Junkpile is a semi-regular feature wherein I dump all the random crap that isn’t fit for its own post.

Twilight

I wonder if people would hate this franchise so much if it were about the forbidden love between a country music star and a girl from the inner city? I don’t remember much of a stink being made in our circles over The Bridges of Madison County or even High School Musical.  That kind of thing may leave a sour taste in a geek’s mouth, but it certainly never inspired calls for face stabbing. So what puts this franchise on the radar? Geek pundits can go on and on about how horrible the Twilight books and films are, but doesn’t it really boil down to  fan entitlement over vampires themselves? Putting it simply, I think geeks, horror fans in particular, are pissed off that someone has co-opted a piece of their cultural iconography and used it to successfully sell a teen romance. It can’t be the story itself – a teen girl falls in love with an immortal paramour.

But the difference there is that Buffy was a show by geeks that appealed to geeks – it wasn’t designed first and foremost as a love story aimed at young girls. Which brings me back to the sorry truth that I think most geeks are only upset by this franchise because it dared muddy the genre waters and use horror elements in a non-geek approved fashion.  And the worst offense? These “defanged” vampires now have more cultural credit than Buffy…or Christopher Lee…or Near Dark…or Let The Right One In!!! Sparkly “vegetarian” vampires, indeed.

Sad that nobody will take Vampires seriously anymore

Here’s something for you to chew on this Thanksgiving: “Am I really mad at Twilight for making vampires uncool, or am I just mad at myself for not realizing before now that they were never cool?”

And speaking of vegetarian vampires…

Sarah Palin Likes Meat

She says so in her new book. Perhaps she should watch this.

Thanksgiving at the Palin's

What’s in a Genre?

Somebody explain to me how this:

Is a different genre of music than this:

Time to get over your pop bias, dark wavers.

Thanksgiving

I wish this movie existed, if only so I could watch it tomorrow and fast forward all the boring bits…oh, wait, that’s exactly what this trailer does.

Happy Thanksgiving.