The major project at the moment is one that I've not announced before this: I'm writing the novelization for the upcoming "Iron Man" movie which will be hitting theater in May of 2008. The novelization will be published by Del Rey. The deadline on the book is tight, but I should have no trouble hitting it. Rock solid script (although naturally I can't go into any details.)
When I'm not doing that, I'm working on proofreading the galleys for "Tigerheart." I also just finished rewrites on two scripts for Marvel's "Hulk Adventures" series. I love writing "Adventures" books: One-offs that get to the core of the characters and are all-age appropriate.
PAD
And the winner is: David's father.
Who's David? David is a young reader of this website whose father drove him all the way from Clifton, New Jersey to Bellport, Long Island so he could see our final performance of "Man of La Mancha."
We're talking at least a two hour drive, folks. So kudos to David's dad.
PAD
I thought that this film, brought to my attention courtesy of Dan Slott, would be of amusement.
My debut issue for "She-Hulk," designed to have two, if not three, WTF moments. Whad'ja think?
ADDED 10/31--Check out THIS review. Doesn't get more glowing than this.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34631#2
PAD
I'll be appearing today at Jim Hanley's Universe in Midtown Manhattan (near the Empire State Building) from 6 to 8 PM along with Dan Slott for a sort of "passing of the torch" appearance vis a vis "She-Hulk."
Hope to see you there.
PAD
Okay, so now I *am* going to United Fan Con. Apparently their money situation has sorted itself out (the fact that Aaron Douglas dropped out probably freed up some funds, I'd think) and I was reinvited.
Honestly, I toyed with the idea of saying forget it, but that didn't seem fair to all the fans who'd written me expressing dismay over my not being there, especially since they'd purchased nonrefundable tickets.
So I'll be there.
PAD
Things actually went reasonably smoothly for opening night of "Man of La Mancha." I'd say the venue was about 3/4 full, which isn't bad at all. My castmates did a great job, with high energy and everyone on top of their cues. We had a few mishaps with microphones, but they were easily fixed on the fly.
The one heart-stopping moment came toward the very end. A stairway/bridge is supposed to lower as Cervantes and his servant (me) are summoned to the Inquisition. But the bridge only came 3/4 of the way down (the mechanism got hung up on one of the side curtains.) I was supposed to make my exit up the bridge, but it was dangling a foot above the stage. I could have just walked around it and exited off to the side, but that would have broken the illusion. On the other hand, if I stepped on the bridge and forced it down, I was worried I could shatter the entire mechanism. Opting to maintain the illusion, I walked forward carefully, placed my foot on the bottom step and pushed down as hard as I could. It slammed the bridge down to the floor and I was able to walk up it. I didn't hear any accompanying breaking noise, so I'm hoping I didn't break the stairs.
Ah, the excitement of live theater.
Howard Margolin was in attendance. Hopefully other web denizens will be able to make it.
PAD
What would you consider the most iconic covers of Peter's career? Or, for that matter, what would you consider iconic images from Peter's career?
(Yes, we know this is kind of an odd question to ask: what are the images that define a writer? But we're curious.)
You may remember some weeks back that I announced I was playing "Sancho" in a community theater production of "Man of La Mancha" in Bellport, Long Island.
Well, the show opens this Friday, and runs for four evening performances--the 19th and 20th, and the 26th and 27th. Ticket information can be found below: (and yes, that's me in the picture on the right.)
http://www.bellport-playcrafters.com/Main.html
PAD
I was one of the first people to accept an invite from United Fan Con up in Springfield, MA, in November...and, as of last night, was the very first one (and, to my knowledge, the only one) to be disinvited. As opposed to Orlando where I was simply summarily dumped from the roster, this time I was contacted by the convention organizer who explained that, well, they only had so much money to go around, and they were so busy paying for the appearance fees and hotel rooms for the--y'know--important guests, and their advance registration or interest in purchasing photo ops or signed pictures in advance had been so far below projection, that they could no longer afford to have me out even though I don't charge appearance fees. They had to cut the budget somewhere and apparently I'm it. They couldn't afford hotel stay and travel costs for the guy who signs tons of comic books and such for free because they needed to be able to accommodate all the folks who charge fans $20/$30 a pop for signatures.
I doubt that anyone was coming to United Fan Con just to see me--certainly the convention organizers are banking on that--but if you were, and you were hoping to get free autographs, you're out of luck.
You know, I just can't get enough of having regional conventions use my name for initial promotion and then dump me at the last minute. Actually, now that I think about it...I can. I'm going to be thinking long and hard before accepting invites for any smaller conventions; I'm just tired of having my face stepped on.
PAD
So now that Al Gore can add "Nobel Prize" winner to his resume, is he going to reconsider a run at the White House?
I'm still convinced that Hillary is unelectable, but I don't think the slate that the GOP is offering is anything special. Al Gore, on the other hand, already won the popular vote once, and that was when he was doing everything wrong. Nothing teaches the way experience does. I have to think that the older, wiser Gore could take the White House in a walk. The only question is whether it's a walk he wants to take. Because he'd be taking a hell of a chance: Right now he's a respected elder statesman with major cred toward getting the job done in terms of reversing global warming. If he runs and loses, then it's not only a step back personally, but it's a step back for the interests of the world environmental situation because he'll be just another failed presidential candidate.
Personally I hope he goes for it, but then again, that's easy for me to say.
PAD
Just out of the sake of my own curiosity, I'd be interested to know who your top two favorite X-Factor characters are? I'm saying "two" going on the assumption that if I said "Who's your favorite" most people would say Madrox.
So who're your top two?
Feel free to pass this query to other boards. I'd like to know peoples' opinions.
PAD
Because I knew that if they backed into the title through the poor play of another team, the fate that befell the Phillies would have befallen the Mets. "Prolonging the agony" was the phrase I used several weeks ago. In my opinion, no team should be in post season play because they owe a debt of gratitude to another team, which is what would have happened to the Mets if they'd backed into the NL East courtesy of the Phillies dropping games they should have won.
And while Phillies fans around the internet snarked the Mets for their impressive meltdown, no one seemed to be too concerned for the fact that the Phillies had no business going to the post season because their presence there was due to the Mets pissing away a 7 game lead. The Phillies wound up doing exactly what I *didn't* want the Mets to do. They didn't win the division title; the Mets lost the division title, and that's a very different thing.
Now Phillies fans may have felt some degree of entitlement as the Phillies played monumentally adequate ball in the home stretch...as opposed to the Mets who played monumentally inadequate ball. Without that combination of events, the Phillies finish second. But the Mets gave them the division lead in a box that was gift-wrapped by the bullpen that would come into inflammatory situations and pour on gasoline, and finished with a nice bow on top by an offense that just couldn't get enough of stranding runners in scoring position. All that was proven during the final weeks was that there was no lead the Mets couldn't blow, be it a five run lead or a seven game lead.
How does that entitle Phillies fans to strut? Beats me.
Anyway, the fate that I foresaw happening to the Mets for not truly earning their post season berth was shifted over to the Phillies for not truly earning theirs. I hope the Phils fans enjoyed their whole three extra games of losing baseball. Better you than us.
Wait'll next year.
PAD
He surprises you.
Vetoing a program designed to use a tax on cigarettes to provide health care for poor children? With reasoning that prioritizes the needs of huge health care companies over helping sick children?
Does he remotely think that ANYONE is going to be fooled into thinking that his motivations come from anything other than protecting big business interests over the interests of the most helpless sections of the population?
Yes...it's a new low. And if Congress can't override this veto, they're fricking useless.
PAD
I've known about this show since before ABC started promoting it. Len Wein gave me a blow by blow of the pilot at San Diego since he'd been sent an advance screener. At the time I was impressed at how effusive Len was about the show. But then when the network started promoting it harder than I've ever seen it push ANY show, I had to think he was on to something.
He was.
Spoilers follow
The producers of "Pushing Daisies" come justthisclose to coming up with a premise that strains credulity to the breaking point. Ned is a humble piemaker who has an unexplained resurrection power with about half a dozen caveats. He has a girlfriend he can't touch, a would-be girlfriend that he keeps at a distance, and a detective with whom he works solving murders (much easier to do when he can bring the corpses back to life.) But what makes the whole thing work is not the plot, contrived beyond belief, but the confident style and panache with which it's pulled off. Despite the absurdities, it's so sweet and genuine that you'll be pulled in in spite of yourself.
Just like "Wonderfalls," a previous work by the show's creators.
Which, of course, makes me concerned about its future. Still, ABC is getting behind this in a way that no one ever got behind "Wonderfalls," so fingers crossed.
PAD