A quick update. For those of you not reading my pieces of my iFanboy, I wrote a piece on a re-imagining of Superman from the late 1990s called Superman 2000. The response was pretty nice, which was cool. I also appeared on this week’s edition of the Pick of the Week podcast, which you can find on iFanboy.com or in iTunes. I am also finally tuning up my public facing facebook page and have put up a few Norton Table episodes that you might like.

Things rumble along. Work has been really challenging and I feel like I am burning out a bit, but I guess that’s normal given how busy things are. Busy is good. Burning out? Not so much. I went out for a series regular on a pilot a few weeks ago, which is totally in the “now that’s more like it” category, but it clearly did not pan out. Doesn’t really matter, of course--it’s hard to get on the auditions, and to get there, do the work you wanted to do...that’s all you got. Did some coaching with Michael Laskin--he’s good; you need a good coach? Go see him.

I am planning to be up in San Francisco for Wondercon at the beginning of the month, too. I’ll be on a panel with the rest of the iFanboy crew, which I am really, really looking forward to.

Cool, hope you are well.

This is a “reprint” of my article on iFanboy.com.

"So, that happened."

I trust you already got the news from Comic-Con, but I figured I would discuss a little of what I saw at Comic-Con and get your reactions to the news that Marvel and DC announced this year. 

Now, to be sure, I did not make it to all of the panels. I mean, I did not make it to most of the panels that I wanted to attend, just like I did not get a chance to meet most of the folks that I wanted to meet.  This show…if there was a theme to this show, it wasn't Scott PIlgrim Takes Comic-Con (which it did), it was, really, There's Too Much To See, Too Much To Do, and No Time To Do It.  Con.

Yesterday was the first "last day of Comic-Con" when I truly felt--really felt--that I wasn't ready for it to be over. Like, seriously, this time last year, I was dead. Sick and dead.  This year? Well…I am certainly not well, but I definitely feel like I could stick it out at least one more day.  One thing I keep forgetting about San Diego is just how truly hardcore the lines are. Like, if you want to see the 10am panel, you need to get to the 10am panel at least an hour and a half early, if not two.  If not three. All this is well and good if you get to bed at 11 after a nice warm glass of milk and being tucked in by your mommy, but clearly unrealistic (though, I suppose, not impossible) during Comic-Con. Maybe I am getting old, but when I am in bed at 4am, I can't get up at 8. Every morning for four days straight?  I can't do it, captain. 

Every morning this year, I started out with clear disadvantage of having woken up just a bit too late to get my con in gear. I had a blast, to be sure, but I failed to get into the more high profile panels, though I did see Warren Ellis gloat about how much money he made for the rights to his story during the Red panel, which featured Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Mary Louise-Parker and Karl Urban, which was pretty cool, I guess. I am fan of the book (reminds me more than a bit of Destroyer), but it is clear that this movie was basically inspired by the story, which is fine. The panel was kind of a snore, to be honest, especially when you compare it to getting a chance to see the entire Avengers cast get up on stage.    Damn.  (Incredibly, Ellis didn't stay for any other panels…maybe that's not a surprise, but still, please provide us with a break.)

Sadly, I was only able to eek out one update during the con, and while I did record a few segments, I wasn't able to post them during the convention itself. Remember that one convention when the guys did a podcast every day during the con?  There's a reason this hasn't happened again.  There just isn't enough time, folks, to participate in the con, cover the con, write about the con and post about the con more than a few times.  

But all is not lost.  I went to a few comic book panels, and, while most of them were basically ten minutes of news most of us had already heard followed by 50 minutes of mostly awkward Q&A sessions, I did have a few items I wanted to share with you.

As Paul posted, Grant Morrison was at Comic-Con this year (Conor got an interview with him, I can't wait to see it) and there was much ado about Batman in the DC panels. I was there when they discussed Bruce's return, and the whole Batman, Inc situation that is coming in the months again.  I don't have much to say about this--it seems like the only real way to keep the Dick/Damien dynamic in the books while getting Bruce back into the picture.  Truly, this is an interesting dilemma, this tension of the seemingly obvious choice to bring Bruce back in, but at the cost of having Dick where the cowl, which, seemingly, readers are not really ready to pay, you know? 

Grant was asked about Mr. Pig several times after the main presentation, mostly along the lines of, "Where did he come from?" and "How did you think of him?"  Grant used these questions as a way to discuss the challenges of creating characters who will stay "alive," who will be available for future creators to bring into stories "years after everyone on this panel is dead."  He reminded the audience that the Joker came out of nowhere, that it was 50-60 years before anyone attempted to provide him a real backstory and how when you provide a backstory when you introduce a new character that you deny the audience the opportunity to imagine one on their own, you deny the magic of mystery to happen.  Mr. Pig comes out of nowhere in Batman and Robin, and he is all the more terrifying because of this sudden entrance.  Grant was strongly of the opinion that it was best not to explain at first, "let creators and fans fill it in later," he said.

Mr. Pig, by the way, was apparently inspired by the song "Pygmalism" by Momus, which is told from the point of view of a transformed girl, like Eliza in the play Pygmalon, later made in the musical My Fair Lady.  He wanted a real deranged villain, one that was, I guess, obsessed with forcing transformation on his subjects. 

Other jots I got from the Batman panel:

- We'll soon be seeing the second semester of Stephanie Brown's stay at Gotham University in Batgirl.  She'll get a love interest, a car and a dog.

- Paul Dini is doing sequel to Heart of Hush called House of Hush.

- Frank Quitely was supposed to come onboard again for Batman and Robin (and do more pages for Batman 700) but he's hurt his back and he hasn't been able to do as much work lately. (Feel better, Frank!)

The Spider-Man panel (check Jim's great report here) was interesting. By any measure, Brand New Daywas a complete success and has energized the title. It sounds like Marvel is really interested in taking advantage of Spidey's resurgence, and looking to do yet another status quo change--Spidey's literally going Big Time. Dan Slott, who is taking over the book, is basically dragging Peter Parker out of the Charlie Brown category and more into the Bruce Wayne/Tony Stark/Reed Richards persona, where readers can (finally?) see Peter start dong well professionally--he's getting a career, people!  It also sounds like Spider-Man is going to be in more and more books…sounds like the Wolverine effect (or just more of the Spidey effect?).  The Spider-Man panel was the most nerdy of the panels I went to, with lots of gasps and cheers from the audience when they got a chance to see images from the upcoming books, of which there will be many, with lots of pages. The new books will be at least thirty pages, with an eight page backup, which will tie into other books, like the also-announced Spider-Girl book.  While folks were also interested in the Carnage miniseries (people cheered when they talked about it), I was bemused at the Osborn mini, which seems uncannily timed to mirror with what DC is doing with Lex Luthor in Action.  Of course, it will be different (more Oz than Metropolis) and sounds a bit darker…but I am just so tired of Osborn..we'll have to see.  

It's funny; the "CC" in SDCC could mean "constant change"--there always seems to be a few panels where the creators gleefully announce how they are rendering the status quo to bits, that everything's gonna be different, better, crazier, bolder, huger, massiver, wilder, amazinger than before.  It's always fun (sometimes) to see just how different things end up (Final Crisis really didn't seem to change that much at the end of the day, really, you know) and whether or not the readers really appreciate all the changes that the creators are so passionate about.  Of course, we are still waiting to see what is going on withMarvelman, which we learned about last year--wasn't there supposed to be a new book? Ah, well.  


The only other topic I need to touch on is the whole focus on digital comics this year. There were several different sessions that had the words "digital" and "comics" in them, and I ended up going to Marvel's presentation on what they were doing about the digital issue. Much of the session was about the upcoming motion comics, which was…well, it was a bit boring, just like motion comics. I know, that's harsh, but I personally have no interest in watching 60's-era Marvel cartoons coming back as John Siuntres quipped during the podcasting panel. They lookbad, people!  That being said, the Thor & Loki motion comic looked much more animated than previous motion comics and looked…well, it looked pretty good, I have to say.  Still, I was much more interested in what Marvel (and DC) are doing with digital comics, and realize that Marvel is juggling quite a lot. First, they have animated, er, motion comics, then they offer the comics to look at online, which have nothing to do with the digital comics that I am interested in--the ones I can take with me on a digital device that may or may not have an active Internet connection. 

They only touched upon digital portable comics (Ultimate Thor will be day and date digital and print, no pricing announced), so I went up and praised them for their really nice iPad experience (they did not thank Comixology for that, by the way, which was lame) but pressed them for some answers regarding pricing. Specifically, I asked something much like, "While the guided view experience can be compelling and offers some extra value, I am willing to be that not all users really want that guided experience and would be very interested in paying less money for 'just' the comic. I assume that adding that guided experience adds some cost to the creation of this digital comic and that Marvel could see some cost savings if they just put the page up there, perhaps for older issues, for a lower cost. Are you guys seeing anything in your research that shows readers feeling one way or the other on this kind of thing?"

Marvel's answer was both shocking and not surprising. First, they admitted that they haven't done much research (which means that they probably have not done any) on what the audience wants. They then said that they were pleased that retailers were actually happy with digital comics, because apparently customers were getting issues from iTunes and then going to the stores to pick other issues and trades. Then he challenged my assertion that the Guided View was not that compelling and how it was a differentiator from the pirated PDFs that were out there, and they were always looking at pricing.

Which did not answer my question at all.  

First, I find it impossible that Marvel is not doing research on this, I literally laughed out loud when he admitted as such.  I mean, is this the future of comics or not?  If so, shouldn't the publishers be working with their audience to make sure they do it right? Is this something they just plan on test marketing until they think they've got it right? From his answer, the best thing about digital comics was that retailers were happy that they were driving traffic to the stores.  So, are these mobile versions just promotional items? If so, how can they be so much money, and how does Marvel justify the price of the digital version of the Iron Man annual being more than the printed version? It's schizophrenic at worst, clumsy at best and just angers the customer.  And I wasn't ripping on Guided View--I was praising it as something that helps make the story more dramatic, as something that provides value to the reader--I just suggested that they might build their audience by offering a lower cost version without that extra direction.

So, yeah--not impressed. Not impressed with their story--digital comics are not coming, they are here, and they are here to stay. I understand that Marvel has to play to both sides of this very crucial and emotional issue--they have to keep the retailers happy, I get that and I feel they should be commended for keeping the retailer in mind during this transition.  I also feel that digital comics do not mean the end of comic retail and that digital comics can broaden the comic book audience in hugely significant ways.  Seriously--if you have kids and a busy life and don't have that much time or you don't have a comic book store in your town, you just don't always have access to current comics. Digital comics can bring in people that would never go to their local comic book store. Digital com---

Sorry. I just…it's 2010, you know?  Comic book fans, the ones who are supporting these publishers, deserve better than wishy washy answers when we try to have honest discussions about what is clearly the biggest elephant on the show floor on a floor that has quite a few big elephants.  It's complicated, I know, and Marvel has better things to do than discuss this huge deal with some fan at a convention, but still--they should be engaging their audience a bit.

Well, SDCC is about community and conversation, and I daresay I got quite a bit out of just those three panels (I went to more, but those were the ones I thought would be the most interesting bring to you).  The rest of the con was super fun, too, and I just have to say to all of you who took the time to introduce yourselves and provide me feedback on my articles, you have no idea how much I appreciated hearing from you. I know all of us take your feedback and encouragement to heart and I--well, I really appreciated it. Thank you.  It was great to see folks at the parties, it was great to see you on the floor…my only complaint? It went too quickly.  I honestly could have used an extra day. Indeed, Brian and I discussed ho the lines and the crowds are getting so crazy that SDCC needs to either cut back on the content (not going to happen) or add another day to the schedule. Make Wednesday a "real" day, make Tuesday night the new Preview Night. It would just give us all about a bit of breathing room and maybe make things a bit less frenetic, especially on the weekend.  Just an idea…a damn good idea if you ask me.  Also, Whitney really wants everyone to start going to the Hilton instead of the Hyatt, since instead of standing around in a lobby, you can actually sit down on sofas and enjoy hanging out on patios above the water. I would add that the Hilton has 50% off drinks from 10pm-2am.  Would that be too much of a status quo change?

As they say in the old country, Big Ups to Paul, Jimski, Josh and Tom for keep the site up to date during the con. I had the best intentions but failed--you guys kept the site popping with content, so failure felt kinda good.  

Finally, it was a real pleasure to meet the folks at Graphic.ly.  They obviously love comics and are doing some really great work. I am really inspired by what they are doing and feel very lucky to play my very small part in this exciting story.

Finally, finally I did take some video of the last big unveiling that Marvel had at their booth, the Infinity Gauntlet movie prop.  Check it here.

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:

Posing with the iFanboy "Who Needs a" Booth Babes

Wow! Long time no talk. I actually had a bit of a panic--I lost the website on my local drive, so when I was at home longing to update the site, I couldn't until I got back to work and got my backup. Still have no idea what happened, but it's all back, so that's good.

The past few weeks have been a blur. I went to Comic-Con (check the iFanboy story here) and that was pretty great (photos here). I ended up having a pretty fantastic last day of the con, where I was able to get lunch with James Sime (the man behind Isotope), his gal Kirsten Baldock (author of Smoke and Guns) and Darwyn Cooke (one of the best creators working today, in my opinion), which was a lot of fun. It's weird, you know? Like, the whole comic book thing. For awhile, it was just my own thing, and was basically a curiosity for my friends--like, I really didn't talk about them that much, but I just kept reading them and all was good. Over the past few years, I have inadvertently gotten more and more involved in the comic book community, which has been a lot of fun. I mean, I remember driving to San Diego three years ago with Whitney listening to the iFanboy podcast and Whitney kept saying how I should be on the podcast since I kept talking back to the guys and explaining what they were talking about to her. Flash forward to the present and I already have one show under my belt in addition to the column! Funny how things work out that way. Whit and I were also mentioned in Whitney Matheson's PopCandy column, too, which was fun.

But back to the lunch with the gang. Yes, it was fun having lunch with someone whose work I admire like crazy (I think I have all of his recent books), but it was also just really interesting to learn more about and more about the industry and the personality types and the challenges you meet when making a living making funny books. It's a completely different world, and it was fun to hear Darwyn's battle stories.

Then, that night, completely out of the blue, Whit and I joined Kirsten, James and Jon to have dinner with Grant Morrison and his lovely girl Kristan. Like, if you are a comic book fan, you know how cool this is, to be able to write about having dinner with Darwyn and then have dinner with Grant. Like Darwyn, Grant is a major creative force in the industry--he's rewriting the DC Universe right now in Final Crisis--and we had a great discussion that went from astronomy to philosophy to mythology and back again. It was a fantastic night and capped off a truly fantastic show. I must say, I am happily surprised that Whit and I have gotten more on the "inside" of the comics scene---getting a chance to talk about stories and art have inspired both of us to keep on being creative. I mean, Whit took Grant and Kristan around JPL the other day. How cool is that?

I will probably write about this in my column next week, but these conversations and others have really shown me that comics are a great way to tell timely stories (you can write, draw and publish a comic faster that it takes to write a novel or produce a film, with fewer people getting in your way) that go beyond regular prose but stop short of a movie. Comics are a great way to tell stories that can incorporate the concepts that one might be more used to reading about in regular books but with the imagery, design and spectacle one might see in movies or TV. I'll go off on this next week.

In other news, summer continues and things are definitely picking back up with the acting life. I have been on a lot of auditions and callbacks but the big news was that I was called straight into producers for a show last week. In the June 25 entry, I talked about an audition I had that went really, really well but was disappointed to hear nothing back about it at all. I admit, it sent me into a small tailspin--really small, but my tail spun just a little bit--because again, I knew I had nailed something, I knew I had absolutely rocked the audition, but nothing came out of it. Well, I did get something out of it--another audition. Basically, I guess I had made an impact on the casting director, so when she had a role that she thought I would be go for, she skipped the pre-read (where I audition for her, she tapes it and then sends the tape to the producers who then decide whether or not to bring me in) and brought me in with her to audition for the producers and writers in their production office and studio. It was a tiny role, but the audition went well, and even though I didn't get the part, at least I did well, which makes her look good, makes my manager look good, and everyone's happy. It's been said that you only need 5-6 casting directors on your side to get a career going, so hopefully's she's gonna be part of TeamRomo™.

Other items:
- Matt, Pepe, Jonathan, and Eugene were here for a few days after their crazy BroTrip™. It was great to see them all, especially Pepe, who spends his time in Berlin, so I rarely, if ever, see him.

- Zak, Megan, and Kendra are up in San Francisco this week and I am really frustrated that I can't come up to see them. I mean, I could, but it would probably only be for awhile and I am planning on getting out to New York in September or October anyway, so I will check them out then.

- Work is going really well. I am actually spending part of my time writing scripts for a few projects that you may see on a computer screen near you; I will keep you posted. It's quite cool to get a chance to use my background in acting and writing in my day life, it's a very nice perk. We have a LOT of stuff I am working on, which is both exciting and intimidating. Busy...

Okay, time to go. Happy Day.

Tags: comics, comic-con, san diego

Another long wait between posts. I apologize but I have good reasons, really. Good raisins, too.

I was at WWDC all last week (see photos here), which ran the gamut of emotional and physical responses: excitement, frustration, confusion and exhaustion. It was a good conference as far as I could tell (I attended quite a few sessions but much of my day was spent in meetings), but the best times were outside of the conference, spent with all of the many great friends I have back in my hometown.

I will be posting an article about WWDC over in the Norton blogsite and you probably either already know what happened there or just don't care. Suffice to say that the iPhone is rapidly becoming a legitimate technology platform and I think it's appropriate to say that the transition that this iPhone is a part of (if not helping define) is a big one. It will be very interesting to see what features we assume from technology in the next five years.

- I am a guest host on this week's iFanboy podcast. It was a lot of fun, and one of those items I was very happy to check off in my "life's to do list". I had started listening to the podcast several years ago and always thought it would be fun to be on the show, and now I can say, it was an absolute blast to do it. It was a real pleasure and the feedback has been very positive so far. It's a lot of prep work, getting ready for the show, I had to get a headset to use with Skype (for sound quality) and set up my desk so I could easily access the books we were discussing, my notes, water, coffee, chat windows...it was like doing a radio show, which, of course, makes sense. The thing about the show is that it's usually pretty entertaining even if you don't know anything about comics, since there are aspects to the conversation that everyone can relate to (characters, stories, art, etc). This was another "live" event that I really couldn't truly prep for (not unlike the stuff I had to do in Vegas), so I am relieved it went well.

It also underscores my belief that you truly achieve any goal you have if you make a consistent effort to achieve said goal. Now, sure, I didn't write out "Be on iFanboy" one day, but I did want to get more involved, to the point that getting on the show would definitely become an option. And, now, it's happened. Of course, now I am writing a weekly article for them, which I did not plan at all--but it got me a chance to be on the show. And, again, while I could control some aspects toward this goal (enthusiastic participation, making sure to keep in touch, etc, etc), the TIMING was not in my control at all. If I had any expectation of "being on the podcast by xx years," none of this would have happened. I know, I sound like a broken record, but life is all about living the moment and not trying to fulfill expectations (yours or others).

- Speaking of real time activities, I gotta admit that writing regularly is quite a challenge. I had a crazy time last week when I had both an article for iFanboy, a new story summary, the first 10 pages of my screenplay and my inciting incident due on Tuesday. Now, of course, I am to fault completely--I procrastinated like crazy, but that's how I am used to dealing with writing deadlines: I get the topics/scenes/sections figured out in my head, and then I sit down and write it out. That's how I got through college--all of my papers were first drafts, technically--and it worked out fine. And life is not all that different now, come to think of it. When I was in college I had homework and papers due all the time, but was in rehearsals until 11 almost every night of the week, so doing it my head was my only recourse, really.

Maybe it is more difficult because I don't have that crazy structure that made me so nuts back then. Whatever--I did all the work that I needed to do, and so far, so good. What is...stressful? interesting? just...different? about writing NOW is that there is nothing for me to refer to--everything I am writing is from my own head. I am being asked to take a topic, aim my brain at it, and then transform that chaos into text and pictures. Which is a challenge, let me tell you! It's a great challenge, but I can see why "real" writers make a schedule--if I had any kind of discipline, I would be getting up at 6am each morning and just get it done before I went to work. I might have to do just that, actually--the screenplay is going to be at least 100 more pages, right? It took me over an hour to get the first 10 done...that's at least 10 more hours...yikes...scary.

But it's all new--all of this is new, and I haven't been challenged like this in awhile. I am definitely growing creatively, which feels really good.

- I made quite a few Father's Day calls yesterday. It was nice. It's really quite an experience to watch my oldest friends become parents. Trips me out like crazy.

- We won't talk about acting right now. Nothing to talk about.

- Saw some great old cars at The Grove a few weeks ago. Check the photos here.

Have a good week!

Tags: wwdc, san francisco, comics, ifanboy

Hey there!

Just wanted to let you know that my first article for iFanboy.com is up. I gotta say, I was really nervous about the whole thing. I mean, I was really, really flattered to be asked but honestly, I had no idea what I was going to talk about, week after week. (I still don't, really.) But it's a great opportunity and I'll just continue to write as long as they'll have me.

Of course, now I just have to get my Norton blog updated...I think I will probably do a series of entries during WWDC up in San Francisco, which should be a fun time. I will be twittering any fun stuff during the Keynote, so swing by a few times next week to see if I have any cool news from the show.

Other than that, things are fine. I had a really good on camera class on Monday; it was nice to get a chance to rehearse a few times and do a few takes for the scene, rather than just the one take that we tend to do in my "normal" class (though that is tremendously useful, arguably more useful to be better at that single take, when it comes to getting an actual job). I had to book out for next week which is always a bit frustrating, but honestly, there is just not a lot of work out there right now, at least for me, I guess.

On the political side, I am super stoked on Obama's speech last night. I was listening to his speech last night on the way home and it was truly inspiring to hear the crowd go absolutely bonkers. I haven't heard applause and cheering like that for a politician like that in a very long time...if ever, to be honest. It's gonna be fun to watch.

All right--I gotta run.

(ps - I’m using Rapidweaver 4.0 for the site now, and it’s a really great improvement. There’s a lot of delay when I type, which is annoying but that’ll get fixed.)

Tags: ifanboy, comics

Bay Arcade in Balboa’s “Fun Zone”. I grew up going here in the summer.

Yikes, Monday already. Monday in June. 2008.

Everyone I know is kind of freaking out about the whole “June” thing. I can’t believe it at all, to be honest. But whatever, it’s here and we might as well get used to it.

Had a good weekend and now I am tired out. I went down to San Diego to speak at a conference--sounds cooler than it was, but it was cool--so Whit and I had a good time driving down and hanging out in downtown San Diego.

This is Whit doing a very good impression of her sister. Check out the new sweatshirt. It’s lined and is mighty nice.

It was nice to get out of the city, even if only for a night. We stayed at this very odd resort/convention center named Town and Country and got a good taste of what life must have been like in the 50s. The place was just...old, you know? Just stuck in time. It was interesting to be rushing all around irritated that the year was approaching half over rather quickly then ending up here, which seemed like a movie set..it was just crazy, check out the link for some pics.

Then I had to go to work a table at the gift lobby for the MTV 2008 Movie awards. This was a really strange experience and really, I mean, really, it was a glimpse into the part of the entertainment industry that made me feel just...odd, I guess. Basically, we were one of many tables set up on the roof of this very swank hotel in the middle of West Hollywood. We would hang out to talk about our products (I was inbetween a very cool headset and a neat smart pen) to anyone that would come by. Kinda like a trade show, but if the person coming up to you was wearing a certain necklace, then they were apparently a celebrity and could just take whatever they wanted--as long as we got a picture of the celebrity holding the product. Once the picture was taken, it could be use to market said product.

It's one thing to know about this kind of thing, it's another thing to actually see it in action. Now, let's be clear--I had a fine time, and the people that I did meet were actually very cool about it. I mean, of course they were, right? They were getting all this free stuff for nothing! But still, you could tell the cooler celebs knew just how silly this was, which is why I think they were so nice. Our table was probably the most interesting at the event--we had cool gadgets and stuff that was way more useful than yet another energy drink--so we had some fun conversations and everything, but still...

It's business, right? This is how companies get their products out on the market. They get photos of people using the products in magazines, then the masses will go and get said product. It's just seeing it done so overtly that gave me pause.

Still, it was a good experience--I learned quite a bit just by watching people. The wheels of commerce spinning, right?

The other night, while Whit was with her girlfriends for a Sex and the City party (I love that they had party for a movie and then not go to said movie), I finally got around to watching The Graduate. No, I had never seen it before. Yes, I have been reading all about it in Pictures at a Revolution. And yes, I was totally, completely blown away by it. If you haven't seen it recently, add it to your queue and check it out. From the sound design to the cinematography to Anne Bancroft's insanely great performance (her laughter during their initial flirtation just blew me away, I must have watched that scene five times)...it's just awesome.

I am going to an on camera class tonight, which should be fun. It's good to keep going to different teachers, to work with different people. It's still really slow and I fear that things won't even begin to recover until late this summer. I hope.

My article for ifanboy.com goes up on Wednesday. I'm just writing about comics and life..we'll see how people respond...

talk to you soon.

Tags: san diego, balboa island

The flier promised a party...


and the party delivered...


me and Conor from iFanboy.

More pics from the party here. Write up here.


I think it's pretty safe to say that whenever there's a comic book event, like Wondercon or Comic-Con, I have a fantastic time. Fantastic in the truest sense of the word. I was on the Bart train on Sunday morning heading to the airport and I literally could not help grinning. What a time!

This weekend was Wonder-Con up in San Francisco, and I ended up flying up for Friday and Saturday. It was super, super fun. My flights were crazy delayed but I was able to eek into the Darwyn Cooke (wiki, art) discussion and a DC Nation panel and get into the main hall for a bit. I won't go into it too much, but you should know that Darwyn Cooke is an incredibly amazing artist and writer--I am a huge fan. Like, massive fan, he's in my top 3 or 5 favorite comic book writers/artists list.

ohhh...man, it's way later. It's like four days later and I am actually sicker than I have been in years. I don't usually get sick, but already I was sick when I got home for the holidays and now I have some kind of flu, which I think I got from Tom.

So, I am all derailed from whatever I was talking about...regardless, Wondercon was fun, but hanging out with new friend Sonia and old friends James, Josh, Conor, Gordon and Ron was much more fun.

Other than that? I've been sick. Whit's still in Ohio, so I have been battling this flu by myself (which is good, I don't want her to get this thing), but it's driving me crazy. I haven't been able to work out and I fear I might have missed my favorite yoga teacher's last class for awhile. I must admit, if I don't work out for a few days in a row, I get nervous that I will just fall off the wagon altogether. I'll get back into it, I just hate feeling this way, I can't even fake feeling better. Craptastic.

I enrolled in an online screenwriting class that is going to start at the end of April. It's in concert with the All-Story magazine and I am both excited and nervous about it. Already I am thinking about possible story ideas and tossing them asunder, but I am hoping that the class will help me think about story ideas in a different, less binary way. I figure I spend a lot of time watching movies and I definitely have opinions, so I might as well do it for myself, you know? It's so easy to judge how bad a story is from the comfort of my couch.

We'll see how that goes.

Had a nice call from Jim in my acting class. I guess he's filming a "spec pilot" (basically filming a script that would then be shopped around as an original series) this weekend. I read the script (super random but fun) and gave him my stuff, but I didn't hear anything back. Considering they are filming right now (it is now Saturday March 1), I bet I didn't get the part, but that's totally fine--I was just flattered and happy that Jim figured I could do the job. Besides, I look and feel like death, and it's not a show about zombies.

Such a weird week. I have been in and out of life, in a way, auditions and work in the beginning of the week, work and pillows the rest of the week. I have an audition for some kind of radio play (or something, I don't know) where I have to bring in a few character voices...I think I've got them, but kind of nervewracking...like, gimme something to at least read so I can prep some characters that would be relevant, you know?

I am just looking forward to feeling better so I can think clearly again. I have been trying to read and write in this journal but I just kind of fade out after awhile.

time to upload. be well.

Tags: comics, wondercon, san francisco

Ron from iFanboy and James from Isotope Friday evening...

I just wanted to write a little bit about my fantastic weekend in San Francisco. I went up to see Oliver before goes and retrieves his family from China and though I expected a good time, I really did have a fantastically good time! Other than finally getting to hang out with Oliver and literally do nothing for most of the day on Saturday (a skill we spent many years honing in high school and college)--something we haven't been able to do in a very long time--we ended up having a typically random evening with James, Kirsten, Ash, Allie and special guest star and friend Ron Richards from the iFanboy comic podcast, who was in town for a variety of very cool reasons. Saturday night was dinner at Tom's then hanging out at Paul's party. Very fun, meeting up with new friends and old (got to see Giamma, Al and Allison, etc...!).

Ollie at his Mac station doing important stuff:

Oliver, Mike Gibson and I joined this motley crew for dinner, then we met up with Tom and his friend Chris at this really fun burlesque show at the DNALounge that James knew about. See? I told you--random. James actually knows of all the very cool places to go, and actually has a rapidly becoming world famous San Francisco Tiki Bar Tour that I actually have yet to embark on.

(later)
Funny, I just returned to this after typing from the other day, and I was apparently in the middle of a sentence that reads, "So, it was cool, I was able to check out..."--and I have no idea what I was referring to. Sigh. Maybe I will remember.

LA doesn't have these.

As is often the case, my return home to San Francisco was both calming and energizing at the same time (oh, I think I remember! dope, I will write about it in a few sentences). The weather was really nice, and it was just nice to roam the streets a bit and hang out without having too much of an agenda. I was bummed to see that they have completely demolished The Coronet movie theatre, which was one of the best houses on the West Coast. So bummed.

The Coronet would play all the BIG movies. It's now just an empty lot.

I did end up (and this is what I was talking about before) checking out a yoga class at Yoga Tree near Castro. The studio looked like it was an old dance school or something--massive room that was kept really warm (again, what is with that?). Great teacher, though, and really fun class. We did this crazy "OM tapestry" where everyone had to say "Om" 12 times so it was just this crazy long "ohhhmmm" that went on for a minute or two. It was totally cool, I had never done something like that--and yes, if you had told me a year ago I would talking about chanting Om a bunch of times with a bunch of folks after a 90 minute yoga session, I would say, "Really? That sounds really trippy but I guess I can see it." Funny how life changes (and doesn't, of course). Still, it's nice to go to a city and find a new class, it's just fun to jump into a class and have an idea of what to do while still learning new poses, etc.

Cafe Abir has been totally redone--it's much nicer than when I lived nearby. The best part...

$4 Hoegaarden's!



Flash mobbers at the Muni bus shelter on lower Haight on Friday night...

A good visit, all in all; I found it difficult to want to get back into my car and drive back, which I guess explains the hour and a half I spent at Starbucks with my parents just talking about everything that's going on, etc. I would have to say that one of the good things about growing older is watching my relationship with my parents change. I relate to them now much more as good friends, and have a much better idea of how they must have been like when they first met, in a way. It is a great gift to have a good relationship with my folks, and I am much happier now that we are on the same coast.

And now it's Wednesday and, whew! I am tired, yo! I blame myself. I was up until 1am playing Halo 3 with Nick. Yes, I caved in like everyone else, and I am happy to report that it was worth it...great game, a lot of fun. I felt like I was in high school again. Or college. Or even just a few years ago when Halo 2 came out. Or perhaps earlier this year when I played Gears with Tom until late at night.

Acting wise, it has been busy with some auditions and a callback, but nothing to write home about yet. I've been dutifully recording the pilots of a few shows in case I get a chance to audition for 'em but haven't seen anything yet. Whit's gone for the Dawn launch (tomorrow morning); I guess she got to see the Space Shuttle and traverse around the catwalks in the hangar...so cool. It's not good to be jealous of your spouse, but I think it is warranted in this case.

All right, time to post this. I have a funny little widget that shows who is looking at the site from where, but I doubt more than one person is looking at this at any given time. Who knows? More soon...

Tags: san francisco, comics, isotope

(Iron Man statue from the Marvel booth at Comic-Con)

Sigh. I have been having several issues with the video on the site as well as some RapidWeaver crashes, which are kind of driving me nuts. I hate having to retype stuff!!! ARGH!

Anyway, I'm back in LA after what was a great time in San Diego for this year's Comic-Con. Though we were there for longer than last year, this year's show seemed to go by much more quickly. It was a strange show, in a way; there were not "super announcements" that drove the show forward (though there were plenty of announcements and news). It was kind of an odd show and I can't really put my finger on what made it different. I never really felt relaxed, that's for sure, and even when I was in panels I was enjoying, I couldn't help but feel I was missing out on something else. Still, it was a blast. Comic-Con is by far one of my favorite events of the year and I am already looking foward to next year's. Kinda.

I won't attempt to give a broad overview of the news that came out of the con (for that sort of thing go here, here and here). This was the first show that I caught one of the bigger panels; usually I show I up for them and they are completely sold out, but this time I was able to drag myself out of bed and get to the Con early enough to spend most of the day in Ballroom 20, where the highly anticipated Heroes and Battlestar Galactica talks were. Both were fairly cool; I mean, it's cool and all to see the creators of the shows and to see the actors, but I must admit that I always get a little squirmy when I go to these things. As an actor who is working very hard to get on shows like these, part of me is resistant to hanging out in a room full of adoring fans to hear what people who technically my colleagues have to say about what is admittedly a fantastic gig. But then again, I am a fan and I enjoy hearing their stories and I appreciate the time they take to sit down and take questions from their fans and all that. It's just odd. I go back and forth, though--I really love both of these shows and I also happen to think that the casts of these shows are absolutely fantastic. Indeed, both shows have some of the best acting on TV, period, so it's a good thing for me to hear what they think about the jobs, what the challenges are and what their hopes are for the future of the shows (and their careers). In the end, I guess, I just wanna be up there, too! Which is good--you should know what you want from life, right? Once you define it, you can obtain it. So, next year, I'll have a photo the opposite of this one:

Where I am looking at the audience from the table (one of the Heroes guys actually took a picture like that, I think it was Greg Grunberg.)

So I spent most of Saturday near Ballroom 20, which was fun, but I hate waiting in line, which I did all morning, so it sucked a bit, too. Long story short, I basically got there at 9 and waited over 2.5 hours to get into the hall, which holds almost 2000 people). At one point the line actually lapped itself, so there was another line that started right near us (were were very close to the door, thankfully) that wrapped all the way around the hall. The organizers basically told them the line was closed a short time later. Insane. They have a hall there that can hold 6,000 people--they should have used that hall for these two presentations.

Backing up a bit, Whit and I had a really good time on Friday. Very soon after Whit and I arrived, we ended up watching a taping of the iFanboy podcast, where I actually ended up participating in during the Q&A session. Sadly, the audio didn't work out, but it was fun nonetheless. Later, after attending one of the DC panels, we ended up at the iFanboy/Totally Rad Show party that night, which was a lot of fun, followed by a staggering walk down to the Hyatt with a few friends, including Jonathan London (from the very good Geekscape podcast), who is a total crack up. Really fun night, but whew, Saturday was ro-ugh.

Back to Saturday...we actually ended up going home for a disco nap before arriving at the PopCandy party that night, which was super fun (if way too small and way too hot with way too little air).

Whitney and Whitney!

Why so fun? Well, we were finally able to hang out a bit with the always-fantastic friend James Sime, whom I have known for many, many years as the owner of the greatest comics store on the planet, Isotope. I've known James since he bought the old Comics and Da'Kiine, which was one of my old shops when I was a kid in San Francisco. James was actually one of the Eisner Award judges this year, which was super, super cool. James is really one of the most inspirationally cool cats you can hang out with; he is one of those guys that just contributes so much to the whole comic book scene. I will go on and on about him sometime later, suffice to say, I am a big fan of his and feel very lucky to watch him work so hard and be so successful. So cool.

Of course, I spent much of my time with the iFanboy guys, which was a lot of fun, as always, as well as Ash (Asche??), talking about the show and comics. I actually don't get a chance to talk about comics with that many people, so I really, really love that aspect of the show. I also had a great time chatting with Alex Albrecht from Revision3's Diggnation and The Totally Rad Show. I'm a big fan of Diggnation from waaay back (I watched the first 4 or 5 episodes back to back armed with a 6 pack of beer while I put up a ceiling fan in our bedroom. Whit came in at one point to see who I was talking to and why I was laughing so loud--and yes, the fan works fine), and it was fun to finally meet Alex, who is also an actor in LA with a background in technology and all things somewhat geeky. It was great to talk to him about his show and what he is up to. In a very real way, I was more stoked to talk with Alex about all this stuff than I was to see the cast of Heroes, I must admit.

This entry's getting a little long so I will end it here, but I will scrap up some more stories tomorrow. I've posted a few of our photos here and will discuss some of the comic and movie news over the next few days! See ya!

Oh, and finally, I am trying out the Twitter thing for awhile. It was really, really useful during the Con but we shall see if it matters the rest of the time...

Tags: comics,comiccon,san diego

(photo ©2007 Oliver Siodmak)

Hey there...really quickly...I am at Comic-Con in San Diego and so far, it's been awesome. We're just getting up from a disco nap before we head down for the Saturday night throwdowns. Spent most of the day either in line or in some pretty crazy panels (2,000 people in a room for both Battlestar Galactica and Heroes talks). The show is just getting bigger and bigger. It's fun, though; we hung out with the iFanboys last night and are looking to meet up with them later tonight.

Still, I can't help but think I blew it by not coming in earlier. There were tons of talks that I wanted to check out on Thursday, but I was so busy I never actually looked at the schedule before getting it when I arrived yesterday. Now I just wanna run back to the show, check out the floor, and meet up with folks. We've been very bad about taking pictures but we'll talk a bunch tomorrow. I am already sad it's close to over, which is ridiculous.

Okay, time to wake Whitney up. Latro!

Tags: comics,comiccon,san diego