It’s a publishing tradition to look back at the year that was — laugh, cry, remember the good times and the bad, and we here at FanLib love traditions as much as anyone, so we’re looking back as well. We’re not really into the whole crying, good times/bad times thing, but we’re always open for a laugh.

Believe it or not, we don’t even have a full year to look back on, as FanLib only opened its doors in March of 2007.  Since then we’ve amassed more than 16,000 submissions and more than 14,000 members.  We started as an all fanfic site and became a place where vidders and artists can share their works as well.  We’ve added features such as user contests and friend-ing, and we’ve grown our forum into a real community of fannish folk. 

Contests have always been a huge part of FanLib, and Kirk vs. Picard was probably our biggest.  We had George Takei and Wil Wheaton and their fabulously funny videos (told you we love to laugh).  We gave away a movie theater for a day and challenged you to write for Harry Potter, Weeds and Dexter, and Battlestar Galactica, just to name a few.  Prizes were handed out in The Biggest Fan Giveaway and many of you received T-shirts with your own featured fic quotes on them.

Featuring you, the FanLib members, has always been the best part of our job.  We love being able to showcase great artists, writers, comment-ers and vidders front and center on the homepage.  And our rotating quotes at the top of each page have become a FanLib trademark. 

It’s been a heck of a journey, and there’s still plenty more to come in the new year.  We hope that you all continue to offer up suggestions and feedback, and that you continue to post, comment and participate in our forum and in our contests.  We’re proud of the community that is FanLib, and we can’t wait to see what the new year has in store for us.

Have a safe and happy New Year from all of us at FanLib!

There’s a movie opening in the US on Jan. 14th, that hasn’t gotten a lot of press, but it seems like it’s right up our collective alley, Fanboys.  Set in the 90’s, Fanboys is the story of a group of friends who embark on a cross country road trip to break into Skywalker Ranch to see Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace prior to its release in theatres.  The cast is chock full of fan fave actors like Kristen Bell, Chris Marquette, William Shatner, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, the list goes on.  I’m pretty sure it’s an indie, so I don’t know how big the release will be, but it looks like fun.

Trekkies is my favorite fan movie… What floats your boats? 

Bum-ba-da-bum: we have a glossary!  So if you’re like me, and you occasionally come across a term you don’t know (Slash?  Wasn’t he the guitarist for GnR?), this is the place for you.  We’re always building here at FanLib, so if we’ve missed a term, or you have a correction or question about a term, please feel free to contact us.  We also have a forum thread for glossary discussions there.

Yay definitions of terms. 

When it comes to the I Am Legend Contest, the news doesn’t stop even though the contest is over!  The originally declared winner did not meet our eligibility requirements, so we had to disqualify him. 

We have a new Grand Prize Winner: Mimsgarden had the next highest vote tally and does meet our eligibility requirements!  The creator of The Legend of the Last Fan gets to take home the Alienware notebook, gift cert to Blick Art, and survival kit. 

I hope to not have to blog about this contest again! 

Google recently released its Zeitgeist, the most searched terms of the year.  Yahoo! did the same, but they just call their report "Top Trends in Search."  On Google, the year’s fastest rising term both in the U.S. and worldwide was "iPhone."  The top five most Googled TV shows were as follows:

1. Heroes
2. Lost
3. House
4. 24
5. Bones

Nothing too surprising there, as those are all popular at FanLib.  Which TV shows, movies, and books did you find yourself Googling (or Yahooing) this past year?

Just a quick one to say happy happy and remind everyone that not only is it Boxing Day - not pugilism, but throwing out - but it’s also the first day of Kwanzaa.  I’d write a haiku, but I’d probably offend someone.  Joy,  Love, and Peace to all! 

It’s that holiday movie time of the year, where the studios release their best and brightest films just in time to make the Oscar nomination list!  Let’s take a look at some of the more ficable films in the bunch.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Ben, Abigail and Riley are back, and this time it’s personal.  Pages from John Wilkes Booth’s diary have shown up, and they implicate Ben’s great-grandfather in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.  Can they unearth the clues needed to reveal the truth about what happened at Ford’s Theater that fateful night?  You bet they can, but not without a lot of heart-stopping action first!  A little romance, a little buddy story, and great fodder for those who love to write about history - National Treasure is supremely ficable!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton - that’s a combo that can’t be beat.  Add a fantastic soundtrack, and you’ve got a winner for both ficcers and vidders!  It may be based on a Broadway play, but there’s no glitz in this movie musical.  Look for dark themes, gory goings-on and another fandom-friendly character for Johnny Depp.   Sing along with me. . . "Swing your razor wide! Sweeney, hold it to the skies.  Freely flows the blood of those who moralize. . ."

P.S. I Love You

Romantic movies aren’t always high on the ficable scale but this one is, due in part to star Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  Both Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy fans have a soft spot in their hearts for the actor, and that alone could drive writers to pen a romantic continuation of this tale about getting on with your life after the death of a loved one.  

And finally, in a completely different vein:

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem

It’s a battle for top dog when the Aliens and the Predators have a throwdown in a small Colorado town.  Now the folks have to decide to choose sides or just hunker down for the duration.  Either way, it’s bound to get messy.  Sci Fi fans will be inspired by this classic monster match-up done B-Movie style.  

To those of you who celebrate Christmas, have a merry one!  May your day be filled with peace, love, joy, and of course, good eats.

We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that Boxing Day (the 26th) at 3 pm PT is the last day to submit your entry into the Battlestar Galactica contest.  If you’ve inhaled more than enough food and opened presents, it’s the perfect time to get creative.

It’s Christmas Eve here in the US, and I hope everyone is having a warm and wonderful time wherever they are (and hopefully you aren’t stuck in an airport!).

Remember that Wednesday is the last day to enter the Battlestar Galactica Razor contest.  If you aren’t submitting, there’s also a prize for the top reviewer, so speak your mind and you could win.

As the new year begins, I wonder what will be the next hot fandom.  National Treasure II and Sweeney Todd both hit theaters this past Friday, and both are ripe for the writing.  In January, the new TV series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is likely to stir up some interest along with the Highlander-style series New Amsterdam.

There’s plenty more coming your way here at FanLib, but remember, we couldn’t do any of it without you!

More holiday madness, this time brought to you by Anna-wa, in the form of a holiday contest.  Write or make almost anything that’s imbued with the seasonal spirit, and the one with the most spirit wins.  It’s so Festivus, the competitive feats and all…

P.S. The days are getting longer again. 

Your creativity continues to rock my xmas world.  Here’s another great FanLib carol, this one by Allura99. 

Wond’ring in a Fanfic Wonderland
Inspired by "Wondering in Winter Wonderland"

Hey, look here!
Are you listening?
Look at the stories
They are listing!
A thrilling fight
Or a romance tonight?
Wond’ring in a fanfic wonderland.

There are more stanzas in the forum.

Congratulations to Hanuman on becoming the Grand Prize Winner of the I Am Legend "Last Fan on Earth" Poster Contest.   The winning entry is titled, "I Will Never Stop Dreaming."  Hanuman wins an Alienware Area-51 m9750 Notebook, a $500 gift certificate to Blick Art Materials, and an I Am Legend survival kit. 

A few of you have discussed the contest rules here at No Hiatus, as well as in the forums. We acknowledge that we could have communicated more clearly about the specifics and will make an effort to be much clearer in our art contests going forward.  Thanks again to all who participated by designing, reviewing, and voting!

If you’re like me, you’ve watched an episode of Heroes and then discussed specific characters’ powers with friends or family.  I remember talking about Maya’s power with my husband a few weeks ago: "Is that really a power?  How much does it suck?"  Well, Christian Hoopes (love the name) at Cracked.com has taken some of my thoughts and put them to the page.  He identifies the losers from Heroes and why it sucks to have their so-called powers in a piece titled, "The 10 Worst Powers to Have on Heroes."  He forgot about Molly.  I would most definitely not want her power!  Anyone else he missed?
 

Ruahforever takes us to a fandom that was created long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. . .  

*   *   *  

On May 25th, 1977, the motion picture Star Wars was released and swiftly became a deeply rooted item in popular culture. For those that grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy it could seem that Luke Skywalker, the maverick Han Solo, and Princess Leia were the main characters; but fans knew with totality it was Anakin Skywalker’s story to begin with. Starting with his introduction as a little boy, Anakin’s desire to become a great Jedi Knight supersedes virtually everything and follows him to adulthood and beyond. This takes him on a journey that is chronicled richly throughout all six episodes. This ultimately leads him to his role as the iconic villain Darth Vader and his ultimate fate in relation to his son, Luke Skywalker. A rich element explored throughout the saga is the father-son relationship and its intertwined, interconnected consequences, often on a galactic scale.

Read more »

Calling all KvP alums!  CNN wants "your take on Star Trek fandom."  They’re looking for photos, video, or audio that show the breadth and depth of Star Trek fans.  Too bad they’re not accepting text.  If you throw your hat into the ring, let us know here!