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I’m Back

Posted on July 31, 2007

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Man, what a week. Going to the Comic-Con is like running a marathon. I’m pretty beat (and beat-up) but I did manage to get quite a bit of stuff written while at the Con, meet some great people and have a good time during those rare moments when I wasn’t running around or pushing my way into this panel or that one. If you’ve got some time on your hands, head on over to Cinematical or Comic Book Resources and check out the Comic-Con coverage. There’s a crap load of it.

One of the best things about the Con for me was getting to spend more time with people that I only talk to on the phone or via email. I also get to meet a couple people in person that I’ve never met before. That was very cool and may lead to other opportunities for me, which is always a good thing. Another major highlight for me was getting the chance to meet and interview one of the head honchos of one of my favorite TV shows of all time: Battlestar Galactica.

I spent some time speaking to Mr. Mark Verheiden, Co-Exec. Producer of Battlestar, about the show, his movie projects and a bunch of other stuff. He was a very nice guy and talked as openly as he could about things. All and all a pleasant experience and one that I would like to repeat again sometime. It was that fun. That interview is up over at CBR now. Right here.

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Other than that, there were the obligatory celebrity sightings like Jessica Alba, Robert Downey, Jr. and Ali Larter from the TV show Heroes (who looked smashing, btw). Although, as I live and work in LA and see celebs pretty regularly at my local Starbucks, walking their dogs in the park or eating at local restaurants, that part was less interesting to me than some other things.

If I lived in Minnesota or somewhere like that I would probably be much more excited. Although, seeing Ali Larter and shaking Stan Lee’s hand was pretty darn cool. I’ll come back later with some more info, but in the meantime go to the other sites cause we need the hits. Thanks.

Taking a Quick Photo Break

Posted on June 24, 2007

While I was looking for something else I found this picture. That’s all. You can go about your business now. Happy Sunday.

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I’m Very Important

Posted on June 21, 2007

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Sure, I’m joking with the title of this post. My ego isn’t quite that big. However, I do have some rather good news to share. Well, good for me at least. For the rest of you, it won’t really mean all that much except for the fact that I’m sure you all want to see me happy and doing well. I really appreciate that, btw. So, what is this great bit of news then?

Well, starting this week I’m bringing all of my exhaustive Macintosh and Apple love and knowledge to a new venue: The Unofficial Apple Weblog (aka TUAW). Some of you may already have seen me at this new website as I already started writing there yesterday. But if not, head on over and check out some of my posts — mostly about the iPhone at the moment — but as things progress, I’ll be branching out into all-things Apple.

I’ve secretly (and not so secretly) wanted to write for TUAW for quite some time and as I already work for Cinematical (which is owned by the same company: Weblogs, Inc. / AOL) it was only a matter of time before I managed to work my way into writing for TUAW. And now, all that hard work has paid off and I got what I wanted. So, if you get a minute, head on over and take a look.

The site is good (better now that I’m there of course) and can fulfill your every wish where Apple and Apple-related news, reviews and more are concerned. This is one of the things I was talking about recently that I couldn’t talk about. The other is still hush-hush but should be ready for public consumption sometime soon.

In other news, I’m now back from my travels to Portland and am pretty happy to be back in LA. Although, as I mentioned earlier, i really like Portland and at one time or another, entertained thoughts about moving there. After all, I really love comic books and there are a bunch of people there doing just that so it seems a natural place to go.

In truth, I might make the move if it was just me. But as its not, I need to consider other people’s thoughts and feelings about the situation. Given that, I feel pretty strongly I won’t be leaving LA any time soon. However, you never really know, do you? Life is funny sometimes and once in awhile you actually do get what you want. The trick, of course, is knowing what that is.

Land o’ Ports and Coffee, Beer and Creative Juices

Posted on June 17, 2007

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As some of you may know, I’m currently up in the Pacific Northwest in Portland, Oregon. It’s a great city with many of the things I enjoy most about life: coffee, beer and free wi-fi. There’s also an abundance of great food and people who are very friendly and don’t act like the world owes them something.

Sure, Portland also has its less favorable elements too but in my experience (rather limited, I grant you), these negatives don’t really detract from the positive experience as a whole. In other words, I like it here. So, now that I’ve professed my love for the city, why am I up here in Stumptown?

Well, my fantastic, talented, intelligent and extremely manly editor at Comic Book Resources, Jonah Weiland, has me up here doing a story about the Portland comic book scene. Yes, among its many virtues, Portland is also home to a very big comic book community of artists, writers, publishers and others who work in and around the comic book world.

Dark Horse, Oni and Top Shelf are some of the main publishers here and many super-talented folks like Brian Bendis, Greg Rucka and Rick Remender live and work in Portland as well. To be honest, I am beginning to understand the attraction to living here. The town seems geared to fostering the creative forces necessary to make something: be it a comic book, a song or something else.

At the moment, I’m sitting in a coffee house on SE Belmont Ave. ( I would name it specifically but that would mean rising from the couch that has sucked me almost entirely inside itself) taking full advantage of the great iced coffee and free wi-fi. In addition, there’s some great music playing (The Cure, btw) which is not so loud that I can’t hear myself think but instead is volumed just right (volumed? look, i make up words. no extra charge!). Some other coffee houses could take a lesson from the correct song volume demonstrated here (yes Starbucks, I’m talking about you).

Another nice thing about this place is that people are leaving me alone. Not once has someone come over to ask me to borrow my paper or ask for change or to buy their rap cd with “clean” lyrics or to tell me that the table I’m sitting at is usually reserved for people eating lunch. Instead, I’m sitting, Powerbook in my lap, enjoying my iced coffee and writing this post without a care in the world and with no annoying distractions that are counter to the creative process.

Thank you Portland for allowing me to rest comfortably and spend a little time creating something. See you again soon.

300: Made on a Mac + The Screaming Death Monkey

Posted on March 13, 2007

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Over at this site they have an interesting bit of info on the film 300 and how the Macintosh was a very big part of getting the film done. Some of the Apple tech that was used to make the film possible include Final Cut Pro, Shake and Quicktime. Even though the film was primarily edited on an AVID system, the filmmakers said they prefer to use Macs running Final Cut instead of AVID. Interesting bit of info. And, if you want even more, head on over to the FX Guide site. Even more bits of interesting info there including the above mentioned ‘Death Monkey.’

While we are on the subject of 300, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the film. As I usually do these days, I went in with almost no expectations and as open a mind as I could possibly muster. Fortuntely, the film more than lived up to the hype and I was rewarded with a great experience. Sure, the film isn’t perfect but its a visual treat that should not be missed. Obviously, I’m not alone here because the film made over $70 milion in the first weekend — the third biggest opening weekend for an R-rated film of all time, btw. So, get a babysitter and go out and see the movie if you haven’t already.

Also, got some new stuff up over at Cinematical — including details on Frank Miller’s career aspirations, Michael Eisner’s new venture and the YouTube saga — as well as a brand new ‘Ask the MACist‘ over at LAist. Plus, I should have a couple things coming out at CBR in a few days as well. And, possibly something new and cool I’m not at liberty to discuss just yet too. You’ll just have to chcck back to find out, sorry.

Trying Something New

Posted on March 10, 2007

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As people who know me well can attest, I’m pretty much the kind of person who likes to do the same things pretty much all of the time. I like to eat at the same restaurants, go to the same bars, drink the same beverages, see similar kinds of movies, read similar kinds of books and comic books, etc. You get the idea.

Another thing I usually do has to do with my writing. When I leave the house to write out in the world I almost always go to my particular Starbucks to do it. The reasons for this are simple. I know the place, I know the people and I know what I’m getting when I go there. That can pretty much be applied to the other things I do pretty much all the time. I’ve been around long enough to know what I like and like what I know. No harm in doing what you want to do, is there?

Even though I’m what you would call a “creature of habit” every once in awhile I like to mix things up. So today, instead of going to my usual Starbucks to write some stuff for Cinematical and work on the pilot that can’t yet be discussed, I decided to try something new today. I threw caution to the wind and went not to Starbucks but instead, to a place called LuLu’s Beehive in Sherman Oaks. That was a couple hours ago and so far, so good.

When I first got here I was privy to an interesting argument between what could best be described as a few “disgruntled” writers. There were three middle-aged dudes arguing about how various studios around town don’t know what they are doing, that executives and development people are “idiots” and how the hole business of show i basically a blight on society. Of course, in the next minute they bragged about their upcoming projects and the stuff they had in development and their upcoming deals so they can’t hate the business too much as they are still hip-deep in it. Its funny to hear these kinds of conversations because that’s what showbiz does to people.

I like to think of showbiz as being like chocolate cake. Its one of those things you know is bad for you but its also so good you just can’t help yourself. And really, as I’ve probably said before, the worst day on a movie set is still so much better than the best day working at a bank or some other “real” job type job. Yes, showbiz and I have had our share of issues. But like any dysfunctional relationship we have also had our very good days as well so I can’t say its all bad. Plus, as anyone who knows me will tell you: I love cake.

photo “borrowed” from my former boss at LAist jason toney

Walking When You Shouldn’t Be

Posted on February 21, 2007

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well, i got some interesting news the other day. it seems i have what the doctors call “walking pneumonia.” and no, it does not come with the “boogie woogie flu” as much as i was hoping it did. really, all it comes with is chest pain when breathing, coughing, headache and a general feeling of crappiness that makes you just wanna sleep until its over. don’t worry, i’m going to live and got some good drugs.

so, that’s what i have been doing a lot of for the last few days — sleeping. that also means i haven’t been doing much of anything else like writing for LAist, Cinematical or any other sites. plus, haven’t been working on my scripts either. at least i have a good excuse this time and not the usual one i use — procrastination.

i’m going to keep this short but i had a moment or two of lucidity and felt like at least writing something. gotta keep the machine working if you can — at least at extremely low capacity. one other bit of news before i go, i have changed phones yet again (yes, its true) and gone back to the blackberry 8700g. the treo 680 is history and although a fine piece of tech, is just not for me. blackberry is where its at and i count the days until the blackberry 8800 comes out for t-mobile. soon my friends, soon.

also, i have decided to try an experiment and only use one mac instead of two. normally, i have a desktop mac (at the moment a 20“ intel iMac) and i also used a laptop — my trusty 12” g4 powerbook. i have decided to try and use only one mac and make things simpler for me. to that end, i am now the proud owner of a shiny new 15“ macbook pro. yes, i know i said 15” was too big and i would never get one, etc. well, i’m using it to write this and i gotta say, its pretty nice.

i was going to attach an external monitor (a 23“ apple cinema display or a 24” dell ultrasharp) but this screen is almost big enough not to need another monitor. plus, i’m kinda in a quandary regarding my loyalty to apple and paying a thousand bucks for a monitor when i can get a potentially better one for only about six hundred bucks from dell. everything i’ve read about the dell leads me to believe that its a great monitor and every bit as good as the apple. or, i could just use the macbok pro without another monitor. its only five inches smaller than my iMac so i almost don’t notice the difference. plus, as its a laptop you tend to sit closer to it than you do a bigger monitor and that, at least for me, makes things easier to read and see.

the other major reason i decided to try this was to avoid the “oh, that file is on my other computer” problem that seems to crop up often. if you have two computers it stands to reason you will work on one of them sometime and the other sometimes. unfortunately, that probably means you will run into the same problem i often did. an article draft or a file i need is on my desktop and i’m on my laptop at another location and can’t get to it. sure, i could vpn and ftp the stuff to me wherever i am but why bother and why open up any holes in my firewall if i don’t have to? it seems much easier to me to just have one computer, an external monitor and external drives and go from there.

i’m sure this new paradigm will also present its own problems but for the moment, it seems to make sense. besides, it was a good excuse to get a new mac and who doesn’t love that! i know i do. ok, that’s it. time to go back to bed. see you on the other side.

The Simple Pleasures of a Good Bar and Good Conversation

Posted on February 16, 2007

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Last night was the latest LAist meeting where the writers and editors get together to share some beverages and talk about writing, sex, drugs, being attacked by raccoons and whatever else happens to come up. Its a good time made especially good for me because I got to go back to one of my favorite places in Los Angeles: Ye Rustic Inn in Los Feliz. If you don’t know it its one of those dive places that are great fun, have giant leather booths, pitchers of beer, cute servers and is plenty dark so everyone looks a lot better. It’s definitely one of those places that feel like home to me. Obviously, I’ve spent way to much time in bars. I’m not an alcoholic but I do like my drinks now and again. Although, more and more its again and not now.

Putting that aside for a moment, its also across the street from another great place to go called the Drawing Room. The Drawing Room has one thing in particular going for it besides its similar characteristics to the Rustic: it opens way early in the morning for your drinking pleasure. Consequently, when I used to toil all night on set and then be fully awake at 7AM at wrap, it was nice to go over The Drawing Room and get a cocktail at 8 in the morning. Yes, those are the things you sometimes do after shooting all night on a Friday and finishing up early Saturday morning.

Of course, we went during the week many times too so it wasn’t always confined to the weekends. I gotta say, it sure was nice being young enough and in many ways, dumb enough, to be able to go out and do things like that. Now, as many of my friends will attest, its a pretty rare situation that gets me out of the house at all, let alone out to a bar. I just don’t go out as much as I used to.

Really, I didn’t want to go last night either. Well, that’s not really fair. I did want to go. Its always nice to see LAist people, including one of my favorite people I’ve met in LA the last few years: Tony Pierce. Over at his infamous blog, I read that he feels similarly to me in that he doesn’t like to go places as much as he used to and especially doesn’t like to have to be somewhere according to a schedule. I’m very much the same way. I don’t like deadlines and I don’t really like having to do much of anything I don’t want to do. Unfortunately, it turns out that most of life doesn’t really give a crap about what I want to do or don’t want to do. So, sometimes you gotta be somewhere at a certain time and that’s just how it goes. Yes, deadlines are a bitch.

Anyway, a good time was had by all last night at the LAist meet and many pitchers of Stella were consumed so thanks for that Jake. Also, I met some new LAist people who were very cool and talented and will be a pleasure getting to know further. It’s really great that I keep meeting quality people after living so long in LA and being sorta out of the business. I used to meet a lot of great people on set but now, as my being on set time is far less, it was getting harder to meet people. Although, I have met a few at the “office” so I shouldn’t forget about that.

Something about this town, whatever its other faults, sure seems to attract some of the best people. I guess its probably the lure of Hollywood and fame/fourtune. Or, maybe its the weather? Who knows? Whatever it is, I’m glad it happens. Sure, the traffic sucks and trying to find parking in Santa Monica at 3P on a Thursday makes you want to kill someone but still, this city is home to some great people and some great bars. So, go out and find the place that makes you feel at home. You’ll be glad you did.

Merry (insert appropriate holiday here)

Posted on December 29, 2006

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hello all. just a quick not to say i wish you the best for this holiday season and an even better 2007. its been a pretty good 2006 for me and mine and except for a few minor setbacks it all went pretty smoothly. i hope it was the same for you and yours. so, if its so great what could i possibly wish for in the new year? well, couple things at least. i would like to do more writing work, see more movies, have more fun and travel more. that last one is something i vow to do every year and don’t seem to have time for. so this year, i’m going to devote more energy to it.

on other fronts, at LAist we are doing LA-centric end of the year top-ten lists so please head on over and check them out. so far, mine was the top ten tv shows of the year but i hope to get one more in there before the end of the year. maybe i’ll do one about the top ten reasons i prefer the valley to the west side. that might be good. got any suggestions for me? (keep it clean)

at cinematical, most everyone is making their lists of the top things (movies, trailers, posters, etc.) of the year and i’m no exception. some of the comments about my choices are pretty interesting. apparently, i don’t care about international cinema at all and only like american movies. plus, someone suggested we are all just tools of our aol masters at cinematical. we sure have an interesting group of readers over there.

lastly, at comic book resources, we’ve thrown down the year-end roundup of trends in the industry. its a good read, especially if you’re a fan of comic books or are just interested in how things work in the biz. look for more parts of this series coming soon.

again, all the best for the new year.