I really enjoyed the TV show “Firefly” during the brief period it was on the air. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled before all of the episodes even aired and despite the efforts of die-hard fans of the series, the show was never renewed. The show was created by Joss Whedon, who was also responsible for “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Whedon has another show ready to hit FOX called “Dollhouse,” and once again the die-hard Whedon fans are trying to save the show. However, the show isn’t set to debut until January 2009. The fans are doing a preemptive strike for “Dollhouse” after already assuming the network won’t give the show a chance.

Check out the article below to get the skinny on this sordid affair, but in my humble opinion I believe that preemptive strikes shouldn’t be allowed. Not only does it give the show bad mojo before it even starts, it also will take credibility away from a fan strike when one is needed.

Whether it will work or not, this has to be the first time this has ever happened.

www.boingboing.net/2008/05/24/whedon-fans-vow-to-s.html

This next bit of news is truly stranger than fiction. A 35-year-old New York man was admitted to a hospital a couple of weeks ago after complaining of stomach pains. It turns out the man had eaten a hard, brown excretion known as Chinese Rock which is taken from a poisonous toad.

The substance, although banned by the FDA, is sold in neighborhood shops and stores in New York City. Sellers have dubbed Chinese Rock a “street aphrodisiac” and it is known for its ability to stimulate both sexes after it is ingested. The man who ingested it died two days after being admitted to the hospital.

So Chinese Rock is kind of like chocolate, except you take away the sweetness and add venomous excretions and death.

www.boingboing.net/2008/05/26/terror-in-nyc-after.html

Hey, do you know who James Franco is? Neither did I, until I saw this funny video of the “James Franco Acting School” on funnyordie.com. Apparently, James Franco played the son of the Green Goblin in the Spiderman movies, which I tried my best not to see.

Now I might just have to check out Franco’s movies because of how funny these videos are. They depict Franco trying to instruct his brother about the intricacies of acting, from learning how to cry on command to green screen acting.

The best is when the duo play a scene from “Rebel Without a Cause” and Franco loses it when his brother complains about not being able to play James Dean. These two are the funniest celebrity duo to come out of funnyordie.com since Will Ferrell and a 2-year-old girl.

www.funnyordie.com/videos/f22e3ff675

Urban Dictionary Word of the Day

Firefly (n.) — A series that was appropriately named. It shined brightly and briefly because of evil FOX executives.