Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
oh, and Adriana slipped with the a request for Neil to tell just what Tori
is filming/recording for just what movie, which I should also chime in on.
  

    

The only difference between myself and a madman is that I am not Salvadore
Dali.
  

    


Christy Smith writes:



Wow, Counting Crows, Future Bible Heroes, Billy Corgan, Tori... sounds like a
lot of people are seeing some fun concerts!

So did the NG Meetup Day happen for anyone?  I really oughta sign up, if only
to meet Danguy.

Speaking of whom, that sounded like a very cool conference, Danguy!  XML
Wnderkinder and a demonstration of Our Favorite Blog....  What more could one
ask for?  :D

Good to hear from you again, Mousey (and Neil)!

Wow, Mary, I don't think I knew you acted.  Maybe I did, way back....  Do you
still do it, or mainly stick to singing in the choir?

And is that the Florence King book that the erstwhile Orangefae mentioned?

Speaking of singing, some of you might be interested to know that Abney Park
is looking for a new background singer (http://www.abneypark.com/2002/).  I
am The Perfect Candidate, but for the fact that they have the nerve to be in
the wrong "Washington area."  Ah, if they'd only been in Takoma Park instead
of Tacoma....  :-(

Glen, you're a poet and you didn't realize it.

Abbess (1900) -- Yeah, but at least you would have had the perfect CD set for
the drive!

madman -- The only difference between me and a madman done fly invisible
wurdlesnadd.

Telecommuting today, thanks to the prettiest snowstorm in years.  I got my
laundry done WHILE getting paid!

Thanksgiving was simply wonderful.  I spent it at my mom's house with her, my
brother, and his girlfriend, plus a couple of extra people for the big feast.
 (And it WAS big.  :^d   )  We did our Christmas on Saturday (well, except
for Mom and me, as I'll be there for the real thing, Lord willing).  We have
a big, gorgeous tree that we "kids" had fun decorating together, and lots of
good Christmas music and cool presents.

I also screened _Live at the Aladdin_ for Ben and his girlfriend.  She says
Neil's sweet, and loved Mrs. Whitaker from "Chivalry" (as did I when I first
read it, and still do).  But then, we knew she's a good judge of character;
she's dating Ben, isn't she?  ;)

I visited Dad in the earlier part of the week.  OH!  And I got a conga!
Borrowed, but my stepsister isn't in a big hurry to get it back.  It's got a
stand and a nice carrying-bag.  I haven't been home much since I got it, so I
haven't set it up yet, but this is gonna be cool!

Oh, yeah -- Erynn -- is that Webzine with your story out yet?

My tale is told.  Fortunately, the heat just clicked on.

Christy
  

    
Madman: Yes, the absence of twirly mustache and the fact that I've
never seen you throw feces at Gorey kept me from being making that
particular mistaken identity.

Mary: I don't have any really brilliant techniques. It's something
that kind of has come with practice. I just remember that whoever my
audience is, is extremely physically close to me... and that tends to
help. I think that the fact that I don't have to project my voice as
much and that I have a limited amount of space in which I can move
makes me automatically bring my entire performance into a quieter, more
subtle space.

Neil: you finished filming in 3 days? ... god I wish you could teach
some of the filmmakers I've worked with how to be so concise and
organized in their filmmaking.
  

    
This is really pretty:
http://www.mypetskeleton.com/
  

    
My most memorable moment of watching an actor move from stage to
screen was in the Frank Langella version of Dracula back in the 70s. 
He'd played the part on stage for several years before getting it in
the movie and the first few scenes where you see him he is so, well,
just what you said. FILLING the screen. Broad emphatic sweeping
movements. And as the film goes on, you can just imagine the Director
teaching him to get less dramatic and more subtle. 
  

    
Maure:  Thanks for that.  Yummy.

Mary: I couldn't go see Eddie, but friends of mine did.  It was a
*very* long signing line, and they saw him late, and they said he was
tired, but charming and funny.  In response to something they told him,
he looked up out of the signing haze to actually focus on them, and
said:  "I find that... utterly bizarre."  In the nicest way possible,
apparently.  They were quite proud of themselves.

Re: A new word
I like funny words.  It's sort of a collecting thing with me.  I find
them and take them home with me, and they never quite leave.  They end
up in hidden nooks and crannies, and then one day I'm cleaning and I
discover they've made themselves at home in some obscure corner of a
shelf or closet.  They're not generally very useful, but they make me
happy.  This new one's courtesy of Dictionary.com's Word of the Day. 
It's not a nice word.  It's like my friend's lizard that tends to
plaster itself against the glass of its cage and make nasty faces at
anyone it finds itself looking at.  But it has sounds that are
inherently comic, and not ones we get to use a lot in English,
especially together.  So, lacking anything more interesting to say,
I'll share it:

"Booboisie." 
Referring to a class of people regarded as stupid or foolish.  A blend
of boob and bourgeoisie, coined by H. L. Mencken (1880-1956), American
editor and critic.
  

    
pam: if timing is everything, it is sort of funny that I am posting
after the "b" word! (or "funny"...)  

christy: ( I will answer for erynn because she hasn't posted and I
know the answer to your question) when she said "we all" she included
her younger sister who went to live and work with them.
 
erynn: ohio will miss you!  gee, I was going to dine at your
restaurant on my next visit to cleveland.  update your whereabouts when
you can.

Has anyone seen (or been interested in seeing) FRIDA?  Frida Kahlo is
one of my favorite artists, but I haven't seen the movie yet.

My daughter, Jessamyn, had her 28th birthday this week.  Time goes by
so quickly... A few days before she was born it started to snow.  And
snow.  Thirty-two inches when the storm was over and when she decided
to make her appearance into the world.  I was living at my parent's
house at the time, so my sisters and brothers shovelled a path down two
streets so I could waddle my way to a police car. All roads were
closed- emergency vehicles only- so I couldn't be driven to the "big
city" hospital where I was supposed to deliver and was taken to the
local hospital instead. (At that point I really didn't care.) Well,
things work out as they always do and I was blessed with a wonderful
little person who has grown into a wonderful adult. 

Otherwise, a calico cat, lost and cold, found her way here this week.
So far no one has claimed her and even though I think "no more animals"
she may stay if she wants to.









  

 


 
  

    
Patricia--Happy birthday to your daughter.  What a great story!

Dodge--isn't it a trip to watch films like that?  I particularly like
films of play or musical productions as an illustration of the
differences in style.  The person  really want to see onstage, though,
is Ben Kingsley.  I've studied his films 'til I'm cross-eyed, 'cause
his technique is immaculate--nobody gets more out of a scene with less
effort than he does.  I want to see him live.  Well, him & Daniel
Day-Lewis, but Day-Lewis doesn't care for the stage, so it's unlikely
I'll ever get the chance.

Pam--Good word!  I *like* it!

I wonder when (how?) we'll get to see Neil's film?  I'm so curious!

OK, I have to ask.  Mostly this is for Neil--Has anyone seen Circle by
Eddie Izzard yet?

Pam--cool Eddie story.  Am so jealous of your friends!

Mary (about to start White Apples by Jonathan Carroll--Growing Up
Weightless rocked!)
  

    
Email from Davey:

Abbess -- I think it may prove to be a bad assumption; I finally made it to
the Coolidge box office this evening and the staff said (on being asked)
that the FBH tickets were moving well and they wouldn't recommend waiting
till Sunday afternoon.

(Not too shabby for a 600-seat Art Deco behemoth of a theatre being
operated as an indie cinema and renovated step-by-step by its nonprofit
foundation, whee. (I like the Coolidge, can you tell?) Not bad for FBH,
either.)

Pamela -- An excellent word; I shall snarl it every time I'm slushed to the
knees by one of those zip-code-eligible SUVs not bought for actual off-road
use and being piloted by a twit paying more attention to zir cell phone
than the pedestrians. Booboisie. A fine word indeed.

Davey
  

    
I saw Frida last week. I liked it. I didn't know that much about her
before seeing it, but have done a little reading since. It's
interesting seeing Frida's artistic style merged with Julie Taymor's.
Like any biopic, though, it tends to meander a bit and tells us more
about what people did (and who they did) than about their internal
lives. Obviously we only know about Frida's feelings what she chose to
tell people, but I still left the theatre feeling like there was a hell
of a lot that wasn't being said.

On a totally different note, we got the call from Sundance finally,
and Gravity Hill didn't make it in. They had one slot, and three films,
and since GH is still a rough cut, they couldn't give it to us.
But on the positive, apparently Sundance is not in the habit of
calling film makers to tell them why they are being rejected. So it
seems they really did seriously consider us. That's comforting in an
"it's an honor to be nominated to be nominated" kind of way.

That being said, i still have to go in for a reshoot this afternoon.
bleah.
  

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

    
stagewalker: Congratulations on being Almost-Sundance.  Can the film
be resubmitted next year, after it's finished?

DanGuy: Xander's growing up so fast!  

Davey: I think that's an excellent use of the "b" word.  And I'm
curious about your use of "zir."  I've been looking for a non-gender
pronoun for a while, and I'm pretty sure I'd run across that one
before.  Where's it from?  Is that what it's used for?

Patricia: I saw FRIDA and I loved it!  It's definitely worth seeing! 
I think that Dan's commentary is valid.  But it's still wonderful. 
There's some terrific acting in it.  I was impressed by Selma Hayek,
actually.  She surprised me.  And Alfred Molino is absolutely fabulous.
 Supporting actors are also really strong.  The heart and soul of the
thing, though, is Julie Taymor channeling Frida.  It's stunning.  And
neither one of them surrenders their power in the exchange.  I think
the telling thing for me is the way it changed the way I see Frida's
art.  I've always found it difficult to access Frida's work; it's
painful and aggressive.  But putting the art into the context of a
person I could relate to (rather more than I wished) enabled me to walk
through the empathy door into it.

If that isn't enough to encourage you... it's a movie that "sticks to
your ribs."  When it's over, you're full for a while.  In a world of
Chinese take-out movies, it's worth going to see just for that, IMHO.
  

    

Patricia, everything that Pamela said. And I had to see it twice just
to make sure I didn't miss anything.  ;>
  

    
Pamela - i suppose he could resubmit, but I have no idea what happens
next. I mentioned that possibility to him, but at this point he just
wants to focus on getting it done. Some other festivals have expressed
interest, but I'm not taking any bets just yet as to where or when
it'll be shown.

And let me state, that my commentary on the film wasn't meant to be
discouraging. I liked the film quite a bit, and it is certainly worth
seeing for several reasons. 
  

    

Has anyone read anything by China Melville?  If so, what did you
think?  
  

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

    
Dan, Pam and Rocky: The insightful film reviews were appreciated! 
Hope to see FRIDA this weekend. (I would love to live in The Blue
House, especially today when it is sleeting outside...)  And, Dan, good
wishes sent your way.

Danguy: The last photos of Xander that I recall seeing were in the
autumn when he was a few months old- new ones?  I have two nephews
about that age- they are so much fun to be with.

Everyone is being so *quiet*.  What are you reading?  I will begin
_The Man Made of Words_ by N. Scott Momaday.
  

    
Oops, Rocky and Dan slipped. ( had a cup of coffee, was looking on my
bookshelf...)  
  

    
I finished TPratchett's Night Watch recently and am looking at the
Best SF for last year book I just got as well as a couple of other
short stories collections.
  

    
After finishing "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" by Michael
Chabon, I dug out my American edition of Neverwhere.  I bought the BBC
edition before the Avon edition was release and read it immediately. 
Later, I stumbled across the Avon's US release in a bookstore where I
didn't expect to find it, so I bought it.

Now that it has sat on the shelf long enough, I have forgotten many
bits, and am wondering as I get to each bit if that bit was forgotten
or was actually part of the stuff Neil added for the US edition.

When I have read it, I will have to see if I obsessively check it
against the UK edition.
  

    
Just finished reading Matt Ruff's forthcoming "Set This House in
Order: A Romance of Souls". Terrifically well-written; I didn't want to
put it down until I was done with it, and I didn't want to be done
with it. For that matter, that's the only major critique I'd level at
it -- it could have been a bit longer, especially the end, which seemed
a bit rushed. Of course, it's been 4 1/2 years between books, and I
wonder if part of that was being hurried to print.

I'm currently reading "From a Buick 8" by King, am nearly 1/4 of the
way through it, and waiting for it to get interesting. Not a good sign.
  

    
Note to all you Izzard-philes: Big interview thingie at
http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/int/2002/12/11/izzard/index.html . :-)
  

    
I'm reading this year's Best New Horror, and Conjunctions: 39, and a
Winter's Tale (by Mark Helprin) right now. I just pick up one of the
first two when I have a few minutes here or there in which to fit a
short story. When I have big chunks of time, I pick up the Helprin
book. 

Read this, it's wild: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2565827.stm
  

    
Just finished Gregory Maguire's "Wicked: The Life and Times of the
Wicked Witch of the West," and Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower,"
and LOVED them both.  Also just read "Fires of the Faithful" by Naomi
Kritzer (free book from World Fantasy Con - yay!), which was fun, but
not really on a par with the other two.  Currently reading Isak
Dinesin's "Out of Africa."  Next up: Jonathan Lethem's "Girl in
Landscape."

A bit ago, as I mentioned here, I read John M. Ford's "The Dragon
Waiting," recently reissued as part of the WFC-award winning Fantasy
Masterworks series.  If you haven't read it, go get it at Amazon.co.uk.
 It's absolutely worth the over-the-pond shipping charges.

God, I love books.

One of the only depressing moments at WFC was when I stood in the
middle of the room during the mass signing, turning slowly around and
looking at all those talented people writing fabulous books, and
realizing that there was no earthly way I could ever read all of them.

*sigh*

But I'll keep trying. <grin>