Solar car on Old Middlefield Road

Every month on iFanboy.com, I do a “Grab Bag” article, which is basically a mishmash of news such about movies, TV and comics. I do it as kind of homage to Herb Caen and people seem to like it, so I am going to post the content of the article on this site as well, since I am pretty sure many of you who read this don’t read my weekly column (I don’t blame you--it can be pretty...specific). It’s funny to go add my iFanboy writing to this site--the tone is very different, given the audience and the material--but it’s a nice way to round out what I tend to talk about here. Anyway, hope you like it.

Before I start in on that, I wanted to point you to the web spots page, where I have posted an edited version of the iFanboy WonderCon show. They let me get on camera and do some improv and I wanted to share it with you. I took out the other parts of the show, but if you have time, do check out the full version, there are some great interviews, including a few with the Watchmen cast, Zach Snyder and illustrator Dave Gibbons. Forgive the size of the video ---I will re-encode it and clean up the transitions as soon as I can. Anyway, it’s new stuff and new stuff is good.

And now... the March Grab Bag!

* * * *

Hard to believe, but it's already that time of the month. (You know, I've written that sentence before, and it still never seems to come out right, but I am just gonna do it because I am tired of typing it.) This article is due in about 11 hours, but I have been on a slight vacation. I say slight because although I was indeed on vacation, by a pool, reading comics, in Las Vegas, it was actually very windy and hailing. So, I've had my margarita (ill-timed, but one of the drawers that holds all of the pots and pans---a shelf, really, in cabinet like thing, under the burners--broke, so I had to fix it) and my burrito (which was fine and did not need repair) and even watched an episode of The Simpsons, in HD no less (when did I stop watching Simpsons and why did I stop? When did that happen? I like that show!) and now, I am writing with Withnail & I playing in the background (Withnail & I is a great British movie that you must watch if you have ever dealt with actors or been drunk, or dealt with drunk actors, which, well, if you have ever dealt with actors in the first place is, in a word, often). I am bit peeved because, well, I am having aspect ratio issues--everything is right, everything is apparently correct, but it just looks off somehow. No matter, it's the grab bag, and I have stuff to tell you about.

* * * *

"Oh, great, Mike's here? Who invited him?"

So, at top of mind, my mind at least, which you are getting a little bit more of than you actually want right now,is the recent series finale of Battlestar Galactica. Now, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the screening of the episode with the cast and crew on Friday, and I must say, it was a really, really incredible night. You might as well read The Hollywood Reporter's account of it here, but suffice to say, it was a really inspiring evening. I have been following the show (writing letters to SciFi.com to support it going to series, etc) since the beginning, and I feel very lucky to have been there for the finale. Yes, I saw and talked to many of the actors and directors, but that wasn't really why it was awesome. It was awesome because everyone came together to say goodbye to what had been their lives for almost seven years, to say farewell to a show that really did redefine just how good television could actually be. Producers Ron Moore, David Eick and director Michael Rhymer (who was mentioned specifically as being a key reason why the show was was so successful from a creative point of view) all delivered a show that was pretty much uncompromising in its mission to tell a great story with believable, engaging and challenging characters, and I for one will miss the show greatly. Now, I just have to figure out how to get on Caprica, which starts filming in earnest this summer.

* * * *

Imagine a greater name.

Speaking of the SciFi channel, as much as I hate to say farewell to BSG, I must say I hate the new name of the network even more. Behold, SyFy. Yes...I think, actually, that is phonetically "siffy". So...incredibly lame. According to Tim Brooks, "The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular." Let's see...let's just see...what kinds of things do these "geeks" like? Can you say Lord of the Rings? Star Wars? Dark Knight? Spider-Man? I mean, videogames? It's bad that you associate the channel with all these things? Incredible to me. I think Brooks is also being kind of sexist--like, so, are we to assume that women don't like the science fiction? Really? I just...it irritates me and I didn't even care about this stuff until I found out they were changing the name. I mean, I liked the idea that a channel could be devoted to science fiction...but I guess I'm just some dork who lives in my mom's basement, right? Ah, well. I should be careful, I guess--like I said, I really want to be on Caprica and I probably shouldn't talk too much trash about the network if I want a job there. But still--siffy?

* * * *

Spock, Kirk and Bones have just heard about a new series and are not amused.

Speaking of siffy, er, silly--do we really need a new Star Trek TV show? No, we don't, but don't tell that to to Bryan Fuller, creator of the quite-beautiful-with-some-great-acting-and-quirky-point-of-view-that-many-us-recorded-but-never-got-around-to-you know, watching-Pushing Daisies. I guess he wants to make an "old style" Trek. How this would coexist with J.J. Abrams' upcoming theatrical release, which is much more modern, with its Apple Store-like bridge and irritatingly good looking cast, would still have to be resolved, but, hey--I am all for any show that casts actual actors. Speaking of Trek, the writer of the linked article digs a bit at Deep Space Nine, which is unfair--that show was actually quite good, and the last two seasons were all part of an ongoing plot, which paved the way for episodic shows like Heroes, Lost and, yes, Battlestar Galactica, produced by DS9 alum Ron Moore. So don't hate--Netflixagate!

* * * *

Spider-Man 4: Payback's a Bitch, Spidey!

Still with the video and the sound, news of Spider-Man 4 continues to trickle in, with director Sam Raimi talking about the apparently Dunst-free aspect of the film so far. Money quote: "I can't imagine making a 'Spider-Man' movie without Kirsten." He then insisted, "Of course it can be done..." I, for one, don't care at all about a new Spider-Man movie. I am not sure why--oh, that's right, number three sucked and I don't believe that they can actually make another good one. Yeah, I guess I am being cynical, but, I mean...do we really need another one? The movies make a ton of money, and if they can make Pirates of the Caribbean 4, then they might as well add a fourth Spidey flick. But I am not at all convinced you need Kirsten Dunst. In fact, forget about her--bring in Black Cat and a brief cameo with the Fantastic Four and we'll be set.

* * * *

I need me a pair of those shades.

Finally, I guess ABC is remaking V? You know, the one with the lizards in human skin with the mouse eating and jaw popping? That's all I remember about the original, to be honest. That and the jumpsuits. On the other hand, I guess Fox is making a series based on DC's Human Target, which I think actually makes a lot of sense as a TV series. I liked the books--let's hope they do that one right.

* * * *

In the "I hinted at it and it became true" department, I can happily tell you for certain that dance music duo Daft Punk is indeed doing the music for Tron 2 (though they are not calling it Tron 2: Electric Boogaloo). One more Tron!

* * * *

Remember when I thought I was being all thoughtful and creative by writing about what books we should recommend after our "other" friends asked what they should read after Watchmen? Well, I've been seeing lots of DC ads in comic books discussing exactly that--you can see their recommendations at afterwatchmen.com. Good job on that, though I must say they should be running these ads in Entertainment Weekly and other actual magazines. I mean, DC is already admitting that people don't know which comic books to read after reading Watchmen, so it's pretty certain that this audience is not reading this month's Justice League, you know? But good try anyway. Marvel should have done this with their movies--it's a great way to get new folks into comics. Or at least trades. On a related note, GQ magazine has a whole feature about what comics to read after Watchmen. Top of the list? Madman, which should make Ron happy. The article, written Alex Pappademas and Kevin Sintumuang, is actually pretty good, and actually mentions a few books that we talked about in my article, including All-Star Superman and Criminal and others I totally spaced on, like Alias, The Nightly News and Fell. Nice one, guys!

* * * *

Finally, in the "Last Minute Conor Save" or "Mike apparently has a crush on Marcos Martin" Department, I bring you another amazing cover by Mr. Martin, this time for the upcoming 70th Anniversary of Captain America:

Okay, it's Tuesday and I have a cold sore the size of a grape on my lip, a (group) lunch with a senior vice president of my company and a ton of work to do, but I need to finish this up...

Went snowboarding this past weekend and had a blast. I have been trying to go all winter but so far, each time I have gone locally, it was a total bust (literally, if you bring my busted thumb into the mix), so I had high hopes for this trip to Mammoth. I mean, after my last visit, I basically was ready to give up, because I just wasn't getting it and the whole idea of spending a bunch of money to go up and down a hill, over and over, again, falling throughout, just wasn't making any sense. Thankfully, everything was much more fun and interesting, and I remembered why I was drawn to it in the first place: it was new, it was physical, and it really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Like, when you have to go down the side of a mountain that literally gives you vertigo looking at it as you go up the lift, you are forced to dig deep and just go for it the best way you know how, right?

I was twittering a bit while I was up there, but basically I figured out how to turn consistently and I didn't break anything. It was a lot of fun, and I was relieved that I was actually learning how to build on what I was learning, run after run. I also came face to face with the limitations of my physical body. Like, I am in shape, but after four hours, I was beginning to make mistakes. Mentally, I was ready but my body was lagging a bit by the time 3pm rolled around. I was carving too hard on my left hand turns, I was hesitating when I should have been committing and just getting sloppy. Of course, when it's that time of day, everyone's kind of flubbing here and there so I didn't feel too badly, but it was still interesting to experience. It's not like I my typing gets worse toward the end of the day, you know?

So, I will post a few pictures of the scenery, but all in all, I'm relieved.

Okay, that was snowboarding. Now we move to acting.

I had dinner and spent the evening with two Broadway actors on Sunday night (along with some other friends). I was talking to a woman who was 75 and had made a living as a stage actor the entire time--she never had to wait tables. She had just come off of playing the Nurse in Medea in Canada, and we had a great conversation about breath and its relationship to intent; she opens up with a wish to the gods and she had initially thought she needed to get the line out in one breath, but then realized it worked when she broke it up with intakes of air. I suggested that this made sense, because often when you are in that "wish making" mode, you pile on wish after wish, and the breath supports that moment, gives encouragement to those wishes--you see kids do this all the time. We had a great chat about this and she remarked that I should be teaching or directing, which, I must say, coming from her, was one of the nicest compliments I've received in years.

Again, it's those moments of validation that I guess I need just to make sure I am not deluding myself, you know? If I can have an evening talking about acting with two fantastic, well known and celebrated actors, where it's a real give and take, then I have contributions that I can make. Now, now...well, I am not sure. I am doing what I can. Tricia remarked that when she got into acting when she was in Australia, it wasn't something that everyone wanted to do, compared to today. Like, it wasn't a career that normal people wanted to pursue, so it was easier for her. So, she got in early..and stayed. But you know what? Even with her experience? She still has to audition. Never stops.

This is a tough time for actors, moreso, I think than any time before. We all know that there are fewer shows being made and fewer movies being released this year, but what you may not know is that many, if not most, of the "good" roles are being offered to movie stars first. If you watch TV at all, you've seen this happening. I've talked about this before, so I will leave it there, but it's a strange time now, to be sure. I'm sticking with it, of course, but I gotta say, it would be nice to get some auditions. All in good time. In the meantime, I can relish evenings like Sunday, where I can listen to stories and experiences and enjoy moments of inspiration that made me want to be an actor in the first place. Inspiration is all around us, we can just get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to look and listen.