There’s a bunch of flap going on, with parents’ groups and the morals police, over the ad campaign for the new season of Gossip Girl. The print ads show sexy photos with the letters OMFG over the image, and the TV ads cut between shots of the characters having sexy time and the letters OMFG. Parents’ groups are outraged by a bunch of letters, stating there’s only one meaning for the letters and that it’s offensive. A rep from the CW says the letters are open to interpretation. CNN has a mini-vid covering the “controversy.”

I think both points of view are silly. The rep is being disingenuous, and the parents are being hypersensitive. It’s just letters in an ad campaign. Personally this is one of those moments where I think parents should spend more time with their kids, if they’re so concerned, and less time going on media junkets.

Oh yeah, and I was really bothered by the assertion that OMFG is an acronym; it’s an initialization. Only initializations that we say as words are acronyms, eg: POSH, SNAFU, NAFTA, etc, not FBI, CIA, or OMFG. Sorry, but you all know I’m pedantic by now. (Editor’s note: I believe the term is abbreviation, as I can’t find “initialization” in my dictionary.)

Besides, what’s the big deal? Obviously OMFG only stands for one thing, Oh My Favorite Giraffe.

Post Script: How ironic that I use the wrong word while being pedantic about word use.  I meant initialism.

Hi ho, all! Thanks for weighing in last week, got some very usable suggestions; in fact, here’s one of them: -verse. No not, let’s sing another -verse, and no, not spy -verse spy, but as a suffix, as in movie-verse. So, I’m thinking the definition of -verse would be: a suffix added to let readers (viewers, etc.) know in which version of canon we’re writing (vidding, making art, etc.). There’s movie-verse, book-verse, comic-verse, tele-verse, and of course candy-verse, where all the characters are made of delicious chocolate and gooey caramel; mmm, I love you, Taffy Potter.

What do you think? Is this the proper definition? Does a suffix deserve its own place in the Glossary? Do you have a favorite -verse to write in, or does it depend on the story/property? As usual, I await your responses with bated breath.

You may know cvalin as the winner of KvP: Round Three. For those of you in the tiny universe of newspaper readers in Los Angeles, you may now know him as one of the winning authors of the LA Times Novel Contest.

LA Times staff members selected Chris’s entry, titled “Hit man has no time to be nursed back to health, as their Chapter 14 winner.

Chris, we are impressed! You were one of our KvP winners with your screenplay, and now you are one of the LA Times’ winners with your story. How do you do it?

TheWeasleyBoys takes a stab at our five fannish questions.

What character in your favorite fandom do you most identify with?

I took one look at this question, and the first character that came to mind was Toph Bei Fong from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I haven’t exactly been born blind, mind you, but for a time as a child, my one eye had trouble focusing. As a result, I would get really stressed out from just about everything, socializing with people included, and then I would get headaches and then get sick to my stomach, etc. (I won’t add any more details here, because the readers might get sick themselves.) So the idea of having to use your other senses to tell what is going on around you kind of always stuck with me, because I would do things like run my hand along a wall when I was walking through the hallway. That, and the fact that I’ve also kind of always been sheltered from childhood onward. I’m not always followed around by a bunch of Orient-inspired mansion guards, of course, but there is a lot of stuff about the world I’d like to see someday… and I’m sure I will.

Who is your favorite creator?

Okay, I have to admit, I’m torn between J.K. Rowling (the author of the Harry Potter series), Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino (the makers of Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Peter Berg (the brain behind Friday Night Lights). All four of these people have done their part to bring new, unforeseen worlds to the general populace; be it a dark dungeon where potions are made, temples where Air Nomads reside, or packed football stadiums where games are won and lost. Each world definitely has its perks, so I can’t say for certain if either of these can be put higher on the list than the others.

What was YOUR first fannish creation?

Oh, here’s the big question I was afraid to answer… LOL!

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Good day to all of you! It’s hot, hot, hot here in Southern California while my friends in Australia complain that they’re freezing. But here at FanLib, it’s pouring buckets on our weekly carousel of featured fics. It’s Rainy Days and Mondays, and it does get a few people down.

Speed Racer premiered in Hollywood this week with a red carpet bash that included several members of the cast of both Friday Night Lights and Moonlight.

Remember, you have until May 13th to enter the FanLib Speed Racer contest where you could win a weekend for two in Hollywood! Entries are beginning to come in, so take a moment to read, rate and review, and you could win some Speed Racer swag, too!

But before Speed Racer hits town, Iron Man bursts on to the big screen. Catch the premiere this weekend then come back here, and tell us what you thought of it. Better yet, write an Iron Man inspired fic, draw a pic, or create a video. We have a feeling this is going to be a big one.

I’m a science fiction fan from way back. My favorite thing about the genre? The sci-fi faniverse is always jumpin’ — Let’s check on the action.

Movies

Next May, J. J. Abrams walks the eleventh movie of the Star Trek franchise to the theater. (Star Trek fans say “duh!”) The official movie site is now up and running. You can chat with other fans, get your FAQs answered, and get updates on the production.

Guillermo del Toro is going to direct the upcoming Hobbit film. I know fans of the book were delighted to hear Peter Jackson had signed on to produce the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m interested to hear what my fellow fans think of del Toro at the wheel of The Hobbit.
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Marphlets takes on that epic journey that is Lord of the Rings!

Whether it’s the delightful books penned by literary great J.R.R. Tolkien, or the blockbuster trilogy spearheaded and directed by Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings (LOTR to fans) is one of the most loved fandoms in any form. In whatever form, it comes in three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

LOTR has inspired fiction writers for decades. Some of today’s top writers claim to have been bitten by the writing bug while exploring Tolkien’s masterpiece. It’s only natural that fan fiction should follow suit. Some fan fiction writers hold to the books as the purest form of the fandom, and therefore write stories about the adventures of the mysterious Rangers or Elrond’s two sons, princes of elves. Still others love the movies above all else and write slash fic about Legolas and Aragorn - or Legolas and anyone for that matter. One of the most touching things about Lord of the Rings fan fiction is the number of epic tributes to the fallen heroes in the story, something I think the author would smile about.
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Slowly I turn, step by step, closer and closer, I’m coming to tell you about member contests. God, how great were Abbot and Costello? Okay, back on track. Here are a bunch o’ member run contests that are ending this week:

There are no contests ending this week. Huh. Go have a “no endings” party!

Submissions open

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At the recent Supernatural con in Los Angeles, Eric Kripke was asked what TV show he would like to do a crossover with. He replied, “Two and a Half Men,” stating that their offices were across from each other at Warner Bros., and he wanted to see Sam and Dean going after that “half man.”

So imagine my surprise when this popped up in the news releases today: AS PART OF A WRITERS’ CROSSOVER, “TWO AND A HALF MEN” AND “CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION” JOIN FORCES ON TWO UPCOMING EPISODES

What? I was sure it was a joke. Well, it is. . . of the sitcom kind. Apparently, two CSI writers wrote this upcoming episode of “Two and a Half Men” where a CSI team investigates a mysterious death at Charlie’s house. CSI’s George Eads will make a cameo appearance. The episode airs on Thursday, May 8 on CBS.

Hmm. . . The CW is a sister company to CBS. . . maybe Kripke wasn’t kidding us after all. . .

Photo: Greg Gayne/Warner Bros ©2008 Warner Bros. Television. All Rights Reserved.

So, we’ve been doing these Word Wednesdays for awhile now, and I’m a little stumped, a little blocked, heck, I’m just stuck. To that end, I put it out to you, our beloved readers. Is there a word not in the Glossary that should be? Is there a word in the Glossary you’d like to see discussed more fully? Heck, do you have a favorite fan term? Feel free to comment here or in the forums. Thanks ever so.

Dare to Dream does just that and also answers our FIVE questions.

What character in your favorite fandom do you most identify with?

I suppose I would identify with Hinata from Naruto the most. I’m really shy and have a panic attack when I talk to the guy I like, and my face is always bright red.

Who is your favorite creator?

I don’t really know how to answer that… But I guess my favorite book would be by Anne McCaffrey.

What was YOUR first fannish creation?

My very first fanfic would be a Naruto one… Kakashi Love story.

What talent would you like to have that you don’t have?

I would have to say singing for this one… I’ve always wanted to sing like my friends, but no one in my family can sing well at all.

What’s something people would never guess about you?

Something people would never guess about me… I’m not really sure. I’m pretty much an open book, according to some of my friends. But if I had to think of something, it would be that I can be a pretty adequate liar if I need to be.

Hello all you FanLibbers!

This past weekend, several members of the FanLib crew set up shop at the New York Comic Con. They offered swag, showed a great fannish video and just generally informed the world that we’ve got a site full of fabulous fan writers, vidders and artists. They had a great time and I’m sure we’ll here more about it once they’re all home and settled in.

Couldn’t go to the con yourself?  Me, either.  So this week’s carousel brings a bit of the con to you with stories from some of the hottest properties represented there.

On the contest front, we’ve got a big one! It’s Speed Racer, just in time for the new live-action movie which hits theaters in May. The winner of this contest will win one of our best prizes yet, a weekend for two in Hollywood and a VIP tour of Warner Brothers Studio. All you have to do is write a story about Speed’s weekend gone wrong and you could win. Visit the Speed Racer Contest page for details and eligibility requirements. Deadline to enter is May 13.

That’s it for now.  Go forth and create!  We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

MissKitten talks about her experience at a recent L Word convention in the U.K.

I love fanfiction. One could say it’s my life, which is probably the case for several other members at this site. However, I have to admit that there is one thing I cherish even more than fanfiction, and that’s conventions. Thanks to a lovely group of girls on a Buffy mailing list I joined back in ‘02, I was introduced to this wonderful fan phenomenon when one of the other girls told us about her first convention experience. In ‘04, I finally got the opportunity to travel to the UK for the first time in my life and attended my first convention (for Buffy/Firefly), and since then I’ve been trying to go to as many as I can.

It’s mid-afternoon on Friday, March 14th and I walk into the conference center of the Thistle Hotel at Heathrow. I am very familiar with this venue, as four out of the six previous conventions I’ve been to have taken place here. I am also familiar with the organizer (Starfury) and how they run cons, as I have only ever attended their events. Read more »

Hey everybody! Boy oh boy, did I have fun today. FanLib is at the New York Comic Con! I hung out with with the crew getting people to sign up for our on site raffle (we’re giving away a PS3 on Sunday) and lettin’ the masses know about the Lib. We met groovy fans, comic creators, saw people who dig on Cosplay, and I got to go see Neil Gaiman read a chapter of his new novel! An excellent day was had by all.

We’ll be there all weekend; if you’re in NY, stop by booth 1167 and say hi

Go Go Team FanLib

DavidBW talks to press

My best gal Mel and a storm trooper.

Me (I’m the pony tail) n’ some Cosplay gals.

And speaking of Cosplay…

And here’s Mel again, with some sort of bee super hero

SNL’s Bill Hader made some very funny remarks introducing Neil Gaiman.

And finally, a lousy picture of Neil Gaiman reading.

He was freaking amazing! The con was super fun! Come visit us! I can’t believe I’m gonna’ say it, look out, oh no… Squeeee!

Man, I am so amped up on fan girl joy… I should go lie down.

Allura99 gives us the facts on the animated series Gundam Wing.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is a mecha anime series that first aired in Japan in 1995. It consists of 49 episodes. It is continued in two OVAs: Endless Waltz and Operation Meteor.

In the series, the nations of Earth have formed the United Earth Sphere Alliance and rule five space colonies. The rule of the Alliance grew harsh. As tensions escalate between Earth and the colonies, the colonies sought for a non-violent resolution led by the pacifist Heero Yuy. However, hope of resolution is dashed when Yuy is assassinated.

Five scientists decide to train young boys to pilot advance mechas called Mobile Suits. Each boy is sent separately to Earth with the mission to bring down the Alliance government, not knowing that the others have been sent with the same agenda. As the pilots encounter each other, they must decide if they are friend or foe.

The Gundam pilots soon find themselves caught up in battles with ever changing enemies. The OZ organization takes over the Alliance government from within while a new pacifist leader emerges in a girl named Relena Darlian. As the battle continues, the war threatens to destroy Earth itself.

The fast-paced action, complex characters and shifting alliances pull you into this series. Much of the fan fiction deals with the complicated relationships between the characters with popular ‘ships being Heero/Relena, Heero/Duo, Duo/Hilde, and Quatre/Trowa. Other stories features a new struggle for peace, the characters in high school, or the typical Mary Sue/Gary Stu of a new pilot in the mix.

Fanfic recommendation:

Check out all of Allura99’s favorites at her profile page.

And here’s one of her own: