Thursday, August 31, 2006

Drinkbusters 1x2 Is 25%

Finished.
I'm pretty happy about this since this one.

There are some funny lines in this! Especially dealing with the Evil Eye beer....hehehe!!!!

I'm going to try to have this posted by Friday, that is my goal. Saturday is going to be very busy with The Passing Drummers on tap and that starts at 10 a.m.

I'm very excited about the next episode and hopefully when we get together for that one we can make at least two episodes out of it! That would be great and give the Drinkbusters a break in between shows!

I want this to be something they look forward to every week not something they dread to do so I want to schedule to be easy for them to make:)

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Drinkbusters Is A Success!!!!

So far everyone who has seen Drinkbusters and contacted me about the show has enjoyed it!!!!

It is a fun show and I have gotten some great ideas on improving the show which is always good to receive!

I'm working on the second episode now and getting it ready to take it live very soon. Weezy has gotten her September schedule so we are now working on a filming date for the third episode. I believe that if we hang out ahead of time and relax amongst ourselves the show will be better and more relaxed which should equal funny!!!!

I'm looking forward to getting the second episode online and getting the feedback for it!

Saturday will be busy. We will be having a practice shoot for The Passing Drummers to bond the cast and crew. Basically to get the cast members who are not used to the film process used to me and the other two cameras.

It will be interesting to see how the bonding goes since it is the largest cast we have worked with. It is a good thing that most everyone is familiar with each other and get along well. That is always a good thing and a great place to start!!!!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Karr Case Follow Up

See there?

All of that hype over nothing. They guy was just some sicko who wanted to be famous for a couple of minutes and craved attention.

Did the media care? Nope, they jumped all over this case like a sparrow on a seed, hoping it was finally wrapped up. They practically had the guy on death row before he even arrived in Colorado.

No DNA no case, but one thing that is good, if you can call it good, is that a massive cloud of suspicion has been lifted from the parents.

Hopefully this will be the last I ever write about a current event like this but I know that someday somebody will claim to have some kind of inside information on another case and then the media will just go bonkers again, showing little or no restraint in the pursuit of justice in the media.

Who needs a court system anyway?

Monday, August 28, 2006

A Recent Re-Discovery

Yep, recently I decided to explore the Gentle Giant of Country Music's body of work.

The other night Chris and I were going to Wal-Mart when Don Williams started to sing on my Sirius radio. His rich baritone voice soothed my dash speakers when Chris asked, "Who's that?"

"Don Williams", I replied without even looking at the name. His voice is one of the most recognized in country music. Sadly he has been all but forgotten today and has gone the way of John Conlee, Mel McDaniel, Earl Thomas Conley, T.G. Sheppard, Ronnie Milsap, and Eddy Raven. Mainly singers from that time period where country was at its lowest in terms of popularity. You can add the Mandrell sisters in there and a few others. This was just before the Garth Brooks revolution that rescued an entire industry.

Before singers like Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Travis Tritt. Well before Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, and singers of that ilk. Not that they are bad, just not the same.

That is the beauty of Satellite Radio, you hear things you haven't heard in years. Songs you remember from long ago and it prompts you to get their CDs out and give them a listen again!

So that is what happened to me and Don Williams. I enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought a Don Williams CD for Chris since he enjoys country music as well.

Don Williams was one of the premier singers of the 70's and early 80's in American Country Music. He is known for ballads mostly. He sings gentle songs which coupled with his deep and rich voice just make it easy to listen to and enjoy. In fact you can't help but enjoy any song from Don Williams.

They are slow and gentle and you would probably be amazed at how many you have heard before but didn't know who sang them. Songs such as If Hollywood Don't Need You (Honey I Still Do), I Believe In You, Tulsa Time, Good Ole Boys Like Me, and Lord I Hope This Day Is Good are wonderful songs. You would do yourself a favor just to hear one or two:)

Sunday, August 27, 2006

DRINKBUSTERS IS LIVE!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVCXc0Ps1Lg

My friends you can see the show here!!!!

This is the final product. I have had advice that a plain background might be better but I like the moving background idea a bit better.

So for now a plain background will do. I also have had a hard time coming up with something that really adds to the show that moves.

We'll see. I can change it later on if a moving background works better or leave it plain if that works better.

If you have any drink recipes to offer, please send them to Drinkbusters@yahoo.com

The stronger the drink the funnier it will be;)

My Draft

Well folks here is my draft. I have to say this was one of the hardest drafts that I have ever been in. There didn't seem to be any blown picks early. The first three drafted were of course Shaun Alexander, LT, and LJ respectively.

I drew the fourth pick overall so Tiki Barber fell to me. I am hoping that the Giants will be the offensive juggernaut that they have the potential to be. If Tiki has a season similar to last year then my team will be a force in the league, if not then I'll be a donater to the pot this season.

Here is my full draft in order:
R1-4: Tiki Barber
R2-9: Torry Holt
R3-1: Randy Moss
R4-12: Laurence Maroney
R5-12: T.J. Duckett
R6-1: Reggie Brown
R7-11: Marc Bulger
R8-2: Muhsin Muhammad
R9-11: Brad Johnson
R10-2: Cinncinati D
R11-11: Denver D
R12-2: Sebastian Janikowski
R13-8: Josh Scobee

So as you can see we repick every other round in the draft. It makes things a little bit more interesting and can also make things a bit tougher since you can wind up with picks like my run of 11s and 2s.

So as you can see my RBs are lottery picks. Tiki is of course the stud. Duckett should carry the ball a lot in Washington if Portis's injury lingers any at all. Since it is a shoulder injury and might be easily re-injured then Duckett can be the man but regardless of Portis, he will see plenty of goal line situations. Laurence Maroney has the potential to be the best rookie this year. Corey Dillon is at the Eddie George part of his career, his yards per carry has dropped and the wear and tear is starting to catch up to him. Maroney can wind up being the starter very early on in the season and if he does then nothing but an injury will prevent him from a great season.

My WRs are lethal. Even if Randy Moss doesn't return to form he will still grab 10 TDs and 1200 yards. If he does return to form then 15-16 TDs and 1400 yards isn't out of the question. Reggie Brown is the #1 in Philly, I mean someone has to have the ball thrown to him and Reggie is the man in a very weak receiving corp. Brian Westbrook is nicked up some so for a short while Brown will be the main target for McNabb.

I don't even have to mention my top WR, Torry Holt is clearly the blue chipper here. He just produces and with an improved offensive attack on board in St. Louis he will put up some monster numbers as well as my QB Bulger. Muhsin Muhammad is the man in Chicago, he will be the bye week player unless they find some kind of offense.

My Ds are above average but not stellar. My Ks are average but again not stellar. Brad Johnson is my back up QB and will get 20 TDs anyway.

So as you can see it was a tough draft. There just was't any more sure thing picks after no one really blew any picks. Sometimes you can count on at least one person falling to you because someone else overlooked him, not this time.

We'll see how the season goes. This team has potential to be at the top of the league or the bottom. I just don't see an average team here. Good or bad not much else.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Tom Cruise Crackup

How fast can one actor alienate an entire country?

In less than one year. Tom Cruise has just gone way overboard the past year. He was given a bit too much leash and hung himself with it.

He is so isolated and self absorbed that he really thought that America cared what he thought and would follow him in lockstep....*snicker* yeah, he lost it, all of it!!!!

Paramount has cut ties with his production company after the couch jumping incident and the "I know more than you do" Matt Lauer interview which lead to Mission Impossible 3 doing a huge belly flop in the theaters.

So Paramount makes a fraction of what Cruise pulled in on that flop and with the economics of the situation they cut this lunatic from the payroll.

You know I've blogged about the crazed Cruise before and I have no love for this guy at all. He reminds me of Mr. Hyde from work. Cruise is a moron and I can't be happier now that his junk will have a harder time finding a theatrical audience.

It seems proof that there is Divine Justice afterall in this world!!!!

Bye Bye Tom Cruise can't say that it has been fun.

Today is also DRAFT DAY!!!! One of my favorite days of the year!!!!

I'll post the results later tonight or tomorrow!!!!

Friday, August 25, 2006

Bad Week Is Over!!!!

This week at work we had an inspection team come around. It happens about once a year so it isn't unexpected.

The military wants to make sure the contractors are doing thier jobs and holding up their end of the contract so they send out teams of military inspectors to do so. The problem is that everyone goes bonkers and slips into insanity about this same time of year.

Yes it is good to have things in order and ready for inspection, no it isn't good to lose your head and go overboard with it.

First of all no one can get fired over an inspection. Not only that but a bad inspection for a unionized contractor has pretty much no effect at all. You don't lose pay, you don't lose benefits, you lose pretty much nothing and the reverse is true as well.

For an outstanding inspection you get nothing. If you shop did better than everyone else's shop you get zip out of the deal. Which leads me to my apathetic mood during this time of year.

Thank goodness for DVD Tuesdays and Veronica Mars!!!! That show has rocked this week!!!!

I'm going to be busy this weekend so I doubt if I'm going to be able to watch it like I'd like to but next week I'm going to watch it when I can.

Today the inspectors are loading up and we are going to cook a bunch of bratwursts for lunch for everyone. It'll be a slower more relaxing day.

Tonight I plan on editing the commercial for the Coke contest if I get the music. I think I can do it in a matter of an hour or less but we'll see.

Tomorrow is DRAFT DAY!!!! I can't wait!!!!
I've got my lists, my sleeper list, and my cash!!!!

Everything I need to make tomorrow successful is at hand and soon I'll be in bliss via the NFL!!!!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

I'm Just About Fed Up

If you have read my blog for any length of time you can see that I rarely talk current events unless of an entertainment nature or something similar so forgive me for this brief departure.

I'm sick of hearing about the Ramsey case in every single news outlet there is. John Mark Karr was arrested with so much hype that his flight from Thailand to America was a minute by minute story!!!! Enough is enough people!

Yes it was tragic. Very Tragic.

Yes it is still tragic however the fact remains that if this had happened to a poor minority it probably would have been filed away a long time ago and after ten years forgotten. There would be no hype around an eventual arrest.

I got so fed up with the Natalee Holloway case for the same reason. Tragic, of course it was and they have my sympathy. I hope the killer is caught and brought to justice however at the same time a girl of the same age went missing in Chicago I believe and she didn't get anywhere close to the same press coverage.

No one sat outside of their grieving parents home with cameras, broadcasting their tragic story around the world. I saw one brief interview on Fox which is the only reason I know about it. The parents were heartbroken, well just plain broken. They looked like they hadn't slept in days and days, soft spoken and thankful that someone paid attention to their grief and pain.

I do not know the result of that case nor do I remember the name of the missing girl.
I regret that.

I don't understand why one upper middle class girl is worth more than a poor Chicago girl.
I don't know why one was newsworthy and one wasn't.
I don't get it my friends.

Is it just the common injustice of the world? Maybe because one was more photogenic?

I honestly don't have an answer and I really wished I had one.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Veronica Goodness!!!!

The second season of Veronica Mars JUST came out yesterday!!!!

Wooohoooo!!!!

Want to talk about an amazing show! This one is it. Unfortunately it is also a show plagued with bad ratings and a show that most people haven't heard of. The good side is that it has the best writing this side of Buffy and I can only hope it has the longevity to go with it.

I've written about this show before and there was a serious online effort to bring the show back for a second season.

I'm not going to bore you with descriptions, just know that this is an incredible show and you should try to watch it! Kristen Bell is jabenro hot and has some of the best writers working today at her disposal to make her character among the best on TV.

In other news, the Coke commercial contest is lacking music but I have been assured that it is on its way within the next two days or so.

I still have 36 years until retirement. Inc. is still on nights and it seems to be working for him but it has only been two days now. We'll see how Captain Insaneo and Inc. work out.

I still haven't heard of any good deed stories to post here but I am listening all the time!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Inc. Has Moved To Nights

If you'll recall one of my previous posts about my cast of coworkers he was the one who ran his home business out of the shop.

He can be a good guy but he can also be kinda annoying. He would let the phone ring and ring and usually be pretty close to it, forcing someone else to answer it and the kicker was is that it was usually for him anyway.

It is small things like that about him that drove me nuts.

Anyway he has gone to the nightshift now on a volunteer basis for two years so his wife can attend vo-tec and he can watch the kids during the day.

His going to the nightshift will lower my annoyance level at work quite a bit but then again I still feel trapped in an overall sense. I feel out of place sometimes.

Chris and I had a great conversation last night after the weekly film meeting. Just hanging out, talking and laughing, nothing major but it was fun anyway.

Man I act so old sometimes.....sigh.....

Monday, August 21, 2006

One Of The Best Lines Of Any Song Ever!!!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy old country music. It is something I grew up with since my dad was a truck driver when I was a kid and that is what we listened to.

I have a love for 80's metal as well since that was what I came of age with....sigh....now that music is on classic rock radio but that is another blog for another time.

Anyway, John Conlee is one of my favorites. He tells stories of love, heartbreak, common maness, being broke, well basically everything a country song should be about. His voice is unique and warm, absent of any twang like Dwight Yoakam's abundance of twang.

One of John Conlee's most endearing songs is called Miss Emily's Picture in which he tells the story of a lost love. We are unsure what happened to Miss Emily of the story however we do know that she isn't around anymore and the protagonist still loves her. In this masterpiece of hurt and love John Conlee owns this material.

He pines for his lost love as he sleeps in the same bed they both shared even leaving her pillow intact as it was when she was present. A picture adorns the nightstand which is dutifully straightened every morning. At work he is a zombie, going through the motions without much feeling or purpose. He probably only goes to work to have someone to talk with. He sees nothing but pain in the world around him but gets a simple short lived dose of relief by again straightening a picture of Miss Emily that hangs on his office wall.

He pours bourbon into his morning coffee to dull the ache of loss and spends his evenings with his coworkers at a local bar while he shares Miss Emily's picture which he carries with him.

Of this wonderful song of heartbreak one lines stands among all others:

"I wake up in the morning in a state of fright
On the wrong side of the bed all night
Clinging to the broken heart inside my head."

Haven't we all experienced a broken heart that was in our head?
In one line John Conlee captures something we can all relate to on a universal level.
whether it is a tragic loss of a loved one, unrequited love, or even love that you are responsible for turning away.

A broken heart is something that if you haven't experienced then I guess I feel good and bad for you. Who hasn't been busted up inside and gone to bed early and dreaded getting up because you knew you were going to hurt all day? I'm sure that those who haven't felt a broken heart though are rare and probably so cold that they are barely human.

Listen to it if you ever get the chance or ask me sometime to play it for you, I'd be more than happy to!




Sunday, August 20, 2006

A Light Poker Night

Dealer's game, quarter ante with a two dollar limit.

I came into the game with a few dollars less than 35 bucks and left with about 34:)

I was up and down most of the night but there were only five of us and it was just friends and fun to spend an evening like that!

In other news I have made the drink table for Drinkbusters taller so that I can get a closer shot of the cast. You'll have to see it to understand what I mean so when it is posted you'll get it. I talked with Chianti yesterday about what she would like to see done differently and I have to agree with her.

This won't mean much to you right now since you can't see it but her suggestions were simply to explain more at the start about what we were doing.

Speaking of Chianti, at the photo shoot yesterday her costume jewelry was starting to bug her so she asked if I would help her unsnap it so she could remove it. We went into the hallway at the studio and I found out how it worked quickly and upon unsnapping the catch it skinned my knuckle! OUCH!

It felt like a big hangnail being torn off!!!!

Anyway for tonight's Drinkbusters shoot we have two drinks we are going to bust. One is a Dog's Nose from Beersnob. The other is a Cherry Cheesecake from Weezy.

The Dog's Nose sounds just vile.
You take a bottle of Guiness beer, pour it into a mug and microwave it for one minute, add two ounces of gin, some brown sugar, nutmeg and serve....ugh...

The Cherry Cheesecake sounds much better! A shot of vanilla schnapps, layer cranberry juice on top and shoot!

Should be a fun shoot tonight!!!!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Commercial Completed

I just finished editing the commercial project for the Coke contest.

All that is missing now is the music which I'm supposed to have soon.

In a couple of hours I'll be off for an evening of poker playing with friends while the local theater awards are going on, the Charlies.

What is good for me and Drinkbusters is that every one of my cast members all have been nominated for many many Charlie awards and that really raises the quality of the Drinkbusters production!!!!

I'm nearly complete on the first episode and I'm still searching for a good background to use. If it takes much longer then I'll have to use a simple background and work on it after every episode and gradually improve it.

The bad thing is that with the amazing chemistry on set I feel pretty inadequate in my technical skills. I do know that my skills will get better and better as I do more projects but it is a shame that I can't match the amazing amount of fun that Beersnob, Chianti, and Weezy are having on set!!!!

This afternoon I spent at a local photography studio watching the cast pictures for Chris's production being taken, now that was some fun! Everyone had a great time and even at this early stage I believe that the cast is starting to gel a little bit.

Afterwards most of use went for Italian for lunch and that was simply good eatin'!!!!

This should be a great production!!!!

One Week Until Draft Day!!!!

Not only that but it appears that the TO situation in Dallas is laying the groundwork for a in season meltdown.

Coach Parcells is getting fed up with the constant TO questions and it is ONLY TRAINING CAMP!!!! There are just so many red flags going up right now in Big D that it has many NFL fans just waiting for the inevitable.

Let me be clear that TO will help the 'Boys for a while. He is a massive target and someone who will draw double coverage which frees up the running game and second and third wide receivers. He is a difference maker but what he is also is a massive distraction from playing and preparing for the actual games.

If you are a FFL guy draft him at your own peril. Draft someone who will play in all 16 games barring injury instead. It is becoming obvious that there is a massive breakdown on the horizon and it will be spectacular and fun to watch! Well unless you are a Dallas fan (sorry to the one's I know) then it will be painful and all of a sudden Julius Jones/Marion Barber won't be very effective at all. Terry Glenn without anyone to draw coverage away from him will be a less than average receiver.

Draft day to me is one of my life's pleasures. Like my coffee card in the Fall and Winter and vanilla candles! FF is that to me.

It is a time to enjoy the company of your leaguemates who are more than happy to kick your team around while smiling about it. It is also time to let your team kick theirs around on the field since you did your homework and know what player to take in the right situation! There are few better feelings in life than to have the team that you built run roughshod over the entire league! When everyone else sees you on their schedule and chalks up a loss before the game even starts!

One week from Draft Day and it is a great time of year as long as you avoid TO!!!!

It appears that the Raiders are going to flounder leaving question marks around drafting Moss or not. Tough call since the Raiders appear to really suck. Lamont Jordan will be a midlevel RB at best behind a below average O Line.

The FFL question of the year is LT, LJ, or Shaun Alexander?

LJ had 20 TDs in 9 starts, will he repeat that in 16? I doubt it. Look for about 15-20 spread out over 16 instead of the run at the record everyone is anticipating.

LT? I imagine that he will be just as strong on an improved team. Once Rivers gets his groove on in the season LT will just get that much stronger.

Shaun? He is the pick of this draft if you should be unfortunate to have the number 1 pick overall. Seattle is still in a weak division and the class of the NFC. Take him and chalk up 20 TDs.

Draft Day is one week away and I wish it was here already!!!!

Friday, August 18, 2006

Super Osment!!!!

Well it appears that another child actor has bitten the dust of reality after being the cute toast of Hollywood.

Haley Joel seems to have purchased the deluxe Hollywood fame package which included a complimentary DUI, illegal drugs, and to top it off a short hospital stay before arraingment.

It is a real shame since he has such a bright future....maybe not as an actor but he could easily pick up a pen and paper and write his own script.

Hey Haley, become a filmmaker. Get behind a camera and right your dream role. You have far more resources than everyone I know combined, there is no reason why you can't do this son.

Now then Who Wants to be a Superhero is really starting to ROCK!!!! The Dark Enforcer has really made this show far more interesting!!!! He prods them and makes fun of them and is a perfect supervillain for this style of show!!!!

He was a great twist to a show that really isn't taking itself too seriously. It is fun and has been enjoyable to watch! For some entertainment where you can turn your brain off after a soul sucking day at work, you can't go wrong.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Short Project Started Last Night

A guy who is part of Chris's cast has asked for some help in shooting a commercial for a Coke contest. So my good friend Beersnob and I helped with that last night which made for an interesting evening.

He has a good idea and I think that it might be a contender when finished but the time frame that we have to finish it in is very short and after it is shot will cut into my Drinkbusters time. For a thirty second edit it might take an hour to capture the footage, edit it, render it, and then put it into the format that it needs to be in for the contest. Then all that is left is uploading it.

An hour isn't much and it is helping someone who wants to be creative and branch out.

The next shooting episode for Drinkbusters will be Sunday evening. Hopefully around 6:45. Chianti will have her children with her and the next day is a schoolday so we will be on a tight shooting schedule.

I am sure that we can easily do it though and get Chianti home at, if not before the time she would like to be home!!!!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

The Raw Edit Is Finished!!!!

Alright now I'll tell you all about this project. It is called Drinkbusters!

It is similar to Mythbusters but this time the three cast members will be testing drinks that are sent into the show!

Drinkbusters@yahoo.com If anyone is interested in sending in a drink for us to try out on camera!

I am shooting it against a green screen so that I can hopefully put a sweet moving background behind them. Nothing too busy and nothing too dull.

So far after the first shoot I have to say that it was a complete blast to film and edit!!!!
The chemistry of the cast was amazing and I don't think I could ask for a better group!!!!

Chianti, Weezy, and Beersnob are wonderful right now but I can't imagine how good they are going to be after a couple of technical things are worked out and when they really gel together!!!!

It is going to be scary how good those three will be!!!!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Regrets

After hearing a friend talk a couple of weeks ago about regrets I kept thinking, "Do I have any?"

It might be trendy to say, NOPE, I'd do it all the same way!!!!

But for me that isn't true at all. I have a thousand and one regrets. After assuring another friend that I didn't kill anyone or commit some kind of felony after my "Mass of Men" post, I came to the conclusion that there are a lot of legal things that you can do that aren't illegal at all but that are just as bad.

For example you can hurt someone by something you say and only after a lot of time regret saying it. You can use someone for your own benefit by sucking up to someone and when you have accomplished your goal, discard them. You can betray someone's trust in you. You can boldly lie to someone. You can also hurt someone by not doing anything like driving by someone in need by the side of the road or not helping someone when you could.

I suppose these are the things I regret and if I had to do it all over again, I might make the same decisions but I'd like to think I wouldn't.

I've done a lot of stupid things I regret.

The consequences of those regrets are that now I'm trying to do things I'll never regret. So perhaps I've been shaped and molded into someone who is better for having done a ton of stupid things and if I could look into the future with any certainty and see if I'm doing something stupid now and don't realize it, I'd probably change it but I can't do that so I'm sure that I'll have another thousand and one regrets someday.

Monday, August 14, 2006

My 400th Post!!!!

Well I decided to stay home today and get Adobe up and running instead of going to work.

Glad I did!

I got the project edited and did the green screen compositing. However don't get too excited yet, I couldn't find a background that I really liked. So for the time being it is temporary and just a plain blue background all around the cast.

I am going to privately post it so that the cast can see the final result once it is finished rendering but I am not going to post it for mass consumption until the background is created and properly put into place.

I am happy with the way it turned out and it is funny as I had hoped!
I do think the cast will enjoy it and see how tight it feels now. I had to cut about ten minutes out but it still tops out at over seventeen minutes in length, so it is long for a net short.

Sunday I also saw a relic from the Cold War era on TCM.

Fail-Safe.

This early 60's movie really reflected the mood of the time. When paranoia of the red threat pretty much ruled politics and other countries held their collective breath to see which side would set the world on fire first.

Henry Fonda plays the President who after a electronic glitch can't recall a bomber group on their way to bomb Moscow.

His solution is real horror when the story gets there and will probably make you gasp.

The story is dated though and for the most part many people who are not familiar with the Cold War will not get it.

It is an intense movie though and one that I'm happy to say wouldn't work today.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Adobe Setback

Well after filming today and dropping off 2/3rds of my cast I decided to come back home and edit right?

WRONG!!!!

For some reason my Adobe software decided to throw a fit and refuses to acknowledge my serial number now.

I've uninstalled/reinstalled and called Adobe, now I have to call tech support tomorrow so maybe we can get this thing rolling again.

So much for a quick edit, I'm sorry.

Project Filmed!!!!

This has been a very exciting weekend my friends!!!!

First Chris's read through went very well and smoothly! Everyone seemed to grasp their parts and are seemingly getting used to their characters. Rehearsals will start very soon and then everything will start to come together!

The Fanfilm project is going just as smoothly! I was priviledged enough to spend some time with John and he is working on the story right now and fleshing out to full length! We discussed the cockpit construction for a few minutes as well as a couple of other topics.

Then Sunday I had three wonderful cast members to do my own small short series that I have been blogging about for a few weeks now!

I can't tell you how smoothly it went!!!!

The chemistry and professionalism of Beer Snob, Weezy, and Chianti was outstanding!!!!

As soon as I'm finished with the editing process believe me I'll tell you more about it but I just can't right now other than to say it was SO FUN AND INCREDIBLE TO WORK WITH THESE THREE PEOPLE!!!!

Saturday, August 12, 2006

GASP!!!! Paris Hilton Bitten!!!!

By her pet Kinkajou Baby Luv....sigh....

Why am I blogging about this?

BECAUSE IT IS IN THE HEADLINES!!!! Why is this newsworthy?

I don't know but it is just plain wrong. This person is just about as big a idiot as you can find and because she gets bitten on her arm by a exotic pet and gets a tetanus shot someone decided it was news!

This makes me feel as bad as my MTV experiment about mankind. When something as frivilous as this makes headline news I just have to shake my head in disgust and more in disappointment.

I'll never understand the Paris Hilton effect. How everything that she does is somehow important enough to be written about (can you use "Irony" in a blog post?) it just boggles my mind.

I'm not so much down on Paris but I fail to see how she, who is famous for just being famous, who has practically done nothing other than to annoy America with a reality show, who has been in the public eye for so many reasons like her vow to swear off sex for a year, who has got the brain power of lettuce, is always making news.

You know there are so many good stories out there and from now on I vow that when I hear one I shall blog it here. Unfortunately I don't run across them everyday but when I do hear about someone doing good, when I hear about sacrifice, when I hear about hard work, when I hear about someone comforting someone in need, I'll post it.

Cast Read Through Day

Today is the first time the cast for Chris's project will be together and go through the script.

It is important to have cast to get the context of the script while with your fellow actors. That will allow them to explore what the author has in mind and to add their own personality to the character.

The read through is the start of the chemistry between the cast memebers. If there are changes that need to be made then there is still time to make them before full swing production begins.

It is an exciting day!

The other news is that tomorrow at 1 p.m. my project takes to film and the first episode is filmed!
I'm excited about it!!!! After filming I should have edited and posted within the week!!!!

Yeah it should go that fast!!!!

Friday, August 11, 2006

The End Of August

Actually the 27th marks the day that Stevie Ray Vaughan was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 1990.

SRV was easily one of the greatest blues artists ever.

Clapton? Even though he was more prolific, SRV was easily better. Just listen to Coldshot or Pride and Joy and tell me that Clapton was better.

B.B. King? No comparison.

John Lee Hooker? Probably as close as you can get to blues perfection so SRV is close for sure to John Lee.

Listen to Voodoo Chile and tell me that Hendrix's version is better. I don't think you can.

SRV added so much emotional depth to his music. He poured his heart into his guitar and if you listen to Tin Pan Alley and don't cry you might need to go to the doctor to have your heart checked.

Yeah Clapton is more flashy than SRV, easily but SRV only put out six studio albums and one of them was posthumous. If SRV had lived he would have given Slow Hand a run for his money.

The Sky Is Crying.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Disappointment Refund

I believe that when you go to a theater to watch a movie today you should be able to get a refund from Hollywood if the movie sucks called the Disappointment Refund.

Yeah there probably would be some people who would take advantage of it but I for one would not.

In fact it would probably encourage me to go see more movies and brave the raging, chair kicking kids who keep asking, "What just happened daddy?"

It would also encourage Hollywood to put out a better quality product instead of junk like Stay Alive *cough*Chris*cough* and put out movies people like me would like to see. The past three movies I have seen in the theater have been winners to me, they were Superman, Clerks II, and Pirates 2.

I would really like to see more horror movies however for the most part they stopped making good ones but since I've posted about that before I won't retread that topic.

I do believe that it would stop any upcoming Tom Cruise movie which is always a good thing:)

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

T-Shirts Finished Tomorrow!!!!

Yes my friends!!!!

I finished gathering supplies for Sunday's project today and I'll be picking up the t-shirts I ordered tomorrow!!!!

This is a great time for me in many ways and I'm excited about it!!!! Thursday night there is going to be a meeting to discuss a commercial for a contest. I'm looking forward to this meeting!

Things are getting better, bit by bit.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

A Bit Of Providence

Yesterday Chris sends me this quote in an email and only this quote, Charles Dubois: The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.

I asked him if he had read my blog for the day and he told me he hadn't and asked "why?", then I told him to go read yesterday's post. He couldn't at the moment since he was on the land line and the PC was in the office room but he would. He just said when he saw the quote he felt like it was important to send it to me.

I believe that you will also find it quite amazing.

I told him it made me feel pretty good about things and since he wasn't feeling well I told him to get better and drink lots of water. So for anyone out there reading this, send Chris some good vibes so he gets better!!!!

It is amazing that sometimes when you least expect it that the hand of providence can just stop by your house and visit for a few seconds. I was unprepared for that but I think I'll look forward to the next visit.

Monday, August 07, 2006

The Mass Of Men

Lead lives of quiet desperation.

I would go further to say that for the most part we are never who we appear to be. Out of fear, out of spite, out of anger, we hide who we really are and present the world as we wish to be.

My friends if you really knew me, if you could look at my heart for two seconds you would probably find a most distasteful entity. You would find someone who tries his best to hide his inner self for fear that if someone knew who he really was that he would indeed be abandoned.

However that does not mean that even though we present ourselves in a way in which we wish to be, that we cannot be that person eventually.

That is the hope I have. That who I try to be is the person I will someday become and not the person I am inside.

Thoreau also said that, "If you would convince a man he does wrong, do right. Men will believe what they see."

I do try to be good and often fail. I try to do good but I find myself craving recognition for things that should not be recognized. I do wish to become the person I try to appear to be and not the person I am in my heart.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Finally!!!!

And it was very good!!!!

Yep I finally got to go see Pirates of the Caribbean 2!!!!

To sum it up, Keira Knightly in a pirate costume!!!! What more is there to say? She was smoking hot and very watchable, however she really wasn't the main attraction in this great adventure movie!

It was a lot of fun and there is no wonder why it is the highest grossing movie this year. There was a lot of adventure, the sets were amazing, the writing was witty, and all in all it was everything the first one was and more to me.

With the third movie due in May there is a great story to complete and a lot to look forward to!
Did I mention Keira Knightly? Amazingly hot?

Johnny Depp has defined Jack Sparrow and might very well be the signature role of his career. It will be very difficult in 20 years when the Pirates Trilogy is remade for another actor to capture the magic of Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow!!!!

Saturday, August 05, 2006

A Good Friday Night

Actually it was a good Friday all the way around!

I took off of work at noon which is always good.
Got the shirts ordered for my project.
Got my tag updated for another year.
Got a haircut, probably one of the best haircuts I've had in years! She was amazing and had a great touch, it was kind of turning me on!
Sent the twin to my PC monitor sent off for warranty work so I can have my dual monitors again.
Had afterwork drinks with my co-workers on a payday Friday.
Went to a film meeting to discuss everyone's projects.
Went to a birthday party/game night at some friend's house with two other good friends until about 11ish and had a good time.

All in all a very busy and good day!
I wish I had more days like yesterday!

Friday, August 04, 2006

Who Wants To Be A Superhero....

Alright at first I thought this was a bad idea and after I saw the first episode I really thought this was a bad idea. Some of the contestants just kind of took their fantasy to heights that needed some medication and possibly treatment. It reminded me of what it would really be like to have imaginary super powers while being boringly human.

In your mind you envision being able to jump over a house but in real life you are pretty good if you can touch the rim. In your mind you envision being able to stop bullets but in real life you are able to stop the bullets just before they stop you cold. That whole real life thing just gets in the way sometimes.

It just started off badly and for two full episodes it got worse....until the third show.

Here is why I think it might wind up being a good show afterall. They axed the most unpopular person. He was in trouble every step of the way and really showed little heart or desire.

So after he got booted by Stan Lee, Stan The Man decided to pull a twist worthy of comic lore and changed the bad guy into a bad guy and made him his supervillian, The Dark Enforcer.

Now despite my misgivings it seems that this show might pick it up a bit and become pretty interesting!!!! We'll see how it turns out but for now I'm willing to give it a chance.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

V For Vendetta

Is a pretty good movie. Yeah it takes the age old debate that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter and places it into a modern context but it does it well.

Natalie Portman is at her hottest and she is surface of the Sun hot. She has proven that she can act, which she did in Closer (which I hated) but you could hardly tell that she could act just by watching Star Wars: The Wooden Trilogy.

V is another comic turned movie in a trend that I really enjoy. I believe that comics can make incredible movies....well as long as you don't let Tim Burton near one that is. They are naturally visual, usually have very solid stories to tell, and if the Director just uses the source material given to him then they should explode on screen with a visual fury that most Hollywood productions lack today.

V centers around London after it has been taken over by a facist regime and freedom is essentially outlawed. V takes it upon himself to wake up the population to what freedom is and inspires the masses to fight for it once again. He inspires the population to care once again.

There are a lot of comics that I would love to see on the screen, like The Watchmen, long rumored to be a big production but who knows when it'll ever happen. The Dark Knight Returns would be an amazing movie if given to the right Director. Who wouldn't want to see the Dark Phoenix Saga done correctly??? I'd like to see Daredevil's Apocalypse, Frank Miller's best work on that title done. You know, even The Hulk would have been a great movie if they would have used a story from the actual title instead of just taking a character and giving him over to some writers who probably knew nothing about him.

The problem usually comes up though when for some reason the Director stays from the source material and the result is usually less than stellar when it could have been spectacular.

Take Sin City for example. That was probably the perfect version of a comic brought to life. Robert Rodriguez took the source material and essentially made it his script. He brought that title to life and did it so well that it should be the high water mark for the comic to movie trend. Then on the other end of that scale is hack director Tim Burton who tends to destroy everything he comes into contact with. I'm amazed they still greenlight his ideas. His Batman was a total debacle and any comic fan should stand by me in that statement.

When will the comic to movie trend end?

Hopefully never and if it does than years and years after the remake trend ends.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

House cleaning!!!!

I suck at housecleaning. I know I do. I tend to have a little pack rat in me so I don't throw enough things away.

What I needed was help!!!!
That help came in the form or Rosa!!!!
Ok Rosa woks for the same place I work and she is a human dynamo. She never stops but she is always happy. She loves to clean. She says it makes her day go by fast, I'd say that is true since I have never seen her look at a clock.

She is amazing my friends. Very nice and sweet, works harder than almost any two people out there, and never complains about one thing.

So I asked her if she would like to help me with my house, with a enthusiastic YES she started last night! She is going to help me with an overall house cleaning and let me tell you, when she got here she was NON STOP. She made me tired just by watching her go and I was keeping a nice pace myself.

She thinks that just a couple more visits and I'll be ship shape

Rosa Rocks!!!!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

The Haunting

Not the remake, this is the original.

This is a very lush haunted house movie that has some genuine tension in it. There are very few special effects in fact. Most of what happens are all sound effects off camera and yet it is very effective.

The story of a house that was born bad and had a history of people not living in it for very long....well you have heard it before with movies like the Amityville Horror and Poltergeist.
However The Haunting is much different in that it used the actors and a good story to create tension and not gore or cats jumping out of closet scenes to get you into the movie.

For its time it really seemed to tackle Clair Bloom's lesbian characte well, in fact I'd say that it was ahead of its time by a couple of decades since it was made in 63.

The actual main character, Eleanor Lance, who's mental state is in question the whole movie is a mousy woman who seems timid at times and then can flip a switch and be protective and strong. Her performance is really what drives The Haunting and probably wouldn't have been nearly as effective without such a great actor.

Turn down the lights and turn on The Haunting. You might be happy to have some harmless fright in your world!