Nicki Elson's Blog, page 61

Casting Call: Big D

Yes, yes, I know, it's been a while. I could give you a million and one excuses, but the truth is...I've been dragging my feet on this one. I've had trouble coming up with that quintessential 2010 Big D. The problem could be that I simply don't see enough current movies to know who's out there. Or it could be that there's no one today that's good enough to play perfect, marvelous D. Or it could be—and I think this one is most likely—that my 1980s pick is just so D that no one else will do.

Let's take a look at our boy from the book, shall we?

He's good-looking:
She was looking past Big D’s Greek letters. The way she figured it, any guy who could unabashedly strut around in a form-fitting blue and red polyester jumpsuit—and look good doing it—was worth further examination.

Sweet:
D kissed Jen on the cheek and murmured quietly into her ear, “Thanks for coming today. I’ll call you tomorrow.”


And yes, sometimes goofy:
Jen snapped her attention back to the dancing and desperately searched out D in the bouncing mob. She found him and saw that he’d taken his tie from his neck and had tied it around his forehead.


I'm going to save the best for last and show you my 2010 choices first. (Much thanks to Anthony Shepard for getting me rolling with some Big D inspiration.)  I've got two actors here for you to examine, and if you have any other suggestions I am open to them.




First up, Justin Grant Wade. You'll know him better as Steve Holt! if you've ever seen Arrested Development. He's cute, and he's got the goofy-frat-guy-jock thing down.  My concern with him is that he may not be able pull off D's Superman quality.  Then again, all I've got to  go on are images from Arrested Development, so perhaps Justin can pull it off...perhaps.






But just in case, I've got another one here for ya.  Chris Klein.  He's got the Superman, no?  And he can also pull off the sweet, somewhat oblivious popular-guy, as evidenced by his performance in Election (which coincidentally stars Matthew Broderick, my 1980s choice for David.  Kismet?)  





And now...my 1980s choice for Big D...Jake Ryan!




I suppose he has a real name, but I'll be damned if I know what it is.  He was, is, and always will be Jake Ryan to anyone who was a young, impressionable girl at the time she saw Sixteen Candles.













Most especially to my sissy, who stood in braces and a French braid at her big sister's wedding, just certain that at any moment the kind and studly Jake Ryan would appear before her, leaning on his shiny, red Porsche.

Jake Ryan never showed, and so we make due with what we've been given (although my sister did snag herself a very fine Ryan). Some of us resort to writing novels and creating Jake Ryan-like characters that we name Big D.

Here's one last picture of our perfect specimen.  I've cropped Ringwald out, so feel free to insert yourselves on the other side of the cake, ladies.


Three Daves

Casting Call: Big D

Yes, yes, I know, it's been a while. I could give you a million and one excuses, but the truth is...I've been dragging my feet on this one. I've had trouble coming up with that quintessential 2010 Big D. The problem could be that I simply don't see enough current movies to know who's out there. Or it could be that there's no one today that's good enough to play perfect, marvelous D. Or it could be—and I think this one is most likely—that my 1980s pick is just so D that no one else will...

Three Daves Get Around

Three Daves has been getting around to all kinds of fun places, and I want to see it there!

So if you’re taking Three Daves on vacation, to the local world-renowned (or not) landmark, or for a spin on your Harley—anywhere at all—snap a photo and send it to me, and I’ll add it to my photo gallery at my website.

If you don’t have the book with you, but you’ve managed to wrangle three actual Daves together, I’ll post those too!

You can either post your photo at the “Three Daves by Nicki Elson” page at facebook or e-mail the image to elson.nicki@gmail.com.

Three Daves Get Around

Three Daves has been getting around to all kinds of fun places and I want to see it there!

So if you're taking Three Daves on vacation, to the local world-renowned (or not) landmark, or for a spin on your Harley---anywhere at all---snap a photo and send it to me, and I'll add it to the photo gallery at my website.

If you don't have the book with you, but you've managed to wrangle three actual Daves together, I'll post those too!

You can either post your photo at the "Three Daves by Nicki...

Casting Call: Dave

This is a continuation of my series of blogs to cast the characters in the 80s novel, Three Daves. This blog is spoiler-free.


Oh Dave, the beautiful bad boy. Lots of guys are good-looking, but Dave has that certain je ne sais quoi that girls find irresistible. Sure, he's got that casual disarray of dirty blond spikes, and brilliant green eyes, and full lips that twist up into a killer smile, but it's not really about how he looks; it's more about how he makes Jen's insides flip upside down with the slightest gesture. Here are some of my favorite quotes about Dave:


He seemed to understand that a full-on smile would have been too much for any human girl to handle.


Jen was totally out of her league with this guy. He made her nervous, and he seemed to be enjoying that fact. She knew she should simply return his confident stare, but she wasn’t nearly advanced enough for that level of flirtation.


What was this strange power of his that made her feel and act like such a complete idiot whenever he smiled at her?


So which two actors do I think have that same power...


My 80s choice...





I was going to go with Rob Lowe because he's got the right coloring and he certainly is beautiful, but I don't know...he's a little too pretty boy. I don't think he could pull of the cigarette. But I still love you, Rob. Maybe next movie.

...Matt Dillon



Matt Dillon, on the other hand, now there's a guy who knows how to treat a cigarette. And he's got those Dave lips, too. This is him smokin' in every way possible in 1989's Drugstore Cowboy.


Yes, I realize his deep brown eyes don't mesh with Dave's sparkling green, but he's got the je ne sais quoi to make up for it.



And let's not forget the low rumble of Dillon's voice---he's already got the Dave growl down.


Still not convinced? Well then, check this out:



He looked so good leaning there that Jen felt certain the wall had been built for no purpose other than to give him a place to recline so attractively.



Hullo, Dave.


My 2010 Choice: Chad Michael Murray



I think this photo speaks very well for itself. Chad's pretty much got it all: coloring (yes, I'm kind of starting to feel like a judge in a dog show), looks, body, bad-boy 'tude. I really only know him from Freaky Friday, but the lasting impression he made there is definitely Dave-worthy. Whaddaya think?


I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kallie, my buddy and Omnific colleague, for giving me the delicious idea to cast the Three Daves movie here in my blog. What a marvelous excuse to ogle, I mean analyze, fine young actors. We will be getting to the females, but we've got one more Dave first, don't we...ah, it's a dirty job, but someone's got to to it. ;)

Casting Call: Dave

This is a continuation of my series of blogs to cast the characters in the 80s novel, Three Daves . This blog is spoiler-free.

Oh Dave, the beautiful bad boy.  Lots of guys are good-looking, but Dave has that certain je ne sais quoi that girls find irresistible.  Sure, he's got that casual disarray of dirty blond spikes, and brilliant green eyes, and full lips that twist up into a killer smile, but it's not really about how he looks; it's more about how he makes Jen's insides flip upside down w...

Casting Call: David

The video trailer for Three Daves (see my videos below) has got me thinking about who would play who on the big screen. Fun, huh? So I'm going to do a series of blogs to cast each of the characters from Three Daves. And since the entire story takes place in the 80s, it only seems fair to pick an actor from the 80s as well as one from today. Let's start with the Daves, shall we? We'll take them in the order in which they appear in the story, so first up---David. (The following casting call is spoiler-free.)

Here's some excerpts about David, our sensitive loner:

His dark brown hair ... was rumpled, and his expression somewhat glum. Of course, this expression was fairly natural for David. His deep brown, cow-like eyes and his soft-looking pink lips, which curved slightly downward at the corners when he wasn’t deliberately smiling, were always rather melancholy looking.

Jen looked at him, trying not to smile, and was caught off guard by the uncharacteristically impish grin that played all the way into his eyes, giving them a sudden brilliance, even under the dark blanket.

Ahh David. So glum, but so dreamy. A gentle heartthrob, if you will. He's all right enough to look at, but the attraction grows the more you get to know him, so to play David, I prefer a more average-looking bloke with the potential to have a lot going on beneath the surface.

My 1980s choice: Matthew Broderick! That's right, Ferris Beuller. Minus the cocky attitude. Just look at him.
Sullen and serious one moment...
...smiling and adorable the next


My choice for 2010: Jim Sturgess


There is something very unassuming, yet intriguing about Jim Sturgess. Who could blame our heroine for looking at him and unwittingly wondering ...what if?

You may know him as the genius card counter from MIT in 21 or as George Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl. And it looks like he's got plenty in the hopper, so we may be seeing a lot more of him. Let's hope.

So what do you think? Did I do good? Any other potential Davids out there?

Casting Call: David

So, last blog I complained about an 80s-themed movie that looked like garbage. That got me thinking about what kind of 80s movie I'd like to see. *insert sly grin*  So, here's my idea:


That got me thinking about who would play who. Fun, huh? So I'm going to do a series of blogs to cast each of the characters from Three Daves.  And since the entire story takes place in the 80s, it only seems fair to pick an actor from the 80s as well as one from today.  Let's start with the Daves, shall we?&nbsp...

John Cusack, You Broke My Heart

Imagine my excitement when, while I waited for Sherlock Holmes to start, a preview came on for a movie that takes place in 1986.  Not only does my novel begin in that very year, but the movie stars John Cusack!  We're talking about Walter 'Gib' Gibson here.  You know, from The Sure Thing (1985).  Gib was my first unattainable crush; I named a Teddy Bear after him and everything.  So I happily crunched my popcorn and bounced in my seat at the very prospect of seeing my Giblet back in the 80s. ...

Should I Have Faded to Black?

My mother read the sexy chapters in my book. She is less than happy.

I s'pose I could end this particular blog right there; I mean, it's no big shock that a mother would have trouble with her daughter writing such a thing, right? But what really bothers me about it is that those few chapters seem to have skewed her overall view of the story. The message that I hoped to convey has been lost amidst her shock and horror at the admittedly graphic depictions.

But it isn't only my mother's reactions that have me bothered. Most readers don't seem to mind those particular chapters one little bit, far from it, and yet I've become concerned that what they'll remember most when it's all said and done is the sex rather than the themes from the book that were my driving force to write it in the first place.

And so I have to ask: was I wrong to include such descriptive scenes? Should I have faded to black? Did I sabotage my own message by distracting readers with sex?

To be fair, the overriding theme of "Three Daves" is sex. But not necessarily the carnal act of it, more like when to have it, when not to have it, who to have it with, who not to have it with, and what are the emotional repercussion of having it? Those are the kinds of things I hope readers will think about. But I guess if I'm being honest with myself, I didn't need to inform the readers of whether or not Jen swallowed to tell those parts of the story. So why did I do it?

Because another goal of mine was to keep "Three Daves" feeling real. And in reality, sexual intimacy doesn't fade to black. Neither does eating a meal, you may argue, nor attending an economics class, and I certainly didn't bore my readers with those details. But the story isn't about fine cuisine or university studies. It's about sex, and so I need the reader to feel it, to understand the emotions and thoughts that pass through the characters when they are having it. I need them to see it as more than just a kiss or a caress. I want the experience engraved on their consciousness so they realize that it isn't something easily forgotten when the lights flick back on. It's real.

This story is also about relationships. And sexual intimacy leaves marks on a relationship, sometimes good, sometimes bad. I want readers to know what the characters said to each other just before, during, and right after. I want them to see which guy kisses her forehead and which one pulls on his boxers and promptly falls asleep. I couldn't depict the whole relationships without depicting those intimate moments that show the very different dynamic between Jen and each of the three Daves.

So that's why I did it, and now you can feel good about yourselves for enjoying those particular scenes so much. ;)

I'm just sayin' Three Daves