Jonathan Ross Snogs Neil Gaiman

"Jonathan and I were the last of the presenters, and we hadn't worked anything out to do because I turned up so late. ("You'll be funny," I said, having found myself on stage with Jonathan a few times before. "I'll be the straight man." )

It was almost midnight. Everyone was tired. The energy was ebbing from the room...

Jonathan explained that he was famous in England, and that he loved comics... He loved comics so much he had named his son after Kurtzman and Kirby. He loved comics even more than he loved masturbation. And he loved masturbation.... And he was off.

Now Jonathan Ross is funny. He has hosted more awards shows than probably any human being alive. And he was in his element.

Every now and again, I'd manage to stop laughing, and get us back onto announcing and presenting awards. (I was thrilled to present one to Alison Bechdel for Fun Home, one to Gene Luen Yang for American Born Chinese.)

Finally the mad gleam in Jonathan's eye focussed on me, and he announced that we would now celebrate the Eisners and comics... by re-enacting Madonna and Britney Spears' famous kiss at the MTV music awards...

So yesterday night, on that stage, in front of thousands of comics fans and professionals, I got an Eisner, the Bob Clampett Humanitarian award and was snogged by Jonathan Ross.

Maddy thought it was funny. She said I turned lots of interesting colours."

Ha!

For those of you who don't know who Neil Gaiman is, (how depraved you have been!), he's a writer who first gained recognition in the Comics world with the acclaimed Vertigo series The Sandman. He went on to write best-selling novels... please see his bio here.

Now, several of his books are being made into movies including Stardust, which will be in theaters on August 10th, and Coraline, which is scheduled to be released in 2008.

I highly recommend all of his material, but most especially The Sandman. It has some rather shocking subject matter, (you must have a high tolerance for violence and nudity), but also an ingenious convergence of classic mythology, modern culture, philosophical perspectives of the universe, and just all around great story telling. Not to mention an unbelievable collection of covers by Dave McKean! Yum.

Extras (Sir Ian McKellen)

By the way, did you know that laughing helps you lose weight? Yep... apparently so...
And in the interest of getting us all to lose a pound or two, here's a clip from a show called Extras. It stars Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman, an struggling actor who only ever ends up being an extra in films starring some of films heaviest hitters. Here's what happens when he gets a chance to pick Ian McKellen's brain about acting:

My Dad, A Papoose, and Extras.

So - I promised I would tell you a bit more about my Dad at the end of the month since his birthday was on Tuesday. Happy Birthday, Dad! Why don't I paint a portrait of him though a bit of free association, shall I? Sort of a recipe for JBFT. A pinch of this, a dash of that... here are the ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl, pour in 3 cups rock and roll, preferably:

• Signs by Tesla
• Not Ready To Make Nice by The Dixie Chicks
• The Weight by The Band

Add in:

• one electric guitar to punch it up and
• one acoustic guitar to mellow it out

Mix in a drizzle of vintage sci-fi, perhaps from a well aged bottle of Twilight Zone or Star Trek, Next Generation.

Add one cup each of:

• Freshly mown grass
• Alum
• Motor Oil
• Appalachian river water

Drop in two tbsp each of

• Tax consultant
• Tennessee Squire

A dash of brain teaser adds complexity.

Stir in a few obscenities for color.

But don't forget the scripture which adds body and ties all the other ingredients together.

Stir well until compassion and wit begin to emerge. Original lyrics will start to rise to the top.
Bake until neck is nice and red.

Serve with a side of Bev and a few good old boys.

Enjoy!

Hee hee... now you have an inkling of what JBFT might be like. Try him. You'll like him.

*** *** ***

In other news, here's what I made over the weekend:
-


It's a papoose for my Palm Treo. I haven't bought a skin for it yet, so I decided to make one for now. Hopefully, it will keep my new toy somewhat protected while I lug it around the city. I used one of my favorite yarns: Noro, Silk Garden in Rainbow. Yummy!

And, have I mentioned my discovery of Extras? Actually, Leese brought it to my attention when she was looking for clips of Ian McKellen on Youtube. Hmmm... I guess now I'm going to have to figure out how to post Youtube clips on here... brb...

In other news...

I had the pleasure of being part of another First Wives World interview, although this one was more of a round table discussion than a one-on-one interview. (Above is a screen shot of the FWW home page.)

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous before this one because I knew that I would be talking about my personal life in front of a bunch of people I know rather than two people I know. Not to mention the fact that I'm used to being on the behind-the-scenes side of the camera. But, as soon as I got there, all my concerns were put to rest.

First of all, Julie and Joe, friends of mine who introduced me to First Wives World and who also help them with film production, always make me feel at home. Julie has this was of being so calmly inquisitive that I usually find myself happy to spill all the beans I have, which is a good place to be in when your supposed to be spilling your beans for a national social network.

I also was able to meet the producers who are making FWW possible. I won't say anymore about them just yet, because I don't know if they are the kind of producers who like to be in the spotlight or the kind of producers who prefer to remain mysterious benefactors, but I will say that they were lovely people and I'm glad they are in the world making forums like this available to people who need them and I hope they keep it up because they are doing a great job.

I really enjoyed getting to know the other women at the table. The four of us come from such different backgrounds with radically different stories, but it seemed so natural to be talking to them about the circumstances of my impending separation. I particularly enjoyed talking to Michelle, a single mother who is taking care of both herself and a daughter! (Sheesh - I am having a hard enough time figuring out how to provide for the one of me!) It was good to be with women my age who are on the other side of this particular transition. Being with them makes it feel less insurmountable somehow. In any case, the whole discussion was relaxed, well balanced, and sometimes pretty funny. (Heather was pretty quick with the witty divorcee one-liners.) Over all, I enjoyed myself immensely and I can't wait to see what the outcome will be. Don't worry, I'll post the links here as soon as they are up on the site.

Strangely enough, I think my participation with First Wives World is the main thing that is anchoring me to the future I need to move into. Despite our irreconcilable differences when it comes to religion and children, my relationship with Ahmed is so comfortable and content that I think we could stretch this transition period out over a couple of years if nothing was pushing me to make a change right now. If I hadn't put myself out on a national network, I just might settle for mere contentment rather than true happiness. (Which just happens to be my worst nightmare. I would much rather be that superb meteor than a sleepy and permanent planet... vague reference I know... see whole quote below.)

So - thank you Julie and Joe, for recognizing the potential story in me, (and Ahmed), and for hitching me to the back of this ever-expanding vehicle which is pulling me faster up a hill that it may have taken me forever to climb. I can't wait to see the view from the top!

Oh yes... and here's that quote:

“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” - Jack London

Visual backlog...

I took some pictures on the 4th of July that turned out nicely. If I ever get tired of being an art director, I'll probably take photography classes. Above is Astoria Park before the sun went down. I spent a lovely evening with some of my favorite designers. Below are my two favorite fireworks shots.
The Sinister Empire...

Here is a picture I took of The Empire State Building one night around midnight. It was wonderfully foggy that night! I love the city in the fog. The buildings become mysterious and exotic, as if shady people are working on secret things somewhere in the lofty bowels of metal and glass.

Back in the saddle.

Time for an update... no?

Or a few, for that matter. I have been out in the real world for so long I have totally shirked my virtual responsibilities. I have also realized how family-centric my posts have been of late, so I thought I'd get back to all the other facets of life.

What have I been up to???

I have been working my tail off. That's what. I will be moving into my own apartment this fall. All by myself! Which is slightly intimidating because I've never lived by myself before. I have a sneaking suspicion I am going to love it, but you never know... I am an extrovert after all. But, I have my two lovely cats. And, hopefully, lots of company! Right, girls? (Leese, Julie, Tara, Kristin, Mary, Cassandra... and your handsome cohorts, of course.)

I have to say that I'm lucky, because, for the most part, I love the career path I've chosen for myself. Being a freelance designer in NYC is always an adventure. I get to work with tons of creative, and sometimes notable, people. Every job is different... some are purely graphics related where I get to flex my Adobe muscles. Some require set design for puppets. (They don't teach you how to design puppet scenery in school. They should, considering the vast puppet population of the world.) Some are installation heavy, which means lots of standing on ladders, juggling tools, managing deliveries, and working with great shop or house crews.

During my professional career, I have gotten paid to:

1. Cover Dave Grohl, (Foo Fighters), in tin foil.
2. Create pop-art images of William Shatner, (which he may actually have in his house!)
3. Get very close and personal with a slew of Henson puppets in the windows of Macy's, (and yes, Mrs. Piggy can be pretty high maintenance.)
4. Build a replica of the Nimbus 2000.
5. Paint every nook and cranny of Studio 54 when Cabaret moved in. And let me tell you, Leese and I did some mighty precarious maneuvering to get the dome ceiling touched up!
6. Serve burnt eggs to an actor take after take after take... (sorry Andrew, but the script did call for it!)
7. Watch LL Cool J rehearse without a shirt on... (Ok, not really paid to do that. We were on a break. Really. Come on... do you blame us? Who can get work done when LL's in the building? Um, no really... we were on a break.)
8. Glitterize everything within a 50 ft. radius. (I used to come home with glitter in places you wouldn't believe.)
9. Smuggle plastic shotguns though the Lincoln Tunnel. I was actually stopped by a cop who asked me point blank, "Ma'am, are you carrying any weapons of mass destruction?" What do you say to that when you have a pile of toy guns in the back? "Well, officer, not really weapons of MASS destruction..."

And my number 10. comes from a job that I worked on this summer: installing artifacts into the Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium in Times Square. Yes, folks, I got to personally handle real Jivaro shrunken heads. About 20 of them. I have to admit, they are pretty cool. For me, the term "shrunken head" used to be just a catch phrase for freaky crap. Not anymore. The Jivaro tribes are fascinating! (I'm not going to go into detail here. You'll have to go to Ripley's and see for yourself.) I do have a few pictures, though...And here is me and Catman who was invited for the opening night party along with other interesting Ripley-esque characters.
In any case, the job was a little nuts, because of time constraints and lots of contractors all trying to get everything done at the same time. I know from the pictures it look like I did all that work by myself, but that's only because I haven't found out if I can post pictures of the great people with whom I worked. (Feel free to write in and request an appearance, guys.) The artifact crew was fantastic, pretty much my dream crew, and very good at rolling with the late-night-tight-space sort of punches. If anyone ever needs a good props person, I have several great people to recommend. Hopefully I'll be working with them all again soon.

So, there you go... that's what I was up to for most of May and June. Lots of other things happened during that time, but I'll post a follow up tomorrow. Sleep tight!

Yikes!

Sheesh... how the time flies!

Can you believe over a month has passed and I haven't stepped foot inside my beloved BTtLG? Sad!

I'll tell you what happened: the Crazy-Job-From-Hell swallowed me whole and it took me a while to crawl out from under a pile of work. I hate to admit this about myself, but I really do have a one-track-mind. If I get immersed in one aspect of life, it is very easy for me to forget all the other aspects. Bills don't get paid. Emails don't get written. Calls don't get made and people start to think I've moved to Timbuktu or, god forbid, that I'm mad at them, (which is never the case.)

So after the job ended, I caught up on the rest of my life... (especially the bills part!) and here I am.

Lots happened while I was busy with the CJFH. First off, Father's Day came and went. I just didn't have time to sit down on Father's Day weekend and tell you about my wonderful dad, so I'm hijacking July 6 and making it an honorary fathers day just for JBFT. Here is a picture of me in his arms when I was 1!

Isn't he handsome? Yes, he was a young father, but he was such a fun one! My favorite memories of my dad in the days of my childhood are:

1. playing tickle monster on the living room floor.
2. when he would let Liz and me ride in the back of the truck.
3. telling us bizarre bedtime stories, (that he made up), about giant clams and running noses.
4. watching him work. I've always admired how much my dad can get done in one day. Since we lived on a farm back then, there was a lot of work to get done! Baling hay, tilling fields, laying cement blocks for tool sheds, feeding the animals, etc.
5. being with him in the ocean at the beach. There's nothing like clinging to your Dad's neck while waves are crashing into you... it's safe and exhilarating all at the same time!
6. his unbelievable composure while teaching me how to drive. Seriously... he's the best driver's-ed teacher in the world. He doesn't even blink an eye when one runs a giant GMC truck into one's chimney. (That does happen to everyone, doesn't it?)
7. going to the Lynard Skynard concert in SC. Yes, I'm showing my true colors here. I have been to a Skynard concert and I'll admit it... it rocked! (Of course, I was 14 at the time... and I was with my dad... but my dad happens to party harder than most people my age, so what can I say?)
8. The day he rescued me from a vicious battle involving a bike and a barbed-wire fence.
9. Watching him with groups of people. He's always been good in groups. He calls it "politickin". I call it natural charisma.
10. watching movies on weekend afternoons...
    

Me - "Dad, why did the little alien guy's finger glow when he touched..."
Dad - "If you be quiet and listen, you just might find out."
Me - "But, Dad, what does it mean when the he says phone..."
Dad - "If you listen, you'll see."
Me - "Um, Dad, why is he getting sick?"
Dad - "Sarah, shut up and watch the movie."

Hee hee... now some of you know why I'm such a movie Nazi!

Happy (hijacked) Father's Day, Dad!!! I love you!

You'll be hearing more about him later this month. His birthday is coming up!