Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 35

October 18, 2024: The Friday Report!

Today, we made a family trip to our favorite pasta place, Tiny Market Pasta Shop, for…what else?

House made san marzano tomato paste, tomato confit oil, tomato confit sauce, vodka passata & tomato salt topped with house made crème fraiche, oregano, breadcrumb & fresh ricotta.

Roasted sunchoke, caramelized fennel & chanterelle filled tortelli with miso butter, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, chive, toasted black sesame & lemon zest.

Both pastas were heavenly, but this is one of those rare instances where Akemi actually preferred the stuffed pasta. So much so that we ended up doing a second order!

Finally, I’m kicking off a 13 Days of Halloween countdown with a screening of…

Longlegs

A horror movie a day until Halloween:

Saturday, October 19: Trap

Sunday, October 20: Stopmotion

Monday, October 21: I Saw the TV Glow

Tuesday, October 22: Cuckoo

Wednesday, October 23: Exhuma

Thursday, October 24: Strange Darling

Friday, October 25: Oddity

Saturday, October 26: The First Omen

Sunday, October 27: In Violent Nature

Monday, October 28: The Substance

Tuesday, October 29: Terrifier 3

Wednesday, October 30: Smile 2

The post October 18, 2024: The Friday Report! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

View more on Joseph Mallozzi's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 18, 2024 11:47

October 17, 2024: The Post-Birthday Update!

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday in gloriously unremarkable fashion. I slept in, we took Sharky for a walk, I watched a Twilight Zone and wrote up a related post, and then I made a hot sauce using cayenne peppers from my sister’s garden…

It’s a variation on an old Jamie Oliver recipe, but I didn’t have my usual ingredients, so I mixed and matched. In the past, I’ve made this with habaneros, but this time out I went with the far milder cayennes…which Akemi appreciated.

50 cayenne peppers, three shallots (instead of the usual two sweet onions) and some diced garlic. A generous sprinkle of salt and a quick blitz.

Olive oil in the pan and then simmer on medium for about ten minutes. Once it gets going and starts to reduce, I add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and a spoonful of Korean chili powder.

No red tomatoes and apples, so I went with cherry tomatoes from my sister’s garden and these two pears I rescued from the complimentary fruit basket in the hotel gym. These get blitzed and mixed in with the rest…

I add 150 milliliters of apple cider vinegar and…well, the recipe calls for a cup of apple juice but I didn’t have it, so I went with a couple of tablespoons of farmer’s market apple jam…

Then simmer on low for another 20 minutes.

Once it’s had time to cool a little, it all goes back into the blender for another extreme blitz.

Because I used jam instead of apple juice, the consistency was thicker than usual – which I don’t mind as I much prefer a hot sauce with substance over the runny ones. I had the option of running it all through a sieve but, again, I like the consistency – and the chili seeds.

And voila. Pretty delicious, especially with the whole roast chicken Akemi made for lunch. I couldn’t stop eating it. And then paid the price late last night. But we al have to make sacrifices I guess.

For the man who has everything: a laptop stand, vitamin D, and two bottles of more hot sauce!

This morning, my sister texted to tell me my mother actually walked the length of the hospital hall today. A HUGE feat given that, for weeks, she’s barely been able to make the six foot distance between her bed and the bathroom. The hospital was so impressed that they wanted to immediately discharge her, but my sister suggested we wait (hopefully complete that epidural) and see how it goes.

Received an email yesterday informing me that a project I had thought long-dead has found new life (or, more appropriately, life support) and I have to pitch it in the coming weeks. I have no recollection of the initial pitch and now it’s a mad scramble to dig it up out of my drafts folder.

The post October 17, 2024: The Post-Birthday Update! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

View more on Joseph Mallozzi's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 17, 2024 12:12

October 16, 2024: Amazing Covers!

It’s my birthday, Akemi and my wedding anniversary, and one day from Sharky’s Gotcha Day! Let’s celebrate with some amazing covers…

Aliens vs. Avengers #1 – cover art by Esad Ribic

Batman and Robin: Year One #1 – cover art by Mikel Janin

Catwoman #69 – cover art by Homare

Nightwing #119 – cover art by Dexter Soy

Mindy Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulu #1 – cover art by Celina

So, which were your favorites?

The post October 16, 2024: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

View more on Joseph Mallozzi's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 17, 2024 11:53

October 15, 2024: Back home!

After a week in Montreal, spending time with mom in the hospital, I’ve returned home to Toronto where I was greeted by Akemi and a seemingly confused Sharky who, nevertheless, seemed happy enough to see me. As I was boarding my return flight, I received a text from my sister informing me that mom was finally being brought in for her epidural. Then, when I landed, another update from sis informing me that the epidural was only 10% completed because my mother found it too painful and tapped out before the process could be completed. She has the option of returning to finish up but, given her experience, I suspect it may take a while – and some convincing. In the meantime, here’s hoping the mere 10% administered will have some positive effects in the coming days.

Before departing, however, I was able to sit down with mom and sis (and mom’s friend, Christian) fora Thanksgiving feast of various Greek meats…

And some store-bought amaretti (because the place that makes the fresh ones is closed on Mondays). I must admit that, while it was nice seeing mom and sis, I’ll be glad to get back to my regular dietary routine of apple cider vinegar in the morning, a well-balanced lunch, mid-afternoon matcha, and eggs and kefir for dinner. I have my annual physical upcoming and I’ll need these next couple of weeks to fool the blood test!

So, what’d I miss while I was away? What have you all bee up to?

The post October 15, 2024: Back home! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

View more on Joseph Mallozzi's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 15, 2024 12:30

October 14, 2024: The Twilight Zone rewatch continues with season 5, episodes 1-4!

Season 5, Episode 1, “In Praise of Pip”

This episode first aired September 27, 1963.

Surprisingly, this episode is only one of three to feature the immortal line “Submitted for your approval”.

This episode was a favorite of Serling’s daughter, Anne, who recognized several of the conversations she had had with her father growing up echoed in the script. Rod’s nickname for his daughter was Pop (not quite Pip) but the episode’s final image is apparently a message to her.

“In Praise of Pip” was the first American t.v. show to mention the Vietnam War.

The carnival scenes were shot at Pacific Ocean Park, an amusement park in Santa Monica, California.

Serling ended up choosing this episode over “The Last Night of a Jockey” as the season opener. He made the right call.

Jack Klugman makes his fourth and final TZ appearance while Billy Mumy makes his third and final appearance.

Art Carney was the first choice to play the part of Max Phillips, but he was unavailable.

This was a great looking episode and a wonderfully rendered, heartfelt story. Terrific performances all around, especially Connie Gilchrist’s portrayal of the sympathetic Mrs. Feeny. A great start to the show’s fifth and final season.

Season 5, Episode 2, “Steel”

This episode first aired October 4, 1963.

Richard Matheson adapted this script from his own short story. He considered this episode one of his favorites. It was one of the few times he actually visited set during the production of one of his scripts.

The Tucson Daily Citizen felt “Steel” offered: “a provocatively novel plot that counters unbelievability with a a sensible alternative to bloodshed.”

“Steel” was apparently the inspiration for the 2011 robot-boxing film “Real Steel” starring Hugh Jackman.

Chuck Hicks, who played the boxing robot Maynard Flash, was a champion boxer for Loyola and Navy. Reflecting back on this episode, he recalled: “I knew Lee Marvin for a long time and he was a real man and great guy. During the fight scenes while filming, I had two pieces of plastic over my eyes and I was pretty new to the business, so instead of putting little holes in them so I could have some air in there. I sweated and was just looking at a blur most of the time, and I ended hitting Lee a couple of times, but the tough Marine that he was never complained. He would say “Don’t worry about it Chuck, I know your problem.” Yeah, he was a drinker, but a real great man underneath the plastic and skin.”

Former Mae West bodyguard and pro welterweight boxer Johnny Idrisano helped coach the actors for the boxing sequences that were miles better than season 1’s “The Big Tall Wish”.

Lee Marvin returns for his second and final Twilight Zone appearance while Joe Mantell, who played Pole, also returns following his turn in season 2’s “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room”.

I thought this one was very good and felt the look of the robots and execution of the boxing sequences were quite well done. Also really liked Marvin’s Steel Kelly, a washed up gambler who still managed to elicit sympathy. Back-to-back solid episodes to kick off the show’s final season.

Season 5, Episode 3, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”

This episode first aired October 11, 1963.

Writer Richard Matheson said he was most pleased with Twilight Zone’s version of his short story – except for the gremlin. He’d conceived it as a dark, creepy and nearly-invisible humanoid figure. “But this thing,” he complained, “looked more like a panda bear.” Not all that surprising given that the gremlin was actually a woolly bear suit found in the MGM wardrobe department.

Matheson originally wanted to cast Patricia Breslin, who had played Shatner’s wife in the episode “Nick of Time”, as his wife in this episode.

Matheson claims the inspiration for this story came to him while on a flight: “I looked out and the clouds looked like snow banks.. And I thought “What if somebody saw somebody skiing out there?” I thinking about it more intensely, it would not make for a very scary story. So I put this thing on the wing. They had all these stories about gremlins during the war – so I used that as the basis for my story.”

William Shatner and fellow actor Edd Byrnes played a practical joke on director Richard Donner during a break in the filming of this episode. Donner was off set when he heard shouting. He rushed back to witness Shatner and Byrnes “fighting” on a portion of the set suspended 30 feet from the studio floor. Suddenly, he saw a body fall and hit the ground. Byrnes, still standing atop the raised set, shouted in anguish. Donner rushed over to what he assumed was Shatner’s body – only to hear laughter. Turns out it was an articulated dummy Shatner had tossed from above. Donner was amused but, in that moment, had feared the worst: “”Honestly, my first reaction was, ‘Don’t tell me I have to shoot the whole show over again.’”

This was one of six episodes Richard Donner directed for the series and the most difficult by far, with production slated for a mere three days reduced to only two days after the studio demanded use of the plane set. Recalled Donner: “Midway through the second day, the producer said we had a problem. He said “We have to finish today.” He said the feature division at MGM wanted to use the airplane and we had to be off. So we shot all night, finishing at 8 am the next morning. It was an incredible experience.”

William Shatner had fond memories of working with Donner: “Donner was a young wunderkind; it was the beginning of his career, and he did a great job. When we see each other today, we still talk about it. I wish I could do those episodes again, but that applies to most everything.”

This episode was remade for Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). The segment was directed by George Miller and John Lithgow played the William Shatner role. Shatner and Lithgow would reunite for an episode of Third Rock from the Sun (1996) in which both of their characters make mention of the fact that they were on an airplane that a gremlin tried to crash.

Boy, this one keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Shatner is terrific here, struggling to keep his cool before eventually erupting into a frenzied panic. One of the show’s very best episodes.

Season 5, Episode 4, “A Kind of Stopwatch”

This episode first aired October 18, 1963.

An early draft of the script featured an alternate ending After McNulty runs past a “frozen” person, the person turns to camera, smiles and winks. We recognize Potts who gave him the stopwatch at the bar.

One of only three episodes to feature the line, “Submitted for your approval” during Rod Serling’s opening intro.

This story was inspired by a book by John D. MacDonald, published a year earlier, in 1962 – “The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything”. The book was made into a movie, The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (1980).

In earlier drafts, Potts simply gives McNulty the device unprompted, but a producer suggested that Pots be a bit of a drunk “and maybe because of McNulty’s generosity in buying him a drink, he gives him the watch.”

Actor Richard Erdman, who played McNulty, recalled: “It was so frantic and I had so many lines to remember that I recall we would shoot a scene, we would refer to the script and shoot a few more lines, and then go back to the script again.”

The Simpsons spoofed this episode in a Treehouse of Horror segment, “Stop the World, I want to Goof Off” in which Bart and Millhouse find a stopwatch and freeze time only to find themselves frozen in time after breaking the watch. It then takes them 15 years to repair it.”

The premise here is a lot of fun and, overall, the episode makes for a very entertaining ride as one’s mind invariably goes to the countless things on could do with that stopwatch. Solid performances all around and another season 5 winner.

The post October 14, 2024: The Twilight Zone rewatch continues with season 5, episodes 1-4! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

View more on Joseph Mallozzi's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 14, 2024 13:50

October 13, 2024: Sharky Sunday!

Snackalamus! Sharky is in House Hufflepug!

Time for the weekend snack box!

Tasty smelt…

Rainy Day outing!

Contact reiki…

He’s been quite itchy of late…

Lodging a formal complaint…

Slow-Mo munching…

The post October 13, 2024: Sharky Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

View more on Joseph Mallozzi's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 13, 2024 09:39

October 12, 2024: Back in Montreal!

I’ve been in Montreal since Wednesday, helping out as mom is back in the hospital. The pain in her back and legs is so bad that she barely walks. And because she barely walks, she’s grown so weak she can barely walk. Yesterday, she fell twice. We’ve been waiting two weeks for an epidural that will, hopefully, lessen her pain – but now, given her weeks of inaction, a simple epidural won’t be enough to send her home. Given her current condition, she’ll be looking at weeks of physiotherapy once she (hopefully) gets discharged.

Today, I picked up some panini, cold cuts (mortadella and Genoa salami for her, porchetta and smoked meat for me, as well as two boxes of Italian cookies (one for the nurses station). We lunched in the spacious cafeteria, then had dinner in the solarium. Tomorrow, I’m thinking I may pick up lasagna.

It’s been admittedly quite difficult to get much writing done while I’ve been here. Ive had to push some work and project-related zooms until next week, and will have to pass on another project entirely. A few other projects are out in the world and their fates are out of my hands. And then there’s a more recent project that promises to be very excited, but will take a while to develop – and could very well fall apart in the end. But Im trying to stay positive.

A few photos from my camera roll…