Of Love Lines

I hope everyone had a happy New Year and a Merry Christmas/Channuka.

I've been working really hard on a new project and I am officially ready to share it.



It's a little mini-comic called "Love Lines." It is (will be) a series of short comics about relationships, nostalgia and just my perspective on things that I thought would make interesting drawing fodder. That image is the cover.

I plan on selling it off Brian's site and maybe starting an Etsy store or something, but if you read this blog, maybe I'll give you a copy. This is really just for fun. Just send me your address and I'll mail it off in a few days, probably over the weekend.

I'll put up some previews over the next few days.

Does this sound interesting to you?

Of Scenes from a Play

The following are select scenes from the past five days. They will appear in chronological order.


SCENE ONE - In Which Our Hero Receives the Only Call of the Afternoon.

Interior. Good Humor Television Offices. Evening.

MICHAEL sits at his desk, waiting for phone calls. The PHONE rings.

Michael: Tom Werner's Office.
(LOUD CHEWING)
Michael: Hello?
(LOUD CHEWING)
VOICE: Ya!?
Michael: Hello?
VOICE: Ya.
Michael: ...Tom Werner's Office.
VOICE: May I speak to Marcy Carsey.
(Marcy Carsey is not in this office. In fact, she is never in this office.)
Michael: Hold on one second.
(Puts the phone on HOLD. Michael LEANS over to the next desk where another assistant, SCOTT, sits on the phone.)
Michael: I've got a guy looking for Marcy.
Scott: Who is it?
Michael: I don't know.
(Scott shrugs. Michael takes the guy off hold)
Michael: Hello?
(LOUD CHEWING)
Michael: Sir?
(LOUD CHEWING)
VOICE: Ya.
Michael: I can't reach her, can I take a message?
VOICE (speaking insanely fast): Ya, this is Jim *********, I wrote a western book and I wanna produce it into a movie.
Michael (writing this down): Alright, can I get your phone number?
(He gives it. The man is still chewing loudly right into the speaker.)
Michael: Thanks, I'll deliver the message.
(LOUD CHEWING)
VOICE: Great.
(The man HANGS UP.)

End Scene.

SCENE TWO - In Which Our Hero Overhears a Bickering, Elderly Couple.

Interior. Las Vegas Airport. Day.

Michael sits waiting for his plane to leave for Pittsburgh. He sits behind an ELDERLY COUPLE.

Man: You know what I... Are you listening to me?
Woman: Yes.
Man: You know what my rule is for reading?
Woman: Yes.
Man: If I don't like what I'm reading on th-
Woman: Yes.
Man: -plane I don't-
Woman: I know, you close the book and never open it.
Man: That's RIGHT.
Woman: You've told me this twice already. You've told me every time we've flown.

End scene.

SCENE THREE - In Which Our Hero Learns About His Past and the Rules of Letting Someone Tell a Story: Know the Ending.

Interior. Trolley Ride through Pittsburgh. Day.

A trolley is FILLED with family members. The eldest sit in the front, along with Howard Smith, Michael's father.

Howard: Their Grandfather died the night before and it's against Jewish tradition to cancel the ceremony, but they refused to have it anyway. Grandma and Grandpa got married in the Rabbi's study.
Aunt Marion (my great aunt): Yeah he (she mumbles, continuing the story)
Howard: Wait, here's the microphone.
(Howard hands the microphone to her to continue)
Aunt Marion: ...and he-
Howard: No, Aunt Daisy, start from the beginning. (to the rest of us) Aunt Daisy has a great story!
Aunt Marion: Oh...okay. Our grandfather woke up the day before the wedding and got dressed in his full tuxedo. I asked "where are you going?" and he said he was going to Lester's wedding! We said "Grandpa, that's tomorrow!"
(She tells this story rather deadpan, not emphasizing anything specific. The trolley laughs)
Aunt Marion: So grandpa undressed, went upstairs and died.
(Aunt Marion hands the microphone back to a very stunned Howard. Awkward silence. Half the trolley isn't sure what they heard. Then roaring laughter explodes from anyone under 90 in the trolley. The grandparents are confused.)

End scene.

Of Layers and Slayers

After (almost) exactly three months, we finished the entire series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Wow.

The show never ceased to amaze me. Every aspect about it charged me. The demon/vampire supernatural stuff hit my love of, well, the supernatural while the character development (and I know I sound "pretentious" saying that) just kept me riveted. I mean, there was an entire season, an entire season, about Buffy realizing why she should be alive. That was the main plot. One huge arc.

There is no reason why anyone should skip over the show.

But I wonder, was it actually just the show that was so incredible, or was it because I watched every episode with Shannon; Laughing and crying and just enjoying every minute of it?

The show is a testament to good writing and good storytelling. The arcs, the villians, the stories, the jokes. It was all there.

We just picked up the season eight comic and we still have Angel to go.

The story isn't done.

Of Killers and Fillers

I use AOL instant messanger a lot. On many (if not most) occasions, I use it in lieu of the phone. And because most of my conversations have occured online, I have realized what my two least favorite words are.

"Indeed" and "Yup."

Why do I hate them so? Because they are conversation killers. I would rather have the person type "I'm not really interested, but cool" or even just "cool." Fine, be disinterested that I, too, enjoyed the latest episode of "Pushing Daisies" or that I hate the amount of news that celebrities get but don't deserve. Or that I just congratluated you on finishing your film or some nonsense.

Indeed is funny (weird, not ha-ha) because not only do I get the feeling of disinterest, which is fine, but there's this smugness that comes with it as if to say "yes, I am already aware, MORTAL."

"Yup" is a similar creature, but I hate it for a seperate reason. "Yup" is like saying...well, let me give you a for instance.

One: How's it going?
Two: Fine
One: That's great! I'm glad your life is going so well.
Two: Yup.

And the conversation is done. I'm giving you a chance to brag, but since you'd rather just end it, "yup" is the weapon of choice. Listen, if you're going to end a conversation, I'd rather you just don't respond. Or sign off suddenly. Or even say "I can't talk right now" or "I don't really give two shits." Any of those would work!

Indeed.

Of Heroes and Villains

I didn't get a chance to speak on my Heroes thoughts, so I figured now (with the downtime I have at work) would be as good a time as any. To say that this was a turning point in the season wouldn't really do it justice. For some reason I found myself in the minority of those who are actually enjoying this season of Heroes. I don't hate the twins, I don't hate West and Claire and I didn't mind Hiro hanging out in Feudal Japan for what seems like a lifetime. Everything came to a close and I have to give Kring props - the plot lines all intersected in a way that didn't bother me, nor in a way I saw coming.

The big reveal was that Adam, the villain we must all fear, is Kensai. This is huge. A villain so hell bent that he lived through thousands (plus?) of years just because of a lost love is so freaking fascinating that I cannot wait to see the season continue. And the fact that Maury (Parkman's "nightmare man" father) working for him just tops the cake. My lovely girlfriend called out that Hiro would become the Kensai he admires so, and she was right. But what I really dug about this realization was that he grew into it - Hiro proved himself. He didn't just take the position, he made choices and ended up becoming the great Kensai. Bob and the paintings piqued my interest as well, especially the stuff with Mohinder sealing his fate in killing Noah.

I enjoyed it and look forward to next week.

I finished the first draft of my spec, just in time for the Writer's Strike! It's funny, I read this infamous email going around by "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan wrote as his own feelings on the strike, coming from a writer/producer/show runner point of view. Something that people seem to forgetting about this whole strike is that the writers WANT to work on these shows. They love them. It pains them to put the pencils down to simply ask what should have been given to them in the first place. Ryan goes on talking about how badly he wants to work on his shows and how much it hurts them to not look over the new footage or come up with a better line of dialogue. It's not easy to stop working on something you love so much and we should all realize that.

Of Quips and Scripts

Months have passed and dust has been collected. But no more. With a deep breath I've decided to return to this blog and regularly update with my feelings on such things I have encountered. The truth of the matter is that I have been cheating on you, blogspot, with my high school blog. I am now over it and can now give you my full attention. I know I have to build back up our trust, but I know in time things will return to the way things were.

Or rather (since I only had one post) the way things should have been. My full attention is with you now and I promise I will not be persuaded otherwise. Let's get this show on the road.

In my absence from this dusty blog, I have gotten a job with Good Humor TV, Tom Werner's television company. Werner co-exec produced such television greats as "The Cosby Show," "Roseanne," "That 70's Show," "3rd Rock from the Sun" and "Grounded for Life." He also has a film company which produced "Let's Go to Prison" and "The Brother's Solomon." Suffice to say I am learning oh so very much about the television development world and I couldn't really ask for more.

Because of this, the writing has flowed like water. And by water, I mean water from a California river - it comes, thin and dirty, but arrives regardless. The spec of mystery (except to some) is nearly completion of a first draft and I am happy with the results. Writing for television feels like I have to relearn script writing - the concept of the three acts is tiresome for some reason. While the basics are the same (dialogue, action, etc) the format differs somewhat. At least, that's what Final Draft 7 leads me to believe. Figuring out where to break the act and to keep you reading is an interesting science and I haven't figured out the right chemistry to get it to work.

Last month I was paid to rewrite a science fiction script about the last man in the universe titled "Humanity's End." I did what I was paid to: the scripts vaguely resembled each other much to the chagrin of the man who wrote my checks. Alas, it was finished and I handed it off to him. It's been over a month now and I have yet to see what's happened to it. While I know that he will rewrite the script again (which is fine with me - it's his story) I am disappointed that he hasn't contacted me further to talk more about his thoughts about it. An email shall be sent!

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Of Introductions and Conclusions

Well, I hope all of you enjoy the new site! It is quite delicious.

I have been working hard on uploading Nine Letter Word for everyone's viewing pleasure. Watching it brings back memories of summers past. I would love a chance to remake that sucker. Or at least rewrite it.

I have been working on a lot of writing lately (at least in my head). I've been working on a possible Dowd pilot, an Orbit pilot, the untitled Ghost Hunters feature and now Nine Letter Word. Lots to do!

I have submitted The Three Chances to Woo the Future Mrs. Dowd to a few festivals and I am simply sitting by the phone waiting to hear. You'll all be the first to know, of course.

I hope you enjoy the site and this post. I know I have. In spades.


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