"slash" is a complicated issue for shows

How do you deal with a fandom that just won't stop liking things you'd rather they didn't?
If you're one of the countless producers out there with unpopular shows, you might think having a loud fandom is a good thing. But over the years, we've seen behavior from both showrunners and fans of major slash pairings that would suggest that navigating a slash fandom is a complicated and incendiary mine field.
Slash pairings, or queer relationships, are generally the controversial ones, particularly in onscreen stories. While straight pairings between characters are typically fair game in Hollywood, queer relationships are still atypical, especially if they involve main characters. But that hasn't stopped fans from rooting for queer pairings in slash fandoms. The increasing visibilty of slash fandom, and the popularity of slash shipping, often puts fandom squarely at odds with a century of the celluloid closet.

even stargate gets a mention;

Stargate: Atlantis enjoyed decent ratings and a stolidly middle-aged fanbase that had supported the franchise for over a decade. It also had a major cult following within slash fandom because of the popularity of the slash pairing of John Shepard and Rodney McKay, a.k.a. McShep. McShep fans helped give the series a longer life and solid DVD sales into its fifth season. But unexpectedly, the show was canceled, not because ratings were poor, but because producers wanted to "broaden" the franchise's "core fanbase."

In other words, since the fanbase was too middle-aged, too female, and too prone to writing slashfic, the whole show had to go. The fanbase was so upset at SGA's cancellation that Stargate: Universe, intended to be its younger, hotter sibling, crashed and burned in its first season. The franchise hasn't been back on the air since.

read the story here at dailydot.com

friday 5: a scattergories set

the post at the friday 5 site (which has instructions for this) links to a random letter generator, which gave me the letter O.

1. What article of clothing, whose name begins with the letter, have you never worn?
oxford shoes.

2. What book, whose title begins with the letter, are you looking forward to reading?
operation mincemeat: how a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory by ben macintyre.

3. What mode of transportation, whose name begins with the letter, seems like it would be fun?
possibly an outrigger.

4. What form of exercise, whose name begins with the letter, have you recently engaged in?
one-armed lift of a cooking pot for dinner.

5. What fictional character, whose name begins with the letter, would be good company on a long trip?
o'brien from star trek: deep space nine. especially if the trip was on a shuttle-craft.

see what other people said at f.riday5.com