…somewhere, I guess, because The Prop Store of London has her jacket.

This distinctive collared salmon coloured t-shirt can be seen towards the beginning of the film before the crew embark to go to the Maidenhead Bar. This top comes custom framed with a laser cut mount board featuring the movie title and two film stills.

On sale now. Weapons and kick-ass attitude sold separately.

Whenever Browncoats hold events for charity, we raise money for lots of different causes. We’ve helped with Katrina relief, we’ve raised money for armed forces charities, and Browncoats have opened their hearts to many local needs. But the primary charity we get behind is Equality Now. For some this was simply because it was Joss’ favorite charity and we followed where he led. But many of us recognized that Joss’ message has always been “women are strong, human beings deserve dignity and respect, and if that’s not happening someone needs to yell about it.”

Equality Now supports women’s rights by speaking out against female genital mutilation, domestic violence, “honor” killings, human trafficking, and other crimes against women worldwide. These are not just discriminatory situations where a woman isn’t getting paid as much as a man — wrong as that is — but situations where violence against women is not only occurring but actually condoned, tacitly or openly, by the people in charge.

One such event happened last month when 17-year-old Dua Khalil was stoned to death by a group of young men, some of them in her family, while police looked on. Khalil was a Kurdish girl whose religion is Yazidi, and she had apparently been seen with a Sunni Muslim man. Four people have since been arrested and three of the police are being investigated in connection with this murder, but I really have to wonder if anything official would have happened if the camera-phone video of the stoning hadn’t spread across the Internet.

Joss posted his thoughts at whedonesque today. I’m reprinting them here; I have no doubt he would want them spread as widely as possible. My comments are below.

Let’s Watch A Girl Get Beaten To Death.

This is not my blog, but I don’t have a blog, or a space, and I’d like to be heard for a bit.

Last month seventeen year old Dua Khalil was pulled into a crowd of young men, some of them (the instigators) family, who then kicked and stoned her to death. This is an example of the breath-taking oxymoron “honor killing”, in which a family member (almost always female) is murdered for some religious or ethical transgression. Dua Khalil, who was of the Yazidi faith, had been seen in the company of a Sunni Muslim, and possibly suspected of having married him or converted. That she was torturously murdered for this is not, in fact, a particularly uncommon story. But now you can watch the action up close on CNN. Because as the girl was on the ground trying to get up, her face nothing but red, the few in the group of more than twenty men who were not busy kicking her and hurling stones at her were filming the event with their camera-phones.

There were security officers standing outside the area doing nothing, but the footage of the murder was taken – by more than one phone – from the front row. Which means whoever shot it did so not to record the horror of the event, but to commemorate it. To share it. Because it was cool.

I could start a rant about the level to which we have become desensitized to violence, about the evils of the voyeuristic digital world in which everything is shown and everything is game, but honestly, it’s been said. And I certainly have no jingoistic cultural agenda. I like to think that in America this would be considered unbearably appalling, that Kitty Genovese is still remembered, that we are more evolved. But coincidentally, right before I stumbled on this vid I watched the trailer for “Captivity”.

A few of you may know that I took public exception to the billboard campaign for this film, which showed a concise narrative of the kidnapping, torture and murder of a sexy young woman. I wanted to see if the film was perhaps more substantial (especially given the fact that it was directed by “The Killing Fields” Roland Joffe) than the exploitive ad campaign had painted it. The trailer resembles nothing so much as the CNN story on Dua Khalil. Pretty much all you learn is that Elisha Cuthbert is beautiful, then kidnapped, inventively, repeatedly and horrifically tortured, and that the first thing she screams is “I’m sorry”.

“I’m sorry.”

What is wrong with women?

I mean wrong. Physically. Spiritually. Something unnatural, something destructive, something that needs to be corrected.

How did more than half the people in the world come out incorrectly? I have spent a good part of my life trying to do that math, and I’m no closer to a viable equation. And I have yet to find a culture that doesn’t buy into it. Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence — is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.) And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least, expendable.

I try to think how we got here. The theory I developed in college (shared by many I’m sure) is one I have yet to beat: Womb Envy. Biology: women are generally smaller and weaker than men. But they’re also much tougher. Put simply, men are strong enough to overpower a woman and propagate. Women are tough enough to have and nurture children, with or without the aid of a man. Oh, and they’ve also got the equipment to do that, to be part of the life cycle, to create and bond in a way no man ever really will. Somewhere a long time ago a bunch of men got together and said, “If all we do is hunt and gather, let’s make hunting and gathering the awesomest achievement, and let’s make childbirth kinda weak and shameful.” It’s a rather silly simplification, but I believe on a mass, unconscious level, it’s entirely true. How else to explain the fact that cultures who would die to eradicate each other have always agreed on one issue? That every popular religion puts restrictions on women’s behavior that are practically untenable? That the act of being a free, attractive, self-assertive woman is punishable by torture and death? In the case of this upcoming torture-porn, fictional. In the case of Dua Khalil, mundanely, unthinkably real. And both available for your viewing pleasure.

It’s safe to say that I’ve snapped. That something broke, like one of those robots you can conquer with a logical conundrum. All my life I’ve looked at this faulty equation, trying to understand, and I’ve shorted out. I don’t pretend to be a great guy; I know really really well about objectification, trust me. And I’m not for a second going down the “women are saints” route – that just leads to more stone-throwing (and occasional Joan-burning). I just think there is the staggering imbalance in the world that we all just take for granted. If we were all told the sky was evil, or at best a little embarrassing, and we ought not look at it, wouldn’t that tradition eventually fall apart? (I was going to use ‘trees’ as my example, but at the rate we’re getting rid of them I’m pretty sure we really do think they’re evil. See how all rants become one?)

Now those of you who frequent this site are, in my wildly biased opinion, fairly evolved. You may hear nothing new here. You may be way ahead of me. But I can’t contain my despair, for Dua Khalil, for humanity, for the world we’re shaping. Those of you who have followed the link I set up know that it doesn’t bring you to a video of a murder. It brings you to a place of sanity, of people who have never stopped asking the question of what is wrong with this world and have set about trying to change the answer. Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself. I’ve always had a bent towards apocalyptic fiction, and I’m beginning to understand why. I look and I see the earth in flames. Her face was nothing but red.

All I ask is this: Do something. Try something. Speaking out, showing up, writing a letter, a check, a strongly worded e-mail. Pick a cause – there are few unworthy ones. And nudge yourself past the brink of tacit support to action. Once a month, once a year, or just once. If you can’t think of what to do, there is this handy link. Even just learning enough about a subject so you can speak against an opponent eloquently makes you an unusual personage. Start with that. Any one of you would have cried out, would have intervened, had you been in that crowd in Bashiqa. Well thanks to digital technology, you’re all in it now.

I have never had any faith in humanity. But I will give us props on this: if we can evolve, invent and theorize our way into the technologically magical, culturally diverse and artistically magnificent race we are and still get people to buy the idiotic idea that half of us are inferior, we’re pretty amazing. Let our next sleight of hand be to make that myth disappear.

The sky isn’t evil. Try looking up.

–joss

Me, I think it’s fear. Too many men are afraid they are not strong so they bolster themselves by punishing the weak, just because they can. Too many men are afraid of how lust makes them lose control so they subjegate what they see as the origin of that lust, either by punishing women for being attractive or by just raping them to get what they want. Too many men are afraid of how their friends and family will regard them if the women under their control try to defy orders and live for themselves. Too many men are afraid of life in general, and they banish the fear by becoming an object of fear themselves. And too many women agree with this and stand by as it happens.

I don’t think womb-envy answers it. I suspect Joss personally envies the womb because he marvels at the woman’s strength and life-giving abilities, but he lacks even the slightest fear of women that would help him recognize it in others. This is a Good Thing, and should be spread around.

Next month Can’t Stop the Serenity events will be held around the world. Partly we go to see “Serenity” on the big screen again and see our friends. But we also go to raise money for Equality Now. Last year the events raised over $65,000. I think we can beat that this year, and that’s a hell of a legacy for a bunch of science fiction fans of a cancelled show.

Over the past year I’ve told you what Serenity stuff to buy and where to find it. Now I strongly urge you to get to a Can’t Stop the Serenity showing near you, to buy shirts and posters from them if you can’t get to one yourself, or just to donate directly to Equality Now.

We’re Browncoats because we love the worlds Joss makes. Let’s make our own, right here.

With the DNA contained in the blood still on this Reaver spike after it was fired through Jayne’s leg during the bank robbery chase scene.

OK, you’d probably only end up with a cloned vat of Karo syrup and food coloring, or whatever the prop guys are using for blood these days, but it’s still pretty cool.

Made from resin with the two ‘sprung’ arms in the folded out position, the end of the resin spike screws into an aluminium grip with some frayed rope attached. It has been heavily distressed and still has fake movie blood on it. It measures 38cm (15″) in length.

On sale now at The Prop Store of London.

QMx is running out, but Things From Another World is getting more Official Serenity Blueprints in stock. Preorder now and get 10% off!

This limited edition set of blueprints from the Serenity movie is sure to impress. Limited to 750 copies worldwide each set contains 10 full color 18″x24″ prints on 100 pound satin finish paper. Painstakingly designed and illustrated by Geoffrey Mandel (graphic designer for Serenity) and Tim Earls (illustrator and set designer for Firefly and set designer for Serenity) these are not just mere posters. The set also contains an 11″x17″ signature sheet featuring the original signatures of Mr. Mandel and Mr. Earls, and background essays by the blueprints’ creators.

These sets will ship rolled in original packaging and enclosed in a 3″ mailing tube and are limited to one set per customer.

The price is higher than ordering direct from QMx but their shipping is cheaper, plus you can combine shipping with any other TFAW purchases you make. Not a bad deal, since they’ve got more Serenity stuff than just about anybody.

Just revealed at DVDActive.com, here’s the Collector’s edition’s shiny new outside. First impression: It’s not by 11th Hour. Sigh.

Second impression: it’s way better than the original key art. What do you think?

The 2-disc Serenity Collectors Edition is now available for preorder from Amazon for $18.99! Or you can get it from TFAW.com or the Universal site. To be released August 21.

Read the rest of this entry »

You can win a signed print of Jo Chen’s wonderful cover from Dark Horse Comics ‘Serenity’ issue 2, signed by Jo, Jewel Staite, and Joss Whedon. The print is 13 x 19″ 8-color on matte paper.

‘Course, to get the link you’ll have to visit the Can’t Stop the Serenity MySpace page…

Here we go, folks, the long awaited “Can’t Stop the Serenity” tees for 2007 are available for pre-order. With an elegant, eye-catching design on the front and the list of cities on the back, this tee by Black Market Beagles’ Adam Levermore-Rich is finally available for preorder in many of the event markets.

You can purchase one (or more!) of the 2007 CSTS shirts and posters from your local event organizers in the following cities: Adelaide, SA • Boston, MA • Charlotte, NC • Chicago, IL • Dallas / Fort Worth, TX • Denver, CO • Edmonton, AB • Los Angeles, CA • Madison, WI • Raleigh, NC • Toronto, ON • Phoenix / Tempe / Tucson, AZ • Pittsburgh, PA • Portland, OR • Sacramento, CA • Seattle, WA.

Limited quantities will be available, and time’s a’wastin’! Please note that most of the events selling the items will want you to pick them up at the show; if you need yours shipped check some of the city links nearest you.

If you’re a Netflix member, you can pick up a previewed copy of “Serenity” for $5.99. I strongly feel you should take advantage of this offer, for there are many things you could do with cheap, plentiful copies.

Hunt down old school chums you haven’t seen for decades and encourage them to become Browncoats by filling their cars with DVDs.

Make collage wall art with numerous DVD inserts.

Make sure every library in the land has at least 5 copies. Then start on Canada.

Hurl copies at random passersby (note: from ground level only, please).

Send one to each of your state representatives.

Wallpaper your room.

Any more ideas?

OK, this is just funny. I went to Things From Another World to see what was new and at the moment their list of the top 5 hottest items are all Whedony.

#1 Buffy #3

#2 Buffy #2

#3 Buffy #1

#4 Signed Buffy Print

#5 Serenity TPB

This cheers me up like you wouldn’t believe…

Fashions this year, or, rather, 500 years from now, are/will be trending toward wild colors to catch a doctor’s eye while helping hide the grease.

Just check out this one, available now at The Prop Store of London. Perfect for dancing the night away at the Maidenhead Bar or shopping for more batteries for those special nights, this multicolored number comes mounted in a framed display with a laser-cut movie logo and a film still.