Well, the results of Lawren Bancroft-Wilson's Fantasy Pilot Television League (named after the guy who did all the leg work for us) are in! Although my former Stargate nemesis Ashleigh lead through most of the season, I overtook her in the final days of "pick-up Heaven/cancellation Hell" to win our pool by an impressive four…
May 10, 2014: My April Reads!
Capsule reviews of my April reads... CHEW (vol. 8: Family Recipes) by John Layman and Rob Guillory The eighth instalment in the ongoing series about detective Anthony Chu, a chibopath capable of receiving psychic impressions from whatever he tastes, be it inorganic matter or fresh(ly deceased) flesh and blood. It's been a wonderfully bizarre, over-the-top series but…
May 9. 2014: What I Did This Week!
Blogged. Read five books. Worked out. Spent quality time with the dogs. Played phone/text/email tag with our production partner. Did a "leaner/tighter" pass on the pilot. Added two new sections to the show's bible: "The Economic/Political Structure" and "Getting Around" (via ship and transfer stations). Drafted an overview of the 13 episode first season complete…
May 8, 2014: News of Note!
Hollywood bemoans its lack of experienced writing producers. And, presumably, Starbucks coffeehouses: http://www.deadline.com/2014/05/showrunners-wanted-networks-grapple-with-lack-of-experienced-writing-producers/ * Drew Magary (author of the terrific The Postmortal) confirms what we've all suspected for a while now: Facebook is dead. "Apart from the long-standing complaints about privacy and insufferable people posting pictures of their own feet from a fucking beach, it's really only…
May 7, 2014: Mailbag!
I'm busy outlining a 13-episode first season for a new SF series. But more on that in another blog entry. In the meantime, when's the last time I did a mailbag? Mailbag: Tam Dixon writes: "He likes them well done and you know how hard it is to retain the tenderness when cooked that way?!…
May 6, 2014: What’s cookin’?
Thanks to everyone who actually sat down and not only started May's book of the month club pick, but actually finished it. And an especially big thank you to those who took the time to offer their thoughts on The Rich and the Dead. I kid you not - your reviews were infinitely more entertaining…
May 5, 2014: Our Book of the Month Club reconvenes! Let’s discuss The Rich and the Dead!
Time travel fiction is notoriously difficult to write, fraught as it is with complicated theoretical rules related to grandfather paradoxes and butterfly effects. It is, on the other hand, relatively simple to write if you merely pay lip service to said rules and then proceed to either ignore or violate them over the course of…
May 4, 2014: Recommended Reading!
Today, we went to the nearby Cookworks kitchenware shop where Akemi browsed while I offered the woman at the cash some book recommendations for her upcoming vacation (John Scalzi's Old Man's War and Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle). Moments earlier, we had been at our local chain bookstore where Akemi hunted for a cookbook for dogs (cooking for dogs as…
May 3, 2014: My Top 10 Most Personally Influential SF Films!
This morning I came across this (http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/how-many-science-fiction-movies-have-you-seen) Buzzfeed article that asks: "How many science fiction movies have you seen?". Apparently, in my case, quite a few - but I'm sure many of you can do better than my still-respectable 151 out of 300 score. In looking over the list, I realized I watched A LOT…
May 2, 2014: Places you may want to avoid! Cast your vote for our July Book of the Month Club read!
I'm enjoying reading your comments on yesterday's entry (My Top 5 Never-Before-Visited Vacation Destinations!) both for the travel recommendations AND critiques. Don't be shy or fearful of offending. I'd love to learn about your those negative experiences as well. After all, not every city is for everyone. For instance, I've only been to New Orleans, San…
May 1, 2014: My Top 5 Never-Before-Visited Vacation Destinations!
Tokyo, Montreal, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Whenever I travel, it's usually to one of these four cities. But I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for something different. Not Hawaii or Hong Kong or New Orleans or San Francisco - all places I've already visited. I'm talking about somewhere I've never been before. Somewhere brand…
April 30, 2014: Conspicuous Consumption! Richie Rich sticks it to the little guy!
If I had to pick one comic book that I considered "the weirdest" growing up, it would have to be Richie Rich. The title character was described as "the poor little rich boy" but I never found anything remotely poor about him, either literally or figuratively. I suppose, one could make the argument that deep beneath…
April 29, 2014: The Weird Food Purchase of the Day – Onion and Wasabi Chips!
April 28, 2014: A Trip Down Memory (Lois) Lane! Comicdom’s Most Dated – the awesome, the atrocious, and the quaintly antiquated!
"They sure don't make 'em like they used to" goes the old adage, and nowhere is this more evident than in the ever-evolving world of comic books. From Superman battling nazis to Spiderman meeting President Obama, comics have a rich tradition of embracing history and reflecting social and cultural norms. What was perfectly acceptable ten, maybe…
April 26, 2014: May under-the-radar releases to look forward to! Or not!
BLOOD GLACIER Release Date: May 2, 2014 What it’s about: A bleeding glacier infects and mutates the local wildlife. Chaos ensues. What it’s got working for it: In the spirit of Alien... What’s it’s got going against it: ...comes a movie that looks like a cheap rip-off of Alien. * WALK OF SHAME Release Date: May…