Hurray!!! We did it! We saved Christmas!!! By all accounts, Earth Hour was a rousing success and the environmental threat posed by carbon emissions finally resolved. Phew, that was a close one. But I for one am not surprised. After all, we managed to defeat acid rain didn‘t we? Those pesky greenhouse gases didn’t stand a chance.
My Cookie Monster yahoo account received some bittersweet news today in the form of an email from John Max who was contacting Cookie to remind him of a recent passing. “..you were listed as a beneficiary to the total sum of £10,600,000.00GBP (Ten Million Six Hundred Thousand British Pounds) in the codicil and last testament of the deceased. (Name now withheld since this is our second letter to you).” Tragic. Cookie Monster wrote back:
“Name witheld because dis be second letter to me? WDFC?! (What de fudge cookie?!) How monster supposed to know who dead? Maybe me guess and if Monster close, you say “Warm! Warmer! You burning up!” and if way off base you say “Cold! Colder! Icy cold like corpse of dead relative!” Okay, first guess be: German cheese baron Uncle Adolph Muenster because he old and sicklier den Count after weekend bender in Tijuana. Declared dead and buried three times already but feisty old coot always find way to wake up in time and claw way out of casket. Good for him but disappointing for family who have to cancel funeral and give back presents. To avoid repeat problem, wife suggest put doorbell inside casket so if he wake up again, only have to ring for service instead of get nails dirty. But custom casket too expensive. Turn out cremation cheaper alternative! Anyhoo, so sad if true. Poor uncle Meunster. But 10 600 000 pounds help dull pain. Still, Cookie Monster need to know who move on to great chipwich factory in de sky. Want to avoid confusion like last time when me contacted as benefissary but turn out have no relation to Herman Munster. Boy, Eddie pissed!
John Max write: “We therefore reckoned that you could receive these funds…” You “reckoned“? You no own shoes and eat possum too? Heehaw! Hey, is coincidents. Cookie Monster work part time as hillbilly wedding planner. Very easy to organize because always de same guest list.
Best regards to your wife/sister.
Sincerely,
Cookie Monster”
Looks like it’s going to be a big week. I’ll spend most of Monday and Tuesday sequestered in the cramped, dimly lit confines of an editing suite, working on my producer’s cut of Broken Ties, taking time off to do my Kindred I dvd commentary with Pete Woeste, then welcoming MGM’s Priscilla Pesci and the gang as they lay out the game plan for Atlantis’s fifth season. Not one but two fan dinners to look forward to as well as the final preparations for my third annual chocolate soiree. As part of my continuing research into the upcoming party, I picked up a bunch of new Zotter bars including the intriguing “Tofu and Sake”.
Mailbag may return tomorrow. I’m not sure. It left the house yesterday morning to go pick up a quart of milk and never came back.
No, wait! The mailbag was glimpsed at the corner of 12th and West Broadway –
Trevor writes: “Yeah, that’s usual lame response that megafans and often producers give when faced with criticism. “Oh, come on, just forget about it and go with the flow.”
Answer: Is that “usual lame response”? Really? Well then I’m sure you’ll have no problem digging up an example of one of the producers telling you to “go with the flow”.
Trevor also writes: “Or, there’s the ever-popular attempt to attack the critic for daring to question below-the-board decisions and proceedings. No one has the stones to actually defend poor decisions, there’s just an awful lot of passing the buck.”
Answer: There was no buck passing in this case. At the time, we stated it was a creative decision. Feel free to disagree, but try to avoid making yourself out to be some oppressed victim who is being denied the right to speak their mind. I’m infinitely amused by critics who defend their God-given right to free speech – right up until someone exercises their God-given right to disagree with them.
Trevor also writes: “Instead of either accepting criticism as valid and taking responsibility or outright admitting that, yes, someone else made them do it, the producers now try to give a wink and a nod and hope that critics will be placated.”
Answer: I see. So our choices are either a) accept your criticism as valid OR accept your criticism as valid and thereby take responsibility. Hey, here’s a novel notion you may want to consider. Perhaps your opinion is just one of many opinions, no better or worse, correct or incorrect.
Trevor also writes: “Take Rob Cooper’s latest interview. Instead of saying that Scifi demanded Ben Browder be hired, he says, “…the network really liked Ben….”. Then he says something like, “But that’s not to say we were against it”. Sure.”
Answer: Actually, SciFi didn’t demand Ben. As I’ve stated numerous times, I suggested Ben for the role after watching him on Farscape. I was vacationing in Hong Kong at the time the decisions were being made on the show‘s ninth season, and I emailed them from the Peninsula Hotel to lobby for Mr. Browder. And, yeah, after working with him on Farscape, SciFi loved the idea of bringing him on board.
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