Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 72
November 26, 2023
November 26, 2023: Sharky Sunday!
He’s like a real live teddy bear.
Getting into the holiday spirit.
Coffee outing
A total momma’s boy
Sweet dreams
Started a new video series: Sharky Savors!
Sharky Savors roasted maitake mushroom…
Sharky Savors egg yolk…
Sharky Savors broccoli…
Sharky Savors short rib…
The post November 26, 2023: Sharky Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 25, 2023
November 25, 2023: What lies ahead!
Wow. Hard to believe that in ten short days, well be boarding a flight for Japan. It’s been five years since our last trip and we are looking forward to checking out our old haunts – Pizza Serinkan, Butagumi, Esquisse, the basement dessert floor of Ginza’s Mitsubishi – as well as all of the new places we’ll discover. I much prefer the flight from Vancouver as it’s shorter and the time difference not as great but, all the same, it will be great to return to my home away from home. The only drawback will be not having Sharky around. In the month+ we’ve had him, we’ve really grown to love the little guy and I know we’ll miss him, just as I’m sure he’ll miss us. Not too much I hope as he’ll be spending the two weeks with our amazing vet tech and accompanying her to work every day where he will, no doubt, become the clinic’s defacto mascot.
Things are slowing down considerably as we head into the year’s end. I’ve got that new pilot rewrite to hop on, a couple of scripts to review, a contract to close, and still awaiting notes on the comic book project that, alas, probably won’t be addressed until the new year as I have no intention of working while in Tokyo, Osaka, and Montreal. Meanwhile, my other two pilots are out and making the rounds. Everyone is in the post-Thanksgiving pre-Christmas holiday mode so I don’t expect to hear anything from them either, but I’m willing to be happily surprised. A fairly relaxed week ahead will include a zoom session with a friend who is now an executive at a horror studio, and a Friday lunch with another friend.
Goshdarnit! My Snow Monkeys are in danger of falling out of playoff contention in one of my fantasy football leagues, barely holding onto a playoff spot in another, and face elimination this week in my Guillotine League where only three teams remain from the initial nine that started the season. I’m going to need big games from Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, and Michael Pittman in addition to whoever I decide to play at RB2 be it Rachaad White, Kyren Williams, Jaylen Warren, Rhamondre Stevens, or Deandre Swift. But I suspect it will all come down to TJ Hockenson on Monday night.
So, how does this upcoming week look for all of you?
The post November 25, 2023: What lies ahead! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 24, 2023
November 24, 2023: The Crime Binge continues!
Outlaws (2021 – ) Season 1
Seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol.
My thoughts: Broad humors, cliche characters, and stock plotting.
DNF
Line of Duty (2012 – 2021) Season 6
AC-12 investigate DCI Jo Davidson’s apparent mishandling of the murder of an investigative journalist.
My thoughts: Not as strong as season 2-4 and the ending is a bit of a letdown, but still a superior crime show.
4/5
New Blood (2016)
The series follows junior investigators Stefan and Rash, who are brought together by a link between two seemingly unrelated cases.
My thoughts: The villains are arch, the direction clunky, and the humor mostly falls flat in this formulaic buddy-cop series.
DNF
Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)
A devout detective’s faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalism and their distrust in the government.
My thoughts: Would have made a good movie.
3/5
Mare of Easttown (2021)
A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.
My thoughts: Minor logic quibbles aside, it delivers superior character work, a great central mystery, and a rare surprise ending.
4/5
The post November 24, 2023: The Crime Binge continues! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 23, 2023
November 23, 2023: Recent Eats!
Black garlic ramen
Dim Sum: chicken feet, steamed pork buns, sticky rice, pan-fried turnip cakes
SOMA chocolates
Pan-fried soft shell crab
Hummus
Nduja-stuffed olives and fried chicken
Lemon meringue pie and foie gras sundae
The post November 23, 2023: Recent Eats! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 22, 2023
November 22, 2023: Amazing Covers!
A few that caught my eye this week…
Avengers Inc. #3 – cover art by Marc Aspinall
Immortal X-Men #17 – cover art by Phil Noto
Catwoman #59 – cover art by Tirso Cons
Green Lantern: War Journal #3 – cover art by Rahzzah
Harley Quinn: Black, White & Redder #5 – cover art by R.B. Warren Louw
Nightwing #108 – cover art by Mike Deodato Jr.
The Bone Orchard: Tenement #6 – cover art by Andrea Sorrentino
So, which were YOUR favorites?
The post November 22, 2023: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 21, 2023
November 21, 2023: This and That!
Akemi is trying to choose between the Pixel 8 Pro, the Pixel 8, or the Pixel 7 Pro. Which should she go with and why?
(Drea, my wife is counting on your keen insights on this one!)
Short list of stuff I'm going to try when I'm in Tokyo next month:
Spicy Miso Fried Chicken
Cheesy Matcha Frappuccino
Lacquer-black Cheesecake Ice Cream Bar
Häagen-Dazs Brûlée Brûlée Brûlé
Butter Pudding
Butter Frappuccino
Uji Matcha Cinnabon
Tomahawk Tonkatsu pic.twitter.com/jjXg9eQ9FP
— Joseph Mallozzi
(@BaronDestructo) November 21, 2023
I’m especially looking forward to that black lacquer cheesecake ice cream bar. Hopefully it’s still around in two weeks.
I'm doing my part for the environment by using those biodegradable dog poop bags my wife bought. You know, the ones that fall apart in your hands?
— Joseph Mallozzi
Also, those biodegradable straws that turn to mush after three sips and, it turns out, aren’t any better for the environment than their plastic counterparts.
If love the idea of eggnog more than I like actual eggnog. For some reason, I always expect it to be thicker and yolkier than it actually is. pic.twitter.com/jlhlWHG2a6
— Joseph Mallozzi
I want something more like the consistency of the Vietnamese egg creams (coffee, chocolate, and condensed milk) or the sabayon (beaten egg yolk and sugar) mom used to make for me when I was a kid.
SHOWBIZ TIP #37
Always assume everyone is lying to you even if there is no point in doing so or it works against their better interests. Consider it their default setting, and plan accordingly.
— Joseph Mallozzi
SHOWBIZ TIP #63
There will come a time when someone will take credit for your work. And this will not be the last time this happens.
— Joseph Mallozzi
More often than not this is not an insidious action but simply part of the business. In the writers’ room, for instance, a lot of the ideas you come up with will be contributions to someone else’s script. Hell, I remember one Atlantis episode where I came up with the idea for the story, all the act breaks, and every gag – before the script went to another writer. And then there are all the uncredited rewrites, occasionally page one full rewrites, that you do as part of your job as a showrunner.
The post November 21, 2023: This and That! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 20, 2023
November 20, 2023: The Crime Binge continues!
Comrade Detective (2017)
Detectives Gregor Anghel and Joseph Baciu investigate the murder of fellow officer Nikita Ionescu and, in the process, unravel a subversive plot to destroy their country that is fueled by the greatest enemy: Capitalism.
My thoughts: Like a one-gag sketch stretched out over hours.
DNF
Shetland (2013 – ) Season 1
A local police team investigate crimes within the close knit island community of Shetland.
My thoughts: Very well done so far as rustic rural mysteries go, but I guess I ‘m just not a fan of rustic rural mysteries.
3.5/5
The Thaw (2022 – ) Season 1
The body of a young woman is discovered in the icy river. The investigation is led by Zawieja for whom solving the case will be a fight for herself.
My thoughts: Dumb luck trumps incompetent police work in this Silence of the Lambs clone.
3/5
Sherwood (2022 – ) Season 1
Two shocking and unexpected murders shatter an already fractured community leading to one of the largest manhunts in British history.
My thoughts: Coincidences and contrivances mar the whole.
3/5
Unforgotten (2015- ) Season 5
Human remains are discovered in a newly renovated period property in West London. But is this a murder dating back to the 1930s or has the body been disposed of in more recent times?
My thoughts: Still a plotted show, but something is definitely missing this season…
4/5
The post November 20, 2023: The Crime Binge continues! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 19, 2023
November 19, 2023: Sharky Sunday!
Well, this boy is settling in nicely. So nicely, in fact, that I’m getting worried about our upcoming Japan trip. He’ll be staying with our vet tech for two weeks, but he is so attached to Akemi that I have to wonder how he’ll do. He’s a reluctant walker without her around and, when Akemi does her morning stretches, he sits on my lap and cries for her until she’s done. I don’t know. Hopefully he readjusts quickly and doesn’t think we’ve abandoned him (Something that is always in the back of my mind whenever I have to leave town).
To deal with Sharky’s separation anxiety, we’ve started to apply a lot of your great advice including his awesome new mansion which he seems to love.
The other day, he tried his first puppuccino…
Although mom wasn’t pleased with the consistency of his poop the next day.
He also sampled broccoli for the first – and possibly last time…
He much preferred fishies…
Sharky has proven himself surprisingly smart for a pug. He’s picked up “Sit” and “foosay!” (sic?), the Japanese equivalent of “crouch” or “down”…
Akemi is thrilled and is teaching him “Crawl” next. I’d love to teach him “Make dad a BLT!” but Akemi feels it’s too advanced at this point. We’ll see.
The post November 19, 2023: Sharky Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 18, 2023
November 18, 2023: Recent Yes/No’s! Best and Worst?
Brûlée Brûlée Brûlée? Yes/No
Trying Häagen-Dazs Japan’s Brûlée Brûlée Brûlée for a taste of, well, crème brûlée https://t.co/5B7lRQ5bkb via @RocketNews24En
— Joseph Mallozzi
Epics Melon Pancakes? Yes/No
Epic melon pancakes found at hidden cafe in Tokyo https://t.co/SS2n3w46iW via @RocketNews24En
— Joseph Mallozzi
Thanksgiving Pizza? Yes/No
Thanks to @tostitwo for the tip.
DiGiorno offers Thanksgiving pizza, packing traditional meal into frozen delight https://t.co/NhyfTDRhhU
— Joseph Mallozzi
Pickle-flavored ketchup? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/uisz3r8Drw
— Joseph Mallozzi
Very Greedy Creamy Matcha Frappuccino? Yes/No
Japanese city gets its very own Starbucks Frappuccino for a limited time https://t.co/v8ZJTlqjt1 via @RocketNews24En
— Joseph Mallozzi
Ganjang-Gejang (Raw marinated crab)? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/6pZTfNaugJ pic.twitter.com/QbOYOyw6YB
— Joseph Mallozzi
Pork Belly Donuts? Yes/No https://t.co/bykSYiwvPA
— Joseph Mallozzi
Panju? Yes/No
Panju: A Rare Japanese sweet you can buy from a food cart for less than 30 cents https://t.co/OqTvjWBPCK via @RocketNews24En
— Joseph Mallozzi
Cheesy Matcha Frappuccino? Yes/No
Do cheese and matcha go together? We find out with Starbucks Japan’s limited-time customisation https://t.co/ZcSCMIEO5h via @RocketNews24En
— Joseph Mallozzi
Giant Bacon Cookies? Yes/No
Giant bacon cookies appear at Japan’s Gulty bakery, but do they fill us with remorse?【Taste test】 https://t.co/c0BxztAhJ4 via @RocketNews24En
— Joseph Mallozzi
Best = Going with that raw marinated crab. I’m intrigued.
Worst = So over the bacon-themed desserts. Giant Bacon Cookies.
The post November 18, 2023: Recent Yes/No’s! Best and Worst? appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
November 17, 2023
November 17, 2023: Industry Advice!
SHOWBIZ TIP #112
Don't waste time developing a show that's too similar to current popular programming. Execs don't want another Space Monkey Patrol.
Don't waste time developing a show that's too different from current popular programming. Execs want the next Space Monkey Patrol.
— Joseph Mallozzi
SHOWBIZ TIP #89
Your pilot script should only exceed 60 pages if you feel it absolutely necessary for an executive to resent you while reading it.
— Joseph Mallozzi
SHOWBIZ TIP #16
Doing free development work is a great way to get your foot in the door to doing more free development work.
— Joseph Mallozzi
SHOWBIZ TIP #10
In addition to a great idea and passion for your project, I've found that there are two not oft-discussed keys to a successful pitch: surprise and humor.
Surprise them with an unexpected plot twist.
Make them laugh at least once.
Achieve both and you're golden.
— Joseph Mallozzi
The post November 17, 2023: Industry Advice! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
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