Buzzing Blockbusters Day

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Thor (May 6)

'The film screened for a handful of critics recently, and the vibe seems to be positive, but not overly ecstatic. Based on what I’ve read, the Marvel universe moves into the cosmic realm with Thor, a burly slab of bombastic superhero entertainment that skitters just this side of kitschy to provide an introduction befitting the mighty god of thunder. It’s a noisy, universe-rattling spectacle full of sound and fury with a suitably epic design, and solid digital effects. The arrogant warrior Thor’s great conversion, central to the plot, is unrealistically lightning-quick and the movie’s dramatic arc falters amid the constant shifts between earthly and celestial realms. Neither the star pupil nor the dunce of the Marvel superhero-to-screen class, Thor's appeal may be limited primarily to fanboys.' -- Hollywood Reporter







Chances I'll see it (at this point): 40%

Factors: (1) First 2/3 of trailer looks really shitty, (2) First blockbuster of the summer, (3) If a friend will go along.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)

'Wow. This trailer actually looks... terrible. There is something off about it. Flat. Maybe it needed a director that can handle a big budget popcorn film... I just don't think Rob Marshall is it. And Depp looks tired of the character... it looks as if if he's just mimicing the character, not acting. I know it's just a trailer and obviously I am watching out of context. But that's just my initial impression. Very bureaucratic trailer. At least it doesn't look like a convoluted mess like the past two films.' -- slashfilm.com







CIsi(atp): 45%

Factors: (1) Trailer makes it look really tired, (2) Vague curiosity.

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X-Men: First Class (June 3)

'After an extended period of mounting negative buzz towards Twentieth Century Fox’s X-Men: First Class, director Matthew Vaughn and the studio were able to turn expectations around with an impressive X-Men: First Class official trailer. Coming back from two disappointing franchise installments in X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, producer Bryan Singer – the man responsible for the only two good X-Men movies – is under a lot of pressure to turn the series around. The studio is forcing him to put together the large-scale production under the most difficult of circumstances with an extremely rushed schedule to meet a June release date.' -- screenrant.com







CIsi(atp): 30%

Factors: (1) Not interested in 'the early days', (2) If a friend was excited to see it and wanted company, (3) A light lingering fondness for the first two movies despite it all.

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Super 8 (June 10)

'J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated blockbuster was originally conceived as two separate films. Abrams had the idea of kids in the 1970s/80s filming on their Super 8 camera and then the idea of the train-wreck and something from Area 51 being unleashed. After smashing the two together with Spielberg’s stamp of approval, and unsuccessfully looking for writers, Abrams decided to take on scripting duties himself. He aimed to craft an “autobiographical experience” that also had what audiences wanted. What results is a whirlwind exercise in perfect blockbuster entertainment. Mentioned above, Abrams has built these characters up enough that we care about their safety. In true fashion for the filmmaker, everything gets cranked to eleven as train cars explode and shrapnel falls in every direction. Every moment is as exhilarating as the last. In a summer filled with big-budget rehashes, sequels and comic book heroes, this relatively modest blockbuster has the strong possibility to blow them all away.' -- thefilmstage.com







CIwsi(atp): 80%

Factors: (1) J.J. Abrams is OK, (2) UFO stuff is OK, (3) Trailer looks pretty OK.

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Green Lantern (June 17)

'The film is garnering negative buzz more than four months before any of us get to see it. A recent article in New York magazine is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. It proclaims the upcoming film was a "troubled" production. The authors' apparently spoke with an agent and a manager, one of whom says, "Even though Green Lantern is supposed to be terrible, it doesn’t mean it’s not going to do extremely well and enhance her foreign value. Clash of the Titans was horrendous, but it didn’t slow down Sam Worthington any." It seems like it wasn't that long ago that Green Lantern was on everyone's lips at the San Diego Comic Con and then declared the "Most Anticipated Movie of 2011" during the Spike Scream Awards, but in the eyes of the public that was years ago.' -- blogofoa.com







CIwsi(atp): 40%

Factors: (1) Don't know the comic book/ mythology, (2) Movies like this make long plane flights easier, (3) I hear the newly released second trailer makes it look a zillion times better.

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes (June 24)

'It looks like 20th Century Fox’s Planet of the Apes prequel/reboot is getting retitled, yet again. When the project was first announced the script was titled Ceasar, a reference to the character in the fourth Apes movie, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, who perpetrates the Ape revolt. The project was later named Caesar: Rise of the Apes, and then more simply, Rise of the Apes, in the early marketing/publicity materials. But apparently Fox wanted to keep the title more in line with the previous installments to the franchise. The new title of the movie is Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The trailer looks completely awful. I was really looking forward to this movie too. Plus they whorishly added the word AVATAR in the trailer as if that is going to make it a better movie. Definite pass.' -- slashfilm.com







CIwsi(atp): 15%

Factors: (1) Trailer really does look awful and wrong-headed, (2) Don't care, (3) If the trailer turns out to be the problem.

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Cars 2 (June 24)

'Cars wasn’t considered a huge box office success, grossing $461,981,604 worldwide — less than Pixar films of previous years like Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo (which in comparison made $867.8 million worldwide). But the merchandising for the film has brought in billions in sales, which is why Disney green lit a sequel and began construction on a huge CarsLand expansion of the Disney California Adventure theme park. Last year we heard mumblings that Cars 2 was having massive story problems. John Lasseter, director of Toy Story 1 & 2, A Bug’s Life, Cars, and now the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, had been brought back to Pixar to help fix the issues. The film’s release date had been pushed back a couple times and Disney has since confirmed that Lasseter will be the credited co-director of Cars 2.' -- slashfilm.com







CIwsi(atp): 80%

Factors: (1) I've seen every Pixar movie, (2) 'Cars' was the only one I didn't love.

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1)

'In this latest installment of the Michael Bay franchise, they’ve have apparently crossed the $400 million mark in spending to create the another visual spectacle involving impossibly attractive women and the physically impossible transformations of vehicles into hulking metal defenders of good. Transformers 3 succeeds because it’s ridiculous in all the right ways. Check your brain in with your coat and soak in the most gloriously dumb spectacle of the year. It mixes superb action sequences – directed with panache and almost pornographic glee by a never-better Bay – with frequent scenes of light comic relief, some of which work (squabbling robo-hick siblings Skids and Mudflap provide a few laughs), some of which don’t (Wheelie the RC truck humping Fox’s leg). That said, it’s over-long; it has plot holes you could steer an aircraft carrier through; it’s loud and stupid and relies too much on pyrotechnics.' --periscopepost.com







CIwst(atp): 85%

Factors: (1) Guaranteed cheap high tech-related thrills.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (July 15)

'The trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 delivers everything one would expect from the first peek at the franchise’s finale: an epic, suspenseful score; lots of explosions; appropriately hyperbolic voice-over narration (“Warner Bros. Pictures presents the final chapter of the motion picture phenomenon that has enchanted the world”); a kiss shared by two central characters (Harry and Ginny, not Ron and Hermione — they’re not going to give away the money shot in the trailer!); and a whole load of Voldemort.



'Update: The alleged trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 that was posted here earlier has been yanked off YouTube. The reason? It’s not real. Warner Bros. has issued a statement saying that the trailer was created by a fan using unauthorized footage: “Warner Bros. is not pulling the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 trailer. The alleged ‘trailer’ is not a trailer. It’s a fan-created piece that uses the studio’s intellectual property in an unauthorized way.”' -- washingtonpost.com







CIwsi(atp): 100%

Factors: (1) Franchise addict, (2) Don't see how it could not be pretty great.

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Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22)

'Captain America: The First Avenger is at $82.4M as I value film openings. First let’s review the buzz growth on Captain America: The First Avenger. Back in March 2010, film buzz was around $45M until Chris Evans was announced to star in the film in April. By the time the famous Comic-Con panel of Marvel character stars came in the summer, buzz hit $65M. And then from October to February, Marvel launched news and photo stills as buzz rose even higher. This finally culminated with the Super Bowl TV Spot shown here and since then, buzz has hit a high crossing the $80M+ barrier. We will continue to track the buzz leading up until opening day on July 22.' -- boxofficebuzz







CIwst(atp): 0%

Factors: (1) One of the worst trailers I've ever seen, (2) Just absolutely no interest in anything about it.

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Cowboys and Aliens (July 29)

'There's no doubt about it, the film that generated the most buzz at the San Diego Comic-Con this year was Jon Favreau's upcoming science fiction western Cowboys And Aliens, which screened a lengthy reel of footage. Word is that the western aspect of it is hard and gritty and invokes the likes of John Ford and that Harrison Ford actually looks like he's having fun on screen again. Comic-Con was the perfect venue as Cowboys and Aliens actually began as a comic and has all the elements that fanboys love, a mash-up of sci-fi and western elements mixed up without trace of irony. In the trailer, it becomes apparent that Favreau is making a western when we see standard cowboy movie elements such as a posse, a saloon and surly rich rancher (Harrison Ford) appear in sequence. The "Aliens" part soon becomes apparent when the old western town starts getting strafed by alien ships. Neato.' -- twitchfilm.com







CIwst(atp): 60%

Factors: (1) Like the idea, (2) Amusing cast, (3) Trailer kind of cool, (4) Favreau's movies never do much for me.

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The Three Musketeers (October 14)

'Paul W.S. Anderson has directed a new adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s Les Trois Mousquetaires, aka The Three Musketeers. Anderson co-wrote the screenplay (read: run, run far away…) with Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Tailor of Panama), and shot the film in, wait for it… 3-D. Is there any chance this movie will be any good? Paul WS Anderson (not to be confused with Paul Thomas Anderson) has made a career directing bad video game adaptations (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil trilogy) before moving on to equally bad Sci-Fi remakes/spin-offs (Alien vs. Predator, Death Race). His best film, the 1997 sci-fi film Event Horizon, earned critic quotes like “a retarded Goth version of 2001″ and “Anderson shoots things to look cool, but he has no grasp on how to modulate the visuals to carry the audience into the deepening nightmare of the plot.”' -- Heatvision.com







CIwsi(atp): 0%

Factors: (1) Don't care.

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The Thing (October 14)

'It’s been 28 years since John Carpenter stood on the refrigerated Los Angeles set and gave directions on The Thing, his remake of the 1951 black and white sci-fi red scare classic film. Universal Pictures, the owners of The Thing, tried to make a four-hour sequel that would have aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. Unfortunately, that event was never realized. So here we stand, with a new Thing movie a guarantee at this point. It’s filming right now under the direction of Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. from a script by Ronald D. Moore, the guy that gave us some of the better episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, one-half of two lousy Star Trek and Mission: Impossible movies and the way-better-than-anyone-believed-could-be-possible reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. While the movie's script is neither a great nor a poor one, screenwriter Ron Moore did his job and earned his check for a harder-than-average yet creatively uninspired assignment. Now the success or failure of 2011’s The Thing lies on the shoulders of its director, his actors and the team making the monster effects. This one could go either way.' -- coronacomingattractions.com







CIwsi(atp): 65%

Factors: (1) Liked the first two versions, (2) van Heijningen is interesting, (3) Trailer looks pretty bad.

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Immortals (November 11)

'A special presentation trailer for director Tarsem Singh’s latest film Immortals debuted at WonderCon just days ago, and let’s just say it has spiked some serious buzz across the web. CGI scenes of Immortals flooded the screen, impressing the crowds with slow motion scenes of arrows, fire whips and more. Some of the stars, Henry Cavill and Luke Evans (who trained their bodies for seven weeks) of the upcoming Greek 3D picture, were also on hand with Tarsem to discuss their characters. Evans plays Zeus, while Cavill (Zack Synder’s new Superman) portrays Theseus. Immortals’ villain King Hyperion, played by Mickey Rourke, was also seen in the spectacular footage. Cavill and Evans also spoke about their multi-layered characters, Gods with actual flaws.' -- Right Cinema







CIwsi(atp): 95%

Factors: (1) Footage I've seen looks crazy and wild, (2) Really like Singh's earlier films ('The Cell', 'The Fall').

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part I (November 18)

'Summit Entertainment has hired Oscar-winner Director Bill Condon (who once brought us Dreamgirls) to helm the upcoming Twilight Breaking Dawn movies. A few words from Bill Condon about Breaking Dawn: "I’m very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book – and we’re hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience." -- Director Bill Condon' -- breaking-dawn-movie-trailer.com







CIwsi(atp): 15%

Factors: (1) I saw the last Twilight film on a plane flight, and I can imagine getting stuck with this one at some point.

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Hugo Cabret (December 9)

'The first attempt of Martin Scorsese on the 3D movie world, Hugo Cabret, aiming to launch in U.S. later this year. A new photo from the film excite our interest, revealing a surprise appearance on the filming of an actor that is not part of the cast announced: Johnny Depp. Published by the French newspaper, Le Parisien, image showing us the movie actors with a ... painter M. Rouleau who will have a supporting role. [Update: Unfortunately, that artist is not Johnny Depp, folks.] An adaptation of the children's book of Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the movie's central character is an orphan of 12 years, Hugo (Asa Butterfield), clockmaker and thief, who lives in the dark recesses of a railway station in Paris. The meeting with Isabelle (Chloe Moretz), a strange girl who loves books, is the beginning of a complicated and emotional story that includes an unusually drawing, a notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man with a very important role in the events (in gallery, with members of the team of shooting) and a hidden message, which comes from Hugo's father.' -- moviesfan.eu







CIwsi(atp): 60%

Factors: (1) Weird, kind of fresh choice for Scorcese, (2) Story sounds okay, (3) Set in Paris, (4) Leonardo DiCaprio isn't in it, (4) Waning anticipation re: Scorcese's films, (4) Seems to have 'well made but so-so' written all over it.

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Sherlock Holmes 2 (December 16)

'According to several sites, the executors of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary estate have threatened to withdraw Guy Ritchie's rights to the Sherlock Holmes story if the director suggests that there is romantic relationship between the lead characters in his upcoming movie. Recently, Robert Downey Jr. appeared in "Late Show with David Letterman" and hinted at a homo erotic subtext in the relationship between his detective character and Jude Law's Dr. Watson. During the interview, the 44-year-old let the audience to determine whether Holmes is "a very butch homosexual." Infuriated by Downey Jr.'s statement, Andrea Plunket who controls the remaining U.S. copyrights to the Holmes story responded, "I hope this is just an example of Mr. Downey's black sense of humor. It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future."' -- aceshowbiz.com







CIwsi(atp): 5%

Factors: (1) Didn't see the first one, (2) Don't like watching Robert Downey Jr. act.

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Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (December 16)

'The highlight of the night was the first footage from Brad Bird‘s Mission: Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol. Made up of little dialogue, it is a gritty barrage of Tom Cruise kicking ass before we transition into the big spectacle. Shot in IMAX camera (a la portions of The Dark Knight), we see Jeremy Renner looking out a broken window to Tom Cruise, who is hanging down from Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world. Renner yells “you’re not gonna make it!” and Cruise responds “no shit” as he attempts the plunge to safety. Under Bird’s direction this kind of playful dialogue mixed with the kinetic action hints Ghost Protocol will be a worthy successor to Abrams’ third film.' -- thefilmstage







CIwsi(atp): 60%

Factors: (1) I like the outer space setting, (2) Brad Bird directing live action is such a weird idea, (3) Would have to be feeling pretty bored and spontaneous.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21)

'The buzz surrounding David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is incredibly high. This is due in large part to the popularity of the books, as well as the Sweden-produced film adaptations that followed their release. Fincher is a big part of the puzzle too, a top-shelf director who is flying even higher right now thanks to the success of The Social Network. Rooney Mara’s casting as hacker protagonist Lisbeth Salander is also responsible for turning a lot of heads. Perhaps best known now for her role in The Social Network as Erica Albright, the college student who dumps Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). The already slight young girl shed a bunch of weight, looking like a byproduct of the “Heroin chic” fashion culture. Her cheeks are drawn in, her eyes are cocooned in black mascara, and most of her hair has been lopped off.' -- spinoff.com







CIwsi(atp): 55%

Factors: (1) Haven't read the book(s), (2) I think Fincher is really overrated but his films are fairly reliably OK, (3) Will depend on the reviews and stuff.

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The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (December 23)

'Here’s what Peter Jackson had to say in regard to the casting and why they decided to go with CGI: "With live action you’re going to have actors pretending to be Captain Haddock and Tintin. You’d be casting people to look like them. It’s not really going to feel like the Tintin Hergé drew. It’s going to be somewhat different. With CGI we can bring Hergé’s world to life, keep the stylised caricatured faces, keep everything looking like Hergé’s artwork, but make it photo-real." Meanwhile, Speilberg had this to say about the film and what we can expect: "The first part of the film, which is the most mysterious part, certainly owes much to not only film noir but the whole German Brechtian theatre — some of our night scenes and our action scenes are very contrasty. But at the same time the movie is a hell of an adventure."' -- Empire Magazine







CIwsi(atp): 60%

Factors: (1) Sort of curious, (2) Peter Jackson's input, (3) I always seem to end up seeing Spielberg's films whether I want to or not.

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p.s. Hey. Wow, Osama Bin Laden, that's big and messy. ** Jeff, Well, it was nice to see you feeling good and acting in a congenial way for the brief time that you were. I never understand it when you launch into these rabid, defensive and aggressive rants here about antinatalism. No one here has ever attacked that philosophy or said antinatalists are stupid or anything of the sort. I think a couple of people have said they disagree with it, and I certainly have, and that's it. Other than in your comments, that word has only even been typed here maybe a handful of times at most, and pretty much always in response to one of your comments. Excepting Sypha, who engaged with you on the issue in a very thoughtful way, I think that, based on the related silence here this weekend, people don't seem to want to get into it with you, and I wouldn't either if the set-up of the p.s. wasn't such that it would make me rude if I didn't. I really don't like you picking fights with people here who have kids or want to have them. Those people have never said a disparaging word against you or your philosophy, and, in my opinion, their decisions and life choices are none of your business. That kind of unwarranted aggressive behavior is not cool here. Stop it. I don't like it when Christians try to shove their beliefs down people's throats, and I don't like it when you do that either. Yeah, I don't know why this place sets you off like it does. Maybe because it's a positive and optimistic place for the most part that's full of interesting, engaged people who are interested in and supportive of each other and that doesn't work with your stance that life is nightmarish and humans are miserable creatures fit only for extinction? I don't know. I like you, Jeff, and you're a smart, interesting guy who brings good stuff to the blog when you're in a good mood, but I don't understand your shadow-boxing about the the issue antinatalism here, and I wish you would stop acting like you're in a room full of enemies. I hope the next time you comment here that you do so with your eyes open. ** David Ehrenstein, Oh, yes, I saw your email. You are, always, the soul of generosity and kindness. Thank you so much, sir, man, and I will get back to you soon with the coordinates. ** Wolf, If this were a master/slave pick-up site, no doubt your mailbox would be the equivalent of the only lifeboat on a sinking ship right about now. Thanks and good show, in other words. Uh, isn't that train trip you're talking about, like, 16 hours long? Uh, I think I need to think about that. Wouldn't flying be cheaper? What about a mutual plane flight? ** Tosh, Hey. Yes, yes, sorry, sorry, sorry, and thank you for the nudge. I will get that to you very soon. I'm sorry. I get so lost and blanked out with email sometimes. ** Alan, No, I can't say that I do, but it looks just like me. ** A.r. Alex! Btw, I'll be writing you back in the next day. I'm sorry to be so slow, but I'm on it. Thank God and praise the Lord that you started a new blog! You're a very good man doing a very fine thing by doing that. Thank you, A. Everyone, the very great artist Alex Rose aka the invaluable d.l. a.r. has started up a new blog, and, as many of you know, this is cause for wild link clicking and bookmarking beginning right now. Wonderful to see you, Alex, and, really, thank you you tremendously for creating the new outsource for your work. ** Math, I know, right? Holy shit, between you and the Wolf and the Glove, that was the best slaves call and response ever! I'm so ... proud? Yeah, proud. I am proud. How cool! ** Bernard Welt, There's a Colbert flavor? Oh, I guess it makes sense that his and Fallon's numbers haven't leapt the ocean, unless they have. You ate a whole pint of each? Nope, I never have done a Great Impressions Day, and that is a great and inspired idea, so please do that, or, if you don't, tell me so I can do it. Dig your Monday. ** Andrew, Good eye, man, about DiaperDan's designer stubble blooper. Bad baby! Yeah, as hard as I try, I still don't know how to judge fashion stuff very well, especially when it comes to the subtleties, but I didn't really see where the McQueen was in that dress. Oh, Andrew, you were so right and wise to link me up with that list. I adored it. 'Earthbound' sounds absolutely incredible, you're right. I started googling the hell out of that title as soon as I'd read the list. Thank you, man. That seriously hit the spot. ** Heliotrope, Hi, Mark! You sound a lot better! Awesome! That poem was in the Beyond Baroque mag originally? Wow, I didn't remember that. You have to show it to me when I eventually/soon get to LA. Nice mix CD titles. I used to hand-make books of my poetry when I was kid, and it was all about the titles, none of which I can't remember except that one of them was a quote from a Jerry Lewis movie for some weird reason. My heavy love is ricocheting back at you and Jules after having accumulated all the light of the stars during its long journey. Or something, ha ha. Wow. ** Sypha, Hey. Like I said above, I thought the things you wrote in the back and forth with Jeff were really interesting, really wise. ** Steevee, Maybe he thought the photos would make him appealing as a kind of baby fixer-upper? Weird, right? ** Alfonso, Hi, man. Thanks so much for your generous response. It sounds like the situation you're in with the school is pretty optimal. That's great news. And your game plan re: assembling people, workshops, and developing the work into a performance that way sounds right and ideal to me. But, yeah, I definitely know from the theater collabs I've done that it's not easy. Drive and total belief are the key, obviously, not only for making the work but also for attracting the people in charge of facilitating the actual performances in a technical way. I sort of think that really good work always finds its way. Some kind of faith or something. Interesting about your encounter with your muse/lost friend. Strange when that happens. A couple of years after I wrote my novel 'Try', I accidentally got back in touch after a long with the guy who had inspired the main character Ziggy, and of course my memory and imagination had transformed him a lot, and I was actually really glad that our real life contact didn't happen while I was working on the novel because it would have totally thrown me off. Anyway, the piece you're working on and intending sounds extremely interesting. If there ends up being an English version of the text or, of course, a chance to see the performance in the future, that would be fantastic. As for your question, writing for the theater is different and challenging, but it hasn't been too difficult so far. Essentially, for Gisele I write monologues and/or dialogues. So I only have those two forms to work in, and it's a matter of having a much more limited arsenal of language and tricks and things to work with than I do with a novel where anything goes. It's a bit like writing poetry, in a way. One way I think about the theater writing is that I try to see the performers as predetermined characters that I have to work within, and I try to see their facial expressions and voices and the decor and the music and so on as kind of the equivalent of the adjectives and adverbs I might have been able to create if I had been free to make everything up, if that makes sense. There's a kind of illustrating and filling in the blanks quality to writing for the theater that I find very interesting. It's restrictive, in a way, but it's very interesting to try to think of myself as the sole deviser of the performers' thoughts and then having them make their own decisions about the delivery. Is that clear at all? I can say more, if not. It's nice of you to ask. ** Little foal, Hi, Darren. Oh, new work by you right on cue, ha ha. Wonderful, thank you! I can't wait to spend some solid, quality time with the new pieces once I get out of here. Everyone, the divinely talented Little foal has some new 'poetry and slabs of prose and stuff' up and viewable to us all on his blog. Most of you probably already know what a serious treat that offers, and you can find the goods by clicking this. Thanks again, D, and have a lovely day. ** Schoolboyerrors, Hey, .. hm, your screenname is defying my brain's attempts to think of nicknamey offshoot. Give me time. I'll think of something. I assume Pam is using all the surgical wizardry at her disposal to maintain that buxom look as best she can. Yeah, the Pompidou thing is cool. We're going to put our heads together about that pronto. Good day to you. ** Pisycaca, Hi, Montse! Well, I bought a new laptop, but, long story short, I won't get it in my paws for god knows how long. So I'm still poking my dying old laptop and 'praying' that it keeps responding. That hacker book assignment sounds pretty interesting, yeah. Nice. Oh, awesome about the 'TIHYWD' post. It looks beautiful! Thank you so much, my pal. Everyone, the mighty Pisycaca has done a cool post on her/their blog about the recent 'This Is How You Will Disappear' performances if you feel like having a look. That's so nice of you. Feel the non-marbled swarm of kisses and hugs flying in your direction. ** Bollo, We're all gray/rainy here today. Nowhere is perfect, I guess. So, is today the day when off begins? Are you settling into refreshment mode right now? ** Misanthrope, I won't tell anyone you're a meany if you keep my meaniness under your hat. You ever wear hats? I can't imagine you with a hat. I was joshing about the fat. He looked fine. I guess I'll go try to see Miles du jour. You've gotten me kind of scared, though. I can deal quite well with a whole lot of skinniness though. Dude, got your email, so awesome! Back to you about that way soon. I hereby corner you with bows. ** _Black_Acrylic, Thanks for getting the 'Jerk/TTT' book. Cool. You are the pulse's pulse. No question. New Y'n'Y is fucking great! I've been poring over -- or is that through -- it, and I think I'll make my way to the final page today. Kudos! Man, continuing high hopes and a lot more on that apartment. Cool, photos. Everyone, _Black_Acrylic has given us a free ticket to the evidence from a little event called 'Yuck 'n Yum presents @ cabin:codex 29.04.11', and it's a stack of eye-popping goodness, no surprise, and it's here. ** Paul Curran, It takes an inspiring guy to know one. Or to know an inspiring blog I mean. Okay, that compliment wasn't as felicitous as I'd hoped. Do check in from your travels if you can. And the safest of journeys to you, maestro. ** The Dreadful Flying Glove, As I said, you and M/W made this month's slaves day worth living. Yes, yes, I got stuff from you in my mailbox, and I'm over the moon with every positive emotion there is. What can I say? A mere thank you seems so rigid somehow. But rigid like a hardon, not like, uh, rigor mortis. You've played 'Earthbound'? Man, I want to find a way to do that. Shit. Looks psycho great. Oh, hm, on your question. Not easy. Uh, the guitar. That's what my inner whoever is saying. Don't why though, so I fear a grain salt must be included in my decision. ** Chris Cochrane, Hey, man. No, I haven't seen the Abrons photos yet. Will do pronto. I've been avoiding Facebook. I only have, like, 12 friend slots left before the 5000 friend limit cut off, and I have something like 24 friend requests in the queue, and that has really thrown me. Losing your mind a bit? That's not good. Maybe milk it artistically like Syd Barrett but for a brief time then right yourself. You're too valuable to get wasted. Inthemostpeculiarway, Hey. You're probably right about the Jimmy Fallon flavor. I think I was experiencing phantom pregnancy taste buds yesterday. I'll be making that peanutty pasta again. Maybe even tonight. I eat virtually the same thing every single day. I'm kind of a food = fuel kind of eater. I read EW cover to cover too when I read it. Interesting. Also Mojo and Wire. Everything, even the fine print in the ads. Your walks always sound so nice. You could write a book that was just one paragraph per page descriptions of walks you take, and I would buy it as Xmas presents for all my friends. Wow, that paragraph about you and the desk was great too. Maybe your weekend didn't seem so good to you, but it read like a top tenner. My day: Not so hot, but, in my case, it really wasn't. Finished the interview. That was good. Sent it off. It still needs to be restructured, and it's still way too long, so my work isn't done, but at least I did the hand off to my agent, and it's his turn to fool around with it. I finally opened that Word doc that wouldn't open for a long time, and that was good because I want to do something that's secret right now with some of the stuff in that doc, and now I'm actually on that secret mission. I don't know if I mentioned that, on the day when I didn't go to Disneyland Paris, Gisele ended up going anyway because her brother and his kid were desperate to go. So I had given her a list of rides that she should go on to study vis-a-vis our maze project. Yesterday, she called me and said she'd ridden those rides and found them amazing and inspiring, and they gave her a lot of ideas, and we're meeting shortly to talk about them, so that was cool. At 6:30, I metroed to the Apple Store and met up with post-work Yury to buy a PowerMac. Problem was, the clerk guy said that to get one with an American keyboard would take a few days, and he said it would easier if we bought it online. So we came back here and did that, only to learn once we'd ordered it that it has to be shipped from China, and it could take a week and a half to get here, so that totally sucked, and Yury is calling Apple today to see if we can get the shipment expedited somehow. My laptop is really dying hard and weirdly now, so I sure hope so. Then I ate, watched some mindless French TV, and crashed. How did Monday treat you, man? ** Dusty rose, Pretty faces with real problems: the magic words! Sure, I would love to see part of your project. That would be great! Send it here: dcooperweb @ gmail.com. Thanks a lot, Dusty! Very cool! ** Schlix, Hi, Uli. Well, yeah, about that what-will-happen stuff. I did read something about Lightning Bolt the other day, but, when I did, I thought, wow, I haven't heard about them in a while. Strange. I really like LA Vampires, Ducktails, and Dolphins too. I haven't heard Psychic Reality yet, I don't think, but I'm going to get right on that. Thanks, man! What a fucking asshole that boss is. Hateful. I hope the reminder works. Maybe you can scare and threaten him with legal consequences even if the legal route is impractical? Would he believe you? Sucks, my friend. Love to you. ** Tender prey, Hey, Marc. I caught you just as I was about to post. Thanks, man. Yeah, email, great! ** Okay. I thought I'd throw a bunch of upcoming blockbuster movies at you today and share my calculations per my desire to see them. It seemed like a good idea at the time, ha ha. So, do something with that if you feel like it. See you tomorrow in any case.