July 28, 2008: Back to Reality

I'm so burnt out right now I can't imagine anything but sleeping. My plane got into New York at 7AM. I've been flying all night. Definitely not working today. Somehow I ended up doing work any way. I have to compress all the HD video I shot so it will fit on our network, which is taking forever. It's several hours of HD video and about a third of it is compressed. As it stands I've used up all but a gig or two of space out of a total of 350 gigs total storage. I had to compress stuff each day because one memory stick of data uncompressed took up my whole hard drive.

Ridiculous. Technology is meant to serve me, not the other way around.

I be back when I get some sleep.

July 27, 2008: Leaving Las Vegas

Yep the day finally came when we'd have to pack our shit up and go back to work (real work). Sunday was still really busy. Pete actually got his second wind in, and while Alex and Justin were off doing something else we got an extra 4 interviews in the space of and hour. To be fair we were all delirious.

Ask Alex his Colleen Coover "Small Favors" story. Hilarious. And caught on film by me. Which will also hit my Youtube page eventually.

We spoke to Sanford Greene the artist behind the Method Man comic book that did gangbusters traffic on our Pulp Secret Youtube page. I didn't know rapper-originated comic books were so sought after. I guess even the gangsters need sequential art.

I have to fly back, so look for our interviews in the coming weeks. I'll be the one editing the hours and hours of footage. So no complaints if it takes a while to air.

July 26, 2008: Comic Book Club Live from San Diego

Today the guys did their Comic Book Club panel. It was great, and they even had a musical guest that was hilarious. There were 5 guests (instead of the usual two or even one). I of course was on hand to capture the whole event on film.

Today's Comic Book Club panel included from left to right (as pictured above) Alex at the podium, Justin, Pete, Eric Powell (Writer and Artist of The Goon), Gabriel Rodriguez (artist on Locke and Key), Adam Rifkin (Director: National Lampoon's Homo Erectus), Scott Adsit (actor 30 Rock), and the musical guest who's name will escape me until I watch the video I shot again (back at the office).

The panel was great, and a lot bigger than it normally is. Usually there's only one or two guests, and the PIT (People's Improv Theater) is a lot smaller than one of the ballrooms at the San Diego Convention Center. The musical guest was hilarious. I'll post the video of the song soon. Let's just say it's very phallic and meant to make you laugh (and think/be confused).

If that wasn't enough we had surprise tickets from Alex's manager for the Comedians of Comedy show downtown in the Green Lantern District. I didn't know a lot about the show before hand, but it included Sara Silverman, Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn, Zach Galifianakis, and Eugene Mirman.

Sara Silverman was the surprise guest, and the show was also Patton Oswalt's farewell performance. Check out my Comic Con Nightlife Flickr page for more from the show (I can't believe the crazy ticket lady wouldn't let me bring my soda in, but my SLR Camera was no problem. Ridiculous. But the box seats were more than enough to make me forget about it.

Then some random person (at least I had no idea who she was) told us to come to the after-party for the stars of the show (Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, et Al.) I didn't see the scribbles on my ticket that said I had already been invited, but at the time I felt pretty cool. I managed to grab a few pictures inside the bar where the party was at before realizing all the actors and celebrities that were there (and hastily retiring my camera for the evening).

Good Times. Ask Justin about how Patton Oswalt requested him on Facebook (funny story).

July 25, 2008: Stargate Day

Today is officially Stargate day, well at least in my book. The booth is giving away free DVDs of the latest DVD release of Stargate Continuum. The booth babes look like some kind of Samantha Carter wet dream come true. Too bad I didn't have time to check out the three (count 'em) three stargate panels. Continuum, Worlds MMO, and Atlantis respectively. I did pick up some Stargate Worlds dog tags at the booth though. I hope the game is good. Looks like it won't be out for awhile though.

We interviewed a ton of people today (just like yesterday and probably tomorrow). I'll save interview notes for each person for later blog posts. Tonight Newsarama won another Eisner Award for news reporting, so they're buying drinks for everyone. Gotta run.

July 24, 2008: Hotel Team-Ups make for short walks

Since there's so much happening so fast I tried to include some pics throughout the day. Here's the rundown (of the pics):


1. Greatest America Hero Panel - Moderated by us (not me, I filmed it), but moderated by The Stack guys Alex, Justin, and Pete
2. The Greatest American Interviews - after the panel. Turns out William Katt is a huge fan of our show!
3. Tony Lee (I messed his name up on our flickr account and he rebuked me (sorry, he's awesome and a guest of Comic Book Club).
4. The walk from the hotel to the convention center along the bay.
5. Walking through the Green Lantern district to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund charity and after party.
6-8. At the party (on the Plaza roof).

July 23, 2008: Cheesburger in Paradise

I made it to San Diego early this afternoon on some obscure airline that didn't allow e-ticketing. As a result I almost never got my tickets in the mail due to some unfortunate circumstances in my buildings policies on package delivery and pick-up. None the worse for wear I made it to the Hyatt, or as it's known at SDCC, "the place where all the after-parties are". Note to self: remember human beings need sleep to live.

Since the rest of the guys aren't arriving till tomorrow I picked up my registration and checked out the show floor. Tonight was preview night for press and special guests, so most of the floor was crowded with reporters and camera crews interviewing celebrities before the rest of the masses flooded in tomorrow. I managed to grab plenty of great pictures and good video b-roll for later use in churning out episodes. I'm known as an episode machine around the offices these days.

No after parties tonight, I need to rest up for tomorrow and the first official day of the festivities.

Pics: Welcome to San Diego Comic Con 2008, a view from the hotel room, replicas and busts, creature creation, awesomely sinister Dexter promo banners, and more replicas.

July 22, 2008: Last Day before the Convention

It's almost time to go and everything is set. I just need to find out where the hotel is, and how to get into the room early. I'm the first set to arrive. I'll have time to pick up my registration and get some pictures and footage of the show floor before the rest of the guys get here.

Sorry, no more tonight. I'm saving up for the blitz this week/weekend.

July 21, 2008: The Dark Knight busts the office

We got to see The Dark Knight in IMAX (lincoln center) with the office today. That is it was a work sponsored trip. Although I had already bought a ticket when we had decided to go as a group, but before the office offered to pay. It was only 16 bucks a ticket, so I don't feel so bad. There was a little drama and some people ended up not coming, but I'm sure it's all water under the bridge.

The movie was spectacular. It definitely lived up to my expectations. Although I'm not sure I had any to begin with. It definitely warrants a second viewing (and a third). I think my brother hasn't seen it yet, so I'm sure he'll be game to go. He claims the IMAX theaters in manhattan are perpetually sold out on his days off, and I believe him. That's how good the movie was. In fact, why are you here reading this instead of out seeing it.

Seriously, go see it.

July 20, 2008: San Diego Here I Come

Since work and my San DIego workcation are stealing my time check out some creed thoughts:

Creed Thoughts by Creed Bratton

Why is it so impressive to sleep on a bed of nails? There’s obviously a trick to it that makes it not hurt. I think the real challenge is sleeping in a bed filled with needles. You just know that’s not gonna end well.
I’ve gone for rolls in the hay and it is nothing like sex.
Sometimes I’ll do shots of mouthwash. It gets me a little tipsy and gives me great breath.
I think baseball should introduce a longstop position, just in case the shortstop misses the ball.
Who decided that we needed both North and South Dakota. It seems like a lot of wasted paperwork to me.
Catching flies with your hands is fun, but catching frogs with your feet is a lot more satisfying.
I like to wear two undershirts most days because you never know when you’ll walk into a strip poker game.
I want to open up a bar called “Creed’s Meads” and bring mead back to how popular it was during the American Revolution. It’ll be right between my book store and woodwind instrument shop – Creed’s Reads and Creed’s Reeds.
Why hasn’t anyone built a live-action version of Chutes and Ladders? I’d be first in line to play.
I’ve always thought that shopping carts are just mobile jails for food and all the prisoners are sentenced to death by ingestion. Kind of makes you shop differently, huh?

Yikes!

July 19, 2008: John Adams

I just finished watching John Adams. I'd seen the last part twice (both while visiting relatives), but never the whole thing sequentially. It was really cool. I don't watch a lot of period movies, but Paul Giamatti was very compelling. Laura Linney was great too. I can't imagine what it was like to be a woman during the pre-constitutional united states. Probably just a lot of quiet reading and cooking. My Aunt actually told me she went to school with Laura Linney (same year) at Northfield Mount Herman private school (in MA). Also the same school that my Aunt's other sisters (including my mom) went to.

I didn't read the John Adams book that preceded the movie. My dad is big on those kinds of biographies. I know they're good, but genre fiction is usually what I prefer to read. This reminds me of the mom on my swim team back home who had a fondness for romance novels. I'm sure they were "pretty" tame, but it was a lot of fun to poke fun at her. Uh oh, caught in the act reading a harlequin romance novel!

I didn't know much about the early presidents, but there was an interesting article comparing the first four presidents to the Beatles (John, Paul, George, and Ringo). I think Thomas Jefferson was compared to John, George Washington to Paul, John Adams to George, and James Madison to Ringo (although Ringo and George might have been switched). Sorry couldn't find any linkage on that one.

No pics today. I need to catch up on my posts.

July 18, 2008: Marc's Last Day w/ a Rubber Band and International Fame

It was Marc's last day in the office. His wife has secured a great promotion with another company out in California (she's also in IT), and Marc like the great guy he is has agreed to move his home base or "death star" (it's not fully functional yet) to SoCal.

In honor of his imminent departure he was the butt of cruel jokes and humiliating rubber band pelting. Carrie and I both caught some of it on film, so enjoy the footage!

July 17, 2008: Recovery

Today's a recovery day so I think I'll turn the blog over to my old friend Dwight from Dunder Mifflin. Let's all give him our undivided attention.

Schrute Space by Dwight Schrute

Maintaining a Normal Body Temperature During the Summer Months

Attention readers: this web log will be doubling as a public service announcement because people are literally DYING out there.
We are in the thick of summer, people. The sun, while a huge ally of the Earth, also serves as one of our biggest enemies. It provides light that we use to see, but it can also scorch your skin into a red blistering mess. There are so many heat-related illnesses that it’s almost impossible to name them all: heatstroke, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat edema, heat tetany, heat syncope, heat mumps. The list goes on and on. The sun lurks silently in the sky, waiting to claim its next human victim and it’s up to us to stop it.
In the wintertime, nobody bothers to care about the sun at all. That’s because it’s busy resting. Just like bears, the sun hibernates in the sky during the winter. Sure, it still provides sunshine – but just enough to get us through the day. When the sun wakes up, usually around mid-April, it begins a program of solar destruction that takes so many lives each year that it should be at the top of every Most Wanted list in the world.
I feel that it is my duty to combat the sun’s evil efforts by providing you with this list of helpful sun-fighting tips.
• The sun can only hurt you if you leave your skin exposed. Wearing a neoprene wetsuit will cover up most of your vulnerable skin. You’ll also look like a superhero, so that’s a double bonus.
• Sunscreen is sold by the pro-sun lobby. They want to create a market based on your fear of the sun. While your fear is very real and legitimate, their products are essentially a creamy snake oil. You’re much better off using a solvent made of beet juice reduction and white wine vinegar. It may smell delicious to you, and if you’re ever making salad dressing these are two ingredients you don’t want to leave out, but in reality the combination is like kryptonite to the stupid sun. It sends those dangerous rays right back where they came from and sends a message to that big yolk in the sky. It says “Hey Sun, not on MY watch!” So don’t waste your money on sunscreen, it just gets funneled back to pro-sun activities.
• Wear a floppy hat. They might look goofy, but so will you when your face is the color of my childhood wagon/portable beet showroom.
• Never leave your house without at least a gallon of potable drinking water. Drinking water makes you more resistant to the dangerous intrusion of the sun. The sun’s goal is to actually deprive you of water. If you drink water, you’re replacing the very substance that the sun is trying to steal from you. Plus, our bodies are comprised mainly of water. The sun is made up of zero percent water. So remind me, who invented all of the technology on Earth? Humans or the sun? It was humans. The sun never invented anything. That’s why I’ll not only trust humans over the sun, I’ll do everything I can to set myself apart from the sun. Number one on the list of ways to set yourself apart: drinking water.
• Stay indoors between the hours of 9am and 6pm. This will prevent contact with the sun when it is most vindictive.
I don’t know what the sun has against us. What I do know is that the sun is a killer. People die from sun-related problems every single day during the summer and even though I am only one man, I feel the need to do my part. Don’t let the sun catch you off-guard. Be prepared. One day, we will tame the sun and make it do our bidding. Until then, we must always be vigilant.

In Anti-Solar Solidarity,

Dwight Schrute

Thanks for stopping by again Dwight. Always a pleasure.

July 16, 2008: New Toy

Yes, I finally got my new camera. And I tested it out on my cohorts at last night's Comic Book Club w/ Brendan McGinley. I still haven't processed the video enough yet, but I'll have it up soon on Youtube and elsewhere. Alex started a comic book club channel on youtube, so that's probably where it will go.

Be sure to check back regularly for all the great coverage!

July 15, 2008: Comic Book Club w/ Brendan McGinley Pics

We had a great time at this week's Comic Book Club at The PIT (People's Improv Theater). Guest Brendan McGinley talked with us about his new comic Dose 2 (Indelible Comics) hot off the printers and the unfortunate tale of his trip to pick it up. Brendan also spoke about his work at Zuda Comics on Hannibal Goes to Rome. My personal favorite was his impression of an angsty teenage outcast X-Men character (complete with sound effects and simulated powers). In case you didn't get to enjoy CBC with us check out the Podcast and our Pulp Secret Flickr page for all the great coverage.

July 14, 2008: Taco Taxi

I was over in Chelsea running an errand for work when I saw a classic taxi cab with the license plate "taco taxi".  To be fair it was outside a Mexican restaurant, but all the same it was a spectacle for the eyes. I've been looking at a number of cameras (video), but I haven't really decided yet. I'm probably going to go for the best pro-sumer model I can get for a decent price. And one that shoots in true HD. You have to try and future proof your electronics at least a little bit.

For anyone looking at camcorders I'd avoid anything that shoots to DVD (you'll have to buy a ton of recording media just to keep up with the fun). The HD DVDs and Blu-Ray media only make it worse. Then there's HDV. As supported as HDV (tape) is, it's a little cumbersome in hand-held models. On the plus side, the format is readable by many other editing platforms. There are a few more proprietary formats but they are not as supported by mainstream editing software.

July 13, 2008: Neil Gaiman Does Batman The Right Way

Neil Gaiman just released that he is currently writing a two-part Batman story called "What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" which artist Andy Kubert (1602), will be drawing. Gaiman was very cryptic but did let out that the two issues would both be over-sized. Part one is set for a January 2009 release. What do you all think of this? Obviously Neil Gaiman swings for the fences every time and is something of a genre storytelling home-run king. I can't say enough good things about him, and I can't believe I didn't see him in San Diego this year. I guess we'll all just have to wait to hear more till he's finished writing the story.

As our buddies (Now Eisner-Winning Buddies!) at Newsarama pointed out, the title is a reference to Alan Moore's Superman issue titled "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" In which Moore closed the book on the Silver Age Superman and got the character ready for a re-boot by then-upcoming Superman writer John Byrne. Does this mean Superman is in a state of metamorphosis. Obviously the answer is yes, but

What kind of Batman do you think Neil Gaiman will create? Surreal like his Morpheus character (from the Sandman series), or maybe something grounded more in reality (not likely)? Write in and let us know by commenting below or emailing us at tips@pulpsecret.com.

July 12, 2008: New Funny Videos Provide 75% of your RDA of Funny

Lots to do this week, there are several videos I'm working on, including some super duper secret stuff that will be released in the coming weeks. With the next two weeks comes my busiest time during the summer. Two back-to-back weeks of multi-day all-day shoots on location. I'm in Connecticut this week and all over Manhattan, and next week I go to San Diego, California for San Diego Comic Con (that one is not a secret).

I'll be attending with the guys from our show The Stack: Alex, Justin, and Pete. Be sure to check back in the next couple of weeks to see all the coverage of it we're doing.

Can't talk now, gotta finish up some work.

July 11, 2008: Friday Extra - Hellboy Universe

Personally when a really good movie comes out that I'm anticipating I try to immerse myself in the subject matter of the movie. It really helps give me a renewed sense of creativity and helps to form a more meaningful connection with the (impending) movie. In the case with Hellboy 2, I've gotten to speak with director Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy himself Ron Perlman, and the villain of Hellboy 2 (Prince Nuada) Luke Goss. Oh, and a little guy named Abe Sapien (Doug Jones). After speaking with them and re-reading as much of Mike Mignola's original Hellboy material as possible I was fully prepared for the awesomeness that is The Golden Army.

Raise your hand if you were not aware that Jim Henson's Muppets were actually just puppets with hands up their asses (I'm raising my hand). The suspension of disbelief is incredible when creature work and acting come together so well. Peanut butter and chocolate anyone? For anyone looking to immerse themselves in the Hellboy Narrative before seeing the movie (or before seeing it again, like me) be sure to check out our Hellboy Spectacular Episode of The Stack from this week, as well as our interview with Guillermo del Toro and the cast of Hellboy 2. Also here's a couple of bonuses for those of you like me who love DVD extras:

Hellboy Spectacular edition of The Stack

Hellboy 2 Cast/Crew Interview edition of The Stack

Indy Mogul Forges "The Good Samaritan"

io9.com's Hellboy reading essentials

Other Films by Guillermo del Toro:

Pan's Labyrinth

The Devil's Backbone

Cronos

July 10, 2008: Leah Rocks on Pulp Secret

Congratulations to Leah, the winner of our Persepolis Contest. Pulp Secret's own Jeaux Janovsky has been hard at work assembling all the prize swag. Seriously, you wouldn't believe the favors he had to perform to get some of this stuff...Recognize the NBot? You should, it's an original piece of artwork by Jeaux. Thanks to everyone who participated. Remember you can't win if you don't play!

Pics: Leah's hard-won Pulp Secret swag.