Best Weekend Ever...

Two blogs in one weekend. I know this is unusual but I needed to put into writing this weekend so I never forget it.

This has been an incredibly amazing weekend full of amazing stuff. I’m gonna break it down by day because that seems logical.

Friday- Well I shared that in the last blog. That was my Great Titus Adventure.

Saturday- After having an amazing massage in the morning I got a wonderful nap in the afternoon and went to a hockey game at night. My team won in a 4-0 shutout including 2 blocked penalty shots!!!! After the game I got to get my Calder Cup mini banner signed by the team…which equates to actually meeting the team! OMG let me just say that Curtis McKenzie and Jussi Rynnas are two of the funniest guys ever. And Jack Campbell is one of the sweetest! And Travis Morin, Max Fortunus, and Jurki Jokkapaka were amazingly nice too…basically the most talented players on the team were the nicest. Not to mention hottest. I don't know who was hotter, Campbell, McKenzie, Rynnas, or Jokkapaka...sorry...I'm a woman...I noticed the gorgeous men in front of me. Anyway, almost the whole team was just amazingly nice. Thank you Texas Stars for an amazing and memorable experience!!!

Sunday- I wake up and file my taxes. I have been getting just less than 1000 for the last couple years now. But now I’m a student. That paid off when I found out I’m getting more than 3000 back this year!!!! Guess who is getting a pink hockey jersey?! This girl! After that I go to book a flight to go to GA so I can help my bestie move down here. I expect a fare of about 135 since that is what that flight has been everytime I look. Nope. I get on to book and the flight I want, nonstop, earliest of the day…$99 thank you very much! Really?! Just…wow! I love it!

I don't know if this is a good karma pay off or a shift in the universe or someone cast a good luck spell on me or just a series of random events...either way I am beyond grateful for all the wonderful stuff that has happened this weekend and I don't want to take a moment of it for granted. I am extremely grateful and praise Zeus for his love and sending good my way. I sincerely feel beyond blessed at the amazing experiences I'm having this weekend and I don't want to forget to be grateful. Take nothing for granted cause the good never lasts so enjoy and celebrate each moment. 

I just am in awe of what a wonderful weekend this has been! Thank you Gods for everything!

Love to all,

Cilla

My Christopher Titus Adventure

In my short 30 years I have had the chance to meet some cool celebrities between my role as a junior reporter, comic fan, and now podcaster. As we all know JoF has brought some amazing opportunities my way and for each one I’m grateful. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Howie Dorough (of Backstreet Boy fame), Mandy Moore (who up until last night was the nicest celeb I’d ever met), Dean Cain, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Jason David Frank (biggest douche you’ll ever meet), Katie Cassidy, John Barrowman (also super sweet and so gracious to his fans), and the list goes on. I say this, not to brag, but to make the point that I’ve had some pretty awesome experiences in my life. Up until last night doing a panel at comic con and singing in front of Howie ranked as a tie for 1^st. I think last night might trump them both.

I love to laugh. A lot. I’m also very picky about my comedy. A lot of comedians go for the cheap laugh I feel. They appeal to the lowest common denominator and I don’t think it’s funny. That’s why I am not a Larry the Cable Guy fan. He seems like a really great guy but I don’t like his brand of humor. I love Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White (when he actually has new material), Jeff Dunham, Gabriel Iglesias, Whitney Cummings, Kathleen Madigan, and Chris D’Elia. By far my favorite though has always been Christopher Titus. He knows how to find funny in a dark place. I don’t always agree with his views (I’m whitey and I DO NOT apologize thank you…none of us were there man) but even the bits I disagree with from a social stand point makes me crack up because he’s so god damn funny. Hell, he bashes Texas and I laugh and we all know I’m one of the proudest Texans and god save anyone that trashes my state. Unless you’re Titus.  I truly believe Titus could take the topics that offend me the most and make me laugh at them…he’s just that damn funny.

Titus currently has 6 comedy specials out. I have 5 (haven’t had a chance to watch the new one yet). I have watched those 5 over and over so many times that I’m sure the views are getting near if not passed 100. I can quote most of the specials. When I have a rough day I turn on “The 5^th Annual End of the World Tour”. When an ex pisses me off I watch “Love is Evol”. When I just need to laugh I turn on “Normal Rockwell is Bleeding”. When I feel the need for something with a social commentary I watch “Neverlution”. And when I need to gain some perspective I watch “Voice in my Head”, because the bit on the inner retard is possibly one of the best bits ever written and certainly one I relate to. I tend of have awful insomnia. When that happens often one of his specials relaxes me enough to sleep. Not because it’s boring at all but just because I find something about his storytelling soothing…which I realize is slightly warped in and of itself. This is a fact that has not eluded me. Titus has gotten me though some really rough times in my life through laughter, which truly is the best medicine.

So, when I found out Titus was coming to Austin I was psyched…for like 2 minutes. Obviously I couldn’t afford to go. As I discussed on JoF TV the last several months haven’t exactly been kind to me. A lot of shit went down at my last job which led me to leave the preschool industry for good (little tip to all you people thinking of teaching preschool…the kids are great but the parents suck ass), then shortly after that I ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis and ultimately had to have gallbladder surgery. Of course this couldn’t happen when I was at my last job and had insurance. No, no, no. It had to happen 2 weeks into my new job when I had none. So you can imagine my medical bills. Insanity! So I will be broke for the foreseeable future and thus going to a comedy show was just not in the budget cause they hospital will save your life just so you can pay them for the rest of it.

I was bummed but I accepted it and moved on. Then I noticed a tweet that Titus tweeted saying the first show sold out so they were adding a late show. I tweeted back saying I hoped he’d come back to Austin soon cause I wanted to see him. Then I went back to work cause I need the money and they frown on breaks longer than 15 minutes. I forgot about it. Shit happened at work. I left completely frustrated around 6:30. I headed home, dealt with traffic getting out of Austin, typical everyday shit. I met my mom and dad at Chili’s, had dinner, and figured I’d get home, play some NHL 14 on the PS3 and go to bed. Then on my way home from Chili’s I looked at my phone. Don’t ask me why I opened twitter at that moment, cause it honestly doesn’t make sense since I don’t use twitter that often. But I did and I noticed I had a notification…so I looked at it. Titus’ wife Rachel Bradley had tweeted me saying I was on the guest list for the late show!

My reaction was as follows: read the tweet, freeze, read it two more times to make sure I read it right, realized I did, look at the clock to decide if I can make it to Downtown Austin from Leander in time, decide I can, go home to take care of the pets, rush out, made it to Downtown Austin in record time, got my ticket, and stood there in awe and disbelief while I waited for the doors to open. Then I went in and was in the 6^th fucking row…I expected like a back row seat and was just happy to be there but the seat was beyond amazing. To say it was a surreal situation was an understatement.

The show itself was just amazing. Rachel did a quick set to open and she’s pretty good. I enjoyed her set. Titus…well…how do you even put into words a show like that? Awesome just isn’t enough. I’ve seen a couple of comics in person, Jeff Foxworthy long ago and more recently Gabriel Iglesias (few years back…was gonna see him when he was in Austin last year but that is of course when I ended up in the hospital and so I couldn’t go.)  And both of them were amazing. But Titus….he really engages the audience which just makes it so much funnier. He knows how to handle his written material but still localize it and include the audience in such a way it doesn’t feel like it’s a scripted show. It feels like a guy just up on stage telling hilarious stories. It was amazing. Towards the end of the show he said that he’d be in the lobby signing autographs and what not. I knew I had to go thank him in person for the ticket.

I bee lined to the area he was gonna be in so I was near the front of the line. When I got up there I told Rachel who I was and thanked her profusely. She told me she was glad I could make it and then told Titus I was the girl he left the ticket for. I froze. My comedy hero left me a ticket? You wanna talk inner retards…I think mine stroked out about then. So I told Titus thank you and how much his comedy meant to me and how grateful I was to see his show. He said it was sweet and he was glad I made it out and asked if I wanted a picture. Which of course I did. Then I left.

2014 was one of the worst years I have had. I left behind my career in child care, we lost 2 family pets in 1 month (December no less), I ended up at an insane job that makes school very difficult to keep up with, and I ended up in the hospital for the 1^st time with a potentially fatal illness that, although I lived through, I’ll be paying for for years to come…and after all that insanity the first month of 2015 one of the coolest things in the world happens to me.

I told my friend Jill I had no words for the level of awesome but because I’m me I’d find some when I blogged about it…I was wrong. For the first time in recent memory…maybe ever…I have no words.

Titus, if you ever happen to read this let me say again how much your comedy has meant to me and even more so how much your kindness meant to me. You are a celebrity. I’m no one. You certainly didn’t have to leave a ticket for a random fan, but you did…and that is a memory I will cherish forever. After going through so much in the past few months for someone to show that kind of kindness, especially someone I idolize so much…words truly cannot express my gratitude. Honestly, from the bottom for my heart, thank you.

Rachel, thank you for your part in this as well. Your tweet completely made my day…quite possibly my year. Loved your show too and hope to see big things from you some day.

So to sum it up, Christopher Titus is officially the nicest celeb I’ve ever met. And if anyone is keeping track Jason David Frank is still the most arrogant douchebag celeb ever (just sayin…)

And tonight I get to meet the Texas Stars after the game. Comedy and hockey all in one weekend. It’s coolness overload! I hope this is a sign for things to come in 2015 cause I could totally use an awesome year!

As always stay tuned to JoF TV. Big things coming for the podcast (can you call it a podcast anymore since we added video?) and for JoF Productions in general I hope.

Much love,

Cilla

http://www.youtube.com/joftv

Reflection...

2014 was a year of ups and downs. Some exciting stuff happened. I started school, I had an epic 30th, my hockey team won the Calder Cup, I got to meet a very old friend in person, I got to do 3 comic con panels, and I got a new kitten.

The last part of this year has been full of challenges.

It started when my preschool career blew up because of a parent lying. I thought that was as bad as it could get. I was wrong. I found an amazing new job that seemed perfect and 2 weeks in I ended up in the hospital with pancreatisis and unbeknownst to me at the time that can be potentially fatal. It ended with my 1st surgery. My hospital stay made me stop and really think about how important family is. I never would have been able to deal with that illness without my mom. I hope none of you ever have pancreas issues. Worst pain I've ever felt. Ever.

Then this month alone we lost 2 of our dogs. Kate was sudden. We knew she was old but she took a turn for the worse fast. I never really even had a chance to grieve for her because of my schedule at the time. I sorta processed it but I don't think I ever dealt with it. Then, just days ago we lost Buddy. This one hit me like a ton of bricks. Even if we knew it was coming it was incredibly hard. Buddy was a very special boy and there will never be another dog like him. We were lucky to have the time with him we had.

I guess if I learned anything from this roller coaster of a year it was the value of love. Not romantic love. Family love. And not DNA. Real family. Of course I have Mom and Nana and they happen to be blood but I also have my dad, my brother, my friends that are more like sisters (Sarah, Jill, and Shannon), and my close friends that I turn to when I feel broken (Remy and Rusty). Each and every one of these people played a huge part in my life this year and I am grateful for all of them. Life is full of ups and downs and I think you have to have the downs to appreciate the ups but anything is tolerable if you have loved ones.

To all of you that helped me make it through this year, that shared the ups and downs, that comforted me in pain, prayed for me in illness, and cheered my happiness...Thank you.

I am very happy to see 2014 end and I look very forward to 2015 and what it will bring...hopefully a little more peace and joy...

Happy New Year!
Cilla

2015 Resolutions...

Another year has gone by and it's once again time to make those new year's resolutions! But first, let's review this year's and see how I did...

2014 resolutions:

~ Continue to lose weight. Get to a point I can wear whatever I want to comic con and in life without worrying about 'dressing for size'. (Dressing for body type is different).
(OK this didn't exactly happen but to be fair ending up in the hospital and being starved for 4 days threw me off. I'll get back on track)

~Continue to do things to involve myself in the comic fandom and gain JoF exposure along the way.
(SUCCESS!!! I scored JoF 3 panels at 2 different cons this year and one of them had over 100 people show up and stirred up massive debate about feminists and comics. I lost a bit of momentem here recently but it'll be easy to get back.)

~Do even more to chip into debt.
(Well this was a fail but medical bills threw me off so I'll let this one slide.)

~Do all I can to be a good, happy, and friendly person all year round.
(In spite of many personal trials I think I did this.)

~Have a killer 30th birthday party
(I did! Thanks to my bestie Sarah my 30th was epic!)

~Become more social
(By my standards I've been much more social so, yup.)

And now for 2015 resolutions:

~Get through school far enough that I can be student teaching by fall or spring.

~Advance in my job

~Get back on track with my eating habits and get back to getting healthy.

~Pay off my car

~learn to skate

~Meet a hockey player

~Try to advance the podcast and the JoF brand even more this year.

And there we go, let's check back on this in 365 days,,,

Open Letter to Greg Berlanti...

Dear Mr. Berlanti,

            I write this in hopes you will take a moment out of your clearly busy schedule to read it. My name is Cilla Hagle and I have been a fan of Kara/Supergirl since I was a little girl. To me Kara is the only Supergirl that counts (I try to forget Matrix and Linda happened). Kara is so meaningful to me...she was my hero growing up...she is a blonde that is powerful and strong, as opposed to ditsy and airheaded. To me she redefined what being a blonde meant, which meant so much to me. Where I grew up I was one of few blondes. I didn't look like everyone else, but I looked like Kara. She gave me a heroine to look up to for strength.

            I start with this story so it is fully understood how strongly I feel about Kara. When she returned to the DCU in 2002 I was beyond ecstatic. It was her return that got me to start reading comics and in turn introduced me to Stephanie Brown, Mia Dearden, and so many other characters that mean so much to me now. This is why when I heard Kara was finally getting her own TV show I was both thrilled and terrified. DC live action adaptations have left something to be desired in recent years, with the notable exceptions of 'Arrow' (it had a slow start I felt but now it has become must see TV) and 'Flash' (I question casting choices but the show itself is amazing). That is why when I found out you were behind Kara's show I felt a sense of hope. I also felt a sense of jealously because I know I will never be fortunate enough to be part of the creative team responsible for a project such as this. You are truly incredibly lucky to have your career and the opportunity to bring these characters to life.

            I must say, what I've heard so far in the press is promising! I will admit, I love the name Kara Danvers. While Kara Kent will always be my favorite identity for Kara I understand the need for separating her from Clark and using the Danvers name is brilliant. I love even more you stuck with Kara and didn't use Linda. Kara is Supergirl. I never liked her using Linda. It never fit her. She is Kara so thank you for keeping that name. I also love the idea of her being older and coming to terms with her being a hero. I can't wait to see her new origin play out. I'm truly looking forward to it.

 

            Now, if I may, I have a couple of suggestions because this may be the only way I ever have a chance to offer my insight. I know even if you read this you will likely disregard any ideas I offer, nevertheless I hope that maybe one or two resonate with you. feel free to use any of my ideas. I just want to see an amazing Supergirl show. I look for no credit. First, for casting Kara I hope you go with a girl that has an "All-American girl" look as opposed to something 'exotic'. To me Kara is a classic beauty. My dream would be to see Stephanie Gatschet in the role. She is ideal for Kara but Natalie Hall, Lindsey Bushman, or another girl with that general type of look would be great as well. Second, this is a great chance to bring other DC females to live action, like Stephanie Brown (who would best be played by Amy Gumenick...she can do Steph as a blonde and Carrie as a redhead...). Steph and Kara had great chemistry in the pre- New 52 books and I would love to see that on screen as well. Finally my ultimate dream would be to see Kara's love interest be Dick Grayson/Nightwing. Matt Bomer, who just ended his run on 'White Collar' would be ideal to play Dick. It would be so easy to separate him from the Bat Family too. Forget the Robin history. Have him just be Nightwing, a circus orphan dedicated to fighting crime. He could be a police detective by day and Nightwing by night. And Dick and Kara could easily become a power couple in every sense of the word with so much good story to tell. There is the human/alien aspect...can a human and Kryptonian find happiness? Can Dick let Kara in with his mission? I could go on for pages. Finally, Ellie Goulding's 'Lights' or a song with that general sound would make an amazing theme song...and I do hope there is a theme song for the show. It's the one thing 'Arrow' and 'Flash' lack.

 

            I have so many ideas but these are the main ones. I thank you for your time and hope you consider some of these. I love your work and I truly look forward to watching you bring my hero to life. I will be tuning in from day one and as long as Kara is on my screen I will support the show. Thank you for giving Kara life.

Sincerely,

Cilla Hagle

One Ticked Canadian

This was sent to me via e-mail by my mom who wanted me to spread it to the masses. After reading it, I agree, everyone should read this and take to heart the message. When did war become about the rights of the people trying to attack and kill us and our own? If you agree, please share. It's a message that should be heard.

 

One Ticked off Canadian Housewife

This is very good,.... PLEASE read....

Thought you might like to read this letter

to the editor. Ever notice how some people

just seem to know how to write a letter?

This one surely does!

This was written by a Canadian woman, but oh how

it also applies to the U.S.A. , U.K. And Australia .

THIS ONE PACKS A FIRM PUNCH

Written by a housewife in New Brunswick, to

her local newspaper. This is one ticked off lady...

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was

it or was it not, started by Islamic people who

brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001

and have continually threatened to do so since?”
Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered

that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from

the capitol of the USA and in a field in Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were

claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a

nation they are fighting against in a brutal Insurgency.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle

East, start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief

of which, is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan .

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are

sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head, while Berg

screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents'

in Afghanistan, come out and fight like men,

instead of disrespecting their own religion by

hiding in Mosques and behind women and children.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow

themselves up in search of Nirvana, care about the

innocent children within range of their suicide Bombs.

I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that

their freedom of Speech on stories, is more important than

the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting

at home, to hear about them when something happens.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a

CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent

terrorist to obtain information, know this:

I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the

head when he is told not to move because he

might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:

I don't care. Shoot him again.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food, that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe, in your heart of hearts:

I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes

it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.'

Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it.

I don't care!!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to

all your E-mail Friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to

the people responsible for this ridiculous behaviour!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete

button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't

complain when more atrocities committed by radical

Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering, if

during their life on earth, they made a difference in

the world. But, the Soldiers don't have that problem.

I have another quote that I would like to

share AND...I hope you forward All this.

One last thought for the day:

Only five defining forces have ever offered to die for you:

1. Jesus Christ
2. The British Soldier.
3. The Canadian Soldier.
4. The US Soldier, and
5. The Australian Soldier

One died for your soul,

the other four, for you and your children's Freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,

AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET!

AMEN! GOD BLESS CANADA AND AMERICA!

And Open Letter to Gail Simone (Re: Kevin Sorbo and more)

Recently Gail Simone tweeted “Oh, Kevin Sorbo. Why do you exist?”

Considering Kevin is one of my greatest personal inspiration and heroes this irked me. Most of the time I ignore Gail’s incessant rambling, but this was posed as a question and one I think deserves an answer.

Ms. Simone, Kevin exists for a wide variety of reason. There is of course the shallow reasons…he’s beautiful and excellent eye candy…although given your distaste for women being eye candy I can only assume you feel the same about men…wouldn’t want a double standard right? So we’ll move on. Kevin has been through so much in his life and still kept going. During the time he was playing Hercules, a powerful demi-god, he was suffering intense medical issue and no one knew. He put on his best work for the fans and pushed through it. He has been a constant source of inspiration to me personally as I was diagnosed with liver disease last year and his victory in living a fit life has inspired me to take on my illness and live a healthier, fitter life as well. And that isn’t even to speak of the fact he’s a conservative in Hollywood of all places! Some of his opinions could get him blacklisted in that liberal town and he speaks his mind anyway. He’s intelligent and well thought…it’s refreshing to see a celebrity that hasn’t been brainwashed by the liberal media. Sure, sometimes I do disagree with him, not often but it happens…but that’s ok. He still has the courage to speak his mind. I admire that. Not to mention all the good he's done by sponsoring programs for kids to get fit and other causes. So there you go Ms. Simone. That is why Kevin exists…to inspire us through inner strength and courage. And if by some small chance Kevin is reading this, thank you. You will always be Hercules to me as you are truly a picture of heroism and strength.

Since we’re asking questions, I have one for you. Why do you insist on setting back the fight females are fighting to be taken seriously in comics? I try to have respect for what you do as at the core we have the same goal…our methods of getting there are different, but the end game is the same. Or so I thought. It is starting to seem you’re actually just setting my goal back. My goal is for woman to be heroic and still be themselves…their sexy, beautiful, powerful selves. You (and a great many of your supporters) nitpick every little thing you feel might even suggest a hint of misogyny to the point it makes all females a joke. A great and recent example is the latest Spider Woman cover that has caused such a stir. It’s a spider pose…she is Spider Woman. Duh. As for the sexual pose or whatever…it’s the perspective of the ‘shot’ and there is nothing wrong with it. It’s OK for a heroine to appear sexy if it’s within her character. Power Girl for example, you expect to see her using her sexuality as power. She may dress sexier than say, Barbara Gordon, who always relied on her brain power more. Both are realistic types of women and to suggest that any woman sexualized in comic is wrong is sending a very bad message.

Beyond that we are dealing with serious issues with feminism in comics, especially from DC Comics. If we, as women comic fans, fixate on every little thing the end result will be that none of our concerns will be taken seriously. We need to pick our battles and learn to let stuff go. Would you say that showing a shirtless male character was sexist? Unlikely. Then showing a female dressed in a sexy outfit or pose is not necessarily sexist either.

That said we have some clear issues with how women are portrayed in comics. The first that comes to mind is Starfire. She was sexualized beyond what her character ever was…her entire character did a 180 for the sake of sexualizing her. That is an issue. Certainly. Power Girl having a sexy costume, not so much. It’s well within character for her. There is nothing wrong with a beautiful women knowing she’s beautiful and using that to her advantage…that’s not sexist. That’s empowered.

I would also like to express that in my opinion the new 52 incarnation of Barbara Gordon is by far the weakest incarnation of her we’ve seen to date. Everything that made her a strong, self assure woman is gone. She is a shell of her former self and in no way the character I looked up to as a kid.

Personally, I like the Spider Woman comic. It’s sexy without being slutty…and that is empowering. I like Dinah Lance’s Black Canary costume. Again, sexy but powerful. I think we need to be sending the message that sexy can be confidence which can be power. And there is nothing wrong with that. We’re women. We’re prettier than men and but we can kick ass too. Embrace that. Don’t fight it. And not every negative thing done to a woman in comics is because she’s a woman. Sometimes she’s just the right character for the story.

In other words, if we want woman in comics to be treated equal, we have to treat them equal too. This is not happening and as long as women insist on calling a man out every time he draws a sexy character or tries to write a woman character that doesn’t fit some fictional ideal that we ourselves can’t obtain, nor would want to, we will never be taken seriously.

In closing, having Kyle find Alex in a refrigerator was essential to the story and gave Kyle the fire he needed to fight. It wasn’t misogynist, it was story telling.