News of the Year

Maybe you thought I'd won a Pulitzer? Got down to a size 2? Sorry, folks, but this news isn't about me.

It's about my all-time favorite under-employed actor crush.

Yup, that's right. Ben. Ben Brower.

The 411 is he's doing a pilot for the CW, a "dramedy" called Hellcats. The show is about (wait for it) college competitive cheerleading...! And no, Ben won't be appearing in one of those tiny dresses. He's playing Lancer University's football coach, Red Irvine, who also happens to have backstory with the cheerleading coach. Seems they had an affair while he was still married and after he left his wife for her, she dumped him. Now, he's looking for payback and trying to get her fired. He's described as "a handsome rogue who never lost the boyishness of youth." Can't think of a more perfect part for Ben.

The show is on CW so of course the young women on the team are the leads. My fingers are crossed that the two coaches will get some good air time, though.

Hopefully, the show will be picked up. And if it does get picked up that they'll keep Ben in the cast. It would be great to see him working again.

Give me a B! Give me an E! Give me an N!

88 Things To Do On A Gloomy Day

Gloomy, gray day today. Makes me want to curl up under the covers and watch Farscape. Nothing like a darkly beautiful, cosmic love story to soothe the soul on a shadowy day.

Don't know why every romance reader doesn't salivate over the TV series. Kick-ass heroine forced by circumstances and love to look beyond her aggressiveness. Beta hero forced by same to look beyond his normal instincts and become alpha. Both falling in love while fighting for their lives. Clever writing about the nature of humanity, hope, and war.

Not to mention one of the all-time greatest, most interesting and creepy villains ever. Yes, I know he looks...well, strange. But he more than compensates for his looks. Manipulative, sick with hatred for himself and others, powerful, driven to save the universe by taking everything from John--including his sanity.

Life and death far, far away--and right up close.

What is it about sci fi that puts people off?

It's such a great way to comment on our own time and place. The most romantic line ever written by anyone comes from Farscape:

"Do you love me?" Aeryn asks John.

His reply? "Beyond hope."

God, shoot me in the heart. What an amazing, off the nose way to say "more than anything."

Hope is central to the series. Hope that in the end, despite the overwhelming odds, the bad guys won't win. That the plan, no matter how stupid and desperate, will work. That the vulnerable universe won't explode even if the most powerful weapons are aimed at it. That the confused hero won't go crazy, though he's seeing things that aren't there. That love and friendship are worth any sacrifice. Can't get more American than that.

Of course the series was written before, during, and just after 9/11. And we've become so much more fearful and so much less hopeful since.

Be interesting to see if hope comes back into fashion with a new administration. Or if the war and the economic meltdown keep us as gloomy as this day.

If so, we may all need a dose of Farscape. There are 88 episodes and a miniseries to tie up the story. Plenty of great stuff to remind us not to give in or give up.