Missing Fall Back Home and Giving Thanks

Growing up on the East Coast, I experienced “the good, the bad and the ugly” of the ever-changing weather patterns. In springtime, my little hometown of Apollo (Pennsylvania) was much like a caterpillar escaping from its cocoon, turning into a beautiful butterfly after a long spell of the winter doldrums (i.e., the “bad”).

Then nearly as soon as spring arrived, summer would descend like a pack of locust, bringing with it extremely uncomfortable humidity and high temperatures reaching triple digit levels. This is the time of year I would deem as the “ugly”.

But the most wonderful time of the year (weather-wise) was fall. The temperature would start to cool off and the trees would turn amazing colors, blanketing the entire landscape with rich reds, vibrant oranges and amazing yellows. Just before all the leaves would fall to the ground, the world was like a wonderful kaleidoscope of colors. As you can imagine, I considered this the “good” time to live on the East Coast.

I should also state unless you’ve actually experienced these changing weather patterns for yourself, there is nothing else quite like it.

The beauty of an East Coast fall is probably one of the main things I miss most about living back there. And while I couldn’t image giving up the life I have built for myself here in (mostly) sunny California, I do miss fall and have to admit that I am thankful for having grown up in my little hometown for that sheer experience (among other reasons).

And since it is Thanksgiving week, we here at NiceGirlsTV are taking a few moments to state the “things” that we are most thankful for in relation to television (especially since we are all obsessed with that big square box in our living rooms).

1. The existence of the WB Network – As much as the network has been maligned (and despite its collaboration with UPN and transformation into the CW), I’m thankful this network existed for as long as it did because it brought to me and MANY other viewers some of the best TV series such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, Roswell, Everwood, Popular, Angel, Charmed, Jack & Bobby, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, Supernatural and Felicity. I would have been lost without many of these shows and my evenings would not have been the same without them. And, it’s thanks to the series Roswell that I made some of the friendships I currently hold so dear.

2. My love of genre programming – Unlike many others who knew they were sci-fi fans from an early age, I had NO clue (really, I had NO clue) that I was a sci-fi, genre-loving fan until 1999. I wasn’t in denial or trying to hide my love of the fantastical, I was just, well….clueless!! I didn’t fully realize the truth of who I was as a TV-obsessed fan until I fell madly in love with the short-lived ABC series Prey back in 1998 and made the trek out to California for my first ever sci-fi convention. What a revelation that was for me. I haven’t turned back since and proudly proclaim myself to be a fangirl and sci-fi geek. I even fully embrace my status as an avid entertainment memorabilia collector because it’s just too hard to hide it.

3. Hot guys in TV shows and movies – I mean, c’mon, that’s what they’re there for, right? Hot guys in uniforms, business suits, swim suits – what does it matter?! Well, okay I can’t really handle hot guys in medical gear; but they’re still “nice” to look at, right? Yes, this may be a silly thing to be thankful for; but when you’re from a small town like mine (population of less than 2000 people when I moved away), you don’t see guys who look like Jensen Ackles from Supernatural or Alex O’Loughlin from Moonlight and Three Rivers every day so I’m thankful that TV screens and movie cineplexes can bring all these wonderful looking “pretty boys” to me and the hordes of other women (and some men) just clamoring for eye candy. (SMIRK!)

Okay with that bit of silliness out of the way, I’d like to ask what our readers are most thankful for. Please send us your comments, as we’d love to hear from you. And, yes, you can be silly about them or serious – totally your choice.

Artist’s Spotlight: This month the artist’s spotlight is on Vanessa Parra, who was raised in Indio, California and has been drawing, painting and entering art contests since she was in kindergarten. Vanessa refined her skills in college, attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she received an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts. Her main focus is on the human figure through fantasy art, centering mainly on angels. She also does art work featuring mermaids, fairies, pin up girls and comic book characters for events such as Comic Con. The three different media she specializes in are oil, acrylic and watercolor.

Inspiration comes to Vanessa from different areas of her life; some of her artwork is more symbolic of emotion or personal life experiences while others are from popular culture. Some of her paintings are her own creations while others are metaphors for emotions or ideas that cannot be expressed in words. Her art is more than just a passion; it is a need to create. You can contact Vanessa at vnss_parra@yahoo.com or see more of her artwork at the following website: http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?artid=28683.

The sample piece is called “Broken” and is painted in acrylic on a 24” x 48” Masonite panel.

Defining Sci-Fi: Is it Genre, Fantasy or Something Else Entirely?

Because I watch so much television, I am frequently asked what kinds of shows I watch.  This question usually perplexes me as it is nearly impossible to classify the kinds of shows I watch under one label.  But in the interest of being succinct, I usually just respond:  sci-fi shows.  For, after all, the “sci-fi” label does cover a multitude of types of TV shows.

However, when looking up the definition of “science fiction,” I found that it can be defined as:

“Fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals, or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component.” (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary)

“A literary or cinematic genre in which fantasy, typically based on speculative scientific discoveries or developments, environmental changes, space travel, or life on other planets, forms part of the plot or background.” (American Heritage Dictionary)

“Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations on current or future science or technology.  Science fiction can also be synonymous with the broader definition of speculative fiction, which includes:  fantasy, horror, and related genres.  Science fiction is largely based on writing entertainingly and rationally about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality.” (Wikipedia)

Thus, upon further research, I found that the very question of “what is sci-fi?” has confounded much more intelligent and articulate minds than mine.  “Science fiction includes such a wide range of themes and subgenres that it is notoriously difficult to define.  This is a list of definitions that have been offered by authors, editors, critics and fans over the years since science fiction became clearly separate from other genres.”  (Wikipedia)  (See Wikipedia’s category on “Definitions of Science Fiction” for a more detailed analysis.)

So with this much confusion as to what is science-fiction, I feel pretty comfortable in saying that nearly everything I watch on TV is science-fiction in some form or another.

To help you identify what category shows that you may watch fall into, I have compiled a list of sci-fi shows of 2009 broken down by category as follows:

(1) Classic sci-fi (involves: future science, the future, time travel, space travel, space-western, space-opera, alternate reality, alternate history, space-military, apocalyptic)

“Battlestar Galactica” (space-opera, space travel, future science, the future)
“Caprica” (space-opera, space travel, future science, the future)

“Day One” (apocalyptic)
“Doctor Who” (time travel, space travel)
“Dollhouse” (future science)
“Eureka” (future science, time travel, alternate reality)
“Flash Forward” (the future, time travel)
“Fringe” (future science, alternate reality)
“Kyle XY” (future science)
“Life on Mars” (the future, alternate reality)
“Lost” (future science, time travel)
“My Own Worst Enemy” (future science)
“Stargate SG1” (future science, time travel, space travel, space-military)
“Stargate: Atlantis” (future science, time travel, space travel, space-military)
“Stargate: Universe” (future science, time travel, space travel, space-military)
“Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles” (time travel, future science, apocalyptic)
“Torchwood” (future science, time travel, space travel)
“V” (space travel, future science)
“Virtuality” (space travel, the future)
“Warehouse 13” (future science, space travel)

(2) Fantasy (lost world, sword and sorcery, mystical, theological, past life)
“Drop Dead Diva” (theological, past life)
“Eastwick” (mystical)
“Eli Stone” (theological)
“Ghost Whisperer” (theological, past life)
“Kings” (theological)
“Legend of the Seeker” (lost world)
“Past Life” (theological, past life)
“Primeval” (lost world)
“Pushing Daisies” (theological, mystical)
“Reaper” (theological, mystical)
“Sanctuary” (lost world)
“Saving Grace” (theological)
“Survivors” (lost world)

(3) Horror (gothic, ghost, monster, occult, slasher, survival, supernatural)

“Being Human” (monster)
“Dexter” (slasher, monster)
“Medium” (occult)
“Supernatural” (ghost, monster, occult, supernatural)
“True Blood” (monster, supernatural)
“Vampire Diaries” (monster, supernatural)

(5) Comic (superhero, superhuman)
“Chuck” (superhuman)
“Heroes” (superhuman)
“Human Target” (superhuman)
“Smallville” (superhero)
“The Listener” (superhuman)

As you can see from the above list, there are really quite a few ways to define what is “science fiction” or what constitutes a sci-fi show – particularly, as we frequently tend to lump anything outside of our current known existence as “sci-fi” for the lack of a better or easier way to describe it.

It really is startling to realize that so much of what is on television can fit into the sci-fi category.  For even “Desperate Housewives” could be considered a member of the sci-fi family simply because of the voice-over narration which is done in each episode by a dead person.  (Though I imagine that is Marc Cherry’s worst nightmare to have his beloved show called “science fiction.”)

Despite the proliferation of TV shows crossing over into the sci-fi genre, there are still some distinct categories that do not mingle with the sci-fi realm, such as medical dramas, cop shows, soap operas, games shows, reality shows, family drama, sitcoms, and teenage angst.  But it still feels that there are so many modern shows that offer some kind of sci-fi element.

So the next time someone asks you which kinds of television shows you watch, think carefully.  You just might be watching more sci-fi than you know!