It occurred to me, that since I keep promoting this play on podcasts -- which has been SO MUCH fun; I'll let you know when they're available -- it would be handy to have a clip to play, like when celebrities go on talk shows to promote their movies. So I invited my friend Cristina Cimellaro over last night to record a short scene from the beginning of the play. You might recognize Crissy as the bride in that Sprint commercial where the bride winds up marrying the substitute groom. Crissy's great, and, while we did this quickly and cheaply, I think it's pretty cute. My "Ryebread" voice is ... a very nice effort. I don't know how to imbed an audio clip on Blogger, so I made it into a fake movie.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Harry, A History, A Movie
Melissa Anelli of Pottercast and The Leaky Cauldron was trapped in an airport the other day and asked her Twitter followers to tweet questions at her, for her to answer on her vlog. (Think how little sense that sentence would have made ten years ago) She was kind enough to answer some of mine, but didn’t have time to answer one I asked about what actors should be cast when they make the movie version of her book Harry, A History. She apparently has discussed this (not that there is going to be, or will ever be a movie … unless WB gets REALLY hungry for more Potter) with Matt Maggiacomo (AKA The Whomping Willows), but didn’t have their list on hand. So … I made my own.
Melissa, our hero … Jenna Fisher
A fan suggested Amy Adams. Now, I love Amy Adams, but she’s far too fairy-princess for Melissa. If we’re casting hot-young-thang actresses, I’d prefer Anne Hathaway. Now, I think of Melissa as having a strong New York Italian streak (as Boston Irish, I find that a little intimidating … I was very glad to learn Melissa is not a Yankees fan), and my go-to actress for NY Italian (under 40) is Alyssa Milano. Hey, if you grew up as a straight adolescent boy in the late-eighties/early-nineties you were required, by law, to have a crush on Alyssa Milano, Christina Applegate, and/or one of the “Saved by the Bell” girls. It’s not my call, it was the law. But Milano’s not quite right. I briefly considered newish “SNL” castmember Casey Wilson, who is taller and more zaftig than Melissa, but has somewhat similar features. But in the end I went with Fisher, who has the comic and dramatic chops for the role. Watch her on Season 3 of “The Office” sometime – it might be the best television acting of this decade.
John, Melissa’s Pottercast cohost … Justin Long
Yeah, the Mac and PC guy. He would really be perfect. He can do the schtick, do the cool, and get serious if he needs to.
Sue, Melissa’s other Pottercast cohost … Drew Barrymore
I found Sue hardest to cast. But thinking of Justin Long made me think of his ex, Miss Barrymore. I think she could pull off the squeeing and make it seem cute, not cloying.
JK Rowling, okay, maybe SHE’S the hero … Jennifer Ehle
Sadly, the late Natasha Richardson would have been perfect. Miranda Richardson (no relation), yes, Rita Skeeter herself, comes to mind, as does Emma “Professor Trelawney” Thompson, though both are a little old. Nicole Kidman is closer in age, but it would be nice to stay British. Ehle doesn’t look that much like Rowling, but she’s the right age and was so good in Pride and Prejudice (the miniseries, not the recent movie).
Laura Mallory, anti-Potter crusader … Missi Pyle
If you saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, she played Mrs. Beauregard. I think this would be a variation on that, with a southern accent. (now that I look at her on IMDB, she actually looks a little like Sue … only a little, though)
Harry and the Potters, Wrock Pioneers …Two out of the three Jonas Brothers.
Okay, I know very little about the Jonas Brothers, but they are brothers in a band and they would probably attract teen girls to the movie.
Emerson Spartz, Mugglenet muckymuck ... Anton Yelchin
Okay, I kinda pulled that one out of my toochis, but why not?
Matt Maggiacamo, Whomping Willow … Seth Rogen
He, he’s lost a lot of weight recently!
Cheryl Klein, Scholastic Muckymuck, got to read the books before all of us … Elizabeth Mitchell
I have no idea how old Cheryl is. Probably younger than Mitchell, but the casting still works, I think.
Melissa, our hero … Jenna Fisher
A fan suggested Amy Adams. Now, I love Amy Adams, but she’s far too fairy-princess for Melissa. If we’re casting hot-young-thang actresses, I’d prefer Anne Hathaway. Now, I think of Melissa as having a strong New York Italian streak (as Boston Irish, I find that a little intimidating … I was very glad to learn Melissa is not a Yankees fan), and my go-to actress for NY Italian (under 40) is Alyssa Milano. Hey, if you grew up as a straight adolescent boy in the late-eighties/early-nineties you were required, by law, to have a crush on Alyssa Milano, Christina Applegate, and/or one of the “Saved by the Bell” girls. It’s not my call, it was the law. But Milano’s not quite right. I briefly considered newish “SNL” castmember Casey Wilson, who is taller and more zaftig than Melissa, but has somewhat similar features. But in the end I went with Fisher, who has the comic and dramatic chops for the role. Watch her on Season 3 of “The Office” sometime – it might be the best television acting of this decade.
John, Melissa’s Pottercast cohost … Justin Long
Yeah, the Mac and PC guy. He would really be perfect. He can do the schtick, do the cool, and get serious if he needs to.
Sue, Melissa’s other Pottercast cohost … Drew Barrymore
I found Sue hardest to cast. But thinking of Justin Long made me think of his ex, Miss Barrymore. I think she could pull off the squeeing and make it seem cute, not cloying.
JK Rowling, okay, maybe SHE’S the hero … Jennifer Ehle
Sadly, the late Natasha Richardson would have been perfect. Miranda Richardson (no relation), yes, Rita Skeeter herself, comes to mind, as does Emma “Professor Trelawney” Thompson, though both are a little old. Nicole Kidman is closer in age, but it would be nice to stay British. Ehle doesn’t look that much like Rowling, but she’s the right age and was so good in Pride and Prejudice (the miniseries, not the recent movie).
Laura Mallory, anti-Potter crusader … Missi Pyle
If you saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, she played Mrs. Beauregard. I think this would be a variation on that, with a southern accent. (now that I look at her on IMDB, she actually looks a little like Sue … only a little, though)
Harry and the Potters, Wrock Pioneers …Two out of the three Jonas Brothers.
Okay, I know very little about the Jonas Brothers, but they are brothers in a band and they would probably attract teen girls to the movie.
Emerson Spartz, Mugglenet muckymuck ... Anton Yelchin
Okay, I kinda pulled that one out of my toochis, but why not?
Matt Maggiacamo, Whomping Willow … Seth Rogen
He, he’s lost a lot of weight recently!
Cheryl Klein, Scholastic Muckymuck, got to read the books before all of us … Elizabeth Mitchell
I have no idea how old Cheryl is. Probably younger than Mitchell, but the casting still works, I think.
Monday, May 4, 2009
It begins!
Made my first sale of SALLY today! Actually, it was my first four sales, schools and theatres in Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, and British Columbia bought scripts! Yes, just scripts, not productions, yet, but, still, it's great.
Oh, hey, you can hear me, briefly, calling in to discuss the play and request a song on Episode 15 of the Accio Potter Wizard Rock podcast. I did an interview with their sister Podcast, the Accio Potter Podcast, which should be out soon (I'll let you know). But they were doing a really fun live show, so I figured "what the heck." I requested "There's A Face" by Alas Earwax, even though I got the title slightly wrong when I requested it and briefly broke the show. Sorry guys.
That song is great, by the way. Clever and very funny. Aw, heck, you don't have to take my word for it:
Oh, hey, you can hear me, briefly, calling in to discuss the play and request a song on Episode 15 of the Accio Potter Wizard Rock podcast. I did an interview with their sister Podcast, the Accio Potter Podcast, which should be out soon (I'll let you know). But they were doing a really fun live show, so I figured "what the heck." I requested "There's A Face" by Alas Earwax, even though I got the title slightly wrong when I requested it and briefly broke the show. Sorry guys.
That song is great, by the way. Clever and very funny. Aw, heck, you don't have to take my word for it:
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
It's here!
Just got word a few minutes ago! SALLY COTTER AND THE CENSORED STONE is now officially published! This is very exciting. Please visit the page at Playscripts for information about the play, me, and how to produce it. You can also read ALMOST the entire script online, for free.
Friday, April 24, 2009
so close I can taste it!
Great news! Well, it's great for me, anyway. Playscripts had thought they would publish the play this summer, but now it looks like it'll be out next week!
The not-so-good-news ... well, for you, anyway, is that I won't be able to send free copies any more, once it's officially published. But don't worry, too much. You'll be able to read most of the script for free at the Playscripts website.
Now, one of the last steps in publication is a final proof read. Playscripts did one, and then sent proofs of the script, all nicely formatted, for me to check as well. I was a little embarassed how many grammatical and verbiage mistakes I made, but I think I caught them all ... which means I probably missed several. Actually most of the corrections I made were just to make Ryebread's dialect more consistent, which is ironic, considering the whole point is that no one knows what his accent is.
Anway, as a peek behind the scenes, and because I think they're kinda funny out of context, here are some of the more interesting changes I sent in to Playscripts.
The not-so-good-news ... well, for you, anyway, is that I won't be able to send free copies any more, once it's officially published. But don't worry, too much. You'll be able to read most of the script for free at the Playscripts website.
Now, one of the last steps in publication is a final proof read. Playscripts did one, and then sent proofs of the script, all nicely formatted, for me to check as well. I was a little embarassed how many grammatical and verbiage mistakes I made, but I think I caught them all ... which means I probably missed several. Actually most of the corrections I made were just to make Ryebread's dialect more consistent, which is ironic, considering the whole point is that no one knows what his accent is.
Anway, as a peek behind the scenes, and because I think they're kinda funny out of context, here are some of the more interesting changes I sent in to Playscripts.
- Page 2 – not sure of your policy but should “Mad Magazine” be italicized?
Page 5 -- RYEBREAD’s line “trying to eat me pet ogre-bear” should read “trying ter eat me pet ogre-bear.”
Page 7 – Change SALLY’s line “your parents were Monkeysunkles” to “your parents are Monkeysunkles”
Page 9 – From Dave’s line “You mean like dinosaurs or pirates or fairy tale princesses?” please cut “or pirates” (there is a pirate reference on the next page and it’s a little jarring)
Page 16 – in SHAPE’s line “information about the Magic Rock is off limits to student” should “off limits” be hyphenated? Your call.
Page 18 – RYEBREAD’s line “That’s four thousand points and the game to Goodydrops.” Should read “That’s four thousand points and the game ter Goodydrops.”
Page 27 – “SALLY and DAVE” is formatted as a stage direction, but it’s actually which characters say the next line. It should read “SALLY and DAVE. Herdturd?”
Thursday, March 12, 2009
From the Hogwarts Light Verse Society
I'm still having a great time on MyLeaky. One of the groups I've started is the Hogwarts Light Verse Society (those Star Wars poems really got me going). Today is Leaky News Mistress Sue Upton's birthday, so in her honor, I wrote ...
A CLERIHEW
Sue Upton
Started eruptin’
When she heard Jason Isaacs state
That he thinks Hufflepuffs are great
A HAIKU
"Happy birthday, Sue!"
Frak opens up a bottle
Pellegrino sound
A LIMERICK
All Squee-ers love when Ms. Sue
Tells Pottercast listeners what’s new
If the news is real neato
John drops his burrito
And offers his own point of view
A DOUBLE DACTYL
Squeedly deedly
Sue Upton, Hufflepuff
Looked at Melissa’s book
Flying off shelves
“Maybe I’ll write a new
Fictobiography --
Hufflepuff, Helga: Our
Bodies, Our Elves”
A CLERIHEW
Sue Upton
Started eruptin’
When she heard Jason Isaacs state
That he thinks Hufflepuffs are great
A HAIKU
"Happy birthday, Sue!"
Frak opens up a bottle
Pellegrino sound
A LIMERICK
All Squee-ers love when Ms. Sue
Tells Pottercast listeners what’s new
If the news is real neato
John drops his burrito
And offers his own point of view
A DOUBLE DACTYL
Squeedly deedly
Sue Upton, Hufflepuff
Looked at Melissa’s book
Flying off shelves
“Maybe I’ll write a new
Fictobiography --
Hufflepuff, Helga: Our
Bodies, Our Elves”
Monday, March 2, 2009
A few recent projects
So I'm embarking on some shameless promotion for this play. In fact, if you're reading this, it's probably because you encountered some of those.
Here's what they are:
Yes, I know it's a little disturbing to see Captain America hanging from a tree with his leg and arm shattered. I promise, it's just supposed to be silly, not some bizarre political statement.
The next reader-contribution post was to write some light verse about Star Wars. I contributed ...
Three clerihews ...
Yoda
Loves soda
He says, “Do the Dew.” Know why?
Because there is no try.
Jango Fett
Didn’t bet
On winding up dead
He thought he’d come out a head
(this one's called "Two Jewish Princesses")
Padme Amidala
Likes challah
Leia Organa
Prefers manna
And two double dactyls:
Hark to the story of
Lando Calrissian:
Bespin investin’ brought
Fortune and fame.
He bent his ethics quite
Cumulo-nimbly
Screwing his friends is just
Part of the game.
Wrinkly Stinkily
Emperor Palpatine’s
Post-Windu cranium
Looks like a tush
Is he the ultimate
Neoconservative?
Cheney’s lost ancestor?
Is Jar-Jar Bush?
(again, no need to debate politics here, but everyone seems to think the third prequel was a Bush critique, so ...)
Here's what they are:
- I've been posting a lot on MyLeaky, the social networking site from The Leaky Cauldron. I'm known at Dean O. there. If you haven't joined yet, please do, and friend me. And please join the group I created, Housing Other Quartets.
- I have a piece on the latest episode of Inside the Magic, where I'm known as That Anonymous Guy. In it, I play a clip from The Black Hole and riff on it, MST3K-style. I also unabashedly plug this play and this blog. Thanks very much to ITM host and creator Ricky Brigante for letting me do that. Episode 204 is here, I'm on at the end, but the other segments by Skipper Ben and Jay and Mark are great, too.
- These are wholly unrelated, but one of my favorite online humorists, Lore Sjoberg has been encouraging fan participation. First it was to create a superhero anagram based on Lore's Jug Sauce Elite cartoon. Mine was this ....
Yes, I know it's a little disturbing to see Captain America hanging from a tree with his leg and arm shattered. I promise, it's just supposed to be silly, not some bizarre political statement.
The next reader-contribution post was to write some light verse about Star Wars. I contributed ...
Three clerihews ...
Yoda
Loves soda
He says, “Do the Dew.” Know why?
Because there is no try.
Jango Fett
Didn’t bet
On winding up dead
He thought he’d come out a head
(this one's called "Two Jewish Princesses")
Padme Amidala
Likes challah
Leia Organa
Prefers manna
And two double dactyls:
Hark to the story of
Lando Calrissian:
Bespin investin’ brought
Fortune and fame.
He bent his ethics quite
Cumulo-nimbly
Screwing his friends is just
Part of the game.
Wrinkly Stinkily
Emperor Palpatine’s
Post-Windu cranium
Looks like a tush
Is he the ultimate
Neoconservative?
Cheney’s lost ancestor?
Is Jar-Jar Bush?
(again, no need to debate politics here, but everyone seems to think the third prequel was a Bush critique, so ...)
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