Month: May 2005

Thanks Michael

Writer guy

Thank you Michael Jackson for resting his case without presenting a shred of defense. At last a move that expedites the trial of the week. Oh, what a trial it has been.

Bold maneuvers at this level are a gamble. With a solitary gesture his defense said to the jury: not only did the prosecution not prove the case, recognizing any claim they made isn’t worth our time, because they are all big fat lying doodie heads.

On the plus side, the jurors aren’t bogged down further with the ordeal, and see the end is in sight. That may lead towards more favorable sentiments towards Micheal. However, much communication comes down to tone and body language. If the maneuver appeared arrogant given the evidence, resting without a defense can enrage both the judge and the jury. Given the length of the prosecution’s presentation, taking a chance like this seems foolhardy. Perhaps his play, right out of Martha Stewart cookbook, might draw similar results. Well don’t worry Michael, Martha only got six months in Camp Cupcake.

If found guilty, there’s a special place for Michael. Very special. It’s called general population in the California State Penitentiary system. Only the best 2.3 percent of the population can call it home.

You can call it Neverland.

Oops, I missed it again.

Writer guy

With the change of the seasons, so goes my scheduling abilities. Lately, either there’s 30 seconds left till midnight, or it’s 1AM and the blog is already past due. Ack. Deadlines are suggestions. Certain deadlines, at least.

For instance, I know of a library in Maryland that is short one title. I know this because I borrowed said book in 1995 and just unpacked it today. Perhaps there’s a warrant for my arrest in this matter. This talk of broken deadlines brings me to my writing situation.

Tis true, the eternal struggle with Velocity continues. I never dreamed I might write at such a tepid pace. Net for a productive week: 5-7 pages. To some authors that’s barely a days work. Stephen King espouses the 4 page a day plan. A nice goal that’s way in the distance. If I write 4 pages in a day, 3 go in the garbage and the remainder lingers in revision hell. There’s just no forcing more content out. Maybe the next book will be different. Or so I pray.

The new short story is coming very soon. Just waiting for it to arrive in the mail. Why mail a story I wrote to myself? A good question. For the answer read tomorrow’s entry.

Revenge of the Sith

Writer guy

Darkness, pain and suffering – a tale of one man’s descent into hell in exchange for absolute power – such is the tale George Lucas promises and such is the experience he delivers.

A fan’s film, there’s so much eye candy I’m diabetic. In this instance not a problem. Since the film is hard to describe without spoilers, I’ll state it simply. Believe the hype. Believe the excitement. Believe in the Force.

The dialog and acting is soap opera grade, maybe a bit less, but that doesn’t matter. Star Wars is more than the story and toys. It’s an outlook. It’s a lesson in karma.

What works about Episode III:

1) Big questions about the characters and series are answered, some with eloquence, some with stunts and some with rocking fight sequences.

2) The effects are beyond cutting edge. Repeatedly, I caught myself thinking – Episode III pushes the envelope of cool visuals. That and the teenagers sitting near me are fighting with full size light sabers.

3) Unlike the Episode I and II, there’s no lag and the story always moves forward.

What needs improvement:

1)At the moment of truth, I expected the Emperor would demonstrate some amazing power unseen at any other time in the series and sway Anakin. We got a display of amazing skill, I just wanted more. Really the only glitch of the whole film and a forgivable one.

Verdict: Full price theater for fans. DVDs for fans. Cable for fans. Video for fans. Not a Star Wars fan? Consider this film anyway.

So much so much so much!

Writer guy

It can’t be Tuesday. That’s just simply impossible. I blinked twice on Monday morning and the day was over. And I forgot to blog. Ouch.

Here’s the haps at 30,000 feet:
1) Buddhapuss Books – built an automated repricing tool to stay on top of prices and listings. Coding that much sucked the life out of me for a few days but if sales stay consistent, the time invested was worthwhile.
2) A cool question arrived for Buddhapuss yesterday. The cat will try and answer on Wednesday or Thursday.
3) Writing. Very slow the past 2 days due to BB business. Got a new short story in the can that I’ll post in a few days, next week at the latest.
4) Movies reviews. There’s not been a one since Hitch. This has less to do with my viewing habits, I still go often, and everything to do with the fact that few grabbed my interest. Mostly, they sucked and rather than trash talk a few hundred million dollars of celluloid, I’ve waited for the right film to jump back in. I have tickets to the Thursday morning 12:01 AM showing of Episode III. Certainly that will inspire a review.