Stuff for your Saturday

1.

Biggest thing first: January 2014 marks the publishing debut of Darwin's sister Rosamund Hodge. Her YA novel Cruel Beauty is a steampunk/Greek mythology/Victoriana retelling of Cupid and Psyche set in a world with a paper sky. Here's a sneak peek at the cover, plus an interview in which she reveals how publishing a book is just part of a grand plot to get back at Darwin.

2.

Speaking of beautiful girls with death wishes, here are some exploding Disney princesses:



3.

Speaking of things that might not make everyone laugh, here's the most intellectual jokes that Slate can compile, with explanations for those who may get it. Here's what made me laugh out loud:

 “Two women walk into a bar and talk about the Bechdel test.” 

Why it’s funny: Because “Bechdel test” is actually the name of a guy the first woman is dating.

4.

Speaking of things that people don't understand, io9 has an increasingly incensed Q&A on the Star Trek: Into Darkness plot, which sounds like a hot mess. People who've seen it assure me that it makes sense while you're watching it, but I dunno. Lots of spoilers at the link, which didn't matter to me because Brandon already totally spoiled the movie for me, except that I didn't believe him until I read it here because it sounded so ludicrous.

5.

We watched The Muppets the other night, and I thought it was a mixed bag. Overall, it was mostly sweet and feel-good, but the theme of nostalgia didn't seem in keeping with the tone of the other Muppet movies, and it wasn't as wall-to-wall funny either. I don't think that the meta-theme of Muppets as The Muppets will hold up as well as The Muppets Take Manhattan or The Great Muppet Caper, in which it was just taken for granted that these characters fit into society just as they were (except for Gonzo, of course).

It was a curious commentary that after we saw a movie with four or five new songs, the one we all hummed afterwards was "Mahna Mahna".