Kodak Theatre pilgrimage photos

Here are a few photos I took at The Kodak this past Thursday night. Even though Rebecca really wasn't feeling well, I was so glad she was able to go with me.

My hand touching the red carpet near the entry arch (there's always a few holes in the plastic here and there), the stairs everyone attending will ascend on their way into the actual theatre, and a long stretch of plastic covered carpet looking from the stairs towards the front arch. Not to mention the Oscar statue proudly standing by one of the main entrances to the Kodak auditorium.

Click on the photo for the full mini set. Enjoy the show tonight!

Viggo Mortensen as Zod!

YES!! CAST HIM!!! DO IT!!!! The news yesterday that Viggo Mortensen is in the running to play General Zod in the new Superman movie couldn't be better!

For the longest time I thought Jude Law would be perfect, and I know Bryan Singer went after him for "Superman Returns". But Viggo. I think, would be absolutely perfect! Menacing, with a perfect evil wit AND you know he can pull off that darkly overtoned Brit accent! He TOTALLY has my vote!

And let's not forget this is not to supersede the very cool fact that General Zod and, from other recent news, Ursa will be appearing in Zach Snyder's reboot!! Don't forget, we have Christopher Nolan looking over everyone's shoulders on this one. My faith level continues to go up!

Check out the story here at hollywoodreporter.com!

Charlie Sheen: man of whoas

Can Charlie Sheen shoot himself in the foot any more? Actually at this point I think his entire foot is gone...maybe even some leg as well. I think HE needs to see Ferris Bueller now!

Boy in Police Station: There's someone you should talk to.
Jeannie: If you say Ferris Bueller, you lose a testicle.
Boy in Police Station: Oh, you know him?

Kodak Theatre pilgrimage

Heading to The Kodak Theatre tonight to do my annual touching of the red carpet (covered in plastic but with a few easy access holes) and taking that walk from the archway and ascending the stairs just like those lucky nominated few will do in three days.

2010 Oscar Nominations

The Oscars are only a few days away and I wanted to give my take on the nominations.

First up, I am totally and completely rooting for "The King's Speech" to win Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor! This movie absolutely deserves the recognition it's been getting and will hopefully go on to a major win Sunday night. Certainly "The Social Network" has been a frontrunner, but as we've been approaching the Academy Awards many have been leaning more in the direction "Speech" for a possible sweep. Bring it!!

Colin Firth seems to be the clear choice for Best Actor, but Geoffrey Rush may end up being eclipsed by Christian Bale in "The Fighter", a movie I thought was O.K. with Bale's performance being a huge standout. Good for Jeremy Renner being nominated in "The Town", a movie that was SERIOUSLY passed over by The Academy! Ben Affleck's brilliant Boston heist movie SHOULD have been nominated for Best Picture!! I mean, c'mon! Another of my favorites in 2010.

I'd really like to see Natalie Portman win for "Black Swan", even though I have not seen the film yet. Rebecca said it was dark and disturbing at times.

Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit" has this all sown up! I'd be truly surprised if anyone else walked away with the award! Even though Helena Bonham Carter and Amy Adams were both excellent in "The King's Speech" and "The Fighter" respectively.

HUGE YAY!!! "Toy Story 3" was not only nominated for Best Animated Feature but also Best Picture!!! STILL my absolute favorite movie of 2010! Certainly it will take the BAF statue.

Christopher Nolan snubbed for "Inception"? Absolutely!! Even though we were probably the only ones on the planet who didn't think the movie was the second coming of Christ, I still admired the complexity, depth and visual awe the film delivered. The movie's nominated for BP but not Best Director. Serious robbery for one of today's completely original and incredibly talented directors!!

Banksy, Banksy, Banksy....everyone's talking about Banksy. Will he be banned for not wanting to show his face? Blah, blah, blah. Just let the man be who he is and appreciate the work rather than shun his facial preference. C'mon, if Daft Punk can do it....speaking of which...

Music (Original Score)...HELLO??!!! Where's Daft Punk's score for "Tron Legacy"?!! Really??!! No nomination?! Another major oversight! Plus, "Legacy" is not even nominated for Best Visual Effects! What, are we echoing back to the 1983 Oscars when the original "Tron" was shunned in that nomination as well because The Academy felt the filmmakers cheated. PPFFF!! Please! "Hereafter" nominated instead? STOP!!! You're killing me! O.K. so "Legacy" garnered a nod for Best Sound. It damn well better GET IT because the sound design was truly AMAZING!!

And from my corner on the Best Editing front, I could see "127 Hours" taking the award...or possibly "The Social Network".

So that's it! We'll be heading to the Silent Movie Theatre on Sunday afternoon for a special Oscar telecast screening. Joining the fans to watch the red carpet arrivals and evening's ceremony on the big screen while seated in large, comfy leather couches. Aaaahhh!

Snap! Pro-Reg approved!

Just received my confirmation in the mail yesterday that I've been approved for a professional registration with Wondercon! Not that I ever doubted, but it was great to actually hold the official notification in my hand. So when we head to San Francisco in a little over a month, myself, Rebecca and Bill will ALL be getting in FOR FREE!!

And of course as I mentioned before, this pro-reg lasts for three years and can be used for not just Wondercon, but Comic-Con as well! Yes, True Believers, we are SO IN!!! Now, after re-confirming this information, we can go ahead and get our memberships refunded for this summer's Comic-Con....and never have to worry about paying again!!!

Spoke to Bill last night and it looks like just about all lights are green for him to join us at the end of March. WOOHOO!

G1: Day Two regenerates into Day Three

Watching a fascinating documentary on Peter Davison's era as Doctor Who, as the third and final day of Gallifrey One begins. The Masquarade was somewhat enjoyable last night, but the halftime show was rather sleep inducing. But Rebecca saw Craig Fergeson wandering the halls dressed as The Doctor!! I tried to find him at one point but no one seemed to know where he'd got to.

Sitting in the main event hall waiting to see Pete Davison. He's on in an hour but we wanted to get good seats.

Picked up a few Who action figures including a rare two-set of Peter Davison's Doctor and Anthony Ainley's The Master, Tom Baker in the maroon scarf and longboat with K9, plus a Comic-Con exclusive Dalek from the new show first series episode entitled "Dalek" which is one of my favorites.

The two classic figure sets represent my original introduction to the show in the early 80's so they seemed appropriate to get.

G1: Day One

Last night was a lot of fun after I joined Rebecca at Gallifrey One. Managed to get out of work at a reasonable time after a particularly intensive and bit off-kilter day. Which made sharing all the Doctor Who appreciation that much more satisfying and refreshing.

Unfortunately I missed the opening ceremonies which held a special surprise appearance by Peter Davison after, from what Rebecca told me, was a particularly clever video ramp-up, similar to Conan O'Brien running to LA for his first Tonight Show. Hopefully someone puts it on YouTube.

And here we are on Day Two where we found a Dalek roaming the halls and giving out Jelly Babies. It was brilliant because after offering the candy to members of the ever growing crowd of photo-taking fans, he exclaimed 'DO NOT TAKE THE RED ONES!!!' LOL! I even took some video of this which I'll be posting shortly. We're having a great time and there's so much to see!

Gallifrey One begins!

Just dropped Rebecca off at Gallifrey One in the Marriott near LAX around 9:30 this morning and now I'm at work crunching this trailer I'm cutting. Want the final version to be great and focusing on the work...but also looking forward to leaving here tonight to join her!

Proposed "Robocop" statue in Detroit

A campaign is mounting in Detroit to have a statue erected of Robocop. BRING IT ON! I think that would be very cool! Not that I'd actually go anywhere near that incredibly dangerous city just to see it....but it's still a cool idea! Check out the full story by clicking on the image.

This is a story that's been brewing for a bit but may actually take shape. Like the mayor says, "Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky and Robocop would kick Rocky's butt. He's a GREAT ambassador for Detroit." Unfortunately the good mayor immediately shot down any ideas of actually carrying this out....ah, but the true fans have stepped in!

Reporter: "Any special message for all the kids watching at home?"
Robocop: "Stay out of trouble."

Gallifrey One: Catch 22 starts tomorrow!

The clock is ticking down as we're now under 24 hours from the start of the biggest "Doctor Who" convention this side of the pond, Gallifrey One!

Peter Davison, the fifth Doctor and one of my personal favorites, will be in attendance along with Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse who played companions Tegan, Nyssa and Adric (respectively) from Davison era. This promises to be a blast from the past as well as I expect this event to mirror conventions I use to attend during my hayday of fan-run gatherings in the Boston area.

The timing on Gallifrey One: Catch 22 couldn't be sweeter as I've just entered the David Tenant Age on DVD. Now about to watch the forth episode of Series 2, while Rebecca is cruising along in Series 3, I'm REALLY looking forward to sharing this event with her and immersing in all things "Doctor Who" over the course of the coming weekend!

Expect photos and perhaps some video as well!

"House" broadcast spots

Now that the Super Bowl has passed, I can reveal one of the projects I was working on through December and part of January. I cut three broadcast spots for Season 7 of "House" intended to be aired during the big game. That's the real reason this image of Hugh Laurie as House appeared as one of the banners up top.

Myself and three other editors here at Happy Hour whittled 12 scripts down to the best 4. In the end the studio approved two of these spots. But in a last minute change, FOX opted to only run the Mean Joe Green spot another post house cut for them. It's the one where House throws his cane at a young boy like Green did with his jersey. The apparent reason was because the studio decided to push "The Chicago Code" during the high exposure Super Bowl slot and save the "House" campaign for later.

Not sure exactly when our spots will air. Hopefully soon, but of course it's how FOX sees fit.

Valentine Day's weekend

Had a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner with Rebecca on Saturday night, took the better part of Sunday washing my Mini, and tonight is the AMC special two night screening of "Sixteen Candles" which we'll be attending at the Burbank 16. Click on the image for more details of this limited event.

Didn't quite finish the car though. Still have the alloy wheels to clean and THAT's going to take about 90 minutes because of the amount of road dirt accumulation. Plus I still need to wipe down the entire interior. Body, windows and vacuuming: check! Did manage to do a preliminary top coat wash last Tuesday just to get several months of grim off. My work and weekend schedules have been so hectic that there just has not been enough time to give her the proper full day treatment. SO nice to get into a clean car again!

Rebecca and I will be heading to the "Sixteen Candles" screening after I get off a work just a bit early tonight to give me time to get there. Traffic through the heart of Hollywood is going to be brutal, what with everyone going out for Valentine's Day dinner. Which is part of the reason why we decided to do it on Saturday so we'd have more time to enjoy.

"Battle: Los Angeles" 60 second spot

This is a KILLER broadcast spot for "Battle: Los Angeles"! I'm really diggin' the music/sound design that's being maintained throughout the campaign for this movie.

First "X-Men: First Class" trailer is now online

Looks cool, looks slick, I really like the track that plays against the entire piece, and in one clip a nice throwback to the yellow costumes worn by the original X-Men. This definitely has a lot of possibilities! Despite my concerns regarding "Captain America", "Thor", and "Green Lantern", I'm really hoping this becomes one of the two breakout blockbuster movies of the summer. The other being "Cowboys and Aliens".

"The King's Speech" review: absolutely brilliant!

Went into this movie with only the expectations brought on by excellent critical reviews, very positive word of mouth, and multiple award nominations. You might think that would be more than enough and I definitely felt I'd enjoy the film. But what I found as the movie unspooled was something I didn't anticipate; for it to be unexpectedly funny, inspiring, and even suspenseful!

Colin Firth absolutely deserves the Oscar for Best Actor! He is outstanding in the role of King George VI whose stammer problem is almost a metaphor for his worrisome ascension to the throne during one of the most difficult eras in Britain's history. Geoffrey Rush's unorthodox Australian speech therapist brings much of the humor as well as unwavering afront to a royalty system he doesn't agree with. Helena Bonham Carter is also excellent as George's wife, Elizabeth. It's no surprise that all three of these remarkable actors have received such kudos for this movie because they're all extremely deserving of it.

One might think this plays like a Merchant Ivory movie, but is far from that staple and mold. The costumes, sets, and cinematography all surround the story perfectly and beautifully. And in one of the most harrowingly tense scenes, George VI must give his climactic speech to the British people that war with Germany is upon them. We were literally on the edge of our seats, nervously leaning forward in anticipation of this all-important moment. For all the recent movies that have included humongous action or chase scenes that try to thrill, here was a simple scene that took place in a small room with just two men facing one another, one giving a momentus speech on live radio, the other kindly but firmly coaching a somewhat nervous client who just happens to be King of England....and we were riveted!

I sincerely hope this wins Best Picture over "The Social Network" because it's just that much more of a better film. I am wholeheartedly adding it to the list of my absolute favorite movies of 2010!

"Doctor Who": The Brits absolutely know how to do it!

I've just completed watching Series 1 of the new "Doctor Who". God, why did it take me SO LONG to get into the new show?!!! I was a fan of the original, most notably from the latter half of Tom Baker's run all through Peter Davidson's and the very beginning of Colin Baker. And even after just watching the first series starring Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor I was wonderfully surprised to find a reboot that couldn't be better. The show is BRILLIANT!!

After so many 're-imaginings' (a word I've learned to loathe) that have either failed miserably or were far from what they needed to be and connect with, here comes a show originally created in England almost forty years ago that has gone on to become something greater than it's classic former self. Perhaps the disappointment of past efforts started with Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes"...continuing on with "Smallville", (I know I'm gonna catch shit for this one) "Battlestar Galactica", "V", "Terminator Salvation", and of course JJ Abrams "Star Trek", nothing came close to being sincerely good or even properly honoring canon from which they came.

Why? Because the American entertainment industry sucks at reboots! Bringing it back to life by breathing freshness into the entire concept, yet never forgetting where it all started and completely honoring the history. That's one of the many beauties of the new "Doctor Who"....THE BRITS GET IT!! The stories are well written, the characters are so engaging, the effects are better than before, plus the heart, soul, and wit of the Doctor has never been better! You can see parts of Tom Baker, Peter Davidson, Patrick Troughton (all favorites of mine) in so many aspects of the way The Doctor tackles each new problem, fighting the Daleks and exchanging just the right quip or two with his companion at the same time.

Example: when the episode "Dalek" was being produced, they could have completely redesigned the Dalek's mechanical shell, upgrading it into something that only hinted at what once was. BUT NO!! They KEPT the original design COMPLETELY INTACT! Only slightly modifying some very small details of the metal outer shell. When The Doctor passes by a Cyberman's head in an alien museum, it's the exact design from years past!...and even the upgrade they did from what I've seen of a later episode is extremely faithful to the original. This is what I'm talking about! Honoring what came before is so very important to this show as it brilliantly expands into this new amazing incarnation!

The new series can be joyfully adventurous and really funny at one turn, then non-wavering in it's drama and incredible emotion at another. There have been at least two episodes just in the first series where I seriously had to reach for the kleenex. Most notably "Father's Day", which saw Rose coming to grips with the fact that altering time to save her father from a fatal car accident when she was a baby has greater consequences if he lives then if he has to die all over again. My mouth literally hung open as I watched this deep and emotionally rich episode come to a conclusion. They never went this far or to this degree in the origjnal show....what a welcome addition.

The final two-parter which ended Christopher Eccleston's series as The Doctor was also filled with emotional finality. Again, taking us to places and events that the original show could only hint at. Eccleston wonderfully evokes Baker's twinkle-in-the-eye galactic explorer and Sherlock Holmes-ian detective skills, while Billie Piper's Rose Tyler perfectly captures the qualities of a wide-eyed 19 year old girl on her first trip across the stars with a man she feels strangely attracted to and protective of.



The regeneration is complete...David Tenant is now The Doctor. I am completely hooked! Thank you, Russell T. Davies, for passionately bringing "Doctor Who" back to the airwaves with all it's flair, adventure, danger, and new found resonance! Of course at the beginning of 2010, Davies turned over the reins to longtime "Who" writer Steven Moffat...but that's still in the future for me as I'm about to dive into Series Two and the three others that follow starring Tenant.

I can't wait to see where they go and what happens next!

Happy Hour Creative: five months straight!

The week of January 24 marked my working at Happy Hour for five months continuously. Incredible! When I started at the end of August I was told that I'd be cutting on a project for about two weeks. Who knew?!

As mentioned previously, what's also amazing about this extended haul is how it took me right on through the holidays without interruption, pushing into January and looking (at this point) like there'll be no stopping anytime soon. This run pushes past the previous record holder for bridging the dreaded holiday down-time period. I started working at The Cannery in October of 2006 and that brought me all the way to March of '07, taking a hard drive home on the plane over the holidays to continue working while visiting my Mom, Bill, and friends back east.

These five months at Happy Hour Creative mirror that of The Cannery's. However when we start to approach the end of February in a couple of weeks, HHC will have beaten that record. Bringing me to the six month mark and another milestone; the longest stretch (freelance wise) at one post house continuously in my career!

John Hughes gallery event this month in LA!

Here is our MUST ATTEND event of the week! They're having an art presentation of John Hughes impressionistic works at a gallery in Venice called Gallery 1988. 'The Road to Shermer: A Tribute to John Hughes' opens February 11 and runs though March 4 at Gallery 1988 Venice, 214 Pier Ave., Santa Monica, CA. CAN'T WAIT!

Click on the image for a larger view of the gallery's promotional image for the event.

"The Green Hornet" review: a hodgepodge of a movie with some good action and decent humor

What did I expect from the new "Green Hornet"? For it to be as faithful as possible to the 60s TV series in concept with some great action and unexpected humor from Seth Rogen's take. What I definitely got was great action and a suped-up nod to the original. But ultimately I felt there were too many cooks in the kitchen on this one.

Right off the top I thought Kato and Black Beauty were the absolute best elements of the movie! Jay Chou as Kato delivers some great fight sequences and the car amps up his kick-ass character. But like "Big Trouble in Little China", Kato turns out to be the hero while Rogen's Green Hornet is practically reduced to a side kick. Not unlike Dennis Dun's and Kurt Russell's characters in that iconic 80s film. Do we buy him as a millionaire playboy who gets all the women and hosts all the cool parties? No.

The critics were right when they called this movie a hodgepodge. Yes, it's definitely a fun ride at times. But certain scenes and characters are ultimately unnecessary. A big fight between quarreling Reid (Rogen) and Kato (Chou) has very little purpose, and Cameron Diaz' character could have been played by anyone. She seems to be there just for the paycheck. Christoph Waltz has a lot of potential in the story, but he's never completely let loose to create the kind of havoc we all know he'd have fun being a part of.

BTW, what I meant by unexpected humor from Seth Rogen is that this project was originally going to be straight drama and action, with George Clooney even being eyed for the role back in the late 90s. Many fans were scratching their heads when Rogen announced he would not only be shepherding the project but also starring as newspaper tycoon Britt Reid. I argue that even if Seth was not the best person for the role, at least the original "GH" love is ever present. Right down to Al Hirt's classic theme and Kato's stinger darts he throws at bad guys.

I huge action set piece in the final act is definitely unique and non-stop in it's carnage. But the heart of the movie, which is not as heightened, kind of takes some of the resonance away from those over the top moments. I'm just glad we didn't see this in 3D because #1: it didn't need to be in 3D and #2: it's a conversion! NO CONVERSIONS!!

Bottom line: I'll take the 60s TV show any day!

Two weeks to Gallifrey One!!

YES!! Way to kick major trailer ass!!....if I humbly say so myself. Thank God I came in at 8 this morning! The adrenaline factor was VERY high as I dug in to work on the home stretch and I am SERIOUSLY happy with my cut! It's now out the door for studio approval. Nap?

Cranking through on a major trailer

Working on a major studio trailer at Happy Hour Creative. Deadline for the first rough cut is noon today. Been putting in some late nights and early mornings starting last Saturday, working through the weekend. Last night was the topper; here until midnight, went home and slept for 5 hours, then back to begin again at 8am. Adrenaline is high, caffeine is at arm's length. I WILL do this!

Actually I know I will because I got A LOT done before I left last night and had some pretty strong concepts when I woke up this morning about how this thing is ultimately going to go down. This is why I'm here....I LOVE WHAT I DO!!

'Chasing Rockets'

Two guys working on a fence in the flatlands...a missile flies over their heads. They look up in amazement. A moment later, Superman zooms past trying to catch up to the missile. The two react again to the incredible sight. Now we're chasing Superman, watching from over his shoulders as he closes in on a nuclear warhead that's headed for the east coast.

To this day, that moment in "Superman, The Movie" accompanied by John Williams' stirring music track still raises the hair on my arms....even when I played the score in the car this morning. You just can't listen to it at any volume level other than 11!