Firefly Movie

I have a confession to make. I am a Browncoat. No, it's nothing like a brown noser and it has nothing to do with selling cheap illegal watches at airports. It means that I'm a fan of "Firefly", the cancelled tv show and now, the anxiously awaited movie. It basically takes place in space but it's like a western, in space, with guns (the kind with bullets, not the kind that melt your face off). People dress like cowboys and swear in Chinese.

So what connection does this movie have to Canada? Well some of the main characters are Canadians.

Nathan Fillion, the Captain of the Serenity, (the "boat" that the crew rides in) was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He is reportedly a distant relation of Confederate civil war general Jubal Early. (Does anyone know anything about this guy?) Coincidentally, the show has a character on it called Jubal Early. Rumour has it that the producers picked the name for the show because he was an ancestor of Mr. Fillion's.

Mr. Fillion (or 'Captain Tightpants' to his crew) plays Captain Malcom Reynolds and has been compared to Han Solo, most recently in the podcast "The Signal". This is how they are compared. Both are:
1. Ruggedly handsome (though only Han is referred to as a Nerfherder and Mal is more prettyboy)
2. Impulsive
3. Captains of quirky ships that break down, with nooks and crannies that make them perfect for smuggling
4. Han - in love with a beautiful elegant refined princess but doesn't like to admit it
Mal - in love with a beautiful elegant refined courtesan but doesn't like to admit it

Differences:
1. Han - First mate is a hairy wookie that can tear your arm out if he loses to you
Mal - Has a first mate who is a beautiful woman who can kill you with her pinky finger
2. Han - Has some mechanical skills and keep the Falcon flying with help from Chewie and R2D2
Mal - Knows nothing about repairing or maintaining a ship and lets his young female mechanic take care of things
3. Han - Fought on the side of the Rebel Alliance, albeit reluctantly. Was on the winning side
Mal - Willingly fought on the side of the Independence, was on the losing side
4. Han - Became a captain
Mal - Became a sergeant, became a captain after buying his ship Serenity.

Please note, these comparisons were created by the people who produce "The Signal".

The other Canadian in the cast is Jewel Staite, born in BC, Canada. She plays the lovable mechanic, Kaylee Frye who can basically fix anything. I still can't believe she's married but whatever. Anyone out there who got married at 21?

The movie comes out in September but advanced screenings were playing in select theatres in April. Is that nuts or what? Now, this movie wouldn't have been possible without the fans. The show was cancelled after 14 shows a few years ago. Of course it was on the FOX network and apparently they like to kill off good shows. When the DVD came out, the interest was unprecedented and I guess someone dumped money in Joss Whedon's lap and told him he could make a Firefly movie. Rumour has it that the fans were having elephant dung fights with the FOX TV building but you didn't hear that from me.

My suggestion, if you like podcasting and know what they are, subscribe to The Signal. They teach you how to swear in Chinese and you learn things like why Shepard Book may not really be a holy man. And no, I wasn't paid to plug the podcast, I only wish. This blog is done out of interest only.

And here's something for the Alliance to grumble about, You can't stop the Signal!

RIP James Doohan (Montgomery Scott)

Well I have some sad news and this is especially sad for Canadians. James Doohan, a native of BC, the man who played Montgomery Scott and (usually) safely beamed Captain Kirk around the galaxy, died on Wednesday. He was 85.

My parents were big into Star Trek but I was raised on Next Generation and 'Earl Gray tea, hot'. But my parents had watched the original and I was first introduced to it with the Tribble episode (note to self: Tribbles = large vet bill).

I loved his accent and the number of times he yelled into the intercom to Kirk, "The ship, she canna' take it captain!"

He was a D-Day veteran, a captain in fact but was badly wounded by a German machine gun. After this he moved on to study drama in Toronto before becoming that famous ship's engineer. He had a difficult childhood with his father being an alcoholic.

Now I was interested to learn that the fictional birth place of his character was planning to erect a plaque in his honour. Scripts of the cult science fiction series reveal that Mr Doohan's character, Montgomery Scott, was born in Linlithgow in 2222 and that his parents still lived there. Now, West Lothian Council is planning to erect a plaque in the town in tribute to the actor, a Canadian D-Day veteran. At least, I was interested until I learned that they were only doing it for commerical reasons to attract tourists. I'm sure Scotty would be ashamed of his home town. Some people just have no respect for the dearly departed. Councillor Willie Dunn said: "Star Trek is a cult classic which has thousands of fans all over the world and I am one of them. A local link with Star Trek could help attract even more visitors to West Lothian in the future."

Mr. Doohan's wife Wende says that his ashes will likely be flown into space on the Falcon 1 rocket. We'll miss you Scotty.

MP Gurmant Grewal Bribery Scandal

On my 50th post I talked a little about how Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal was in a bit of trouble about trying to get people to take a package of his on a plane. I also talked about how he secretly taped conversations where the Liberals were trying to bribe him into crossing the floor.

Recently he was cleared in an immigration case. He has also been cleared of any wrongdoing in the "airport incident".

Things have just gotten worse for this man. Apparently when some people made donations to his party and his campaign, their cheques and money went missing. They never received tax receipts but the cheques were deposited. And apparently they weren't cashed with the riding association or Conservative party. Hmmmmm. Could the gnome underground have stolen the cheques? I wouldn't be surprised if they had an agent in every political office in the country. They're crafty little critters and it seems that they've moved on from stealing car keys and hiding remotes.

The RCMP is now investigating five such cases and I'm wondering just what dirty little secrets they're going to find. Perhaps at one time he used to collect hot pink flamingoes or perhaps he has a fetish for used whoopie cushions. You'd be surprised how many closets people have with mismatched skeletons.

By the way, the gnome in the picture is missing his pet fox. If anyone's seen it, let me know.

Canadian Beef Ban Lifted

Things seem to be moving along for the beef industry up here. A few days ago, a US appeals court lifted the ban on Canadian beef. Hopefully this means that we'll be able to move stock across the border again but everybody has to hold their breath. A ruling next week from the same judge that kept cattle from moving across the border in April will determine the outcome of the POCS (pissed off cow syndrome). I suspect that many Canadians will die of asphyxiation if he doesn't rule in our favour. Then he'll feel bad.

As for those guys at R-Calf, I was listening to one guy on the radio saying that he just wanted to protect his country, his culture and his family from Canadian beef. Ladies and germs, when was the last time a side of beef attacked your loved ones? If you have come across this problem just be sure to phone the Beef Exterminators and they'll come right over to your house and roast that sucker on the barbie. There's nothing like eating the flesh off of a pest you brought home from the supermarket.

I also don't understand what the whole 'destruction of culture' bit was about? Are you afraid Canadian cows will eat the Declaration of Independance? While I'm sure that aged paper would taste good to, I don't know, silverfish, I highly doubt that a cow would be interested. Plus, isn't the Declaration sealed away in bullet-proof glass? Even if a cow did get a hankering for tree products, they wouldn't be able to get near it. Unless it was a cow with a gun. I think I smell a fall sitcom.

And honestly, how can this guy claim that Canadian beef is dangerous when a case of Mad Cow was discovered in Texas? I'm sure he's not going to ban beef from Texas so what's the deal? Maybe he thinks that cows north of the 49th parallel develop some sort of strange disease. Well, actually, I think I might have heard something about this. Canadian beef cows have been known to have feces fights with milk cows. They also have a tendency to maul anyone who mentions POCS.

I mean, the Kiwis (New Zealanders) opened their borders to us and they have some of the strictest regulations in the world for cattle.

Did I mentioned that I love Alberta beef? A few years ago I attended a relative's wedding where top Sirloin from Alberta was served and my fork cut through it like butter. It was so good (cue drooling Homer Simpson sound).

Check this link out for more info.

The NHL strike is over!

I don't know how many of you read this blog so I'll just mention a few months ago I posted a topic about Hockey. It seemed like the players and the owners were trying to use outdated techniques from a fictional novel (Frankenstein) to revive the season.

But the drought is over ladies and gentleman. The Hockey Gods have spoken!

This reminded me of the blackouts in 2003. When this happened, the news made reference to another famous blackout that I think was in '69 and nine months later, babies! So I thought this time the players had decided to spend $100 000 over the next 20 years on children instead of playing hockey.

But that madness is over now. Hockey is back, a six-year agreement has been struck. But things will be different come Fall. Players will be struggling with beer bellies obtained over the summer. Fans will be cheering from hoverchairs and the zambonis will be driven by unionized penguins. Now, it may seem strange and a bit scary but these were the conditions set so you'll just have to get used to them.

Some things I didn't agree with that I've heard about the new deal but haven't been confirmed yet are more teams and a larger playoff pool. I think we need fewer teams, with talent concentrated in places where there are dedicated fans. Any thoughts?

London Bombings

Last week a tragedy unfolded in London aboard a bus and in the underground. At last count, 52 people had lost their lives. The city was shaken and Tony Blair spoke out against the attacks. But despite what has happened I don't think anything could break the Brits. During the bombings of London in World War II the people remained, only sending their children away. Even the royal family stayed in London. Canada has strong ties to the UK as do I and all I can say is that our thoughts are with you.

What does this event have to do with Canada? Supposedly there is a list of countries that will be targeted. Canada is on that list. But at the same time you say hey, we're a bunch of nice guys and they probably couldn't even find Canada on the map.

But Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan says we're being ignorant. "I do not believe that Canadians are psychologically prepared for a terrorist attack," said McLellan. "I think probably we all should be. I think we have for perhaps for too long thought that these were things that happened somewhere else."

That's something I think Canadians tend to believe. All the bad stuff happens somewhere else. Does that mean we should be afraid? No we should be aware. I woudl hope that nothing would happen but it seems to be inevitable.

Happy Canada Day 2005!

Well I'm only one day late this year. What's my excuse? Well, it's a good one; I was working yesterday. Yup, and it was so busy that I came home, fell down and went straight to sleep. Not necessarily in that order though.

You would think people would have better things to do with their time then run me off my feet. I mean, there are parades to watch and fireworks to burn your fingers on.

This Canada Day is very special because of the culmination of several things but let's start at the beginning. Canada is now 138 years old! Now, to me that's an insanely long time but our neighbours to the south celebrated their bicentennial almost thirty years ago so we're still young (relatively).

This year we also celebrate the Centennials of Alberta and Saskatchewan joining Confederation. I certainly hope things dry up there. Why kind of a party can you have when the candles are all wet?

This year is also the year of the Veteran. 60 years ago brave men stormed the beaches of Normandy and some gave their lives so we could be free.

And for the first time since 1965, the first maple leaf flag was again flown at the Peace Tower. A few posts ago I mentioned how the Canadian flag was 40 years old this year and how the very first flag had been located in Belgium of all places. Well, it was flown back to Canada in time for...yesterday and I'm glad to have it back. These pieces of history need to be remembered and that's not very easy when it's across the pond and in the country that invented fries.

I hope everybody had a great Canada Day. My face hurt afterwards from smiling so much. There was a certain energy in the air that just made you want to laugh out loud or at least tatoo your face for the day.