I have to admit it’s a great idea. And it’s not only that b!X has a hand in making it happen.

Fandom is a fascinating phenomenon. Fans stalk, gawk, and hawk. They gather and blather and can pretty much obsess about the objects of their fan-aticism. There’s even a documentary called Fandom that chronicles the journey of one man bent on meeting the object of his obsession –no matter the cost..
And it’s all that which make this effort of some of the fans of (the FOX-nixed television series) Firefly, (its big-screen movie sequel) Serenity, and (the creator of it all and more) Joss Wheden so unique. It’s really none of the above.
Thanks to the creativity and persistence of many Browncoats (which is what the fans of Serenity call themselves), as of today, benefit screenings of the movie Serenity are being planned in more than 23 cities In 4 countries on 3 continents. The proceeds of the screenings will go to Joss Whedon’s favorite charity, Equality Now (go here to see a PSA for Equality Now featuring Meryl Streep, Marissa Tomei, and Sarah Jones). The organizing Browncoats intend this effort to raise money for Equality Now as their birthday gift to Whedon. Many of the showings will be on June 23 (Whedon’s birthday), including the one at the Palace Theatre in Albany, New York, for which I already have tickets.
Now, I imagine that Browncoats pretty much range among the 20- to 30- somethings, are long-time comic and sci-fi fans, and do not wear suits. So what’s someone who’s their parents’ age (or even thieir grandparents’!) doing planning to drive 85 miles to see a movie.
Well, I love kick-ass female characters, and Joss Whedon knows how to create great ones. Great sexy ones. Great sexy smart ones. Courageous, too. My favorite Serenity character is Zoe Washburn, played by Gina Torres, a strikingly effective actress in all of the various roles in which I’ve seen her perform. The other female character that fascinates me is Inara Serra, played by Morena Baccarin, an actress I don’t ever remember seeing before and one who is rumored to be under consideration for the role of Joss Whedon’s planned “Wonder Woman” movie. In the Firefly series, Inara Serra is a character that sets feminism on its ear in the most acceptable ways as far as I’m concerned.
Whedon’s creations are uniquely and irreverently his own., and that’s why I’m a — as much as I hate to categorize myself as one — “fan.”
I love this quote from Whedon about the Browncoats (of which I am not, officially, one).

“Firefly went on the air a few years ago and was instantly hailed by critics as one of the most cancelled shows of the year. It was ignored and abandoned, and the story should end there. But it doesn’t, because the people who made the show and the people who saw the show—which is roughly the same number of people—fell in love with it a little bit too much to let it go, too much to lay down arms when the battle looked pretty much lost. In Hollywood, people like that are called unrealistic, quixotic, obsessive. In my world, they’re called Browncoats.” — Joss Whedon, “Joss Whedon Introduction”, Serenity DVD

In addition to all of that, the movie Serenity, with it’s wild west/sci fi zippy dialogue and characters you won’t meet anywhere else, is worth your time and your money.
If you’re in Albany on the evening of June 23, come and join me at the Palace, knowing that your time will be well spent and that your money will be going to Equality Now.