Is anybody else watching E4's new show, the darkly comic drama Misfits? It's about a couple of junior delinquents who are doing community service when they are struck by lightning during a freak storm. Each of them (well, almost) then realises that they've suddenly developed superpowers, like telepathy, invisibility, and the ability to drive anyone you touch insane with lust (not as neat as it might sound). Meanwhile, these not-quite-superheroes still have to deal with ordinary problems: tough girls who'll hitcha for mouthing off at them, your mum's new boyfriend who might be turning into a dog, a homicidal social worker...the usual. My favourite of this ragtag bunch is Nathan, played by Robert Sheehan, who is more crass than charming, yet also absolutely hilarious; it's as if he knows just how far his curls and mischievous eyes will get him, and then goes out of his way to be extra obnoxious. I've seen the show described as Skins meets Heroes, although I should think, the less mention of the latter, the better. [official site]

Video interview with the stars of The Road, Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Smit-McPhee will next play the lead in the English-language remake of vampire thriller Let the Right One In. [imdb]

Kevin McKidd (Journeyman, Grey's Anatomy) tells PopWrap that the Rome movie already has a script and that he will definitely be involved if the project goes ahead.

Very little of interest seems to be going on in terms of entertainment news, so how's about a fic rec? Since coming across some old favourites on AO3 recently, I've been reading a mass of novel-length due South fic. Some of them are revisits, because it's been years since I last read anything from this fandom, but many are new discoveries. Kat Allison's post-CotW magnum opus The End of the Road (F/K, mature) was one clear stand out. As the author says:

There are a number of heartwarming, uplifting, happily-ever-after post-Call of the Wild stories out there. This isn't one of them.

Tom Hollander's character in the movie Bedrooms and Hallways has this line: "All relationships end. Either you split up or one of you dies." I'm always very admiring of writers who manage to adhere to that principle without wallowing in self-pity. Beginnings are hope, warmth, light, Springtime; but endings, they're just as natural, and my feeling is that stories about endings don't get told enough in fan fiction - much less are they told well. The impermanence of things, and the conflict between necessity and desire (something any Lucifer/Mazikeen fan should be familiar with), are very much at the heart of this amazing story. Whether you choose to dwell on the ending as failure and tragedy, or to see the entire story as a triumph (though temporary, as all things are) against great odds, is a matter of your perspective. Plus, who could not help but get a bit of a Left Hand of Darkness vibe from this?

Edit: If sad endings are not your cup of tea, anything by Speranza is very much recommended, especially Eight Sessions and Passion.

Long-time readers of Fire of Spring will be familiar with my obsession with Neil Jordan's free-wheeling caper flick The Good Thief. In the five-and-a-half years I've had this LJ, the image of Anne from the movie has nearly always been my default icon, usually made by calculare. I've successfully talked her into making a fresh batch of icons from the movie, and they are beautiful, just like the film. I have a thing about jewel-coloured lights, and smoke, and The Good Thief delivers lots of both. Go and admire the shiny shiny colours.

tevere, who lives in East Timor, has written EPIC (40K+ words) Generation Kill AU fic, Sixteen Days in September, putting Nate, Brad, Evan, Meesh, and others among the international presence on the island during the 1999 UN-sponsored referendum on the issue of independence from Indonesia. The whole thing is amazingly detailed, vivid, gorgeous, funny, angry, and heart-breaking, just like the show itself. Take a couple of hours (it's the weekend, already!) and READ IT.

Nate laughs sharply and digs his fingers in through his hair, which has grown out an inch or so since he last shaved it, and hears the tinge of hysterical despair in his voice. "Fuck, Brad. It's just one fucking thing after another."

"Nate," Brad says, and the sound of his name makes Nate look up in surprise. Brad's leaning forward, his face intent. "The first thing I learned in the military was that ninety percent of my chain of command are retarded incompetents. The only reason I'm still here is the existence of people like you, people I can trust to make the right decisions even when everything's being fucked by the idiots in charge." Brad looks at him hard, as if willing him to understand. "The universe is full of fucking stupidity. You can't change that, and you're not responsible for it." He pauses, then says simply, "We trust you, Nate. All you have to do is just keep leading us, and that's enough."

Next Week, Same Time by yeats (Kings; Jack)
No spoilers, set in an indeterminate time not long after "Goliath". I think this is the best characterisation of on-screen Jack (as opposed to future-Jonathan Jack) that I've read yet. Smart, bitter, all rhetorical questions that reveal more than he thinks, and just on the brink of shell-shock.

"You know," he says, "you'd think the Royal head-shrink would have a nicer office." A car door slams; an alarm goes off, three stories below. Jack drove here himself, but there are three men billeted on the street. He's not sure if he's supposed to notice them, but Palace Guards are all of a type. Their faces always greasy from pressing their noses to the windows.

They probably think he's in the middle of his weekly romp with some excruciatingly talented whore.

If only.

A couple of Kara/Leoben recs to help those of us who felt "Daybreak" kind of sucked as far as that relationship was concerned: Echo/Narcissus by jeeshee and Patterns in the Blood by ariastar.

Paul Bettany is in talks to star in the horror Western Priest, an adaptation of the Korean comic. It is set in a world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampire and follows a warrior priest, named Ivan Isaacs in the comic (Bettany), who turns against the church in order to track down a murderous band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece. He is aided by a young sheriff and a priestess. At one point Gerard Butler was said to be up for the role, but I have to say that I much prefer Bettany as the unconventional action hero. (THR) [imdb]

A teaser poster for Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. (Latino Review) [imdb]

Jamie Campbell-Bower (the sweet and menacing Anthony in Sweeney Todd) has revealed that he will play Volturi leader Caius in the Twilight sequel, New Moon. (RopeofSilicon) [imdb]

Australian actor Andy Whitfield (Gabriel) and Lucy Lawless (Battlestar Galactica) will star in a new fantasy-adventure series from the makers of Xena, called Spartacus: Blood and Sand. (Coming Soon and THR)

Sneak peek photos from True Blood season two. ( *spoilers* ) (RopeofSilicon)

David Cronenberg says he's planning a sequel to Eastern Promises, and that it will see Viggo Mortensen reprise his Oscar-nominated role of Nikolai. (MTV)

Michael Fassbender (Hunger), Brian Cox, and Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum) have been cast in the adaptation of Sebastian Faulk's WWI novel Birdsong, to be directed by Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist). (Coming Soon) [imdb]

Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) will be directing the Roman military drama The Eagle of the Ninth, which is based on the book by Rosemary Sutcliff. Set in the 2nd century A.D., the story revolves around a wounded Roman soldier and his loyal Celtic slave who try to solve the mystery of the Ninth Legion, a brigade of Roman soldiers that vanished after heading into the untamed Highlands of Scotland 15 years earlier. (Maybe they should meet up with the characters in the upcoming Centurion.) Jamie Bell (Jumper) will play the slave, and Channing Tatum (Stop-Loss) has been offered the role of the Roman soldier. (Coming Soon)

Two mesmeric drabbles (True Blood and Sarah Connor Chronicles) that were written for me by the brilliant orange_crushed.

This is going to take me forever...

( Generation Kill )
( True Blood )
( Lucifer )
( Samurai Champloo )
( Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles )

DeLorean by missnyah (Firefly/SCC; River and Cameron)
One of the best River Tam POV's I've ever read, and a story about the miracles under the skin.

Cameron protects a boy. It is John, colored the weight of Simon’s destiny.

Cameron kills. She says, ‘It’s just a life. It doesn’t mean what you think it means.”

The boy loves Cameron. River colors love the pink of Kaylee’s cheeks and the brown of Zoe’s arms then adds the red of Inara’s mouth because John can’t have it either. And now Cameron understands it because River knows minds and they don’t need a second soul.

To the waters and the wild by fan_elune (True Blood; Eric, Jessica, Pam)
Set straight after 'To Love is to Bury', Eric teaches Jessica some necessary things. Exactly how I imagined it.

Eric watches the newly made vampire and his first daughter look at each other. Defiance, again, in Jessica's stance; no such thing in Pam's. Worlds apart yesterday; standing together tonight.

He watches Pam's perfect painted lips shape the words around a smile. "I,", she says, "am Pam." She lifts an eyebrow, tilts her head towards Eric without taking her eyes off of Jessica. "I like her."

"What's not to like," he answers, his own brand of dry humour.

Age before beauty by orange_crushed (True Blood/Moonlight; Eric and Josef)
My two favourite TV vampires. Really, it doesn't get any better. orange_crushed is, as usual, brilliant.

"Look at this." Josef shakes his head. "He's probably trying to find out how many carbs that shit has." A waitress sets another glass down at Josef's side; he picks it up, savoring the slight warmth of the liquid. Eric is still silent. "Do you remember when everything was interesting ? Every woman, every meal, every argument ?"

"No," says Eric.

"Me neither." Josef indicates Mick with a slight nod of his head. "He does. And it's different." He shrugs. "Different is something."