(The following is an excerpt from my book, Prelude to a Super Airplane. It can be purchased by clicking on any of the roughly 400 banners adorning this site, or by clicking here. It’s also available on Amazon.
I’ve posted the first 20 chapters (roughly 55 pages of PTSA) on this site. Links to each of those are at the end of this post, or you can download all of them as a pdf by clicking here.
Wearing my Producer Hat is the hardest, most complex thing I have to do when working in the entertainment industry.
Ironically, there’s a simple reason for this: answering the question “What does a producer actually do?” is nearly impossible, and it’s asked of me more than any other thing.
My dad will ask me this question at least once, without fail, on the rare occasion we speak. My usual answer is, “The producer makes the project happen. He gets it done. Goodbye.” It’s vague, but also the truth.
The Producer Hat is a “no matter what” hat, and usually involves either asking for money to get a project made, or screwing people over. Often both. For example, let’s say you needed a music track for a project, and knew of two composers who could do the job.
The first step is simple in concept, but difficult in execution: you have to get an investor to give you the money you need to fund the production of your project. (Without the project, you don’t need the music.)
[Like here is how to read the rest.]
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(Is this a new tattoo for Kobe, or has he had this for awhile?)
Skyler got back to me with more specific thoughts on the Sunkist logo changes he didn’t care for.
honestly there is nothing wrong with the logo itself the only reason why i dislike the new logo is the fact that they wanted to change the logo why mess with a classic? your mom did good, just 50 years down the road pepsi and coca-cola are gona have there same logos of course and i think its a shame our future children will never see the classic sunkist look.
Well, this is true, although with the internet, we can all enjoy the various Sunkist logos that have blessed our planet in perpetuity.
Plus, Pepsi changes their logo to some degree about once a decade, with the next one on the horizon in 2009.
In any case, I told my mom she did a good job on the Sunkist logo, and she just kinda stared at me for awhile. They love when I come to visit!
Catherine Hardwicke, in the middle of the European press tour for Twilight, got fired from directing the next movie in the franchise, although a quick press release after it leaked claims it’s a mutual decision.
I didn’t see it, as you may remember, but I’d challenge anyone to try and make a decent movie from that book without making massive changes to the storyline.
Of course, this would only anger the fans of the books, who are the only ones who saw it, anyway.
Tough situation either way – maybe it’s time to get rid of all the Twilight books finally?
Keanu Reeves is ready, willing and able for Bill and Ted 3.
“Maybe we could do it with them both grown up — they haven’t saved the world and they’re just living their lives as middle-aged men. That sounds quite funny.”
I don’t know how he came up with that story, but I’m in. Please make this next week, and have it out in time for Christmas.
By the way, if I’m spending time watching a Pacers-Celtics game, that pretty much means I’m back in bed with the NBA.
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(I would never go see the Dragonball movie, but if this is what Emmy Rossum is gonna be looking like in it, I’ll have to.
She’s been my favorite since like when I saw this picture 15 minutes ago. I thought she only did sophisticated movies like “Poseidon” – I’m totally into her now.
UPDATE: Wait – she’s only 22? Hasn’t she been a full-grown woman for like 10 years at least?)
I think one of the main things that’d be fun about being famous is pretending you’re making a complete mess out of your fame and fortune, and then watching everyone talk about it.
Take this quote regarding a particular actress.
I’ve cleverly hidden who it is by being clever aboot it.
“Lindsay’s been drinking, doing cocaine and causing all-around mayhem for the past few months.”
Like if that were me, I’d totally play into it, by being even worse than they say, and calling the media out for trying to protect me.
It’d be hilarious if like things were so bad, that my mom had no choice but to write about it in the Christmas letter that goes out to family and friends.
She’s just like, “Screw it – they’re all reading about it anyway; let’s just tell it like it is. Our son causes all-around mayhem – you happy?”
Just what all-around mayhem is, I don’t know, although I do know I’ve definitely caused it before.
I know it’s not, but it sounds like a living, breathing tornado (who may or may not be sentient) follows you around, leaving a path of destruction in your wake.
Hey – that’s a great movie:
My Naughty Tornado
A young boy must figure out why everyone hates him when his best friend, a tornado, begins blowing stuff around whenever he leaves the house.
I can’t get to that until maybe January, but you can be sure that moved right up my to-do list.
Oh, I’ve also determined that my “ha-ha it’s so funny how everyone in Texas has guns” demeanor will probably get me shot within hours of making contact with the Dallas natives next week.
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(So glad I didn’t bother to search out that game lasterday…Browns-Steelers, I will watch online tonight.)
Here it is:
I’ve been reading for about a week now….STOP TAKING COLD SHOWERS! Are you crazy???? :)
(haven’t showed it to your Dad yet…afraid he might think you’ve totally flipped out!
That is, for those of you without the skills of deduction, from my mom.
(Yeah, it could’ve been from my dad’s mistress, but we don’t really get along, and I can’t remember the last time she emailed me.)
Cold shower #2 was just taken – here are more things I’ve noticed, and you know how I like things:
1) The mirror in the bathroom doesn’t steam up.
2) You start to dry instantly, and the entire drying process is faster than after a warm shower.
3) This is by no means easy. While it’s somewhat empowering, you want to be done. Beyond the 1-minute “stand there with clenched fists and feel powerful” phase, you get down to business and get finished.
4) You’re not cold when the shower is over. In fact, as soon you turn the water off, you feel this rush of warmth and energy.
Overall, I feel like this is not only good mentally, but it’s saving me a lot of time, due to numbers 1-3 above.
NOTE: My old friend Jordi’s website, The Serious Tip, turned two today – congratulations!
He also was wondering what, if any, sports blogs I read anymore. This is the list, direct from my RSS reader:
Blog Maverick – Mark Cuban’s blog. I don’t know if this even counts as sports – in fact, just now, I moved it over to “Tech/General Blogs”.
(That link goes to his post about why John McCain not knowing about computers is frightening. I completely agree.)
Deadspin – I don’t really “read” it – just skim the headlines in case there’s something interesting, which often there is.
The Big Lead – Only for the links/round-up posts.
True Hoop – As a (somewhat disenchanted) NBA fan, of course. Plus Henry writes about things that aren’t written about elsewhere.
Brian Windhorst’s Beacon Journal Blog – Cavs insight. Brian is also a good guy.
That’s all there is for me anymore. I figure anything significant that happens in sports or on sports blogs, I will catch wind of through those and ESPN DOT COM.
I also check other places now and then just for the hell of it, but most of my regular reading is entertainment/film stuff, and personal blogs of people I know or find interesting.
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I looked myself in the eye and realized my “have to start things on Sunday”, while true, was just an excuse, and went ahead with this whole thing today.
The determined method was as such – I would get in the shower, and THEN turn the water on.
One, you’re not waiting for the water to warm up, so there’s no reason to turn it on first. Two, turning the knob is much less of a “leap” than stepping into a cold shower.
It went really well – I feel great. (I literally just got out a couple minutes ago.)
I decided I’d stand there, powerfully facing the water for 30 seconds, then turn around for another 30 seconds, then actually wash.
(This “facing down the cold water” period is important, because it’s the part that makes you feel really cool.)
After the first 30 seconds, the whole thing really felt good – I’d wager it felt better than a warm shower, actually.
The turn-around was no problem, because by this time I was all into just killing this cold water.
Then I like washed, and that was that. A real bonus is you don’t get that “oo-oo-ooh it’s so cold when you step out of the shower.
My skin all feels really tight as well, which is one of the things they said on this page.
I’m gonna do this for like a month at least, or until my mom reads this and tells me I’m doing something bad to myself. I’ll ask why it’s bad, she’ll say she doesn’t know, I’ll say I like it and I’m doing it, and then she’ll call me weird.
The conversation will conclude by a mutual determination that it’s her fault, just like how I’m afraid of dogs.
Oh, I’m also going to tell all my environmentalist friends I’m doing this to help the climate crisis. They’ll hear “help the climate crisis”, forget the first part because they’re so shocked, and everyone wins.
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