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Joss Whedon | |||
Whedon at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International | |||
Born | Joseph Hill Whedon[1] June 23, 1964 New York, New York, U.S. | ||
Alma mater | Wesleyan University | ||
Occupation | Writer, director, producer, composer, actor | ||
Years active | 1989–present | ||
Notable work(s) | |||
Style | Science fiction Supernatural fiction Comedy-drama Superhero fiction | ||
Spouse(s) | Kai Cole | ||
Children | 2 | ||
Parents | Tom Whedon (father) | ||
Relatives |
| ||
Joss Whedon | |||
Whedon at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International | |||
Born | Joseph Hill Whedon[1] June 23, 1964 New York, New York, U.S. | ||
Alma mater | Wesleyan University | ||
Occupation | Writer, director, producer, composer, actor | ||
Years active | 1989–present | ||
Notable work(s) | |||
Style | Science fiction Supernatural fiction Comedy-drama Superhero fiction | ||
Spouse(s) | Kai Cole | ||
Children | 2 | ||
Parents | Tom Whedon (father) | ||
Relatives |
| ||
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon (/ˈhwiːdən/; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, film and television director, film and television producer, comic book author, composer and actor. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), Angel (1999–2004), Firefly (2002), Dollhouse (2009–10) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–present). Whedon co-wrote Toy Story (1995), wrote and directed Serenity (2005), co-wrote and produced The Cabin in the Woods (2012), and wrote and directed The Avengers (2012), the third highest-grossing film of all time, and its upcoming sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
Whedon is notable for his signature dialogue, which features dry self-referential humor and heavy emphasis on subtext. His work is permeated with themes of feminism, anti-authoritarianism, existentialism, and self-sacrifice. He often uses misogyny to define the trait of a villain, and his protagonists tend to be loner heroes who start out powerless but then regain control from community in order to fulfill a purpose.
His work in comic books includes Fray, Astonishing X-Men, Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel: After the Fall and Runaways. He is also known for his collaborations in online media. Many of Whedon's projects have cult status.
From a family of screenwriters, he is the grandson of John Whedon, the son of Tom Whedon, and the half brother of Zack and Jed Whedon. In May 2013, Whedon was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from Wesleyan University.
Joss Whedon was born in New York City. A third-generation TV writer,[3] Whedon is the son of Tom Whedon, a screenwriter for The Electric Company in the 1970s and The Golden Girls in the 1980s, and the grandson of John Whedon, a writer for The Donna Reed Show in the 1950s.[4] His mother, Lee Stearns, was a teacher at Riverdale Country School as Lee Whedon,[5] and was an aspiring novelist.[4] Whedon is the younger sibling of Samuel and Matthew Whedon and older sibling of writers Jed and Zack Whedon.[6] At a young age he was a prolific writer, loved Monty Python and showed great interest in acting.[7]
Whedon attended Riverdale Country School in New York City where his mother taught history.[8] He then spent two years at Winchester College in England,[8] and graduated from Wesleyan University in 1987, where he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters decades later.[9] After leaving Wesleyan, Whedon came up with the first incarnation of Buffy Summers called "Rhonda, the Immortal Waitress".[10] Describing his educative experience, he took notice that "it was clear to me from the start that I must take an active role in my survival".[8]
From 1989 to 1990, Whedon worked as a writer on the sitcoms Roseanne and Parenthood.[11][12] As a script doctor, Whedon worked as an uncredited writer on films like The Getaway (1994), Speed (1994), Waterworld (1995), Twister (1996), X-Men (2000) and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001).[13] X-Men reportedly contained only two dialogue exchanges of Whedon's contribution,[14] but the final cut of Speed left in most of his dialogue.[15] At the same time as script consulting, he wrote Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992); the film that would precede the series, and Alien: Resurrection (1997), and co-wrote Toy Story (1995) and Titan A.E. (2000), the former of which earned him a shared Academy Award nomination for Original Screenplay.[16][17][18] Whedon has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the released versions of the films Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Titan A.E. and Alien: Resurrection.[13][17][19]
In 1997, Whedon created his first TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series depicts Buffy Summers, the latest in a line of young women called to battle against vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness. The inspiration for the idea came directly from his aversion to seeing the Hollywood formula of "the little blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed in every horror movie".[20] Whedon said he wanted to subvert the idea and create someone who was a hero.[21] This conception came from "the very first mission statement of the show, which was the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it".[22] Whedon signified Buffy as "my voice, my avatar, my girl".[10] The writing process came together from conversations about the emotional issues facing Buffy Summers, and how she would confront them in terms of her battle against supernatural forces.[23] Whedon usually directed episodes from his own scripts that held the most cathartic moments in Buffy's story.[24][25][26]
The series received numerous awards and nominations, including an Emmy Award nomination for the 1999 episode "Hush".[27] The 2001 episode "The Body" was nominated for a Nebula Award in 2002,[28] and the fall 2001 musical episode "Once More, with Feeling" was nominated for a Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo Award and a Best Script Nebula Award.[29][30] The final episode "Chosen" was nominated for a Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Hugo Award in 2003.[31] All written and directed by Whedon, they are considered some the most effective and popular episodes of the series.[32][33]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was lauded worldwide for its influential themes and impact on popular culture.[34][35][36] Since the end of the series, Whedon has stated that his intention was initially to produce a "cult" television series and has acknowledged a corresponding "rabid, almost insane fan base" that subsequently emerged. In June 2012, Slate magazine identified it as the most written about popular culture text of all time. "[M]ore than twice as many papers, essays, and books have been devoted to the vampire drama than any of our other choices – so many that we stopped counting when we hit 200".[37]
A lifelong comic book fan, Whedon authored the Dark Horse Comics miniseries Fray, which takes place in the far future of the Buffyverse.[38] Like many writers of the show, he contributed to the series' comic book continuation, writing three stories in the anthology Tales of the Slayers (including the one featuring Melaka Fray from Fray),[39] and the main storyline of the miniseries Tales of the Vampires.[40] Whedon and the other writers then released a new ongoing series, taking place after the series finale "Chosen", which he officially recognizes as the canonical eighth season.[41] Whedon returned to the world of Fray during the season eight story arc "Time of Your Life".[42] Arcs and issues of season eight written by Whedon include "The Long Way Home", "The Chain",[43] "Anywhere but Here",[44] "A Beautiful Sunset",[45] "Time of Your Life", "Turbulence" and "Last Gleaming".[46][47][48] Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine was published from August 2011 to September 2013,[49][50] for which Whedon wrote "Freefall, Part I–II" (with Andrew Chambliss).[51]
As a result of Buffy the Vampire Slayer 's success, Whedon was allowed the opportunity to make his 1999 spin-off series, Angel. David Greenwalt and Whedon collaborated on the pilot that was going to be developed for The WB Network.[52] During the series' early expansion, efforts were made by the network to mitigate Whedon's original concept.[53] "Corrupt", a precociously optioned second episode, was entirely abandoned due to the gloominess written into the script.[53] The tone was consequently softened, establishing in the opening episodes Angel Investigations as an idealistic, shoestring operation.[53] It follows Angel (played by David Boreanaz), who works as a private detective in order to "help the helpless".[54]
It was praised for presenting a unique and progressive version of the archetypal noir hero as a sympathetic vampire detective.[55][56] The series was however at times referred to being lesser than its parent show, regularly dismissed in context of having been derived from a more popular original work.[57] Despite this, it won a Saturn Award for Best Network TV Series[58] and the three episodes "Waiting in the Wings",[59] "Smile Time" and "Not Fade Away", were nominated for Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form in 2003 and 2005.[60]
The WB Network announced on February 14, 2004 that Angel would not be brought back for a sixth season.[61] Whedon said of the cancellation, "It was like 'Healthy Guy Falls Dead From Heart Attack.' I believe the reason Angel had trouble on The WB was that it was the only show on the network that wasn't trying to be Buffy. It was a show about grown-ups".[62] An official continuation of the story came rather in the form of a comic book series.[63] Following Buffy the Vampire Slayer 's successful eighth season, IDW Publishing approached Whedon about similarly producing a canonical sixth season for Angel.[64][65] Angel: After the Fall released 17 issues written by Whedon and Brian Lynch.[66] The title of the series then changed to Angel: Aftermath with its move to Dark Horse Comics.[67] Although Whedon lacked the time to write its continuing run, he served as executive producer with Lynch.[68]
Whedon followed Angel with the space western Firefly (2002), starring Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau and Ron Glass. Set in the year 2517, Firefly explores the lives of the people who, on the outskirts of society, make their living as the crew of Serenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship.[69] The series' original concept progressed after Whedon read The Killer Angels, a book on the Battle of Gettysburg.[70]
An ever present element was Whedon's injection of anti-totalitarianism,[71] writing into the show a historical analogy of the Battle of Gettysburg; the "Battle of Serenity Valley".[72] Two of the main characters, Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe Washburne, fought in the "Unification War" and were defeated by The Alliance, an authoritarian regime.[73] The beaten soldiers were called "Browncoats" after the brown dusters they wore as their uniforms.[74][75] Whedon said, "I wanted to play with that classic notion of the frontier: not the people who made history, but the people history stepped on – the people for whom every act is the creation of civilization".[76] Firefly was written as a serious character study,[77] encompassing what Whedon called "life when it's hard", and in elaboration was about "nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things".[78]
Tim Minear, who had worked with Whedon in the past, was selected to serve as the series' showrunner.[79] The fusion of American frontier and outer space motifs was not well received by critics.[80][81] And despite critical praise in other respects, the show had an average of 4.48 million viewers at the time and was ranked 125th in Nielsen ratings, which led to the series' cancellation by Fox.[82] Whedon took to Universal Pictures as a means of achieving a continuation of the story.[83] Following Firefly was Serenity, a follow-up film taking place after the events of the final episode.[84] This developed into a franchise that led to novels, comic books and other media; all centered around the show's fictional universe.[85] New Scientist magazine held a poll in 2005 to find "The World's Best Space Sci-Fi Ever", in which Firefly and Serenity took first and second place, respectively.[86] Since its cancellation, the series acquired cult status.[87]
In 2004, Whedon created the popular comic book line Astonishing X-Men.[88][89] He finished his 24 issue run in 2008 and then handed over the writing reins to Warren Ellis.[90] The title, recreated specifically for Whedon, has been one of Marvel's best-selling comics and was nominated for several Eisner Awards including Best Serialized Story, Best Continuing Series, Best New Series and Best Writer, winning the Best Continuing Series award in 2006.[91][92] One storyline from this comic, the notion of a cure for mutation being found, was also an element in the third X-Men film, X-Men: The Last Stand.[93][94] In February 2009, Astonishing X-Men #6, which depicted the return of Colossus to the title, and concluded Whedon's first story arc, was named by readers as the #65 in Marvel's Top 70 Comics of all time.[95]
Whedon is the second writer of the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite Marvel comic Runaways, taking over after series creator Brian K. Vaughan completed his run.[96] He had been a fan of the series, and had a letter published in the first volume, which was included in the Volume 1 hardcover edition.[97]
He wrote short pieces for Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man and Giant-Size X-Men #3,[98][99] and was the subject of an issue of Marvel Spotlight (alongside artist Michael Lark).[100] He also contributed as part of a panel of writers to Marvel Comics' Civil War crossover event, lending advice in how to tell the story and how to end it.[101]
Whedon introduced several new characters into the Marvel Universe such as the villainous Ord,[102] X-Men Ruth "Blindfold" Aldine and Hisako "Armor" Ichiki,[103][104] Runaway Klara Prast, and Special Agent Abigail Brand[105][106] along with S.W.O.R.D., the organization she commands.[107]
After Universal Pictures acquired the film and distribution rights from Fox, Whedon started writing the screenplay for Serenity.[108] Transforming the series into a film, he says, "...was the hardest piece of writing I've ever done ... It had to be self-contained and work as a movie, which meant I had to cope with problems like introducing nine main characters who'd already met!"[109][110] The script was based on unused story ideas for Firefly 's unfilmed second season.[84] On writing the dialogue, Whedon felt that part of it came from "getting to invent the language", which "once I had, reads like a kind of poetry".[111] The narrative of the story centers on Captain Malcolm Reynolds—"the hero"—accompanied by River Tam acting as "the catalyst for what he does".[112] The R. Tam sessions focused on the latter character's past, serving as a form of viral marketing for the film, starring himself and Summer Glau.[113]
The score was composed by David Newman, and according to Whedon was intended to "deglorify space – to feel the intimacy of being on a ship as opposed to the grandeur".[114] He used two long steadicam shots for several minutes of the film's opening sequence to establish "a sense of safety in space".[115][116] In 2006, it won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.[117] The elements of science fiction that Whedon wanted to convey were essentially different in kind, and held "a sort of grittiness" and "realism", which he said, together, "get the most exciting kind of film-making".[118] Like Firefly, the film contained a statement on individual liberty.[119] Critic Roger Ebert observed, "Like Brave New World and 1984, the movie plays like a critique of contemporary society, with the Alliance as Big Brother, enemy of discontent".[120] The film received the 2005 Nebula Award for Best Script, the 2006 Prometheus Special Award,[121][122] and was voted the best sci-fi movie of all time in a poll set up by SFX magazine.[118] There have since been multiple rumors regarding sequel possibilities.[123][124]
A limited three-issue comic book series called Serenity: Those Left Behind was released in 2005 as a tie-in to Serenity.[38] Set between Firefly and the film, it was intended to bridge the two storylines together.[38] The story was written by Whedon.[125] Serenity: Better Days also spanned three issues,[126] and was written by Whedon and Brett Matthews.[127] Whedon later co-wrote The Shepherd's Tale with his half-brother Zack.[128]
As a guest director, he contributed two 2007 episodes of The Office ("Business School" and "Branch Wars")[129] and a 2010 episode of Glee ("Dream On").[130] Denoting this period, Whedon has said, "I had free time, but I'm pretty sure I mean my career was on the skids".[131]
Whedon, in collaboration with Fábio Moon, created the free webcomic titled Sugarshock!, as part of the revival of Dark Horse Presents, which was launched on Myspace.[132] Whedon later executive produced another free comic book on the Internet, Serenity: The Other Half.[133]
As a response to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike,[134] Whedon directed, co-wrote and produced Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008).[135] It tells the story of Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillain, who shares a love interest in a girl named Penny with his nemesis, Captain Hammer.[136] To Whedon the miniseries was "always meant to be a project of love", and an accomplishment "that's gonna really make us excited, that's gonna be our passion, and our ridiculousness".[137] His half-brothers Zack and Jed and sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen share the other writing credits.[138] Whedon said working with family members provided him with "a glorious surprise" once it became apparent "how much we were all in sync".[139]
After having attended meetings with companies discussing the prospect of producing something for the Internet, and faced with negative feedback on his ideas, "It became clear that nothing was going to happen with this company before the strike was over".[140] Whedon funded the project himself with the investment of just over $200,000,[136] and enjoyed the independence gained from it, saying there was "freedom to just let the dictates of the story say how long it's gonna be. We didn't have to cram everything in ... we put in the amount of story that we wanted to and let the time work around that".[137] He and Jed composed the music, parts of which were influenced by Stephen Sondheim.[141]
About its place in changing the approach for content on the web, he said, "The idea was, we'll do it for fun, and if our fun for some reason causes other people to have fun, and they end up paying for that, then I will actually have the opportunity to create a different paradigm of payment and profit-sharing for writers and artists involved in the project".[142] "We all know that the mediums are shifting and that television is struggling to figure out how the rise of the computer is going to affect it".[143] Whedon was awarded Best Directing and Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series at the Streamy Awards,[144] a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form,[145] and a Creative Arts Emmy Award the following year.[146]
In 2009, Whedon created his fourth television series Dollhouse, and explored themes throughout the show that were initially present in an unproduced spec script of his called Afterlife.[147] The series follows Echo, an "Active" programmed for various purposes, on her journey towards self-awareness.[148] As stated by Whedon, Dollhouse was about "the sides of us that we don't want people to see", "the idea of sexuality"[149] and, on some level, "a celebration of perversion"[150] because "perversion, like obsession, is the thing that makes people passionate and interesting and worthy".[151]
Despite low ratings in its first season, the series was renewed for a second and final season.[152] The reason for the renewal given by Fox's president of entertainment was, "if we'd canceled Joss's show I'd probably have 110 million e-mails this morning from the fans".[153] In reflection of Fox's disruptive involvement, Whedon explained, "I had the idea of identity. I had the idea of moral culpability. But I lost one or two essential things. And that ultimately killed the show because we were dancing around them"[151] and "when that fell out, when the show turned into a thriller every week, it took something out of it that was kind of basic to what we were trying to do".[149]
Whedon co-wrote and produced a horror film titled The Cabin in the Woods with director Drew Goddard, which finished production in 2009.[154] Whedon and Goddard both intended to make a film "that was about horror movies while being a straight-up, good fun and scary horror movie".[155] The script was written in three days,[156] producing a minimum of 15 pages a day.[157] Whedon described it as an attempt to revitalize horror, calling it a "loving hate letter" to the genre, continuing:
On another level it's a serious critique of what we love and what we don't about horror movies. I love being scared. I love that mixture of thrill, of horror, that objectification/identification thing of wanting definitely for the people to be alright but at the same time hoping they'll go somewhere dark and face something awful. The things that I don't like are kids acting like idiots, the devolution of the horror movie into torture porn and into a long series of sadistic comeuppances. Drew and I both felt that the pendulum had swung a little too far in that direction.[158]
Part of what Whedon thought distinguished it from other horror films was that "people are not expendable. As a culture, for our own entertainment, we tend to assume that they are".[159] He stated that the idea started as "a logical extension of what I think about horror movies",[160] and reiterated his sentiment that the introduction of torture porn into this genre was "becoming this extremely nihilistic and misogynist exercise in just trying to upset you, as opposed to trying to scare you".[161]
In July 2010, it was confirmed that Whedon would write and direct The Avengers, a live-action adaptation of the superhero team of the same name.[162] On his desire to take on the film, he said, "It goes back to the very first incarnation of The Avengers, it goes to The Ultimates, it goes to everything about it. It makes no sense, it's ridiculous ... Ultimately these people don't belong together and the whole movie is about finding yourself from community. And finding that you not only belong together but you need each other, very much. Obviously this will be expressed through punching but it will be the heart of the film".[163]
About the cinematography, DP Seamus McGarvey said that he and Whedon "were keen on having a very visceral and naturalistic quality to the image" and "wanted this to feel immersive and did not want a 'comic book look' that might distance an audience with the engagement of the film".[164] They took use of the digital camera Arri Alexa when shooting the film.[164] Whedon commented on the conversion of The Avengers from 2D to 3D, saying that "current 3D conversion technology is really amazing, and Marvel is very picky. Having a sense for things in a 3D space and filming while feeling that space was a very easy thing for me. I'm just tired of seeing just things flying toward the camera. So I had to make things look good for 3D in 2D. My eyes and senses work that way, so the conversion from 2D was no problem".[165] The music, Whedon said, "is very old-fashioned, which is why Alan was letter-perfect for this movie because he can give you the heightened emotion, the Zimmer school of 'I'm just feeling a lot right now!' but he can also be extraordinarily cue and character specific, which I love".[166]
It became the third highest-grossing film of all time at the North American box office,[167] and received considerable praise from critics.[168][169] But in retrospect, Whedon thought the film had "imperfections".[170] "When I think of a great film, I think of something that's either structured so perfectly like 'The Matrix ' or made so lovingly like 'The Godfather Part II. ' ... The thing I cared most about—making a summer movie like the ones from my childhood—is the thing that I pulled off".[171]
In March 2012, Whedon stated that although television involves more compromise than film:
I think, ultimately, gun to my head, TV is the place. Being able to spend years with a character, to really develop them, to understand them, to challenge the actor, to learn from the actor, to work with a team of writers – that experience is so fulfilling. The idea of putting something out there and letting it grow is really exciting.[172]
In August 2012, Whedon signed a deal to develop the Marvel TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for ABC.[173][174] The series focuses on the secret military law-enforcement agency featured throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[175] Created by Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen,[176] he stated that while the show involves individuals who possess powers within the spectacle of science fiction, it also focuses on "the peripheral people ... the people on the edges of the grand adventures".[177] In the same vein, Whedon describes the lead character of Phil Coulson as "low-key, he's never overselling, and then when he turns out to be the smartest person in the room, everybody else is like, 'Oh...' And you can't buy that. You can't train for it. Some people just have it".[178] The character's resurrection for the series since his death in The Avengers was said to have begun with "the idea of the Little Guy", which Whedon felt meant something he was "very fierce about", saying "there has never been a better Little Guy than Clark Gregg. That intrigued me, this world around the superhero community. ... It's the more intimate stories that belong on television that we can really tap into the visual style and ethos, and even some of the mythology, of the Marvel movies".[179]
It was confirmed that Whedon would return to write and direct a sequel to The Avengers,[173][180] following the deal with Marvel Studios, which will expire in June 2015.[181] On the matter of approaching a sequel, Whedon reasoned not to go "bigger", but "deeper". "Now you can really spend your time just digging in. And by digging in, I mean with a scalpel to cause pain".[182]
He said of the film's characters, "Strong but damaged by power describes every person in this movie. It may, in fact, describe what the movie is about. You know, the more power that we have, the less human we are".[183]
Whedon also served as a creative consultant on the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe leading up to Age of Ultron.[184][185] He rewrote some dialogue for Thor: The Dark World,[186] directed the mid-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier,[187] and suggested that James Gunn make Guardians of the Galaxy "weirder" after reading an early draft.[188]
To create Much Ado About Nothing, Whedon established Bellwether Pictures.[189] On October 23, 2011, he confirmed they had completed principal photography.[190] The film was scripted, produced, directed, edited and composed by Whedon, based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name.[191] Whedon's idea to adapt the play for the screen originated from having "Shakespeare readings" at his house with several of his friends, years prior.[192]
He filmed it in black-and-white on digital video over a period of 12 days at his residence in Santa Monica, California.[193][194] Whedon and his DP Jay Hunter took advantage of natural lighting in order to make it feel "very found", noting, "Our lighting package rose in the east and set in the west".[195] Using mirrors, glass and windows to shoot through, he explains, "[It's] something I'd like to do all the time, but particularly in a movie that's all about lies, and manipulation and misunderstandings. The more you can warp the frame a little bit, the more it speaks towards what's going on".[195]
Despite the play's comedy, he discovered that there were elements in the text "of debauchery" that brought out a core darkness, and said the visual nature of film influenced him to permeate a motif of sexuality into the script.[196] Working with the actors, Whedon determined that, although giving them notes for guidance, "...what I understand is what an actor wants to know. 'Why am I doing this, and how should it come out?' And 'Will I be safe to try something strange?' And 'Will I be asked to do more?' I don't come at it from any other standpoint than that".[197]
Whedon wrote and executive produced the paranormal romance film In Your Eyes, the second feature by Bellwether Pictures.[198][199][200] The film tells the story of Rebecca Porter and Dylan Kershaw who can feel each other's emotions, but are ultimately strangers.[201] Whedon's script marked a theme of human connection as the metaphor for the couple's mysterious link.[202] He conceived the idea in the early '90s, and had written drafts of the screenplay since then.[203]
In summer 2014, Whedon encountered artist Shawnee Kilgore on Kickstarter. He said of her project, "I really loved the music and the sound of her voice". Whedon funded her album shortly after. When Kilgore contacted him about his fulfillment reward, he suggested they make a song together. She agreed, and received lyrics to one called "Big Giant Me". To Whedon, the song epitomized "the idea of change, and how much someone will accept you for yourself and what you are and what you're going to become". The collaboration was then repurposed into producing an extended play.[204]
Early in his career, Whedon sold two spec scripts that weren't produced; Suspension and Afterlife. He sold Suspension for $750,000, with an additional $250,000 if production had commenced.[205] In September 2014, Empire suggested the script was being made, with Liam Neeson attached to the project.[206] In 1994, he sold Afterlife for $1.5 million, with an additional $500,000 if production had commenced. In 2000, Andy Tennant was in talks to direct and rewrite.[207] In Afterlife there were precursors to themes Whedon would later explore in Dollhouse. The script was about Daniel Hoffstetter, a government scientist, who awakes after dying to discover his mind has been imprinted on a mind-wiped body.[208]
Whedon had a number of planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoffs that became stuck in development or terminally stalled. Among these were Buffy the Animated Series, a set of television movies for The WB based on Angel and Buffy characters, and Ripper, a proposed BBC pilot about Rupert Giles. In 2007, Ripper was announced to be in development, and to be aired that following year, yet the pilot did not materialize due to copyright issues.[209]
Goners was announced in 2005. According to Variety magazine, it was a fantasy thriller under development by Universal Studios, and was to be produced by Mary Parent and Scott Stuber.[210] When asked about the film itself during an interview, Whedon said, "It is a fantasy thriller, it is pretty dark and it's all me. So people will pretty much know what that means if they look at my body of work. But it's a new universe set in the present day with a new concept for me and a new bunch of characters. It's been a long time since I got to do that, so that's really fun".[211] From a 2006 interview with Fanboy Radio: "I've been seeing a lot of horror movies that are torture-porn, where kids we don't care about are mutilated for hours, and I just cannot abide them... it's an antidote to that very kind of film, the horror movie with the expendable human beings in it. Because I don't believe any human beings are".[212]
Whedon was hired to write and direct a Warner Bros. adaptation of Wonder Woman. However, in February 2007, Whedon announced that he would no longer be involved with the project. "We just saw different movies, and at the price range this kind of movie hangs in, that's never gonna work. Non-sympatico. It happens all the time".[213] Conversely, he stated, "The fact of the matter is, it was a waste of my time. We never [wanted] to make the same movie; none of us knew that".[214]
Wastelanders, a web-based "end-of-the-world" project, once in development with author Warren Ellis, was postponed due to Whedon's preoccupation with The Avengers. Calling it "a dark piece", he proceeds: "I'm just like, 'Gosh, well, if I'm going to finance this and put it together, it's kind of dangerous.' It's not going to have a soundtrack album, it's not going to have all these revenue streams. It's going to be something that I put out there because I feel like I have to, and I don't have to rely on anybody else to let me".[215]
Thematically, Whedon's films and TV series feature several allusions to components in contemporary philosophy, existentialism, anti-authoritarianism, power, powerlessness, sexuality, adulthood, sacrifice, misogyny and feminism.[216][217]
Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene, including the thug flanking your bad guy, has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history. If anyone speaks in such a way that they're just setting up the next person's lines, then you don't get dialogue: you get soundbites.[218]
Whedon's works usually revolve around an ensemble of protagonists,[219][220] primarily focused on a loner hero who ends up working with others to accomplish a goal.[221] He says of the recurring aspects of community, "Everything I write tends to turn into a superhero team, even if I didn't mean for it to. I always start off wanting to be solitary, because a) it's simpler, and b) that isolation is something that I relate to as a storyteller. And then no matter what, I always end up with a team".[222] Examining a typical motif, he says, "I tend to write about people who are helpless or out of control who then regain or retake control".[216]
Speaking about his approach to screenwriting, Whedon has noted outlining and act structure as the hardest parts of storytelling, but emphasizes that he feels they are "completely essential".[223] He elaborates, "With The Avengers, the structure nearly killed me. It was very difficult to make it flow and cohere in terms of all the changing perspectives and characters, all these movie stars, all these beats to hit. It's a ridiculously complex puzzle. But once you've got the puzzle, and you're just filling in the voices and coming up with the moments, that's what's fun".[224]
Lauded for his way of writing dialogue, many of Whedon's altered phrases and heavily popularized words have entered a common usage called "Slayer Slang", which PBS included an entire section of in their article series Do You Speak American?.[225] In an issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, where Buffy travels to the future, Whedon writes Buffy's reaction to the future dialect of Manhattan; this allows Whedon to comment on the series' distinctive style of dialogue. "Buffy blames herself for what's happened to the English language, and there's a lot of hubris in that joke. I like to think that adding Y's to words that don't usually have Y's is going to destroy the whole fabric of our society".[226] His use of self-aware dialogue to humanize characters,[227] treating clichés subversely[228] and the recurring theme of self-sacrifice led by subverting moral icons have been defining to his style of storytelling.[229]
His penchant to kill off characters has been widely criticized.[230][231] Whedon has admitted extreme tiredness to the criticism, explaining, "The percentage of people who die... is a lot. I think it's pretty near everybody. The percentage of people that I kill – not so many. I think the reason that my rep is so nasty is that I tend to do it... unexpectedly, or to someone people are recently invested in, and that is a real mission statement for me, because, death doesn't leave a card. Death doesn't take Hitler. It doesn't work according to story plans. And when a death feels like a loss, gives you grief... then you have told a story that involves death".[232]
Whedon has kept ambivalent on whether to shoot on film or digital video, saying that he has "no allegiance to film as film. If the story is in front of me, I'm fine".[233] In terms of visual aesthetics, he prefers to incorporate as many practical effects as possible when using computer-generated imagery, saying, "I don't think it looks good if it doesn't look real. That veracity is the most important thing. You want to feel like this is definitely happening. I am very strict about letting people feel the space that something's happening in, and the environment has got to be a key part of it. Generally you just try to mix just as much practical with CGI as possible, so people really don't know where one begins and the other ends".[234] On working with high or low budgets, he remarked that both offer "the exact same job. The money has never mattered. If you have $100 million, if you have $100,000, you're trying to hit someone in the gut with an emotional moment. If you can back that up with an awesome visual, that's really neat. If you can back that up with a visual that's not awesome, but at least gets it done, tells them what they need to know to hit them in the gut emotionally, that's neat too. If the characters can only talk about it in a room, then the emotional moment has to be really, really good, but it's still neat".[235]
Whedon has cited Ray Bradbury,[236] James Cameron,[237] Rod Serling,[238] William Shakespeare,[239] Stephen Sondheim,[240] Steven Spielberg,[241] Charles Dickens, Stan Lee, Robert Klein,[242] Jerome Robbins,[243] Frank Borzage,[244] Steve Gerber,[245] Steven Bochco,[246] Frances Hodgson Burnett[247] and John Williams as influences.[248] When asked about his five favorite films, Whedon listed The Matrix (1999), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Magnolia (1999) and The Court Jester (1956).[249]
Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity, we need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who's confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.
Elements of feminism are present throughout all of Whedon's work,[251][252] which he gives his mother credit for inspiring. When asked how he could write so well for women, he answered "If you met my mom, you wouldn't ask".[253] The character Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics was an early model for Whedon's strong teenage girl characters,[254] "If there's a bigger influence on Buffy than Kitty, I don't know what it was. She was an adolescent girl finding out she has great power and dealing with it".[255] Kitty Pryde later played a central role in Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men.[256] In response to perennially being asked why he writes such strong female characters, he famously replied, "Because you're still asking me that question".[250]
In college, Whedon studied the theory called "womb envy",[251] a concept he says observes "a fundamental thing that women have something men don't, the obvious being an ability to bear children, and the resilience to hang in as parents. I don't understand why or how anyone ever pulled off the whole idea of 'women are inferior'. Men not only don't get what's important about what women are capable of, but in fact they fear it, and envy it, and want to throw stones at it, because it's the thing they can't have".[252] In 2007, Whedon expressed his outrage over the stoning of Du'a Khalil Aswad, and because the act was caught on video, was prompted to attack the underlying attitude he felt led to the murder, comparing the video to torture porn. He wrote, "[Womb envy is] entirely true. How else to explain the fact that cultures who would die to eradicate each other have always agreed on one issue? That every popular religion puts restrictions on women's behavior that are practically untenable? That the act of being a free, attractive, self-assertive woman is punishable by torture and death?"[251][257]
In late 2013, Whedon spoke at an Equality Now event, where he issued a pointed dissection of the word "feminist". He begins to say, "I have the privilege living my life inside of words ... but part of being a writer is also living in the very smallest part of every word". Arguing against the suffix "-ist", he continues, "you can't be born an –ist. It's not natural". Whedon explains that because of this, the word "includes the idea that believing men and women to be equal ... is not a natural state. That we don't emerge assuming that everybody in the human race is a human. That the idea of equality is just an idea that's imposed on us..."[258][259] This sparked an unfavorable reaction from the feminist community,[260][261] but also an appreciation for Whedon's arguments' thought provocation.[262][263]
Whedon often hires the same actors for his projects,[264] and has been described as "the gravitational center of the Whedonverse, a galaxy that spins recurring actors and themes through an orbital system of TV shows, films and comic books that all share similar traits: a unique brand of witty dialogue, relatable characters and fantasy/sci-fi mythology".[265]
Actor | Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) | Angel (1999–2004) | Firefly (2002) | Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) | Dollhouse (2009–2010) | The Cabin in the Woods (2012) | The Avengers (2012) | Much Ado About Nothing (2012) | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–) |
Amy Acker | |||||||||
Alexis Denisof | |||||||||
Nathan Fillion | |||||||||
Tom Lenk | |||||||||
Felicia Day | |||||||||
Reed Diamond | |||||||||
Summer Glau | |||||||||
Carlos Jacott | |||||||||
Ashley Johnson | |||||||||
Fran Kranz | |||||||||
Damion Poitier | |||||||||
Andy Umberger | |||||||||
Jonathan M. Woodward |
Note: Due to the frequency Whedon casts the same actors in various projects, the above list only includes those that have played three or more different roles in a Whedon production (actors that have only played the same role in multiple Whedon productions are not included).
Whedon is married to Kai Cole, producer and co-founder of Bellwether Pictures.[266] They have two children and live in Los Angeles.[267]
In 2013, Whedon revealed that he suffers from workaholism. This arose during the time that followed the completion of Much Ado About Nothing, which was made in the span of a two-week vacation from The Avengers,[268] and after making the pilot for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. amidst the pre-production for Avengers: Age of Ultron. "It is actually a problem. Sometimes it's adorable ... and sometimes it's not ... Not to get all dark and weird, but it is something I need to address".[269]
Whedon has identified himself as an atheist, absurdist and humanist.[270][271] In April 2009, the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University presented Whedon with the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism.[272]
Whedon has spoken about existentialism, explaining in detail how it, and more specifically Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea, was used as a basis for the Firefly episode "Objects in Space". He called it "the most important book" he ever read,[273] and said it was handed to him right after he saw Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, whose impact, he recalls, had made him an existentialist.[274]
In July 2012, at the San Diego Comic-Con International, in response to one woman who noted the anti-corporate themes in many of his movies, and asked him to give his economic philosophy in 30 seconds or less, Whedon spoke out against both the socialism he was brought up listening to and capitalism as well, stating that "ultimately all these systems don't work". He went on to say that America is "turning into Tsarist Russia".[275]
Endorsing Barack Obama in the 2012 United States presidential election,[276] Whedon satirically equated Mitt Romney's future as president with a zombie apocalypse, "Romney is ready to make the deep rollbacks in health care, education, social services and reproductive rights that will guarantee poverty, unemployment, overpopulation, disease, rioting—all crucial elements in creating a nightmare zombie wasteland".[277][278]
Whedon has written, directed and produced a number of films and television series.
Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
1995 | Academy Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Toy Story | Nominated |
1996 | Saturn Awards | Best Writing | Toy Story | Nominated |
2000 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode: "Hush" | Nominated |
2009 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Writing For A Special Class Special | Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog | Won |
2013 | Saturn Awards | Best Writing | The Cabin in the Woods (shared with Drew Goddard) | Nominated |
2013 | Saturn Awards | Best Director | The Avengers | Won |
2013 | Empire Awards | Best Director | The Avengers | Nominated |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Joss Whedon |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joss Whedon. |
Preceded by None | Astonishing X-Men writer 2004–2008 | Succeeded by Warren Ellis |
Preceded by None | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight writer 2007 | Succeeded by Brian K. Vaughan |
Preceded by Brian K. Vaughan | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight writer 2007 | Succeeded by Drew Goddard |
Preceded by Brian K. Vaughan | Runaways writer 2007–2008 | Succeeded by Terry Moore |
Preceded by Jane Espenson | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight writer 2008 | Succeeded by Brad Meltzer |
Preceded by Jane Espenson | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight writer 2010 | Succeeded by Brad Meltzer |
Preceded by Brad Meltzer | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight writer 2010–2011 | Succeeded by None |
Preceded by None | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine writer 2011 | Succeeded by Andrew Chambliss |


text:
Eleanor Rose Rathman
ELEANOR ROSE RATHMANN was born on April 12 at Regions Hospital in St. Paul to Kimberly and Greg Rathmann of St. Paul. Grandparents are Ed and Emmy Kvatum of Morris and Carrollynn and the late Clarence Rathmann of Gibbon.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Abs of Steel Sledgehammer Stunt Goes Wrong When you're going to show off your abs of steel make sure your partner... 5/12/2014 11:03:50 AM 16,291 38
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I play through a proxy and the chat doesnt seem to work through that. Anyway to get around this?
Proxies are problems to flash most of the time >:(
make sure on your proxy that scripts are enabled, if that doesn't help i don't know what to tell you


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This is a variation on the classic champagne cocktail was given to us by author and former Gramercy Tavern managing partner Nick Mautone. Any sparkling wine will work, but we prefer demi-sec, which is sweeter than brut.
- 1Hull 6 of the strawberries, cut into small dice, and divide evenly among the glasses. Cut a 1/2-inch slit into the tip of each of the remaining strawberries. Set aside.
- 2Place 1 teaspoon grenadine syrup and 1 ounce strawberry liqueur in each glass. Divide the sparkling wine evenly among the glasses, place the reserved strawberries on the rims of the glasses, and serve.


text:
Dictionary » L » Lumisome LumisomeLumisome (Science: cell biology) SuB-cellular membrane enclosed vesicle that is the site of bioluminescence in some marine coelenterates. Please contribute to this project, if you have more information about this term feel free to edit this page
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The Rotary Club of Oldsmar/East Lake is proud to sponsor the
33rd Annual Armadillo Run
Saturday - March 14, 2015
The race location is at the Oldsmar Public Library:
400 St. Petersburg Drive East, Oldsmar, FL 34677-3655
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT LIBRARY....they are not involved in the race...
Participation in this event helps Rotarians support local charities in the community. Again this year we will be asking for your help in feeding the citizens in our communities by bringing a canned good or non-perishable food item that will be donated to Oldsmar Cares for distribution.
Please check out our pages to find out more information about this fun and scenic race.
Thanks to everyone that participated in 2014!
Visit our Facebook page (and like us) to see pictures and video...share your OWN pictures and video!


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text:
"Great college job "
- Comp & Benefits
- Work/Life Balance
- Senior Management
- Career Opportunities
I have been working at Lodgian
I work part-time at the front desk of a Holiday inn, while attending college. Overall, the atmosphere is great - everyone, from the bottom to the top, is very team oriented.
There are definitely busy times and slow times, though. Weekends from around March through November are usually crazy - lots of weddings and business conferences in our convention center. But even during peak times, the weekdays and weeknights are still pretty low-key. That's awesome for a college student like myself. I finished a lot of homework on the clock! I know that sounds bad, but hey, someone has to man the front desk, even when the hotel is completely dead.
We are independently owned and you can definitely tell by how skimpy the housekeepers are paid, how chintzy the benefits are for full-timers, etc. Also, management has changed so many times around here it's ridiculous. I think we've finally got some good people in place though.
Take better care of your employees and they will likely return the favor and stick around for awhile.
"Low pay, no training, but hey, it's a paycheck. "
- Comp & Benefits
- Work/Life Balance
- Senior Management
- Career Opportunities
I have been working at Lodgian
ProsYou get a paycheck, a small, small, paycheck. There is little to no training, the manager takes training tests for you and lets you know that you got a 100 percent on the computer training. They ask if you want a tour of the hotel so you can explain the rooms and lay out to guests, but then refuse to show you. There is a lot of back stabbing and gossip allowed to go on between assosiates and managers. Overall, a very immature, weakly, run hotel which shows a lot of complacency. They are riding on the Holiday Inn Brand.
ConsAs with many other entry level positions, a lot of work for a little pay. Very multitasking intensive, combined with kissing up to rude patrons. Little to no training.
Advice to ManagementAdviceTrain your people.
Doesn't RecommendNo opinion of CEO -


text: Gyros were fantastic. The sauce had a wonderful light cucumber taste to it. The salad was fresh and cold and the dressing was very good. My husband and I will definitely be back if we ever come back to Corona. We made a special stop on the way to the airport, did not disappoint.


text:
- Index
- » Baseball Discussion
- » Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
Weekend Series
April 25, 2008
Weekend Series Forecasts: Final weekend of April 2008
There are 13 series going this weekend in the bases that run from Friday thru Sunday and, of course, all of these are three-game series. The other two series (the Orioles/White Sox plus the Yankees/Indians) run from Friday through Monday and are four-game series. We will write a very quick piece on each one as being concise here is the key in covering all the weekend series in one fell swoop! However, note the betting angle here; if we see any particular value we will point it out as something to consider. Now, "Let's Play Ball":
New York Yankees @ Cleveland – After a 13-2 home loss to Detroit last Wednesday, Indians manager Eric Wedge called for a closed door meeting. Since then the Indians are 5-2 and they've averaged over 8 runs per game in the 5 wins! The Yankees offense is also heating up as they've scored 63 runs in their last 10 games However, they've also allowed 57 runs over that same stretch. However, their bullpen still holds an edge over that of the Indians and this series would not surprise if it ended up being a 2-2 split. Look for plenty of offense though in this one, at least until the weather turns ugly Monday (according to forecasts).
Los Angeles Angels @ Detroit – Another match-up of two solid offenses. The Tigers have finally got their offense going and it's been in a big way! Detroit, after back to back shutouts on the 12th and 13th, has scored an average of nearly 8 runs per game in their last 11 games! Not surprisingly, their 8-3 during this red hot offensive run! As for the Angels, they're also on an 8-3 run. Los Angeles has done more of their damage with the pitching but there's nothing wrong with averaging 5.5 runs per game which is exactly what their offense has done during this stretch. Their bullpen also seems to have settled down finally too. A slight lean toward the Angels taking two of three in this series but, the way the Tigers are hitting, a look at the Overs throughout this series may be the better way to go.
Boston @ Tampa Bay – Even though the Red Sox have lost two straight, this is another red hot offense. Boston had gone 10-1 before losing two straight. In their last 13 games they've averaged 6.5 runs per game but they could be surprised by the pitching down in Tampa Bay. Believe it or not, the Rays bullpen has a 2.49 ERA this season which is good enough for the top spot in all of baseball. Tampa Bay comes into this series 4-1 their last 5 and has allowed an average of just 3.3 runs per game in these five games. The Red Sox could have their hands full this weekend.
Minnesota @ Texas – This one could turn into a battle of attrition. The Twins have lost 7 of their last 11 and have scored just 3.3 runs per game as their anemic offense continues to disappoint. Things are no better for the Rangers as Texas has lost seven straight and averaged just 3.4 runs per game. We are not likely to be too involved with this "ugly" series.
Toronto @ Kansas City – After being an early season surprise and sitting at 9-6 on the season, it take long for the Royals to return to their losing ways! Kansas City has now lost seven straight and their bullpen, earlier ranked #1 among the 30 teams, has quickly fallen off and now ranks in the lower third of MLB! The Royals have allowed an average of over 8 runs per game in their 7 game losing streak! Can Toronto take advantage? It's actually unlikely. They've lost 7 of their last 9 games as the whole Frank Thomas incident certainly didn't help the clubhouse! The Jays have averaged just 3.3 runs per game in their last 9 games and this one, just like the Twins and Rangers, could be another "ugly" series.
Baltimore @ Chicago White Sox – The Orioles, unlike the Royals, have managed to maintain consistency after their strong start to the season. They've won six of their last ten and their bullpen ranks 5th among the 14 AL teams in terms of their relievers ERA so far this season. However, the Orioles have been held to five runs or less in 13 of their last 18 games! They will be facing a White Sox team that has been "clutch" this season as the ChiSox have hit .326 (tops in all of baseball) with runners in scoring position so far this year! Look for the White Sox to take 3 of 4 in this series as, home field edge and clutch hitting will be the key advantages. The pitching of these two teams is roughly equal.
Oakland @ Seattle – Like the White Sox, the Athletics hitting has been "clutch" this season as they are 2nd among all 30 teams in terms of batting average with runners in scoring position. The A's are red hot on offense right now and that, coupled with the winning, breeds a lot of confidence a the plate. It would not surprise if the A's take two of three in Seattle. Oakland is 13-06 after starting the season just 1-3. Once they recovered from opening the season in Japan, the A's have been a pleasant surprise this season. Their offense was expected to be a significant weakness but they've now averaged over 5 runs per game in their last 19 games. The Mariners are 5-6 their last 11 and they've been held to five runs or less in eight of those games. However, they did sweep a two game set in Oakland earlier this week and that means it's "revenge time" for the A's up in Seattle this weekend. As noted previously, it would not surprise if the A's take two of three here. They are playing very well right now!
Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh – The Phillies have won four of their last five and how hot will they be when Rollins and Victorino are back? Plus, what about when Howard starts hitting? The fact is this team is simply loaded offensively and not many teams would be surviving as well with two speedy starters out of the lineup plus a slumping slugger. The Phils have averaged nearly six runs per game in their last eight games and their bullpen is the tops in the National League! The Pirates bullpen ranks as 2nd to last in the NL and this series should see the Phillies easily take two of three. Pittsburgh has lost 7 of their last 9 and they're averaging just 3.1 runs per game during this poor stretch. Phillies will take advantage! Friday's game is a little tough to call but Phils should take this series and might possibly get the sweep.
Atlanta @ New York Mets – Key NL East battle but the Mets are slumping. New York has lost four of their last five and they've averaged just 3.6 runs per game during the slide. The Braves have won six of their last eight and could take two of three in this series but we'll probably remain in the dugout on this one as this one is a little tough to call based on the projected pitching match-ups.
Chicago Cubs @ Washington – The Nationals have now won two of their last three but they previously had lost 15 of their last 17. In other words, we have very little faith in Washington at this point! The Cubs have won 14 of their last 18 and, on the surface, this looks like the mismatch of the weekend. The key here is that there will be some line value with Chicago because they're on the road. However, tread carefully here, Odalis Perez and John Lannan are both capable of giving strong outings for the Nationals and, at home, the Nats could possibly have upset potential in this series.
Florida @ Milwaukee – Good luck to the Brewers pitchers in this one. Florida is second only to Philadelphia in terms of home runs this season. They also are second only to Arizona in terms of slugging percentage so far this season. As you can see, the Marlins have established themselves as one of the most powerful offenses in the league so far this season. A surprise? Yes! Something we should brush off as a fluke? Absolutely not. Even without Miguel Cabrera, there are some solid young hitters in this lineup! However, the Marlins could have their hands full with the Brewers this weekend. Milwaukee is 6-4 at home and they've also been getting the job done in recent games as they've won five of their last eight overall.
Houston @ St Louis – You may look at their lineup and scratch your head but, the fact is, the Astros offense is suddenly one of the hottest in all of baseball! Houston has won five straight and averaged over 8 runs per game. However, they are now running into a St Louis team whose team ERA ranks them at 4th among all 30 MLB teams. The Cardinals though have suddenly run into some pitching difficulties as they've allowed 7 or more runs in three of their last five games. That makes this a tough series to call because it's difficult to go against the Cardinals at home but the Astros offense is too hot to fade. Looks like a "stay away" for us.
Arizona @ San Diego – These teams just met in Arizona and not a single game was close. The Diamondbacks took two out of three and the winning team scored at least nine runs in every game. However, things tend to be much different in pitcher friendly San Diego. The Padres generally can rely upon their pitching to win them games at home. However, this season their bullpen has been rocked and San Diego just doesn't have the offense to overcome that. Looks like the better offensive team (the Dbacks) should take two out of three here. Webb versus Peavy on Sunday should be a great pitchers' duel!
Cincinnati @ San Francisco – Another ugly series match-up here like a couple of others we've noted above. The Reds have lost 10 of 13 and the Giants have won two straight but previously had lost five of their last seven. Even though San Francisco is now 4-5 their last 9, they've averaged LESS than 3 runs per game during this stretch. We will be hard pressed to get involved at any point in this series. It's just too tough to trust either team!
Colorado @ Los Angeles Dodgers – The Rockies are coming off of a win Thursday but they had previously lost four straight games. The Dodgers have won two straight just once this season since winning their first two games of the year. While there is not a lot of consistency with the Dodgers, the Rockies have been very streaky. The key this weekend could be the pitching match-ups which seem to favor the Dodgers. Even though Los Angeles isn't known for its run production, before yesterday's loss the Dodgers had scored 8 runs or more in 5 of their last 11 games. The Rockies pitching staff should fare better in Los Angeles but it's hard to ignore the fact that, before yesterday's win, Colorado had allowed 7.5 runs per game in losing four straight games here. The Dodgers should win two of three in this series!
Good luck this weekend as, in addition to enjoying the second weekend of the NBA Playoffs (plus Round Two of the NHL Playoffs), we will also have much to enjoy at the diamonds with these series match-ups! Best of luck always – Scott Rickenbach
Re: Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
MLB weekend cheat sheet
The 2008 MLB season closes out its first month of play this weekend and with it comes a few intriguing matchups worth noting.
In the National League, the Braves travel to the Big Apple to battle the Mets while the heavy-hitting Diamondbacks duel with the pitching-strong Padres in San Diego. On the American League front, the Yankees and Indians meet in Cleveland in a rematch of last year's playoffs while the Oakland A's take on the Mariners in Seattle in a West Division battle.
Here's our take on these series (all pitcher records are team starts unless noted otherwise):
Atlanta at NY Mets
Most Recent Series Result: Mets 5-3 last eight games
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Mets 6-4 last 10 here
Key Day/Month Stat: Braves 5-1 last six on Fridays
Best Arm in the Series: Perez 4-1 last five at home
Worst Arm in the Series: James 0-3 10.19 ERA here
Arizona at San Diego
Most Recent Series Result: Diamondbacks 4-1 last five games
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Padres 4-1 last five here
Key Day/Month Stat: Diamondbacks 14-2 last 16 Saturdays
Best Arm in the Series: Peavy 7-1 3.50 last eight here
Worst Arm in the Series: Young 0-5 6.32 ERA last five
NY Yankees at Cleveland
Most Recent Series Result: Yankees 9-3 last 12 games
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Yankees 5-2 last seven here
Key Day/Month Stat: Yankees 2-17 last 19 Fridays in April
Best Arm in the Series: Mussina 6-2 last eight starts
Worst Arm in the Series: Sabathia 2-7 6.94 ERA career
Oakland at Seattle
Most Recent Series Result: Mariners 6-0 last six games
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Athletics 12-7 last 19 here
Key Day/Month Stat: Athletics 0-7 away on Sundays
Best Arm in the Series: Harden 5-0 0.58 ERA here
Worst Arm in the Series: Bedard 0-4 4.74 home
Re: Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
By Brad Young
**Phillies (Kendrick) at Pirates (Morris)**
-Caesars Palace lists Philadelphia as a $1.25 road 'chalk' over Pittsburgh, with the total set at 10 'over' (minus $1.20). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.
-Philadelphia pitcher Kyle Kendrick (1-2, 5.59 ERA) heads to the hill searching for his first victory since April 4 after going 0-2 his last three outings. The 23-year-old escaped with a no-decision against Colorado Monday after allowing five runs on eight hits (two home runs) with two walks and two strikeouts over five innings.
-The Phillies eventually won that game as a $1.10 road underdog, 9-5, while the combined 14 runs toppled the 10½-run closing total. The 'over' is 3-1 his four starts this season.
-Kendrick beat the Pirates last year as a $1.35 home favorite, 5-1, while the combined six runs went 'under' the 10-run closing total. The right-hander was reached for the lone run on six hits (one home run) with a walk and four strikeouts over seven innings.
-Pittsburgh's Matt Morris (0-3, 9.15 ERA) continues to struggle after falling to Florida Monday as a $1.03 home 'chalk,' 10-4. The right-hander lasted just four innings, surrendering eight runs on nine hits (two home runs) with a walk and two strikeouts.
-The combined 14 runs eclipsed the 10-run closing total, helping the 'over' cash his third consecutive start.
-Morris went 2-0 against the Phillies last year in two starts, going a combined 13 innings while yielding two runs on nine hits with six walks and four strikeouts. The Pirates prevailed as a $1.02 home favorite, 6-2, and as a $1.30 road underdog, 13-0.
**Rockies (Redman) at Dodgers (Penny)**
-Caesars Palace opened Los Angeles as a $1.80 home favorite over Colorado, with the total set at eight 'over' (minus $1.20). This National League West matchup is scheduled to start at 10:10 p.m. ET.
-Colorado's Mark Redman (2-1, 5.23 ERA) picked up a no-decision against Philadelphia Monday despite allowing four runs on six hits (three home runs) with no walks and five strikeouts over five innings.
-The Rockies eventually dropped that contest as a $1.13 home 'chalk,' 9-5, while the combined 14 runs toppled the 10½-run closing total. The 'over' has cashed his last three starts.
-The southpaw received a no-decision in his lone start against the Dodgers last season, tossing five innings while yielding four runs on seven hits (one home run) with a walk and a strikeout. The Rockies eventually prevailed as a $1.17 home favorite, 9-8, while the combined 17 runs went 'over' the 11-run closing total.
-Los Angeles counters with right-hander Brad Penny (3-2, 2.67 ERA) who enters this contest riding a personal two-game winning streak. The nine-year veteran upended Cincinnati Monday as a $1.35 road 'chalk,' 9-3, allowing one run on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings.
-The combined 12 runs eclipsed the nine-run closing total, enabling the 'over' to cash his last three starts.
-The 29-year-old went 2-0 against Colorado last year in five starts, tossing a combined 28 1/3 innings while surrendering 12 runs on 24 hits (three home runs) with 16 walks and 13 strikeouts. The Dodgers prevailed as a $1.50 home favorite, 3-0, a $1.40 road 'chalk,' 5-4, and as a $1.38 home favorite, 4-3, while losing as a $1.38 road 'chalk,' 6-5, and as a $1.35 home favorite, 9-7.
**Red Sox (Buchholz) at Rays (Jackson)**
-Caesars Palace installed Boston as a $1.30 road 'chalk' over Tampa Bay, with the total listed at 10 'under' (minus $1.15). This American League East contest is slated to start at 7:05 p.m. ET.
-Boston pitcher Clay Buchholz (1-1, 4.79 ERA) beat Texas Monday as a $1.53 home favorite, 8-3, for his first victory of the year. The 6-foot-3 hurler tossed six scoreless innings on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
-The combined 11 runs toppled the 10-run closing total, enabling the 'over' to improve to 3-1 his four starts.
-Buchholz, a two-year veteran, has never started against the Rays during his brief major league tenure.
-Tampa Bay pitcher Edwin Jackson (2-2, 4.63 ERA) has dropped his last two starts after falling to Chicago Sunday as a $1.20 home 'chalk,' 6-0. The 6-foot-3 right-hander lasted just 4 1/3 innings while surrendering six runs on seven hits (one home run) with three walks and four strikeouts.
-The six runs failed to topple the 9½-run closing total, helping the 'under' improve to 4-0 when he's pitching.
-Jackson went 2-1 against Boston last season in four starts, going a combined 22 1/3 innings while being tagged for 14 runs on 27 hits (two home runs) with 12 walks and 19 strikeouts. The Rays triumphed as a $1.70 home underdog, 2-1, and as a $1.55 home 'dog, 5-4, while losing as a $2.00 road 'dog, 7-5, and as a $1.90 road 'dog, 5-4.
**Twins (Baker) at Rangers (Feldman)**
-Caesars Palace lists Minnesota as a $1.10 road favorite over Texas, with the total set at 10 'under' (minus $1.20). This matchup is scheduled to begin at 8:05 p.m. ET.
-Minnesota pitcher Scott Baker (2-0, 3.51 ERA) is off back-to-back no decisions after Sunday's affair with Cleveland. The Oklahoma State product went seven innings, allowing one run on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
-The Twins eventually won that contest as a home 'pick,' 2-1, while the combined three runs never seriously threatened the nine-run closing total. The 'over' had cashed his previous two starts.
-Baker, a four-year veteran, did not start against the Rangers last season.
-Texas right-hander Scott Feldman (0-0, 4.50 ERA) picked up a no-decision in his lone start April 13 against Toronto. The 6-foot-5 hurler was reached for three runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts over six innings.
-The Rangers eventually dropped that affair as a $1.35 home underdog, 5-4, while the combined nine runs slithered 'under' the 9½-run closing total.
-Feldman, a four-year veteran, did not start against the Twins the past few seasons.
Re: Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
Arizona (17-6) at San Diego (9-15)
Micah Owings (4-0, 2.42 ERA) goes for his fifth straight win to start the season when he leads the red-hot DBacks against Justin Germano (0-2, 5.01) and the slumping Padres in the middle game of a weekend series at Petco Park.
Arizona, which owns baseball's best record, took Friday's series-opener 5-1, improving to 16-4 in its last 20. The DBacks have now scored at least four runs in 19 of their last 20 games, and they're also 8-4 on the road this year.
San Diego is in the midst of an ugly slump, having lost five in a row and nine of its last 10. That includes five straight home losses during which the Padres have scored a total of six runs. In fact, Bud Black's squad has produced those six runs over their last 66 innings at Petco, and they've scored three runs or fewer in 16 of their 23 contests overall.
These teams met last weekend in the desert, with Arizona taking two of three. Dating to last year, the Diamondbacks are on a 5-1 run against the Friars. However, San Diego is still 4-2 in the past six meetings at Petco.
Owings, who was just 8-8 with a 4.30 ERA in 29 games (27 starts) in his rookie season last year, is off to a fantastic start to 2008, allowing a total of seven runs in 26 innings, lasting at least six innings in every start. He's also 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two road starts.
Owings faced San Diego three times last year. He got rocked in the one outing at home (five runs allowed in three innings of a 10-2 loss), but was brilliant in two starts at Petco Park, giving up one run in each contest on a total of seven hits over 13 innings, winning 9-5 and getting a no-decision in a 3-1 Arizona loss.
Germano was outstanding in his first three starts, giving up just three earned runs in 20 innings (1.35 ERA). But his last time out in Houston, the right-hander got destroyed, yielding 10 runs on 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings, falling 10-3. San Diego is 0-6 in Germano's last six starts dating to last September, including 0-3 at home. Going back further, the Pads are mired in the following slumps with Germano on the hill: 5-17 overall, 2-9 at home and 3-13 against the N.L. West.
In Germano's two home outings this year, he's posted a 2.08 ERA, but San Diego lost 7-1 to the Dodgers and 10-2 to Colorado. Also, he went 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in four games (three starts) against Arizona in his rookie season last year.
The over is 6-3 in Germano's last nine starts overall and 9-3 in his last 12 starts at home, but the under is 5-2 in Owings' last seven.
The over is 10-3-1 in Arizona's last 14 overall, and 6-1-1 in the last eight series meetings between these teams. However, the under is now 10-3 at Petco Park this season, including 7-1 in the last eight.
N.Y. Yankees (12-12) at Cleveland (11-12)
A pair of young pitchers face off at Progressive Field late this afternoon, as struggling Yankees right-hander Ian Kennedy (0-2, 9.64) opposes Cleveland's Jeremy Sowers (1-6, 6.42 ERA in 2007), who is set to make his season debut.
New York dropped Friday's series opener 6-4, falling to 3-4 on its current road trip. That 3-4 mark continues a season marked by inconsistent play, as Joe Girardi's club has not won or lost more than three straight games all season. Also, the Yanks are now 5-4 at home and 7-8 on the road.
The Indians have rebounded from a 3-10 slump to win six of their last eight, including the last four in a row. However, since opening the season with two home wins, the Indians have lost six of nine at Progressive Field.
New York had an eight-game regular-season winning streak against Cleveland snapped in Friday's defeat. It was also the Yankees' first regular-season loss in Cleveland in their past six outings. However, Cleveland won the games that mattered most in last year's postseason, knocking out the Yanks in four games in a best-of-5 Divisional round series.
Kennedy has just one quality outing in three starts this season, and he lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his most recent outing a week ago today in Baltimore. In that contest, he gave up four runs on five hits and five walks, taking a 6-0 loss. He's 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA in two road starts. Finally, this is Kennedy's first career start against the Indians.
The Indians went just 4-9 in Sowers' 13 starts last year, including 1-3 at home. The southpaw was 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in those four home outings.
Sowers lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his one start against New York last year, giving up six runs on nine hits in a 9-2 defeat at Yankee Stadium. However, in 2006 at home, he held the Yanks to two runs on six hits in seven innings, winning 5-2.
The over is 8-3 in Sowers' last 11 starts (3-0 at home) and 2-1 in Kennedy's three outings this season. The over is also 10-3-1 in the last 14 meetings between these squads and 4-0 in the Yankees' last four overall. Finally, the Indians have topped the total in three of their last four.
Re: Saturday's MLB Tip Sheet
Saturday's best MLB bets
By COVERS.com
New York Yankees at Cleveland -105, 10½
In spite of Eric Wedge's assertion that Jeremy Sowers is "not the same guy from '07", bettors might want to be wary of the 24-year-old making his debut in the Cleveland rotation this season. He's a former No. 1 draft pick, but he didn't look like it last year when his location got lost somewhere on Route 66 and he was bounced from the rotation before the playoffs. Now he's got to try to prove himself in front of a national television audience against the New York Yankees' bats.
New York will put Ian Kennedy on the mound. He's in a similar position as Sowers was last year: a sophomore big leaguer learning that it's a lot tougher to deal with professional hitters after they've had a season to get to know your stuff. His 0-2 record and 9.64 ERA are testament to that.
Pick: Over
Oakland at Seattle -145, 8½
So far, the Mariners haven't gotten their money's worth from Erik Bedard. The M's signed the left-hander to a one-year, $7 million contract, but so far he's pitched only 11 innings this season. He will make his third start of 2008 after a stint on the DL due to inflammation in his hip. As good as Bedard is, these injury problems have prevented him from getting in a rhythm and at a price like this, it's worth a bet that he won't be in top form in his first start since April 9.
The A's are on a bit of a hot streak, winning six of their last seven games. Their bullpen has been outstanding and the addition of Frank Thomas, who was picked by Oakland up after being released by Toronto, should inject some much-needed power into the lineup.
Pick: Oakland
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text: Harve3 , before dissing anyone you might want to talk to any woman who has ever been pregnant about the likelyhood of having your water break , then finishing a speech , taking a ride to the airport and going on a long plane ride . If those had truely been the circumstances the child would no doubt be named " Boeing " or " Sky " because that is where he would have been born . It would also show questionable judgement at best on her part . You also question JudyB's choice of new's sources , I have heard the same thing and I didn't read the article she mentioned , I would venture other readers have also . May I inquire where you get your information and if you can show me a rebuttal of the story ? I would love to know who you find a reputable source ?


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