I saw a peacock in our yard this morning, our baby is probably coming early, I had to drive to Brentwood from Pasadena for a pitch today (ugh), and we recently rewatched the entirety of F•R•I•E•N•D•S on Netflix. Side note: the entire Geller family is high key trash.
Anywho... welcome new subscribers, and thanks to everyone who reads this. Please write back if you find anything interesting or just wanna catch up! Newsletter time...
|
|
A Cat Scratcher Shaped Like The Empire State Building. We have a cat scratcher that is basically a tall rectangular block and every time our smaller cat jumps up and bear hugs it, I think of King Kong.
Someone should build a cat scratcher that is modeled after the Empire State Building so my dreams can become a reality. Whadya think?
|
|
The President Is Missing, 'written' by Bill Clinton and James Patterson is a novel about a former southern Governor who is now the President, and is getting impeached – sound like anyone we know? But unlike Clinton, President Duncan's wife tied tragically and he has to sneak out of the White House during impeachment hearings to save the world from terrorists. Yes. You read that correctly.
If you like trashy beach reads, and don't mind indulging President Clinton's wish-fulfillment, this is a fun one. It's a brainless page turner with fun spy stuff; Dennis Quaid reads the audiobook and gives it 110%.
I give The President Is Missing 3.5/5 Bookies.
|
|
|
|
The mom who invented gender reveal cakes has revised her thoughts on gender nine years later after her daughter started expressing herself in non-binary ways.
|
|
|
As legacy publishers pivot to video they're on the hunt for infinitely refillable content frames that can be done on sustainable budgets.
In other words: huge companies aren't making $$ from ads in magazines nobody reads anymore, video is the most shared type of content, but video ideas mean you have to hire writers, and writers cost money and COMPANIES DON'T WANT TO SPEND MONEY.
ANYWAY, one such publisher doing a great job is Conde Naste. They have several video frames that are easy to make and very enjoyable. One I've recently discovered is "[Name of Celebrity] Enters the New Yorker Caption Contest."
|
|
|
|
In which Jon Hamm remains charming...
|
|
With the 2020 election right around the corner, I'm teaming up with Swing Left, Vote Forward and Paper Pastries (an awesome stationary store in Glendale) to host a letter writing party.
Monday, August 26th from 7-9pm we will be writing letters to people in swing states that don't normally vote.
Handwritten letters are proven to cut through the clutter and grab people's attention, and Paper Pastries is such a cool spot to hang out in. They'll be making all kinds of fun craft supplies, stamps, pens, and more available to us!
Click here to RSVP (it's free!), or if you can't make it, check out Vote Forward to send some letters on your own.
|
|
|
If you're in the entertainment industry, industry-adjacent, or just entertainment-curious, you may have asked yourself: What the heck's the difference between an agent and a manager?
|
|
While I don't have either at the moment, it's something I'm thinking about again and I often get the responsibilities confused. There's a great bit in Jenna Fischer's book about acting that covers this, but I also wanted to share this old Vulture article that breaks it down.
(As a side note, I've mostly found resources that explain this for actors and (slightly less) for writers... but very few for directors. If you're in the know... let me know!)
|
|
Not the first Bricklink's custom LEGO set I've featured, but their Wild West Saloon is pretty awesome – inside and out. |
|
|
The ' Vestaboard' brings the analogue clicking-clack of a mechanical split-flap display to the Internet age. It syncs up with Google, Alexa, and a variety of other apps, and I couldn't swoon any harder. Now, pardon me while I gag over the $2.3k starting price. |
|
|
|
(A maker also posted a how-to that'd be a very fun project for an unknown section of my life when I have lots of free time and a laser cutter)
|
|
|
Here's an old Roski School of Fine Art & Design FA320 project, "Clay vs. Time." It was a 'video art' class where we made experimental shorts and learned how to use after effects. The basic premise is that someone is kind of dislodged from normal time/reality –– but basically it was a "what cool stuff can we shoot near where Clay lives and I'll set it all to an Explosions In The Sky song."
There was (to me at the time) a very Michel Gondry influence to this, and I'd still love to use it as a jumping off point for a music video concept.
|
|
|
|
One of my favorite bits is around 1:20 when – to give the illusion that other people were moving backwards – Clay just shopped backwards. It would have been so much easier to lock off the shot and comp him into reversed footage... but we were stealing a shot in a store, and I didn't know how to comp stuff like that anyway.
|
|
|
Thanks for reading! I'd love to get your feedback. Favorite segment? What's working? What's not working? What do you want to see more of?
|
|
|
|
|
