Ain't It Cool News scored a couple of new, eyeball-slashing images from the sometime to be released feature film My Name Is Bruce. The talkback section on the story is worth checking out for the escalating riff of "just how great is Bruce Campbell? Here's how great he is!" comments. As in:
Bruce could club a baby seal using a panda, and then torch a nursing home and murder a convent of nuns, and I'd still adore him.
Now that's a fan. Check it out at --
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35795
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Give Me Eight Minutes And...
...I'll give you a recap of the first three seasons of Battlestar Galactica. More or less.
http://www.imdb.com/video/user/me703806161/
Danke to Galactica Sitrep for the heads up! (See their url to the right).
http://www.imdb.com/video/user/me703806161/
Danke to Galactica Sitrep for the heads up! (See their url to the right).
My "Strike Blog"
I notice that the Los Angeles Times still has a "Strike News" page up at their website, which lists this sad little blog as one info source. With the strike now officially over, anyone who clicks to here from the L.A. Times expecting the latest on the WGA's internecine politics is liable to be perplexed by my laudatory pieces on stuff like the band Squeeze and old Real McCoys comic books.
I've never really done a mission statement for this thing, it really springs out of my lifetime affection for writing my own little magazines (in between paying work) and sharing those thoughts with friends. Now I don't even have to resort to Kinkos or the HP printer, I can release my latest brainstorm (ha!) electronically for whomever cares to see. I know some folks try to narrow the focus of their blogs (my pal John, for instance, only discusses the Beatles on his excellent site, and Jane Espenson focuses on writing tips), but this is just my little smidgen of self-expression in our media saturated world.
In other words, don't expect too much strike news for awhile...
I've never really done a mission statement for this thing, it really springs out of my lifetime affection for writing my own little magazines (in between paying work) and sharing those thoughts with friends. Now I don't even have to resort to Kinkos or the HP printer, I can release my latest brainstorm (ha!) electronically for whomever cares to see. I know some folks try to narrow the focus of their blogs (my pal John, for instance, only discusses the Beatles on his excellent site, and Jane Espenson focuses on writing tips), but this is just my little smidgen of self-expression in our media saturated world.
In other words, don't expect too much strike news for awhile...
Artist Alex Toth & Walter Brennan
Today we have comic book versions of Battlestar Galactica, Buffy and even CSI, but this is not a new development. Back in the 50's and 60's, a comic company called Dell (most remembered for doing Walt Disney's line of books) released a dizzying array of titles based on then popular TV series. But these books weren't limited to genre, so there were comic book versions of everything from The Untouchables to Lawman to Tales of Wells Fargo to I Love Lucy to Sea Hunt to...
The Real McCoys. It's a show that seems to have totally fallen off the pop culture radar, and in fact I barely remember it, and then only from the few reruns I must have caught as a kid. Walter Brennan played Grandpa McCoy, Richard Crenna played Luke, Brennan said "Luke! Luke!!" a lot, and it was one of the many rural comedies popular in the 60's. Oh, and I suspect it cemented the "cranky but funny shuffling old man" image for Brennan, who was actually a much better actor than these comedy relief roles implied.
Anyhow, these old Dell books aren't particularly memorable. The cover of one Real McCoys issue features a full color shot of a smiling, bucolic Walter Brennan and this blurb: "The crowd goes wild when Grandpa McCoy enters his horse in the big race at the county fair!" But there were two things that made them cool. One, many of the tie-in books feature striking photo covers, in vivid color, that made picking up a Dell TV/Movie title akin to buying a swank studio still for ten or fifteen cents. More important, a number of these books featured artwork by Alex Toth.
Toth, who died just last year, was one of the best comic-book artists ever, with a spare but strikingly vivid and visual style that was all his own. I think it says something about his abilities that he could take on vapid licensed projects like The Lennon Sisters (think Partridge Family circa 1957), Lawman and the Real McCoys, actually do the actor likenesses AND still imbue the stories with that incredible Toth flair. His McCoys books are especially fun, since the inanities of television's view of farm livin' allowed him to draw chugging jalopies, pretty girls and horses on the run. Toth went on to design animated series like Space Ghost and Jonny Quest, but his comic book work is proof that you could be idiosyncratic and still work within the system... as long as you were really good.
Anyway, I know I'm dreaming, but in a world where it feels like every old comic ever produced is being reprinted in some glorious hardcover edition, a collection of Toth's work from this era would make my proverbial day...
The Real McCoys. It's a show that seems to have totally fallen off the pop culture radar, and in fact I barely remember it, and then only from the few reruns I must have caught as a kid. Walter Brennan played Grandpa McCoy, Richard Crenna played Luke, Brennan said "Luke! Luke!!" a lot, and it was one of the many rural comedies popular in the 60's. Oh, and I suspect it cemented the "cranky but funny shuffling old man" image for Brennan, who was actually a much better actor than these comedy relief roles implied.
Anyhow, these old Dell books aren't particularly memorable. The cover of one Real McCoys issue features a full color shot of a smiling, bucolic Walter Brennan and this blurb: "The crowd goes wild when Grandpa McCoy enters his horse in the big race at the county fair!" But there were two things that made them cool. One, many of the tie-in books feature striking photo covers, in vivid color, that made picking up a Dell TV/Movie title akin to buying a swank studio still for ten or fifteen cents. More important, a number of these books featured artwork by Alex Toth.
Toth, who died just last year, was one of the best comic-book artists ever, with a spare but strikingly vivid and visual style that was all his own. I think it says something about his abilities that he could take on vapid licensed projects like The Lennon Sisters (think Partridge Family circa 1957), Lawman and the Real McCoys, actually do the actor likenesses AND still imbue the stories with that incredible Toth flair. His McCoys books are especially fun, since the inanities of television's view of farm livin' allowed him to draw chugging jalopies, pretty girls and horses on the run. Toth went on to design animated series like Space Ghost and Jonny Quest, but his comic book work is proof that you could be idiosyncratic and still work within the system... as long as you were really good.
Anyway, I know I'm dreaming, but in a world where it feels like every old comic ever produced is being reprinted in some glorious hardcover edition, a collection of Toth's work from this era would make my proverbial day...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Battlestar Galactica - Hypaspace!
Our friends at Ain't It Cool News have linked to a nice featurette on BSG season four from the Canadian Space Channel and a show called "Hypaspace." IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SEASON THREE (i.e., you're waiting for the DVDs like half of my friends), then this has massive spoilers. If you want to be absolutely unsullied by any hints from season four, then you probably want to skip it. Those caveats aside, it's a nice piece and the brief interviews with multiple cast members are fun.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35752
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35752
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
WGA Contract Is Approved. That's A Wrap!
This letter went out to the WGA membership this evening. Onward and upward...
To Our Fellow Members:
Today, it is our pleasure to inform you that members of the Writers Guilds of America, East and West, have voted to ratify the MBA contract with 93.6% approval. With a total of 4,060 votes cast, the tally was 3,802 to 258. These numbers reaffirm the tremendous level of support and commitment our membership has continuously demonstrated over these last few crucial months.
We are also pleased to report that the trustees of our health fund voted yesterday to follow the recommendation in our strike settlement agreement to provide additional coverage and an extension of the earnings cycle for a full quarter (three months) to participants who would otherwise lose health coverage following an earnings cycle that included all or a portion of the strike period. Participants whose health coverage is paid for by points will only be charged points if they have ten or more points as of April 1, 2008.
As we close this chapter in our union's history, what we together have accomplished should not be underestimated. The 2008 MBA establishes a beachhead on the Internet and in new media that will guarantee our share of a potentially vast and bountiful future. Writers already are working on new media projects under this agreement and residuals must now be paid for streaming and downloads of our library of films and TV shows.
Language in the contract will allow us to monitor and audit these new technologies and new business models, but it will take vigilance on the part of our membership to make sure that original Internet writing is done under a WGA contract and with appropriate terms and conditions.
The same sort of vigilance will be needed to assist members of SAG and AFTRA. They are about to go through a similar process to the one we experienced. Their support of our cause was invaluable. We must use all our efforts and experience to support them as well. Further gains that they can achieve will have an immediate, positive effect on our contract.
We must take our newfound spirit and unity and use it to move our two unions forward. We look to the future and our newly revitalized member engagement to reaffirm writers as the first among equals in the most collaborative art form in history. As the last few weeks proved once and for all, we are all in this together.
Best,
Patric M. Verrone
President, WGAW
Michael Winship
President, WGAE
To Our Fellow Members:
Today, it is our pleasure to inform you that members of the Writers Guilds of America, East and West, have voted to ratify the MBA contract with 93.6% approval. With a total of 4,060 votes cast, the tally was 3,802 to 258. These numbers reaffirm the tremendous level of support and commitment our membership has continuously demonstrated over these last few crucial months.
We are also pleased to report that the trustees of our health fund voted yesterday to follow the recommendation in our strike settlement agreement to provide additional coverage and an extension of the earnings cycle for a full quarter (three months) to participants who would otherwise lose health coverage following an earnings cycle that included all or a portion of the strike period. Participants whose health coverage is paid for by points will only be charged points if they have ten or more points as of April 1, 2008.
As we close this chapter in our union's history, what we together have accomplished should not be underestimated. The 2008 MBA establishes a beachhead on the Internet and in new media that will guarantee our share of a potentially vast and bountiful future. Writers already are working on new media projects under this agreement and residuals must now be paid for streaming and downloads of our library of films and TV shows.
Language in the contract will allow us to monitor and audit these new technologies and new business models, but it will take vigilance on the part of our membership to make sure that original Internet writing is done under a WGA contract and with appropriate terms and conditions.
The same sort of vigilance will be needed to assist members of SAG and AFTRA. They are about to go through a similar process to the one we experienced. Their support of our cause was invaluable. We must use all our efforts and experience to support them as well. Further gains that they can achieve will have an immediate, positive effect on our contract.
We must take our newfound spirit and unity and use it to move our two unions forward. We look to the future and our newly revitalized member engagement to reaffirm writers as the first among equals in the most collaborative art form in history. As the last few weeks proved once and for all, we are all in this together.
Best,
Patric M. Verrone
President, WGAW
Michael Winship
President, WGAE
Comics You Should Buy: Hot Wire #2
At $22.95, this isn't a casual buy, but this large format, 150 page + full color anthology series from Fantagraphics is worth the bucks. The stories are all over the place, ranging from the abstract to slice o' life, but the artwork's mostly amazing and the "stories" often compelling. My favorite's a laugh out loud strip called "In The Trenches" by Christian Northeast, which somehow perfectly captures the dull, bureaucratic ennui of a guy flexing what tiny power he has in an absurd circumstance. There's also an excellent Western story that contrasts the real life story of Sheriff Sam Cartwright with the possible movie versions of the same events.
I'd offer an Amazon link, but they don't carry it, so give your local comic shop a try, or go to fantagraphics.com and try their crack mail-order department.
I'd offer an Amazon link, but they don't carry it, so give your local comic shop a try, or go to fantagraphics.com and try their crack mail-order department.
Monday, February 25, 2008
On Writing...
Not to jump on Jane Espenson's "writing tips" bandwagon, but I recently recieved an e-mail pushing another screenwriting self-help book. You're never too old to learn and we can all use some tips now and again, but the questions posed and the answers promised by this one seemed a little... I dunno... strange. For instance:
- What should you say if you arrive late for a pitch meeting with a Hollywood executive? (The answer is on page 49.)
There's actually a secret answer to this, besides an apology?
- Does it matter how you dress for a meeting with a Hollywood executive? Answer: a lot. So how should you dress? (See page 48.)
Aside from being clean, avoiding the garlic/onion lunch special and covering your "Impeach Bush" tee-shirt, if this actually mattered I'd be living out of a cardboard box.
There were a bunch of other Q & A's, and seriously, for all I know this tome offers wonderful common sense tips to earnest beginners on a host of subjects. I'm sure the author is a good guy with some good ideas, but the focus of the questions, at least in the e-mailed ad, illuminate a pet peeve I have with some of these books. They often zero in on the external as opposed to the single most important thing involved in having a writing career, i.e., "the writing." You can wear whatever power-plaid happens to be in style, excuse your lateness with the perfect bon mot and play all the inter-office political games in the world, but if it's not on the page, your "career" will be be a blip on the screen. In fact, if an expensively dressed, slick and self-possessed staff writer gave me a script that needed a total rewrite, I'd be even MORE cranky about it. While he's out shopping for designer suits, I'm stuck at my computer fixing his mess.
This emphasis bugs me because I think new writers often get hung up on the technical details, like what to wear, the perfect word processing program or some special format trick that will solve all their problems. Some of that stuff IS important (script's written in crayon? That's a pass), but to fixate on these incidental details as opposed to the writing is a mistake...
- What should you say if you arrive late for a pitch meeting with a Hollywood executive? (The answer is on page 49.)
There's actually a secret answer to this, besides an apology?
- Does it matter how you dress for a meeting with a Hollywood executive? Answer: a lot. So how should you dress? (See page 48.)
Aside from being clean, avoiding the garlic/onion lunch special and covering your "Impeach Bush" tee-shirt, if this actually mattered I'd be living out of a cardboard box.
There were a bunch of other Q & A's, and seriously, for all I know this tome offers wonderful common sense tips to earnest beginners on a host of subjects. I'm sure the author is a good guy with some good ideas, but the focus of the questions, at least in the e-mailed ad, illuminate a pet peeve I have with some of these books. They often zero in on the external as opposed to the single most important thing involved in having a writing career, i.e., "the writing." You can wear whatever power-plaid happens to be in style, excuse your lateness with the perfect bon mot and play all the inter-office political games in the world, but if it's not on the page, your "career" will be be a blip on the screen. In fact, if an expensively dressed, slick and self-possessed staff writer gave me a script that needed a total rewrite, I'd be even MORE cranky about it. While he's out shopping for designer suits, I'm stuck at my computer fixing his mess.
This emphasis bugs me because I think new writers often get hung up on the technical details, like what to wear, the perfect word processing program or some special format trick that will solve all their problems. Some of that stuff IS important (script's written in crayon? That's a pass), but to fixate on these incidental details as opposed to the writing is a mistake...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Late Night Landfill
"The Phantom of the Landfill" turned me onto his own news site/blog, which reviews and discusses wonderfully trashy B movies. Since I watched "Ricco The Mean Machine" with Chris Mitchum just last night*, this is obviously my cup o' tea. Besides, anyone who links to Herman Cohen, William Martell, Ray Dennis Steckler and me is okay in my book.
http://latenitelandfill.blogspot.com
*Ricco is a trashy '70's Italian crime/sleaze drama starring Chris Mitchum (Robert's son) and Arthur Kennedy (in a very bad moustache), perhaps most notable for an exceptionally graphic scene where a poor fellow is relieved of his private parts for playing footsie with the Kennedy character's girlfriend. Now THAT'S entertainment.
http://latenitelandfill.blogspot.com
*Ricco is a trashy '70's Italian crime/sleaze drama starring Chris Mitchum (Robert's son) and Arthur Kennedy (in a very bad moustache), perhaps most notable for an exceptionally graphic scene where a poor fellow is relieved of his private parts for playing footsie with the Kennedy character's girlfriend. Now THAT'S entertainment.
WGA Strike - Tomorrow's Big Vote
Having been back at work for a week and a half now, I almost forget that the WGA membership hasn't actually ratified the new contract yet. That most likely will happen tomorrow (Monday, 2/25), since aside from a few comments here and there (and Harlan Ellison's vociferous opposition), it appears that most WGA folks are ready to take the deal. I don't think people should confuse our accepting the contract for wild enthusiasm re: all the deal points, but in all negotiations there comes a time to close. And as far as I'm concerned, it's time to close on this one.
Don't be surprised to see various WGA-focused websites install counters ticking off the days until THIS deal expires, though (May 2011). Here's hoping the business (and the world) are still in one piece when that comes around...
Don't be surprised to see various WGA-focused websites install counters ticking off the days until THIS deal expires, though (May 2011). Here's hoping the business (and the world) are still in one piece when that comes around...
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Battlestar Galactica Season 4 - Spoilers?!
You won't get any out of me, but Maureen Ryan from the Chicago Tribune runs down some tidbits gleaned from various interviews over at her blog. I would call these minor spoilers, but they still might reveal a thing or two you don't want to know. So be warned...
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/
entertainment_tv/2008/02/battlestar-ga-2.html
One of the, umm, "benefits" of the strike is that the BSG staff was able to step back from the show for a few months and come back with a fresh eye, meaning details are constantly in flux. So take all spoilers with a couple shakers of salt, because even stuff that may have been true pre-strike may have changed. Or not.
But I have been given permission to reveal the identity of the fifth Cylon, whose birth name is the very difficult to pronounce "Tusj Wohsehthctaw." You're welcome!
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/
entertainment_tv/2008/02/battlestar-ga-2.html
One of the, umm, "benefits" of the strike is that the BSG staff was able to step back from the show for a few months and come back with a fresh eye, meaning details are constantly in flux. So take all spoilers with a couple shakers of salt, because even stuff that may have been true pre-strike may have changed. Or not.
But I have been given permission to reveal the identity of the fifth Cylon, whose birth name is the very difficult to pronounce "Tusj Wohsehthctaw." You're welcome!
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Adventures Of Thompson and Weddle
What do the world-class writers of Battlestar Galactica episodes like "Maelstrom" and "Scar" do when they're not making incredible television? Why, they write cool new video games! The grisly details are available at --
http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/
sega-unveils-more-aliens-details/?biz=1
http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/
sega-unveils-more-aliens-details/?biz=1
New/Old Nick Lowe...
Nick Lowe's first solo album, "Jesus of Cool", has just been reissued by the fine folks at YepRoc Records. With ten bonus tracks and the obligatory remastering, this swank deluxe edition brings the same smile as the original record, way back in 1978. As others have noted, anyone who can write a song about an unfortunate actress who died at home and was eaten by her dog ("Marie Provost"), offering the perky couplet "she was a winner, who became the doggie's dinner," is okay in my book. Lowe's most recent releases have been much more, umm, "mature", but my affections still lie with his rock and roll period.
This release also comes with an informative booklet written by Will Birch, who teamed with Rockpile's guitarist Billy Bremner on some cool songs way back when.
Incidentally, Lowe's collaboration with guitarist Dave Edmunds, Rockpile's "Seconds of Pleasure", was also reissued a couple years back in a new edition with extra tracks. Both are well worth another listen (for older fans) and discovering (for you friggin' kids).
This release also comes with an informative booklet written by Will Birch, who teamed with Rockpile's guitarist Billy Bremner on some cool songs way back when.
Incidentally, Lowe's collaboration with guitarist Dave Edmunds, Rockpile's "Seconds of Pleasure", was also reissued a couple years back in a new edition with extra tracks. Both are well worth another listen (for older fans) and discovering (for you friggin' kids).
Gahan Wilson - Cartoonist
Steven-Charles Jaffe, producer of STAR TREK IV and various other projects, has recently put together a documentary on the life and times of cartoonist Gahan Wilson. Wilson's probably best known for his unsettling cartoons in Playboy, but I'll always remember his comic strip for the National Lampoon, "Nuts." There was more bittersweet truth in that one page strip (ostensibly a parody of "Peanuts") than most people can cram into a whole book.
Tom Spurgeon at the excellent Comics Reporter has a nice interview with Jaffe discussing the project at --
http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/
newsmaker_steven_charles_jaffe/
Tom Spurgeon at the excellent Comics Reporter has a nice interview with Jaffe discussing the project at --
http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/
newsmaker_steven_charles_jaffe/
Thursday, February 21, 2008
HD-DVD is Dead. Pick At The Bones Now!
So the announcement from Toshiba that they'll no longer manufacturer HD-DVD players pretty much cedes the battle to Blu-Ray. However, if you were an early adapter (aka, "idiot") like me and actually popped for an HD player, there are some pretty good bargains on HD discs at Amazon. Amazon's cut the prices in half on a bunch of discs, and the indie-sellers are under-cutting even further. I just picked up Carpenter's THING at the new lower price, figuring it'll play just fine until the next format comes along, or Universal releases them on Blu-Ray. Of course, all loyal Famous Verheidens readers have already coughed up their green for the HD versions of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA season one and TIMECOP the movie. Right? Right? Are those crickets?
And if you wait 'til the end of the year and hold on to your player, you'll probably be able to get almost any HD release for pennies. Somehow I don't think these babies are going to become collector's items anytime soon.
And if you wait 'til the end of the year and hold on to your player, you'll probably be able to get almost any HD release for pennies. Somehow I don't think these babies are going to become collector's items anytime soon.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
More Squeeze? Yes! Split Enz? Sure!
Glenn Tilbrook, singer/songwriter from the band Squeeze, is in the process of releasing five CDs worth of demos, and the second batch "In The Sky Above" has just come out. Like the first set ("The Past Has Been Bottled") it's an interesting look at the songwriting process, since the final band versions of many of these tunes are considerably different. That said, this new collection, covering 1993 to 1998, feels more produced than the earlier set of 80's-era demos, and so it's a nice companion to the official releases. The later set also covers Squeeze's later years, so the songs won't be familiar to most folks... but they're still good!
Meanwhile, the Split Enz gang continues to raid the vaults, with a new remastering program that spruces up the sound of all their original albums. I've become a little suspicious of this "remastering" gimmick, having bought and rebought certain CDs four or five times without discerning much difference in the audio quality, but this remastering is definitely noticeable and (in my opinion) a big improvement. For some reason a lot of 70's/80's bands went the "thin" route with their sound, and this new edition fattens up the tunes without losing their charm. All this is available by individual CD or in a nifty box set that also tosses in the essential "Rootin Tootin Luton" rehearsal/demo sessions that came out late in 2007.
Oh my God, I'm pushing Squeeze and Split Enz, two bands from the 70's and 80's. How do I regain my musical "street cred" with the "young people"? I know, how about by recommending "The Better Beatles" and their one and only release, "Mercy Beat." This is a great collection of atonal, deconstructed Beatles songs created by an Omaha Nebraska art band in the early 80s. I'm not sure if these are the best or worst Beatles covers ever, but I like them. They're not selling this one on Amazon, but the CD is available from the label at http://www.hookorcrook.com.
Meanwhile, the Split Enz gang continues to raid the vaults, with a new remastering program that spruces up the sound of all their original albums. I've become a little suspicious of this "remastering" gimmick, having bought and rebought certain CDs four or five times without discerning much difference in the audio quality, but this remastering is definitely noticeable and (in my opinion) a big improvement. For some reason a lot of 70's/80's bands went the "thin" route with their sound, and this new edition fattens up the tunes without losing their charm. All this is available by individual CD or in a nifty box set that also tosses in the essential "Rootin Tootin Luton" rehearsal/demo sessions that came out late in 2007.
Oh my God, I'm pushing Squeeze and Split Enz, two bands from the 70's and 80's. How do I regain my musical "street cred" with the "young people"? I know, how about by recommending "The Better Beatles" and their one and only release, "Mercy Beat." This is a great collection of atonal, deconstructed Beatles songs created by an Omaha Nebraska art band in the early 80s. I'm not sure if these are the best or worst Beatles covers ever, but I like them. They're not selling this one on Amazon, but the CD is available from the label at http://www.hookorcrook.com.
Monday, February 18, 2008
WGA Strike - Harlan Ellison Weighs In!
I don't agree with Harlan on this one, but Ellison unbridled is a wild read whether you're with him or not. For another perspective on the WGA's MBA ratification vote, go to:
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/02/harlan-ellison-reacts-to-proposed-wga.html
My "yes" on ratification goes into the mail tomorrow, blue bottom and all...
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/02/harlan-ellison-reacts-to-proposed-wga.html
My "yes" on ratification goes into the mail tomorrow, blue bottom and all...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Horror Yearbook Interrogates Moi
My friends at Horror Yearbook asked a few leading questions about Evil Dead, My Name is Bruce and other current events. Checks out the results at:
http://www.horroryearbook.com/542952/quickie-interview-with-
mark-verheiden-my-name-is-bruce
And yes, that is original comic book art behind me in the photo. Now if I could only get Frank Frazetta to redraw me...
http://www.horroryearbook.com/542952/quickie-interview-with-
mark-verheiden-my-name-is-bruce
And yes, that is original comic book art behind me in the photo. Now if I could only get Frank Frazetta to redraw me...
Was (Not Was) - 2/14/08 Live In Los Angeles!
Their second annual Valentine's Day celebration was just as great as I had hoped. Besides featuring the first gathering of the band's original singers since 1992, seeing Brian Wilson duet with Kris Kristofferson on "Me And Bobby McGee", then "Fun Fun Fun", was amazing.
It's tragic that this band isn't getting more attention on this reunion tour (the show at the Orpheum didn't seem particularly packed), but with a new CD coming in April and a full fledged tour promised, hopefully that will change. Meanwhile, you can read the article/review below and weep copiously because you weren't there...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/
reviews/music/la-et-was16feb16,1,7392107.story
It's tragic that this band isn't getting more attention on this reunion tour (the show at the Orpheum didn't seem particularly packed), but with a new CD coming in April and a full fledged tour promised, hopefully that will change. Meanwhile, you can read the article/review below and weep copiously because you weren't there...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/
reviews/music/la-et-was16feb16,1,7392107.story
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Trust Me...
When I was working on SMALLVILLE the series, my friends, it seemed like the Lex Luthor character would say "trust me" at least once or twice an episode. Like, "Trust me, Clark, I have no idea how that Kryptonite got in your coffee" or "trust me, Lana, it's not just a bald spot." I got the "trust me" meme so ingrained into my writing mind that it started to seep into other scripts, until I went through a (not to be named) draft of a script with the "find and replace" search and found something like six versions of the phrase. I have since banned "trust me" from my dialogue vocabulary. You shall never see those two words in confluence in my work again! Trust me!
This comes up because I think John McCain might want to consider a similar phraseological ban. He's taken to using "my friends" as almost Tourette's-style punctuation during every public oration, and it's getting out of hand. It's a swell sentiment, John, but enough already! Aside from the fact that I doubt all those folks are, in fact, your friends (if they are, your Facebook page must be ah-mazing!), why not try "pals", "comrades", "amigos", "buddies", "chums", "compadres," but pul-ease give "my friends" a rest!
This comes up because I think John McCain might want to consider a similar phraseological ban. He's taken to using "my friends" as almost Tourette's-style punctuation during every public oration, and it's getting out of hand. It's a swell sentiment, John, but enough already! Aside from the fact that I doubt all those folks are, in fact, your friends (if they are, your Facebook page must be ah-mazing!), why not try "pals", "comrades", "amigos", "buddies", "chums", "compadres," but pul-ease give "my friends" a rest!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)