Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
RJ - the one-acts will be at The Next Stage, on Bush and Gough.

Mary - known in California to cause cancer? The label says that? How
weird... I mean... I don't see any labels around here saying that this
product is known in Lithuania to cause cancer... or even to cause
cancer in Lithuanians!

Erynn - I don't doubt that they've got the chops to do what is laid
before them... they just wouldn't be my first choice. I mean, I will be
happily surprised if Newt and Anathema aren't extremely attractive in
the movie, even though they are so clearly described as plain... at
best. I love the idea of these socially maladjusted, physically
ordinary, unremarkable looking and acting people being (at least kind 
of) responsible for the saving of the world. One of my ex's described
herself as "goofy looking"... I want goofy looking people in starring
roles in this movie... people who are beautiful in ways that never read
on the slick pages of popular magazines. I want an authentically
effete Aziraphel and an effortlessly slick Crowley. I want a Shadwell
that you would be afraid to share airspace with on a street corner with
the wind blowing away from you.

I want a lot of things.

But what else is new?
  

    
Hmm, I'd like Amy Acker for Anathema.  She does a good job of playing
"goofy people."  And I would've liked Alan Rickman as Crowley.  But I'm
on an Alan Rickman kick, I suppose.
  

    
There's no reason to get off an Alan Rickman kick.
  

    
Alan Rickman would be good!

  I see what you're saying, Dan, and I agree with you. But as you
know, silly as it is, there has to be at least one overly good looking
person in a movie in order for it to sell to a wide audience (think
Brad Pitt in "Snatch"). I think that there will be plenty of goofy
looking people in it as well, hopefully in all the right places. If
there has to be A-list actors in it, I think Depp and Williams are good
choices. I remember my surprise when seeing good ol' Johnny in Fear
and Loathing... Besides, Robin Williams *is* goofy looking! 
But then, it is hard thinking about one of your favorite books going
to Hollywood.... I guess we'll see.
(Dammit, now I want Alan Rickman!)
  

    
DanW (1736) - And just look where Boba Fett got you? 

Adriana - I was doing fine just envying y'all with your Into The
Woodsiness, then you had to go quoting lyrics. Now I'll be going to
sleep to the soundtrack and probably having very sing-song dreams in
which I'm concocting immortality potions (thank you madman). *sigh...

lioness - tee hee! sea monkey... And you can never have enough
batties.

Linda - It was remarked last night that you hadn't been heard from in
a bit. I said something about 'crafts' bringing you out of hiding, and
there you go posting on such a prompt within a scant few hours of my
remark. (insert Twilight Zone theme music here) :)

rmj - (processing plot) "eep!" And then my brain exploded.

DanW - You went to 1984!?! Egads, man, WHY!!! ... um, sorry. I have
issues with Cats..

Erynn - I'm mostly with Dan - it would be nice to see heros looking
all normal, and not Hollywood. But since there is a need for some
abnormally perfect looking people in order to sell... there is
Aziraphale. 

And on a completely different note - I'm a dweeb. The last photo shoot
is up on the web for those who can trust themselves to admire tasteful
art and not gawk and drool. Excellent shots of tattoos (finally!) and
extremely dumb commentary to go with it (because I was tired, and
should never post anything when I'm tired - kind of like now! - because
I tend to ramble and sound just shy of completely dumb). Any way, the
site is utterly littered with artistic nudity, so consider yourself
forewarned. http://www.raindrop.com/photos/fineartnude.html

squeaks, who should just post this already before she changes her mind
again
  

    
Kathy -- yup. That's clay from my garden, that is, doing the glaze. Mr
Singer is of the opinion that it can do anything.

Mike -- Anthony Sher as the master, definitely. (Did you ever see the
Comic Relief Curse of the Fatal Death Dr Who video? WIth Rowan
Atkinson, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, et al as the Dr? And Jonathan
Pryce as the master?)

Got a box of the first 12 CARRY ON DVDs from Amazon.co.uk for not a
lot, and yesterday Maddy watched Carry on Cleo last night, and I helped
watch. I suspect one of the greatest lines in the history of cinema is
Kenneth Williams, as Caesar, during an assasination attempt, howling
"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"

maure -- I was very happy about Daniel's quote as well..

Erynn -- it's not dead. Mr Gaiman is merely behind. 

Stagewalker - luckily, during the 80s, I mostly looked just like this,
only younger, so I don't have to worry about that too much.

Pretty Much Everybody -- When Casting is Signed Up and Decided and
Announced (rather than "in discussions with..." which are liable to
change without notice) then I'll comment on Good Omens casting, and not
before.

I'm not convinced that Anathema was unattractive, though. And Newt
would have been attractive to any young ladies who like the likes of
John Hegley. (Thinks: they've discovered Eddie Izzard... what will it
take to get them hooked on John Hegley?)

Lioness -- I am happy you have your Dream Trade.  And that it made you
laugh.

Michelle -- lovely photos.

Everything and everyone I've missed &/or not commented on -- sorry.
  

    
Neil - I knew that Atkison played the Doctor, but not that Broadbent
and Grant were in it.  I must redouble my efforts to secure that video.

Mousy - Sorry about the brain explodingness.  Can I get you a wet nap
or something?

Dan - Thank you for the info; I will try to shag my butt out of the
house and northwards to go see it/them.

In general - I have this amusing/annoying trick of playing the
"casting game" with books and friends. For example, Famine seems to be
a good cameo role for Kevin Spacey; Pollution would be a nice role for
Seann William Scott; and War... well, War is a toughie because I can't
think of an actress that can play the sort of woman that everyone would
turn and watch without making it a caricature based only her physical
attributes.  I'm not saying such actresses don't exist, just that I'm
not thinking of any--

Oooh, wait.  Anne Hathaway, striking yet not so familiar a name that
people might actually focus on the part she is playing.
  

    

Michelle, I confess:  the word "dweeb" was not what came to mind when I
saw those photos (or read the text!).  No, definitely not dweeb.  
(Clearly, Neil has made quite an impression on you!  %^) )

Seriously, though, they are quite gorgeous.
  

    
Erynn - I used to think I wanted Rickman as Crowley... but now I
wonder if he's better suited for Hastur.... Just so he can snarl the
word "Crowley" with rich vibrating menace.

Squeaks - well, it got me your Princess Mononoke Cards for one. But
I'm guessing you're going to want those back. 
(Explanation: I had a game night this weekend, and we ended up playing
my Star Wars Monopoly and got thoroughly trounced... I was the first
one bankrupt, actually).

As for 1984: It was Jenene's idea. I don't have any problem with the
club though. Isn't that where you used to Go-Go dance?

And the photos are wonderful! Although I do find the phrase "Neil
Gaiman's Death" rather unsettling for some reason...

Neil - Is this Fatal Death of Dr. Who available to the general public,
or was it broadcast live and never released on the compilation tape
later?

Being born in 1970, the 80's perfectly bracket "THE AWKWARD AGE" for
me. I've since grown into my face, gained a fashion sense, and am quite
happy for both.

It's not so much "unattractive" as "not conventionally beautiful"...
my self-professed "goofy looking" friend is very attractive but not in
a Hollywood way. 

By the way... does that mean that when they *do* release the final
cast list you'll be willing to comment on it?
  

    
     Neil -- have not seen that tape.  Must correct this.
     In George McDonald Fraser's HOLLYWOOD HISTORY OF THE WORLD, he
mentions CARRY ON CLEO with at least pleased bemusement.  The line -he-
quotes is Marc Antony (Sid James) telling Caesar, "You're right in it
now!", observing that, with allowance for idiom, Antony probably -did-
say to Caesar about then.

     Nearly Everybody Else: there are more exciting casting games at:

http://www.atlas-shrugged-the-movie.com/

     (Read that URL before clicking.  You may want to simply walk
away.)
      And the conspiracy against Wil Wheaton seems to me to display a
highly collectivist streak.  Then, too, if they admit they're going to
throw out votes they don't like, is A still, you know, thingummy?
  

    

I'm back from a weekend away.
I don't remember if I've mentioned that I finished Martha's book within a
few days of borrowing it from stagewalker. Very good. One or two of them hit
a little close to home, as I had suspected they might from the descriptions
here... but I think my favorite was "The Story So Far..." which I hold up as
an example of why I am not a writer, because I would never have thought of
such a cool premise for a story.
Michelle- the photos are lovely. Really.
DanW- sorry I missed gaming. Maybe next time.
me- note to self, but blank lines between sections in future posts.
  

    
rmj - No wet nap necessary. It made an interesting spatter on the wall
that I'm passing off as art. Besides, the way things have been going
on the newsgroup lately (pun central), my brain has been exploding a
lot, and I'd waste days doing nothing but cleaning in between
explosions.

DanW - I was halfway home, patted my pocket (where I thought I had put
the cards) and then inwardly squeaked that I had left them behind. No
worries, you can just look more closely at them in the meantime. I've
been without them for this long, what's a few more weeks? And Death was
capitalized for a reason. :)

Linda - No, definitely dweebish. I sound like a cheesey fangirl. And
while I am cheesey at times, and a fangirl at other times, rarely am I
both at once. And if you think my Neilish tat's are impressive, you
should see the back of the girl that referred me to my inker - I gots
nuthin' on her!

squeaks, who is mostly just happy that she finally has a decent shot
of the key.
  

    
Mr. Ford,  Don't let's be silly. A is always A. B, however, is
sometimes not B, and I've been warned to be wary of W. But A is A,
fixed voting or no.

Michelle,  the photos are beautiful. When I see tattoos like yours, I
always want one. But I've never seen a design or a photo or anything I
want in my skin. Maybe one day. 
  

    
Maure, W and 12 are both very powerful, and we'd all do well to
remember that.

Michelle -- I'll (er, fourth, fifth...) sixth the "great pics!"
sentiment! Wow! I'm with Maure, though, I've never found something that
I so badly wanted permanently etched onto my body. Go you, though!
  

    
Well, that was interesting. After my last post and question, I caught
a horrible case of shy and have stayed away from here, embarassed at my
asking writing related questions. So thank you ever so kindly for
answering, Mike. It's a relief to know that one of the writers I enjoy
most has to sit there and force it to happen sometimes, too.   :-)

For lack of better thing to do, I've been working thru The Artists Way
and The Right to Write - wow, do I ever love the second book. I'll
spare you all my comments on the first, tho. It's been interesting to
go from despair to "waitaminute, this isn't _so_ hard" to noticing
ideas and stories and contemplations running nearly continually as I'm
awake. As funny as it is, something as simple as forcing myself to
write a few pages of random, top level babble that's free associating
in my mind makes a big difference. 

Of course, I've not worked on a single project I thought I would, but
that's okay. I'll get myself back on track.

Anyhow, Neils recent blogger entry drew me back to overcome the odd
shyness. Someone asked: "when will you be in seattle next. i would love
to hear you speak, and get a few things signed and generally make a
fool of my self to my favorite author. " Just to clarify, Neil, this
wasn't me, tho I do a _very_ good job of making a fool out of myself in
front of you.  ;-) Which leads me to a roundabout thank you, once
again, for the so relevent advice you signed in my copy of American
Gods - to always trust my instincts.

Anyhow, I'm going to once again see if I can figure out how to change
my account billing to a new credit card. If I can't, it's new account
time for me,... pffh.
-Kelly, still shy but coping
  

    
Disregard that last, I figured it out. (Saving eMails from signups is
a good idea, heh,)
  

    
More on Marmite -- Three members of Parliament have asked Commons to
affirm the Britishness of Marmite, a sticky brown by-product of brewing
yeast that for some reason millions of Britons have spread on toast
for 100 years. The petitioners, Tony Banks, Paul Flynn and Stephen
Pound, seek a declaration by Commons that Britons "take intense
satisfaction from the essential Britishness of the product and its lack
of appeal for the majority of the world's population." Opinions (and
ambivalence) are plentiful on twin Internet sites, www.ihatemarmite.com
and www.ilovemarmite.com. (From Reuters and The New York Times -
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/27/international/27BRIE.html)

Jade Walker
  

    
Well... so nice to see the the members of Parliament have their
priorities straight...
  

    <scribbled by dfowlkes Tue 3 Jul 12 10:14>
  

    
I still always picture "Good Omens" in my head with Rupert Everett as
Crowley, Iam Holm as Aziraphale (I can just see him inside my head so
*clearly* fretting about the flaming sword), and Julia Sawalha (Saffron
from AbFab) as Anathema. In my head, it's an awfully good movie. I'm
looking forward to Terry's movie, don't get me wrong. But so far,
liking the one in my head an awful lot.

Speaking of Julia Sawalha, everybody really ought to see "A
Midwinter's Tale" if they haven't yet. I saw it in theatres in 1996 and
fell madly and passionately in love with it, and I'm still puzzled
that it isn't considered Ken Branagh's best film ever after "Henry V"
and "Much Ado" and what's even better is he bit where he wrote it, but
had Michael Maloney play the lead, which was smartsmartSMART. And it
has some hysterically nutty bits in it, as well as some lovely lovely
ones.

Complete WB show related side note: Amy Acker (and Fred) brings me
much joy. This month has been, for me, all about Michael Rosenbaum and
Allison Mack. Tom Welling and Kristin Kruek may be pretty, but it's all
about Lex and Chloe (Mostly Lex). All. The. Time. 
  

    

Speaking of Marmite, there is now Vegemite in my apartment. Not sure if I'm
going to dare try it.
  

    

I would strongly advise against it.
  

    
Do you have the number for the hazardous waste disposal team?
  

    
Oh, good grief. Y'all are wimps. It's not *that* bad. You just have to
eat it the right way... in VERY SMALL doses (preferably with lots of
butter on rye crackers).

As for the tats, my problem is that I know *exactly* what I want on my
skin... I just can't draw them, and have no pictures to reference. Try
explaining that to artist friends. Actually, the lower back knot isn't
finished yet because no one has been able to draw the exact thing I
want yet. *sigh... someday.

<note to self: do not get pink socks for Neil for his next birthday>

What the heck prompted someone to ask that question?

squeaks, who may have to do some re-decorating today
  

    

So Michelle, should I bring the vegemite to the next poker meet?