Film Updates, Cannibals and Naked Rugby

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.

I hardly know where to begin this week. There is so much happening personally, professionally and creatively, it’s hard to prioritize. Why not start as I often have with the weather. I’m not sure if it’s Hurricane Norbert (huh?) or what, but yesterday I was actually cold on the way home from the weekend errands. Cold as in goose pimples and shivering in the afternoon sun. The temperature dropped almost 30 degrees from Thursday to Friday, and it’s been very windy – tree felling windy. It’s typically windy this time of year, but the Santa Anas are hot winds from the desert. This was cold air from the ocean. It was refreshing, mind you. And it was nice sleeping without fans and with blankets. It was just surprising. I’m seldom cold in LA.

I’m on major drugs today for my back. It was a necessary step to get me to sleep through the night and further the healing process. I’m a bit disappointed though. My dreams aren’t any stranger than they are normally nor are my hallucinations. And I still can’t sleep through the loud and enthusiastic choir soloist who takes the microphone each and every blessed Sunday promptly at 10 am in the church across the parking lot from our bedroom. Bless her and that snare drum. I’ll never oversleep on a Sunday, nosiree. I may drift onto wild tangents. That is, I may drift onto wilder tangents, but I don’t think so. My back is feeling better though.

Sign of the Season
No, I don’t mean the Christmas decorations that are already up at my local Costco or the Freddy Kruger scary stuffed people lurking near the laundry room. Seeing them at 12 midnight while tired was almost very exciting for our sleeping neighbors. I mean the appearance of the Dieux De Stade calendar and making of video. My dear ami in France sent me a link which I enjoyed thoroughly. Those lovely men always find just the right place for that rugby ball and they still remind me of Greek statues. I have been without that calendar for far too long. This year, I’m making sure it once again adorns my work space. It provides inspiration. Though I grumble about the ever earlier Christmas displays, Jon and I have already begun the early cookie prep. The list (even with yearly culling) has become ponderously long. And we’ve added to our variety of treats. Jon’s compiling a spread sheet of recipes and ingredients, so we can take advantage of sales and get in all the necessary supplies. Last year we did 2 gross of cookies and dozens of mini-fruit cakes (and they are quite good) and baklava. The organization must begin early.

Film Biz, Silver Linings and the Re-write
The current financial craziness has had some effect on our current film’s development. Mainly, it has distracted our funding source and slowed the process down considerably. In the short run, that means that Jon and I remain at the Archive until the film is fully under way, and it means the pace of the re-write is not likely to change anytime soon. However, we find a huge silver lining in everything slowing down. The release date will be pushed from spring to the fall. Thus, the main part of the shoot – the Jersey scenes – will be pushed back to the spring. We are more than a little relieved about that. There is a lot that needs to be done in LA prior to the Jersey shoot (the opening of Billy Swain’s hit 70s show in the amusement park, a video of Dave Martin’s band on the 3rd Street Promenade – hopefully next to the Psychic Cat, and at least two 70s style video’s of Billy and his band). Then there is the opening scene in the Bel Air Mansion when the IRS kicks Billy out, and there are highway scenes that have to shot in the desert as Billy makes his way across country. Every one of those locations is more than one day and quite complicated. I didn’t know how we were going to squeeze them into the initial schedule and have them look like anything resembling good. We were very worried about that part of the shoot and more worried about shooting the rest during the dead of winter in New Jersey. The weather is really unpredictable and that can eat up a budget and the contingency. I’d prefer a slower pace even if it means working the day job longer. This also means that my Thanksgiving will be here. Plans for the Christmas holidays are still in flux. We’d still like to go back to Paris. The nice people who rent apartments there moved our reservation from Oct to Dec. I’d really love to spend the holiday there.

All that said, the re-write is progressing nicely. I received a good comment about how difficult it is to re-imagine a story once it has been written. That is very true. It isn’t easy to re-write a completed work. Time helps. Six years changes perspectives to be sure. We didn’t change the events of the script as much as we’re giving depth to the motivation behind the characters actions and sharpening the focus of the story. I’m hoping that the lines are as funny to other people as they are to us. We won’t know for sure until it’s finished. We crack ourselves up, but that may not be true for anyone else. Comedy is really hard.

When It Rains
When a casting breakdown is run for a show, all sorts of attention is paid to the production company. We get no end of composer resumes and reels. There are tons of stunt resumes and other key crew resumes filling all of our mailboxes. And we hear from people we’ve approached about funding for older projects. It’s that old situation where if you have money for one show, you get offered money for other things. It’s always harder to get money when you don’t have it. If that makes sense, please explain it to me. At any rate, in addition to Luv U 4 Ever and The Gunslinger and the cable TV pitches, we’ve been contacted about two other films we’d been trying to mount for a few years. I have to push aside my annoyance (oh, now this show is worthy of attention, eh) in favor of the notion of working back to back shows for a couple of years. We’re also getting a lot of practice at writing business plans. Our attorney said there will be even more interest in our older work once we start filming. It’s really scary how often making it in this industry is all or nothing. That’s why we seldom think about it in those terms.

Fine Young Cannibals

Warning Spoiler for CSI: Miami

Well, there was no spontaneuous human combustion two weeks ago on CSI:Miami, and last week's episode was sort of blah. But this week, it seems that at least one cannibal is staking our brave lab techs in the everglades. Or there had better be one. I was promised werewolves and zombies on other occasions only to be disappointed.

Food Stuffs
I’d been asked why I’m not talking about cooking much anymore. The blog has been too full of late. I really want to talk about the CBC’s The National news broadcast, but I haven’t had the time. I’ll get to that eventually. Back to food. I have been cooking up a storm amidst all this stress. I’ve been expanding my repertoire to include more Mediterranean foods and more and more home-made items that I used to order from take out menus. I have some new Food Network chefs that I really enjoy. There is Anne Burell who growls at her food and says things like ‘meat good.’ I like that. She’s also taught me a lot of new professional short cuts in a short span of time. There is Alexandra Guarnaschelli who solved my problem of getting my pizza dough crispy without a wood fired oven or a pizza stone (pan fry that sucker fist in a cast iron pan, top the slightly fried dough then put it in the over – yummy). Then there is Aaron McCargo, Jr., winner of The Next Food Network Star. He hails from Camden, NJ (yeah!) and sometimes cooks with Velveeta, but he has some mad skills otherwise. His method for an 18 minute chicken parmesan was the best I’ve ever done. I think it is even better than my cousin’s and hers was my favorite. I’m also very happy about the return of Ina Garten and Giada de Laurentiis. These are two of my favorite chefs and they never fail to inspire me. I look forward to their new shows. Jon looks forward to them as well. Aside from the yummy meals, nothing keeps me calmer than my time with the cutting board and the stove. In fact, it’s calling me now.

Tranya, Puka Shells and Bizzarro Production Meetings

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.

I will reiterate the warning above for those on search engines. If you read further, do not send me any irritating e-mail. You have been duly cautioned – twice.

That said, this will be a wandering and incongruous blog. There may be some whining. There will definitely be musings on extremely geeky topics. It’s been quite a week with some momentous occasions to be marked. Right now, I’m ignoring the sudden appearance of the Eagles/Redskins game. Fox switched games in the 4th quarter because the Seahwaks were being badly battered by the NY Giants. Thus, I am both wide awake and cold sober when the Eagles appeared and immediately did something silly. Forgive me if my mind wanders more than the norm.

Elvis, Tranya and Studio 54

Ten years ago this past Friday, Jon and I got married at the surprisingly tasteful Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Since we were at such an establishment, we went with the full Elvis wedding package. We weren’t married by an Elvis, that would have been really weird and I think our parents would have keeled over (as it was, we had been very surprised that they went along with any of it). The minister was very nice and it was a sweet ceremony. Jon had an under-aged Gabriel Koerner as his best man, and I had a male and female maid of honor (I really commend my southern born, ex-Marine, ex- cop father for not saying a word about that). And after Elvis finished serenading and gyrating, we gorged ourselves at the Hilton Hotel’s sumptuous buffet, then took a ride on Star Trek: The Experience, in our wedding clothes (I warned you of the geeky). But that wasn’t the weird part. There, at Quark’s Bar, the Borders posse in attendance, Jon’s folks, our set guru, Randy and the wedding party enjoyed amny a glass of Tranya and other Trek themed alcoholic beverages. My father and his lovely wife sensibly bailed at the first mention of Klingons. Speaking of Klingons, we naturally made a great target for these costumed actors. We were serenaded frequently in an alien language and given a lot of odd advice for the wedding night. Some of us downed more Tranya than others, it seemed. By the time we reached Studio 54 to enjoy some dancing, one of our Borders crew, a man we thought was straight, went tonsil diving on a most unsuspecting Phil. Fortunately for all concerned, Craig had left by then. He really wasn’t keen on seeing live Klingons either. Where was I? Oh, yes, while we were dancing and watching well-built, scantily clad men and women undulating on chains above us, Phil and our heretofore straight co-worker were involved in this very torrid encounter. And though Phil was a gentleman in the end and did not succumb to temptation, that night reverberated through our bookstore for months. Happy memories for almost all of us.

Jon and I had planned on celebrating this milestone in France. But the upcoming shoot altered those plans drastically. Thus, I’ve been moping and occasionally whining. It certainly didn’t help that one of Samantha Brown’s new shows featured a trip to Paris on The Travel Channel that spotlighted some fabulous looking neighborhoods we’ve yet to see. I was most whiny this week, indeed. However, this film is a big break for us, and we have a lot of work that we have to be here in L.A. to accomplish. Our backers and our partners would not have reacted well to the sudden disappearance. And ultimately, I’m not in the best of shape for such a trip. I’m too tired physically to do all the walking that we’d typically do. I think we’ll need a vacation before we can think of taking a vacation. We celebrated the anniversary more quietly than we’d thought we would, but it was still fun. I whipped up a meal we used to have a lot while we dated, and we watched the newly released DVD of Speed Racer, the movie (yes, we’re geeks, I thought that was clear). Then, we got back to work on the script. Still, a fun time was had by all.

Re-writes, Pinching Pennies, and Collectible Panties

The re-write of Luv U 4 Ever is chugging along nicely. It’s an even funnier and edgier script than the original. Everyone professes to be happy with the progress. The recent financial craziness has everyone on edge, but we’re proceeding. We should have our cast named by sometime next week (I’m very excited about who’s on board so far. They’ve been a blast to work with before, and we’re pleased they want to work with us again). The only downer is that the unique needs of this pre-production (songs must be written, stage performances must be re-created with a digitally de-aged singer, opening credits for a non existent show must be shot) will likely have us working in east coast winter weather. It can’t be helped, but that will put pressure on our budget if we have cost over-runs caused by delays. Thus, we are looking at creative ways to save money with product placement and donated props (guitars, gold records, etc). Our line producer thinks we’ll be able to attract sponsors easily, because the film is a nice family movie (who’d would have thought that from the pair of us). Meanwhile, we have to give specs on re-creating the insane array of memorabilia that pop stars of the 70s generated around them. There are the t-shirts, lunch boxes and magazine covers. And, of course, puka shell necklaces have to be found (though that seems easy). I swear that I had panties with some of my favorite pop stars on them, but I’m finding no evidence of that. What a strange thing to imagine. We realized that we’ll have to shoot some videos of both Billy Swain’s Band (no name there yet, but Electric Cumquat keeps coming up) and Dave Martin’s Band (currently called Redacted), because each band will be seen on youtube-lie clips played on camera during various scenes. Jon’s always wanted to shoot music videos, so it’s been fun for him to block them. And I’ve been enjoying pouring over youtube.com guilt-free. The only draw-back to the research (aside from realizing how old I am) is that many of those songs get stuck in one’s head. This week, it’s been Taking Care of Business by Bachman Turner Overdrive and Radar Love by Golden Earring. I’ll spare readers the same fate by not putting up the link.

Notable Quotes from Actual Meetings

Things I have said or have been said to me. If you’re a close reader, you’ll know who they are or who they are about.

‘The last staff meeting was about creating a digital dog penis.’

‘Even if I wanted him to have plumber’s crack on screen, I’m not buying him a merkin for his ass.’

‘This season’s episodes are all about Matty’s bottom.’

‘How do you tell a guy he has to lose the man-boobs?’

‘Acting is only part of the issue. I really have to want to see him naked.’

‘But why would we need a 40 pound rabbit?’

‘It’s a band that dresses like clowns while covering Marilyn Manson songs.’

‘He’s been a Carny. That’s a perfect reference for location work in New Jersey.’

Advanced Geekiness or Star Wars: Clone Wars

The reviews for Star Wars: Clone Wars have not been very kind. Most take the stance that it’s George Lucas’ way of milking the very last drop of blood from his franchise. I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Plot and character-wise, there is a huge gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith that are worth coverage of some kind. I was very curious about Anakin and Obi-wan’s relationship during that span of time, and I was very curious about the interactions with the Clone army – particularly between Commander Cody and Obi-wan. The first two episodes aired this week on Cartoon Network had some wonderful interplay between the clones and the Jedi. And it was way cool to see just how dangerous Yoda could be in a battle against a whole druid army (Episode #1: Ambush). However, I could also see where critics lost patience with the series. The pace is leaden. Clearly, there is not enough script to fill the time allotted for an episode. It was really maddening in the second episode, Rising Malevolence. It was all I could do to not fast forward the DVR to the end just to have it done with. And I have to agree with Jon about the look of the show. I really liked Genndy Tartakovsky’s work on shows such as Saurai Jack, but we really didn’t like the character design in the cartoon version of Clone Wars. It’s clear that the 3D computer models for the 2008 version are based on his work. They look even uglier in 3D. How can you have an ugly Anakin Skywalker, for Pete’s sake? And while I’m far from the animation geek that Jon is, even I noticed that the walk cycles of the characters was lumbering and unnatural. That’s a terrible thing for a graceful warrior and incomprehensible for a Lucsfilms production. I fully understand why the series was panned by critics. However, it does have some compelling relationships that I have been curious about. It’s likely that very geeky me and even more geeky Jon will continue viewing and complaining.

Class Acts, Autmn Leaves, and Film Perils

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.


This has been a very difficult week. We’re working on the script in every spare moment. The pressure on us for more progress is growing, but we can’t leave the day jobs until we know that our support is secure. The news this week on the financial front does not make us feel secure in the least. My notion of stuffing the film’s entire budget in various mattresses doesn’t look so silly right now. In this instance, I would have preferred not being right. The stress is taking its toll. Even cooking therapy hasn’t helped. Though I did make a very nice pizza dough (that didn’t try to eat my fridge) and a very yummy Tuscan White Bean Soup. Jon finally dragged me off for a full massage on Saturday. He may have figured out that I was having trouble turning my head. The poor masseuse was exhausted when she finished. I felt a lot better though. More on the re-write and such later.

Much More than a Pretty Face

My love for movies and my extensive experience with them began with my mother. She liked all of them from the earliest to the newest opener. I spent a lot of time with her watching older films on Channel 48. Click on the link and you’ll find out how Jon and I got exposed to so much anime as kids. Channel 48 was also the first station to run Star Trek in syndication. Yep, spent a lot of time glue to that station. Click here for more of its history. It was through that experience watching films with my Mother that I fell in love with the big stars like Errol Flynn, Katherine Hepburn, Betty Davis and many others. Paul Newman was a big favorite. He is responsible for the very high bar I set for beautiful actors. Aside from the amazing color of his eyes, there was a lot going on in them. And those eyes had something different going on with each new character. He could be sexy or naughty or sardonic, or self-effacing or dangerous without ever opening his mouth. Paul Newman was always more than a very pretty face on screen and off. His passing is a hard thing to think about. Hopefully, there will be a tribute marathon on TV somewhere. I highly recommend The Long, Hot Summer for it’s very steamy sensuality, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for the razor sharp dialogue, or The Sting, my favorite caper film. It’s also the film that caused me to closely watch plots unfold. Few films since that one can pull a twist ending with me. The Sting actually began my scriptwriting career. So be enthralled and even inspired by enjoying a film from Paul Newman’s brilliant career.

Autumn Leaves, Winter Snow and the Perils of Film Making

Since we have no idea when principal photography begins, we have no clue what the streets in New Jersey will look like. We’re hoping for a stark fall days through the shoot. Jon would like to try to get leaves saved from the neighborhood for the option of having leaves blowing on the ground. That should be interesting. I don’t even know how we’ll go about that. The bigger problem would be snow. That part of the country seldom sees snow before January, but there have been big exceptions. We’d have to really clear it out of everywhere we’re shooting. It can be done and has been done fairly often. It’s just a bit pricey (though sometimes the production insurance will cover it), and there is the worry that what has been cleared will get snowed over. And then there is the specter of working through both Thanksgiving and very close to Christmas. The over time, holiday pay and the cost of flights at that time of year all gives me agita. But it’s what we may have to do.

I finished the first pass on the schedule last Sunday. Schedules are as fluid as scripts are in film. Depending on the weather and actor availability, it will change many times over the length of the project. Fortunately, this is the only one I will be generating. The most important part of the schedule for me to finish was the actors’ day out of days (how many days each actor is working out of the entire length of the shoot). That data heavily influences negotiations for salaries and perks. I am so glad to have that out of my hands. We’ve also resolved the problems with all of the character arcs last week as well. Thus, Jon is finally starting on the new draft. He’s a fairly quick writer once all of the character issues are resolved in his mind.

Meanwhile, we did the pitch to the cable network. I have some work to do on tailoring the material that has gotten the most interest to the mission of the network. I’m hoping to get some of the concepts online this week to get feedback. No guarantees though. The aftermath of the massage has left me better relaxed but exhausted. And I’m still working on the current film budget with out partners today. Really, how do I know how many store patrons we’ll need in the furniture store? I haven’t seen any of the potential locations yet. Stay tuned.

The Fall Premiers
Possible Spoilers for CSI: Miami and Criminal Minds

First off Horatio Caine lives. He was back before the first commercial break on CSI: Miami, I believe. The ‘faked’ assassination was exposed in short order. And despite his cryptic statements about going underground until he could unmask those trying to kill him, Horatio kept turning up in places where anyone could see him – like his office. I could see if he were being Ninja-like and appearing from thin air or dropping from the ceiling behind his staff. But he was just lurking around the building. It was a little creepy. Most of the plot made no sense, but there were more sci-fi type whizzes and bangs in the lab, and everyone looked pretty. In other words, it was a typical episode. Kind of a let down from the cliffhanger, but not surprising. The next episode seems to involve spontaneous human combustion. I’m not sure. In the promo, there are people bursting into flames. Whatever. Criminal Minds was really taught drama and fast paced action that played well during the episode. But after thinking about it, I must agree with Jon that it was a slicker, better performed Wo Fat episode from Hawaii 5-0. – convoluted and completely implausible. Overall, I’m left a bit disappointed.

I had some other fun stuff for this blog, but it’s late and I have so much work to do. I’ll save that for next week.

Pitches, Re-Writes and The Fall TV Preview

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.

There will be much in the way of wandering to follow. I’ve had a long, crazy week.

I feel like Joe Friday when I report on the weather in Los Angeles. It was sunny in Los Angeles, Jon and I were working on the romantic comedy division our boss is the guy with the money. My name is Warner. I’ve watched a lot of Dragnet lately. It’s free on Hulu. It’s easy to listen to while working on something else. Probably because it had been a radio show before it reached TV. I think Joe Friday has a record sized police beat. It almost covers all of LA County. Only Fred Dryer’s Sgt. Hunter had a bigger one. I think his goes to Dan Diego. But back to the weather. The humidity is gone for the moment. I think it returns later in the week. There was talk of a monsoonal trough in our new, doppler driven micro-climate forecast. I have no idea what a micro-climate forecast. I’d think it would be a climate so small that no one would notice.

Re-Write and Divining Dramaturgy

The re-write continues. How close it is to being completed, I won’t say. We’re keeping to our original deadline to make sure that we aren’t unduly pressured to rush through the draft. Since this is such a big film for us, we’re being thorough in detailing the underpinnings of each character’s action throughout the individual arcs. Most of it will never be put on the pages of the script (I think it would be 300 pages, if we did). But we have to know everything about every one of these characters. Now, we don’t have experience with these disparate walks of life. I’ve been pestering most of my musician friends about why they do what they do (there are a few of you still out there I want to talk to). I’ve been pestering my contracting guru about house renovations. Jon’s been pestering me about the dynamics of a catered event (one of my thousands of careers involved bartending for a caterer). We get a lot of input from wherever we can find it. The effort is worth it. We’ve discovered during our past shoots that rehearsals and blocking movements on set are far smoother when we can answer any question about the characters quickly and succinctly. It’s also a better acting experience for our performers. Though the work can be tedious at times, we have been enjoying it. I like all of these characters, and I enjoy spending time in their heads. The big excitement beyond the re-write is the big banking scare. We thought the funding was jeopardy. Thus far, I’m only partially convinced that we shouldn’t keep the entire budget of the film in our mattresses until it’s needed. Barely convinced. The latest in casting news is that all of the leads we are interested in are ready to have meetings with us. I hope to be told the schedule for these meetings this week.

Speaking of the meetings, we have our pitch meeting this week with the cable network execs for the shows on the Dragoncor Concept page. We know one of the execs very well, and even cast him in one of our projects, so I’m not as nervous as I usually would be. Nervous, yes, but not panicked. Success would mean one more task on the pile that we’d have to attend to, but we’d rather be insanely busy than creatively idle for years at a stretch. In a move that some might consider arrogant (even I do), I’m going ahead with developing a title sequence and some scenes for Blood Oath, the like action version of the Soldiers novels. I am anticipating having to do a proof of concept trailer. The show has a lot of stunts and special FX. We maintain that they can be done within the budgets of the network’s other programs. We may have to prove it. As I do with everything I work on, I’ll be developing a web page to follow the progress.

Fall Preview
Spoiler warning for CSI: Miami, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investivation and Whatever, Martha

The Fall TV season sort of snuck up on me. Honestly, I haven’t seen a single preview until today while watching the Eagles torture their fans against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I checked my cable guide to find that almost everyone is back. When last we saw Horatio Caine, he was lying on an airport tarmac with an allegedly fatal gunshot wound. I had my suspicions. Storyline wise, one must remember that his brother, Ray Caine, faked his own death twice. Reality wise, if David Caruso left the leading role of another series, it would have been all over the news and the internet. Lo and Behold, the episode title for the season opener is Resurrection. Surprise! Now, we’ve established last year the show won’t go so far as having zombies, so he has to have never been killed (yes, that sentence is messy, so is the show). Meanwhile, a show that usually has a lot more common sense than my beloved CSI: Miami is having it’s own dubious opener. Criminal Minds ended last season by blowing up a car containing one of the main cast. All the black SUVs looked the same, so we don’t know which one it is. Horrors! Again, any defection of a main cast member from a hit show would have made news in a lot of places. There hasn’t been a peep. And now I’ve just seen a very revealing promo during the football game. really don’t like being arbitrarily manipulated in a cliff-hanger. Criminal Minds doesn’t need to do that. Of course, we saw Warrick Brown get shot at the end of CSI and we know that the actor, Gary Dourdan (hot Philly fellow) has left the series. No resurrection there, but there will be much angst.

A new show that I must recommend is Whatever Martha on the Fine Living Netowrk. In short, Martha’s daughter, Alexis and her best firend are skewering segments from Martha Stewart Living. Since Martha herself is in the opening credits and the executive producer, I doubt she minds. The women are wickedly funny and Martha’s own acntics make the show hysterical. I lughed so hard, I cried. Mind, I have the Martha chip in my brain that makes me engage in all sorts of extreme entertainment related projects (thought I refuse to wrap an entire turkey in puff pastery). I can’t wait until they do my favorite Halloween episode where Martha was dressed like a pirate. One of the lines in the segment was ‘You can get a navigation wheel for your pirate ship at your local yatch club.’ Sure, Martha. They let me borrow from them all the time. And then there is the egg nog segment that I watch religiously every year. I’ve never made it according to the recipe though. I’ve never had that much liquor in my house at once. If memory serves, there was rum, buurbon and Napoleon brandy. She says that a small punch cup wouldn’t cause any harm. I’d still have to collect car keys after just one. Take a look at a clip on making s’mores and proper s’more sticks here.

I’ve got cooking and scheduling to do. Stay tuned.

Jitters, Puppies and Re-Writes

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.


It’s cloudy in Los Angeles. It’s been that kind of gray that makes the summer colors really pop. It’s a nice change of pace. They may be autumn colors, but since they are not the oranges, reds and yellows I associate with that season, I still think of them as summer. And it’s still freaking hot here. I’m more scatter brained than usual today. We were exiled from our apartment for the second time is six weeks. Thus, we had an unexpected six hour tour of Culver City and Marina del Rey while our building endured another landlord action. Then, we spent the evening putting the apartment back together. I’m really, really tired and punchy.

White Knuckles, Actors and the Re-write

This week was really crazy. We had a 24 hour period where we received some extremely important contracts just after noon. We had to get them singed and notarized ASAP. Of course our lawyer was in meetings, then we had to get the language corrected and have new contracts sent. Then the printer died while generating the document to sign. I think aliens briefly abducted the messenger. The documents were returned in a timely fashion by all accounts, but I was left feeling jittery – 20 cups of coffee in an hour jittery. Shortly after that, we were contacted by our New Jersey partners about hiring key crew (art director, costume desisgner, etc). Things are moving along.

Meanwhile, the re-write continues. We now know how many original tunes we’ll need for the film, and we’ve started generating a list of existing songs that we’d like to license. If anyone out there has some suggestions for dance music from the early 70s (pre-disco), send me your list at deborahlwarner@gmail.com. We’re now looking at the flow of the story and where each character arc ends. Ideally, each of the main characters will go through an experience that makes them different people from when the film began. We had to move around some scenes, because the arcs were over a while before the ending credits roll. That’s not good. Also, in comedies, there have to be funny bits scattered throughout the film, but not in a predictable fashion. It takes some trail and error to get the scenes to flow in a natural manner. After this version is complete, we’ll likely stage a table read with some of the cast and some substitutes to figure out if the jokes and timing work as well as judge the film’s length.

We’ve been having a lot of fun with one aspect of the re-write. We have worked with some of the actors that are to be cast in the film. It’s a lot of fun writing dialogue for someone familiar. It’s easy to know what will sound good coming from them. And we know to give them some wiggle room for adlibs and changes. There is a new character that is omni-present in the B&B as it is being renovated. The character, Carl Yablonski, was inspired by Eldin Bernecky from Murphy Brown and Carl Brutananadilewski from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a show set in Red Bank, New Jersey, ironically enough. I know it sounds disparate and weird, but the character works and the actor is really funny. Though he is way cuter than either of the characters that inspired Carl. The casting of the leads has caused slight problems with the re-write. The prospective Michaels and Lindas are different enough that we will have to do a little more refinement of the character arcs depending on who is ultimately cast. I know it’s maddening not to know, but I can’t blab yet. It’s driving me crazy.

No Time for Fun

Not fun like going out to dinner and having fabulous clam chowder and a big hunk of warm crusty bread. Hmmm, that sounds really good. Where was I? Oh, I have no time for following up on some really cool ideas for the next Soldiers sequel. I actually have enough ideas for a couple more books. All of these tantalizing notions are coming to me when I have no time to follow up on them. I have jotted them down. After all, I have to come up with enough storylines for a full series run in the live action version. That meeting should take place very soon. It has to bee soon as I’ll be traveling a great deal in the next several weeks. The other profound distraction is an erotic romance script that has been tugging at my mind for months. I am working on that in very short bursts when I have a rare lull in the action. I may have an opportunity to get the script to the actor I really want in the lead role this February. I’m doing a long treatment that I’ll work into a draft after the shoot wraps. I suspect I’ll find moments to work on it as a diversion during the shoot. Yes, I am quite pleased to say that I still write as a pleasant diversion. It has yet to become a chore. Also, for those who have inquired, I am still working on Vincent Greven’s Cookbook. Cookbook writing is a new skill set, so it’s slow going. I also keep getting distracted by testing the recipes. I plan to put up the free e-book next month.

Concho and Craig
As the days wind down for us at the Archive, we have a new addition to the staff that has caused much happiness for all. One of the librarians has been bringing her puppy, Concho, to hang out on the patio outside the breakroom. He’s a mix breed, shelter dog with floppy ears and a wonderful personality. He bounces while frolicking in the grass, and his tail is almost always wagging. He’s adorable when taking a nap while stretched out in the sun. Everyone looks for him as they come in for their shifts or breaks. He gets loads of attention. We’re planning on buying him a chew toy. And Concho loves Craig to pieces. Of late, my conversations with Craig consists mainly of listening him say ‘Who’s a good dog? Who’s my best buddy?’ It’s been highly entertaining to see such a gruff, acerbic guy turn all cuddly and silly around this very happy critter. It’s making these last days at the Archive a lot of fun even with the white knuckle moments.

Pop Music, Re-Writes and More Naked Men

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.


Are You Ready?

For some football? My favorite time of the year is here. It’s the time of year when I stumble out of bed on Sunday to recline on the sofa and watch football with one eye open (or both eyes closed) until I wake up enough to pay attention. Unless The Philadelphia Eagles are playing. Then I have both eyes open and my brain set to the spew obscenities option. This is a complete non sequitur, but I was titckled to see Will Smith wearing a discolored Eagles cap in Hancock. There was a lot of speculation on the net about whose team the hat was from, but come on. What else could it be? I knew what it was from the shape of the Eagle and at a distance. Anyway, the season will be somewhat annoying for me, because of the New York Giants being the reigning champs. They are a nemesis of the Eagles (the team has more of them than Horatio Cain). Though I’m still glad they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl(the Patriots and Arlen Specter know why). The problem is that we’ll be deep in the heart of Giants country (they play in New Jersey – I dunno) and there will be rabid Giants fans in our midst on set. Ah well.

Speaking of autumn, the weather here has gone nuts. It’s actually been humid for the last few weeks. This past week, it felt more like we were in New Jersey in July than late summer in LA. It’s been down right funky. And not in the fun musical way. Maybe that’s a good thing (though my sinuses and hair would beg to differ). It may still be funky when the shoot begins. We would be acclimated. Though it could also easily be freezing.

The Re-write Stuff

Yes, it’s a bad pun. Jon is on the last scenes of his detailed, line by line treatment. He likes to block every single action and the underlying motivation in single sentences for the entire film before going directly to the script. It’s a great way for him to think out everything for each of the characters making it easier to direct the actors. But it can drive me a little crazy. Questions like ‘Why would Michael do that?’ often draw a response from me like ‘Because he’s a man.’ That’s not very helpful as far as Jon is concerned though it’s a reasonable answer from my point of view. We typically resolve the confusion with a more specific question. Clarity has been very important during this re-write. And it can be surprisingly difficult to achieve for the more subjective aspects of this film. For example, what makes a rock band successful or not successful? That can be a highly subjective question. The answers can cause a fight if poorly phrased. One of the characters is a young man who heads of band (The band has no name as yet. We were going to call it Codfish Aristocracy after a strange book Jon recently processed at the Archive. However, there already is an active band with that name. Go figure.) that plays incomprehensible music. Most folks who read the earlier draft of the script thought it meant that Dave’s band was bad. They can play their instruments and can sing; however, they have trouble connecting with an audience. Their lyrics are odd. And their style of performing is more like performance art than playing rock music. I watched a lot of live music in my clubbing days in a part of the country where some great acts were born. Still, it was hard to articulate what I thought was wrong with Dave’s band. I’ve seen weird acts that I’ve liked. One of them, Sparks and the tune I Predict, were an inspiration for Dave’s band. Being weird isn’t enough for a band to fail to connect with an audience. I thought Sweet or The Sweet had the weirdest lyrics I’ve ever heard (Ballroom Blitz, Little Willie, Fox on the Run), but I liked them a lot as a teen (Lord, I’ve just dated myself). And I’ve seen bands where the audience was irrelevant to the performance. Some of those worked for me, because the band was having such a great time that it was just fun to watch them be with each other. It took a lot of Youtube surfing and annoying a radio jock friend of mine, Bruce Kline, in the wee small hours of the morning to figure out how to explain why Dave’s band gets bad reactions from most of the other characters in the film yet the aging Pop Star, Billy Swain, thinks they could still make it.

It’s a matter of the members the band completely owning the material they are performing. There is an energy level among band mates who are confident in the material and their performance of it. That energy is infectious even if the lyrics are inane or even incomprehensible outside of the performance. I was finally able to explain Dave’s band enough to Jon for him to find a way to make that problem cinematic. Early on, we see a Youtube performance of Dave’s signature song performed by his band. It is not fun to watch. Later, Billy performs the song during the battle of the bands at the climatic Reunion Dance. If Billy was nothing else, he is a consummate performer who knows how to own a song. When he performs it, everyone is on their feet dancing. One script problem solved. I’m still trying to explain teenaged girls’ brains to Jon. I don’t think Youtube or Bruce can help me with that. Still, we think the script will be finished soon. I almost finished with the initial schedule. The negotiations with the actors is going well. We should be able to start talking about them in a couple of weeks, if not sooner.

Two Sides of Naked

I am most often chided by my friends back east for being jaded about working in film, even on my heretofore modest level. After all, what isn’t fun about seeing gorgeous men live and up close in various states of undress? In theory it’s fabulous to see someone like Karl Urban or, more recently, Travis Willingham, half naked. But that’s only if you don’t have work to do while around such distractions. You have to look that them really critically, make adjustments (I’ve often been on my knees in front of the most amazing torsos trying to get trousers to lay correctly) and send them on their way to the next scene. I don’t even really notice what’s actually in front of me until the day is over. Then, there is poor Jon who really doesn’t think about what he’s actually looking at until he’s almost asleep long after we’ve wrapped for the night. Then, he’ll just exclaim “Woo-hoo” and go to sleep. Maybe that’s why the ladies are so comfortable in states of undress around him. They sense his oblivious-ness. My crew guys like Randy almost never get to see the beautiful women undressed or nearly so. He always ends up talking to some guy who is quite comfortable hanging out in his boxers. Randy is not comfortable talking to men in their boxers. Early in his career out here, I overheard him telling an Ohio buddy that he really liked Apollo on Battlestar Galactica, but doesn’t that guy have any pants?

There are times, however, when I am supposed to look at an actor’s performance and evaluate everything about it, including his appearance. That can be quite a challenge to my professionalism. This week, Matty Ferraro, debuted in the second season opener of here!TV’s The Lair as Ian, a troubled young man who is also a werewolf. Matty was one of our very small crew that worked on the The Gunslinger short in February. He is also a talented actor. One of the more pleasant things I do out here is watch actors I know work. It’s hard to get to the plays sometimes, but we’ve gone to screenings and catch most of the TV appearances. My favorite until yesterday, was Garett Maggart’s guest appearance on CSI: Miami. It was only usurped because there was no nakedness as there was in The Lair. Garett and I talked while I was watching. He asked what I was so happy about. Upon hearing that I was watching a homoerotic werewolf, he dryly replied ‘well, of course, what else would you be watching?’

My prurient nature aside, I enjoyed Matty’s initial performance on The Lair. Ian is mysterious and compelling and vulnerable all at once. Even before the audience gets to see his scars, it is clear that he is a wounded soul. When Riley picks him up hitching on the road, it is clear that Ian is more hungry for human contact than he is interested in sex. Thus, when the men come together the encounter is tender and truly intimate and not just carnal. I could still see Ian and Riley during the sex scene. And it helped that both men are beautiful. I was very interested in seeing Matty in these scenes because I want him to portray Vincent in the live action version of the Soldiers novels. He did not disappoint. He is elegantly built and graceful in movement. I never lost Ian’s character while he was in a love scene. His performance was everything I had hoped to see. My biggest challenge was telling Matty all of this without sounding like a drooling lech. I think I managed to pull it off.

On the flip side, is Matty’s talent manager and our production partner, Ralph Lliteras. He, too, hears from many who are not in the business that his job must be a lot of fun. I think he should have a web cam in his office, because even to my jaded eyes, most days for Ralph are truly bizarre and unbelievable. I think he’s had everything short of a llama stampede in his office over the years. Weirdness aside, Ralph is a dedicated manager who makes sure to see as many of his clients’ performances as humanly possible. Ralph is also very, very straight. He approached viewing The Lair with a far different mindset than mine. He gamely watched through the scenes with the muscle bound leathermen in a group grope-fest and other fun things until Matty appeared toward the end of the episode. I was speaking to him on the phone when he commented on understanding why the producers were impressed with Matty. His wife, Marguerite was loudly commenting in the background that she saw why the producers were impressed with him. Ralph just sighed. He was very happy with Matty’s performance. And don’t fret for his sensibilities. Two of his more lovely female clients have some risqué appearances on the horizon. He’ll be a much happier manager then.

This has been a really long blog. I’ll have to save the return of Craig from Ohio and the Adventures of Choncho, the library dog, for next week.

On Glamour and Ranting

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.


The Glamorous Life

This week has been strange and exhausting. We’re at that point in development where we have to do a lot more work on the film, but we’re not in a position to leave our day jobs. This happened in the weeks before Demon Under Glass started production. A commitment for funding doesn’t mean that we’ll have the funds in hand immediately. For Demon it was about a three-week lag between the green light and quitting my day job. I was working an overnight shift then. I had to have meetings in the morning and do some logistical work before I could go to bed. That was not a happy time. It’s not quite that bad this time, but it still means a day that doesn’t end until 4 o’clock in the morning.

Thankfully, we’re mainly working on the re-write of the script. I’m also working on the initial shooting schedule, because I’m the only one who knows what new scenes are being added and who is in them. Otherwise, the 1st AD would be doing it. I do have some logistics to do. I know the central coast and North Jersey fairly well, so I’m working on where our base will be hotel-wise and the fact sheet for the incoming cast and crew (where to shop for almost anything, where the good restaurants are, neighborhoods to avoid, etc). We have a production company partner in New Jersey handling the locations and most production support. They’re very good. We’ll have several choices of locations to look at when we fly out to scout. And they’re all into music. But they’re all guys. It takes a girl brain to ferret out where to find feminine necessities at three am when we’re wrapped for the night. And guys also think that any hotel with a number in the name will suffice to come home to after a 12-hour day. That’s fine for an 18 day shoot – just barely. We’ll be there for six weeks shooting. Jon and I will be there for a couple of weeks before that. For that amount of time with those hours, everyone will need accommodations that have some space to spread out and a small kitchen, at the very least. Thus, I’ve been working on that bit of logistics.

Jon wryly observed that we were in a constant state of fatigue and noted that yep, feels like a shoot’s about to begin.

There-write has been fun for me to watch. Jon is at that point where the characters have found voices and are trying to do things on their own. Unfortunately, they’re either doing the things that he doesn’t want them to do or they’re doing the right things when he doesn’t want them to. I told him not to fight them. A piece of writing develops it’s own internal logic when it starts writing itself. It took some hours of frowning alternating with many rounds of web sudoku, he started re-arranging the scenes to fit where the characters were taking him. There’s been a lot less frowning and muttering since then. The new script is shaping up nicely. It’s been fun collaborating with Jon again. And it’s great to work on something that is primarily light-hearted. Everyone else involved would like to see it completed like, two weeks ago, but that isn’t likely while we’re still working full time. We were compelled to chrash out a detailed treatment for the actors we’re negotiating with in its stead. That was the cause of one of the 4am nights. It turned out well, but that next day’s work was brutal. During such mind-numbing fatigue and physical pain, I am reminded of a producer friend, Melissa Balin, who was the casting assistant on Demon Under Glass said while working with us. We were engaged in something extremely tedious like rippring open thousands of manilla enevelopes containing head shots when she said “Motion Pictures, dahling, isn’t it all fabulous?” I am very exciting about the prospect, but the irony in her voice uttering that question still applies.

Fall Preview
Warning: possible spoilers for CSI: Miami, CSI, Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Dexter and any other show I might decided to blither about.

Alas, the summer TV viewing season is almost over. There won’t be many more episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, The Closer or Eureka. This year, all three have performed beyond even my high expectations. For a travel show, No Reservations has morphed into an extraordinarily profound experience with other cultures and our own country. I thought the Beruit episode couldn’t be topped, but the Laos episode this season featured a visit to a family near the plain of jars whose patriarch had been crippled by ordinance left during the Vietnam War. They fed him graciously while humbly telling him of their suffering since the bombs fell on the country decades ago. It was profoundly moving, because it seemed that they just wanted an American to really hear their story. There was no anger only profound sadness and a need to be heard. Each show this season has been an amazing gem with widly divergent tones.

The Closer continues to amaze us with it’s range of the tragic and comedic while remaining unflinchingly real. They just did an episode that is a cliché cop show theme – the brother of one of the valued detectives is murdered. They did every scene that you’d expect in such an episode, but how they were executed and performed turned that hackeneyed plot on it’s ear while nearly ripping my heart out. Kudos to Kevin Bacon (Philly boy) on his second spin at directing.

Eureka is a clever, charming show with really strong character work. It’s mostly funny, but it, too, has managed to break my heart this season. I’m pleased to see it’s getting a lot more than the usual run of episodes. While it’s not the wrenching experience that watching Galactica is, we really enjoy the show.

From the sublime, we go to the ridiculous. The Fall TV season is nigh and we are bombarded by commercials and billboards extolling the genius of the new and returning offerings. My particular favorite are the ads for Showtime’s line-up which includes the extraordinarily revolting phrase ‘Dexter, the serial killer everyone loves.’ I have had problems with the concept of this show from the outset. First off, serial killers just do not function this way. They have their own twisted little bent and that’s what they focus on. It’s why there is always a pattern to their crimes. Decades of research support this. Secondly, no matter what the potestations from Showtime and the show’s creators to the contrary, it is the nature of a TV viewer to idnetify and emphasize with a lead character. Inevitably, there would be viewers watching that are, de facto, rooting for Dexter to kill someone and fearing that he will be caught. This lates slogan proves that Sowtime has embraced the notion. Why this isn’t distrubing to critics (they love the show too) or media watchers is simply beyond my comprehension. But most of the rest of their current line-up is chocked full of reprehensible characters, why not cheer on a serial killer? Geesh!!!

It’s almost a relief to turn to my usual soapbox. Almost. I’m adding some unexpected rants to my usual tirade. It is with a heavy heart that we turn away from Law and Order. It’s been a very long run that we’ve enjoyed emmensly, but the show has jumped the shark. Jack McCoy has a nemisis. I barely tolerate a nemisis in shows like CSI: Miami. I won’t tolerate it in a show I’ve highly respected.I’m on the verge of giving up on Law and Order:Criminal Intent. Lead Detective Robert Goern has been through all things geared to give the actor a chance to ACT to the rafters. It’s been particularly annoying last season. The only repite we had were the Dect. Mike Logan episodes that often were twisted with dark cop humor. Alas, Chris Noth was written out of the series at the end of this season. We’ll wait to see what Jeff Goldblum brings to the show, but I think I’m done with it. I think I will be relieved to return to yelling at CSI: Miami and it’s hot new coronor. She’s only 25. I don’t think you can get your license at that age let alone have enough experience to be a coronor. But she’s cute. Geesh!!!

Film Announcement, Log Flumes and Banana Splits

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.


I don’t like having so many days without Craig to talk to. The Archive was a bleaker place during his absence. There was a floppy-eared puppy for a few days though. The little fellow was so adorable that he made Jon think about getting a dog. We hope he’s there Monday as Craig with dogs is a lot of fun to watch. It’ll be good to have Craig back. He never fails to make me laugh, even when I’m highly stressed. And I am highly stressed.

Name that Film

The developing project that has been consuming Jon and I for about six weeks to the exclusion of everything else – including The Gunslinger – is called Luv U 4 Ever. The casting Breakdown went out this week. Our Casting Director wrote the following:

TAGLINE: A love triangle that comes full circle.

STORY LINE: A former teen pop idol, Billy Swain is driven from his home when the IRS seizes everything except his Corvette and a bag of fan mail. In it, he finds a touching letter from an old fan and decides to show up at her doorstep completely destitute. He finds a family going through their own issues, some with music, and in the midst of reconstructing their lives. This romantic comedy is about music, the price of fame and the consequences of life's choices.

I wrote the first draft of this script in 2002. It’s going through a lot of changes. Part of those changes were at the behest of David Cassidy who is our choice to play the pop idol, Billy Swain. My language about all of the actors involved will be tentative, because no contracts have been signed yet. We actually wouldn’t have sent out the Breakdown at all, but the funding source insisted that we start negotiating with the leads asap. We’re to shoot in late October through November. Yes, it looks like I’ll either be cooking Thanksgiving dinner at a Residence Inn or we may actually have to go to a restaurant. Why won’t we go to Philly while we are only 90 minutes away? We have family scattered all over the county there, and all of them would be hurt if we didn’t find a way to have food with them that day. So, I will avoid that stress and stay in New Jersey. But I’m digressing. Many people who’ve followed my work loved that script and the core of it remains. It’s just that we’ve become better writers since then. The new script will be sharper and more sophisticated while remaining quite funny and, hopefully, touching. Casting brings delightful surprises, but it also brings big balls of stress.

Bathroom Blues

No, there’s nothing wrong with the bathroom or my ability to use one. We have reached the stage in the pending film when I can’t seem to get to the bathroom because of incoming phone calls, e-mails and faxes. Thankfully, I’m not that deeply involved in the initial casting. Thus, I don’t have to field countless calls from agents and managers while the field is whittled down. Some of the roles are already filled with actors we’d cast when the project was first in development. I’ll make those announcements when contracts are signed. The film’s info will also go up on the Dragoncor website at that time. Still, there is a lot happening to keep me out of the bathroom. Jon said I was sighing heavily an hour after waking on Thursday. That was because the first time I answered the phone, I found myself on a conference call with the head of the New Jersey production company. We had a little fire to put out and we haven’t even set foot in the state for the film. My partner knows that I really loathe surprise conference calls, so I knew it was a necessity. Still, I was rattled all the rest of the day.

But then, there was Friday. We had a hard deadline to get in all of the paperwork for the funding. That included a commitment from a bonding company. We’d sent everything to get that weeks ago with no response from the man who issues the letter. He’s a nice man whose inbox is perpetually filled with equally urgent requests. We all understood this, but we had a hard deadline. I don’t like calling in favors from my big guns (really connected people are hard to find and you never want to wear out your welcome), but I had to in this instance. He made one phone call and in less than an hour, the fax arrived. We got everything in a mere 45 minutes before the close of business Friday. Most of my role in that was played while I was at work. I had a headache the rest of the shift. My partner had a migraine, and he never gets those.

Late Night Fun

Well, it was amusing to me, anyway. While we’re in this phase of development, I’m doing a lot of research into the cost and feasibility of some of the shots and sequences that Jon wants to do in the film. That way, when the key crew is hired, they have what they need to figure out how to execute the shots or how to execute alternatives if our suggestions are too expensive. One was whether or not we could use 2-D FX software to de-age our pop star to match his archival footage. That way he could perform songs now and the shots could be made to look like they were from the 70s. This FX was used on Patrick Stewart on the last X-Men movie and on John Goodman in Speed Racer and on Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges in Tron 2 (Tron 2???). Sound software exists to de-age voices younger as well. The question is, as always, how much does it cost? We’re still waiting to hear if the price of the shots will give the line producer a coronary.

That research was interesting, but not as much as finding elements to create a title sequence for the hit 70s show, The Billy Swain Show. We want an opening that’s a cross between The Monkees and The Banana Splits. Naturally, Mr. Stickler to Detail, Jon, wants to find a period correct amusement park either here or in New Jersey and preferably with a giant sliding board. Right. Strangely, I found one in relatively nearby Riverside, CA. It doesn’t have a giant slide, but it has a log flume that was also in the Banana Splits opening. We shoot several pages in California before moving to the Central Jersey coast for the rest. While researching the opening sequence, I spent a great deal of time on the evil and addictive Youtube. While looking at the opening for the Monkeeys, I saw links to Bobby Sherman (I think he’s now a Sheriff’s Deputy somewhere out here). Those links lead me to Here Come the Brides. I remembered that David Soul was on that show, but had forgotten about Sherman being there was well. I don’t remember Mark Lenard on there at all, and why did Bruce Lee ever guest star? Mind you, this is usually happening at 3am. The mind tends to wander. I got the answers we needed, but still don’t know what the cost will be. Meanwhile, I have all those extremely catching opening themes stuck in my brain. Jon has been asking me script questions at different points in time and all I have in my head is "Tra la la la la la la.' It's maddening. And that TV theme show site is as evil as Youtube.

The nights are late, because it’s been hard to sleep. This is our first full budget feature. None of us want to make a misstep. And there are still a lot of elements in the air. I know that in about three weeks we’ll be doing a lot of flying and that the script has to be finished. But there are no firmer dates than that. That drives me crazy. And we had to postpone our trip to Paris. It looks like our tenth anniversary will occur in the middle of pre-production while we’re crazed and tired. Still, it’s a very exciting prospect to be back on the East Coast for a while. I have plans to visit family and some often touted restaurants in Philly and NYC (Including Bourdain’s last haunt, Brasserie Les Halles) among many others. The hotel has a very nice kitchen, so I can still have my cooking therapy. As for the Paris trip, that apartment is available for Christmas. :)

Publishing Updates
Due to the insanity that will ensue during the next several months, Sybaritic Press is suspending submissions of prose until Spring, 2009. There are still a couple of things in the pipeline, but there will be nothing new on the prose side until then. I need to remove at least one hat.

Film Updates

As promised, the website for Dragoncor.com has been updated to include The concepts we just pitched. The direct link is concepts. Stay tuned!

Strange Lightning, Free Bread and Beware Ohio

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.


Thunder With No Storm

If there was a point in time that was emblematic of this week was Thursday night. We were almost home when the sky lit up in a huge display of lightning. It was odd, because there were very few clouds in the sky. The bright moon and stars were visible in between those amazing flashes. Jon thought that there might be a storm raging over the ocean. The thunder was heard long after the lighting flashed, so it seemed that the storm was a ways off. The wind had picked up and it carried an ocean breeze that was mixed with the smell of rain. That seemed likely though none of the dopplergangers we watch mentioned any chance of a storm on the coast. We high tailed it home as we had no rain gear (heeding the advice of said dopplergangers), and the storm sounded like a big one. The rain never came. The next day we learned that the area had experienced a phenomenon called Dry Lightning. There was thunder and lightning but no storm.

That sums the week handily. We can hear and feel and smell and even taste the storm coming, but it’s not here quite yet. We sent out our multi-show pitch to the cable channel, including the series based on the Soldier’s novels, Blood Oath. Jon will be putting up the new pitches on the Dragoncor Web page later today. Some of my long time readers will be pleasantly surprised to see what the other two projects are. I can’t reveal where they were pitched or to whom. Hopefully, I will be able to before long, because they’ve said yes. Finishing that was a huge relief, because it takes a lot off of our very full plates. The focus can now shift completely to the upcoming feature. If the casting call comes out this week as plans, I can give actual details about that one. What prevents me from dishing on this shoot the way I did with The Gunslinger is that there are two other companies in partnership with us on this. We’re not free to talk until the film has turned up in a public forum like a casting call or the trade papers and web sites.

Anticipating a big storm is exhilarating and scary. I actually like thunderstorms, especially when I’m near the ocean. Judging from the amount of thunder, this film will be a lulu of an experience. We’re working on the development as much as we can with our regular schedule. Today, I’ll work out a rough shooting schedule based on the anticipated start date. That is important because it determines the actors’ pay rate. And we need that before the casting call goes out. It’s an immensely dull task. All this prep is exciting as it makes the film more real in my mind, but living on the edge like this is draining physically and emotionally. Let’s have the storm already!

The Longest Day

Well, it’s not the longest day we’ve ever had out here or the most stressful. That title still belongs to the last day of the Demon Under Glass shoot. It’s been six years, and I still get angry about that day. This past Friday was mostly annoying, because it was unnecessarily long. We received an edict from the landlord that we pile everything in our place in such a fashion that there is three feet of space from the wall or inspection and eradication. And we had to be out of the apartment by 8 am. Now, that sort of schedule works for 99 per cent of this building as they are all gone by 7:30 am (our bedroom window is next to the driveway). Jon and I get home after midnight and aren’t usually awake until 10am. Had the procedure been scheduled for the weekend, as it was last year, we could have gone to the movies and went grocery shopping to while away the time. As it was, we had to find somewhere to hang out until we went to work. Our partner got the honor of us sprawling on his sofa for several hours. The day began well and we got our best treat in some while. We had breakfast at this amazing French café near here. We hadn’t been there in months, but the owners remembered us. We had a delightful breakfast and bought sandwiches for lunch. The lovely owner gave us two free batards for being good customers. That somehow made the rest of the day bearable.

Hanging out with our partner was an interesting experience. He’s a talent manager by day, thus he spends a lot of time on the phone and PC. He can talk on a land line phone, a cell phone and IM simultaneously. We often didn’t know when he was actually talking to us. I don’t understand how he does that and still managed to work on the film’s cash flow projections. His pace made me dizzy. We actually did a quite bit of work on the film. After that interesting morning, we had a full day at the Archive, the long trudge home and an apartment piled high with all of our stuff to face. I am beyond tired today. However awful Friday was, the batards we simple delightful with a lift smear of butter.

Beware Ohio

If any of my readers encounter strange phenomena like seeing a live calf riding in the backseat of a convertible or a large, colorful Macaw on your lawn who greets you with ‘Hi Lucky’ or there are inordinate number of rare and unusual incidents with bears, I have the reason. Craig is in your state this week. He is there visiting the family of his lovely girlfriend. He’s in the north east part of the state and the phenomena tends to be localized to his proximity. If you should start to encounter any weirdness, flee the area or seek shelter.

I’ll put up an announcement when the web site additions go up.

Freaks, Fabio and Twists of 'Fate'

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.

This Blog is relatively short for reasons that will become apparent below. There is much brewing, so stay tuned.

Staycations vs World Travel

It’s been a beautiful week in LA, weather wise. It has been postcard perfect. Having a ‘staycation’ (geez, I hate made up news media buzz words) sounds like a wonderful idea. However, other countries have very strong currencies and think that the stretch of beach adjacent to our ‘hood is really keen. I was reminded that Venice Beach, CA is a world destination. I believe that the world went on vacation last week. Quite a few of them were on our bus home. Mostly, it was entertaining. I was particularly fond of the fellow who curtsied to our bus driver. The usually surly driver found it amusing as well. The only time we get annoyed is when they crowd the front of the bus for the relative safety of being near the driver. If they knew what we know about that cantankerous woman, they’d be sitting where we do – near the back door. The weekend commute was filled with wide-eyed visitors as well. I had to talk a group of slap-happy New Englanders out of walking from the edge of Culver City to Venice Beach. Everything looks close on a map, but almost nothing in LA is close to anything else. It wasn’t blazing hot out, but they’d be so wiped after that haul of a walk, they’d have nothing left to enjoy the Freak Show. Besides, there is a lot of entertainment to be had on the Culver City Bus number 1 on the weekend. That’s how the freaks get to the Freak Show. I enjoyed watching their horrified yet fascinated expressions before popping off for my errands. I admit that staying home during summer in LA has its advantages. I don’t know how many amazing, near naked men I saw jogging or cycling or skateboarding past. And they were all local lovelies.

Hitting a Wall

Last week wasn’t all fun and oogling. My schedule and deadlines finally put me down for a couple of days. I’m still really tired. As Always when I’m over taxed, I injured something. This time it’s the back and one knee. I spent Friday flat on my back with only enough brain power to ponder such things as how I found yet another Hawaii 5-0 that I’d never seen and why is that guy called The Green Hornet (there was a logical reason, turns out)? The Hawaii 5-0 episode was really bold. It had a upstanding citizen being blackmailed into killing someone to avoid being outted as a drag queen. Fortunately, we’ve fulfilled most of our current commitments. I get rid of a really big one today. I don’t plan to push as hard on the remaining tasks until we’ve got a shoot date. The idea of being carried about the set on a litter by oiled, muscular men really appeals to me, but it isn’t very practical. It’s best that I take care of myself a little better.

Writing Questions

I’ve had some interesting questions (and a bit of yelling) about the twist in ‘A Soldier’s Fate.’ I can’t speak about the specifics of the ending, but I can answer the question that came up most. No, I didn’t know that I would end the book the way I did at the time I started it. There were scenes that I had in my head from the time I finished ‘A Soldier’s Choice.’ Most of those ended up in the final version of the novel. I could see the whole border crossing sequence very clearly. I knew that I would have the work and personnel at the Foundation put a strain on their relationship. However, I also thought I spend more time in Bobby’s head. Rik and Vincent were having none of that. Staying with them and having to really develop the goings on at the Foundation was the better choice. That gave me the underpinnings for a third novel. I was also able to develop Rik and Vincent into something other than soldiers. While I wasn’t making the whole story up as I went along, I’ve learned that the fastest way for me to get writer’s block is trying to force characters to conform to a rigid outline. Of course, that does mean that some things have to be adjusted in the beginning of the story, but I believe in re-writes. That flexibility is essential in script writing as well. There is no such thing as a final draft script. Changes are made even after the last scenes are shot. Books aren’t that fluid, but work is done on them even after galleys are generated. I got to evaluate a galley for Fabio when I worked for him (don’t ask). They weren’t willing to take my suggestions. Granted, they involved lighter fluid and a bonfire, but I still think it was worth considering. Where was I? Oh, the other element of the book that I hadn’t planned and turned out to be my favorite thing to write, were the references to Rik’s and Vincent’s days in the squad and how those events were still impacting their present life.

The other questions were about more contests and giveaways for A Soldier’s Fate. I haven’t decided yet. I plan on some sort of giveaway. We’re working on a t-shirt through the very cool company that does our magnets and postcards. Right now, I can’t really think about anything but a nap. I’m off to take one. Then, I shall crack open Bourdain’s lovely and profane cookbook and give Cassoulet and onion soup a try.

New Title! Demonspawn: On the Run

It's finally here in print and available on amazon.com. The latest and often erotic adventures of Simon Molinar, the centuries old vampire and his reluctant companion, Dr. Joe McKay can be found here:

http://sybpress.com/titles.htm#OnTheRun

Find the links for the print and e-book versions.

Enjoy!

Quakes, Jerks and Yelling at Bourdain

Warning: If you find yourself here via a google search for such things as TV shows or films, recipes or cities, this blog has some facts. However, this blog is one author’s very twisted musing on many weird things. It is sometimes graphic in content. If you read on, don’t write to yell at me.

This is an odd blog, full of rantings at people I usually adore. The rants are justified and the admiration has not changed, so no snarky e-mails. One of my local weather dopplergangers has taken to doing a video blog, or vlog as he likes to keep reminding viewers. Jon asked if I would ever do one of those. He was being facetious. On Sundays, I make no efforts toward my appearance until very late in the day. I’m usually very, very tired and facing a long day of prep for the week. Did I mention that I’m very tired? It’s not a pretty picture. Best not to inflict it on the unsuspecting.

Not a Lot of Shaking Going On

LA had an earthquake this week. It was officially a 5.4. That’s a little stronger than mild, but nowhere near the Northridge quake in 1994. Not even remotely close. Still, the quake on July 29th could technically be called the biggest quake LA has had in years. However, just running that headline can cause problems for people on the east coast who aren’t given the perspective behind the headline – which was in bold type on the CNN headline ticker. And then when said relative, my nephew in this case, calls and the lines are jammed (with other relatives calling all at once) a freak out ensued. Jon and I were just finishing breakfast. The shaking was definitely noticeable and it lasted long enough for Jon to get queasy in the office chair. I had been wondering if the side to side swaying would shift to the more violent up and down tremor (that’s when you have to consider exiting the building) when it faded to a stop. It wasn’t strong enough to collapse our crappy bookshelves. So, I went back to packing lunch and Jon went back to working on a book cover. However, I had him send a mass e-mail to head off the worried relatives and friends.

And they were worried. My nephew got through an hour after he started calling. He was very upset and had called around to my father and brother to find out if they knew anything. After repeated assurances that CNN had jumped the gun a bit, I got him to call everyone back to let them know Jon and I were on our way to work as usual. Later that night, we saw a repeat of CNN’s coverage on Anderson Cooper’s 360. It was really scary and exciting and not remotely what had happened. I think they had to scour the county for some rubble and they didn’t find much. It was appalling. So appalling that an LA Times columnist, Joel Stein, had to an editorial that summed it up very nicely for me. Click on his name for the full and very amusing article, but here are my two favorite paragraphs:

Even the usually responsible Associated Press reported in its first paragraph that the quake "sent people running into the streets." Really? Running into the streets? Like in a "Godzilla" movie? How about "sent people walking onto the sidewalks so they could take a break from their jobs and talk about the earthquake, and then get coffee before going back inside to check some news websites until it was time to go home."

And

And please, CNN, next time there's an earthquake or a fire, give my family members who watch your network all day a little context. I just need Wolf Blitzer to say, "Although this is a very exciting development we'll be following closely for the next 48 hours, no one in L.A. is dead, injured or at all interested." Then maybe I can limit their news-related calls to how little my house is worth now.

Still, we really appreciated the concern from our wonderful relatives and friends. You should know (this means you, mom-in-law) that Jon and I actually have a earthquake plan. Despite the nonchalance of Angelinos, most do. We have an escape route to an open location that is free of structures and powerlines that is steps from our door. Coindicentally, it’s the same spot we have to flee to in escaping a tsunami. Aditionally, there is a police station, a large school, a community center and two churches within steps to get info and help. We have all the stuff in the survival manual that comes with everyone’s white pages. And finally, our building was being retro-fitted for earthquakes when we were moving in It even has the fancy, automatic gas valve shut-off to prevent fire. We’re all good. I even called my actor friends. They are all fine if a little derisive of all the coverage.

Hey Ant-ny!

I am now going to yell at Anthony Bourdain. Of course, I’m shocked that I feel compelled to, but it must be done. The Travel Channel often runs mini-marathons of its popular shows. That was how I actually began watching No Reservations. There were a punch running this week as part of their pre-Olympic China coverage. I taped those and an earleir episode that I didn’t remember seeing. It was his trip to LA. Two minutes into the show I’m annoyed, then infuriated. After lauding the ‘real Angelinos’ for toiling in jobs that have nothing to do with Show Biz, he hooks up with a writer he professes to admire, Jerry Stahl. He says that Stahl is a Hollywood writer but not really Hollywood. Excuse me? He writes for Bruckheimer’s number one show. CSI is as Hollywood as you get. Mind you, he wrote some of my favorite episodes of CSI and introduced my favorite character, classy Dominatrix Lady Heather) He also wrote for ALF, thirtysomething and Moonlighting. He has never not been Hollywood. I really, really can’t stand Jerry Stahl.

The one argument Craig and I ever had was over this man’s self-serving, sniveling autho-biography, Permanent Mindnight in which he basically blames his heroine addiction on the soul-killing environment of television writing. Soul killing? Is there a heretofore unknown slavery ring that forces unwilling writers to take five figure per week salaries at point of gun or threat of bullwhip? At the time I read that book, Craig and I were working for just above minimum wage retail jobs in the Entitlement Zone. Three quarters of the staff were drinking on the job or using other substances to keep from strangling customers. I couldn’t understand anyone admiring this man’s whining at not getting to follow his real passion. I know a lot of working Hollywood writers that find a way to publish or perform their poetry or make experimental films just to make them. They can afford to! Then, they made a movie about Stahl’s suffering soul. Thankfully, that version of Permanent Midnight was ignored in droves. Of late, he’s been charging aspiring writers $150 a half hour to get his advice on-line. A writer I know paid for it before talking to me. She was dismayed and very angry to have wasted that much money only to have him talk about his drug abusing days with wistful nostalgia and then deride the industry that he was supposedly helping her to join.

Stahl’s pick of a food joint for Anthony Bourdain was Roscoe’s, a chicken and waffle joint near Paramount Studios. Though Bourdain liked the atmosphere and the clientele, he wasn’t impressed with the chicken and waffles. Jon and I hadn’t been either. Incidentally, we’ve yet to find a soul food restaurant here that didn’t make us shrug in indifference. We’ve been to many like Aunt Kizzy’s Back Proch, which is literally in the nighborhood and Baby Blues which made it onto Food Network’s Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives, but I find that the sides like collard greens or mac and cheese are too spicy or busy (too many extra ingredients). But back to Mr. Bourdain’s taste in Hollywood types. Hey Ant-ny, wake up. Recovery from addiction does not necessarily make a person stop being a self-absorbed jerk – just a clean self-abosorbed jerk. You re-connected with an old friend later in that same ep who deserved being admired for his recovery. And while I’m yelling at you. Not everyone drives in LA. That public transit you dismissed is jammed every day. And there are noble souls who toil in the industry and who live outside of East LA.

I still admire Mr. Bourdain and will continue watching No Reservations (I watched three more after the LA show that day). Sometimes you have to swat Jersey boys in the back of the head. I often do with Craig, but that's mainly for putting songs like The Night Chicago Died or Patches in my head.

I’m off to work on myriad writing projects. We have onther title going live on amazon.com this week. I’ve had some really good questions about writing pitches and some other things. I have to think about how to intelligently reply. As always, stay tuned.