LONELYPOND PRESENTS

Haven’t been posting here as much because I’ve been having fun finishing my Christmas themed (ELVES! The Fat Man! Danger!) holiday noir short spoof, Which List For The Mrs.?

Lively Peter Aspden interview with Christian McKay, Orson Welles of Me and Orson Welles.

I think this will be a good year for Oscar hosting as Steve Martin’s and Alec Baldwin’s performances in It’s Complicated were great — with remarkable mischief on Baldwin’s part and excellent reserve on Martin’s. Funny, solid movie. We’re skipping the Squeakquel as all reviews indicate redone, tired and stole plot from High School Musical and I can’t see it being worth matinee prices. Which is a shame because I liked the first one and I thought they had more pride in the franchise.

There were an amazing amount of people at the movies on Sunday. The late afternoon It’s Complicated showing was nearly sold out and other movies had lines and there were even more people coming in as we left. It’s already been a record breaking year and those in the know are expecting it to finish off even stronger.

Enjoy your New Year’s Eve and three day weekend. Stay safe, warm and sober (if you’re driving). Thanks for stopping by. My plans? Trying to finish a New Year’s themed Blink Kitty Love (holiday related humor = built in time stress) and a weekend full of some of our favorite movies (plus Pineapple Express, the current Netflix offering).

And please don’t forget to vote for Blink Kitty Love as a Best Experimental Web Series nominee. Thanks!

But with a title like that, we’ll pull a switch and start off with James Altucher, who has a WSJ.com blog post telling us what to expect in 2010. Mr. Altucher posted the link on Facebook, which is the only place I keep track of him anymore.

Switching to Twitter as a launching point, rebooted Tweetdeck after a reading a review that mentioned it incorporating the Twitter list feature. I’d been spending more time on the Twitter proper site because checking my conversationalist list was more effective than sorting back through twhirl. Plus, I love the translating feature and the lovely green I’ve turned the backdrop. Anyway, I had it search for the term robot; I’ve since had it stop searching for the term robot since the dominant account was @Fart_Robot or how to learn a lot about the bodily functions of strangers, their animals, their friends and the people standing near them in a short yet too long period of time. @NoteRobot was more fun; collecting “note to self” tweets.

Peter Aspden had a column prompted by Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes take. I think I’ll skip it but at least Aspden’s column made me almost put it on my movie list.

My movies to see out list currently includes Me and Orson Welles, Nine (neither of which is in the area — BOO), Invictus and, of course, Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Sqeakquel. I think the next movie Netflix is sending our way is Pineapple Express, after the Christmas in Connecticut double feature. First one much better and did you know Arnold Schwarzenegger directed the second. Re: second version — the quiet Kristofferson/Cannon moments work + the live broadcast is funny but I probably won’t be watching it next year. In the original, love story not much, but you’re SO happy when the priggy architect doesn’t marry her and Felix (S.Z. Sakall) is a HOOT. Plus, nice, not too threatening Sydney Greenstreet turn. Just discovered Jennifer Garner is apparently doing a third version.

Good article from Gizmodo about Orson Welles and his appetite for new technology.

And the Christmas song I was reminded of today: Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses. It’s also a hoot (word of the day apparently).

And my post Solstice t-shirt: “O Holey Night.” And a Christmas Robot poster.

And if none of that gets you in the mood, have some stale eggnog and enjoy your “bah humbugs”

And, if you have yet to acquire my Christmas present, voting Blink Kitty Love for Best Experimental Web Series in the Streamys will do nicely. Vote here, put in this url: http://www.blinkkittylove.blip.tv and then come to the party — there will be one. Tammy’s also planning to throw one for New Year’s; that should be interesting ; )

Thanks for stopping by; enjoy your Christmas.

(inspired by my love of cold, clear December nights)

Hectic snow weighted
Rushing jumbled jams clear for
Season’s silent joy

Well, at the suggestion of @SPWrite of The Web Files and Life With Kat & McKay (new addition to slate, Kat & McKay for Best Ensemble Cast in A Web Series, if you’re keeping track), I have decided to try to get Blink Kitty Love nominated for a Streamy in the category Best Experimental Web Series. So please click here and enter this url: http://blinkkittylove.blip.tv/ because you’ll honestly be able to say it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. And thank you!

There haven’t been Financial Times links because my deliveries have been interrupted by incompetence somewhere in the chain. Twice in two weeks I’ve had to call about no deliveries for three days. I miss reading the newspaper.

More positive notes: My friends @mymhm had over one million hits on their Movies You May Have Missed blog for December. Congratulations. Check them out if you haven’t. If you have, nominate them for a Streamy Award as Best New Show. The other shows/people on my help get a nomination slate are: Movies You May Have Missed for Best New Show, The Web Files for Best Hosted Web Series, Kristyn Burtt of The Web Files for Best Web Series Host, Space Hospital for Best Comedy Series, Rob Poe of Space Hospital for Best Art Direction and the cast of Life With Kat & McKay for Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series. I’ve only started exploring what’s out there on the web, guided partly by the excellent choices made by my friends at The Web Files (Movies You May Have Missed was their 9th episode). It’s a whole new world for entertainment: brave, different and daring.

I’m also voting Blink Kitty Love for Best Animated Web Series…why, you ask? Well, although you will find animated series with more polished animation, I think Blink Kitty Love gives you a total entertainment package with the music, food and other random conversations on the band’s website and the continuing shenanigans on their Twitter feed. Plus, it’s my baby and I’m proud of it. I occasionally think about using a more sophisticated animation program but the simplicity of FlipBoom suits the band and my art style, which always tends to the abstract. FlipBoom is fun to work with without me having to spend weeks with the 500 page instruction manual (hello ToonBoom Studio). And the first or fifth rule of Blink Kitty Love is no stress puppies allowed so keeping it fun is important. Should you choose to vote, I’d appreciate it. Or just continuing following along with my adventures into animation. UPDATE: I’ve decided to push for Blink Kitty Love in the category of Best Experimental Web Series because it is a very grand experiment. Jump on the Blink Kitty Love train; crush just a little, that’s all we ask. A couple clicks here and enter this url: http://blinkkittylove.blip.tv/ and we’ll be your biggest fan.

Speaking of animation, ToonBoom is offering animators preparing a pilot to pitch to the industry access to Harmony and Storyboard Pro for three months. Sounds like a chance for a great collaboration. My latest vision (no, you don’t know what it is yet) isn’t a traditional character driven series but if yours is, check it out.

Lonely Pond Productions’ annual meeting happens this weekend. I’m excited about new ideas and directions. It will be interesting to get feedback from the rest of the Lonely Pond crew. They always surprise me.

Me and Orson Welles isn’t in the area, but I am considering Invictus. Need to see a few more movies before the year’s end. And there’s a couple of exhibits in Baltimore I’d like to hit. Hope you’re enjoying your holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate. Thanks for stopping by.

We saw The Princess and The Frog this weekend. Impressed — they made great use of New Orleans the city. Tiana is good, strong heroine with a hint of humor to be nudged out by a carefree prince; I even liked the blonde spoiled needs to be a princess girl (Charlotte) and I didn’t think I would from Disney advance advertising. It was also funnier than I thought it would be — and the Prince in no way reminded me of Pepe Le Pew, one of my original worries.

It had a strong opening weekend with lots of disclaimers — in December, for an animated movie, etc.

Go see it: the animation was beautiful; there was a great art deco Josephine Bakerish fantasy sequence, the shadows loomed with scary menace, the villain’s schemes and dreams were excellently evil and the heroine and hero captivated the audience’s interest even though they spend most of the movie as amphibians. There were some tough moments and real sadness — it’s a Disney movie, they’re harsh. But if it had been any less harsh it would have been a cop out and not served the story.

I would have liked more jazz. They should have put all the music through the jazz blender; the city and its culture were so beautifully evoked, I wish they would have done the same with the music and worked with a Marsalis instead of a Newman or a Ne-Yo.

Entertainment Weekly gave it an A; I’d agree if there’d been any memorable music so B+ from me. I’ll keep the Enchanted soundtrack for that slot until Disney kicks up its game to offer a replacement. Great to see Disney put so much effort into old school craft, solid story and timeless art.

The Big Bang Theory — ok, I adore Christine Baranski, she’s a very funny, very talented actress but she’s just not as funny as Leonard’s mother as I hoped. Now, Sheldon’s mother played by Laurie Metcalf is a triumph of walking humor’s fine edged line so I’m not sure whether to blame Baranski never clicking as a writing, directing or casting issue. She’s the only character on the show who doesn’t seem to have any seed of a real person at her core.

(Well, plus all the usual stuff) is to support your favorite crazy, crushing cartoon band by buying their first t-shirt. All nicely done by Zazzle so you can pick the color, shirt and price of your choice. Be one of the few, the proud, the Blinkers…want a better tag? Buy a shirt. Or offer some suggestions. Thanks. Merry Christmas. Scroll down one and watch Elf Panic; you’ll enjoy it.

There’s a new holiday Blink Kitty Love episode in the universe — your favorite crazy, crushing cartoon band takes on Christmas craziness and the naughty or nice question in Elf Panic.

What else do you need in the morning? On November 28, the 6th Robo-One Dance Competition happened. Next up, American Mechano-Idol or So You Think Your Robot Can Dance…anyone?

Me and Orson Welles had a boffo opening weekend and will be expanding to a larger number of theatres. Their Facebook fan page is the easy way to follow along.

Quick reviews:

The Big Bang Theory: Too little Leonard + Raj, too much Howard; Sheldon and Penny continue inducing snorts of laughter.

Charlie Brown Christmas Special: butchered and for what, commercials + Prep and Landing? Poor choices both.

Prep and Landing: bah — not a heartwarming holiday special…once again, Pixar strikes a blow for not really for the kids, instead let’s amuse the animators. If you’re going to have cool tech, why not have cool Bond movie type versions of Christmas music? And blackmail over a relationship in a children’s Christmas special? Good thinking there. And there were too many lines lifted from Christmas songs — that should have been your first script draft, people, and then you would have been better to throw it out and start over. I did like Wayne switching himself for a teddy bear in the arms of a sleeping child and the skiing over rooftops sequences…no dialogue in them, just good animating. Too bad it didn’t carry through.

Shanghai Surprise — FINALLY watched as much as I could stand. Have now vowed that if I don’t remember a movie at all there’s usually a good reason and so no need to add to Netflix queue. Only got 1/3 through it and almost lost all respect for Sean Penn as an actor. Next up: the Christmas In Connecticut double feature. Best thing about the remake: the scene where Tony Curtis’s character freezes in front of the camera. It’s lovely when great actors act like they can’t.

IQuit iCarly — solid…I think they’re rebooting, establishing the relationships again so that they can get back to darn funny.

The Troop — always seems like it should be entertaining but I am bothered by the fact that they never take the time to get the relationships between The Troop and their peers at schools right. Too much obvious bullying and just declarations of status instead of building it. Makes me miss the multiple layers of wonderful that was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Me and Orson Welles (yes, the Zac Efron movie) is being lauded for Christian Mackay’s breakout performance as Orson Welles. Nigel Andrews’ review also includes a vote for the powers of live actors over digitized versions.

Snuck out to see Planet 51 (Gayle voted for that over Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs). Cute, nice retro feel, although I think there should have been a diner. Seems like it’s not the 50’s without a diner. The two main characters, voiced by Dwayne Johnson and Justin Long had a nice rapport. Pretty solid story, not much unnecessary humor thrown in just for extra sauce and a little too long spent on the anti-government/police/British scientists beats. Enjoyable…I was amazed at how much expression you get out of noses (aliens did not move their antennas enough to substitute) and how much I like it when things go “VROOOM” in an animated fashion.

Caught the new Nick teen show Big Time Rush last week. Liked the guys in the band and the talent scout, some good physical humor, didn’t like the grafted on hints of non teen stories for the sake of giving pre teens some connection. Gayle really hated the producer. So we’re leaving it at has potential.