Anybody Know This Guy?

Does anyone know who owns him?

(That means who holds the actual copyright for him now - in 2007 - and not who published him way back in the day)

We Now Return You To Our Regularly Scheduled Podcast

So last night I had some technical difficulties joining the gang over at the Geekerati Podcast (see sidebar player to your right). We were supposed to discuss Scary Television - horror television shows of exceptional quality...

So in the interest of my keeping up my end of the conversation, why don't you go over to the podcast and listen and wherever appropriate insert my comments:

My list of scary television (in no particular order):

KOLCHAK:
The grand-daddy of horror television. From the 2 pilot movies to the regular series, Kolchak was a monster-of-the-week show that was a reflection of the writers and directors as well as star Darren McGavin. I only wish the remake had half the genius this show had.

THE OUTER LIMITS (original B/W series):
Another monster of the week show with overlapping scifi elements. Great stories with real emotion and superior production value and featuring great television and movie stars who sold the story to the audience. They also used the writing of renowned scifi and horror authors - Matheson, Ellison, Binder, etc...

DARK SHADOWS:
A Vampire as the hero of a soap opera that played for five days a week. Barnabas was evil and ruthless but you understood his agony as we relived how he became a vampire. Groundbreaking.

FRIDAY THE 13TH - THE SERIES:
A brand name that expanded beyond the hockey maskand machete movies. Great late night television.

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED (based on stories by Roald Dahl):
Clever stories that fulfilled the promise of the series' title. Because it was syndicated late night it could "get away" with more horror.

NIGHT GALLERY:
Horror on Primetime network tv. Who'd a thunk it? From prolific genius Rod Serling who wasn't afraid to scare the pants off the adults.

ULTRAVIOLET:
Vampires are here and we have to do something about it - because they want to control their food supply. You couldn't see them on video nor hear them over the phone (a great continuation of the idea Vamps can't be seen in a mirror) but they can and will do whatever they have to in order to survive. A six-episode series from the UK that should have gone on to several more series, but didn't. What a missed opportunity.

WEREWOLF:
"The Fugitive with fangs." Excellent makeup FX wrapped into a cheaply produced show that premiered on the fledgling Fox network back in the 80's. From Frank Lupo who was part of the whole Cannell explosion of the 80's tv. A lot of fun that played with the werewolf mythology.

THE X-FILES:
Mixed elements of Kolchak with Werewolf , but set in a format/premise that allowed not only horror, but scifi thrills. One episode about an inbred family that kept reproducing throwbacks by tying the mother under the bed with chicken wire so she could "service" her boys was never broadcast on Fox again as it was deemed too gruesome and horrifying.

Yah gotta love that...

Ah Yes, AFM ...

Where we get to see films such as these:















For a review of these and other Asylum "mockbusters" (love that term!) read Foywonder's take on this slate of low budget pictures coming to a video store shelf near you!

Hey! All You WGA Writers Out There...

Here's an article that may capture your interest, and give you something to think about while negotiations carry on...

Interestingly enough, the idea of creating a TV series for comics has been around for quite awhile now. Javier Grillo-Marxuach (LOST) created MIDDLEMAN awhile ago as a tv show, but couldn't get it off the ground. Then he created the comic book version, published some issues. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES was a simple B&W comic that sold 1200 issues in its first run.

Then the suits with their filthy monies came calling.

Now the worst thing that could happen for comics would be for writers to flood the market with TV ideas that are realized in the comic book format... terrible...horrifying...

Yeah, right.

Thing is, you could go here and set up a shingle. Talk to artists. Maybe even get some of the art department/design folk from Hollywood to work in print (or web) for a change. Stretch their creative muscles. Own a piece of the pie you both bake. Or you could set up a writer's room for a comic book TV series. Set it up the way it should be run - fairly.

The funny thing is that the original vision you had when you sat down to write, that crazy notion for a TV show or movie that no suit in a million years would ever pay to develop... ?

Well that original vision can be realized on paper or computer screen fairly quickly (quicker than TV anyway) and put out there for people to see and appreciate, share and yes, ultimately pay for... just like this (or any other way you can imagine). The old business model just isn't working anymore.

And before you think I'm completely full of it, reread the links. Your brethren are doing it already - taking control of an opportunity. See, things are changing... Best to learn and change now before you are obsolete and those opportunities pass you by.

Feel free to discuss.
Next time: we talk about D2DVD in this era of change.

Last Night on Geekerati...

We discussed the term "torture porn" and how it is being used to classify movies such as SAW, HOSTEL and CAPTIVITY...

It was our usual scintillating geekfest which you can listen to by going to my right-hand sidebar and activating the player.

This Looks Fun...

Get Used To This...

MySpace announced they are going to air their first exclusive show. This isn't the first web serial they've "aired" but it is their first exclusive.

It will be brought to you by the guys we've talked about before.

(What's that? Do I hear the sound of network TV clutching its chest?)

Pulp Filmmaking Wisdom...

I didn't realize was wisdom. I thought everyone knew this.

Just told someone the following and they've taken it to heart. If you expect someone to buy your script or movie or comic or book or whatever then listen up:

When it comes time to sell your film, etc... they aren't going to pay you for what you tried to do, they're going to pay you for what you did.

Shadowmania

I love it when another edition of TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN comes around. Black Coat Press sets the bar so high with great contributors to the series, that sometimes I look around and go "How did I get so lucky to be here?" It makes it difficult to come up with a story that you feel is worthy of inclusion, and really makes you sweat to get it "just right."

.

But a really cool thing is when Jean-Marc and Randy send out the cover art and title:

.

LA - Frikkin - DRONN , bitches!

.

I also have learned what a sneaky editor J-M is, because he pointed me in a direction that works perfectly with this title...

and sets the stage for the next book.

(and yes, my story is a Fascinax tale)

Catching Up...

Thanks to everyone who sent me emails and cards. It is appreciated during this stressful time. it's been so stressful that I threw my back out Tuesday night and spent most of Wednesday under the tender ministrations of a Thai masseuse whose fingers and feet could make anyone confess to warcrimes.

Her: Is good yes?!
Me: (tears staining the pillow) yes...oh god...

I can now bend over and tie my shoes, sit up and type this out. The fact I smell like a Ben Gay factory is of no consequence. I have also caught up on sleep and television. The former was semi-blissful thanks to heating pads and medications...

The latter on the other hand -- oh boy. Below are my pot shots at the current schedule:

HEROES - okay. Not great, but I'm hoping Ms. Bell gives the show a shot in the arm.

JOURNEYMAN - I'm liking it. I think it really needs to drop some meta into the mix which last episode's phone call will do...

BIONIC WOMAN - who cares? Really. I got pissed that they put Starb...er, Sarah Corvis in a poker game...

LIFE - is confused.

PUSHING DAISIES - is a fairy tale novel that is being stretched out for an ongoing series. I would love to see this go 13 episodes then stop. I am not liking the fact that everyone's backstory is being narrated to us as we're watching. "You must care about this person because..."

BIG SHOTS - uh, no thanks.

Must I Shout...

That the future is already here? Must I rant and jump up and down on the furniture of the DISContent Headquarters telling everyone that the new media has been within everyone's grasp for awhile now?

No. Not anymore.

TV Guide is doing it for me.

An official consumer-oriented magazine is holding a contest for best web series. In other words:

Web Video Entertainment has arrived.

Granted, many of the nominees are webisodes based on content created to promote regular television series, but the fact remains that original content and creators have been nominated.

Look over the nominees. Screen samples of their work.
But more importantly - vote.
Let TV Guide know that web entertainment matters to you.

Then, get inspired to do your own stuff.
We need ownership right now.

I Bleed, You Read...

Oh yeah, it's going to be one of those posts.

Monday's are generally not very good for anybody - you're back at work in a suit or cubicle, whatever fits better depending on the food and drink you consumed over the weekend- and you are looking forward to tackling that mound of email and paperwork that you somehow hoped would disappear over the weekend. (Damn those lazy bastard email gremlins!)

But occasionally, Monday pulls out the big stick and hits you on the side of your head. Twice if you got laid that weekend.

Anyway, I come into the office early today with an urgent hard-on to get some stuff done when the phone rings with a call from the "803." Not good. "803" is the area code for SC.
Not good because if I get a call from SC it's usually somebody's in the hospital, somebody's going to the hospital, or somebody feels like going to the hospital. Or my alma mater wants more money.

None of those things happened. Totally skipped that step.
Somebody was at the funeral home. Specifically, my aunt died this morning.

[and yes, those of you who know me know that I wrap myself in sarcasm and dark humour when the bad shit happens. It's gotten me through many heartaches to make an off-color remark at the worst of times. This is my pain. This is how I deal since I'm no longer in the military and don't carry a gun. ]

Now I know everyone dies and all that crap that they wrap up in shiny paper and a bow and set underneath your Christmas tree only to find you opening the package and greeting death like you got tightie whities for the holiday.
I know this.
I also know that people have died in my family.
I know this.

But it's not everyday when a member of the family - my Dad's sister - dies on his birthday.

Fuck.

Those of you out there don't know this yet, but when your parents qualify for "geezer" status you worry. You try not to, but shit happens. Your bury that shit in the deepest, darkest tar pit that is your fear...but it is there. Like cancer.

The worry.
The "803" popping up on your Caller ID.
The "Urgent" in the subject line of an email.
The fact you can't just hop in the car and run over to see what's going on.
The fact that emergencies (and I guess this doesn't qualify because it's over and she's going to be cremated and become "million year old carbon" ) require plane trips.

So yeah, you just wrap all that worry up and put it in a blog post.
You get on the phone and try to talk to your pops.
You try to figure out how to say "Happy Birthday" to your pops, knowing that in the back of everyone's mind is that grim fucker, the Reaper saying "I got you, fucker."

I love(d) my Aunt Mary - my dad's older sister. She always smiled and had something nice to say to us kids. She snuck us things out of the kitchen at family gatherings. She ran my grandfather's plumbing business in rural Grinnell, Iowa. She laughed and loved and cried. She took care of things and people. She outlived her daughter Debbie and her husband Don (who loved science fiction and once gave me a whole stack paperbacks he had at the house). She's survived by her daughter Kathy (my cousin) and her husband and several grandkids as well as my pops (her baby brother).

Not a bad run.

I'm done.

I Shouldn't Write...

Until I find the title for the thing I'm writing.

(Gotcha!)

Been polishing the story for BlackCoat and in the rewrite process I've been noticing that something is missing; that one key ingredient that will make this one special. To me at least.

Stories without titles are like those old girlfriends youbroke up with - you knew they were good girls, but they were missing that one thing that would make them perfect for you.

(Yes, I'm sure they feel the same about me too)

Well, in reviewing, rewriting, pounding my head against the wall, searching for that special blade for slicing the veins in my arms, diving into the bottom of a whiskey glass - I realized I didn't have my title.

I thought I did (silly me), but I realized that the story hadn't crystallized for me yet without a title. When I wrote "Cadavres Exquis" (in english "Exquisite Corpse") the story really didn't get to moving for me until I found that title. Then it all fell into place. Motifs within the prose that were sort of lost, starting coming together into a cohesive package. Locations, situations, characters took on new meaning. Blood pumped through the veins.

So while I have polished my story it won't be complete - a living thing - without a title. That's what I'm doing this weekend - finding that perfect title and making sweet, mad pulp bastard love to it.

I promise to leave my camera at home.

Fast Fiction Friday #3

100 words or less. Tell us a story based on this picture...

Oh, and enjoy!

The Times Are A - Changin'

If you haven't heard already there is a pending Writer's Strike here in Los Angeles. That means that for the most part, those writers who belong to the WGA will soon be manning the picket lines, and spending the rest of their time working on spec scripts and other writing work.

I was reading Kay this morning and "Anonymous" commented on what other sorts of work he/she should be pursuing...

And here's where the axe falls on some writers' necks.

See, there's ton of work out there that's available if you are entrepreneurial enough to pursue it. No one is going to hand you a contract for a first novel. No one is going to say, "Come write a graphic novel. Here's a check." You aren't going to be flooded with people saying, "You're a tv writer so you can write for me while the strike is on."

That is unless you already have experience in these fields. (Hello Messrs. Whedon, Straczynski, Grillo-Marxuach, Vaughn).

But all is not lost. There are opportunities out there, but you'll have to set them up yourself. Be your own producer or publisher, your own marketing director, your own cameraman, director, art director and publicist.

The great thing is that the tools are already available. Free blogs. Free photo archives. Free editing software. Free publishing services. Free merchandising and marketing.

You could do this, and create an online novel series.

Or just create the novel.

You could create a web serial.

You could create a podcast.

And you can create all the merchandise for free.

You CAN do all this stuff, and the cool part is:

YOU OWN IT. YOU CONTROL IT.

I think this is the opportunity that many of the "lower earning" writer's in the union have been looking for - the opportunity to be their own boss. To own the store. To quit just being an employee. To quit having to take a stupid note because your job's at risk.

And that's when the studios are going to be afraid. That's when they are going to understand that the rules are changing and they HAVE to change with it. They are going to have to understand and look at this with new eyes...

As will all the writers.

Times are changing. Wear a cup.

5..4..3..2..1..

Stage 6 is a go!

Yes, my little pulpsters, Sony Pictures announced the launch of production arm Stage 6, following similar moves earlier this year by Warner Bros. The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on this genre movie division. (okay, not so much a scoop as a press release)

One of the first on the slate of 10-15 movies per year (budgeted at no more than $10M each) is STARSHIP TROOPERS: MARAUDER - a sequel to the theatrical and D2DVD scifi actioners in the series. It stars Jolene Blalock of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE fame (you're welcome).

Just a Quick Sunday Post...

Before I go back to rewriting my story for Jean-Marc (who was, as always, invaluable in getting me back on track story-wise).

Kay has a great post this week, part of which caught your mad pulp bastard's eye:

"Still, Roth whining that nobody gets him is only about half as funny

as that spree Ted Elliot went on last year, complaining that

the critics were missing the deep, existentialist themes of

Pirates of the Caribbean 2. "

"This is no joke, gentle readers! He did such a thing. And it is twice as funny as Eli Roth's rant because of the legitimacy factor. The whole "Pirates" nonsense mirrors how craptastic "Bionic Woman" is. Here's the problem -- "Pirates" is based on a ride. A RIDE. AT A THEME PARK. The movies, therefore, should take me on a ride, not lecture me on some obscure philosophical principles or a dice game I still don't understand. The writers shouldn't use the screenplay as a forum for their genius.

I don't care if they're geniuses. I just want some fun summer entertainment. And for the record, I have enjoyed their work in the past, so this was obviously an attempt to elevate the genre... of theme-park rides, I guess. But how silly! Same thing with "Bionic Woman." It's based on a fucking spinoff of a 70s show. Don't elevate it. Just give me my Jamie Sommers ripping a fucking phone book in half and playing some tennis, for fuck's sake! As soon as people decide they're gonna make their mark with something, no matter how slight and silly the material, disaster ensues."

(Emphasis mine)

Is this what is wrong with BIONIC WOMAN? Yeah. I mean how hard is it to rethink BW for today's audience? Even with the deadlines and the turnaround and turmoil behind the scenes, all you really had to do was WATCH THE FRIKKIN' DVD SETS OF ALIAS and you could have a damn good template with how to deal with a show about a chick who kicks ass!

Also, is anyone else tired of the "slow buildup" here? Drop us into the story - we'll catch up - I promise. Seriously. We did it with JEKYLL.

In the interest of fair assessment though, I like the idea for this week's show - is the villain really the villain ? This is the territory to mine. This is where the gold lies along with bunches of kick-ass-action.

Let's see if this sort of show foreshadows things to come.

Style in Television

Well, Variety announces that Dick Wolf (head honcho behind the LAW & ORDER franchise and the reincarnation of Jack Webb) and director DJ Caruso are bringing Max Alan Collins' comic strip JOHNNY DYNAMITE to the small screen.

What is interesting is the fact that these guys are going to use the same green screen technology employed in SIN CITY, 300 and SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW...

but do it on a regular tv budget and schedule.
.
From the article:

If it snags a series order, the "Johnny Dynamite" project promises to be the first 100% greenscreen drama on network TV. Plan is to film the entire show on soundstages, much like "300."
Producers are looking to capture the very unique comicbook style of the "Dynamite" universe, which couldn't be done with traditional location shoots. Skein isn't expected to be any less expensive than a traditional show and, in fact, could be a bit more costly.
Two things:

1) Dick Wolf is notoriously cheap and will bring this show in on time and on budget.

2) This sort of project will push the tech down to the levels acccesible by the average filmmaker, but will achieve higher levels of production value and turnaround. Remember "What one man can do, another man can do cheaper."

Exactly the sort of thing we were talking about here.

Besides I think we've hit some pretty high levels of production value already. Imagine what will happen when the workflow is consolidated and streamlined...

We could actually have stylish looking pilots and series that don't break the budget. Gee, now wouldn't that be something?

Edit to add: Well, shucks, someone reminds me that this show has been doing it for awhile now.

For You Television Folks...

Who read this blog from links on other, fancier blogs. Lee Goldberg (DIAGNOSIS MURDER, SHE-WOLF OF LONDON) talks about the differences between German and American television.

He makes several very important points about consistency, a good concept and how a show should be run from the Writer's Room. As he describes it, much of German television is produced in separate units with the director in charge. This allows for wild inconsistencies in how stories are told for a series and doesn't foster "destination viewing."

Lee also says that things are turning around and PRO-7 (pronounced "Pro - see-ben") is taking the first steps toward the idea of a writer's room with the series creator working out the storylines with the freelancers and then sending them off to work. They still don't have what we consider to be a "staff writer," but it's a step in the right direction.

Now why do I say "a step in the right direction?"

Well, I for one will want to see these new shows they develop using the writer's room methodology. That, combined with the spectacular production value they pump into every show says they can easily dub their shows into english and expand the competition.

Competition is a good thing. The problem has always been how to compete. The Brits do it by making these low run six-pack shows like JEKYLL and PRIMEVAL and LIFE ON MARS, creating self-contained novels for tv (which in my mind has influenced how DEXTER, THE SOPRANOS and MAD MEN has been structured). The Japanese make these weird shows with tons of physical and visual FX (or at least the ones I watch). The Latins make these year long tele-novelas (which has led America to remake their UGLY BETTY).

Yes, competition is a good thing. An influential thing.

It is also great teacher, and one thing we need right now - in the beginning of this so-so television season - is some schoolin'. We talked about it last night on the Geekerati Podcast (see right sidebar player for your convenience).

I look forward to your thoughts.

Comics Are Universal...

And now even more so thanks to these forward-thinking people.

From the article:

Comics are more popular than ever, and interest in Japanese manga is soaring. International sales in 2005 (excluding Japan) stood at $245 million (approximately Yen 29 billion), a more than three-fold increase over 2001's $75 million, and manga accounted for over 60 percent of the market, generating sales of $145 million (approximately Yen 17 billion).(a) This is despite the fact that only a few titles are released in the overseas market, where sales are undercut by delays in getting titles to market--a month's delay is typical for paperbacks--and relatively high prices. "Manganovel" will end these problems and meet pent-up demand for an instant, low-cost service for manga. With cooperation from major comic publishers, "Manganovel" will make Japanese comics globally available and create an innovative mode of translation supported and driven by lovers of manga.