PeterDavid.net

Open Letter to Mets Catcher Paul Lo Duca

Hey Paul (like we've met, right?), I see you're getting hammered in the media lately. On Thursday, pressed for comments about your blow-up with the umpire,you said to reporters, "You need to start talking to other players....Some of these guys have to start talking. They speak English, believe me." The result was that "Daily News" reporter Peter Botte began his story with "Paul Lo Duca announced...that some of his Spanish-speaking teammates need to be held more accountable by the media." The article made you sound like a racist. Exasperated, you said the next day, "Right now I'm a gambler, a racist, and I like 18-year-old girls. That's the perception of people in New York about me. Is any of it true? No. None of it. Yet no one knows that."

Paul, as the self-appointed representative of people in New York, I'm here to say in this letter that you will likely never read that the people of New York are able to perceive shoddy journalism and passionate players when they see them.

No one is going to deny that going bug-eyed nuts on an ump and throwing stuff from the dugout was unprofessional. But likewise no one is going to deny that, since that moment, the Mets have been playing as if someone lit a fire under them. New York fans care about results, and the results are indisputable.

Journalists, on the other hand, care about stories. "Paul Lo Duca just wants to be left alone" is a boring story. "Paul Lo Duca is a racist" is an exciting story, especially if journalists think that fans are stupid.

Some are. Many are not. Again, as the self-appointed representative of the people of New York, I can tell you that, for the most part, we were able to look at your initial statement and its interpretation and say, "Oh for crying out loud, he didn't say anything remotely racist." Saying your fellow players "speak English" is a common vernacular having nothing to do with race. We're smart enough to know that reporters are perfectly capable of taking your statement about liking 18-year-old girls not being true and turning out a story headlined,"Paul Lo Duca admits to preferring 18-year-old boys."

The people of New York appreciate a player who cares enough about his game and his team to get so worked up that he puts himself out there. In the short term, yes, it was inappropriate conduct. But it got the job done. It got the Mets going. THAT is what the people of New York know. So don't worry about the journalists, and with any luck we'll see you at the All-Star game.

PAD

Joel Siegel

I met Joel Siegel, the perpetually chipper TV movie critic, a few years ago during New York is Book Country. We were both going through a similar fatherhood experience, being fathers of youngsters at a much later point in life than we would have expected--he with his son, Dylan, and me naturally with Caroline. He, however, had written a book about it, "Lessons for Dylan." I bought a copy of his book from him, he signed it for me, wishing me "Mazel Tov" on the birth of Caroline, and we also chatted for a few minutes over how "Casablanca" may well be the greatest movie ever made.

What a nice guy.

I just read he passed away from colon cancer at the age of 63.

That sucks.

PAD

"Darkness of the Light"

Above is the cover to my latest novel. Those of you who have read it should feel free to use this space for coments.

Also, you guys can help me out with something: I'd like to know whose local bookstores are carrying it and, more particularly, not carrying it. I'm trying to get a feel for what sort of market penetration it's gotten. So even if you're not buying it, let me know if it is now, or ever has been, on your local shelves.

PAD

COWBOY PETE WHACKS A LIL' BUSH

I think it's no secret that the old Cowboy isn't exactly the biggest fan of George W. Bush. So it was with some anticipation that I was looking forward to Comedy Central's "Lil' Bush."

Granted, I was annoyed since I really thought the proper abbreviation is "Li'l." And I had some trepidation over the notion of taking a cartoon series that was designed as a series of shorts and expanding it into a half hour series. Then again, I was dubious over the prospect of expanding the four foul-mouthed kids from the Santa versus Jesus short making the rounds in Hollywood into "South Park," and I was wrong about that. So I was willing to give this one a shot.

In "Silence of the Lambs" (yes, this segue is actually relevant) Hannibal Lecter, in giving Clarice a clue about Buffalo Bill's killing patterns, says, "Doesn't it seem desperately random to you?"

Watching "Lil' Bush" for two straight weeks reminds me of that in that it is isn't simply not funny. It's desperately not funny. Watching the writers of "Lil' Bush" go for laughs is like watching a drunk midget in a batting cage swinging at a high fastball: The misses are so wide that the only amusing thing about it is the endeavor, and even then it's kind of winceworthy.

Out of date before it even got on the air (Lil' Rumsfeld?), bewildering in its own concept and continuity (George HW Bush is president, but we're toppling Hussein, there's an adult Condy Rice and Dick Cheney co-existing with the kid counterparts), tasteless beyond the pale (Lil' Dick Cheney has sex with Barbara Bush, winds up taking refuge in her uterus and has to be delivered via abortion...yes, you read that right), all I can wonder is: If a Bush-despising liberal who doesn't mind jokes in poor taste considers it unwatchable, who the hell is the intended audience for this thing?

PAD

CBLDF Appeal

The following is a press release from the CBLDF.

Gordon Lee Trial Date Set – CBLDF Needs Your Help!

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund urgently needs your help. This August, the long-running case of Georgia v. Gordon Lee will finally go to trial, with court costs expected to hit $20,000.

For nearly three years the Fund has defended Georgia retailer Gordon Lee, seeing him through multiple arraignments and procedures, and racking up $80,000 in legal bills. The charges stem from a Halloween 2004 incident in which Lee handed out, among other free comics, an anthology featuring an excerpt from the critically acclaimed graphic novel The Salon. The segment depicted a historically accurate meeting between 20th Century art icons Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, the latter depicted in the nude. It was a harmless sequence, no more explicit than the nudity displayed in the award winning Watchmen. Yet because the title found its way into the hands of a minor, Floyd County prosecutors hit Lee with two felony counts and five misdemeanors. The Fund eventually knocked out most of the charges, but must now defeat the two remaining misdemeanor counts of Distribution of Harmful to Minors Material, each carrying a penalty of up to one year in prison and up to $1,000 in fines.

The case is slated to go to trial the week of August 13. We urgently need your support in order to wage the best defense possible against these remaining charges, and that means raising the $20,000 that the trial is expected to cost. Here's how you can help:

Make A Monetary Donation: Every dollar counts, so please visit the cbldf.org and make a tax-deductible contribution today. As a thank-you for making a donation of $30 or more, the Fund will give you a brand new t-shirt displaying the text of the First Amendment in the shape of an American flag. Show your commitment to free speech, and your support for this very important case.

Join The CBLDF: Now is the time to join or renew your membership in the Fund. Your member dollars provide the baseline of support that we need to perform our casework, and defend your right to buy whatever comics you wish. If you join now with a basic membership of $25 you will receive a CBLDF Member Card, featuring new Groo art by the one-and-only Sergio Aragones, as well as a subscription to our news publication Busted!, and special admission to CBLDF events across the country. If you join at a level of $100 or more, you will also receive one of the new First Amendment t-shirts.

Donate Original Art & Collectibles: With summer conventions upon us, the Fund needs original art, high-grade comics, and other collectible items to make the most of our summer auctions. Please e-mail cbldf1@gmail.com for more information about how to donate to our auctions, or with a description of your intended donation. If your donation is accepted for our summer auctions, you will receive a letter of acknowledgment and a 2007 membership. To ensure that your donation is received safely, please do not send physical items until accepted by the CBLDF.

With Gordon Lee's freedom in the balance, the CBLDF needs everyone who values Free Expression in comic books to do his or her part to support this very important case. Please visit www.cbldf.org and make your contribution today.

Donations: http://cbldf.safeshopper.com/12/cat12.htm?479

Membership: http://cbldf.safeshopper.com/7/cat7.htm?945

Other Donations: cbldf1@gmail.com

PAD

The most gorgeous book I've ever had my name attached to

IDW's Premiere edition of "Fallen Angel."

I just got a copy and it is absolutely beautiful.

PAD

FF: Rise of the Silver Surfer

So Kath and I went to see the latest FF movie the other day.

I liked it. Liked it a lot. Liked it beyond the whole "It's a lot better than the first effort" vibe. The plot hung together, the actors were far more comfortable inhabiting the skins of their characters, the entire family vibe was pitch perfect. Bottom line, THIS incarnation of Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny actually seemed to like each other...even love each other. In getting that right, it provided a foundation for a quality film that simply wasn't present in the first go around.

On top of that, we have the Silver Surfer. Understand, I remember when a Surfer movie was being discussed decades ago, back when such an endeavor would have required an actor painted in silver and standing on a board...a less than impressive prospect. No more. Now we have a Surfer who is a combined effort of special effects wizards, Doug Jones, and Laurence Fishburne, and the results are spectacular.

And ultimately? It feels and "reads" like a 1960s Stan and Jack effort.

How many Marvel films can you really say that about? That they feel THAT old school, that you can bring your kids to it with relative impunity? It's not dark, foreboding, terrifying...it's the Lee/Kirby FF, right down to such story developments as Doc Doom endeavoring to steal the power of the Silver Surfer.

And yeah, yeah, yeah, Galactus is a cloud. But you know what? Galactus was always presented as a force of nature anyway, so hell, why not take that to its logical extreme? Personally, I think "Ghostbusters" has forever ruined the concept of some big terrifying entity stomping about New York City anyway.

Definitely worth your time and money.

PAD

Confusing Movie Marquee That I saw

It listed the following films:

Spider-Man 3
Pirates 3
Shrek 3
Fantastic 4

It just reminded me of the time years ago when Gwen saw the movie title "Passenger 57" and asked why it was called that, and I explained that there had been fifty-eight previous films about Passenger.

PAD

Yes it can finally be said

Peter's next project for Marvel will be "She-Hulk".

There are interviews at both Comic Book Resources
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=10890

and Newsarama
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=116900

He'll comment here after he gets back. So feel free to dicuss the topic here.

Kath

Ask the Wife a Question

Since Peter is off at Heroes Con this weekend and I finally finished the Doctor Who short story I owed my editor, I thought I would give you a chance to ask me (being Kathleen) any questions you might have.

The usual rules apply including:
1) I won't do your homework for you
2) If Peter or I are under an NDA (Non-Discloser Agreement) then I can't discuss it or even give hints
3)There are certain subjects I will not discuss and ask that you accept that

So Whatcha Wanna Know?

Kath

Discussion Thread for FNSM #21

Spoilers allowed in the comments.

So what did you think?

Personally I can't comment because I am a couple of scripts ahead of y'all.

But I do love Todd's art in this one.

Peter's Grand Adventure

I am informed by fan supreme Corey Tacker that this month's issue of FNSM marks the publication of my one thousandth comic book.

That's a considerable number of trees that have died to bring you the ravings of my fevered imagination. Apologies to all the environmentalists out there.

I wonder if they'll try to pin global warming on me...

PAD

Busy week coming up

Sunday I head out to Los Angeles for a few days to pursue various projects. As is always the case with irons in the fire, some may wind up burning hot and others may flame out, or all or none. Such is the freelance life. Then I'll be home for two days, having barely enough time to catch my breath, before then getting on a plane to head down to Shelton's "Heroes" convention. We'll have to do the Father's Day thing belatedly.

Did a lengthy phone interview for British radio with Paul Cornell, the formidable writer of the recent "Doctor Who" two parter "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood", not to mention the episode "Father's Day." It was supposed to be for two half-hour segments, but the conversation ran for two hours, so I can't wait to see how Alex (the moderator) manages to edit THAT sucker down.

PAD

My first and last word on Paris Hilton

Instead of putting her in jail or under house arrest, they should make it so that anytime she wants to drive someplace, she has to carpool with Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson.

PAD

Life Imitates Art

During the last season of "West Wing," reporters tried to pin down candidate Arnie Vinnick (Alan Alda) on the subject of his religious beliefs. Vinnick--who wanted to keep the fact that he'd lost faith in God under wraps--stated that his personal views on God were off limits, he'd never discuss them, that they weren't relevant to the job he was to do as president, and that as far as he was concerned that was the end of it. To all intents and purposes it was. It never came up again in the series.

I commented at the time that in the real world, that would never happen. That such an assertion would only be the beginning of the story, not the end of it.

Now it seems that we're seeing the scenario played out in real life as Rudy Giuliani asserts that his personal religious beliefs are just that--personal--and should have no bearing on his campaign.

This promptly became front page news on "Newsday" and now we'll see just how fast the question goes away. I suspect it won't anytime soon.

The ironic thing is that Giuliani is both right and wrong. The fact is that his personal beliefs *shouldn't* be a factor. If he doesn't want to discuss them, he should be entitled to that. The problem becomes that the automatic assumption is that he is either agnostic or atheist, and in a society where the vast majority of people assert a belief in SOME sort of divine spirit, that's not going to go over very well.

On the other hand it really IS a relevant question because look who we've got running the country now: A man who believes that he's operating at the personal behest of God. Bush doesn't simply believe in God; he KNOWS there's a God and that he and God are tight. If a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, too much "knowledge" can be a lethal thing.

If Giuliani is an atheist and doesn't want to discuss that beause he figures it's nobody's business and that it might cost him votes, I can understand both viewpoints. Still, knowing that a candidate will not run this country and world affairs under the belief that he's taking his marching orders from God might not be such a bad thing.

PAD

Lil' Bush: Here's what makes me nervous

Some years ago, Comedy Central did a Bush-based sitcom called "That's My Bush." Created by Parker and Stone of "South Park" fame, it was a parody of old-style sitcoms that was distinctly hit or miss in its execution. It did, however, deftly capture what many saw as the essential banality of George W. Bush.

Then the Twin Towers fell and suddenly making fun of the President was no longer deemed acceptable. The show quickly evaporated.

So now it's five years later and Comedy Central is launching a Bush-based sitcom called "Lil' Bush."

No, I don't REALLY think there's cause-and-effect involved...

...but it's making me nervous.

PAD

First review of "Darkness of the Light"

Well, okay, technically the second after the starred review in "Publisher's Weekly."

http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/372.html

The novel is on the stands on June 12, I believe, although I suppose it's possible some stores might have it ou t already. It's not like "Harry Potter," put it out one minute before midnight and you all die sort of thing.

PAD

PC3

Or, to go by its full title, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

Kath and I have seen it twice. The first time I liked it. Second time I loved it.

Spoilers follow:

I have to say, when I see people complaining that the film (and its predecessor) is difficult to follow, it makes me feel better over fans making the same slam at my work on, say, "Supergirl."

Because I had zero trouble following "Dead Man's Chest" and even less here.

Whereas DMC was essentially a series of spectacular set pieces strung together through a sometimes uneven narrative, PC3 builds more steadily, driven less by events than by character development, shifting alliances, and double and triple crosses. Wonderfully acted by actors who were clearly having a great time (well, maybe not so much when fifty tons of water was hammering them during the climax, but otherwise...), well written with no moment so epic that they couldn't mange to throw him some little bit of business of a smaller, personal nature, and amazingly directed. Much will be made of the astounding battle in the maelstrom with Jack Sparrow dueling Jones atop a beam, but for my money the single most amazing sequence in the film is when a stunned Lord Beckett is walking down the steps of his ship in slow motion while it literally explodes all around him, yet he remains unscathed.

Are there things that bugged me? Yeah, some. Yes, there were hints to Tia Dalma's true nature in the previous film, but the entire Calypso thing could have been set up better in the second film...and considering they were shot at the same time, there's no excuse for not having done so. It also stunned me to learn that the kraken, such a major part of the second film, died in between movies.

But for every gripe, there's something to balance out. The sequence with Elizabeth hysterical over the fate of her father, or the wrenching fate of Will Turner, or the hilariously phallic battle of Jack Sparrow and Barbossa's telescopes. And Keith Richards perfectly utilized as Captain Teague, Jack's father. I swear, I'd be happy watching an entire film with the two of them.

Overall I thought it was brilliant. And if you saw it and didn't stay through to the end of the credits, then wow. Sucks to be you.

PAD

OUT THIS WEEK: FALLEN ANGEL #16

The conclusion of the three parter about the Angel's predecessor, "Lin." Whad'ja think?

Oh, and I just got a sample cover for "Darkness of the Light," the first novel in my new fantasy series due out in a week or so. Looks spiffy.

PAD