Tad Williams's Blog, page 35
November 6, 2011
Tailchaser's Song Animated Feature
ANIMETROPOLIS PARTNERS WITH IDA FOR CG-ANIMATED FEATURE ADAPTATION OF TAILCHASER'S SONG
FILM BASED ON THE BELOVED BEST-SELLING FANTASY NOVEL BY AUTHOR TAD WILLIAMS NOW IN PRE-PRODUCTION
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011 — AT AFM IN SANTA MONICA, CA — Animetropolis is pleased to announce that it has engaged IDA (International Digital Artists) as production partner and lead animation unit for its highly anticipated debut film, the CG-animated feature adaptation of TAILCHASER'S SONG, the acclaimed best-selling fantasy novel by author Tad Williams.
Earlier this year, IDA became the first Japanese studio ever nominated for a U.S.VES (Visual Effects Society) Award for animation, recognized in the "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short" category for their ground- breaking CAT SHIT ONE*, which chronicles an intense hostage rescue mission by an intrepid (and adorable) pair of bunny rabbit commandos.
"We are thrilled and honored to be teaming up with IDA," said Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, producer and Animetropolis partner. "We searched long and hard to find the perfect animation studio partner for this project, and IDA couldn't be a more ideal fit to fulfill our vision of producing a high-quality, family-friendly, CG-animated independent film as our first project."
"The quality of CG animal character animation that IDA achieved in CAT SHIT ONE made our entire industry take notice, and demonstrated how ideally suited they are for this project," commented Samantha Inoue-Harte, producer and Animetropolis partner. "We're very excited to work with them to bring Tad Williams' beloved characters and story to life on the big screen."
"'We will do our best to produce a great animation by utilizing the techniques and creativity Japanese artists have built up through history from cel animation to CG animation," added Junya Okabe, producer and President of IDA.
Animetropolis partners Paul Alvarado-Dykstra and Samantha Inoue-Harte are producing with Junya Okabe, President of IDA, in association with Fire Duck principals Chris Rydo and Bethany Rhoades, co-writers of the screenplay. Author Tad Williams is creative consultant on the film.
*Trailer for CAT SHIT ONE
June 20, 2011
The Dirty Streets of Heaven
19 June 2011
I love having intelligent readers. What a gift.
Happy Day of Fatherhood. Remember, real men do their share. Thanks, dads.
Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, teach Wood Shop. Those who can't teach Wood Shop and also growl and bite before noon become writers. (Hint: Don't be the one who wakes me up unless you have a long stick.)
18 June 2011
17 June 2011
Two pieces of news. Finished the first draft of the first Bobby Dollar book, and then instead of celebrating with a nap had to rush smallest canine off to the emergency vets to deal with a torn dewclaw, blood, and heart-rending squeals of alarm. Three hundred and seventy dollars later he is wearing a bandage halfway up his leg and being cuddled by Girl. Life comes in all shapes. Many of them are expensive.
Truer words were ne'er spoke. By the lovely and talented David Malki.
» The Tinkerer's Handbook, Page 8 (of 8)
wondermark.com
Check out this Wondermark comic!
16 June 2011
Everyone needs this.
Birds With Arms
www.iywib.com
Birds with arms is exactly what it sounds like. It is a picture of a bird or birds with arms, hands, clothes and other human-like features.
Getting down to the final scenes in the Bobby Dollar first draft. I'm leaning toward saving "Sleeping Late on Judgement Day" for the third volume and calling this one "The Dirty Streets of Heaven."
The sliver of time between the end of everybody else's day and the end of my own is a blessing of quiet.
15 June 2011
For every idiot who makes me despair of humanity, there seems to be someone like this guy who makes me like us again.
Ben Wilson Makes Art Out of Chewing Gum on London Sidewalks
www10.nytimes.com
The artist Ben Wilson has a peculiar passion: he paints pictures on flattened blobs of chewing gum on London's sidewalks.
14 June 2011
God only made one Rosetta Tharpe.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Up Above My Head
www.youtube.com
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Up Above My Head (I hear music in the air) unknown performance date (appox. around the 1960's) on the show TV Gospel Time...
Just...wow.
APOD: 2011 June 13 - Views from Cassini at Saturn
apod.nasa.gov
This is important! Timely! Actually, it isn't, but I enjoyed it anyway. Like most American kids of my era, I was raised on a strict diet of Schulz. And thank God for that.
mental_floss Blog » 10 Peanuts Characters You've Probably Forgotten
www.mentalfloss.com
Everything you need to feel smart again.
13 June 2011
Congrats to the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks and their fans. For once, I actually called the winner before the playoffs. Didn't bet money on it, though. Wish I had, now that I think of it.
12 June 2011
Phrankie's Philosophy: Sunbathe until it hurts.
A rebuttal to my previous post:
The turtle wondered why he and the lizard have been living in the garage for a month. I told them, "It's because we're hiding you from a repressive regime that would relocate you to a holding pen somewhere in Michigan." He looked at me with, I thought, a certain skepticism. "Yeah, like you could prove citizenship," I said. "Now, here's the code I'll knock when I bring mealworms."
June 11, 2011
Thank You, Great Spirit, For Ice Cream.
9 June 2011
The gardeners are trying to make the outside of the house look more handsome (and sellable.) The dogs are in a fury at this insult to their turf. Howls and barks are hurled. The pack is in full, ear-burning cry. I don't think even a flying visit from Jimmy Carter would calm this powder keg. I hope none of these gardeners is really a cat in disguise or it may be World War Three.
8 June 2011
Well, it's a relief to know that when I get time to write I can still do it. But poor Bobby Dollar, angel without portfolio, is in a lot of trouble. I wouldn't want to be one of my characters when I'm in a bad mood. My divorce earned Simon Mooncalf about three months on the wheel of torment.
No offense, but I'm just writing this to test whether I shook all the toast crumbs out of my keyboard.
As you can tell from my profile pictures, I'm trying to go positive this week. I figure if I look real cheerful and grateful the gods won't want to pound on me.
7 June 2011
If I was a Spice Girl, I'd be Old Spice.
6 June 2011
Hard working but productive day in every way except the way I'm supposed to earn a living. But it turned out as a lot of family time, which was a definite plus. You haven't really lived until you've painted cactuses with your kid for the Arizona float she's making for her school Parade of the States. (Or anything similar.) Man, it's sheer breeder propaganda. The little monster cracks me right the hell up.
5 June 2011
I know many things. I know that Madgascar is not just our 38th state, it is also a disease. I know that cats don't have kidneys. And that L. Frank Baum originally wrote The Wizard of Oz in braille, but it wasn't published for many years because he wasn't blind so he couldn't read it. I know all these things because I rub my head against the internet. It feels good.
3 June 2011
Open house for us and local town barbecue both cancelled tomorrow — the weather is officially crap for any time of the year, let alone June. I blame Socialism!
Another good one from David Thorne.
Opinions are like nipples. Everybody has one.
www.27bslash6.com
Some have firm points, others are barely discernible through layers, and some are displayed at every opportunity regardless of whether the audience has stated "I am interested in your nipples" or not. Cats have nineteen.
Thank you, Great Spirit, for ice cream.
2 June 2011
Just to keep things lively, somebody defrauded our bank account for a five-figure sum. Okay, Fate! Enough reminders. Already humble.
What happens when the Toy Safety Department is underfunded.
1 June 2011
Perfect.
Report: Economy Failing Because U.S. Built On Ancient Indian Burial Grounds
www.theonion.com
In The Know panelists discuss a new congressional report linking all of America's problems to the fact that our entire nation was built on top of Native American graves.
I don't know what to say. The internet eats its own tail. When the universe ends, Cute will still remain. Enjoy the ride.
Animals Dressed as Other Animals
animalsdressedasotheranimals.tumblr.com
Basically, animals dressed as other animals.
My Old Odyssey
31 May 2011
Even the dogs, beset by house-sale events, are building themselves defensive forts.
A FB friend asked for the original English:
'...from "the burning man". german translation is "Weil Liebe nicht berechnend ist sondern entscheidungen trifft und sich rückhaltslos daran hält." — something like "because you can't calculate love, but it makes descion and holds on to it without regard." End of the story before the last paragraph.'
All my books are packed. Anyone have the original close to hand?
Answered by Chris Hansen
"... Because I feared to build something on blood that should have been founded on something better, I suppose. Because love does not do sums, but instead makes choices, and then gives its all."
Thanks, Mi. Especially interesting are the waterfalls going UP...
Giant waterspout 'tornado' caught on camera off Australia
www.youtube.com
Dramatic footage filmed from a helicopter by Australian broadcaster Channel 7 shows a series of powerful waterspouts near the coastal suburb of Terrigal...
We have been given the order: potential buyers coming. We must take to the lifeboats soon and leave only a ghost ship for viewing.
My old Odyssey was pretty pathetic even before Deb scraped a brick wall, but with dogs, kids, and the ongoing collapse of the publishing industry I keep driving it. Family in car, I had a slight argument with another driver in a parking lot, and as the other guy drives away he says, "Later, a@@hole. Nice minivan!" Still makes me laugh. I should have said, "One day you'll be me, you poor bastard!"
30 May 2011
Okay, I don't have to leave the house for realtors, I don't have to fly away to another city, I'm not deathly ill. What is it I'm supposed to be doing? Because I think I could do it today.
This is grand.
Probably a little too disturbing for younger friendlies.
Salad Fingers 9: Letter
www.youtube.com
The 9th episode of Salad Fingers and the first for 3 years. Salad Fingers receives a letter from the great war.
I'm back. Everybody is here except son, who is on school trip to Washington. Dogs sniffed me briefly and went back to sleep. People in Houston were excellent nice. I had good. Now sleep.
29 May 2011
Posted by Deb:
Tad's at Comicpalooza, doin the do for the Tailchaser film, and somehow our son has locked FB access from Tad's computer, so that Tad can only post on Boy's page. Tad is coming back tonight but round about now Boy is landing in Washington DC (with his school.) We haven't figured out the unlock. Hmm.
May 29, 2011
I Sing The Body Eclectic
28 May 2011
Posted by Deb:
From Tad: I'm at Comicpalooza in Houston where we have just announced TAILCHASER, an animated film, to be designed and produced by Animetropolis. Yay!
27 May 2011
Made me laugh.
Withnail and I vs Star Wars. Utterly brilliant
www.popbitch.com
Withnail and I vs Star Wars. Utterly brilliant
26 May 2011
Some of these are boringly on-the-nose in their idea, but many are very clever and some are gorgeous art.
Gallery
makeyourfranklin.com
I have a new title for myself. I am "The Funniest Monkey of Banana Lagoon." Don't ask me what it means. I'm just the recipient.
25 May 2011
I will be making an appearance (or several) at Comicpalooza in Houston, Tejas this weekend. Any friends or other non-creditors in the area please feel free to stop by and say hello. More about C-palooza and my reasons for being there later. Sorry for the late notice. Hope to see you!
I sing the body eclectic: most of it works again. I think the virus has finally sued for peace.
24 May 2011
I wear an invisible cone. I cannot bite the bits of me I shouldn't, no matter the provocation or itch. Woof, damn it. Just...woof.
I just realized I was born a generation too early. I'm not a true writer, I'm a telemorphic composer and they haven't invented my instrument(s) yet. Ah, well. Vivaldi would have probably liked the electric guitar, too.
S'cool. We look out for ourselves, thanks.
The best part is that he's learned to look casual and natural, like he's just another customer.
23 May 2011
Found out our 3:15 appointment of someone to see the house had been changed to 1:15 — at 1:14. It was like a bad movie, except instead of just the milkman running out the backdoor with his clothes, it was Deb, our assistant Dena, and me all carrying dogs and laptops and dirty towels while the realtor and a nice-looking couple looked on, bemused.
I was just outside, having to stand with my back against the wintery wind, and I wondered, "if our For Sale sign by the road blows over and causes a horrible accident that makes the papers, does that improve or hinder the chances of a good sale?" Yes, it's come to this.
22 May 2011
I won't bore you with weird illness stories, but I don't have much else to relate. We're vacating the house again for open house. I'll have more interesting things to say later. My brain is halvah. And not even very good halvah.
The dreaded whatever-it-is came back with a vengeance today so I just slept when I could. My parents kindly let us descend on them with dogs and children while the open house was on. They didn't see much of me, even so.
The Furniture Is No Longer Under My Command
21 May 2011
This whole hectic/hellish sequence of life is beginning to seem familiar enough that I even occasionally enjoy it. About six or seven seconds worth every twenty-four hours.
20 May 2011
Being ill, even a transitory illness like a virus, is a good reminder of how much I take for granted. When I'm well but don't have anything to do I can always think about creative stuff — no such thing as boredom — but when I'm feeling really badly even that's gone.
Forty-eight miserable hours, stomach flu, power outage, everything packed and inaccessible, even flashlights and candles and non-electric phone. Sorry to those whose birthdays I missed — if you want a make-up, drop me a note and I'll be happy to post a belated.
19 May 2011
My life at the moment is not vastly different from Tom Disch's "Squirrel Cage" star, the tubeworm. Up, up, uppity up. The top. Down, downy-down, down. The bottom. (Not in the depression sense, but in the can't sit down sense. Just thought I should make that clear. Not depressed. Bone weary. But okay.)
18 May 2011
Our house is suddenly someone else's house. Not because we've sold it already, but because it's staged with furniture that isn't ours, nice but fairly anonymous stuff compared to our family's creative squalor. Anyway, now everything I rearrange seems to glare at me for disturbing its bovine equilibrium. The furniture is no longer under my command.
17 May 2011
I've been offline the last couple of days while we've been cleaning, clearing, and staging our house. I'm back. Did you miss me? (Lie to me.)
15 May 2011
A sudden rainstorm has blown in. Skinny cat has taken shelter in my lap. I inform him that we're all passengers together in this leaky boat. He is not impressed by this observation, and lets me know by carefully inserting the first millimeter of his claws into my leg.
14 May 2011
Self-Defeating Villains "R" Us — introduction of the bad guy in a vintage Herculoids episode I just stumbled across:
"We are from the future! All of you from the past must be eliminated!"
May 14, 2011
Upside Down In The River
13 May 2011
Four hours of sleep. Dismantling the house. Sick cats to house somewhere. Whee!
12 May 2011
Even the fish wants to know what the hell is going on around here.
If Greece is the Cradle of Democracy, then America is the Cradle of Grease. All our greatest contributions to the world are bathed in oily substances. The Age of the Automobile, petroleum made into power, Fried Foods, mass-produced in glorious fatty quantities, and American Democracy, in which entire deliberative chambers full of well-greased palms are raised in praise of the Lord.
11 May 2011
Just finished watching Toy Story 3 with the kids. (They'd already seen it.) I must be the only person who hadn't seen it by now. Anyway, raised an obvious question: is it the best third movie in a franchise ever? I can't think of another series offhand that got past number two without a serious drop in quality of story.
Moving sucks. That's my entire philosophy on the subject. Subtle, I know, but that's the kind of mind you're dealing with here.
9 May 2011
I was chatting with the neighborhood cat and suddenly realized that (not counting the n. c. and several raccoons I feed) we have nine pets. Nine! We went off the tracks there somewhere. It is no wonder that I am old beyond my years and crispy as a tortilla someone forgot to take out of the oven.
I just found an old pair of glasses. My eyes are exactly one half a nose-bridge worse than ten years ago.
8 May 2011
Also a shout-out to my other mom, my mother-in-law, who except for occasionally getting crazy drunk and throwing things at the neighbors is about as good as I could ask for, too. Thanks, Mama Hazel!
(Okay, the drunk and throwing things part isn't really true. We hide the liquor.)
My mom isn't on Facebook, so she won't see this, but she's been just a wonderful mother. All the nurturing stuff, the love, plus funny and smart. Couldn't ask for more. Thanks, Mom. You're the best.
Well, it's pretty much official now, so I might as well mention it to my various friends I haven't had a chance to contact yet. We're moving house, from one side of the hills to the other, coming to harbor near Santa Cruz. There will be lots of fun and new coming out of it eventually, but at the moment it's kind of like being upside down in the river.
7 May 2011
via Sarah Snow. An amazing (and quite large) animal.
Biggest Great White Shark Caught, Released
news.nationalgeographic.com
A monster male named Apache hauled up off Mexico is the biggest great white shark yet caught, an expedition team reports.
6 May 2011
After a long and extremely stressful day I was sitting here idly scratching what I was beginning to think might be a mosquito bite on my leg, then I looked down and recognized the telltale shape of a poison ivy contact. I just got rid of one of those — took two weeks. Crap. I'm feeling very Charlie Brown at the moment.
5 May 2011
I stole the profile pic from one of my FB friends, but lost the info. Please feel free to claim the credit if it's you. Sorry and thanks.
I was drinking a Caffeine-Free Diet Coke tonight and I suddenly realized that it didn't taste like anything. I mean, it had a taste, but it bore no relation to any natural flavor I could name. It has been derived so far from a beverage based around a real thing in the real world that it's now like a decades-long game of Chinese whispers. Nobody remembers the point of the whole thing.
May 5, 2011
Before Any Clowns Appeared
4 May 2011
A friendly, positive image for the profile today. Except for the fact that George Reeves either committed suicide or was murdered. But let's forget that and concentrate on THE WIN!
Put the display on full screen. It's quite mesmerizing.
Gelatin cubes dropped onto solid surface High Speed Video 6200 fps
www.youtube.com
http://www.modernistcuisine.com/
2 May 2011
I was thinking about a lot of this stuff last night after I heard the news. Certainly it's hard to hide from the conclusion that elements of the Pakistani military/intelligence were hiding him.
News Desk: Notes on the Death of Osama Bin Laden
www.newyorker.com
No doubt there will be time to reflect more deeply about the news announced by President Obama last night. For now, I thought it might be useful to annotate some of the initial headlines. On where he was found:...
Life goes from simple to complicated very quickly, doesn't it?
1 May 2011
Possible Headline: OH, MAMA! OBAMA GOT OSAMA!
30 April 2011
My revolutionary economic idea: I think more people should come up to me and say, "Wow, you seem like a cool guy, here's some money and candy." Once again, though, I seem to be thinking too far outside the box. The price of genius, I guess.
I had a click tonight with a writing problem. Click is a good thing. Novel writing requires many, many of these, but this was one of those paradigm shifters, the sort of thing that just drops into a slot as though it was made to, then you suddenly see the whole thing differently. It's also a moment where you think, "Hey, maybe I know what I'm doing a little." That's the nice part. I enjoy it while it lasts.
29 April 2011
This is the photo my friend Rick was trying to send me. I'm still not sure what it is.
Had a long, weird dream about getting ditched at a creepy amusement park/gated community. Only good side: woke up before any clowns appeared.
28 April 2011
I have, like, eleven or twelve bosses. Half of them aren't even human. And I'm the only employee.
April 28, 2011
A Weird Spring
27 April 2011
I should have known this was going to be a weird spring when that big tree fell down and barely missed the house, except for a six foot branch that Van-Helsinged our back yard sofa.
26 April 2011
A day of much activity ahead. We shall see later on whether it generates more light or more heat.
25 April 2011
Juggling business and business and a few little bits of actual writing. I need a vacation. From time itself.
24 April 2011
via Rodney Neal Powell. Only listen to this guy if you're feeling very cheerful and can laugh off racists explaining why they're not racists, it's all the brown peoples' fault. If not, you'll just get depressed. Or you already agree with this bigoted horse@#$%.
Flashback: Sarah Palin Lovin' Tea Partier Delcares Teahad on Negras
www.politicususa.com
The next time a Tea Partier tells you they're not racist, introduce them to Grady Warren, who explains to the "negras" that the Tea Party isn't racist.
Happy Easter, especially to all my Eastering friends. Have a lovely day.
22 April 2011
Going to try to play some basketball for the first time in about twelve weeks. This year has really been hell on hoops.
21 April 2011
The irresistible meets the immovable.
Workers at British-owned factory in France on strike because bosses only speak English - mirror.co.uk
www.mirror.co.uk
THE entire workforce of a British-owned factory in France is taking strike action because managers only speak English.
And now I'm going to sink slowly into the west. Habit favors it, but it is not guaranteed that I'll wake up the same person.
20 April 2011
Comic book fans who remember the crazy superhero/Hostess ads of the seventies and eighties may enjoy this — the weirdest and most incoherent one of these I've ever seen. Don't bother trying to understand it — just try to figure out what these people were smoking when they wrote it.
Click image to enlarge.
Proof! We're doomed! Stop this scourge now!
The Scariest Gay Marriage Chart Ever
front.moveon.org
Oooohh...
Thanks for all the attention, my FB friends, but I have to limit my time online because of work, so I don't speak Poke, I don't do suggestions, or join groups (except in the rare instance, like my high school class, where it's to connect with old friends.) I'm not even able to answer all my messages just now. I'm always willing to answer questions here, however. Thanks for understanding.
I have phantom breasteses in my picture bar. They're no longer on the picture page, but somehow this bit of spammographic mammography refuses to be scourged from the picture bar.
19 April 2011
I can't believe I've never seen anyone else do this idea.
back of a webpage
backofawebpage.com
have you ever thought about what's on the back of a webpage? we have.
18 April 2011
I think an investigation is certainly in order. I know if the situation was reversed, my Republican friends would want one.
Tell AG Holder: Launch a federal investigation to ensure a fair Wisconsin election
act.credoaction.com
More than 24 hours after the Associated Press named JoAnne Kloppenburg winner of Wisconsin's Supreme Court race, Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus "found" 14,000 missing votes -- favoring her former boss, Justice David Prosser. Tell AG Holder that Wisconsin voters demand a federal investigation.
Not my best day ever. That's why the hairball picture.
April 18, 2011
His Name Is Clark
16 April 2011
Mu Shu DEATH.
Sky News: Pork glows blue in China home
www.skynews.com.au
via Lucius Shepard. Suspiciously convenient surprise election win? Or outright theft? I know what I think.
Prosser Wins Wisconsin Court Race
www.newsmax.com
We have just brought home a betta from the pet store. He is resident on my desk. His name is Clark, both because his red and blue colors look a bit like Superman's costume, and because of One Fish Two Fish by Dr. Seuss:
"Look what we found
in the park
in the dark.
We will take him home.
We will call him Clark.
"He will live at our house.
He will grow and grow.
Will our mother like this?
We don't know."
This is totally how life is at my house. I'm not kidding.
Cathy's House - Wonderful day
www.youtube.com
I miss Joe Strummer.
15 April 2011
via Marc Laidlaw. This is so cool. I love learning things.
Eyes of rock let chitons see predators
www.physorg.com
Using eyes made of a calcium carbonate crystal, a simple mollusk may have evolved enough vision to spot potential predators, scientists say
14 April 2011
It's a gorgeous day. Any doubt that weather like this affects mood should be quashed once and for all. I'm not particularly susceptible to such things, but today I feel like kissing people I don't know.
Some great images.
Twisted Typography: Barbed-Wire to Cigarette-Pack Fonts | WebUrbanist
weburbanist.com
Beyond the most basic fonts in your favorite word processor, there is an entire artistic movement pushing forward the quality and variety of typographic styles.
13 April 2011
"She's leaving now, 'cause I just heard the slamming of the door
The way I know I've heard it slam one hundred times before..."
Oh, Ruby, Ruby, how could you do it to the poor guy?
12 April 2011
Not only his hair is cheesy.
Trump: The Least Charitable Billionaire | The Smoking Gun
www.thesmokinggun.com
Well, anyone who wants an example of why you need an actual right fielder to play right field at AT&T park should be watching tonight's Giants game.
This is very interesting. I'm not being sarcastic, either.
Peter Thiel: We're in a Bubble and It's Not the Internet. It's Higher Education.
techcrunch.com
Fair warning: This article will piss off a lot of you. I can say that with confidence because it's about Peter Thiel. And Thiel - the PayPal co-founder, hedge fund manager and venture capitalist - not only has a special talent for making money, he has a special talent for making people furious.
For some reason I saved this Tweet and just found it. I'll share it now.
The hard part of writing for me is not writing, it's starting to write. Once I begin the rest tends to follow, but making myself start — feeling ready to plunge in, since I know I'll stay there for a while — is always a fight.
After several days full of interesting and even useful distractions, I'm itching to get back to Bobby Dollar and San Judas. I was out scouting locations today. It's so much fun to build a city largely from scratch in one's own backyard, I couldn't possibly tell you. Well, I could, but I'd rather show you.
