New TNT Season, First Practice

The Winter Team began nice and early today with a bracing 3.1 mile run. For some, it was a bracing walk, but nevertheless everyone completed their loop of the Rose Bowl. From here, half-a-hundred brave folk, most of whom have never run or walked more than six miles, will set out to conquer the marathon - or the half-marathon. I'm looking forward to helping them succeed.

Speaking of marathon training, fifteen miles awaits me tomorrow. "Unexcited" would describe my thoughts on that. Next week begins the countdown for the California International Marathon. Morgan, Ernesto and other current and former TNT folk may head up there to cheer me on. Very decent, these TNT types.

Jimmy Freeman and Kate Martini wed yesterday. My first TNT coach plus the coach who encouraged me to dream big are now husband and wife. I wish them all the best on the rocky, rewarding road of marriage.

Now to sleep, perchance to wake up really stinking early.

Main Man Mania

That last post brought back memories of a busy time at Warner Brothers. I think I'd written the Lobo pilot months earlier and forgotten about it. But suddenly the Main Man had heat. Along with Boyd Kirkland, then Scotty Jeralds, we got the show rolling.

In the fall of 1998:

Lobo was test-marketed. Boys loved it. (Lobo broke things and didn't take any lip. What's not to love?)

We pitched the show to marketing. They went wild. ("We can sell toys based on this. We really can!")




We pitched the show to Jamie Kellner and our new bosses at Kids' WB. Nothing. A sea of Toltec masks.



We pitched the show to Warner Studios head, Bob Daley. While not a demonstrative man, he thought it just fine.

Models changed, props were drawn, Scotty's crew got the board started. Composer Richard Stone was fired up to do music, while Brad Garrett would voice Lobo. In addition, voice director Andrea Romano had cast William H. Macy and Linda Hamilton in supporting roles.

I had ideas for twelve half-hour episodes. Two writers (Ken Segall and Mitch Watson) were working on outlines.

This was shaping up to be fun.

On a Friday in late January 1999, boss Jean MacCurdy called me into her office. Monday was the production start date. Artists were already reporting to work. Scotty's crew had the first act boarded.

We were cancelled.

Jamie Kellner just didn't like the show.

Jean spent the day on the phone, calling different people, angling for ways we might proceed. But no go.

Scotty and the production manager (Haven Alexander?) let the artists know we'd been sunk. I told Stonini, Andrea, and the writers. It was a depressing day.

In 2000, Fox expressed interest in the project. We had a few meetings but never agreed on numbers. Also that year, Lobo webisodes appeared on the Warner Brothers' site.

Meanwhile, the show hurriedly purchased to replace Lobo on the schedule was having phenomenal success.

It was called Pokemon.

Scott Jeralds: Drawin' Man

Animation artist and champion fellow Scott Jeralds has just joined the blogosphere. After working together on Freakazoid!, Scotty and I developed several TV animation projects such as Mammoth Boy. "Mammoth" championed brains-over-brawn via the adventures of a prehistoric kid. Our hero herded mammoths and dreamed big, while dodging cranky tribal elders and dim, but cunning, beasts.

We pitched this in late 1999 to our bosses at Kids' WB. As pitches go, it was a surreal experience. After several minutes of me talking and Scotty holding up artwork, and both of us passing out colored pitch booklets, we reached the end. There was silence for several moments. Then our Harvard-educated network chief smiled and asked: "Could you start again?"

(I'd like to say we stood on our dignity, gathered our materials and walked to the door, where my voice rang out like thunder, "Read the pitch book — if you can!" But we did it once more. And they passed.)

A year earlier, we'd worked on Lobo. Based on the homicidal D.C. Comics character, the series was originally in the hands of Boyd Kirkland. But Boyd was shifting over to a Batman direct-to-video. I had already written a pilot and came aboard to co-produce and story edit. Eventually, Scotty replaced Boyd.

Lamenting the decline of Saturday morning TV, Scotty crafted this nifty cartoon montage. See how many you can name.

Haunted First Responder

I'm now certified to handle heat exhaustion, ankle sprains and ghost bites.

With Winter Season starting Saturday, I needed a First Aid class. Last night, I attended one in Pasadena. The class was held in an old mansion just off of Orange Grove, a street fat with mansions. Apparently, the dwelling had been donated to the Red Cross many years before. There were only four of us students and the instructor. As the rest of the staff left and dusk gave way to night, our instructor told us the place was haunted.

A student had once wandered to the third floor where he heard strange sounds. Gusts of air rushed past him in places where there shouldn't have been drafts. He prayed desperately and ran like mad — a prudent action under the circumstances. Our instructor closed with a careful, "But I've never seen anything," and we left matters at that. (Though no one wanted to be the last one out.)

I thought about it later. If you were frightened enough to have a heart attack, the ghosts could provide CPR and tend to any bruises you suffered while collapsing. Then, once you came around, they could scare you again.

Perhaps they'll get their own series on the Sci Fi Channel.

(Feel free to work in "ghost writers.")

My Writing Friend Gerald

Gerald does things no writer should do. He snubs the powerful and walks out of meetings with the annoying. He isn't wealthy and, in fact, could use the money that steady employment brings. Such jobs are available for family-man Gerald. With a proven track record and good ideas, he's a sought-after figure in TV animation. But Gerald cannot fake enthusiasm for projects that he considers stupid and ill-conceived.

There are many such projects along Olive Avenue: squalid ideas that float about like oil upon sewer water. Gerald will avoid these the way a swimmer avoids poisonous jelly fish.

He's never deliberately rude, just decisive.

Go Gerald.

Barer Facts

Danny Barer had some nice words on his blog re. our Comic Con panel. (Including this fine picture of me holding forth on Bolivian tin exports over the last two quarters. You can tell everyone's digging it.)

I will Coach Once More

Winter Season for the San Gabriel Valley Team in Training officially begins tomorrow. You got people training in your basic endurance events — marathons, half-marathons, 100-mile bike rides and triathalons — coupled with raising money to fight blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. Once again, I'll be a volunteer assistant coach. I've found that helping runners overcome doubts and fears to complete a marathon is its own reward. Being paid in sacks of gold is also rewarding, but in a different, more earthy way.

Busy Writing Week

A script for the bug show, an original sitcom, and a graphic novel outline all demand my attention. But I'd rather watch a DVD of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. This BBC espionage tale based on the John Le Carre novel holds up well after 30 years. There's a ton of info to get out. Rather than overuse flashbacks, the show relies on good actors to convey back story in interesting ways without boring you into paying your bills — or working. Good old Netflix.

Another Freakish Plea

Bruce Timm Photo at Comicon

A Freakish Plea

They're abrupt but sincere.