Marilyn Manson's Mother Passes Away

I just heard that Marylin Manson's mother passed on:

Marilyn Manson is mourning the death of his mother, Barbara J. Warner, who died Tuesday at the age of 68 after suffering a long battle with dementia.

 An obituary published on the CantonRep.com website notes "Barbara J. Warner, age 68, passed peacefully on Tuesday after a long battle with dementia. She was a wife, lover, mother, and friend who will be missed forever."

 I've been a "fan in absentia" of Marylin Manson ever since his eloquent interview in Michael Moore's "Bowling For Columbine":

Michael Moore: If you were to talk directly to the kids at Columbine or the people in that community, what would you say to them if they were here right now?
Marilyn Manson: I wouldn't say a single word to them I would listen to what they have to say, and that's what no one did.

And:

Marilyn Manson: The two by-products of that whole tragedy were, violence in entertainment, and gun control. And how perfect that that was the two things that we were going to talk about with the upcoming election. And also, then we forgot about Monica Lewinsky and we forgot about, uh, the President was shooting bombs overseas, yet I'm a bad guy because I, well I sing some rock-and-roll songs, and who's a bigger influence, the President or Marilyn Manson? I'd like to think me, but I'm going to go with the President. 

He shoots and scores. 

I don't know how many idiots I've met who confuse pop culture influence with actual political power.  I suppose it's easier to blame an entertainer--Manson, Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton--than buckle down and write ones congress critter or learn how to politically organize.  Manson nails it: his influence on popular culture is unquestionable, but to conflate that influence with the power of passing legislation or declaring war shows the politicians and pundits using Manson as a scapegoat were being deliberately dishonest and obtuse...because they knew better.

All water under the bridge....though I should probably get around to actually listening to Manson's music one day.

Many sympathies for your loss, Sir.   

RIP  Barbara J. Warner.

The Geek Roundup Season Finales: Once Upon a Time, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Grimm

I'm a bit behind on thoughts and reviews I planned, so I'm going to do this lot in one batch before the memory fades:

Remember when you thought you left the gas on? This is worse.

Once Upon a Time: "There's No Place Like Home";  Very Good.  Exits the season with a timey-wimey episode that involves Emma and Hook going into the Pillar of Fire vortex triggered by Zelena's death.(Note to Storybrook residents: when the bad guy or girl you've just defeated makes a construct for their evil scheme  destroy it utterly before going to celebrate at Granny's).

It could have been tedious or rife with bad cliches, but it was all well done, espcially seeing Hook jealous of his past self who also has a thing for Emma.   Robert Carlyle is in good form as old Rumple( Emma re Hook:"You've sorta buried the hatchet." Rumple: "Yes, but why isn't it in his head?"), and it's a relief it takes less time than usual in timey-wimey stories to convince him they're from the future.  Given magic is a reality that makes sense, but writers of genre shows often forget that.(Both Star Trek Voyager and Next Generation had bright spots of awareness).    Rumple and Belle finally marry and I hope I was seeing Rumple replace the fake dagger he tricked Belle with(Bad Rumple!) with the real one so their marriage mostly starts out on the right foot.

It sucks that the woman Emma and Hook rescue from the Regina the Evil Queen turns out to be Regina the pseudo-reformed antihero's boyfriend's formerly dead wife, but this is a chance for the character to grow.   It will be beyond tedious if the writers try to "make her evil" once again.  I suspect Marion is doomed anyway.  Tink may be a rogue fairy, but my impression is the fairy dust itself never lies.  So unless it works only in one direction, Robin and Regina are "meant for each other" in the OUAT universe.  Of course in real life everyone has multiple people that could make long term happy relationships.  It would be a refreshing break for the writers to incorporate this is the OUAT universe:  "Yes, Regina, I feel you're my soul mate, but I love Marion too and, well, she got here first."

I've no clue who this Frosty/Frozen/Snow Queen person is at the end, though fandom appears to be deeply impressed.  Love the idea, Snow Queen, with maybe a bit of Queen Jadis (A blizzard in June?  Strange weather in Storybrooke!), but I'm less impressed with the cheezy blue and sequined dress.  Come on, snow/ice theme villains have a meme that works: white, ice, sparkle.  That's a crystal sparkle not glittery.  Any variation had better be knock your eyes out awesome to pull off.  This just made me think "what"?

Boring place holder while I hunt down the episode for a screenie.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.(last time I type it with periods) first season finale, "Beginning of the End": Out-fracking-satnding.  So much awesome in it I know I need to watch it again for bits I missed.  Highlights include May kicking Ward's ass,  Nick Fury back from the grave,   Deathlock getting free and a quintessential Joss Whedon fake-out playing with our expectations: when the highly modified and motivated Garrett turns out not be be dead and drags himself out of his metal box into the supper soldier machine to modify himself into a near invincible killing machine, he has only enough time to chew the scenery a bit before Coulson blows him away.  Absolutely brilliant.

Also, they seem to be distancing themselves from the hokey HYDRA meme, which is fine by me. They imply Garrett was a rogue, rogue agent, but whatever.  He's just random  atomic particles now.

Aww...it looks so sweet.  You know it can't last.

Grimm: "Blond Ambition"; Very Good.  Joining a line of genre shows(okay, oneish) with not so perfect weddings. The good news is neither Monroe or Rosalee  were visited by a time traveling version of themselves warning them to break off the marriage to save the person they love[Buffy reference].   Neither does Rosalee burst into song.   But what does happen is Adalind goes thru with the de-Grimming program for Nick.  Her "reasons" don't even make sense--"get back at " Nick?  His mum who saved her and her baby.  And  there's no guarantee she'll get her kid back after this.  In fact all she's done is burn bridges with all the people who had some sympathy for her.  It's the only weak bit in this episode:  is Adalind really that stupid and gullible? She must be the charms of the deliciously evil Alex Denisof, who does villain very, very well.  Now, when he's on the screen, I almost never think about that "Rogue Demon Hunter" .

Truble leaps into awesome form, heroically trying to save Nick but, alas, is too late.  It doesn't help when she crashes the wedding and the guests see her as a Grimm and go nuts and break the green potion stuff that would have saved Nick's Grimmness.  I predict next season there will be lots and lots and lots of research at the Magic Box, er, Rosalee's shop.

We're left with a cliff hanger on weather Sean will survive being shot--which almost guarantees he will. Come on, his Hexenbiest DNA has to count for something.  But then that didn't help Adalind's mother and she was just cut with glass.

I'm personally pleased Wu is being set up to come into the Masquerade...and look forward to the royal bitching out he'll give everyone for letting him think he was going crazy.  Except for maybe Hank, they all deserve it.

All is all an enjoyable ep, and solid setup for the next season. 

These three make up for the mixed ending of "The Tomorrow People", which was a victim of that Dark and Sinister Force in the Universe known as their own writers.  Never able to break out of their After School special plotting, they doomed the show, even though the ending hints at a future.  Maybe they think they'll be picked up by Syfy.  The show and actors may deserve a second chance, but the writers need to have that very honest dicussion about their flaws and limits that George Lucas never got when he made "Phantom Menace".

A more worthy candidate for Syfy that was also cancelled in "Almost Human".  Great show, great chemistry, but went out with a whimper on their last episode.  Of course, since Fox played the eps out of order in what fandom understandably suspects was an effort to sabotage the show,  we don't know if that was supposed to be the "last" episode.  I'm willing to give TTP another chance is they find a home, but if there's a choice between TTP and Almost Human is the higher quality show.

Alas, now veiwing will be dry a while as I wait for "Sleepy Hollow", "Doctor Who", and "Walking Dead" to return.  Though there still is "Continuum" to keep me company.  Perhaps now I'll take the time to explore another well talked about show I simply didn't have time for:

"Supernatural"?   "Barely Human"?  Or actually check out "True Blood" or "Game of Thrones"?

We'll see.