If you've got a spare $110,000 lying around, and you've already bought a tank of gas, you could always head over to Ebay and buy a Batmobile.
I must be punchy from late night work. I read the description of the vehicle as "from the Keaton movies," and seriously wondered which Batman movies Buster Keaton was in.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Hand Grenade Pins in Every Line
What does a literary novelist do when he writes a media tie-in novel, as my cousin Tod Goldberg did with "Burn Notice: The Fix"?
He searches his soul; draws inspiration from the writers successful with their own books who do tie-ins; invests his emotions in the project; and then writes a nifty L.A. Times essay about the whole experience.
A non-literary novelist likely writes his tie-in, cashes the check, and moves onto the next deadline.
He searches his soul; draws inspiration from the writers successful with their own books who do tie-ins; invests his emotions in the project; and then writes a nifty L.A. Times essay about the whole experience.
A non-literary novelist likely writes his tie-in, cashes the check, and moves onto the next deadline.
Such a Nice Young Superman . . . .
In the course of surfing the Web and procrastinating on writing a magazine article I promised to complete by the end of the month, I came across this blog post from two years ago by a comics fan/blogger who is also an orthodox jew. The blogger nitpicks (his characterization) a scene from a then-recent Superman story, written by Gail Simone, in which Superman is a guest at the Shabbos dinner of one of Clark Kent's co-workers. This sparked a lively discussion in the comments section. The comments included several by the story's writer, who said she wanted to pay tribute to the fact that Superman was created by two jews (Siegel and Shuster), has a Hebrew name (which he changed to something more middle-American when he emigrated to earth), and might well be described as a nice jewish boy; but who has always been depicted as Christian. (Or Raoist, if he's practicing Kryptonian religions.)
One of the most interesting comments postulates that no jewish law applies to Kal-El, because he is not human. It further hypothesizes that Wonder Woman should be banned from any kind of jewish celebration, because her existence violates a commandment: Since she began life as a clay figure into which the Greek gods breathed life, she is an idol, or a graven image. (Another commentator pointed out that if a B'aal Shem had brought her to life, she would be a golem, and would be perfectly kosher.)
One of the most interesting comments postulates that no jewish law applies to Kal-El, because he is not human. It further hypothesizes that Wonder Woman should be banned from any kind of jewish celebration, because her existence violates a commandment: Since she began life as a clay figure into which the Greek gods breathed life, she is an idol, or a graven image. (Another commentator pointed out that if a B'aal Shem had brought her to life, she would be a golem, and would be perfectly kosher.)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Beach Volleyball Blogging
I've been up since 5 am. I wish Misty and Kerri would hurry up and win the Gold so that I can go to bed.
Who's That Tall Dark Author There? Barer is His Name
Flummoxed by the recent John McCain commercials that assert McCain is "The Original Maverick," a Chicago Sun-Times reporter calls an expert on the MAVERICK TV series -- my cousin Burl Barer, who wrote a terrific book on the series back when the Mel Gibson movie came out. No, Burl assures the reporter, it was James Garner, not McCain, who played Brett Maverick. Nor was McCain one of the myriad of actors who played various members of the Maverick family.
Stay tuned for the next round of commercials, in which McCain will assert that he was the original Sheriff Matt Dillon. Or maybe Festus.
Stay tuned for the next round of commercials, in which McCain will assert that he was the original Sheriff Matt Dillon. Or maybe Festus.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
When You're a Spy, You're a Spy All the Way
This past Saturday was Amy's and my 11th wedding anniversary, and what better way to spend a chunk of it than to drive over to the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood (a whole, oh, three or four miles from our house) and watch cousins Lee and Tod Goldberg do a joint signing. The occasion for the signing was that each brother has a media tie-in novel for a USA Network series: Lee has his umpteenth Monk novel, MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY; and Tod has his first BURN NOTICE book.
The latter is a true departure for Tod. His metier hitherto has been literary, non-linear stories of messed-up young men in which the moral compass often spins like a windmill. With BURN NOTICE: THE FIX, Tod dives into the world of heroic fiction -- specifically, the sub-continent of the former spy turned hardboiled private eye -- and tells the linear story of a character who ostensibly operates out of his own elightened self-interest, but actually uses his superior skills to protect the vulnerable and make the world a marginally better place.
Plus, Tod says that he's made me a character in the book; and that my literary doppleganger meets with violence. Just the thing to keep me reading: appealing to both my narcissim and my sense of dread.
****Update (and spoiler warning)**************************************************
Finished the book. Yes, my prose counterpart makes the mistake of pulling a piece on the book's hero (who is not only an ex-spy, but, as the series depicts him, essentially the most badass ex-spy out there), and receives for his temerity a well-placed pistol whip in the schnozz and choppers. One sign that a literary novelist is writing this story: The violence is realllly ugly.
The latter is a true departure for Tod. His metier hitherto has been literary, non-linear stories of messed-up young men in which the moral compass often spins like a windmill. With BURN NOTICE: THE FIX, Tod dives into the world of heroic fiction -- specifically, the sub-continent of the former spy turned hardboiled private eye -- and tells the linear story of a character who ostensibly operates out of his own elightened self-interest, but actually uses his superior skills to protect the vulnerable and make the world a marginally better place.
Plus, Tod says that he's made me a character in the book; and that my literary doppleganger meets with violence. Just the thing to keep me reading: appealing to both my narcissim and my sense of dread.
****Update (and spoiler warning)**************************************************
Finished the book. Yes, my prose counterpart makes the mistake of pulling a piece on the book's hero (who is not only an ex-spy, but, as the series depicts him, essentially the most badass ex-spy out there), and receives for his temerity a well-placed pistol whip in the schnozz and choppers. One sign that a literary novelist is writing this story: The violence is realllly ugly.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Everything's Archie -- After 67 Years
With the box office success of the Marvel and DC movie adaptations, folks tend to forget that Archie Comics has been one of the most successful comics companies of all time . . . for around 67 years.
This week, the LA Times published the obit of Archie co-publisher Michael Silberkleit. Silberkleit and his business partner, the late Richard Goldwater are the sons of the company's founders; both purchased the company from their dads, and kept it a family-run business for over 60 years. Even now, the business is owned by their families.
Despite re-running the same basic dozen or so storylines, with minor variations, for decades through numerous comics, Archie comics still sell well to their target audiences: Young kids who wish they were teens, and adults who remember when they were kids wishing they were teens.
This week, the LA Times published the obit of Archie co-publisher Michael Silberkleit. Silberkleit and his business partner, the late Richard Goldwater are the sons of the company's founders; both purchased the company from their dads, and kept it a family-run business for over 60 years. Even now, the business is owned by their families.
Despite re-running the same basic dozen or so storylines, with minor variations, for decades through numerous comics, Archie comics still sell well to their target audiences: Young kids who wish they were teens, and adults who remember when they were kids wishing they were teens.
Profile of the Artist as a Rebel
Writer Jane Devin does a terrific profile of my artist cousin Linda Woods, and her skirmishes with the "scrapbook mafia" -- folks who are offended that a journal-keeper might use the technique of pasting stuff into a book for a reason other than preserving family memories.
The Dark Knight Falls . . . to Number 2
I have not seen "Tropic Thunder," but I understand that people are picketing it because some characters in it who are stupid say some stupid things, and the picketing folks believe that even stupid characters should not say stupid things in movies. (Me, I get offended when smart, sympathetic, nominal heroes in movies say offensive things. Sometimes.)
Anyway, the picketing folks may not realize that there is no such thing as bad publicity in Hollywood; or that the best thing for box office is being picketed. "Tropic Thunder" rules the box office this weekend, actually upsetting "The Dark Knight" from the # 1 perch it has occupied and defended for a month.
"The Clone Wars," meanwhile, is #3 -- a far cry from the live-action STAR WARS movies (even the really badly-scripted and directed ones) that ruled the box office. Maybe if they had put Shreck it it, it would have done better.
Anyway, the picketing folks may not realize that there is no such thing as bad publicity in Hollywood; or that the best thing for box office is being picketed. "Tropic Thunder" rules the box office this weekend, actually upsetting "The Dark Knight" from the # 1 perch it has occupied and defended for a month.
"The Clone Wars," meanwhile, is #3 -- a far cry from the live-action STAR WARS movies (even the really badly-scripted and directed ones) that ruled the box office. Maybe if they had put Shreck it it, it would have done better.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Harry Potter Delayed is Harry Potter Denied
What posseses the dominant entertainment conglomerate in the world to take a huge-budgeted movie in one of the highest-grossing franchises in history, set to open in three months, and push its opening back to July 17, 2009 -- a change tantamount to, say, pushing the Normandy invasion back to 1945?
Two things. One, a phemonemon called "The Dark Knight." The other, a summer bereft of the sort of "tent pole" movies that made a lot of executives rich this summer.
Hence, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- by all accounts, the sort of dark fantasy that would benefit from the gloom of November -- will debut around the same time that "Dark Knight" debuted this year.
No word yet on how this will be harmonized with the planned releases of parts I and II of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the last two films in the series. (At least until the computer-generated animated prequel. Kidding.)
Two things. One, a phemonemon called "The Dark Knight." The other, a summer bereft of the sort of "tent pole" movies that made a lot of executives rich this summer.
Hence, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- by all accounts, the sort of dark fantasy that would benefit from the gloom of November -- will debut around the same time that "Dark Knight" debuted this year.
No word yet on how this will be harmonized with the planned releases of parts I and II of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the last two films in the series. (At least until the computer-generated animated prequel. Kidding.)
Friday, August 15, 2008
More People in My Family Who are More Talented than I
My fairly distant relative Sada Jacobson won a silver and a bronze in fencing in the Beijing Olympics.
She's announced that she's retiring from fencing and going to . . . law school?
Maybe not such a distant relation . . .
She's announced that she's retiring from fencing and going to . . . law school?
Maybe not such a distant relation . . .
Iphone and Printing Innovations
More innovations in marketing Japanese manga and anime internationally. Yoshitoshi ABe, the writer/artist who has lent his soft-focus artwork to anime such as HAIBANE RANME and NIEA_SEVEN puts out self-published comics, or Doujinshi. (Indeed, HAIBANE RANME started out as a Doujinshi.) Doujinshi generally don't get commercially distributed in other countries, since exportation and translation would be prohibitive.
ABe has gotten around this by marketing his Doujinshi "Pochiyama at the Pharmacy" as an application for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The app uses multilingual comics software to toggle between a Japanese-language version and an English version.
Only catch: You have to have an iPhone or an iPod Touch to view it; it's not viewable on an ordinary iPod or on a computer screen. If more creators go this route, fans might well boost sales for both devices.
ABe has gotten around this by marketing his Doujinshi "Pochiyama at the Pharmacy" as an application for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The app uses multilingual comics software to toggle between a Japanese-language version and an English version.
Only catch: You have to have an iPhone or an iPod Touch to view it; it's not viewable on an ordinary iPod or on a computer screen. If more creators go this route, fans might well boost sales for both devices.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Isaac Hayes, R.I.P.
And once again, global warming increases as another bit of cool is lost to the world forever.
Selling Bubble Bath -- and Scarring Childhood Psyches
Mark Evanier's blog recently featured this bubble bath commercial from the early sixties. I don't know what's more disturbing: Dick Tracy appearing naked in a kid's commercial; Tracy using his two-way wrist TV while in the bath; Tracy using the two-way TV to sing a duet with the egg-stealing muskrat from DEPUTY DAWG; or Tracy doing all this after surviving a car crash in which he's ejected through the front windshield of his police cruiser and into a tree.
Amazingly Enough, a Post About a Signing by a Writer Who's Not Related to Me
My old friend Doselle Young -- who has written Superman and Wonder Woman (not to mention stories about mob weddings and dating a stripper) for DC, and THE MONARCHY for Wildstorm Comics -- writes:
"Hi there, folks!
"As some of you know, I've got a short prose story appearing this month in THE DARKER MASK (Tor Books 2008).
"Publishers Weekly describes The Darker Mask as: 'Themed along the grayer areas of superhero fiction, this anthology of 18 original stories nonetheless covers a wide spectrum. Deceptively simple and entertaining while never skimping on serious topics, this tight anthology will satisfy any superhero enthusiast.' I think that's likely true and, if not, the anthology features stories by well-known luminaries in the mystery and science-fiction genres, including shining light Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress), so I'm sure there'll be something in it even for the discerning lit-snobs among you.
"That being said, I am just happy to be part of the book and doubly so to have an excuse to see many of you that I haven't seen in awhile."
[ . . .]
"DATE: SATURDAY, AUGUST 23RD.
"TIME: 3-5PM
"WHAT: A BOOK SIGNING FOR THE DARKER MASK featuring myself and a host for far more talented contributors including co-editor Gary Phillips , Naomi Hirahara, Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due.
"WHERE: MELTDOWN COMICS in HOLLYWOOD.
7522 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca 90046
323. 851.7223"
"Hi there, folks!
"As some of you know, I've got a short prose story appearing this month in THE DARKER MASK (Tor Books 2008).
"Publishers Weekly describes The Darker Mask as: 'Themed along the grayer areas of superhero fiction, this anthology of 18 original stories nonetheless covers a wide spectrum. Deceptively simple and entertaining while never skimping on serious topics, this tight anthology will satisfy any superhero enthusiast.' I think that's likely true and, if not, the anthology features stories by well-known luminaries in the mystery and science-fiction genres, including shining light Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress), so I'm sure there'll be something in it even for the discerning lit-snobs among you.
"That being said, I am just happy to be part of the book and doubly so to have an excuse to see many of you that I haven't seen in awhile."
[ . . .]
"DATE: SATURDAY, AUGUST 23RD.
"TIME: 3-5PM
"WHAT: A BOOK SIGNING FOR THE DARKER MASK featuring myself and a host for far more talented contributors including co-editor Gary Phillips , Naomi Hirahara, Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due.
"WHERE: MELTDOWN COMICS in HOLLYWOOD.
7522 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca 90046
323. 851.7223"
Bernie Brillstein and Bernie Mac, R.I.P.
I'm sure someone will make a sick joke about these two entertainment figures passing away within two days of one another -- perhaps something involving a movie concerning a weekend that came out a couple decades ago -- but I just think it's sad. Particularly Mac, who was only seven years older than me.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Deathstar-Warming Present
The perfect product for STAR WARS fans with money to burn: a 3' 9", 150-pound bronze statue of Darth Vader. It'll set you back a mere $18,000. Apparently, the 6 copies of the artist's proof have already sold out. I don't know whether to be amazed or sad.
Pretty (Obs)Cure
The current bear market for DVDs in general -- and anime DVDs in particular -- has led anime license holders to some innovative marketing moves.
Toei Animation has tried for years to market its magical-girl anime PRETTY CURE -- insanely popular in Japan, where it's on at least its second sequel TV series -- to U.S. TV, without success. Now it is marketing the series itself, in the form of subtitled downloads available on the Direct2Drive Website.
The irony is that the PRETTY CURE series would seem to be tailor-made for a young girl audience. What tween girl wouldn't tune in for two young-teen heroines who save the day in frilly dresses over bicycle shorts, and whose benefactors are magical creatures who live in cell phones? Yet its target audience is rather unlikely to seek it out as a subtitled Japanese language computer download.
Toei Animation has tried for years to market its magical-girl anime PRETTY CURE -- insanely popular in Japan, where it's on at least its second sequel TV series -- to U.S. TV, without success. Now it is marketing the series itself, in the form of subtitled downloads available on the Direct2Drive Website.
The irony is that the PRETTY CURE series would seem to be tailor-made for a young girl audience. What tween girl wouldn't tune in for two young-teen heroines who save the day in frilly dresses over bicycle shorts, and whose benefactors are magical creatures who live in cell phones? Yet its target audience is rather unlikely to seek it out as a subtitled Japanese language computer download.
Is There Room for Ricola in the Utility Belt?
With Russia at war with the Georgia Republic, and the Olympics in full force in Beijing, it's time to turn to a really important topic: Christian Bale's bat-voice in THE DARK KNIGHT.
I have to agree that Bales's delivery of The Batman's lines in a throat-tearing growl was more distracting than impressive in several scenes -- particularly when compared to Heath Ledger's compelling vocal stylings for The Joker.
My personal opinion is that Kevin Conroy, who voiced the Caped Crusader for multiple Warner animated series, provided the best vocal stylings for Batman -- midway between the whisper Michael Keaton used in the Tim Burton movies and Gary Owens's deep-register boom for pseudo-Batman Space Ghost.
I have to agree that Bales's delivery of The Batman's lines in a throat-tearing growl was more distracting than impressive in several scenes -- particularly when compared to Heath Ledger's compelling vocal stylings for The Joker.
My personal opinion is that Kevin Conroy, who voiced the Caped Crusader for multiple Warner animated series, provided the best vocal stylings for Batman -- midway between the whisper Michael Keaton used in the Tim Burton movies and Gary Owens's deep-register boom for pseudo-Batman Space Ghost.
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