Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Deadline Deluge

No "fond memories" tonight. Deadlines all over the place for this animated script and that short story. Plus I've got a small flu or "flulet." And, of course, training continues for the marathon next weekend.

However, I did take time to read the blog of a depressed college girl from Canada.

Now I'm depressed, too.

Monday, November 28, 2005

"The Infested Outside" and Other Fond Memories II

Frank Frazetta drew evocative "Creepy"/"Eerie" covers. There were dark ancient temples, sea serpents rising from storm-tossed waves, mighty warriors battling winged demons, ill-clad, voluptuous women — with and without leopards. He sure knew what appealed to 11- year-old me. Frazetta also illustrated covers for the paperback reissue of Robert E. Howard's Conan series. My friends and I were big Conan fans and traded around the books like baseball cards.



I'll be back.

James Bama and Other Fond Memories

Web surfing recently, I came across some James Bama artwork. Bama drew paperback covers for the reissue of the Doc Savage series. Doc was a pulp character from the 1930s: scientist, genius, strong man, all-around fighter of evil. As a kid in the mid-1960s when Doc reappeared, I was drawn to the books through Bama's art. My favorite illustration was the cover of "The Mystic Mullah." The light source is spooky green as Doc winds up to chuck a hand grenade at a huge, looming, Fu Manchu face. As for the story itself, I don’t recall much. No grenades or oversized mullahs, though I vaguely remember a mystic one.

This got me thinking on other books and artists from that time. While Bantam was putting out Doc Savage, Warren publications issued two separate black and white horror comics titled, "Creepy" and "Eerie."


I clearly recall C/E stories. Many featured “Twilight Zone” twists: a sinister character messing around with magic, sorcery, the Federal tax code and getting caught in his own schemes. And of course there were plenty of vampire/werewolf/mummy variations plus dinosaurs, not to mention a few sword and sorcery chop-‘em-ups.




More soon.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Clive Barker Remakes Laurel and Hardy Films


Nothing is coming easy today. A lot of work to get ready for Monday and it's all taking way too long.

They ran Laurel and Hardy movies on TV when I was young. I liked their fussy bumbling and always wanted them to succeed. In fact, I liked them so much I stopped watching altogether. This was after several films ended with L&H engulfed by horrible, undeserved fates.

In one, Laurel and Hardy were tortured so that skinny Stan was compressed into a stumpy midget and fat Ollie was stretched out on a rack until he was basketball player tall. It was unsettling. In another film they were flat out skinned alive. (Snort, chortle.) In yet a third, Laurel is magically shrunk inside an egg. When released, he is tiny and very upset. Hardy roars with mocking laughter. FADE TO BLACK.

These weren't Clive Barker films: "Hellraiser VI: Stan and Ollie." or "Hellbound with a Derby Hat." These were comedies with a beloved team. I used to blame it on World War II. In fact, I did that right here in this post. But I was wrong.

Somebody at the studio signed off on those scripts. ("So we take two lovable losers and skin them alive? I like it! No one will see it coming!")

Ah, well.

Maybe Clive Barker can direct the remake of "Gigli."

Friday, November 25, 2005

Me and My Big Ideas

Eating left-over turkey all day and working on an animated feature pitch and two animated series concepts. I promised my agent I'd have them by Monday. This is the writing equivalent of "trash talking" as I must now back up what I said.

The thing I like about blogging is the immediacy.

No pitch meetings, cross-town traffic, rejections.

Just write and post.

It's not all gold, but it is all mine.

Plus I'm already parked.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Turkey Trot


This morning I met some chums from Team in Training. We ran a 5K (3.1 mile) race in La CaƱada, a northern LA suburb. I'd driven through there several times. The little hills sloped gradually, so it appeared. I predicted EZ running.

Oh, they were sly, unpleasant hills. Steeper than they looked. Finish-time eaters. If it were possible, I'd cuff them sharply.

This was very much a neighborhood race: families, parents with strollers, teenage girls running five across, and people running with leashed dogs — which I don't get. Walk the dog or run the race.

Later, Ronald MacDonald — clown, spokesman, bon vivant — led youngsters in a warm up prior to a children's race. After that, a child warmed up Ronald MacDonald prior to a fast food spokesman's race.

In any event, Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Small Wonder



Went to track practice last night. We ran half-mile repeats with an eye on maintaining a brisk, but consistent, pace. Afterwards, we descended on an Italian restaurant where almost everyone ate a big pasta meal. (I didn't because I sit at my computer and eat all day like a tree shrew. Another guy just had a couple of beers.)

Talk was far-ranging, covering topics such as the need to monitor what kids watch on TV, to the Death Penalty, to getting in a fight and throwing a midget to gain the edge needed for victory. I'm not sure who made the last comment. All I know is it didn't come from me or the guy drinking beer.

There are deep-rooted desires that even running endorphins can't paper over.

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