Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    

Email from Christy Smith:

First off:

Neil -- Don't drink the water! I don't know if you've heard about the
outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease, nor whether this is anywhere near where
you're going to be, but here's an article about it, FYI:
http://my.aol.com/news/news_story.psp?type=1&cat=0200&id=0208131113230
001 .
Do be careful, sweetheart.

And I got a kick out of those comments on our new art form. Thanks for
checking in! ;)

Elise -- I'm almost halfway through the topic before this one, have long
since witnessed the transition to your present pseud, and I *still* have no
clue howyou came upon it. I'm sure I would have remembered seeing something
like that in Neil's blog or whatever. Is it from a book I haven't read yet?
Or an Izzard monologue? At any rate, it made me laugh out loud the first
several times I saw it. :)

Thanks, all, for the orientation on CBLDF orders. I feel more relaxed now
thatI know this is "normal."

Hey East-Coasters -- Since I just received some JPGs of the NYC Coraline
signing from a wonderful Wellian, it's occurred to me to throw out a
question.

Did anyone else take pictures of the NYC event last month? Since mine (taken
from the best seat in the house) got kicked out of the universe, I would
love to get doubles and/or electronic images of the event from anyone else
who  was there, and I'll pay for reprints if they cost anything. Worth a
shot to see some shots.... Thanks!

_Smallville_: I've seen a few, and liked it, but it was on opposite _24_, so
it didn't become a habit. (And now that it's repeat season, I'm catching
upon all the _Frasier_s and _Scrubs_es I've missed!) It's a cool show,
though; if you thought YOUR adolescence was hard, try coping with budding 
super- powers!! Clark and Lex are *really* cute, and Dad Kent is John 
Schneider -- whom I happen to find way more attractive these days than he 
ever was as Bo Duke!

Knowing that likable pal Lex is going to turn bad makes me sad, though...
kinda like Anakin, except that we got to see Anakin escape the Dark Side in
the end.

Dayum, that's a lot of discourse on a show I've only seen a few times!

Kristina -- Must have been the good kind of mead, not the sweetened pickle
juice. ;)

I understand about not getting hooked on too much TV after having a long
break from it. I had almost zero time to watch it during college, and then
spent  my first year on my own without a TV set. After five years without
it, it was remarkably easy to put television on the back burner!

Shawn and Linda -- I've been wanting to see _The Prisoner_ ever since Larry
Hertzog named it as an influence.

Now, what I'd REALLY like to see in a DVD (or VHS) boxed set: _Nowhere Man_!

Keeping this Diary as Proof that These Events Are Real,

Christy
  

    
Had a Swapmeet dream last night, sort of. I dreamt that my friend
Trish and Miss Mousey came over and ended up staying the night. (no,
nothing erotic going on... sorry). It was mostly about me trying to
talk with them, but Neil called and was being highly enigmatic and
goofy and preventing me from chatting with them. He'd say something
non-sensical, and then just sit on the line without saying anything
while I tried to figure out if he was there. Then he'd chuckle and say
"just kidding" and say something else that made no sense. I eventually
hung up on him and resumed trying to talk to Trish and Squeaks, but
they both wanted to go to sleep since they had to get up at 5 in the
morning.
Other odd thing, at one point Squeaks had her back to me and I noticed
in the dream that her tattoos were gone. This was a point of
curiosity, but I never got to ask about it.

Anyway, not a lot going on there, but notable for the presence of
Squeaks and Neil.
Although, granted, Neil did "phone in" his appearance.

this, of course, has nothing to do with Smallville, Buffy, but has
everything to do with our masterful way of nattering on endlessly about
whatever comes into our heads.

Ok, off to talk to my costumer!

Dan
  

    
Here's the thing about Smallville: It's a great big ball of cheese.
It's a cheese-filled anvil. It's carved out of cheddar. And I love it.

I've been a Superman fan since I was knee high to a grasshopper, and
much of that had to do with Richard Donner making me believe a man can
fly. I watched the old 50s Superman TV series with my dad on Saturday
afternoons. I ran the Lois & Clark internet mailing list in college. I
own a copy of the animated "World's Finest" that Alan Burnett and co.
made a few years back. And I tuned into Smallville just like every
other Clark Kent junkie on the planet. It took 8 episodes to solidly
hook me--but it did. For two main reasons:

Lex Luthor.

Chloe Sullivan.

The show's A plots? Silly as hell, but then, most action adventure
series in their first season are. But the character stuff? Total crack.
It may not compare to say, 2nd season of Buffy before Marti Noxon (who
cannot script for toffee--and don't get me started on her dialogue
skills) began carefully dismantling everything that made Buffy herself
a sympathetic character, and Joss wandered off to devote his attention
to stuff like Angel and Firefly. Or even 2nd season Farscape, when the
crazy Muppet folks dug their claws into me and dragged me kicking and
screaming into a show I'd barely glanced at before.

(Dude. I dig Ben Browder. Ever listen to the commentary tracks on the
DVDs? He knows every single aspect of his show--and is geeky fanboy
about all of them. This is so a lead who will be an exec. producer by
season 5.)

But for some reason, I am utterly lojacked by Smallville (witness the
extent of my insanity: http://www.loony-archivist.com/smallville), and
a lot of it has to do with the fact that Michael Rosenbaum and Allison
Mack (whom I adore, if for no other reason than she can wade through
buckets of exposition, and make it sound natural AND interesting. She
is made of gold. And adorable, and has phenomenal range, and Chloe? So
nifty) rose so far above the material, you'd think they were on wires. 


But yeah, the freaks-of-the-week are silly, Lana Lang is a character
written by committee, with the WB forcing M&G to keep her bland,
boring, and the actress doesn't have the chops to do much aside from
preternaturally poised and pretty princess (and I would personally sell
my sister to teach Kristin Kreuk how to deliver a line reading in a
natural manner) in need of rescuing at every turn, and Tom Welling,
while he has made David Boreanaz-liek strides in the acting field,
ostly is there to look pretty and lift heavy objects while being
instructed in the ways of the world via platitudes from Bo Duke.

But Lex? Day-um! Just imagine if John Shea's Lex from L&C were in a
Superman show where the camp quotient was turned down, and his father
was Lucifer Morningstar. Then magnify The Sexy by a power of 10, and
throw in acting chops that make James Marsters look like Adam Sandler.

Woo!

So all about Lex, all the time.
  

    

Email from Kathy Li:


Mike, you can actually recount the plot of an episode of THE PRISONER? :-o
Man, I *knew* you were a genius.

Sulk.  Want to be in London right now, and see the new (12+ hour) Stoppard
trilogy at the National's Olivier (not to mention the new Matthew Bourne
piece going on in the Lyttleton).  <sigh>.

BTW, in complete envy of the tv-fetterless. I'm a cable-sucking junkie,
enslaved by the idiot box.  I plan on watching both FIREFLY and
ANGEL.  Both BUFFY and GILMORE GIRLS.  AMAZING RACE and WEST WING and BIRDS
OF PREY. (one word: splitter).  I'm obviously the kind of person network
programmers don't think exist.
  

    
Dan Guy: they toned down the Krypto-mutants a lot by the time they got
to teh back nine. the main reason for the first 5-6 eps being so
stand-alone and re-stating the show's premsie over and over is that
with a new show, you have to assume there are people for the first 5
eps who are tunring in who have never seen the show before. 

Now, this is a network thing mroe than usually an individual Exec.
producer thing. But by and large, that's why the first 5 were so
similar. The producers had to get across as the show's audience built
and enw viewers join them three things: 1) kryptonite radation throught
eh magic of pseudo-science grants people's twisted wishes, and they go
nuts and occasionally kill people, 2) Clark is the only one who can
stop them, and 3) Clark has a crush on lana, who's dating Whitney,
while Chloe has a crush on Clark, who is crushing on Lana.

Oh, and Lex kinda sorta has a great big ole crush on Clark. (shhhhh!
it's a secret! don't tell anyone)

Also, there was a minor setback when someone at the WB told
Tollin/Robbins that Miller & Gough should cast Kelly Brook as Lex's
love interest for multiple eps, not realising that while impressively
buxom, she can't act her way out of a sopping wet paper bag.

The show hit its stride with later eps like "Jitters" and "Rogue" and
then *really* took off round about "Kinetic." But yeah, still an anvil
of cheese. Just not as silly an anvil.
  

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

    
Actually, the current Lex's father in Smallville really *was* Lucifer 
(or at least the Prince of Darkness) on the old Brimstone tv series.
(Which is also where Joss Whedon cribbed the whoosing sun-down-sun-up
scene transitions in Angel.)
  

    
But Rocky, I'm already addicted to Buffy (it's genetic) and Angel. And
I'm even getting the boy to watch Buffy, in order, as the DVDs come
out. :) The only reason I even own a TV is for X-Files (the reason I
bought the TV), Buffy, and the occasional Simpsons - otherwise, it's
just a viewing device for the VCR. Don't need another addiction. Don't
have enough time for the current ones.

Christy - As one of the pieces of art on display at Burning Man will
be a gigantic sloppy Neil signature (it's my camp banner), I'm sure
that week will be filled with people asking me why they should Nerf Me.
And the rats are just being whiney because I ran out of their
favourite treat. But they are kind of sick of being the bad guys so
often. I keep telling Billie that if she's stop biting me I'd have more
sympathy, but then she just nibbles on my fingernails again...

Maure/Shawn - (checks for liver-spots),Well, I may not look like Mr.
Burns, but I've been sounding like him lately. 2 quotes at work today -
and only one of them was an attempted quote.

Dodge - one word: TIVO

Mary - I'll be out at Burning Man, but I'll tell any of my friends to
go check out the show if they're in town for it.

Christy - He was Bo Duke, wasn't he? I knew I recognized the name and
that he looked kind of familiar, but I never pinpointed it. 'sides, for
me the only reason to watch the earlier show was for General Lee...
geez, what is it with me and cars?

stagewalker - (checks back in mirror) Nope, they're still there.
Otherwise, I'd suggest that perhaps I did sleepwalk over there. I mean,
I've never really sleepwalked before, but the way I've been running
around lately... As for the Neil conversation, was there any
explanation for any remarks pertaining to the "H.P. Lovecraft Holiday
Fun Club"?

Never really been into Smallville. Caught a couple of eps here and
there, enjoyed them alright, but nothing that I *needed* to watch.
Definitely full of cheesey goodness tho'.

squeaks, 
tending to squeaks of her own - now with baby food!
  

    
I saw Signs tonight. Er, yesterday. It was great, great! I tell you. 

I think I'm easily addicted to television right now because I don't
have a job, and it's easier to keep track of when the shows are on when
I don't have anything specific to do. 

I've decided I love packing. I keep finding things I'd forgotten I
had, like a misprinted Late Night Reading ticket from MadCon (one side
was for Neil's, the other was for Harlan's -- they were supposed to be
on seperate tickets) on which Neil drew a spooky-looking Dream. Neat.
The downside is, of course, realizing how much random stuff I have, and
having to pack it all. The real downside is when I start unpacking it,
and have to decide where to put things. I hate packing.

There's a guy on the blogging-site that some of us here use who does a
Space Ghost-like interview show. His latest interviewee is our own
Adriana. It's fun, and you can read it here:
http://www.xanga.com/item.asp?user=ZaneGahVenger&tab=weblogs&uid=33632
56
  

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

    
But squeaks, Farscape is already on DVD.  At least check out the first
season!  Trust me. *twinkle*

Lenny - Too bad Brimstone didn't make it as a series, some of the
episodes were quite good, and John Glover made a humorous and cynical
Lucifer. My only regret was that he wasn't *pretty* enough, but his
personality more than made up for the deficit.

It's a particular pet peeve of mine that in the movies and on TV,
Lucifer is mostly depicted as a horned satyr rather than the beautiful
angel of light. Hmm..I notice Neil didn't make that mistake in Sandman.
 ;>

Mary - I've decided to read the whole OUTLANDER series again, but
thought it best to wait until the weekend to start A DRAGONFLY IN
AMBER. The dark circles under my eyes were scary this week.

Is there a link to Adriana's music online?  Thanks.
  

    
Rocky, her band's site is here: http://www.theendlessband.com/  
and samples are here: 
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/335/the_endless.html

I would've let her answer you herself, but I think she's in NM for a
reunion right now. 
  

    
Thanks Maure! 

Rocky..rockin' to "Barbi Lane".. ;>
  

    
Squeaks - ya know.. I don't think Lovecraft came up... but the details
of the dream conversation have faded a bit...
  

    

Michelle (who has rat servants to bite her nails *for* her) -- Ah, _X-
Files_. I never was a junkie, but if the Gunmen are in an episode, I'm
there!

> Don't need another addiction. Don't have enough time for the current ones.

Hear, hear.

Maure -- Just for the record, I loved your gradually degenerating paragraph
about packing.  :)

I see Julia Bannon is echoing my plea for tour photos.  Grrr... she'd have
had plenty of them *three weeks* ago, if I'd just checked that little box on
the development form that said "Internet Delivery"....

Rocky (a.k.a. The Voice of Farscape Temptation) -- You just reminded me of
the song "Why is the Devil Red?" by the Lost Dogs:

        You give the Devil a pitchfork
        You give the Devil horns
        You give the Devil sulfur
        You give the Devil corns
        ...

        Who's that lookin' like an angel of light?
        Who's that dressed in a gown of white?
        Who's that saying everything's all right?
        Who's that grinning in the dead of night?

Freezing in My Office on an Infernally Hot Day,
Christy
  

    
Mike - re:The Prisoner. Oh, no worry about expecting a tidy little
ending. I've seen enough of the series not to make a silly assupmtion
like that. I guess I should have said "I'm dying to see what happens
next."

Christy - I'm breaking into very unmanly giggles of joy at the idea
that someone else in the world actually wants to have Nowhere Man on
DVD. I loved that show to death and the only episodes I've been able to
find are REALLY poor quality from the internet, as in unwatchable.

Squeaks - Ahoi-hoi? 

Maure - Ahh! Signs! I loved it; my only gripe being I wished that it
had a longer running time. (which is saying a lot considering
Shaymalan's considerably un-hurried style)

Neil - it's amazing to me the far reaching effects of those pesky
sunspots...
  

    
After you've watched the whole Prisoner series, let us know.  We'll
point out that you should have known an important point in the last
episode by watching the opening credits of every episode. 
Bwah-ha-ha-ha!
  

    
Shawn,  I remember people complaining about the unhurriedness when
Unbreakable came out, but I loved it then, and I loved it in this one.
He has such a perfect grasp of the tension of quiet, it's so effective.
And the score was a huge, huge nod to Bernard Hermann, which made me
grin all through the main titles. I really enjoyed Signs altogether.

Christy,  you noticed that, too? There are few things that make my
emotions oscillate so wildly. Right now, I love packing again, because
I found a whole envelope of CDs I thought I'd lost forever. But when I
have to take the filled boxes down to the garage, I'll hate it again.

You're welcome, Rocky!
  

    
Maure - Re Unbreakable: Didn't see the movie..while I was in the
theatre. Honestly, I couldn't get past Samuel Jackson's hair. I just
couldn't. The unspeakable horror of it just messed me up for the entire
movie. It was a setback for Afro hairstyles and nappy hair for
centuries to come. Ugh!  And just when I had almost forgiven Quentin
Tarentino for Jackson's hair in Jackie Brown, along comes the
Independent Channel's special on Blaxploitation flicks from the
70's...I had to relive the whole "horrible hair thang" all over again
when they showed clips from that movie.  I'm rambling on about this,
aren't I?  Sorry. 
  

    
Rocky, teeheehee, that is probably the funniest thing I've read all
day. I liked his hair, it was fluffy and asymmetrical.

Watching FarScape . . . Crichton makes a lovely woman. mwahahahahaha
  

    

But..but Maure, Afros aren't supposed to be fluffy and asymmetrical!
Didn't you see Cleopata Jones or Foxy Brown? [..giggling helplessy] And
of course in the remake of Shaft he was completely bald. *sigh*

Speaking of packing, I'm moving again.  Luckily it's in the same
complex of buildings, but it won't make the experience any less
traumatic. Nothing is worse than moving in 90+ degree weather. The
horror...the horror.
  

    
Bad guys always have bad hair. 

Unless they wear Armani.

That is all. 
  

    
packing - er, the 'boxy' kind, not the 'armed' kind (only I would
think of that, eh?) I get to unpack and pack and build and tear down
for at least 10 days (seemingly without much break) in possibly 90+
degree weather... however hot it is at Burning Man. EEK! I can't
believe I'm leaving in 6 days!

Shawn - I answered my phone like that once. My friend on the other end
was confused for the first second, then just as I was about to explain
it he started giggling - really unbecoming of the guy, he just can't
do 'schoolgirl giggle' very well.

Rocky - Bad hair is bad hair and always traumatic. The worst is when
it's bad hair worn by someone who thinks it looks good. It sometimes
takes me days to recover from club night experiences because of bad
hair. 

Oh, thought this would amuse. As written onto my CBLDF collage for
Burning Man: "There is nothing quite as effective at emptying my
pocketbook as a form letter from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,
personally signed by Neil Gaiman with a little 'Hi Michelle' written on
it. It's as though he's taken a specific interest in my donation
history and is watching to see when I'll give next..." 

squeaks, sending a check in the mail.
  

    
Rocky, the heat is why I've been waiting to take the boxes to the
garage until the wee hours of the morning, when it's not so stifling. I
sympathize completely.

Arlene, many guys who wear Armani have atrocious hair -- surely some
bad guys who wear Armani fall into the bad hair category as well. 

Squeaks, I think I've come to the conclusion that participants in
Burning Man are off their rockers -- not only do they choose to spend
time in the desert (which frightens me, but not as much as Michael
Jackson), but they also choose to spend time in the desert in the dead
of summer. heehee on the note -- I felt guilty that I don't do more
when Grover wrote a little note on the bottom of a CBLDF letter --
getting one from Neil would probably spur guilt of catholic
proportions. Did you take a picture of your CBLDF collage? I'd love to
see it!
  

    
Maure-

Not in tinsletown. It seems to be an unwritten rule that bad guys who
don't dress expensively also have bad hair. Even the ones that do dress
well seem to suffer from some kind of brillo cream fixation. 

Check out the Bond villains some time. Or any of the guys the Clint
Eastwood's day was made by...

I agree with on Burning Man, though. Those people are just nuts. But
the location, the heat and the season certainly does explain the lack
of clothing and abundance of body paint that happens there. They are
hot and having a heat induced trip. Like an acid trip, only with more
sweat and less colors.