Lunar New Year
Sunset Blvd. Lunar New Year Parade, festivities, and the loudest damn thing I’ve ever heard. That’s nuts.
chase the light
February 9, 2003
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February 8, 2003
WETAFX LA
Wetafx L.A. Tonight a rogue group of former Weta worker bees met at Paru’s in L.A. for dinner. Most of the discussion was post Lord of the Rings travel adventures, why we don’t want to go back, 5 year plans, who’s working where, who’s looking, and the mid meal diaper change. I drove around for 20 minutes looking for parking and was about to give up when the spot five feet from the door opened up. Nice. Laura’s disembodied hand is creepin’ me out. It’s pinned to her shirt.
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Antelope Valley Poppy Park
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We received my Grandmother’s ashes this week, so we all headed up to Antelope Valley to spread them out at the poppy park she helped establish. Those were her wishes. It’s a bit early for the poppies, but in a little over a month this place will look like a living Monet painting. On a good year it’s really one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever see [LINK]. There was one set of poppies that had already come up so Grandma helped it along.
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February 5, 2003
Visual Effects Bake Offs
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Tonight’s the night a bunch of VFX geeks get together and vote who’s best. There are three “Bake Off’s” this week at the Academy. Sound Editors, Visual Effects, and Makeup and Hair Stylists. Many years ago a sound effects editor named Kay Rose came up with the term “Bake Off”. It was coined because of the blue ribbon environment in which the best work of the year is judged. Kinda like pies at a state fair. Her daughter’s name is Victoria Rose Samson, also a sound effects editor, and I happened to take a sound editing class at UCLA that she taught in 1992. She invited us all to the Sound Effects Bake Off, and I’ve been going ever since. What happens is the Visual Effects Supervisor gets up and talks for 3 minutes, they show 15 minutes of effects from the film, and then the whole team gets up and answers questions for 5 minutes. A big red light comes on when your time is up. After it’s all over the members of the Visual Effects Society vote for three that will be up for the Academy Award. I’m going with “The Two Towers”, “Attack of the Clones”, and “Minority Report” as the final three.
February 3, 2003
Meet The Neighbor: Jinjah
Her real name is Virginia. She’s always gone by Ginger, but at Imageworks we’ve always called her Virginia. So now she’s pulling a fast one and wants to be known as Ginger. Of course it’s hard for all of us to switch over. So now I always say it really loud and accent the hell out of it. Jinjah. It’s really pretty annoying of me. Until I get used to it I’m going to continue saying it awkwardly. Anyway she’s sits next to me, and because of that, complains that I don’t help her on the Matrix Reloaded Tunnel lighting. Um, you’re look development, not me. I just work here.
Shanghai Nights Premiere
Diane Garrett, “Variety” reporter extroadinaire invited me to the Premiere of “Shanghai Knights” at El Capitan theater. Lot’s of press and lights all over the place. Jackie Chan was doing interviews out on the street. Fans were lined up on Hollywood Blvd. We got to walk down the red carpet. Well at least behind all the stars. The after-party was at the Hollywood and Highland Entertainment center and Owen Wilson was milling about. Crystal Bernard was looking old. Jon Voight was sitting upstairs in the corner, and all I could think of was he was depressed about Angelina. That crazy looking guy from the movie “Ghost” who runs around on the subway system freaking out Patrick Swayze. He was there. Vincent Schiavelli. Yeah, that guy. S.W.A.G. for the night included a press/guest badge, chinese takeout boxes with “Shanghai Knights” printed on them, and a banner of my name in some sorta fancy calligraphy. They hired all those guys from the 3rd Street Promenade to do them for free at the party. Not that I would buy one normally, but it was free. I told Diane it was perfectly OK to invite me to any of these she sees fit. Here’s her writeup [LINK]. Damn, Nia Vardalos was there… missed her.
February 1, 2003
Tweedle Dumb – Hollywood Blvd.
His mom probably accepts him, but his dad is probably in denial. “We should have never sent him to that clown college.”
January 27, 2003
Pink On The Doorstep
I have these pink roses out in front of my house that keep disappearing. Once they bloom someone comes by and snips them. I’m not sure who insists on stealing my roses, but it might be a closet botanist. Update: This flower disappeared Tuesday.
January 26, 2003
Atop The Grove Parking Lot
My new favorite sunset viewing spot in L.A. Here’s what you do. Go to The Grove, park in the structure and take the elevator up to the 7th floor. You now have a 360 degree view of Downtown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, etc. Get your stub validated at the movie theater because they have the machines just sitting out on the counter. Possible soundtrack: “Take it Easy” by The Eagles.
January 25, 2003
Sailing
Well it wasn’t sailing, but we motored. Layin’ around, hangin’ in the sun, cruising the harbor. I just hung off the front of the boat and watched the abstract world go by. In the 80’s, slight breeze, no clouds, and a nice winter day all things considered. The new Falmouth Cutter on a relaxing day and a little “Periwinkle Sky” by Victoria Williams to get the vibe.
January 24, 2003
“Who The Hell Are You?” A Hat Party
The “Who The Hell Are You? A Hat Party”. Another in a long line of the Sony balcony theme parties. “Matchmove & Friends present “Who The Hell Are You?” A Hat Party – Friday January 24th @ 6pm – SPI/MM Balcony – 3rd Floor East – All partygoers must wear a hat. Otherwise, plan on being HATTED! See you on Friday!”
January 20, 2003
Pron Commuter
Surfas Restaurant Supply and Gourmet Foods. I love this place and it’s conveniently located a few blocks from Imageworks. Fascinating, I know. Let me explain. See, down at Weta they have this thing called Porn Fridays. On a mailing list called “Noise”, Friday is the day people send porn. You can get away with stuff like that down there. Anyway, someone wrote a cgi script that if you click a button on their website it’ll mail a “random porn picture” from you to the “Noise” mailing list. Called the “Random Porn Generator”, it upped the amount of porn sent to “Noise” by the thousands. You leave your desk for half an hour and you’d have 200 new porn pictures in your inbox. Crazy. Well, during one flurry of random porn postings, this photo [LINK] popped up and I just had to laugh. I blurred it for those people who work in the United States.
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January 19, 2003
The Golden Globes Hype
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Want to see a bunch of losers waving at black limos with tinted windows? Then the Golden Globes is for you. Heading down Santa Monica Blvd. I was forced off that street and onto a little side street. Oddly enough there was a parking spot so I thought I’d check out the crazy people looking for stars. First off, nobody can get anywhere near the entrance so they all had these high powered binoculars. Secondly all the cars have tinted windows. Duh. There was rooftop security, and every car that went through the checkpoint was searched. One woman in a full blown gown had to get out and open the trunk of her car. Probably some commie actress they had been profiling since the McCarthy era. Some “Lord of the Rings” fans had a snack table set up and were cheering “Pete and Fran”. Talk about specific. One woman and her daughter drove up from San Diego to try and catch a glimpse of U2. She sang U2 songs, talked to herself a lot, and was convinced U2 would be in a white limo. She even asked me if her sign was legible from where I was standing. Uh oh, time to leave.
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January 18, 2003
Aborted Sailing On Esperanza
Nice day for a sail. Although we wouldn’t know. My parents boat was still grounded from it’s engine problems, so sailing didn’t happen today. I just watched this guy do figure eights in front of me while I sat on the docks. I think he was mocking me. Evil little sailor.
January 16, 2003
Goodbye Grandma
Grandma died today. My only grandparent that didn’t smoke and she lived to 94. The plan is to take her ashes to the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley that she helped establish. She was all about those poppy’s. She did a lot of other cool stuff and deserves much more than just an entry on a web page. [LINK]
January 15, 2003
New Camera!
Back on track. Replaced my G1 with a G3! Ok, no droppin’ this one in the mud. What a boner.
December 13, 2002
The Dana Point Harbor Holiday Boat Parade
This year my parents outfitted the boat to be in the Holiday Boat Parade at Dana Point Harbor. Tonight is the first time they’ve ever done it so we weren’t sure what would happen. The generator lasted the whole time, so that was good. The boat was outfitted with bows and a white Christmas tree up the mast. I steered the boat for the last half of the parade and it was friggin’ cold out.
The parade is over four nights on two weekends. I went the first night, the second night they couldn’t go because of a party, the third night my sister went and the engine broke before they got in the parade, and the fourth night the engine still wasn’t fixed. After all that it was a good thing I went the first night as it was the only night they were in the parade. About a week later they received a call from Dana Point Harbor saying they had won best dressed crew for the parade. ??? After having only been in the parade once you could imagine how funny that would be. Even funnier as none of us were dressed up. So they go down to the harbor to see what the deal was and of course there was a mistake. The Simpsons had actually won and they felt so bad about the mistake they gave my parents two whale watching tickets. So really they did win something.
December 11, 2002
Peter Gabriel At The Staples Center
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Peter Gabriel at the Staples Center. 16 years between shows is way to long. Last time was at the L.A. Forum in 1986 on the “So” tour. During “Growing Up” a Zorb [LINK] was lowered to the ground, Peter was underground and came up underneath it and into its center. Then he wheeled it out on the circular stage and ran around the stage while singing. He didn’t have any water in his Zorb, and I didn’t have 15,000 people cheering me on [LINK]. No one in this band has any hair left. Setlist for tonight: Here Comes The Flood – Darkness – Red Rain – Secret World – Shock The Monkey – Sky Blue – Downside Up – The Barry Williams Show – More Than This – Mercy Street – Digging In The Dirt – Growing Up – Animal Nation – Solsbury Hill – Sledgehammer – Signal To Noise. Encores 1: In Your Eyes. Encore 2: Family Snapshot – Father Son. Saw Brooke Shields too. Speaking of which, I saw Tommy Lee this week and the little dancing midget guy from “Twin Peaks”.
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December 5, 2002
The Two Towers Cast And Crew Screening
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Out of the blue New Line called me and said they were having a cast and crew screening for The Two Towers and got my name from Weta. Um, ok, cool, I’ll be there. “Man I could sell my guest ticket for a bundle”, was my first thought. The Academy gets all freaked out when you break out a camera. The guard wanted assurances that I wasn’t going to publish the image in any way. Does this count? Here I am doing my best “Lord of the Dance” stance with the big Oscar. Check out those blue flame shoes. Another uncomfortable dork pose.
November 28, 2002
One Expensive Dog
For Thanksgiving I went to my Aunt and Uncle’s. That’s not my Aunt or my Uncle below, but it is “Nero von der something german yadda yadda yadda…” My cousin breeds top of the line Shepherds, and was taking care of a friend’s while he was away on business. He’s the number one Schutzhund in the United States and is worth over $150,000 dollars! Holy Crap man! 150K!! Ever petted a $150,000 dollar dog? I have. That’s nuts.