Say Something: A Short Film
Written & Directed by Me last summer. Oh, and I’m in it.
Take a look when you have 9 minutes to spare :)
The Musical Theatre Teacher: Character Idea
Slightly overweight woman, with a limp cigarette hanging from her mouth, wearing ruby red lipstick, too much eyeliner and something resembling a cape, sweeps into a rehearsal space. She looks as if she must have been attractive in her day and, in fact, it’s hard to tell if her day was 10 years ago or 20. She has the presence of someone who once worked tirelessly at being other people and at doing so to large, packed houses.
She carries, in the crook of one arm, folders and librettos, papers nearly falling out everywhere and a mug of lukewarm black coffee in her hand while the other arm hangs limply at her side.
Upon surveying her students, wearing their uniform of black jazz pants and black shirts, as they practice dance steps, sing in that all-too-familiar modern Broadway over-pronounced, over-aspirated belty yelling sound and overact with scripts in their faces, she says, just audibly and through lips held tightly around her ever-diminishing cigarette,
“God, I hate musical theatre.”
Thoughts?
Sasha & Chuck: Superheroes - Part 1
Chuck pressed his fingertips into the biological scanner.
“Welcome Home” appeared in little red LCD dots and the silver door to his hidden underground headquarters slid open.
Beasley was there to welcome him as usual and take his boots.
“How did it go? You’re alive, so that’s something in your favor.” Beasley had been there from the beginning. Back in the orphanage when he was just Beas, they’d become fast friends but he’d always been timid. He was happy in his role, the Silent Assistant. To him, it felt just as mysterious as if he were the one in costume each night.
Chuck grimaced as he peeled off his ergonomically correct, NASA-knock-off suit and mask. He’d really pulled something in his shoulder picking that guy up over his head.
“I got him.”
“Great. Well, they’re waiting for you upstairs.”
He’d have to attend to his injury later. Beasley, ever swift and efficient, had already separated Chuck’s grappling hooks, guns, grenades and other various secret weapons from his suit pieces - breastplate, tights, boots - in order to prepare them for cleaning and was holding open the elevator door.
Chuck, having made a quick change into a tailored Italian grey suit with silver and white damask tie, stepped into the elevator as he slicked a comb through his hair and checked the mirrored walls for flecks of dried blood or visible bruises. Clean as a whistle. He’d taken care not to get too roughed up tonight.
“Oh, and Chuck?” Beasley leaned towards the rapidly closing doors. He wanted to get this bit in at the last second.
“Sasha’s here.”
*****************************************************
“And that’s when I said to him, I said, if I’d wanted a peace treaty I would have asked for a peace treaty.”
Sasha chuckled politely at the former Governor’s anti-climactic joke as she slipped away and into the empty library off the great room, hundreds of feet above Chuck’s lair. She polished off the last of her champagne and turned the glass upside down in her hand. Her silver-painted finger tips swept the bookshelf closest to eye level until she found the groove she knew well. Sasha inserted the rim of the glass into its spot and turned it counter-clockwise. The shelf swiftly swiveled out and around to reveal a seemingly identical shelf that fit in perfectly with the rest of the book case. However, all the books were different. Sasha scanned them until she found the one she was looking for: Til We Have Faces by C.S.Lewis. She pulled it off the shelf and opened it to the inside of the back cover where a library card was stashed in its manila holder. She retrieved the card, slid the book back in place, spun the shelf around and was out of the room before anyone noticed she’d gone.
The governor was telling yet another painfully un-rousing anecdote.
“The Prime Minister, you see, is a friend of mine. So I told him I’d get Britney Spears to give him a private concert and you know what he said to that? You know? He said, ‘No, no. We no like Britney Spears no more. We like woman with lots of hair. We want Cher.”
Chuck’s guests laughed appropriately - Michael the Governor’s assistant, Leslie the journalist from City Weekly, Terence the owner and CEO of Chapman’s Bank, Alex the head of Chuck’s advertising firm CHK and Chuck’s attorney, Steven. And then there was Sasha, Chuck’s, well, her title was fluid. The only one who didn’t laugh, and who made a show of rolling her eyes, was Bunny - the Governor’s wife.
Chuck came in to save the day.
“Thank you all for coming. Please, please find a seat. Governor do you have enough to drink there, sir? You do? Great. Everyone ok? Beasley put out hors d’oeuvre, didn’t he? Help yourselves. Ok, well, Steven, why don’t you get us started?”
Sasha studied her lover. Former lover. They didn’t know quite what they were anymore. But she knew him better than he knew himself and that shoulder was going to need a good icing. She put her hand into the pocket of her dress (he’d bought it for her years ago) and stroked the library card. Looking back to him she realized that he hadn’t given her a single glance since he’d come in.
TO BE CON’T…..
Superhero Series
A while back I was working on a superhero story and was releasing it, bit by bit, to my Blogger account. Recently, as I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my short story collection, I thought I’d post it here from the beginning, largely in the hopes that that might force me to finish it!
It does pay homage to the traditional heroes and maybe, in some places, that just seems hackneyed. But I’m hoping that it comes across fresh and as a more character-driven story and less hero-driven. In fact, my intent was/is to weave their powers into their “real” lives rather than their “real” lives being an afterthought or a side issue.
I’ve always been fascinated by the realities of being a super hero, which is why I stuck with the show HEROES for so long because I just loved the premise, looking at what would it really be like to wake up with super powers - who would be excited? who would find it a nuisance? what do you do now? (Also because I thought the character Hiro was great and am, in fact, giving my child - if he’s a boy - the Japanese middle name of Hiro! Haha nerd alert! All our kids -however many we have- will have Japanese middle names since my husband is 1/2 Japanese so, why not?? Plus, I love the meaning. YATTA! )
Due to most movies and superhero stories, we have this idea that you become a superhero and it’s super awesome! But let’s face it - we have our lives mapped out. Being able to fly all of a sudden might put a real crimp in everything.
At any rate, I’m going to start posting and any reblogs &/or feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Oh! I also need a title. I’m terrible at titles.
Did You Know…
…that there’s actually some semblance of order to the chaos that is this Tumblr?
If you never visit my actual page and only see me through the feed, mightn’t know that! So, check out the categories below and go for an adventure through my neurosis, beliefs, rants, nerdy impulses and, of course, love.
My First Lyric Credit
I’m excited to post a link to Mousehunt - a companion album to the Facebook game of the same name by HitGrab, Inc, the gaming company of Joel Augé , friend of mine and artist of my husbands. (Whew…mouthful)
This game is so big in Asia that they have conferences about it and even flew Joel Augé out to attend one as an honored guest.
Since he’s a recording artist, he decided it would be fun to produce an album and sell it within the game.
My husband wrote the melody and I wrote the lyrics to the song “I Will Wait” while our friend Nathan Finochio aka Alexander Fairchild sings and plays it. I am now an official member of SOCAN but, more importantly, it is the piece of work that, so far, I am most proud of in my writing career.
So, please buy the album - it’s only 6 bucks and while the content is themed mainly towards the game, the songs stand on their own as well. At least buy “I Will Wait” - you won’t regret it :)
I really like Emma Watson but this short haircut of hers makes her look like Winona Ryder in 1993. Who advised her on this? A pixie is one thing but never ask for the “Receptionist with Upper Management Dreams from a 1995 Day Time Soap”. You’ll regret it every time. If she wanted to go short, why couldn’t she do something cool like Rhianna or Keri Hilson? That girl can rock a short cut!
Seriously though - a fabulous actress and looking forward to seeing where her adult career goes. (There’s gotta be a better way to say that, right Michael Bluth?)
In related news, I am so angry that Michelle Williams is playing Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn, which Emma is also in. I look more like Marilyn Monroe than she does. And in the teaser photos I see no spark, no magic. She’s supposed to be a sex symbol and she looks like your grandmother. Maybe it’s the styling…?
Hell, Lindsey Disaster Lohan looked more like MM in that naked Vanity Fair shoot she did: http://www.fashionising.com/forums/t—Lindsay-Lohan-as-Marylin-Monroe-NSFW-2704-1.html Jamie from fromme-toyou did a photo shoot with a woman who looks more like Marilyn: http://fromme-toyou.tumblr.com/post/336190094/to-marilyn-with-love
My top pic? Honestly? Megan Fox - she’s got the acting chops if her SNL performances are any indication and she has that glint in her eye. She can play strong and fragile and a little nutso. Only problem is that she’s not old enough. Cate Blanchett could do it! But she can do anything.
Side note: I read The Prince, The Showgirl and Me (and watched the film - brutal and only entertaining because I’d read the book about its filming) which was written by the same guy, Colin Clark, who wrote My Week With Marilyn. It was fascinating. Found it in an antique shop! I have to read My Week now to catch up.
And I’m mainly ranting because I’m frustrated with this bloody feature I’m working on. So…beggin’ your pardon.
You’re not writing anything worthwhile if you don’t spend the first hour of writing your writing time surfing the Internet, sending emails, changing your sweater two times, making a snack, playing a level of Angry Birds and moving from one couch to the other to the dining room table at least once. All of that is writing. Trust me. I’m a writer.
