In Defense Of Fanfiction

By Lisa Anderson

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine who is a published novelist posted a blog entry about fanfiction. He stated that he understood the ways in which it was flattering, and that it was probably good that fanfiction could not be stamped out. He also argued, though, that it was both stealing and lazy writing, because it borrowed someone else’s characters and world.

He has a right to his opinion, and in fairness, he stated it far more kindly than many others have. Nevertheless, I would like to explain why I disagree with him, and bring up some points he may not have considered. For the record, I am a writer of both original fiction and fanfiction.
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When You’re In Trouble, Go Into Your Dance

By Less Lee Moore

Shortly before last Christmas, fellow pop culture enthusiast and Popshifter writer Chelsea Spear sent me a link to a YouTube video and referred to it as ” HOLY CRAP THIS IS THE MOST FACE-MELTINGLY AWESOME THING EVAR.” (This is a direct quote.)

Without even questioning her expert judgment, I clicked and found the oddly-named but utterly mesmerizing “Prisencolinensinainciusol.”
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Killing The Language Of Cinema?

By Less Lee Moore

The recent launch of Movieclips.com, a website featuring “over 12,000 movie clips” that one can “search, find, view, discuss and share scenes from” seems like a great idea. From a practical standpoint, trying to find YouTube movie clips can be challenging as they are often taken down due to copyright infringement issues. (Movieclips has the express permission of several of the major studios to showcase these clips.)

On the other hand, why would we need a site like Movieclips.com (or movie clips on YouTube, for that matter)?
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Entertainment News Is Neither Entertainment Nor News. Discuss.

By Less Lee Moore

Normally Popshifter does not immerse itself in the murky waters of celebrity gossip or political controversy, but since those two topics frequently converge with pop culture, in this case I’ll make an exception.
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Tatt-screwed! Top Five Wanna-Be Scary Tattoos

By Julie Finley

A few weeks back, I was out at dinner, and some guy walked by sporting a rather alarming tattoo on his arm. . . in blood-dripping scrawl, it read “Junkie.” My partner and I laughed to ourselves. We got in the car, and it got me thinking of other bad tattoos I’ve seen on various people who have passed my way.
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Way Past Almost Golden: Courtney Love In The 2000s

By Emily C.

It’s late 2009, and the endless enigma of the singer and musician we know as Courtney Love has still not spawned a new album or a record deal. The general populace has now come to view Courtney Love as the rock version of Anna Nicole Smith. She has been regularly photographed by paparazzi looking like an anorexic, drugged out mess. In one recent video from TMZ she ranted on for a few minutes about things that made no sense, and syringes were seen in her handbag (I seriously doubt she has any form of diabetes).
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A Call to Cover Arms: Sexism At Halloween

By Maureen

Sometimes I feel like the only person on Earth who still remembers that it’s kind of chilly in New York in late October. I think Miranda Hobbes said it best in Sex and the City: The Movie when she declared while shopping for a Halloween costume, “There’s only two options for women: witch, and sexy kitten.” I am even tempted to see Miranda’s point and raise her to a bet that the witch costume she saw was not any old witch, but a “sexy” witch.
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Five Faves: Sherlock Holmes In TV And Film

By Lisa Anderson

There is a new Sherlock Holmes movie coming out in December, and I for one am a little nervous.

Now, I’m no Holmes expert, even though I read some of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle when I was younger. And I was actually excited about the project at first, because of the involvement of Robert Downey, Jr. and in spite of widespread skepticism over the director, Guy Ritchie. It was the trailer that really concerned me.
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The Accidental Terrorist: Scary Songs Which Aren’t Meant To Be Scary

Idea by Matt Keeley
With contributions by. . .

In our last Halloween issue, we discussed morbid melodies and the music of the scares. But what of songs which horrify us accidentally? Some argue that songwriters who pair dark lyrics and bright melodies know exactly what they’re doing, but what about words and music which cause fright when they were only intended to delight?

For example, a few of our readers noted that “Mama” by Genesis was a bit squicky, but it’s unclear whether that creepiness was intentional or not. However, I think we can all assume that “Beep Beep” by The Playmates was probably not meant to panic small children, although it obviously has, judging on some of the replies we received.

Here are some examples of the various tunes that terrify. . .
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XTC: The Never-Ending Obituary

By John Lane

I discovered XTC in a rather roundabout way, circa 1985, when I visited my local record shop (anachronistic now, but communal then). The clerk—a Joe-Cocker-esque fellow with buckteeth and rather woolly sideburns threatening to overtake his face—had put on a record by a band called The Dukes of Stratosphear, which played over the store’s sound system. The opening chords of “What In the World” sent me reeling, and I had to find out what group this was. Said clerk snuffled condescendingly and informed me that this was a “joke album” by a group known as XTC. That’s all I needed to know, and I paid the extra money for this import record, 25 O’Clock.
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