Why Veronica Mars and the Kickstarter Campaign Kinda Rock

Okay, guys. I have to do this quick because I'm running out the door. I just wanted to say this before tomorrow. As you know, we Veronica Mars fans have been hoping for a movie for years. It's been promised and hinted at a number of times since the show was canceled in 2007. Sure, I had hopes like the rest of you, but I didn't think it was any more likely than Firefly returning to the airwaves.

Look how happy you've made Veronica!
Then this morning, creator Rob Thomas started a Kickstarter campaign, (and you can still donate for the next 30 days) hoping to raise $2 million in 30 days to make this bit of loveliness happen. I think it's best that none of you saw my happy dance. Mildly embarrassing. Anyway, while there was no doubt in my mind that the campaign would be fully funded, I certainly didn't expect it to happen in a mere 10 hours!

I've been updating my story on Fanhattan Voice since I ran it at 9 am PST. You can check it out here. (And please do. I'm really proud of the new site and I'd love it if you guys would pay a visit and "like" us.) I'd also like to thank you all for getting it up to the $2 million mark right before I was off for the day so I could do my final update while I was still on the clock. I'm nothing if not selfish. :)

Anyway, one of the things I've been noticing on Twitter, besides the general excitement is a bunch of my friends and fellow journalists making acid comments about how the studios just found a way to make us pay twice for a film. Many of them are saying that this is going to start a terrible trend or that Kickstarter was made for indie projects and that this soils everything in some way. (To be fair, not all of the comments were acid. Many were merely speculating or asking the question. Those aren't the reason for this article.)

I just want to say this: There aren't many shows that could raise this sort of money in a few hours. I can think of only a handful. I also think that studios aren't going to have the good grace of fans if they try this too often. This film wasn't getting green lit any other way, from the little I know about it. Look, I really want to see Ghostbusters 3, but I don't think I'd be willing to pay for it when I know the studio is at least looking at it. That said, if there is a film I really want to see, I'm happy to be a tiny part of it by donating. No one is putting a gun to my head. No one is telling me I have to.

I'm curious about your opinions here. Are you happy about the news? How do you feel about Kickstarter being used this way? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @jennabusch. I, for one, am thrilled about the news. Long live Veronica!

A Memorial to the Best Dog in the Verse

I don't like people seeing me cry. I don't even want people to know I might be. I can count on two hands the number of people that have. That said, I think this is one time I'll make an exception. Today, I found out that my beautiful, amazing, incredible dog Fionnie (it's pronounced Finnie...Irish spelling) has lung cancer and he has a very short time left on this Earth.

The tumor is the size of a lemon. I could have them remove half of a lung, but the thought of doing that to a ten-year-old dog, for, at the most, an additional year of life just seems selfish. You all know what a crazy animal person I am. You know about the squirrels that knock on the door and eat peanuts out of my hand. You know my old roomie and I used to call this Disney princess house. You know I'd frakking kiss a spider if it hung around long enough. But this dog is different.

I'll never forget the day my ex-husband finally agreed to get a dog. I couldn't go to the shelter or I'd have 15 of them. Yes, I'm that girl and I'm totally okay with it. I had no idea he would get such a big one. I grew up with Westies and it was the last thing I was expecting. But when Eric took me to pick him up, the first thing he said was, "Oh god, isn't he beautiful?" And my heart turned into jelly.

He was goofy and funny and grinning like only a dog can. Black and white, with freckles and toe hair. He grows his own slippers. We were told he was a border collie/cocker spaniel mix and he was a few hours away from being put down. He was so unbelievably beautiful! I lost my heart and I'll never get it back.

There are so many stories I could tell about this incredible soul. The way he let my bunny groom him. The way he'd run up to kids and let them pull his hair, only to give them a smooch. The way my old neighbor Manoush told me that he was a bit of a dog ambassador for her friends from Iran. He's sit so still for the people that were scared (she told me that in her country, they'd shoot dogs this size because they were mostly feral) and give them the tiniest smooch to make them comfortable.

He saved my life, you know. I'm sure a bunch of you have laughed over the fact that I'm such a nerd that I went to Comic Con a few days after my appendix exploded. What you may not know is that, when it happened, it took me 45 minutes to crawl to my cell phone to call 911. I kept passing out. Every time I did, he's bite me and nudge me and paw at me until I started moving again. After I called, I just held onto his neck until the paramedics got there. He wouldn't stay away from me. They said that, if I'd passed out, that would have been it for me.

When I went through my divorce, he would climb up as close as he could get every night and sleep with his head on my chest and lick the tears away when I'd cry. He went from a dog that would invite robbers in if they had a cookie to being my protector. If my dog loves you, you are a wonderful person. If not, I'm afraid I'm not going to completely trust you. He's a far better judge of character than I am.

He doesn't have very long left, they tell me. If he makes it through this weekend, I'm taking him to his favorite place in the world: the beach. I'm giving him his favorite snacks. I'm realizing that the last time I took him to the park was really the last time. That all the gushing I do about him is going to be in the past tense from now on. It's soul crushing. I know that there are so many things in the world that are so much worse than losing a pet, but the beautiful innocence with which they love you is unmatchable.

I'll remember everything. His silly anime eyes. His goofy bunny pose. His weird thing about snarling and barking at a cookie for 20 minutes before he'd eat it. His willingness to chow tofu from his silly veggie parents. How he let the bunny groom him. The hind-leg walking performance he'd give when my former roomie Jaime would make him buffalo meat. The weird snort noises he'd make that sounded like he was talking. His "grandpa walks" when my dad would visit. How he sat with me for hours when I lost two of my kitties. His beautiful smile.

Guys, please go home and hug your pets. Lizards, dogs, kitties, hamsters, the moths you named in your room if you're as weird as I was as a kid. Don't get frustrated when they pee in the house. Don't yell when they bark. Realize that if there are such things as angels, they couldn't be more wonderful than your pets. There is nothing that could be.

I love you, Fionnie. Please stick around for a little bit longer.

Yes, I saw The Hobbit in 48 fps ...

The other day I saw a screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The first thing everyone asks me after hearing this is how the film was. I could do an entire blog post on that. I probably will. But the second question is the big one. "So, how was it in 48 fps? Should I see it that way?"

First of all, you may not be able to. There just aren't that many theaters showing it in 48 fps. But if you can, here are my thoughts. If you are a student of film or a fan or just curious, yes, you should see it in 48 fps. This is a piece of film history. Seeing the beginnings of this style is something you shouldn't pass up. In case you're not really sure what all this means, let me explain. We're used to seeing things in 24 frames per second. That's what gives you the slightly "magical" look to film. The smoothness of movement that real life just doesn't have. This is double that. Things are sharper and more realistic ... mostly. In The Hobbit, there were moments when it worked really, really well. The scene with Gollum (Andy Serkis) and Bilbo (Martin Freeman) looked gorgeous. In fact, the realistic visuals made you feel like they were standing in front of you. As many of you know, I was a theater major and I've always tried to explain the magic that a live performance gives you that you just can't capture on camera. This is the closest I've come to seeing it replicated on the big screen. (Now, if they'd only kept the camera on the actors instead of cutting away ...)

There were other times when the action appeared to be sped up. A napkin drop in the first scene looked completely wrong. Any characters in an outside setting seemed to pop off of the background. The movement seemed completely unnatural. The battle scenes were overwhelming. There was no way to figure out where to focus your eyes. I'd say the 48 fps was incredibly distracting for the most part, occasionally awful and at moments, brilliant. So, completely uneven. Now, part of that is the fact that this is new technology and our eyes aren't used to this much input in terms of focused visuals like a film. But consider this. If you took someone from 1975 and stuck them in front of a CNN broadcast today, they'd probably have a headache in five minutes. We do quicker cuts and take in so much input after years of scrolling news bars, the internet and playing video games that our eyes are just used to it. Remember the first time you saw HDTV? I don't know about you, but my eyes ached for days.

So, should we keep doing it? Oh, why the hell not? James Cameron is saying he might do Avatar 2 in 60 fps. However, he's the sort to go in and fix the things that are wrong with the technology with his mountains of cash. (I like to think of him sitting on a mountain of gold coins, a la Smaug the dragon. Look at what he's done with 3-D. I may not have liked Avatar, but it was certainly beautiful. This is merely the first attempt. Give it time. Now, go ahead and debate. Tell me if you've seen it. I'm dying to know what you think.

UPDATE ABOUT HEADACHES: My buddy @KristenMcHugh22 suggested that I add this. For the record, I very often get headaches from 3-D films. Though the screening I saw was in both 48 fps and 3-D, I had no headache or eye strain at all.

My 'Attack of the Show' appearance: 'Doctor Who' and 'Inspector Spacetime'

Hey everyone!

If you didn't see my Twitter/Facebook/Google+ note (that I published endlessly because I have no shame at all), I made my first appearance on G4's 'Attack of the Show' on Wednesday, doing the 'What to Watch' segment. Of course, my contributions were nerdy. First off, I chatted about the 'Doctor Who' parody on 'Community' called 'Inspector Spacetime.' Actor Travis Richey, who plays the Inspector raised a butt load of money on Kickstarter to produce the series (he is a 'Community' and 'Doctor Who' fan ... what a dream job), though NBC and Sony asked him not to do it with that name. Sure, there are a few changes, including the name, 'An Untitled Web Series About a Time Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Space.'  

Next up, I lament the upcoming Fall finale for 'Doctor Who,' the loss of companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) and tease host Ben Schwartz and my fellow guest Anthony Breznican about their lack of Who knowledge. Also, make sure you check out 'Tales of Mere Existence,' from Anthony. It's hysterical! Discovering girls with Princess Leia dolls ... just saying. So is 'Jake and Amir,' which was Ben's offering. I want to sit on random people's laps now. Watch. You'll understand.

Check out the segment below and let me know what you think! (Also, feel free to tweet at @AOTS and tell them you want me to be on again. Yes, I am shameless. :)

Re-reading 'The Hobbit' -- An unexpected journey

Today is the 75th anniversary of the publication of "The Hobbit." In honor of the day, and the upcoming three films, I decided to read it again. When "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy came out, I re-read those books over and over, but somehow, I never got back to "The Hobbit." I read it as a kid, lo these many years ago and I loved it. Shocking, I know. Though I didn't know it at the time, it was the hero's journey that really appealed to me. Someone, plucked out of obscurity and set on a path with every opportunity to prove their worth. Yeah, this appealed to me on more levels that I can explain, but if you look at the choices I've made in my life, maybe you can see how it affected me.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins with his sword Sting in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

Anyone who knows me will laugh their asses off at this, but I was kind of shy as a kid. Fantasy novels like "The Hobbit" and Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonsinger" trilogy allowed me to dream of a time when I could shine. It was theater that allowed me to find my extra shiny voice. (Oh, I'll never pass up a "Firefly" reference.) Sure, we weren't fighting Wargs and a dragon, but, like the Dwarves, the Wizard and one little Hobbit, we bonded over some seriously intense time spent together. Later on, I'd attempt to conquer the makeup industry and entertainment journalism. Again, not dragon slaying or saving towns, but personally, it was a pretty powerful journey.

The brand new trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Watch, and ooh and ah along with me.
I've been through a shit load of drama in the past year, from job loss to divorce to the death of a pet to major surgery. So beginning this book again was a bit daunting for me. Reading it from a far less innocent place made me wonder if I could sympathize with a character who could look forward to an adventure with joy. Sure, Bilbo was worried, but there was a sense of anticipation for the wonders he might see. I thought maybe I'd lost that. At least a little bit.

As I started reading (and continued far, far too late into the night), I realized a few things. First, there is a lack of description that stunned me. I seem to remember it differently. (It's much like "The Chronicles of Narnia" in that way.) As I kid, I must have visualized what I remember being in the book. It was a surprising pleasure to do that again, and to realize that the very act of imagination took me out of the stress of my life and plopped me right back into the child-like mindset I had when I first read it. It was glorious!

Four additional endings for the third trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
I re-read all about Bilbo's nervousness and worry. The humor of the Dwarves and their constant refrain, "At your service." His cleverness with Gollum. His intelligence and drive. The wonder that he never lost. In the middle of the night, as I started the scene with Smaug the dragon, something hit me. Maybe it seems strange to you all, but it made me want to go on an adventure again. It's been a long time since I've felt that. It gave me the drive to start over, once again and remember why I love what I do and who I am. So, was it the amazing characters Tolkien wrote? The thought of the little guy saving the day? Was it swords and a dragon and a guy who can turn into a bear? (Well, maybe it was a little of that, but ... ) No. In the end, what pulled me up short and made me put down the book (where my bunny promptly started eating it) was the realization that imagining a story was the thing that I was missing.

Emer the bunny thinks Hobbitses are delicious.
Maybe I'm a little more jaded than Bilbo (though he definitely has moments where he'd rather be having tea and toast in his little Hobbit hole than slaying spiders), but there is no reason I shouldn't consider job hunting and getting my ass out of the house to finally exercise after months of recovery and ... gulp ... dating as an adventure. I'm quite certain I've already gone on a date with a Troll. Quite certain. So ... grabbing my sword and off I go. Anyone know any good wizards in need of some work?

Friends I've never met, life, death and Comic Con

I'm sure a zillion people have been through this. I haven't. I'm sure lots of you have had close calls. I never have.

Myself and Mark Hamill at our first show for Stan Lee's World of Heroes.

As many of you know, my appendix burst on Friday night. I felt sick on Thursday and thought it might be food poisoning. I went out to dinner on Wednesday with my dear friend Roth. We chatted, but it was the day I got engaged. July 4 years ago. Considering what that meant for me, it was a nice night out and very low key. I assumed that dinner did it. Twelve hours of what I thought was agony, and I finally fell asleep. Well, after both season of 'Downton Abbey,' at least.

Myself and Jennings Roth Cornet, who took care of me at the hospital and at the con.

I won't freak you out with details, but needless to say, my appendix burst. I dealt with it for an hour (since I had no idea what really happened) and finally decided to get my phone. It took me 45 minutes to crawl to it and I almost passed out. When the surgeon finally spoke to me, I was told that if I'd waited another fifteen minutes, that would have been it. I would have passed out. I would have died.

Myself, Eric Pumphrey and Dennis Tzeng, who is photobombing us!

Damn, I sound over dramatic. I told the doctor I was going to Comic Con whether it was smart or not. I had a bunch of panels to do, and there was no way I was missing the annual nerd fest. I didn't really have time to think about it. My dad was out to help me while I was in the hospital. My sister had her baby the day after my surgery. SDCC was non-stop work/merriment/geekgasm. Then I got home. This is the first time I've been alone in over a week. It all hit me like a giant orc hammer over the head.

Me and 'Spartacus' star Liam McIntyre, who is the nicest guy EVER!

I was told my a friend that there are exit points in your life and that I chose to stay. Whatever you believe about that (and honestly, I couldn't care less ... that's not what this is about), it's freaky. It feels like I'm stuck in someone's novel. Like I can't control how I feel. Like an author is running it.

The new art I bought from @sawdustbear. Check out her website! Sawdustbear.com!

So, after the con craziness, I finally had an hour to sit down and think about it. About my animals missing me. About my family. About the nephew I would never have met. About the shows I'd never do and the friends I'd never make. About how much I wish certain things were different. And yes, that is a lot to think about in an hour. Damn, I should play World of Warcraft for a few moments to settle my brain. I also thought about how all of your tweets and FB messages carried me through. My friend who came to the hospital. Strangers who gave me a hug at the con.

It was my third year hosting the 'Merlin' panel and this year they let me wear a Knight's cloak!

It was exhausting, honestly. The con isn't exactly a walk in the park if you're working. I hate admitting weakness, but I was tired! I'd start fading, and someone would come up to me and say hi. It got me through. Screw Vicodin. You guys are the ones who kept me upbeat.

Me, the very awesome Dorina and our Tribbles!

I have a feeling this is going to be a long process, realizing the impact of what happened to me. I think it's ultimately going to be wonderful. But the reason I'm writing this is because of all of you. I may not have had time to respond to all of your Twitter and Facebook well wishes, but I read every single one. It hit me that, though things aren't always peachy in one's personal life, all it takes is someone to say, 'I hope you're doing well,' or 'I hope you feel better,' to bring things into perspective. Even as I'm writing this, I got a tweet from someone I've never met, saying they're happy that I'm doing well.

Me and Stan Lee!

So the point is this. Go out and say that to everyone. People you've never met. Ask them how they are. Tell them you hope they're happy. Do something to make them happy. It can change everything. So say we all.

Women of Geekdom rocked my world

This weekend, I got to do something fantastic. I was asked to do a calendar shoot for the Women of Geekdom. Now, I find myself all over geekdom, but I had never met these ladies before. I was thrilled to be a part of something like this, but I had no idea of the awesomeness that was in store.

One of the candid pinup shots with Han Solo's blaster. Thanks Misti!

I flew down to Charleston, South Carolina, accompanied by the LA crew. Chloe Dykstra, who works for Wizard World, Bitmob, and Nerdist found me right away, along with Misty Dawn, co-host of the "Bagged and Boarded" podcast on the SMODCAST newtwork as well as Machinima Director, vlogger Brooke Lawson, aka Dodger, and Satine Phoenix, Dungeons & Dragons goddess.

From the first, we hit it off. How could we not? These chicks rock! Fellow ladies of geek, I know you know what I'm saying when I tell you that many of us have mostly guy friends. (We discussed this on the wrap up podcast.) Maybe it's because when we were young, it was mostly guys who were vocal about loving the same things we did. Maybe we got flack from other ladies. Maybe it's our attitudes. But for the most part, this seems to be the case across the board.

My fresh ink. All 16 of us got one!

Meeting these ladies was like a tall glass of sweet tea while walking through the Red Wastes of Essos. When we got in, there were geeky ladies everywhere! (And some geeky men to go with them.) Immediately we were chatting like crazy! Creators Shaun Rosado and his lovely wife (and mother of this idea) Laura Rosado made everything easy. They rented a house for us, gave us transportation, helped with costumes, had people get us drinks and generally acted like real-life superheroes. In minutes, Dodger, Satine and I were out doing dance stretches on the back lawn together.

There were a lot of photos like this. Geek pile!

The discussions were as geeky as you please. We talked video games, comic books, our giant collection of tattoos. Nerdy references were flying! When we found out Chloe was dressing as the 11th Doctor, the line "Bow ties are cool" was uttered every few minutes. And everyone got it!

Me and Chloe bonding over ... was it Zelda, Doctor Who or sex? Can't remember.

The bonding and deep discussions about sex, gaming, men, drawing, TV shows, films, 8-bit nostalgia and what we all want to do with our lives went into the wee hours. Fueled by wine and other assorted beverages, of course. Joining us were Dash, who was in a spandex costume she made herself when I met her, the wonderful artist Nicole, Stormy, who lives up to her name in the very best way, Christina, who I spent a lovely car ride geeking out of my mind with, Star Wars goddess Princess Sandy, who's experience getting into her mermaid costume needs a blog post of its own and the lovely Laura. (Satine and I now think we must be related!)

Me, Laura and Satine playing the Game of Geek!

I wasn't there for everyone's shoots, but mine was a blast. Dodger and I got to the location, which was spectacular and headed into the makeup trailer. Her costume was Kerrigan-based (For the Swarm!) and mine was a Valkyrie. (For the record, Valkyries wear very short skirts. I did not sit down!) After braiding my hair and painting my face, they let me out and gave me weaponry! As you all know, I love pointy and sharp things. This spear was gorgeous! In fact, I went right home and bought one! (After hanging with my good buddy Corday for a bit.)

Me and Corday, the coolest of the cool.

Despite a few delays, we got it all done and spent the night gabbing until near dawn again. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was! It was a giant slumber party with all your best friends, who you've strangely just met. The next morning we shot a Christmas day photo for December and a group poster. (Pre-shoot, Misti obliged me by taking more photos of me with weapons. But hey! They were Star Wars guns!) By the time we did that, candid shots were easy as pie, since we'd been goofing off for days.

I love when they give me weaponry!

But here is the kicker. We were all so moved and elated by the experience that we decided to get group tattoos! Spearheaded by Chloe and Satine, the idea was to get a USB symbol on our finger or wrist in white, deep enough that it would raise. Connection was the theme and all 16 of us, the ladies, the guys, everyone got that tattoo! For some of them, it was their very first one! In fact, we drove all the way to Resurrection Ink in Savanah, Georgia to get them done!

The Last Supper, post penis rice sculpture.

After an incredible dinner where the chef made a giant rice penis (not kidding), we headed over and got our ink. The guys there were a little blown away by all of us, but by the end it was a laugh fest. Also, finger tattoos HURT! Just saying.

Me getting inked!

 It was with a heavy heart that I left everyone, but I'm thrilled to say I consider each and every one of these ladies and gents a dear friend.

All the Women of Geekdom giving you the finger ... to show your our new tattoos, of course!