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September 29, 2005
Anticipation...
Been a quiet week.
Too quiet.
Right now, I have nothing scheduled to write. There are a few things out there and maybe I’ll hear about some of them soon.
There are the short story pitches sitting with one media tie-in editor since December. And there's the other media tie-in proposal awaiting Licensee approval for something like six weeks now. And then there's the shot-in-the-dark media tie-in outline and sample chapter sitting on yet another media tie-in editor’s desk since August. And finally, I sent off a different media tie-in short story outline this past weekend.
In theory, that clears the decks to get back to the original fantasy, especially now that I have more of the backstory questions answered. Of course, instead, I’m taking Deb and Robbie to Shea for the final Mets game of the season.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 07:29 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 25, 2005
A Disturbing New Trend?
Last night was movie night for us. We haven’t been in a while and for a change, there were plenty of pick from. Deb chose An Unfinished Life which opened to positive-to-mixed reviews. Starring Robert Redford, J. Lo. and Morgan Freeman, the film is old fashioned in its subject matter, approach and script. And we enjoyed it immensely. Sure, it was predictable but it was so handsomely made and so well acted that we enjoyed the experience.
During the “pre show countdown” a.k.a. the ads, we were treated to the usual assortment of stuff plus a trailer for a new Universal movie about skateboarders.
From what I can tell, Universal paid for the space as an advertiser, avoiding having it lumped in with the collection of trailers that followed. Should this prove successful, I can only imagine a time when the ads and trailers get so mixed in audiences who like trailers as (I do) will have to endure the mélange. Me? I’m not in favor of it since we can time when to arrive should we currently choose to avoid the ads but sit in time for the trailers.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:30 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
September 23, 2005
Two Weeks into the Season
A force four cold arrived sometime on Sunday, turning me into a functioning vegetable for a few days but just as quickly as it arrived, it passed. Odd.
Anyway, we’ve actually seen some of the new season and I figured it’s time to comment.
Gilmore Girls remains strong in both writing and performance. The tension and hurt feelings between mother and daughter is palpable as both cope with their new realities. Rory clearly is not happy with the twists in her life but also seems somewhat lost while Lorelei can’t seem to take pleasure in her engagement since she can’t share it with her daughter. And poor Luke is stuck in the middle but at least is pointing that out rather than letting it fester.
I do note the cast has sprawled to the point where we can’t see everyone and their storylines get short shrift. Lane hasn’t turned up at all and Sookie is barely there. If I were the producers, I’d pare things down a bit and given my druthers, I’d start with Luke’s sister and her husband since they are a little too broadly played, especially Michael Deluise.
House had a another good outing this week. The medical procedure scenes were a little too much for me. It’s odd, I enjoy medical series but when things get graphic, I squirm. Also, from a timing standpoint, House’s clinic visit and great comical reaction, probably should have been a little later in the story. We’re seeing interesting glimpses of the characters especially the reactions everyone had when Chase admitted to kissing the nine year old.
Lost certainly delivered on the promise to show us what was inside the hatch but then spoiled some of the drama by telegraphing who it was via the flashbacks. On one of my mailing lists, it was pointed out the car accident victim shared Shannon’s last name and was likely her father, yet another indication of how their lives were being drawn together over time. I’m sorry the rest of the cast didn’t have much to do but I guess they wanted to focus on Jack and Locke and keep things moving. Not their best hour, certainly not their worst and I’m ready for more.
I recently bitched about how disappointingly unreal the characters in Reunion were. I had hoped for a sharply written series to take advantage of the great premise. To be fair, I sampled the second episode last night and have to say, the characters continue to be weak. Very weak. Also, they are heaping more dire twists onto their young lives than most teenagers ever endure, going from dramatic to unbelievable. It’s not enough Sam gives her baby up for adoption, but then she learns she can’t have more children and the parents who adopted her child have vanished. Sheesh. We’re also given very little to go on with what happened to at least two of the characters in the year between episodes. Again, I also complain that the writers do nothing to ground the characters to their era. The music and costuming have to carry the load. Good thing there will be other shows to watch on Thursday nights.
A few weeks back, NBC bound a CD-Rom into issues of Entertainment Weekly so I could sample their new series. As a result, I knew I could skip them all. Which disappointed me because I thought E-Ring had promise. And I knew Fathom was going to be NBC’s equivalent of their 1980s smash hit Manimal and the reviews bear that out.
In fact, there are few of the new series that I find compelling enough to try. I’ve taped the first ep of How I Met Your Mother because the buzz was good and I’ll see just about anything with Alyson Hannigan. I can skip Threshold despite Carla Gugino and Brent Spiner because, after all, it’s a Brannon Braga production. The others seem potentially interesting but not demanding enough to get me to find the time. And the clips and buzz on The Night Stalker disappoint me no end (which is a shame since a buddy’s got family working on the show and you never want to see people lose their jobs).
Speaking of losing their jobs, I’m surprised to see the first cancellation already. After a mere two outings, Fox has pulled Head Cases. It didn’t get great reviews and anything opposite Lost was going to suffer. But apparently, the numbers this week were so poor the network felt it had little choice. We’ll see how many of the other time slot battles work out over the next few weeks.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 12:26 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 18, 2005
A New Universe
Thanks to being a part of the IAMTW (see previous entries), I was made aware of an anthology for a tie-in that was looking for submissions. Since I am awaiting word on two proposals, I figured it couldn’t hurt to check this out.
Well, now that I know what it feels like when people call me at DC. I know the continuity, the characters and the corporate history so well, that information comes easily.
I admit to being somewhat daunted by the sheer volume of reference made available to me for this potential project. I mean, I’ve downloaded hundreds of pages of information and am slowly wading my way through it. Story ideas are coming to me and that’s a good feeling.
Still, I had some questions and sure enough, the editor put me in touch with his company’s equivalent of, well, me. And he’s come through with encouraging words, and a ton of guidance which has allowed me to focus on the key backstory and technology issues.
I like the challenge of trying something new and I am impressed by the work done to date which will, ultimately, allow me to play in this new sandbox with the right tools.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 03:00 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
September 16, 2005
Read it at Last
It was around ninth grade that my father started to nudge me to read a wider variety of works. Maybe it was because I was showing interest in writing as a living or because he was just trying to do his job as a parent.
Regardless, he found me receptive and I can recall being allowed to sit in the Living Room (usually reserved for company), my over-sized headphones on and listening to the albums on the record player (yeah, I’m old -- deal with it) as I worked through the recommended books.
I remember the very first book he recommended to me years before, Isaac Asimov’s Asimov’s Mysteries and since I liked it, was receptive to the suggestions that came now. Today, I don’t remember them all, but there had to have been five or six in total before I started finding things to read on my own.
Of those books, I liked Lord of the Flies and was utterly taken in with Thomas Wolfe’s You Can’t go Home Again. On the other hand, I found Holden Caufield a complete asshole and waste of my time. (I enjoyed Salinger’s short stories better when I read them in 12th grade.)
Then there was the book I never finished. I started to read John Steibnbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath but after the early chapter that was little more than a turtle crossing the hot highway, I put it down, unable to comprehend how I’d ever suffer through something so slow.
I wasn’t ready, I guess. And I’ve never seen the movie either.
Every few years, as I was opening my Christmas presents, I’d find my copy of Grapes. It was Dad’s subtle way of saying I really should read it. And I’d put it back on my bookshelf and let it sit there.
He’s been gone a decade now, and a few years ago, Kate heard about this and decided to keep up the tradition.
On Sunday, I was looking for a book to read this week and saw it on the stack of To Be Read books and said, maybe it’s time.
I just finished the book this morning and liked it. Didn’t love it, won’t hail it as the greatest American novel ever written, but I saw what it was, appreciated its place in the books that sparked concern for social justice. The Joads and the people like them were let down first by society and then by the Government.
I appreciated how Steinbeck managed to convey feelings and emotions even though his characters were poorly educated and couldn’t even express themselves properly to one another. The Joads’ world was their farm and then their truck and the few places they stayed in while trying to work. It never occurred to any of them to appeal to local, state or federal representatives to help everyone. Never got discussed. Today, it seems natural as can be, but back then in the 1930s, during the Depression, thinking about work and food was the overwhelming factor.
I find many of the characters thinly formed and don’t appreciate how heavy-handed he was being by depicting everyone carrying a badge being a close-minded stooge of big business. That being said, Ma’s growth and evolution is more fascinating to me than anything that happened to the others.
I’m glad I finally read it, pleased I finally honored one of Dad’s wishes.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:11 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 14, 2005
This and That
IAMTW Update
A few weeks back, I wrote about a new organization, the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. Since then, word has been spreading and their website has been populated over the last few days with the first in a series of information articles.
Lee Goldberg and Max Allan Collins, the brains behind the operation, have done a great job not only spreading the word but getting people involved. As the site evolves, there will be solid public information as well as a members-only section where we will share secrets that only fellow media tie-in writers should know (things like Most Effective Threats to get Editors to Cut a Check and 10 Best Reasons to get an Extension – kidding, I think). One of the member only bits will be a Market Report column which I have volunteered to coordinate.
I mention all of this since I never know who reads the blog. Based on the first mention, for example, David Bishop – a writer I respect but have never met – found the organization.
Season Premiers
Gilmore Girls thankfully returned last night. Last season was incredibly strong and the Emmy’s foolish overlooked Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop plus the writers. The show has not lost its wit, snap or cultural relevance. We picked up a split second after last season ended with Lorelei proposing to Luke. His response and the reaction among the regulars was spot on. However, that was really the B-story while the A-story focused on Rory and the ramifications of her stealing a boat and deciding to drop out of Yale. Most of it seemed fine and rang true. But not all of it: the scenes in the Pool House with Rory and her grandmother bordered on Over the Top and the Judge’s reaction to the Plea Bargain rang false.
The plea bargain was for 20 hours of community service and the Judge threw it aside, declared Rory a spoiled rich girl who needed to learn the consequences of her actions and upped the ante to 300 hours plus 5 years probation. Once again, Edward Herrman’s reaction was Over the Top but Rory’s mute reaction to the rich girl reference annoyed me. She’s not a rich girl and is in fact financing Yale through a loan. Something her lawyer should have pointed out if not Rory herself.
(And I find it troubling that last week’s Reunion and this episode went for the exact same plot point.)
Still, the season started off well and promises to be an emotional roller coaster as the beloved Mother-Daughter tandem is split as new relationships form.
House also returned last night with a very strong opening episode. The stuff with Omar Epps and LL Cool J may have been a little heavy-handed but I do like that they have yet to soften the character of House. He remains a difficult, pain-in-the-ass and manipulates people and the system for what he thinks is right, damn the consequences. But, it was also nice to seem him get as good as he gives from Sela Ward, who I adore. About the only character who really needs some expansion is Dr. Cuddy, played by Lisa Edelstein. But, we’re off to a very good start so I’m encouraged.
Because of Gilmore, I’ll be missing Bones, which has received good notices in the press and from my friends. Yeah, I know I could tape it, but there are only so many hours in the week, so this one we’ll catch along the way thanks to reruns, pre-emptions and whatnot.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 11:30 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 11, 2005
For those near Philadelphia
I've been remiss in mentioning that I will be the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society's November 11 meeting. I'll be joining a long line of distinguished guests so it's an honor.
The meeting begins at 8 p.m. while I get the blather at 9. Fortunately, Star Trek: Voyager - Distant Shores should be just coming out so I'll have something to read from or talk about.
The PSFS people run the terrific PhilCon every December and did a superb job on the 2000 WorldCon.
So, anyone in the area should come by, join and say howdy.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 01:30 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
September 09, 2005
And the Fall TV season begins
I spent my high school years traveling in a variety of cliques and I prided myself on how easily I moved among them. My oldest, closest friends from elementary school were starting to drift into different interests so we weren’t as tight as we used to be. By 11th grade, I got myself straightened out academically and fell in with a crowd that was largely the theatre group. I made some very serious, deep friendships there, crushed on one in the worst way. They were the ones I thought of as graduation approached and college loomed larger in the distance.
That summer between high school and college we spent a lot of time together, some staying on for their senior year, others readying to go far away. Our issues were what to do with long term romantic relationships, summer jobs, the shopping and packing, time with family and so on.
I was reminded of them all when I heard about the new Fox series, Reunion, which debuted last night (and the pilot is being rerun tonight for those interested). The premise, each episode focused on a year in the lives, from 1986 through 2006, was intriguing, the cast visually appealing (it is, after all, a Fox show). I was predisposed to like it.
Then I watched it.
For some reason, the creators felt it necessary to create a murder mystery as the thread to tie things together, as if they didn’t have enough dramatic material from six characters who, in theory were tight friends. So, valuable time is being spent flash forwarding to the present as a cop questions one of the six and we’re left to wonder which one of the five others, shot another.
These six people are ill-defined and clichéd and the same time. We have the spoiled rich kid Craig who is best friends with someone at the opposite end of the economic spectrum, Will. Craig’s been dating Samantha for, like, ever, except when they had a rough patch which allowed Will to move in and shag her. And now she’s pregnant. So, that’s triangle number one.
Then we have Jenna the aspiring actress who is very proud of her body and flirtatious and incredibly dim about other people (and she’s the blonde). Aaron loves her and watches wistfully as she flirts with everyone else. So he’s blind to the obvious infatuation from Carla. So, that’s triangle number two.
We know four of the six are not virgins which on a percentage basis defies the demographics of the day. Of the two women, one gets pregnant which beats the demo and is way too clichéd for belief. Five are college bond which, for Bedford, NY, sounds about right. Why Carla is not going to college is never addressed and suddenly by the end of the first ep, that changes.
There is much left to be explained. For example, what brought these disparate souls together? What kept them together? Craig is portrayed as such a jerk it’s hard to understand why anyone hangs with him. Again, going back to my experiences, my tight circle of friends had several things in common, starting with theatre but extending to other things. And we didn’t always see eye-to-eye be it politics, movies or love. None of these things got portrayed. Instead, we were given a hackneyed story where a drunk Craig gets into an accident, the other guy dies and Will agrees to take the fall.
Parents, such a large part in our lives as we ready to leave home, are seen here sketchily. We have Craig’s manipulative rich dad and Carla’s single parent who doesn’t quite know how to help his daughter (maybe he should try watching the dynamic over at Veronica Mars). (Aside: why on Earth does prime time television always have to portray the wealthy as arrogant snobs? Some are, sure, but not all but that’s what we’re shown series after series.)
Sorry, the writing is terrible. They speak like they’re 30 year olds, not 18 year olds, the things that concern them are absent as are things to make them deep, rich and interesting characters. The things that are at issue here don't at all resonate with my own experiences so it feels artificial. Compare this pilot with Aaron Sorkin’s West Wing or even David Kelly’s The Practice. And right away we get characters, conflict and something compelling.
While I admire the premise, both Deb and I were not intrigued enough by the writing or characters to make this appointment television.
If anyone else saw the show, I’d be curious to know what you thought.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:05 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 08, 2005
Why I Love my Daughter - reason #2012 (and counting)
Her away message today reads:
"Dear Mets,
I love you madly and passionately, but if you don't stop losing, I'm going to cry and become a Nationals fan.
Love,
KT"
I see I raised her properly.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 02:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
This Past Week
I suddenly looked up and realized a week had slid by without posting anything. It’s not like I’ve been in a cocoon but there really haven’t been any burning issues for me to comment on or if there are, my thoughts haven’t differed dramatically from my peers.
But, let’s look back and see what’s been happening.
Robbie survived day one of school and, as expected, likes his teachers. One of the courses he’s taking is ICONS, which is a social studies course using a global simulation as the major class work. It’s part of a program run by the University of Connecticut and when Kate took it, loved it to pieces. Given her raving about it and that it was taught by one of her favorite teachers, Robbie decided to sign up. Here we are, a few years later and his class has been assigned the same country, India, was the one Kate had. Fortunately, the area of expertise he wanted to study was not Kate’s Conflict and Resolution but instead, the current proposals for revamping the UN. The teacher has never taught this before since it’s the first time Robbie’s new high school has offered the course and she’s somewhat intimidated by the reputation of the teacher from the other school, someone else Kate adored. And his girl friend Stephanie is taking the course with said teacher at the other school. Should be interesting watching this unfold.
He’s also been working hard at Cold Stone Creamery although they keep scheduling him to close on school nights and already it’s taking its toll as he drags himself home at 11 and wakes up at 6. He’s talking to the boss about this and I suggested that the boss institute a policy that no high school student be assigned two closings in a row. We’ll see what happens.
From all reports, Dragon*Con was a blast and Kate, along with her fellow Boogie Knights, had a great reception. Deb and I wish we were there and once we send Robbie to college, are likely to make it down there now and again.
The three day weekend was nice and relaxed, everything a three day weekend is supposed to be. One of the things I managed was time spent on the original fantasy that keeps kicking around. I needed to rework a piece of the backstory after DelRey editor Steve Saffel asked me a simple question and sent me reeling. I really like what I came up with and got good comments on it from a pal so I’m encouraged. Meantime, no news on the media tie-in proposals that are out.
We saw Brothers Grimm the other night and it was okay. A pleasant misfire if you will. Deb and Robbie liked it better than I did. Essentially, the movie couldn’t make up its mind what it wanted to be so the tone of the setting and characters didn’t mesh well at all. Additionally, I had trouble understanding what the brothers were doing with one another given the enmity between them – it was never adequately explained. Visually, it was another Terry Gilliam treat.
Work has been steady. My new boss started this week so there’s been time spent showing him how things are done, answering questions and settling in. Got some proofs and bound copies in on major projects that look really nice so I remained very encouraged by what’s coming out.
And that’s kind of it. After two weeks off, finally made it back to the gym last night and I could feel the difference. But, it’s back to the routine, which is, in the long-term, a good thing.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 01, 2005
Senior Year
This morning Deb stayed home to complete a long-standing ritual. Today is the first day of school in Fairfield and our son begins his final year in the system. Deb’s working at home so she can take the annual portrait in front of the mailbox, as discussed in the last post.
Robbie is entering his senior year, the first senior class at Fairfield Ludlow High School. He’s been ambivalent about this all summer, not wanting to acknowledge his senior status while also looking ahead towards college.
He’s got a good schedule, teachers he either knows or has heard good things about so is looking forward to the experience. He’ll shuttle over to Bridgeport starting tomorrow for his final year in the Aquaculture program. While Fairfield has been good for him, it’s been the smaller class sizes and subject matter at the magnet school that finally helped show him a path, towards becoming a high school science teacher.
As he begins this final day, he and his peers will be establishing rituals and routines that will help make FLHS unique and he’s looking forward to that since he enjoys being a leader in such things.
As he begins this final day, it’s also the end of a series of rituals for us. It’s our final year within the public school system, and we’ve already completed the elementary and middle school steps. In a mere two weeks, we attend the final Back to School Night and that will be just another milestone as we trek towards his graduation in late June.
We’ve had time to adjust to this given Kate’s experiences and her success at college. Still, each passing milestone also nudges us closer to the “empty nest” something we’re both looking forward to and somewhat dreading. Our children have done a lot of good things and some boneheaded things but they’re basically good kids and I take pride in them and their accomplishments.
I suspect I’ll be getting wistful as these milestones come and go, which will probably drive Deb nuts.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 02:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack