Bluesy's World of Procrastination, Entertainment and Wonder

TV Watching Hours 10; Pages Written 2

2011-08-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

It was a fairly decent catch for the TV watching tour de force this week. Best things were:
--Breaking Bad - Some stellar acting and writing, as always. Was I the only one who had flashbacks, when Jesse went in to deal with the meth heads to that episode a couple of seasons ago, "Peekabo," where he entertained the little boy while his insane, meth addicted parents killed each other with an ATM machine? That had to be one of my favorite episodes. This one wasn't quite as emotionally charged, but it was still nice to see Jesse being the reluctant hero, yet again. I think he surprised the heck out of the jaded Guss, who seems to be taking a shine to him as an actual protege or something. Walt definitely seems jealous of losing Jesse and tried his best to get him and keep him for himself. And what about Walter, going all Heisenberg with his "I'm the bad guy, they fear me, not the other way around" BS. Skylar should have known not to call him a nice guy. Nothing will piss a guy off more than calling him "nice" (loved her last line btw, "Someone's gotta save this family from the guy who's saving this family.") Walt, not being able to admit that he's scared and in over his head, instead came back swinging with his braggadocio hangin' out. Even though Skylar was right about pretty much everything, it was cool to see Walt back on the offensive. Nice comeback, and nice tush too Apparently, good ol' Heisenberg's been working out while waiting for the meth to turn blue.

--Torchwood-- I haven't always been so sure about this newfangled American approach to Torchwood. It's been a little too straightforward and not the usual kinky, wacky, British alien thing that I'd grown to love about the series and somehow, Jack Harkness, with his American accent, Tom Cruise smirk, and Kirk Douglass chin always stood out as from another country, surrounded by all the Brit and cockeny accents; now he's mortal, in LA, just another handsome, aging gay dude in a military coat he could've gotten off the rack at a vintage shop on Melrose, on his way to his next acting gig. But low and behold, things get a lot more fun and freaky, in this episode, written by the fabulous Jane Espenson, my Cal alumni sister in sci-fi fantasticness. Aside from an salaciously hot flashback, with Jack once again wooing a sexy foreign guy, fresh off the boat, in need of a shower, with his otherworldly charms, we get some insight into how this whole "undead" thing started and you know aliens have to be involved, FINALLY... and the two are tied together, in a blast from the past that leads to Jack being the cause of this whole thing in some way. Okay, that works for me. I'll take some more of that, thank you very much. Can't wait until next week.

--True Blood - I've been enjoying this season a lot more than last. Maybe it's because putting Sookie with Eric and making Bill the king who still pines after the love he let go away appeals to the romantic in me and nothing boots up a love story like unrequited vamp love, I guess. Then again, maybe I just prefer witches with serious sorcery to hedonistic undefinable devil worshipers as an antagonist. Call me crazy. I thought the whole dream sequence with Sookie, Bill and Eric was a lot of fun and nice way to tie both hunky vampire dudes into the situation. They ended the episode on a note of true suspense, although you know Bill's going to make it out okay in the end, so is Eric, for that matter. And Sookie, well, she might as well be immortal. As for the subplots, they've wrapped up the weird ghost with the Aunt Jemima headwrap taking over Lafayette's body to kidnap Darlene's devil spawn thankfully. First Lafayette is a vdealer, then a v slave, now he's a medium... uh, gee can't the poor guy get a break. All in all though, it's still one of my favorite guilty pleasures and I'll miss it when the season's over. Thankfully, they've been picked up for another one.

Ah, better get back to work. Boo hiss.
Bluesy

Rolling in the Deep

2011-08-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Come on, you know you'd rather watch Adele sing "Rolling in the Deep" and "Rumor Has It" in her cool, artsy, angst ridden video than write anything. I know I would.

The more I listen to Adele's new album, the more I like it, and I bought it first day it came out. She's just amazing. Perhaps her first album was more solid, in that every single song was a keeper. But there's so much great stuff on 21. And it's got that retro sound that also is so contemporary. Really, there's no one like her.

Hello, Again, Hello

2011-08-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

So you're probably wondering what the heck happened to me. I haven't posted in ages. Well, simple answer, I've been -- gasp -- writing. Yes, I know, it's so unlike me. After all, this is a blog about procrastinating from writing, so I don't want to sound hypocritical or anything. I like to practice what I preach. And don't get me wrong, I'm still a practicing procrastinator... why look at me right now. Besides, there's been TV to watch in between the beads of blood pouring from my forehead and fingertips... and you know how much I like my TV shows. Breaking Bad's been as amazing as ever. I don't know how they consistently can churn out such well written scripts, but they're doing it. Watching Walter White's transmogrification is always a trip. I've also been enjoying True Blood. Kind of like a guilty pleasure. Well, not exactly kinda. And there's a steady stream of junkfood teen paranormal and sci fi TV shows that are usually on in between taking breaks from... gasp... work. You know which they are, I don't need to mention them here. (okay, so I'll mention a few: The Nine Lives of Chloe, Teen Wolf (yay, Vlaming), Switched at Birth, Alphas, Torchwood, Game of Thrones repeats,) You know you like them too, don't give me those looks.

As far as reading goes, I always have two or three books going at a time while I'm "indisposed." Right now, I'm enjoying the hell out of The Borrower, and crazy loving Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad.. Goon Squad is definitely my favorite book of the year. It's one of those books I love so much, I am savoring it and reading it super slow because I don't want it to end

I read a whole ton of YA recently, but unfortunately, much of it's kind of wasn't really great enough to stand out. Only a few really knocked my socks off. Like Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me and Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why. The latest dystopic, futuristic offerings (my favorite genre) have to be Lauren Oliver's Delirium and Before I Fall (I loved Delirium so much, it made me get her earlier book, Before I Fall, which I liked even more. Also, had another look at the classic, The Giver so, so good. So see, just when you think you won't find another book you love as much as The Hunger Games trilogy, you do.

I've been thinking about going to the gym quite a bit lately. I do realize that my penchant for procrastinating about writing has now moved to that of going to the gym, as my growing ass and hips will attest. I rather like my gym though. It's got a fabulous pool, even more fabulous jacuzzi, one of those cardio theatres, which, let's face it, were designed for media junkies like me -- sure they always play movies I've seen already, but it doesn't matter. I'll stay on a recumbent bike or treadmill for 2 hours just to watch the end of Salt again, (which I liked more second time around), or Oceans 11, 12 and 13 (I think they're up to 13, who knows, they're all kinda like the same movie but who's going to walk away from George Clooney... not I certainly. The person who programs these movies for my gym has great insight into the female psyche, that's for sure). In any case, these days I'm spending more time reminiscing about the gym rather than pumping up. Blame it on the damned writing. Blasted. Too bad you can't lose weight just by thinking about working out. I'm not talking about just thinking about it for a second or two; I mean, really putting yourself out there. But NOOOOO, you actually have to do the exercise for it to have any affect. Pffft!

Anyway, until next time.

Bluesy

PS.. you know I spent at least an hour playing with the new blogger template designer with all its cool customization settings. I mean, it's hard to pick one background from all the cool offerings and then it has to be something easy on the eyes so you can read the actual post and not be distracted by all the eye candy (I mean, you wouldn't find me putting George Clooney in the background, because while I'd probably get a much higher readership, no one would actually read anything I had to say... not that I'd blame them).

All this to say, don't tell me I haven't done my job in giving you many ways to avoid writing in this post, reading all these books, watching all these cool TV shows, movies... of you could go to the gym for me, I wouldn't mind.

Who By Fire

2010-09-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hope we all make it!

Happy New Year Everyone.

More great reasons not to write

2010-06-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

I realize I've been procrastinating lately about writing my procrastination blog and the guilt won out (that and I really don't feel like working yet this morning). Here's a really interesting interview with Anne Rapp... Anne Rapp's 10 Rules of Writing.

One of her top tips to being a good writer is to be a really good reader and not just magazines and shlock. Real books. Really good books. She even recommends a few, none of which I've read yet so I'm immediately going Amazon to get all of them... yes, that's a favorite past time of mine, one-click has seriously ruined my life and my bank account. I'm avoiding buying a Kindle because then I'll really be in trouble and never get my writing done. Anyway, I'm always reading about 3 books at a time, depending on my mood. Ever read a book that you keep thinking "Hmm, this book seems familiar," and it takes until about a third of the way through to realize you've read it already? I've done that. But I try to keep current and inspired as well. I'll read a popular, well reviewed YA book, a science fiction book and a damn well written recent novel going in my "reading room" at the same time. What can I say I'm fickle, nerdy and often constipated. I get a lot read that way.

In any case, I haven't read any of Anne's stuff yet, but now I think I will. Anne writes short stories and has written movies that Robert Altman directed... so you figure she's really close in the chain to Raymond Carver, who wrote Short Cuts - Criterion Collection that Altman made a pretty decent movie out of (though I'm not sure I can ever get my head around Lyle Lovett playing "the baker"). I love Raymond Carver's stories; therefor, by loyalty lineage, I love Anne Rapp already.

More advice has to do with putting your desk facing the wall, not the window. I totally agree with her on that one too. Every desk I've ever had faces the wall. I learned a long time ago that a writer like me with ADD will get painfully distracted by anything but a blank wall.

She also recommends a clean house/workspace and getting rid of clutter... in theory I totally agree but in practice, not exactly. I find it very difficult to manage my clutter on a daily basis. Instead, I save it for those day long projects where you start "straightening up" and end up with 5 garbage bags full of papers and stuff you thought you absolutely needed but have no room for and are feeling too lazy to file. Great procrastination method, lousy for actually writing though.

Another tip is not to marry or live with another writer. Been there done that, she's right.... for SOOOO many reasons.

Then there's the "Room of one's own" tip that is totally accurate, though I wish she'd give credit to Virginia Woolf for first suggesting it, if not for any other reason than I totally LOVE Virginia Woolf's work (Mrs. Dalloway rocks... and don't tell me you saw the movie, I don't want to hear it). In any case, for crying out loud if you want to write anything you definitely have to kick everyone out of the house for a while to do it... or do it when they're all sleeping. Sleeping, I find counts very much like being gone... if they're unconscious or comatose, nobody's gonna bother you.

I'd also add a caveat to the "alone" rule to say it really helps a writer to have a dog, or dogs around. That is IF they're the right kind of dogs. No yappy, high energy hounds that want to lure you outside to take them for a walk. I'm talkin' lazy, lounge about furry creatures that are totally content to sleep at your feet, your side, somewhere near you to send comforting, loving doggie vibes without bothering you at all and will let you scoop them up and snuggle them for a minute if you're looking for a break or a reason not to work that won't last too long (if I hug too much, my Shitzu, Cuddles gives me a little growl to warn me to get back to work and let him get back to sleep... and yes, his name is Cuddles, you did read me right).

I guess I also like the idea that I'm not the only breathing thing in the house. That and if say a snake or tarantula should come crawling out of a hole somewhere, I could cower behind the dogs, or they'd distract it by barking at it while I ran for help (especially my mixed mutt, Daisy, who does a great keep away bark and also has the nifty habit of eating mosquitoes and other stray bugs straight out of the air like a lizard. Saves me oodles in insect repellent).

Tarantulas? Snakes? You think I'm joking here but I'm not. I live in Southern California near canyons where these things really do come out to play from time to time. First week we moved here, my husband stepped on what he thought was a big hairy spider, turned out to be a wicked big tarantula. Ever since, I'm on the lookout for other spider family members seeking vengeance.

If you live in NYC or Florida and don't need to worry about such things, you still have those cockroaches that are bigger than either of my dogs (and don't say I'm stereotyping, I've lived in NYC, they do exist in abundance there. I once stayed at a girlfriend's basement apartment for a year and we called the garbage under the sink "The Zoo." You can figure why, I'm sure).

Now I know some of you are wondering why I mention dogs instead of cats. Admittedly, I am a dog person. I have nothing against cats and yes, they are low maintenance and can be nice to have around... but you realize no cat will face off against a snake for giant bug for you. No way, no how. So what good are they in the long run, that's my feeling.

There are more rules, some things to avoid; books on writing except the ones by Ray Bradbury and Stephen King. I wouldn't run from anything Bradbury's written, though I'm not familiar with this particular writing book. I do know my Stephen King though and I absolutely adore On Writing and Danse Macabre -- she's totally on the money about reading those. I can't even say that reading them is procrastination fodder, so much as considering it as a work related read. File it under education, save yourself the time and money of going to a writing class and read those books. Of course, if you write screenplays, maybe that's different. In any case, you need to read my former teacher form UCLA and personal yoda, Lew Hunter's:Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434: The Industry's Premier Teacher Reveals the Secrets of the Successful Screenplay . I wouldn't write a word without consulting Lew's tombe first. Screenplays are really about structure more than other kinds of prose, so bone up. I also might add Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life to the list for inspiration, though it's been years since I've read it. Still, it's on my shelf. These are the only books on writing on my shelf by the way... so in theory I guess I'm agreeing with Anne about not wasting too much time reading every little ditty about how to write. Writing's not really like that, it's not a passive thing you learn from reading about... it's more a sport. You learn by doing and falling down a bunch and getting back up until it works for you, or not.

Anyway, you can now log in the 10 minutes or so it's taken you to read this blog entry into your procrastination log. Now, it's back to work or starve!

Best,
Bluesy

Why is this Blog Different than All Other Blogs

2010-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've been blog surfing today, the only kind of surfing I'll ever do, despite living in the Beach Boy state. And I must say, I'm appalled at how much of a slacker I've become when it comes to this BLOG thing.

I have friends, like Ingrid Sundberg, whose blogs are so informative and consistent, she should get paid for being such a valuable resource. Other YA blogs are amusing and entertaining, Heather Kelly's blog "Edited Within an Inch of My Life" made me laugh in title alone. Her report on the latest NESCBWI conference aftermath was quite amusing.

And by the way, I also think Sarah Davies rocks. I've seen her speak at a few SCBWI conferences in NY and LA, and would also love to have her give me notes with that perfectly proper British accent. I imagine it the sort of comfort akin to Julie Andrews advising a spoonful of sugar in times of distress.

I read Ms. Davies' blog regularly, and not just because I aim to send her my YA book when I'm done. Perhaps it's because I feel a kinship; after all, my precious daughter is also a "Sarah," I'm one of the few Americans who enjoy a good cup of tea and a scone slathered with lemon curd; not to mention what a huge fan of BBC serial dramas I am. MI5, Wire in the Blood, Being Human, Torchwood, Primevil, Dr. Who, Ballykissangel, Monarch of the Glen, Ashes to Ashes, Abfab -- need I go on?

Sarah, it's obvious we should talk, or at least email.

Also, one of my regular author blog haunts is Lisa Yee of "Absolutely Maybe" fame, and her fabulous "What's Peep up to Now?" pictures. Today she has her dog in lieu of Peep, but I figure everyone needs to shake things up once in a while.

I noticed everyone's extraordinarily helpful and kind in the YA field -- though I confess, I do miss the days of Miss Snark, who always made me laugh with her crap-o-meter and comments like "you send me something like that and I'll need to set my hair on fire with lighter fluid."

Oh sure, Hollywoodland blogs still have plenty of snarkiness. And from time to time, I get a kick out of checking out The Hollywood Temp Diaries, after spending my twenties working as a super star writer's assistant slave, getting coffee cups chucked at my head and being told how many other folks were dying to do my job for free (Memories, like the corners of my mind.)

But YA is a very kumbaya crowd.

Don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate the time, effort and warm fuzzies I receive from these blogs. They're helpful, inspiring and there's oodles of them. I could spend all day reading these come hither words of what's hot, what's not, what to put in a query letter, when to write a query letter, how to approach a publisher, how to not piss off a publisher, how to be patient. In fact, I DID spend all day reading these blogs.

Only problem is, I kinda need to write. Even writing this blog is yet another excuse not to get going with those promised pages. Which leads me to the self realization about what this blog really should be about, if its to be a true reflection of the author.

So instead of telling you how to write, what to write, how I write, why I write, what I'm writing, etc. etc. I shall instead enthrall you, gentle reader, with my amazing, astounding suggestions and realizations upon the best ways NOT to write. That's right, I'm going to tell you the best ways to procrastinate and keep from writing.

For today's entry, let's say reading others blogs can be a truly fine way to spend the day and NOT get one single word written. You can walk away with the feeling that you've taken care of your writerly needs by doing all this fabulous research for what to do when you've finished your book/screenplay/graphic novel/autobiographical tomb.

Stay tuned for more fabulous, unique and fascinating ways NOT to get your writing done. And, if you have suggestions that you think are worthy of these pages, please post. I'd be honored to know that I was the one who encouraged your deep seeded need to clean the bathroom floor grout.

2009-12-29T23:47:00.000-08:00

After watching "Invictus," I got all teary and not because of the movie (though I did cry during "Princess and the Frog," but that's another story altogether).

It just so happens that the poem which inspired the title (and Mandela, apparently) was my mother's favorite poem. She told me when she was in high school, the teacher's made her memorize a poem, and she had picked "Invictus," though she said it held no particular emotional sway with her at the time. Perhaps she just thought it sounded cool. In any case, she memorized it and then late, when life indeed gave her more challenges than most... challenges of health problems that plagued her most of her adult life and which nearly killed her several times over, be it by stroke, heart attack and coma... which robbed her of her ability to walk without pain... .she said she was glad that she had memorized the thing way back when and that it did indeed come in handy.

At that time, I was about 14 or so, I was on a poetry kick and decided to memorize it too... and when in my life I'd come across serious adversity, maybe not as serious as the kind my mother had endured -- until dealing with her death a year and a half ago, that is -- I'd always thought it was a most remarkable string of words. Inspirational, strong, determined and steadfast.

"Invictus" was written by William Ernst Henley, a victim of tuberculosis of the bone. A few years later, while a teenager, the disease progressed in his foot and he had to have his foot amputated directly below the knee. In spite of this, in 1867 he successfully passed the Oxford local examination as a senior student. He wrote "Invictus" from a hospital bed in 1875. Despite his disability, he persevered with one foot intact, leading an active life, and died at the age of 53.

No poem could be more appropriate for my mother, who could barely walk, when she went back to school to get her Bachelor's of Science in her early 40's. She continued and got her Master's of Science in clinical psychology from Cal State University Northridge and went on to intern at Camarillo hospital, helping disturbed teens and then opened up a practice in Westport, CT where she also had her own talk psychology radio show. She specialized in women empowering themselves and gave assertiveness training sessions. She died not that much older than William Ernst Henley, finally succumbing to the diseases that tried to overcome her most of her life.

I wonder if she thought of "Invictus" when she lay in her hospital bed, at the moment she knew she would die.

After she passed, it was the first thing that came into my head.

Any movie called "Invictus," based on that particular poem -- is a winner to me.

By the way, here's the poem:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

christmastime for the jews

2009-12-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

Oy, I can't believe I haven't blogged since the summer. I have to be the worst blogger, I know. But on the upside, I HAVE been writing actual projects. Hard at work on my supernatural sci fi novel, the graphic novel of Evermore, which is almost finished, another couple of outlines for new screenplays and a comic strip for my UC Berkeley alumni entertainment industry publication coming out soon.

I hope everyone's had a productive year and that next year, it's even more so for all of us... and I hope our nation's economy kicks out of the toilet already, and that we all get good healthcare... oh yeah, and we need world peace already... seriously!!!

And for my favorite holiday treat... here's a link I know I used last year, it's an oldie but a goodie, and if they can show A Christmas Story 24 hours a day today every year, then I can Post Christmastime For the Jews for y'all once more (and by the way, be careful out there, don't shoot yer eye out).

Anyway, I'm off to watch Avatar in Imax 3D, in the meantime... enjoy!

(PS.. update... Avatar in Imax 3D was awesome! What a great way to celebrate anything.)

Christmastime for the Jews

What I'm working on

2009-08-21T15:26:00.001-07:00

I haven't updated this blog in ages. I know, I feel terrible guilt. Shame. The horror!

But I Do wonder, between posting on Twitter and Facebook (and reading all those twitter and facebook posts), reading several books at the same time... when does anyone find time to write?

Hence, something's got to go (like the house cleaning... laundry... dishes... etc.)... and this blog. Well, not go, just wait and wait and wait until I finally feel so guilty I post something.

Like now.

SO... I have been working on a supernatural YA book, for now it's called "Veronica Brown, The Second Coming." It's a working title, which means I'll probably change it... but you loyal bored blog reader, you'll be one of the few who can say "I read her blog way back when she was just writing that famous tomb of hers, so far back it was called "Veronica Brown, The Second Coming."

Don't you feel special now?

It's coming along fabulously, by the way. You needn't worry or fret. My goal is to have a draft finished by the end of the year. The kids go back to school next week and the dog we recently rescued, who was supposed to be "A cockapoo" but turned out more to be Heinz 57 and in heat when we got her, enough to make "Mr. Cuddles" nearly lose his mind with trying to have his way with her (luckily, our Miss Frosty is an ice queen and she keeps that gate tightly guarded under lock, key and serious snarl)... and heat lasts 27 days, so we're bound to have a calm two dog household any minute now -- so I see no reason not to succeed.

After going to the SCBWI conference this past month, meeting lots of agents, managers, editors, authors... and watching Jay Ascher dance at the Blue Moon Ball in a form fitting, crushed blue velvet suit and 6 inch platform heels dressed as Austin Powers, international man of mystery... I feel sufficiently inspired.

I also need to work on the graphic novel version of "Evermore"... in my free time (maybe like between 2 and 3am? Who needs to sleep).

You can find out what I'm doing more reliably on twitter www.twitter.com/zbluesy
and if you know me and really want the personal details of my life complete with color photo spreads, random video tidbits and want to follow my procrastinations in Technicolor, drop me a ping or a zing -- whatever you call it on www.facebook.com/zbluesy

And now, I'm going back into the cone of silence. Because I really, really, really want to finish this book. As I get closer to the finish line, I'll post more about it (like maybe telling you all what it's about)... but until now, just know, I intend on it being awesome, as in a great read, or really good and, of course, the old standby -- mighty fine!

Ciao,

Bonnie

Life In a Blender

2009-03-05T00:04:00.001-08:00

I came across the Chicken Dance off of "Life in a Blender's website:

Ahhhh, memories.

Where have all the Echoids gone? You know who you are.

Echoids: A group of savvy/smart/somewhat snobbish/cool techno geeks who would get together at haunts like CBGB's, or bars in Brooklyn, Soho and greenwich village, listening to music, going to art openings, theatre, installations -- lots of cool venues. If you were an Echoid, you had to be good.

Mark was our resident working dad and music guy in a band...a very good, smart, snarky, witty band called "Life in a Blender" (Mark is STILL in Life in a Blender, he was also really good with the parenting advice as I recall. I read his parenting posts even before I had any kids, they were so interesting)...we all loved the group... well, at least I loved the group. Let me tell you, you just haven't lived until you've seen the chicken dance live.

I also loved our Echoid softball games in Central Park. We, the ragtag film, music and computer geeks of the world hunkered down every Saturday morning and played assorted teams of lawyers, doctors, film studio studs, (the CPAs were the worst, they played for blood!). I was catcher, that is until I took my position a little too seriously and dislocated my thumb by getting run over by a 300 lb CPA, who did not care that I was a girl -- and a wimpy, unathletic girl determined to stand my ground for my team no matter what at that!

My thumb still aches when it's going to rain. But I did get the guy out.

Personally, I think they should rename the field for me, but-- was not meant to be.

It was also thanks to the Echoids that I got my very own movie magazine "MOVIEWEEK" off the ground (our slogan was that we were a "movie magazine for movie makers"). We were a very well respected online movie magazine at that, one of the first of the kind, WAY before "Ain't it Cool News" or anything else like that came along. Too bad we had no way to actually make any money, and there's just so much writing I could squeeze out of the most loyal Echoid gratis, after all. But oh, what a year it was! 3 films to review a day in plush, cushy screening rooms, with programs, incentives, free tickets to the NY Film Festival -- where I got to interview Catherine Deneuve and Mike Leigh, amongst other luminaries.

I got to review films with my partner Ian (we were the he said/she said of Movie reviewers), and I got to conduct interviews with the creme de la creme of the hot NY indie film scene who loved us... I was in heaven, I tell you... heaven!). We were an all Echoid staff, some double up on jobs under different names because we didn't want the studios who were inviting us to all these screenings to know that we were a bunch of kids working out of my studio apartment on 57th street (Ian got to be "James" head of our publicity department and had to stick up for his annoying, hard headed "boss" -- Iam aka himself... boy was that a kick to watch).

The best part of Echo wasn't just the haughty and helpful conversation on topics on everything from culture, art, movies, music to parenting, cooking, gardening and auto repair (yes, there was an expert on you name it)... the best part was that we took it Offline... we all supported each other's ventures, plays, shows, etc... parents met at playgrounds and playgroups, we met in restaurants in the Village, at the Mermaid parade in Coney Island..or at Joe's...

Where have all the echoids gone?? They're probably all still there... except for me, of course. I lost touch with all of them many years ago, moving around to 7 or 8 different states and back across the country since.

Some have had their books published (like Brett Leveredge, a swell guy, who I had a memorable evening watching "Welcome to the Dollhouse" with. Poor Brett, I remember getting all cathartic, self indulgent and weepy about my perception of my woefully pathetic, unpopular early childhood... despite the fact that I bailed on all that at age 11 when I moved to Los Angeles -- but that didn't stop my tales of woe, all those black eyes and hats tossed in the mailbox to endure. Poor Brett. I'm just thankful that I didn't become the subject of one of his books or commentaries on NPR.)

It warms my heart to see that others, like Mark are still recording cds and performing gigs.

I'm certain that there's an art installation going on in the snow by an Echoid right now, even as I write this from my comfortable West Coast digs. Remember that scene in "Sex and the City" the tv series, when Barishnokov and Carrie went back to see that woman who was "living art" at 2am to see if she went to sleep or ate -- I'm sure that woman was an Echoid. I'd bet on it.

Just for curiousity sake, I took a peek at the Echo URL -- yes, they have a URL now. Back then, you just dialed in via your telnet program (ECHO is still, as it was, a purist of the we'll talk to who we want to talk to, community model).

They are there at http://www.echonyc.com I see Echo's founder, author, spokesperson, extremely organized person, and one of the smartest ladies I've ever met, Stacy Horn, is still there hosting the ball. A shout out to you, Stacy. I think you're terrific.

I was pleased and somewhat relieved to see that in today's in your face social online world, with our blogs (ahem, yes like this one), and facebooks and twitters to folks, many of whom you will never get to know in real life or see often, if at all --Echo is an online offline social hybrid. A telnet community. You have to be a member, join, pay your dues and telnet in (yes, people apparently still telnet... and why not, if it ain't broke, why fix it?) The fact that everyone knows everyone on Echo makes it feel warm, friendly and a safe haven for New Yorkers who want to "be a part of it."

I tried to stay in touch when I moved out of the city, off to other states, places, a family, a new life. I telnetted in for a while, but without the actual facetime it just wasn't the same. Not being able to see the gang, schmooze, booze and mingle with 'em. It was the end of an era for me, certainly -- a warm, fuzzy, and gosh, you'd better be on your toes and not say something stupid or you'll never live it down era. But a genuinely caring and supportive community as well.

Echoids, I salute you! Better yet, in your honor, I shall do... the chicken dance... offline.

love
bluesy

Christmastime for the Jews

2008-12-31T18:15:00.001-08:00

Swiped this from a friend's facebook page. Just too funny, had to share, even though it's past xmas (what they hey, if Disneyland can have Christmastime until January 4th, so can we). By the way, happy new year to all. All I want for this new year is health and happiness for my family, and a 6 picture deal with renewable options for myself. Is that asking so much?

Hallelujah for the Holidays

2008-12-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

This performance by Alexandra Burke performing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" on England's "Xfactor" talent contest/tv show was "through the moon can't believe how good this is good." We've never had an American Idol performance that was this amazing (okay, Jennifer Hudson doing "I'm Telling You I'm Not Goin'" was pretty darn close, but after all, Jennifer went on to do the role in the movie and win an Oscar, so she got her props). I'm not at all surprised that her released version of this song (you can get the actual video online, but I prefer this live one) was on the top of the British charts, according to today's "Hollywood Reporter." What was surprising was that the awesome Jeff Buckley version from years past was number two right behind it... but I honestly can see having both versions in my iTunes collection (as soon as iTunes offers the Alexandra Burke version... what is WITH itunes not offering the British iTunes songs at the same time here, eh?) Anyway, play this and enjoy. It's the perfect song to listen to during your Chanukah and Christmas celebrations (one of the true non denominational, spiritually uplifting songs for the holiday season). Happy Holidays -- Bluesy

And as long as we're in the bluesy mood, I thought that this was a terrific performance on Xfactor by Alexandra Burke and Beyonce performing "Listen." Alexandra's genuine emotion had me in tears and her voice has enough blues and soul to make her stand out.

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2008-12-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, is it me or is this Twilight trailer spoof too funny?

Of course, I did see the movie, first week it was out. In a theatre full of giddy teenage girls and a few 40something moms and I must say -- it was a whole lotta fun. Sure, it might be a bit corny and not everyone's cup of tea, but if you read the book it's just a whole lotta fun to see this interpretation of it on the big screen. The casting was perfect, if you ask me. And I was very impressed with the screenplay, which managed to be faithful to the book while condensing a very BIG book. The direction was just stylish enough to be cool to look at and moody (she must've shot on Agfa was my first thought... ever the film major, what can I say). But it wasn't so overwhelmingly "auteur" to detract from what we're all really there for... to see Edward and Bella.

I confess, I did sneak into the film to see it a second time (at least the second half of it) after I'd just seen Australia (a great film by the way, Hugh Jackman reminded me of Bogie in "The African Queen" in it... who knew he could be so good at playing hard to get? It's a keen actor who can get down the macho, snarky, sexy, wounded tough guy routine down... peachy keen to you Hugh. There's more to you than a pocketfull of Freddy Krueger blades a la Wolverine. And Nichole Kidman did conjure up images of a young Katherine Hepburn, come to think of it. But the real discovery in that film was the young boy, who really should be up for an Oscar (and win. Where did this kid COME from. He's a natural).

Anyway, back to Twilight and sneaking in to see it again... this time, the movie theatre was completely empty (after all, it was like 10pm on a weeknight in the suburbs). And I admit, it did seem a bit Kitschy and yeah, a bit hokey. But hey, I'm still a fan.

Kudos to the music soundtrack too... I especially like a couple of the tunes... the Muse tune inspired me to download the whole Muse album

I also liked that song they played over the party scene "Go all the way (into the Twilight)", however I'm kinda miffed that Itunes won't let me just buy the song instead of the whole album (but not miffed enough to shamelessly plug the soundtrack for you to buy here,

While you're at it, in the downloading mood. Itunes has been having some pretty good free downloads in their music of the week section

Ciao for now,

Bluesy in Hollywoodland

Confessions of a Closet Anglophile

2008-06-08T21:27:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have a feeling that all this time I've been an Anglophile and didn't know it. Sure there were signs through the years... various friends from England, good friends, close friends, friends who introduced me to the benefits of Twinning's English Breakfast Tea and Constant Comment, with milk and sugar... and then there was that British Canadian punk biker loser I briefly dated, but I think that had more to do with his motorcycle than the accent, though some things might work on a subconcious level. Then there's the self confessed "Dr. Who" fixation in my very early Elementary school formative years... Dr. Who, Fred Flintstone and the Jetsons, I was a strange kid.

And then, in high school... I somehow got my hands on AbFab... how could anyone not love AbFab, right? And authors? Love Martin Amis, Nick Hornby, Janet Winterson... love 'em.

But it's taken until now, when the rest of our shortened TV season has ended post haste, before the summer goodies like Rescue Me and Burn Notice come back to entertain us, to discover how much I really really love what they're doing on the BBC these days.

Torchwood. Have I talked about Torchwood lately? Love it. LOVE it. Top notch sci-fi writing, very good acting (which is key when you're playing people who shoot hokey looking monsters that look like they're Creature Feature castoffs... but honestly, it's not about the effects or the great make-up for me in these things... it's all about the story, and do I buy into this world... in Torchwood, totally). Now Torchwood is, no surprise, a spin-off from Dr. Who... but a Dr. Who I confess I never watched, this new Dr. Who doesn't quite cut it for me.... I'm a loyalist, old fashioned. But taken on it's own value, Torchwood is hot. And sexy. And where else can you get a flagrantly bi-sexual immortal Tom Cruise lookalike playing the lead... BBC, you naughty Brits, your repressed reputation is such an undeserved bad rap... this show makes American shows look like a buncha puritans, legalized gay marriage aside. I mean Will and Grace, totally tame compared to some of the smoochy sex scenes and risque banter going about in this show...But the main thing is, like I said, really good sci fi stories, great premise, love it.

But it's not just sci fi that I love with the Brits lately... I then got hooked on Wire in the Blood... great show... about a psychologist who gets in the midns of serial killers so he can help the police catch 'em... excellent writing and Robin Green is awesome. Very addictive TV.

After I watched every one of those, I tapped back into the ol' Blockbuster Online queue and checked out MI-5. MI-5 has totally taken my breath away. I'm at the end of the second season in my DVD viewing and am so thrilled to see I've got 3 more seasons to go to catch up on (mind you, I don't get BBC America from my cable company... I tried to get them to buy into it, but they're not biting). MI-5 is just the piece de la resistence, I think. Why don't we have anything like it here? It's a mix of James Bond, Mission Impossible and the Mod Squad... but all done in a very modern day crisis, post 9-11 mentality which makes it fresh, and refreshing.... vital.. .and nothing like anyhthing I've seen here. I know they've tried to do CIA stuff but it's just missed the mark in making a good ensemble cast with good chemistry and very human, personable stories that we really care about. It's like the Grey's Anatomy of Spydom, or Spookdom as they call themselves "Spooks" after all. Everything's a crisis that's really worth freaking out over and the results are NOT that predictable... After the first season, I thought for sure they killed off some majorly sympathetic characters. Tears were shed. Thank God I could immediately have that all rectified by the beginning of the second season... I could never have waited months to find out what happened.

Anyway... what's next that I'm missing? East Enders? I'm not a soap fan but it seems there's no genre they're doing at the BBC world that I'm not liking. Come to think of it, I did used to really love Ballykissangel and Monarch of the Glenn... so this BBC fixation isn't new but... well, those things were more Scottish after all.. not sure if it fits the Anglophile profile, even if it was done by the BBC.

I know I'm not the only one, in any case. David E. Kelly's bought the rights to Life on Mars (which I've never seen, but sure I'd love) and is bringing it to "the states" this fall.

Now if only someone would pick up MI5, Torchwood and Wire in the Blood... Nah, why bother. The originals are great and still on the air... I'll just brew myself a nice cupa tea and get some bisquits and curl up with the DVD collections when they come out. That'll at least hold me until September.

Oh and yeah, we all know I'm supposed to be working on my next script, writing... which I am doing. It's a drama... by the way. And I'm also working on a Kyle XY spec script... really. But they put off the deadline off until July 31 for the Disney Fellowships so... why write today what you can write tomorrow... right?

Until next time... ciao, uhm cheery oh... oh Bollocks! Just take care of yourself, have some fun, wear sunscreen!

Bluesy

Here's a really funny BBC parody of Torchwood.

PS. You can order your own DVD collection of Torchwood, MI5, Wire in the Blood and more from this link.

Also, the latest season of MI5 (season 6) which hasn't been on BBC america is available in January from this link. I know that I'll be pre-ordering mine now.

Pre-order Hot Upcoming Releases Now at BBC America Shop!

Trapped in the Drive-Thru

2008-05-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Now for something completely different...You've been writing long enough, you need a break or you'll get neck cramps... but what to do? Wax the floor (nah), laundry (why bother), do the dishes (gross)... I got it, spend 11 minutes watching a painfully funny video by Weird Al!!!!!! Genius!!!!!

Mr. Dark Shadows

2008-01-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

A word about Dan Curtis... just a word, because I'm in the middle of actually writing my script and no doubt this bit of procrastination will take me off my game for a while... but I was researching something to do with my screenplay on Wikipedia and came across the name "Dan Curtis" ... a name that I cannot see without taking pause. Giving thanks. And so, I must here on this blog that nobody reads, will read -- must in print give my thanks to someone who really changed my life for the better and whom I owe big time... a debt that I will never be able to repay now that he's dead. Still, I must say a word about Dan Curtis.

I met Dan as a kid, a very young kid just out of college. I remember my interview with him... I was sent by a temp agency that specialized in Hollywood gigs to work as a writer's assistant. I was warned by the woman who sent me out that Mr. Curtis had a bit of a reputation, and did I think I could handle it. What was his rep? "I've sent over 7 girls there so far and they've all either been fired or quit... the last three were in tears." Apparently, Dan had a reputation for making the girls cry.

Then I met Dan... and out of fairness, I can see and believe that Dan probably did make the girls cry... but Dan was very misunderstood... first off, he didn't talk, he barked. He yelled too.. but it wasn't out of anger, it was just the way Dan communicated... dan was very passionate about everything, and okay a bit grumpy... but Dan was NOT a mean person, not a bad guy at all... in fact, once I got to know him, I must admit that Dan Curtis probably became more of a role model as a writer... if I ever were to have a real mentor in Hollywood, it was Dan. He gave me a chance to experience everything in making a feature film (and a TV miniseries too... people forget, Dan Curtis was a totally split personality guy who could do both serious vampire horror stuff, like create Dark Shadows, and the Night Stalker and produce all those Dracula, horror flicks for years and years... but also he gave us The Winds of War, War and Rememberance, Intruders... lots of stuff... he was the king of vampire flicks on TV and the miniseries). Dan was a generous guy. He gave to charity, lots. He gave people chances, lots of actors that others would not bank on, would not give chances to... and you know who you are... they owe Dan big time. He talked tough, very tough and he cursed like a sailor, that's for sure... I've never seen anyone curse the way Dan did (remember what David Letterman said about him when Dan was on the show about the Winds of War... about him "poneying up the money"... we used to laugh about that one, because Letterman so had the Dan inflection spot on, minus the cursing, of course). He was smart, he knew story, knew people... knew what moved them and what turned them off and he put all of that into his scripts, his films, his work. I'm sure there are many out there who could tell their stories of Dan, probably many have. But this is just little ole' me's take on how he changed my life for the better.

I was hired that day as a writer's assistant, a temp... within a day, Dan was handing me scripts and asking me what I thought about them... and after that, he wanted to know what I would do to fix then... pretty soon Dan and I wrote together... no, I never got that elusive writing credit on a produced film... but I wrote a lot with Dan, we did lots of horror stuff... rewrote Jekyl and Hyde... a great version, if I do say so myself (though he never wanted to do any vampire stuff, isn't that funny). I wrote with the Trilogy of Terror Zuni fetish doll on my desk... the same doll that honestly scared the crap out of my as a kid when I watched late night TV a rerun of that film... I don't think there's been any film then or since that scared me as much as that damned doll... so of course I insisted it sit on my desk to "inspire" me).

There's tons of things I could say about Dan, all those stories he told me... how he let me watch movies be scored (that was a real thrill), how he let me watch the editing process and how he trusted me to be the one to see and comment on the dailies to the film we were working on... I was just a kid, barely out of my teens and to have such responsibility, to have someone like him trust me so much... it really gave me confidence and helped me mature and grow as a writer, a filmmaker, a person. For that I will forever be grateful to Dan Curtis... Mr. Dan Curtis.

One of my greatest regrets is that I never got to say goodbye to Dan, to see him before he died, to comfort him when his beloved Norma died. My mom got sick and things happened and well, I had to be in CT to take care of her and I'm very glad I did... very glad indeed. But when I heard that Dan died... when I read it online, in the newspaper (it barely got a blurb in the Connecticut papers and dammit, Dan Curtis was FROM Connecticut... Bridgeport, actually)... it hurts greatly... I don't know if he ever realized how grateful I was to him for being the person to encourage me to write movies... to inspire me... to give me the confidence that yes, I was good and I could do this and do this well... dan was always so sure I would make it in this business, he told me so many times over tuna fish sandwiches in the commisary (we both loved those damned tuna sandwiches... we could've eaten anything but no, it was always the same... creatures of habit the both of us)... and how he loved to sit outside and have a parade of famous actors pass by and give their thanks go him, their regards... it was like sitting with the Godfather sometimes... the stories I would hear. Dan Curtis touched so many people's lives in Hollywood and so many people's lives in the world with his stories and vision... and heart... such a great heart and passion to tell a good story...

It's no wonder I'm finally writing a vampire movie (and graphic novel) now is it. I'm sure Dan influenced me... sure there's a bit of his vision that permeated through my brain and is now coming out on the page. So often Hollywood and the Vampire thing are used as metaphores. I mean, it's no coincidence that every damned vampire movie or tv show is set in Los Angeles since the dawn of time (except for Dark Shadows... collinwood and LA had nothing in common, good for Dan, always the original). Well, if Hollywood and it's people are like vampires that are supposed to suck you dry, I am living proof that can tell you that it can also be a badly needed transfusion, that will nourish you to life.

And to Dan, I can honestly say, the thought of going to LA and not being able to see you and say Hi, is the first time you've made me cry.

--bluesy

Sexual Politics, Feminist Themes in the Buffydom

2008-01-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm thinking one of the benefits of having a blog (other than providing me with lots of time to procrastinate from the actual writing I'm supposed to be doing for money and fame and fortune, et al), and a blog that most likely nobody will read, is that I can rant all I want about totally useless geeky things that nobody in their right mind would publish elsewhere.

This will be one of those times, as my inner geek has been surfacing more than usual lately.

As you probably know, I'm working on a sci-fi script (or as none of you know, I am indeed working on a sci-fi screenplay and a graphic novel, based on my own story and "universe" -- let's call it the bluesyverse... and in doing such a thing, I am practicing the age old art of research (aka procrastination).

Research for me right now means watching lots of sci-fi stuff and lots of hero stuff and anything that could fit in the whole Joseph Campbell journey of myth milieu. I've gone through the whole Spiderman series (of which let's face it, Spiderman two is not only the best of the three movies, no doubt because Alvin Sargeant wrote it and he is a god of the screenplay as far as I'm concerned... and I know this because Lew Hunter, my mentor, former teacher at UCLA and the greatest screenwriting teacher ever told, er to tell... oh Lew's the best, we all know that... reaffirmed my love of Spidey 2... because in addition to structure, Spidey 2 has character.. it has heart... and I don't know about you but I LOVE a good superhero with heart.... noble and being a champion is good too... nice arm and shoulder muscles, even better... I'm not into skinny superheroes, which would probably be an oxymoron anyway... but I digress... a lot)

So in addition to all the Spidey, Superman, Batman and Matrix movies and the Star Wars Movies... I've been watching and rewatching the first 3 seasons of Buffy, and all the Angel tv dvd's... because in my opinion, it's a major shortcut to watching all these types of sci-fi hero movies/tv shows... it's like watching every star Trek and outer Limits episodes, some Hong Kong cinema (which I love), lots of John Woo and the aforementioned Matrix series... and then some, put together... you can see the homages and the subliminal plotlines and turns from all these things... some intentional, some not... I figure the writers and I were weaned on the same diet of TV and film growing up and it's gotta give you the same kind of warped mindset to really appreciate the in jokes...

More digressing... the point is, as I'm watching the "Becoming" episodes of Buffy, where Angel, or rather Angelus, the bad evil angel who used to be good until he slept with Buffy and now he's soulless has his soul reinstated only to be sent to hell by his former girlfriend. A great piece of storytelling if ever there was on so many levels... never mind that they kinda pillaged off of it in the Angel series when he once again became "bad" not because of sex, but because of trying to get info that only the soulless version would know about (a logic that's a bit too hokey for me, but I can appreciate that they had to get him bad again for SOME reason and sometimes, you gotta go for the stretch instead of say, some nice hypnosis and an alka selzer)... besides, watching David B. do his Anthony Hopkins imitation behind those prison bars is worth it enough to forgive them for how he got there.

What's bugging me though, and what's prompted me to write this rant... is that I've always thought of Joss Whedon's stuff as being rather feministic, not only because he's said so a million times, but because I do appreciate that he's got a super strong lead female character (characters) that are way stronger than all the guys and she knocks them flat on their butts many times over with some very cool Judo or Karate or whatever you call that stuff... and she does it without baring cleaveage and a lot of make-up... I mean, you gotta give the creator kudos for that... at least I gottta.

But, but... there's some things that just don't add up in terms of his message, his theme, his Lajos Egri inspired raison d'etre. Especially in this key episode, addition to the Buffyverse. How can you have a feministic and chauvinistic message at the same time????

Let's start with the framing device. Episode opens with Darla turning the naive "Liam" into a vampire. She tells him of the wonders of her world and tells him to close his eyes. Then she sends him to mortal hell, aka makes him a vampire.

And Episode 2 of the same Saga has Buffy doing what... telling him to close his eyes right before sending him to actual hell.

So thematically, what's the message? If you listen and trust women, they will trick you, tell you they love you, make you close your eyes and then send you to hell. Not exactly huge leaps of deduction going on, I realize.

But I gotta wonder, how does the guy who is giving us feminist heroes also telling us that women are a guy's damnation.

I'm confused... I'm disturbed... I'm wondering was it really worth sacrificing such a large thematic point to pull off a smarty, pithy setup. Say it ain't so Joss... women can be strong, smart and not the cause of man's eternal damnation.

Just because you're being an equal opportunity gender basher doesn't mean you totally should get off the hook (to clarify: having Buffy's first sexual experience make the guy turn into a monster and then taunt her with the old "He was so nice until I broke down and had SEX with him" message can be excused and even admired/laughed at BECAUSE you're at least making fun of the whole thing and not taking it seriously is why the whole series works, after all... and besides, it is good TV)...

But the whole Angel going to hell thing is really NOT played for laughs... both of these episodes play it way more straight than most of the episodes in the buffydom/ or angeldom or whatever you want to call it.

Not that I have an answer. I don't know how you can really get away with both being smart and not saying women are conduits to evil and man's downfall... but just personally, being a woman and all... I think in this case I would've had myself a private moment of "Gee, I could do that and wouldn't it be cool"... but not repeated the scene with the two women and frame it like this... it just adds way too much power to the theory. I wouldn't have opened with the voice-over at all and skipped the whole Darla/Angel/ how angel became a vampire scene in this and instead used it only in that Angel episode (by the way, I do wonder if they redid the scene 2 years later, or just used footage from the first time... I can't recall now if they did but something tells me they re shot it because I do not remember Darla saying "Close your eyes" when I watched it in the Angel season two episode (I think it was season 2 but I will not check... there are levels to my geekdom, after all... though I DO remember she tears at her bosom and uses that to make him become a vampire... a little tit for tat when it comes to equating sex with downfall... and come to think of it, not very feministic either).

Not that there's anyone out there who wants to pick a fight with me on this, but actually I'd be welcome to hear your opinions on this... if you're either feeling bored or pissed off by my ravings. Feel free to reply, I'll post all valid replies. I would like to know if others have felt this way... or not.

Oh, I'm adding a new feature because... well why not. Music I've been listening to today (maybe it's what's affecting my moods... then again, it could be something in the water):
Tom Waits (about 5 different cds, old and new), Aimee Mann (Magnolia), Bowie (assorted), Etta James (Loves been rough on me), Annie Lennox (her latest cd.. played 3 times in a row)... that's it so far but the night is young.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program (in other words, playtime's over, back to the coal mines).

Bluesy

(PS... I broke down and watched "The Namesake" last night... I was right the first time, big mistake... nowhere NEAR as impactful as the book... might not even have worked at all if I didn't know all the backstory by reading the book and loving it so... very disappointed in Mira Nair, who I normally love, especially her work on Monsoon Wedding... maybe if they had Jumpa Lahira write the screenplay it would've had something of the magic the novel had... then again, maybe not... now I'm even more terrified to see what they've done with "The Kite Runner."

2007-12-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

New Year 2008 on the horizon and I'm hard at work on a new screenplay, a feature film, sci-fi (my favorite genre) of which I don't want to say anything about, for fear of giving it the well known kineahorah. It's got supernatural stuff in it and was no doubt influenced by all the Joss Whedon stuff I've been watching lately on DVD (especially "Angel"... Love Angel... killer series, awesome TV... yes, I know that's not just because of JW but all of the great writers they had on staff, Marti Noxon, Jane Espenson, David Greenwalt, Tim Minear... but the man's got vision, a great sense of character and story... and apparently he and I have watched all the same stuff growing up because I admit a secret thrill when I see a redo of a classic episode of the Outer Limits (like the one where a woman's getting plastic surgery by disfigured monkeys so she can be "pretty" like them... gotta love that Gru homage) and get all the in jokes (to serve man, it's a menu!).

My script's also influenced by Joseph Campbell (well, at least I hope so, I mean, I personally feel influenced by the man, so he must've rubbed off). Funny, I was always told to read Campbell in film school and, I confess, always blew off in the past as in "I don't need no stinkin' campbell." Boy was I an idiot. Joseph Campbell was one of the smartest, most influential dissectors of dramatic story structure that ever lived (well, maybe aside from Aristotle). Needless to say, I am very hip on Campbell these days and sure the script will show it, hopefully in a cool, non-didactic way. If you could cross the structure of Campbell with the dialogue of some of the Tracy/Hepburn films... the looks of Cary Grant... and like put it in space... imagine what a killer script you'd have.

I've also been writing the script as a graphic novel, though I think it makes more sense for now to complete it as a screenplay, then write it as a GN. The mediums are both very similar and completely different. Still, I've always wanted to write a graphic novel... I'm totally enamoured with the good ones. Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series is still the king of them, as far as I'm concerned, though I've recently read some cool ones like Ex Machina, Lucifer, and checked out the Buffy and Angel ones, which are pretty good.

I've also been working on a spec script -- a "Bones" spec script... another show I never watched before the writer's guild strike (sad that so many friends and wonderful creative people are worried about losing their homes and I'm revelling in lost tv series offerings). Anyway, I picked up the first season DVD set and got addicted so much that I had to watch all three seasons to see what happened (funny because the reason I checked it out in the first place was because I'd just finished re-watching every episode of "Angel" for like the third time and was interested to see what David Boreanaz was up to... and while Bones probably has more in common with "House" or those CSI/detective shows than "Angel"... well, actually it has nothing at all to do with "Angel"... it just goes to show that David B's a diverse and talented actor. Cool that he can move from playing an iconic larger than life vampire hero to a Catholic ex-sniper FBI guy smitten with a girl who's super smart and can do a drop kick even better than he can at the blink of an eye... hmmm, come to think of it maybe there are similarities, albeit if Angel were human and channeling James Garner from "The Rockford Files").

Anyway, Bones has definitely grown on me. Love the lead female character, Temperence Brennan... I'm a very big fan of brainy girls who can kick butt, but have no interpersonal skills (maybe Temperence is an Aspie?). And I've got a killer storyline for it (pun intended). So, I started outlining the script for that show and will probably write the teleplay as soon as I've got a rough draft of my feature script completed. (Am I the only writer who can work on two completely different stories at the same time? Am I the only ADD writer who can work on two completely different stories at the same time? I think not. Not if I don't need to sleep, that is. Sleep is totally overrated.)

So... that's what I've been up to, all two of you who are reading this (whomever you are).

Oh, I also watched the pilot episode of Battlestar Galactica, the miniseries again... as awesome a piece of storytelling as it was 3 years ago when I first saw it. I've seen every episode of the show from the beginning; that and Lost, House, Heroes, Dexter, Weeds, Nip Tuck, The 4400, Californication, Pushing Daisies, Rescue Me... amongst others... let's face it, I'm a pathetic TV addict... there is no hope for me... just think, if it weren't for the writer's strike, I probably wouldn't have had time to add these box set series to my repertoire. And now that I signed up for Hulu, I'm totally gonna be media saturated.

I'm still waiting to see the DVD of "The Namesake" which I've had in the house for a month now, waiting on top of my DVD player for me to pop it in. I think deep down I'm afraid to watch it because I adored the book so much and I'm never happy after I see a movie based on a book I absolutely loved. I'll probably keep the Kiterunner on standby for months as well when that one comes out on DVD... I haven't rushed to the theatre to see it and won't... I wonder if there's a word for this sort of adaption-phobia. It's similar to remakes of classic french films that have been Americanized... I often fear those as well. Must have been all that time I spent in the Berkeley film archives. A film snob who's addicted to TV, hmm, is that a paradox?

And the music I've been writing by these days... very eclectic.
lots of Elvis Costello, classic David Bowie, Rolling Stones, John Coltrane, the new Alicia Keyes, Amy Winehouse's "Frank", classic Chicago blues, Aimee Mann, Bob Dylan... what a weird mix. In any case, 2008 is certain to be a unique, productive and exciting new year.

Bluesy