MOM & Pop Culture

After nine months of treatment, I was officially discharged by my headache doctor today. You don't know how wonderful it feels to be almost headache-free after years of chronic pain and torture.

Hey Jacob, put on your damn shirt. You look like the Baby Hulk. Sorry, but I'm definitely in "Camp Edward."

Is wondering if I should trash the blog now that I rarely update it.

Michael Mann is Public Enemy #1 to Filmmaking

The story of John Dillinger and his escape at Little Bohemia was so dramatic and exciting as written on the pages of Vanity Fair that I assumed the film that followed would be equally mesmerizing. I'd be wrong.  Michael Mann's Public Enemies is mediocre filmmaking at best, and at worst it is an insult to anyone who really loves the art and craft of good filmmaking.

I have to ask: Why do directors like Michael Mann and Michael Bay have careers?? They lack style and substance and their films always disappoint me. They edit in a frenetic matter (shots literally seem slapped together), shoot mostly in close-ups for no apparent reason (so that we can't see any action), and lack storytelling skills on many levels. I should have listened to my gut about Michael Mann, but Johnny Depp lured me into seeing Public Enemies against my better judgment, Besides, I figured even a hack couldn't ruin this one.

waking up: a documentary about juvenile arthritis

find me on facebook

this year I'm thankful for...

Okay, besides the REALLY IMPORTANT things (family, friends, my 110-pound Labrador Retriever, my home, and my writing/film work) I'm also thankful this year for:

FOOD: Houlihan's 'Shrooms, Diet Coke with Lime, and The Cheesecake Factory
TELEVISION: Don Draper, Liz Lemon, and a serial killer named Dexter
MOVIES: Twilight, The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder and basically anything with Robert Downey Jr in it!
BOOKS: The Half-Blood Prince (I just read it this year so it counts)
TECH: The iPhone, my zip drive, and WIFI!
POLITICS: Jib Jab parodies, Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impersonation, and the final days of Bush as Prez.
MUSIC: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, Kid Rock's "All Summer Long"
MISC: Kohl's 30 % discounts, candles that smell like sugar cookies, and spa days!
OVERALL FOR 2008: 2 weeks in Hawaii, becoming entrenched in Facebook, and attending 2 premieres for completed film/TV projects

What are you thankful for this year??

'rawhide rescue' helps dogs find homes

I was on my way to Florida when I learned that my Aunt Ingela* passed away from Leukemia. After retiring from the corporate world, Ingela pursued her passion and founded Rawhide Rescue - a non-profit which finds homes for dogs in need. There's a nice video online which shows Ingela doing what she loved so much -- helping dogs. And I think it's a really sweet tribute to Ingela herself.

* Technically Ingela wasn't my aunt. She was the wife of my mom's cousin, Alan. However, Alan was like a little brother to my mother and lived for many years with my mom's family. Besides, I grew up feeling as if Ingela was my aunt. She had an warm smile and a way of making everyone feel like family.

you've got a friend

I have 216 friends. On facebook, that is. In real life...hmm, well, I'm kinda scratching my head and wondering where all my real-life flesh-and-blood friends went. Lately, I can barely get people to respond to e-mail. Everybody's BUSY with their families, their jobs, their busy, complicated, over-extended lives. Everyone's apologizing for why they can't get together and making promises about future engagements we MUST plan -- and secretly know we never will.

Part of the problem is that many of my friends (high school and college chums) just don't live nearby. So it takes time and monumental effort to synchronize our various schedules. Another problem is that so many of us work from home or are home caring for young children. How do we make friends when we often find ourselves isolated and alone? Besides which, you have to work at friendships in order to maintain them, and most of us are already stretched thin. It's almost as if we've become a nation too busy for deep, meaningful, close friendships. And I have a feeling that's why a lot of us are looking for the virtual thing online. If only we'd put down our iPhones and Blackberries long enough, we might realize that there are fascinating people to converse with right across the table from us.

I've been thinking about friendship a lot lately, thanks not only to facebook, but to the documentary film I worked on for three years as an Associate Producer. The BlueBelles is an amazing group of women who met at the YMCA 20 years ago and have been able to forge a deep, and long-lasting friendship. What's their secret? It's simple. They make time for one another. Plus, every Friday they meet for breakfast at a local bagel shop so their members always know where and when to find one another.

come find me on facebook

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but I am still around. Mostly I'm hanging out over on Facebook with all of my new "friends."  I have bit of a Facebook addiction right now.

What's not to like? It's easy to find people. It's easy to update. It's easy to reach out and network.

Blogging takes time and energy I just don't have right now. If you were following me on Facebook you'd know that I just had a successful screening with The BlueBelles documentary (and getting some nice press on that one) and am currently preparing for a private NYC screening of Wit's End.

I'm close to signing a development deal for another TV pilot I wrote (this one for the web) and am in the early stages of developing a Reality TV show tentatively called Reality Sucks.

Oh, I also liveblogged the Presidential Debate #2, and plan on liveblogging next week's debate, as well. So you'll know where to find me. Please join me for a lively discussion.

And find me on Facebook so we can keep in touch.