Friday, February 22, 2008

Finished Product

Well, it came out pretty well. Not my best effort ever, but a solid showing.

Now I Know Why Italians Have Big Kitchens

Trying my best to make lasagna in the hovel. Its not easy. Few pans, no counterspace, no cutting board (um, yeah), no pot covers. Multitasking like hell on every piece of cutlery and pottery. Its in the oven now, we shall see.

Grumps

Sex In The City Trailer

At risk of losing my status of card-carrying member of the He Man Woman Hater's Club, I watched the trailer for the Sex and the City movie. And it looks pretty funny. Decent. I'm not holding my breath waiting or anything, so don't get carried away.

And don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I am going to go see it when it comes out. Its almost definitely a cabler for me. But having had, shall we say, an aversion to the concept when I heard about it being made, I have to reverse field a little bit. I tend not to like TV to Movie movies, and this one sounded a bit like squeezing the last drop out of the lemon. It may be, but I suppose that doesn't by itself make it a bad movie.

Grumps.

Friday, February 15, 2008

"My Brother" at the 2008 Image Awards

We won.

No we didn’t. But hey, at least we were nominated. John Sayles’ Honeydripper, which I haven’t seen, won the Best Indie Film Award. I am totally cool with losing to John Sayles.

The Awards were fun, and long. We did the red carpet (myself, and the four main cast members other than Vanessa). Did a few interviews, like Extra. Don’t know if they’ll be anywhere online.

Night before, at the party, got to hang with Vanessa for a while and catch up. She stayed for a while, usually she makes an appearance and she’s gone.

At the Awards themselves, the crowd was pretty stacked : Denzel (won twice), Vanessa (won), America Ferrara (won), Tyler Perry, bunches of famous folks. And the honorees were Stevie Wonder, who performed, Aretha Franklin and Ruby Dee. Quite cool.

But by the afterparty, I was a little tired of being in the Tux. I stayed for an hour or two at the Beverly Hills Hilton (which was quite a drive from the Shrine Auditorium which is way south and east of Beverly Hills).

Anyway, I am parablogging, which means that this is perfunctory and not a great post. Sorry bout that. Here's a pic of Christopher Scott and I from the afterparty.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

It comes out on my birthday!

I spent much of my youth watching Indiana Jones movies, or waiting for Indiana Jones movies to come out. From the first of the movies, my closest childhood friend, David Brandewiede and I would ditch school when these movies came out (also for some others, like Gremlins, I remember ditching). We'd gather whatever money we had to buy tickets and head to Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City to see the opening day matinee. It was tradition, and there was very little discussion about which movies deserved us to ditch. We were very much on the same page (or, er, frame...of mind) on that, and there was no doubt, the Indiana Jones movies were at the top of the list. Raiders was 1981, and Temple of Doom was 1984. These years were primely influential in my wanting to be a storyteller, a filmmaker.

Watching this trailer, I got a euphoric excitement that felt like childhood again. Glee, I'd call it. The Last Crusade came out in 1989. Its been almost 20 years, but it looks like they've still got it.


Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Great (and Grumpy Fave) Roy Scheider, RIP 11/10/32-2/10/08



They dont come any cooler. From Jaws to TFC to Fosse to Marathon Man. He will certainly be missed. And remembered.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Image Awards Brunch

Heading to the NAACP Image Awards Nominee’s Brunch to accept the nomination on behalf of “My Brother.” Seems weird that Tony Lover isn’t here, but I guess that I’ll be an acceptable subsitute.

This sets off a whole week of Image Awards stuff, the pre-gala, the Awards show, and the gala itself. Should be fun. I have my suit on today, got a tux for the Awards show (even though our category’s awards, Best Indie Film, isn’t part of the televised show on Fox, grump grump.)

Smell ya later.

Greg

Friday, February 08, 2008

Back in LA

Yes, I’ve left New York again on a one way ticket. I came yesterday morning, took some god-awful 6AM flight. The flight was super-bumpy, but I had some valium or something similar, so I was entirely freaking out despite the fact that it felt like the plane was literally skidding sideways across the sky at moments (mostly over Colorado). Scott D. and I grabbed the same flight. Got to my place in Hollywood, and then took a nap for a few hours, woke up, ran to the grocery store to stock up a bit on essentials. I took a few calls on various projects on which I am working, dealt with some work drama (since I have no personal life, I have little, if any, personal drama), and got to bed early.

Still jet-lagged, I woke at about 6:45, with the clear feeling that I would be sleeping no later (I am a late sleeper, and 9:30 is not out of the question on a regular night). Still, waking up in the chilly bungalow in LA early in the quiet AM wasn’t so bad. I finished two long neglected screenplays, did some other catchup, and its not quite ten AM. Had a little breakfast, and I’ll be jumping into the shower shortly to get ready for a meeting with Jonathan Shestack’s company (Airforce One, Dan In Real Life) about yet another project we’ve been putting together with those folks.

While the hovel has improved with some nice wine-colored paint since I went to NY in early January, courtesy of bungalow-mate Mike, it still needs more work. The paint job definitely helps though, and I got upgraded with a fancy car rental even though I paid for a compact. So things are OK. I am more pleased with being back than I thought I would be.

Lets see where the day takes me – gonna be a busy one.

Grumps.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Tellmehowitends

Gotta love it. How can you not. Rachel, ok, maybe you didnt love it, cambridge dweller that you are.

The streets are full of revellers. They are loud and happy and less rowdy than you might expect.

Woo hoo. Its over, the NY GIANTS are SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS.

Not at all grumpy.

Joker, Lemme Hear Your War Cry


With an admittedly minor mohawk, ready for the Superbowl. Go Giants.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Role Models

First, can I start by saying, this being sick stuff is really more boring than anything else. Thankfully, I’ve found a role model, one I can study while on the recline.

OK, so he isn’t a real role model. He’s a character on television. Hank Moody, played by David Duchovny. Yes, so he isn’t a real person.

The show is Californication. Its about a New York writer who moved to Venice California. He is a confirmed bachelor with some intimacy issues. He hasn’t quite figured out the whole L.A. thing, or the whole relationship thing. But he’s got an artist inside, and he’s got love in his heart.

Maybe he’s not so much a role model. Maybe he’s an imaginary twin – he might just be a step or two up the ladder. Maybe, actually, down the ladder. I don’t know, on the ladder. Its close.

And its very entertaining.

Sickly Grumpy

Im sthcick. Yes, with the fever. The flu. Its going around

Two nights ago, I thought I’d avoided it entirely. I was chipper. I even cleaned, ugh, the bathroom. I had a lot of energy. I was positively spritely.

But yesterday was a different story. Achy, then dizzy, then achy and dizzy. I stayed in bed for much of the day, little appetite. My appetite returned by late evening, which I hope was a sign that I was feeling better.

In addition, the last two nights, bad dreams. Some nasty 9/11 dreams mixed in with dreams where I think I’ve woken up and I am seeing things that I don’t expect to see. Then I really wake up and realize that my roommate wasn’t fucking some random girl on my couch in the common area of our apartment. It wasn’t much like him to do that, anyway.

I woke this morning feeling a little bit better. The cough, the congestion, is a little bit better, but the dizziness and weakness and general malaise is gone. I feel better overall and I’d gladly trade a dizziness for a cough anytime.

Hopefully by tonight I’ll be back in the saddle and off the wagon. I’m heading back to LA next week, and I’d like to make the most of New York. It would help to be ambulatory.

Grumps