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.
Strange and Off-Putting
It’s been an odd week with an undercurrent of stress born of keen anticipation. It’s made all the more frustrating by not being free to talk about the underlying reasons for the stress. I don’t know if I ever will be. Even in this day of director commentaries and DVD extras, there are certain elements of a production that are never discussed with the public. They can become widely known in the industry, but never actually acknowledged. Kinda sucks, but what can you do? Right now, Jon and I are awaiting the green light on a really big film for us. We’re trying to get a re-write treatment finished before the official word. Once that word is given, the pressure will be extraordinary to produce a new script as a shoot in the fall in dependent on it. Thus, Jon and I hash over the new plot and characters during the commute to and from the Archive. Meanwhile, we have two titles due out for Sybaritic Press (in addition to A Soldier’s Fate). And then there are the pitches that came out of nowhere. Remarkably, those are almost finished. We should be sending them out by the week’s end. The real horror on that is if they are accepted. I’m not how we’d find to do them in a timely fashion with all that’s on our plates. Jon said that we may have to look at hiring writers. That’s a really odd and daunting thought for me. I’d been reluctant to hire a writer for the novelization of ‘The Gunslinger.’ But now I know that I’ll have to at some point.
Don’t get me wrong. With this green light, a lot of breathtaking, wonderful things happen for us. And I allow myself to think them from time to time and get extremely happy. But at heart, I can be as squirrelly as any of my beloved actors (incidentally, never call an actor for sympathy. All I got for the heartfelt call yesterday was ‘will you become a mogul already. I need to work.' Ah, friends.) One thing I am most wiggy about is traveling. I am infamous for my travel lists. For travel that involves months away from home, the lists are numerous and ponderous. However, it’s hard for me to truly prepared when I don’t know my travel dates – especially for the scouting trip. I understand that Jon and I may be in the air within a day of the go ahead being given. I can’t begin to describe how unpleasant a travel companion I am with that kind of notice. I need six hours to get properly smashed for the flight. Yes, it really is prudent that I’m smashed before a flight. Otherwise, I get very anxious and opening the cabin door becomes a good idea. When one of my actor friends went with us to Cannes, He was really alarmed at how much I imbibed before the 16-hour flight. Then, he was amazed that I was stone, cold sober by the time we landed. Where was I? Poor Jon. Fear not, I think all the anxiety will be overridden by all the fabulous things this shoot will bring.
Craig Again
Among those fabulous things will be working with Craig once again. He’s marvelous at keeping my on an even keel on set, but he is invaluable in dealing with New Jersey. He’s got a lot of connections. And most of them do not operate out of places like Bada Bing. The governor of New Jersey decided that the Garden State did not need a film commission. Though one can make films without ever contacting a state’s film commission (we’ve yet to use the one here), it’s helpful when a company is from out of state to get guidance for permits, security and such. Craig had some calls made. He informed me that there will be a film commission at our disposal upon arrival. It hadn’t been reinstated, mind you, but someone will be there to ‘get us all you need.’ I think his name is Al. I don’t want to ask. As long as the set runs smoothly, I’m a happy woman. Craig also made me happy by regaling me with a tale of Anthony Bourdain. Seems that he did a signing at Book Soup while Craig worked there. He was not looking forward to another celebrity chef being fawned over by the wealthy denizens of the Entitlement Zone. But the first thing Tony did after the gushing introduction was tear into the LA restaurant scene for it’s emphasis on the hip and famous instead of the food and the restaurant patrons for the attention span of a gnat. A bunch of people left. Craig said he felt like applauding. The rest of the talk reminded him more of Hunter S. Thompson than Wolgang Puck. Craig was impressed, and that is hard to do. He was as impressed as I was that Bourdain visited Saudi Arabia, a country where alcoholic beverages are forbidden, and had a great time. One last thing about Craig. He hasn’t run into anymore one-legged crickets, but he managed to come across five kittens that had eight toes on each paw (is toe the right term for a cat?). He had cell phone photos. The kittens looked like their paws were drawn by a cartoonist. They were huge, and they were adorable. Luckily, his animal loving Ohio girl wasn’t with him, or he’d have custody of at least one.
Soldier’s Fate Print Debut
I was elated to receive the proof from the distributor. The book turned out beautifully. And I’m very pleased to find that it is already selling well. The support and great patience of my readers is gratifying. I think you’ll find it was worth the wait. Meanwhile, I am almost finished the backstory of the characters for the web site. The cookbook is almost finished as well. I’m cooking a lot today despite the heat. I find that I need the soothing aromas for my jangled nerves. It’s helpful to do something that is familiar and comforting. I can now comfortably write up recipes having done them over and over with the results I expect. Yes, there were a number of times that the results were quite unexpected though not terrifying. But I digress. It was great fun hanging out with Rik and Vincent. I’m really pleased that this pitch has kept me working in their world. I have very strong ideas about the third book, but work on that won’t begin for some time to come.
Meanwhile, I am off to make more food and hang out on my sofa. There will be more refining of my many lists. Maybe I can set up a suitcase complete with a flagon of booze to go for a quick departure without making Jon crazy. Who am I kidding? I’m going to drive him crazy.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
A Soldier's Fate Print Version Now Live
It's available on Amazon.com. To find the link fast, got to: http://soldierschoice.com .
My apologies for the extreme delay. It was my brilliant idea to change distributors with this title wihouth knowing what the learning curve would be for submissions. The result is fabulous though it took a while.
Enjoy!
My apologies for the extreme delay. It was my brilliant idea to change distributors with this title wihouth knowing what the learning curve would be for submissions. The result is fabulous though it took a while.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
On No, Mobsters and Rampaging Elephants
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.
Amusing Chefs
That is, I managed to amuse the chefs who work for Jamie Oliver. Those of you who read last week’s blog know of my misadventures with a mutant blob of pizza dough. Late one night while still punchy from lack of sleep, I sent a note to Mr. Oliver via his website about how I enjoyed the wacky experience and the pizzas it produced. They kindly responded with some advice to avoid having dough that grows exponentially. I then sent them the photo of the dough in question. They found it quite hilarious. I always enjoy it when my cooking brings happiness – even if it’s just hearty laughter.
Avoiding the Word No
Jon and I were told this about casting actors. You look for reasons to say no in order to quickly pare down the number of submissions. These are not random choices. They are obvious: too short, too tall, too young, too old, wrong body type, wrong ethnic type, etc. That way you aren’t seeing hundreds of people for one role. You’re just seeing dozens. That can make for a really long day, believe me. At any rate, the same applies for pitching novels or scripts. The initial reader is always looking for a reason to say no. For written materials, like novels, it’s a longer process. In General, one can’t just glance at a page and toss it aside. It’s happened, but usually, a few pages have to be read to make a decision. The initial no is usually because the material doesn’t fit the publishing company (Sybaritic Press does not do young adult stories, especially no young adult erotic, but we get a lot of submissions for it). If the query letter is bad (poorly written or too pushy or too pleading), I’ll say no without reading the material. Experience has taught us that bad query letters equate to a bad experience with a potential author. With scripts, the cover letter can kill a pitch as well. Beyond that, sending the wrong type of script to a producer gets nowhere fast (Jerry Bruckheimer is not likely to read a drawing room farce) and it is pointless to send the Sci- Fi Channel a historical romance unless one of the couple is an alien or a vampire (preferably both). Sounds logical, but it happens all the time. Some writers will not only send the wrong material to a producer or network, they will argue that these are the kind of scripts that they should be producing. Boy, that would make me want to spend lots of money and time working with that writer. HA!
Beyond avoiding the initial no, there are other reasons to reject a pitch. Most come down to money. How expensive will it be? Can it find an audience to make back the cost plus a profit. In the case of a TV series, does it have a large enough, sustainable audience to make a profit? For a long time, Jon and I had problems getting past the second hurdle in a pitch. We didn’t know enough about the practical aspect of making films to convincingly speak about costs. It wasn’t until after we’d made Demon Under Glass that I learned how to schedule and budget a film based solely on a script. Making a film and developing the many project we have started since then has taught us a lot about what things really cost. We’ve worked with professionals who know how to creatively keep costs down and maintain the right production values on screen. But even that may not be enough. When making a pitch, it helps to know what kind of money a producer has spent on similar projects. It is most prudent to be very close to that same budget. That’s never easy. Budget info is still really hard to come by despite pay services like imdbpro. Casting directors often know budgets because they need to know what they can offer talent. We cultivated a great relationship with a casting director who often advises us. A lot of research is done before writing the pitch. Then, you have to find the right words to get them to schedule a second meeting.
This has been what I’ve been up to for a couple of weeks while Jon re-writes a romantic comedy that’s up for funding. I’m keeping notes on that process that I’ll share in a blog when I’m allowed to discuss it. That’s called ‘How to Avoid Throttling the Director.’
I’ve finished the Onesheet for Blood Oath (the Soldiers live action pitch). I’m very happy to have the support of a gay publisher of Yaoi in the US. Hopefully, he will bolster our contention that there is a niche of avid fans out there for this sort of show. I’ll post the text for the onesheet and the treatment later today. The artwork is still in the works.
My Life in Film and The Godfather
Warning: Seemingly pointless rambling mixed in with necessary ramblings to follow.
I’m not saying that my life is literally like being involved with mobsters. Though I’ve had glancing relationships through various friends connected to associates. Of course, Craig would be one of them. My favorite work conversations with him invariably involved mobsters. There’s nothing like a co-worker’s expression when they hear: You should never ask why he’s called Thumbs, because he’ll show you the whole collection of them. Or They whacked their own Don without permission when they found out he was gay. They thought the Gambinos would kill them all. Incidentally, that New Jersey Family is widely believed to be the basis for the Sopranos. Puts a whole new spin on Tony, eh? I’ve had my own strange conversations with friends over mobsters. Such sentences as No, Gideon, not everyone was a bagman in high school. And to his father: You took Skinny Joey Merlino and his friends to Fellini films? Seems, he was trying to teach them some culture.
No, it’s not literal involvement with mobsters -- just that some of the conversations I’ve had about mounting films remind me of a particular scene from The Godfather (if you have never seen it, you should. If you have, watch it again). The scene is when Michael Corelone is talking to his father in the vegetable garden. Vito (Marlon Brando) explains that after his death, a trusted friend will come to Michael with an important meeting. At the meeting, he will be assassinated. It’s said in a very casual tone. Our favorite film advisors often speaks to us in such terms when outlining all the possible disasters that will befall us on any given film. He’s never said that we’d be assassinated, but given that he has said things like but the Burmese army took a detour to find the runaway monks, so it all worked out, or when you get a rampaging elephant, make sure to get a second unit on it for footage, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. The current list of potential disasters makes me wonder anew at the theory that working in the field you love is joyful stress. Meanwhile, one of my production partners keeps saying, after we begin development, I’ll settle a lot of relationships. Of course, what I hear is: After the baptism, I’ll settle all family business. That makes a person with my twisted imagination very careful to stay on his good side.
I must get back to work. There are a lot of beautiful, naked men to look at on screen. Hey, it really is work. I have to check out the shows on our pitch network. Jon and our partner have pointedly told me they weren’t interested. Sigh. It’s all up to me.
Stay tuned. A whole lot of things are influx. I should be able to talk about them soon.
Amusing Chefs
That is, I managed to amuse the chefs who work for Jamie Oliver. Those of you who read last week’s blog know of my misadventures with a mutant blob of pizza dough. Late one night while still punchy from lack of sleep, I sent a note to Mr. Oliver via his website about how I enjoyed the wacky experience and the pizzas it produced. They kindly responded with some advice to avoid having dough that grows exponentially. I then sent them the photo of the dough in question. They found it quite hilarious. I always enjoy it when my cooking brings happiness – even if it’s just hearty laughter.
Avoiding the Word No
Jon and I were told this about casting actors. You look for reasons to say no in order to quickly pare down the number of submissions. These are not random choices. They are obvious: too short, too tall, too young, too old, wrong body type, wrong ethnic type, etc. That way you aren’t seeing hundreds of people for one role. You’re just seeing dozens. That can make for a really long day, believe me. At any rate, the same applies for pitching novels or scripts. The initial reader is always looking for a reason to say no. For written materials, like novels, it’s a longer process. In General, one can’t just glance at a page and toss it aside. It’s happened, but usually, a few pages have to be read to make a decision. The initial no is usually because the material doesn’t fit the publishing company (Sybaritic Press does not do young adult stories, especially no young adult erotic, but we get a lot of submissions for it). If the query letter is bad (poorly written or too pushy or too pleading), I’ll say no without reading the material. Experience has taught us that bad query letters equate to a bad experience with a potential author. With scripts, the cover letter can kill a pitch as well. Beyond that, sending the wrong type of script to a producer gets nowhere fast (Jerry Bruckheimer is not likely to read a drawing room farce) and it is pointless to send the Sci- Fi Channel a historical romance unless one of the couple is an alien or a vampire (preferably both). Sounds logical, but it happens all the time. Some writers will not only send the wrong material to a producer or network, they will argue that these are the kind of scripts that they should be producing. Boy, that would make me want to spend lots of money and time working with that writer. HA!
Beyond avoiding the initial no, there are other reasons to reject a pitch. Most come down to money. How expensive will it be? Can it find an audience to make back the cost plus a profit. In the case of a TV series, does it have a large enough, sustainable audience to make a profit? For a long time, Jon and I had problems getting past the second hurdle in a pitch. We didn’t know enough about the practical aspect of making films to convincingly speak about costs. It wasn’t until after we’d made Demon Under Glass that I learned how to schedule and budget a film based solely on a script. Making a film and developing the many project we have started since then has taught us a lot about what things really cost. We’ve worked with professionals who know how to creatively keep costs down and maintain the right production values on screen. But even that may not be enough. When making a pitch, it helps to know what kind of money a producer has spent on similar projects. It is most prudent to be very close to that same budget. That’s never easy. Budget info is still really hard to come by despite pay services like imdbpro. Casting directors often know budgets because they need to know what they can offer talent. We cultivated a great relationship with a casting director who often advises us. A lot of research is done before writing the pitch. Then, you have to find the right words to get them to schedule a second meeting.
This has been what I’ve been up to for a couple of weeks while Jon re-writes a romantic comedy that’s up for funding. I’m keeping notes on that process that I’ll share in a blog when I’m allowed to discuss it. That’s called ‘How to Avoid Throttling the Director.’
I’ve finished the Onesheet for Blood Oath (the Soldiers live action pitch). I’m very happy to have the support of a gay publisher of Yaoi in the US. Hopefully, he will bolster our contention that there is a niche of avid fans out there for this sort of show. I’ll post the text for the onesheet and the treatment later today. The artwork is still in the works.
My Life in Film and The Godfather
Warning: Seemingly pointless rambling mixed in with necessary ramblings to follow.
I’m not saying that my life is literally like being involved with mobsters. Though I’ve had glancing relationships through various friends connected to associates. Of course, Craig would be one of them. My favorite work conversations with him invariably involved mobsters. There’s nothing like a co-worker’s expression when they hear: You should never ask why he’s called Thumbs, because he’ll show you the whole collection of them. Or They whacked their own Don without permission when they found out he was gay. They thought the Gambinos would kill them all. Incidentally, that New Jersey Family is widely believed to be the basis for the Sopranos. Puts a whole new spin on Tony, eh? I’ve had my own strange conversations with friends over mobsters. Such sentences as No, Gideon, not everyone was a bagman in high school. And to his father: You took Skinny Joey Merlino and his friends to Fellini films? Seems, he was trying to teach them some culture.
No, it’s not literal involvement with mobsters -- just that some of the conversations I’ve had about mounting films remind me of a particular scene from The Godfather (if you have never seen it, you should. If you have, watch it again). The scene is when Michael Corelone is talking to his father in the vegetable garden. Vito (Marlon Brando) explains that after his death, a trusted friend will come to Michael with an important meeting. At the meeting, he will be assassinated. It’s said in a very casual tone. Our favorite film advisors often speaks to us in such terms when outlining all the possible disasters that will befall us on any given film. He’s never said that we’d be assassinated, but given that he has said things like but the Burmese army took a detour to find the runaway monks, so it all worked out, or when you get a rampaging elephant, make sure to get a second unit on it for footage, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. The current list of potential disasters makes me wonder anew at the theory that working in the field you love is joyful stress. Meanwhile, one of my production partners keeps saying, after we begin development, I’ll settle a lot of relationships. Of course, what I hear is: After the baptism, I’ll settle all family business. That makes a person with my twisted imagination very careful to stay on his good side.
I must get back to work. There are a lot of beautiful, naked men to look at on screen. Hey, it really is work. I have to check out the shows on our pitch network. Jon and our partner have pointedly told me they weren’t interested. Sigh. It’s all up to me.
Stay tuned. A whole lot of things are influx. I should be able to talk about them soon.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Bastille Day, Mutant Dough and Rattlesnakes
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.
Holi-daze - Bastille Day Edition
On July 14th, the French will celebrate Fête Nationale or Bastille Day. I hope my lovely French friends have a great time. I’ll be raising a glass of wine in their honor. I know, I know, again with the France thing. My obsession is completely justified. Aside from the country’s support and aid in our own revolution (Forget us Lord, lest we forget the sacred sword of Lafayette) They are a sublimely civilized country. I found a recent example in the following imdb.com article:
French Labour Laws Force Ratner's Movie Set Back To LA
30 June 2008 9:07 AM, PDT From wenn.com See recent WENN news
Hollywood moviemaker Brett Ratner ran into trouble when directing his blockbuster film Rush Hour 3 - because the French government enforced strict labour laws which made filming nearly impossible.
Ratner chose to shoot the third installment of the action franchise starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Paris with hopes of adding to the movie's "fish out of water comedy".
But the French's leisurely approach to the working week soon forced the director to relocate the film set back to Los Angeles.
Ratner says, "We could only shoot eight hours a day because it was the law - the thirty hour work week in France. No overtime. It doesn't matter if you offer them triple overtime, they will not work more.
"So it's eight hour days and two hour lunches and wine service during lunch. Every crew member, in their contract, has a right to drink wine. So they have an open bottle of wine and they bring you an appetizer, a main course and then a dessert - service. It's not like you go get your own food and you sit down. So basically I'm getting six hours a day shooting.
"So we decided we've got to go back to LA and build an extended (set of Paris)."
Frankly, I saw nothing wrong in those labor laws. And as for being unable to get his pages done, I fault the director. The Bourne Identity seemed to do very well shooting in Paris, and that’s with some completely insane car chases. We certainly plan to find a reason to shoot there as soon as humanly possible. Meanwhile, have a great holiday, mes amis!
The Dough That Ate My Fridge
I’m still experimenting with making my own dough. The baguette recipe remains intimidating, so I thought I’d try pizza dough. I’ve been terrible dissatisfied with pizza since visiting Cannes. No, that’s not as weird as it sounds. That part of France was once part of Italy. There are still a lot of Italians there. I had the fortune or misfortune of having real Pizza Margherita. Don’t get me wrong. There are pizza’s here that I enjoy. I worked in Manhattan for a year and there are great pizzas there. And in Philly, Jon and I like this very non-traditional Greek Pizza made by Hispanic guys at Germantown Style Pizza. It’s
particularly good when eaten with a luridly red colored soda called Tahitian Treat. But I digress. I really loved the Pizza I had in Cannes and have made several attempts to reproduce it with store bought pizza shells. The results were satisfactory at best. A couple of weeks ago, I saw Jamie Oliver make pizza on his new show, Jamie at Home. It looked really easy, so I gave it a try. The recipe called for only one rising for the dough to double in size. Then, it could be refrigerated until use. I did everything in the recipe, then I wrapped the dough in plastic and put it in a gallon sized bag in a bowl. An hour later, I looked in the fridge to find the dough was about to burst my bag and envelope the top shelf of the fridge. Even after I divided it into four sections, they grew in the bags. It had nothing but dough on my top shelf until I could pre-bake the shells to freeze. It was a tasty pizza cannibal, but oy, do I have a lot of pizza shells.
Turning My Husband On
No, it’s not at all what you’re thinking. Jon is now complaining about the headline, as it is not truth in advertising. It’s a whole lot geekier than that. And it involves A Soldier’s Choice, which does absolutely nothing for Jon. I’m working on the pitch for the live action version. I mentioned that we wanted to use Manga-style images for the opening and linking scenes. I also wanted to use them in the written presentation. That meant, doing two or three pages of comic action and having some images of Rik and Vincent for the letterhead, etc. I put a call out of manga artists for this very modes job. The bids I received for the work averaged $650 per page. The total would have cost us the same amount of money we spent on the live trailer for The Gunslinger. I plan to do a trailer for A Soldier’s Choice, but only after I get some expressed interest from the network. We’re not adverse to investing where necessary, but I was not putting that kind of money into such a small job. So, to the amazement of my hubby, I bought a sketch-pad and downloaded some reference material. I asked him to find me a software that could generate the manga panels and fx I needed, then started sketching. He got so excited over a page of eyeballs I’d done, that I thought he’d keel over. He started pulling out all of his favorite anime reference books to show me that I was creating model sheets and that’s how the animators worked. I didn’t know that. I was just practicing, because it’s been a while. I considered drawing as a creative path for a long time. I even drew a lot of comics as a teen and young adult. Ultimately, writing had a much stronger pull for me. Still, I can still work with a pencil and these softwares can make anyone look really good. And it allows my Hubby to let his anime geek out. That works all around. I’ll post the work along with the expositional material on the Soldier’s Choice website.
Conversations with Craig – Outdoor Edition
Craig took his girlfriend on a walk through Solstice Canyon in Malibu over the holiday. It was the first weekend it was open since last year’s brush fires. During the hike, they met an exuberant, young Native American volunteer ranger at the cultural center there. “Have you ever seen a live rattle snake up close?” She asked. Of course, Craig had seen many of them. His favorite hiking spot is Rattlesnake Canyon (he wonders why I steadfastly refused to go hiking with him). His girlfriend replied that the only ones she’d seen with Craig were angry ones (another reason I don’t hike with him). That snake was asleep having eaten a large meal earlier, so everyone could examine him closely. Though I cannot fathom why. Craig on hikes can be such harrowing affairs that his father bought and insisted he carry a GPS locator. If there is weird weather, dead bodies, plane crashes in a remote area, Craig finds it. I was very surprised that he hadn’t found Moe, the missing Chimpanzee. The Volunteer Rangers also identified what kind of cricket was likely to have been living in their bookcase. She was certain it was dead by now.
Holi-daze - Bastille Day Edition
On July 14th, the French will celebrate Fête Nationale or Bastille Day. I hope my lovely French friends have a great time. I’ll be raising a glass of wine in their honor. I know, I know, again with the France thing. My obsession is completely justified. Aside from the country’s support and aid in our own revolution (Forget us Lord, lest we forget the sacred sword of Lafayette) They are a sublimely civilized country. I found a recent example in the following imdb.com article:
French Labour Laws Force Ratner's Movie Set Back To LA
Hollywood moviemaker Brett Ratner ran into trouble when directing his blockbuster film Rush Hour 3 - because the French government enforced strict labour laws which made filming nearly impossible.
Ratner chose to shoot the third installment of the action franchise starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Paris with hopes of adding to the movie's "fish out of water comedy".
But the French's leisurely approach to the working week soon forced the director to relocate the film set back to Los Angeles.
Ratner says, "We could only shoot eight hours a day because it was the law - the thirty hour work week in France. No overtime. It doesn't matter if you offer them triple overtime, they will not work more.
"So it's eight hour days and two hour lunches and wine service during lunch. Every crew member, in their contract, has a right to drink wine. So they have an open bottle of wine and they bring you an appetizer, a main course and then a dessert - service. It's not like you go get your own food and you sit down. So basically I'm getting six hours a day shooting.
"So we decided we've got to go back to LA and build an extended (set of Paris)."
Frankly, I saw nothing wrong in those labor laws. And as for being unable to get his pages done, I fault the director. The Bourne Identity seemed to do very well shooting in Paris, and that’s with some completely insane car chases. We certainly plan to find a reason to shoot there as soon as humanly possible. Meanwhile, have a great holiday, mes amis!
The Dough That Ate My Fridge
I’m still experimenting with making my own dough. The baguette recipe remains intimidating, so I thought I’d try pizza dough. I’ve been terrible dissatisfied with pizza since visiting Cannes. No, that’s not as weird as it sounds. That part of France was once part of Italy. There are still a lot of Italians there. I had the fortune or misfortune of having real Pizza Margherita. Don’t get me wrong. There are pizza’s here that I enjoy. I worked in Manhattan for a year and there are great pizzas there. And in Philly, Jon and I like this very non-traditional Greek Pizza made by Hispanic guys at Germantown Style Pizza. It’s
particularly good when eaten with a luridly red colored soda called Tahitian Treat. But I digress. I really loved the Pizza I had in Cannes and have made several attempts to reproduce it with store bought pizza shells. The results were satisfactory at best. A couple of weeks ago, I saw Jamie Oliver make pizza on his new show, Jamie at Home. It looked really easy, so I gave it a try. The recipe called for only one rising for the dough to double in size. Then, it could be refrigerated until use. I did everything in the recipe, then I wrapped the dough in plastic and put it in a gallon sized bag in a bowl. An hour later, I looked in the fridge to find the dough was about to burst my bag and envelope the top shelf of the fridge. Even after I divided it into four sections, they grew in the bags. It had nothing but dough on my top shelf until I could pre-bake the shells to freeze. It was a tasty pizza cannibal, but oy, do I have a lot of pizza shells.Turning My Husband On
No, it’s not at all what you’re thinking. Jon is now complaining about the headline, as it is not truth in advertising. It’s a whole lot geekier than that. And it involves A Soldier’s Choice, which does absolutely nothing for Jon. I’m working on the pitch for the live action version. I mentioned that we wanted to use Manga-style images for the opening and linking scenes. I also wanted to use them in the written presentation. That meant, doing two or three pages of comic action and having some images of Rik and Vincent for the letterhead, etc. I put a call out of manga artists for this very modes job. The bids I received for the work averaged $650 per page. The total would have cost us the same amount of money we spent on the live trailer for The Gunslinger. I plan to do a trailer for A Soldier’s Choice, but only after I get some expressed interest from the network. We’re not adverse to investing where necessary, but I was not putting that kind of money into such a small job. So, to the amazement of my hubby, I bought a sketch-pad and downloaded some reference material. I asked him to find me a software that could generate the manga panels and fx I needed, then started sketching. He got so excited over a page of eyeballs I’d done, that I thought he’d keel over. He started pulling out all of his favorite anime reference books to show me that I was creating model sheets and that’s how the animators worked. I didn’t know that. I was just practicing, because it’s been a while. I considered drawing as a creative path for a long time. I even drew a lot of comics as a teen and young adult. Ultimately, writing had a much stronger pull for me. Still, I can still work with a pencil and these softwares can make anyone look really good. And it allows my Hubby to let his anime geek out. That works all around. I’ll post the work along with the expositional material on the Soldier’s Choice website.
Conversations with Craig – Outdoor Edition
Craig took his girlfriend on a walk through Solstice Canyon in Malibu over the holiday. It was the first weekend it was open since last year’s brush fires. During the hike, they met an exuberant, young Native American volunteer ranger at the cultural center there. “Have you ever seen a live rattle snake up close?” She asked. Of course, Craig had seen many of them. His favorite hiking spot is Rattlesnake Canyon (he wonders why I steadfastly refused to go hiking with him). His girlfriend replied that the only ones she’d seen with Craig were angry ones (another reason I don’t hike with him). That snake was asleep having eaten a large meal earlier, so everyone could examine him closely. Though I cannot fathom why. Craig on hikes can be such harrowing affairs that his father bought and insisted he carry a GPS locator. If there is weird weather, dead bodies, plane crashes in a remote area, Craig finds it. I was very surprised that he hadn’t found Moe, the missing Chimpanzee. The Volunteer Rangers also identified what kind of cricket was likely to have been living in their bookcase. She was certain it was dead by now.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Apple Pie, Strikes and Andy Rooney
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.
First off, thanks for all the inquiries as to our health and safety. The national coverage of the fires seldom lets viewers know where the major cities are in relation to the various blazes. LA is hundreds of miles from the Goleta and Big Sur fires. LA County is having fires in the Santa Clarita area and in Malibu again. These are much smaller than the blazes last year. They haven’t impacted our air quality yet. So, we’re okay right now.
Holi-daze Patriotism Edition
Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers! And for those for which it applies, Happy 400th anniversary to Quebec City. The celebrations looked grand, indeed. Quebec City’s special day was even celebrated throughout France. Well done! I have some very dear friends in Canada and some very fond memories of my visits there. I’m very fond of their actor-boys as well. Though I’ve often talked about the talent on Battlestar Galactica, but I also highly recommend taking a look at DaVinci’s Inquest, a very fine police drama that is now syndicated throughout the US markets as well as in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Jon finds it has some of the most natural dialogued he’d ever heard in a TV show. I’m inclined to agree. It also had a very wicked sense of humor (one of my favorite titles was ‘Ass Covering Day’). The performances are first rate. And if you ever get the opportunity, Visit Canada. Toronto is hip and eclectic, and Vancouver is breathtakingly beautiful with amazing food and vistas. The people are friendly and helpful, to boot.
We had a quiet 4th of July. I made an apple pie and we ate hot dogs. Alas, we had no gu
ns, so we couldn’t celebrate the way Stephen Colbert would. Jon and I were watching the local news that day. There were a lot of trivia questions about the holiday. Several of them were about the Liberty Bell. I know there are many Philadelphians who stay away from Independence Mall (Philadelphians generally aren’t fond of tourists), but Jon and I had heard the speech about the bell dozens of times over the years. During one of my numerous jobs in Philly, I was trained by Federal Park Rangers on the sites in the Mall, so I could help guide visitors. Some of those talks are quite moving, and I remember many of them to this day. Anyway, after the final trivia question on the Bell, my ever-sentimental husband pointed out that the Liberty Bell would not be a good symbol for Quality Assurance (the current crack isn’t the first one and it hasn’t been rung in a very, very long time). While I found that remark appalling, his observation after the trivia question on The Star Spangled Banner was almost disturbing. It seems that our national anthem is filking to a British drinking song. All one can say to that is: U-S-A! U-S-A! Actually, our friends find us surprisingly patriotic. I made an apple pie. But those tales are for another blog.
The next Holidaze-Patriot Edition will be about Bastille Day. Stay Tuned.
A Strike that’s not a Strike
I’ve also received inquiries about The Gunslinger and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Since no strike was declared on July 1st, many of the e-mails reasoned that we should be able to proceed with our plans. Not exactly. There has been no strike vote taken (I’ve been told by someone on SAG’s board that they don’t have enough votes to get an authorization passed). However, there also hasn’t been an extension of the current contract. That means that actors aren’t bound to keep working and could walk out at any time. That has made movie studios reluctant to start films. Insurance companies won’t underwrite them out of concern over a walk-out. Stopping a film after cameras roll is hideously expensive – even to a major studio. Work will slowly grind to a complete halt save for smaller indie productions. It seems to have affected some TV episodics as well. At least, they aren’t having as many Breakdowns or casting calls as there should be for the TV season. It’s actually a fraction of what it should be right now. So, there is no actual strike right now, but there is very little actual work going on. No one is sure how long this state of affairs will last.
Distilled Prose
I’ve been working on my pitches for A Soldier’s Choice and some other projects. In trying to distill the lengthy and involved back-story for our heroes world and their pasts, I’ve had to first write said back-story. From the full version, I have to do a 3 or 4 paragraph version to go on a one-sheet version, it’s a glossy flier with text and images on one or both sides along with contact info. That must be further distilled into a tag line (one line that encompasses the entire concept). It’s also called a high concept pitch. The most famous high concept pitch was MTV Cops for Miami Vice. Attention spans for studio execs are short probably because they are doing the Hydra thing to the extreme. I’ve never seen people who could carry on so many conversations at once and keep track as these execs do. The pitch must be short, succinct and compelling in a few seconds. Since I’ve done all of this work, I’ve decided to put the back-story up on the Soldier’s Choice Web page. Maybe someone will kindly add it to Wikipedia at some point. I’ll put up the one-sheet as well once it’s ready. It should be really neat with the Manga style artwork.
He’s Back!
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations returns tomorrow, July 7th on The Travel Channel with some very exciting places on the schedule. If you love food and enjoy funny, biting, sardonic, insightful commentary and a real, ground level glimpse of a far flung place, watch his man. He’s infectious, I tell you. He had Samantha Brown cursing in her new show Passport to Great Weekends. To quote, dear, retiring, almost staid Samantha Brown said ‘You’ve never seen Anthony Bourdain spinning his ass in a champagne glass.’ She was dancing with The Pussycat Dolls at the time. Shocking, I tell you. So, watch Anthony. He may get you to do something wild as well.
And Now, Andy Rooney
Yes, I’m channeling Andy Rooney. I have to complain about Chipotle peppers and Ciabatta bread. Now, I like both products a great deal and use them frequently. But I’m really tired of food chains replacing them with their normal fare. I can’t get extra crispy chicken at KFC unless it is Chipolte Extra Crispy chicken. And Jack in the Box has replaced most of its burger buns with Ciabatta Bread. Sometimes, I want a regular hamburger bun, for Pete’s sake. This trend is as annoying as the sun dried tomatoes and pesto in the 90s. Geez. Okay, I’m done. Now. I’m off to make a hamburger on a regular bun.
First off, thanks for all the inquiries as to our health and safety. The national coverage of the fires seldom lets viewers know where the major cities are in relation to the various blazes. LA is hundreds of miles from the Goleta and Big Sur fires. LA County is having fires in the Santa Clarita area and in Malibu again. These are much smaller than the blazes last year. They haven’t impacted our air quality yet. So, we’re okay right now.
Holi-daze Patriotism Edition
Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers! And for those for which it applies, Happy 400th anniversary to Quebec City. The celebrations looked grand, indeed. Quebec City’s special day was even celebrated throughout France. Well done! I have some very dear friends in Canada and some very fond memories of my visits there. I’m very fond of their actor-boys as well. Though I’ve often talked about the talent on Battlestar Galactica, but I also highly recommend taking a look at DaVinci’s Inquest, a very fine police drama that is now syndicated throughout the US markets as well as in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Jon finds it has some of the most natural dialogued he’d ever heard in a TV show. I’m inclined to agree. It also had a very wicked sense of humor (one of my favorite titles was ‘Ass Covering Day’). The performances are first rate. And if you ever get the opportunity, Visit Canada. Toronto is hip and eclectic, and Vancouver is breathtakingly beautiful with amazing food and vistas. The people are friendly and helpful, to boot.
We had a quiet 4th of July. I made an apple pie and we ate hot dogs. Alas, we had no gu
ns, so we couldn’t celebrate the way Stephen Colbert would. Jon and I were watching the local news that day. There were a lot of trivia questions about the holiday. Several of them were about the Liberty Bell. I know there are many Philadelphians who stay away from Independence Mall (Philadelphians generally aren’t fond of tourists), but Jon and I had heard the speech about the bell dozens of times over the years. During one of my numerous jobs in Philly, I was trained by Federal Park Rangers on the sites in the Mall, so I could help guide visitors. Some of those talks are quite moving, and I remember many of them to this day. Anyway, after the final trivia question on the Bell, my ever-sentimental husband pointed out that the Liberty Bell would not be a good symbol for Quality Assurance (the current crack isn’t the first one and it hasn’t been rung in a very, very long time). While I found that remark appalling, his observation after the trivia question on The Star Spangled Banner was almost disturbing. It seems that our national anthem is filking to a British drinking song. All one can say to that is: U-S-A! U-S-A! Actually, our friends find us surprisingly patriotic. I made an apple pie. But those tales are for another blog.The next Holidaze-Patriot Edition will be about Bastille Day. Stay Tuned.
A Strike that’s not a Strike
I’ve also received inquiries about The Gunslinger and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Since no strike was declared on July 1st, many of the e-mails reasoned that we should be able to proceed with our plans. Not exactly. There has been no strike vote taken (I’ve been told by someone on SAG’s board that they don’t have enough votes to get an authorization passed). However, there also hasn’t been an extension of the current contract. That means that actors aren’t bound to keep working and could walk out at any time. That has made movie studios reluctant to start films. Insurance companies won’t underwrite them out of concern over a walk-out. Stopping a film after cameras roll is hideously expensive – even to a major studio. Work will slowly grind to a complete halt save for smaller indie productions. It seems to have affected some TV episodics as well. At least, they aren’t having as many Breakdowns or casting calls as there should be for the TV season. It’s actually a fraction of what it should be right now. So, there is no actual strike right now, but there is very little actual work going on. No one is sure how long this state of affairs will last.
Distilled Prose
I’ve been working on my pitches for A Soldier’s Choice and some other projects. In trying to distill the lengthy and involved back-story for our heroes world and their pasts, I’ve had to first write said back-story. From the full version, I have to do a 3 or 4 paragraph version to go on a one-sheet version, it’s a glossy flier with text and images on one or both sides along with contact info. That must be further distilled into a tag line (one line that encompasses the entire concept). It’s also called a high concept pitch. The most famous high concept pitch was MTV Cops for Miami Vice. Attention spans for studio execs are short probably because they are doing the Hydra thing to the extreme. I’ve never seen people who could carry on so many conversations at once and keep track as these execs do. The pitch must be short, succinct and compelling in a few seconds. Since I’ve done all of this work, I’ve decided to put the back-story up on the Soldier’s Choice Web page. Maybe someone will kindly add it to Wikipedia at some point. I’ll put up the one-sheet as well once it’s ready. It should be really neat with the Manga style artwork.
He’s Back!
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations returns tomorrow, July 7th on The Travel Channel with some very exciting places on the schedule. If you love food and enjoy funny, biting, sardonic, insightful commentary and a real, ground level glimpse of a far flung place, watch his man. He’s infectious, I tell you. He had Samantha Brown cursing in her new show Passport to Great Weekends. To quote, dear, retiring, almost staid Samantha Brown said ‘You’ve never seen Anthony Bourdain spinning his ass in a champagne glass.’ She was dancing with The Pussycat Dolls at the time. Shocking, I tell you. So, watch Anthony. He may get you to do something wild as well.
And Now, Andy Rooney
Yes, I’m channeling Andy Rooney. I have to complain about Chipotle peppers and Ciabatta bread. Now, I like both products a great deal and use them frequently. But I’m really tired of food chains replacing them with their normal fare. I can’t get extra crispy chicken at KFC unless it is Chipolte Extra Crispy chicken. And Jack in the Box has replaced most of its burger buns with Ciabatta Bread. Sometimes, I want a regular hamburger bun, for Pete’s sake. This trend is as annoying as the sun dried tomatoes and pesto in the 90s. Geez. Okay, I’m done. Now. I’m off to make a hamburger on a regular bun.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Big Updates and Bizarre Conversations
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. It has been a wild week full of exciting highs and lows and some really strange conversations. This week hasn’t been a matter of wearing a lot of hats. I’m not doing half a dozen different tasks, I’m juggling a lot of writing projects with their supporting documentation at the same time. It’s more like being a Hydra, and I’m just as cranky at times.
The Gunslinger and Hidden Passions Update
The jitters over the possibility of a Screen Actors Guild strike or walk out has impacted every level of the industry here. My partner’s actor clients have largely bugged out of the city to visit family. This is the beginning of the TV season, shooting wise. One doesn’t take off at this time typically. Big budget films have been stalled awaiting the outcome of the negotiations. And, now it’s impacted us. The Gunslinger backers want to wait until we know what will be happening with the Guild. We can’t really blame them. On the up side, I really wasn’t looking forward to working in triple digit heat. And I got the same feeling from our cast. I’ll make an announcement when we have a firm date. But don’t despair, and keep checking this page. The Hidden Passion cast will turn up in a feature by us soon. So stay tuned.
Meanwhile, I’ve been asked about the film based on The Gift of Surrender. I am working on that as well. I’ve just finished re-reading the novel in preparation of writing the script. The film version presents a number of problems that we need to solve involving locations and Special FX. I know what scenes I absolutely have to have in the film. Now, we have to figure out if there are reasonably priced solutions to those issues in LA or would we have to film in Europe where there are real castles to be had. We’ll still do a trailer between now and the fall. Stay tuned for that as well.
Soldier’s Update
The print version of A Soldier’s Fate is in limbo for a little while longer. Sybaritic Press has changed distributors and it has not gone as smoothly as I’d like. But it is proceeding. It should be live on Amazon.com soon. Meanwhile, I’ve been working on the pitch for Blood Oath, the live action version of the Soldier’s novels. I decided on Blood Oath, because that’s essential what they do when they become soldiers and that they become what they are because of their blood. The books have a whole lot of action that requires wire work and Special FX. We know that the series will not have the budget to go all out. But there are solutions that will look cool and credible and use elements of the origins of the books – Manga and Anime. Rik and Vincent have a whole lot of backstory before the beginning of Soldier’s Choice that has to be covere
d in a show for it to make sense. We decided to take a cue from the Spiderman films and use comic-ized versions of our leads in a Manga style page to tell their origin stories. We really liked how this technique was used in The Full Metal Alchemist to tell the storylines of all the main characters in 52 episodes in a minute and 45 second. We’ll likely use this style for closing credits and linking action scenes with the drama. We also want a very funky soundtrack like those used in anime series. I got to see Matt Ferraro, our Vincent Greven, this weekend. Jon noticed that he really is built like and anime character, slender and sleekly muscular. I wish my photos could show his big beautiful eyes. He’s looking forward to the part and I’m looking forward to seeing him in it. We will be meeting an actor who has the look I want for Rik Heron. Stay tuned.
The Big Film Update
The full budget feature film is moving along. We seem to have submitted all the documents correctly. We’re awaiting word on when a countdown to pre-production will begin. That’s been unnerving. Most of what we’re working on would have to be put on the back burner in favor of doing a re-write of the original script. We haven’t worked on it since the first draft was finished six years ago. And before anything can be finalized cast-wise, we need a new version. We also have to plan for a film related travel that we have no firm dates for departure. All of this upheaval and suspense makes being a Hydra difficult. I’m investing a lot of energy and time into development of these other projects, it will be a lurch to stop abruptly and focus solely on the script. I’m close to finishing the pitches for the TV shows, so I will do that meeting. We can’t ignore the opportunity. But all of this head switching is making us very tired. And yes, we still have the day jobs. Still, this is a very exciting undertaking. Despite the roller coaster, we’re jazzed about the prospect.
Conversations
These are some snippets of conversations that are biz related or friend related. I spent an afternoon with a bunch of actors yesterday and had long chats with my more colorful friends. Please note, that having these conversations does not mean that I approve of any of the behavior.
“No I don’t have any lifeguard shifts this summer. The Y frowns on thrusting kids out of the pool onto concrete from below while rescuing them.”
“Yeah, hookers don’t like when you want to examine their mouths with a flashlight, but if they want that ten bucks, they deal with it.”
“But why do you have a Captain Cook costume?”
“I’m getting the yearly physicals, but it’s mainly for STDs. Hate them though. They always want to shove something up my colon.”
“I have a check filled out for the county court with orders to just fill in the bail amount. Not that I’m expecting any problems.”
“Yeah, we’ll need a line item in the budget for graft, but I got a guy with connections in case of real problems.”
“Don’t worry, the part makes sure that he’ll be shirtless.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to Photoshop just David Duchovney’s ass in that show.”
“They should send assassins after Michael Bay’s hateful dogs.”
“And that’s when I found out that Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and I were doing the same chick.”
I’m exhausted. Up next week, I’m having a gathering of the Border’s Third Street Promenade posse. There may be clips of Conversations with Craig.
I hardly know where to begin. It has been a wild week full of exciting highs and lows and some really strange conversations. This week hasn’t been a matter of wearing a lot of hats. I’m not doing half a dozen different tasks, I’m juggling a lot of writing projects with their supporting documentation at the same time. It’s more like being a Hydra, and I’m just as cranky at times.
The Gunslinger and Hidden Passions Update
The jitters over the possibility of a Screen Actors Guild strike or walk out has impacted every level of the industry here. My partner’s actor clients have largely bugged out of the city to visit family. This is the beginning of the TV season, shooting wise. One doesn’t take off at this time typically. Big budget films have been stalled awaiting the outcome of the negotiations. And, now it’s impacted us. The Gunslinger backers want to wait until we know what will be happening with the Guild. We can’t really blame them. On the up side, I really wasn’t looking forward to working in triple digit heat. And I got the same feeling from our cast. I’ll make an announcement when we have a firm date. But don’t despair, and keep checking this page. The Hidden Passion cast will turn up in a feature by us soon. So stay tuned.
Meanwhile, I’ve been asked about the film based on The Gift of Surrender. I am working on that as well. I’ve just finished re-reading the novel in preparation of writing the script. The film version presents a number of problems that we need to solve involving locations and Special FX. I know what scenes I absolutely have to have in the film. Now, we have to figure out if there are reasonably priced solutions to those issues in LA or would we have to film in Europe where there are real castles to be had. We’ll still do a trailer between now and the fall. Stay tuned for that as well.
Soldier’s Update
The print version of A Soldier’s Fate is in limbo for a little while longer. Sybaritic Press has changed distributors and it has not gone as smoothly as I’d like. But it is proceeding. It should be live on Amazon.com soon. Meanwhile, I’ve been working on the pitch for Blood Oath, the live action version of the Soldier’s novels. I decided on Blood Oath, because that’s essential what they do when they become soldiers and that they become what they are because of their blood. The books have a whole lot of action that requires wire work and Special FX. We know that the series will not have the budget to go all out. But there are solutions that will look cool and credible and use elements of the origins of the books – Manga and Anime. Rik and Vincent have a whole lot of backstory before the beginning of Soldier’s Choice that has to be covere
d in a show for it to make sense. We decided to take a cue from the Spiderman films and use comic-ized versions of our leads in a Manga style page to tell their origin stories. We really liked how this technique was used in The Full Metal Alchemist to tell the storylines of all the main characters in 52 episodes in a minute and 45 second. We’ll likely use this style for closing credits and linking action scenes with the drama. We also want a very funky soundtrack like those used in anime series. I got to see Matt Ferraro, our Vincent Greven, this weekend. Jon noticed that he really is built like and anime character, slender and sleekly muscular. I wish my photos could show his big beautiful eyes. He’s looking forward to the part and I’m looking forward to seeing him in it. We will be meeting an actor who has the look I want for Rik Heron. Stay tuned.The Big Film Update
The full budget feature film is moving along. We seem to have submitted all the documents correctly. We’re awaiting word on when a countdown to pre-production will begin. That’s been unnerving. Most of what we’re working on would have to be put on the back burner in favor of doing a re-write of the original script. We haven’t worked on it since the first draft was finished six years ago. And before anything can be finalized cast-wise, we need a new version. We also have to plan for a film related travel that we have no firm dates for departure. All of this upheaval and suspense makes being a Hydra difficult. I’m investing a lot of energy and time into development of these other projects, it will be a lurch to stop abruptly and focus solely on the script. I’m close to finishing the pitches for the TV shows, so I will do that meeting. We can’t ignore the opportunity. But all of this head switching is making us very tired. And yes, we still have the day jobs. Still, this is a very exciting undertaking. Despite the roller coaster, we’re jazzed about the prospect.
Conversations
These are some snippets of conversations that are biz related or friend related. I spent an afternoon with a bunch of actors yesterday and had long chats with my more colorful friends. Please note, that having these conversations does not mean that I approve of any of the behavior.
“No I don’t have any lifeguard shifts this summer. The Y frowns on thrusting kids out of the pool onto concrete from below while rescuing them.”
“Yeah, hookers don’t like when you want to examine their mouths with a flashlight, but if they want that ten bucks, they deal with it.”
“But why do you have a Captain Cook costume?”
“I’m getting the yearly physicals, but it’s mainly for STDs. Hate them though. They always want to shove something up my colon.”
“I have a check filled out for the county court with orders to just fill in the bail amount. Not that I’m expecting any problems.”
“Yeah, we’ll need a line item in the budget for graft, but I got a guy with connections in case of real problems.”
“Don’t worry, the part makes sure that he’ll be shirtless.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to Photoshop just David Duchovney’s ass in that show.”
“They should send assassins after Michael Bay’s hateful dogs.”
“And that’s when I found out that Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and I were doing the same chick.”
I’m exhausted. Up next week, I’m having a gathering of the Border’s Third Street Promenade posse. There may be clips of Conversations with Craig.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Book Announcement and a Favor
Book AnnouncementThis mid-week blog is to announce the newest of the Demon Under Glass inspired fiction. It's Demonspawn: On the Run. It is now available as an e-Book at:
There are some fabulous stories by authors from Two countries. I have one there as well which is a reprint from Demonpawn 2: More Tales from Demon Under Glass. The print version will be available soon.
A Favor
I'm trying to choose a title for the live action version of the Soldier's books. Jon made a face when I suggested Mutant Soldiers in Love. I'm leaning toward Blood Oath. However, I'm open to suggestions. Please write here or e-mail me privately here.
The tagline will be: Killing is in their blood. Is there room for love?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Heatwave, Schmoozing, Cookbooks and Film Favs
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.
Doppler-ganger Plus 3000
They’re at it again, the local weather guys. We’re on Heatwatch. That’s a new term all the stations here are using. I’m convinced that they felt left out of the lead-story coverage of their weather brethren in the mid-west. There are no floods here, so their hyberbolic coverage has turned to the heatwave. Since Southern California is essentially a desert, heat is not really news. Somehow they have elevated the need for hydration to a hysterical urgency. There is some seriousness in the coverage this weekend. We’re under a red flag warning here, and in Northern California, the fires have started. It’s still strange for me to live in a place where there is always a possibility that whole neighborhoods or a major interstate can be engulfed in flame. We don’t live in a fire zone, but you do learn to watch the brush while traveling in fire prone areas. It’s like having an earthquake kit and a Tsunami evacuation plan. It’s always there, but you don’t think about it. It is really hot out. Today we’re locked in the apartment with the air conditioner going and hopes that there won’t be a brown out.
The Art of Schmoozing
It is not a cliché in this business. It is fact that how far you get depends, in large part, on who you know. How you get to know people is as varied as the actors, writers and directors trying to make it out here. Clint Eastwood made his first big studio contacts working at a gas station owned by Don Donner, the brother of Jack Donner who played Dr. Bassett in Demon Under Glass. Don tells me that Clint wasn’t that great a gas jockey. He was always chatting up the studio folk. Don finally fired him. The next thing he knew, Clint was on Rawhide. Jon and I got an awful lot of contacts orking retail on the 3rd Street Promenade. Most of those we made there either worked with us or helped us get things made. And since they shop there, opportunities abound to talk to A-list everybodies while they transact their business. We never did that during our retail gigs for much the same reason Jon and I don’t chat up celebs at conventions. We want to be seen as equals, not clerks or fans (no offense to fans as we are fans, but it’s difficult to be taken seriously as a producer or director in that setting). Screenings are great places t
o make connections. The Marche du Film is the mutha of all schmooze fests. I have had conversations with heavy-duty financial backers over beer at a plastic patio table at the American Pavilion there that I could never meet under any other circumstances. I know this because I asked them if I could have called for an appointment from my home which was only a 15 minute drive. They said no. But being at the Market and the Festival gives access.
Schmoozing for us is like dating. We don’t just look for people with skills or money. We’ve learned that for a connection to work, we have to fit well together. It’s hard to work with someone who can’t be trusted or doesn’t respect your work. When we schmooze, we’re seeking an advocate who can lead us to either funding or to a major actor. Or we’re looking for the major actor. In either case, we have to win their confidence in our material, because we’re usually asking (begging and pleading) for them to either work on something unusual for their careers or to take way less money than usual. They have to be confident that we know what we’re doing and are willing to accept guidance and suggestions. It’s a tough line to walk for us. We know we don’t know nearly everything there is to know about this business. But we don’t want to get steamrolled into turning a film into something we can’t stand because we want an A-list whoever to be involved.
The meeting this week was a meet and greet with some high-powered types who have access to A-list actors we need for various projects. It went very well. First off, they are from New Jersey. East coast folks have a different way of looking at the business from native Angelinos. We were speaking the same language. That made the meeting a lot easier. There were some spirited debates over film styles, but we saw eye to eye where it counted. It looks like a good match. We’ll have access to a far larger pool of actors for the film that just got the distribution commitment, and it puts us in a position to go for some really big names for our dream projects. But that’s for after the two films in the queue. It left us excited about the possibilities. It also increased my anxiety, to be honest. We don’t know which film will get a full green light first, thus I have no idea what part of the country we’ll be in for months at a stretch. I can’t make any kind of plans for months, and these films will likely throw a monkey wrench into the trip to Paris. For a control-freak traveler, that’s not a good state to be in. I’ve found it difficult not to drive everyone crazy. Still, I understand the importance of the connection we’ve made. All of this consternation will be worth the results.
Soldier’s Update
I’m still waiting for ‘A Soldier’s Fate to turn up on amazon.com and other sites. Meanwhile, I think I’ve found a Rik Heron for the live-action pitch. No, I don’t have enough on my plate, why do you ask? :) We have been strongly encouraged to develop everything in our files as far as we can while there is a keen interest in the production company. I’m following orders. Anyway, he is gorgeous, though I haven’t heard his voice yet. That is a huge factor in who Rik Heron is. There must be toe curling every time he speaks. Also, I’ll be working on the cookbook today. I’m hoping to have it up online when the print book turns up.
But Why DO You Like That?
Warning: Possible spoilers for Iron Man, Battlestar Galactica and Eureka. Possible derision of Bones, House, Star Gate, Fantastic Four, and X-Men.
Sometimes, my friends get exasperated at my taste in film. Why do I like one kind of film or TV show and deride something that’s in the same genre. For example, I really liked Spiderman 1, 2 and 3. I adored Iron Man , yet I almost walked out of the first X-Men movie and the second was merely acceptable. I wouldn’t even look at Fantastic Four (Jessica Alba as a scientist, really). I watch two out of three CSIs but want nothing to do with Bones. I loved Scrubs for most of its run, but won’t go near ER or House. And I adore Galactica and Eureka but have no interest in the Star Gate franchise (though I really liked the film). There are reasons for all of these decisions and they are highly subjective and not meant to malign anyone else’s tastes.
Spandex costumes over hot bodies are not enough to make a good super hero film for me. Nor do I think one has to be a fan of the character to enjoy a good super hero film. I never liked Spiderman in the comics. I thought he was a whiner. I really wasn’t interested in seeing the first film, but it won me over. The character work and performances were extraordinary. The drama was so compelling that the action scenes were a relief from the trauma they caused. However, the best scene to illustrate what is really good character work is from Iron Man. The first scene in the film is of Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and three US soldiers in a HUMVEE. The scene is less than five minutes long, but it establishes the characters so thoroughly and so cleanly that I cared more about them and their fate in that brief period than I did about the X-Men through two films. The scene was funny and touching and tragic in a very tiny window of time. The film built on that wonderful scene and resulted in an amazing film. Tony Stark even uttered a line from The Thin Man (Give me a scotch, I’m starving). How great is that?
As for the TV shows I watch or don’t watch, it’s the degree of character development for me. I can’t say that I dislike Star Gate: SG1 or Atlantis. There just isn’t enough to interest me. As for Bones, I don’t like Dave Boreanaz’s acting. I never have. And the show’s premise annoys me. I’ve followed the real-life bone-man and author, Kathy Reichs for years. I just don’t
think they take her work seriously enough. It’s been TV-ized too much and it didn’t have to be, in my opinion. I’ve had more fun watching her on real-lif
e documentaries than that show. As for House, that is a different story. I don’t watch medical dramas (too much Marcus Welby and Medical Center as a kid). I’ve never seen ER and never want to. However, my reason for not watching House is specifically Hugh Laurie. I adore him, but, for God’s Sake, he’s Bertie Wooster! How can I take that seriously? See the images to the left and right. I’ve included a pic of Jeeves (my Percival prototype as well).
Stay tuned! A major Book announcement to come!
Doppler-ganger Plus 3000
They’re at it again, the local weather guys. We’re on Heatwatch. That’s a new term all the stations here are using. I’m convinced that they felt left out of the lead-story coverage of their weather brethren in the mid-west. There are no floods here, so their hyberbolic coverage has turned to the heatwave. Since Southern California is essentially a desert, heat is not really news. Somehow they have elevated the need for hydration to a hysterical urgency. There is some seriousness in the coverage this weekend. We’re under a red flag warning here, and in Northern California, the fires have started. It’s still strange for me to live in a place where there is always a possibility that whole neighborhoods or a major interstate can be engulfed in flame. We don’t live in a fire zone, but you do learn to watch the brush while traveling in fire prone areas. It’s like having an earthquake kit and a Tsunami evacuation plan. It’s always there, but you don’t think about it. It is really hot out. Today we’re locked in the apartment with the air conditioner going and hopes that there won’t be a brown out.
The Art of Schmoozing
It is not a cliché in this business. It is fact that how far you get depends, in large part, on who you know. How you get to know people is as varied as the actors, writers and directors trying to make it out here. Clint Eastwood made his first big studio contacts working at a gas station owned by Don Donner, the brother of Jack Donner who played Dr. Bassett in Demon Under Glass. Don tells me that Clint wasn’t that great a gas jockey. He was always chatting up the studio folk. Don finally fired him. The next thing he knew, Clint was on Rawhide. Jon and I got an awful lot of contacts orking retail on the 3rd Street Promenade. Most of those we made there either worked with us or helped us get things made. And since they shop there, opportunities abound to talk to A-list everybodies while they transact their business. We never did that during our retail gigs for much the same reason Jon and I don’t chat up celebs at conventions. We want to be seen as equals, not clerks or fans (no offense to fans as we are fans, but it’s difficult to be taken seriously as a producer or director in that setting). Screenings are great places t
o make connections. The Marche du Film is the mutha of all schmooze fests. I have had conversations with heavy-duty financial backers over beer at a plastic patio table at the American Pavilion there that I could never meet under any other circumstances. I know this because I asked them if I could have called for an appointment from my home which was only a 15 minute drive. They said no. But being at the Market and the Festival gives access.Schmoozing for us is like dating. We don’t just look for people with skills or money. We’ve learned that for a connection to work, we have to fit well together. It’s hard to work with someone who can’t be trusted or doesn’t respect your work. When we schmooze, we’re seeking an advocate who can lead us to either funding or to a major actor. Or we’re looking for the major actor. In either case, we have to win their confidence in our material, because we’re usually asking (begging and pleading) for them to either work on something unusual for their careers or to take way less money than usual. They have to be confident that we know what we’re doing and are willing to accept guidance and suggestions. It’s a tough line to walk for us. We know we don’t know nearly everything there is to know about this business. But we don’t want to get steamrolled into turning a film into something we can’t stand because we want an A-list whoever to be involved.
The meeting this week was a meet and greet with some high-powered types who have access to A-list actors we need for various projects. It went very well. First off, they are from New Jersey. East coast folks have a different way of looking at the business from native Angelinos. We were speaking the same language. That made the meeting a lot easier. There were some spirited debates over film styles, but we saw eye to eye where it counted. It looks like a good match. We’ll have access to a far larger pool of actors for the film that just got the distribution commitment, and it puts us in a position to go for some really big names for our dream projects. But that’s for after the two films in the queue. It left us excited about the possibilities. It also increased my anxiety, to be honest. We don’t know which film will get a full green light first, thus I have no idea what part of the country we’ll be in for months at a stretch. I can’t make any kind of plans for months, and these films will likely throw a monkey wrench into the trip to Paris. For a control-freak traveler, that’s not a good state to be in. I’ve found it difficult not to drive everyone crazy. Still, I understand the importance of the connection we’ve made. All of this consternation will be worth the results.
Soldier’s Update
I’m still waiting for ‘A Soldier’s Fate to turn up on amazon.com and other sites. Meanwhile, I think I’ve found a Rik Heron for the live-action pitch. No, I don’t have enough on my plate, why do you ask? :) We have been strongly encouraged to develop everything in our files as far as we can while there is a keen interest in the production company. I’m following orders. Anyway, he is gorgeous, though I haven’t heard his voice yet. That is a huge factor in who Rik Heron is. There must be toe curling every time he speaks. Also, I’ll be working on the cookbook today. I’m hoping to have it up online when the print book turns up.
But Why DO You Like That?
Warning: Possible spoilers for Iron Man, Battlestar Galactica and Eureka. Possible derision of Bones, House, Star Gate, Fantastic Four, and X-Men.
Sometimes, my friends get exasperated at my taste in film. Why do I like one kind of film or TV show and deride something that’s in the same genre. For example, I really liked Spiderman 1, 2 and 3. I adored Iron Man , yet I almost walked out of the first X-Men movie and the second was merely acceptable. I wouldn’t even look at Fantastic Four (Jessica Alba as a scientist, really). I watch two out of three CSIs but want nothing to do with Bones. I loved Scrubs for most of its run, but won’t go near ER or House. And I adore Galactica and Eureka but have no interest in the Star Gate franchise (though I really liked the film). There are reasons for all of these decisions and they are highly subjective and not meant to malign anyone else’s tastes.
Spandex costumes over hot bodies are not enough to make a good super hero film for me. Nor do I think one has to be a fan of the character to enjoy a good super hero film. I never liked Spiderman in the comics. I thought he was a whiner. I really wasn’t interested in seeing the first film, but it won me over. The character work and performances were extraordinary. The drama was so compelling that the action scenes were a relief from the trauma they caused. However, the best scene to illustrate what is really good character work is from Iron Man. The first scene in the film is of Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and three US soldiers in a HUMVEE. The scene is less than five minutes long, but it establishes the characters so thoroughly and so cleanly that I cared more about them and their fate in that brief period than I did about the X-Men through two films. The scene was funny and touching and tragic in a very tiny window of time. The film built on that wonderful scene and resulted in an amazing film. Tony Stark even uttered a line from The Thin Man (Give me a scotch, I’m starving). How great is that?
As for the TV shows I watch or don’t watch, it’s the degree of character development for me. I can’t say that I dislike Star Gate: SG1 or Atlantis. There just isn’t enough to interest me. As for Bones, I don’t like Dave Boreanaz’s acting. I never have. And the show’s premise annoys me. I’ve followed the real-life bone-man and author, Kathy Reichs for years. I just don’t
think they take her work seriously enough. It’s been TV-ized too much and it didn’t have to be, in my opinion. I’ve had more fun watching her on real-lif
e documentaries than that show. As for House, that is a different story. I don’t watch medical dramas (too much Marcus Welby and Medical Center as a kid). I’ve never seen ER and never want to. However, my reason for not watching House is specifically Hugh Laurie. I adore him, but, for God’s Sake, he’s Bertie Wooster! How can I take that seriously? See the images to the left and right. I’ve included a pic of Jeeves (my Percival prototype as well).Stay tuned! A major Book announcement to come!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Good Neighbors, Cookbooks and TV Romance
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’m writing this blog on Saturday. We’ve had to shift our schedules about because of film-related meetings. I am loathed to give up my Sundays (even while filming). I have to get dressed and put on make-up and act civilized. Very annoying. Yes, I’ve been writing the blog in my pajamas!!
Before I begin, I must insist that readers go to The Writer’s Almanac for June 7, 2008 and enjoy the marvelous voice of Garrison Keillor reading City of Tonawanda Softball Championship by Sarah Freligh. Just click on 'play' on the top of the page in the left corner.
The Kindness of Strangers
I know that I’ve complained often about the singular aself-absorption of Angelinos. And it’s still true that they are largely, hugely self-absorbed. We still face the possibility of death by car from people with no concept of what right of way or cross walks or traffic lights mean (these near misses often occur in front of the police station near our home). We’ve even been in dire peril on the sidewalk when a motorist decides to peel into a driveway because of an opening in oncoming traffic despite the people walking there. However, I must admit, that I’ve been surprised and moved by the kindness of our neighbors and of service people we encounter daily.
In our building, most residents work the day shift and have departed long before we’re even awake. However, there is a lady who is around all day because of a disability. She’s our complex’s alarm system. I notice her notcing everything that happens in our courtyard and at the entrances. It means a lot to me to have such sharp eyes about. I know if a nefarious deed ever happened here, there would be no getting away with it. We are provided with further surveyllance and security from our bus drivers to and from work (You may choose to think we are green if you’d like). Our morning driver is hooked on choclate eclairs from the Korean doughnut shop and has recently become obsessed with an antique store at the end of his route where we catch him. He knows his regulars and will stop for them even if they haven’t reached the stop or wait a little if he knows they’re due. He also notices if Jon or I are missing from the bus and inquires after our health. Our evening driver was a very cranky lady who reminded me of my cousin the cop. We call my cousin Officer Friendly – she really isn’t. Neither was this driver, but she tickled me anyway. I like the replacement even more. He’s a more mellow Chris Rock sort of guy who has lots of women chasing him. His bus is the last one running to our neighborhood. Thus, he’s careful to pick up befuddled tourists at the wrong stop and makes sure they know where they want to go (all of the Santa Monica Blue Bus - the one from Speed are amazing with tourists). The night driver really makes sure his regulars make the bus. When Jon was down with that cold after the Gunslinger Trailer, the driver made sure I got off and across the street to the cab stand before moving on. One night during that stretch, he kept a noisy drunk from getting off with me. LA doesn’t seem like such a big, anonymous place with these folks around. Speaking of cabs, we have regular drivers there as well. We don’t take them often (too pricey save for when we’re toting groceries), but they see us pass by the stand every night. On one trip, Jon thought he’d drop $20 in the cab. We thought that would be the last we’d see of that. However, the passenger after us gave the bill to the driver, who gave it to us the next time we passed by. We were flummoxed. The neighborliness is just like Mount Airy in Philly though not nearly as beautiful. Though the cab money thing wouldn't have happened there. That's more of a Mayberry thing. Incidentally, to figure out a lot about who I am socially and politcally, read up on Mt. Airy, offically recognized as the most successfully integrated neighborhood in America.
Soldier’s Fate Update
Thanks to those who bought the e-book version of the book. I’m really plased by the early reactions. I am missing Rik and Vincent already and can’t wait to start the third one. Though if I don’t do this script re-write there are people who may harm me bodily. Anway, about the cookbook. There will be a free e-book version in a couple of weeks. I have been making the recipes mentioned in the book. Jon isn’t an Altered, but he does require stealthy use of fruits and vegetables to keep him healthy. He’d live on baguettes and butter with an occasional pastry chaser if I let him. The recipes are all road tasted for tastiness and cooking ease.
What DO You Like - Adult Content (not what you think)
Warning: There be spoilers for Battlestar Galactica, possible grammatical liberties as well as multiple and odd pop culture references.
Another installment in answer to often asked questions about my TV rants. I don’t know why I give spoiler warnings. First off, there’s some program out there that will immediately link the site to some spoiler TV page. Last week, there were a lot of very confused and consequently hostile soap opera fans reading the blog then writing me despite the warnings. But I have to give the warning in this case, because almost any comment I make about BSG this season will give a lot away. Those who don’t watch the show can still follow the theme of adult or mature romance in genre television.
I read a comment by the writers of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine a long time ago that romance and mysteries don’t mix. There are similar notions about romance and science fiction. Now, admittedly, both genres have done romance badly. As sophisticated as the science fiction was in the various Trek shows, they seldom got intimate, ongoing adult relationships right. I know there are exceptions, but usually when two crewmen who are attractive and have a lot in common finally look at each other in other than a strictly professional manner, it’s an anomaly. Frankly, I think the problem has been a lack of female writers on the writing staff. Forgive me, but men are oblivious to the obvious. I recall the first time I saw The Matrix was with a bunch of guys. None of them could figure out why one of the team would betray the rebels to the agents and many wild theories ensued. I commented that the traitor had been in love with Trinity and all Trinity could see was Neo. They hadn’t noticed. They didn’t believe me until the two characters were making out at the end. Geez. I had another male friend who never noticed the romance growing between Mulder and Scully, for goodness sake. Jon thinks many male writers look at female cast though the Madonna/whore prism. Either they are untouchable or an easy piece. I’m very glad to see that it’s changing. Women are being written better and there are some amazing ongoing relationships in hour long dramas like The Closer (Brenda Leigh Johnson is light years away from Pepper Anderson – no hate mail, I liked the show), Eureka (but that’s for another blog) and the best of them all right now, Battlestar Galactica.
The crew men and women on BSG are very aware that there are some attractive folks on board. And there has been lust running rampant even at times when professionalism is demanded. And there are consequences for indescretions. The sexual tension of the show is well played. But there are more than hot, 20-somethings with amazing bodies. There are attractive characters of every age, even post- 60 (Edward James Olmos is still smokin’ hot, thank you). On a side note, I met him and most of the cast when Gabriel Koerner took me to the premier of the pilot/mini-series. I was very good with meeting the young hotties and was able to discuss their performances quite professionally. But all that left me when I approached Mr. Olmos. I think he knew by the look in my eyes what I wanted. So he hugged me. It was fabulous. He’s very cuddly for such a tough guy. Where was I? Ah yes, His Admiral Adama has been at odds with Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell ) in early episodes, but slowly a rapport built. Grudging respect became admiration and that grew into an amazing love. Mind you, there’s been no hanky panky. She’s extremely ill and they have a lot on their plates with trying to save what remains of the human race. But the relationship is flirty and funny and solid and complex. Adama adores Laura enough to throw away everything (his commission, the fleet, his safety) in order to find her when she disappears. Yet, he will still fight her when he thinks she’s made a bad decision as president – as she will fight him on occasion. It’s so thoroughly mature. They manage to make me cry every week. I need a break from the trauma, actually. Anyway, all of this romance and lust is integrated with ease amdist the killer robots and star fighter dogfights. Anyway, that is something I really like.
Well, I have to give myself a manicure and a facial. Stay tuned.
I’m writing this blog on Saturday. We’ve had to shift our schedules about because of film-related meetings. I am loathed to give up my Sundays (even while filming). I have to get dressed and put on make-up and act civilized. Very annoying. Yes, I’ve been writing the blog in my pajamas!!
Before I begin, I must insist that readers go to The Writer’s Almanac for June 7, 2008 and enjoy the marvelous voice of Garrison Keillor reading City of Tonawanda Softball Championship by Sarah Freligh. Just click on 'play' on the top of the page in the left corner.
The Kindness of Strangers
I know that I’ve complained often about the singular aself-absorption of Angelinos. And it’s still true that they are largely, hugely self-absorbed. We still face the possibility of death by car from people with no concept of what right of way or cross walks or traffic lights mean (these near misses often occur in front of the police station near our home). We’ve even been in dire peril on the sidewalk when a motorist decides to peel into a driveway because of an opening in oncoming traffic despite the people walking there. However, I must admit, that I’ve been surprised and moved by the kindness of our neighbors and of service people we encounter daily.
In our building, most residents work the day shift and have departed long before we’re even awake. However, there is a lady who is around all day because of a disability. She’s our complex’s alarm system. I notice her notcing everything that happens in our courtyard and at the entrances. It means a lot to me to have such sharp eyes about. I know if a nefarious deed ever happened here, there would be no getting away with it. We are provided with further surveyllance and security from our bus drivers to and from work (You may choose to think we are green if you’d like). Our morning driver is hooked on choclate eclairs from the Korean doughnut shop and has recently become obsessed with an antique store at the end of his route where we catch him. He knows his regulars and will stop for them even if they haven’t reached the stop or wait a little if he knows they’re due. He also notices if Jon or I are missing from the bus and inquires after our health. Our evening driver was a very cranky lady who reminded me of my cousin the cop. We call my cousin Officer Friendly – she really isn’t. Neither was this driver, but she tickled me anyway. I like the replacement even more. He’s a more mellow Chris Rock sort of guy who has lots of women chasing him. His bus is the last one running to our neighborhood. Thus, he’s careful to pick up befuddled tourists at the wrong stop and makes sure they know where they want to go (all of the Santa Monica Blue Bus - the one from Speed are amazing with tourists). The night driver really makes sure his regulars make the bus. When Jon was down with that cold after the Gunslinger Trailer, the driver made sure I got off and across the street to the cab stand before moving on. One night during that stretch, he kept a noisy drunk from getting off with me. LA doesn’t seem like such a big, anonymous place with these folks around. Speaking of cabs, we have regular drivers there as well. We don’t take them often (too pricey save for when we’re toting groceries), but they see us pass by the stand every night. On one trip, Jon thought he’d drop $20 in the cab. We thought that would be the last we’d see of that. However, the passenger after us gave the bill to the driver, who gave it to us the next time we passed by. We were flummoxed. The neighborliness is just like Mount Airy in Philly though not nearly as beautiful. Though the cab money thing wouldn't have happened there. That's more of a Mayberry thing. Incidentally, to figure out a lot about who I am socially and politcally, read up on Mt. Airy, offically recognized as the most successfully integrated neighborhood in America.
Soldier’s Fate Update
Thanks to those who bought the e-book version of the book. I’m really plased by the early reactions. I am missing Rik and Vincent already and can’t wait to start the third one. Though if I don’t do this script re-write there are people who may harm me bodily. Anway, about the cookbook. There will be a free e-book version in a couple of weeks. I have been making the recipes mentioned in the book. Jon isn’t an Altered, but he does require stealthy use of fruits and vegetables to keep him healthy. He’d live on baguettes and butter with an occasional pastry chaser if I let him. The recipes are all road tasted for tastiness and cooking ease.
What DO You Like - Adult Content (not what you think)
Warning: There be spoilers for Battlestar Galactica, possible grammatical liberties as well as multiple and odd pop culture references.
Another installment in answer to often asked questions about my TV rants. I don’t know why I give spoiler warnings. First off, there’s some program out there that will immediately link the site to some spoiler TV page. Last week, there were a lot of very confused and consequently hostile soap opera fans reading the blog then writing me despite the warnings. But I have to give the warning in this case, because almost any comment I make about BSG this season will give a lot away. Those who don’t watch the show can still follow the theme of adult or mature romance in genre television.
I read a comment by the writers of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine a long time ago that romance and mysteries don’t mix. There are similar notions about romance and science fiction. Now, admittedly, both genres have done romance badly. As sophisticated as the science fiction was in the various Trek shows, they seldom got intimate, ongoing adult relationships right. I know there are exceptions, but usually when two crewmen who are attractive and have a lot in common finally look at each other in other than a strictly professional manner, it’s an anomaly. Frankly, I think the problem has been a lack of female writers on the writing staff. Forgive me, but men are oblivious to the obvious. I recall the first time I saw The Matrix was with a bunch of guys. None of them could figure out why one of the team would betray the rebels to the agents and many wild theories ensued. I commented that the traitor had been in love with Trinity and all Trinity could see was Neo. They hadn’t noticed. They didn’t believe me until the two characters were making out at the end. Geez. I had another male friend who never noticed the romance growing between Mulder and Scully, for goodness sake. Jon thinks many male writers look at female cast though the Madonna/whore prism. Either they are untouchable or an easy piece. I’m very glad to see that it’s changing. Women are being written better and there are some amazing ongoing relationships in hour long dramas like The Closer (Brenda Leigh Johnson is light years away from Pepper Anderson – no hate mail, I liked the show), Eureka (but that’s for another blog) and the best of them all right now, Battlestar Galactica.
The crew men and women on BSG are very aware that there are some attractive folks on board. And there has been lust running rampant even at times when professionalism is demanded. And there are consequences for indescretions. The sexual tension of the show is well played. But there are more than hot, 20-somethings with amazing bodies. There are attractive characters of every age, even post- 60 (Edward James Olmos is still smokin’ hot, thank you). On a side note, I met him and most of the cast when Gabriel Koerner took me to the premier of the pilot/mini-series. I was very good with meeting the young hotties and was able to discuss their performances quite professionally. But all that left me when I approached Mr. Olmos. I think he knew by the look in my eyes what I wanted. So he hugged me. It was fabulous. He’s very cuddly for such a tough guy. Where was I? Ah yes, His Admiral Adama has been at odds with Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell ) in early episodes, but slowly a rapport built. Grudging respect became admiration and that grew into an amazing love. Mind you, there’s been no hanky panky. She’s extremely ill and they have a lot on their plates with trying to save what remains of the human race. But the relationship is flirty and funny and solid and complex. Adama adores Laura enough to throw away everything (his commission, the fleet, his safety) in order to find her when she disappears. Yet, he will still fight her when he thinks she’s made a bad decision as president – as she will fight him on occasion. It’s so thoroughly mature. They manage to make me cry every week. I need a break from the trauma, actually. Anyway, all of this romance and lust is integrated with ease amdist the killer robots and star fighter dogfights. Anyway, that is something I really like.
Well, I have to give myself a manicure and a facial. Stay tuned.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Soldier's Choice Site Update
The website has been updated to include links to A Soldier's Fate e-books along with a new, heretofore unseen sample chapter.
http://soldierschoice.com
Now we have finish with the print version!
http://soldierschoice.com
Now we have finish with the print version!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Fate, Actor Bits and Actors in Crates
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.
State of Soldier's Fate
I must attend to business first. The new uploads for A Soldier’s Fate e-books (Acrobat and Microsoft Reader) are online. The website will be updated later today (when I finish with the blog and answering e-mails). The website will have an as yet unseen chapter sample. I’ll make an announcement here when it goes up.
The new upload took longer than expected in part because of our schedules (I just love those early morning or late night calls for business plans and character breakdowns for scripts that don’t exists). But the delay was also because of the writer in me having a chance to tweak my material. While I have often fussed at our authors for the same transgression (especially when the tweaks changed page count or affected page layout), there were some places at the end of the novel that I thought needed a sentence or two more. I added a scene as well.
Jon finally rendered his verdict on A Soldier’s Fate. His critiques can be a touchy matter, because Jon has no guile whatsoever. In fact, I’ve had to go to great lengths at film screenings he didn’t like to keep him away from the principles involved. We made a deal while at the Cannes Film Market to not talk about any film we saw until we were well out of the building where the screening took place. You never know who might be standing behind you in an elevator. At any rate, I knew he would be honest – really honest. He was fascinated by the way my novels are constructed. Jon writes fiction and screenplays with a specific theme in mind and a goal that has to be attained. He said I have a group of characters that I like to hang out with and construct a plot that gives me a lot of time with them under various circumstances. The plot seems to be about Bobby and his transformation, but he is part of the device I use to spend time with Rik and Vincent. He said that the Surrender books and even my Demon Under Glass fiction is like that. I tend not to analyze what I’m doing. It reminds me too much of grad school. He is correct. I love being with these characters, so I construct spaces and time and situations to maximize the experience of being with Rik and Vincent. My romances are a fun diversion. My other fiction is more difficult because I’m examining life and relationships. It’s not entirely comfortable reading – even when it’s amusing. Little wonder, it’s taking a very long time to finish the first story. There’s all the crying. I’m much rather wallow in erotica.
Actor Bits
Warning: The be spoilers ahead
Speaking of characters that are fun to hang out around, I’ve received some e-mails inquiring specifics on why I liked Speed Racer aside from being a fan of the original anime series. The reviews, it has been correctly pointed out, were largely unfavorable. First, I am seldom influenced by reviews. There have been many occasions where I don’t know what planet a critic was on when they saw a film that I loved and they didn’t. Critics aside, there was a lot for me to enjoy in Speed Racer. There was brilliant chemistry between both sets of brothers (Nicholas Elia and Scott Porter as the young Speed and Rex Racer and Emile Hirsch and Matthew Fox as the adult Speed and Racer X). These characters really enjoyed being together and I enjoyed watching them. They had a natural connection and great humor between them. This chemistry made the jeopardy they faced all the more tense and compelling to watch. The supporting cast were not slouches either. Susan Sarandon had two scenes where she was able to convey everything a viewer need to know about Moms Racer with no lines. But then, she’s an Oscar winner. Even Spritle and Chim Chim managed not to be annoying. And the Asian singing sensation, Rain, was compelling as racer Taejo Togokahn (he learned English for the role). And there is just no picture of him where he isn’t adorable. I must also note that Speed Racer had a nice amount of well-built men going about shirtless. It’s always lovely to see such men in just pajama bottoms while fighting ninjas. What compounded my enjoyment was the John Goodman was not in just pajama bottoms. The only thing I found missing from the film that was in the series often was speed tied up – sometimes spread-eagle. That would have been fun.
More Gunslinger Questions
The questions keep coming. Most I can’t answer, because I don’t know Travis well enough to get him to go into a shipping crate – no matter how many air holes there are. Thus, I can only answer questions relating to the trailer and the feature (though I can’t give away spoilers). To follow along, you can read the film’s set up on the Hidden Passions Website. So, here are the most frequently asked of late.
Does Matt Know KD is impersonating Shadow during the dinner scene?
He knows before he even reaches the ranch. First, he’s been hearing about Shadow Smith being hired to protect KD and the Lazy D and knows he’s never been there. In investigating the situation, he actually sees KD dressed as Shadow (this is in the set-up thus not a spoiler).
Does KD know that Matt is Shadow? Is that why she is asking about life on the trail?
No, she doesn’t know who Matt really is. She just knows that he has spent a lot of time in the wilderness alone and has first-hand information.
Why is Matt worried about KD’s uncles?
They have a reputation in town as being on the wild and dangerous side. They taught their niece to shoot with deadly accuracy. And he has been spending a lot of time alone with their niece. That’s a recipe for a lot of family tension and likely gunplay.
When will the full-length film come out?
If all goes according to plan, sometime early next year.
Keep those questions coming!
State of Soldier's Fate
I must attend to business first. The new uploads for A Soldier’s Fate e-books (Acrobat and Microsoft Reader) are online. The website will be updated later today (when I finish with the blog and answering e-mails). The website will have an as yet unseen chapter sample. I’ll make an announcement here when it goes up.
The new upload took longer than expected in part because of our schedules (I just love those early morning or late night calls for business plans and character breakdowns for scripts that don’t exists). But the delay was also because of the writer in me having a chance to tweak my material. While I have often fussed at our authors for the same transgression (especially when the tweaks changed page count or affected page layout), there were some places at the end of the novel that I thought needed a sentence or two more. I added a scene as well.
Jon finally rendered his verdict on A Soldier’s Fate. His critiques can be a touchy matter, because Jon has no guile whatsoever. In fact, I’ve had to go to great lengths at film screenings he didn’t like to keep him away from the principles involved. We made a deal while at the Cannes Film Market to not talk about any film we saw until we were well out of the building where the screening took place. You never know who might be standing behind you in an elevator. At any rate, I knew he would be honest – really honest. He was fascinated by the way my novels are constructed. Jon writes fiction and screenplays with a specific theme in mind and a goal that has to be attained. He said I have a group of characters that I like to hang out with and construct a plot that gives me a lot of time with them under various circumstances. The plot seems to be about Bobby and his transformation, but he is part of the device I use to spend time with Rik and Vincent. He said that the Surrender books and even my Demon Under Glass fiction is like that. I tend not to analyze what I’m doing. It reminds me too much of grad school. He is correct. I love being with these characters, so I construct spaces and time and situations to maximize the experience of being with Rik and Vincent. My romances are a fun diversion. My other fiction is more difficult because I’m examining life and relationships. It’s not entirely comfortable reading – even when it’s amusing. Little wonder, it’s taking a very long time to finish the first story. There’s all the crying. I’m much rather wallow in erotica.
Actor Bits
Warning: The be spoilers ahead
Speaking of characters that are fun to hang out around, I’ve received some e-mails inquiring specifics on why I liked Speed Racer aside from being a fan of the original anime series. The reviews, it has been correctly pointed out, were largely unfavorable. First, I am seldom influenced by reviews. There have been many occasions where I don’t know what planet a critic was on when they saw a film that I loved and they didn’t. Critics aside, there was a lot for me to enjoy in Speed Racer. There was brilliant chemistry between both sets of brothers (Nicholas Elia and Scott Porter as the young Speed and Rex Racer and Emile Hirsch and Matthew Fox as the adult Speed and Racer X). These characters really enjoyed being together and I enjoyed watching them. They had a natural connection and great humor between them. This chemistry made the jeopardy they faced all the more tense and compelling to watch. The supporting cast were not slouches either. Susan Sarandon had two scenes where she was able to convey everything a viewer need to know about Moms Racer with no lines. But then, she’s an Oscar winner. Even Spritle and Chim Chim managed not to be annoying. And the Asian singing sensation, Rain, was compelling as racer Taejo Togokahn (he learned English for the role). And there is just no picture of him where he isn’t adorable. I must also note that Speed Racer had a nice amount of well-built men going about shirtless. It’s always lovely to see such men in just pajama bottoms while fighting ninjas. What compounded my enjoyment was the John Goodman was not in just pajama bottoms. The only thing I found missing from the film that was in the series often was speed tied up – sometimes spread-eagle. That would have been fun.
More Gunslinger Questions
The questions keep coming. Most I can’t answer, because I don’t know Travis well enough to get him to go into a shipping crate – no matter how many air holes there are. Thus, I can only answer questions relating to the trailer and the feature (though I can’t give away spoilers). To follow along, you can read the film’s set up on the Hidden Passions Website. So, here are the most frequently asked of late.
Does Matt Know KD is impersonating Shadow during the dinner scene?
He knows before he even reaches the ranch. First, he’s been hearing about Shadow Smith being hired to protect KD and the Lazy D and knows he’s never been there. In investigating the situation, he actually sees KD dressed as Shadow (this is in the set-up thus not a spoiler).
Does KD know that Matt is Shadow? Is that why she is asking about life on the trail?
No, she doesn’t know who Matt really is. She just knows that he has spent a lot of time in the wilderness alone and has first-hand information.
Why is Matt worried about KD’s uncles?
They have a reputation in town as being on the wild and dangerous side. They taught their niece to shoot with deadly accuracy. And he has been spending a lot of time alone with their niece. That’s a recipe for a lot of family tension and likely gunplay.
When will the full-length film come out?
If all goes according to plan, sometime early next year.
Keep those questions coming!
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Flowers, Fun and Fates
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. If you stay, click on highlighted links for further information.
This was a better week than last week, but still the mishaps and near disasters continue. I have a lot of divergent matters to cover including some mea culpas and the TV season finale rant. So strap in. You may want to wear protective headgear as well.
Announcements
It’s fabulous to have talented friends. I have a couple with big doings in their creative endeavors to report. Click on highlighted text for further information. First up, my co-editrix, Marie Lecrivain has a new chapbook, Misericordes (copyright
2008 Off World Publications) available by e-mailing Marie. Here are some reviews:
Marie can paint very ornate and beautiful poems, with a rich and complex
vocabulary, but she can also express a desperation and vertigo in the face
of the void, the void is clear in these poems behind the often very
beautiful tapestry of words. – David McLean, A Hunger for Mourning
Lecrivain's dark and deadpan humor is at its height, blending the brilliance
of The Day of the Locust and Lost in Translation into a dichotomous frenetic
ennui that is all too real..." - Nelson Gary, author of *Cinema, XXX, *and
* A Wonderful Life in Our Lives*.
Sarah Freligh’s Poem, City of Tonawanda Softball Championship from the book, Sort of Gone will be read aloud on The Writer's Almanac by Garrison Keillor on June 7. The poem is archived on TWA’s website. Click on the link to find the podcast. I’ll remind everyone next week.
Spring In Los Angeles
It’s that magical time of year that happens between the mudslide season and brushfire season. The weather has been especially flaky this year. Last week, the local newscasts Doppler-gangers lost their minds when we were hit by a truly freaky storm front that brought golf ball sized
hail, snow in the mountains, unusually heavy rains and two tornados. I couldn’t blame forecasters for going crazy. The rain, hail and snow were totally weird for this time of year, and southern California almost never has tornados – let alone two. Typically, spring here is lovely. I was surprised how lovely it was when we moved here. There are a lot of trees in LA. That something TV viewers or film-goers don’t really see. Among the vast array of trees are the incomparable Jacarandas. They are vibrant and gorgeous like the flowers that bloom here in the spring. There are flowers everywhere – a riot of them, one could day. The flora in LA is not just a visual treat. They are and olfactory as well. Honeysuckle and later, night blooming jasmine make for wonderfully scented evening breezes. I was surprised at how pretty a city with a reputation for smog can smell. Spring as been a sensory delight thus far – save for the tornados.
Conversations with Craig – Spring Edition
Ultimately, he opted against the webcam for his yard. He feels that if he sees what he thinks he’ll see, he’d never leave his apartment. It’s a pity. One of the things we all could have seen is Craig’s father’s dog, Hamish (last seen cavorting with a pot bellied pig and growling at Cardinal Mahoney during the blessing of the animals), trying to bite Tom Hanks. The latest strangeness to befall Craig is hearing someone tunelessly whistling the title theme from the film Exodus. One of the occurrences was in his local super market. He followed the sound and discovered a former co-worker from the Borders we all worked at. ‘Mark’ went a little crazy while working at Borders. He began to believe that he was Stephen King. There was once a vague resemblance to the author. Craig reports that an extra hundred pounds has erased that resemblance. ‘Mark’ so believed he was King that there were tourists visiting the store swearing that King was doing karaoke in the bar on the next block. He was banned from attending a signing at the bookstore by actual Stephen King. Sometime after that, ‘Mark’ truly blew a gasket and had to be let go. It took a lot to get canned from that place. Where was I? Ah yes, Exodus. Craig found ‘Mark’ staring into space, wearing a bloody apron behind the meat counter tunelessly whistling the movie theme. That wigged Craig out. Though, overall, he still finds running into Catherine Zeta-Jones in the market more annoying.
Month of Fun – Wrap Up and a Beginning
It was a more subdued month of fun than last year, but it was quite satisfying. I finished things off last night by trying to make Anthony Bourdain’s Sope du Poisson (fish soup). It looks and tastes good, but somehow it’s not as thick as he’d described. I’ll try again when I finally get to the specialty fish place to get the oysters. Nope, I haven’t tried them yet. There is only one place around here that I trust buying them from and getting there has not been in the cards lately. It’s been a fun month. I’ve cooked a lot of new recipes that Jon and I have enjoyed. And I had champagne and seafood as much as I could. That’s always a good time. On the professional front a lot has happened. A Soldier’s Fate is sort of up (more on that below). We’ve been offered a full theatrical distribution contract for one film. I expect to make an announcement on what that one is and when it will begin within the next couple weeks. This is really thrilling, because we’ve never had a company of this size interested in a film of ours based solely on the script and one actor (and he hasn’t been a-list since the early 70s and that was only on TV). And we’re closer than ever with The Gunslinger. It’s a most exciting time, and it began during the Month of Fun.
Soldier’s Fate Accompli
Here is the mishap part of my trying week. We finally got the file up last Monday only to find that I’d uploaded one of the drafts. And being a draft, it was riddled with errors. Again, I apologize. Though I was exhausted, I should have been more careful. I’m putting up the correct file at some point tonight or tomorrow. The links will be on the updated Soldier’s website and I’m sending new files to those who purchased the draft. I really appreciate the patience and wonderful feedback I received from the first readers. I really loved writing this book, but it was much more difficult to finish than A Soldier’s Choice. The reason for my difficulty eluded me until Jon read it during formatting. He pointed out that I had a great deal of exposition on the Foundation, Altered technology and the political environment to cover on top of introducing a half dozen major new characters. Somehow, I had to cover all of that while keeping the pace moving and not neglecting Rik and Vincent’s relationship. The balance seems to work from the early reviews. I’m happy with the results, and look forward to the next one. And as my early readers discovered, there is a real need for a third book. (evil laughter) Next up, I’m doing a treatment for a pitch to the producers of Lair for the Soldiers books to be a series.
Cliff Hangover
Warning CSI: Miami Spoilers, run on sentences and hysteria.
And I had that phrase in my blog before TV Guide came up with it. Eighteen shows ended with cliffhangers this season. That’s just crazy. There was the ethnic cleansing of black actors on CSI, and possibly Criminal Minds while on Law and Order and CSI: Miami the black actors left for various lame-assed reasons. All of the Bruckheimer shows save for Cold Case have ended with the apparent death of a major cast member. That is really a bit much. Were the writers on strike for so long that they forgot how to generate genuine drama? I’m, particularly disappointed with Criminal Minds, a show that is surprisingly intelligent for a Bruckheimer vehicle. It gets a lot right about hunting serial killers, and the drama is often riveting and the plots surprising (something extremely hard to do with us). To end the season with a car being blown up and we know not who was inside, is annoyin
g and unworthy of them. The CSI: Miami season ender did not really surprise me. We’d been looking at the sunglasses with a bullet hole in them all season. It was time for a payoff. As a character who is channeling Steve McGarrett, it was time that Horatio Cain got shot. Steve was shot all the time usually in the shoulder (he shouldn’t have had a shoulder left by the end of the series). But I digress. The ep didn’t annoy me because of Horatio being shot or the cliffhanger. Why not have one, everyone else is. It was because the ep should have been called ‘All My Nemises or Nemisi.’ All that was missing was Wo Fat, for Pete’s sake. No Lieutenant should have that many dangerous enemies. Of course, he isn’t dead. In fact, I’m certain he’s faking his death as his brother did, to hunt down his would-be killer unfettered by the law. Why he needs to be unfettered by the law when he’s killed at least a dozen people this season without being worried about the law. What in the heck will he do now? Use Rocket launchers? I’m glad the season’s over. I can now look at shows that don’t make me crazy (The Closer, Eureka, Deadliest Catch). Battlestar Galactica makes me quite crazy but for other reasons. I continue to wait for the 5th Cylon. Jon and I will go out on a limb and say we believe it’s Tom Zarek .
This was a better week than last week, but still the mishaps and near disasters continue. I have a lot of divergent matters to cover including some mea culpas and the TV season finale rant. So strap in. You may want to wear protective headgear as well.
Announcements
It’s fabulous to have talented friends. I have a couple with big doings in their creative endeavors to report. Click on highlighted text for further information. First up, my co-editrix, Marie Lecrivain has a new chapbook, Misericordes (copyright
2008 Off World Publications) available by e-mailing Marie. Here are some reviews:
Marie can paint very ornate and beautiful poems, with a rich and complex
vocabulary, but she can also express a desperation and vertigo in the face
of the void, the void is clear in these poems behind the often very
beautiful tapestry of words. – David McLean, A Hunger for Mourning
Lecrivain's dark and deadpan humor is at its height, blending the brilliance
of The Day of the Locust and Lost in Translation into a dichotomous frenetic
ennui that is all too real..." - Nelson Gary, author of *Cinema, XXX, *and
* A Wonderful Life in Our Lives*.
Sarah Freligh’s Poem, City of Tonawanda Softball Championship from the book, Sort of Gone will be read aloud on The Writer's Almanac by Garrison Keillor on June 7. The poem is archived on TWA’s website. Click on the link to find the podcast. I’ll remind everyone next week.
Spring In Los Angeles
It’s that magical time of year that happens between the mudslide season and brushfire season. The weather has been especially flaky this year. Last week, the local newscasts Doppler-gangers lost their minds when we were hit by a truly freaky storm front that brought golf ball sized
hail, snow in the mountains, unusually heavy rains and two tornados. I couldn’t blame forecasters for going crazy. The rain, hail and snow were totally weird for this time of year, and southern California almost never has tornados – let alone two. Typically, spring here is lovely. I was surprised how lovely it was when we moved here. There are a lot of trees in LA. That something TV viewers or film-goers don’t really see. Among the vast array of trees are the incomparable Jacarandas. They are vibrant and gorgeous like the flowers that bloom here in the spring. There are flowers everywhere – a riot of them, one could day. The flora in LA is not just a visual treat. They are and olfactory as well. Honeysuckle and later, night blooming jasmine make for wonderfully scented evening breezes. I was surprised at how pretty a city with a reputation for smog can smell. Spring as been a sensory delight thus far – save for the tornados.Conversations with Craig – Spring Edition
Ultimately, he opted against the webcam for his yard. He feels that if he sees what he thinks he’ll see, he’d never leave his apartment. It’s a pity. One of the things we all could have seen is Craig’s father’s dog, Hamish (last seen cavorting with a pot bellied pig and growling at Cardinal Mahoney during the blessing of the animals), trying to bite Tom Hanks. The latest strangeness to befall Craig is hearing someone tunelessly whistling the title theme from the film Exodus. One of the occurrences was in his local super market. He followed the sound and discovered a former co-worker from the Borders we all worked at. ‘Mark’ went a little crazy while working at Borders. He began to believe that he was Stephen King. There was once a vague resemblance to the author. Craig reports that an extra hundred pounds has erased that resemblance. ‘Mark’ so believed he was King that there were tourists visiting the store swearing that King was doing karaoke in the bar on the next block. He was banned from attending a signing at the bookstore by actual Stephen King. Sometime after that, ‘Mark’ truly blew a gasket and had to be let go. It took a lot to get canned from that place. Where was I? Ah yes, Exodus. Craig found ‘Mark’ staring into space, wearing a bloody apron behind the meat counter tunelessly whistling the movie theme. That wigged Craig out. Though, overall, he still finds running into Catherine Zeta-Jones in the market more annoying.
Month of Fun – Wrap Up and a Beginning
It was a more subdued month of fun than last year, but it was quite satisfying. I finished things off last night by trying to make Anthony Bourdain’s Sope du Poisson (fish soup). It looks and tastes good, but somehow it’s not as thick as he’d described. I’ll try again when I finally get to the specialty fish place to get the oysters. Nope, I haven’t tried them yet. There is only one place around here that I trust buying them from and getting there has not been in the cards lately. It’s been a fun month. I’ve cooked a lot of new recipes that Jon and I have enjoyed. And I had champagne and seafood as much as I could. That’s always a good time. On the professional front a lot has happened. A Soldier’s Fate is sort of up (more on that below). We’ve been offered a full theatrical distribution contract for one film. I expect to make an announcement on what that one is and when it will begin within the next couple weeks. This is really thrilling, because we’ve never had a company of this size interested in a film of ours based solely on the script and one actor (and he hasn’t been a-list since the early 70s and that was only on TV). And we’re closer than ever with The Gunslinger. It’s a most exciting time, and it began during the Month of Fun.
Soldier’s Fate Accompli
Here is the mishap part of my trying week. We finally got the file up last Monday only to find that I’d uploaded one of the drafts. And being a draft, it was riddled with errors. Again, I apologize. Though I was exhausted, I should have been more careful. I’m putting up the correct file at some point tonight or tomorrow. The links will be on the updated Soldier’s website and I’m sending new files to those who purchased the draft. I really appreciate the patience and wonderful feedback I received from the first readers. I really loved writing this book, but it was much more difficult to finish than A Soldier’s Choice. The reason for my difficulty eluded me until Jon read it during formatting. He pointed out that I had a great deal of exposition on the Foundation, Altered technology and the political environment to cover on top of introducing a half dozen major new characters. Somehow, I had to cover all of that while keeping the pace moving and not neglecting Rik and Vincent’s relationship. The balance seems to work from the early reviews. I’m happy with the results, and look forward to the next one. And as my early readers discovered, there is a real need for a third book. (evil laughter) Next up, I’m doing a treatment for a pitch to the producers of Lair for the Soldiers books to be a series.
Cliff Hangover
Warning CSI: Miami Spoilers, run on sentences and hysteria.
And I had that phrase in my blog before TV Guide came up with it. Eighteen shows ended with cliffhangers this season. That’s just crazy. There was the ethnic cleansing of black actors on CSI, and possibly Criminal Minds while on Law and Order and CSI: Miami the black actors left for various lame-assed reasons. All of the Bruckheimer shows save for Cold Case have ended with the apparent death of a major cast member. That is really a bit much. Were the writers on strike for so long that they forgot how to generate genuine drama? I’m, particularly disappointed with Criminal Minds, a show that is surprisingly intelligent for a Bruckheimer vehicle. It gets a lot right about hunting serial killers, and the drama is often riveting and the plots surprising (something extremely hard to do with us). To end the season with a car being blown up and we know not who was inside, is annoyin
g and unworthy of them. The CSI: Miami season ender did not really surprise me. We’d been looking at the sunglasses with a bullet hole in them all season. It was time for a payoff. As a character who is channeling Steve McGarrett, it was time that Horatio Cain got shot. Steve was shot all the time usually in the shoulder (he shouldn’t have had a shoulder left by the end of the series). But I digress. The ep didn’t annoy me because of Horatio being shot or the cliffhanger. Why not have one, everyone else is. It was because the ep should have been called ‘All My Nemises or Nemisi.’ All that was missing was Wo Fat, for Pete’s sake. No Lieutenant should have that many dangerous enemies. Of course, he isn’t dead. In fact, I’m certain he’s faking his death as his brother did, to hunt down his would-be killer unfettered by the law. Why he needs to be unfettered by the law when he’s killed at least a dozen people this season without being worried about the law. What in the heck will he do now? Use Rocket launchers? I’m glad the season’s over. I can now look at shows that don’t make me crazy (The Closer, Eureka, Deadliest Catch). Battlestar Galactica makes me quite crazy but for other reasons. I continue to wait for the 5th Cylon. Jon and I will go out on a limb and say we believe it’s Tom Zarek .Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Book News and Boys with Back
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.
A Soldier’s Fate E-Book
The saga of why it’s more than a week late is below. Meanwhile, here’s how to find it:
For Microsoft Reader, use this link:
The paperback should be on amazon.com in about three weeks.
The Saga of the Missing Notebook
I got a call from my proofreader on Monday or Tuesday of last week. She said that it looked like something was missing from the manuscript. I looked at the pages she’d e-mailed back and realized a whole notebook was missing. I hadn’t noticed, because I changed my routine with doing this book. I input the notebook pages, send it to the proofreader and then refine it. Since I was typing on autopilot, I just didn’t notice. We couldn’t find the notebook, of course. I had to work from my outline and what I remembered. In the midst of all of that, there were crises amongst my friends that I simply couldn’t ignore. It was especially hard to ignore the problem that showed up on my doorstep. I was glad of the visit. But the ordeals left me exasperated, bereft and heartbroken. It’s hard to write erotica after that. Somehow, the pages were done by the wee small hours on Sunday. I sent the pages to the proofreader while Jon and I went to see Speed Racer (more on that below). Why go to a movie when exhausted? A friend worked on it and it had been weeks since the release. We had to see it before it left our theater. He’s expecting a comment soon. Jon formatted the pages into the .pdf when we got home. The website will go up tomorrow.
This was a traumatic end to what had been a largely pleasurable experience. I love Rik and Vincent more than ever, and I’m not sad that the book is finished. They won’t be away from me for long. Aside from developing A Soldier’s Choice into a script, there will be a third book sometime next year. The guys have a bigger battle to fight on behalf of their kind. And there are my readers to continue. The first book is still selling well, and I’m getting mail from all over the place. I mean, some really surprising countries. It’s all very flattering and exciting.
Month of Fun – Almost Done
I’m still managing small indulgences in the midst of all the hub bub. They are mostly food related, of course. I am having lunch with two attractive actors. I suppose that is an oral and visual indulgence. The big treat was actually Speed Racer. I know the reviews were not
very kind, but I thin the reason for that is two fold. One, there’s great fun for critics to bash the Wachoskis. I never thought they were deserving of the delirious praise over the Matrix films though I really liked Bound. However, I think that lately the critics are engaging in their favorite thing of bashing what they had built up. If they knew anything at all about the subject of the film (Basically, Speed is young race car driver who gets involved with international intrigues that often involve the fate of the world and who lives with a little brother and a monkey that have their own intrigues) shouldn’t be expecting anything that resembles logic. I think the film did quite well in constructing a plot that didn’t make my head explode, and it had far more character development than it had any right to have. Beyond that, it had some really, really adorable boys to look at. And all those young man had back, if you know what I mean – even the delicious Taejo Togokahn, played by Korean pop sensation Rain, a nemesis of Stephen Colbert. It was an amusing little film, a proper tribute to the animated series and a treat for the eyes.
I have a marvelous rant on the end of the TV season, including CSI: Miami, but I’m too tired to finish now. It will be a treat for next week.
A Soldier’s Fate E-Book
The saga of why it’s more than a week late is below. Meanwhile, here’s how to find it:
For Microsoft Reader, use this link:
The paperback should be on amazon.com in about three weeks.
The Saga of the Missing Notebook
I got a call from my proofreader on Monday or Tuesday of last week. She said that it looked like something was missing from the manuscript. I looked at the pages she’d e-mailed back and realized a whole notebook was missing. I hadn’t noticed, because I changed my routine with doing this book. I input the notebook pages, send it to the proofreader and then refine it. Since I was typing on autopilot, I just didn’t notice. We couldn’t find the notebook, of course. I had to work from my outline and what I remembered. In the midst of all of that, there were crises amongst my friends that I simply couldn’t ignore. It was especially hard to ignore the problem that showed up on my doorstep. I was glad of the visit. But the ordeals left me exasperated, bereft and heartbroken. It’s hard to write erotica after that. Somehow, the pages were done by the wee small hours on Sunday. I sent the pages to the proofreader while Jon and I went to see Speed Racer (more on that below). Why go to a movie when exhausted? A friend worked on it and it had been weeks since the release. We had to see it before it left our theater. He’s expecting a comment soon. Jon formatted the pages into the .pdf when we got home. The website will go up tomorrow.
This was a traumatic end to what had been a largely pleasurable experience. I love Rik and Vincent more than ever, and I’m not sad that the book is finished. They won’t be away from me for long. Aside from developing A Soldier’s Choice into a script, there will be a third book sometime next year. The guys have a bigger battle to fight on behalf of their kind. And there are my readers to continue. The first book is still selling well, and I’m getting mail from all over the place. I mean, some really surprising countries. It’s all very flattering and exciting.
Month of Fun – Almost Done
I’m still managing small indulgences in the midst of all the hub bub. They are mostly food related, of course. I am having lunch with two attractive actors. I suppose that is an oral and visual indulgence. The big treat was actually Speed Racer. I know the reviews were not
very kind, but I thin the reason for that is two fold. One, there’s great fun for critics to bash the Wachoskis. I never thought they were deserving of the delirious praise over the Matrix films though I really liked Bound. However, I think that lately the critics are engaging in their favorite thing of bashing what they had built up. If they knew anything at all about the subject of the film (Basically, Speed is young race car driver who gets involved with international intrigues that often involve the fate of the world and who lives with a little brother and a monkey that have their own intrigues) shouldn’t be expecting anything that resembles logic. I think the film did quite well in constructing a plot that didn’t make my head explode, and it had far more character development than it had any right to have. Beyond that, it had some really, really adorable boys to look at. And all those young man had back, if you know what I mean – even the delicious Taejo Togokahn, played by Korean pop sensation Rain, a nemesis of Stephen Colbert. It was an amusing little film, a proper tribute to the animated series and a treat for the eyes.I have a marvelous rant on the end of the TV season, including CSI: Miami, but I’m too tired to finish now. It will be a treat for next week.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Blog Delay
I'm in the middle of a lot of craziness today. The blog and a major annoucement will be up this evening or late tonight. Stay tuned.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Hats, Rants and Blofeld Blues
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.
Too Many Hats
I hit a wall late this week. Actually, I literally feel like I hit a wall at high speed. There have been too many hats to wear and too many tasks to juggle. And there have been many diverse, personal responsibilities pulling at me. Almost two weeks ago, while under more than my usual levels of stress, I twisted my back. I’ve since been searching for that one position that doesn’t cause me screaming pain. That position seems to change on a whim. Worry not, I’ve been through this before. It just takes weeks to really heal. Thus, those who have contacted me this week via phone or e-mail and thought I was a trifle snarky. I was. Sorry about that. This affliction has not kept me from doing the work my hats demand. A Soldier’s Fate is in the hands of the proofreader for a final check. She’s very busy and popular, but she promises that she’ll get it back to us asap. Jon has the formatting done and the web page is ready to upload (there’s even a never seen excerpt on the page). It’s just a matter of days. I'll make a blog announcement the moment the links are live.
True Art
If you haven’t yet, you must pick up a copy of Sarah Feligh’s Sort of Gone. And if you don’t believe me, hear the amazing radio interview and commentary here. Sarah knows baseball and she sure knows her poetry. But somehow, the discussion of both in that interview is so down to earth and accessible, that anyone listening would be moved by it. I wish I could write poetry.
Too Many Hats
I hit a wall late this week. Actually, I literally feel like I hit a wall at high speed. There have been too many hats to wear and too many tasks to juggle. And there have been many diverse, personal responsibilities pulling at me. Almost two weeks ago, while under more than my usual levels of stress, I twisted my back. I’ve since been searching for that one position that doesn’t cause me screaming pain. That position seems to change on a whim. Worry not, I’ve been through this before. It just takes weeks to really heal. Thus, those who have contacted me this week via phone or e-mail and thought I was a trifle snarky. I was. Sorry about that. This affliction has not kept me from doing the work my hats demand. A Soldier’s Fate is in the hands of the proofreader for a final check. She’s very busy and popular, but she promises that she’ll get it back to us asap. Jon has the formatting done and the web page is ready to upload (there’s even a never seen excerpt on the page). It’s just a matter of days. I'll make a blog announcement the moment the links are live.
True Art
If you haven’t yet, you must pick up a copy of Sarah Feligh’s Sort of Gone. And if you don’t believe me, hear the amazing radio interview and commentary here. Sarah knows baseball and she sure knows her poetry. But somehow, the discussion of both in that interview is so down to earth and accessible, that anyone listening would be moved by it. I wish I could write poetry.
Right now, I need a Haiku that uses the words, cellphone and flame-thrower.
Month of Fun – Halfway Through
The fun continues even if I’m on the floor with my legs propped up. Minds out of the gutter, you naughty readers. The chocolate cake was a success. And that chocolate butter cream icing is so sinfully good, I’m thinking of marketing it in squeeze bottles to use as party favors (now, your minds can go to the gutter). We had a rare day off from the Archive last Monday. And between our plans falling through and my back, we happened to be home to watch some wonderfully dreadful daytime TV. Whenever I’m home on a weekday, I like to catch an episode of Hawaii 5-0. The last time was the pimp themed episode we watched during Thanksgiving. This time it was an early episode that we had never seen before. I hadn’t thought that was possible. It was a hoot, but I’ll say more about that when I do my TV rant below. We still haven’t seen any of the new releases. I’m hoping that will change next weekend when we have another three-day holiday. I’m also hoping to feel good enough to stand in front of a stove for as long as it takes to make that fish soup a la Anthony Bourdain.
Gunslinger Trailer Q and A
We’re getting waves and waves of hits and some lovely comments. I’ve also received some really good questions via the production company’s e-mail. I’ll summarize the questions and answer them. The most asked question was Is the scene in the trailer one that will be in the film? No. The dialogue in the dinner scene is from two different scenes. I stitched them together to explain what is behind the many misconceptions about Shadow Smith and what is at the heart of KD’s range war with Tom Kenner. That scene covers most of the main plot of the film. There will be a table-top love scene in the film that plays out much the same way as it does in the trailer. That love scene is the tamest of the feature. Matt doesn’t like that Shadow Smith novel, does he? No, he really doesn’t. It isn’t until KD actually reads him some of the story that he realizes how off the mark it is from his life. The novels have made being on the run very difficult. He is also flummoxed by their popularity. This was a reality in the Wild West. Dime novel versions of real life heroes and villains were very popular and caused some strange situations for the subjects of the fiction. We’ve speculated that if there is more than one film about Matt and KD that these stories will continue to bring them problems. Will we get to see Shadow in action? I’m assuming that means action other than the love scenes. Yes, the viewer will see Shadow in action. There are early scenes that clearly demonstrate that his reputation isn’t entirely fictional. He can be a very dangerous man. Viewers need to see that first to understand how complex he is later in the film. Keep those hits, comments and questions coming.
CSI: Miami – Better with Tivo
Warning: Spoilers and run on sentences below.
It’s clear that I need to record the show first and watch it with the ability to skip the dopier parts. Though in last week’s episode, that would have been most of the show. I nearly broke the remote trying to fast forward through the thing. Before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, it is always good to see Garett on TV. I know he’s happiest when he’s working, and I was tickled when I heard he’d be guesting. But even he wasn’t happy with what he saw. Apparently, he was color corrected in post to a shade of tanning salon orange (I thought it was the make-up) and he was aged (I thought it was the make-up). Those weren’t my only problems with this real bomb of an episode. There was their Anthony Pellicano character played by Tom Sizemore, who I thought was still in jail. No Private Eye or attorney can get a crime scene investigator pulled of a case while it’s ongoing. They may have something that could challenge the validity of the evidence at trail, but no civilian has that kind of sway with a department. Law enforcement would respond by yanking the guy’s PI license and perhaps jail him for obstruction. Have none of these writers ever seen an episode of Harry O? I don’t see why they even need
to collect evidsence. The 
department seems to have acquired the computer systems from Minority Report. Why waste time with gunshot residue or even DNA when they can just ask the Precogs who did it? The plot was so convoluted that it was hard to follow. The Hawaii 5-0 episode, King Kamehameha’s Blues that involved an elaborate caper complete with lowering a live cat from the roof onto a museum floor to see how sensitive the alarm was made more sense. No one explained why the college kids planned such an elaborate caper to steal King Kamehameha’s cloak, but it still made more sense than CSI: Miami’s plot of staging an accident which ended in a confrontation then faking a man’s voice in a 911 call that caused SWAT to bash in Garett’s character’s door and shoot him. The device the secretary of Garett’s evil partner used to fake a man’s voice looked just like the device Blofeld used to mimic Jimmy Dean’s (yep, the sausage guy) voice in Diamonds are Forever. I think that about covers it. One more episode to go. Then I can relax and focus on finding out who is the 5th Cylon.
Month of Fun – Halfway Through
The fun continues even if I’m on the floor with my legs propped up. Minds out of the gutter, you naughty readers. The chocolate cake was a success. And that chocolate butter cream icing is so sinfully good, I’m thinking of marketing it in squeeze bottles to use as party favors (now, your minds can go to the gutter). We had a rare day off from the Archive last Monday. And between our plans falling through and my back, we happened to be home to watch some wonderfully dreadful daytime TV. Whenever I’m home on a weekday, I like to catch an episode of Hawaii 5-0. The last time was the pimp themed episode we watched during Thanksgiving. This time it was an early episode that we had never seen before. I hadn’t thought that was possible. It was a hoot, but I’ll say more about that when I do my TV rant below. We still haven’t seen any of the new releases. I’m hoping that will change next weekend when we have another three-day holiday. I’m also hoping to feel good enough to stand in front of a stove for as long as it takes to make that fish soup a la Anthony Bourdain.
Gunslinger Trailer Q and A
We’re getting waves and waves of hits and some lovely comments. I’ve also received some really good questions via the production company’s e-mail. I’ll summarize the questions and answer them. The most asked question was Is the scene in the trailer one that will be in the film? No. The dialogue in the dinner scene is from two different scenes. I stitched them together to explain what is behind the many misconceptions about Shadow Smith and what is at the heart of KD’s range war with Tom Kenner. That scene covers most of the main plot of the film. There will be a table-top love scene in the film that plays out much the same way as it does in the trailer. That love scene is the tamest of the feature. Matt doesn’t like that Shadow Smith novel, does he? No, he really doesn’t. It isn’t until KD actually reads him some of the story that he realizes how off the mark it is from his life. The novels have made being on the run very difficult. He is also flummoxed by their popularity. This was a reality in the Wild West. Dime novel versions of real life heroes and villains were very popular and caused some strange situations for the subjects of the fiction. We’ve speculated that if there is more than one film about Matt and KD that these stories will continue to bring them problems. Will we get to see Shadow in action? I’m assuming that means action other than the love scenes. Yes, the viewer will see Shadow in action. There are early scenes that clearly demonstrate that his reputation isn’t entirely fictional. He can be a very dangerous man. Viewers need to see that first to understand how complex he is later in the film. Keep those hits, comments and questions coming.
CSI: Miami – Better with Tivo
Warning: Spoilers and run on sentences below.
It’s clear that I need to record the show first and watch it with the ability to skip the dopier parts. Though in last week’s episode, that would have been most of the show. I nearly broke the remote trying to fast forward through the thing. Before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, it is always good to see Garett on TV. I know he’s happiest when he’s working, and I was tickled when I heard he’d be guesting. But even he wasn’t happy with what he saw. Apparently, he was color corrected in post to a shade of tanning salon orange (I thought it was the make-up) and he was aged (I thought it was the make-up). Those weren’t my only problems with this real bomb of an episode. There was their Anthony Pellicano character played by Tom Sizemore, who I thought was still in jail. No Private Eye or attorney can get a crime scene investigator pulled of a case while it’s ongoing. They may have something that could challenge the validity of the evidence at trail, but no civilian has that kind of sway with a department. Law enforcement would respond by yanking the guy’s PI license and perhaps jail him for obstruction. Have none of these writers ever seen an episode of Harry O? I don’t see why they even need
to collect evidsence. The 
department seems to have acquired the computer systems from Minority Report. Why waste time with gunshot residue or even DNA when they can just ask the Precogs who did it? The plot was so convoluted that it was hard to follow. The Hawaii 5-0 episode, King Kamehameha’s Blues that involved an elaborate caper complete with lowering a live cat from the roof onto a museum floor to see how sensitive the alarm was made more sense. No one explained why the college kids planned such an elaborate caper to steal King Kamehameha’s cloak, but it still made more sense than CSI: Miami’s plot of staging an accident which ended in a confrontation then faking a man’s voice in a 911 call that caused SWAT to bash in Garett’s character’s door and shoot him. The device the secretary of Garett’s evil partner used to fake a man’s voice looked just like the device Blofeld used to mimic Jimmy Dean’s (yep, the sausage guy) voice in Diamonds are Forever. I think that about covers it. One more episode to go. Then I can relax and focus on finding out who is the 5th Cylon.
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