Made over the last few months. Feel free to use. Comment = love.

Take That x 1
Star Trek x 13
Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto x 1
William Shatner x 1
Leonard Nimoy x 14 (credit to vengefuldemon69 for the Mission Impossible icon bases)
Christopher Reeve x 11 (thanks to rizny for The Muppet Show screencaps)

Preview:



( Click for Icons )

So today was Stephen Gately's funeral. I've not seen any of the news coverage apart from some photos on the front pages of the tabloids. I hope it gave family and friends some closure. The Daily Mail should be ashamed - its made ma ashamed. I'm reluctant to link this because it deserves no publicity but this piece of homophobic journalism from the newspaper discussing Gately's death just makes me ashamed and sad, and angry that something like this would be published in 2009. It has apparently provoked a great number of complaints to the PPC which does help restore my faith in much of the British public's own attitude towards homosexuality. And thank you Charlie Brooker for shredding the journo to bits as is deserved with this article. What did Stephen ever do to you Jan Moir?! Gately's death last weekend threw me slightly because I was already trying *not* to get sad at the fact that last weekend also marked 5 years since the death of Christopher Reeve. So when I saw the Superman "S" tattoo that the remaining members of Boyzone have got in memory of Stephen, I couldn't help but think of Reeve again. :( There's a time to remember, and a time to move on... I've said all I will say on Gately - as a Boyzone fan I will miss his music and Reeve is never far from my mind as an inspiration :)

In honor of what would've been Christopher Reeve's birthday today I present a pic spam!



But I have another motive. Before you click on the cut please consider sponsoring Matthew Reeve. He is running the NYC Marathon in memory of his father to raise money for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Or you could just make a donation direct.

Still need convincing?

Your generous contribution will be put to immediate use supporting work that is changing people's lives every day, like:

The groundbreaking North American Clinical Trials Network, which is moving the most promising spinal cord therapies from the laboratory to the patient.
The NeuroRecovery Network, a group of rehabilitation centers that are pioneering activity-based therapies to help people improve their health, function, quality of life and independence and as a result, open new doors in their lives and careers.
Cutting-edge research projects and international workshops that are exploring exciting promising new strategies for repairing damaged spinal cords.
Quality of Life grants that are improving the lives of individuals and families living with paralysis.

Ultimately, the work that Christopher and Dana began 14 years ago depends on the enduring commitment of people like you. Only with your support can we help people with paralysis lead more active, healthier lives. Only with your help can we make Christopher's dream of curing spinal cord injuries a reality.

Christopher never stopped believing in that goal. I know that you won't either. Please join us in celebrating his birthday by making the one gift he would treasure most -- a tax-deductible donation to further the work of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

SOURCE: Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Ok, now for the fun :)

( The idea is that you get another chance – in life, in relationships – if you’re open to it. If I never go anywhere again, this will have been worth it. )

Had enough yet? Want more....? Ok....

( For everyone who thought I couldn’t do it… for everyone who thought I shouldn’t do it… for everyone who said, ‘It’s impossible’… see you at the finish line! )

If you enjoyed that please comment :) And If you know someone else who might enjoy this pic spam - pimp away! or why not comment and link your own :)

Man if only these two could've worked together (in anything frankly). Ok so there are better "vs" fan vids out there but the actor crush appeal on this for me is high ;)



And if you haven't seen it yet, here's a great Brandon Routh vs Christopher Reeve or Superman/Superman Returns fan vid:

Back to work tomorrow. Boo! But have had a nice relaxing holiday. On Thursday after going to the cinema went to Forbidden Planet and had to restrain myself - there are some awesome Star Trek TOS action figures in stock. Instead I came out with graphic novels of Superman, The Boys, and Star Trek. Yesterday I met up with Lorraine for coffee and a chat. She is really annoyed that itv have lost the rights to the next season of Supernatural as she is a massive fan. She doesn't have internet access at home so is reliant on the TV networks to watch.

Holiday tick list update:

Lie in!
Gym x 3 (over 5 days people not per day!)
Cook Something New
Read - I Am Spock - Leonard Nimoy
DVD - Kid Monk Baroni
Cinema - Ice Age 3
Cinema - Moon
Cinema - Harry Potter
Museum visit?
LJ - Sort Memories
LJ - Sort Tags
LJ - New Layout
LJ - New Profile?
LJ - Sort Communities?

Other things may crop up...

KEY: Not started / Done / In Progress.

Leonard Nimoy's autobiography I am Spock is a great read. I'd recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the character or Nimoy himself. There's some nice insight into Nimoy's creative processes, and his love for the character of Spock is obvious. The memo's written between him and Desilu - Star Trek's production company regards expenses relating to replying to fan mail and fan clubs is one the funniest spats I've read. In the same way that I wish I'd been old enough to see Christopher Reeve perform on stage, the same is true for Nimoy. Having read both autobiographies they seem to have a similar approach to their creative work in acting and directing. Also thanks to majestic_shriek I managed to get a copy of Nimoy's Baffled to watch in all of its 1970s glory :)

( July 19th 2009 )

^ My London Film & Comic Con swag. I also bought Superman II trading cards. Which means I now own the sets for Superman Returns, Superman II, and Superman III. :)

Wasn't sure if we would make it but thankfully missy_manic felt well enough after hospital visit to go to London Film and Comic Con. I really hope that she does not have a repeat experience of what happened last time for her own sake and me as paranoid/caring friend spent today making sure she was ok hopefully without being too obvious about (will be if she reads this LOL). Was nice to bump into you justtracy :)

( Red Dwarf - Starbug Smart Car )

( Davros )

( Christopher Reeve autographs )

^ Pretty pricey. That said autographs without a memory don't have much appeal to me. I got to be in the same room as the guy before he passed away, that's a priceless memory :D

Today is also one of the last days before my cousin Juliet leaves for New Zealand - possibly for the long run. Whilst we usually only meet for family occasions I still wish her all the best and hope to see her soon. And i hope my mum was able to give her my card today. I will call and find out tomorrow.

( June 24th 2009 )

^ Look who was in the dating section of the London Paper for er... Specs Appeal. I must be one of the few people who sees glasses and thinks secret identity. I told this joke to my optician - that nobody would recognise me with my glasses - went straight over her head.

Aww this news made me kinda sad. Starlog magazine is to stop publishing - and exist only online. I've bought a few of the Superman related covers, (including the one you see in the rather retro-cool commercial below) at comic cons over the last few years. I had no idea it was the first to publish a photo of Christopher Reeve as Superman when I bought it though! Cool!

HOW DID I MISS THIS AWESOME NEWS?! x-posted to reeve_stillme



And from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation site:

The landmark legislation, which enjoyed bi-partisan support, will promote collaborative research, rehabilitation and quality of life initiatives for millions of Americans living with paralysis and spinal cord injuries. It was introduced in the Senate by Tom Harkin (D-IA), who worked closely together with Christopher and Dana Reeve to promote expanded research and quality of life for people living with paralysis, particularly spinal cord injuries.
Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Reeve Foundation, remarked, "In less than one month, with swift action, President Obama has twice expedited the promise of hope of medical research for so many. We commend his continuing commitment to improving the lives of millions living with paralysis."
........

Wilderotter concluded, "Advancements are made every day in spinal cord injury research, but the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act will speed progress and make research efforts more efficient."
The Act has three components that support and enhance paralysis research, rehabilitation, and quality of life programs:
Paralysis Research - Expands research on paralysis at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This will encourage collaborative research by connecting scientists conducting similar work to further enhance understanding and speed discovery of better treatments and cures.
Paralysis Rehabilitation and Care - Builds on research to enhance daily function for people with paralysis, including a Clinical Trials Network, to measure effectiveness of certain rehabilitation tactics and encouraging shared findings on paralysis to improve rehabilitation.
Improving Quality of Life for Persons with Paralysis and Other Physical Disabilities - Works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of persons with paralysis and other physical disabilities.

This is a HUGE achievement and step forward towards the goals of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. :D :D :D I hope they had a party, and I hope Chris and Dana up there did too.

kalalanekent asked for more photos of the Daily News building in NYC, aka The Daily Planet in Superman Reeveverse so here goes starting with a video in the direction Clark and Lois walk in the lobby because yes I'm *that* geeky ;)


Enjoy :)







( Swell?!...there are very few people left in the world who feel comfortable using that word. )

I still have my camera phone photos to post from NYC trip...

Superman fans how could I go to NYC and not visit The Daily Planet building? Better known to New Yorkers as The Daily News building. That's exactly how I started day 5. Followed by a trip to the Guggenheim via Central Park. At the Guggenheim was a bit of drama that caused a small fall out between me and Phil. Unknown to me he'd been feeling unwell all morning but failed to tell me. So when he'd spent 20 minutes in the toilet at the museum I start to get a concerned for his well being. I knock on the door to check he's ok, not sure if I hear his response or not. So now I'm getting really worried. I get security to check. They confirm he's answered their knock on the door so he must be ok right? But then 35 minutes have passed and he's still in there? So security walking past checked again. He tells them he's fine. Another 5 mins and he comes out and admits to me he'd vomited and been sick. I'll spare you the details but that was a worrying 35 mins for me - I felt a responsibility and was scared something horrible had happened - fainted, unconscious even... He admited that his pride meant he'd decided not to tell me anything beforehand. Had I known I'd of happily let him be for 30 mins but I didn't know! Anyway a few hours later we were laughing about it. Thankfully whatever was in his system had got out. He admits part of it was probably nerves for the helicopter ride that afternoon. (and he'd been telling me he wasn't nervous *shakes head*). He made it to his helicopter ride and loved it so that's something :)

After the helicopter ride we went to Madison Square Garden just as it was nearby. Not much going on during the day however. Then we decided to go back to midtown area and do some shopping for friends, family etc. We were both starting to feel the strain of non-stop moving round NYC for our fifth day so took a fairly early night after Phil treated me to a cake and a coffee at Roxy's as a thank you for guiding him round NYC on his first ever visit. Your welcome Phil :) I heart NYC so was happy to do it.

( March 22nd 2009 - NYC Day 5 - If this doesn't make you hum the William's Superman theme nothing will )

( Central Park )

( Guggenheim Museum )

stolen from kalalanekent.

All Batman, Superman, Christopher Reeve, Michael Keaton fans need to watch this brilliant World's Finest fan trailer. I love it.

Keaton/Reeve FTW! :D

Obama - I think you just made Superman's day. Am talking about this piece of news:

Paralysed patients will this summer become the first people in the world to receive a therapy based on human embryonic stem cells, in a study that promises to open a new era for medicine, The Times has learnt.

The first human trial of the technology, which has huge potential to cure disease yet is considered unethical by “pro-life” groups because it involves destroying embryos, will today be cleared to proceed by US regulators.

The decision marks a sea-change in US government attitudes to stem cells, as President Obama prepares to lift restrictions imposed by President Bush that hampered progress in the field. Mr Obama pledged in his inaugural address to “restore science to its rightful place”, and to end White House obstruction of stem-cell research.

More here.

For those who may be wondering - Christopher Reeve fought tirelessly in favour of such research believing it to be the most promising avenue of science for to help cure paralysis and many other diseases. I hope your smiling up there at this news :D

Spent most of yesterday and the holiday messing with photoshop. Here's the result. Icons preview:



Feel free to use. Comments = love :)

( Frost/Pegg/Wright: Hot Fuzz, Simon & Edgar, The Boat That Rocked, Star Trek )

( Superman: Superman The Movie, Superman II, Superman II The Richard Donner Cut, Superman Returns, Superman Returns cast )

( Christopher Reeve, Take That )

Yes so I was extremely geeky and tweeted whilst watching Superman: The Movie for the first time on blu-ray today. Well I started to, and then kept forgetting - too busy enjoying the film ;)

• 19:58 Watching Superman The Movie on blu-ray for the 1st time :-D x #
• 20:05 Can see the stiching on Jor-El's suit in hi-def! x #
• 20:23 Sunrise in Smallville and the grass - beautiful colours x #
• 20:46 Ooh can see the print design's on Lex's sofa furniture x #
• 20:57 Yay helicopter rescue as good as ever :-) x #
• 22:22 Superman sealing the fault line awesome red glow :-D x #

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fangirlish conclusion: Christopher Reeve as Superman in Hi-Def = heaven.

Also, blu_ray started following me on twitter as I typed - that's spooky - are they filtering tweets containing the word? can you do that?

'Verismilitude' - the appearance of being true or real; likeness or resemblance of the truth, reality or a fact’s probability. Verisimilitude comes from Latin verum meaning truth and similis meaning similar.

Another reason to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame (the other is Christopher Reeve)... finally the man who taught me the above word has got a star. It was director Richard Donner's entire approach to Superman: The Movie. Thanks for making me believe :)

Have been offline most of the week but just caught up with f-list and smiled at the many birthday messages to Christopher Reeve. Glad I'm not the only one who remembered on the 25th. lere8, rizny, kalalanekent, and lironreeve - you all made my f-list full of pretty :)

My birthday message from last year pretty much still sums it up for me.

Still missed.

Here's an interesting article summarising some of the recent criticisms of Superman Returns and thoughts on a sequel. When I'm less sleepy I may add my two cents in the comments if anyone responds.

Redirecting Superman’s flight path
Monday, August 18, 2008, 02:49 PM GMT [

As The Dark Knight rumbles steadily onwards towards a worldwide box-office haul of $750 million, thoughts inevitably turn to the next cinematic instalment of Batman's equally-statured DC Comics stable mate, Superman.

The Man of Steel , of course, returned to screens after a nineteen-year absence in 2006, courtesy of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, but was regrettably not the hit that Warner Brothers were hoping for (although it's $400m worldwide haul was entirely respectable, the film's $270m price tag certainly took the sheen off the bottom line...).

While Singer fulsomely promised fans that he would go "Wrath of Khan" (i.e. more action) for the follow-up - tentatively titled The Man of Steel and due in 2010 - Returns was one of the more critically-divisive superhero movies of recent years. Over at MTV's blog devoted to comic book movies, two of the foremost names relating to Superman in the comics, Grant Morrison and Mark Waid, used their considerable expertise on all things Kryptonian to provide a blunt appraisal of Singer's effort.

Scotsman Morrison, whose vastly entertaining All-Star Superman certainly proved that he knows what makes The Man of Steel tick, felt the film squandered the character's essential appeal: "The idea was to make an American Christ figure, but what they centred on was his weakness," Morrison said. "They made him more a Lamb of God, rather than give us a real powerful Superman. They had too many scenes where he's being kicked to the floor, and that's not Superman. Superman would get up and fight."

Fellow writer Mark Waid, whose Superman: Birthright masterfully provided the character with a re-booted 21st-century origin story, was more pointed: "I so wanted that movie to work," said Waid, "but every choice they made in that movie was wrong. If you're making the movie in a vacuum, and there will be no other Superman movies ever again, go ahead and give him a son. But otherwise, that's a staggeringly awful idea. What are you going to do next? Either the kid has to be a part of his life, or get superpowers, which no one wants to see."

Both agree however, that a total reboot is the way forward. In Morrison's case, he's actually made direct overtures to the studio for the next film, as have other comic book writers Mark Millar, Geoff Johns and Brad Metzler: "I told them, it's not that bad," Morrison said. "Just treat Superman Returns as the Ang Lee Hulk." Waid concurs: "The Hulk has proven the audience will forgive you and let you redo the franchise."

Speaking as both a critic and a passionate Superman fan of 30 years, I am a staunch defender of Superman Returns, which I feel to be cruelly underrated. It's a gorgeous-looking film (if a little dark) and, although Brandon Routh's Superman had the burden of channelling the late, great Christopher Reeve, he did a fine job (If he got to play Superman less humbled and with a commanding presence akin to Reeve's, he'd be great).
Certainly, I am not immune to its various shortcomings, notably that Singer essentially remade Richard Donner's classic 1978 original, albeit with a more melancholic tone. Like Waid (and many others), I too was not a fan of Superman having a child - it's a concept better placed in the comics, where continuity is more malleable - yet, there was something admirably bold about its inclusion in the plot, providing Superman with an emotional conundrum that could not be overcome with great displays of superpowers. (Speaking of that: I defy anyone to tell me that the film's centrepiece action sequence in which Superman rescues the burning 747 wasn't the most vigorously-exciting, pulse-pounding and truly breathtaking action sequence of the last decade.)

The film’s poor financial performance was less to do with the its quality and far more to do with the political climate around the time of its release: a character who is classically referred to as “Defender of Truth, Justice and The American Way” would have been a harder-than-usual sell to an America then confronting the deep contradictions of its own self-image and to foreign markets who were daily being presented with the latest misdemeanours of the Bush administration’s blunt foreign policy, which appeared to be anchored on the phrase “Y’all kin go f*** yerselves...” – hardly a Superman-esque rhetoric.

(In an interesting contrast, The Dark Knight, aside from the fact that it’s a damned good Batman movie and the Ledger curiosity factor, is a film that gains much from post-9/11 considerations of terrorism – strikingly so, in fact.)

Yet Morrison and Waid are quite correct: a reboot is necessary. It’s not just down to the narrative millstone of the kid, which would have to be dealt with in a sequel – it’d be too strange not to. More importantly, this screen iteration of Superman deserves to have an identity of its own, rather than be shackled to Donner’s decades-old version, as daring and effectively nostalgic as that was.

Whatever The Man of Steel ends up as, I fervently hope that the producers fully embrace perhaps the most potent and enduring element of the character: Superman is unabashedly about hope and while many assume that this doesn’t play well in our cynical times, this is precisely what people like about Superman and why he has lasted seventy years with very little change to his creators original design. You can make the film as action-packed as you like, but an angsty Superman will never play as well as one who is a straight-ahead paragon of hope. These days, that’s more appealing than you’d think.

Ultimately, it’s worth remembering the sage observation of another esteemed comic writer, Neil Gaiman, regarding superhero movies: “The closer the film is to the look and feel of what people like about the comic, the more successful it is.” Gaiman feels that this is “something that Warners tends singularly to miss, and Marvel tends singularly to get right.”

Christopher Nolan’s superb Batman films suggest that Warners have wised up. Let’s hope so, because with the superhero movie genre in such vigorous health right now, it deserves to have a truly great film about the greatest superhero of all.

Just one thing: Superman’s costume features red, not maroon.

SOURCE: Danny Graydon, Telegraph

x-posted to reeve_stillme. Here's a gem I found on you tube that might also be of interest to fellow 80s kids on my f-list. Music video for the Bobby Brown single 'On Our Own' from Ghostbusters II. Love 80s music :) And added bonus for the Superman fans - Christopher Reeve is one of the 'celebs' who stops to check out Bobby Brown's skills ;)

proof:





The full video: