But Can They Dance on the Head of a Pin?

I don't think Daria and Jane are fooling anyone with their angel act, even if today is Be an Angel Day. At least Jake doesn't have to worry about his daughters going up to join that heavenly choir.

For winged creatures without all of the theological baggage, it's also National Tooth Fairy Day! Metal Mouth might make a good profit if he leaves his (many) lost teeth under his pillow tonight.

Daria will be pleased (or as pleased as she ever is) to know that today is the anniversary of Dorothy Parker's birth in 1893. The snarky late author would have been just Daria's speed, and I would not be surprised at all to find she was a fan.

Fandom News!

• Talk about the recent egg recall in the United States.


• cfardell_Brenorenz29 posted a new Iron Chef: Theatrical Sabotage at Raft.


• janethamill is looking for help accessing SFMB.

Warm Up to Sing in that Heavenly Choir!

I don't know who Daria and Jane think they're fooling on Be an Angel Day, but anyone who knows either of them (or has been on the receiving end of their snark) knows better than to believe appearances. I hope Quinn's guardian angel isn't too busy playing his string thing to protect Quinn from any jeans-related emergencies.

In other winged creatures news, today is National Tooth Fairy Day, so be sure to check under your pillow for money. Let's hope Metal Mouth finds a shiny new set of non-metal teeth under his pillow, because he's got to be sick of Cyndi Lauper by now.

Happy birthday to the late Dorothy Parker, who was born on this day in 1893. I don't think there's much doubt that Daria would be a fan, and many would even consider her to be a spiritual successor to the sarcastic writer.

Fandom News!

• Vote in the Deathmatch poll between Yor Briar/Forger and Osaragi.


• cfardell_Brenorenz29 posted a new Iron Chef: Doppleganger Rival.

"Oh, go dance on the head of a pin."

I don't know whom Daria and Jane think they're fooling, but at least they're trying to fit in on Be an Angel Day. I'm sure Quinn's guardian angel will be around, too, unless he's too busy playing his string thing.

Today is also the anniversary of Dorothy Parker's birth in 1893, which is worth mentioning because I strongly believe that she and Daria would have gotten along very well. With Parker's gift for satire and wisecracks, it would be a perfect match!

Fandom News!

• Roentgen started a new thread about Scenic Lawndale.


• VICE reports an update on the Daria reboot.


• Share your own personal Top 5 2012 TMNT lists.


• Discuss SCIFI crossovers you'd like to see.

They're Warming Up to Sing in that Heavenly Choir

Daria and Jane aren't fooling anyone on Be an Angel Day, but Quinn's guardian angel will surely show up to prevent light fixtures from falling on the popular kids. I've mentioned it before, but I still can't recommend Mike Xeno's Guardian enough.

Today is also the anniversary of Dorothy Parker's birth on this day in 1893. I don't recall Parker ever getting mentioned on the show, but there's no way Daria (the person or the character) wasn't influenced by her biting wit.

Fandom News!

• Say good-bye to recently-deceased comedians Dick Gregory and Jerry Lewis.


• What do you consider the most epic quotes from Daria?

"They should be safe at home and warm and by the fire instead of warming up to sing in that heavenly choir!"

Today might be Be An Angel Day, but I don't know who Daria and Jane think they're trying to fool. I suppose as long as they don't grope anyone, it'll be fine. While Daria and Jane go dance on the head of a pin, why don't the rest of us read Mike Xeno's excellent guardian angel fanfic "Guardian"?

One of Daria's role models, Dorothy Parker, was born on this day in 1893. Or at least, considering the similarities between the two in sharp wit and dark humor, I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of her role models.

Fandom News!

• See the trailer and talk about the new Silent Hill game.


• Meester_Lee has a question about Daria and musical instruments.


• DarkDranzer wonders about PTSD in Daria fanon.


• Two new Iron Chefs have been posted in Creative Writing: PrecambrianStudios's Bootless Daria and Waylander's Daria as Renaissance woman.


• Discuss Nemo Blank's Ring Toss and Retrograde Girl in the Golden Oldies forum.

It's a Writer Birthday Two-Fer!

Happy birthday to both Ray Bradbury and Dorothy Parker, born in 1920 and 1893. Jake appears to be portraying The Illustrated Man, one of Bradbury's short story collections, on the right. Also, I bet you anything that Daria would be a fan of Dorothy Parker, thanks to the writer's sharp wit and gift for satire.

Fandom News!

• Are Daria's glasses "manstoppers"? Make your case in the thread.


• Check out LA Weekly's "Best of" Daria article! Do you agree or disagree with their choices?


• Share your thoughts on Doctor Who and the Hugo Awards.


• untra is looking for recommendations on what to read for his next big fic.


• The Angst Guy wonders what other important superhero-training schools are in the comics and movies.


• Three new Iron Chefs posted in Creative Writing: Charles RB's 12 Years of Tom!, RLobinske's Renaming Carter County, and Roentgen's "Daria: The Blazing World."

The Illustrated Jake & Other Birthdays

I know, I know, the headline didn't make any sense. Whatever.

There are a lot of very relevant birthdays applying to Daria fandom today. Let's fix them up to show their importance.

Jake's Alter Ego: Today is the 89th birthday of master storyteller Ray Bradbury, whose books kept me entertained and informed throughout my childhood. Of particular interest is Jake's alter ego, that of a tattooed man from a circus, which perfectly sets off Bradbury's short-story collection, The Illustrated Man. (The book cover at left is the same as on the copy I owned.)

Daria's Literary Role Model: Writer and critic Dorothy Parker, she of the sharp pen and sharper wit, was born 116 years ago. Read some of her barbed remarks for a real education in wicked writing. She even has a New York City fan club.

Upchuck's Favorite Bond Girl: Honor Blackman celebrates her 84th birthday today. She appeared as a Bond Girl in Goldfinger, and I would bet this appearance (for obvious reasons) made her Charles the Third's favorite.

Summer Lane: Yes, according to one popular fandom mythology, Jane and Trent's oldest sister, Summer Love Lane, was born this day 42 years ago, which was also the same day Vincent and Amanda tied the knot.

Just Because: George Herriman, one of the immortals in the cartooning world, was born 129 years ago today. He was the creator of Krazy Kat, who was forever being hit on the head with a brick by the mouse that Krazy Kat loved. Do you see any application of this theme to any one Daria character in particular?


MOAR NUZ: The announcement that Daria is coming out on DVD in 2010 galvanized two of the message boards for our fandom. If you like posting on MBs other than PPMB or SFMB, try alt.tv.daria and Television Without Pity, the latter of which is going great guns. Sadly, all of the other MBs appear to have died for now. (The stub MB for Daria on The Onion's website has been taken offline for lack of interest, alas.)

Brother Grimace has published a teaser for his next fanfic on PPMB: Legion of Lawndale Heroes 13.7: Time for Me to Fly. Check it out.

A PPMB thread on student stereotypes and using them in fanfiction is moving along well.

MDetector5 has turned Quinn into a costumed furry. For some reason it makes me think of Honor Blackman again.

Hope your day is a good one.

"The Glasses Are You"

Was there anything to what Jane said in "Through a Lens Darkly" about Daria's glasses having symbolic meaning? Perhaps there was. An interesting online essay looks at what a simple pair of spectacles can stand for, both in the Daria series and in real life.

This is not the only time that eyeglasses have been said to have symbolic value. Lord of the Flies is frequently cited as turning the glasses of one of the characters (Piggy) into a powerful symbol, particularly when those glasses are broken in the course of the story.

Remember when Daria takes off her glasses at the end of "Quinn the Brain," and what she is trying to accomplish? It brings to mind Dorothy Parker's comment about men seldom making passes at girls who wear glasses. Is that true? Obviously not in Daria's case. Furthermore, there are loads of commentary on the Internet about this very issue. See the following websites for wall-to-wall coverage of the looking-glasses issue. (Note: Some sites have adult commentary on the issue, so be warned.)

• Dr. Blogstein
• Mocha Momma
• The Fashioniste
• Suburban Kamikaze

This topic has even came up on PPMB, time after time after time after time after time after time after . . . well, you get the idea. If anyone ever has to write a term paper about glasses and self-image, your work is completely done.

Me? I would never get rid of my glasses. My glasses are me, too. They say NERD, that's exactly what I am, and I like it that way.

Food for thought.

LATE ADD: Speaking of food for thought, peek at the latest offering from Fortress CINCGREEN on Stacy and Upchuck, warts and all.