Blood Ties

Well I watched "Blood Ties" last night and it was bleah. Kyle Schmid is a VERY pretty boy but he can't convince me he's the 500-year-old vampiric bastard son of Henry VIII - there appears to be no depth to him. They also made Henry a graphic artist instead of a romance novelist like he is in the books - I guess being a romance novelist would make him seem too wimpy. I've read Tanya Huff's books and they're ok though nowhere in the league of Patricia Briggs. They've also created a sidekick for Vicky who isn't in the books (that I can recall - it's been awhile). I came across an interview with some of the "Heroes" cast (here) where Jack Coleman said: Pilots are so weird. They’re often not the best episode even though the most time and money are spent on them. The actors often don’t find their legs until the third or fourth episode, where you sort of stop auditioning and just play the part. Go back to any pilot you can think of and you’ll find a bunch of nervous actors just trying not to get fired. Perhaps the show will improve as the actors find their legs and the writers have a better grasp of the characters. Huff wrote only 5 books and as we're getting a full season of "Blood Ties" there may be a greater exploration of this 'verse or we may end up with a formulaic demon/monster-of-the-week show. Time will tell.

Future Fashion

The fashion of the future may have little to do with designers and more to do with individual tastes. The first step has arrived. In today's New York Times there's an article describing how a few webcompanies are letting you log in your measurements and then they find the clothes that fits you best. It's still in its infancy but can you imagine some time in the future not only putting in your measurements but being able to order variations like you can do in a few Levi's stores? Eventually with the aid of some sort of cadcam we would be able to design the clothes that we like down to the last detail and have them made just for us. It would be a sort of return to old-fashioned dressmaking though without the seamstress - no more mass production of what clothing companies decide we should be wearing. I have glimpsed the future and I want it now :(