I have finally updated my website (there’s actually more on it than this blog)—adding to the about me page and the video page.
It’s actually just archivey stuff rather than making anything new—I put up embedded links to every video I’ve done (except for Captain Conspiracy and We Love Cigars) and brought back links to the portrait projects. But… there’s new graphics. Like this—
My offer of free paint does not seem to have set the internet ablaze, so I’ll post something else:
I will draw a portrait everyone I hang out. Open ended, but I really don’t hang out with that many people, so this may crap out quickly.
(I also want to draw something besides suits, to be honest.)
Mitch and I had a drink on 4/14/09 at the tile bar on 1st Ave.
We ran out of money. He holds his beer like this for real.
Some guy recognized him as ‘Mister Glasses’ there.
Are you in NYC and do you want some house paint. Email me if you want one of theses and can pick it up from me (LES, Manhattan)
Powder Blue (Semi-Gloss)
Benjamin Moore 2064-60
3/4 CAN
Niagara Falls
Lavender-Blue (Semi-Gloss)
Martha Stewart Kitchen & Bath 1-Coat
FULL CAN
Still Life with Dr. Bronner’s
Pine Green (Flat)
Pratt & Lambert
2/3 CAN
I don’t where this paint came from and it doesn’t match anything in the apartment. MYSTERIOUS!
So, a lot of my local NY friends already know this, but I’ve been in negotiation with AMC to do illustrations “officially” for Mad Men on their site the same way I did last season on my own. Instead of being on Flickr, the wallpapers for iPhone and desktop would go up on AMC.com the day after a new episode airs.
The downside is that as a massive corporation, there’s a lot of “approvals” and “clearances” the need to get before something goes on their site so I have to do the drawing well in advance, the actors have to sign off on the use of their likenesses, the legal department has to sign off on it, etc. A huge change from when I would watch the episode at the normal time, draw for three hours and then put it up.
I have a big stack of scripts (not final drafts) for the first couple episodes of Mad Men Season 3 on my desk and I’ve been submitting sketches to AMC. I got a preliminary OK to put one of my roughs online, so I give everyone the first peak of a scene from Season 3, Episode 2
That is the lot of we who tread on the shady side of the law—QI has been pulled from YouTube as a TOS violation.
You can still find almost all episodes (short of the very recent ones) here.
All true!
(This is not only a real commercial, it won a Clio in 1982)
I am shooting a “spec pilot” for Marvel Comics’ website. Probably on Monday, with the aim of having it signed, sealed, and uploaded by mid-week. These are my expectations.
I did a silly, inconsequential commercial parody, you may recall, called SuperLawyers. Not an original, great idea, but something that was easy to write, easy to shoot, and easy to edit. I made it for Defenders of Stan’s finale.
There is an site editor at Funny or Die who loves Mitch. Mitch starred in SuperLawyers. SuperLawyers was on the front page of Funny or Die (where it was 2/3 “Die”).
The Editor-in-Chief of Marvel saw it there and put it on his Facebook page (presumably because he liked it, not that he was saying ‘look at this piece of shit’ but he is not my Facebook-friend so I don’t know 100% his intentions) so all his Marvelly Facebook-friends saw it.
At the same time, the content team of Marvel.com was looking to replace the video-team that had attempted to produce a “Marvel sketch comedy” show for the site and not actually produced anything funny. I know two Marvel employees through UCB and they provided a bridge between SuperLawyers and my contact info. They want a 3-5 minute “sketch” (as in, self-contained short which can be a traditional sketch or something else funny) every month for the site using characters from their universe but not any character currently being co-produced in a movie franchise by another studio.
I came in and chatted. I pitched a dozen ideas. I am not superhero fan, to be honest, but since my strength and my stumbling block in writing has always been “too much research,” I know an ungodly amount about Marvel (both in-book and in real life). But I think that might be to my advantage since the previous pilot was too fan-boyish and they want videos that will have appeal outside their core fans.
Having been burned once, the head of the site said make a spec. I don’t want to actually spend any of my own money, so I’m making the cheapest idea in the pack with Will Hines and two green screens.
The thing is when you don’t want to spend money on props, costumes, and prep, you end up spending double the amount of time on everything else. The script has to be funny enough to carry it which is a tall order. So, I have to spend the next two days making about 50 full screen graphics for the green screen.
Of course, this could still get killed by the higher-ups.
Inspired by First Lady Obama, I decided it was high time I took a new “official portrait.”
Mitch took these. My glasses are crooked in every one, even the ones I wasn’t wearing glasses in. I need to slip a shim in there.
Some people like to have desktop wallpapers with calendars in them. This is “March” from the real-world physical calendar (artwork previously posted) with the calendar all up in that.
Jump right to the chorus (approx. :50) to have your socks rocked off.
via Cartoon Brew
I was going to write an appreciation of Japanese candy “Meiji Apollo,” but I don’t feel like it because my hair’s too long.
I modified the front page of my site slightly.
Oh no, another QI poster to YouTube got snatched by the BBC so that entry down there doesn’t have video any more. Sowwy.
Here’s this week’s episode, “Fight or Flight” Series F, Episode 4. And it’s “XL” for some reason, meaning lazier editing and more pauses, I guess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0x_BwCW0wU
On Sunday, waiting for a train at the York St F in Brooklyn, I spotted something in the tracks…
On closer investigation….
It’s a tambourine. Best case scenario, a charismatic revivalist had too much joy-joy down in her heart and let it fly to the heart of Jesus. Worst case scenario, bullies targeting our nation’s Hare Krishna community.
I just bought this camera (second-hand):
Usually people who buy cameras do it because want to document their fascinating travels or paparazzi their own hideous children (or tedious cats).
I’m a shut in with no dependents or animals; I’m not sure what I’m going to be using this for.
I hope everyone had a good fishmas. On to 2009.
I went to superdeluxe.com for the first time in twelve million years and discovered it gone. Cakey with it. So… no one can ever watch Cakey again. Suck it, nerds!
The world’s greatest living rock band The Kung Fu Monkeys are doing a show this Saturday. It’s a matinee, and they’re having a seven-piece extended combo up there, with horns.
“We’re headlining, for perhaps the 3rd time ever in our existence,” says lead singer James, “”We’ll likely go on between 4:30 or 5 or so (all the bands are sharing equipment)”Saturday starting at 3 at Pianos on Ludlow. I think there’s a $5 entry.
For reasons I can’t quite determine, mrghost.net is down.
I apparently registered it with a non-standard GoDaddy account and hosted it with an alien 5DollarHosting account, both of which refer to (and send password reboot requests) long-dead email accounts.
I’m trying to resolve this.
