Just ... stop it

Up front: Admittedly, my tolerance for what I consider unimportant is at quite the low.

I'm excitedly and urgently growing my business in a ginormous way, which pretty much consumes me right now. My wife and I are painfully remembering and grieving departed loved ones, and that has us emotionally drained. And I seem to be recently surrounded by friends and acquaintances who are sadly, imminently going to lose family members, so I'm doing what I can physically and emotionally to be there for them, too.

So, there's all of this genuinely important stuff going on in people's lives.

And then there's irritating, destructive noise in my social feeds, where it's just people abusing other people.

Over stupid things.

Like the "debate" over evolution and creation.

Not important.

Don't misunderstand -- I'm not saying the topics aren't important and worth discussing. But this gross noise has not been about the topics. It's been about debating. And it's been about abuse.

So if it's not important, why am I coming out of semi-blog-hiatus to say anything?

Because that abuse is an important thing for us to talk about. And, corporately, to stop.

I look at these social feeds, and think, "Really? You're going to abuse people using broken social pipes as a way to push your world view onto them, and, what -- change them to your mindset?"

Actually, I would be OK with even that.

Except even that's not what's happening.

What is actually happening in is you're using broken social pipes as an avenue to try to appear superior and to abuse people.

You are an arrogant, horrible person.

I have been shocked at the base, intolerant vitriol that's been spewed by people over topics like this. In publicly, archive-able, searchable forms for when I'm considering working with, hiring, or having a beer with you.

Sickly ironically, this vitriol is usually from people that would consider themselves socially progressive intelligent people, and for whom tolerance is a stated cornerstone of their beliefs.

We all have our blind spots, and we smart people often think we're far more intelligent than we really are, and oh, we would like to think we're never intolerant.

Coming back to this recent debate and abuse over theories of how everything came to be, and limiting that to evolution and creationism theories, let me tell you what's true for me:

1. I am well-read and informed concerning these theories
2. I acknowledge both theories take a tremendous amount of faith
3. I have a strong, directed personal conviction on these topics
4. I don't put that personal conviction onto other people
5. I don't think less of them if they disagree (about this, or political views, or best movies)
6. As someone else said, depending on the direction you take, evolution and creation are inherently non-provable and/or non-falsifiable
7. I wasn't there, so I don't know how the whole "everything coming into being" thing went down

So, now you know where I stand. It's discussable.

It's not debatable.

This whole little rambling of mine is just a straw. It's just little contribution for goading maybe a few of us to take our viewpoints out of a non-directed cloud (and aiming it at a public figure with whom you don't have a personal relationship is the same thing as a non-directed cloud, plus maybe a little bit of cowardice).

And this is about taking accountability for our behavior.

Those that know me know I don't brook intolerant vitriolic hate spew. One of the things people like and hate about me is I hold people accountable. Even if I don't know them.

I'm a work in progress, and I certainly haven't arrived, but I work really hard to hold people accountable without penalizing them. I spend a lot of time thinking about it, practicing it, evaluating how I've done with it, and refining it.

So even though I know "I'm not there yet", I'm comfortable that I'm at least actively doing the hard work.

And regardless of your viewpoint, if you know me, do me favor: Take the comments you've been making about [those people] and [that obvious debate], and insert my name. Make it personal. Make it directed. Make it at me.

See if that still works for you.

And if it does, do us a mutual favor and unfriend and unfollow me.

And honestly, all of that intolerant vitriolic hate spew? Just ... stop it.

Straight Up Gate Poppin' ...

My dogs have started Gate Poppin'.

They lean on or head-butt their way past a safety gate or other barrier to get to things they want, but aren't supposed to have.

Things like access to a human's bed (because their muddy paws didn't get clean enough on the floor as they walked through the entire house).

They wait until I'm asleep. Or out of the house. Then they start poppin'.

I've decided, to minimize my rage at this recent behavior, at some point, I'm going to write a rap parody video, "Gate Poppin'", featuring my dogs.

(NSFW Warning. It will use the word "bitches". A lot.)

Here's a possible sample:

Walkin' my domain, my home where I'm the king
trying ta get to bed, but here's the thing
Gotta item blocking my reg'lar path
gotta knock it down -- It's gonna feel my wrath 

Put my head low, then hear some scritchin'
somewhere down south, I start to itchin'
Look up see a bitch on the other side
she don't look calm -- she looks ready to ride 

Heat drivin' me wild, like I'm a junkyard cur
Maybe it's the summer weather, or maybe it's just her
Put my head down with nothin' stoppin'
Me as I lunge forward and start ta poppin'....

[Refrain.]

Tha's right, it's time to get poppin' -- Straight up Gate Poppin' 

Poppin'. Puh-Puh-Puh-Pop-Poppin'

Poppin'. Pop-Pop-Pop-Poppin'

Poppin'. Pop-Pop-Pop-Poppin'

Pop-Pop-Pop. Pope-puh-pop-pop-pop-POP!

(Straight up Gate Poppin')

(Admittedly, it probably needs more than thirty seconds of workshopping to get the flow.)

Didn't get the gig? That's your fault.

My personal bias?

Resumes and candidates have gotten crappier across the board over the years.

(And, yes, I do mean "candidates have gotten crappier", not "candidates behavior has gotten crappier". The latter abstracts accountability from the infractor, and the former let's it land where it belongs -- Behavior doesn't define a person, but is a reflection of who that person already is.)



I've found all of this to be far, far worse in the acting and video game worlds.

So, while I don't agree with all of the points in this slide deck (some are distinctly legacy), there are some good tips here -- Even if you're not a recent college grad. And probably especially if you think none of this applies to you.

Part of the glut of sub-par submissions is an overall societal decline in personal accountability, and a correlative increase in a sense of entitlement & arrogance (which is invalid anyway, but especially for new entrants who haven't earned anything, and for long-time, experienced folks who who are lazy and don't bust their ass daily to stay relevant).


I know these industries -- I'm a professional actor and a video game studio owner.

At times, I get so blindingly frustrated with the amateur behavior of things like assistants to casting directors, agents, and managers who can't manage people or events to a clock, or non-experience folks who want to get into the game industry, but have done no research, or passionately chased their own development projects.

A while ago, I sat across the table from a guy who I'd coached for an entry level position interview at another company. He didn't get the gig, didn't do any of the things I suggested as prep, and he blamed not getting the job on "nepotism", "unfair bias", and "them not seeing how great I am".

"I see the problem," I said. "You're a lazy, self-absorbed jerk who doesn't want to contribute positively to people outside of yourself. That's on you."

(His response was I have unreasonable expectations for people. I really wish I could say this was a unique sit-down event.)

Anyway, as a bonus, these slides' retro-50s visual juxtaposition and tongue-in-cheekedness is fun, too.

http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/graduates-lose-out-jobs/

Aaron Eckhart On Working With Heath Ledger

Not much I could say to add to the awesome of this. Simple and inspiring.

 

The Film Industry Needs the vFX Industry (and Everyone Else)

So, there's a recent current kerfluffle about the role of visual effects studios in successful films, problems with the viability of vFX studios due to hyper-competitiveness, and multiple other related and tangential issues.

I had planned to start (what I hoped was) a balanced, transparent discussion of just how complicated this thing really is, dig into the usury business model that contributes to it (not limited just to film), the pros and perils of unionizing, and so on.

But then I thought, "Well, this isn't just about visual effects -- We actually need everyone involved in making films."

Everyone.

(Remember the writer's strike? That was painful, and 6 years later, as just one side effect, we're still saddled with the overabundance of reality TV that is not reality, but is very much a bulk of our TV.)

Visual effects isn't just about Life of Pi or Star Trek. It's Amour and Lincoln (and Lincoln (and Lincoln)) and Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook and ...

... and ...

... and, well, all of them.

Visual effects are there in so many movies to more or less "obviousness", and outside of the "vFX CGI blockbusters" (and I'd argue, even within them), good effects are like good voice acting and good music and good acting and good everything that's solid and well-implemented and if you choose to step back and take the time you say, "That's amazing" but if you don't step back you don't notice their teh awesumz because well-done stuff doesn't get in the way.

But this is already going long, so to make the point, I offer you Exhibit A:

This was my attempt at an explosion. But it looks like a misshapen starfish. Or radiating sperm. Or an exploding misshapen starfish radiating sperm.

I need the professionals who do this ****. I don't want that art missing from The Art. (And I don't want untrained uninitiates like me breaking the fourth wall with our awful.)

Need more? I offer Exhibit B:

Zomigosh, I need vFX and wardrobe and makeup and writers and directors and grips and gaffers and composers and audio designers and editors and producers and DPs and ADs and casting agents and set decorators and storyboard artists and art directors and craft services and audiences and the dozens of other disciplines that are probably going to get a hold me for leaving them out of this knowingly abbreviated list.

Hey, despite my love of and belief and participation in independent film, that doesn't mean I'm ever out there solo without other passionate, talented folks who mesh with my passion and talent as we all drive to something greater than I can do by myself. In a vacuum. Without visual effects.

(You do not want that.)

Problematic Comic Book Costumes

(From left-field.)

4-year-old: Black Widow sure can do a lot in high heels.

7-year-old: Yeah, a lot a lot.

9-year-old: Yeah.

4-year-old: Like Kicking and shooting.

7-year-old: And Running and jumping.

9-year-old: And it's not even good for your feet to wear high heels all of the time and never take them off.

(Totally girls. Totally comic book fans.)

The Anniversary of Ongoing Grief

I've had a lotta angry dreams the past few nights.

It's a stage of grief I'm all too familiar with; I really don't like it.

Today marks one year since losing my mom-in-law, seventeen days after she was diagnosed with cancer.

In some ways, the anniversary is harder than the actual death. There's not the shock and numbness that in some ways lessen the pain. During the event, there is sometimes a flock of present, similarly grieving family and friends who help carry the burden. There's administrivia and to-dos for funeral arrangement and estate details. There's sometimes the muddiness of dealing with the fractured relationships of the living, the regret of things not done, things not said (though we were blessed with very little of any of that).

A year later, the reminder, the pain, is there -- but not the layers of distraction that blunted it before.

"It's not better yet, why won't this pain go away" is fighting against the "I don't want ever to stop missing her".

I have this reverse entitlement of feeling like I don't have as much right to grieve, because it's not my mom I lost. There's a feeling of hopeless helplessness of my being wired to fix things, but I'm not able to fix this for my beloved wife, or for my best friend brother-in-law.

I'm frustrated wondering if the only reason I'm feeling all of this is purely psychological. I know the date, and preemptively I know remembering is going to suck. Maybe I'm just getting myself spun up  "unnecessarily."

Maybe it's just trigger events that remind me of the grief. Last year, we watched snippets of the Superbowl from a cramped hospital room during our final watch, and that's really changed what the game means to me for now, and I was dreading it this year.

Maybe it's just some big cyclical physical rhythm that needs to work itself out in human beings.

Or maybe we're all innately spiritual creatures, and our souls have elastic memories that pull toward each other for these kinds out losses.

Regardless.

Today is a day I remember a neat, neat woman. An example for me, for the daughter and wonderful wife she helped raise, and for the grandchildren who were the light of her recent times with us.

She was a giving, service-oriented woman.

So today was about staying home, not doing day job stuff, and doing what I could for my wife, with the kids and me telling each other stories about Grandma.

Which included, among other things, tales of swimming and Tic-Tacs, dog training and movie nights.

She is a neat, neat woman.

Google Voice transcript of a pocket dial

Google Voice is really cool and useful for me.

It's also occasionally hilarious as it tries to transliterate incoming voice mail.

Today, someone accidentally pocket-dialed me.

Here's the first (innocuous) part of the transcript:

"How, hey. Why don't they. I don't know how the bye people. Hey, give me a only, okay. Hey Joe of. I will talk to you soon. No Cleaning. Yay. Goodbye alright call bye here. Hey Nothing getting here. Have a great day. Bye. Allow and dinner. Yeah. Okay bye. He has a cellphone, hey all that what's going on, and I could go. But hey in it, or Yahoo. Com. Hey, bye bye everything you bye bye that weird looks like we're here, hey. Ohh. Hello, blah blah blah blah blah. Her bye bye, hey. But hey, some other things. Hope things are going to you later. Bye, it's, hey i love you, hey baller. Bye. You Okay bye. Peace. But if you can, hey hey. The. Hey, and and Yeah, it was. Hey, ohh bye. Hello. Hey, hi this is Yeah, hey."

Then, **** gets dark:

"You know you are you. Hello. Hi, Just wondering, reply. I wonder if I had a death wish today. I did not have a lot. Hey, so I will not work."

I think my phone has issues. And is projecting...

Parenting and Accountability

People who know me know I'm pretty keen on personal accountability -- for myself, and for other people.

Those same folks know I don't have to know you to hold you accountable.

I'll be professional, I'll be constructive, but if you are doing something blatantly untoward in public, it's totally possible I'll chat with you about it. Society's arguably in a bit of a nosedive, and I'd argue societal character disorder is at least in part at play.

 My kids know this, too. Sometimes, that bites me.

Last night, I was helping my 4-year-old with something she really should be able to do on her own. I stopped what I was doing, briefly helped her, then went back to what I was doing.

"Daaaa-dy!"

"What, Hon?"

"You didn't do it right."

"Look, Sweetie, it's not my job to do this for you."

"Yeah, but it is your job to do the part you said you'd help me with right!"

(Dammit.)

She's totally right.

Note to self: Avoid transparent half-assery.

Can't change the past ...

There is no going back to the past, jacking with the timestream, stopping John Wilkes Booth, keeping Pa Kent from having a heart attack, or avoiding the Butterfly effect.

There's just dealing with what did happen, and doing something about it and your life from right now onward.

So if you're reading this now, sitting in the dark in you're underwear in your lame-ass wannabe version of the Batcave, put on your Big Boy pants, nut up, do what you already know needs to be done, and get past all the bull***t self-talk you've used to justify your flaccid inactivity.

Nothing you do defines your value, or adds or detracts one iota from who you are at the core.

How you react to what's done to you says volumes about your character, and who you really, really are.

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling (for me)

So,

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

has been making the rounds (a la @lawnrocket).

Rather than just pass the link for the list on to people (but do read it), here's a bit o' commentary.

It's great for storytellers, videogame developers, actors, and people (at least).

The ones that resonated with me?

7, 8, 10, 13, 16

7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

(As an actor, it's about knowing what I want, not how I get there; how I get there will change. Repeatedly. For gaming, figuring out the end and how it can change lets me create a whole bunch of fun for the Player before they get there.)

8. Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

(I get stuck in trying to get it "right" when I'm trying to do [anything]. People are beautiful and flawed. So are genuinely interesting characters. Some of my favorite games are far from perfect, and off the popular radar. "Breakdown". "Enslaved". "D&D Heroes".)

10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

(Same advice I got years ago from one of my acting coaches, Stephen Prince, and helped me recognize not just what was important to my acting craft, but to me as a human being. Identifying and tearing apart those specific bits of "Dead Poets Society", "The Iron Giant", "The Secret of NIMH", "The Dark Knight", "Say Anything" and other films that resonated with me was a pretty big growth moment for me.)

13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

(Acting, writing, gaming, or otherwise being. Boring is boring.)

16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

(Consequences are funny thing. "Make it matter" seems obvious, but living it and trying to do something with it is something else. Rising to it is something else still. In fiction. And in just trying to live.)

How YOU can be successful

OK. I have concrete steps for how you (specifically, you) can be successful in life.

I don't care what you do. Or where you are. Averaged over your life, this will work for you.

1. Do the work you are supposed to be doing
2. Don't avoid the work you are supposed to be doing
3. Don't be an ass while doing the work you are supposed to be doing. (Actually, just don't be an ass.)
4. If you are not doing #1, but are doing #2, and/or #3, don't lie about any of it. We know. Everyone knows. And we tell each other. About you. (It's not gossip; it's consequence for your bad behavior.)

And yes, this is motivated by a handful of recent events with severely broken individuals operating at a shockingly bad sub-professional level, a brief personal historical assessment of similar folks, and admittedly my nigh pathological, idealistic desire to hold people accountable to do the right thing (I know, I know -- it's on them, but ...).

We all hold our reputations in our hands. I am amazed at the arrogance and character disorder of people who think that truth doesn't apply to them.

(You're welcome.)

Elaine Frances Tirabassi (1946-2012)

AUDIO: Elaine Frances Tirabassi (1946-2012)

(Here's the text of the obituary, but please listen to the audio.)

ROUND ROCK, Texas — Elaine Frances Tirabassi (1946-2012), 65, went to be with Jesus Feb. 6, 2012, after a brief struggle with leukemia. She was surrounded by her family.

Born in Brighton, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Florence and Clifford Johnson.

Elaine was a model of wisdom, godly submission, discipline and sacrifice. She was a deeply dedicated and caring friend. Elaine was a loving spouse and helpmate for 40 years, before losing her husband, Victor Wallace Tirabassi, in 2009.

Elaine is survived by her children and their spouses Dan & Kate Tirabassi, Joanne & Adam Creighton, & Anthony Tirabassi; her six lovely grandchildren Kiera, Gianna, Isabella, Carina, Gavin, & Joshua; her siblings Bob Johnson, Marjorie Bollino, and Paul Johnson.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking donations are made to: Campus Crusade for Christ International, Staff #: 0372883, 100 Lake Hart Drive, Orlando, FL 32832

Netflix, Redbox, Blockbuster, and Amazon

My last post inspired me to switching gears to be bit crazy.

That last post was about the Kindle Fire as a perfectly viable physical and distribution platform.

But I also like the potential disruptive models, and weird (but still possible) business scenarios that get me what I want as a consumer.

I've written before about Redbox buying Vudu and Blockbuster, Netflix buying Redbox, Amazon buying Netflix, and there being an explosion of content for Amazon (though not as much as people think; Amazon really does OK, and there's a high overlap in Hulu/Redbox/Prime Instant Videos), and an Amazon Netflix rental DVD distribution (which they might or might not keep), and "Amazon Redbox" stations everywhere.

Part of this has already happened, as Netflix bought those blue rental kiosks at Walmarts everywhere. Then (in case you missed it) Coinstar (the company who owns Redbox), bought NCR for $100MM. NCR operates things like ATM machines, point of sales and retail systems, airline check-in systems, and Blockbuster Express branded kiosks. 

Coinstar's purchase of NCR (to be finalized quarter 3 of this year, if it's not considered anti-regulatory) includes DVD kiosks, "certain retailer contracts", and DVD inventory -- Giving Netflix a bunch of additional distribution points and product. 

That's after the Verizon and Redbox announced a physical and streaming agreement, that's going to make things real challenging for Netflix (and maybe Amazon streaming).

That Verizon / Redbox streaming competition makes things harder for Netflix, but maybe it makes them more applicable for an Amazon partnership (who obviously has the bigger market cap).

One of my big frustrations with streaming media is having to go to multiple sources to get content, and/or a lack of compelling new content (Netflix), or content expiring sooner than I can watch it (Hulu). I actually think an explosion of streaming options could be a good thing, as licensors can charge less (say, 30% of what they do for "just Netflix", license out to multiple streaming sources (4 to n), and make a lot more money, and be on whatever streaming solution to which I want to subscribe as a consumer. 

Going back to Amazon, as a consumer, I'd be fine if that scenario worked out somewhere that way (consolidated acquisition or more of the same content across multiple streaming services. Add scenarios where Amazon has an Xbox 360 media app. And buys Gamefly. That would give me my movie / book / music / gaming fixes in the same purchase / rent / stream / physical or digital model that I want, all in the same consumer-oriented ecosystem, whether I get it from my PC, phone, tablet, or game console.

Like I said, crazy. And I'm intentionally ignoring a lot of stuff. But not myopically. 

(Quick aside about relative market caps and aggressive partnership: Netflix is about 6x the market cap of Coinstar, but I'd argue Coinstar is being more intelligently aggressive in their partnerships and acquisitions. Netflix does stuff like the failed Quickster fiasco, and buying the DVD.com domain.)

The Kindle Fire, official Google tablets, and bad assessments from "experts"

I was reading an article, "Why Amazon Can't Win a Tablet Price War Against Google" (the title is basically the premise).

At first, I thought, "there are some good points here."

Moments later, that turned into, "WTF? This is ridiculous and invalid.

The article had some good points, but seems to be ignoring a lot, and overall, it's a poor article.

To be honest, I think the author was trying to center around the semi-clever analogy, "the Fire is just another box for Amazon", and intentionally or myopically left stuff out.

He ignored low-level things like Amazon is doing away with boxes (shipping items in their own packaging), and higher level things like their ridiculously successful digital distribution (their Prime subscribers, their hundreds per month $5 MP3 albums, Prime Instant Videos, etc.).

Then there's Amazon's cloud storage (consumer and enterprise S3), their negative inventory business model, the fact the business is built around making their money per transaction, etc.

And while this particular author says it's not sustainable to lose money on the manufacture of each device, it is when it's amortized across the business (think the Xbox and Xbox 360 business unit growth and P/L distribution across quarters and other business units under Microsoft's digital entertainment umbrella).

He claims the loss on manufacture of the Fire is between $10 to $70, which tells me he doesn't understand what the loss is, and is discounting reduction of manufacturing cost over time as components become far cheaper (economies of scale, efficiencies in manufacture, successive technologies, etc.) -- again, the Xbox / 360 growth is an example of that.

Also, Acer and Asus -- tablet providers he classifies as "Companies that are in the tablet hardware business only" "that sell tablets for profit" -- sell tablets for $199 (for a profit; they're not loss-leaders, which wouldn't work in this context). Amazon can easily do likewise.

And then there's just flat out odd stuff he says in the article -- like

"Any discount retailer, from Wal-Mart to Costco, has to make it up on volume. But Amazon can't."

Really? Amazon is an online discount retailer that's perfected the Dell negative-inventory distribution model. Of course they can make it up by volume.

As far as dogging the subsidy model (Amazon allegedly subsidizing manufacturing loss), think the handset carrier analogy (which is a perfectly sustainable model). The Fire is analogous to the handset, Prime to the phone service, and Amazon purchases are the way-higher-margin-than-microtransaction purchases.

This is not to discount Amazon having some serious competition from Google, and it's possible official tablets.

But Amazon's foremost advantage may be it genuinely has a product portfolio mindset, which is something -- to be frank -- Google struggles with. As a concrete example, I pitched an all-ecosystem offering to the stakeholders for each of the ecosystem pieces, and the people I talked to seemed genuinely confused and/or uninterested in its combinatorial value-add across the ecosystem (outside of their individual piece). Pitching the same concept to some other "ecosystem-type partners" blew their socks off, and there's a mad scramble from them to snag it and make it happen in some form or fashion.

Second, Amazon could open their Fire platform. Right now, the Fire is a semi-locked Android tablet, which turns a lot of people off (myself included, but not enough to keep me from buying one). Amazon could open the Fire up to a "legit" version of Android, and become a partner for Google's ecosystem, and make the device more appealing to more folks.

Amazon could make some content free or cheaper on the Fire, and charge more on other platforms. They could do the Microsoft Windows Phone model (Halo ATLUS, Kinectimals, Xbox Live app), and make the Kindle, Prime, and related apps free on the Fire, and charge for the other versions (or make them free on both, but feature-richer on the Fire).

So that's probably enough about the Fire and that myopic business assessment.

Today's run

• Distance: 2.1 miles
• Duration: 14:42
• Pace-setting song: The Passenger (Michael Hutchence, Batman Forever Soundtrack)
• Major challenge: Dragging an 84-pound dog who didn't want to run in the rain

I'm a 21st Century (Digital Boy)

Except I do know how to read, and my dad's not lazy. And my mom's not on Valium (and she's pretty effective; and so, I suspect, is Valium).

I also wouldn't call myself "schizoid. And I don't know what it means to be "video", but I'm probably not that, either.

But I do have a lot of toys.

So guess I'm a 21st Century (Digital Boy). Ish ...

Fall 2011 TV

Fall TV is right around the corner, and the networks are geared up to inundate you with around 30 new shows -- a pretty heavy slate.

I'll be watching a lot of it, because (A) I'm supposed to "as a actor", to see what's trending, and where there might be dayplayer or co-star roles for me, and (B) because I likes it.

So, outside of college/NFL football and hockey, below is my subjective list of most-anticipated new and returning TV shows. Let me know in the comments which shows to which you're looking forward.

I've got a Google calendar I'll share with "select" folks if you request it (if I know/trust you; I don't like how Google exposes my Email in a shared calendar, so I'm not going to make the calendar public).

CliqueClack TV has a decent iCal / Google calendar of the entire fall lineup, though I did notice a few of the start dates/times are bit off.

Here's my list, organized by network (check local listings for final dates/times):

New Shows:

• ABC
  • Charlie's Angels -- Yeah, I am looking forward to this TV treatment of a movie treatment of a TV series. TV life's come full circle, and this could be a fun, Alias-lite type show. (Sept. 21)
    
    
  • Last Man Standing -- Tim Allen returns to TV, along with Nancy Travis. I'm hopeful Allen has matured as a TV actor beyond the endearing schlock of "Home Improvement", and I like (and identify) with the conceit of a parental-role-switch-cum stay-at-home dad trying to maintain his manliness in the midst of raising daughters. (Oct. 11)
     
  • Man Up! -- There are a few shows that make me angry for missing the pilot season casting call, and"Man Up!" is one of those. The log line sounds like someone's been following me and two of my friends with spy cams: "Three best friends -- all in various stages of relationships -- struggle to define their lives as modern men. They're sensitive, play video games and use body wash, but strive to maintain they are are still manly men." It's not a sitcom -- it's a reality TV show of my life. (Oct. 18)
    
    
  • Once Upon a Time -- Dunno why I so like Jennifer Morrison, but there it is. This is one of two fairy-tales-are-real TV series this fall (coincidence? Leaky pitch?). The premise is Morrison is the daughter of Snow White and her Prince Charming, and the various other princesses, prince charmings, and villains of what feels like live-action treatments of largely Disney-esque  fairy tales (it is ABC, after all) have been moved forward and trapped in time in the little town of Storybrooke (hopefully, the rest of the series will be less heavy-handed). (Oct. 23)
    
    
• CBS
  • Person of Interest -- OK, it's a suspense series with Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel, backed by J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan? I predict strong characters and edge-of-seat moments, sub-threads that twist and resurface, and my butt in a seat watching it Sept. 22. (Sept. 22)
    
    
• CW
  • Ringer -- Sarah Michelle Gellar is pretty amazing, and gutsy as an actress; I'm hopeful this network-homecoming-of-sorts really stretches her, and shows critics what she can do. Part of the magic is she's in dual roles as a Vegas showgirl ditching the mob and fleeing to New York (oh, the irony!) where her socialite twin has just disappeared. Sexiness! Suspense! Mystery! Sanctioned actress split-personalities! (Sept. 13)
    
    
  • Hart of Dixie -- I could pawn this one off as a concession I'm making to watch at least one show with my wife this fall, but the truth is, I'm looking forward to this. Rachel Bilson stars, and she made a good impression on me in "How I Met Your Mother" and "Chuck", so I'm I'm glad she's getting a leading role. "Friday Night Lights" Scott "he-should-have-been-cast-as-Green-Lantern" Porter plays a possibly predictable love-triangle interest, but I'm excited to see him show off another facet of his beefy acting chops. (Sept. 26)
    
    
• FX
  • Terra Nova -- I'm thinking this is "The Lost World" / "Land of the Lost" (minus the cheese) for our generation, and Steven Spieldburg is the name Executive Producer attached to the show. But there's a strong production pedigree for this show with the likes of Craig Silverstein, who EPed "Nikita" (also back for another season), and has his hands in "Bones"; co-producer Livia Hanich, who was involved in "Pushing Daisies"; René Echevarria, who EPed everything from "Dark Angel" to "The 4400"; and Peter Chernin just came off of producing the Rise of the Planet of the Apes film.  (Sept. 26)
    
    
  • American Horror Story -- Okay, if I can withstand the creepiness factor (teaser trailers are freaky), I'm on-board for this Dylan McDermott / Connie Britton / Jessica Lange family drama / TV occult suspense show about a family that moves from Boston to LA, and finds their new house haunted. This is going to be a tough conceit to hold onto for the long haul, so I hope they find a way to give it legs. (Oct. 50)
    
    
• NBC
  • Up All Night -- Granted, my main interest in this is cathartic, but this Will Arnett / Christina Applegate comedy about sleep-deprived parents is getting great early buzz. (Sept. 14)
    
    
  • Prime Suspect -- I'm worried about the staleness of the backdrop (lady dick trying to make it in a male-dominated police workforce), but it's Maria Bello, for crying out loud (A History of Violence). And not to be creepy, but I could watch her just sleep every episode. (Sept. 22)
    
    
  • Grimm -- Show number 2 of the fairy-tales-are-real TV fall series sees "Privileged" alumn David Giuntoli as a homicide dick who can see dead mythical (mythological?) people through their faux human skins. I'm hopeful this is "Fringe"-fun-esque, but I'm mostly interested in "Prison Break" ex Silas Weir Mitchell playing a wolf (he looks like a wolf, so I'm glad he gets to play one). (Oct. 21)
    
    
• Starz
  • Boss -- Kelsey Grammer is a loud, cruel, secretive Chicago Mayor Tom Kane, and playing deliciously against type. (Oct. 21)

Returning Shows:

• ABC
  • Dancing with the Stars -- I can't say why; I just might have to watch this season. (Sept. 19)
    
• CBS
  • Survivor -- I've watched every season since this show started, and it's become more of a curiosity endeavor, and not really borne of any fandom. They just ... keep doing it. Is Jeff Probst enjoying the gig while it lasts, or living in desperate fear of it ending? I hope it's the former; good for him. (Sept. 14)
    
  • How I Met Your Mother -- It hasn't jumped the shark yet, and if you're not a fan of the series, that's fine. But let's never talk about it together if that's the case. Ever. (Sept. 19)
    
  • Hawaii 5-0 -- Haters dog the series as "CSI"-lite, but I have trouble staying engaged in the 18+ series around that franchise. Occasionally, though, "Hawaii 5-0" does something great, and I'm all in. Besides, the Season One cliffhanger did enough to hit "reset", while keeping the bigger story arcs intact, that I'm looking forward to what they do with the series's new headroom. (Sept. 19)
    
  • Big Bang Theory -- Polished sitcom material dressed in a comfy geek housecoat, how I miss you. Costant digs at geekdom, nerddom, intelligentsia, and failed acting all keep me entertained ... and humble. (Sept. 22)
    
  • The Amazing Race -- As far "Reality TV" goes, here's a PSA: It's not real, it's scripted, staged, and hermetically edited. "The Amazing Race" is tolerable for me, because it's really more competition-esque, with less drama than others of its ilk, and I get a free travelogue with interesting happenings in between. Plus, I like Phil Keoghan; seems like a really nice guy, passionate about not wasting any moment in his life. (Sept. 25)
    
  • Rules of Engagement -- I've not been following this show lately, but I want to get back onto it. I so dig Patrick Warburton, and Megyn Price is a seriously under-appreciated actress. (Sept. 24? Oct. 8?)
    
• NBC
  • Community -- Consistently under-the-radar, and consistently great, it keeps reminding me I shouldn't think I know what to expect from a caliber sitcom. (Sept. 22)
    
  • Chuck -- I so love this heartistic series (that's right, I'm using "heartistic", and applying it to  "Chuck"; deal). Sure, they've already said this is the final season, and yeah, the log-line for the season sounds like an entire season of jump-the-shark. But before they announce the world's greatest flawed super spies are going to have a baby, I'm all in with Chuck, Sarah (she does all that emoting .. in a second language), Morgan, Casey, Ellie, Captain Awesome, and Jester. (Oct. 21)
    
• TV Land
  • Hot in Cleveland -- Just for Betty White. (Nov. 30)
    
• USA
  • Psych -- I'm late to the party, but I so follow a show I passionately believe I could do. I'm more than midway through catching up on the entire series, and as fun and goofy as this series can be, every once in a while James Roday, Corbin Bernsen, Maggie Lawson give these moments of absolutely brilliant acting ("I'm close-talking") that makes the series so, so much more fun. (October 12)

That's my list. Tell me in the comments what shows have you stoked for this fall.


Other TV/Episode links:

• epguuides.com
• TV Guid Fall Previews
• AOL TV Fall Lineup
• AOL TV Fall Schedule (new and returning shows)

(And, yes, I did say, "lady dick" up there. I'm prepared for disappointed Google landers.)

Inspiration and creativity (within constraints)

This my be one of the more poignant, beautiful bits of independent / contest film work I've seen in some time. But I seem to be more sensitive to this theme lately.

The "Porcelain Unicorn" was written and directed by Keegan Wilcox, and was the grand-prize winner for the Philips Parallel Lines "Tell It Your Way" international competition.

What makes this film all the more startling to me is its beauty underneath the contest constraints -- while entires could be any genre, told in any way, they had to follow six specific lines of dialogue from the Parallel Lines films:

• "What is that??
• "It’s a unicorn"
• "Never seen one up close before"
• "Beautiful"
• "Get away, get away"
• "I’m sorry"

Add to that the constraints and successes that get me stoked about the Biz: Wilcox has a small, tight-knit production company in LA, and they put the film above together start-to-finish in under two weeks.

Out of more than 600 entries, films were narrowed down to 10 finalists by a judging panel from Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) and Philips (the electronics folks), based on creative and original storytelling, interesting use of the Parallel Lines dialogue, and technical achievement. The film was selected by contest marshal and director Sir Ridley Scott, because "it had a very strong narrative; a very complete story that was well told and executed."

The contest film was inspired by Wilcox's grandfather’s war stories, and the "hero’s journey" of a Joseph Conrad novel.

As a reward for winning, besides being promoted six ways to Sunday by Philips, Wilcox will work for a week onsite at the Ridley Scott Associates offices.

Projects like these take a ton of talent people, so be sure to check the link to recognize those fine folks, and the runners up and People's Choice winner are good films, too.

The Red Skull is a Nazi

Art by David Aja (image from Marvel.com)

The Red Skull is a Nazi.

And you know what? Nazis are bad.

I don't mean "there's this jerk at work who doesn't do anything and spends all his time politicking because that's his only skill" bad, but "Genocide is a too-nice term for their actively killing massive amounts of men, women, and children because they didn't meet their ####-up standards of perfection" bad.

But I'm wondering -- not flippantly -- did Nazi's become a protected class at some point? Because in movies and comic books, it seems like you can't mention them, or show swastikas as a symbol of evil that we should not forget, and a pop-culture introduction to that horror might just be the gateway to more challenging dianoia.

I'm wicked stoked (and wicked nervous) about the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger film. Excited, because a quality big-screen treatment is far overdue, I'm a lifetime franchise fan (Cap was my first comic book at 5 years old), and I think if director Joe Johnston can bring his Rocketeer and Young Indiana Jones Chronicles vibe to the Star-Spangled Avenger, it's a win. I'm nervous, because Captain America as a representative ideal means a lot to me.

I expect the film be a fun, mostly light-hearted romp, not necessarily prompting weighty discussions; but it is a launching point for them.

The Red Skull is going to be the main baddie in the film, but the film changes his origin in a significant way. Rather than portrayed as he is in the comic books as the goose-stepping protégé who eventually outstrips and frightens Hitler himself, he's couched instead within the clandestine, apolitical organization HYDRA (also from the comic books).

Now, I'm all for new expressions of franchise IPs (it allows me to be a Hasbro fan), and I totally get that for them to be successful in their non-generative medium, changes need to be made -- this smacks of commercialism with an unintentional bad social impact.

Allegedly, the Red Skull's affiliation was changed so the film would do well in overseas markets -- ostensibly Germany, where there's an understandable sensitivity to an ugly portion of that country's history.

Sure, there's an intelligent sensitivity aspect to this decision; though I doubt that's the driver. And the cost is potentially bigger.

I mean what I said earlier, where pop-culture can be a less-threatening entry to important concepts with which we should wrestle (there's an analog to edgy stand-up comedians making us laugh at things that would make us uncomfortable in intellectual-only situations). Hiding thorny things for marketing purposes is kind of the ... opposite of "Never Forget".

Interestingly, when Paramount Pictures (who is distributing the film overseas), was going to market the film in non-US markets, they balked at the planned idea of truncating the title to just "The First Avenger" -- arguing "Captain America" has too much brand recognition to remove from the film title. So they gave those various markets the choice between "Captain America: The First Avenger", or just the "The First Avenger".

Somewhat surprisingly, Ukraine, South Korea, and Russia are the only three having decided to date to go with just the truncated title; Germany is keeping "Captain America" intact. (China's still up in the air, since they only release south of two-dozen non-national theatrical releases per year, and it remains to be seen if Cap will be one of them, and what its marketing title will be. As a side note, it was also Paramount who chose to remove "A Real American Hero" from the G.I.Joe film title.)

So, at least for the most part (in this instance), brand recognition trumps, and the film gets to keep ... the name of the guy wearing a freaking giant American flag as his uniform.

Funny enough, the crew members-only poster (an excellent nod to 1940s art sensibilities) is a re-work of the cover of Captain America #1 from 1943 -- including Chris Evans punching Adolf Hitler (ah, but still no sign of swastikas; though Hitler's arm is cleverly obscured by a Luger P08).

"Captain America: The First Avenger" crew member poster (image from marvel.com)

Captain America #1, December 1940 - a year into WWII, but a year before the bombing of Pearl Harbor (image from coverbrowser.com)

Even in the comics, for some reason, the Red Skull's affiliation to the Nazis is being downplayed.

As an example, I'm looking forward to the Red Skull: Incarnate limited series, and I'm a David Aja fan (and these covers are fantastic). But notice this cover:

No swastikas.

Here we have Johann Schmidt doing the sieg heil, but the symbol of Nazi barbarism is missing.

From David Aja's blog:

"At last was decided not to show swastikas on covers, but we thought readers' brains would fill blanks ..."

Sure -- if readers know enough about some of the horrors of history needed to fill in these blanks.

(And to be clear, I'm not at all criticizing Mr. Aja in this, just raising my larger concern.)

I'm not trying to be alarmist or make something out of nothing, but I honestly feel there are truisms we shouldn't ignore. Truisms like Edmund Burke's "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it" (or George Santayana's more oft-quoted rephrasing, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it").

At some point, societally, I think we do forget things. That happens over time, and the death knell is at some defined, measurable point we either have to figure out reactively, or for which we should actively watch.

"Never forget" is a mantra for the horrors of World War II, so we don't forget the brutality of some people toward others, and we don't forget the tragedy and cost of lives lost to that brutality.

To be totally insular (but to make a point with doable math), if I just consider the U.S. Armed Forces WWII veterans, there are estimated to be fewer than 2 million surviving. Within 6-10 years at current projections, we may lose the last of our living links to this important part of our history (though organizations like The National WWII Museum are doing what they can to capture oral histories from veterans and survivors).

Now, encouragingly, there are other places in the Marvel comics where the history and horror of things represented by symbols like the swastika are still remembered.

The amazing Ed Brubaker, whose current run on Captain America is currently one of my all-time favorites -- has reintroduced Sin, the Red Skull's daughter, and kept her and her father firmly entrenched in their Nazi origins.

Even in the current "Fear Itself" cross-over story arc (largely led by writer Matt Fraction), Sin and her armies are razing the entire United States  -- including the Capitol -- in their "Blitzkrieg USA", with giant war machines blatantly festooned with swastikas. Various participating comic writers are subtly (but explicitly) calling out this symbol via characters, noting its horrid history, and its current use to intentionally strike fear into the populace.

Going back to the commercial reasons for losing the Swastika from films and comic books (and to somewhat complicate the issue further) there's a related, cultural sensitivity reason to exclude the symbol.

It's not like the National Socialist German Workers' Party (or the precursor Thule secret society) invented the swastika. It's originally a sanskrit symbol, ironically a one-time good-luck symbol, and it still has wide active use in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Since India is a large populace (and an important commercial audience for US films), removing the symbol probably makes a lot of sense. There's a bigger, more complicated discussion here about misappropriation of symbols, whether such misappropriation can irredeemably damage a symbol or trope, and cross-cultural isolationism. (Though, to be clear, the red/white/black Nazi expression of the symbol is unequivocally negatively iconic.)

Getting above the weeds a bit, commercial concerns by themselves are certainly valid -- films are so expensive, and if they don't do gangbusters in all markets, we fanboys aren't going to get big-budget treatments of our franchise favorites.

My concern is that in the service of the dollar, or cultural sensitivity, or "playing it safe", even in these "light-hearted" pop culture vehicles like the Captain America movie, we will lose focus on the importance of remembering key parts of our history -- and in so doing, forget the cost, and how to avoid similar horrors in the future.

(Flame on!)

UPDATED: I've seen the new Captain America movie, and read the first issue of the new Red Skull comic series.

My feelings on this topic from the movie are mixed. There are nods to swastikas in the film, though they are creatively covered, hidden, and otherwise kept from full view. And while in the film Hydra is positioned as a division of the Nazi war machine, that in some way deflects the history of the horror the Nazis caused.

My feelings on the Red Skull: Incarnate limited comic book series are far less mixed (and very positive). While I still wish the swastikas had not been removed from the cover art, they are portrayed prominently, accurately, and frighteningly in the interior art. Even more importantly, writer Greg Pak is making this series an opportunity to accurately portray how not just the Red Skull, but the Nazi party, came into power. He is painstakingly portraying the culture and global events of the time, with a stated hope that people will tackle the thorny subject of how this happened, and how we might prevent it from happening again. He's even providing bibilography and further reading in each issue.

I'm impressed and excited by this mission of Greg Pak's -- it's encouraging, and weightier than I expected (my semi-myopia, nothing on Mr. Pak, obviously).

(I wonder if some smart PoliSci and sociology profs should look at this material as a clever way to give this topic a fresh look among jaded students.)