…and, unfortunately, The Nemesis didn’t make the cut. It did make the second round, however, which makes me think it still has promise but needs a rewrite. The list is here.
[UPDATE:] Okay, so other people are really happy about making the second round, which is the top ten percent of screenplays submitted. And I just found out there were almost 6,000 screenplays sent in. Now I don’t feel so bad…
…to see if it was still playing in Los Angeles, and this popped up: http://www.wikio.com/video/people-george-lucas-sxsw-accepted-film-2929774. Apparently a still of my scene in the film is all over the Internet, which is weird because is only lasts a few seconds. Even cooler, when I went to Images, the same pic of me was directly under that of one of my heroes, Neil Gaiman, who also appeared in the movie.
I hear that fifteen minute clock ticking…
…my pilot script that recently won the Golden Age of Television pilot contest, The Nemesis, made the quarterfinals of Scriptapalooza TV in the Pilot category. The list of winners is here: Scriptapalooza TV 2010 Winners.
…me! Grand Prize in the pilot category of the Golden Age of Television script competition, for my teleplay called “The Nemesis.” You can see the details here:
I admit it. I’m a TV snob. I never just sit down and watch whatever’s on; my DVR is way too full for that. I research shows, record ones that sound good, watch them, and if I like them, keep recording and watching them. I guess I’ve always been a little obsessed with TV, even when I was a kid and understood what terms like network, syndicated, prime time, and independent meant when most adults didn’t. The list of shows I started watching not only before they were popular, but before most people had heard of them, includes The Simpsons, Seinfeld, South Park, The Sopranos, The Daily Show, Battlestar Galactica, and Lost. But sometimes I still get it wrong. There are a few shows that I either never had any desire to watch (or watched one or two and decided to give up on), only to come back later and become obsessed with going back and seeing them from the beginning.
Here are my top five (in no particular order):
(1) Big Bang Theory – Sitcoms have to be really good for me to bother with them. Most are predictable, lame, and boring. And one of the most predictable, lame, and boring sitcoms out there is Two and a Half Men. So when I heard that a new show about some nerds living across the hall from a hot waitress was coming from the same creator, I decided there was no way it could be any good. Boy, was I wrong. Maybe it’s because I’m a comic and sci-fi geek who gets all the “in” jokes. Maybe it’s because the actors are a billion (maybe ten billion) times better than the excrutiatingly horrible Charlie Sheen. Or maybe I’m just delusional. But I laugh my ass off at this show every week.
(2) Human Target – Most of the first season of this show sat on my DVR unwatched for a couple of months because I give most comics-based shows a shot, but never got around to watching it. Then I decided to watch the pilot and fell in love with this show. Yeah, it’s cheesy action fluff, but I can’t get enough of it. All the characters are likable, but Guerrero (played by Jack Earl Haley-Rorschach in Watchmen) is one of the best characters on TV, up there with BSG‘s Baltar. Oddly enough, I still have a hard time getting myself to be in the mood to watch it, but I never regret it when I do.
(3) Stargate Universe – Stargate SG-1 was not a show I was into while it was on the air because it started on Showtime, which I didn’t have, and I never wanted to go back and get caught up. But I started watching Stargate Atlantis when it came out, and enjoyed it enough that I eventually did start watching SG-1 also, even to the point of eventually catching every episode almost in order (not an easy task). Despite that, I was very hesitant about Stargate Universe because it was such an obvious rip-off of Battlestar Galactica‘s style and tone (they can deny it all they want, I’m not buyin’ it), mashed up with Star Trek: Voyager‘s concept. In fact, the show’s relation to the other Stargate shows is almost non-existent, with the exception of the occasional guest appearance and, y’know, the stargates themselves. But I have to admit, this show has really grown on me, and some of the actors do a great job, especially Robert Carlyle as Balt–sorry, Dr. Rush.
(4) Fringe – I watched the first couple of episodes of this show and thought it was okay, but it was a little too derivative of X-Files for me at first, and there are only so many hours in the day (and so many gigabytes on my DVR), so I ended up dropping it from my list. Then I heard about the alternate universe storyline (which I’m a total sucker for, along with time travel) and Leonard Nimoy’s appearances, and decided to give it another shot. Man, was that a good choice. Now I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for the new episode each week.
(5) Chuck – Like Human Target, the first several episodes of this series sat on my DVR for awhile waiting to be watched, but in this case I went almost the entire first season before I got around to it, and I even missed recording some of the episodes because other things were on at the same time. Again, I was thrilled whent I finally got around to watching them, and found myself having to find the ones I missed online to get caught up. This show has just the right blend of action, humor, and geek cred to keep me watching.
Now you can legally design your own Star Trek stuff at CafePress, like my cool T-shirts and other swag with this design. Check out my shop here: CV’s Trek Shop.
…then you’re missing the best show on TV right now. Yes, it’s official: after going all this time with a gaping hole where Battlestar Galactica used to be, I’ve finally found a show that I can confidently declare the best on the air. I’ve never been a big horror fan because “scary” movies rarely scare me. Instead, I spend the entire time wondering why the characters are so effing stupid.
The one exception to this is zombies. No matter how slow and stupid they are, they scare the hell out of me and give me nightmares. That’s why it’s so great to have a show like AMC’s The Walking Dead, where I’m both scared and amazed at how good it is. I don’t care if you have no interest in zombies, or feel like there are too many movies and TV shows based on comics nowadays: this series from Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) is damn good.
The only downside? The first season is only six episodes, so it’s already half over. And it’ll be almost a year before the second season airs. Bummer.
With Game of Cages, the sequel to the debut Twenty Palaces novel Child of Fire, Harry Connolly has not only avoided the sophomore slump, but exceeded even my high expectations for this story. The book, which continues the adventures of Ray Lilly, a “wooden man” working for a mysterious organization of sorcerers, is even better than its “Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2009″ predecessor. As with Child of Fire, the plot moves forward at a brisk pace and the world is populated with interesting characters spouting crisp dialogue.
Where the sequel surpasses the first book is in the fleshing out of both the main character and the world in which he lives. Connolly gives us just enough information about the Twenty Palaces Society, the Empty Spaces, and the way magic works to keep the reader wanting more. It’s a great read that raises my anticipation level for the third book even higher than it was for this one.
Game of Cages, Harry Connolly’s sequel to his debut Twenty Palaces novel Child of Fire, was released last week. The stoy continues the adventures of Ray Lilly, a “wooden man” working for a mysterious organization of sorcerers. All indications are that it’s as good as, if not better than, its “Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2009” predecessor. So get down to your local bookstore and pick it up already!
I finally had a chance to see The People vs. George Lucas last night at an L.A. Film Fest screening, and I really liked it. It has a great analysis of what makes Lucas tick from both experts and fans, and a look at the bigger issue of whether art always remains the property of the artist, or whether is becomes part of our cultural heritage once the artist releases it to the public. There’s also a lot of discussion about Lucas’ apparent changes in attitude over the years and the negative effects of the lack of ollaboration on his later films. And it’s very funny, and usually not at the expense of the fans. It’s mostly laughing with people rather than at them.
As I was walking in I saw the director being ushered in by the Film Fest people, and he looked at me funny a couple of times so I finally introduced myself and said, “I’m in the movie…well, at least the trailer. I’m the ‘George, you must own up to your mistakes’ guy.” And he said, “I thought I recognized you. Yes, you’re in the movie as well as the trailer.” My part was just the same sound bite as in the trailer, although they did put my name on the bottom of the screen, which was pretty cool.
When I submitted my rant, I figured they would only include people who either made really good arguments or were over the top, so I tried to do both. The only part that actually made it into the film was the end of my rant where I started going way over the top. It’s funny because everyone says, “You seem so angry,” which I guess is what I was going for. But knowing that I wasn’t actually angry and was basically just acting, it’s hard for me to see what other people see.
Trekmovie.com Sci-Fi Wire
Author Christopher J. Valin 