Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 509

March 8, 2012: Ruby, birthday lunch, and horrors of horrors!

Over the past two months, I've had a lot of friends send me pictures of themselves reading my comic book, Dark Matter, obviously seeking to impress in the hopes that I will think of them when it comes time to cast the series/mini-series.  While I've certainly appreciated the gestures, none have really moved me enough to decide right there and then: "That's it!  I have to cast this individual!".  That is until today when I received the above pic from my former Stargate ace editor Mike Banas P.I.  Mike informs me that he and wife (former Stargate Associate Producer Jennifer Johnson) have been so busy working on home renovations that their dog, Ruby, has had to entertainment herself.

I guess it's true what they say. Golden Retrievers ARE smart dogs!

Today, I celebrated Ivon R. Bartok Day by going to lunch with the birthday boy.  We were joined by Robert Cooper at La Tacqueria for – what else? – tacos!

The Birthday Boy!

Rob!

The tacos = chorizo and mushrooms, tongue, mole chicken, and beef cheeks.

And Mexican coke!

We talked projects on the go including Rob's own terrific horror feature (based on true events!) that I'm sure he'll tell you all about the next time he swings by for a Q&A.  We got together for a couple of hours and then it was time for Ivon to head back to his place and get back to work on our horror movie sizzle reel.  Birthday or not, that trailer aint gonna produce itself!

Two conference calls scheduled for today but the second one, rescheduled from last week, has been rescheduled to next week.  The first one, I'm pleased to report, went very well.  We discussed a terrific property that, if done right, would be a lot of fun to work on.  The people I spoke with are apparently eager to get going, so Paul and I will take the weekend to go over the source material and then get back to them early next week and see whether we're on the same page creatively and production-wise.  In the meantime, our agent will continue his inquiries.

It would seem that, lately, everything is coming up horror for me. From a creative standpoint anyway.  Over the past few days, I've been working on fleshing out the story for a new horror feature idea (I do some of my best thinking while I'm driving or walking the dogs) I'd like to get started on once I've finished my rewrite on the first one.  I've lined up some horror viewing to get me in the proper mind frame: The Devil's Backbone, Cold Prey, Calvaire, and Imprint (Takashi Miike's banned episode from the Masters of Horror series).  Of course, I'll be watching alone.  Akemi can barely get through an episode of The Walking Dead.

Fortunately, while I'm focused on screening horror movies, she can turn her mind to equally productive matters.  Like, say, making pistachio chocolates…

Some interesting entries in the "It May Surprise You To Know (t.v. edition)…"  And plenty of surprises.  Reminds me of the time Ming-Na told me she was a closet Hoarders fan.

Today's blog entry is dedicated to belated birthday gal Deni!

March 7, 2012: And you thought YOU hated visiting the dentist! It may surprise you to know (t.v. edition)…!

Poor Jelly.  She went in for her dental today.  She certainly knew something was up the moment I buckled her into the car.  Check out how nervous she was…

It's always same thing when we visit the vet.  She'll tremble all the way there and in the waiting room.  Then, once I've checked in with the front desk, she inevitably pulls the "Well, I guess we're done here" strategy and casually walks over to the door, waits, then throws me a look, part annoyed, part impatient, that seems to ask: "You coming already?".  At which point I invariably scoop her up and redirect her back into the waiting area.

After having another eight extracted on this latest visit, her tooth count now stands at 12!  As a result, as of today, in the event she attacks, Jelly is officially more likely to gum you to death.

Big day tomorrow.  I have a conference call in the morning about that horror series I mentioned a couple of posts back (a preliminary call to gauge everyone's interest and make sure we're all on the same page), and one in the afternoon about Dark Matter (in which we dial in another player on the increasingly widening game plan).  Also tomorrow, I've got to start thinking about the rewrite of the horror script.  I got Paul's notes and, while I don't disagree with any of his concerns, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to address all of them. Suggestions? Ivon, meanwhile, is hard at work on the trailer, assembling some great footage and appropriately ominous audio.   We're getting together for lunch to discuss what we've got so far – and celebrate his birthday over tacos and Mexican rice milk!

Well, the news that House is about to wrap up its final season means one less show on my regular viewing rotation currently made up of: House, Spartacus, Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Game of Thrones, The Office, 30 Rock, The Walking Dead, Survivor, and The Amazing Race.  That seems like a lot and yet I know people (Martin Gero, SGU VFX Supervisor Mark Savela) who seem to find time to watch everything.  On the other hand, you have someone like Akemi who limits her t.v. viewing to a couple of show on dvd (lately, she's been doing marathon sessions of South Park and Sex and the City).

Which brings me a little game I'm going to call: "It may surprise you to know…".  In today's version of the game, let's focus on t.v.  I want to know what show it may surprise everyone to hear you actually enjoy. Are you a closet Teen Mom fan?  Is your DVR set to record Toddlers and Tiaras?  Are you still bemoaning the premature cancellation of Cavemen?  I want to hear all about it.  As for me: It may surprise you to know that I don't hate Sex and the City.  I actually think it's a clever, amusing, well-written series (although I hear the franchise went off the rails with the movies).  It's not a show I actually ever sat down to watch but one that has always been on, like background music, enjoyed by the women in my life.  While Ibusy doing other things around the house, I somehow managed to acquire an understanding and appreciation of the series through osmosis.  Big is all wrong for Carrie!  How could she have dumped Aidan?  And is Charlotte just adorable?

March 6, 2012: Supergirl! Dark Matter! Mailbag!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to support guest reviewer Cookie Monster by subjecting themselves to watching Superman III as part of this blog's Supermovie of the Week Club.  Lots of great commentary from some of you and Cookie Monster truly appreciates the input.  I know, I know.  You're no doubt thinking: "Well, at least it can't get any worse."  No?  Feast your eyes on this trailer for next week's supermovie club selection: Supergirl!

Console yourselves in Helen Slater's cuteness and press on.

Picking up (and concluding) our sneak peek at Dark Matter #3…(Spoiler abound!):

More previews here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/previews.  Swamp Thing #7!  Hulk #50!  Fatale #3!  Ragemoor #1!

Today's entry is dedicated to Woody.

Mailbag:

jys writes: "going to E by jose andres on wednesday"

Answer: As Akemi would say: "Luckeeeeeeeeeeeee!".  Take pics and report back.  Let me know if they serve the uni sandwich!

Randomness writes: "I think the worst thing about having a pet put to sleep, besides the grief that follows is no doubt the helplessness that you can't do anything to make someone you regard as part of the family well again. The realisation of that if anything is the most heartbreaking though."

Answer: So true.  Even though the doctors said the radiation therapy had helped extend Maximus's life (another six months after the initial diagnosis which was three months more than the mid-treatment prognosis), there was much sadness and frustration at the end.  There's no worse feeling than the hopelessness that comes when you've run out of options.

gforce writes: "How does taking a screw out of the super computer shut it down? It just doesn't make sense! Also, where did that canister of acid come from?"

Answer: All very good points.  Clearly there was too much atrociousness in this movie to cover in a single review.

DP writes: "40 minutes in and rich people recognize that pilfering money through computers makes Gus ideal material to help them drown people with weather and be okay morally with it."

Answer: Yeah, I wonder how many people Gus killed or seriously injured with his manufactured storm?  Yet the dizzy blond goes to prison while he gets to walk!

DP also writes: "100 minutes in and it's so completely pointless that the tourist couple berates the editor for not predicting an aberration of all known weather science."

Answer: Yes, this sequence was hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

Thornyrose writes: "A picnic where Lana's cooking is brought into question(Clark eats dog food, yuk yuk) and a picnic where there is a thunderstorm in the distance."

Answer: At first I wondered why the hell would these idiots choose to picnic with a storm approaching.  I assumed it was just laziness on the part of the writers and that the storm would figure into some sort of action sequence.  And then, when it didn't, I was left wondering why the hell introduce the looming storm in the first place?

woody writes: "We had to put our cat to sleep. She was a part of our family for almost 20 years. My oldest son of 30 is taking it the hardest. He's mentally handicapped and Garfield slept on his bed almost every night. We're gonna miss her. Thank you for just taking the time to read this."

Answer: Condolences, Woody.  I truly do empathize having gone through it in January with my boy Max.  Reflect back on the happy memories.

glowyzoey writes: "Can't comment on Top Chef or Top Chef Canada, but I must get my Drive-ins, Diners and Dives fix every day and Eat St. whenever possible. Maybe my tastes are a little low brow, but you gotta love the creativity of the cooks. Still not sure how to take Iron Chef America. Is it serious or goofy or something in between? Have you watched Triple D and what do you think of it?"

Answer: Love all three of the shows you mentioned.  Just last week, I did my version of a Vietnamese sandwich recipe I saw on Triple D.  Eat St. is great, but it always leaves me frustrated because it's unlikely I'll get the opportunity to sample most of the amazing food trucks profiled.  As for Iron Chef America – it takes its cue from the original Iron Chef, a Japanese production that was part culinary samurai duel, part over-the-top showmanship, and part spectacular culinary creations.  The American version is produced along the same lines with the added bonus of being hosted by the terrific (Stargate alum) Mark Dacascos.

Sue Rann writes: "BTW, I see you're currently reading about Renaissance Italy – have you read Niccolo Macchiavelli? "Before all else, be armed." My youngest daughter has been enjoying herself lately working for him as a cold-blooded killer while playing 'Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'."

Answer: Machiavelli is a character in a video game?  Interesting.

Nate writes: "Have you been to Siena on 12th and Granville yet? It's owned by the same person who owns CRU. My wife and I went last Saturday evening and it was very good and priced well."

Answer: Hadn't even heard of it.  Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Mike from Victoria writes: "Should I start watching SGA now as well, or just run through all of SG1 then watch Atlantis?"

Answer: I'd finish with SG-1 and the movies first before proceeding onto Atlantis.

Deni writes: "I'm in for The Fifth Element, as well.  You in, Joecito?"

Answer: Alas, no.  Not a superhero movie.

kathode writes: "I think the difference between this one and Superman II is that I was expecting so much more from #2 and didn't get it: no interesting or sufficiently motivated villains; no heart-wrenching drama; no sensible plot. And with #3, I wasn't expecting any of that…"

Answer: In other words, you accepted the fact that these people who produced the first two were incapable of making a good movie, so you were expecting atrocious and were pleasantly surprised by something that was just awful?  Skiing off a building in a pink tablecloth? If actually liked the original 1966 Batman because it was silly and over-the-top.  Superman III just felt sad and tired.

Kathode also writes: "But aside from that misstep, a lot of the humor bits in Superman III worked for me."

Answer: I have to admit, I did laugh at the line: "I ask you to kill the Superman and you're telling me you couldn't do that one simple thing?".

Kathode also writes: "Of course the worst things Superman can think of to do are all about playing pranks and impressing a hot girl!"

Answer: Uh, I think he did more than "impress" her.

March 5, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Superman III!

Superman III so bad it make Superman II look like Superman I!  It as if director Richard Lester read monster's reviews and den, out of spite, get Superman to spin world backward so he can go back in time and inklude everyting me hate so much about first two movies in first five minutes of dis turd.  Kooky musik play as guy walk into pole, girl in rollerblades knock phone booths over, blind man mistake street painter for seeing eye dog, old man get bucket of yellow paint on head, blind man walk thru painting, mime slip and fall on marblez, guy get pie in da face, etc.  And dis just opening creditz!  Phoo-wee.  Already, dis movie stink like Fozzie Bear at hot yoga class.  If Buster Keaton ever make comeback, Richard Lester your guy!

We introduced to Gus Gorman.  He lovable loozer dat can't hold down job.  Just like Grover before he start mangosteen juice franchise.  Gus get job as computer programmer and, in no time, become hacker genius.  Find way to redirekt extra fraktion cents from everybody else paychek into his own – and make $85k+ on first try!  Me have to admit, dis very brilliant idea.  Remind monster of time Oscar da Grouch run similar scam.  Except instead of stealing money from checkz, he steal cash.  And instead of from co-workerz, he take from strangers.  And instead of computer program, he use rusty pipe and strong language.

Gus seem like smart guy.  But not really.  Boss of company (Napoleon Solo) told dat someone steal $85k+ from company but no way to track it.  In olden days possible becuz people check everyting dat go in and out but nowadays have to rely on lazy computerz so no way to know.  UNTIL Gus drive to work in flashy sportscar. Den Napoleon Solo say "Aha!" and offer Gus deal.  Gus have to use computer to command weather satellite to cause storm dat wipe out coffee crop in Columbia. Weather satellite can control weather?  Of course!  Dat why it called WEATHER satellite!

Ho ho ho! What funnier den giant hat? In dis movie, not much.

Meanwile, back at Metropolis, Clark get permishiun to go back to Smallville for high school reunion.  And Lois get permishiun to go on vacashun to Bermuda.  Monster tink "Aha!  Writerz so smart.  Lois going to go to Bermuda and get stuck in storm!" But writerz fool monster by not even bother to take advantage of Lois charakter. She gone for most of movie and, instead, we follow dopey couple we don't know who visit Columbia and get caught in storm and watch giant piece of church roof fall and land on head of parishish parshishi church people.

On way to Smallville, bus stop at site of chemikal fire.  Superman arrive on scene just as two guyz run out of building on fire.  Superman ask: "Chief, how can I help?" Monster think: "Would be nice if you could put out dose two guyz" but instead Supes fly into building and chat wit scientist watching acid vaporize.  Need to cool tings down but problem wit water pressure!  So Superman fly to lake five miles away, freeze water wit super breath, den fly giant ice piece back and drop it on factory.  For some reazon, it instantly melt and put out fire instead of crush everybody like me hoping.

Superman return to Smallville.  Meet up wit Lana Lang and her kid and hilarious abusive alcoholic ex-boyfriend.  Superman teach Lana Lang kid valuable lessons like cheating a-okay (by using super breath to help kid win at bowling) and lying a-okay too (by showing up for kidz birtday after kid tell everyone Superman coming even though Superman not have plan to go and probably not like buttercream icing anyway).  Clark go on piknik wit Lana and son.  For some reazon kid fall asleep in middle of field during treshing season.  Superman save before he end up like Cookie's second cuzin Froppet whoze frozen lemonade stand shut down by municipal snow blower.  Permanently.

Ah, dis perfekt place for piknik. Hope no combinez drive by and almost kill sleepy kid.

Meanwhile, Napoleon Solo decide he want to kill Superman.  He diskuss wit Gus who, in stoopidest scene of many of movie's stoopid scenes, Gus akcidentally ski off top of building wearing pink tablecloth cape, fall turdy floors, land on slanted (GLASS!!!) roof and slide onto street.  Kidz, don't try dis AT home!  Unless you wear helmet – den okay.  Napoleon Solo make Gus use weather satellite to analize fragment of kriptonite (don't ask).  Not able to identify one element so Gus make it up, den lab make kriptonite and Gus show up at Superman parade and give it to Superman.

Of course you recognize kriptonite. Remember? It almost kill you? No? Okay den, enjoy gift.

But not pure kriptonite.  Instead of kill Superman, just make him very cranky.  He get drunk.

Friendz don't let friendz drink and fly.

He fix leaning tower of Pizza so not leaning anymore and Italian stereotype in front of shitty green screen very angry.  He blow out Olympic torch.  He punch hole in oil tanker (Oh, yeah.  Monster forget.  Bad guy redirekt oil tankerz to middle of Atlantic. Need to include dis crooshal piece of informashun or movie make even less sense.).

He also super horny.

But Superman conflikted.  He fight inner battle dat become outer battle when he split in two: Superman and Clark Kent.  How possible?  Well not, but dis franchize stop making sense two moviez ago.  Superman fight Clark Kent in junk yard.  Try to crush him in compactor.  Trow him into giant vat of acid (standard eqwipment in most junk yardz).  Clark strangle Superman, killing him.  Den open up shirt to reveal: S!  Superman back!!! Yay?

How de...? Never mind.

Bad guys fly around in air balloon chairs.  For some reazon.

Cool, no?

Superman follow dem to hideout where dey built supercomputer.  Superman fight supercomputer.  Gus feel bad and want to help.  Big booby girl feel bad and want to help too.  Napoleon Solo sister not feel bad at all and turn into computer tingie -

Hey, is dat guy from Quiet Riot!

But Superman win!  He save Gus and, for some reazon, drop him off instead of leave him wit everybody else to be arrested.  Den Superman go back to Metropolis where Daily Planet get new computerized bingo machine. It explode, reinforcing movie message: "Computerz bad!  Stay stooped!"

Uh oh!

Verdikt: Superman moviez = super crap.  0 for 3 so far wit super-crappy-looking Superman IV next after even super-crappier looking Supergirl.

Rating: 1/2 chocolate chippee cookie and 1 broken button.

Pleaze diskuss.

P.S. Cookie now have own movie review website here: Film reviews by resident film criti…  Tell your friends!

Tagged: Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster reviews Superman III, Superman III, Supermovie of the

March 4, 2012: Dinner at Chez Cooper!

Well, well, well.  If it isn't my former assistant on that Toronto-based show, finally getting around to sending me a pic of himself enjoying Dark Matter.  Trevor writes: "Look what finally came in! They kept selling out so fast I had to order them special from 1000000 Comix. I was so excited I read them simultaneously!"  Now THAT is impressive.  Apparently, he's landed a gig as a script coordinator on a new series and is having a terrific time.  Great to hear – although I was disappointed to learn that, despite the Name Trevor's Baby Contest held on this blog, his wife insists on calling their daughter Ava instead of winning entry Eufemia.

Last night, we were invited to the Cooper house for an evening of pork bellies and Top Chef.  When we arrived, we were ushered into the kitchen where we were greeted by this glorious sight:

According to Rob, when he asked the butcher for pork belly, an older female customer threw him an indignant look and cried: "It's full of fat!".  Well…yeah…

Pork belly and steamed buns. Add a little chili oil, some green onions and cucumber and you've got yourself a delicious meal. I could eat ate five or six of these in one sitting.

The daikon mochi. Rob gave the recipe to Akemi and its since become one of her favorite dishes.

Banana-chocolate mini doughnuts. Akemi could eat five or six of them in one sitting!

A Rob Cooper original take on a Greek dessert - phyllo, banana, caramel, cream, and deliciousness.

We brought an assortment of macarons that ranged from Akemi's tasty chocolate ganache to my disastrous greasy matcha.

Le Chef du jour.

After a string of disappointing visits to my go-to Vancouver restaurants, I was pleased that this semi-regular favorite continues to impress.  Highly recommended, but book early to avoid disappointment.

After dinner, we headed downstairs to screen the final two episodes of Top Chef Texas.  My thoughts?

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

Meh.  When I watched the premiere, I pegged Sara as the one to beat.  As the season progressed, it became clear that Paul was the guy to beat.  So I suppose it was only fitting that the two would meet in the finale, a finale which was, surprisingly, underwhelming.  I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it took place in my backyard, here in Vancouver.  When I heard that Top Chef was coming to Vancouver, I wondered which of the city's top restaurants would be featured on the show.  Would it be West?  Bishops?  Maybe somewhere hip like L'Abattoir?  Perhaps they would go with someplace delightfully unexpected like La Quercia?  Nope.  According to the show, the chefs would take over two of Vancouver's top restaurants: Italian Kitchen and Black + Blue.  Vancouver's top restaurants?  Maybe part of the top 250!  And what Canadian chef would be making a guest appearance on the show?  Would it be Susur Lee or Chuck Hughes or local fave Vikram Vij?  Nope, it was none other than Toronto's Mark McKewan, coincidentally the head judge of the unwatchable Top Chef Canada (I'll save my rant on the crap programming served up by Food Network Canada for a later date.  I used to leave the Food Network on as background noise for the dogs but I think my dogs deserve better than Family Cook Off, Ice Cold Cash, and You Gotta Eat Here).  Anyway, the two finalists faced off and, in the end, the best chef won.

Finally, continuing our sneak peek at Dark Matter #3.

More previews here: Previews – Comic Book Resources

March 3, 2012: At this rate, I may need some time off from my time off!

Whew!  I spent much of the day working on the series overview for my SF space opera comic book (hopefully soon-to-be-television series) Dark Matter.  I covered the major story arcs, from the individual backstories to the end of their respective journeys.  I also included various images from the comic book to compliment the fifteen page document.  Only problem now is that the file is a hefty 37.5 mb and not exactly easy to email.  Looks like FedEx might be the way to go.

I sent it Paul's way so he could do a quick pass on it before I send it out and he informed me that he is two thirds of the way through the pilot script he pitched me a couple of months ago.  Damn.  In order to get in all the projects we want to pitch, next time we're in L.A. we may have to stay the whole week.  That's a lot of Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet ice cream!

Also received notes from Ivon on the script for the horror trailer.  Will work on incorporating his thoughts into a revised version.  I'll also have to give that last scene so more thought.  I want that build up and payoff to that final image to leave a lasting impression.  A lasting, unsettling impression.  By the way, Ivon informed me of his purchase of our very first prop: a baseball cap.  Exciting, no?

So I went to the bank yesterday and withdrew some cash.  Among the bills I received was the new Canadian $100 bill and my first impression upon feeling it blindly in my pocket was: "This can't be right.  It must be counterfeit."  As it turns out, the bill's unique qualities are intended to thwart counterfeiters.  It's composed of a polypropelyne substrate and includes some raised ink, transparent text, a metallic portrait, hidden numbers, and two transparent windows (once of which contains a hologram of what I believe is the Millennium Falcon).  Not only is the new polymer bill more durable than the old banknote, but it is apparently far tastier…

Here, buddy. I'm gonna help myself to the contents of the pantry. You didn't see nothing. (P.S. I've trained her to stuff 100 bills into g-strings. The strippers love it!)

Tonight, we're off to have dinner at the Cooper's where we'll watch the final two episodes of Top Chef Texas.  Go, Paul!

Continuing our preview of Dark Matter, here is a sneak peek at the first four pages of issue #3.  The crew reacts to last issue's shocking revelation…

More previews (Secret Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9, The Strain) ici: http://www.comicbookresources.com/previews

March 4, 2012: At this rate, I may need some time off from my time off!

Whew!  I spent much of the day working on the series overview for my SF space opera comic book (hopefully soon-to-be-television series) Dark Matter.  I covered the major story arcs, from the individual backstories to the end of their respective journeys.  I also included various images from the comic book to compliment the fifteen page document.  Only problem now is that the file is a hefty 37.5 mb and not exactly easy to email.  Looks like FedEx might be the way to go.

I sent it Paul's way so he could do a quick pass on it before I send it out and he informed me that he is two thirds of the way through the pilot script he pitched me a couple of months ago.  Damn.  In order to get in all the projects we want to pitch, next time we're in L.A. we may have to stay the whole week.  That's a lot of Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet ice cream!

Also received notes from Ivon on the script for the horror trailer.  Will work on incorporating his thoughts into a revised version.  I'll also have to give that last scene so more thought.  I want that build up and payoff to that final image to leave a lasting impression.  A lasting, unsettling impression.  By the way, Ivon informed me of his purchase of our very first prop: a baseball cap.  Exciting, no?

So I went to the bank yesterday and withdrew some cash.  Among the bills I received was the new Canadian $100 bill and my first impression upon feeling it blindly in my pocket was: "This can't be right.  It must be counterfeit."  As it turns out, the bill's unique qualities are intended to thwart counterfeiters.  It's composed of a polypropelyne substrate and includes some raised ink, transparent text, a metallic portrait, hidden numbers, and two transparent windows (once of which contains a hologram of what I believe is the Millennium Falcon).  Not only is the new polymer bill more durable than the old banknote, but it is apparently far tastier…

Here, buddy. I'm gonna help myself to the contents of the pantry. You didn't see nothing. (P.S. I've trained her to stuff 100 bills into g-strings. The strippers love it!)

Tonight, we're off to have dinner at the Cooper's where we'll watch the final two episodes of Top Chef Texas.  Go, Paul!

Continuing our preview of Dark Matter, here is a sneak peek at the first four pages of issue #3.  The crew reacts to last issue's shocking revelation…

More previews (Secret Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9, The Strain) ici: http://www.comicbookresources.com/previews

March 2, 2012: Of pig (pork) buns, getting busy, and Dark Matters!

Akemi: I like Laboratory Retrievers.

Me: Huh?  You mean Labrador Retrievers?

Akemi: Labo-ratory…

Me: Labrador.

Akemi: Labratory…

Me: Labrador.

Akemi: I like Labu-chans!

Last night, Akemi made pork buns the likes of which you're unlikely to find in most chinatowns…

Oink! Oink!

Get your mind out of the gutter, Das!

Well, things are certainly picking up on the creative front – and this after everything I said about wanting to take things a little easier this year.  Just this morning, as a matter of fact, I was considering the prospect of doing a foodie tour of the U.S., hitting about a half dozen cities (San Francisco, Las Vegas, L.A., New Orleans, Boston, Chicago, New York) over the course of a two and a half week period to sample their culinary bests.  It's still doable but I now have a few more things on my mind…

I had that conference call today about our comic book series, Dark Matter.  Apparently, it has sparked the interest of a marquee feature director and his team.  We had a great initial conversation about the prospective series, covering everything from tone and theme to the all-important character dynamics.  They struck me as smart, creative and potentially a lot of fun to work with.  A very promising first step.  My homework this weekend is to polish the series overview and send it their way.

Also today, my agent phoned to gauge my interest in show running a series based on a well-established horror property.  I've been a huge fan of the creator since way back when and am certainly intrigued by the prospect of bringing this to series.  More cautious optimism.  Looks like I'll be extra busy this weekend, reviewing.

Still fiddling with the script for the horror movie trailer (Sorry, Ivon).  I want it to be as tight (and unnerving) as possible and am still undecided on a couple of clips.  I hope to have it done by tomorrow after which it'll be smooooooooooth sailing!

Continuing our sneak peek at the next issue of Dark Matter.  Here are the first three pages of issue #3:

More previews here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/previews

March 1, 2012: Some prelim work on the trailer! Pics from the Stargate vault! Dark Matter #3 preview! Mailbag!

Today, Ivon was out and about, scouting locations for our horror trailer. Kudos to him for coming up with some fantastic, diabolically creepy-looking places – the type of places you would never frequent at night, least of all to shoot something.  While Ivon was on the road, I was on my laptop, working on the script for the 2 minute trailer.  It's pretty close.  Rhythmically, it goes something like this:

- – - …….!-!-!….?….?……!!!

So, whaddya think?  There are two great scenes I could use to cap the trailer and I'm not sure which one to go with.  Both are suspenseful with great pay-offs but the first leaves a lot to the imagination while the second is quite visceral (and might require me to call on the services of a couple of my old Stargate cohorts).  I'm leaning toward the former only because the expenses for this little project are coming out of pocket and the budget is a little tighter than what I grew accustomed to working with on Stargate.

Hey, speaking of Stargate, I was clearing out the files on my old Sony camcorders and came across a bunch of old pics…

I've got thousands of them, mostly unsorted, that I should really go through at some point.

Hey, blog regular, Deni, is raising money for a worthy cause: 100 Doghouses for 100 Dogs Without Shelters.  If you'd like to help, head on over here: http://wishes.causes.com/wishes/445797?bws=fb_stream_wish

To those of you having trouble tracking my comic book series, Dark Matter, at their local comic book store, might I remind you that you can always order copies from here: TFAW.com or digital versions here: digital.darkhorse.com

Continuing our ongoing sneak preview of Dark Matter's next issue.  Yesterday, I posted the first page of Dark Matter #3.  Today, I repost it – along with the second page.  If you haven't read the first two issues, avert your eyes.  Spoilers abound!

For more previews, head on over here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/previews

Mailbag:

kathode writes: "Joe (or any of the Vancouverites on here), have you ever gone to French Made Baking, on Kingsway near the intersection with Main? (I think it's a new place. Maybe just opened at the tail end of 2011?) People rave about their macarons on yelp."

Answer: Thanks for the tip.  To be honest, I've never even heard of it.  I'll definitely check it out next week and report back.

kathode also writes: "I have an extreme weakness for delicious desserts, a là Fratelli's, on Commercial. (Sadly, though, Fratelli's does not produce a cannoli up to my expectations. I don't know why, with the sizable Italian population of this metropolis, I can't find a decent cannoli here. WTF?!?)"

Answer: Hmmm.  Funny you should say that.  Akemi and I just visited Commercial in our quest for pistachio cream.  Alas, no luck.  As someone who grew up in Montreal with its vast Italian offerings, I don't find the Italian population of Vancouver all that sizable.

profmadmax writes: "You never seem to mention ANYTHING Sanctuary related I notice…
Did the Sanctuary team have better foresight to go rogue and create a new medium in your opinion?"

Answer: I never mention Sanctuary because I wasn't involved in the production and it wasn't a show I watched (though, to be fair, my viewing line-up is numbers about a half dozen).  I'm not in a position to gauge the success of their initial online venture, but clearly the fact that they've been on the air for some four seasons is a testament to the hard work of former Stargate vets Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, and Damian Kindler.

profmadmax also writes: "Are you considering the successful(Sanctuarty)webisode approch to Dark Matter or the as yet unnamed horror project?"

Answer: Nope, not the preferred approach for either project.  Ideally, Dark Matter will be a television series (or mini-series, I'm liking this idea more and more given the property), while the horror movie will be a big screen feature.  That's the plan anyway.

Tam Dixon writes: "Those macarons are impressive! Any other flavors planned?"

Answer: Akemi is mixing the buttercream as we speak.  We might do matcha, coconut, and speculous.

StellaByStargate writes: "Emboldened by your last mailbag, I have one question to ask…and after all these years, I promise it will be my last S/J question ever…had we gotten the 3rd SG-1 movie, would the status of Sam and Jack's post-Threads relationship have been made clear?"

Answer: All I can say to that is that, there's a dinner scene in the first draft of Stargate: Revolution that made it pretty clear that Jack and Sam were, in fact, together.

Samantha Padilla writes: "I never thought of your thinking that Jack and Sam getting together after "Threads" was an AU, is it? Or is it actually a concensus between the SG-1′s writing staff that 'Yep, Sam and Jack are together now, but we just won't make that fact so obvious on screen it's like a pie shoved in someone's face'?"

Answer: Neither AU nor consensus.  There was never a discussion about it among the writers.

February 29, 2012: Dark Matter #3 preview (1 of 6)! Bizarro Alexander M. Ruemelin! Akemi's confectionary creation!

Dark Matter #3. Cover art by Garry Brown. Colors by Ryan Hill.

The third issue of my comic book, Dark Matter, hits the shelves March 12th.  It's a series with action, adventure, suspense, mystery, humor, twists, turns, surprises…but you already know this because you picked up issues #1 and #2 and are now anxiously awaiting the third installment of the four part opening story arc.  You're no doubt wondering how our heroes will respond to last issue's shocking revelation.  Well, if you're REALLY curious, I can offer you a sneak peek of what you can look forward to in issue #3 – or, more to the point, several sneak peeks.  Over the next six days, I'll be giving you a glimpse of what lies ahead for our intrepid crew.  But, just in case you've yet to get around to reading issue #2 (tsk tsk), I've uploaded the sneak peek to the bottom of this post.  Scroll away!

My editor at Dark Horse, Patrick Thorpe, has been keeping busy.  He's overseeing the return of the avenging spirit,  Ghost, in a three-part story that will premiere in the June issue of Dark Horse Presents (#13): http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=37265. Meanwhile, he continues his editing duties on a comic book I really should be checking out: http://battlepug.com/.

The conference call we'd set up on the heels of the intriguing news I received yesterday (re: Dark Matter) has been pushed to Friday afternoon.  Welcome to Hollywood.  It's still quite early in the game but, if this piece falls into place, it'll be a enormous coup for the project.

Speaking of projects, I got together with Ivon Bartok today to talk about the trailer for our horror movie.  We discussed the narrative structure its (we want to tell the story in under two minutes) and its production demands and costs (we want to tell the story in under two minutes without having it cost us a lot of money).  I think we have a pretty solid plan of attack.  Over the next few days, I'll be working on fine-tuning the mini script.  Ivon, meanwhile, sent me some terrific samples of the type of visuals we could use for the trailer.  Creepy and incredibly effective.

"Hansamu" as the Japanese would say. Apparently, he wasn't allowed to wear his Lucchese cowboy boots under penalty of death.

When, in a recent email, Alexander casually mentioned he'd bought a suit, I, naturally, refused to believe him.  After all, this was a guy who, I've long suspected, was actually born in jeans and a t-shirt.  Him in a suit?  No way.  I asked for proof.  So he sent me the above pic.  Hunh. He DID buy a suit.  But why?  My guess is parole board hearing.

Akemi was busy in the kitchen yesterday trying out a new recipe…

Whipping egg whites and sugar syrup.

Making the shells. She elected to go pink(ish).

Baking the shells, then letting them cool.

Sandwich the chocolate buttercream and voila!

One of the interesting things I just learned about the macaron-making process is that you should allow the macarons to rest for 24 hours before serving.  I sampled them freshly made and, while tasty, they were far too chewy.  The shells lacked that diaphanous crispness characteristic of a truly great macaron (They, in fact, possessed the exact textural failings of the macarons Thierry Busset sells at his shop on Alberni).  The next day, however, they were perfect – crisp, airy and delicious.

Today's entry is dedicated to Kathode.  Congrats on the engagement!

And, oh yeah, that first sneak peek of Dark Matter #2 I promised you…

You can check out more of the Dark Matter #3 preview, in addition to sneak peeks at other comic book titles, here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/

Tagged: Battlepug, Dark Horse, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse Comics Presents, Dark Matter, Dark Matter #3, Ghost, macarons