Tuesdays at 11 am is the Pilates class from hell at the 24 Hour Fitness in Hollywood. It's taught by an Asian guy named Leo who I call "The Happy Sadist".
He's happy 'cause you're in pain while you're trying to keep your back on the ground and your feet precisely 6 inches in the air.
Leo offers encouragement, too: "See, this is easy! Big Smile! It's easier when you smile! DO IT RIGHT! See? Easy!".
I keep going to Leo's class because I'm determined to get my abs back (I lose them when I work 15 hour days), even though I know I'll be in a lot of pain for the rest of the day.
However, I do have the "Guest Blogger" thing today at Assistant/Atlas' blog.
Enjoy!
I'm off to soak my sorry ass in the tub.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
And now for something completely off topic
Catherine sent me this list of questions that are going around, so here we go.
#1 Total number of books owned - not that many anymore. In an effort to reduce the clutter in my life, I gave a bunch of them to the library. I can visit them anytime I want. I've probably got about a hundred left.
#2 The last book I bought - I can't remember.. I found out I could read them for free from the library.
#3 The last book I read - "How to Build a Time Machine" by Paul Davies
#4 Five books that mean a lot to me -
"Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Damn Terry Gilliam for not being able to get the movie off the ground.
"Watership Down" by Richard Adams. It was the first "grown up" book I ever read (I think I was about 8 or 9).
"Lullaby" by Chuck Palahniuk
"The Wasp Factory" by Iain Banks
"Chuck Amok" by Chuck Jones. An autobiography by the guy who came up with all those really, really cool Warner Brothers cartoons in the 50's.
#1 Total number of books owned - not that many anymore. In an effort to reduce the clutter in my life, I gave a bunch of them to the library. I can visit them anytime I want. I've probably got about a hundred left.
#2 The last book I bought - I can't remember.. I found out I could read them for free from the library.
#3 The last book I read - "How to Build a Time Machine" by Paul Davies
#4 Five books that mean a lot to me -
"Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Damn Terry Gilliam for not being able to get the movie off the ground.
"Watership Down" by Richard Adams. It was the first "grown up" book I ever read (I think I was about 8 or 9).
"Lullaby" by Chuck Palahniuk
"The Wasp Factory" by Iain Banks
"Chuck Amok" by Chuck Jones. An autobiography by the guy who came up with all those really, really cool Warner Brothers cartoons in the 50's.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Big Geeky Trade Show Weekend!
I do love a good trade show. It's a chance to see some cool stuff, and catch up with buddies.
The only film industry trade show used to be "Showbiz Expo", but they pissed a lot of people off (jacking up the rate for booths, and just generally being unpleasant to exhibitors), so a couple of new shows started - Molepalooza and Cinegear. Molepalooza was never that good (and they had permitting problems because Mole Richardson - where the show was held - are located in a really high traffic part of Hollywood), so the main one now is Cinegear. It gets bigger every year - this year was on the "Ranch" part of the Warner Brothers lot. It used to be on the Universal lot, but I like this location better - I hope it stays at Warner's.
Cinegear's always been really tech heavy - mostly lighting, grip and camera, although this year there were a few computer booths, the FTAC and some film location commissions.
Highlights of the show were Hydroflex (they make underwater camera and lighting systems) passing out illicit rum shots in their promotional shot glasses
Hydroflex's extremely cool tropical-themed poolside booth.
Plus, some very, very cool LED lighting systems - lighting wise, LED's are the wave of the future. They don't pull much power, and they don't generate as much heat as traditional lighting units. They're not capable of putting out a whole lot of light, so they'll never replace the larger units, but for small units they're much nicer than flourescents (the other lightweight light).
This is an LED "Diva Light". Lights mounted to the lens smooth out wrinkles, and are a favorite of aging actresses - hence the name.
One of the major technical difficulties (movie wise, that is) is shooting actors in moving cars. For years, all you could do was strap a camera to the hood of the car and shoot through the windshield, or hang the camera off the side of the car on a really horrifying contraption called a 'hostess tray'. Then, along came the shotmaker (which is basically a flatbed trailer with some railing around it), but the problem with those is that you have 15 people sitting on the platform as you're driving around, so high speed stuff just isn't possible (I think the fastest you can go with a Shotmaker process trailer is about 20mph). Also, since the car's sitting on a flatbed you are limited in what the camera can see.
This year, there were three or four different camera/car systems - one of which I've seen before (The "Go Mobile" from Go Stunts was used on "The Bourne Supremacy", and it enables one to do really high speed stuff. Plus, there's no trailer, so you don't have to worry about framing. If you rent the "Bourne Supremacy", there's a behind the scenes special feature about stunts and the Go Mobile), and two which I haven't.
This is the "Go Mobile", and yes, that's the General Lee from the "Dukes of Hazard".
This is another type of car mounted system, but I can see a problem with the front clearance - there's about an inch of it. Can you say "crunch"?
This is just scary.
The other recent (within the past 5 years) technical breakthrough - lighting balloons. They're big balloons filled with helium and lighting units, so they cast a nice, even light. Just about every movie or TV show who shoots at night uses them now. The advantage to using them is that they're easy to position, and all you have to hide from the camera is a couple of head feeders.
"Airstar" lighting systems booth
I had a great time, even if it was hot - I really wanted to jump in the pool.
More photos are on Flickr.
The only film industry trade show used to be "Showbiz Expo", but they pissed a lot of people off (jacking up the rate for booths, and just generally being unpleasant to exhibitors), so a couple of new shows started - Molepalooza and Cinegear. Molepalooza was never that good (and they had permitting problems because Mole Richardson - where the show was held - are located in a really high traffic part of Hollywood), so the main one now is Cinegear. It gets bigger every year - this year was on the "Ranch" part of the Warner Brothers lot. It used to be on the Universal lot, but I like this location better - I hope it stays at Warner's.
Cinegear's always been really tech heavy - mostly lighting, grip and camera, although this year there were a few computer booths, the FTAC and some film location commissions.
Highlights of the show were Hydroflex (they make underwater camera and lighting systems) passing out illicit rum shots in their promotional shot glasses
Hydroflex's extremely cool tropical-themed poolside booth.
Plus, some very, very cool LED lighting systems - lighting wise, LED's are the wave of the future. They don't pull much power, and they don't generate as much heat as traditional lighting units. They're not capable of putting out a whole lot of light, so they'll never replace the larger units, but for small units they're much nicer than flourescents (the other lightweight light).
This is an LED "Diva Light". Lights mounted to the lens smooth out wrinkles, and are a favorite of aging actresses - hence the name.
One of the major technical difficulties (movie wise, that is) is shooting actors in moving cars. For years, all you could do was strap a camera to the hood of the car and shoot through the windshield, or hang the camera off the side of the car on a really horrifying contraption called a 'hostess tray'. Then, along came the shotmaker (which is basically a flatbed trailer with some railing around it), but the problem with those is that you have 15 people sitting on the platform as you're driving around, so high speed stuff just isn't possible (I think the fastest you can go with a Shotmaker process trailer is about 20mph). Also, since the car's sitting on a flatbed you are limited in what the camera can see.
This year, there were three or four different camera/car systems - one of which I've seen before (The "Go Mobile" from Go Stunts was used on "The Bourne Supremacy", and it enables one to do really high speed stuff. Plus, there's no trailer, so you don't have to worry about framing. If you rent the "Bourne Supremacy", there's a behind the scenes special feature about stunts and the Go Mobile), and two which I haven't.
This is the "Go Mobile", and yes, that's the General Lee from the "Dukes of Hazard".
This is another type of car mounted system, but I can see a problem with the front clearance - there's about an inch of it. Can you say "crunch"?
This is just scary.
The other recent (within the past 5 years) technical breakthrough - lighting balloons. They're big balloons filled with helium and lighting units, so they cast a nice, even light. Just about every movie or TV show who shoots at night uses them now. The advantage to using them is that they're easy to position, and all you have to hide from the camera is a couple of head feeders.
"Airstar" lighting systems booth
I had a great time, even if it was hot - I really wanted to jump in the pool.
More photos are on Flickr.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Nigel
About 10 years ago, a good friend of mine was going through a nasty divorce and, in a successful attempt to piss off her husband, sold me (for a thousand bucks) the Range Rover he'd bought her instead of an engagement ring.
I was stoked. A five year old Range Rover was a huge step up from my geriatric Volvo wagon that smoked, drank and passed out cold in the street every so often - usually during rush hour when I was on my way to work.
In a fit of early 20's irony, I named my shiny new Rover Nigel - and aside from the occasional overpriced British breakdown, he ran reliably (which, for a Range Rover, is unheard of).
Despite having only 11 inches of clearance, Nigel tore up dirt roads - I never met a jeep trail that Nigel couldn't take - most of the time without even heating up his engine, and he still looked good in Beverly Hills even when he was really dirty.
I tied all kinds of things to his roof, stuffed him full of all types of work gear, estate sale finds, lumber, electronics and in one memorable day - three cheap 'street corner' area rugs and a full set of patio furniture.
Over the years, Nigel's paint faded from a snappy British Racing Green into sort of a just puked pea soup with a side of rust flakes - I never had him repainted, though. I still loved him - faded paint, torn stained upholstery, non-working rear windows, cracked dashboard - even the occasional part falling off as Nigel got older.
A few days ago, his engine died, and Nigel left me stranded on the side of PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Malibu.
I got the bad news from Mike the Mechanic (yes, that's really his name). To get Nigel running again will cost about twice what he's currently worth - and since Range Rover didn't make big changes to their body style for over 10 years, Nigel's worth more in pieces than he is as a whole. Mike hooked me up with a local junkyard, who gave me a surprising amount of money for Nigel.
The flatbed took Nigel away yesterday. I went and cleaned out all my stuff (My CD's, the mini disco ball hanging from the rearview mirror, an "Austin Powers" action figure under the seat that I thought I'd lost) and said goodbye, then stood there in the middle of the street, watching Nigel get towed out of my life.
I'll miss you, Nigel. It's not going to be the same around here without you.
I was stoked. A five year old Range Rover was a huge step up from my geriatric Volvo wagon that smoked, drank and passed out cold in the street every so often - usually during rush hour when I was on my way to work.
In a fit of early 20's irony, I named my shiny new Rover Nigel - and aside from the occasional overpriced British breakdown, he ran reliably (which, for a Range Rover, is unheard of).
Despite having only 11 inches of clearance, Nigel tore up dirt roads - I never met a jeep trail that Nigel couldn't take - most of the time without even heating up his engine, and he still looked good in Beverly Hills even when he was really dirty.
I tied all kinds of things to his roof, stuffed him full of all types of work gear, estate sale finds, lumber, electronics and in one memorable day - three cheap 'street corner' area rugs and a full set of patio furniture.
Over the years, Nigel's paint faded from a snappy British Racing Green into sort of a just puked pea soup with a side of rust flakes - I never had him repainted, though. I still loved him - faded paint, torn stained upholstery, non-working rear windows, cracked dashboard - even the occasional part falling off as Nigel got older.
A few days ago, his engine died, and Nigel left me stranded on the side of PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Malibu.
I got the bad news from Mike the Mechanic (yes, that's really his name). To get Nigel running again will cost about twice what he's currently worth - and since Range Rover didn't make big changes to their body style for over 10 years, Nigel's worth more in pieces than he is as a whole. Mike hooked me up with a local junkyard, who gave me a surprising amount of money for Nigel.
The flatbed took Nigel away yesterday. I went and cleaned out all my stuff (My CD's, the mini disco ball hanging from the rearview mirror, an "Austin Powers" action figure under the seat that I thought I'd lost) and said goodbye, then stood there in the middle of the street, watching Nigel get towed out of my life.
I'll miss you, Nigel. It's not going to be the same around here without you.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
D'oh!
"Material Girls" production office didn't issue me a check, as they lost the timecard.
My boss just told me that he'll reissue the timecard, which means that it'll go in today, get processed over the weekend, and the check will get cut on June 9th.
Paid on June 9th (actually, by the time I get the check in the mail it will be June 14th) for a day of work on May 15th.
D'oh.
My boss just told me that he'll reissue the timecard, which means that it'll go in today, get processed over the weekend, and the check will get cut on June 9th.
Paid on June 9th (actually, by the time I get the check in the mail it will be June 14th) for a day of work on May 15th.
D'oh.
Murphy's Law in Action.
I finally made the trip up to Santa Barbara with Mr. Movie Star - even if it is dead, I don't want to go too far away in case I get called to work (fat chance, but Murphy's Law rules my life most days). I figured Memorial Day was safe, though, so off we went. We stayed at some really, really nice 'resort hotel' up there (I keep wanting to call it "Chicken of the Sea" because of 'LA Story').
Speaking of Murphy's Law - I had a great time, but managed to lose my wallet.
I have one of those eensy 'evening' purses that stuff just barely fits into - the wallet must have fallen out at dinner Sunday night, and I didn't notice until we were back in the room.
Whoever found it kept it, of course (Isn't SB full of rich people? Why the hell would they keep a wallet with no money and no credit cards? Maybe they just wanted my library card or my almost full Coffee Bean Pink Card).
Dammit. I'm more upset about the Pink Card than the drivers license. I never did like 'frankenphoto'.
One of the points of friction between Mr. Movie Star and me has been inappropriate behavior in public. He's constantly pawing at me in front of people, and I'd really prefer to keep the R rated stuff private and not put on a show - Mr. Movie Star gets really upset at this, and says it's because I must be 'ashamed to be seen with him'.
At this (celeb infested, of course) hotel, the staff just seemed to turn a blind eye to anything that the guests did. At one point (in an area where other guests could see us) Mr. Movie Star had half my neck in his mouth and a hand up the front of my shirt, and the staff just smiled blandly, refilled drinks and acted like nothing was going on. Surreal.
I understand - much more now - why Mr. Movie Star is the way he is.
We came back early yesterday morning (we were going to come back Monday, but decided to stay an extra night), and I spent ALL DAY replacing the stuff that was in my wallet.
Speaking of Murphy's Law - I had a great time, but managed to lose my wallet.
I have one of those eensy 'evening' purses that stuff just barely fits into - the wallet must have fallen out at dinner Sunday night, and I didn't notice until we were back in the room.
Whoever found it kept it, of course (Isn't SB full of rich people? Why the hell would they keep a wallet with no money and no credit cards? Maybe they just wanted my library card or my almost full Coffee Bean Pink Card).
Dammit. I'm more upset about the Pink Card than the drivers license. I never did like 'frankenphoto'.
One of the points of friction between Mr. Movie Star and me has been inappropriate behavior in public. He's constantly pawing at me in front of people, and I'd really prefer to keep the R rated stuff private and not put on a show - Mr. Movie Star gets really upset at this, and says it's because I must be 'ashamed to be seen with him'.
At this (celeb infested, of course) hotel, the staff just seemed to turn a blind eye to anything that the guests did. At one point (in an area where other guests could see us) Mr. Movie Star had half my neck in his mouth and a hand up the front of my shirt, and the staff just smiled blandly, refilled drinks and acted like nothing was going on. Surreal.
I understand - much more now - why Mr. Movie Star is the way he is.
We came back early yesterday morning (we were going to come back Monday, but decided to stay an extra night), and I spent ALL DAY replacing the stuff that was in my wallet.
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