In the words of The Wire’s State Senator Clay Davis: “Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.” The results are in. No, I’m not talking about the Presidential election. I’m referring to our whirlwind tour of L.A. According to our agent, response to the horror pitch ranged from “I didn’t get it.” to the ubiquitous “It’s not quite for us but we’d love to work with the guys.” Undaunted, I put my Canadian agent in play and had my U.S. agent zero in on two of the major horror havens we missed out while we were in town. Ultimately, even if we come up empty, we could just go ahead, secure out own distribution deal, and make the movie ourselves. We have the contacts, the perfect location, and, hell, the time. It would just be more of a hassle.On the bright side, I’ve hit the 7 page mark on my super, secret project, and my Tokyo travel plans are coming along nicely. Thanks to the internet, I’ve connected with a couple of fellow foodies living in Japan (who will, hopefully, not turn out to be organ harvesters) and come across some wonderfully informative and entertaining sites (ie.
http://www.julieinjapan.com/). I’ve also started putting together a list of places I intend to visit when I get there, places like the Pierre Marcolini Ice Cream Shop in Ginza, Laduree for its “French luxury cakes”, Miravile Impakt that offers a four-dessert special prix fixe, top chocolatier JP Hevin’s Ginza shop. And some temples.
Acacia discussion:
Thornyrose writes: “For some reason, I was caught off guard by the level of violence in the early goiing. The murder of the messenger, the massacre of the field troop in Mein, then the grisly fate of the remaining garrison troops..this certainly solidified the ruthlessness of the Mein, and of the Numrek.”
Answer: Yes, pretty grim stuff. The fate of the garrison troops was particularly unsettling. I thought Durham really excelled in the battle sequences. Harrowing.
Thornyrose also writes: “The first was the Acacian dedication to the fighting “forms”. I nderstand that they represent katas, but how a princess/priestess could recognise the shortcomings of learning by form, and soon defeat a trained, elite warrior escaped me. “
Answer: Actually, now that you mention it, that was another bump – Mena’s conveniently quick transformation into an expert swordswoman.
Thornyrose also writes: “Given the hunter/warrior cultures of both the Talayans and the Mein, and perhaps overwhelmed by his own mythic rise, I could understand Aliver accepting the duel.”
Answer: True, but given that he called out Meander for his duplicitous ambush during a parlay, showing him to be less than honorable, Aliver’s decision to accept the challenge seemed incredibly naïve.
Thornyrose also writes: “ While the Tunishnevre threat was built up layer by layer, and the evil nature of both the Tunishnevre and their curse made clear, the Santoth still feel…unreal.”
Answer: Still, one of my favorite elements of the final battle vs. Meander’s forces is the lovingly detailed description of the Santoth offensive.
Wraith Cake writes: “Fantasy novels are cookie cutter clones?”
Answer: Not fantasy novels in their entirety but certainly the kingdoms in which they are set. The empires are given short shrift in favor of the story and they rarely serve to do more than provide the simplest of backdrops for the action. In the case of Acacia, however, the empire is so well developed that it’s almost a character itself.
Get your questions in for author David Anthony Durham!
Today’s blog entry is dedicated to birthday gal Linda Gagne.
Mailbag:
Jafacakes writes: “Hi Joe, if you don’t mind getting up early apparently Tsukiji fish market is well worth a visit, not only for the amazing sea creatures but also because it houses Daiwa (tsukiji market, building 6) that serves reputedly the best sashimi and sushi in Tokyo.”
Answer: The great thing about traveling to Asia is that, because of the time difference, you’re usually up at 6:00 a.m. – A perfect time for a trip down to Tsukiji for a sushi breakfast.
Jafacakes also writes: “ Do you have 4 versions of the same pilot or 4 different pilots? And if so are they all the same genre and are you co writing them with Paul?”
Answer: Four different pilots. Four different genres. Paul has done a pass on two and will hopefully do a pass on the other two as well.
Jinx writes: “Not that you would be privy, but is there ever going to be a follow-up to Feast for Crows?”
Answer: According to Amazon, A Dance with Dragons will be released in April of 2009. Order your copy now!
Iamjohn writes: “You guys should bug Robert Cooper to write one for SGU’s first season.” What’s the best method to bug him? Maybe we can get him to start a blog….
Answer: Yep. Without a doubt, that probably would bug him.
Sessy writes: “Killing a character not only leaves a feeling of outrage after watching the show, it also forces fanfiction writers to write “alternate universe” if they want to use the character, which just sucks!!! Please think of the fanfic when you write the movie.”
Answer: I always make it a point to consult our team of resident fanfic writers – Carl Binder and Martin Gero – before committing anything to paper. Sadly, because of his SG-1 movie script duties, Carl has had to put his Yogi Bear/Boo Boo slash fic on hold.
Laura writes: “Have a great trip to Japan and hopefully all the meals are awesome. How’s the language learning going?”
Answer: Sukoshi hanashimasu demo zenzen wakarimasen!
MysteryMadchen writes: “Just want to apologize for my rant yesterday. I’m trying not to loose my house, have family medical problems and am not very excited about the fact that my job kills my brain cells day by day because of it’s lack of stimulation so I’m just a little cranky.”
Answer: By all means, rant away. And here’s hoping 2009 brings better things.
OHinNJ writes: “Joe, I caught part of a TV show the other day – called Me or the Dog, I think – in which a dog trainer/therapist was showing a couple how to train their 5 pugs NOT to eat each other’s poop (*gag*).
Since I didn’t see the whole show, I wondered: is this a problem common in pugs or was this just a group of dogs with issues?”
Answer: Interestingly, crap is about the only thing my pugs DON’T eat.
Maggiemayday writes: “So, Joe, does your vision of Hell include all fruit desserts all the time? Does this include raspberries and strawberries? Pies, cobblers or crisps? Bananas Foster?”
Answer: I actually don’t mind pies, cobblers, or crisps provided they are buried beneath a generous mound of ice cream. Bananas Foster is a-okay by me as well.
Randomness writes: “I just feel sorry for people on long flights for the first time only to be subjected to finger prints/photographing.”
Answer: I don’t mind that so much. It’s the talent portion of the competition I always have trouble with.
DasNdanger writes: “Joe, are you an outdoorsy lawn and garden type? Most Italians I know grow something – tomatoes, or grapes, or figs – so, just wondering if you’ve inherited that same gardening gene.”
Answer: I cultivate a fine wit, an appreciation for fine cuisine, and pretty much anything else that doesn’t involve me communing with nature.
Alicia writes: “I not trying to be a bitch sga movie is all the fans have left I hadnt realized you asked all the neilsen box owners or all the fans on gate world”
Answer: In fact, we did. Every neilsen box owner and fan on gate world. Well, everyone except you. Your line was busy and Jason Momoa was supposed to call you back. I can only assume he forget. Sorry about that.
Skye writes: “hey joe i love seeing the pictures of your dogs and i was wondering if there was a way if i can send u some pictures of my Dog Melboure my Jack Russell for your blog.”
Answer: Better yet, provide a link so that all of the readers can check him/her out.
MaggieMayDay writes: “Joe, will you tell me if the fingerprint attendants wear the ubiquitous white gloves?”
Answer: Most everyone in the service industry did the last time I was there two years ago.
Sector24 writes: “First – do you use any special screenwriting software ot just type in MS Office, and what kind of genre are your pilots – drama, action, sci-fi, sitcom?”
Answer: The writing department works on Movie Magic Screenwriter. As for my pilots: one is a two hour backdoor pilot for a horror comedy, another is a one hour space opera, another is a one hour drama, and the last one is a one hour blue comedy.
Alex writes: “Just wanted to be sure you got my email that second time I sent it. If you haven’t received it, please let me know, and I’ll just go ahead an post it on here.”
Answer: Still nothing. Are you sure you have the correct email?
Did you watch the Halloween episode of Iron Chef America, Battle Offal?”
Answer: Deals have yet to be closed so it’s premature for me to say exactly who will be spinning stories on November 10th. As for the offal episode – missed it. But it does sound like something I’d like.
Sherwood Forest Maiden writes: “Joe, in early September, I sent some chocolate to the cast, can you confirm that it was received at SGHQ?? “
Answer: Sorry, SFM. I have no idea what the cast does and doesn’t receive.
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