Ann's first brush with geekdom probably came with watching Star Wars on TV sometime in early childhood, and she's been a huge Star Wars fan ever since (and by "Star Wars," she always means the first movie of the original trilogy - Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. None of that "Episode Whatever" nonsense for her!). She can quote most of the lines from all three movies and knows lots of useless information about them, and her collection of Star Wars figures, well-worn from being played with often, still exists somewhere in her parents' basement, she thinks. As a teenager, Ann was an avid reader of Star Wars novels, but finally quit as the quality of the stories started going rapidly downhill. She still considers Timothy Zahn's trilogy that got the trend started to be the best of them.
Having grown up the daughter and granddaughter of avid readers, it's no surprise that Ann is one herself, and has been from a young age. Her tastes in literature are extremely eclectic, but have always tended heavily towards mystery and suspense genres, thanks to the early influence of Nancy Drew. She was introduced to the Sci Fi and Fantasy genres through The Hobbit as a 5th or 6th grader and later to such authors as Anne McCaffrey, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, and Isaac Asimov. Since one can never have enough random British humor (hence Ann's penchant for Monty Python), she greatly enjoys books by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are perennial favorites as well, and she's currently on yet another reading of The Lord of the Rings.
In addition to being somewhat of a SciFi geek, Ann is also a music nerd. She was a music major at Wake Forest University, has a Masters of Music in Music Education from Georgia State University, and has ten years of teaching experience in elementary general music under her belt. Her main instrument is Voice, but she also plays mediocre piano and dabbles with such cool instruments as recorder, tin whistle, baritone ukulele, and mountain dulcimer. In her spare time she enjoys reading, crocheting, playing with her cat, KC, watching too much TV (including favorite shows such as CSI, NCIS, Psych, Eureka, Dr. Who, and Torchwood) and indulging in almost any movie starring Harrison Ford, Hugh Jackman, or John Wayne.
Ann's Blog:
The Geeky Squirrel
Listen up, Sherlock fans — no, really, I mean that literally. Here in the U.S. we’re still waiting to see Series 2 of Steven Moffat’s hit Conan Doyle adaptation but until that happens, we can at least get a taste of things to come with the soundtrack for the next three episodes.
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May 2, 2012 – 5:00 pm
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The more creative among us have taken the age-old idea of the “little green man from Mars” and expanded upon it, bringing us some pretty memorable characters who are, if not exactly environmentally conscious (or even human), quite literally the right color to represent the Earth’s cause. Here are five of my favorites.
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April 20, 2012 – 5:00 pm
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I have some great news for fans of Steven Moffat’s hit modern adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective: while those of us in America are waiting for Series 2 to make its way across the Atlantic, we can get into the proper mindset by listening to the excellent soundtrack for Series 1 of Sherlock.
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April 12, 2012 – 4:00 pm
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So you’ve read my entire article series about podcasts and you need more than I gave you. Or maybe I didn’t mention your particular fandom, because it’s not something I’m a particular fan of. What to do? Where to find more? There are tons of podcasts out there, and many ways to find new ones to listen to — keep reading to find out where to look.
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March 8, 2012 – 11:00 am
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This is the third Doctor Who soundtrack that I’ve had the privilege of reviewing for Fandomania, and it is without a doubt my favorite. We get all of the themes and motifs we’ve come to associate with the 11th Doctor and Amy Pond, but Gold has put them in a whole new light with his fresh instrumentation and settings.
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February 22, 2012 – 11:00 am
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The long-awaited final edition of the Podcast Roundup has finally arrived! In this one, we’ll take a look at some podcasts that cover a range of geeky topics in each episode, especially those that cover sci fi and fantasy television shows and movies.
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February 9, 2012 – 8:00 pm
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The Darkest Hour is not a bad soundtrack, and I’m sure it is highly effective within the context of the movie. As a musical work by itself, however, it’s not different enough from many of the other action movie soundtracks out there to warrant a closer look.
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December 23, 2011 – 8:00 pm
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Tuesday, December 6, was a big night for the Syfy channel — that was the night that they premiered this year’s Christmas specials for three of their top shows: Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Haven. In case you missed it, here is a brief recap of the evening’s entertainment.
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December 9, 2011 – 2:00 pm
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Whether you like to listen to science fiction and fantasy stories or read and write them, you should find plenty in this month’s list to keep you occupied.
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December 1, 2011 – 5:00 pm
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Whether or not you are an aficionado of Hawaiian music, I highly recommend this soundtrack. It is perfect for those times when you need something to help you relax and escape stress.
Posted by Ann Wells -
November 21, 2011 – 11:00 am
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