off to investigate with his adopted son, “H. W”. The pair verify the existence of oil, and set about ruthlessly buying up all the property from the surrounding lands. A mining derrick is erected, and it soon becomes clear that the newly bought lands hold a veritable ocean of oil. But despite, or perhaps because of this, Daniel is beset by a multitude of problems. These range from greedy rivaling oil companies, to a series of unfortunate mining accidents, one of which leaves his son, “H. W.”, deaf.
It becomes increasingly clear throughout the movie that the story here isn’t about the plot elements – it’s not even really about character development. The movie, at its core, is a simple characterisation. We get a tiny glimpse of Daniel Plainview as a simple and poor, yet ambitious miner during the prologue of the movie. But with money, and a few short years, his ambitions quickly turn into greed. In the actual main part of the movie, Daniel does not change at all; he does not learn, he does not grow – he remains unchanged right until the credits roll. The movie does not show Daniel’s gradual descent into greed and madness. It simply, bit by bit, reveals his façade, his guise, and the audience begins to realize that he has always been this way, underneath. The film, basically, is the story of how Daniel Plainview tries to satisfy his unquenchable lust for wealth and power, and in doing so, director Paul Thomas Anderson portrays the absurdity of the American dream.
Daniel Plainview, essentially, is a man without a soul. He does not believe in anything. He doesn’t believe in God, or in other people; he believes only in himself. His greed for oil, for money overshadows all else in his life. Daniel is willing to lie, swindle, and even murder to satisfy his insatiable greed. His greed transcends all human values – including the bond between father and son. There Will Be Blood is not about a man, but a primitive being. A monster consumed with greed, who believes in getting to the top, no matter what the cost. As Daniel says in his own words:
“I have a competition in me. I want no-one else to succeed.”
Daniel Day-Lewis’ portrayal of Daniel Plainview is nothing short of fantastic; it’s easy to see how he won the Academy Award for the Best Male Actor (not to mention the same in the Golden Globes and the BAFTA). As the movie progresses so does the uneasy feeling that Daniel is slowly losing the wealthy, charismatic oil magnate exterior. Daniel Day-Lewis thereby reveals his character’s immorality, his insanity, his unending fury and impatience with his fellow man that he has carefully kept hidden from others, in order to take advantage of them. Day-Lewis manages to capture Daniel Plainview’s descent into sin and immorality in a glib, realistic and horrifying way; it was bloody flawless. Paul Dano, as Eli Sunday, also deserves a mention; his acting, too, was superb, though I can’t help but mention that it was overshadowed somewhat by Day Lewis’.
The music of the movie consists mostly of climactic screeching violins that is strongly reminiscent of classic horror movies of the past – but There Will Be Blood doesn’t rely on shocks and terror. The slowly increasing insanity and evil of Daniel Plainview is chilling enough to watch as it is. The suspenseful music, the skillful cinematography (it won the Academy Award for Cinematography, too), and the constant, throbbing background menace of it all amounts to create an almost unbearable suspense and tension throughout the entire movie.
There’s not much more I can say here. The music, the acting, the cinematography, the plot, the directing, it was all absolutely superb. This movie is completely insane; I can find no other word to describe it. Watch this movie.
-PJ
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Top 10 Pieces Of Music To Suit Your Daily Life
1. La Petite Négre (Debussy)
Perfect for waking up and stumbling around the bedroom.
2. Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin)
For the commute to school and work.
3. Sabre Dance (Khachaturian)
If this doesn't make you more efficient, nothing will.
4. Clair de Lune (Debussy)
Seeing that special someone.
5. Hungarian Rhapsody #2 in C Minor (Liszt)
Daydreaming.
6. Bolero (Ravel)
It's all anticipation.
7. Carnival of the Animals Finale (Saint-Saens)
Exercising, and the relief you feel afterwards.
8. Dance of the Hours (Ponchielli)
Just makes you want to bounce off the walls.
9. The Firebird (Stravinsky)
Inspirational or something. Makes you want to be creative.
10. Scheherazade 3rd Movement (Rimsky-Korsakov)
My favourite. The best way to finish off.
- Sixteen.
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Shelly: Oh, the wackiness.
A Series of Quiglet Events reaches 200 stories![/b]
Don't own the characters or songs, just knot them together.
Wow, it's really here. Or, to be more precise, 199 songfics and one short story. I posted # 200 just minutes before typing these words.
I really owe you guys everything. ASOQE would never have gotten off the ground without this site.
I feel so incredibly blessed. And I know I can never write a fic describing this. No story idea or song could ever convey it.
And my requestees. Really, you've contributed as much as me. Feel free to take this banner.
Feel free to request, guys! All are welcome, just check the table of contents of page 1 of the thread.
- Shelly.
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Owl's Journey Through PAFQ[/u]
March 2, 2008
Dear 667,
We've been captured by the bird people.
I cannot say much more than that, other than Elspeth's brother has appeared and disappered.
And that I have no clue how to get to the next scene.
Much confusion,
Dismay/Owl
-Dismay.
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The 667er's Caption Contest
Last week's image:
Our noble Queen Fancy entered the simplistic winning caption this week:
"Braaaainnnnnnnnnssss..."
Next week's image:
If you can think of a caption to fit this latest picture, send it to Sixteen (volunteer16) by next Saturday and it may be featured in next week's edition of The 667er! Good luck.
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Hi all,
Interesting week it’s been. That silly ol’ Willis [notorious spammer, Dante-basher and in-joke-er] trying to act macho, cool old members being remembered, roleplays being deleted left and right by an increasingly inefficient administration [kidding, kidding – we love you, PJ] and, well, other stuff. Good to see some activity and life on the forum, especially, in MM again.
It was Ennui’s birthday, and he came back and made a couple of posts, so yzay for that. Also, welcome back, JTB, and thanks for an awesome and heartfelt article. =]
And, in a move that’s really cheered me up, CC has also seen a flurry of activity, with excellent new writinmgs from talented and active members sprouting up again – Linda and J, are prominent amongst the old hands who’ve returned to their craft, while the contributions of others are also admirable. Despite being very, very mean (=[), Willis’ Bante Birthday Bash was pretty hilarious, and quite well-received.
In other news, I need sleep, so ciao.
Peace out,
Akbar.
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