There's Nothing You Can Do...

Return of the Native, Part One

2009-10-24T12:54:00.007-04:00

Well, I'm back. After an eventful eight months, I have returned to blog occasionally about life and career developments. To say that 2009 has been a turbulent year for me personally is a massive understatement, as practically everything in my life has shifted underneath me without warning (seems to be kind of a global trend, huh?).
I don't want to go into specifics, so I'll just say this: never get too comfortable in life, because security is almost always an illusion.
Anyway, let's pick up where I left off: about to leave for the UK to film Cut. Arriving at Heathrow on a bleary, cold March morning, I am impressed by the filmmakers quiet confidence and "no worries" attitude, and hope it portends for good things to come.
Fortunately, I am correct, as rehearsals at Pinewood Studios and the BBC show that writer/director Dominic Burns and producer Simon Phillips have both connections and balls aplenty. Amazingly, the cast has all their lines down pretty pat, and the film starts to gel immediately. Everyone makes huge strides even in the course of a single day, and by the end of the rehearsal period, cast and crew are all dead chuffed (English slang for pumped up).
Off to Leek (about three hours outside of London and one hour south of Manchester) for blocking rehearsals and shooting. The cast and crew are comfortably ensconced in a cozy farmhouse, with other smaller buildings creating a snug, yet somewhat claustrophobic compound. After only one day of blocking rehearsals, we decide to attempt a Steadicam run through, expecting to stop/start incessantly throughout the process. To our amazement (and probably due to the cast's extensive theater background), we nearly complete an entire take without cutting the camera. Emboldened, we decide that although we have planned for safety cuts, the cohesive cast, combined with the dazzling technical expertise of Steadicam operator Dominic Jackson and crew, have convinced us of the possibility of achieving cinema's Holy Grail: an entire film- with special effects, costume changes, etc.- shot in one take.

Part Two: Shooting Begins

Off to England (To Freeze My Butt Off)

2009-02-26T08:49:00.004-05:00

So it's back to the UK for me for the 5th-21st of March.I will be in London until the morning of the 12th, when the cast and crew of the new film Cut pack up and head for the middle of nowhere, AKA Leek, England (pictured here). Leek is a small village about an hour from Manchester and is ideal for the production, as it is mere minutes from the location. You can take a look at Leek here.

I am quite excited about the film. Although on the surface it seems to be a fairly typical killer-picking-off-five-people-in-a-secluded-cabin genre film,the way in which it is being filmed really intrigues me: after a five minute flashback opening that explains (mostly) a key event from the past, the film takes place in real time and is filmed IN A SINGLE SHOT. That's right, about 77 minutes of the film will be in one take.

How do we do it? First, we rehearse it like a play for a couple of weeks, then two days of rehearsal with the Steadicam operators, then three nights of 77 minute takes. Of course, there are several safety cuts (cuts that are invisible to the viewer) like a scene in which the killer shuts off the power, causing the screen to go black, that allow us to stop and restart from that point if the first half went well. For the most part, however, we're going to try to get it in one. Pretty cool,huh?

Two things I am dreading: shooting entirely at night and the damp, bone-chilling cold. Although the night shooting itself is only a few days, the level of concentration needed for the long takes will be intense. As for the cold, there is something about English forests (particularly at night) that just make me shudder even when they are warm. Anyway, here goes!

LA Is Chirping Too

2009-01-06T18:38:00.010-05:00

Chirp is now playing in Los Angeles at the Sunset 5 at least through the 8th of January. This should be the film's swan song in theaters before it hits video stores in a few weeks. Here's the terrific, fair review from Variety:

Artistic aspirations and romantic entanglements stalk the East Village streets in tyro helmer Jonathan Blitstein's goofily engaging Gotham comedy, "Let Them Chirp Awhile." Fresh out of NYU film school, Blitstein films what he knows: His tale of a young filmmaker's writer's block gleefully incorporates all manner of antic styles, from Mack Sennett-style double-takes to Felliniesque black-and-white pantomime. That Blitstein pulls off this tiredly self-reflexive conceit with relative panache is due in no small part to the scruffy grace of leads Justin Rice and indie fixture Brendon Sexton III. Opening Dec. 5 in New York, "Chirp" may roost awhile.

Bobby (Rice), attempting to write his first screenplay, lives largely inside his own mind. When not engaging in stream-of-consciousness voiceover to vent his doubts and frustrations, or getting sidetracked by infinite irrelevancies and false starts, he lies about his progress while casually hooking up with current g.f. Dara (Laura Breckenridge), a college frosh some seven years his junior, or hanging out with lifelong best bud Scott (Sexton).

Unlike the idealistic Bobby, Scott always waffles between two extremes -- his day job as corporate marketer and his nighttime work as rock musician wannabe -- and similarly wavers between Michelle (Pepper Binkley), his live-in girlfriend of four years, and Ariel (Amy Chow), his Korean mistress of four months. Most tellingly, Scott's moral compass falls somewhere between Bobby's upright humanism and the cynical egomania of Bobby's nemesis, successful playwright Hart (Zach Galligan).

Encroaching on Neil LaBute/Woody Allen territory with a callowness that almost proves charming, Blitstein maintains an absurdist distance from his characters' hangups that sometimes turns literal, such as when the camera follows a couple's argument from blocks away. At the same time, an "Umberto D"-like subplot, wherein Bobby loses the Jack Russell terrier entrusted to his reluctant care by an ex-girlfriend, occasions pic's most parodic, over-the-top closeup reactions of panic and desperation .

But Blitstein's lead actors consistently translate awkward self-consciousness into effortlessly executed soft-shoe. Rice brings a boyish ingenuousness to his role that disarms all comers, and his interactions with Sexton, a past master at self-sabotage of every stripe, transform potentially awkward exchanges into seamless setpieces.

This perfectly modulated control of tone rarely extends much further than the tete-a-tetes where these two thesps hold sway, however. The difficulty Bobby expresses in relating to the world outside his head also plagues his creator. Thus, although a pretentious 9/11-set play by the ever-opportunistic Hart is wonderfully awful, Bobby's shushed expressions of shocked disbelief seem forced, as does the gushing audience's inane praise.

Tech credits are a cut above most location-shot no-budgeters, Blitstein having opted to shoot in 35mm.

Finally New Yorkers Can Chirp Awhile

2008-10-29T19:47:00.003-04:00

Yes, folks, the long awaited premiere of Let Them Chirp Awhile, the neat little indie I did in 2006 with Brendan Sexton III, Justin Rice (pictured above), Laura Breckinridge, Pepper Binkley, and Anthony Rapp, opens December 5th for a two week run at the Cinema Village Theater at 22 East 12th St. in beautiful Greenwich Village. Needless to say, all of us involved with the film are thrilled it's getting a theatrical release, given the moribund state of the independent film market and the economy in general. And for those of you non-New Yorkers who wish to see this little gem, it's already available for queueing over at Netflix. Enjoy!

BT Ad Followup

2008-09-11T13:56:00.003-04:00

Matthew Delieu was the Gremlins consultant on the BT ad and came to the project as a huge fan and supporter. This is a note he sent me a couple days ago:

"I really respected what the movies did for cinema and I thought both Chris Walas and Rick Baker created some of the best movie creatures ever. Dante's direction was perfect.....

When I worked on the ad I had to provide as much advice and material to help them create the Gremlins on a really tight schedule. Next to the worlds most famous prop owner, Bob Burns, I own a pretty large collection of original Gremlins props.

They borrowed my Gremlin puppet from the first movie and all my paperwork and puppet designs and blueprints and throughout the design stage asked me to comment on the look. They pulled off a miracle. This was effectively a mini sequel.

The special effects team worked day and night to produce around 20 puppets to interact with Peter Jones during the ad. Peter was a natural at acting and everybody got on really well with him, a true professional. His image has done wonders for BT, so lucky them.

Vince Abbott worked hard to produce some of the puppet mechanics such as the ear mechanisms. Vince and I got to operate Gremlins on the set and became good friends. Vince was no stranger to puppets, having worked on the Muppets Treasure Island and helping to bring the Gremlins to life on camera. We puppeteered together like two kids who had found their Dad's gun. It was just like being on the set of the original movie. Seeing a Gremlin operated by a professional, face to face, is something very rare. These things came to life.....Imagine being an Elvis fan and then getting to sing with him. Well, thats close to how I felt.

A lot of people saw the ad as the official return of the Gremlins, looks like somebody definitely fed Gizmo after midnight this time..........

So what can I tell you......Gremlins are back.......and hopefully, they are here to stay.

Im proud to have been involved in the return of the Gremlins....and have one thing to say to anyone wondering what will be next.......WATCH THIS SPACE."

Matthew is a good guy, and as you can gather, excitable and enthusiastic. I'm not sure I'll break any major stories, but if I hear something, I'll be sure to post it.

British Telecom Spot

2008-09-02T19:54:00.004-04:00

People have been asking me lately if I've seen the BT spot that features gremlins. I have, and you can see it here.

People have also been asking if the tremendous response to the spot in the UK has in any way given momentum to future Gremlins projects, including a possible Gremlins 3.

The answer to that question is: in a way, yes. That's all I can say right now.

Additionally, a young man named Sacha Feiner has created one of the most astounding Gremlins clips ever. It really defies description, so if you're a fan, you can watch it here. But be sure to watch the jaw-dropping, hard-to-believe-but-true "Making Of" clip here. I guarantee you, you won't forget it.

And yes, I can tell you that the people responsible for Gremlins have seen it too, and are pretty darn impressed.

That is all.

Recovering from Burnout

2008-07-31T16:00:00.002-04:00

After writing twenty columns for IFC.com in May, I was completely spent. I had pretty much exhausted everything I wanted to say for at least a couple of months. So now, on the cusp of August, I am feeling a surge of renewed vigor. Before I begin with new posts, I want to post one of my favorites from May, which seems to become more relevant with each passing day:

Trapped in Cell Hell

I tremble as I begin to write this - not out of excitement, but out of rage - because even though the topic has been discussed to the point of exhaustion, the problem just seems to be getting exponentially worse. No, I am not talking about bedbugs (although they're pretty horrendous) or the Bush administration, but the plague that threatens to destroy us all as a civilization.

I'm talking about cell phones and the way they are used by - or inflicted upon, depending on your point of view - society at large.

Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Most people use cell phones in an extremely self absorbed, what-do-I-care-I'm-never-going-to-see-your-face-ever-again kind of way. It's all about THEM, without the slightest regard for anyone nearby. It's as if they're in a narcissistic bubble in which only their whims, desires and concerns exist. The level of ego displayed by cell phone braggarts (both male and female) continues to grow and astound.

Witness this simple case, that happened to me last week. My wife and I were in an ice cream store when a woman sat down - I am not exaggerating here - less than three feet away. I could reach over and grab the salt from her table with the slightest of efforts. She then proceeded to call a friend and for more than twenty minutes give her (my God, the poor friend) explicit details of her ovaries, mammograms, breast tenderness, you name it - all in a clear, ringing voice that would have made Barack Obama say "Wow, nice projection!" My wife and I stared at each other in shock, as this 40-something woman continued to spew her shockingly boring yet intimate conversation to any one who cared to listen, as if the gelato shop was her living room instead of a public place.

Cell phone morons come in all shapes and sizes. There's the Blowhard, the Wall Street business guy who shouts in your ear about deals, money and how crucial he is to the company while he's sitting behind you on the train. There's the Nervous Nellie, the senior citizen who needs to telephone her son every twenty minutes to give him updates about where she is ("We just passed Yaphank" - great, thanks for sharing!). There's the OhmyGod girl ("OhmyGod, you'll never believe what Chanel said last night!"), who will talk nonstop - listening simply isn't an option - a mere two seats away the entire three-hour bus trip.

I could rant all day, but you know what I'm talking about - you deal with it every day, too. So let's start with this basic, painful admission - most peoples lives (and believe me, I include myself in this one hundred percent) are SIMPLY NOT INTERESTING. AT ALL.
So the next time you pick up your beloved cell phone to make a quick (or not so quick) call, try these simple things: cover your mouth with your hand (as if you were telling a secret) and talk in a normal tone of voice. If the person on the phone can't hear you, simply repeat it again,only SLIGHTLY louder. Do not, as the rock band KISS would have you do, shout it out loud. If you are in an enclosed space with other people, say "I can't talk, I'll call you back." I guarantee you, the world will not end abruptly in a fiery cataclysm. And if you're in a coffee shop full of strangers and you get an important call, STEP OUTSIDE.

If we all followed those simple steps, life would be so much nicer, and maybe - just maybe - people would be just a teeny, tiny bit less angry, and wouldn't have to vent in long winded, repetitive blog posts.

I'd love to talk more, but I gotta go do a few errands, pay some bills and beat the crap out of someone. Later!

At Last...Let Them Chirp Awhile Trailer!!

2008-05-21T09:23:00.002-04:00

Finally, the trailer for LTCA is available here at IFC.com. Enjoy!

Booked for a Month

2008-05-14T17:54:00.003-04:00

This quick post is to let everyone know that I am blogging for the month of May over at IFC.com, along with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics and actresses Mena Suvari, Jena Malone and Lizzy Caplan among others. If you'd like to read my posts (20 in all ending on May 30th) , click here and enjoy.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T16:15:00.003-05:00

Lilacs for the wife, a screening of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - one of the most life-affirming, dazzling films I have ever seen, and must see again- and a quiet sushi dinner with a red velvet cupcake for dessert: that's the plan for today, here on the mythical island of Manhattan. Not bad for a crisp Thursday evening in the 21st century. I hope you are enjoying your day as much as I am!

Back from a Long Break: The Update

2008-01-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

Well, that was a nice 2 month hiatus. Plenty of news to share:

First up, I did the show 10 Great Reasons, an eight-part series paying tribute to musical guilty pleasures, debuting Feb. 19 on the Fuse channel and no doubt endlessly repeated forever (is that redundant? Not in this case). Good fun, though, and it will be interesting to see how closely it resembles VH1's I Love the 80"s in style and content.

Second, I will not comment on American politics since in so doing, one immediately alienates half the audience unnecessarily, and why would I want to do that?

Probably the best interview I've done in several years can be found here at the charming website Den of Geek.There is another audio one here at Deadpit.com, just scroll down on Past Shows and click on the link.

Phil Lesh and Friends

2007-11-29T11:12:00.000-05:00

Had a chance to catch a couple of Phil shows during his 10 show run at the Nokia Theater - the opening and closing nights, on Halloween and November 11th, to be precise - and I have to say I was quite impressed. Despite my love of metal and hard rock, I still carry a small torch for The Grateful Dead and their offshoots, and Phil and his ever changing lineup is clearly the best of the bunch.
First off, a few words about the venue: the Nokia Theater is one of the nicest, newest, cleanest, most user friendly venues in Manhattan, with crystal clear sound, multiple bars and snack stands, and comfortable seats in the rear of the theater. I had a terrific time, particularly the last night when I managed to snag a seat.
As for the music, the Halloween show was solid - a rousing Shakedown Street opener, a killer New Speedway Boogie, a thundering The Other One, and a whimsical Werewolves of London closer - but the final night contained the real gems: a Golden Road opener, the best Sugaree I have ever heard, a tasty acoustic set (Ripple, anyone?), and a third set that wove Dark Star, Morning Dew, Uncle Johns Band and Sugar Magnolia into a seamless whole, and left the audience of 2200 in THC- embellished wonder. In many ways, Phil and Friends is like a better rehearsed, more polished version of the Dead with significantly better vocals, which, in my book, is a beautiful thing. All I can say is...groovy.

Woodstock Film Festival News and Reviews

2007-10-16T09:46:00.000-04:00

Back from the festival, which was a lot of fun. Let Them Chirp Awhile got a really positive response, not only from the people who saw it, but from reviewers as well. You can read a nice review of the film here (be sure to scroll down to the end). Another reviewer, John Barry, who writes for the Poughkeepsie Journal (circulation 40,000), predicts future Oscar potential for director Jonathan Blitstein in his blog here.
It's difficult to describe the stunning landscape of the Hudson Valley. Rhinecliff, the site of the local train station, was jaw-droppingly beautiful when I picked up my equally beautiful wife on a glorious Friday afternoon. Woodstock was an explosion of green, red and gold; October in the Northeast is, quite simply, as good as it gets.
I saw two amazing films at the WFF as well. Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is so well crafted and powerful, and such an amazing story, I found myself thinking about it all weekend. It's a must-see, and one of the best films I've seen in the last five years. Surfwise, a documentary about the Paskowitz surfing family, is similar to Crumb, one of my all time favorite docs, in that it starts out being about one thing (a famous surfing family) and ends up being about something totally different (the shocking level of dysfunction within the family). Brilliant, unforgettable stuff. If you love movies, don't miss either of these gems.

"Let Them Chirp" News

2007-10-04T15:24:00.000-04:00

Let Them Chirp Awhile, a film I did last October, has been selected for the Woodstock and Fort Lauderdale Film Festivals. I will definitely be attending the Woodstock FF.

Four New Posts In One Day?

2007-09-06T15:05:00.000-04:00

How is that possible? Wait! Make it five! And let the scrolldownfest (is that even a word?) commence...

Can't Stay Away From The UK

2007-09-06T14:35:00.000-04:00

Completely excited about returning to England in October for a good friend's wedding in bucolic and sublime Gloucestershire, which hopefully has recovered from horrific flooding and retained most of its stunning splendor (see above). Speaking of stunning, I will be bringing along my wife for the trip, and you can be sure we will be sampling many of the local pubs and restaurants, as she and I are avowed foodies and can always be counted on to try the regional cuisine, no matter how dicey. We are also planning on squeezing in a side trip to London, one of my favorite cities ever, and sampling some of the pubs there (have you detected a theme yet?) before we clamber, bloated and bleary-eyed, aboard our return flight home.

To Do List: Rush 9/17/07

2007-09-06T13:59:00.000-04:00

Canada's finest power trio (no, not Triumph, for God's sake) saunters into the fabled Madison Square Garden in a couple weeks to regale us with tunes from their triumphant new Snakes and Arrows record, easily the best album they've put out since the halcyon days of 1982, when men wore mullets and "Tom Sawyer" was the defacto suburban national anthem. Drummer Neil Peart has bounced back, incredibly, from almost unspeakable loss to do some of his finest work and regain his slot as Best Rock Drummer Ever (that's right - ahead of Bonham, Moon, or anybody), Alex Lifeson is an axe wizard, and Geddy Lee is one of the most impossibly talented (not to mention coordinated) musicians ever, as he sings and plays bass and keyboards, oftentimes with different melodies, all at the same time. Shocking. To visit the bands website and hear their excellent new single,"Far Cry", feel free to click here.

Let the Obsession Begin!

2007-09-06T13:42:00.000-04:00

Football season begins tonight when the Colts battle the Saints at Indianapolis. Meanwhile, my beloved Seahawks take on the Bucs in Rainytown this Sunday(damn...still haven't been). I am predicting a 10-6 season for my Hawks in a surprisingly tough NFC West division. My squad tends to struggle early (even in 2005, when we were arguably the best team in football at 13-3, we started 2-2), so don't be surprised if they don't gel fully 'til Week 5 against the hated Steelers.

And on the seventh day, God rested...then, cracked open a cold one, leapt into the Barcalounger, and watched the Fox pregame with some newly created pals.

And it was good.

Beyond Absurd

2007-09-06T13:22:00.000-04:00

I usually don't post You Tube stuff, because it's kinda cheezy, and most of the stuff is just dumb. But this actual news report is so stupefying - and unintentionally hilarious -that you simply have to see it to believe it. That any organization would cover this story - even to be whimsical- tells you everything you need to know about the media.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8

My Bizarre Obsession

2007-07-27T10:42:00.000-04:00

By far one of the strangest things about me is my obsession with the Seattle Seahawks football team. Why is this strange? Well, for starters, I've never been to Seattle in my entire life. Not even once. Additionally, I am a rabid Yankee, Ranger and Knick fan, all local New York sports teams that I have loved since childhood. So why the Seahawks and not the Jets or Giants? Well, back in the late 70's, both teams were pretty bad, and alienated some New Yorkers by playing in New Jersey. So I looked around at other teams (being fifteen, I was tired of my teams losing) and picked the Seahawks for three reasons that, in retrospect, are completely ridiculous: they had a cool left handed (I'm a righty, so...huh?) quarterback named Jim Zorn who had a Z in his name, the star wide receiver (and future Hall of Famer), Steve Largent, was a slow, lumbering white guy (I could identify) who ran perfect routes and had phenomenal hands, and the head coach, Jack Patera, would run trick plays at literally any time of the game, making the team wildly unpredictable (translation: shockingly erratic) and ceaselessly entertaining. And, even more logic defying, they sucked worse than the two New York teams. So much for a fifteen year old brain's ability to reason... I now fully understand why the voting age is eighteen.
So here we are, twenty eight years later, and the Seahawks are actually quite good. Consequently, my obsession has not cooled, but rather has grown, like some kind of nefarious weed, some treacherous kudzu that threatens to engulf my sanity, and, on certain Sundays, even my marriage as well. I could talk about the Hawks forever, but training camp starts on Sunday, and I can't decide between the Seahawks toothbrush or the Seahawks chip clip...or should I get the football helmet Xmas tree lights instead? Sigh...decisions, decisions.

Live Earth 7/7/7: Weird and Mellow

2007-07-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

This was a strange gig, no doubt about it. Poorly promoted , there was literally no traffic on the way to Giants Stadium, and not a whole lot of buzz for a so-called "global event." Tickets were still available on Ebay and Craigslist in droves, so it can't really be judged a success, as far as being an awareness booster is concerned. The concert, however, was a lot of fun, with three standout performances: Dave Mathews Band (who I don't love, but who really brought it), Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters( who is always good, and who brought the flying pig from Animals [see above]), and the indefatigable Bon Jovi, who had the crowd in the palm of their New Jerseyish hand from the very first song to the closing, raucous chorus of "Livin' on a Prayer".
The Police were a disappointment, opening with Driven to Tears (with all their great tunes, they open with that one?) and closing with...well, OK, I was on the bus back to Manhattan by then, bored by Sting's jazzy "rearrangement" of previously untouchable songs. Note to legendary rock bands: don't mess with the classics. What's next, Robert Plant stepping to the mike, as thousands of rabid fans cheer the newly reformed Led Zeppelin (don't get excited, this is hypothetical), announcing somberly,"This is a song of hope...", as the band tears into a polka-tinged version of "Stairway"? Please, stop the madness.

To Do List: Live Earth 7/7/07

2007-07-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

You know if a concert this big is 20 minutes away from me, I'm gonna be there. So on Saturday, my wife and I (along with assorted friends) will be off to Giants Stadium to watch Al Gore (yes, he'll be there) and guests - most notably, Bon Jovi, Smashing Pumpkins, Dave Mathews Band and The Police - try to change the world, and, at the same time, provide a little entertainment to the masses. For a full look at the concerts and lineups, click here. I will be posting a recap a couple days after the show, so hopefully you'll check back in.

Steely Dan 5/21/07 At The Beacon

2007-06-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

As readers of this blog know, I am a big music fan, and attend several shows a year. Steely Dan has always been one of my favorite bands due to their acerbic lyrics and shocking level of professional polish. So I took my brother in law James Goldsmith to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members' show the day before he turned...er, the day before his birthday. We had a splendid, mellow time as we were regaled by a set list that featured much of my personal fave album Gaucho and almost all of the legendary Aja album. Front man Donald Fagan was in excellent voice, crooning and rocking at the piano like a white version of Ray Charles, as you can see in the excellent picture by Mick Hutson. Co-Dan founder Walter Becker noodled oodles of bluesy licks, and lead axeman Jon Herington smoked several razor sharp solos throughout the set, particularly on a rousing Kid Charlemagne and an almost feral Bodhisattva to close out the show. As usual with the Dan, all of the musicians were top shelf, but special mention goes to Keith Carlock, the second best drummer I have ever seen (behind Neil Peart of Rush, of course) . If you get a chance to see this band live, jump at it...unless you hate jazz, in which case run in the other direction.

Britain, Britain, Britain...Thank You.

2007-05-09T09:41:00.000-04:00

So here I sit, glumly staring at the copy of the Daily Mail that I nicked, er, borrowed from the lobby just before I left. Ah, England... the people, the places, the endless roundabouts, the cold lager, the sandwiches from Sainsburys - it all comes back to me like some wild, frenzied dream from a distant, far off corner of my imagination.
And yet it happened. A merry band of strangers, united by a passionate love of the fantastic, came together for four glorious, fun-filled days and brought the normally quiet town of Milton Keynes to its collective knees. OK, so I exaggerate...but only a little. To all the new friends I made, be they Brummie, Mancunian, or from the glorious capital, I will miss you. Be well and enjoy life.

Off to the UK

2007-05-01T17:32:00.000-04:00

I will be appearing at the 11th Annual Collectormania in Milton Keynes, England, from the 4th to the 7th, along with Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, Brandon Routh(Superman Returns), Avery Brooks(Deep Space Nine) and Charisma Carpenter from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Saturday night will be a party featuring Billy Boyd (from Lord of the Rings) and his band Beecraft. They are expecting large crowds this Bank Holiday weekend, so get there early, all you Brits reading this. Cheers, big ears!