Long time, no see...

Yes, it's been quite a while since I last posted here. Since I know there is no one anxiously awaiting for my return, I do not feel guilty about this. Still, I'd like to get back to being more active at this blog and to posting some decent content. Now that I am in graduate school for media studies, I think I'll try to get back in the swing of things by bringing in class discussions and assignments here to further flesh out ideas and thoughts. Here's hoping I become more fruitful in my blogging endeavors.

Fall 2008 Television Season

I would have done this sooner, but between real-life work and losing track of time now that I'm no longer in school, it kind of slipped my mind. But better late then never, right? So, here goes. An extensive list of what television shows I'll be watching this fall television season. In other words, this is what I think you should be watching if you're not already.

Returning Favorites

These are the shows I'm anxiously awaiting to see return to the little square screen in my room.

30 Rock



How is it that a show with 17 Emmy nominations (among plenty of other wins and noms in the past year) still gets lower ratings than Two and a Half Men? Clearly, all is not right in TV land. At least I can proudly say I won't be one of those missing out when the third season premieres. I'm looking forward to seeing Jack make his way back to 30 Rock, seeing Liz try to adopt a kid, and figuring out what the hell happened to Kenneth in Beijing. Of course, the guest stars this season are looking pretty good, too. Oprah, playing herself, is the biggest name, but Jennifer Aniston will also appear as Liz and Jenna's old roommate from their days in Chicago. Keep an eye out out for Blake Lively and Leighton Meester to appear as well in a flashback to Liz's high school days, and Tina Fey's twin will play Lemon's adoption agent. No, not Sarah Palin. Megan Mullally.

House



The season 4 finale was ridiculous, but in the best way possible. It's going to be interesting to see what the fallout is, specifically what House's relationship with Wilson will turn into. Also, the producers have promised things will heat up even more between House and Cuddy. Since it seems this season will actually focus on the original characters again, maybe the quality of the show will go back up to pre-Tritter days. Let's hope so.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent



After this past season, which was basically downer after downer for Goren, I'm hoping this upcoming season is a bit more kittens-and-rainbows for the quirky detective. But that probably won't happen. However, perhaps he'll at least be able to move on now that Declan Gage has effectively tied up all his loose ends for him. Well, all except his relationship with Eames, which is still up in the air on many levels. Meanwhile, CI's lesser half is changing a bit. Chris Noth's Logan is out, and Jeff Goldblum is in. I think this'll be a good shake-up. I love Noth, but Logan tends to be a dull character. Hopefully, Goldblum will bring some excitement.

Pushing Daisies



Even though it only had 9 episodes, the first season of PD was pretty brilliant. However, the show still has room to grow, and hopefully it will with a full season. As long as the show keeps the quirkiness alive, they should succeed. Also, here's hoping the relationship between Ned and Chuck is less tension filled. I love the two of them together, but they tend to turn angsty when it comes to their situation, when what the show needs is to return to its lighthearted roots.

The Office



I had pretty much lost hope for The Office by the end of this last season. All but one episode (Local Ad) had disappointed me greatly. But then comes the episode Goodbye, Toby, and the show manages to redeem itself and entice me to come back this season. Between the hilarious storylines woven around Toby's goodbye party and the brilliant casting of Amy Ryan as the new HR rep, Holly, I fell for this show once again. I'm looking forward to seeing things develop between Michael and Holly, and whether or not he'll be able to overcome his awkwardness and general assholeness to start something with her. (Also, I'm curious if she'll ever find out that Kevin is not actually mentally retarded.) Of course, I'll also have my eyes on the Dwight/Angela and Jim/Pam storylines. And hopefully we find out who the father of Jan's baby is (I know she said it's a sperm bank baby, but I'm crossing my fingers for Hunter).

Mad Men



OK, so technically this is a show left over from the summer season. But since it's still airing episodes while other shows begin their new seasons, I figured why not include Mad Men in this little round-up. The show's sophomore year has managed to exceed expectations established by last year's exceptional first season, delivering more delectable storylines with strong character growth. How will this season's plots tie up in the end? Will Sal come out to anyone yet? Will Betty finally stand up for herself now that she knows about Don's affair? Will Peggy and Pete have more couch sex?

New Shows I'll Probably Check Out

I'm actually not excited about any new shows this season. But there's a couple I'm willing to give a try.

Fringe

It sounds like an interesting premise (albeit, somewhat welltred by X-Files). And I'll pretty much watch anything from JJ Abrams, so count me in.

Kath & Kim

I'll be spending half my Thursday night watching comedy shows on NBC anyway, why not give this one a chance while I'm there? Plus, Molly Shannon proved she's still got it in last season's guest stint on Pushing Daisies, so I'm looking forward to her more permanent return to television.

Shows I Might Finally Give a Chance

For one reason or another, I didn't catch these shows in their first season. Things might change this time around.

Gossip Girl

I made the mistake of prematurely judging this show last year, thinking I couldn't possibly like a show about a bunch of bratty, rich kids. After catching a few episodes from the first season, though, I've decided to give this show a chance. I'm not thoroughly convinced of its supposed greatness, but I see promise, so I'll definitely be playing catch up for this one.

Breaking Bad

I meant to watch this when it first premiered, and I heard many a great things about it during its initial run, but I somehow never got the chance to watch an episode. However, I finally caught some repeats (after a double dose of Mad Men on Sunday nights) and have decided I need to see this show. Bryan Cranston manages to outshine his already excellent performances from Malcolm in the Middle here, playing the cancer striken high school chem teacher who decides to make his own meth and sell it, saving the money for his family once he's gone.

At a Glance... Touching Evil

Since graduation, I've spent a lot of time catching up on various TV shows in my spare time. For the most part, I've stuck to watching whatever's on USA, which means I've pretty much been watching a lot of Law & Order: SVU and CI. USA airs other programs, of course, but I generally switch the channel at that point to either TNT or Bravo to check out whatever L&O episodes they might be showing. Late one night, I got too lazy to get up and grab the remote, though, which forced me to watch an episode of Burn Notice. I had avoided watching this show last summer when it premiered, thinking it was just another lame detective/spy show not worth my time. But boy am I glad I finally gave in. Did you know this show is actually pretty clever and fun to watch? It's not so much the writing or the plots that make this a pleasure to watch, though the dialogue is generally pretty good as exemplified with Mike, the spy who received the titular burn notice, and his voice-overs, and Sam, Mike's best bud, and his one-liners. What really keeps this show a cut above the rest is the performances, particularly from Jeffrey Donovan, who plays Mike, and Bruce Campbell, who plays his best bud Sam. Campbell is delightful and slightly campy as always, that comes as no surprise. But Donovan brings life and charm to his character in such a way that it's hard to imagine any other actor playing Mike as successfully.

But I'm not trying to write a review of Burn Notice here. My point in mentioning it is that it's Donovan's performance in that show that got me interested in watching another show of his, Touching Evil, which was an American take on a British show. Though it only lasted a season on USA (of course) back in 2004 due to lacking ratings, it was still generally well-received by critics. The show is about David Creegen (Donovan), a detective who, after a gunshot to the head, is left without the ability to control his impulses or his sense of shame. It's not too surprising that despite churning out better stories and more fleshed out characters, Touching Evil never gathered as big of an audience as Burn Notice. The show is considerably darker. For example, the main characters work in a unit that specializes in catching serial killers, which puts them in contact with all sorts of creepy characters. Meanwhile, Creegan's best bud is a schizophrenic homeless man. His relationship with his family isn't much better ever since his near-death experience.

Despite all his angst, it's Creegan that keeps the show grounded and keeps it from going too far into the dark side. His lack of shame and impulse control has turned him into a very quirky character, one who has no problem, say, taking his shirt off while spewing poetry. He also has no problem breaking a few rules every now and then. Like any great television character, Creegan's TV DNA consists of that of other memorable characters. Part loveable oddball David Addison (Moonlighting), and part tortured genius Bobby Goren (Law & Order: CI), it's a wonder that viewers didn't at least stick around to watch him. Especially considering that only months later, television audiences would fall for another similar character. I'm speaking, of course, about Dr. Gregory House. Though considerably more misanthropic than Creegan, House still shares some similarities with him. They both died for a few minutes, but miraculously survived. After their near-death experiences, they both found themselves distanced from the ones they love. They both break rules, neither caring what anyone else thinks. They say whatever's on their mind. They wear whatever they want on the job instead of what everyone else does. I could go on, really, but I won't. The reason House was successful is because it was lucky enough to have American Idol as its lead-in show, guaranteeing that a good amount of people would at least tune in to check it out. Touching Evil was not so lucky.

Even though Touching Evil no longer airs, and even though the series was never released on DVD, you can still catch the pilot episode on YouTube.

Examining Online Fandom Conventions

Most of you are probably unaware, but as I type this, a group of fan girls (and one guy) are working away to put together a brand new fandom convention called FanGirlCon. This does not seem like anything out of the ordinary, since practically everyday there is a new convention popping up for every other TV show out there. In some instances, there is even two conventions for a show, as is the case with House. Fans are putting together a west coast one in Anaheim and an east coast one in Princeton, of course.

So what makes FanGirlCon special? This convention will not be taking place in any particular city; it will be taking place online. It's not the first of its kind, but it is a wonder that this type of convention hasn't become more popular. Online conventions are certainly easier to fashion together, since they don't require lots of time and effort put forth in finding the right venue and organizing large scale events. They are considerably more affordable for the average fan, considering most fans don't typically live in the same town a convention may take place and thus have to pay transportation and hotel costs. Perhaps most importantly, though, hosting a convention online makes it far more accessible to a larger group worldwide.

Of course, there are many downsides to hosting a fandom convention online. One of the biggest draws of real-life conventions for fans is the chance to meet one of their favorite stars, assuming they're attending one of the better ones that has managed to at least get a supporting actor from a top-notch program, and not just some d-list actor who played alien #2 in a random episode of a little watched sci-fi show. Though a moderated online chat with a star comes close, it's hardly the same and you don't get to walk away from it with a picture to forever remember the moment. Another reason many people go to conventions is meet other die-hard fans in person, to put a face to the friends they've made online. Though discussions at an online convention can be fruitful, they're nothing out of the ordinary for most fans and don't compare to time spent together in "real life".

But discussing the abstract pros and cons of an online convention can be somewhat futile. Let's put it in terms of a real convention. Last October, Scranton, PA hosted The Office Convention, which turned out to be fairly successful. What would it have been like if it had been hosted online instead? As previously stated, fans of The Office would not have had the chance to meet some of the beloved stars of the show. However, not all fans were lucky enough to have some face time with their favorites, and if they did, it was only by chance or because they had paid upwards of hundreds of dollars for such an opportunity. Had the convention been hosted online, though, attendees would have had at least the chance to slip a question by the actors, without spending a dime, an opportunity possibly more appealing to some. Also, perhaps the bigger name actors who could not be flown out to Scranton, such as Steve Carell, would have been able to participate in a chat at an online convention.

Another major aspect of conventions is the sale of tons of products related to whatever the subject of the convention is. In this case, the NBC Experience Store was there to sell such Office-related memorabilia, everything from Michael bobble heads to Dunder Mifflin umbrellas (a popular item considering it rained during the first two days of the convention). Considering NBC was already selling most of the stuff from that weekend on their website, the success of the store would have been easily translatable had the convention been held online. A discount could have been offered to those participating in the convention since they would be incurring shipping costs, with a special link put up on the main page directing attendees to NBC's online store or a special code offered. In this scenario, NBC would still make out like a bandit, especially since they wouldn't have to pay salespeople to man the makeshift store nor transport costs.

It seems the biggest loser in the case of an online convention, instead, would be Scranton itself. There's no doubt the convention was a big win for the city. Not only did the city make money from ticket sales and sponsors, but their economy surely received somewhat of a boost with many guests opting to stay at their hotels, dine at establishments featured on the show, and shop at the now somewhat famous Steamtown Mall. Unfortunately for Scranton, it would have no chance to reap any money or publicity from an online convention.

Though FanGirlCon is nothing on the scale of The Office convention, it's definitely a step in the right direction. In its efforts to further the status of online conventions, it's making it easier to put these events together and thus putting the control of conventions where it belongs: in the hands of the fans.

Slight Changes

So, I've decided to change things up a bit with this blog before I actually start posting anything real. As far as content goes, I'm still planning on posting entries related to fandom and whatnot. However, I'd like to expand on the type of content I'll be putting up here to pop culture stuff in general. This means in addition to fandom commentary, I'll also be posting the occasional review of new and old media alike (everything from movies and TV shows, to websites and YouTube clips), as well as observations on other pop culture related occurences.

And just so you know, I am working on creating legit content for this blog. Currently, I'm working on an entry in regards to a certain LiveJournal community, so keep an eye out for that.

Welcome to Stealing Dogs!

With a title like "Stealing Dogs," you might be wondering what this blog is all about. It actually has nothing to do with stealing dogs, at least not literally. What I intend to do here is examine fandom and a little bit of convergence culture from a slightly academic point-of-view, while not actually being an academic. I'll touch upon such topics as fan fiction, audience reception, fandom wank, and much more. On occasion, I will also write commentary on articles from other fandom and media related blogs.

So, why "stealing dogs"? The title comes from an episode of 30 Rock called "Jack Meets Dennis," in which the character Tracy Jordan exclaims that he steals dog, to further drive the point that he is not "normal." I thought that would be an appropriate title, thinking that metaphorically it would reference how fans constantly "steal" from the source material they admire to create their own works, while simultaneously being such an act that the title references, since I stole it from something I am a fan of.