Links and Updates

I think I've finally shaken off the last of my jet lag (it lasts forever with me) and had a pretty ho-hum Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night. That is, I saw a couple of trick-or-treaters and heard a few fireworks out my window. Hoorah.

I was however, amused to note that amidst the dozen or so children wandering the neighbourhood (the holiday hasn't really caught on in New Zealand yet) at least half of them were Elsas.

And then this popped up on my dash:

Add to this quota the three girls I saw casually wandering around in Sydney dressed in the trademark blue Elsa dress (I respect a girl who doesn't feel the need to wait for Halloween) and a special news feature that reported on parents concerned that their children were making obscene gestures when they mimicked Elsa's pose in this image:

Yup, Frozen is sinking its roots down into the cultural psyche. As I've already explored in this post, it ain't going anywhere fast.

 

***

In other news, Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter have announced their engagement. I have virtually no interest in celebrity gossip, but an intense fascination to people's reaction to celebrity gossip, so this surprise announcement was like an early Christmas present. To my pleasant surprise, (and yes, it was pleasant – as much as I like ridiculous drama, I appreciate peace and serenity more) the news has been handled by fandom with an extraordinary amount of grace.

I suspect that the Daily Mail's portrayal of Cumberbatch's fans as a cult of hormone-addled housewives who now ran the risk of hunting down and killing Sophie Hunter was ironically what compelled them into a state of well-wishing rather than abject grief, because who on earth wants to prove the Daily Mail right?

Yes, there were a couple of nasty comments, and a strange obsession with the hypothetical babies that may or may not ensue (including an image of Benedict and Sophie's merged faces superimposed on a baby – I kid you not) but for the most part it's overwhelming support across the board.

 

***

I've decided to stop reviewing The Flash for now. There's so much on my plate, and I feel that I'm at a disadvantage for not having seen season two of Arrow – which I will keep watching, but having been spoiled for a character death in the premiere of season three, much of my enthusiasm has waned.

On the bright side, this frees me up to write more meta – I have a lot to say about Maleficent, which I finally saw on the plane ride back from Sydney, and I want to get started on The Snow White Project which I have been talking about forever, but have yet to write a word of.

Oh, and I'm becoming increasingly interested in Fringe. It's always been on my watch list, but the fact that Georgina Haig features in it has bumped it up a few notches. She's currently starring on Once Upon a Time as Elsa, and though I gave up on that show at the conclusion of its third season (I watched the fourth season premiere out of sheer curiosity, but haven't since returned; which was the right decision given what I've heard) she's too gorgeous not to reblog whenever she pops up on my dash.

Anyone want to tell me if Fringe is worth it?