Category: Opinion

Peggy Bechko Gives Us a Peek into the Writing Life

peggy b

by Peggy Bechko

Ever wonder what a writer’s life is like? Think it’s cool lunches, easy hours, write in your PJ’s time? Work when you want, lounge when you want? Wait for inspiration to strike? Yeah, well, maybe for some rare creatures out there, though I doubt even that.

But, despite deadlines (self-imposed and otherwise), deadly story lines that won’t work out and a host of other problems peculiar only to writers, it’s a great life for me. And when the budget allows I do treat myself well. That, along with a wonderful partner who’s income is admittedly the bigger share we were able to head out to DisneyWorld for a fun week.

The appeal of roller coasters and great food (not at the same time), amazing flowers and more great food (at the same time), whirling teacups and great food (not at the same time) combined with boat rides and hanging out at the pool in beautiful sunny weather was just too much to pass up.  I disconnected from my computer and electronics entirely and since I don’t have a smart phone, couldn’t even use that to hit the web or send emails. I took along my Kindle for reading and walked miles each day. read article

Is TV’s Current Golden Age Doomed to Fail?

We totally disagree with this article, but we’re presenting it here anyway cuz…what if we’re wrong? (Hey, we’re in showbiz, where having core values is one of the things that’s really doomed.) Anyway:

dramas

by Gerry Smith

The entertainment industry will air more than 400 original TV shows this year, lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars on top talent and exotic locations in the hopes of creating the next “Mad Men” or “Game of Thrones.”

The gusher of quality programs has prompted TV critics to proclaim a Golden Age of Television. But as any viewer knows, keeping up with all the shows is impossible. You’d have to watch TV 24 hours a day for at least eight months to catch every scripted series that aired last year, according to a Bloomberg calculation. With too many shows chasing too few viewers, say industry executives, most original programs lose money and half the shows now running probably will disappear by next year. read article

Herbie J Pilato: PERRY MASON as a Primer for TV Pilot Creators

perry masonby Herbie J Pilato

Perry Mason originally aired on CBS from 1957 to 1966, and starred the great Raymond Burr in the lead, with Barbara Hale as his trusted assistant, Della Street; William Hopper (son of Hollywood gossip legend Hedda Hopper) as detective Paul Drake, and William Talman as Hamilton Burger, the poor district attorney, who Mason always clobbered in court.  Ray Collins, Wesley Lau, and Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman from The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman) rounded out the additional legal-law enforcement cast in various roles over the years.

Perry Mason was more than just a precursor to countless lawyer shows to follow, including LA Law, Law & Order, and Boston Legal, among others.

Mason was based on a series of best-selling mystery novels created by attorney-novelist Erle Stanley Gardner, which were transformed into a CBS radio show – with soap-opera elements – that aired from 1943 to 1955.  When the radio series became the now iconic Raymond Burr show, the soapy serial slant was shelved.  But in 1956 (two years before the Burr series debuted), the original radio format was transplanted to the TV daytime serial, The Edge of Night (complete with the PM radio production staff and most of the cast, who were given new character names), where it remained until December 1984. read article

Diana Vaccarelli Sees 50 SHADES OF GREY

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50 SHADES OF GREY IGNORES ALL THE GREY AREAS
by Diana Vaccarelli

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a fan of the Fifty Shades of Grey Novels written by E.L James. So when Hollywood announced that it was adapting these novels into film I was excited. I was intrigued to see how the story would translate to the big screen.

The story follows Anastasia Steele as she meets and begins a relationship with the mysterious Billionaire Christian Grey.  They first meet when Anna interviews him for an upcoming issue of her college magazine. After this encounter Christian becomes intrigued with her and pursues a less than conventional relationship.

This film has its surprising moments.  The biggest one is when she is introduced to the world of BDSM. This is a shock to the naive Anna.  Christian then hands her a contract about this relationship and the expectations.  Anna doesn’t sign right away and wants to do research. She does the necessary research and they have an affair of an epic nature. read article

John Ostrander: When a Superhero’s Creator Meets the Actor Playing Him on TV

TV Suicide Squad

It’s always Halloween at the Con
by John Ostrander

Before I was a professional comic book writer, I was a fan. I still am. I was going to comic cons long before I turned pro. Some are good, some are not so good, and some are the San Diego Comic Con which is too large to fit into any category. For me these days, cons are mostly working weekends where I meet with fans and fellow pros, sign some autographs, maybe sell a few of my trade paperbacks.

Last weekend, I and My Mary were at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, Michigan, and we had a great time. It’s close enough to where we live so that we could just drive there and the Con gave us a hotel room so we didn’t have to drive back and forth. The cats weren’t pleased that we were gone but they survived and, once we fed them, forgave us our absence.

Last time I had been to Motor City was maybe a decade ago and it has really grown. My understanding is that they had over 50K attendance over the three days this year. It was large but not too large and, while it had a nice selection of media guests, it was still a con focused on comics. read article