Synopses & Reviews
Once upon a time not long ago, two responsible college professors, Lynn the psychologist and Kathy the literary scholar, fell in love with the television show
Supernatural and turned their oh-so-practical lives upside down. Plunging headlong into the hidden realms of fandom, they scoured the Internet for pictures of stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki and secretly penned racy fan fiction. And then they hit the roadandmdash;crisscrossing the country, racking up frequent flyer miles with alarming ease, standing in convention lines at 4 A.M.
They had white-knuckled encounters with overly zealous security guards one year and smiling invitations to the Supernatural set the next. Actors stripping in their trailers, fangirls sneaking onto film sets; drunken confessions, squeals of joy, tears of despair; wallets emptied and responsibilities left behind; intrigue and ecstasy and crushing disappointmentandmdash;itandrsquo;s all here.
And yet even as they reveled in their fandom, the authors were asking themselves whether itandrsquo;s okay to be a fan, especially for grown women with careers and kids. andldquo;Crazystalkerchicksandrdquo;andmdash;thatandrsquo;s what they heard from Supernatural crew members, security guards, airport immigration officials, even sometimes their fellow fans. But what Kathy and Lynn found was that most fans were very much like themselves: smart, capable women looking for something of their own that engages their brains and their libidos.
Fangasm pulls back the curtain on the secret worlds of fans and famous alike, revealing Supernatural behind the scenes and discovering just how much the cast and crew know about what the fans are up to. Anyone whoandrsquo;s been tempted to throw off the constraints of respectability and indulge a secret passionandmdash;or hit the road with a best friendandmdash;will want to come along.
Review
andldquo;Being a fan isnandrsquo;t hard. Getting inside a fandom, exploring every nook and cranny of a show, doing smart interviews with the top talent, keeping your perspective AND your sense of humor? Now that is really freakinandrsquo; hard. Kathy and Lynn are the best possible guides anyone could have through the many worlds of
Supernatural fandom. As writers, tour guides, and companions, they kick it in the ass in every possible way. This is a terrific and engaging read.andrdquo;andmdash;Maureen Ryan, television critic,
Huffington PostReview
andldquo;Take a trip on the rollercoaster ride that is the
Supernatural fandom as Kathy and Lynn combine their own fannish passion with astute academic insights into what it is to be a fan. Combining an emotionally honest account of their own experiences with interviews with the cast and showrunners on fandom, it's a book no fan should miss.andrdquo;andmdash;Jules Wilkinson, administrator of the
SuperWikiReview
andldquo;
Fangasm takes you on a wild and brave journey into the deep realm of fandom. It's a no-holds-barred true tale of community, passion, and creativity, where the fans are the real stars of the story.and#160;An honest, insightful, and often surprising exploration into the world of fandom,
Fangasm breaks down barriers and reminds us just how vital fans are to the success of any creative work. It resonates with the fangirl or fanboy in all of us.andrdquo;andmdash;Tony Zierra, director, and Elizabeth Yoffe, producer,
My Big BreakSynopsis
Throughout film history, Washington D.C. has functioned as a site of celebration and anxiety about U.S. democracy and capitalism. From Mr Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939), to The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971), to Independence Day (Roland Emmerich, 1996), U.S. cinema has used the nation's capital as cultural shorthand to express and investigate contemporary ideals and concerns about society. In many ways, Washington D.C. is a continually evolving monument to the American experiment, and its representation in the motion picture plays a vital role in continuing this process.
Synopsis
Freedom and democracy. Bills and laws. Bureaucracy and red tape. Washington, DC, the capital of the United States, is known for many things, mostof them related to the inner workings of the government. But it is also a city of carefully planned parks, trees exploding with cherry blossoms in spring, and bright sunshine polishing the gleaming white of stately memorials. With no shortage of iconic American landscapes, such as the vast National Mall; buildings, from the White House and the Capitol to the Watergate Hotel and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and monuments, including the Washington Monument and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, it is at once synonymous with the country it governs and a world apart.
This friction animates and attracts filmmakers, who use the District's landmarks as a shorthand to express and investigate contemporary ideals and concerns about American society. Films set there both celebrate and castigate the grand American experiment it symbolizes. From Frank Capraand#8217;s 1939 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to the alien invasion blockbuster Independence Day, films set in Washington depict our most ardent hopes and bring to life our darkest fears.
World Film Locations: Washington, D.C., collects essays and articles about Washington film history and locations. Featuring explorations of carefully chosen film scenes and key historical periods, the book examines themes, directors, and depictions and is illustrated with evocative movie stills, city maps, and location photographs. Taken as a whole, this is essential reading for any cinephile who has ever wondered how a bill becomes a law.
About the Author
Lynn S. Zubernis is associate professor of counselor education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She is also area chair for stardom and fandom for the Southwest Popular Culture Association. Katherine Larsen teaches at the George Washington Universityand#160;in Washington, D.C., and is the area chair for fan theory and culture for the Popular Culture Association. Larsen and Zubernis are principal and associate editors of the Journal of Fandom Studies. Together, they have authored Fandom at the Crossroads: Celebration, Shame, and Fan/Producer Relationships and edited Fan Culture: Theory/Practice and Fan Phenomena: andquot;Supernatural.andquot; They arenandrsquo;t telling the names under which they write fan fiction.
Table of Contents
and#160;Washington D.C.: City of Imagination
Katherine Larsen
and#160;
Scenes 1-6 (Group A)
and#160;
A Memorial for the Masses
Katherine Larsen
and#160;
Scenes 7-12 (Group B)
and#160;
Dope, Guns and Go Go: D.C. Black Music on Film
Christopher Lornell
and#160;
Scenes 13-18 (Group C)
and#160;
Capital of the National Security State
Michael Svoboda
and#160;
Scenes 19-21 (Group D)
and#160;
Capital of Fear: The Washington D.C. Suspense Film
Paul Haspel
and#160;
Scenes 22-28 (Group E)
and#160;
District of Tomorrow: Science Fiction Films in Washington D.C.
Paul Haspel
and#160;
Scenes 29-33 (Group F)
and#160;
Destroying Washington
Michael Svoboda
and#160;
Scenes 34-38 (Group G)
and#160;
Backpages
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Resources
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Contributor Bios
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Fimography