Gandalf the Gray

Ian McKellen is the man - the man in gray that is! Bring on the Hobbit!

Check it out: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080430/ap_en_mo/people_ian_mckellen_1

I’m tingling at this news.

I’d write more but Bad Wolf and I are under the gun when it comes to completing Script Frenzy 2008.

See ya soon!

San Diego Shark Attack

Here is the story from the Associated Press found on Yahoo by Allison Hoffman: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080426/ap_on_re_us/shark_attack_16.

Not to be too graphic but, and I quote, “(Dave) Martin, 66, died on the beach Friday morning after a shark, presumed to be a great white, lifted him out of the water with his legs in its jaws, leaving deep lacerations and shredding Martin's black wetsuit.”

Not a good way to go.

As a note Gentle Reader, when I go I want it to be peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather; not screaming in terror like the other passengers of the bus he was driving.

…Sorry.

I truly do not mean to sound glib at the death of Mr. Martin a tri-athlete who was training with other competitors and had his family and friends cheering him on from the shore when tragedy struck. Just clicking through the pictures truly makes you grieve for those left behind. Reading between the lines and clicking thorough the pictures Mr. Martin appears to have been a pretty dynamic man.

There is just something visceral about a shark attack. It cuts to the core of our fear of the unknown and our will to survive. No matter what the statistics are the fact still remains that you never really know what lies beneath. As was written on the first oceanic maps, “Here There Be Monsters.” Ms. Hoffman reports that, “Overall, shark attacks are extremely rare. There were 71 reported worldwide last year, up from 63 in 2006. Only one attack, in the South Pacific, was fatal, according to the University of Florida. The university's International Shark Attack File has counted an average of 4.1 people killed by sharks annually worldwide in the past seven years.”

4.1? That “Point One”, must be like being a “little pregnant”.

As with many areas in life we must accept the fact that there are sharks in the water. We can choose to stay on the shore for the rest of our days or we can accept the risk, and enjoy the discovery of the waves and the water. Some things you just can’t change and knowing “what lies beneath” is one of those things but I don’t think that should stop us from swimming.

Now where did I put my trunks?

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

I was down in Wildwood, NJ recently and the theater that I first saw the original “Star Wars” is now a condo. That little bit of history made my geek heart break a little. I mean really – condos? The theater closed in the late eighties and became a “Laser Tag” arena where players would run around shooting each other while people played sniper shooting at the players from the sidelines. The summer tourist attraction was originally located close to the “Jack Rabbit” roller coaster and “Dracula’s Castle”, both of which are now gone – just like the theater. While I morn it’s passing, the fact remains, MY first “Star Wars” experience was right there – in Wildwood, New Jersey; right next to my home church and the Atlantic Ocean.

It changed my life.

Really; it did. It may seem shallow but I saw “Star Wars” and I started to view the world from a different perspective. I saw how the power of story worked. I saw imagination and how it could touch and change the world and I loved it. I still do; but enough about ancient history… Let us consider the future.

Opening night is a special time for a movie geek. Let me spare us both some time in saying that “Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace”, “Star Wars: Episode Two – The Attack of the Clones”, and “Star Wars: Episode Three – The Revenge of the Sith”; I was there opening night. I did not like the “prequel trilogy” as much as the “original trilogy” but I was (and am) still on the Lucasfilm bandwagon, so to speak.

I liked the third one the best and it was not without a degree of sadness that when I saw the credits roll that I believed that there would never again be a STAR WARS movie in the theaters. Gentle Reader, I am very pleased to say that “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” will be in theaters on August 15th. The movie will be followed up with a computer generated TV series.

As per Ain’t It Cool News; http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_display/36482?q=node/36482, you can check out this site: http://www.starwars.com/video/view/000623.html, which gives you all the gory details.

Star Wars – in the theaters once again? Sign me up.

Greenlight for a Hobbit

“The Hobbit” is coming to the big screen. Here’re the goods: http://www.variety.com/VR1117984595.html.

My geek heart is gushing.

Peter Jackson will be sharing executive producing credits with New Line Cinema. The two parties have settled all the nastiness of legalities between them and have hired GUILERMO DEL TORO, to direct! Del Toro is a visionary. Seriously; check out “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “The Devil’s Backbone” or, dare I say, “Hellboy” (BTW “Hellboy II” will be in theaters this summer).

“If not Jackson then who?” That was the question. Sam Rami’s name had been batted around and I was ok with that too but Del Toro is going to hit this one out of the park.

I can’t wait.

18 – To Life

Yesterday (4/19/08), Mother Hen and I celebrated our 18th Wedding Anniversary. We spent the day geocaching down in Cape May.

“Geocaching? What’s that?” Yet another fine question, Gentle Reader. Please allow me to refer you to an article by Mr. Cody Glenn from The Daily Journal on the topic. He explains what it is better than I could do. The article came out on our anniversary. Check it out here: http://thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080419/NEWS01/804190313.

Where was I? Oh yes, Cape May. We have a lot of memories in and around Cape May so any chance we get to kick around down there we usually take. We were married at the First Baptist Church in Wildwood, ate at The Lobster House in Cape May, missed the Ferry (Cape May – Lewes) and had to stay the night at the Heritage Inn before heading down to Chincoteague VA for our honeymoon weekend.

Of course that was all 18 years ago.

Things change. Time shifts. Mother Hen and I have now almost been married for half of our lives. This was a mathematical conundrum for me since I’m not the best mathematician and that idea just sounded so foreign. But it’s true – we have been married almost half of our lives. Love changes too.

“Huh?”

Stop interrupting me. Just kidding. What I mean is that Love changes too – in other words I love the woman I married more today than I did eighteen years ago. It’s a deeper, more mature love. I’m not saying that all the years have been easy ones but I am saying that they would have been so much harder without her – or rather, without “us”.

It’s a process – moving from “I” to “We”.

I met her at a bookstore, just after my father died. I bought a lot of books. We dated. We broke up. We saw other people. We got back together. We eloped. We got our own apartment. We started a family. We rented a house. We watched our family grow. We got a mortgage. We are still here.

You see the process? “We” is better than “I”. I, for one, wouldn’t want it any other way – even after 18 years.

I love you, Lady.


BTW… As an ongoing part of Ye old Blog of Yore I recommend coffee houses that I like or would like other people to experience for themselves. In our travels this weekend Mother Hen and I found another place that deserves mention. It’s called Coffee Etc., it’s located 3016 Rt. 9, Seaville, NJ – about an 1/8th of a mile south of Rt. 9 & Rt. 50. They open daily at 6:30 AM. The Sumatran Roast is awesome and goes great with chocolate covered strawberries. Please note – you MUST try the chocolate covered strawberries; they rock.

The Last of the Nine Has Fallen

Ollie Johnston was 95 years old when he passed from natural causes. He was the last of Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men”. Read all about it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080415/ap_en_mo/obit_johnston_3.

Ollie Johnson was at ground zero and had a hand in shaping some of the most influential films ever made. As the Yahoo article says his credits include such films as “Bambi”, "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan" "Lady and the Tramp," "Sleeping Beauty," "101 Dalmatians," "Mary Poppins," "The Jungle Book," "The Aristocats," "Robin Hood" and "The Rescuers."

That’s an impressive body of work. I love what Leonard Maltin said in the Yahoo article, “(People) know his work. They know his characters. They’ve seen him act without realizing it. He was one of the pillars, one of the key contributors to the golden age of Disney animation.”

I’ll have to put “Frank & Ollie” in my Blockbuster que. It’s a documentary about two of the Nine Old Men who used to car pool 45 minutes to and from work at Disney Studios.

A chapter has now closed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.

Talking Stain

,

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

Just to take a break from the usual superfluous stuff that you are used to here, Gentle Reader I humbly present yet another movie that I’m really looking forward to; EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed. This film is going to open a dialogue on a polarizing topic: “Just where did we come from?”

Check it out here: http://expelledthemovie.com/

If you have poked around this blog for a while then you may have surmised that I fall into the Intelligent Design category. I believe that there is a creator ergo an Intelligent Designer. I have always had a lot of respect for Ben Stein and the film will be worth the price of admission.

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed opens all over the place on 4/18/08.

Butter my popcorn.

The 20th Annual Appel Farm Art & Music Festival

Saturday, June 7 from 11:30 AM – 8:00 PM the 20th Annual Appel Farm Art & Music Festival will be underway. Michaela Majoun and Gene Shay of WXPN 88.5 will be on hand too. There are going to be a boatload of kid’s activities too. Children under 12 are free while Adults are $35 (until May 30th), $40 (until June 6th) and $45 (day of show).

I’ve made mention before as to how much I detest processed, mass market consumption “music” these days. I have to ask what ever happened to melody? What ever happened to musicians – you know people who play their own instruments? Whatever happened to the singer/songwriter? Well it’s events such as this: http://www.appelfarm.org/festival/index.html that gives me hope that all is not lost. This site gives you all the gloriously gory details.

Signed musicians include Marc Cohn, They Might Be Giants, Suzanne Vega, The Smithereens, Vienna Teng, Enter The Haggis, Lucy Kaplansky, Red Molly, Christina Courtin, Matt Duke, Alfred James Band and Nicole Reynolds. I’ve always wanted to see The Smithereens. Enter the Haggis sounds like fun too. Chick 1.0 is a Suzanne Vega fan and Chick 2.0 and 3.0 would love They Might Be Giants. The whole thing should be a hoot.

For more info on the festival check out this: http://www.appelfarm.org/festival/welcome/index.html.

Go synchronize your calendars! I’ll see you there. It will be nice to hear the music again.

Charlton Heston

He was 84 and he had Alzheimer’s disease. Read the details here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080406/ap_on_en_mo/obit_heston

Please see IMDb’s page: http://imdb.com/name/nm0000032/ and scroll down the list of work that Heston left behind.

One might call it epic.

His body of work speaks for itself so I’m not going to say much more, save that my thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this time. Instead I leave you with this prepared statement that Heston made back in August of 1992.

"My Dear Friends, Colleagues and Fans: My physicians have recently told me I may have a neurological disorder whose symptoms are consistent with Alzheimer's disease. So ... I wanted to prepare a few words for you now, because when the time comes, I may not be able to. I've lived my whole life on the stage and screen before you. I've found purpose and meaning in your response. For an actor there's no greater loss than the loss of his audience. I can part the Red Sea, but I can't part with you, which is why I won't exclude you from this stage in my life. For now, I'm not changing anything. I'll insist on work when I can; the doctors will insist on rest when I must. If you see a little less spring in my step, if your name fails to leap to my lips, you'll know why. And if I tell you a funny story for the second time, please laugh anyway. I'm neither giving up nor giving in. I believe I'm still the fighter that Dr. King and JFK and Ronald Reagan knew, but it's a fight I must someday call a draw. I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure. Please feel no sympathy for me. I don't. I just may be a little less accessible to you, despite my wishes. I also want you to know that I'm grateful beyond measure. My life has been blessed with good fortune. I'm grateful that I was born in America, that cradle of freedom and opportunity, where a kid from the Michigan Northwoods can work hard and make something of his life. I'm grateful for the gift of the greatest words ever written, that let me share with you the infinite scope of the human experience. As an actor, I'm thankful that I've lived not one life, but many. Above all, I'm proud of my family ... my wife Lydia, the queen of my heart, my children, Fraser and Holly, and my beloved grandchildren, Jack, Ridley and Charlie. They're my biggest fans, my toughest critics and my proudest achievement. Through them, I can touch immortality. Finally, I'm confident about the future of America. I believe in you. I know that the future of our country, our culture and our children is in good hands. I know you will continue to meet adversity with strength and resilience, as our ancestors did, and come through with flying colors - the ones on Old Glory. William Shakespeare, at the end of his career, wrote his farewell through the words of Prospero, in "The Tempest". It ends like this: 'Be cheerful, sir. Our revels now are ended. These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.' Thank you, and God bless you, everyone." (9 August 2002)

The Garden State Film Festival

This weekend – if you’re around the Asbury Park area of New Jersey and are a fan of film the place you want to be is The Garden State Film Festival. Check it: http://www.gsff.org/. Among other attractions the Trailer for “Sorrow Hill” is on the schedule to premier at the festival (Saturday night at 9:00) here’s a link to Ron’s site for the details: http://grindhouse-pictures.com/grindblog/?p=53. Ron will be blogging and talking about his experiences from the festival tonight at 12:00 when he calls into the radio show: http://www.grindhouse-radio.com/.

The Garden State Film Festival has a little something for everyone. There’s something called “The Legends Behind the Comic Books” which is a documentary followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and Joe Kubert & Deny O’Neil (famous comic book guys). I’d love to check this out. There’s a film called, “Goodwill: The Flight of Emilio Carranza” which chronicles the life of the Mexican pilot who lost his life in a crash in the Pine Barrens. There are also panel discussions such as “Writers on Writing” and “Getting In Front of the Camera”. It’ll be a hoot.

It’s supposed to rain so a film festival is not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

See you at the movies.

Script Frenzy 2008 – It’s ON Now!

Gentle Reader, Script Frenzy 2008 is underway and Bad Wolf (Chick 1.0) and yours truly are up and running. For all the gory details of what Script Frenzy is check this out: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2008/03/script-frenzy-2008.html or just click the link to the left under “Evil Chicken’s Favorite Places”.

So what are we doing? Our genre is Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Our script type is Screenplay. Our title is, “Tales of the Astounding – Volume One”. If we were pitching it we would say that it would be “Twilight Zone – the Movie” meets “Creepshow”. We are only three days into it but the process has been too much fun. We are having a blast and, I gotta be honest with ya, writing with my daughter has been an absolute joy.

For those of you out there who write you know the sensation of being in “The Zone”. That place where you are fleshing out characterization of the people in the worlds that you are seeing, listening to their voices, walking in their shoes; basically documenting all that your are told – all that you observe. Beware to any and all who knock on the writer’s door when they are in The Zone.

We are in The Zone and that is a wonderful place to be.

Tabern Rock FOUND

This is a blog about 20 years in the making. It involves a possibly ancient artifact that has sat along the Manumuskin River as the centuries marched stoically by. There have been expeditions and adventures and many old timers and local legends were interviewed for the tale you are about to read. I have been seeking this object for twenty years and on 3/24/08, with my family (at a Geocache of all places) I believe it has been found.

Let’s go back. Twenty years ago I was in the employment of one of the nicest, kindest Mad Scientists you could hope to meet, one Mr. Champion Cox. I assembled control panels, I read blueprints, drilled holes, placing chip sets & buttons and such and wired everything back together so that, eventually, there was a working piece of equipment that could be utilized for industry. The time I spent with Mr. Cox was irreplaceable. He came into my life when I was in need of such a figure; he was (and is) an amazing sort of man, incredibly intelligent and very encouraging to a barely collegiate Evil Chicken. One of the things we did in between switching between listening to WMMR (me) and the local country station (him) was talk. We talked about everything; psychology (my chosen major @ the time), history, writing, books, music, movies, women, business, publishing magazines, string theory, local legends, sailing & sail boats, and making movies; we never ran out of topics; he was just that sort of man.

“So, have you ever heard of dolmens?” He asked me one day. I was screwing an actuator arm into a sheet of 1/8th thick metal.

“A what?” I answered.

“A dolmen – it’s a Breton word that means stone table.”

“Stone table?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

Mr. Cox then went on to tell me that dolmens were rock structures erected by Celtic explorers and that they pepper the New England and Eastern seaboard. He told me about a book by Barry Fell called, “America B.C.” (http://www.amazon.com/America-B-C-Ancient-Settlers-World/dp/0671679740/ref=pd_sim_b_img_3) and how it may have been more than possible for other civilizations and explorers to journey to the Americas.

“You’re kidding me.” I said.

“We have this assumption that early men were a group of idiots.” He said. “I don’t buy it. Think about it – the Phoenicians were sailors; they knew that the world was round – all they had to do was look to the stars.” He would know; he had told me about his tales of waking up while sleeping on the deck of his sailboat with ice caked onto his beard and facing full-blown headwinds with passengers who thought sailing was for wimps. They thought differently once they were back on dry land.

“So what do these dolmens look like?”

“They look like big rocks on legs – which are called ‘peg stones’.” He said. “The difference is that there is Celtic writing on the south west corner of the stone.”

“Southwest corner?”

“Yes. It was their way of identifying things.”

Mr. Cox was never prone to lackadaisical pandering. He was not kidding me. He went on to tell me stories of such a rock that existed nearby. A rock that was old – so old in fact that William Penn used the rock as marker when he was surveying the South Jersey area. He said that the rock itself had a flat top to it and rested alongside the Manumuskin River. “It could be a Dolmen.”

“How would they transport a rock like that?” I asked.

“The topography of the river was different a thousand years ago; but as a marker and a calendar it only makes sense. You float your Dolmen down stream, find an appropriate position with the sun – perhaps on a rise or hill top, and set the marker.”

“So where would it be?”

“Follow the Manumuskin. You’ll find it there on a bluff.”

How about that?

I took this information to my immediate group of reprobates that I called (and still for that matter call) my friends. We have been acquaintances for years and have shared many an odd adventure together – this seemed as good a reason as any to wander into the woods.

One such gentleman who will for our intents and purposes be called, “Dirty Bird” and I paid a visit to one of the only local places that, at the time, had quadrangle topographical maps – the Red Lion Gas Station. There was a colorful old man who questioned us as to why we wanted such a map. We spilled the beans.

“A Rock in the woods.” He said. “You two are looking for a rock in the woods.” The silence between us was palpable. Yeah, it was odd. There we were two college kids looking for some crazy stone in the pines of South Jersey.

“Tabern Rock!” he exclaimed. “You’re looking for Tabern Rock.”

“What?” we asked, “Really?”

“Some call it Table Rock ‘cause it’s flat on top. Willie Penn used it as a marker when he surveyed the area.” This gentleman was now the second person who spoke of William Penn surveying the area and using the stone as a marker. Was this a coincidence and how could you possibly know if it was? We bought our Topo-map and made plans for an expedition off of Union Road in Millville, NJ. We enlisted the expertise of one “Big Nasty Brain”, one “Eagle Fan” and one who does not have a code name – let’s just call him, “Steve”.

Yeah, Steve works.

One Saturday we started our expedition off of Union Road. We searched for hours but to no avail. We pushed on towards any place that may be close to the Manumuskin or support the elevation of a bluff for a Dolmen. No luck. We searched and searched; we were tired and FULL of ticks. Of our expedition I recall all of us tuckered out, tired and stripped to our underwear by the roadside picking ticks off of places that just shouldn’t have ticks on them. The rock was nowhere in sight.

I knew it was there – it had to be.

Mr. Cox and I made an expedition too. We jumped through local property owner’s hoops but to no avail. We even had shovels in hand just in case we had to dig in one of the corners to confirm that there was Celtic writing on the Southwest corner. We were close – each of us knew it. Someone told us about a “Table Rock” that used to be a partying spot for local kids. This piqued our interest but after talking with the landowners we knew that it was not as credible as we had hoped. I was beginning to think that someone had stumbled across it and smashed it just because it was there. I had thoughts of someone leading us to a pile of rubble, pointing and saying, “There it is.”

Time moved on as time does. Mr. Cox retired to South Carolina with his family, his sailboat and his writing but the possibility that something old, something ancient still existed in the woods of South Jersey intrigued me. Hey, who could blame me? The question continued to come up at the longest running poker game in South Jersey (which includes each member of the fruitless expedition to the woods off of Union Road).

“Remember that rock we were looking for?” I would hear from time to time.

Yes. I remember.

Then the boys from Weird N.J. published this story; http://www.weirdnj.com/stories/_ancient03.asp and it fired my imagination. THAT is a dolmen and I knew in the back of my twisted little mind that there was another similar rock formation that stood on the banks of the Manumuskin right here in South Jersey. I was sure that it was there but it was hidden – forgotten by time.

Enter the world of Geocaching.

“What’s that - geocaching?” you may ask. I direct you, therefore, Gentle Reader to “Evil Chicken’s Favorite Spots” located just to the left. Long story short, click it – you won’t be disappointed.

A Geocacher by the name of “P-Pop” (it’s a handle, a pseudonym – you know, like ‘Evil Chicken’) posted a cache back in January of this year that leads directly to Tabern Rock. We, the EC-5 (my family) have been casually cruising towards our 900th find. It ‘s not about the numbers for us it’s truly about the journey but when Mother Hen began reading the cache description from her PDA I began to get chills. Here is the link to P-Pop’s page: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=7fb87449-1387-4026-8a4d-403d9f919b8c.

This was it. I knew it. It was even in the same quadrangle that Mr. Cox, Dirty Bird and I narrowed it down to. The stone was about to be found, all that stood in our way was a 0.8 hike to ground zero; no big.

So is it there? Is it as ancient as you thought it was? Does the thing even exist after all these years?

Yes, no, and yes.

It is there. P-Pop is right. Yes – it is there!

Tabern Rock exists. It is not the ancient marker placed by Celts as Mr. Cox and I initially suspected it to be; instead, I believe, a missionary placed it there. Instead of a flat rock on ‘peg stones’ there is a solitary stone standing with a flat stone lying adjacent to the monolith. If I were a betting man (which for the record, I am) I’d say that this other stone lying nearby the monolith was actually the “podium” where the Reverend John Brainerd preached the gospel to the Lenape Indians. The podium was flat – flat like a table. This was the area where Pastor John Brainerd preached. This was the Tabernacle in the woods – dare I say Tabernacle Rock from which he preached. This Tabern Rock is the site where my mind has wandered to over the past twenty years; the site that Mr. Cox and the crusty guy from the Red Lion Gas Station had theorized so long ago.

Tabern Rock is found.

As a side note, Mother Hen saw it first. “There’s your rock.” She said. She was wrapped up in black thorns at the time that constricted her every move. She was very excited that I was so excited. Twenty years – I kid you not. I will be getting in contact with Mr. Cox to relay the news, as well as the other gentlemen who have shared this little corner of insanity with me over the span of the fullness of time.

Once we got home Mother Hen partook in the voodoo that she do so well. Here are some great sites that reference the area, the Lenape and honorable Reverend John Brainerd; http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/state/Lenape.htm,
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/state/Brainerd.htm, And... http://www.berlinonline.com/berlin_cemetery.htm

Tabern Rock is FOUND and thanks to Mother Hen’s research it has been standing there by the Manumuskin for the last 261 years (give or take).

Thank you P-Pop; thank you. You’ve brought closure to a twenty-year old mystery in my life.

Thanks.

The Wolf-Bane is Blooming

I use to love watching Dr. Shock on channel 17 and Creature Double Feature on channel 48 on Saturday afternoons with my Dad. It was pure abandon. We would watch the Universal monsters (anything with Borris or Bela) parade by followed by the Hammer Films (anything with Christopher Lee or Peter Crushing). An occasional Godzilla or Kong would slip into the mix from time to time but one of our favorites to watch on Saturday afternoons was always “The Wolf Man” (1941) staring Lon Chaney Jr.

Fast forward to 2009 (yes I know we are a little ahead of ourselves). Low and behold Benicio Del Toro is now the bitten man with a curse. Check out this Entertainment Weekly article: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20185191,00.html. There’s a great interview with Rick Baker who won the academy award for the makeup effects from “An American Werewolf in London”. Well, Mr. Baker is most certainly still in the game.

I just hope they still have that Gypsy woman whisper that folk tale, “…for even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolf-bane blooms and the moon is full and bright.”

I’m so there opening night.

Arthur C. Clarke Has Passed

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_en_ce/obit_clarke_17.

One of the greats has moved on. “The Sentinel” is a short story just about 8 pages long. A young filmmaker by the name of Stanley Kubrick gets a hold of it and makes “2001 – A Space Odyssey” and revolutionizes the way people see the world and the future.

He was prolific as a writer but my personal favorites have to come back to the stories that include the Hal 9000, David Bowman, Heywood Floyd and David Poole – anything with a monolith. These works include; “2001 – A Space Odyssey”, “2010 – Odyssey Two”, “2061: Odyssey Three” and “3001 – The Final Odyssey”. All were great reads and all hold a special place on my bookshelf.

Clarke once said, "Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering."

One of the greats has phased into that universe and I can only wish him well.

Screenplay by Bad Wolf & Evil Chicken

Chick 1.0 (henceforth known as Bad Wolf) and yours truly are going to be collaborating on Script Frenzy 2008. We are going to be writing a science fiction / fantasy anthology based screenplay. Think of it as “Creepshow” meets “Twilight Zone – the Movie”. It is yet untitled but that will be rectified soon enough.

As her father and as her coconspirator on this project, I can’t wait.

There’s room for more in the lifeboat or the Crazy Train depending on your perspective. Click on over to, http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/. It’s gonna be fun. I’ve had the joy and pleasure of writing with some very creative, imaginative and brilliant people; I’m glad that this tradition is alive and well for this latest Script Frenzy writing endeavor.

Same crazy stuff now with TWICE the destructive power!

Life is good.

Bradbury Challenge Revisited

You may or may not know, Gentle Reader, that I have had this personal challenge to write 52 short stories in a year’s time. I called this project “The Bradbury Challenge” (see: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2006/09/bradbury-challenge.html for details).

I lamented the fact that I had not completed said project here: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2007/08/time-is-fire.html; where I morosely recounted the fact that I am prone to be captivated by bright and shinny objects and that the project simply was not done.

Hmm…

I was speaking with my wife, something I do from time to time, and she asked me if I included the puppet scripts that I adapt for the Children’s Ministry at our church, Calvary Chapel of Vineland.

“…Uh, no.” was my reply. I had never considered these adaptations of Bible stories as part of “The Bradbury Challenge.” I don’t exactly know why. I believe that it has something to do with the Puppet Ministry as being a part of something much greater than anything yours truly could ever hope to accomplish. The Puppet Ministry is not and never has been about “me” – nor should it be. It’s about planting seeds. It’s about tending to my little corner of the vineyard; and I’m perfectly happy with that.

“So how many scripts have you done?” Mother Hen asked.

“I don’t know, about 60.” I said.

“So you really did meet the Bradbury Challenge.”

…Huh?

Howzaboutdat? Man I love that woman.

I put this one out to you, Gentle Reader, not to pat myself on the back but to underline the idea that pretty cool things can happen when we are working for something outside of the realm of ourselves. If I were to include the Puppet Scripts with short stories I’d have about 70 to 75 short stories completed within the span of 52 weeks.

I’d like to think that Ray Bradbury would be proud but even more so, I’d like to think that Jesus Christ has gained the glory.

See ya next time.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Gentle Reader you know the game. Everything in the world of cinema is only separated by Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon.

No really…

Ok, follow me on this one… Pax Ramono (http://paxromano.blogspot.com/) introduced me, Evil Chicken (http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/) to the blogging delights of Final Girl (http://finalgirl.blogspot.com/) whom I introduced to Ron Diprimio (http://www.grindhouse-pictures.com/) who is a very busy guy these days with making trailers & films and hosting a brand new radio show about horror movies on Friday nights at midnight on Crusin’ 92.1, WVLT which can be listened to via the wonderful world wide web here http://wvlt.com/home/ from the comfort and glow of one’s own computer monitor around the globe; well each one of us has seen a film that had Kevin Bacon in the cast.

I love this game. It sure is a small world after all – a small world wrapped in BACON!

So check out Final Girl on Ron’s radio show on Friday night (http://grindhouse-pictures.com/grindblog/?p=44).

It’ll be a hoot.

Wings of Fire

Let us discuss the topic of chicken wings. I love ‘em. For yours truly my preferences for wings are extra crispy with (depending where you are) “medium” to “hot” sauce. Wings are even Atkins low-carb friendly.

Yeah baby – bring it on.

“But Evil Chicken, what about your cholesterol?”

163.

“But what about your cholesterol?”

You just asked that.

“163?”

Yep. Ain’t life grand? Before you ask about family history or mention the important role genetics play in one’s cholesterol count let me just say, “yes”, my father had high cholesterol. I believe I owe the cholesterol count to my low-carb, high protein diet. But enough about the gravy coursing through my veins let’s get back on topic.

Here are my picks for the best places I know of to get wings.

1. Big John’s Pizza Queen. How I like ‘em: extra crispy, hot with cayenne pepper on top. Awesome. Pizza Queen has great pizza too. The pizza sauce recipe has been passed down from the MIGHTY Big John’s Pizza in Bridgeton NJ, where the owner Mr. Robbie Johnson learned his skills. Big John’s should be listed on the historical sites for South Jersey and Pizza Queen continues that heritage. If you’re not eating low-carb it’s manna from Heaven; you won’t be disappointed with the Wings either.

2. Wild Wings in Vineland, NJ. They are smaller wings but they are very tasty. How I like ‘em: extra crispy with medium heat on the sauce; and what a sauce it is. Medium is enough to break you out in a sweat. You’ll like ‘em.

3. The Pic-A-Lilli (http://www.picalilli.com/) in Shamong, NJ. You have to go a long way to beat the Pic’s Wings. How do I like ‘em? Hot and extra crispy. Please note that Wings at the Pic differ from other places in the universe in that the humerus (drumstick) and the radius and ulna (the forearm of the wing) are still connected so if you order 25 wings it’s really like getting 50. Order the Dog Bowl you won’t be disappointed. Speaking of places that should be listed as historical sites, the Pic is a must experience – a must do. If you’ve been geocaching in Wharton all day and have just pulled off of Quaker Bridge Road at Atsion Lake, the Pic is where you want to be heading. You will not be disappointed.

4. Oliver Twist in Millville, NJ. They have Old Bay Wings that rock. Very tasty and a nice twist on a favorite. As an added feature hanging from the ceiling is a 6-man canoe named “The Sixpack”. It’s a thing of beauty to behold since it’s man made and is in excellent shape. I can remember racing against it and its team about 22 years ago. It’s nice to see that the boat still exists. Break out the Old Bay at Oliver Twist

5. Cowtown Rodeo (http://www.njsouth.com/index-cowtown.htm) in Pilesgrove, NJ. There’s a lady there who runs a stand where she sells Roasted Wings and man oh man, are they tasty. Check them out on Tuesday’s or Saturday’s (the days of operation) between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Very tasty.

And there you have it, my top 5. If you can recommend others please do so, I’m always in the mood for Wings!

Script Frenzy 2008

Gentle Reader, have you always had a yen to want to write a screenplay, play, or TV script? Yes? Well, April is gonna be a good month for you.

BAM: http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/.

Throw your excuses out the window and start typing. Take no prisoners; if you can don’t pay any attention to the spelling or grammar editing suggestions.

“Just keep typing” is a helpful mantra and here’s the goal 100 typed pages in 30 days time. Does that sound daunting? Don’t sweat it. The good folks from the Office of Letters and Light the same people responsible for NaNoWriMo (just see the link to the left) are making this happen. THAT is such a good thing.

Have you ever wanted to? Yeah? DO IT. It’s possible. I’ve completed two NaNoWriMos and one Script Frenzy; if I can do it, Gentle Reader – so can YOU!

No really.

You too could walk into the month of April a non-playwright or scriptwriter and walk out of April a WRITER!

Now I ask YOU, how cool is that?

Trust me, it’s very cool.

There are 5 simple rules which I reprint from their website…

The 5 Basic Rules of Script Frenzy

1) To be crowned an official Script Frenzy winner, you must write a script (or multiple scripts) of at least 100 total pages and verify this tally on ScriptFrenzy.org.

2) You may write individually or in teams of two. Writer teams will have a 100-page total goal for their co-written script or scripts.

3) Script writing may begin no earlier than 12:00:01 AM on April 1 and must cease no later than 11:59:59 PM on April 30, local time.

4) You may write screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book and graphic novel scripts, adaptations of novels, or any other type of script your heart desires.

5) You must, at some point, have ridiculous amounts of fun.

This last rule is VERY important.

What else can I say? If you have a story in you just waiting to get out April would be a fine time to let it loose!

I for one, can’t wait!

So, what’s it gonna be? Are you gonna to walk out of the month of March a NON-PLAYRWRITE or SCREENWRITER?

NO; perish the thought!

Why would you let that happen when you can just as simply join up with all the madness that is Script Frenzy 2008???

I’ll see you on the other side.

Keep on typin’!