Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris is famous for her Sookie Stackhouse series of books that has become so popular, it has taken over HBO with its hit show True Blood. As much as I admire her work and the characters she's created, it pains me to say that the latest book, Dead Reckoning, was a huge disappointment. With no plots or reason to write the book, I felt that she was more pressed to get a book out as fast as she could to appease her eagerly awaiting fans then with trying to create a story worth reading. I have read many fan reviews, both positive and negative, and seen numerous four-star ratings, but I feel that people are just giving these ratings because it’s Charlaine Harris. I wonder if they read the same book I did?

I didn’t feel the hype or excitement I usually get with Charlaine's books, or that feeling of wanting to know more about how things are going to turn out.

Cue Spoilers Here.



All we got from the book is to be Eric married to the Queen of Oklahoma and that the marriage between Eric and Sookie will no longer be valid. Eric kills Victor. Pam falls in love with a woman who dies from leukemia. Sandra Pelt finally gets killed in an anti-climactic way, her dead body thrown into a fairy portal. And Sookie breaks the blood bond with Eric. All of this sounds exciting, right?

It wasn’t. It left me feeling empty with no care for the will happen in the next book or imagination as to how she is going to write. The only time I felt any sort of excitement was at the end of chapter twelve, and that excitement was gone almost as quickly as it arrived! It seems as if Charlaine wants you to not anticipate the next installment to this fascinating series and, as a fan since the beginning, this just makes me sad.

Does this mean that I will not read her next book or watch the show anymore? Of course not. The story of Eric and Bill will keep me on my tippy toes, but at what point do you just stop and look at where the story is going? Are fans to blame for being so impatient with wanting to know what happens next or who Sookie will end up with? I’m not exactly sure but I felt Dead Reckoning was just written fast to get a book on the shelves. I hope the next one makes up for it, spending better time on the characters and their relationships, or I may no longer be reading this series.

Advice For The Duggars

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Word Up, Daniel Craig

I really love it when celebrities talk truthfully about other celebrities. Most of the time, a star will gush over someone else, stating “Oh, I love them, they’re so lovely” and we rarely hear anything negative about anyone in Hollywood. How can an entire industry be filled with fantastic people?

But not so with Daniel Craig, who spoke plainly about the Kardashians in a recent interview. And rightly so. As the topic of privacy came up, an ideal that Craig holds dearly, Daniel Craig described the Kardashians as “fucking idiots”.

"Look at the Kardashians, they're worth millions," he continued. "I don't think they were that badly off to begin with but now look at them. You see that and you think 'what, you mean all I have to do is behave like a fucking idiot on television and then you'll pay me millions?'“

Daniel Craig couldn’t be speaking more truthfully. The Kardashians have become famous for…what exactly? Being related to Robert Kardashian, who represented OJ Simpson in his murder case and was able to get the football star acquitted? No. No one paid any attention to the man during that time, up until his death in 2003. Meanwhile, his ex-wife and kids have a reality television show on E!, and selling wedding photos to the tabloids for millions of dollars.

Honestly, good for them. They’re able to make money by just living their lives. However, they need to realize that there’s no going back from that. Everyone has already seen you at home, in your living room, in your bedroom. We’ve witnessed you getting arrested for a DUI on your way home from the club. We’ve seen you sex tape. Kourtney Kardashian is even going so far as to start a ‘Mommy Blog’ (because I'd take child-rearing tips from a Kardashian since they did such a bang-up job). And the longer you go on with this desire to be in the public eye, the harder it will be for you to withdraw.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending the Kardashians. I want them to go away. I even signed the petition to get E! to cancel Keeping Up With the Kardashians and the legions of other shows it’s spawned. While I’m completely aware that it would be completely useless and they will remain on the air for as long as those shows make money, but it still felt good to do it.

While Daniel Craig did point out the Kardashians in his interview, it’s clear that these aren’t the only people he’s annoyed with. Craig knows that his comments won’t be well accepted, and makes a clear reference to the Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of New Jersey when he says “I'm probably going to get visited by people from New Jersey”.

Don’t worry, Dan. Not everyone from New Jersey is an attention whore. We got your back.

SyFy To Make Booster Gold... What Could Go Wrong?

Show your
Booster Gold pride!

Last week, comic book fans were treated to the news that SyFy, the cable channel that used to be SciFi which stood for Science Fiction and made sense at some point, has ordered a pilot for a series based on the DC Comics hero, Booster Gold. I'm mostly torn on this news. While it's a good thing that comic characters are getting more exposure, it's still SyFy.

While SyFy (God, how I hate typing that) do have a real respect for their material, they don't always get things right. They have a few hit shows, like Ghost Hunters, which has rapidly declined in years, Alphas, an otiginal show about super-humans which has just been renewed for a second season, and a remake of the BBC show, Being Human, but most of what they air is trite and nonsensical.

Let's be honest though. SyFy is the channel that tried to ride the wave of popularity of the History Channel show, Ice Road Truckers, by developing a movie called Ice Road Terror. Pair this with Sharktopus, Monster Ark, and Alien Apocalypse (whose only saving grace is Bruce Campbell) and it's clear they have a terrible track record for original programming.

Now I'm willing to concede that their serial programming is far more tolerable than their films. Maybe this has something to do with the costs of producing long-standing shows versus one-off movies. It's easy to drop $200,000 and shit out a 2-hour movie that can make $75,000 on advertising in one showing. But they might be a little more cautious in producing a 13-episode serial drama. Or, at least, I'm hoping they are.
But SyFy's involvement not-with-standing, costumed superhero movies just may not be en vouge. Look at David E. Kelley's Wonder Woman pilot from a few months back. First, you have Kelley, who has a great track recors in television, with The Practice and Ally McBeal. Wonder Woman is a well-known superhero with a built-in fan base, yet NBC passed on the pilot. Why?

Theories maintain Lynda
Carter hexed Palicki before
filming.

Well, all reports said the Wonder Woman pilot was just balls-out terrible. Not having seen it, I can't comment. But with big-name stars like Adrianne Palicki, Elizabeth Hurley and Cary Elwes, I have to point my finger at Kelley's writing. Most often, writers feel that they "get" the character, take control, and place them into scenes or situations that they feel relate best to superheroes. They lose sight that these superheroes work best when they're not super at all, but when they're most vulnerable.

Which brings me to my main point. If the writers SyFy hires for Booster Gold are any good, then the show could be real fun. Booster Gold is an arrogant dick, but he's got a good heart. A character like that can make a real fun show, provided he's placed in the right situations. If all we get is a superhero show just for the sake of cashing in on superheroes, then it will surely tank at the outset.

Not only would the writers have to understand the character but the actor as well. Like I said, Booster is extremely arrogant, so the smugness would be the key. I'd hate to say it, but someone like Charlie Sheen would be perfect. It's just a shame Sheen is too old and crack-emaciated to fit the look.


In the right hands, Booster Gold could be a good show. While I don't think the fanbase is there right off, a well written, well produced, well acted serial dramedy could grow it's own fanbase, and hopefully its audience would eventually seek out the source material, which would be a major boon to the comics industry. My biggest fear, though, and what is most likely to happen, is SyFy will hire a few amateur writers who'll read a couple issues of 52 and think they have what it takes to write the ultimate Booster Gold pilot. Something in me believes that Booster Gold will make Wonder Woman look like Citizen Kane in comparison.

Stop Black Friday?

Madness. (Image courtesy SheFinds.com)

So my old boss, who ironically is a manager in a retail store, sent me the link to Stop Black Friday. While I haven't spent too much time on the site, I took a quick look at it and I'm just flabbergasted at people's ignorance of the way big businesses operate.

Exactly like my feelings about the Occupy Wall Street Movement, I completely understand people's desire to boycott the big box stores. And for the most part, their logic behind the movement is sound. However, they are waging war without understanding the enemy well enough.

Yes, boycotting a store during the time they will make the most sales and pull in the most money will affect their bottom line. If the public can prevent a company from coming out of the red, that company will stand up and take notice. However, they will also fight back. See, what most people don't realize is that these corporations run by the 1% do not run businesses the way the government runs the public sector. The private sector will not maintain a losing status quo.

Scratch that. The private sector will not maintain a status quo that's even perceived as possibly losing. If there is even a hint that a business model will lose money, then the corporation will react. So if the public decides to boycott Walmart or Target or any of the others, who do you think will really suffer?

Their employees.

If Black Friday does not prove to be profitable, the lay-offs begin. People will start losing their jobs. And if that doesn't help to recoup the lost revenue from a shitty holiday season, then the corporation will look for other ways to cut costs. Like freeze cost-of-living wage increases, so employees won't even be getting their meager 15¢ per hour raise. Then they will pull whatever other benefits the employees get, like a retirement fund or a 401K match. Yes, some retail establishments do offer these perks. Or at least they did up until the economic downturn of a few years ago. And those that still do will stop.

I've been through all of this. I've worked for a company that took away raises and benefits. I went through it all, even getting laid off. What's more, a year after I lost my job, the company closed down the location I worked in, putting everyone in the store out of work.

You want to organize your boycotts of big business, go ahead. I won't stop you; I'm not even mad at you. However, when your plans don't go the way you want, and people you know begin losing their jobs, then you really can't blame the big businesses. They're only doing what you are doing; trying to survive.

Is it right? Not at all. Do I have any better ideas? No. But I do know that attacking the people that control so many jobs is not the best way to go. My recommendation would be to reduce the number of taxes these corporate and industrial entities pay, and to provide incentives to bring jobs back to America. I know that I'll be flamed for the idea that these businesses should pay less taxes, but I realize that one of the few ways to turn around our economic instability is to inflate the job market. We won't get that if we chase these companies away.

Face it. The Waltons can close down every single Walmart store worldwide, cease production of all goods and services, and still live like kings off of what they've already made. But where does that leave the millions of people they employ? In the lurch, fighting for the minute number of jobs that are available.

Should we still Stop Black Friday?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Image of deliciousness courtesy
WhatsCookingAmerica.net

Here at Caution: Idiot At Play, we love our holidays. It's a chance to take a break from our busy lives and spend some time with our families. Plus, we get to celebrate with a day away from our soul-sucking day-jobs. My plan today was to put together a Thanksgiving-themed post, but after wracking my brain, I couldn't come up with the right topic.

If you are a frequent visitor, you'll know about our Halloween posts, showcasing some amazing Jack-O-Lantern art. That's a pretty easy idea right there. But what can I do about Thanksgiving?


I could rehash the history of Thanksgiving, about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans and the way they put their differences aside and came together in harmony for a huge feast. But since the next day, the Pilgrims spread their smallpox to the Natives and stole their land once they were nearly decimated, I decided to pass on that idea.

Then I figured I could do something concerning the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, showing off the balloons that have taken part throughout the years. In all honesty, though I didn't have the time to research that, so maybe I'll put that in my back pocket for the future.

I had the idea to compile some delicious recipes, maybe even show a few videos of the Food Network chefs making delicious Thanksgiving dishes. But that just seemed kind of trite.

Since I just couldn't seem to narrow down what I want to do in this post, I figure I'll just do all three.

So, here's the History of Thanksgiving, courtesy of the History Channel...

...the Spider-Man balloon, floating through Manhattan...

...and Alton Brown fries a turkey, in three parts.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Is The Occupy Movement Over Yet?

Because it needs to be. This crap has been going on since September and will continue, yet it won't accomplish anything.

Look, I get that people are mad. The widening difference between the upper and lower classes and the erasure of the middle class is cause for alarm. This country certainly needs business and tax reform. But that's never going to come around from camping out in parks for months on end. What sort of dialogue has come out of Occupy Wall Street?


"The rich are too rich!"
"OK."
"We need change!"
"What do you propose we do?"
"... The rich are too rich!"

Has there been any conversations besides that?


Some would say that the Occupy movement has been able to get people talking about business reform. I couldn't disagree more. The Occupy movement is self-perpetuating; no one is talking about reform. They're talking about the protests. I had a short debate on Twitter recently with someone who supports the Occupy movement. We clearly differed in opinions, and I asked her what propositions are being put forth the change the system as all I've been hearing are the whinings of a spoiled public. She provided me with two links to ideas that were conceived over a year ago. This crisis has been staring us in the face for years. The ideals that the Occupy movement are cowing about were predicted and written about by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki more than 5 years ago.  No one listened then, including the protesters of the Occupy movement.

Yes, Big Business is greedy and are taking advantage of the people. Yes, government officials are no longer working in the best interests of the people who've put them in office because Big Business contributes to their campaign funds. Can this change? Yes, it can. Will it? Not by taking the track the Occupy movement have been.

The Occupy movement will have you believe that they are working hard to change things. I don't see hard work. If they want to affect change, they should be taking the battle to the politicians. Get inside the system and change it from the inside. Did we not just pass an election? Has anything changed? Not in New Jersey it hasn't, as most of the incumbents were reelected. Where's the change?

It reminds me of that Breckin Meyer movie, Blue State. Meyer's character moves to Canada because Bush wins the presidency, realizes he made a ridiculously rash decision, so moves back to America to become a politician himself, and actually work to the change he wanted. These protestors aren't working.

I know that Frank Miller is now the most hated man in the comic book industry because of his reaction to the Occupy movement, but he has a point, albeit a poorly worded, unnecessarily austere point. It's hard to take a group of people in designer clothes using expensive consumer tech as they bray on about income inequality. You gonna post a video to YouTube from the rally from your $500 iPhone? Yeah, you're needy.

I would like to see income equality as much as any one of these people. I'm scared to death that I won't be able to buy a house, raise a family, and retire comfortably. Going by my current status, that won't happen. But what I do realize is that standing around a park yelling at a bunch of tall buildings won't change that.
 Stop hiding behind your freedom of speech. Yes, Bill Of Rights. You can say what you want. But how about doing something instead? You want to affect real change? Get into the political game and change it from the inside!