Sunday, September 30, 2007
I'm Having a Movement
Please visit some of my other friends while I'm away. Just don't be a blog slut about it. I expect you here when I get back!
The Graffiti Table
Angry White Guy
Clever Title
I'm So Tired
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday Morning Cartoons!

Here's an unusual cartoon that I barely remember. It ran for one year as a part of a Mighty Mouse series. It was created by a young Ralph Bakshi (later of Wizards and Fritz the Cat fame and mentor to John Kricfalusi of Ren and Stimpy). I remembered the heroes, particularly Rope Man and Coo-Coo Man, but I couldn't recall anything else about them, including the title! I actually stumbled across them while looking for a different cartoon.
The damned thing about this cartoon is that it looks great. The characters, including the villains, were all very clever and original. It's just very poorly written. All the stories follow virtually the same story structure - City in trouble, Mighty Heroes called to help, Mighty Heroes ineptly battle the bad guy until they somehow turn it around, bad guy gets caught. They never spend any time developing the characters or their relationships. We never learn about their origins or why they are even together. All the heroes seem to be of an even peer status and don't seem to have any feelings either way about each other. And even though they all have a unique ability, they don't seem to have a unique perspective.
The dialogue is atrocious, mostly made up of "To the rescue!" "Up, up and away!" "I'll get him!" "Take that!" etc.
So, why include it? Well, like I said, it looks great And if you are at all a Ralph Bakshi or John K. fan, it's interesting.
THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY
Yesterday, I asked...
"A man in Morrisville, North Carolina was charged with assaulting a government official when he did what?"
12% thought "Gave a dirty look to a cop"- That's right. He punched the cop with his eyes. Um, no.
12% picked "Flashed a cop"
- Boy, if you could sue someone for assaulting their eyes, none of us would get any work done. So, no.
1% chose "Hit a cop with his car"
- The darn thing was, he hid the car in his shoe. No.
75% hacked up the right answer "Coughed on a cop"
According to The News & Observer, when Morrisville police officer Chris Gill handed him a ticket, Kent Kauffman coughed. Next thing Kauffman knew, Gill was charging him with assault on a government official. A Wake County judge will decide the intent behind Kauffman's cough, because he doesn't have anything better to do with his time, apparently.
Friday, September 28, 2007
And Now...The Rest of the Story
ROBOWRITER'S ASSIGNMENT
Assistant Director’s Cut: Fake Deleted Scenes and Alternate Endings
Courtesy of Mr. Chris Othic.
This assignment is one of my favorites. I like it so much that at one time myself and a group of writers did an entire show based on this premise.
The basic idea is that you are writing fake deleted scenes and alternate endings for your favorite movies. When you are choosing a movie to write a scene for, you should know the movie fairly well and it’s best if the Average Joe probably knows a little bit about it also. This means you will probably be writing fake scenes for movies like Star Wars, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, Brokeback Mountain, and similar movies. You can probably get away with writing about a movie that is a little more obscure, but it should at least have an element to it that most people know about.
First you want to generate a list of movies that you are familiar with. You can do this from your own personal choices, or look up lists of top movies at sites like IMDB or Blockbuster.com. Then you can go down the list and start generating ideas. You can either do fake deleted scenes or alternate endings.
For instance, in the show we did we had a deleted scene from Star Wars, which was the surprise party for Darth Vader thrown by his staff to celebrate the completion of the Death Star. Vader got some gag gifts, and we made fun of his funny breathing. We also had a scene from The Exorcist that was the “lost” slumber party scene where a possessed Regan invites her girlfriends to sleep over. You can imagine how that went with some vomiting and head spinning. When you are doing a deleted scene it’s really a parody of the tenants of the film (vomiting, head spinning) and also add some comic elements. The Exorcist slumber party was also a clash of context as in incorporated typical slumber party behavior with horror movies.
Alternate endings are a little different in that you are obviously taking the ending and giving it a comic twist. For example, we had an alternate ending for the movie Seven in which Brad Pitt’s character opens the box that contains Gwyneth Paltrow’s head, only in our version the box had anything but her head in it because apparently John Doe kept getting his seven deadly sins confused.
One last note: it is probably easier to make fun of any genre except comedies. You may be able to pull it off, but most comedies are already funny, and when you try to make fun of them it doesn’t always work. The other genres tend to work much better.
THE BS NEWS OF THE DAY
Yesterday, I asked...
"The Guolizhuang restaurant in Bejing claims to feature China's only what?"
34% answered "Pancreas Pancakes"- Nope. It was only added because it sounded better than "Pancreas Platter," which they don't have either.
10% picked "Poop- Poop Platter"
- Even though it's what we all think of when we order the Pu-Pu Platter anyway, the answer is "no."
10% thought "Palate Platter"
- No. Probably the boringest answer, but really gross when you think about it. Ew, you're eating a mouth!
46% ordered correctly with Penis Platter
According to The Telegraph, situated in an elegantly restored house beside Beijing's West Lake, Guolizhuang is China's first speciality penis restaurant. Businessmen and government officials can sample the organs of yaks, donkeys, oxen and even seals. In fact, they have to, since they form part of every dish - except for those containing testicles. Choke on that!
Dog penis with plum, anyone?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
No Childrens Left Behind
"As yesterday's positive report card shows," Bush said, "childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured."
That, and because he's spending a billion dollars a day swapping blood for oil and claims he's fiscally responsible with our tax dollars.
Say what you will about Bubba, I think he and Gore put this country on track. They weren't perfect, but there was a positive, forward momentum. I don't consider myself a full-blooded democrat. In my first presidential election, I voted independent. But when Clinton was elected after eight years of Reagan and four years of George H, I felt, literally felt, a weight lift off my shoulders. It was exiting and a time of growth. Now, every day, when I read the news, I am just bewildered. How can this be happening and why are those with heart and a true moral compass so impotent to stop the madness?
I don't know. I do believe it will change with the next election, but I'm impatient and I want change now. I want justice now.
SOIREE DADA
We are at our halfway point as we enter into our fourth week of Soiree Dada: Blinde Esel Hopse. Reviews have been favorable and audiences have been great. If you want to get into the show for five dollars less than "normal" people, say "Medulla Oblongata" really slowly at the box office.
Me-e-e-e-dew-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-la-a-a-a-a-a-a-a
Ob-long-gah-ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-tah!
ROBOWRITERS
Is tonight! Uptown Writer's Space at 6:30pm. Bring any ol' sketch you want to get feedback on, hang out with other writers and read scenes out loud and giggle, get ideas for your next scene, eat cookies.
THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY
Yesterday, I asked...
"A man at the Oklahoma State Fair prevented a horse stampede by doing what?"
34% said "Giving them cotton candy"
- Sure. Calm them down with sugar. Works for children, too. Not!
16% thought "Singing songs from 'Oklahoma!'"
- No, but the western ballet dream sequence almost put them to sleep.
8% picked "Tasering them"
- Isn't that the answer to everything, bro?
42% got it right with "Biting one of the horses in the ear"
According to the Associated Press, the coach of Oklahoma City's minor-league hockey team helped prevent a possible stampede of Belgian horses at the Oklahoma State Fair by biting one of the animals on its ear. "That's how you stymie a horse," he said. "You bite as hard as you can, and it won't move." This also explains the Mike Tyson-like ear chomps his hockey team's opponents seem to mysteriously suffer.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Misconception
This scene was also in our run of the show Life...is a Joke at the Skybox a few months later.
MISCONCEPTION
Written by Joe Janes
Final Draft
CAST:
DR. MILLMER
JASON
JILL
(Lights up on Jason and Jill. Jason is in his 40s, Jill is in her 30s. They sit in a doctor’s office.)
(They laugh. Dr. Millmer enters with a clipboard.)
(She blushes.)
(Jason exits, Jill walks out backwards miming “call me” to the doctor. Jason comes back and pulls her out of the room.)
THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY
Yesterday, I asked...
"A man in Oregon had his vanity plates rejected because the state considered his last name offensive. His last name is what?"
66% were quite certain it was "Suckett"
- No. Nor was the fellow from Nantucket.
9% ventured "McCracken"
- Nope. Phil McCracken's name is safe on behalf of all the McCrackens around the world.
There was no loving for "Pimp"
- Sounded like a good christian last name to me.
25% scored the offensive word "Udink"
"Udink?" Offensive? According to the Associated Press, the state of Oregon has ordered a family to turn in the vanity license plates on its cars because their Dutch last name, Udink, is similar to an offensive word. You might think the key word there is similar. That "dink" sounds similar to something else, link "bink," which is probably the least offensive word possible for, well, binking. But, no. Their problem is with the word "dink."
DMV spokesman David House said the word can be treated as a verb, which gives it a sexual reference. Well, really, Mr. House, you can say that about any word, can't you?
"Oh, man, I housed her hard!" "I really need to get housed." "Mmm, time for the little piggy to build his house!"
I want everyone to get janesed tonight. Wang chung janesed.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Loud Sunshine
LOUD SUNSHINE
Written by Joe Janes
First draft
CAST:
Old Man
Young Man
Beautiful Woman
Swimmer
(Lights up on a lone man sitting on a chair center stage. He is an older man, slightly unkempt. He wears dark glasses. Sr there are two more chairs. Sl is a single chair. A very well dressed young man enters sr with a briefcase. Soft violin music begins to play offstage. He sits and sets the case next to him. He opens it. Inside the case, all there is standard fare for a sack lunch and a small thermos of milk. It is lunchtime. The young man opens a bag of chips. He then unwraps a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He opens the sandwich and carefully places chips on it. He smashes the sandwich and begins to nibble on it.)
The young man opens his thermos and pours small curd cottage cheese into the cup.
A beautiful woman enters and sits down SL. She is dressed as though she’s about to go to a fancy charity ball. She wears an iPod. She begins to knit. Her yarn is blood red. Both the old man and the young man turn and look at her and then return to looking out.
The young man begins to eat a very large dill pickle. Unsliced.
A man dressed in 1920’s swimwear with a bathing cap, goggles and the number 44 painted on h is back enters and walks into the house. He slowly swims laps through the rows of the audience.
The young man makes a bleating noise. The beautiful woman sets down her knitting. Takes off her iPod. Looks at the two men. They look at her. Disgusted, she leaves.
The young man has finished his lunch. He closes his briefcase and stands.
He exits.
The Old Man rises. As he exits, he sneezes, blows his nose, looks at his handkerchief.
He exits.
The swimmer drowns.
Blackout.
THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY
Yesterday, I asked...
"A recent crime spree in South Africa is being blamed on a gang of what?"
10% said "Ex-policemen"
- Plying the tools of their trade, no doubt. Or just "no."
Nobody thought it was "Cult members" or "Soccer players"
- My fault. They are synonymous and cancel each other out.
90% got it right with "Hungry baboons"
According to Sky News, chacma baboons, which live wild in the Cape peninsula, have been raiding people's homes for food and causing thousands of pounds in damage. According to one resident "They get into the kitchens, they know where the fridge is, they open it and take everything, and then they defecate everywhere." Still sounds like soccer players to me.
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Spy Who Dated Me
Here is a scene I wrote earlier this year while developing material for a Teatro Bastardo show. I didn't like it and never showed it to anyone until a few months ago. It's one of those cases where the writer truly is the worst judge of his or her own material. It's also a lesson in giving yourself enough time to let something "cool off" so you can go back and look at it with fresh eyes. Although, I don't think that cool off period needs to be six months! When writing the first draft, I set my expectations too high. I wanted to write something gut-bustingly funny, dark and edgy. This ain't that, so I was disappointed. Now, I really like it. It's a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it.
THE SPY WHO DATED ME
By Joe Janes
First draft
Michael– mid-40’s - M
Tracy – mid 40’s – F
Ludwig – mid-40’s
(Ludwig, an older waiter with a scar and ill-fitting clothes enters and serves them coffee. He speaks with a heavy foreign accent.)
MICHAEL(Ludwig returns with soy milk.)
(Michael does some judo-y stuff on Ludwig, ultimately snapping his neck.)
(Tracy takes a knife off the table and throws it at Michael’s chest. It hits him and he goes down.)
(She laughs maniacally as Bond-type music comes up. She stops laughing. Exits. Comes back. Puts a few dollars on the table and exits, again. Lights fade.)
THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY
On Saturday, I asked...
"To protest the food being served to him, a prisoner in New Hampshire sent a federal judge what?"
68% answered "A stool sample"
- Nope. Nothing from the wood shop. Wait, what kind of stool did you think I meant?
16% picked "A tooth"
- And then the federal judge put a quarter under the prisoner's pillow while he slept...um, no.
16% thought "A bent spoon"
- Which he bent with his mind!!! Mwahaaaaaaa!...Nope.
Nobody picked the right answer this time, "A hard-boiled egg"
According to the Associated Press, a federal judge was driven to rhyme after receiving a hard-boiled egg in the mail from a prison inmate protesting his diet. Wolff, 61, says he is an Orthodox Jew and has accused prison officials of refusing to feed him a kosher diet. Wolff also says he cannot tolerate hard-boiled eggs and is suing the state Department of Corrections for $10 million. Wolff is serving 10 to 20 years for sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl. I think they should Cool Hand Luke him.