Nice work today Wesley. Most likely I'll kill you in the morning.

There is always a little sunshine before the rain...

Woke up yesterday to a giant double rainbow. It was still 6 something in the am - but dear God - it was beautiful. Stood out real clear against the background - a huge dark storm cloud. But it was so nice - I got the kids outta bed and carried the two of them outside so we could all see it.

Nothing better to silence two kids than the beauty of God's nature.

Sigh.

Back to complaining... :)

Not really.

Two big events yesterday. Well - three... Let's call it the MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS POST.

ONE:

Work is really looking better.

I fly out early Monday for MN. I meet up with an old friend of mine who is my DP/Cameraman for the shoot. He is a French Canadian guy - who also goes by the name of Greg. So when we work together - I am Greg - because my penis is smaller and I need the appearance of domination - and he goes by the French sounding Gregoire... So it never gets confusing.

Greg and I actually really enjoy working together - and there was a time when no one wanted to work with either of us - so we were on the road together for almost an entire summer. We eventually almost came to blows in a Lawyers office in Mississippi - but it was averted. By the end of the day we were friends again - but it was touch and go there for a bit.

We are shooting in MN on Monday and Tuesday. The really cool thing is that David will be there too. David - who is the director of development for the production company I have spent many years at - is producing this pilot for TLC. It is a crazy idea - but it should be a lot of fun. Besides - it is work - and my wife tells me that being able to pay our bills with more than spit and promises is a lot of fun.

She is just spoiled.

On top of that - an old buddy of mine - who was gonna be the art director for my film - is art directing a pretty big project back in Virginia. He is saving me a crew spot on his team - and even though it has been at least 12 years since I have been in the art department and I have no idea how to do anything that he needs - he is still willing to help out my family and give me a month of work.

But here is the wild card.

I got a call yesterday from a company out in LA. They are really cool - and have done a ton of stuff. They are getting ready to do a new Crime show and were looking for a producer. I really got on well with the owner - and I think I have a pretty good shot at the job... So we will see what happens with that. He was really excited - and while I have no idea when or if the movie is going - this is yet another great opportunity.

TWO:

When we lost STAR1 - I called my agency immediately. They were helping us cast our other parts - and I asked them if they had any bankable stars in the 20-30 year range. They didn't - but they immediately insisted that this role is perfect for - um, let's call him DOGSTAR. She was so insistent - that she took it on herself to call DOGSTAR's Agent and tell him about the project.

When I was talking with ICM who were also helping us with names - I told them we "withdrew the offer" from STAR1 and needed to replace him. They said - I'll tell you who is perfect for this role. DOGSTAR.

Wow. Two recommendations. I like DOGSTAR. I like a lot of his films. I also know how much DOGSTAR makes and he certainly wouldn't be doing any favors for us. So in talking with the mini-major - I asked them to make an offer to DOGSTAR's people. They said they would ask if DOGSTAR would do the project as a favor - but they didn't think it was in the realm of possibility.

I was slightly disappointed in this approach. But I understood why they would think this way.

The upshot of all this is - DOGSTAR's agent had read the script. Somehow he got a copy of it somewhere and thought it would be really good for his client.

BUT - and it is a big butt -

He would cut his rate - but not by much...So mini-major needs to take the weekend to decide what they want to do. To get DOGSTAR - we have to increase the budget. So we will see how this plays out. But this is good news...

I think.

THREE: (the monster at the end of this post)

I finally played my cards with the other producers. I told them last night that if we were going to get rid of our director - unless there was some really big name coming in to do the project - I wanted the job. I explained how I had more experience than either person up for the job - and I wrote the script specifically for me to direct it in the first place.

Needless to say - my email was met with a resounding silence.

So it's good to know that my fellow producers really support me in this...

More on that later...

Now - a big shout out to all the people from around the world who stumble onto this blog for one reason or another.

Lots of people coming for stories about the World Series of Trivia.

A few people for the story of the dwarf being swallowed by the hippo...

Some I have no idea how they got here - cause their blog is in a different language...

But welcome - one and all. There will be no BLOG WALL separating our countries.

It is good to know that whining and complaining cross all cultural boundaries...